Lord of the Oasis
Author: Ji Mansion's Old Zhao
Date: 2022-10-26T12:08:27.314000+00:00
Description: Bags of salt, spices and sugar stacked from inside the shop all the way out into the streets. Merchants loaded with goods going flooded the streets with their carriages. The air was filled with fragrances emanating from all manner of spices. It was a prosperous, lively city at the side of the oasis. Sounds of metals being hammered and threads being woven were heard all over the place, as smiths and craftsmen were busy at work in their respective workshops. The banner of the successor of the Kingdom of Swadia—Baron Kant—was hanging on the city gates. The citizens lived peaceful, happy lives, re

Chapter 1: Journey in the Desert

Kant shook the reins in his hand for a bit as he steered the horse he was riding forward.

To the east of the Nahrin Desert, the morning sun was steadily rising. It hung high at the top of the endless dunes, exuding its might to dispel the chill of night. Scorching heatwaves washed over the barren desert.

Except for the Jackalans, who had no concept of civilization, no other races were willing to step foot into that barren place.

That, of course, excluded Kant and his team.

Twenty knights, who wore mail armor under their robes, were riding warhorses. There were also 30 peasants, who served as servants. Right behind Kant were six horses pulling carriages with goods.

Huuhhh…

Kant sighed a heavy breath and frowned as he looked forward at the winding dunes. He flipped the hood on his linen robe over. His blonde hair draped over his shoulders. His young, supple face was plastered with dust.

His amber eyes contracted, making them look harsh as he rode.

They were in the Nahrin Desert, a world filled with sand and dust. It was a wasteland that had yet to be developed.

Before the place was conquered by the Dukedom of Leo 10 years ago, the desert had no signs of civilization. As for the Jackalan Tribes, they were primitive beings that ate their prey raw along with the blood and fur.

There was no doubt that the Jackalans remained the same even until now.

As the youngest son of the duke, Kant naturally understood that the desert was not considered part of the Dukedom of Leo.

Even though the dukedom had conquered the entire southern area of the Nahrin Desert 10 years ago, in truth, the upper echelons had only claimed to have taken the place with empty talk.

Most scholars within the dukedom did not acknowledge that the conquest had even happened.

On the map, the border of the dukedom remained at the Senwaya Range right next to the Nahrin Desert. The endless desert north of there remained unoccupied by civilization.

Those areas had been taken over by the Jackalan Tribes, so the place remained incapable of being used for herding or farming, which practically made it useless.

Even criminals and escaped slaves from the dukedom, who were at their wit's end, would not go to such a place.

"This is pathetic."

Kant shook his head and humbly smirked as he thought, I actually ended up in a sh*thole like this.

If it had not been for the fact that he had run out of options, he would not have stepped into the barren desert in the first place. Furthermore, it was still summer. The sun in June was like a bakery oven. Even the morning sun was capable of heating the entire desert to 122 degrees Fahrenheit.

Kant looked up at the sky. The sun above the dunes continued to rise.

During this season in the barren desert, noon temperatures could reach 158 degrees Fahrenheit, which was a temperature no one could withstand.

It is so hot!

He gulped a mouthful of sticky saliva and adjusted the breathable linen hood. His frown turned even more serious as he moved.

He hastened the horse before turning around to the team behind him and shouting, "Move it, people! Hurry up. If you don't want to end up being toasted under the sun at noon, we need to set up camp to rest before noon!"

"Yes, Sir."

Lethargic responses were heard. The peasants pushed the carriages, making them go faster.

They were all traveling on foot. With three carriages full of supplies, the team's speed was abhorrent.

The wheels of the carriages, which were crafted using hardwood and nails, were better suited to roads on the flatlands of the Dukedom of Leo. The wheels dredged through the soft sands, causing even the stout horses to neigh in exhaustion. Every step they took was difficult because the wheels kept getting stuck in the sand, requiring the peasants to push the wheels to be able to move even slightly faster.

Kant understood their predicament. He sighed seeing the team behind him move.

This is awful. Kant frowned.

"Your Lordship."

Rowan, the captain of the knights riding behind him, rode up to Kant's side.

That middle-aged man, who was usually steadfast, looked rather anxious as he said, "Pardon my rudeness, but we'd really like to know how long it will take before we reach the Oasis Lookout."

"How long?"

Kant looked calm and kept his eyes on the winding, endless dunes ahead. He gritted his teeth before saying, "I have no idea."

"Well..." Rowan looked even more anxious after hearing the answer.

That was apparently not what he had hoped to hear.

The corner of Kant's mouth rose slightly. However, there was hardly any emotion seen on his calm face as he plainly said, "According to the calculations, we've been traveling for six days. If the map and route are correct, we'll reach our destination soon enough."

"We'll reach soon enough?" Rowan gulped, feeling his throat hurt from being so parched.

They had been marching through the desert for six days. Everyone had reached their physical and psychological limits. They had had enough.

That was especially so regarding the storage of fresh water. That day, it had hit the red line.

Fifty-one people and 27 horses needed their thirst quenched.

That was one of the reasons why Rowan was so anxious. He and the 20 knights he commanded, who all served as escorts, were allowed to leave as soon as they reached their destination. They did not need to stay with Kant and the 30 peasants.

The sooner they reached the Oasis Lookout, the sooner they would leave the dreaded desert behind and return home.

On the contrary, Kant hardly minded any of it. Even when they reached the Oasis Lookout, the destination at the end of the route was not something to be happy about.

It was where he would likely stay for the rest of his days, surrounded by an endless swath of sand.

He recalled the title he gained at his coming-of-age ceremony and sarcastically smirked. A fief was granted alongside the title. Boy, this is hilarious.

However, his eyes were only filled with coldness.

He was a baron of the dukedom, which was why he had a territory of his own.

It was conferred by his father, Cameron, the duke of the Dukedom of Leo, personally. He gave the Nahrin Desert, which had been conquered 10 years ago, to Kant for him to reign over as its master.

That included their destination, the Oasis Lookout, which was the only oasis the could be found in the southern parts of the desert.

Kant was a baron in name but lord of the Nahrin Desert.

However, no one knew that the place was simply a prison where Duke Cameron exiled his least favorite and youngest son.

Then again, desert or not, I have my way of getting by.

The sarcasm seen in Kant's eyes became even more pronounced.

As someone who was transported to his current world from Earth, Kant had his trump card, which served as a cheat in that world.

So be it.

Kant narrowed his eyes and looked ahead. A dialog box from the system appeared on his retina.

[Main Quest: Build a village]

[Reward: 1,000 Denars]

[Status: Incomplete]

[Introduction: You can only become a lord by having a village. That is the first step to constructing your foundation. Please be careful.]

That was the main quest given by the system. He needed to see to its completion since it was tied to leveling up in the system.

It was actually simple to complete the main quest.

As long as Kant was able to get to the Oasis Lookout and have the 20 knights of the dukedom return home, he could rely on the powers bestowed by the system to build his village, bringing the buildings that only existed within the system to reality.

The village was but the beginning. As things progressed, the place could be upgraded to a huge city or a sturdy castle.

In the past, Kant was concerned that he would have no place to establish his village.

At present, after traveling through the natural border separating the Nahrin Desert and Dukedom of Leo, the Senwaya Range, Kant found that he no longer had to live under constant scrutiny as he had once been, always afraid of having his cover as a Transported and his cheat blown.

He did not need to think about where to materialize the village from the system quest.

The Dukedom of Leo was a conventional nation of the middle ages. The flatlands of the entire nation had all been taken.

Be it the hills, forests, marshes, or jungles, all of them had been taken by the nobles as their fiefs and estates.

The Dukedom of Leo had been established for nearly 300 years. Whether it was the greater nobles or the lesser nobles titled by the greater nobles, all of them had taken whatever land there was to take. The ranks of counts, viscounts, and barons had been firmly established throughout the years.

A new village that popped out of nowhere was tantamount to a failed investment.

It was easy to establish a village, but it was another thing altogether deciding who would eventually rule the place. Furthermore, none of the nobles would have allowed such a lucrative piece of land to slip through their fingers, even if the father of the one who built the place was the duke.

"The vassal of my vassal is not my vassal."

That was a renowned phrase from the western parts of Earth, which could have been applied to this situation.

As such, Kant was very careful with his main quest. If he were to lose his village, he would lose everything. He dared to gamble, but he dared not be careless.

That remained his attitude, even at present as he was making his way to the Oasis Lookout in the Nahrin Desert.

Kant knew that only the things he truly had command over would be his.

Thus, Kant had agreed to take the Nahrin Desert as his fief.

Things are going to better once we reach the Oasis Lookout.

Kant clenched his fists slightly. His breathing became more labored. However, he was actually very spirited.

He turned around to look behind him.

The 30 peasants, who wore cheap linen clothing, were exhausted and drenched in sweat from pushing the carriages. They looked to be of little difference from common peasants—subjects who were following their lord to his new fief.

In truth, that was not the case.

The 30 peasants were a reward given to Kant when he finished a side quest after coming to that world.

They were Kingdom of Swadia peasants given to him by the system.

Despite looking rather malnourished and appearing frail, all of them were around 5 feet 9 inches tall and stronger than their looks suggested. They excelled at working the fields and were laborers that any workshop would have fought over to hire.

Then again, being from the system, they were more than just average peasants.

If Kant provided the necessary training, including corresponding weapons and equipment, they could also become fine soldiers.

It was just like the leveling tree of the game, "Mount and Blade."

They could be upgraded to become reliable main infantry forces—Swadian Sergeants who were like walking fortresses.

They could be upgraded to become excellent ranged attack units—Swadian Sharpshooters armed with crossbows.

They could be upgraded to become Swadian Knights armed in two layers of armor as they rode horses. That was the unit known to be the supreme troop class on land.

"These people will serve as my foundation from here on out."

Kant quietly muttered to himself. His eyes glimmered with hope once again.

He sat upright as he rode, gazing at the faraway dune. He encouraged both the peasants and knights behind him. "Keep it up, people! We can take a break at that dune at the horizon before us!"

"Hurray!" The peasants cheered in a high-spirited manner.

"Yes... Hurray..."

The knights of the dukedom responded lethargically. If it had not been for Captain Rowan telling them that they were about to reach their destination, none of them would have probably been in the mood to even talk.

At the same time, those knights were looking at the Swadian Peasants like they were idiots.

They were unable to fathom why those lowly, poor peasants had come to the barren desert. Furthermore, they all looked very high-spirited as if they had high hopes for the future.

The knights thought the peasants were hilarious.

Hope?

Scorching heat… Freezing cold… All manners of negative words and terms could have been used to describe the Nahrin Desert. The word "hope" had no place there.

They are indeed some ridiculous fools!

Rowan eyed the peasants with cold eyes.

None of them understood that the Swadian Peasants existed only because Kant existed.

Rowan looked at Kant and felt contempt in his heart. You're about to end up dead here, yet you actually brought that many with you! Does Your Lordship really think that you're a lord of the Nahrin Desert, the master of the Oasis Lookout?

He struggled to hold back his laughter at the thought.

None of it had anything to do with him. As soon as they reached their destination, Rowan and his men would immediately leave. They would not have even a moment of hesitation to stay behind.

In truth, those were not Rowan's thoughts alone. All of the dukedom nobles shared such thoughts. None of them thought there were any prospects to be had in the oasis, which had an area less than 3,229 square miles.

Furthermore, in the barren desert, the scorching heat of the day and the freezing cold of the night were not the only threats to humans.

The threat included those who had once been driven away and slaughtered but had never truly left the Nahrin Desert:

The Jackalan Tribes.

Chapter 2: The Jackalan's Ambush

The Jackalans were the most common humanoid race found in the Nahrin Desert.

They once had a massive population that stretched across the Nahrin Desert to the Senwaya Range. During the many years the dukedom was at war with other dukedoms, the Jackalans had taken advantage of the situation and invaded the dukedom's northern lands. They remained a solid threat to the dukedom for nearly three years.

They were considered as a disgusting inflammation that seemed to spread all the way to the central regions.

When the Dukedom of Leo was done warring against the other dukedoms, they immediately sought to purge the Jackalans from their lands.

The massive purge lasted for a year.

The Jackalan Tribes, which behaved as if they had reached paradise when they first invaded the dukedom, were quickly crushed by the retaliation.

The Jackalans had no high-grade weapons or armor, which meant that they were no match for the human forces.

The Jackalans were easily killed by the cavalry units, which were highly regarded by the Dukedom of Leo and a source of great pride.

It was said that the number of chopped Jackalan heads 10 years ago was enough to line both sides of the road.

The brutal purge quickly spiraled to become an all-out genocide, stretching from the northern border of the dukedom into the southern parts of the Nahrin Desert. The main Jackalan Tribes, which had greater numbers, almost became extinct from the genocide.

Any surviving Jackalan Tribes moved into the desert north of the dukedom in fear.

There were still some scattered pockets of them left.

There were quite a number of Jackalan Tribes within the Senwaya Range, which was evident from how the northern villages of the dukedom were sporadically raided by Jackalans.

As for the southern parts of the Nahrin Desert, the Jackalan numbers likely spiked from having gained a 10-year respite.

There's no going back now.

Kant wetted his parched, cracked lips. His expression was filled with resolve.

He was determined to build his village after making the arduous journey through the desert. With the system's Kingdom of Swadia as his cheat, he was determined not to fall into a state of having absolutely nothing.

The dunes, which were recently discussed, were right in front of them. That was where they were about to set up camp.

The plan was to set up tents in the shade behind the dune.

"Alright, you people, get busy!"

The knights were still under Rowan's command. He went on to carry out his arrangements for them. "Search the perimeter thoroughly. I don't want any Jackalan or beast chewing up my innards while I'm asleep!"

The 20 knights immediately spread out after receiving his orders.

However, some hardly bothered with the task they had been given. They had been marching for six days and not seen any Jackalans around.

As such, the knights were not very thorough with their search. After confirming that there was nothing out of the ordinary within the vicinity of the dunes, they all returned to set up tents so they could get some much-needed rest.

"Get the tents up."

Kant arranged for the peasants to get to work as well.

The three carriages included supplies to set up camp. There were more than a dozen tents, as well as sticks and ropes for erecting them.

Some of the peasants were quickly digging into the sand with their sickles. They were removing sand about 11 inches down from the surface, revealing the cooler layers underneath.

That was one of the tricks of living in the desert. Lying down inside the sand enabled them to escape the heat.

It was a technique employed by the Jackalans surviving in the desert, which was picked up by the soldiers of the Dukedom of Leo. The technique was, in turn, recorded by scholars in the books they wrote.

Before Kant ventured into the desert, he had looked up all kinds of books on the Nahrin Desert and thoroughly read them.

Twenty tents were set up over the recently dug holes in the sand. The tents were erected with sticks and fixed in place with ropes. All 51 people in the entourage were able to have a good rest within the camp, as well as the 27 horses.

"I'll leave the rest to you, Rowan."

Kant stood before his small tent and sighed a breath of relief.

The hardest part of the work needed to set up camp had been completed. Rowan nodded in reply. "Yes, Your Lordship."

The work after required feeding and watering the horses. People were also assigned to prepare lunch and distribute water throughout the day to everyone present. While the job was relatively easy, it had to be taken seriously. No one was better suited for the job than Rowan, who was careful and steadfast.

The tents blocked the sun, and the shallow holes brought coolness from the earth.

Kant spread out a linen sheet and laid down. He felt as if all the exhaustion from the difficult journey was disappearing.

It might actually be best to have a pint of lager at such a moment, he thought.

Kant closed his eyes and sighed. I wonder when I can start living easily again.

He was, at the moment, at the stage of starting from scratch.

Lager was basically a luxury at such times. There was no way he could have drunk some anyway. No trade caravans traveled to the Oasis Lookout to sell cheap liquor to their fief.

After all, they were in the Nahrin Desert.

It was a barren wasteland where no humans were usually found.

Kant Shook his head and stopped thinking about it.

He sniffed for a bit and smelled the fragrance of food from outside the tent.

It was lunchtime. Just as Kant was preparing to take a nap in the hole, the familiar chime of the System Prompt woke him up.

A dialog box appeared on his retina at the same time.

[Ding… Side Quest assigned]

[Side Quest: The Jackalans' Ambush]

[Reward: Date Palm Trees x 20 (Ripe)]

[Introduction: The smell of cooking attracted a group of Jackalans with a keen sense of smell. You need to annihilate them.]

Kant immediately rose from his hole.

He looked determined since it was a side quest from the system, which was assigned irregularly and at no set time.

However, such a side quest from the system did verify something important.

There was a group of Jackalans with unknown numbers preparing for an ambush around the dunes where they were camping. Furthermore, the Jackalans had found them and were ready to strike at any moment.

We've been careless!

Kant was exasperated by the knights' inability to properly scout. Given how he had no command over them, there was no way he could have given them orders.

He swiftly walked out of his tent. There were more than a dozen peasants still preparing lunch outside.

As for the knights assigned by the dukedom to escort them, they were all burrowed in their tents and holes. There was not so much as a scout found anywhere outside of the tents. They had very much let their guards down.

Kant frowned hard at the situation.

If it had not been for the System Prompt, those Jackalans would have probably gotten right beside the tents and remained unseen.

He did not make a big deal out of it.

Kant came to the side of the carriage and found his box.

Within it were a light crossbow and a quiver with 20 short, thick iron bolts.

He needed to be the one who discovered the Jackalans. Otherwise, there was no way he could explain how he knew the Jackalans were about to attack. Despite being somewhat of a scholar, he was certainly not a mage who possessed mystical powers.

Along with three Swadian Peasants, he swiftly walked to the top of the dunes above their campsite.

He cautiously squatted as he scanned his surroundings.

"Over there. I found them."

A peasant noticed them first. He continued to speak in a subdued voice as he pointed northward, "Look, Jackalans. Many of them."

"Yeah." Kant nodded.

Approximately half of a mile north of the dunes where they were camping, they were about 50 Jackalans wearing ragged clothing and snooping about. They laid low as if they were out hunting.

Actually, they were hunting. After all, human meat was often found on the menu of some of the more brutal Jackalans.

"Fall back. Wake everyone up and prepare for combat."

Kant slowly backed away while remaining in a squatting position. Although he still looked very serious, his expression had considerably lightened.

From the looks of it, more than 50 Jackalans seemed like a lot. They were almost equal to Kant's entourage.

In actual fact, they were not all that much of a threat.

All 20 of the dukedom's knights, who were still resting in their tents in the sand, would have been able to quickly take care of the Jackalans. Furthermore, they would have done so without incurring huge losses.

Seasoned knights with ample training could have easily dealt with those primitive humanoid races.

Kant quickly ran down the dune as he held onto his light crossbow. He said, "Captain Rowan, we're in trouble. Please get everyone to prepare for combat. About 50 Jackalans are about to ambush our camp."

"Jackalans?"

Captain Rowan sounded rather surprised.

The 20 knights in their tents quickly grabbed their weapons and emerged with stern expressions. When they scanned the surrounding dunes, they did not find anything out of the ordinary.

Rowan did not doubt Kant and asked, "Your Lordship, where are they?"

"Over there, and they'll hit us real soon," Kant said as he pointed north of the dunes.

"Get on your horses and get ready to fight."

Rowan gritted his teeth and glared at the knights behind him. He quickly berated them. "Damn it, you four will spend the night polishing everyone's boots. I told you to scout the area, yet you missed that many Jackalans out there."

The four knights looked glum, but they did not retort.

It had truly been their mistake. The four of them were tasked with scouting to the north.

"Your Lordship, I apologize for the matter, but we will deal with the Jackalans."

Rowan led the knights to mount their horses. They all took their lances and longswords along. He turned to Kant and seriously said, "We will all deploy, so we probably will not be able to cover for you. Please be careful, Your Lordship."

"No problem." Kant nodded.

The knights were never meant for defense. They would head out and hit the Jackalans head-on.

Once an ambush was discovered, the element of surprise was gone.

Seeing the 20 knights, led by Rowan, quickly go up the dunes and head north, Kant gave his orders. "Everyone, prepare for combat. Follow my lead."

"Understood!"

The 30 Swadian Peasants unanimously responded.

While their main job was to work in the fields, they were no strangers to combat.

Their specially modified sickles were mounted on 6-foot-5-inch staffs, making long scythes that resembled halberds. The weapons were capable of stabbing and slashing. Although they seemed unwieldy, they were weapons capable of dealing massive damage.

Furthermore, the 30 Swadian Peasants held their long scythes and went into two square formations.

After this battle, some of them were likely to get an upgrade.

Kant took the Swadian Peasants to the top of the dunes.

Approximately 650 feet away, the 20 dukedom knights were thrusting their lances, which were over 6 feet long, and charging without fear at the ragtag band of Jackalans.

"Glory to the Dukedom of Leo!"

The knights shouted their motto as the warhorses beneath them galloped at high speeds.

Although the sand limited their absolute speed, the charge of the knights caught the Jackalans by surprise.

The Jackalans were the dominant beings in the Nahrin Desert. That emboldened them enough to sneak up to the place where they smelled something nice, even though they had no idea who they would be up against.

When they saw the ones charging down the dunes were human knights, all of them began to scatter in fear.

The slaughter from 10 years ago was still fresh in their memories.

Chapter 3: Swadian Recruit

The afternoon sun was scorching hot. The breeze felt more like a heatwave.

But this place was the Nahrin Desert.

The scorching heat made the stench of blood all around seem even thicker. It was as if a slaughter was being carried out.

The 50 Jackalans, which had long, pointy tusks growing out of their lower jaws and grey fur all over their bodies, held their beast-like heads high and screeched in despair. They swung their spiked clubs at the 20 incoming knights.

The Dukedom of Leo knights charged from the top of the dunes just as ferociously with their lances thrust forward.

It was a head-on, no-frills clash between the forces on both sides.

The Jackalan Tribes of the Nahrin Desert had always been sworn enemies of the Dukedom of Leo.

Both sides allowed their hatred and enmity to go to their heads, removing all forms of logic and reasoning.

However, as blood was being spilled everywhere, one Jackalan after another was sent flying by the charging warhorses as they screeched. Their chests caved in as blood burst from their fang-filled mouths.

The screeches of insanity quickly turned into whelps of struggle.

"The great Edmund, the God of War, is watching us!"

Rowan, the captain of the knights, pierced through a Jackalan and nailed the being onto the soft sands, yet he did not stop there. He drew his longsword and began to shout in fierce encouragement, "For the Dukedom of Leo, charge!"

"Charge!"

The other knights responded to his call and shouted along with him.

The Dukedom of Leo worshipped Edmund, the God of War, and that was the most common prayer of the Warrior Faith.

However, that single line drove the knights into a frenzy as they charged into the Jackalans, bringing down their longswords left and right at the bestial beings. The stench of blood permeated the place they trod.

The battle was intense but short.

Dead bodies soon littered the place.

Blood spilled from their wounds. It seeped into the sand, staining the area red.

The Dukedom of Leo knights, which clearly emerged as victors, did not stop slaughtering. They went on to split up and chase down all of the scattered Jackalans trying to escape. They wanted to kill them all and prevent further troubles.

Only four or five Jackalans became panicked enough to run into the middle of the Swadian Peasants, intending to make a breakthrough.

They were quickly struck down by the long scythes wielded by the peasants, preventing them from even getting close to escaping.

While the Swadian Peasants were more versed in farming, they still knew basic fighting concepts.

In the game, the Continent of Caradia had been dominated by war for decades. Bandits and marauders were everywhere, forcing the peasants to learn how to craft makeshift weapons with the tools they depended on to make a living.

Furthermore, the long scythe-wielders were gathered in a tight formation, making even knights reluctant to barge into them head-on.

The battle was over.

The sound of the System Prompt appeared in Kant's mind at the same time.

[Ding... All enemies are downed after the slaughter.]

[Side Quest: Ambush the Jackalans is completed.]

[Reward Acquired: Date Palm Trees x 20 (Ripe)]

[Comment: This was a furious and exhilarating battle. Although the battle was fought by your allies, it was your victory, nonetheless.]

Kant smirked exasperatedly and ignored the system's comment.

There was nothing he could have done about it.

If it had not been for the 20 Dukedom of Leo knights, massive casualties would have been incurred if he had only been able to rely on his 30 Swadian Peasants. Half of them would have died without even being close to annihilating the Jackalans.

20 Date Palm Trees?

A dialog box automatically appeared on Kant's retina with images of the trees on it.

The 32-foot-tall trees were straight and had lush green leaves. Clusters of dates were on the trees, which looked huge and sweet. Being packed tight against one another made them look appetizing.

There was no way conventional crops could have been planted in a desert.

The Date Palm Trees, on the other hand, were known for their hardy resistance to both cold and heat, which made them the most reliable food source in the desert. The months between October and February were the time when the dates ripened. The dates served as a staple food of desert-dwelling races, earning them the title of Desert Bread.

As the lord of the Nahrin Desert, Kant needed those trees more than anyone else.

While he was still savoring their ultimate victory, a dialog box suddenly appeared.

[Ding... Your forces have upgradable units.]

Kant's eyes lit up.

Upgradable units? He quickly opened the system interface.

The interface displayed 30 images representing the 30 Swadian Peasants with the symbol "+," signifying that they were ready to level-up.

It was not an elaboration of the System Quest. It was a reward acquired from the battle.

[Upgradable Troop Class: Swadian Peasants x 10]

[Spend 10 Denars each to upgrade to Swadian Recruits]

The system showed two dialog boxes after that.

A hundred Denars was still within budget.

Kant muttered without hesitation, "System, level up right away!"

This was a vital upgrade that was necessary. Only Swadian Recruits gained after the upgrade would truly be able to serve as combatant units. Despite being the weakest troop class there was, they were still noticeably more capable than the Swadian Peasants.

As Kant confirmed his decision, some mystical being instantly shrouded 10 Swadian Peasants by his side.

Many changes were seen on the 10 peasants after that.

Some type of data chain, which only Kant was able to see, circled them. Their 5-foot-9-inch statures did not change, yet they looked considerably more buff.

The equipment they carried was the most pronounced among the changes.

Their linen robes became leather armor, which sported better defenses, while their hoods became leather hats.

The long scythes they held became standardized spears. All of them were 7.5 feet long, which made them comparable to lances wielded by the Dukedom of Leo knights.

Shields made of simple wooden materials appeared on their backs. Hand-axes could now be seen on their waists.

The 10 Swadian Recruits finally cast off their peasant-like appearances and became true soldiers.

I finally got my fighting force.

Kant sighed a breath of relief.

The 10 Swadian Recruits were only the beginning. Troop classes of higher levels awaited.

At present, he no longer needed to depend entirely on the dukedom knights. They would leave right after escorting them to the Oasis Lookout without the slightest thought of staying behind.

"Your Lordship, they are all taken care of."

Rowan returned with his knights after Kant was done leveling up his troops.

He was rather surprised to find the 10 Swadian Recruits armed with spears. Rowan glanced at their shields and leather armors and asked, "Where did these people come from?"

"The desert is a dangerous place. It's just sensible to have more weapons just in case." Kant did not elaborate.

Rowan nodded, showing that he understood. He did not ask any further questions.

He was able to tell that the soldiers had been the peasants before. Now, they were equipped with leather armors, spears, and shields. They did not actually look all that different from the peasants wielding long scythes.

The other knights only glanced at them in slight surprise before getting off of their horses to rest.

They didn't seem to think any of it was out of place.

The baron assigned to the Nahrin Desert would never have only brought 30 lowly peasants with him. Providing the peasants some weapons and armor to be able to even somewhat fight seemed a normal thing to do.

The knights secretly despised him.

In the forces of the dukedom, the Swadian Recruits would have been little more than conscripted cannon fodders.

"Let's head back to camp."

Kant hardly paid any attention to the sarcastic looks in the eyes of the knights and simply continued to give orders.

The sun was scorching as they stood on the dunes. All of them felt rather dizzy and short of breath after that intense battle. If they delayed resting any further, they would all soon be battling heatstroke.

Even the warhorses began to have foam in their noses and mouths as they restlessly sighed.

"Pack up and give the horses some water," Rowan said to his subordinate knights.

To the knights, their warhorses were their companions.

Everyone headed to the makeshift camp below the dunes. They urgently needed a good rest after the battle.

The knight at the very rear, who was still holding onto his warhorse at the top of the dunes, pointed to the north and shouted in surprise, "Lord Edmund the God of War, look, isn't that the Oasis Lookout?"

"What?"

Everyone looked up with a surprised expression. All their gazes were on the shouting knight, who seemed to have turned into a statue at the top of the dunes.

Kant gulped. He was one of the first to regain his composure.

He quickly climbed up the dunes and traced where the knight pointed. At the end of the horizon, a patch of green could vaguely be seen among all the yellow.

It was a clear sign.

If there was green in the desert, that said green could only be an oasis.

"We're here."

Kant was unable to help but mutter to himself. He clenched his teeth and uttered, "The Oasis Lookout."

Everyone climbed to the top of the dunes and gazed at the green far away.

All of them were stunned, yet it was excitement like no other seen in their eyes.

They had toiled for six days on their journey and finally reached their destination. The southern side of the Nahrin Desert was the fief and estate belonging to Baron Kant—the Oasis Lookout.

"Hurray!"

The knights excitedly cheered.

The discovery meant that they would finally be able to go home.

They no longer needed to slow down to wait for the carriages and peasants. They could ride home as quickly as possible.

It would only take them three days to get to the territory of the Dukedom of Leo and the comfortable lives they had once taken for granted.

"Alright, alright."

Kant's voice pulled all those people back from their excitement.

He rested his light crossbow on his shoulders and looked at the dukedom knights. He said, "We should probably settle down in the tents and have a good lunch at such a moment."

"You're right, Your Lordship." Rowan smiled and nodded.

The other knights agreed and took their horses slowly down the dunes.

The Oasis Lookout was not far away, so everyone was in a good mood.

The only exception was Kant.

Chapter 4: Psychological Warfare

The knights, who were drenched in sweat from the recent fighting, slowly walked down the dunes.

The Swadian Peasants and Recruits headed for the temporary camp set up below. There was still lunch waiting to be made and complicated labor that needed to be finished.

Kant continued to stand on the dunes under the scorching sun.

He gazed at the Oasis Lookout on the horizon, which was his supposed fief. There was a fresh water spring in it.

I think this is going to be troublesome.

Kant heavily sighed. His eyes looked worried.

He scanned his surroundings and the lowly dead beings below. Their bodies were left strewn about. He felt pressure deep down instead of relief.

Jackalans had been found somewhere close to the Oasis Lookout.

The implications of that were undeniably severe.

Kant was unable to help but wear a bitter smirk. Just think about it a little, man. There is no way the Oasis Lookout could always stay deserted.

The purge carried out by the Dukedom of Leo 10 years ago had only been temporary. The Jackalans had returned and retaken the oasis.

He made some calculations based on the 50 Jackalans that had just been slain.

He concluded that there were likely no less than 300 in the tribe of Jackalans that had taken over the Oasis Lookout. The numbers could even be higher if the entire tribe was accounted for.

What do I do now?

At that thought, Kant felt a headache forming.

[Ding... Side Quest assigned]

[Side Quest: Annihilate the Jackalan Tribe]

[Reward: Desert Bandit Lair x 1]

[Introduction: The Oasis Lookout is the pearl of the south of the desert, yet it is now being taken over by a tribe of Jackalans. The ferocious race of beings has sullied the beauty of the oasis. As the lord of the Nahrin Desert from here on out, it is imperative that you annihilate them.]

A System Prompt appeared just when he was wondering what to do from then on out.

The system's dialog box was displayed on his retina, showing the Side Quest assigned by the system.

Annihilate the Jackalan Tribe?

Kant repeated the mission perimeters. The bitter smirk remained on his face.

Even without the System Quest assigned, he would have had to annihilate the tribe that had taken over the Oasis Lookout all the same.

The Oasis Lookout was the only oasis that had been found in the south of the Nahrin Desert. More importantly, it was the only location with a water source. If he were unable to take the area for himself, Kant would be setting himself up to fail.

According to their current storage of fresh water, which had begun to dip below the red line, even returning alive to the Dukedom of Leo would be a problem.

In truth, even if he were able to return, as the youngest son of the duke with an awkward status, there was no guarantee that Kant would be able to live without troubles.

There were many people who did not wish to see him return. To them, it was best if he just simply died in the desert.

Kant unconciously clenched his teeth and walked down the dunes without saying a word.

A Jackalan Tribe with a population of at least 300 posed a serious threat to them.

If they made one mistake, it could easily cause all of them to perish.

The annihilation of 50 Jackalans in the previous battle had only happened because the system reminded Kant of the danger. He used their ambush against them and caught them completely off-guard.

Furthermore, the 20 of the dukedom knights, who had taken the Jackalans out, were elites.

If they gave their all and earnestly fought, they would still suffer massive casualties as they tried to take out a tribe of 300 Jackalans.

We could still try.

Kant looked at the shadows moving about in the tents.

His gaze unavoidably narrowed.

In truth, if he were to conquer the Oasis Lookout, the outcome would have little to do with the rookie Swadian Recruits who had leveled up moments ago.

The key still lied with the 20 dukedom knights.

I know you people will definitely not agree with this, but I'm sorry. I've got no other choice.

Kant's expression was calm. He had his own hidden plans.

The knights were loyal to Cameron, the Duke of Leo. They only respected Kant due to his bloodline. When it came to actual command in combat, they were still the ones calling the shots.

Kant understood that since he was unable to command the knights to fight for him, he would have to make them do so by putting the pressure of reality on them.

They were in the Nahrin Desert. There was only one thing that could move them.

Water.

It was something that they would have to fight over whether they liked it or not.

Don't blame me for this. Kant was calm, yet a shimmer of coldness was seen deep in his eyes.

After all, there was no such thing as trust between people.

Kant was initially walking toward the tents, but he turned around and headed for the carriages.

All the Swadian Peasants were busy working.

The dukedom knights were in their tents laughing heartily as if they were joking about something.

No one paid him any attention.

At the very least, no outsiders noticed him.

"My Lord."

Two Swadian Peasants had been tasked with guarding the goods on the carriages.

"Be quiet." Kant raised his hand and signaled for them to stop talking.

He immediately unplugged the plugs at the bottom of the water storage barrels on the carriage.

Glug, glug, glug...

The crystal clear fresh water spilled onto the sand through the small openings. It took mere minutes for the barrels to store water on the carriage to be left with just a fraction of what they had once contained. The barren sand around them became drenched.

"Our water is about to get depleted."

Kant looked at the two baffled Swadian Peasants and reasserted himself. "Understand?"

"Yes, My Lord," they answered.

"Good."

There was not a single bit of expression seen on Kant's face as he walked to his tent as if nothing had happened.

Only the peasants and recruits had been close to the carriage. None of the knights had bothered to go anywhere near since they had no reason to.

None of the knights would have expected that not a single drop of water was left, especially since the amount of water in the barrels should have lasted three days.

The lack of water would kill them.

If they wanted to live, they would have to fight the Jackalans.

This was how Kant planned to trick and force the dukedom knights to listen to his plans and fight the Jackalans to the bitter end.

A man had to do what he had to do.

After he came to this backward and mysterious world, Kant, as the youngest son of the duke, learned how to make use of others to the greatest extent. All of that was completely normal considering how he was a noble.

If Kant did not make use of the knights, he knew they would not stay back and fight just because of his status.

No one would have toiled and put their lives on the line for others without anything to gain, especially given how he was an exiled baron.

"My Lord."

When Kant was still steeped in thought, a peasant in charge of cooking, who was holding a wooden plate, lifted the blinds on the tent and said, "Lunch is ready."

"Alright." Kant nodded and took a look.

There were three pieces of white bread, half a smoked chicken, and three spoonfuls of juicy dried meat cooked in black pepper.

That was the kind of gourmet meal that only his status as a baron could have afforded.

White bread and black pepper were both luxuries. Squires and knights notwithstanding, even lesser nobles with comparatively small fiefs and less wealth in the dukedom were unable to afford such spices and high-quality, soft white bread.

They could have only afforded black bread with wheat bran mixed within the flour, as well as simple cooked dried meat.

"Dried meat cooked in black pepper, eh."

Kant took the plate and said, "If I'm not mistaken, our supply of fresh water is running out."

"Indeed, but we're not far away from the Oasis Lookout, and there will be ample fresh water to be had," the peasant replied.

"Is that so?"

Kant nodded and told the peasant, "Tell Captain Rowan to come to my tent after he is done with lunch."

"Yes, My Lord," the peasant respectfully said before leaving the tent.

Kant heartily ate his lunch with a wooden spoon.

The white bread was soft and tasty, as well as of high quality. It had been prepared for him with butter before he left the castle in the Dukedom of Leo. The same went for black pepper. Kant was a noble. Even if he had been exiled, he still represented the bloodline and glory of Duke Cameron.

He was a baron and needed to be treated as one.

At the very least, Kant no longer had to worry about food being nasty. Compared to the knights and peasants, he was actually having quite a good meal.

Too bad that I won't be able to eat like this any longer.

He dipped the bread into the last bit of soup and put it in his mouth before chewing and gulping the last piece down.

He spent 10 minutes eating lunch, no more and no less.

He soon heard footsteps outside his tent. The leather boots stepped onto the slightly hard sand, making a cracking sound and leaving a footprint behind.

It seemed that Rowan was outside.

"Your Lordship, I heard that you were looking for me."

Captain Rowan could be heard from outside the tent. He sounded respectful and somewhat impatient at the same time.

"Please come in." Kant's voice was calm as if he did not notice any of that.

The blinds on the tent were lifted. Rowan stooped down for a bit before entering. He smiled faintly as he looked at Kant. "Your Lordship, we'll soon be at the Oasis Lookout. How can I be of service?"

Without waiting for Kant to reply, he quickly added, "If there is nothing else, we will be leaving soon."

"Leave?"

Kant looked doubtful as he looked at Rowan and asked, "Shouldn't we be heading to the Oasis Lookout?"

Their destination was within sight, which made Rowan impatient. He had no intention of continuing the journey through the dreaded desert any longer. He was also impatient from being at the side of the exiled baron.

Furthermore, as a veteran who had seen a lot of fighting, there was no way Rowan, the captain of the knights, was not able to see what the baron was up to.

"Your Lordship, the knights can't wait any longer."

He took a good look at Kant. In a flat tone, he said, "I'll make a request on their behalf. If possible, we'd like to have part of the drinking water supply. We shall begin our journey home right away."

That was a firm, unyielding demand, not a request with room for negotiation.

It was close to being rude.

It meant that Rowan and the knights were on the brink of losing control.

"Of course, if that is what you desire."

Rowan was surprised that Kant was so quick about it. The baron nodded and thanked the captain, saying, "It is thanks to the protection of your knights that we were able to make the journey. You have my gratitude."

"This is just part of our job." Rowan smiled and nodded.

What Kant said next changed Rowan's expression drastically. "Unfortunately, we're running low of water now."

Chapter 5: The Gamble Was About to Begin

The corner of Kant's mouth rose ever so slightly into a smirk. He looked at Rowan, who appeared to be baffled.

He was laughing at Rowan. However, his expression remained calm. His furrowed brow revealed the anxiety he was feeling deep down. "Actually, we don't have much water left after coming this far."

"How much do we have left?" Rowan's face became glum.

"Not enough," Kant replied.

The temperature outside had shot up to 158 degrees Fahrenheit, yet the air inside the tent remained rather cool.

Both men silently sat across from each other without any other topic to continue the conversation.

Rowan's face was sullen. It was as if he was the manifestation of dark clouds in the night, about to bring a storm. He knew what it meant to not have enough water at such a time. It was more about thirst, but it also meant that they would soon have to fight with all they had.

His senses were perceptive enough to know this after having spent so much time on battlefields.

There were more than 50 Jackalans found at the dunes, which were close to the Oasis Lookout. That meant the Oasis Lookout had long been taken over by the Jackalans.

"That's how it is."

Rowan eventually nodded and looked at Kant with a sour expression. "Bad news indeed, Your Lordship."

"Yes, bad news indeed." Kant nodded.

The air remained cool as Rowan clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. "But, Your Lordship, aren't you afraid?"

"Afraid? Afraid of what?" Kant asked as if he didn't understand. "Why should I be afraid?"

"Heh."

Rowan chuckled for a bit at the infuriating irony of it all. He was filled with frustration. It steadily built up in his chest and seemed like it was about to turn into flames of rage.

There was no way he was oblivious to what was happening. However, he dared not, and could not, do anything else.

Kant was an exiled baron, albeit the least favorite youngest son of the duke.

Regardless of if Rowan thought the man was better off dead, a proper excuse was needed for the baron to end up dead. For example, it would have been completely fine to have Kant taken out by the Jackalans on his way to his own fief. However, there was no way he could die by the hands of a knight of the Dukedom of Leo, especially one with no special status.

Kant was part of Duke Cameron's bloodline, as well as a baron representing the Dukedom of Leo.

Kant had won the round. Unfortunately, that was how the rules of the world worked.

"We could head to the Oasis Lookout."

Kant continued as if there was nothing out of the ordinary. "According to the records, there is spring water there." Kant paused and looked at Rowan before continuing. "Fresh, sweet, high-quality spring water that is so good it could be used for brewing wine."

"That is good to hear." From Rowan's perspective, all of that sounded pointless.

Rowan had no intention of humoring the baron any further. With a gloomy look on his face, he asked, "Your Lordship, what should we do from here on out?"

"Head to the Oasis Lookout," Kant replied with a smile.

"But the Oasis Lookout has been taken over by a bunch of Jackalans. We have absolutely no chance of taking out those beasts with the kind of numbers we have on our side." Rowan had grown impatient and laid the truth out.

Kant acted surprised. "What?"

"Your Lordship, we both understand what is going on here. Neither of us is a bloody fool."

Rowan took a deep breath and said, "We need to take out the Jackalan Tribe at the Oasis Lookout one way or another. Otherwise, we will all end up dying of thirst in the Nahrin Desert. None of us will be able to survive."

"This is serious." Kant lowered his head as if he had not been getting what Rowan was saying.

Rowan ignored the movement and continued speaking. "My subordinates all have their own families. They have their beloved and their children. None of them want to stay here forever. That would be unfair to them." He took a good look at Kant and said with a severe tone, "Your Lordship, I hope you can understand."

"The Jackalans have taken the spring water of the Oasis Lookout for themselves."

Kant seemed to nod with the same exasperation and said, "We will take out those Jackalans. Afterward, you all will be free to go home."

"Any plans then?" Rowan asked while gritting his teeth.

Given how things turned out, there was no way he believed that Kant had no other plans in mind. Besides, it was this young baron who had caused all of this in the first place.

Kant, of course, had further plans to deal with the situation.

Struggling to hold back all his anger as he looked at Rowan, Kant said, "We will ambush the Jackalans while they are unaware of what is going on. The Jackalan Tribe doesn't know that we're here. So, we will lay in the dark. After all, we're the ones with the element of surprise."

"Ambush?"

Rowan's voice slightly raised as he said, "The knights will suffer heavy casualties."

Rowan took a deep breath before saying, "Please note that we only have 20 knights at our disposal, Your Lordship!"

"My people will be a part of this," Kant said with a calm expression. "If our ambush is a success, the Jackalans will be thrown into chaos. We'll take them all out before they can regroup and organize an effective retaliation."

"Do you mean those peasants of yours, Your Lordship?"

Rowan's face was filled with unconcealed sarcasm and ridicule. "I have to admit, they are good at working in the fields."

"They can fight as well," Kant replied.

"Your Lordship, you're playing with fire here." Rowan glared at Kant with anger in his eyes. "That is being irresponsible to my subordinates."

Kant looked at the man in the eye calmly and replied, "It's either that, or we all die of thirst in the desert."

"This is a gamble with our lives on the line." Rowan's voice was somewhat raised.

"That is how war works," Kant replied without shirking away. He remained looking at the middle-aged man while he rummaged through his pocket for a purse. "Will this be enough?"

The purse was woven with sturdy linen threads. Clanging metals could be heard as Kant threw the purse.

"Well..." Rowan caught it and felt the obvious weight of the metals in his hand.

Kant said, "This is a reward for the hard work of you and your men. It is 20 Great Silvers."

"20 Great Silvers?" Rowan's breath became somewhat rushed since that was not a small number.

Their monthly pay was only 20 Small Silvers each. The exchange rate between the two types of silver currencies was 100 Small Silvers for one Great Silvers.

That money meant that every one of the knights would receive five months' worth of extra pay.

"I know you all could leave after escorting us to the Oasis Lookout, so this would be my pay for hiring you."

Kant looked at Rowan and solemnly said, "You should be able to understand that if our ambush is a success, we may all come out alive."

The term "ambush" meant a surprise attack out of nowhere. It was as simple and straightforward as it could have been.

One could have called it "sneaking up on one's enemy" as well.

It was a tactic to deal an effective blow on one's enemy when one's forces were vastly outnumbered by said enemy.

The effect of an ambush was even more apparent when cavalry units were concerned since they had the advantage of high mobility. The effects of employing such a tactic would have been like no other. That was why Kant went all the way to pull what he pulled. It was to force Rowan and the knights to stay behind.

An ambush from only 10 Swadian Recruits and 20 Swadian Peasants would have been pathetic.

"When will we be doing this?"

Rowan's expression softened after taking the Great Silvers.

He looked at Kant and said, "We need to wait for the right time when the Jackalans are the most relaxed. Perhaps dawn would be a good choice for doing so."

"No." Kant immediately shot down the suggestion.

While the Jackalans were at their most relaxed moments before dawn, Kant's entourage did not have too much time to wait.

"Why?" Rowan frowned. He was very confident about his experience on the battlefield.

Kant explained, "The slaughtered Jackalans at the side of the dunes will have alerted those at the Oasis Lookout. If none of them return during sunset, the Jackalan Tribe will be able to guess that there are enemies nearby."

Rowan's breathing became ragged as he asked, "When should we do it?"

"Sundown."

After thinking for a while, Kant seriously said, "We shall launch the ambush when the sun is about to set."

"The evening glow," Rowan added.

"That's right. The sun will be our ally. The light shall conceal our presence."

Kant took a deep breath and said, "There is no way they can detect us quickly enough. At that time, all your people need to do is charge as quickly as you can, throwing the entire tribe of Jackalans into chaos."

Kant paused for a bit and slowly added, "After that, my men and I will charge as well."

It was silent in the tent. It took quite a while before Rowan looked up and said, "Alright."

"We won't fail," Kant said, smiling as he looked at Rowan. "Trust me. The battle today will be one of your proudest stories when your people are out having a good time drinking in the tavern."

Rowan chuckled and glanced at Kant. "I sure hope so."

He walked outside the tent and said to Kant, "We'll get prepared."

"Sure." Kant nodded.

He was all alone in the tent again, but his expression had become incredibly severe.

A brutal battle was about to begin.

There were probably some among the knights escorting them that would end up dead. As for Kant's current Swadian members, who were in charge of the construction of his estate from then on out, some would be lost as well.

You can't go through life without making huge gambles once or twice.

Kant took a deep breath.

He chose to come to the Oasis Lookout. That in itself was tantamount to gambling on its own.

He had next to nothing, yet he wanted to live. The only way to secure a good life was to give it his all.

Kant touched the light crossbow by his side and chuckled in a self-deprecating manner. Well, it's not like we're going to lose for sure.

He had come all this way to win.

It was a victory he had to secure at all costs.

Chapter 6: The Color of Blood Under the Evening Sun

It was 5 p.m. Sundown was near.

The setting sun went below the dunes. As it shone, the light made the sand look like gold.

Kant stood at the top of the dunes. From behind, the sun's brilliant beams looked as if they were about to engulf his entire being.

The Oasis Lookout was less than a mile away from where he stood.

He was able to see something in the sand before him. It brilliantly glittered in the dusk's light.

It was the Oasis Lookout's water source, which was a lake formed by a geyser. Judging from the area alone, it was approximately 82 feet by 19 feet. Considering the minimal mass, it was more accurate to call it a pond.

Kant couldn't help but say, "This is beautiful."

Several lush shrubs surrounded the pond, as well as six huge Desert Poplar Trees.

Those green plants proudly stretched out their branches and leaves in the evening sun. It was as if they were indicating that regardless of how unforgiving the sand was, they remained steadfast in their resistance.

Rowan, the captain of the knights, stood by his side and nodded with a cold expression. "Yes, beautiful, indeed."

Kant calmly said, "All the more reason not to let the Jackalans take the place."

"Of course." Rowan coldly nodded.

He scanned the Oasis Lookout and discovered that tents had been erected around the pond.

The tents looked ragged and cobbled up from all manners of materials, including linen, tree bark, and pelts from hunted beasts. The whole setup looked completely different from the tents that Kant's men and the knights had erected not long ago.

Regardless of the state they were in, the tents indicated where the Jackalan Tribe was.

Rowan took a deep breath and asked in a severe tone, "Your Lordship, when should we begin?"

"There's no need to rush."

Kant turned around and looked at the sun, which was still mustering the last bit of its power before setting.

The beams of the setting sun shone past the two men and engulfed the Oasis Lookout below. The beams shone onto the Jackalan Tribes as well.

If someone below were to look out, the sun would have looked to be at the same line as the dunes, which would have appeared very blinding.

Kant nodded and said, "Now."

"Very well." Rowan nodded coldly and took the lance in his hand. He quickly retreated down the dunes.

At the bottom of the dunes, 20 well-armed Dukedom of Leo knights were leading their horses and standing by. They were prepared to fight. The only thing that was needed now was an order from Rowan.

They were about to begin a battle from which they could not afford to back down. All of them sported cold expressions. Deep in their eyes, anger and hatred were visible.

All of them understood what had caused all of this.

It was Kant.

He was a baron of the Dukedom of Leo.

They escorted the noble to the Nahrin Desert so he could claim his fief. They had been traveling for six days, yet they were told at noon that there was no water left for their return trip.

They were then told to fight for their lives.

As such, they were angry and resentful.

"Edmund, the great God of War is watching us."

Rowan took the reins of his warhorse and made his way in front of his men. With a severe expression, he said, "We shall let these lowly, filthy Jackalans, who know nothing but eating sand in the desert, know the bravery of the Dukedom of Leo!"

The knights unanimously responded, "Victory!"

The Dukedom of Leo was established through martial prowess. The faith of the nation surrounded Edmund, the God of War, who, per his namesake, was a god presiding over war.

As such, none of them were afraid. All of them turned the anger in their minds into strength.

"It's beginning."

Kant saw the 20 knights get onto their horses, scale the dunes, and charge straight down to the Oasis Lookout.

The hard horseshoes pounded heavily on the sands, kicking up a lot of dust and sand, which swooped about like a gale. The lances were thrust forward without mercy before the Jackalans at the Oasis Lookout knew what was going on.

The tips of the lances pierced one baffled Jackalan after another.

Blood was spilled, yet none of the 20 dukedom knights had any intentions of putting down their lances.

They gritted their teeth as they held their lances up, continuing to skewer the Jackalans like kebabs as they charged deeper into the tribe.

They knew what they had to do. They had to cause chaos of great magnitude.

"Our turn now!"

Kant shouted excitedly and raised the light crossbow in his hand. He headed out with great strides.

The 10 Swadian Recruits held spears and followed right behind him.

The 20 Swadian Peasants followed at the flank with their long scythes in hand.

They were moving fairly quickly. It was almost as if they were sprinting. The murderous intent in their eyes was unmistakable. They were all determined to take the Oasis Lookout, which would be their lord's fief and their home from then on out.

"For the Dukedom of Leo!"

Rowan and the 20 knights gritted their teeth as they charged deeper into the tribe.

By then, their lances were broken, but they quickly switched to the longswords at their sides and swung hard at the Jackalans, which seemed to have emerged out of nowhere.

The ambush was surprisingly successful.

The Jackalans had no idea whatsoever that they would soon be attacked. The chaos quickly spread to the outer fringes of the Jackalan Tribe's camp. With their green eyes open wide, most of the Jackalans simply stood there, staring in confusion.

It would have been difficult for them to even get a good look at the invading enemy.

Whenever they heard shrieks from the west, they turned around and quickly found the evening sun above them shining straight into their eyes. It prevented them from opening their eyes.

Gallop, gallop, gallop, gallop...

The galloping noises of the horses grew increasingly closer. When the Jackalans finally saw their enemy, they found one human knight after another looming over them.

By then, it was too late.

Rowan led his knights, who were swinging their swords, into the Jackalans.

Blood was seen splattering everywhere.

The Jackalans, who had long, pointy tusks and were covered in grey fur, finally began to crumble. Fear was seen all over their wolf-like faces.

"Maintain formation. Come with me!"

Swooping noises were heard from Kant's light crossbow. A nearby Jackalan was seen tumbling to the ground.

The bolt in its back pierced through its spine, stabbing into its heart.

Kant hardly cared. His face remained cold as he deeply set his gaze onto the Jackalan Tribe. Rowan and 19 knights of the dukedom were still swinging their swords in a frenzy. They continued to cause panic among the Jackalans and spread the stench of blood and death.

"Keep charging!"

Kant drew his short sword and led the charge forward with 30 men behind him.

The Jackalan Tribe, which by then was thrown into complete chaos, was utterly unable to retaliate effectively. That enabled Kant and his men to move even quicker.

Shrieks from countless downed Jackalans were heard everywhere.

The Jackalans scattered all over the place.

The old, the young, and those in their prime were all running and cowering in fear.

They were up against knights that had appeared out of nowhere.

They also faced Swadian Recruits holding spears.

The Jacklans' minds were quickly flooded with all those memories from 10 years ago.

That had been a complete slaughter carried out by the Dukedom of Leo.

Those memories were horrifying night terrors that continued to haunt the Jackalans until the present day.

The memories were so horrifying that, even at present, the Jackalans who had survived the slaughter dared not continue to resist.

"Leave none of them alive. We do not need prisoners."

Kant's voice was heard throughout the Oasis Lookout, which, at the same time, sealed the horrible fates of the Jackalans.

The knights continued to pursue the Jackalans who had scattered and escaped.

The Swadian Peasants and Swadian Recruits circled the Oasis Lookout's pond and began cleaning up any Jackalans found within the tents of the tribe. Since they had won, they were relegated to cleaning up the battlefield.

The Jackalans, who had all lost the will to resist, became sheep awaiting slaughter.

Furthermore, those ferocious primitive beings were unable to compete with humans when it came to war, be it in terms of tactics or weapons and equipment.

The evening sun finally set beyond the dunes.

The fighting was over.

The remaining glow of the sun struggled to light the darkened sky, giving off final bits of light before eventually setting.

Before long, the moon was vaguely seen rising into the sky.

A night sky filled with stars quickly took over. The high temperatures of the day seemed to have instantly subsided. The strong wind blowing from the depths of the desert brought with it a chilling cold. A few hours later, the temperature in the Nahrin Desert dipped to a freezing minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit.

Of course, such bone-chilling cold had yet to hit them.

The knights, who had been killing all over the place just a short while ago, gathered around on their horses. The cooling winds felt very comfortable.

"Your Lordship, your fief is now finally yours."

Rowan, the captain of the knights, got off his horse. His expression remained cold.

The linen robes, which Rowan and the knights behind him wore over their mail armor, were all stained with huge patches of blood. It was as if their garb had been dyed. They looked very out of place.

Four or five unlucky ones ended up injured. Either their arms were hanging limply, or they were walking with a limp.

It was obvious that the battle had not been an easy one.

Some Jackalans burst forth under the threat of death, yet they still managed to deal light damage to the knights at the front.

"You should probably wash your wounds."

Kant looked at the injured ones and nodded to Rowan, saying, "If you don't mind, I can bandage your men's wounds. I learned first-aid knowledge on the battlefield from veterans quite a while ago."

"That won't be necessary." Rowan immediately declined.

They were military veterans. Dressing and bandaging wounds were things that their men could easily do.

Captain Rowan coldly said to Kant, "We will leave at once, right now."

The knights behind him all looked at Kant coldly. Even if he were to lower his status, none of the knights would behave or look any friendlier toward him.

Everyone knew who had started all the fighting.

"Are you leaving now?"

Kant frowned slightly and said in an exasperated manner, "This is rather unexpected. Perhaps you all should stay and rest for a couple of days."

Furthermore, the Nahrin Desert at night was not a good time to do such a thing.

Without ample heat-retention equipment, temperatures of minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit were easily life-threatening.

"We don't need rest. We will leave immediately after replenishing our stores of fresh water."

As he spoke, Rowan wiped the blood off of his face. His tone confirmed that he would not be negotiating. He was simply making a firm statement.

He turned around to face the knights and yelled, "What are you people still standing there for? Get the water sacks and clothes from the carriages. Get ready to go home after you get the water filled. Hurry up!"

"Yes, Sir!" the knights responded and left to immediately get their tasks completed.

Their assignments were clear. They quickly took their tents and wool clothing for warmth from the carriages. At the same time, each of them carried five extra water sacks. They filled the sacks at the pond.

"Alright, I wish you all a quick and safe journey home. Enjoy your lagers at the tavern when you return."

Kant shrugged exasperatedly and continued, "By then, I figure you people will be bragging about your time with me as you talk about the battle today."

Rowan narrowed his gaze while the knights behind him all looked cold and uncaring.

None of them cared about the cold joke that Kant had just uttered. They were busy with their own tasks. When everything was done, they mounted their horses and left without the slightest intention of even saying farewell to Kant.

In their eyes, Kant was little more than a stranger to them.

"Farewell."

Kant waved them goodbye, nonetheless, looking calm as he did so.

As a noble and a revered baron, he had long learned how to be shameless when the time called for it.

That was how nobles survived around each other.

Chapter 7: Founding of Drondheim

Kant understood what the knights were feeling all too well.

As such, he was not angered at all by how they simply left without so much as saying proper goodbyes.

Things were totally opposite of what they had expected.

The knights, who had just fought a bloody battle, derived no joy from the victory they secured.

Be it Captain Rowan or his 19 subordinate knights, all of them were resentful of Kant. It was so much so that it seemed like all that resentment was pent up like a volcano in their chests. It seemingly would have erupted for all to see within moments.

The Jackalans had been losers, but the knights were not winners either.

Kant was the only winner.

The baron, who had finally claimed ownership of the Oasis Lookout, was the only true winner.

"Goodbye." Kant watched them as they disappeared beyond the dunes.

With their spears on their shoulders, the Swadian Recruits tasked with guard duty reported, "My Lord, they have all left."

"Yeah, they are quite fast." Kant nodded.

Since they were knights, one of the troop classes known for their high mobility, that was entirely normal. Without the carriages and infantry units getting in the way, they had no problem marching several times faster than they had on the journey there.

It was likely they would be able to scale over the Senwaya Ridge and return to their comfortable homes in the Dukedom of Leo in less than three days.

It's for the best that they left.

Kant let out a sigh of relief. At the very least, the Oasis Lookout was finally in his control.

If the dukedom knights, who were natives of that world, had stayed back at the oasis, it would have caused him a lot of trouble. He needed to rely on the system to carry out the subsequent construction of his fief.

At that point, he would have had to make an excuse to get them to leave.

Suddenly, the System Prompt appeared on his retina.

[Ding... After fighting a hard battle, the enemy is finally crushed.]

[Side Quest: Annihilate the Jackalan Tribe is complete.]

[Reward Acquired: Desert Bandit Lair x 1]

[Comment: A brilliant strategy and astonishing tactics were used. The victory of that exhilarating battle is indeed praiseworthy.]

The dialog box signaling the completion of the side quest appeared on his retina.

However, that was not the only dialog box.

[Ding... Your forces have upgradable units.]

Kant's personal forces had also been hard at work during the extermination of the Jackalan Tribe.

Furthermore, their labor had been very fruitful.

When things went south and all of the Jackalans lost their will to fight, they scattered and ran all over the place without any idea where they were running. A good number of them were quickly dealt with on the spot by Swadian troops, who charged at them with spears and long scythes.

As such, all of his troops gained a lot of experience.

For troop classes in the early stages, all of that had been enough to give them an upgrade.

[Upgradable troop class: Swadian Peasants x 20]

[Spend 10 Denars each to upgrade to Swadian Recruit]

Kant was surprised by the upgrade option.

The remaining 20 Swadian Peasants were available to level up.

What surprised Kant, even more, was that the Swadian Recruits, who had not been leveled up for long, were able to continue leveling up.

[Upgradable troop class: Swadian Recruits x 10]

[Spend 20 Denars each to upgrade to Swadian Militia]

The recruits, who were equipped with spears and wearing leather armor, had been the main infantry force for Kant in the previous battle. Armed with pointy spears, they killed a good number of Jackalans that dared to get near them.

It could have been said that compared to the peasants, those Swadian Recruits were the only ones capable of serving as the most basic form of combatant forces.

Well, the cost in Denars is rather steep this time.

Kant frowned.

Upgrading 20 Swadian Peasants to become Swadian Recruits would cost him 200 Denars.

Upgrading 10 Swadian Recruits to become Swadian Militia would also cost him 200 Denars.

Denar was the name of a currency.

However, it was only a currency that existed within the system, so only Kant was able to acquire and use it.

What made Kant rather restless was that upgrading both classes would cost him 400 Denars, which would empty his savings. He had been taking on many side quests in secret since he came to that world, yet he had only been able to earn 500 Denars.

He had spent 100 Denars in the previous upgrade.

With the Swadian Recruits now waiting to be upgraded, the cost meant saying farewell to all of his savings.

It doesn't seem like I have a choice, do I? Kant lightly sighed.

He shook his head and wore a bitter smirk, but he still said, "System, upgrade them all."

Things were not quite in his favor.

Those Denars were not an expenditure he could afford to hold on to.

Kant had been living two lives. He was equipped with all the experience gained from his past and current lives, so he knew how to go about the current situation well.

When he came to the Nahrin Desert and chose to stay at the Oasis Lookout, which was in the middle of nowhere and outside of the Dukedom of Leo proper, it could have been said that he lost everything he had in the past, which included aid from the Dukedom of Leo.

His greatest backing at the moment was himself, which included the Swadian troops that originated from the system.

Mystical system data descended from the sky.

The 20 Swadian Peasants were enveloped in data chains and became more buff.

Spears, leather armors, leather hats, and hand axes to be placed at their sides and on their shields and backs were all provided.

As for the 10 Swadian Recruits, the upgrade to become Swadian Militia was even more noteworthy.

Their bodies became even hardier, and their spears became heavier due to the front ends being covered in metal. The armor beneath their linen robes became scale armor, which had better defensive stats. They were also given combat shovels, which were effective for piercing armor, as well as thicker and sturdier shields. Appearance-wise, they had completely cast off the peasant look.

Despite being called Swadian Militia, they actually looked and felt like regular army units.

From Kant's perspective, this militia was fully qualified to participate in wars, even back in the Dukedom of Leo.

"Greetings, Lord Kant."

The 20 Swadian Recruits and 10 Swadian Militia lined up in a formation. They stood tall and proud as if they were in a parade.

Kant smiled and said, "Splendid."

With 30 infantry units serving him, he was finally able to claim the Oasis Lookout without worries.

Even if the scattered Jackalans, who had managed to make it back into the desert, were to organize a retaliation, Kant was more than ready to take them on. He would be able to keep the oasis and develop it into a better place.

Desert flowers needed to be watered with blood.

Kant took a breath. The thick stench of blood still lingered around his nose.

He looked up at the sky. The last bits of rays from the sun were no more. The moon was high up in the sky. Moonlight mixed with the dazzling stars in the clear sky, shining down on the silent night.

Still, the bodies of Jackalans were littered all over the Oasis Lookout. The thick stench of blood permeated the area, ruining the scene and mood altogether.

"Let's clean up the battlefield."

Kant waved and gave his troops an order. "Gather the bodies of the Jackalans and burn them."

"Understood." The troops responded and headed out.

The act of burning the Jackalan bodies was to prevent them from contaminating the water source when they rotted.

They were in the desert, so water resources in the oasis were precious tactical supplies. If germs from the rotting, dirty bodies were to seep into water sources beneath the sand, regret would do them no good.

That was something noteworthy.

The troops knew that as well, so they began picking up the bodies of dead Jackalans. They gathered them into a huge pile below the dunes hundreds of feet away.

Kant, on the other hand, closed his eyes and communicated with the system in his mind.

He had finally been able to get a main quest, which he had been delaying for 16 years.

Now that Kant had taken over the Oasis Lookout, he could construct a village with the help of the system. It allowed him to build his forces and eventually control the entire Nahrin Desert. It also meant that he might be able to eventually extend his hands back into the Dukedom of Leo.

"System, can I build a village?"

Kant silently asked his question.

The system immediately replied, "You may." A dialog box appeared.

[Ding... You have discovered this region after a careful search.]

[Main Quest: Build a village is complete.]

[Reward: 1,000 Denars]

[Introduction: This is an oasis in the barren desert. You need to consider how to develop your village.]

The dialog box disappeared.

Data from the system began to coalesce before Kant's eyes. A two-story building constructed from stone and wood finally materialized into the world.

It was a Kingdom of Swadia conventional building from the system.

At the same time, a new dialog box appeared.

[Ding... Your village has been constructed. Please name your village.]

[Remark: The Lord's Page will open after naming your village.]

Name the village?

Kant was momentarily stunned. He looked at the building before him and said, "Drondheim."

That was the most famous city in the Kingdom of Swadia, which was located at the center of the Continent of Caradia. It was a well-known place lauded to be the city with the strongest defense in all of the Kingdom of Swadia.

[Ding... Name of village: Drondheim]

The village had officially been named.

As Kant confirmed it, the page of Drondheim appeared on his retina.

[Drondheim]

[Lord: Kant]

[Type: Swadian Village]

[Population: 50]

[Building: Council Hall]

[Constructions available: House, City Wall, Mill, Watchtower, Well]

[Current forces: Swadian Recruits (20), Swadian Militia (10)]

[Recruitable: Swadian Recruit]

[Comment: The obscure village of Drondheim, located in a small oasis, has a worrisome future.]

After that, the flow of data before Kant completely disappeared.

The village, which he named Drondheim, finally appeared before him.

To say that it was a village would have been an exaggeration.

At the moment, Drondheim's only standing building was the Council Hall, which served as the center of the village. It was usually where village elders took up residence. In the system, that was the background building where players often met quest-giving NPCs.

However, that place became a real building after he came to that world.

"My Lord."

Subservient voices were heard, which stunned Kant.

A thick wooden door at the side of the stone building opened. One Swadian Peasant wearing linen robes after another gushed out from within. They hung their heads low and pressed their chests, greeting Kant in respect.

"Right." Kant nodded.

It was only then that he remembered that on the village page of Drondheim, it was stated that the population was 50.

The 50 Swadian Peasants stood neatly before him. There were no more and no less.

Chapter 8: Troubles in the Morning

The peasants all stood up, seemingly in high spirits.

"Very well."

Kant nodded, feeling satisfied.

Those 50 Swadian Peasants were the base population of Drondheim from then on out.

They were now the main force driving the village's future development.

This was not a game. While Kant only needed to fight battles with his newly created troops, he still needed a certain number of peasants to look after the village. They needed to make the village, which currently only had the Council Hall, bigger and stronger.

The 50 Swadian Peasants also solved the safety problem they currently faced.

With the 20 Dukedom of Leo knights gone, Kant and the Oasis Lookout had faced a huge predicament.

The escaped Jackalans would have no intention of simply let things slide. They would have regrouped and tried to take back the oasis that had once been their home, militantly clashing with Kant.

The Oasis Lookout was still at the forefront of danger.

The 10 Swadian Militia and 20 Swadian Recruits were too small of a force to deal with such a threat.

The addition of the new peasants considerably relieved the lingering threat.

At the very least, if they were to be put in a tight formation with their long scythes in hand, it would be impossible for the Jackalans, who did not even have iron weapons, to break through their defenses.

We still need further development. Kant was planning in his mind.

According to the system's page, the only building the village currently had was that simple, shabby Council Hall.

As for the other buildings, such as houses, city walls, mills, watchtowers, and wells, all of those would require funds and time to construct. The process would be as complicated as constructing real buildings.

There was nothing Kant could do about it.

Funds and time were the two things he needed the most.

The Jackalans were not going to give him time.

Furthermore, the only funds available to him were the 1,000 Denars acquired for completing the main quest of building a village.

There was one other thing that made Kant feel exasperated.

That world had several currencies—Small Silver, Great Silver, and Gold, which was of an even higher value.

None of those currencies were exchangeable for the Denars required by the system.

The burden is heavy, and the road is long, he thought.

Kant could not help but shake his head with a bitter smile.

...

The bright, beautiful moonlight enveloped the entire place.

Without any means of temperature regulation, the chill throughout the desert quickly grew apparent.

The night was no longer young.

Yet, the Oasis Lookout was still as busy as it was during the day.

It was impossible for 80 people to just camp outside in a desert.

The Council Hall was the only building in the village. Despite being two-stories, it was not that big of a building. It was only of 5,380 square feet at most, which was equal to the size of a bungalow within the country.

Fitting all 80 people inside was impossible.

Kant quickly made arrangements.

The 30 troops were assigned to rest within the council hall while the 50 peasants were told to set up camp outside around the Council Hall.

Kant had brought a good number of living supplies in the three carriages.

Those supplies included huge tents that could fit plenty of people, as well as wool clothing to keep everyone warm. All of that was enough for the 50 peasants to get through the night.

Kant had his reasons for making such arrangements.

Rather, he had his priorities.

Regardless, the 10 Swadian Militia and 20 Swadian Recruits were all that formed his current main combat force. Losing even one of them would have created quite a heartache for him.

They all had a lot to do with how his future forces would be developed, which meant that he could not afford to treat them as expendables.

As for guard duty that night, it was also taken care of by his 30 troops.

As such, they needed more rest to be able to deal with any potential crisis that might arise.

The 50 peasants, who were all outside the Council Hall, had superior numbers. Even if there was any danger, they could quickly band together when prompted by the troops on duty, forming tight formations to protect themselves and prevent any huge casualties from happening.

Reality was usually cruel.

The so-called protection was, at times, little more than petty compassion and kindness.

Kant was far from pedantic.

He, on the other hand, knew the value of the concept of gaining the highest benefit with the lowest cost.

"Alright, hurry up people!"

Kant hurried his people to get the tents set up as soon as possible to prevent any unforeseen circumstances from happening.

Campfires were lit at the same time. They used tent materials and wood found in the Jackalan Tribe to start them. The fires raged and burned brightly, giving off heat to somewhat ward off the chill of the night.

The Oasis Lookout camp was almost finished being set up.

A peasant briskly walked up to Kant and said, "My Lord, your room is ready."

"I see." Kant nodded.

His room was on the second floor of the Council Hall, which was guarded by 10 Swadian Militia. The 20 Swadian Recruits were getting ready on the floor below to ensure that nothing untoward happened to him.

They originated from the system, so they only existed because Kant existed.

As such, he had nothing to worry about when it came to their loyalty.

He looked at the dazzling stars in the sky. The chill around made him shudder.

"Best be careful."

He said that to the peasants as walked into the Council Hall.

He walked up to the second floor via the stairs at the corner of the hall. Kant's room was at the very end. The place had been tidied up by the militia.

The room had a window, which coincidentally faced the pond.

Kant gazed out the window. Light from the night sky shone soft light on the pond. It glittered as the water danced from the gently blowing wind. The beautiful scenery was mesmerizing.

Kant was unable to help but say, "This is indeed beautiful."

This was the first time he had witnessed such a beautiful sight since he entered the Nahrin Desert.

Unlike the harsh and burly desert, the beauty before him was soft and gentle.

However, he quickly pulled his thoughts back and took a good look at his room.

He knew that he would have to stay in that room for a very long time in the future.

The room was approximately 107 square feet. It was furnished with a wooden bed and wardrobe, as well as a crudely made table and chair. All in all, the layout looked primitive and cramped. The accommodations were only slightly better than what commoners would have.

The single bed had a linen sheet on top of it. There was also a blanket made of wool and cotton neatly folded at the end of the bed.

Everything looked to be the standard style of the Kingdom of Swadia.

While the room looked crude, it was well-kept.

At the very least, there was no odor around.

It looks decent.

Kant felt satisfied with the room. Besides, the option to sleep on a wooden bed without worries in a protected room was far better than sleeping in a shallow hole that looked like a grave hastily dug in the desert.

Despite being the youngest son of a duke, he had still experienced harshness in life.

He placed the light crossbow and quiver neatly on the table. He took off the linen robe, which served to shield him against the dust, dusting it for a bit before hanging it on the wardrobe.

However, Kant did not take his clothes off. He also kept his short sword at his side.

Despite being in a room that was close to 10 Swadian Militia, he deemed it best to be on guard. At the very least, if anything unforeseen were to happen, he would not be caught off-guard and end up in a panic.

Kant spread his blanket out and went to bed.

He slept soundly, possibly due to having made a long, arduous journey, as well as having to fight a bloody battle on top of that.

The crisp chirp of birds was heard, which woke him up.

Chirp, chirp, chirp.

Kant slightly opened his eyes, still drowsy from the restful sleep.

Two birds were standing at the window. He did not know what kind they were, but they resembled sparrows except were a dirt-yellow color. The chirped as they hopped about, pecking at the ledge with their beaks.

The light of the morning sun shone through the window. The sun had risen.

"Hmph."

Kant took off his blanket. The early morning in the Nahrin Desert still felt somewhat cold.

However, he knew it would not take long for the temperature to quickly skyrocket, reaching a level of heat that no man could withstand.

He put on his linen robe and looked outside as he stood at the side of his bed.

A sea of sand was spread out before him. The desert's yellow dirt seemed to be out to swallow everything. Only the small bit of green nearby gave him a measure of reassurance.

This was how the Oasis Lookout was.

The crystal clear spring water reflected the bit of light. The shallow depth, which was not even a couple of feet, enabled him to easily see the sand and rocks beneath.

Kant unconsciously said, "Beautiful indeed."

He was correct. Compared to the Nahrin Desert as a whole, the oasis was like a paradise.

And, it was a paradise that belonged to him.

He frowned and found that the paradise was still a dirty one.

The Jacklans' messy tents lined the sides of the pond. There was garbage from living nearby for years, as well as excrement, scattered all over the place in messy piles. Those beings had no concept of hygiene.

They were defiling the oasis!

When he saw Swadian Peasants already hard at work cleaning up the garbage, his mind was put at ease.

That area was to soon become the place where they would settle down. The sight of messy garbage littering the place was an eyesore to the peasants, who were inherently people with an affinity for cleanliness and loved the sight of a beautiful field. They promptly went on to clean the place up because it was all too much for them to stomach.

Knock, knock.

There was knocking on the door. A voice from outside said, "My Lord, breakfast is ready. Would you like some now?"

It was the Swadian Peasant from before.

"I'll get it right away," Kant replied.

He closed the window and walked out of his room. A stout peasant was respectfully waiting for him outside.

Kant asked, "What's for breakfast?"

"Bread slices and soup made of dried meat cooked with cabbage," the peasant replied.

"Dried meat cooked with cabbage?"

Kant was rather shocked. He walked down the stairs to the lower floor and said, "I don't remember bringing cabbage with us." He paused and seemed to have recalled something. "Does the Council Hall have cabbage?"

"Yes, My Lord."

The peasant nodded and said, "There were 500 loaves of bread, 250 pieces of dried meat, and 100 cabbages in the storage room."

"That many?" Kant frowned slightly.

The bread, dried meat, and cabbage were all calculated in hundreds, so they were huge numbers.

However, the man hesitated for a bit before adding, "All of that can only last for 10 days."

Kant was baffled. "Ten days?"

The man nodded and said, "Indeed, My Lord. We need to search for more food, or we will run out of food in 10 days. Even if we conserve whatever food we have, we'll only be able to last about 15 days.

They went outside the Council Hall. The greenery around the pond was still as lush as ever.

However, Kant was no longer in the mood to admire it. He frowned and asked, "How could we eat that much?"

The 50 Swadian Peasants were tidying up the oasis. They were cleaning up the Jackalan tribe's toppled tents, as well as the garbage and excrement they left behind.

The 10 Swadian Militia were patrolling with their iron-reinforced heavy spears in hand.

The 20 Swadian Recruits had spread out around the dune, setting up guard posts.

"Alright."

Kant nodded. He looked rather severe. "I guess 80 people would eat quite a lot of food."

Chapter 9: Food Shortage

The people from the Kingdom of Swadia were far from being frail and aged. All of them were stout, strong men who were in their prime.

There was no way their food consumption would be a small amount.

Outright impossible!

If they were to calculate from that day onward, Drondheim's existing food storage would only last for 10 days.

For Kant, that was a very huge headache.

Is this a joke or something?

If we run out of food and water, even at an oasis in the desert, we will definitely end up dead!

There was another more important point he had to consider.

There was no telling when the Jackalans would make their retaliation. With Drondheim still in a state of crisis and the storage of food within the fief being insufficient, Kant, as a newly appointed lord who was basically dirt poor, was practically in hell at the moment. The torture did not seem to be stopping any time soon.

This really will be quite a trouble.

Kant lowered his head and pondered the problem for a while. He knew just how serious the problem was. We need to solve the food shortage before anything else.

He had made his decision.

Whichever time or world he was in, any problem with food was the most pressing of problems, be it in reality, a game, or unfamiliar foreign world, which he found himself in at the moment.

The problem was even more apparent to Kant.

More than anything else, the people who were watching over Drondheim needed to see their bellies filled.

In order to be able to withstand a Jackalan attack, they had to keep their stamina up

An empty stomach meant one could end up in a limp, lethargic state. That made even lifting weapons difficult, let alone fighting the Jackalans, who could appear at any time.

Even the Swadian Peasants needed to be strong enough to hold up their scythes to protect their village.

I definitely need to think of something.

Kant frowned as he brainstormed.

There was the option to cut down the distribution of food to make it last longer, but doing so would only cripple Drondheim in the long run. He absolutely was not able to make a decision that would put him in a further pinch.

Without stamina, one was not able to fight.

"Let's have a look at the storage room." Kant returned to the Council Hall.

The militia followed behind him.

The storage room was in a corner on the first floor of the hall, which was about 322 square feet. Loaves of bread, dried meats, and round cabbages were all laid out on the shelves.

The air was filled with the fragrance of food.

"Is this all we've got?" Kant frowned and looked rather displeased.

A militia member answered, "Indeed, My Lord, there is just this and nothing else."

From the looks of things, the food supplies were more or less as reported by the militia—500 loaves of bread, 250 dried portions of meat, and 100 cabbages.

The breakfast they had just eaten —16 loaves of bread, five dried pieces of meat, and five cabbages—needed to be, without a doubt, taken out of the equation.

As such, while it seemed they had a lot of food left, considering it filled the entire storage room, judging from the fact that they had 80 adults to feed three meals a day, as well as additional meals for the guards on night duty, the room full of food would still only last for 10 days.

After all, the Swadians were all healthy, strong men.

They needed huge amounts of food for all three daily meals. Worse still, given how his fief was still under development, the cost in stamina would be even greater, which meant an increased need for energy intake.

Other than needing to secure ample amounts of food, said food needed to be diversified even further.

"Oh right."

Kant lifted his head a little and said to the militia, "We do have quite a hefty amount of supplies left in the carriages."

Everything stored in the carriages was supplies he had prepared back in the Dukedom of Leo.

The supplies included large amounts of food.

Although they had consumed some while they were on their way to the Oasis Lookout and some were taken by the knights for their trip home, they should still have had a hefty amount left. He had specifically purchased food that was heat-tolerant and had long shelf lives.

"We checked the carriages the night before," a militia member replied.

"There are loaves of bread, smoked meats, and sausages, as well as some salt, sugar, and spices."

Kant nodded and asked, "How much of that do we have left?"

"With everything accounted for, it will be enough to last us three more days," the militia member answered.

"Wait, what? Just enough for three more days?"

Kant was baffled and found what he heard unbelievable. He had purchased one whole carriage full of food.

At the time he purchased the food, he had considered the amount of food that would be consumed throughout their journey in the desert, as well as extra for their time developing the Oasis Lookout when they settled down. It should have lasted the previous 30 Swadian Peasants about half a month.

"We checked everything and found that all of that will only last us three days," the militia member answered truthfully.

Kant's brow was now locked in a deep frown.

This was something he had not expected.

"So, 13 days in total then." Kant frowned.

The militia member nodded and answered, "Correct."

Kant's frown deepened after thinking about how much they ate during their journey. He was sure that he had not been eating much. When he recalled how the knights behaved when they left, he realized something.

Kant gritted his teeth and said, "Those bastards."

This has to be revenge!

Those people were taking their revenge against him for having made them risk their lives to conquer the Oasis Lookout, which had been taken over by the Jackalans.

You people really have won this time. Kant pinched his brow as he deeply sighed.

However, it was pointless to be angry. After all, it had been his fault.

He thought of his current predicament and the fief that was still being developed. He realized just how much of a difference there was between reality and an ideal. The troubles he currently faced made him feel rather helpless. He wondered just how much more trouble was waiting for him.

"My Lord."

The militia member said, "It is best to get something to eat. Besides, breakfast is ready."

A Swadian Peasant, who served as the cook, approached them with a tray. On it was a huge wooden bowl that contained soup cooked with minced dried meat and cabbage and sprinkled with a dash of fine salt and pepper.

There were also two slices of white bread as huge as a palm, which had been toasted and smelled very nice.

"Yeah, breakfast does look good."

Kant took the tray.

He temporarily put all those troubles behind him since it was time for breakfast.

The soup was thick, and the cooked dried meat and cabbage went well with the toasted bread.

The fragrance of food permeated the entire oasis.

The Swadian Peasants were having a great time with their bread and soup. All of them were smiling excitedly and chatting away. They even laughed when someone said something funny or to be happy about.

This was his fief.

Kant liked the atmosphere of momentary relaxation amid the tense and busy state of things.

This was the joy he had gained after leaving all that political clout back at the Dukedom of Leo behind. It was especially so given how he was in charge of everything. The feeling of having all the power in his hands was intoxicating.

Most people loved power. Few people liked living as hermits.

Ambition.

Whether they embraced it or not, it was something inherent in everyone.

"The food is very good. Thank the cook for me."

Kant put down his knife and fork. He felt satisfied.

After breakfast, his frown no longer looked all that severe. He was in a better mood. He left the Council Hall for the pond of the oasis to admire his fief and estate. He had divided the areas up beforehand.

Mush!

Kant did not watch his step closely enough. As he approached the pond, he seemed to have stepped onto something.

The stench hit his nose before he had even lowered his head. He looked down. His usually calm face looked rather twisted. "Goddamn it, this is disgusting."

His leather boot had stepped onto a thick, sticky brown substance near the pond.

It was excrement from the Jackalans.

His twisted face became filled with seething hatred. He scanned the area near the pond and saw at least over 30 "mines" of such nature, which practically made the place seem like a minefield.

The Jackalans, who were still in a primitive state, had no concept of hygiene or disease prevention.

Truthfully, however, such primitive beings were usually immune from common illnesses.

"Sh*t."

Kant cursed and stepped away, rubbing his feet in the sand in an attempt to scrub off the disgusting pile of excrement sticking to his boot.

A prompt from the system suddenly appeared on his retina.

[Ding… Side Quest assigned]

[Side Quest: Clean up the oasis]

[Reward: Flour x 20]

[Introduction: Your fief is located in the oasis, but the place is currently contaminated by the dirty Jackalans. Clean up your oasis. The place holds all of your future hopes.]

It was a System Quest.

Kant was slightly startled, but his eyes became filled with joy after seeing the introduction on his retina.

It was enough to lighten his soiled mood from stepping on sh*t for quite some time.

This is just what I need!

What the Oasis Lookout lacked most, and had a pressing need for at the moment, was undoubtedly food.

Finishing the current side quest would reward Kant the food he desperately needed. Furthermore, it was 20 bags of flour, which could be used for making bread by just adding water.

While 20 bags of flour were not a lot, they would give him a few more days to come up with a lasting solution.

Kant would have better choices by then.

Whether it required returning to the dukedom to purchase food or searching the deeper reaches of the desert for a way out, all of that would only be possible if he had the time to spare without having to worry about the food shortage problem getting in the way of his plans.

Clean up the oasis. That is simple enough. Kant already had plans.

Actually, he would have arranged for the Swadian Peasants to clean the oasis up all the same, with or without that quest from the system.

The Jackalans had made a giant mess of the oasis while they were living there.

Trees?

Kant was just about to arrange for the peasants to clean the place up when he caught sight of the Desert Poplar Trees swaying in the wind at the northern side of the pond. The trees looked beautiful as the morning sun washed over their gently swaying branches.

However, another type of tree appeared in Kant's mind.

Date Palm Trees!

They had been the reward acquired from finishing the Side Quest. All 20 Date Palm Trees were ripe.

Kant had finished two quests. He had crushed the team of Jackalans out to ambush them, and he had annihilated the Jackalan Tribe. The 20 Date Palm Trees and a Desert Bandit Lair were acquired as rewards, respectively.

All of that could be brought immediately to reality, just like how the Council Hall had materialized right before him the night before.

Chapter 10: Value of the Date Palm Trees

Yeah, the Date Palm Trees.

Kant smiled. That was quite a pleasant surprise.

In usual fertile flatlands suitable for human habitation, where plants of all types could grow and flourish, Date Palm Trees were of little use. They usually only served as decorative plants in gardens or rare fruit trees that added a touch of exoticness to the menu of non-essential foods.

In other words, Date Palm Trees were basically non-essential and dispensable.

However, to desert people, who survived in such a harsh, unforgiving environment, the tall, stout palm trees were indispensable plants they relied on to survive. Date Palm Trees were holy things born in the desert.

Such was the status of the Date Palm Trees.

Kant knew that fruits borne by such trees—the tasty, juicy dates—were where their essence lied.

Dates were usually lauded as the most nutritious of dried fruits, which enabled them to earn the title of "Desert Bread." Two-thirds of the date fruit consisted of sugars. Ancient Egyptians saw the dates as signs of a good harvest while Romans and Greeks used dates in victory celebrations to welcome their winning soldiers home.

One Date Palm Tree was capable of bearing 300 dates, and every date weighed about 20 grams each.

These fruits were packed with extremely high nutritional value. They contained various vitamins and natural sugars. Furthermore, dates were sweet, juicy, and nutritious, making them useful either as a staple food or fruit. They could be used as ingredients for making sugars and liquor, as well as all manner of sweets, high-quality jams, biscuits, and dishes. They could also be used to make vinegar and pure alcohol.

Their sugars and nutritional value were so high that an adult could maintain basic survival needs just by eating six dates per meal.

It was a fruit that lived up to its title of "Desert Bread."

As such, for a very long time, the dates served as a staple food of desert people. They were an indispensable crop desert dwellers relied on for survival. Even in the system, it was a specialty of the Sarrand Sultanate and a tactical supply that maintained the desert kingdom's prosperity.

That was because there was more than just fruit to the Date Palm Trees. The plant itself was filled with treasures. Human civilizations had a use for every part.

The trunks of the Date Palm Trees were viable as construction materials and water tanks. The trees were aesthetic enough for use as decorative plants. Their twigs and vines were useful for crafting chairs and beds, as well as baskets for carrying fruits, vegetables, poultry, and fish. Their leaves were ideal for making mats, brooms, trays, and other such items. Those parts also served as fuel. The trunks were useful for crafting sheds and bridges while the seeds could be used as feed. Low-quality dates were used as fertilizer or to feed for livestock.

The trees were just as useful for making weapons.

For instance, polearms and siege engine parts were crafted using the trunks of Date Palm Trees. In fact, common weapons used by desert people had parts that came from Date Palm Trees.

I need to be careful about this.

Kant nodded silently as he scanned the Oasis Lookout.

The 50 Swadian Peasants were hard at work around the pond that formed from the geyser of spring water. They were clearing up all manner of garbage and excrement left by the Jackalan Tribe, gradually restoring the oasis to its original clean and tidy appearance.

It was carried out by his orders so that he could acquire the reward of the Side Quest assigned by the system.

Besides, 20 bags of flour were very important.

The Swadian Peasants were down-to-earth and hardworking, which put Kant at ease.

At the moment, he needed to seriously consider how to divide the limited pieces of land at the Oasis Lookout to ensure the steady development of his village, Drondheim, which, at the moment, only had the single Council Hall.

The Oasis Lookout was his most important estate, so he could not afford to be careless with it.

Residential, commercial, agricultural, and crafts areas—all of which were regions available only to huge towns or cities—were something that he deemed necessary to be planned in the early stages. Otherwise, once the village was developed into something more, the messy city planning and construction would be an eyesore.

He had the system to serve as his cheat, so he never thought he would have to stay trapped in the desert forever.

"The desert is not the end. The oasis shall serve as my foundation toward success."

Kant muttered to himself.

After looking around, he had thought of quite a few ideas.

The spring water emerged from cracks underground, forming a pond. Kant estimated that the length between the eastern and western end was about 82 feet while the width between the northern and southern end was about 19 feet. The geyser beneath was about three feet deep. It turned increasingly shallow as it reached the edge.

It was a rare water source found in the desert, which formed the foundation of the Oasis Lookout's existence.

There were about 164 feet of land at the southern and northern sides of the pond that remained free from the desert's encroachment. A good number of tightly packed small green plants grew there. Several lush trees were scattered between all that greenery.

On the north side of the pond, there were six thick and twisted Desert Poplar Trees. They were located at the intersection between the oasis and the desert. The faint yellow leaves filled the branches and swayed in the wind, which looked as pleasant as finely dressed women dancing.

Desert Poplar Trees were desert trees. They were of a status comparable to the Date Palm Trees and known as the "Protector God of the Desert."

These trees played a vital role in stabilizing the ecosystem balance around the river areas of barren deserts. They prevented erosion and regulated desert climate and the formation of fertile soil for forestation. They served as natural barriers for agricultural development in desert regions.

It seems like the northern side of the pond could serve as agricultural areas.

Kant made up his mind.

He circled the pond and walked toward the five Desert Poplar Trees, where the intersection between the soil of the oasis and the desert lied.

There seemed to be a very clear line drawn between the two areas.

The northern side was filled with yellow sand while the southern side had sandy areas of slightly darker colors, which were filled with weeds of unknown types. That meant the soil beneath was wet and capable of being used for farming.

As for the six Desert Poplar Trees, they were growing outside in the loose sand.

Kant walked up close and found those trees to be tens of years old. Their 20-foot-tall trunks seemed twisted, but the tops of the trees were incredibly lush. They blocked out sunlight from above, making the place beneath seem cool.

So, that's how it works.

Kant took out his short sword and dug a bit at the base of the trees. He made a mental note. The roots are absorbing water deep within the sand. The place is still close enough to the oasis and the pond, which means that this place is not extremely arid yet.

The roots of Desert Poplar Trees were capable of absorbing water as deep as 32 feet below ground.

As such, when such a tree was found in the desert, one could determine that within 32 feet beneath the said tree there were rare water resources.

However, the place they were at was the Oasis Lookout, which had a sweet, refreshing spring water source practically right at their sides.

He thought, the 20 Desert Palm Trees could be arranged like a jungle.

Kant nodded as his eyes scanned the intersections between the desert and the oasis.

He decided to plant all of the Date Palm Trees there, just like how the Desert Poplar Trees were planted. That made them a natural barrier against the winds, preventing the sands of the desert from spreading into the oasis, as well as solidifying the sands and soil beneath to serve as preparation for further farming efforts.

Be it in reality or the system, whether it was the desert people or the Sarrand Sultanate, they all planted their flora in such a manner.

Date Palm Trees were planted outside, and crops were planted inside.

Under the protection of Date Palm Trees, the crops planted would grow well in the oasis as long as there was ample irrigation. When the Date Palm Trees and other trees formed forests of larger areas, sweet, fruitful vegetables and fruits could even be planted.

There was currently no lack of fresh-water resources in the Oasis Lookout.

As such, even if the trees were planted at the edge of the desert, their roots could easily burrow several feet deep underground, absorbing water from the oasis.

"System, can the Date Palm Trees be planted here?"

With the plans in place, Kant connected his mind to the system.

The system instantaneously replied, "You may."

At the same time, card-like Date Palm Trees appeared in Kant's mind. Data streams started to spread in reality, appearing on the spots that Kant had wanted the trees planted.

The data streams continued to spread.

At the edge of the Oasis Lookout, 20 Date Palm Trees were done being lined up in less than two minutes.

Those Date Palm Trees were all over 22 feet tall and looked like coconut trees growing on beaches. However, the fruits found on top of their tall, stout trunk were not huge coconuts. Instead, they were clusters of purplish-red dates, which were individually the size of an egg. They would turn red after being dried in the wind and could be stored for more than a dozen months at a time.

"This is beautiful." Kant couldn't help but express his admiration.

The Date Palm Trees were tall and straight, and they formed a straight line along the intersection between the desert and the oasis.

A breeze carrying heat blew across them, causing the palm trees, which had flat yet thin, long leaves, to sway in the wind. They seemed to have possessed a special charm, making them look like alluring women in the desert.

Green plants all looked mesmerizing in a sea of sand because they symbolized survival.

The appearance of the Date Palm Trees attracted the attention of the peasants, as well as the soldiers on guard duty. They all joyfully gazed in his direction.

Many peasants eyed the clusters of dates on those trees in a mesmerized manner.

Their purplish-red skin meant that the dates were ripe for harvest. They would be very sweet and precious fruits. Even though the Kingdom of Swadia was right beside the Sarrand Sultanate, those tasty dates would fetch a high price due to war and the existence of bandits.

"I need 10 men to help me out," Kant called out.

"We're of your service, My Lord."

There were 10 Swadian Peasants packing up the broken tents. They quickly put down what they were doing and went over to where Kant was, awaiting orders.

"I need all of you to pluck the dates," Kant said.

"As you wish, My Lord."

The peasants looked up. The clusters of dates below the 22-foot-tall trunks were enticing. However, due to the height, it was impossible to effectively get them without appropriate tools.

However, that was of no trouble to them.

A peasant said, "There is a 20-foot wooden ladder in the council."

"Yeah, and baskets on the roof," another peasant added.

"Very well."

Kant nodded in satisfaction and said, "I shall leave the task to you all."

Then again, noting the current food shortage faced by Drondheim, he still cautioned them, "Be careful though. Don't scratch up the bark of these beloved fruits while you are at it. Otherwise, they won't last after being dried."

The peasants shrugged and nodded affirmatively. "Rest assured, My Lord."

While they were not all that proficient at combat, they were very good at agricultural and all manners of menial labor.

Chapter 11: Desert Bandit Lair

The 10 Swadian Peasants had their work cut out for them.

One went to the Council Hall to fetch the wooden ladder. Another peasant steadily climbed up to the roof to fetch the baskets, as well as shears for cutting the clusters of dates hanging on the branches of the trees, to make plucking and drying the dates easier.

The dates were ripe and fresh, so they required careful handling.

There was no doubt that the peasants knew that well.

They were all experienced farmhands who had long been working in the fields. None of this posed much of a problem for them as long as they were careful and attentive.

Kant felt at ease handing off these duties to the peasants.

At present, he had other matters that required his attention.

Among the said matters, there was the Desert Bandit Lair.

That quest reward had come the previous evening. It was acquired when Kant and the Dukedom of Leo knights put their lives on the line to annihilate the Jackalans who had taken over the Oasis Lookout.

According to the system's judgment, quests that came with the risk of having entire forces wiped out came with high-level rewards.

This is rather curious.

Kant's mind was immediately connected to the system.

When the data card of that item appeared on his retina, he was able to see that it was a house constructed using sand and stone. Horses were tied at the door. Soldiers carrying spears and wearing leather armor walked by.

There was no doubt that they were units per the name of the reward—Desert Bandits.

However, Kant was still somewhat stunned.

Desert Bandits?

He was unable to help but frown as if he had recalled something.

In the system from his past life, there were monster units in the territories of the Sarrand Sultanate that went by that name. They appeared in groups in the sea of sand, plundering trade caravans and villagers. As such, they were considered robbers who were out to do no good.

These units were so notorious that sensible players in the early stages of the game learned to steer away from the deserts that were known to be filled with Desert Bandits.

Are they really who I think they are? Kant gulped.

His eyes were filled with joy.

If they were the criminals who roamed the desert like a storm, as recorded in the system, they would be an absolute boon to the present Oasis Lookout. To him, they were considered more precious than the 20 Date Palm Trees that provided extra food to the village.

His mind was filled with excitement, yet his expression remained calm, as usual.

His life as a young noble enabled him to learn how to conceal his true emotions with calmness.

He walked briskly to the southern side of the Oasis Lookout.

He circled the pond of spring water, which was where the council hall was located. He decided to make that area the residential and crafts section of Drondheim from then on out. That was the region he had thoughtfully divided. If different trades were to grow and prosper in the future, there could be a commercial area developed there.

The northern side, which was where the six Desert Poplar Trees and 20 Date Palm Trees were found, would serve purely as an agricultural area.

Although the Oasis Lookout did not currently have half a hectare of farmable lands, he still had to take the development of his fief from then on out into consideration. If his place were to be one incapable of producing food, it would be tantamount to being choked by others.

There was no way Kant could give up agriculture altogether, even though the production of crops might be minimal.

He even had thoughts of sending people to the Dukedom of Leo on the other side of the Senwaya Range to dig up huge amounts of soil. Such a crude, foolish-looking method would have allowed him to enhance the number of farmable lands at the Oasis Lookout.

The journey from the Oasis Lookout to the Senwaya Range took the knights about three days to cover. It would take carriages and infantry units seven days at most.

The distance, which required a week to cover, was still what Kant, who was desperate to have the oasis developed, considered to be within tolerable limits.

"My Lord."

The 10 Swadian Militia members were on standby near the Council Hall.

They lowered their heads and greeted him respectfully to show respect for their lord.

"Yeah."

Kant nodded. He did not arrange for them to do anything else. He simply replied, "Stay sharp."

The threat of the Jackalans was still lurking out there somewhere. These 10 militia members were not the only ones who were on standby. The 20 Swadian Recruits were patrolling the dunes nearby. They could quickly retreat and report to the council if they found something, while would allow them time to prepare to deal with enemy threats with the 50 Swadian Peasants.

While there were only 80 of them, given how all of them would defend their homes courageously, not even a force of 200 Jackalans would be able to defeat them if they were to form tight formations with their polearms outstretched.

Furthermore, Kant was about to add a new troop class to his roster.

It was the Desert Bandits.

He went to the side of the Council Hall and began to seriously look at the surrounding terrain.

Confirming the construction of the Desert Bandit Lair would add a second building to the Oasis Lookout. At the same time, the building was crucial for allowing Kant to gain another class of combatants.

"System, construct the building at the eastern side of the council hall."

Kant made his final decision.

A large number of data streams appeared on his retina as he gave the order.

A simple building, which was constructed with stone and wooden materials, was quickly erected right beside the council hall. The process took about two seconds. The building, which previously only existed in data-card form, was instantly brought into the world.

A Desert Bandit Lair was given by the system.

Kant eyed the place, finding it to be a simple single-story house that was constructed using stone and wooden materials as the foundation.

The lair seemed to have an area of 1,080 square feet and was about 9 feet high, which was noticeably lower than the 19-foot-tall Council Hall next to it. However, there was a stable made of wood next to the house, which was about 215 square feet.

Sniff.

Light snorting sounds were heard, which startled Kant.

Is someone in there?

Kant eyed the place. He knew that his ears were not playing tricks on him.

Those were obvious snorting sounds, which sounded just like those commonly heard from horses. That meant there were horses in the stable. It also meant that there were people in the building.

The narrow wooden door was pushed open from the inside.

Five stout men wearing linen robes walked outside. They were holding spears. Their faces, which had a dark complexion from prolonged exposure to the sun, looked fierce and unyielding, yet they appeared incredibly respectful.

"We bow to you, Lord, as your humble servants," the five greeted him respectfully.

"Right, very well."

Kant nodded slightly. There was a smile on his smile.

The joy in his eyes was unmistakable. It was just as he guessed. These five stout men were Desert Bandits of the Sarrand Sultanate who roamed in groups and took on the desert like a sandstorm.

Underneath their simple, crude linen robes was fine leather armor.

While they all held 6-foot-long spears, they still carried round shields and flanged maces for close-quarter combat right behind their backs. Four javelins were arranged neatly on the sacks on their backs as well.

Along with the desert horses in the stables, the equipment became the combination of tools that made them fearsome entities in the desert.

The Desert Bandits were equally as good at initiating cavalry charges with their horses or surrounding their enemies and throwing their heavy, lethal javelins.

In close-quarters combat, their round shields effectively blocked enemy attacks. Their flanged maces, which were blunt trauma weapons that excelled in armor penetration, served as a lethal threat to even the most well-armed enemies.

"Splendid, splendid indeed."

The smile on Kant's face was unmistakable. He asked, "Are there only five of you in the lair?"

"Indeed, My Lord." The five Desert Bandits nodded.

One of them quickly said, "If you are willing to pay 30 Denars per member, there will be one Desert Bandit who will willingly join your ranks every week. From then on out, weekly maintenance for each member will be 12 Denars per week."

"Seems nice." Kant nodded.

While the 30 Denars to recruit seemed steep, and 12 Denars per week for maintenance seemed hefty, Kant saw all of that to be acceptable. The value of these ferocious bandits was son to be laid bare for all to see.

They were excellent units among second-level troop classes.

For instance, the second-level troop class that Kant currently possessed, the 10 Swadian Militia, paled in comparison to the Desert Bandits.

It could be said that with sound tactics employed, the five Desert Bandits could easily take out all of the Swadian Militia without losing a single member, even if all of those Swadian Militia were armed with heavy spears.

Their ferocious skills had been developed and honed by the harsh, unforgiving desert.

Kant asked, "Can I begin recruitment right now?"

The Desert Bandits did not answer. They became quiet after giving their previous explanation. The system immediately answered him in their stead.

"You may begin recruitment."

A prompt from the system was heard in his ear. "Do you want to recruit now?"

"Recruit." Kant nodded.

[Recruitment: Desert Bandit x 1]

[30 Denars spent]

A dialog box popped up. The wooden door of the lair, which was constructed using stone and wooden materials, opened again.

Another Desert Bandit in near-identical attire appeared. He briskly walked and stood with the other five, looking fierce and unyielding. While he looked respectfully at Kant's face, his eyes remained fixed on other areas, which was typical of a bandit.

It was as if he was out to rob the place at any given moment.

This place is now a lot safer with six Desert Bandits around.

As he looked at them, Kant felt pleased with the situation.

The six Desert Bandits were not regular infantry units. They were cavalry units. Armed with spears, they could easily be used as fierce shock troops. They were capable of tearing through enemy formations and easily crushing enemy forces.

Dealing with primitive Jackalans would be considered a piece of cake to them.

"My Lord, My Lord!"

Just as Kant was still feeling pleased with himself, a desperate call could be heard from behind.

Kant turned around and saw a Swadian Peasant. He was carrying a tattered urn in his hand and walking quickly toward his lord. He shouted, "We seem to have found something!"

Chapter 12: Coarse Salt in the Urn

The urn was the color of earth and about the size of a grown man's head. It seemed to have been used for a very long time, which was evident by the severe scuff marks on the edges. Only bits and pieces of the original image were left on the urn, making it hard to distinguish what it was.

"My Lord, I think you'd need to look at this."

The Swadian Peasant holding the old, tattered urn looked serious.

"Right, hold on."

Kant frowned at the peasant holding the urn.

Upon seeing the earth-colored tattered urn, his frowned deepened as he said, "If you're talking about this thing here, it's just an old urn that should be disposed of. I don't think you need to bring it here."

This world had no technology for making porcelain, but it did have the technology for making high-grade earthenware.

Fine, high-grade earthenware was actually quite expensive.

It was especially so in the eyes of Kant, who was from a noble family. That old, tattered urn had no value to anyone but the poorest of paupers. Even if something like that were left on the streets, few people would pick it up and consider it a treasure. Most people would leave it for the street cleaners to find and dispose of.

The Dukedom of Leo produced huge amounts of clay. As such, high-grade and low-grade earthenware were practically everywhere, making the urn nearly worthless.

"No, it's not the urn itself."

The Swadian Peasant shook his head.

"What is it?" Kant looked on with a curious expression.

"This."

The peasant approached Kant. He gently and carefully held the tattered urn up for him to see. The urn seemed to have something contained within it. As he looked, white bits flickered in the light of the sun.

Kant was slightly stunned.

The sight seemed quite familiar.

He looked in the urn and found that those white, scattered bits were some kind of white powdery substance.

The identification of the substance instantly popped into his mind.

"Salt?" His eyes slightly widened.

The peasant nodded affirmatively and said, "Indeed, My Lord. It is salt."

Hints of joy could be seen in Kant's eyes.

In such a backward world, both salt and sugar were considered rare seasonings and condiments. Even as the youngest son of the duke and a baron of the Dukedom of Leo, he had brought less than two baskets full of those seasonings when he came to his fief.

Ten pounds of salt, 10 pounds of sugar and 5 pounds of black pepper were all the seasonings he acquired when he was conferred the title of baron.

"Where did you get this urn of salt?" he asked.

Kant unconsciously gulped. He looked at the peasant, who appeared excited.

"We found it in one of the Jackalan's tents. There was a tent bigger than the others, and we found the urn when we were cleaning up the place," the peasant said as he pointed to a patch of grass not far away.

"Jackalans?"

Kant licked his lips as his brows furrowed in contemplation.

He glanced at the tent, which had been cobbled together with beast pelts and linen cloth, that remained unpacked. It looked much larger than a usual Jackalan tent. He quickly came to understand something quite important.

This was likely the tent that belonged to the leader of the Jackalans.

Although they were considered a primitive race, they still had castes. The leader was often the one who hoarded most of the tribe's wealth.

However, what piqued Kant's interest even more was how salt was discovered in a Jackalan Tribe. It was worth noting that even lesser lords in the comparatively wealthy Dukedom of Leo would not have so much salt in their households.

"It's probably from a salt mine in the desert."

A Desert Bandit spoke in a confident tone. It was apparent he knew of such salt being found in the desert.

It was especially apparent when the eyes of everyone present scanned the white powdery salt in the urn, which had bits of grey in it. It confirmed what the bandit had said. "Furthermore, it's an open-air salt mine. These coarse salts were collected from alkali soils."

"Coarse salts from alkali soils?" Kant twisted his head a bit. His brow lifted.

The Desert Bandit nodded and said, "Indeed. It's very close to the salt produced by the salt mines in the Sarrand Sultanate."

Another Desert Bandit added to the explanation. "These are probably coarse salts that were just simply collected and cleaned. There are still bits of sands in them, so the texture is awful. Sarrand craftsmen filter the coarse salts for a bit before boiling them and refining them into finer table salts."

"So, that's how it's done." Kant slightly nodded.

Thoughts welled up in Kant's mind as he kept looking at the coarse salt in the urn.

"If that is true, we can be sure that there is alkali soil found in the deeper reaches of Nahrin Desert." Kant tried his best to maintain a calm expression, yet his excitement was heard leaking out through the tone of his voice.

The Desert Bandits nodded affirmatively. "Going by common logic, that is indeed how it should be."

Joy instantly filled Kant's face.

Even if he were to do his best to suppress his emotions, the burst of joy deep down still made him struggle to control himself.

"This is very good news!"

He gulped and tightly clenched his fists.

Salt might have been of little value in modernized Earth, but if one were to look into human history, salty seasonings had once been a symbol of luxury and high status, be it in the east or west. It was something that had once been exclusive to rich people.

It worked the same in this mysterious dimension of swords and magic that resembled the middle ages.

Salt was an expensive seasoning. At the same time, it was one of the common materials mages employed when casting magic. As such, having access to a precious supply meant having access to vast wealth.

It was quite a surprise that somewhere deep in the barren Nahrin Desert, there was actually alkali soil full of salt.

The newly discovered fact excited Kant tremendously.

"This is an opportunity!"

As he gulped, happiness was seen in his eyes. However, he was still extremely cautious about it. As a Transported, he understood what he would gain by having access to a place that produced salt.

Wealth.

Opportunity.

Schemes.

Kant licked his lips as he looked around. His mind slowly calmed.

There was the only village in the Oasis Lookout, and Drondheim was filled with his men and no outsiders. As such, from the looks of things at the moment, it was a secret known only to him.

[Ding... The oasis was finally cleaned through painstaking hard work.]

[Side Quest: "Clean up the oasis" is complete.]

[Reward Acquired: Flour x 20]

[Comment: That could be easily accomplished with only simple labor, right?]

Just as Kant was still enjoying his joyful mood, a prompt came from the system.

A dialog box appeared on his retina, confirming the completion of the side quest he was assigned in the morning.

At the same time, 20 bags of flour were prepared in some mystical space of the system, which Kant would be able to easily materialize at any given moment.

"Good news does come in pairs." Kant smiled.

He looked at the urn of salt below his leg, which had been a pleasant surprise.

As long as Drondheim was developed, Kant had enough to defend and feed himself. The salt would serve as an auxiliary force, propelling his further success. He could open a trade route to the dukedom and gain more wealth.

Salt was something that could almost serve as currency.

He saw a flicker on his retina. The system had assigned him another side quest.

[Ding… Side Quest assigned.]

[Side Quest: The Origins of Salt]

[Reward: Standard Swadian House x 5]

[Introduction: Where did the salt come from? That is a question worthy of careful search in the deeper reaches of the desert. You might find different resources there, just like those precious salt.]

Kant shook his head and smiled as he looked at the dialog box on his retina.

Even without the quest assigned by the system, he still would have assigned someone to thoroughly look into the place where the salt came from.

"An alkali soil eh? That's mine!"

Kant's face was filled with determination.

If such precious resources were to be taken over by the primitive Jackalans, it would be a terrible waste.

Kant needed to take the salt mine resources for himself.

He did not bother with any pretentious compassion or excuses. He made it clear right there and then that he wanted to take such resources for himself, one way or another, to fuel the development of his fief. He was completely willing to clash with another Jackalan Tribe if that was what was required.

"Swadians do not fear."

Kant's eyes were filled with pride and might.

The Kingdom of Swadia was known for its exceptional feats at ground warfare in the Continent of Caradia. In such a world, eliminating the Jackalans, who were still in a primitive stage, was an easy feat.

Furthermore, with access to the system, Kant could sustain his warring efforts for years.

Even if he were to trade the lives of 10 Swadian Peasants for a single unit advancing to become a Swadian Knight, it would be worthwhile.

"We shall make plans for this."

However, he quickly calmed himself and returned to his usual self.

It was imperative to search for the salt mine, but he needed to be cautious while venturing deep into the Nahrin Desert. It was absurd to charge into the sea of sands without proper preparations just because it was a quest from the system. He would be little more than a fool if he were to do so.

Then again, he smiled in an even more brimming manner as he looked at the six Desert Bandits by his side.

Luckily, I have desert experts by my side.

Chapter 13: Sarrandan Wisdom

The Desert Bandits served as Kant's backing.

He was very confident about being able to finish that Side Quest assigned by the system.

It was mostly because the Desert Bandits were from the desert nation of Sarrand Sultanate, so they were more than familiar with the brutal environment of a desert. Their skills were honed in the vast sea of sand, so they could all be considered desert survival experts.

The six Desert Bandits had the potential to help get into the deeper reaches of the Nahrin Desert.

As for that alkali soil, which was rich in natural salt, Kant had long made up his mind about it.

He would take it by all means.

Kant hailed from the Dukedom of Leo and was the youngest son of Duke Cameron, who was the top leader of the entire nation. Although Kant was not a favorite due to his mother dying young, all the mandatory aristocratic education he received from his youth enabled him to be quite knowledgeable.

He was also a Transported. Having lived two lives, there was no doubt that his learning ability was extremely formidable. He had indeed learned a great deal.

It was just like how things were at the moment.

Kant was able to tell how much of a commotion he would cause back in the dukedom, which was a nation filled with flatlands and hills, just from the fact that he had acquired intelligence regarding table salt resources.

That was because the Dukedom of Leo was not a salt-producing nation.

Furthermore, none of all the other dukedoms, which were human territories, neighboring the Dukedom of Leo, were salt-producing nations either.

If they wanted to have saltiness in their food, they could only satisfy such needs by importing salt.

According to the books Kant read in the tower of mages back in the castle, merchants needed to venture into faraway mountains, which were territories that belonged to non-human races. Those were territories belonging to dwarfs, who were versed in the art of tunneling and smithing. Table salt was bought from those stout, earthy dwarfs, who were usually around 4-feet-5-inches tall, before ferrying them back thousands of miles to be sold in the human nations.

The dwarfs owned a salt mine 984 feet underground. Mining operations were conducted all day long, satisfying the alt needs of many nations. They were the greatest exporter of salt in the entire continent.

As such, the price of salt in human nations had always been high. Also, salt was not the usual type of seasoning available to commoners.

One pound of high-grade fine salt was of equal value to a strong, healthy horse.

That was the testament to just how pricey such a seasoning could be.

During the years that saw trade routes hindered by war or spice shortages, spices of even higher value, such as top-grade black pepper, were almost worth their weight in gold. They were also luxuries that greater nobles held in high regard and greatly valued.

Kant had ample experiences regarding such facts.

He had been in that world for 16 years and attended all manners of feasts and banquets, regardless of size.

However, he had never been able to feast on foods that were heavily seasoned with many different spices, not even once.

While this world had swords and magic, as well as numerous mystical items and fantastical races, it was still one that fundamentally resembled Earth during the European middle ages. It vastly lacked material supplies, and things were simple and backward. It was a feudal age that many found to be exasperating.

Huff.

Kant took a deep breath.

He quelled all that excitement deep down, returning to his usual calm self.

He still had to deal with reality.

Without ample strength, there was no way he could initiate contact with the Dukedom of Leo personally.

That place was filled with hyenas.

It was where eternally insatiable monsters thrived.

The concept of vast wealth eventually getting one into major trouble was something that had been abhorrently apparent back in his past life on Earth. If the image of the Nahrin Desert being a destitute, barren place was broken, and the fact that there was a salt mine that represented massive profit presented before the eyes of the nobles of the Dukedom of Leo, there might just be some bandits from somewhere out to make that baron of the Oasis Lookout disappear from the world forever.

Kant never held the safety and security of that world in high regard.

It was a world in which might made right. If a child were to carry gold pieces while getting near thugs, one could easily imagine what awaited that child.

I still need to become powerful myself.

Kant shook his head somewhat, but he still wore a joyful smile.

He was able to feel that joy because he was confident.

He was born with the essence of the Kingdom of Swadia, which was inherent within the system.

It was a cheat that belonged only to Kant.

"Go back and get busy."

Kant gave orders to the Swadian Peasant who was waiting by his side.

"Yes, My Lord." The peasant nodded respectfully.

As the peasant was about to leave, he seemed to have recalled something. While still cradling that tattered urn, he asked, "My Lord, what should I do about the coarse salt in the urn?"

That salt was raw and coarse and had yet to be filtered. Not only was there sand mixed in it, but there were also a number of potentially harmful substances.

The coarse salt had been scraped directly from the alkali soil. The Jackalans had no problem eating it like that. For human digestive systems, which were more delicate, eating things like that was a challenge. After eating this kind of coarse salt, a human would have quickly displayed signs of food poisoning, such as vomiting and diarrhea. In the worst-case scenario, it had the potential to be life-threatening.

"Well..." Kant was rather baffled. He turned his eyes toward the six Desert Bandits.

"My Lord, we know how to cook the salt to run coarse salt into table salt."

The six Desert Bandits were living up to their expectations. They nodded affirmatively and said, "Doing so is actually quite simple."

"Very well." Kant nodded with satisfaction.

The desert where the Sarrand Sultanate was located also had alkali soils. Sarrandans, who lived in the desert, knew how to make the inedible raw coarse salt into edible seasoning through some ancient methods passed down through the generations.

A furnace, two large pots, and a huge amount of charcoal were all that was required to refine salt.

All of that was easily found inside the Council Hall.

Kant looked at the Desert Bandits with curious eyes. He paid close attention to how they turned harmful raw coarse salt into edible table salt.

"So, do you people filter the salt using charcoal?"

Kant had a general concept of how the process worked. All the mandatory education he received in his past life did not go to waste.

The furnace was lit.

The water in the huge pot quickly came to a boil. The Desert Bandits poured all the coarse salt from the old, tattered urn into the pot.

As the steam rose, the white coarse salt began to dissolve in the boiling water.

However, that huge pot of clear spring water seemed to have grey impurities seen in it. There were so many that bits of granules could almost be seen in all that boiling water with the naked eye.

It was all dirt.

"Keep the fire low. We shall lower the heat afterward," a Desert Bandit said.

Another Desert Bandit, who was waiting at the side, immediately turned the fire in the furnace to low.

The boiling saltwater gradually settled. A layer of fine sand could be seen at the bottom of the pot.

While the salt was water-soluble, any other solids fell to the bottom.

"This is interesting." Kant nodded. This was a piece of useful knowledge that could be applicable to daily life.

After a while, the saltwater became clear while the sediment at the bottom was packed together. One would have found it hard to imagine just how dirty the seemingly clean, white coarse salt had actually just been.

"Get ready."

The Desert Bandit in charge of the operation had spoken.

Another Desert Bandit quickly fetched a second big pot, which was packed with charcoal on the inside.

It served as the key to filtering out the impurities.

That Desert Bandit took a large wooden spatula and began to dump saltwater into the pot filled with charcoal. His moves were fast and adept. There was only a thin layer of saltwater and a layer of dirt left at the bottom of the pot.

"We're basically done."

The Desert Bandit told the others, "Dump the garbage away and scrub the pot clean."

He hastily wiped the sweat off of his face and turned around to face Kant with a smile. He said, "My Lord, we shall let it sit for an hour before repeating the process with a new pot and fresh charcoal four times. After we're done with the filtering, we will boil the water until it dries up. We will then be able to sift good, edible fine salt from the finished product."

"Very well." Kant nodded.

He looked at the steaming iron pot with salt water being mixed within the charcoal. These natural filters easily filtered out most of the impurities. The only steps left were to repeat the process several times, leaving only pure saltwater behind.

After that, they would have to continue to heat the iron pot with fire and sift the salt from the end product. Eventually, the process resulted in edible table salt.

"My Lord."

The Desert Bandit said with full surety, "This will become high-grade white salt."

"Splendid. Splendid indeed."

Kant nodded as he wore a brimming smile on his face. This was definitely something to be happy about.

He fully understood what white salt really meant.

He knew the value of such things better than most.

The eventual fine, snow-white salt was capable of fetching very high prices back in the Dukedom of Leo, especially since such an item was only available to great nobles and very wealthy merchants. It was possible that every pound could be sold for at least 50 Great Silvers.

It was a luxury that only nobles had access to.

This salt was definitely different from the coarser salt, which was obtained through wells, usually eaten by wealthier commoners and lesser lords.

This fine, high-grade salt was not only expensive, but it also came with a symbol of status.

"I really can't wait."

Kant was already smiling from ear to ear.

Within just half a day, inedible coarse salt from alkali soil was turned into fine white salt that could fetch exorbitant prices.

As long as Kant was able to seize that natural salt mine in the form of alkali soil, he could easily earn massive profits from the monopoly.

As such, he was very eager to see the finished product.

While he was currently incapable of organizing trade caravans in broad daylight and selling the salt in huge batches in the dukedom, he could still sell small amounts of the fine, white salt on the black market. He believed that many would likely kill to get their hands on the salt.

This salt was much more than just a seasoning.

It was an essential material for the mages in the towers to cast spells, as well as a symbol of status flaunted by the nobles.

One way or another, Kant would have no problem selling the precious salt.

Chapter 14: Scrumptious Dinner

Time quickly passed.

The sun could be seen in the western dunes, scattering evening light throughout the oasis.

The night was about to arrive.

The dazzling stars began to subtly appear in the sky. A crescent moon soon brightly shone white light on the desert.

This was the Oasis Lookout of the Nahrin Desert.

It was where Drondheim was located.

The peasants, who hailed from the Kingdom of Swadia, stayed busy.

With tools in hand, they carefully plowed the land on the northern side of the oasis. They cleared out useless weed and made the place look like a field. Waterways were dug, forming effective irrigation channels for the would-be farm.

The lands that were being worked on would become Drondheim's agricultural area.

While the place was still barren and no crops were currently being planted, it was still a good idea to work the dirt beforehand.

Most importantly, the irrigation channels were dug long enough to reach the Date Palm Trees.

The 20 grown Date Palm Trees served as the only crop-producing plants Drondheim had at the moment. While they were trees and only able to produce dates, said crops were able to fill the bellies of the people, which slightly eased their food shortage predicament.

At the same time, those Date Palm Trees served as a solid line of defense against the desert's encroachment.

As long as the roots of the trees remained strong and sturdy, capable of reaching huge areas, the sand underneath would remain in place.

By doing so, the oasis was able to maintain its shape, avoiding getting increasingly smaller from the encroachment of the desert. Furthermore, as the fallen leaves piled up, a new layer of soil would begin to form. When coupled with ample water, it set into motion the gradual expansion of the oasis.

Then again, the beneficial cycles that led to the growth of the oasis would take hundreds of years to occur naturally.

"Get dinner ready. We might just be making larger portions tonight."

Kant looked at the exhausted peasants. He wore a smile on his lips as he said, "Put more dried meat into the meals. We all need better nourishment after a day of hard work."

The three peasants who served as cooks nodded and began to get the kitchen utensils ready.

Those three were given their orders by Kant beforehand, so they did not participate in the digging of channels or cleanup of the oasis. They needed to prepare dinner at noon since Lord Kant asked for the dinner to be prepared in bigger, loftier portions.

Although they were not all that proficient in cooking, as long as there was meat, the dinner would become an excellent feast regardless.

Furthermore, more than 40 baskets full of dates had been collected in the morning.

Even if everyone were to only eat bread and dates, drinking only spring water from the oasis, that would have lasted them for 15 days. With the addition of the 20 new bags of flour in the storage room, the total amount of food was expected to last for 30 days.

While they still lacked a sustainable food source, they no longer had to immediately worry about food.

The kitchen furnaces in the Council Hall were ignited.

In mere moments, the fragrance of food wafted throughout the oasis along with the wind.

The peasants, who only had some bread and dates at noon, were famished. All of them gulped as they smelled the enticing fragrance. Their eyes were fixed on the kitchen.

The wait before the meal was excruciating for those famished peasants.

However, the Swadian Recruits on guard duty were having an even harder time as they held their spears.

They had not had much to eat at lunchtime.

However, for the sake of the village's safety, they needed to make sacrifices.

The 20 units were divided into two platoons. They stood guard at the eastern and western dunes, respectively. As dusk came, the dazzling stars and bright moonlight enabled them to barely see what was out there over 300 feet away.

They had been on-guard and watching for the Jackalans.

The 10 Swadian Militia in Drondheim were just as careful and alert.

At least for the moment, it was fortunate that things were still safe,

However, their luck was not an excuse to let their guards down. No one knew when those ferocious, brutal Jackalans would retaliate for the earlier slaughter.

"Dinner is ready."

Three peasants brought pots out of the kitchen.

There were bread slices toasted to golden perfection, as well as thick, hearty vegetable soup made using dried meat, cabbage, and flour.

There was also the freshly plucked dates.

"We thank our Lord for giving us food." Whispers of gratitude were heard from the mouths of the peasants at dinner.

Kant nodded and raised his hand, saying, "You've earned it."

It was a simple ritual. Kant was their lord and owner of the system, which made him someone equivalent to a king of the Swadians given where they were. As such, it was only a matter of fact that they respected such a figure from the bottom of their hearts.

Kant's dinner was prepared as well.

His portion had black pepper and sugar, as well as fine, white salt, cooked and filtered by the Desert Bandits, added.

"Not bad at all."

Kant nodded in satisfaction.

The dried meat had been roasted and given a dash of crushed black pepper, making it exude a mesmerizing fragrance.

When the dried meat was eaten with the clean, white, fine salt on the wooden plate, Kant felt as if he was back at a feast thrown by Cameron, the Duke of the Dukedom of Leo, enjoying tasty roast meat available only to nobles.

He gulped them down and narrowed his gaze. He quipped with a smile, "This is really good."

The dinner had been a very good one.

Kant was not the only one who enjoyed the meal. The peasants, who had been working hard throughout the day, shared the same thoughts.

Even the soldiers who took turns eating dinner expressed heartfelt gratitude for the food that night.

In a barren desert like that, there was no guarantee that every meal could be so hearty. That was even more so given the fact that they were able to enjoy sweet dates and clean water after the meal. Everything truly felt heavenly.

The peasants even thought that they would really be blessed if they were able to sleep on beds instead of holes in the sand.

It was truly a pity.

Drondheim currently only had two buildings—the Council Hall and Desert Bandit Lair.

Before they could acquire better residences, new Side Quests needed to be completed. Also, the location of the salt needed to be discovered before the system provided a reward of five standard Kingdom of Swadia-styled stone and wood houses,

At present, most of them had to sleep in tents and sand holes.

"Stay sharp in the night."

Kant gave a final order before going to bed.

The soldiers answered affirmatively, "Rest assured, My Lord."

Everyone had experienced a long day, so it was a good idea for them to go to bed early.

As for the soldiers, they took turns resting. After all, they were the ones who had taken up guard duty in the night to keep everyone safe.

Before long, everyone had gone to bed.

When the Swadian Peasants returned to their holes and lied down, loud snoring was quickly heard throughout the oasis, which sounded rather irritating.

The night was no longer young. Midnight soon arrived.

Only the snores of the peasants continued to be heard throughout the Oasis Lookout.

There were five Swadian Militia standing guard and staying alert for everyone else.

"Gosh, the snoring is awful."

One of the militia members shook his head exasperatingly and sighed. "I can't even sleep even if I want to now."

"Just bear with it. This is nothing." The other militia member held onto his heavy spear. He spoke in an unfazed manner. "You have no idea just how awful your snoring was when I was sleeping by your side."

"What? For real?" That militia member rolled his eyes exasperatedly and asked, "How come I know nothing of it?"

"You were fast asleep just like a dead pig," the other militia member jested.

The militia member who complained first was just about to retort when he caught sight of something not far away from the dunes. There seemed to be some dark shadows at the dunes, which alerted him.

"Hey, what's that over there?"

He did not let his guard down. He instead jabbed at the other militia member with his arm.

"Huh?" That other militia member peered toward that direction as he frowned.

The dunes east of the Oasis Lookout had starlight and moonlight shining over them. The sand seemed like it was being blown in the wind in the dark sky, which looked out of place.

That militia member's expression became serious as he said, "Something is not right."

"Yeah, I saw shadows just a moment ago," the other militia member added with a gulp.

He had a bad feeling and was unable to help but mumble, "Are those damned Jackalans really going to sneak up on us in the night?"

"Go and wake the others."

The other militia member did not respond to him. Instead, he said in a serious tone, "Be quick about it!"

"Will do." That militia member behaved just as seriously as he ran toward the roof.

Shadows were lurking on top of the dunes at the end of the two militia members' line of sight. They did not look human under the moonlight. They resembled beasts walking upright. There was no way the militia would not be able to tell that the scattered Jackalans were sneaking up on them in the dark of night.

Chapter 15: The Thick Stench of Blood

The news of an incoming enemy attack spread quickly. All those who had been fast asleep in the Oasis Lookout were now all wide awake. Their eyes might have still looked somewhat drowsy, but underneath that drowsiness was full readiness to fight.

They all hoped for a satisfying victory to prove their valiance.

Swadians never feared war.

The 10 Swadian Militia and 20 Swadian Recruits all stood ready with their spears as they gathered in the council hall.

Nothing seemed unusual in the tents. The 50 Swadian Peasants were standing ready for battle with their long scythes.

Everyone awaited Kant's orders.

"Stay quiet."

He did not give the order for them to emerge out of their buildings or tents.

He wanted them all to keep waiting.

He squatted on the Council Hall's roof, narrowing his eyes as he peered at the dunes far away. He wore a sarcastic smirk as he quipped, "Maybe those ugly bastards know of only one such tactic, eh."

Scattered shadows were seen moving on the dunes.

The bright moonlight shone all over the ground, which enabled them to vaguely see the beast-like heads and bodies of their would-be invaders.

Those were Jackalans.

"My Lord, we shall get to our horses."

Six Desert Bandits were squatting right behind Kant.

The six of them wore harsh expressions as they eyed the approaching Jackalans.

"Be careful, and don't alert anyone."

Kant nodded, permitting them to leave.

He looked just as focused as everyone else. His eyes had nothing but seriousness in them. Not even he had expected just how tough the battle that night would be. The scale of victory weighing his odds did not seem to be in his favor.

There were simply too many Jackalans showing up at his door.

"Things don't look good."

As he stayed on guard, Kant calmed his breathing and kept his eyes focused on the faraway dunes.

While moonlight did not give them visibility like that of sunlight, everyone was still able to see what was over 300 feet away. Kant assessed that there were more than 300 Jackalans ready to attack them. He was even able to detect that there might be more Jackalans waiting to strike from behind the dunes.

At this point, things were not looking good.

The situation had taken a turn for the worse.

A militia member behind him seriously asked, "My Lord, what should we do?"

"We wait."

Kant answered in a straightforward, affirmative manner.

He estimated that at least 500 Jackalans were sneaking up on them in the dark of night. The beasts outnumbered them at least five to one.

He only had 87 Swadians at his side, and 50 of them were peasants who did not specialize in combat. If he were to win this battle, he could not afford to rely on conventional strategies.

If all of his people took formations and fought the invaders head-on, he might have as well asked to be mowed down in a single charge.

Kant was not a fool.

So, he arranged for his troops to continue hiding.

He made it seem as if none of them had discovered anything.

"If only they were here now."

Kant made a causal quip, seeking what bit of joy he could in the severe situation. He still ended sighing in exasperation.

The "They" he referred to meant Rowan's men.

The 20 Dukedom of Leo knights working with six Desert Bandits and 80 infantry units would have enabled them to attack with the element of surprise on their side. It would have easily crushed the Jackalans sneakily coming at them.

They were cavalry units, so their formidable mobility would have brought a devastating force to bear in such a situation.

"Too bad none of them are here."

He wiped his face and returned to his serious and alert state of mind.

Even without reinforcements, he and the Swadians still had to defend the oasis.

That oasis was now called Drondheim, which was the location of their village.

Just as Kant was about to raise his hand and give an order, a dialog box flickered on his retina.

A prompt from the system was heard.

[Ding... Main Quest assigned]

[Main Quest: Annihilate the enemy sneaking in the night.]

[Reward: Equipment for Swadian Militia: Hunting Crossbows]

[Introduction: It is late at night and cold winds blow across the sandy dunes. A massive number of enemies are gathering. All of them come with seething hatred. They intend to retake the oasis where their tribe once called home. For you, it will be a battle for survival.]

It was another quest from the system.

Kant was somewhat startled.

His pupils instantly contracted as he discovered that it was not the usual Side Quests that popped up now and again.

It was a Main Quest.

That was the second Main Quest Kant had encountered thus far.

The first was to build his village, which was accomplished the previous night.

Now, the system had assigned him another Main Quest just as he was about to deal with the ambush from the Jackalans in the dark of night.

You're forcing my hand.

Kant licked his lips. His eyes were filled with exasperation.

With the assignment being a Main Quest, it meant that he had to see through to its completion one way or another. A new Main Quest was only possible if he completed the one he had just been given. Everything in the system was done step by step and interconnected.

There was a possibility of failing that main quest altogether.

Kant had no idea of the consequences of such a failure.

A loss meant that a link in the chain was broken, so the next link would not be able to connect properly.

There was something even more important.

If Kant were to lose in the ambush from the Jackalans, every single last man would end up dead.

If every single unit died in combat, the Oasis Lookout would be retaken by the Jackalan Tribe. That meant Drondheim would be destroyed.

Even if there were Main Quests from there on out, they would have nothing to do with Kant.

Nothing else mattered if he ended up dead.

Some years later, people in the Dukedom of Leo would have learned of the tragedy. A few of them might have shed tears upon learning about it. In all likelihood, the tragedy would have turned into a topic discussed over dinner. After people raved about it for several days, everything would return to normal, with Kant eventually being forgotten.

To hell with that!

Kant clenched his fists and looked rather brutal.

This was a battle that he was unable to afford to lose. He had to win, even if the victory came with a high cost.

"Get ready."

Kant retreated and left the roof for the first floor of the Council Hall.

The 10 Swadian Militia and 20 Swadian Recruits were waiting with their spears in hand. These people consisted of his main force. They were the key to winning the battle.

"My Lord."

The soldiers looked determined. They were ready to die in battle if need be.

"Very well." Kant nodded, finding the morale to be impressively high.

He asked, "How are things out there?"

A militia member in charge of scouting immediately reported, "The Jackalans are gathering at the dunes. So far, it is estimated that there are 500 of them."

Kant frowned.

The reported was just as he expected, yet the weight on his shoulders felt even heavier than before.

There were 500 Jackalans. That was a number close to that of the previous tribe that took over the oasis.

"How could there be so many of them?"

Kant was feeling doubtful.

When 20 knights ambushed the tribe with 30 Swadians in tow, they had done severe damage to the Jackalan Tribe that had taken over the Oasis Lookout. There were about 300 Jackalans killed back then, and less than 100 had been able to escape.

However, the number of Jackalans appearing at the moment had reached 500.

That surprised Kant quite a bit. It also greatly angered him.

This meant that there was another Jackalan Tribe somewhere out there.

"They are attacking!"

Just when Kant was frowning and thinking, a militia member at the door made the announcement. His words made the air in the council hall instantly feel heavier.

Sounds of gulping and teeth gnashing were heard.

All of the Swadian soldiers held onto their spears and took deep breaths, awaiting Kant's orders. They were willing to charge outside the hall and form tight formations to take on the enemies outside at a moment's notice.

"Quiet! Stay quiet!"

However, Kant remained quiet. In a severe tone, he eventually said, "Don't rush. Victory will be ours."

He walked briskly to the wooden door.

Through the cracks of the door, Kant was able to clearly see the dark silhouettes of the Jackalans on the dunes bearing onto the oasis.

It was apparent that the Jackalans were unaware that the target of their ambush had discovered them.

The Jackalans continued to slowly sneak up on them.

It was just like how wolf packs snuck up on their prey. They laid low for a while before suddenly charging when they got close enough, attempting to kill their prey and reaping a tasty meal within the shortest amount of time possible.

However, if said prey were to discover them and retaliate, things turned out differently.

The soldiers in the Council Hall, the peasants in the tents, and the cavalry units in the lair were all waiting to strike.

The stalkers were discovered.

The ambush was no longer an ambush. It was now a quick retaliation.

Precisely put, it was a counter-ambush.

Bang.

Kant kicked the wooden door and charged outside the Council Hall with his light crossbow.

The 500 Jackalans, who were still laying low and approaching, looked very startled since they had gotten within 98 feet from the council hall. None of them expected someone would suddenly kick the door open.

Zoom.

The light crossbow fired. A sharp, heavy iron bolt shot through the air, appearing within the ranks of the Jackalans 98 feet away.

The tip of the bolt tore through the hide of a Jackalan and lodged in its abdomen, splitting up the internal organs within and causing massive internal bleeding. That Jackalan fell to the ground with its hands covering its abdominal wound while its eyes became bloodshot.

"For Swadia, charge!"

Kant's voice was heard roaring throughout the Oasis Lookout. While he was not being overly loud, his voice still sounded thunderous.

"All hail Swadia!"

Massive responses were heard. The 30 soldiers with spears in their hands quickly emerged from the council hall. They extended their two 3-foot-long spears and formed neat formations, charging quickly at the stunned Jackalans.

There were also all of the 50 Swadian Peasants.

All of them raised their long scythes and followed at the flanks of the 30 infantry units.

The steps they took suggested that they were jogging. They turned into the ones initiating an ambush, slaughtering the Jackalans sneaking on them.

"Kill them all!"

Kant put the light crossbow behind his back and took out his short sword. He advanced along with the infantry units.

The 98 feet was not that big of a distance. Reloading his crossbow would have taken too much time. It was better to deal with the threat using his short sword. Besides, none of the Jackalans were wearing armor capable of withstanding hits from metal weapons.

The stench of blood instantly thickened.

The Swadians were already fighting up close and personal with the Jackalans.

Chapter 16: Irreconcilable Differences

It was a very bloody and brutal battle.

Different races went at each other's throats for a place to live.

Nearly 500 Jackalans gradually drew closer to them. Their beast-like heads had unmistakable anthropomorphic killing intent.

The Oasis Lookout was where the Jackalans had lived for generations. Humans taking over the oasis meant their home and lands had been robbed from them.

It was a conflict that would have no peaceful end.

Any race that wanted to survive in the desert either needed to drive away or kill the ones residing at any oasis found.

Kant wanted to live, so he had to annihilate the Jackalans.

Drondheim needed to be developed. The deaths of the Jackalans had to pave the way for that development.

It was that simple.

The law of the jungle was that of assimilation. In a desert, it was annihilation.

One only needed to look at the Middle East of Earth, which had two riverine regions surrounded by deserts. Regardless of how many glorious civilizations had been built before, if they went into decline and ended up being conquered by other races or civilizations, they were eventually wiped out from the river of history. The lineage of such civilizations and people were broken, with only bits of historical ruins remaining behind to prove their bygone existence.

As such, Kant showed no mercy. Besides, he was the invader in this situation.

With things being as they were, there was no turning back.

Withdrawing was not an option.

The Jackalans sneakily moved forward. With more than 500 of them crowding the place, the oasis seemed to be overflowing with blackened beings, which inspired feverish confidence in those stupid yet brutal primitive beings.

Their confidence was backed by the advantage of sheer numbers. Their arrogance was fueled by the fact that they remained undiscovered throughout the ambush process.

However, none of the Jackalans expected that their cover had been blown. The humans, who had been soundly sleeping, were simply waiting for the Jackalans to show up. When the time came, they dropped their act and retaliated in an extremely ferocious manner.

The retaliation was efficient and effective.

The Jackalans were almost in a panic because of their failed plan.

The Jackalan warriors standing at the forefront were only able to have their green eyes grow wide as rows of pointy spears were thrust at them. Seething pain was felt in their abdomens before they were put to the ground by those weapons.

They were able to do little else but open their eyes and fang-filled mouths wide in vain.

The low-pitched noises they made were that of misery and despair as their lives were completely lost when they hit the ground.

The two 3-foot-long spears were lodged deep into their bodies, creating irreparable wounds. The spiked clubs they held were unable to do any damage to the humans holding the other end of the spears.

The cold sheen of the spearheads was stained red under the bright moonlight.

The Swadian infantry units, which were all armed with spears, served as the main force of the battle.

Their iron spearheads, which were meticulously forged by skilled blacksmiths, easily penetrated the bodies of the Jackalans. Further damage was done by the hands holding the spears. As they slightly twisted the sharp weapons, it caused internal organs to rupture and massively bleed. The spears were quickly pulled and thrust once again with full force.

Blood splattered all over the place. The thick stench of blood permeated throughout the cold desert.

The throng of spears had been an infantry tactic employed by the Kingdom of Swadia.

As the former strongest old kingdom found in the Continent of Caradia, before those in the mountains southwest of the Kingdom of Swadia revolted, the people of the Rhodok Mountains had been the best candidates to employ such formations.

However, even when the Rhodoks, who were known to be as stubborn as rocks, were lost, the Swadians were still capable of employing the legion of spears.

The adept skills gained from training enabled the soldiers to skewer the Jackalans inside out without breaking a sweat.

"All hail Swadia!"

Kant shouted as he brought his sharp blade down on the throat of a Jackalan who had fallen but was still alive.

He was boosting the morale of all the combatants on the field.

There was no voice comparable to that of a lord's encouragement. It meant that everyone was still fighting alongside their lord and there were still ample compatriots left standing to fight.

It was also a sign that they had yet to lose.

"All hail Swadia!"

The Swadian Peasants shouted as well.

They closely followed by the sides of the infantry combatants. Their long scythes, which had been converted from farming tools, were being brought down left, right, and center like they were sabers and halberds. The left bloody wounds on the Jackalans that never wore armor.

More than 30 Jackalans died as soon as close-quarters fighting erupted.

However, Kant and his men never let that go to their heads. They remained determined as they advanced.

They also suffered casualties.

"No, save me... Ugh..."

The shrieks of Swadian Peasants were heard from the flanks.

Some of them were pounced on by Jackalans. Spiked clubs filled with iron nails were brought down hard on them. The peasants did not wear armor, so they were only able to rely on their bodies to resist the attacks.

The outcome was brutal.

"Huu... Help me..."

More of them were being brought down to the ground by spiked clubs of the Jackalans. Their wounds were rendered indistinguishable by the nails on the clubs.

However, most of the injuries were concussive damage dealt by the weight of the clubs, which went all the way into their bones. They no longer needed to worry about further damage. The Jackalans tore out their throats right after they were downed.

Seven Swadian Peasants fell and lost their lives.

"Hold the line! Hold the line!"

Kant's eyes were bloodshot. Those peasants were an important part of his workforce. It was quite a waste to see them lost in the battle.

Then again, the casualties thus far were still considered tolerable.

Kant gritted his teeth and shouted, "Maintain tight formations and press on!"

"Aye!" The infantry units by his side responded loudly.

While there had been peasants lost, the main force of the battle still had firm control of the battlefield situation.

None of them had been injured.

On the contrary, the Jackalans no longer dared to press forward head-on at the advancing army formations. They began to scatter at the flanks, leaving behind more than 20 bodies.

Those Jackalans knew that without armor and shields, they had no chance of getting past the throng of spears.

Even if the Jackalans managed to make it to the flanks, the peasants still gritted their teeth as they brought their long scythes down onto the beasts.

They were doing it for their home.

They were doing it for their village.

They were doing it for their kingdom.

The Swadian Peasants were just as willing to put their lives on the line to defend what they held dear.

They had to put their lives on the line.

The brutal retaliation threw the Jackalans off guard. This was the opportunity Kant had anticipated. He planned to shock the Jackalans into fear by causing massive casualties in a short amount of time. It would cause the Jackalans to lose morale, which served as the key to their victory.

The courage of a single individual was not necessarily constant.

The Jackalans, being of creatures of flesh and blood, were not actually fearless.

They were very capable of fear.

The sudden retaliation did not give the stunned Jackalans any time to recover. Seeing their skewered compatriots lying on the ground, the lucky ones, who managed to escape the purge of the tribe before, seemed to have recalled all the fear they experienced the previous night.

There had been the sounds of horses galloping, shouting, killing, swords cutting through necks, and blood spraying.

All of that served to inspire massive fear.

Gallop... Gallop... Gallop...

The Jackalans retreated in fear, subconsciously dropping their crudely made spiked clubs, which were cobbled together with wood and nails. However, they remained oblivious to the terror that was about to appear.

The sound of horses galloping could be heard.

That was the sound they feared most when they escaped in the night before.

"Kill them all!"

Shouts were heard as six cavalry units seemingly emerged out of nowhere in the night.

Shortly after, heavy javelins appeared.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

Sounds of things tearing through the air were heard right before the pointy javelins, which traveled over 40 feet, nailed six Jackalans, who had not managed to escape, onto the ground.

All six of those riders held their spears out and crashed into the flanks of the messy formation of the Jackalans like meteors. Their massive inertia sent several unlucky ones flying while the pointy spears penetrated several Jackalans. The weapons put them to the ground writhing in pain, and they were unable to do anything about it.

Those were the only cavalry units who served Kant—the Desert Bandits.

"All hail Swadia!"

The appearance of those six Desert Bandits boosted the morale of the infantry units around Kant. They quickly cheered, feeling their spirits rise.

The spears in their hands were covered in blood. The bodies of Jackalans were sprawled all over the place before them.

"Do it now!"

Kant looked at the fettered Jackalans, which all wore fearful expressions.

He realized that the Jackalans had recalled the appearance of the knights from the previous night, as well as their tribe members dropping off left and right around them. All of that caused them to lose morale, so much so that they wanted to immediately escape.

Forces dealt a crushing blow saw their morale quickly dissipate when met with the same trauma in a short period of time.

That was what the Jackalans were experiencing.

More than 100 Jackalans retreated in fear. Although they had been sneaking about in the dark of night, they did not know if other cavalry units were lurking about. They quickly retreated. In their haste to retreat, they were fully willing to drop the spiked clubs they were holding. They all succumbed to mass panic. None of them had an ounce of courage left for fighting.

The mass panic was so severe that the other Jackalans began to flee in fear.

Fear and low morale quickly spread.

More than 100 Jackalan bodies were left behind in the desert, but more Jackalans chose to flee in terror.

The battle ended very quickly.

"Stop pursuing them and come back."

Kant gave his orders. He denied the Desert Bandits' request to give chase on their horses.

He only had six Desert Bandits at his disposal.

Losing even one of them was too great a loss. Furthermore, the Desert Bandits only served as light cavalry units specializing in shock tactics. Their defenses paled significantly when compared to the dukedom knights, who were all well-trained and wore mail armor.

Kant stood at the edge of the oasis, watching the Jackalans disappear into the dunes. His expression became somewhat less harsh.

He had won the battle.

He shook his head and said, "Clean the battlefield up."

He looked at the peasants to the side, whom all wore sorrowful faces. He sighed heavily and said, "Calculate the casualties. Report to me once you're done."

"Understood." A Desert Bandit nodded, which meant that he took the assignment.

Kant stood where he was. A dialog box suddenly appeared on his retina.

However, his expression soon turned to one of worry. He was unable to help but clench his fists as he muttered, "We were lucky to have won this one."

Chapter 17: Troop Class Upgrade After the Battle

We were almost done for.

Kant breathed a sigh of relief, yet his expression remained glum.

That victory had truly been a lucky one. He understood just how incredibly fortunate he had been in that battle.

If luck had not been on his side, he might have ended up having to move away from the oasis.

Worse yet, he might have...

Without luck, Kant and the people of Drondheim would have been chased away from the Oasis Lookout by those Jackalans. They would have been forced to drift throughout the brutal desert, spending everything they had before finally escaping back into the Dukedom of Leo. He would have survived in disgrace, forcing him to live the rest of his life hiding his name.

The 500 Jackalans were more than enough to be called a battalion.

Even in the Dukedom of Leo, that number would have caught the attention of the lords of the local fiefs.

While the Jackalans were no doubt still at a primitive stage and had no civilization to speak of, so much so that they were not even able to produce iron tools, their feral and bloodthirsty temperament made them a terrible threat.

They were not all that much better than mere beasts.

However, it was fortunate that the Jackalans' feral temperament eclipsed their capacity for reasoning.

Beasts that were incapable of sophisticated thoughts would always be beasts.

Kant shook his head. The look of feeling lucky to have survived was in his eyes.

There were two main reasons his forces were able to crush the Jackalans in the battle. First, they had been able to deal out massive casualties against the enemy in a short time. Second, there had been a bloody massacre the day before. All of that served to shock the lucky escapees to the core.

It was an overwhelming victory in a psychological sense.

The Jackalans, which had been suffering severe psychological trauma, quickly grew fearful. Thus, they retreated and eventually ran away.

More Jackalans from elsewhere ran away with them.

That became the crumbling of the Jackalans' formations throughout the frontline.

By then, if some of them had been able to organize defenses to prevent the entire army of Jackalans from falling apart and stabilize the restless beasts, it would have been Kant's forces that fell apart next.

Luckily, for Kant, that did not happen.

The Jackalans had no military organization. As such, they had no concept of barrier troops and reserves.

The scale of victory in that battle eventually tipped in Kant's favor.

That was why Kant felt lucky.

That was also why he thought the battle was won because of luck.

Not only was Kant's forces severely outnumbered, but they were also lacking in more ways than one. His Swadian forces consisted only of entry-level units, which were actually low-quality troops.

Few of them could guarantee their fighting prowess.

For instance, the 10 Swadian Militia and 20 Swadian Recruits, who all wore leather armor and were armed with standard military equipment, as well as had been painstakingly trained and mastered killing techniques in the battlefield, would have served as effective combatants.

The fighting prowess of those people was practically guaranteed.

However, there had only been 30 infantry units in his line of defense.

The majority of his forces, the main combatants of his formation, consisted of the 50 Swadian Peasants. They were skilled at farming and most other menial labor. Some of them were even capable of working in workshops.

However, they wore no armor and had poor combat experience. They were not very capable of using that long scythes that had been modified from farm tools.

They lacked strength and nimbleness when compared to the Jackalans, and they performed poorly in combat. The only advantage they had over the Jackalans was that the long scythes they held were metal weapons. Those advanced weapons were capable of dealing effective damage against the Jackalans, which did not wear armor.

Then again, despite being armed with metal weapons, casualties among the Swadian Peasants remained high.

"F*ck!"

Kant slightly gritted his teeth.

The thick stench of blood still lingered around his nose, which made his head ache.

He turned around to carefully scan the battlefield.

The place was littered with dead bodies. Most of them were Jackalans.

Their blood-stained grey fur and beast-like heads were unmistakable. Although they wore ragged linen clothing, they still did not resemble humans. They looked more like beasts.

There were also quite a number of Swadians who wore linen robes and hoods among the bodies.

It was apparent that those peasants gave their lives in the intense battle to defend Drondheim.

"My Lord, the statistics are out."

The Desert Bandit walked up to him quickly, wearing a serious expression.

The casualties were apparently heavy.

"Speak," Kant said.

"None of the infantry units died. Six suffered light injuries."

The Desert Bandit hesitated for a bit before saying, "As for the peasants, 36 suffered light injuries..." His tone was shifty and suddenly halted.

Kant frowned and said, "Go on."

He knew that the Desert Bandit, who had been tasked with the calculations, was about to tell him how many died.

Kant was psychologically prepared.

"Yes, My Lord."

The Desert Bandit gulped for a bit before continuing in a severe tone, "As for the peasants, 36 suffered light injuries and 15 are dead."

"Fifteen peasants died?" Kant's voice was slightly raised.

That somewhat exceeded his expectations.

Then again, it was within expectations for a battle.

"Huh..."

Kant clenched his fist and pondered for a bit with his head hung low. He nodded and said, "Give them a proper burial."

"Understood." The Desert Bandit nodded.

That was the least he could do after such a bloody battle.

They died for the sake of Kant's fief. As their lord, be it in the game or reality, he was compelled to at least give them a proper burial.

"Clean up the battlefield, people."

After he was done with the arrangements, Kant turned around and headed back into the council hall. At the same time, he ordered, "I'll leave you in charge of the rest."

"Rest assured, My Lord." The Desert Bandit nodded.

Kant went inside.

The Desert Bandit was a sensible person. Although he was not someone capable of solving a lot of problems for Kant like a Tavern Hero, he had the capacity to shoulder some of Kant's burden. That was especially so when it came to dealing with simple tasks in this world.

As for Kant, it was time for him to savor the fruits of his victory.

Suddenly, the reward from the system came.

[Ding... After a gruesome battle, the enemy was crushed.]

[Main Quest: Annihilate the enemy sneaking in the night is complete.]

[Reward Acquired: Hunting Crossbow distributed (available only to Swadian Militia)]

[Comment: It was an intense battle. The courage to do or die made the victory praiseworthy.]

The completion of the Main Quest brought him his reward.

He laid on the bed, which was on the Council Hall's second floor. He couldn't help but frown.

"Hunting crossbow distributed? What does that mean?"

Kant asked the system without making a sound.

"The reward permits your Swadian Militia to be equipped with hunting crossbows. From here on out, every troop member who is upgraded will be equipped with a hunting crossbow and quiver of bolts."

The system quickly answered.

However, Kant was baffled. "Is this the reward?"

"Indeed." The voice of the system continued without any emotional inflection, "You acquire more than just actual items when you complete quests, which includes armaments for your troop classes."

Kant nodded. "Not bad."

The Swadian Militia was Kant's only main infantry force. It was best to be able to enhance their combat prowess.

He seemed to have recalled that as well.

The Swadian Militia, a third-level troop class in the game back in his past life, had some of them equipped with hunting crossbows.

While the hunting crossbows were, per their namesake, crossbows used for hunting, they were still considered ranged weapons in warfare. The ability to shoot enemy troops and weaken them before crossing arms up close and personal was the best method.

[Ding... Your forces have upgradable units.]

There was more than one prompt from the system.

Kant willed the prompts open. It was an important dialog box concerning upgrading his forces.

[Upgradable Troop Class: Swadian Peasants x 35]

[Spend 10 Denars each to upgrade to Swadian Recruits]

Kant was startled.

Did every peasant who fought in that battle become upgradable?

With the 15 dead being taken out of the equation, there were 35 Swadian Peasants among his population. All of them were able to level up to become a first-level troop class. Although Swadian Recruits looked weak, this upgrade almost completely changed the fundamentals.

The peasants, who had once known only farming, were to be turned into trained recruits.

A peasant and a recruit were of totally different professions. Becoming a recruit marked the start of a true military career.

However, that was not all he heard from the system.

The dialog box from the system continued.

[Upgradable Troop Class: Swadian Recruits x 20]

[Spend 10 Denars each to upgrade to Swadian Militia]

Just like how it was with the peasants, the Swadian Recruits were able to be promoted to the militia.

Kant gulped.

He continued scrolling through the system prompts instead of rushing to make any decisions.

[Upgradable Troop Class: Swadian Militia x 10]

[Spend 20 Denars each to upgrade to Swadian Footmen/Swadian Skirmishers]

That was the true key to the upgrades.

The third-level troop class was the only troop class considered a main armed force in the system.

Those classes were two of the three pillars of the Kingdom of Swadia's military organizations.

The first was Swadian Footmen, which specialized in melee combat.

The second was Swadian Skirmishers, which specialized in ranged combat.

There was no doubt that the Swadian Footmen could continue to be upgraded to either Swadian Man-at-Arms. That eventually led to upgrading them to Swadian Knights. Such was the route of upgrades laid down by the system.

"Very good, very good indeed."

Kant lightly gulped.

Even if he were unable to get to the level of man-at-arms or knights, the current third-level troop classes would suffice.

Zero-level peasants working with a small number of first- and second-level troop classes enabled him to take on the Jackalans.

Now, Kant had acquired a third level of main force units, as well as a huge number of first- and second-level auxiliary troop classes. His forces had significantly grown in terms of fighting prowess. The leap was of different orders of magnitude.

Chapter 18: Choice of Buildings

The Jackalans scattered in fright.

The bloody battle for ownership of the Oasis Lookout was declared over at the same time.

Kant emerged as the winner.

This baron, who had his title conferred in the Dukedom of Leo, was the lord of Nahrin Desert and owner of the fief at the Oasis Lookout.

Then again, titles and status only mattered back in the Dukedom of Leo.

The Jackalan Tribes, which had bred in the Nahrin Desert for many years, had no concept of that. They were completely oblivious to such things, which meant that none of them would acknowledge Kant's status. In their eyes, Kant was little more than an invader.

That was a truth Kant did not deny.

That was the nature of a world in which might makes right continuously prevailed. More often than not, the one with the bigger stick could hoard everything.

Weaklings did not even deserve to live.

I am included.

Kant was indifferent to it all. These were the true values when the facade called "civilization" was stripped away.

It was a world in which people gobbled each other up and races constantly exterminated one another.

There was no such thing as mercy.

Kant making it all the way to the Nahrin Desert meant that he had to fight for ownership of the Nahrin Desert, as well as the water source of the Oasis Lookout, with those brutal and beastly Jackalans. It was all so that he could survive in the desert and develop his fief.

Furthermore, Kant was the winner of that battle.

The win meant he was the one.

Winning that battle was, in truth, more than just securing victory.

It was also a turning point.

This turning point signified that he was on his way to becoming powerful.

All 35 peasants were upgradable.

All 20 recruits were upgradable.

All 10 militias were upgradable.

The 65 units at Kant's disposal were upgradable to become higher-level troop classes.

All of them would become infantry units capable of fighting in low-intensity battles.

While the number of troops at his disposal was lower due to the casualties suffered during the battle, the quality of his troops after the upgrade was an obvious increase. One could have said that the growth was exponential.

For instance, he had started his journey with 50 Swadian Peasants.

The remaining 35 peasants became upgradable after 15 died. They were now Swadian Recruits.

All 35 of them were stronger, wore leather armor, and held spears.

They were able to fight using hand axes and defend themselves using shields in melee battles, which were standard Kingdom of Swadia military equipment.

All of them had also received basic tactical training.

That is worth upgrading.

Kant nodded in silence.

He thoughtfully made his decision.

The Jackalans' ambush that night had been a lesson he would never forget.

They were in the Nahrin Desert, so the threat of Jackalan Tribes lurked everywhere and at all times. The emergence of nearly 500 Jackalans that night alone enabled him to speculate that there were probably more Jackalan Tribes hiding out there somewhere.

The Dukedom of Leo had little knowledge about the Nahrin Desert.

The conquest 10 years ago was declared over when the fighting reached the Oasis Lookout.

As for the deeper reaches of the Nahrin Desert, which was located north of the Oasis Lookout, be it a Jackalan Tribe oasis or hidden water resource, nothing was really known. Anything regarding such things remained a mystery.

At present, these were the things Kant had to deal with, which meant that he needed to be prepared.

I need to level up, regardless if I like it or not.

It needs to be done for the future of the fief.

Only when Kant and Drondheim amassed enough power to defend themselves could the development of the Oasis Lookout be guaranteed. Otherwise, regardless of how painstakingly he worked to make the place prosper, it would eventually be like making a new fief for some greedy people out there to steal. That was a certain outcome if he lacked forces formidable enough to defend his creation.

It would be like handing his fief over to others on a silver platter.

As such, Kant thought his troops needed to be upgraded.

Even if the amount of Denars spent was hefty, he needed to get them upgraded so the development of the village remained unimpeded.

Upgrading 35 Swadian Peasants to Swadian Recruits required 350 Denars.

Upgrading 20 Swadian Recruits to Swadian Militias required 200 Denars.

As first-level troop classes, the individual cost for an upgrade was 10 Denars.

That's 550 Denars.

Kant frowned thinking of the number.

However, he unflinchingly said, "Confirm upgrade."

The numbers symbolizing the Denars he owned quickly dropped.

Out of the 1,000 Denars he had acquired from completing the main quest of building his village, 420 Denars remained after the numbers stopped dropping. Half of Kant's savings had once again been spent.

Now then...

Kant's frown slightly deepened.

The 10 Swadian Militias were also available for upgrade.

Upgrading each of them required 20 Denars each. There was an option of upgrading them to become a melee class in the form of Swadian Footmen or to become a ranged class in the form of Swadian Skirmishers.

Those two classes were the Kingdom of Swadia's third-level troop classes.

If they underwent another upgrade, they would reach the fourth level of troop classes. That was only a level below the fifth-level troop class, which was the top class of main forces on the battlefield.

However, Kant declined to upgrade the 10 Swadian Militias.

It was a decision he came to after thinking things through.

Although the 200 Denars required for upgrading all of them did not seem much, it would affect further development of the village.

Drondheim, at the moment, was in the early stages of development.

He required huge sums of Denars to construct other buildings, for instance, houses, which were available for construction but had not been built. There were also city walls, mills, watchtowers, and wells. All of these structures were basic facilities the village desperately needed.

The only building the village currently had was the council hall.

Although the other building, the Desert Bandit Lair, was right next to the council, it was a building for recruiting Desert Bandits. It was independent of the series of Kingdom of Swadia buildings.

He needed to hurry up with the construction of the village.

As for the Jackalans, all the infantry units I have at the moment will do.

Kant's expression remained calm.

He had 35 Swadian Recruits and 30 Swadian Militias at his disposal, which was a force of 65 units. They could easily guard the Oasis Lookout. Even if they met with the same amount of Jackalans again, Kant's victory was guaranteed.

Unlike the peasants, those were tried and true infantry units.

Although they were still low-level troop classes, the standard Swadian armament they were equipped with meant that the primitive Jackalans, who lacked even metal weapons, stood no chance against them.

Furthermore, the Swadian Militias were already equipped with ranged weaponry.

They had received hunting crossbows.

They were the lowest level and least powerful crossbows provided by the system.

Crossbows were usually used by hunters in the mountains as a tool for hunting. Their performance on the battlefield, which allowed for shooting enemies from afar, was an added feature.

Regardless of how unimpressive the crossbow was, it was still a crossbow.

A crossbow capable of hunting animals could kill enemies all the same.

Furthermore, they were only needed to deal with the Jackalans, which lacked armor and only had their physical fortitude to rely on.

The 30 Swadian Militias could easily serve as crossbowmen. After all, they had decently performed when fighting up close and personal.

With 35 Swadian Recruits working in tandem with them, they would perform well against the Jackalans.

That's how it is for now.

Kant confirmed his choices. The dialog box on his retina gradually disappeared.

The soldiers, who he saw outside the window, were still cleaning up the battlefield. The fight had spanned the entire oasis and sand beyond. All of them were instantly wrapped in data streams. They appeared in the world two seconds later with apparent changes.

All of them looked more physically fit.

Their equipment had been swapped out.

The greatest change occurred to the Swadian Militias. Hunting crossbows were seen hanging underneath the kite shields on their backs.

There were also quivers strapped to their sides, which neatly held 20 bolts each.

They were done getting their upgrades.

A cold wind blew, kicking up loose sand.

Before they realized it, a line of white light appeared on the eastern horizon of the Nahrin Desert.

Dawn was approaching.

Kant, who was lying on his bed, did not feel like sleeping.

The threat of the Jackalans was over for the time being. The troop classes gained after the upgrade solved the lack of adequate defense forces problem.

However, that meant that it was time to focus on developing his village.

Another dialog box appeared on his retina. It was a list of buildings available for construction in Drondheim.

[Construction List:]

[House, City Wall, Mill, Watchtower, Well]

The introduction and images suggested that these buildings were not all that different from those in the game.

Kant took a good look.

[House: Civilian building of stone and wooden materials. It increases population and attracts an influx of citizens when the population in the village is low. Requires 100 Denars and seven days for construction.]

[Mill: Agricultural building that could be powered either by wind or water. It is capable of crushing wheat and other crops for producing flour. Requires 200 Denars and 14 days for construction.]

[City Wall: Military building consisting only of rocks piled to a height of 1.6 feet surrounding the village. It is mainly used for preventing livestock from escaping into the wild instead of being used for defense against enemy attacks. Requires 100 Denars and seven days for construction.]

[Watchtower: Military building of stone and wooden materials. Personnel could be assigned within to spot movements as early as possible to keep the village safe. Requires 100 Denars and seven days for construction.]

[Well: Civilian building constructed by digging into the ground. Underground water sources are required or wells dug will not produce water. Requires 100 Denars and seven days for construction.]

These were the five buildings currently available to Kant for construction.

However, he slightly frowned.

It seems like some buildings would be useless.

Kant scanned the dialog box and felt somewhat exasperated after reading the introductions.

Drondheim was located in the Nahrin Desert. There were at least two out of five buildings that served no use to the village in its present state.

Wells. No need for that given that the oasis has a water source.

Kant frowned as he continued selecting. No wheat fields, so no need for mills.

However, his frown became even more intense as he continued to read the dialog box. I have no need for houses since I'll be getting them from quest rewards anyway. A city wall is also useless. It wouldn't be tall enough to defend against Jackalan attacks anyway.

His expression grew tenser as he thought.

Kant frowned and thought, It seems like the watchtower is the only one of any use.

The capability to detect anything going on around earlier was important. Therefore, giving the village an early warning system made the watchtower the only building out of the five that fit his current situation best.

The threat of the Jackalans attacking at some unknown time was always present.

With the watchtower in place, he gained the ability to detect such threats early and, therefore, enabled everyone in the file to prepare and strike much sooner. It would assist them in gaining a quicker victory in the event of an attack.

Chapter 19: Burial Below the Dunes

"System, construct the watchtower."

Kant willed it in his mind and connected to the system.

At the same time, the location of the construction was placed on the eastern side of the Council Hall. If anything were to happen, the ones above on sentry duty could report to Kant in time, enabling him to make decisions as early as possible.

[100 Denars spent]

[Watchtower: Under construction]

[Completion: Seven days]

The system's dialog box appeared and briefed him on everything.

Kant suddenly heard some noise outside.

Many people seemed to be moving a lot of things. Someone was shouting orders. However, none of it sounded like his Swadian infantry units. It seemed more like the sounds of the peasants.

What the hell is happening? Kant frowned.

He approached the window and peered outside. Sunlight was subtly dispelling the dark of night.

Dawn arrived in mere moments.

I better get up now. That night sure passed quickly.

He took a deep breath and got up from his bed.

Besides, he did not feel like sleeping at all.

After fighting such a bloody battle the previous night, Kant still felt rather excited. He had never actually felt like sleeping anyway.

He pushed the door of his room open and went downstairs.

"Good morning, My Lord."

A thick voice greeted him as soon as he walked out of the council hall.

Kant turned around and saw a stout peasant wearing simple linen clothing. The peasant bowed respectfully and said, "We are a team of builders who came from Praven. We are here to construct your watchtower."

"Huh? Oh, right." Kant was slightly baffled. He quickly nodded in reply.

It seemed logical that the system would have assigned a construction team for the new building.

He turned around to look at the side of the council hall. Next to it were stacks of stone and wooden materials.

Kant was certain that the place was empty before he walked out of the council hall.

However, as the builders began to move the stones and hammer the wooden materials together, emitting loud clangs as they went, he knew those construction materials also came from the system.

The system had provided 15 builders.

All of them were stout, middle-aged men. They wore deadpan expression and seemed as if they were men of few words.

The foreman was the exception.

"My Lord, there are a few things I wish to make clear to you."

He humbled himself in a manner unbefitting of his appearance and said, "We will be at your service for seven days, ensuring the completion of the watchtower. During that time, we request that you ensure we get ample food and water, as well as a reasonable amount of rest."

Kant nodded. "It is imperative that I do so."

The foreman of the builders awkwardly smiled and added, "And, we don't participate in battles."

"You will have no part in any."

Kant shook his head. He felt that the foreman's cowardly and meticulous temperament was rather ridiculous.

"Very well, very well then." The foreman nodded a few times. His expression suggested that he felt rather lucky.

Kant understood all that from briefing he had received.

This was probably a rule laid down by the system. Besides, a builder's only job was to construct buildings.

Combat was something that Kant needed to take care of.

"Carry on," Kant said to the building foreman before heading elsewhere. He arrived at the battlefield from the previous night. The stench of blood lingered throughout the area. Bloodstains were scattered about on the sand.

These were the signs of an intense and bloody battle.

The Swadian infantry units had gathered the bodies, which had been sprawled everywhere.

The Jackalan bodies continued to burn in a hole the peasants had dug during the night.

Several new holes in the ground were dug not far away from a dune. Two Desert Bandits were lighting the clothes beneath the bodies with a torch. The smell of burned meat wafted throughout the place as the intense flames consumed the hole.

Burning was an efficient way to deal with dead bodies.

When the bodies of the Jackalans were reduced to ashes, they would bury the ashes in the sand, leaving practically no trace behind.

As for the 15 dead Swadian Peasants, they deserved better treatment.

After all, they had all been brave subjects who died for Kant's sake.

"May they rest in peace."

Kant came to another dune. He saw 15 graves being dug.

The Swadian Recruits and Swadian Militias, as well as the six Desert Bandits, were gathered there.

All of them wore somber expression.

Although they hardly knew each other, and, truth to be told, they only knew each other for two days, all of them still shared a connected sentiment as Swadians. The people attending the funeral behaved respectfully toward their dead compatriots.

Yet, it was still a funeral.

It was hardly ceremonious, but they did everything they were able to given the current circumstances.

"This is truly a pity."

Kant's expression was full of regret.

He was almost always calm. Now, hints of emotions could be seen.

He knew that more troops would be lost in the wars that were to come. Nonetheless, this was the first time some of his people had died. That served as a warning for Kant.

If he neglected the development of his fief, he would die frustrated and a nobody just like that.

The attendees still wore serious expressions despite the funeral being soon over.

Kant asked for cremation to prevent contaminating any underground water sources.

However, all the peasants who perished had individual graves. They each had a grave marker carved from wood, which was placed right beneath the dune. The markers were thoughtfully placed as a symbol of watching over the Oasis Lookout to the west, as well as Drondheim, which they fought bravely to defend.

"If you can hear us, then please watch over us."

Kant watched the fires in the graves burn and was unable to help but sigh.

Despite having only arrived at the Oasis Lookout two days ago, they had already gone through two brutal battles. He quickly learned just how merciless the Nahrin Desert could be. The desert was a world of difference compared to the peace in the Dukedom of Leo.

The number of humans and Jackalans who ended up dead in just two days probably amounted to the total number of executed criminals for the past five years in the dukedom.

Then again, they had to move on.

When the funeral was over, Kant returned to the council hall.

The recruits and militia members scattered and organized patrols and guard duty among themselves, continuing to protect their village and the oasis.

"All of you, come with me."

Kant waved at the six Desert Bandits, telling them to go to the Council Hall.

He had assignments for them.

"My Lord."

The six Desert Bandits walked briskly inside and stood respectfully before him.

"At ease." Kant extended his hand, telling them to lose the ceremonial attitude.

He sat on a wooden chair in the council hall. He put his arms on the table and said, "I plan to have you all search the depths of the Nahrin Desert. I want you to find the possible location of the alkali soil and see if there are any Jackalan Tribes around."

"There is definitely alkali soil somewhere out there." One of the Desert Bandits nodded and said, "We will find it."

However, another bandit frowned and added, "As for the Jackalan Tribes, there are definitely some around us. Maybe the two are connected."

"Do you mean with the alkali soil?" Kant asked with a frown.

"Indeed." That Desert Bandit spoke in a serious tone. "More than 500 Jackalan warriors appeared during the ambush in the night. Not only does that mean that there are Jackalan Tribes around, but it also means that their tribes are more powerful than the one that previously took over the Oasis Lookout."

"I figured as much."

Kant nodded. He had speculated the same thing deep down.

Kant was silent for a brief moment before frowning and saying, "That is also why I need you all to go deep into the desert and find out the cause in the north."

The six Desert Bandits stood up solemnly, awaiting further words.

Kant's eyes were grim as he said, "We are in the light while the Jackalans hide in the shadows. We don't know where their tribes are, and we have no idea if there are any oasis deep in the desert. Things are not in our favor."

"We lack intel on our side."

The six Desert Bandits nodded in agreement.

They were people used to blackmailing and robbing people in the dunes, so they knew just how important intelligence was.

"No, I should head out with all of you."

Kant suddenly spoke such words.

"Huh?" That line messed up the plans the Desert Bandits had. One of them quickly said, "My Lord, there are a lot of unknown dangers lurking in the desert. It's far too dangerous for you to head out with us."

Kant shook his head. His eyes shone with determination. "I've made up my mind."

His warhorse was still in the stable, which was one of the thoroughbred steeds available to knights and squires of the dukedom.

His horse was comparable to the desert horses rode by the Desert Bandits. It was almost comparable to a third-level horse in the system. Furthermore, it was the best among those third-level horses. Even if they were to meet any Jackalans, the horses would leave them in the dust without any problems.

The mobility of cavalry units was several times higher than that of infantries.

Seeing how determined their lord was, the six bandits had no choice but to nod. "We shall do everything we can to protect you."

"Well, get food and water ready."

Kant nodded and added, "We ride at once."

The Desert Bandits nodded and left. They went out to prepare the supplies needed for treading the desert, especially fresh water. More than a dozen water sacks were filled, ensuring that all seven of them had enough to last for two days.

More than 500 Jackalans had assaulted them the previous night.

There were still about 400 of them left when they scattered and fled.

Kant and the Desert Bandits aimed to track the Jackalans footsteps to the tribe from which they came.

To know one's strength, as well as that of the enemy, was required for victory.

By then, whether it involved arranging for further defense or striking out proactively, they would know who they were about to hit.

At the very least, they no longer needed to do so while being kept in the dark about everything. As long as Kant was able to amass his forces to a sufficient strength, he could crush the Jackalan Tribe outright and take the oasis, which had once allowed the Jackalans to survive.

A desert oasis, which was capable of sustaining crops, was good something treasured in a desert.

The Jackalans had hit him, so he deemed it only fair to hit them back.

Everything he planned to do could only be possible if he could secure the location of the Jackalan Tribe.

It created the potential for Kant's forces to rush them at a determined time, such as the dark of night right before dawn. That also happened to be the time when people were at their drowsiest. It was best to hit those Jackalans hard at such an optimal time.

He was out to make sure that his attacks would cripple them for good.

Chapter 20: The Huge Tribe in the Desert

The early morning sun in the Nahrin Desert remained scorching.

Kant flicked his reins and rode forward.

The six well-armed and well-equipped Desert Bandits were right behind him, riding their desert horses. Their eyes were alert and cautious without the slightest hint of slacking. They were behaving as if enemies were laying low somewhere and would spring up at any given moment.

They headed for the deeper reaches of the desert.

They were out to look for the Jackalan Tribe that had assaulted the Oasis Lookout the night before.

"Look over there."

Kant stopped his horse and narrowed his eyes, peering at the dune before them.

There were some holes visible in the sand.

Kant exhaled slowly. He turned around and said, "It looks like we're on the right course, people."

"The tracks they left behind are quite obvious."

The Desert Bandits followed them. In a very obvious scornful tone, one of them said, "So, those dogs really have no idea how to survive in the desert."

"If these dogs had shown up in the desert of Sarrand, there would be nothing left of them."

The other Desert Bandits looked on with the same disdain and scorn.

Conflict was everywhere throughout the Continent of Caradia. The incessant wars all over the place forced the Desert Bandits into becoming desert experts.

They looked at the obvious tracks in the desert, which in their eyes might have as well been the Jackalans saying, "Hey, I was here. Did you know? Follow these tracks, and you'll be able to find my lair. Come quickly. We're all very eager to get butchered by you people."

"This is ridiculous."

Kant nodded with a scornful smirk on his face.

He kicked the belly of his horse lightly and flicked his reins before plainly saying, "Let's continue moving. Stay sharp."

"Understood." All of the Desert Bandits replied unanimously.

As cavalry units, their mobility within a short timeframe was far superior to the Jackalans, which were all infantry units.

They tracked the obvious, messy trail in the sand as they moved further into the desert.

They had no worries about routes and direction as long as they did not encounter a sandstorm. Their horses had left tracks behind, which was something unique in the Nahrin Desert.

None of the Jackalans rode horses. They did not even have a concept of taming horses.

Those tamable creatures, which could have served as important assets to cavalry units, were little more than prey in the eyes of the Jackalans.

Furthermore, there were hardly any horses found in the desert. They would have just been more creatures dying of thirst.

In a desert, there was nothing but endless sand.

The place was also a symbol of extreme infertility.

From Kant's perspective, the Nahrin Desert was such a barren place that it was far harsher and far more brutal than any deserts he knew of. It could hardly sustain any living beings.

That image was cemented deeper into his mind as they ventured further into the desert.

There were rarely even trees known for their hardiness against draught in that desert.

Except for the few found near the oasis, no green was found in a place without an ounce of water. There were only vast swaths of yellow sand, which seemed to be out to consume everything.

The desert was practically like purgatory.

Kant looked grim.

As they ventured deeper into the desert, the barrenness of the place filled his mind.

"Who the heck would live in a place like this?"

He gulped. His mouth was so parched that he felt as if he was able to spit fire.

The six Desert Bandits behind him shared the same sentiment and conditions. One of them was perceptive enough to take one of the water sacks on the back of his horse and thrust it toward Kant. "My Lord, you best have some water."

"Right."

Kant nodded and took the water sack.

The water felt cool to the touch. It was spring water gathered from the pond at the Oasis Lookout.

He took a huge gulp. The water tasted sweet and had a cooling effect.

The spring water washed the anxiousness and heat he felt deep down somewhat, but he still felt heavy.

The quest this time was to locate the Jackalan Tribe, as well as search for the alkali soil that was possibly out there. However, they spent one whole morning finding nothing, which frustrated him.

He did not want to return empty-handed.

"Let's move on and hurry up. It's almost noon.

Kant gave his command as he continued riding forward, hastening their speed.

The six Desert Bandits behind him nodded. They wiped the water marks off from around the corner of their mouths and placed the water sacks back where they belonged before riding out at the same speed.

All of them were cavalry units.

Their current speed was over 10 times faster when compared to the speed that Kant's entourage had traveled when they first left the Senwaya Range and headed to the Oasis Lookout. Since they had a clear trail to follow, the squad of seven people rode very quickly.

They took a short break at noon.

When the sun was no longer as high and the temperature had lowered somewhat, they continued on their scouting mission.

They rode until the sun was setting and evening came.

Kant and the Desert Bandits finally stopped riding. The messy trail beneath them led to a place with numerous tents, which were just little more than 328 feet away.

They had found the Jackalan Tribe.

Kant's pupils slightly contracted.

The Desert Bandits by his side got off of their horses before he said anything. They led their desert horses to hide behind a dune to avoid the Jackalans, which had extremely high numbers, detecting them and causing any unnecessary trouble.

Kant also leaped off of his horse. He handed the reins to a Desert Bandit behind him.

He headed to the top of the dune and carefully lowered himself. He observed the tribe. "This tribe seems to be far larger than the one back at the Oasis Lookout." He paused for a bit and added, "Three times larger at least."

"More than that maybe." The eyes of the two Desert Bandits who followed behind him looked harsh.

The tribe, as they observed, was huge.

Tents cobbled together with all manner of materials were messily sprawled all over the sand. There was only a hint of planning or order. The Jackalans, which had tusks growing out of their lower jaws and grey fur all over their bodies, walked around and about the tents at will, making the place look like a slum.

Garbage and leftover bones littered the place.

There was even excrement that seemed to have covered the sand where the tribe was located.

There were a good number of young Jackalans playing and rolling about in the excrement as if the excrement was just clean clay and none of it was dirty. They had no concept of dirtiness to speak of at all.

"This is disgusting."

Kant spat at his side.

He finally understood why there was always a stench to the Jackalans.

He found the reason right there and then.

"My Lord, bad news indeed."

A Desert Bandit said in a serious tone, "From what we can see, there are about 2,000 adult Jackalans and 200 adolescents. If nothing were to go wrong, this would be a very well-developed Jackalan Tribe."

"Well, that really is bad news." Kant nodded. His eyes were shrouded with heaviness.

He slowly lowered his head and took a good look before him. "A Jackalan Tribe with a population of nearly 2,500, located just less than a day's worth of distance away from our Oasis Lookout, is indeed dangerous, no matter how you look at it."

"They seem to have a food source as well."

In a tone that sounded even more serious, a Desert Bandit said, "More bad news."

Kant narrowed his eyes and peered where the Desert Bandit pointed.

He was slightly startled.

However, his expression became even grimmer.

Right next to the Jackalan Tribe's messy tents was a massive number of slain beasts laid out in the sun. A rough estimation suggested that at least 300 sand gazelles were being skinned.

It seemed that they had been put out in the sun for quite a while. It made them look like dried meat.

Those were creatures capable of surviving in the Nahrin Desert with little need for energy.

The sand gazelles were naturally resistant to drought and capable of eating many types of plants. Since they had extremely strong life forces, it made them ideal creatures for living in the desert.

The huge, mighty Senwaya Range, which served as the natural border that separated the Nahrin Desert and the Dukedom of Leo, was where many sand gazelles lived and bred. Kant knew at least that much.

There were even hunters from the southern villages of the dukedom who hunted sand gazelles in the mountains.

Now, Kant was frowning even harder. He knew that were many sand gazelles near the Senwaya Range, but he had no idea there were sand gazelles that deep in the desert.

Worse still, the population was sizeable enough to serve as prey for one whole Jackalan Tribe.

"My Lord, there may have been one thing you overlooked."

Another Desert Bandit, whose face looked rather terrified, had spoken.

Kant frowned and asked, "What is it?"

Desert Bandits were psychologically hardened people, so it was rather surprising to Kant to see such a shocked expression on one of them.

Kant's eyes soon became filled with terror, just like that Desert Bandit's had been.

Kant suddenly realized what that Desert Bandit had been getting at. He was unable to help but utter, "This can't be!"

"Aye, but it's real."

That Desert Bandit gulped slightly and continued in a slow tone, "My Lord, I have no idea how this could have happened, but the reality is right before us." He paused for a bit and said, "This Jackalan Tribe has no water source. There is no lake and no soil. This isn't an oasis at all, yet here they are."

All of them looked stunned.

The Jackalan Tribe's tents, which were a little more than 328 feet away, were extremely messy.

There were Jackalans wearing crude, ragged linen clothing everywhere, as well as young Jackalans who had no concept of hygiene.

Excrement and garbage littered the place.

Regardless of how hard Kant searched the place with his eyes, there was no sign that the flat sands where they lived was an oasis.

It was just like how the Desert Bandit said before.

There was no water source.

No lake.

No soil.

No oasis.

Then again, a place without an oasis and water source in the Nahrin Desert should have been a place of death.

He was unable to understand just how that Jackalan Tribe managed to get so well-developed under such conditions.

It was a Jackalan Tribe with a population close to 2,500, which made it a rather massive tribe. Yet, such a tribe existed in an area of the desert without an oasis or water. It was indeed a harrowing fact.

That fact struck terror in their hearts.

Kant muttered to himself, "Something doesn't add up."

Chapter 21: Water in the Tent

Basic scientific concepts existed in this world.

Eat, drink, sleep.

Workout, labor, rest.

However, something that both shocked and puzzled Kant happened right before him.

A Jackalan Tribe of such a huge scale was not anywhere near an oasis with an abundance of water. It was right there in the middle of nowhere in the desert. Even more baffling was that they were able to thrive for generations under such conditions. Upon seeing that, Kant's jaw almost dropped to the ground.

Kant pursed his lips a little. In a subdued voice, he said, "Maybe there's water around here."

"No, there is no water whatsoever."

The Desert Bandit shook his head, instantly disagreeing with Kant's suggestion.

He looked at the surrounding dunes. In a serious tone, he said, "If there is some sort of underground water source around these parts, there would be drought-resistant plants here. If you look around carefully, My Lord, you'll find nothing of the sorts around here."

Nothing but a vast ocean of sand surrounded them.

Kant narrowed his gaze on the tribe.

"How is such a massive Jackalan Tribe able to survive here?" he asked with a rather heavy tone.

The Desert Bandit shook his head and replied, "I have no idea."

"Well, they can't just be able to drink by eating sand, can they?"

Kant looked on with a grim expression. The mass of messy tents was right there before his eyes, including a large number of Jackalans. All of that made him look extremely glum. It was a force that could easily crush his fledgling Drondheim.

He took a deep breath and quelled his emotions. "They definitely have a water source somewhere."

Yes, there has to be a water source.

Kant was sure of that.

If there was no water around somewhere, the Jackalans would not have built their tribe in such a place.

No creatures wanted to simply die.

That even applied to these primitive Jackalans.

"Look, they're cooking now."

The Desert Bandit's words prompted Kant to turn his gaze.

It was evening, so it was time for dinner. That much was the same with the Jackalans.

Many aged Jackalans came out of their tents.

Pieces of torn dried meat were being distributed by female Jackalans to the others around them. It seemed that all property belonged to the tribe. Even food was distributed from a single source.

That likely included the most precious commodity in the desert—fresh water.

However, all the fresh water came from the centermost part of the tribe.

It was a huge tent. It was five times larger than the other Jackalan tents, which made it look like conventional houses instead. The tent was erected using various wooden materials. It gave off a kind of feral grace.

"Is that the tent of the Jackalan Tribe's chieftain?"

Kant slightly narrowed his eyes toward the tent. He was able to easily see the largest tent set up in the center.

He grew even more suspicious of what was happening.

He saw a withered and wrinkled Jackalan walk out of the tent with a wooden staff. Even though Kant was on a dune hundreds of feet away from the center of the Jackalan Tribe, he still felt somewhat intimidated.

"That old Jackalan looks dangerous."

The Desert Bandits shared the same thought. One of them couldn't help but say, "He strikes fear into people."

"Yeah." Kant nodded and frowned. "Just keep quiet and they won't detect us."

That old Jackalan, who was outside the huge tent in the center, seemed to have said something. It caused the Jackalans throughout the tribe to begin gathering. They formed a rather crooked line.

Some of the Jackalans even began to fight and tear at each other due to their brutal nature.

However, a Jackalan, who looked even stronger, emerged from the huge tent.

"It's the Jackalan chieftain."

Kant had read famous works by scholars before, so he immediately recalled who that strong Jackalan likely was.

That strong Jackalan wore a set of ill-fitted mail armor. It seemed to be something he took from humans. Somehow, he barely managed to wear it on the upper half of his body.

On his lower body, he seemed to be wearing something pieced together from two sets of mail armor.

There was also the outer layer of a linen robe. It covered the mail armor worn beneath. All that made the chieftain looked powerful and intimidating.

He also held something that differed from what the other Jackalans were using. It was a two-handed battle-ax.

During the Dukedom of Leo's purge of the Jackalans 10 years ago, they destroyed several larger, stronger Jackalan Tribes. Their chieftains mostly appeared in such attire. Kant had a bit of an impression of them.

As he recalled the books he had read, his mind jolted for a bit.

He recalled an article he once read.

"That old Jackalan... Is that Jackalan Shaman capable of spell-casting?"

Kant's eyes slightly widened.

The old Jackalan, who held a wooden staff and stood right outside the huge tent, was a match to what he had read about. He could not have mistaken it for anything else. The mention of such a creature was too fresh in his mind.

Furthermore, only Jackalan Shamans were capable of witchcraft. Also, only a being like that was deemed eligible to share a tent with a Jackalan Chieftain.

"That is getting worse."

Kant slowly gritted his teeth and flashed a bitter smile.

While there were few spellcasters in the world, none of them were to be taken lightly.

For instance, the scholars at the Dukedom of Leo recorder information about them. They wrote down that the Jackalan Shamans should be a "top priority target during attacks, and make sure to take them out in the shortest period of time possible."

That was because the Jackalan Shamans were capable of casting spells on their own.

Their spells included Bloodlust, which could cause their targets to forget pain and know only slaughter.

There was also Berserk, which was a spell capable of causing a target to become irritable and filled with killing intent.

The shaman was also even able to cast Stoneskin, which allowed the skin of the target to turn as hard as a rock.

All of those were highly regarded spells a capable Jackalan Shaman could cast.

During the purge orchestrated by the dukedom 10 years ago, every time a Jackalan Shaman was found in a tribe, casualties occurred among the dukedom's forces before they were able to take that tribe down.

Casualties included infantry and cavalry units, archers, and even regular armies who tagged alongside mages.

If Kant's forces were to take on one such tribe, even if the number of the Jackalans was more or less the same as his forces, one Jackalan Shaman alone was able to tip the scales significantly to the Jackalans' favor.

That was the edge provided by a spellcaster.

"They are bringing their water out!"

The Desert Bandits gasped, interrupting Kant's thoughts.

Kant frowned and looked. A Jackalan held a tattered urn in front of the tent. It gulped down fresh water before handing the urn to the next Jackalan and going elsewhere.

It was the same with the next Jackalan.

The process was repeated over and over. The entire tribe had all drunk water in order.

"There's a well in the huge tent!"

The Desert Bandits looked at each other. They found affirmation in each other's eyes.

Kant nodded as well. He frowned and said, "There is a well. I never expected that their tribe would have found a patch of desert with a well in it. It's no surprise that they were able to get so developed."

"If there's a well, there should be a huge water reserve underground."

The Desert Bandits were puzzled. "But where are the few plants that should be around the place?"

In truth, there were no plants around the place.

Kant frowned. He found himself unable to explain the phenomenon.

Kant exhaled and ordered the Desert Bandits behind him, "We ride home now."

Their scouting mission was complete.

However, the result was something they found difficult to stomach.

In the beginning, Kant thought the Jackalan Tribe they found next would be of little difference with the one at the Oasis Lookout. However, looking at the tribe, which had at least 2,500 of Jackalans in it, he became rather dejected.

That was not a number he had any way of resisting.

"We need to work this one out."

Kant gritted his teeth, trying to console himself.

At the very least, he had time to rethink his plans.

If resisting that many Jackalans were to prove impossible, they could immediately give up the Oasis Lookout and retreat to the Senwaya Range. That was possible because Kant still had 65 Swadian infantry units with him. There were more than enough to handle the complex mountainous terrain.

Then again, Kant felt reluctant to leave the vast desert behind.

This was the place he planned on developing with everything he had.

"My Lord, maybe we could continue moving deeper into the desert."

One of the Desert Bandits wasn't shy about making a suggestion.

Kant looked at the deeper reaches of the Nahrin Desert with a solemn expression. "It seems like there is something deep in the desert. Look at the tracks left behind by the Jackalans in the sand. They probably lead somewhere into the deeper parts."

Chapter 22: Enemy in the Dark of Night

The evening sun struggled to stay around. It created enough light for them to see what was ahead of them.

Kant frowned slightly.

His heart raced along with his emotions.

"This is interesting."

As he spoke, Kant's eyes looked rather cold.

There was an obvious curved line left on the flat sands north of the messy Jackalan Tribe. It winded about as it led to a dune. It extended to deeper parts of the desert.

The line was clear for all to see.

The line itself was darker than its surrounding colors, making it obvious that prolonged travel through the same route caused the sands to harden.

"The Jackalans made these with their steps."

As he commented, the Desert Bandit frowned like Kant

The Jackalans, who were still at a primitive tribal state, had no concepts of roads.

However, they had still been able to blaze a trail in the desert. It was obvious that they had reasons to do so. They had gone to-and-fro on the route throughout long periods of time, making the winding path into the most primitive of roads there were.

"Why are they heading north?" Kant was puzzled.

The Desert Bandits pondered that for a bit. One of them looked up and said with a serious expression, "Perhaps that is their daily quest."

"A daily quest?"

Kant frowned. The term sounded like something assigned by the system.

"It is like going out hunting every day."

The look on the Desert Bandit's face turned increasingly serious as he said, "I think it probably leads to the salt mine that we are looking for, which has been taken over by the Jackalans. Coarse salt is being excavated every day."

"That is speculation." Kant frowned and said, "It sounds rather ridiculous."

Jackalans were primitive tribal beings. Digging in a salt mine was not something that would have done them any good.

Salt was a type of seasoning.

At the same time, it was a commodity. Furthermore, it was considered a luxury in the dukedom.

Kant did not agree with that Desert Bandit.

To him, even if the Jackalans were to actually dig up coarse salts in the salt mine, no merchant had been purchasing the salt, even though the dukedom was so near them. The fact that there was salt in the Nahrin Desert was unheard of back in the dukedom.

Things would have been different if the nobles of the dukedom knew that there was a salt mine there.

They would have given everything they had to amass a truly elite force and kill every Jackalan found in the desert.

Kant knew well of their greed.

As such, Kant frowned and shook his head in disbelief at that Desert Bandit. He said, "There can't be any of those brutal primitive Jackalans capable of digging out huge amounts of coarse salt and selling them as goods. Can there?"

Everyone knew how ferocious Jackalans were. They were devoid of any capacity for reasoning and behaved more like beasts.

That speculation sounded like little more than a joke to Kant.

"My Lord, it is still very possible."

The Desert Bandit's expression did not change. His expression remained serious.

That severe expression made Kant frown even harder. There was no way troop classes from the system could betray him.

Kant told a deep breath and asked, "What are the reasons?"

The Desert Bandit immediately replied, "It's simple, My Lord. Look over there at the urn the Jackalans drink from. If anything, you should be familiar with that urn."

"Yeah." Kant narrowed his eyes and peered. He slightly nodded.

Even though it was quite a distance away, he was still able to tell apart the urn used by the Jackalans for drinking.

The black exterior looked severely worn. It was as if it had been left in the desert for a very long time. The mouth of the urn looked broken. It made it so that it was little more than trash to the Dukedom of Leo, which produced massive amounts of clay. Not even commoners would have bothered picking such a thing up.

"If you look closely at the urn, you'll find that they are many in the tribe."

The Desert Bandit's tone grew increasingly serious as he said, "There are always a lot of urns around the messy tents. I don't think the Jackalans are using the urns to carry water or anything else."

Kant's eyes remained fixed. He stayed silent.

He stared at the large Jackalan Tribe and found himself getting restless.

"So, is this true?" Kant slowly asked.

It was as if he was asking about the truthfulness of the case, despite knowing deep down that what the Desert Bandit said was true.

"It is." The Desert Bandit nodded.

He told Kant, "The Jackalans at the Oasis Lookout are related to this place somehow!"

His tone was confident.

"Well." Kant's face looked rather bitter. He nodded and said, "It does look like that."

He was able to tell from the ambush that night.

Those Jackalans were reinforcements gathered from that huge tribe.

If the two tribes were unrelated, they would not have been Jackalans from that huge tribe forming an army heading for the Oasis Lookout to begin with.

Kant slightly closed his eyes.

He began to lower his head and think. Thoughts sped in his mind at very high speeds.

Things looked increasingly worse for him.

In his perspective, things had just taken a turn for the worse. It was serious enough that development of the Oasis Lookout and establishing a true Drondheim became rather uncertain.

His mind was shaken.

This was a well-developed Jackalan Tribe.

A salt mine had been taken over by a huge Jackalan Tribe.

All of that made Kant lose his way. He was puzzled as to what to do next.

All he had was a small village with a population of little more than 60. There was no way they could resist the Jackalan Tribe.

Trying to do so was like having a death wish.

"Well, what should we do now?"

Kant opened his eyes and bitterly smirked.

The Desert Bandits were all silent. They had no answer to that question posed by Kant, their lord.

Their forces were simply too small.

Kant nodded slightly. He looked grim as he said, "We should take this seriously. If we don't want to die horrible deaths in the Nahrin Desert, we need to absolutely prepare for this."

He had not come to the Nahrin Desert to die.

Kant clenched his fists a little and reasserted himself.

"Let's go. We'll circle around and have a look over there."

Kant turned around and told the Desert Bandits, "I at least want to know if that place holds a true salt mine."

"Understood." The Desert Bandits nodded.

While the Jackalan population was massive, that ambush in the night did not kill Kant's forces right where they stood. More than 100 bodies were left behind as they left the Oasis Lookout battered and bruised. They had even left enough tracks for his cavalry units to trace them.

As he thought deeper, Kant was able to come to a realization. The Jackalans were not all that powerful in terms of combat capacity.

While they were ferocious and of hardier constitutions than normal humans, they lacked excellent strategies and tactics, as well as effective weapons for killing enemies. They also lacked armor capable of protecting their bodies.

Swadian Peasants, who were all zero-level troop classes, were good enough to take them on.

A band of first- and second-level troop classes would have been able to practically slaughter Jackalans of the same number.

There was no reason for Kant to be afraid.

"Let's go."

He gently kicked the stomach of his horse and rode swiftly across the dune.

The six Desert Bandits flicked their reins and followed right behind their lord, riding just as swiftly.

I'll finish the System quest and get myself troop classes up to higher levels.

Kant reaffirmed his resolve deep down.

He was certain that if he were to have 100 fully armed Swadian Knights, which were known to be the king of troop classes on land from the system, he would be able to ride straight into such a huge Jackalan Tribe.

Despite the odds, he was sure that they would come out on top.

They followed the trail left by the Jackalans on the sand. They moved quickly.

The light of the evening was finally gone.

A bright moon and dazzling stars were seen in the sky.

The temperature throughout the arid air began to drop sharply, making Kant and the Desert Bandits, who were riding forward on their horses, feel a chill.

They put on the woolen clothing they had brought with them and continued riding forward.

At times, beginning a journey in the night was the right thing to do, compared to the unforgiving heat of the day and the resulting massive consumption of water. One only needed to keep warm during the night.

Kant and the others had only decided to continue riding in the night due to such reasons in the first place.

Time gradually passed.

The moon was high in the sky. The bright, round celestial entity glowed with an alluring silver radiance.

It grew increasingly cold in the night. It made Kant's face felt rather stiff.

"Everyone."

He opened his mouth and breathed warm air, yet he pulled back the reins of his steed. He raised his right arm at the same time and said, "Stop riding."

The six Desert Bandits behind him immediately got off their desert horses.

"My Lord, what is happening?"

Mist was coming out of their mouths. The heat from their bodies formed a stark contrast with the surrounding temperature.

However, they quickly discovered why Kant told them to stop riding. They extended their stiff arms one after another. They reached for the spears they had strapped onto their backs. All of them looked serious.

The enemy was coming.

Chapter 23: Death Sentence by Exposure to the Sun

There were enemies.

The six Desert Bandits were all prepared. They held their standard spears in their hands.

At the end of the sandy route before them, where moonlight waned, seven to eight shadows were standing at the dune by the side of the route. They were not moving. It was as if the enemy was staring down at them.

"Get ready for combat."

Kant's voice was heard. He reached for the light crossbow behind his back.

He pulled the string and loaded a bolt onto it. He lifted his arm. He aimed at the shadow faraway with his finger resting on the trigger.

The Desert Bandits unraveled the sacks on their backs, exposing the pilum just behind their necks.

The Desert Bandits were more versed at throwing those projectiles while riding horses.

All of them were ready to fight.

"Be careful."

Kant reminded them as he rode slowly forward.

They were still at a safe distance, which was why they dared to continue closing in. That was an action backed by the fact that they were cavalry units. If they found the enemy's fighting capacity was beyond what they were capable of resisting, they would immediately retreat.

Cavalry units were known for their superb mobility. They were able to come and go like a gust of wind.

Despite being vigilant, the shadows on the dune paid no heed to them.

It was as if they were simply standing on the dune watching Kant and his people without bothering to move away. No movements were detected from the enemy, and no sounds were made by them either.

"My Lord, something isn't right," a Desert Bandit said.

They eyed the dune. The Desert Bandits, who were all experts at fighting in the desert, did not let the cold freeze their brains over. Their thought processes remained astute.

They looked at the shadows above and instinctively found something was off.

"Let's go and have a closer look."

Kant nodded. He noticed something was off as well. In a low voice, he still told his men, "If anything happens, retreat immediately."

"Understood," the Desert Bandits replied.

They slowly moved forward along the desert route.

They gradually closed in. Kant frowned as he continued to eye the shadows far away.

His eyes did not fool him. While his sight was somewhat blurred by the dark of night, Kant was able to tell that those shadows were from Jackalans.

They had beast-like heads and bodies covered in fur.

Those were notable physical traits of Jackalans. There was no way that Kant, someone who fought them over and over, was mistaken.

However, his frown instantly deepened.

"Why do those Jackalans on the dune look so weird?" he asked.

"Indeed."

The Desert Bandits nodded at the same time, looking serious as they did so.

In their minds, the Jackalans they were closing in on looked very unnatural. They look shriveled, and their heads were hanging low. It was as if they were tied to something.

The bright moonlight above made the dune look even clearer.

Kant's pupils slightly contracted.

"What the..." He unconsciously mumbled, feeling his emotions fluctuate like he was riding a roller-coaster.

"My Lord, be careful!"

The Desert Bandits behind him kicked their horses. All six of them moved quickly forward, tightly holding their spears. Their eyes swept vigilantly around them.

There was nothing out of place to be found.

There were no enemies.

All of them breathed a sigh of relief. They refocused their eyes onto the dune. All of them looked shocked.

There were indeed seven Jackalans at the top of the dune. They all sported tusks on their lower jaws and were coated in grey fur all over their bodies. They all had jackal-like heads and human-like bodies.

However, all of the Jackalans were tied to wooden posts.

The Jackalans were securely tied up with thick ropes from their thighs to their torsos.

"What is happening?"

Kant still tightly held his light crossbow, but he slightly kicked the belly of his horse instead.

The warhorse he rode was perceptive enough to sense the magnitude of force being applied. It slowed down even more.

The Desert Bandits behind him all looked on with grim expressions. Their gazes were fixed on the seven Jackalans. One of them said, "All of them are dried corpses. Judging by the temperature of the Nahrin Desert, they have been tied to the posts for at least a week."

"A week?"

Kant narrowed his eyes on the bodies. "Was it some kind of punishment?"

"I believe it was an execution," a Desert Bandit replied.

If that was not an execution, these Jackalans would not have ended up turning into dried corpses.

Their death sentence was carried out by tying them to wooden posts and mercilessly exposing them to the scorching sun of the Nahrin Desert. The Jackalans slowly dried up while they were alive. It was one of the cruelest punishments that could have been given.

"Why were they executed in the first place?" Kant frowned even harder.

However, he did not fear anything. He vigilantly scanned the dune before him before telling the Desert Bandits, "Stay sharp. We'll go out and have a look!"

They were all cavalry units, so there was nothing to be afraid of.

Besides, the legs of Jackalans were no match for the horses.

Furthermore, Kant did not believe that the Jackalans would have found all seven of them.

It was even more ridiculous to think that they had been trying to ambush them by setting up such an obvious trap.

If that truly turned out to be the case, the Jackalans would have simply attacked the Oasis Lookout instead. Compared to mobile cavalry units, a village that was unable to go anywhere was a larger, more obvious, and lucrative target.

"Hyah!"

Kant flicked the reins. His feet tightly cradled the horse beneath him.

He aimed his light crossbow ahead. When they arrived at the top of the dune, there was no enemy to be found.

Kant looked at the dried Jackalan bodies. With their fangs bared, they still looked ferocious. He frowned and said, "They really died horrible deaths."

A Desert Bandit nodded and said, "Being dried up alive without drinking a single drop of water is brutal."

Such penalties had been doled out by desert people and races before.

The Sarrand Sultanate had once employed such penalties, but it was only to deal with ferocious, unforgiving enemies or to sentence criminals who had committed horrendous unforgivable crimes.

"This is a pity."

Kant moved his eyes elsewhere. The dried corpses served to shock and scare enemies.

They died horrible deaths, but they were still used after they were dead.

However, he hardly felt sorry for them since they were all Jackalans, which were his enemies. If possible, he would have been willing to sentence all of them to die by sun exposure. That would have dealt with a serious problem early on.

"That... That is..."

Kant turned his eyes around and looked at the place.

When he looked at the northern horizon of the dune, his pupils dilated considerably. "Alkali soil!"

Kant shouted in surprise.

Under the bright moonlight to the north of the dune, a sea of white was seen spreading all over the place. It was as if the sea of white were about to swallow the entire desert.

That was the very alkali soil that Kant and his men were looking for.

It also verified the Desert Bandits' speculation that there was indeed a naturally exposed salt mine somewhere in the desert.

"This is real."

Kant gulped while tightly holding onto his light crossbow.

From the perspective of contemporary humans back on Earth, that place was but a useless piece of alkali soil. All the salt found on the ground was poor-quality and coarse salt. It was so bad that it only served industrial purposes. It would have never made it into the lives of common people.

During the middle ages, all that salt was considered a luxury.

There was an underground salt mine in Poland from his previous life that served as the main source of edible salt. It supplied the needs of Europe for hundreds of years. The salt mine also contributed to about 30 percent of tax revenue for Poland every year. That alone spoke volumes of how profitable the salt trade had been.

"My Lord, those tents over there."

A Desert Bandit direct Kant's attention elsewhere. They had found something out of the ordinary.

They saw 40 to 50 ragged tents erected at the edge of the salt mine.

From the looks of it, it was the Jackalans again.

Chapter 24: Returning to the Oasis Lookout

The bright moonlight shone on the alkali soil. The snow-white colors looked mesmerizing.

It was a special area. It resulted from a lake being surrounded by a desert and exposed to the scorching sun. The surrounding heat accelerated the drying lake's evaporation until only huge amounts of salt were left behind.

"It does look pretty."

Kant softly sighed but remained firmly holding the light crossbow in his hand.

He saw 46 ragged tents erected at the edge of the alkali soil. Looking at the messed up appearance and the ground around them filled with dirt and filth severely impacted his mood.

More importantly, the beautiful piece of alkali soil that represented wealth and power was already taken.

The alkali soil's current master was the Jackalans.

They were the greatest enemy of Drondheim.

"Things sure look bad."

A Desert Bandit by Kant's side frowned. With a serious expression, he turned around and said to Kant, "According to the sizes of the tents, there should be at least 300 or so Jackalans over there. If what we speculated before turns out to be correct, then those Jackalans are definitely connected with those from the large tribe. They were probably sent to excavate the salt mine."

"It does seem like that." Kant nodded.

The large-scale Jackalan Tribe had gained full control of the exposed salt mine. Judging from the trail, which had been trampled on so often that the sand had become solid, it was easy to tell that the salt there had been excavated for quite a long time.

In truth, "excavation" was the wrong term to use.

The Jackalans simply collected the salt.

The salt mine was exposed in the desert, so anyone would have been able to collect the raw coarse salt all over the place.

If he so fancied, Kant, who possessed the techniques to refine them, at any time could have simply refined them into fine white salt that would only grace the tables of nobles in the Dukedom of Leo. The salt would have fetched a price of astronomical proportions.

At that moment, a prompt from the system appeared.

[Ding... Your arduous journey seemed to have yielded something.]

[Side Quest: The Origins of Salt is complete]

[Reward Acquired: Standard Swadian House x 5]

[Comment: The desert that seemed barren contained ample resources, including the exposed salt mine before you.]

The prompt from the system rang in his ears.

The dialog box signaling the completion of the quest appeared on his retina as well.

However, there was not a hint of elation or pride found on Kant's face. He knew well enough about the deeper reaches of the desert by then. He had in-depth knowledge of the predicament he currently faced. It was simply too brutal. His heart felt rather heavy.

Well, at least it's still an improvement.

Kant saw the images of the houses in his retina and shook his head.

At the moment, the improvement was not good enough.

He flicked his reins and had his horse descend onto the dune. He turned around to face the six Desert Bandits and said, "Let's go. It's time to head home."

The quest from the system was completed.

He accomplished the goal he had set out to complete.

There was currently no need for Kant to take risks and venture into deeper parts of the Nahrin Desert for investigation. Now, he needed to return to the Oasis Lookout and developing his Drondheim village to sufficient levels. He had to amass a force capable of resisting the threat of the Jackalans.

All seven of them swiftly rode toward home.

Their path home was far more apparent when compared to the route they had taken when they began their journey. They had gained familiarity with the region.

As such, they were able to ride faster and steadier.

After midnight Kant and the six Desert Bandits found a dune to rest at. They dug holes in the sand to stay warm. They lit a campfire and took a rest for the night to conserve their strength.

After gaining considerable strength from the break, they continued their journey home the next morning,

The trail markings from when they came remained obvious.

They were in a desert. Barring sandstorms and strong winds, the tracks left on the sand would take months to flatten and disappear naturally.

"My Lord, the Jackalan Tribe is ahead. Watch out."

,

The Desert Bandit who rode at the very front reduced his speed. He turned around and said, "We should take a detour."

"OK, we shall take a detour." Kant nodded.

Their current path would have led to that large-scale Jackalan Tribe.

It was morning, so they could not just appear right before the Jackalans without any precautions. They had to avoid alerting the Jackalans and exposing themselves.

As such, they circled the tribe.

They avoided alerting the Jackalans by circling their tribe before continuing to ride toward the Oasis Lookout.

They gained speed by tracing the tracks left behind when they left the Oasis Lookout.

Besides, following their own tracks when they came was the safest thing to do.

After they took a break at noon, the Oasis Lookout finally appeared before their eyes around the evening.

"My Lord, it's the Council Hall!"

The Desert Bandit at the forefront looked somewhat tired before. When he saw the Council Hall and their lair, he sighed a breath of relief. He turned around and looked at Kant with a relieved expression, saying, "We're finally home."

"Yes, we are." Kant slowly nodded. He was seemingly exhausted.

Traveling for prolonged periods, even when riding a horse, made them feel as if their bodies had hit their limits.

As for the warhorse and the desert horses, they jogged with their heads hung low. They had no more strength to run. The horses needed rest as much as the men who had ridden them.

The horses had played an absolutely key role in getting their scouting mission done.

When Kant and the Desert Bandits kept riding forward, the Swadian troops, who were tasked with guard duty at the Oasis Lookout, quickly discovered them approaching.

Five Swadian Militia, who carried hunting crossbows, stood on a dune. They were on high alert. When they detected Kant and the Desert Bandits, they quickly walked over and paid their respects. "My Lord."

"Yeah." Kant nodded as he flipped his hood over. He asked, "How have the past two days been?"

"Everything was normal, My Lord."

The Swadian Militia answered respectfully.

During the day or so that Kant was out on his mission, the Oasis Lookout was not met with another attack from the Jackalans. Everything looked rather peaceful and calm. However, all of that was simply like underwater currents beneath the surface of the ocean, so he had arranged for the militia to stand guard.

It was preferable to think that desert sand could be used as flour than simply believing that the Jackalans would not attack.

Kant ordered, "Stay sharp."

He led his horse and continued moving into the oasis. He wore a sleepy smile on his face.

Both the Council Hall and the Desert Bandit Lair were built at the southern side of the pond. About a third of the watchtower had been finished. Many Swadian troops trained at their own volition with their weapons in their hands. It seemed as if the village's defenses were being set on the right path.

The warhorse that he rode had even picked up the pace.

The horses evidently knew that they were home and finally able to rest.

"My Lord, welcome home!"

"O' revered Lord Kant, it's a pleasure to see you!"

When Kant returned to the Council Hall, all of the Swadian Recruits and Swadian Militia greeted him respectfully. To them, Kant was everything.

"Very well," Kant replied.

However, he was very exhausted. He immediately got off his horse. He wanted to go to his room and finally get some good rest.

"Feed the horses and give them a wash."

Kant looked at the recruits taking the horses and said, "When you're done with all of that, let the horses rest in the stable of the lair."

"Will do, My Lord." The recruits nodded. They led Kant's warhorse and the Desert Bandits' desert horses away.

The grass was prepared in the manger. Bits of dried meat and dates were added to the feed. They were the best things available for the horses to regain their strength after the long journey. After they were done eating, the horses were given a good wash.

Handing all of that to the recruits enabled Kant to relax.

He was so tired that he felt as if he was no longer able to keep his eyes open. He quickly went to his room on the second floor.

He needed a good rest.

None of them had slept well the previous night, and they had been riding home the whole day afterward. They were thoroughly exhausted by the journey. The exhaustion was more than what they were able to take.

The six Desert Bandits quickly returned to their lair. Once they all fell onto their beds, they started loudly snoring.

Chapter 25: Refugees of Swadia

After riding long hours day and night, Kant was dead tired when he returned to the Oasis Lookout.

He needed some good sleep. He was not able to truly think about what to do next without regaining his mental and physical strength. His next decisions included constructing the five Swadian standard houses rewarded by the system. It was something that involved city planning, which meant he needed to carefully consider the matter.

The Oasis Lookout was not a large oasis with huge tracts of land.

He speculated that the area of the entire oasis was actually puny. It was likely less than 1000 square feet.

There was also a pond with fresh spring water that measured approximately 82 x 20 feet.

The Swadian houses, which were to be constructed from stone and wooden materials, need at least 1,600 square feet each. If he were to build all five buildings without proper planning, it meant that he could easily fill the entire southern side of the Oasis Lookout with them.

There was no way Kant wanted that to happen.

It was imperative that he properly planned the layout of the buildings.

Kant did not sleep for long.

He slowly opened his eyes.

Kant looked at the window. He saw bright sunlight shining through.

He rubbed his face and freshened himself up. He put on his clothes and went downstairs. Several Swadian Recruits emerged from the storage room. When they saw him descending the stairs, all of them bowed respectfully to him.

"Good day, My Lord."

"Right, good day." Kant nodded.

He glanced at the cabbage and dried meat in their hands. It looked as if they were getting food prepared.

The words from one of them proved his deduction. "My Lord, it will soon be noon, so we're preparing lunch."

"It's noon already, eh?"

Kant rubbed his eyebrow and waved at the hardworking and humble recruits. "Carry on."

The recruits nodded respectfully and replied, "Yes, My Lord." They headed to the kitchen with the lunch ingredients in their hands.

Social castes were clearly divided in the Kingdom of Swadia.

The scorching sun hit Kant as soon as he walked out of the Council Hall. The entire place was steeped in unbearable, scorching heat.

"My Lord."

The Swadian Militia guarding the door bowed respectfully as he addressed Kant.

The builders, who were all wearing long robes and hoods, were carefully transporting construction materials. They even placed handkerchiefs on top of the surfaces they were hitting with a hammer. They were afraid of disturbing the quiet and peaceful Council Hall next to the construction site.

Kant turned around and looked at their progress.

The shape of the watchtower was now taking shape.

Piled stone formed the base and platform. Strong wooden materials were used to build the tower's walls and ladders. While the watchtower was nowhere near being finished, the silhouette was still visible. The construction workers estimated that the tower would be finished within seven days. There seemed to be no problems in meeting that deadline.

"You're back, My Lord."

The building foreman of the builders quickly came over to Kant. His honest-looking face was adorned with a beaming smile.

"Yeah." Kant simply nodded at the seemingly honest yet actually cunning face of the foreman. He looked very much like a Swadian merchant. He plainly said, "Keep the pace as it is. It's best if you guys can finish by the deadline. It is imperative that you do so."

"Rest assured, My Lord. It will definitely be finished as planned." The foreman flashed a beaming smile.

Kant nodded. "That is good to hear."

"I'll head over to hurry them up."

The foreman was able to tell that Kant could easily see through him.

He wanted to suck up to the lord of the land but had failed. He still feared Lord Kant. He quickly scurried away after saying a few words. He didn't dare stay around Kant any longer.

What a sly merchant.

Kant shook his head lightly as he looked at the back of that foreman.

It seemed that all characters materialized by the system had their own personalities and will instead of deadpan-looking NPC programs.

However, it was due to those personalities that emotions and behaviors, such as flattery, comparing oneself to others of a higher status, jealousy, and even bullying the weak yet fearing the strong, as well as being brutal and ill-disposed, were included. While none of those had fully been shown in front of Kant, the roots of such things were still clearly there.

He wondered if that was a good or bad thing.

Then again, as long as they remained loyal to Kant, he had no intention of interfering too much.

At the moment, the most important thing was to have all five Swadian standard houses constructed.

Kant walked around the southern side of the pond.

He had not walked for long before turning around.

This place is too small.

He frowned slightly and quietly sighed.

The Oasis Lookout was too small. It was so small that even his current plan required extreme caution.

He needed to consider the future.

He thought for a short while.

Kant's eyes focused on the sand beyond the oasis. A thought came to mind. He connected to the system in his mind, asking in silence, "System, could I construct my buildings on the sand?"

He had no doubt made an empiricist error.

Due to help from the system, Kant's buildings would have been just as sturdy even if he built them on the sand.

The system replied quickly, "It is permissible."

Kant smiled.

It was something could be done after all.

Kant walked a straight line toward the south for 32 feet. He passed the Council Hall, Watchtower, and the Desert Bandit Lair.

By the time he stopped walking, it was only sand beneath his feet

"Alright." Kant subtly nodded. "This should be the spot."

As he confirmed it with the system, the five standard Swadian houses immediately materialized into the world. Huge streams of data began to coil and wrap around each other. It took mere seconds for the buildings to fully materialize.

The foundations and walls, which were about 11 inches thick, were constructed neatly using stone. It gave them a sense of sturdiness and heft.

The buildings also looked safe.

The top of each building was slanted. The roofs were constructed using uniformly dried wooden materials to prevent overflow from rainwater. A layer of tiles was piled on top of the roof. Then again, they were in the desert, so there was no need to worry about rain.

There was no rain to be found in the desert.

It was not something he needed to worry about.

The five houses were lined against one another, forming a straight row.

The houses were situated in the south and faced north. The doors opened toward the pond, which was located across from the Council Hall and Desert Bandit Lair.

The 32 feet that Kant had walked became the street.

There were no cracks between the houses. The walls were built against one another, making it seem as if all five of them were a single building. If a ladder were placed against the wall leading to the roof, one could have easily walked through all five houses.

It was constructed in that manner for safety reasons.

Kant had thought it all out.

If a massive amount of enemies approached, the forces garrisoning the buildings were now easily able to make it outside to the 32-foot street. It enabled them to use the buildings on both sides to form formations and securely guard the street.

His forces had the ability to block off both ends of the street.

A small force of Swadian infantry units, armed with polearms, was enough to defend the place steadily and efficiently.

As for the others, they had the option to stand on top of the roofs and use the 9-foot-tall wall to serve as vantage points. That enabled them to accurately aim and shoot at enemies coming in from both sides and support the comrades painstakingly blocking off both ends of the street.

Even if the enemy was able to get up to the roofs to fight them up close and personal, the Swadian forces had the terrain advantage, which further enabled their ability to easily repel the enemy.

The layout formed the early structure of a fortress.

In truth, that was how Kant thought things out.

The threat posed by the Jackalans was huge and nearby. It was possible for them to easily overwhelm the Oasis Lookout.

Peaceful development was a luxury that Drondheim was unable to afford.

Kant needed to build his village like a fortress, but he also needed to do more. The ultimate goal he had for Drondheim was for it to attain the castles available in the system. They were tall, sturdy constructs capable of making one side of the place utterly impregnable.

They were at the southernmost part of the Nahrin Desert, which was the location of the only oasis with a water source.

It was to become a main transport hub.

Be it to venture deep into the Nahrin Desert from the Senwaya Range or to cross into the range from the desert and enter human civilization, that small oasis was destined to become a place travelers had to pass through.

Kant's Drondheim was expected to serve as the heart of the desert.

At present, Kant also had to deal with the most direct threat to his place—the Jackalans.

With those simple defenses put in place, it enabled him to rely only on 30 Swadian Recruits and 35 Swadian Militia to resist a nightly ambush from over 500 Jackalans.

As long as the Jackalans did not bring anything out of the ordinary, they would have the capacity to resist those attacks.

I'll at least have the capacity to defend myself.

Kant nodded to himself.

While the threat from the Jackalan Tribe was still out there, Kant's development was carried out quickly.

Things were changing.

At that moment, a dialog box instantly appeared on Kant's retina.

[Ding... Refugees of Swadia incident triggered]

[A group of Swadians, who were robbed of their homes due to war, are coming. They see the empty houses in your village. It makes these people, who have suffered from drifting about, see hope. They request to join your village.]

[Swadians x 50. Do you accept?]

Chapter 26: New System Functions

"Huh?" Kant was slightly startled.

"Refugees?"

He felt rather puzzled.

However, he was quickly reminded of the introduction of the houses. Thus, he immediately realized what had happened.

[House: Civilian building of stone and wooden materials. Increases population and attracts an influx of citizens when the population in the village is low. Requires 100 Denars and seven days for construction.]

That explained the attributes of the building.

All five empty houses served to attract refugees, which was why the incident happened.

It was indeed a boon for Drondheim.

"Accept!"

Kant's tone was affirmative.

He had no hesitation whatsoever.

[You have mercifully decided to accept the Swadians who have nowhere to go.]

[Acquired: Swadian Peasants x 50]

A prompt was heard from the system.

Another dialog box popped up before Kant knew what had happened.

[The Swadians are spreading the word of your deeds.]

[Reputation: +100 Honor: +1]

[Reputation System activated]

[Honor System activated]

[Current Reputation: 10 Current Honor: 1]

[Reputation can be used to accelerate construction]

[Honor can be used to draw packs]

Kant looked rather dumbfounded.

He was puzzled about what he had just read.

Did accepting those Swadian refugees actually open up new system functions?

Reputation.

Honor.

Kant knew those terms well. Both had been important stats in the game in his previous life.

They were tied to the player's evaluation and relations.

They were also tied to the number of forces the player could command.

They were even related to whether the player was able to get married and become a king.

Is something different here?

Kant realized that in that real world he was in, the system changed how those two stats worked.

This was not the Continent of Caradia that he knew.

He was not in a made-up game world.

There was also no specific data regarding much of anything, so the data did not limit the number of troops he was able to command.

As such, there was no need for evaluations and relations.

There was also no need to enhance the number of forces he was able to command.

He would not have had to mingle with noble ladies or become king of a certain nation.

"System, explain how those two stats work."

Instead of speculating, Kant chose to ask. Besides, the system was able to explain everything.

[Reputation: Acquired through winning battles and improving civilian life. Specific reputation stats are dependent on the host. Specifically, 100 reputations could be spent on hastening construction by one day.]

Now, Kant was even more baffled.

He frowned and muttered, "Can things could actually work that way?"

Back in the game he played in his previous life, lacking advanced "engineering" attributes meant requiring constructions to take tens of days to complete. That rate of construction was utterly frustrating.

A high-tempo game was rather intolerant of such a sluggish rate of construction.

Even after coming to this world, Kant still had something to complain about regarding the rate of construction. While he knew the rate was several times higher than it would have actually been, no one wanted to wait for so many days. Most people liked to have things done swiftly.

However, what truly caught Kant's attention was the system's honor function.

The system showed a dialog box to provide further elaboration regarding it.

[Honor: Acquired through the "acquisition of epic victory" and "acquisition of legendary evaluation." Specifically, one honor could be spent to enter the mall for drawing prizes, acquiring mysterious packs. Remark: Mysterious packs are divided into troop class pack, military equipment pack, item pack, construction pack, and hero pack. Please explore on your own for further details.]

Kant's eyes lit up.

He seemed to be mulling something deep down.

The honor system seemed more powerful than the reputation system.

One only needed to look at the system's description of honor to tell that much.

Epic victory.

Legendary evaluation.

Those two terms looked like extraordinarily difficult feats to achieve.

At the very least, in all three victories he scored against the Jackalans since he came to the Nahrin Desert, the comments regarding his battles had never had terms like "epic" or "legendary" in them.

It seems rather difficult to acquire honor.

Kant shook his head.

In truth, even back in the game played in his previous life, acquiring honor was much more difficult than acquiring reputation.

However, Kant was unable to help but feel curious about these things.

He opened up the Reputation System section and found he had acquired one honor.

He looked at the prizes available for drawing in the mall, which required him to only spend that one honor to get something. Kant felt very tempted to try it out.

Maybe I could give it a try? he thought.

He planned to give it a try on the spot. While honor did not come easy, it was still something usable in the mall. It would have made little difference whether he used any honor he had now or later.

"My Lord."

While he was still thinking about the mall, he heard a voice.

The System Page was turned off on his retina. Kant turned around and found a Swadian Militia member standing next to him. He frowned and asked the man, "What's the matter?"

The Swadian Militia reported, "My Lord, we have discovered quite a large number of people heading here."

"Yeah, that's right."

Kant nodded, knowing that the 50 Swadian refugees had arrived.

He turned around to look in the direction the Swadian Militia member pointed. Many people were seen dragging luggage, both huge and small, on the horizon. They were arduously making their way through the desert, heading for the oasis before their eyes.

"Is there anything you need us to do?" the militia member asked.

Kant shook his head lightly and said, "No, those people are all poor refugees from Swadia."

"They're Swadians?" The militia was slightly baffled.

There were 35 Swadian Militia members, who carried hunting crossbows in their hands, around him. All of them gathered around with the intention of getting into formation. After hearing what Kant said, they all slowly put down their weapons.

No one wanted to fight their own countrymen.

"Yeah, they're all Swadians."

Kant nodded and said at the same time, "Get food and water ready. They all look exhausted."

"Understood." The Swadian Militia members all nodded. Several of them left the group.

However, the remaining Swadian Militia members did not immediately disperse. They were still all lined up with their hunting crossbows in hand. They all narrowed their gaze on all the refugees, who were getting increasingly closer to the oasis.

Although they knew those people were their countrymen, they still saw protecting their lord and the village as their topmost priorities.

Despite being of the same nation, Swadians fought among each other time and again.

As opposed to their expressions, it went without saying that Kant looked calm.

Before too long, all 50 Swadian refugees arrived in front of Kant and the soldiers.

They all wore ragged, dirty linen clothing that made them look like beggars. Their faces were filled with grime as if it had been a long time since they last showered. All of them had a stink about them, making anyone else who got near them frown.

"Welcome to Drondheim."

Kant stepped forward and nodded, saying, "You shall all have food, water, and hope for the future."

"Thank you, Merciful Lord."

All of the refugees stood still. Their gazes were locked on Kant.

After hearing Kant welcoming them, they all merrily cheered. Many of them even shed tears.

The Continent of Caradia was far from being a peaceful place. All five nations warred against each other. In the end, it was not the nobles who suffered. The ones who suffered were those commoners at the bottom rung of society.

Bandits were everywhere. Acts of plunder from enemy forces posed a severe threat to their lives.

"Take them to shower and get them some food."

Kant turned around and said to the militia members behind him, "I'll leave you all in charge. When they're done resting, get them some simple menial work to do so they can get used to the place. Everyone has to pull their own weight in this Oasis Lookout."

"Understood." The Swadian Militia members nodded.

The soldiers gathered the refugees around and led them to the Council Hall and newly constructed houses.

The food was ready.

It was time for the Oasis Lookout troops to have lunch.

"System Mall."

Kant remained standing where he was. A dialog box appeared on his retina.

A treasure chest-like image was on the dialog box.

Kant instantly realized something.

If there was some prize to be drawn, it was probably the chest doing the work. That meant the draw was definitely random.

"System, activate prize drawing in the mall," Kant quietly muttered to himself.

[Ding... System Mall activated]

[Due to this being your first time using the System Mall, you get an extra chance at drawing x 1]

A dialog box from the system appeared on his retina.

However, it gave Kant a surprise.

An extra chance at drawing? Does that mean I can draw twice?

"Begin the drawing."

Kant had no hesitation in making the decision.

The image of the treasure chest on his retina began to slowly open.

The treasure chest gradually opened. Mysterious colors were visible. At that moment, Kant heard a prompt.

[Ding... You have acquired troop class pack]

[Your troop class attracted a small group of Desert Bandits to join your forces.]

[Acquired: Desert Bandit x 10]

A System Prompt was heard. Kant was dumbfounded.

"What a prize." As he gulped, his eyes showed obvious surprise in them.

That one draw gave him 10 Desert Bandits.

Recruiting in the lair required at least seven weeks to complete. That meant recruiting 10 Desert Bandits to serve him would have taken approximately two months. Instead, that feat was easily completed with just one simple draw.

Chapter 27: Special Reward from the System

He gained 10 Desert Bandits without having to do anything, which made him incredibly happy.

With the six Desert Bandits resting in the lair added to the fray, as well as the building's trait allowing him to recruit one Desert Bandit every week, he only needed to wait for a month to gather 20 Desert Bandits. At that time, he would have the ability to build a cavalry platoon.

He would have a platoon of cavalry units created with bandits, who were known for their ferocity.

All of them were armed with spears and pilums.

As such, when the group of Desert Bandits grew to a certain size, he could use them to shock troops crashing down onto enemy lines. As auxiliary units added to the mix, they could harass enemy formations.

For those bandits used to living in the desert, they were all familiar with these tactics.

"Very nice."

Kant smiled.

Anticipation was seen in his eyes.

His first draw gave him a lofty reward. He wondered what he would come from his second draw.

He quietly muttered, "Continue drawing."

The system confirmed the command.

The dialog box refreshed on his retina. A new treasure chest appeared.

It slowly opened.

The rainbow lights gradually turned golden.

[Ding... You have acquired item pack.]

[You opened the item pack and found Intimidation (Banner).]

[Acquired: Intimidation' (Banner)]

At the same time, Kant saw a card with a banner-like image appear in the dialog box on his retina.

His pupils slightly contracted.

"Well... Umm..." Kant mumbled.

He quickly realized something and said, "System, open introductions of the item."

[Intimidation (Banner)]

[Attribute: 1. Reduce enemy morale within a 500-yard radius. 2. Put enemy forces in mass panic when killing enemy leaders. 3. Disperse enemy forces easily due to panic and fear. 4. Boost your forces' morale when the enemy suffers casualties.]

[Introduction: This is a legendary banner. Victory belongs to you with the banner by your side.]

He was dumbfounded.

He was truly dumbfounded.

If the first draw surprised him, the second draw nearly terrified him.

That was because of the attributes of the item he had drawn.

It was capable of reducing enemy morale, which meant tearing down the will of the enemy to fight and making the bravest of warriors into scared recruits. It even allowed him to cause them to suffer mental breakdowns, forcing them to leave the battlefield in fear.

There was more to it than that.

The banner also enabled the death of enemy forces, which would boost his forces' morale.

This is some goddamn sacred tool of the battlefield!

The banner's effects meant that even the weakest and most timid of sissies would be effected. It enabled his forces to fight the enemy while roaring at the top of their lungs.

Intimidation, eh...

He gulped.

Kant's pupils contracted as he considered what it all meant.

He quickly recovered from the dazed state, which had been caused by the shock of learning about such an item being in his possession.

The card with the image of the banner was still on his retina.

Kant felt his throat become rather parched.

By then, he had recognized the origins of that item. It, of course, had a lot to do with the system.

"Light and Darkness."

Kant's eyes brightened as he muttered, "The name of the mod—Intimidation."

The Intimidation banner was actually from one of the system's mods, Light and Darkness. It was a title acquired when the player fulfilled some strict and unforgiving requirements.

The effects were also similar.

However, that intangible title had become a real banner.

Its effects were modified to affect the entire battlefield with that specific radius from the flag.

"Materialize."

Kant linked his mind to the system. The data started flowing about.

When the data streams dispersed, the banner fell onto his hand.

It was the Intimidation banner.

Its staff was made from a yew tree, and its thickness felt exactly right. It enabled a grown adult to firmly clinch it.

The top of the staff had a banner, which was woven using the finest of linen, hanging from it. It was dyed in crimson colors that resembled blood. A majestic lion was sewn onto the middle of the banner.

The banner swayed even when there was no wind as if to intimidate anyone who was up to no good.

So, this is Intimidation.

Kant felt his mouth become dry.

However, his eyes had gotten increasingly bright as he looked on with passion and surprise.

It was not just because he had acquired an item that could have been considered sacred.

Kant's thoughts went further than that.

He had discovered that the system, which had come into the world with him, was not a regular version. It had carried a mod that came with mystical items and powerful troop classes.

It was just like the Light and Darkness mod.

There was more than just Intimidation. There was also Commanding Power and Supreme Commander's Might.

There were also all manners of truly sacred items.

Well, well, well…

Kant held the banner firmly and asked the system, "If I acquire ample honor and draw in the System Mall, would I be able to summon these sacred items from the mod?"

The System gave him a short, concise answer. "You could."

"This is great!"

Kant nodded slowly. His eyes were filled with excitement.

He had been in that world for 16 years. He knew that in a world of swords and magic, everything was not what it seemed to be on the surface.

Mysterious mages.

Ferocious alien races.

None were the same as that on Earth from his previous life.

Due to the system providing troops that only used cold weapons, from Kant's perspective, he was bound to meet unusual powers that would be difficult to resist.

That problem was now solved.

The prize drawings had given him sacred items with special attributes. They were on par with those unusual powers.

It was just as Kant knew the place to be.

The Dukedom of Leo worshipped Edmund the God of War, who bestowed his worshippers with divine spells related to war. However, divine spells like Intimidation were only accessible to top-class priests of the Warrior Faith.

At the moment, Kant was able to easily get his hands on items that equaled high-level divine spells in terms of power.

I sure look forward to the future.

He lowered his head and snickered.

Jackalans? So what?

I could get rid of them using zero-level peasants working with a small group of first- and second-level low-class troop classes.

With Kant coming into possession of Intimidation, which worked like a sacred item, he saw no need to fear threats from the primitive race.

The power he had come to possess was even more powerful.

Kant held onto the banner and headed into the Oasis Lookout.

The smell of food in the air immediately hit his nose. It was lunchtime in Drondheim.

The refugees, who were done showering and neatly dressed in new clothes, gathered to enjoy a simple lunch. All of them had smiles on their faces. They had all become subjects of Kant's fief. They planned to live a good life there as Swadian Peasants.

The builders also stopped working. They gathered around the watchtower, which was more than half-finished, and ate with their heads hung low.

All of them enjoyed protection.

Swadian Recruits and Swadian Militia took turns eating and standing guard on both ends of the street and the roofs.

At the top of the dunes, on both the northern and eastern sides, militia members were carrying hunting crossbows. They served as guards, vigilantly eyeing the desert before them and guarding their home against possible Jackalan forces.

Many people appeared in the Desert Bandit Lair.

Suddenly, 16 fierce-looking Desert Bandits emerged. All of them were well-armed and looked like manifestations of the term "ferocious."

They were all true ruffians.

"This is my village, Drondheim."

Kant smiled.

Many stood and bowed to him respectfully.

It was a gesture of respect paid to their lord.

Kant nodded to all of them one after another. He did not look arrogant. He simply remained quiet and composed.

A militia member offered to hold the banner for him.

Kant arranged for the Intimidation banner to be erected at the door of the Council Hall. With its ability to extend 500 yards, it was just about enough to cover the entire Oasis Lookout. The banner itself was able to be moved at a moment's notice as well.

The smell of food had grown increasingly thick.

Food that had been prepared specifically for Kant was brought to him.

Kant took a deep breath. He looked very contented.

"Let's eat."

Chapter 28: A New Week

The early morning sun rose on the eastern side of the desert.

The temperature gradually rose. Despite not having been freed of the chill of dawn just yet, the morning sun still brought warmth to the place.

It was a new day.

At the same time, it was also a new week for everyone at the Oasis Lookout.

Sunlight shone on the wooden window of the Council Hall. Several birds of unknown names chirped and flapped their wings. They were seemingly happy at the arrival of dawn as well.

Everything looked peaceful.

"It's morning, eh?" Kant woke up.

He rubbed his face a little, gradually clearing his head of the dazed state of being half-asleep.

He lifted the woolen blanket. He grabbed the clothes at the top of his bed and put them on. He was no longer able to continue sleeping.

The system had given him a prompt.

[Ding... As the morning sun rises, a new week begins.]

[Income: Your Drondheim (village) collected 50 Denars in taxes.]

[Expenditure: You have paid 360 Denars to your forces as salary.]

All the sleepiness he had was immediately dispelled.

This really is a heavy blow. Kant was dumbfounded.

The System closed the account once a week. Kant did not have villages or regular forces before, so he had no taxes to collect or payments of any kind to settle.

As such, he had forgotten all about it.

He looked at the expenditure column. He frowned at the high amount of 360 Denars.

This isn't just paying a lot...

It's paying a hell of a lot!

Kant looked troubled and gritted his teeth. "This is terrible."

Then again, there was nothing he could have done about it.

According to the size of his current forces, the weekly expenditure was important and hefty. It was so much so that it far exceeded the amount he had spent building the village's buildings.

Swadian Recruit, one Denar per week.

Swadian Militia, four Denars per week.

Desert Bandit, 12 Denars per week.

Those were the weekly individual payouts.

With the number of troops thrown in, it had grown to be:

30 Denars for 30 Swadian Recruits

140 Denars for 35 Swadian Militias

192 Denars for 16 Desert Bandits

The total was 360 Denars.

The expenditure incurred by the weekly maintenance of his forces gave Kant quite a headache.

The numbers looked almost terrifying.

"System." Kant sighed. "Display the remaining amount."

[Capital: 20 Denars]

The system plainly listed the requested data.

Kant was unable to do anything but allow a bitter smirk to form. "I knew it."

A week ago, Kant, who just arrived at the Oasis Lookout, had acquired 1000 Denars as a reward.

Seven days had quickly passed.

Now, 20 Denars were left in his account.

That bit of money left in the game in his previous life would have meant bankruptcy. Worse still, Kant was in a real world. Without Denars, the currency recognized by the system, getting around in the world was nearly impossible.

He was not able to maintain his forces, let alone develop the village.

At present, he sorely lacked the 360 Denars required to pay his forces for the upcoming week.

There was an option to disband his forces.

However, that meant digging his own grave.

The threat of the Jackalans loomed over him like the Sword of Damocles hanging over one's head. If he disbanded his forces, the next time the ferocious primitive race hit, the Oasis Lookout would likely end up razed altogether.

The end of the line, eh.

Kant shook his head. He felt a surge of exhaustion overwhelm him.

He walked out of his room and went downstairs. He headed outside the Council Hall.

Many peasants were working by the side of the pond. They were digging up sand and mud.

"Good morning, My Lord.

"Good morning, Our Revered Lord."

"My Lord, good morning."

When they saw him, all of them greeted Kant.

Kant nodded and said, "Morning."

He turned around and looked at the side of the Council Hall. The 26-foot-tall watchtower was finished.

The tower was completed the day before. The builders from Suno had all left the Oasis Lookout through the system.

There was little to nitpick about their construction skills.

The base was constructed from stone. The main body was constructed with wooden materials nailed together. The roof looked like that of a small house. All aspects of the structure looked as sturdy and reliable as they could have been. It looked finer than the usual workmanship of watchtowers found in common villages.

There was one Swadian Militia currently standing guard above. Holding his hunting crossbow, he was on high alert.

Four Swadian Recruits, who were armed with spears, stood at the base of the watchtower. They served as messengers. They relayed any news received from the tower to every corner of the oasis.

The 26-foot-tall watchtower had a great view.

Even if the Jackalans gathered and attacked again, the Swadian Militia was prepared. As long as there was ample light in their surroundings, their good view from the watchtower allowed them to detect anything before an attack.

It provided them enough time to get their defenses ready and give the Jackalans a run for their money.

"My Lord, good morning."

The Desert Bandits had returned. They were still on their horses.

They currently served as scouts. They patrolled around the Oasis Lookout. They had found nothing unusual during their patrol.

That was good news.

However, the leading Desert Bandit frowned and looked at Kant before saying, "Please forgive the forthcoming tone, My Lord, but I seem to find you looking rather displeased."

It was more than just being displeased. Everyone throughout the oasis noted Kant's upset face.

It was all due to problems with capital.

Kant nodded slightly and did not bother denying. "Yeah, I'm not quite in the mood."

The Desert Bandits were unable to do anything to solve that.

It was such that in that world. Solutions for certain problems were few and far between.

At the very least, Kant still had no idea of how to use the world's currencies to exchange for the Denars required by the system.

Currencies like Great Silver and Gold did not elicit any reaction from the system. Kant experimented back in the Dukedom of Leo. He had asked the system if the exchange was possible.

The system had given him a short, concise answer. "It is not possible."

The acquisition of Denars was only possibly by finishing quests from the system.

Oh well. Kant sighed. It's like I have System Quests to do every day.

It seemed as if the system realized what Kant was thinking.

A dialog box immediately appeared on his retina.

[Ding... Main Quest Assigned]

[Main Quest: Value of Denar]

[Reward: grocery store x 1]

[Introduction: Denar is the only currency, but it is not something that cannot be exchanged. Find an area and deposit all of your current Denars. You will acquire the only building that can solve your current predicament.]

Huh? Kant read the message on the retina and frowned.

This is a main quest...

It looks rather simple.

No. It isn't just simple. It looks almost free!

A grocery store?

Kant gulped. He was reminded of the game from his previous life. There were four types of shops in the markets of cities and towns.

A grocery store was one of them.

He turned his eyes toward the Council Hall.

To the east, there was the watchtower and Desert Bandit Lair, but there was nothing to the west.

"System, build the place there."

Kant had made a quick decision.

Data streams instantly surged. On the western side of the Council Hall, where he had just had his eyes on, a typical Swadian building of stone and wood appeared within mere seconds.

Chapter 29: Trade Caravan from Reyvadin

A new building instantly appeared.

It stood right on the western side of the Council Hall, which was more than 2,142 square feet, and was level with the five Swadian houses.

It was like two parallel lines.

Kant had planned this layout of the buildings and streets.

When Kant took a good look at the grocery store, he found the place to look rather rough compared to the other meticulously built buildings.

The base was constructed from stone while its main body was formed with wood tied with ropes. The window also served as an open counter. It was built with thick wooden planks that supported the window on both sides from the ground up. It also provided shade from the sun.

However, there was nothing on the counter.

The entire grocery store was empty. Merchants notwithstanding, there was not even a single piece of merchandise found within it.

A prompt came from the system.

[Ding... Your new building was finished thanks to your hard work.]

[Main Quest: Value of Denar completed]

[Reward: Grocery Store x 1]

[Introduction: You now own a grocery store capable of exchanging items for Denar. Of course, you are required to possess items of "value" to the system before you can exchange them for Denar.]

Kant frowned.

He looked around the empty store and saw the introduction on the dialog box.

His gaze lingered on the word that was being emphasized.

Kant repeated the line, "Items of 'value,' eh?"

The line looked simple.

It looked so simple that it felt impossible to comprehend.

However, Kant remained puzzled as to what the items of value meant.

Great Silver?

Precious jewelry?

He had tried trading with the system using such items back at the castle in the Dukedom of Leo but to no avail.

"System, I don't understand."

Kant frowned.

He needed to ask about anything that puzzled him. As such, he contacted the system in his mind and asked, "What do you mean by 'value' in this case?"

The system was quiet for a bit.

A reply came seconds later. "Items with mystical powers."

"Items with mystical powers?" Kant frowned even harder.

The term sounded rather complex.

"Indeed."

The system swiftly provided an example. "Peculiar items with effects like those of Intimidation could be used to exchange for Denar."

It was Kant's turn to stay silent.

He turned around and looked at the Intimidation banner erected at the door of the Council Hall.

Even though there was no wind around, it slightly billowed.

A golden lion baring its fangs and claws was sewn on the red background, giving it a shock factor.

It was as if the lion were about to eat someone alive.

"Peculiar items, eh."

Kant muttered.

He now had an idea of what kinds of things the system considered as being of value.

He lowered his head for a moment and slowly asked, "Do you mean magical items?"

"Indeed." The reply from the system was short and concise.

Kant's face displayed a bitter smirk. "I knew it."

In this world, one of swords and magic, there were the likes of the Jackalans, Dwarves, Elves, Beastmen, and other races. There were also professions, such as mages, priests, and the likes, which possessed items of mystical powers.

Examples of which included magical items.

Then again, due to those items being of mystical powers, they were also especially precious.

Kant read a lot about them in the books from the scholars, but the only piece that he had truly seen with his own eyes was in the room of his cheapskate father, the Duke of Cameron.

It was a set of armor.

The armor was comprised of two layers of fine mail armor that were covered by a layer of scales on the outside.

The palace mages of the Dukedom of Leo infused the set of armor with mysterious magical powers. It enabled its defense to be reinforced while its weight was reduced. The magical spells infused also prevented it from rusting, making the set of armor one of the most precious pieces of treasure owned by the line of dukes of the dukedom.

It was so precious that Kant, the youngest son of the duke, was deemed unqualified to touch it.

That alone spoke volumes of the extreme rarity of such magical items.

Buying something like that, from what Kant remembered, was as difficult as reaching heaven.

"Hell, what's even the point then?"

He continued wearing that bitter smirk and grumbled at the system.

Such items served as anchors and heirlooms of clans. At the very least, Kant had never seen any noble clans selling such items before.

Even if those nobles fell into decline, the ones who sold such items had been limited to a very small handful in history. Those magical items still served to lift the fallen clans up again one day. If they were sold, those clan would have been done for through and through.

Furthermore, even if there were to be people selling such items...

Kant had no money to buy them.

"System, would you be able to provide some more substantial advice?

He continued to smirk as he shook his head.

"Yes."

The system actually answered, which was something unexpected.

Kant was stunned. He asked, "What would that be?"

The system did not answer.

Instead, a quest was given.

[Ding… Special Quest assigned]

[Special Quest: Explore the Mysterious]

[Reward: 5,000 Denars]

[Introduction: The Jackalan Tribe deep in the desert seems to have hidden some sort of mystical power. Maybe you should take a look and seek the source of said power.]

From what he was able to tell from the introduction, the quest seemed simple.

It was a scouting quest.

However, Kant quickly frowned soon after. "Explore the mysterious?"

He was proficient in deductive reasoning.

As such, he was easily able to discover the hidden meaning of the quest.

It was not possible that it was anything else.

It was definitely a scouting quest.

Based on what he was told in the introduction, if he was unable to find out what the source of that mysterious power was, there was no way for him to finish the quest.

It was a special quest.

The last time he had this type of quest, he was told to look into the military organizations of that world.

The reward had been the light crossbow currently on his back.

Things will be difficult this time though. He slowly sighed.

It was not just difficult.

It was extremely difficult.

After all, he was tasked to look into the Jackalan Tribe deep in the desert.

That tribe was huge. From what he was able to find out so far, it had a population of over 2,500.

Look into that place?

That is like saying I have a death wish!

If those Jackalans all rushed out from their tribe, they were capable of engulfing the entire Oasis Lookout. If he told his forces, which were fewer than 80 strong, to fight an enemy force of 2,500, it was like having them dig their own graves.

Sheer numbers alone were more than enough to overwhelm the difference in quality.

Besides, the quality of Kant's forces had yet to reach the ability to fight 10 at a time and still come out on top.

"The special quest does not have a set completion date."

The system replied, "It also will not clash with other quests. You're free to think about how to deal with it."

Kant nodded. "That's more like it."

If it were something that clashed with other quests, he would have had to finish it first. It would have been something beyond Kant's current abilities. At this juncture, he still had no way of acquiring more Denar.

Even with the path assigned, it was still something beyond him to accomplish.

His near-empty remaining capital meant that he would not have had enough funds to pay his forces the following week.

He also had run out of developmental funds at the same time.

[Ding... A trade caravan from Reyvadin is here.]

A prompt was heard from the system.

Kant slightly frowned.

"A trade caravan from Reyvadin?" He felt rather confused.

At the northern dune, not far away, a Swadian Militia member quickly came waving at them, shouting, "Unknown figures incoming! Unknown figures incoming!"

Are they here?

Kant frowned and thought about that so-called trade caravan.

However, he still told the Desert Bandits, who were standing by at his side, "Go and check them out!"

"Understood."

The 16 Desert Bandits nodded and got onto their horses. They rode straight for the northern dune.

It was the Nahrin Desert, after all, so letting one's guard down was a bad idea.

However, all Desert Bandits returned with three carriages. Several riders and walking servants followed at a leisurely pace. These foreign people seemed to be having a good time chatting among themselves.

It was obvious that they were not the enemy.

They gradually arrived at his place.

The Swadian Militia members, who were in charge of defense on the rooftops of Drondheim, eyed them vigilantly with their hunting crossbows lifted.

"My Lord, they're here."

The Desert Bandits rode their horses to where Kant was and respectfully reported, "They are a trade caravan from Reyvadin."

"Right." Kant nodded.

He eyed the three carriages. There was one leader and six escorts, as well as 12 mercenary troops. All of them were members of the trade caravan. He calmed considerably, even though these people wore their weapons out in the open.

He knew that they were a trade caravan from the game.

The leader of the trade caravan was eloquent.

Seeing how all the Desert Bandits paid respects to Kant, he knew right away that the man before him was the lord.

He quickly shot a look at the six escorts, who were riding on their horses. All of them got off their horses and bowed respectfully, saying, "Revered Lord of Swadia, we are a trade caravan from Reyvadin. We hereby offer our sincerest respect to you."

Chapter 30: Dates Traded for Wheat

The trade caravan members behaved rather respectfully toward Kant. Not the slightest hint of rudeness was seen in them.

In their subconscious, Kant was like a greater noble from the Continent of Caradia, even if he was a Swadian. That status demanded respect even from Swadian nobles, so it went without saying with nobles like those of the trade caravan.

"Yeah." Kant only nodded. His expression remained unchanged.

His noble status had been assigned by the system.

He turned his gaze behind the caravan. Their goods were all neatly packaged on the three carriages. One was easily able to tell that they were packed with items to sell.

It's a pity.

Kant sighed deep down.

He had no funds to make any purchases.

"My Lord, these are all specialties brought all the way from Reyvadin."

The trade caravan leader smiled and explained, "Our trade caravan sells very affordable wool. We also offer tools, raw iron, and linen cloth, as well as food, such as dried meat, smoked fish, and wheat."

He paused and said, "Of course, we buy specialties as well."

"You buy specialties?"

Kant frowned and asked, "How?"

That piqued his interest.

Before this caravan arrived, he had no idea that he was able to sell goods to trade caravans.

"Yes, we do purchase certain items."

The trade caravan leader took a look at the side of the Council Hall. He eyed the grocery store and said with an interesting expression, "I see that you have an empty store, My Lord. If you do not mind, I'm thinking of having my team move the goods over there. We would like to stay here for a week."

"Alright." Kant nodded. "You have one week to do whatever you need to do."

He swiftly agreed to it.

He had no funds at the moment, so he was unable to buy anything.

"Many thanks, My Lord."

The leader was grateful. He immediately bowed to express his gratitude.

The mercenary troops behind him led their carriages over to the grocery store, leaving deep tracks in the sand. It was obvious that all three carriages were fully packed.

Kant knew that fact deep down.

Trade caravans throughout the Continent of Caradia followed certain trade routes.

Purchases were made in cities along the route at low prices and then sold at high prices, or said goods were accumulated to be ferried back to their cities of origin.

That was the basic conduct of commerce.

There's nothing I can sell from this place of mine though.

Kant bitterly chuckled to himself.

While his place was named Drondheim, it paled in comparison to the real Drondheim on the Continent of Caradia.

His tiny village was not even self-sufficient. Even if he had help from the system, developing commerce at this stage was an absurd notion.

However, he still let the trade caravan do as they pleased.

After all, it was a good thing to have more people around the Oasis Lookout.

Kant shrugged and said in a self-depreciative manner, "At least I now feel less like an outcast in the world."

Afterward, he quickly recomposed himself.

He walked toward Council Hall. He had some plans regarding that special mission.

He soon arrived outside the Council Hall's door and went inside.

The Swadian Militia member, who stood guard at the door of the Council Hall with his heavy spear in hand, came over to Kant just as he sat down. The militia member respectfully said, "My Lord, the trade caravan leader wishes to see you."

The Council Hall was not a place that just anyone could enter

"Let him in."

Kant nodded. It was obvious that he saw the leader waiting right outside the door.

The leader of the trade caravan looked like he was in his 40s. There were some silver hairs by the side of his head, but he still looked rather sprightly. There was no doubt that someone capable of leading a caravan from a city alone was anything but ordinary.

In truth, such positions were usually taken by top-class retired soldiers.

While the leader was equipped only with a sword and wore scale armor, his proficiency with his weapon and skill on the back of a horse was on par with that of a Swadian Knight.

However, he behaved unusually meek before Kant.

He bowed and hung his head low. "My Lord, forgive the intrusion."

"It's alright. I'm not busy right now."

Kant looked at the leader and asked, "Is there anything you need to discuss?"

The leader respectfully replied, "My Lord, I see that your village seems to have Date Palm Trees planted. If you have ample stock, we would like to purchase some of the dates."

"You want to buy dates?" Kant was dumbfounded.

The leader nodded affirmatively and continued, "Indeed, My Lord. Dates are a specialty of the Sarrand Sultanate, and they are delicious. They sell quite well in other countries."

"Of course, sure." Kant nodded right away.

He had collected over a dozen baskets of the dates the previous week. While they had eaten some since then, there were enough to fill 10 baskets.

Kant frowned and asked in return, "Denars?"

The currency of the trade was, of course, Denars.

It was the only currency recognized by the system.

"Of course."

The leader nodded and looked rather curious. He asked, "My Lord, would you like to trade those dates for some of our goods? We could barter as well. Of course, the prices of the goods trade would still need to be equal."

Kant was slightly puzzled.

However, he quickly returned to his senses and said, "No, there is no need for that. Denars will do fine."

"As you wish." The leader felt rather puzzled himself.

The leader had no idea that Kant wanted Denars so bad that he was almost unable to think of anything else. He was so desperate that he actually thought of charging into the tribe filled with ferocious primitive creatures and fighting his way through those beasts.

He was unable to do anything without Denars.

"I need someone around."

Kant said to the militia member guarding the door, "Take our friend here to our stores and let them have a look at our freshly dried dates."

The militia member nodded. "Understood."

The leader excused himself and headed to the storage room at the side of the Council Hall with the militia member. More than a dozen baskets of dates were stacked there. All of them had just finished being dried under the sun.

The dates people usually talked about were the dried end products.

Freshly plucked dates had little shelf life to speak of. Sun-dried dates were more well-suited to be stored and carried around in a desert climate.

Furthermore, dried dates tasted even sweeter.

The leader soon emerged. He was chewing on a date that he carried in his hand. His face had a mesmerized expression. He said, "My Lord, these dates are good."

"They are high-grade stuff." Kant nodded and smiled.

He knew that very well.

These dates were produced by the system, so they were definitely fine products.

"Very good indeed."

That leader gulped down the rest of the date. He looked at Kant and respectfully said, "If you are willing, I would like to offer 50 Denars per basket for the dates."

"50 Denars?" Kant frowned.

That meant 10 baskets of dates only equaled 500 Denars.

Those baskets contained most of the fruits plucked from 20 Date Palm Trees, and they totaled thousands of pounds.

The leader shrugged slightly and wore an exasperated expression. "My Lord, while the dates do taste good, they are not necessary items. It is actually due to many eating these things in the desert that they are able to fetch a slightly high price."

He paused for a bit and continued, "If the dates were to be of bad quality, we wouldn't be offering 50 Denars per basket in the first place."

"Will do. We'll sell them according to the price you offered."

Kant wore a calm expression. He looked as if nothing was wrong.

He was actually feeling very bitter deep down. He thought that merchants were indeed sly people.

If he had any other choice, he would not have wanted to sell those dates.

They served as food reserves for his people.

"You have made a wise decision," the leader said, sucking up to Kant.

Kant wore a faint smile and replied, "Maybe I did."

A Denar shortage was his biggest headache at the moment. He had no choice but to sell those dates to maintain his forces. Compared to bread, dates were not that filling despite being very nutritious.

Kant suddenly seemed to have realized something. He asked the leader, "Do you have wheat among your goods?"

"Yes, we do."

The leader said, "It is 50 Denars for one bag of wheat. You could choose to plant them or grind them down to flour."

"I want a bag." Kant nodded and said, "I'm thinking of planting them."

"In that case, I shall find you the best bag among the bunch."

The leader smiled and said, "If you plant them in an oasis, you need to make that the wheat gets enough water. Otherwise, the scorching weather will burn the wheat seedlings."

"Thank you for the reminder," Kant replied with a smile.

The Swadian Peasants already knew that.

All the mud they dredged up from the pond was to serve as fertilizer for the wheat.

It was an act of killing two birds with one stone.

Chapter 31: Scholar Hank's Expedition

In the Nahrin Desert, the sun remained scorching.

Rowan, the captain of the knights, rode on his warhorse, his tired face looking jaded and exasperated.

He had finally returned to the castle of the Dukedom of Leo after an arduous journey. However, he had not been able to rest for even a single day before being assigned to new tasks by his superiors. He was told to serve as an escort and guide to that desert that had nothing but sand.

"O' Great Edmund the God of War, may you bestow protection upon your loyal worshippers."

Rowan looked at the sun above. The surrounding temperature, which was comparable to that of an oven, felt intolerable to him. He was tired of this.

He still had not had enough of the lager in the tavern. He had not been able to greet his beautiful wife. He also had yet to get a decent dinner before he'd been summoned and told to escort a renowned scholar who wanted to survey the Nahrin Desert.

What could there be in that sh*thole, anyway?

Rowan lamented deep down as he licked his parched lips. He sensed that familiar taste of wind and dust in his mouth.

He felt as if he was on the verge of a breakdown.

From his perspective, those scholars, who enjoyed lofty amounts of allowance from the administration, should have just remained back in their offices in the academy researching what was known in earnest instead of coming out to eat wind and dust in the desert, as well as being baked by the sun like they currently were.

Rowan turned his head around. He felt exasperated.

He had a lot to grumble about deep down, but he dared not voice anything out loud. The man behind him was not someone he could afford to offend.

The scholar rode in a carriage all on his own. The escort knights were no longer those who served under Rowan. All 50 of them were retainer knights from the castle. They wore double-layered mail armor covered with linen robes and carried lances in their hands.

They were obviously of high status.

In truth, if it were not for the need of a guide, Rowan would not have been qualified to be in that entourage.

Then again, Rowan had no intention of joining.

This was just sad.

Rowan turned around and looked at the vast sea of sand before him. He grew increasingly frustrated.

Since they were already in the Nahrin Desert, subjected to the harsh temperatures and torturous troubles, thinking about it further served little use. The only thing he was now able to do was to get those people as quickly to the Oasis Lookout as possible.

He sighed heavily.

The face of the young baron, who looked childish yet was actually cold and unfeeling, appeared in his mind.

...

Night fell.

The entourage in the desert settled down and set up camp.

The old scholar pulled the drapes on his carriage open. He walked out of the cushioned interior with his cane in hand. He looked at the darkened, winding dune and calmly said, "This is the second day."

Hobson, who had a stout frame, walked behind him.

That man wore double-layered mail armor and a longsword at his hip. While it was easy to tell that the man was tired, his eyes remained spirited and vigilant.

He was the true leader of the entourage on that trip and a knight titled by the dukedom.

"Revered Scholar Hank, please do not worry."

Hobson's voice was thick and mesmerizing. He continued from where the scholar left off. "According to our guide, we should arrive at the Oasis Lookout tomorrow evening."

"That would be splendid." Scholar Hank nodded. "Thank you for your hard work, Sir Hobson."

Hobson smiled and said, "This was an arrangement made by Duke Cameron. I'm just following my orders."

He turned around and looked at the deeper parts of the desert. His eyes gleamed with a hint of curiosity as he said, "Scholar Hank, I'm curious. Is the legendary lost city really there?"

The scholar was silent.

The scholar turned to look at the deeper parts of the desert and the winding dune before them. He softly said, "That is uncertain."

"Uncertain?" Sir Hobson looked rather disappointed.

Both men were silent.

Among the folk legends of the Dukedom of Leo, there was one that said something about a lost city.

More accurately put, the folk legendary had been around before the Dukedom of Leo was founded. It was a city built from gold and gemstone, which made it look like a kingdom of gods. It was a great city that was mysteriously lost in history.

"Right. It seems that the Oasis Lookout has a new lord now."

The scholar seemed to have recalled something and said, "I heard my colleagues talking about that before we came to the Nahrin Desert."

Hobson nodded and said, "There is indeed a lord claiming the place."

"Oh." The scholar's brow was slightly raised. His eyes looked on with some bit of disbelief as he asked, "Who has taken the place? I thought the greedy nobles would still have some sense in them."

Hobson pretended as if he was oblivious to the sarcastic jab and replied, "It was Kant."

"Kant, eh?"

The scholar was slightly surprised. His face, which was filled with wrinkles, looked rather puzzled as he asked, "That hardworking kid?"

"Are you familiar with him?" Hobson felt rather curious.

"Aye. I know the kid. He is a good fellow."

Scholar Hank nodded. A slight frown appeared on his face as he said, "He once studied in our academy. I remember him to be a kid from a decent family but definitely not one that was considered wealthy." He paused and asked, "How did he become the lord of the Oasis Lookout?"

Hobson shrugged and answered, "He was the youngest son of Duke Cameron."

"Youngest son of Duke Cameron?" The scholar's expression was one of incredible shock.

"Indeed." Hobson nodded.

Scholar Hank chuckled bitterly. Feeling rather puzzled, he asked, "If he's the youngest son of the duke, why didn't he say anything back then? I always liked that kid. He really was studious."

The scholars were focused on their academic pursuits in the academy. As such, they were not that keen on such news at times.

Sir Hobson was aware of that much, at least.

Hobson looked at the retainer knights around, who were busy with one task or another, and felt rather overwhelmed. He said, "Kant's mother was a princess of the Silver Platter Kingdom."

"The hell." Scholar Hank's expression became stiff.

It took him quite a while to recompose himself. He looked at Hobson and asked in a solemn tone, "Is that true?"

Sir Hobson nodded. "It is true."

Both men were silent again.

Scholar Hank sighed and held onto his cane. In a rather sad tone, he said, "It's no surprise why that kid has been exiled to become a lord of this place then." He lamented, "He really was a hardworking, studious kid."

"It is a pity," Hobson lamented as well.

Back in the castle, he had liked that young baron, who knew how to respect others.

Hobson turned around to look at Rowan, who was on his horse. Hobson shook his head for a bit and returned to his previous stern demeanor. He said, "Scholar Hank, please get some rest. We will ride at first light."

"Rest well, you people. I'll be in the carriage."

The scholar nodded and smiled.

However, his expression remained serious when he took his cane. He had recalled bits of information from the books he read. He couldn't help but say, "I believe the legendary lost city is more than just a legend." He remembered being ridiculed by his peers when he'd arrived at the academy. He tapped his cane onto the sand and said, "I shall prove this."

Chapter 32: Cultivating Lands of the Oasis

Early the next morning, the Oasis Lookout remained busy.

The Swadian Peasants, who had once been refugees, were very eager to show their appreciation for the village their livelihood depended on. All of them put everything they had into their work.

They had suffered enough in their days of drifting about, so they had no intention of remaining as refugees who lost their land.

They were all hardworking people.

After three days of hard work, the spring water pond was finally cleaned.

All the black mud underneath was dredged out and spread over the northern side to make the agricultural area. They were making use of what would have otherwise been trash.

It was much more than just useless mud.

When it came to agricultural development, it was an indispensable high-grade fertilizer.

The mud, which exuded a rotten stench in the sun, was spread out on the land reserved for agricultural development. Using their hoes, the peasants mixed the mud up with the soil, which helped loosen the ground at the same time.

It was soon time to plant the seeds.

The wheat exchanged for 50 Denars was not something to be eaten.

Instead, it was seeds vital for development.

The early stages of agricultural development of the Oasis Lookout depended on them.

However, judging from the land available for farming, the size of the agriculture area appeared rather pitiful.

Even if all the land in the northern part of the oasis, from the pond to the edge where the Date Palm Trees were planted, was to be cultivated, the area for farming was a measly 328 feet long and 164 feet wide.

It would have made the area around 339,768 square feet, which was equal to 7.5 acres.

It was a pitiful size for a farming area.

Even the free folk families who owned land back in the Dukedom of Leo had about five acres each.

Even the most common and average of villages had farming lands calculated in hundreds of acres. Villages that were more well to do had 500 acres of land for plantation or more.

Despite being a baron, he only had 7.5 acres of farmable land.

That thought was rather depressing.

However, there were even more depressing matters other than that. Not all 7.5 acres of that land had soil suitable for seeding. The three acres where the oasis was connected with the desert were mostly sand.

It was easy to tell from how the soil in that area was whitish. It was a sign of the soil being dry and having more sand.

While it was still farmable, production would have been appalling.

"Damn barren piece of land."

Kant lightly lamented about the situation.

Yet, that was all the farmable land he had. If it had not been for the 7.5 acres worth of land, there was no way for Drondheim to produce any food crops.

He was not in a position in which he could give up.

When he saw the peasants mixing the sandy soil with the gleaming black and stinking mud, Kant seemed to have thought of something.

He had an idea.

The Oasis Lookout in the Nahrin Desert lacked soil.

Soil, which was easily seen everywhere else, was actually a vital piece and small piece of an oasis in a desert. Other than a water source, it was the other thing that served as a crucial platform for allowing plants to grow.

However, other places did not lack such resources.

"Right."

Kant's eyes lit up.

Without thinking, he turned his eyes toward the horizon in the south.

A winding black snake seemed to be vaguely seen on the horizon. That was the end of the southern side of the Nahrin Desert. It was the majestic barrier that kept the sandstorms and sand of the desert from getting into the Dukedom of Leo. It was the Senwaya Range.

Kant's thoughts had a lot to do with that mountain range.

In the mountain range, as well as the flatlands on the other side of the mountain range, there were staggering amounts of fertile soil to be found.

If he had carriages carry soil over to the oasis, it would likely provide enough to modify the place.

That idea seemed rather stupid.

Yet, it was still one that would work.

I wonder how much time doing that will take.

Kant lightly sighed. He had considerably calmed down.

Thoughts streamed in his mind. If he were to actually carry out that stupid method of his, he knew that it would take much longer than months. For it to truly work as intended, it required years to achieve.

Still, something is better than nothing.

Seeing the peasants working on the land, Kant was eager to try it out.

That was the only way to change the Oasis Lookout.

Kant was deep in thought.

The peasants were hard at work with their specifically assigned tasks. The original sandy land was dredged up. The black mud was mixed into the barren land, bringing nutrients that had been piling for untold years in the pond.

Even the irrigation channels dug prior had been reworked.

The clear spring water from the pond flowed in the channels and began to irrigate the soil.

The basic structure of the agriculture area was formed.

Some peasants came to him and bowed slightly. A peasant respectfully said to Kant, "My Lord, the fields are now ready. Shall we begin seeding?"

"I'll leave you guys in charge," Kant answered.

He knew little about agriculture, so he deemed it best to not say anything unnecessary.

He left the task to the experts.

That was one of the key elements in Kant's management.

The Swadian Peasants were most proficient in working the land.

A peasant said in an affirmative tone, "I think if we plant the seeds now, we will be reaping wheat by autumn." He quickly added, "But, of course, we would need to keep the channels well-maintained. The dry sand does a poor job of storing water. It is crucial to keep the fields irrigated in time to make sure all the wheat seedlings get enough to drink."

Kant nodded. "Well done."

At that moment, Kant heard a prompt from the system.

A dialog box instantly appeared on his retina.

[Ding... Main Quest assigned]

[Main Quest: Seeding]

[Reward: Swadian Peasants x 50]

[Introduction: Agriculture serves as the foundation of a fief. Cultivating fields for farming and planting seeds in the fields serves as a symbol of development and a way to prosperity in a fief.]

Kant was dumbfounded that another main quest had been given.

He felt rather puzzled about it.

Ever since he came to acquire his own fief by coming to the Oasis Lookout, it seemed that the system had been increasing the amounts of quests given.

It was worth noting that it would have taken months to even get one side quest from the system when he was back in the Dukedom of Leo. After only being in the oasis for little more than a week, however, he had gotten quests of all sorts.

It was fortunate that finishing those quests had been easy.

"Seeding, eh?"

Kant called for them to get to work. His face looked rather emotional.

The Swadian Peasants who served him were actually about to plant wheat seedlings anyway.

Shallow pits were dug out from the worked fields.

Yellowish, full wheat seedlings were thrown into the pits.

The peasants placed seedlings neatly in the pits as they walked the field. Some of them carried urns and watered them.

All 7.5 acres of farmland were quickly seeded.

A dialog box from the system appeared.

[Ding... After a round of hard work, you found that the fields are seeded.]

[Main Quest: Seeding completed]

[Reward Acquired: Swadian Peasants x 50]

[Comments: Peasants are crucial to working the fields. These experienced peasants will be able to perform a great majority of agricultural work. Of course, all of them, who have a lot of attachment to their homes, are willing to take up arms to defend their land.]

Another 50 Swadian Peasants were acquired without him having to do much.

Well... Kant shook his head with disbelief. That was easy.

It was surprisingly easy.

It was so easy that it seemed to be a freely given reward.

He looked at the sun in the sky. It had not yet reached its highest point. That meant it was about 10:30 a.m.

"Check the channels. If everything is OK, you can go rest."

Kant quickly added, "But remember, before you rest, water the entire area we opened up in the morning once. The last thing I want to see is our seedlings being all cooked to a crisp by the heat."

"Rest assured, My Lord." The peasants answered confidently.

They were all very capable people when it came to farming.

Kant believed in them. He nodded and returned to the Council Hall. He needed to get someone to prepare lunch.

Apparently, noon in the Nahrin Desert was ill-suited for being busy.

Everyone ate lunch and took naps. That allowed them to be energetic enough to work by 2 p.m.

Such was the way to survive in the desert.

Despite not having been there for long, Kant was already used to such routines.

It was noon, and lunch was ready.

Lunch was the usual roasted dried meat with bread and cabbage soup, as well as bits of olive.

Of course, with the new 50 peasants joining their ranks, the lunch prepared was even more massive than it had been before.

Chapter 33: The Sound of the Horn

Lunch was underway.

The individual daily portions included black bread, succulently roasted dried meat torn by hand, a bowl of floured cabbage soup, and two dates as dessert.

As a man of noble status and lord of the oasis, Kant, had spices added to his food.

The food tasted and smelled good.

The meal included meat and vegetables. There was also soup, a main dish, and dessert.

To common people, a meal like that was considered quite a feast.

Kant knew that very well.

Back in the Dukedom of Leo, only citizens who worked privileged jobs in cities and towns, or free people who farmed their own lands, had extra funds to eat so lavishly.

The lackluster production capacity of the era meant that not everyone was able to afford good food.

Kant, who possessed the system, was an exception.

"I'm done."

He put down his knife and fork. He quietly wiped his mouth with a handkerchief.

However, he looked rather exasperated.

He was growing a bit tired of this food.

It was not it tasted bad. Rather, he had become sick of eating the same thing for eight days.

Even if his food had been something meticulously cooked with spices added, he had still been eating the same thing three meals a day for days. He felt as if his taste buds were protesting and demanding something different for a change.

At the very least, he needed different types of food.

Bread, dried meat, cabbage.

There were also sun-dried dates.

When one chewed on a soft, supple date, its mesmerizing sweetness immediately filled one's mouth.

Kant slightly shook his head.

Regardless of how good the food actually tasted, if one kept eating the same thing over and over, one eventually felt it turned tasteless.

He put down his handkerchief.

Kant went up to the second floor of the Council Hall. He turned around to address the Swadian Militia members, who were still having lunch. "Stay vigilant during the afternoon break."

All of them unanimously responded, "Yes, My Lord."

Despite it being lunchtime, the militia members were not actually relieved of their guard duty at the Oasis Lookout.

It was especially so given that the construction of the watchtower beside the Council Hall had been completed. Since the tower was 26 feet tall, one was easily able to see what was going on over a 3,280-foot radius. It provided a huge benefit to the members of the militia on guard duty.

The Nahrin Desert's terrain was comparatively flat and nowhere near as complex as mountainous regions.

"Right." Kant nodded. He felt at ease as he headed to his room on the second floor.

He trusted his troops' sense of responsibility.

At the very least, his Swadian troops had never given him any troubles. Also, Kant had never found any of them slacking while on duty.

They were all from the Continent of Caradia, which was a land that had been constantly terrorized by war. Anyone who let their guard down would have certainly been buried six feet under. They would become part of the dead who had watched the eras gone by.

After getting onto his bed, Kant slowly closed his eyes.

Despite the day being a relatively easy one for him, the constant need to think took a toll on his mental stamina.

The scorching sun outside window caused the temperature to rise.

The Oasis Lookout, which had reached 122 degrees Fahrenheit by then, was rendered silent after lunch.

Everyone was taking a break.

It was a break that did not come easily. There was still a lot of work waiting for all of them after the break was over.

That included military training.

There was also training for tactical synchronization between the Swadian Militias, Swadian Recruits, and Swadian Peasants.

The threat posed by the Jackalans remained. Kant had never let his guard down. He kept expecting enemies to show up at any given moment, which was why he organized training sessions for everyone since the week they arrived.

Training in the system allowed for experience to accumulate, which leveled up the troop classes.

However, doing so required [Training Ground] or the leader being someone equipped with [Training] skill.

The world they were in was a real one.

Kant possessed no skill to be digitized, so he was unable to have his troop classes level up through the daily training sessions.

Drondheim was a village. That meant that there was no option for constructing a [Training Ground], which was a building capable of allowing troops to accumulate experience during training.

Then again, that did not get in their way of getting the training sessions underway.

It was only that doing so had not been able to allow them to accumulate experience, so not even a zero-level peasant had been able to level up to become a first-level recruit.

Despite so, they were able to train on the use of tactical formations in battles.

In the real world, where clashes were done physically in all senses of the word, the need for tactical formations was even higher. Battles were not like that in a game in which units were able to simply charge in a messy manner and be done with it.

Kant already had a 200-strong force:

100 Swadian Peasants

30 Swadian Recruits

35 Swadian Militia

17 Desert Bandits (One more added in the week.)

There was also Kant.

The 183 people in the village were all warriors ready to go all out to defend their homes.

There were also 10 special Swadian Militias among them.

The previous battle had already given those 10 militias enough experience for an upgrade. If Kant was able to pay the required amount of Denars, he could have upgraded them to a third-level troop class.

For instance, he could have leveled them up to become Swadian Footmen.

He was also able to upgrade them to become Swadian Skirmishers.

However, given Kant's current situation, upgrading them without careful consideration was a bad thing.

It would have simply resulted in being overkill.

The current Swadian Militias, which were second-level troop classes, were more than capable of dealing with primitive races like the Jackalans. They worked exceptionally well on the battlefield, which made them very cost-effective units.

They were well-equipped with scale armors and helmets.

They were armed with heavy spears, which included metal coverings on the front ends, as well as combat shovels capable of penetrating armor and sturdy heater shields.

They were also armed with hunting crossbows.

Despite that type of bow being used predominantly by hunters, making them less lethal than even the light crossbow that Kant carried, they still had an effective range of only 262 feet. They were a suitable means for ranged attacks and effective enough at what they were supposed to do.

All of those reasons culminated to make the Swadian Militias cost-effective combat units.

They were an all-round troop class and vital to the village.

Even in the regular battlefields in the Kingdom of Swadia, if they were to just hunker down and relied solely on their defensive capacities, the militias formed a temporary line of defense capable of withstanding powerful enemy charges.

Their value shone through extremely brilliantly when dealing with the likes of Jackalans.

Kant had thought about it many times before.

If the Jackalan Tribe attacked them a second time, it was bound to cause a change in terms of fundamental qualities of the Drondheim's forces.

More peasants would have been upgraded to become Swadian Recruits.

At the same time, more Swadian Recruits would have been upgraded to become Swadian Militias.

Then, there were the Swadian Footmen, which were troop class that was even more formidable.

Kant saw war, which was often the thing most people feared, as a means to further his development. The system was something that sustained war by fighting wars. The so-called peaceful development was just something that was said before one claimed success to fool the enemy into a false sense of security.

If Kant had 100 Swadian Knights, he would have declared war on that Jackalan Tribe without a second thought.

Cavalry units were known for their high mobility.

Swadian Knights added to that by being a terrifying force on the battlefield.

Those units would have easily skewered entire Jackalan forces by simply riding on that flat desert and putting them down between the dunes.

It was a pity that he did not have 100 Swadian Knights among his forces.

Wuuuuuuu.

Out of nowhere, the low sound of a horn was heard. Kant was still steeped in thought when he heard the sound.

It was as if the sound shook his soul.

"What's happening?"

Kant immediately opened his eyes. He was instantly wide awake.

He knew that it was the sound of the horn blown by the sentry on the watchtower. That sound meant something unusual had happened.

That included something like Jackalan forces being detected.

It could have also meant that an unknown force was detected.

One way or another, it was time for Kant's people to be on the defensive.

He quickly walked out of his room and went outside the Council Hall.

All the recruits and militia members, who were armed with spears, were gathered.

The 100 peasants stood ready with their long scythes in hand at the side of the street.

It seemed as if a fight was imminent.

"What happened?"

Kant carried his light crossbow and walked outside of the Council Hall with a cold expression.

The Swadian Militia member at the top of the watchtower quickly came down and said to Kant, "My Lord, I found a group of unfamiliar knights at the south. They are heading for the oasis."

"Unknown group of knights?"

Kant frowned slightly. His eyes looked severe.

He turned around to look toward the south, but he was unable to see more than just the seemingly unending dune. He asked, "How many?"

The militia member answered, "It was 50 knights and a carriage."

"Yeah." Kant nodded, but he frowned even harder after hearing that.

There was no way Jackalans had cavalry units among them. Even if they did, they would not have been seen in the south.

That was the direction of the Dukedom of Leo.

It was Kant's hometown. It was a dukedom that prized martial prowess more than anything else, and a human nation sporting the strongest knights.

"Everyone."

He waved and ordered, "Prepare for combat!"

"Yes, My Lord!" Every one seemed in high spirits.

Kant was not about to let his guard down simply because the group of knights was from the dukedom. It was worth noting that nobles of the dukedom clashed among themselves due to reasons pertaining to fiefs and wealth.

Skirmishes were often seen being fought between the nobles.

As such, he shouted to the street, telling the 17 Desert Bandits who were riding the desert horses, "You all, head out and scout what is going on out there. Do not engage! Return at once when you're done!"

"Yes, My Lord." The Desert Bandits all nodded.

Scouting was what they were most proficient in. The Desert Bandits kicked at the bellies of their horses. All 17 of them rode out, dispersing throughout the sea of sand.

Chapter 34: Hobson's Awkward Situation

The stout warhorses galloped on the southern side of the Nahrin Desert.

The expeditionary team from the Dukedom of Leo rode across the dune at high speeds.

"The oasis should be in front of us."

Rowan rode on his horse at the front. His gaze stayed on the horizon before him. He breathed a sigh of relief deep down. "If things go well, we should be able to reach the Oasis Lookout in half an hour."

He had finished the early stage of his mission as a guide.

Rowan sighed and wiped the sweat from his forehead. His eyes were filled with exasperation.

Is the job done as soon as we reach the Oasis Lookout?

Pfft, please!

Getting to the Oasis Lookout was but the first stage of the expedition.

There was a second stage.

After that, there was a third and probably more to come.

All of that included venturing deep into the desert to seek out unknown, strange regions. It meant that they would likely have to venture deep into parts that had never been explored by the forces sent out by the dukedom 10 years ago.

Sh*t, this is just great!

Rowan rolled his eyes as he thought about how unlucky he was.

When he turned around and saw those elite-looking retainer knights sporting deadpan faces, Rowan knew enough to hide all the negative signs from showing on his face.

He was not able to afford to get on the bad side of any of those people.

Rowan was just the captain of a small platoon of knights. Those retainer knights, on the other hand, were members of the Knights Corps.

The difference in status between him and them was too great.

That was especially so in the case of Sir Hobson, who rode right in front of the carriage. That man was a knight through and through, as well as a noble. There were less than 300 knights like him in the entire dukedom.

Such a knight was riding not far away from Rowan, which made him feel extra pressure to do things right.

Then again, all of that had little to do with him.

As the guide, Rowan only needed to pay attention to his job and lead the way.

A retainer knight approached him while he was still having those chaotic thoughts running in his head. The knight said in a dull voice, "Sir Hobson wants to have a word with you to discuss the route."

That retainer knight behaved without any sense of decorum, but Rowan was used to it.

Rowan cursed deep down, Damn you! However, he wore a smile on his face and nodded as he replied, "Understood."

He turned his head to look behind him. Sir Hobson was looking at him. Sir Hobson nodded, so Rowan pulled his reins. He turned his horse around and respectfully asked, "How can I be of service, Sir?"

"How long will it take to reach the Oasis Lookout from here?"

Hobson spoke in a plain tone instead of a haughty one.

Besides, the man was a knight.

One of the basics of being from among the nobles was to have a sense of decorum.

"That, umm, will probably take about half an hour."

Rowan quickly added, "We'll be there soon."

"Half an hour?"

Hobson nodded as he gazed forward. He looked somewhat relieved.

The journey through the Nahrin Desert had been very tiring, even for a man like him.

"Relax, Sir Hobson. If we can find anything on this expedition, we'll be getting an extremely great reward when we return."

A rather croaky and old voice was heard from the carriage.

Scholar Hank lifted the blinds on the carriage. His eyes were gleaming as he said, "Trust me."

"Of course, Scholar Hank. Your knowledge shines like a pearl in the Dukedom of Leo."

Sir Hobson nodded since that was the reason he had been willing to follow the scholar all the way out there.

The lost city.

The name itself symbolized untold amounts of treasure.

In fact, he was also there due to his status in the dukedom.

He was a member of the nobility.

"Hold on."

Hobson's expression looked somewhat severe. He raised his right arm and said, "Something is out there!"

Shiingg!

The sound of longswords being drawn was heard throughout their caravan.

Rowan drew his sword before he even realized it. He quietly gulped. The glimmer of shining metal was seen everywhere. The retainer knights had drawn their swords and stopped their horses to vigilantly look around.

They all knew that the Nahrin Desert was filled with many dangers.

Hobson gazed around the land before him with a rather severe expression. He slowly said, "Squad One, Squad Two, fan out and scout the flanks!"

"Understood!"

The 20 retainer knights at the flanks immediately responded.

They soon fanned out with their horses, whooshing away at the dunes to their flanks. They spread out further in pairs, forming scouting parties of greater effectiveness.

They were efficient because they were a standard Knights Corps.

"Sir Hobson."

With a rather serious expression, Scholar Hank asked, "Have you found something?"

Rowan gulped and listened.

"I heard the sounds of horses galloping. There were not many of them, but they were nimble."

Hobson nodded. His eyes looked serious as he scanned around the dunes. He quickly frowned and said, "They are moving about in the dunes. They are likely light cavalry units."

"Light cavalry?"

Scholar Hank frowned and looked around in disbelief. "How could there be light cavalry around these parts?"

Hobson frowned slightly and replied, "That is what intrigues me as well."

After all, the Nahrin Desert was a barren place.

Cavalry?

That was absurd!

It was worth noting that it was even difficult for people to survive in the desert, let alone warhorses, which were expensive and required great care. They would not have been able to survive in such a place.

Besides, not every horse out there was worthy of becoming a warhorse.

Gallop, gallop, gallop...

While they were steeped in thought, hasty galloping sounds were heard at the dune before them.

The 10 retainer knights behind Hobson headed forward with their swords drawn. All of them looked fierce. However, given that they had been trained as formal knights at a young age, there was no fear seen on their faces.

A light cavalry unit emerged from behind the dune on a horse.

Six retainer knights were seen closely following behind that light cavalry unit.

It seemed that due to being chased by the retainer knights, the light cavalry unit had run in desperation right into them.

Hobson subtly frowned.

He found the light cavalry unit to be rather ill-equipped, both in terms of armor and weapons. However, the lightly armed man was able to travel at remarkably high speeds, even causing the retainer knights to have trouble following him. It seemed that the distance between both sides was actually being widened.

If it had not been for them being around, the light cavalry unit would have probably escaped somewhere in the dunes.

"Look out, Sir!"

The retainer knights had their swords drawn as they kicked their horses' bellies to hasten them. All of them sported cold expressions. They were prepared for battle.

Hobson raised his arm and frowned, saying, "Halt." He said to the rider in front of him, "Strange rider, we are from the Dukedom of Leo, and we mean no harm."

He seemed to have suddenly recalled something and quickly added, "We know Baron Kant."

That line seemed to have broken the ice between both parties.

The retainer knights, who had been pursuing that light cavalry unit, also slowed down.

Yet, all of them maintained a barricade formation. They securely surrounded the nimble light cavalry unit in the middle.

They made it extremely difficult for the rider to run.

That rider apparently knew that as well.

He slightly pulled the reins of his warhorse. He frowned as he gazed at Sir Hobson, who was apparently someone of high status, before asking, "What is the relation between you all and Lord Kant?"

"Baron Kant is the son of Duke Cameron, and I'm a knight who was personally knighted by the duke of the dukedom."

Sir Hobson calmly replied, taking the initiative to introduce himself.

However, his revered status of a noble knight back in the dukedom hardly had any effect on the rider. The other man did not even immediately lower his head.

The rider from the Sultanate of Sarrand was loyal only to Kant.

He was none other than a Desert Bandit.

"Why are you all here?"

The Desert Bandit questioned them in an interrogative tone. "This is the fief of Lord Kant, and your presence is now trampling on the sovereign rights of Lord Kant. I hope you will be able to give a reasonable explanation."

"Umm..."

Hobson was slightly startled. He had not expected the rider to talk to him in such a manner.

When he turned around and saw the sea of sand around him, he instead came to wear a bitter smile.

The rider was right.

The Dukedom of Leo had conferred the southern parts of the Nahrin Desert to Kant when he was made a baron. He had brought a huge entourage to the Nahrin Desert and never told to Kant about their situation. That action was enough to start a war back in the dukedom.

It was a matter of reputation.

No noble would have tolerated forces of unknown origins trampling their fief.

Then again, that just made the situation more awkward for Hobson.

Where are we now?

The Nahrin Desert.

A place without civilization.

A barren place.

If there were to be no need for it, no one would have even thought of coming here.

Seeing how serious and proper the rider behaved, he shook his head in exasperation and did not give any further explanations. "Take us to the Oasis Lookout. The old scholar in the carriage and I are acquaintances of Baron Kant."

Chapter 35: An Ambiguous Introduction

Kant maintained a serious expression.

As he rode on his warhorse, his hand, which was holding the Intimidation banner, was wet enough to stain it.

It was sweat.

He was sweating because the Desert Bandits he had sent out to scout the place were returning one after another.

One of them was missing.

A missing Desert Bandit was not a good sign.

That meant the missing member was possibly dead.

It was bad news.

The intelligence gathered by the Desert Bandits sounded even more heart-wrenching.

The infantry units gathered and standing in their formations in the street began to murmur among themselves.

They were somewhat shaken.

"Calm down."

Kant's voice was suddenly heard.

His eagle-like gaze swept across the forces who had begun to look shaken. He raised his voice and yelled, "Only cowards flee in the middle of a battle. Swadians do not fear!"

The news regarding the 50 retainer knights spread throughout the oasis.

After hearing the news, the troops by Kant's side started to turn pale.

They were not mere NPC data. They were living people.

They were capable of fear.

They were capable of excitement.

They were capable of being high-spirited in battle.

They were also capable of cowering in fear.

It was especially so given they had discovered they were about to face 50 fully armed heavy cavalry units.

The shock was so severe that their legs began to give.

They quickly realized just how terrifying facing a heavy cavalry was.

After all, the Kingdom of Swadia's military might lied within their heavy cavalry units.

A heavy cavalry that crashed left and right, smiting down their enemies on the battlefield, had been the very tool the Kingdom of Swadia relied on to reign supreme. They also served as the key to keeping enemy nations afraid and not daring enough to intrude their borders without careful consideration.

Low-level troop classes like them were like cannon fodder before 50 heavy cavalry units.

That fact remained true even if they were armed with polearms like spears and long scythes.

There was one thing worth noting.

Even the Kingdom of Rhodoks, which had a military force armed with shields and spears and had defeated forces of the Kingdom of Swadia several times in the mountains, dared not step foot on the flatlands to take on fully armed Swadian cavalry units.

The 50 Swadian Knights would have been able to easily skewer a 200-strong infantry force.

If not for the polearms, not even 500 infantry units would have been able to stop the knights in their tracks. The infantry units were likely to end up becoming dead bodies on the flatlands.

Worse still, the 165 infantry units serving Kant were low-level troop classes.

The mere mention of 50 Swadian Knights was more than enough to break through their psyche.

Even if those 50 were the most common of cavalry units, such as a light cavalry unit like the Desert Bandits, they would have been able to easily crush them all if they used the right tactics, let alone 50 Swadian Knights.

Kant knew that as well.

He was frowning when he asked, "Are they from the Dukedom of Leo?"

One of the scouting Desert Bandits replied, "Indeed."

The Nahrin Desert was right beside the Dukedom of Leo.

Kant's expression remained stern as he took a deep breath. His eyes seemed rather murky.

His mind filled with several bad scenarios.

Kant unconsciously gritted his teeth, recalling to his rather awkward status back in the dukedom. I have chosen a place like this to be my fief, yet those people still refuse to let go of me.

Some of the nobles back in the dukedom would have liked it very much to see the youngest son of the duke dead.

"What should we do, My Lord?"

The Swadian troops all looked at Kant. Their eyes were filled with dread.

The knights were different from the Jackalans.

The Jackalans were just a ferocious primitive race with little intelligence to speak of.

The troops were able to clash head-on with them without any problems.

The 50 knights seemed a small number, but they were still a force to be reckoned with.

All of them were fully armed.

They were all well-trained.

They were equipped with the best equipment money could buy.

They consisted of a terrifying force capable of easily crushing Drondheim.

They...

Are unable to even resist!

"Bear in mind, there are no cowards among Swadians."

Kant's heavy, severe voice resounded in the ears of all within earshot.

He knew that anyone could easily panic in this type of situation. For him, a lord of the Kingdom of Swadia, a status given to him by that world, panic was not an emotion he could afford to give into.

He had to stabilize the morale of his forces.

"Recruits and peasants, blockade the ends of the street."

Kant held the Intimidation banner high. The banner, which had a golden lion emblazoned on a red background, billowed in the wind.

His arrangements were quickly relayed. "All militia members are in charge of sniping the enemy from the rooftops with hunting crossbows!"

"Understood!"

After hearing Kant's orders, the troops instantly responded loudly.

While all of them still looked shaken, their morale was somewhat restored as Kant gave his orders and made arrangements.

When he was building Drondheim, the way the buildings were lined coincidentally formed a street. The cluster of tightly packed buildings formed a fortress-like layout, making it rather easy to defend.

At the very least, they did not need to fight the knights head-on on the flatlands outside.

He was done with his arrangements.

Both ends of the street were packed with infantry units throughout the entire 32-foot-wide street.

The Swadian Recruits were placed at the forefront with their two 3-foot-long spears extended outward. The Swadian Peasants served as reinforcements right behind them with their long scythes. They were assembled in a crude phalanx formation.

The militia members were standing by on the rooftops at the side with their hunting crossbows.

Not only were they capable of shooting, which would have messed up the enemy's offensive formations, but they also were able to leap below to help maintain the line of defense if things went south on the street.

With the Continent of Caradia being constantly at war, infantry units were more than familiar with battles.

Everything was ready.

Even the people from the Reyvadin trade caravan, who were all currently based at the grocery store, showed up.

The leader of the trade caravan, who wore mail armor and was armed with a flanged mace, brought six of the escorts and the 12 sentries with him. He stood right behind Kant. They were all standing by waiting for orders.

They planned to help with the defense.

"Lord Kant, the Reyvadinian trade caravan is willing to participate in this battle. We await your orders."

The leader spoke in a forthcoming manner.

Kant nodded and smiled before saying, "Thank you."

Although the escorts and sentries of the trade caravan consisted only of first- and second-level troop classes, at the very least, they were still a fighting force. It was best if they were able to help out with defense at such dire times.

Given the situation, Kant was not in a position to be picky.

Time passed.

The sun was setting.

The light of dusk was struggling to stay around.

Stars began to appear in the darkening sky.

It is quite a familiar scene.

Kant narrowed his gaze, recalling what happened eight days prior.

That was the hour when he used Rowan and the knights to destroy the Jackalan Tribe that had taken over the Oasis Lookout.

That was an exhilarating battle.

However, the situation was now reversed.

He had become the one defending the Oasis Lookout at such an hour. He was now in the role of those pathetic beings waiting for the other party to strike.

This feels sh*tty.

Kant clenched his fist.

He waited quietly for their last stand to come. Instead, Kant heard the Swadian Militia shouting from the watchtower.

He looked up at the top of the watchtower and asked with a frown, "What did you see?"

"M-My Lord."

The militia member showed his head and pointed southward, saying, "They are here!"

The forces at the ends of the street were slightly shaken. It was apparent that all of them understood that the enemy force was going to soon be at their door.

"The enemy force" referred to those 50 knights.

Yet, all of the troops sported an unbefitting calm on their faces. Even the Swadian Peasants looked calm. Their eyes were filled with resolve to fight until the last man was standing, just to protect their homes.

If they failed, they completely lost the right to live.

A dialog box from the system appeared on Kant's retina.

[Ding... Side Quest assigned]

[Side Quest: Form an alliance]

[Reward: Rain of Arrows (500 Vaegir Marksmen) x 3 waves]

[Introduction: The darkening sky is bringing danger with it. It is fortunate that an elite force is coming. You could choose to ally with them and make it through this predicament.]

It was a Side Quest.

Kant quickly read the introduction. His expression immediately stiffened.

Form an alliance? He was somewhat puzzled.

At the same time, he was feeling both doubt and shock.

The system's introduction of the quest was rather ambiguous, but he saw a looming danger in it at the same time.

It was a warning from the system.

The darkening sky is bringing danger with it... Kant read the line to himself.

He again read the next line. An elite force is coming...

Choose to ally...

Those were the keywords, and they made Kant's heart race.

He suddenly seemed to have realized something.

At the same time, a noise was heard at one end of the street. It was the sound of a horse hurriedly galloping toward them. There seemed to be someone returning.

Kant turned to look in that direction.

It was the Desert Bandit who had been missing.

Chapter 36: Misunderstanding

The Desert Bandit who had been missing was right in front of him.

However, the soldiers guarding the end of the street did not make way.

Instead, all of them held onto their weapons tightly, pointing all the spears and scythes outside and glaring at the Desert Bandit with angry eyes. The rage in their eyes was so intense that it seemed as if their eyes were about to shoot fire.

The 16 Desert Bandits inside the street behaved the same way.

They were all quite angry.

That was because the 50 retainer knights, who were wearing mail armor covered with linen robes, appeared on the dune not far away.

They were all waiting at the dune.

It was apparent that they had a guide bringing them to the oasis.

That guide was none other than one of their own.

It was that Desert Bandit.

He was now a traitor.

"Hold on, let me explain."

The Desert Bandit anxiously explained, "I'm not a traitor!"

He had instantly noticed the wrath on the faces of those soldiers and knew what had made them all so angry.

"Shut up! That's not a reason for you to bring the enemy here!"

Someone responded angrily at the end of the street.

That caused all of the other soldiers to respond, agreeing with what that soldier said. Even the militia members on the rooftops aimed their hunting crossbows at him.

They only needed to pull the triggers to send bolts flying at that Desert Bandit.

The hunting crossbows had an effective range of 98 feet. The short, thick bolts were able to easily penetrate leather armor.

"I need to see Lord Kant."

That Desert Bandit broke out into a cold sweat.

He realized just how careless he had been.

It had been a wrong move to bring all those strangers, who were knights with an extremely high combat capacity, to the Oasis Lookout. He did not even actually know if those strangers were actually acquaintances of Kant.

However, there was nothing else he could have done but report the matter to Kant.

"No way!"

The soldiers before him shouted unanimously and angrily.

All of them glared with intense wrath at the Desert Bandit, who they perceived to be a traitor and nothing else.

"Let him through."

However, Kant's voice was heard behind them.

His voice sounded steady.

His voice sounded strong.

With the immutable might of those of high status, he said, "I believe in my men."

Troop classes provided by the system would never betray him.

"Lord Kant."

The soldiers turned their heads around in shock.

Kant, who was holding on the banner emblazoned with a golden lion on a red background, was standing behind them.

The 16 Desert Bandits standing behind him glared at their former comrade with deadpan, cold expressions.

They held on tightly to the javelins in their hands.

If they so fancied, they would have been able to throw that deadly weapon at him within a second.

"Lord Kant, I'm absolutely not a traitor."

The Desert Bandit gulped, but his eyes suggested that he was touched by Kant's willingness to trust him. He quickly reported, "The forces from the Dukedom of Leo was led by a man named Hobson, who was responsible for escorting a scholar named Hank. They are here to look for the legendary lost city. Oh right, there was also a knight named Rowan. They all claimed that they knew of you."

The Desert Bandit told him everything he knew just to clear his name.

"Hmm?"

Kant was slightly startled.

He immediately looked up and frowned at the dune. Those well-armed knights were wearing standard garb from the Dukedom of Leo.

He focused and peered, feeling even more surprised.

"Sir Hobson, Scholar Hank, and Rowan, the captain of the knights who came with us."

Kant nodded. He looked somewhat relieved.

It was all a misunderstanding.

Despite having recognized those three acquaintances, he did not immediately tell his troops to let their guard down.

The warning from the system remained in his mind.

The darkening sky is bringing dangers with it.

He was entirely quite sure if the danger mentioned by the system referred to those retainer knights before him.

Then again, it was something easy to confirm.

At least, it was not all that difficult for Kant.

"Make way."

Kant gave his order and brought all 16 Desert Bandits with him as he walked out of the street.

"Be careful, My Lord."

Despite the soldiers before them having made way, they all still cast a doubtful gaze at that Desert Bandit.

They were still distrustful of that man who had brought all those people to their village.

That was true even though the man had once been one of their own.

That Desert Bandit had behaved in a rather awkward manner.

He was the one who brought all those men there, yet he was utterly unsure of their relationship with Lord Kant.

If both parties were friends, or, at least, mere acquaintances who met several times in the past, there was not a problem. However, if they were to an enemy of Lord Kant back in the dukedom and made such excuses just to crush the weak and small Drondheim, he was completely a traitor.

"M-My Lord..."

He opened his mouth trying to explain, but he chose to hang his head low.

There was nothing else to explain.

"Relax, those are my friends."

Kant smiled. His expression was a calm one.

He and the other Desert Bandits got onto their horses. Kant said to that Desert Bandit, "Get back in line. There is no need to think about it anymore."

That line made the meaning of Kant's words very clear.

"Thank you, merciful Lord Kant."

That Desert Bandit was overjoyed. He immediately nodded and got back in line on his horse.

The soldiers on the street no longer glared at him with vengeful eyes. Their expressions returned to being calm.

A Desert Bandit, who was older than most of the others, shot a look at that Desert Bandit, who had just gotten back in line. He gruffly said, "Use your brain a little from here on out. If the ones you brought had been the enemy, you would have been a traitor."

"I shall be careful from here on out." That Desert Bandit nodded. He looked rather ashamed.

Kant smiled and did not say anything else.

He rode forward with the Desert Bandits.

Three knights from the top of the dune rode in their direction as well.

"Revered Baron Kant, it is quite a pleasure to see you so far away from the castle of the dukedom."

The leader was Sir Hobson.

He was a knight who had been knighted personally by Duke Cameron of the Dukedom of Leo. His estate and fief were not far away from the castle.

The two of them knew of each other.

"Sir Hobson."

Kant smiled. His tone was polite yet charismatic.

He glanced at Rowan, who dared not speak much at the moment, and nodded. "Captain Rowan, we meet again. The aid you provided last time was very useful. You have my thanks."

The aid referred to was when Kant used the knights to attack the Jackalan Tribe at the Oasis Lookout.

There was no way Rowan would have forgotten that.

However, he also remembered that he had given the baron a look and rode off with his knights immediately after they were done.

"O-Oh..."

Rowan gulped. In a submissive and respectful manner, he said, "It was an honor to be able to serve you, Baron Kant."

He had lost all the arrogance he had before.

There was still a knowledgeable scholar of high status, as well as a knight who was also a noble, right beside him.

Kant simply smiled.

He held no grudge against Rowan. His actions had been considered normal.

When Kant turned to look at the old man by their side, his expression became rather complex. He sighed and lowered his head. He greeted the old man respectfully, "Master Hank, it's quite a surprise to meet you in the Nahrin Desert."

He was being as polite as possible.

His tone was very respectful.

Scholar Hank sighed lightly and replied, "Baron Kant, life is full of surprises."

"It is." Kant nodded.

Both men were feeling rather overwhelmed.

Just a month ago, the two of them had been studying the many books in the academy.

Hank was a scholar.

Kant had been one of his students.

Furthermore, he had been one of Han's favorites for being the most hardworking one among the students.

"It is quite a surprise."

Scholar Hank sighed as he looked around the place. "This is really quite a bad place to be."

"Yeah." Kant nodded.

Kant said to Scholar Hank, "Actually, I'm quite intrigued that you came all the way out here. The harsh environment of the Nahrin Desert might quite a toll on your body."

"The lost city."

Scholar Hank said in a rather excited tone, "I've come searching for it."

"The lost city?" Kant slightly frowned.

As the most hardworking of the students in the academy, Kant had read many books regarding that topic. However, the conclusion he arrived at was that the lost city was but a ridiculous myth. It was a legend that never existed.

He shook his head and shrugged. "This man has nothing but sand."

"There will be something."

Scholar Hank was not discouraged. His old face looked determined. "I'm 67 years old. If I don't find ways to prove what I believe in now, I won't be able to come all the way out here when I get really, really old."

"Your spirit is quite admirable." Kant slightly lowered his head.

That was a measure of respect a junior showed to a senior.

However, Kant disapproved of such a course of action. He deemed the legend to be a farce. He did not believe they would discover anything.

Chapter 37: Persistence in Adversity

Sir Hobson chuckled and said, "This is an expedition funded by Duke Cameron."

He sensed what Kant was thinking and explained, "Scholar Hank is one of the most renowned scholars in the entire Dukedom of Leo. He came to some conclusions regarding the lost city, so Duke Cameron was willing to sponsor Scholar Hank to carry out this expedition."

"This will be a fruitful trip."

Scholar Hank nodded and said with a serious tone, "I've received an old manuscript that has something to do with the lost city."

"Huh?" Kant was somewhat startled.

He recalled that old manuscript he handled about half a year ago in the academy before he left.

He was unable to help but ask, "Was it that manuscript I saw?"

"Correct."

Scholar Hank nodded and said, "It was that manuscript."

He paused for a bit. Joy was seen on his wrinkled face. "I have you to thank for sorting out the materials. That led me to finally decipher the words written within. There was a line of utmost importance regarding the lost city."

"What was it?"

Kant eyed the scholar with a serious expression.

Even Sir Hobson, who was by the scholar's side, as well Captain Rowan, who took to staying mum behind them, was unable to help but stare at that renowned old scholar of the dukedom.

"When the sun rises again, the golden holy city shall blossom anew."

Scholar Hank spoke slowly and with a serious expression. He deliberately worded it slowly to allow all to hear him clearly.

It sounded rather mesmerizing.

The line itself sounded like a prophecy of sorts.

Scholar Hank paused for a bit and added, "That line was something written in the manuscript. After deciphering the line, I was certain that the golden holy city mentioned in the book was referring to the lost city."

"That's shocking to hear."

Sir Hobson sighed lightly. As someone who was learned in literary arts, he was able to tell how mighty those words had been.

As for Captain Rowan, he dared not say anything.

His status was far below the three before him.

"It is quite shocking."

Kant nodded. Even he would have thought the line meant something significant.

He eyed the old scholar and sighed. "Master Hank, you might actually be able to find something after all."

"I will."

Scholar Hank's face was covered in a beaming smile.

He was able to tell what Kant's sigh meant, but he did not say anything else.

As someone who was at such an advanced age, it was not so much a matter of what was found but that he wanted to see it for himself. He was determined to embark on an expedition, even if it meant putting his life at risk, being laughed at by his peers, or eventually failing.

Wuuuuuuuu

Suddenly, the sound of the horn from the Oasis Lookout rang out behind them.

The 17 Desert Bandits immediately turned around.

Kant's face froze. He quickly said, "Sh*t."

"Baron Kant, are you in trouble?"

When he saw Kant's troubled expression, Sir Hobson frowned. He quickly added, "The sound of the horn seems pressing."

Horns were used to relay messages.

The same things were used in the Dukedom of Leo.

"Indeed."

Kant nodded. With a rather serious expression, he said, "There are enemies inbound, and they have huge numbers."

He worded it concisely.

In truth, Kant had no idea just how large the enemy forces were.

According to what was told by the system's introduction and hearing how pressing the sound of the horn from the watchtower was, there was no doubt that there were many.

"Jackalans?"

Captain Rowan was unable to help but ask that given his prior experience.

As someone who fought alongside Kant before, he knew that the Oasis Lookout, which was vastly different from what it had once been, was an oasis they had taken from a Jackalan Tribe.

"It seems like it."

Scholar Hank nodded and said, "Jackalans have lived in the Nahrin Desert since ancient times."

Sir Hobson smirked and said, "If it is the Jackalans, I think that we could help."

The group of retainer knights behind him consisted of a 50-strong heavy cavalry platoon. Even during battles fought back in the dukedom, such a force served as a main force. There were more than enough to take on 50 primitive Jackalans.

"You have my thanks, Sir Hobson."

Kant realized that the system meant for him to ally with Sir Hobson's forces.

The verbal agreement was made right there and then.

The system saw the side quest to was completed.

[Ding... You have finished the side quest through painstaking efforts.]

[Side Quest: Form an Alliance is completed]

[Reward Acquired: Rain of Arrows (500 Vaegir Marksmen) x 3 waves]

[Introduction: You made an alliance with the elite force, raising the probability of making it through the predicament. But remember, alliances are fleeting. The only one you can truly trust is yourself.]

A dialog box appeared on his retina.

A golden card hovered in Kant's mind, seemingly waiting to be used.

Countless people were depicted on the card. They all seemed to be drawing their bows and firing ahead. Kant was able to tell what the card meant by coupling what was drawn with the description of the thing called "Rain of Arrows."

"500 Vaegir Marksmen shooting in three volleys?"

Kant licked his lips. His eyes were filled with determination. This looks fine.

The Vaegir Marksmen were one of the two strongest troop classes available in the system.

The other comparable class was the Rhodok Sharpshooter, which was a class of terrifying crossbowmen known for their extremely effective range and devastating damage potential.

The Vaegir Marksmen class, on the other hand, was known for its very high rate of fire and extremely effective range, making them human machineguns on city walls. If they took effective vantage points and were provided with an ample amount of arrows, they were easily able to show their enemies what true terror was like.

In terms of scale, raining down arrows over a vast area was also what that troop class did best.

Even Swadian Knights, who were the best when it came to fighting on land and clad from top to toe in metal alongside their horses, needed to suffer a certain amount of casualties before they took down a huge force consisting of Vaegir Marksmen.

"Come to my village."

Kant turned to Sir Hobson and Scholar Hank and said, "It's a small place, but it's still quite defensible."

"We'll do just that." Sir Hobson nodded.

The 50 retainer knights behind him followed as well.

Those knights were all reserve units. If they performed brilliantly on the battlefield or possessed extraordinary powers, they would become knights envied by many. If those things happened, it brought them one step closer to becoming a noble.

Everyone left the dune and headed toward the Oasis Lookout.

The soldiers remained puzzled.

Those people, who were thought to be enemies just moments ago, suddenly became allies.

If one truly thought about it, one would have found the situation rather laughable. That was perhaps caused by miscommunication in terms of intelligence.

Then again, the true enemy was about to show itself.

The Swadian Militia members on the watchtower quickly descended. They looked rather serious and worried.

A militia member quickly went over to Kant and reported, "Lord Kant, a massive number of Jackalans has been detected on the northeastern side. The initial speculation is that they are about 2,000 of them, and they are moving very quickly. They will probably reach the Oasis Lookout in 20 minutes."

"2,000 Jackalans?"

Kant's brows slightly furrowed into a frown. He sounded rather parched when he had spoken.

That number was rather frightening.

Even Sir Hobson, as well as Scholar Hank, who was walking with a cane, looked serious.

The sheer number of Jackalans was no longer something that was easily compensated with superior quality.

Even those 50 retainer knights, who were all heavy cavalry units with formidable skills, were not equipped to easily penetrate the formations of the Jackalans.

The best tactic to take at the moment was to simply not fight at all.

In Kant's perspective, those Jackalans were heading straight for the Oasis Lookout. For him, avoiding a fight was not a sound option. If he chose to yield, that meant the Jackalans would once again take over the Oasis Lookout.

His Drondheim.

His fief. His village.

At the moment, it would have meant he lost everything.

[Ding... Side Quest assigned]

[Side Quest: Persistence in Adversity]

[Reward: Denars x 1,000, Reputation x 500, Honor x 1]

[Introduction: The darkening sky brings with it a brutal battle. Your ability to defend your village depends on your persistence. Please believe in yourself. The most excruciating of persistence shall create miracles.]

A dialog box was seen on Kant's retina.

It was none other than a newly assigned side quest.

Chapter 38: A Red Banner Emblazoned with a Golden Lion

A new side quest was assigned.

Instead of excitement, Kant's expression looked rather stern.

Sir Hobson, who had not been in the Oasis Lookout for long, looked even more serious than Kant was.

"2,000 Jackalans."

He frowned slightly. His eyes looked fierce. "The difference in numbers is just too great."

It was not 20 or 200 Jackalans they faced. It was 2,000 Jackalans. It was a terrifying number that could swallow up all 50 retainer knights right there and then.

From the looks of things, if both parties clashed head-on, it was a battle the humans were destined to lose.

Things looked grim.

"Are those forces all from some large-scale Jackalan Tribe?"

Scholar Hank, who was holding his cane, said, "If there are 2,000 Jackalans, that is not a number a small tribe could have easily amassed."

The old scholar was not versed in militaristic affairs.

However, when it came to tactical analysis, his mind remained as that of a scholar.

"Indeed." Kant nodded, not bothering to hide anything.

His mind blitzed about with thoughts. He truthfully said, "We found a largescale Jackalan Tribe north of the Oasis Lookout. That place had at least 2,500 Jackalans. If I'm not mistaken, these are definitely bastards from there."

It's definitely them.

The direction and numbers all indicated that they were from that Jackalan Tribe.

Worse still, they were moving out en masse.

They were determined to wipe out the human forces occupying the Oasis Lookout.

They're out for revenge!

"We need to be careful with tactics."

Sir Hobson was quiet for a while before saying, "We need to crush those Jackalans in the least costly way. We need to cut down on casualties that may occur on our side."

"We need to be careful." Scholar Hank nodded in agreement.

"You have my thanks."

Kant pressed his hand against his chest and bowed solemnly.

The way the two men spoke meant that they intended to intervene in the matter.

In truth, they could have simply chosen to leave when facing an assault from 2,000 Jackalans. They would not have needed to consider what Kant's thoughts were. They had no duty whatsoever to help Kant defend his territory.

Their mission was to escort Scholar Hank in the Nahrin Desert expedition.

"If the Oasis Lookout is taken over, I guess my expedition would end here."

He sighed and gave a bitter smile.

He looked at Kant's young yet determined face and felt pity for the young man. "Then again, I couldn't bear to see the best student of mine lose his place without a fight."

Sir Hobson nodded and said, "Furthermore, that's not to say that we've lost any chances of winning."

"We'll need to give all we've got."

Kant nodded solemnly. They did not say much, but he had taken what was offered to heart.

This was timely assistance in an hour of distress.

Seeing Kant's expression, Scholar Hank and Sir Hobson nodded.

At the very least, they both liked Kant.

"We shall lay out the battle plan."

After speaking, Sir Hobson looked at both Kant and Scholar Hank and added, "This is not a battle we can afford to lose."

They still had a decent fighting force.

The 50 retainer knights were 50 heavy cavalry units.

They were all well-trained, well-armed, and eager to fight.

Working with the troops currently garrisoning the Oasis Lookout, which was a force of about 200 units, it improved their chances of taking out those primitive, crude Jackalans.

Unlike the Jackalans, they were a fighting force from a civilized world.

They had proven that point 10 years ago.

A force from the Dukedom of Leo, consisting of 2,000 units, had overwhelmed the entire southern part of the Nahrin Desert back then.

Their deeds were clearly detailed in the records.

Back then, in the southern part of the desert and the Senwaya Range, there had been over a dozen large Jackalan Tribes. Furthermore, hundreds of smaller tribes were scattered around.

All of them had been wiped out without fail.

But things were different now.

They clearly had a disadvantage in terms of numbers, so they needed to carefully consider the plan to win the upcoming battle.

Their strategies needed to be sensible.

Their discussion proceeded quickly due to the enemy about to be at their door.

Before long, they arrived at a conclusion.

"In that case, your forces shall guard the oasis, Baron Kant."

Sir Hobson said, "I will lay low with the retainer knights behind the dune. When the fighting becomes intense, we will crush the enemy in the shortest amount of time and throw all of them into a panic."

"That is a good strategy."

Kant nodded in agreement.

He trusted his Swadian infantry units guarding the ends of the street at the village. He knew there would not be any problems at all.

That was what Kant guaranteed to Sir Hobson.

"I will remain here."

Scholar Hank nodded and tapped his cane on the sand beneath his feet. "While I may be old, I do think that I can still be useful somehow here."

Kant nodded and said, "It is best if you stay behind."

It was a gruesome, bloody battlefield waiting for them out there.

If he were to be caught in the middle of such intense fighting, Scholar Hank, who was 67 years old, would have easily been killed.

Kant, who respected the scholar very much, pointed at his Council Hall and said, "Master Hank, that building is comparatively safe. You can rest there and rid yourself of the weariness from the journey."

Sir Hobson chuckled at Kant's caution. "You have indeed underestimated Scholar Hank."

"There is no need to worry about me." Scholar Hank smiled and shook his head.

He held on tight to his cane. His seemingly drowsy, yellowed eyes looked spirited. "Kant, back then when I followed Duke Cameron into the battlefield, you hadn't even been born yet."

"Is that so..." Kant wanted to offer some words of comfort.

Scholar Hank looked so old that it seemed a strong gust of wind would have been able to blow him away.

Suddenly, news came from the watchtower.

"Lord Kant, enemy inbound!"

The militia member in charge of the sentry duty at the top of the watchtower looked out and anxiously shouted, "They are readying themselves behind the dune and getting into formation. They will probably strike at any given moment. Please get ready as soon as possible!"

The enemy had arrived.

It was an enemy force that consisted of 2,000 Jackalans.

"Let's go." Sir Hobson gathered the knights and rode out.

The 50 retainer knights, all of whom wore double-layered mail armor covered with a linen robe, quickly rode out with their leader.

The stars were dazzling.

The moonlight above was brilliant.

The militia members on top of the watchtower saw tightly packed Jackalans behind the northeastern dune getting ready.

Howls and screeches were heard throughout the desert.

They were so loud that they were even heard clearly at the Oasis Lookout.

"Here they come."

Scholar Hank frowned slightly as he looked at the dune to the northeast.

He remembered what was written in the records. He said to Kant in a low voice, "If we can resist the first wave of the Jackalan assault, we will be halfway through winning the battle."

"I understand." Kant nodded.

The primitive Jackalans had no tactics or strategies to speak of.

They simply charged messily.

They retreated just as messily.

Kant's Drondheim troops only needed to make it through the first wave of attack to ensure the battle fell into a deadlock state.

Afterward, Sir Hobson and his 50 retainer knights were prepared to charge the Jackalans, paving their way to victory.

Heavily cavalry charges were extremely lethal.

It was just like how Kant had previously tricked the Jackalans and made them panic. Their formations eventually crumbled, and Kant won. It was the same situation.

Herd mentality was a terrifying thing.

As long as a breakdown was seen in their ranks, those Jackalans, which had never been trained in battlefield tactics, would crumble altogether.

Whooo!

Croaked howls were suddenly heard.

A strong Jackalan holding a two-handed battleax was seen standing on a dune.

"It's the Jackalan Chieftain."

As he spoke, Kant felt rather parched.

That chieftain held his two-handed battleax high. All the Jackalans behind him raised their crudely made spiked clubs high and began to charge.

High-pitched, noisy screeches from the Jackalans were heard all over the place.

In the dark of night, nothing but bloodlust could be seen in their green eyes.

"Raise your weapons and be ready to take on the enemy!"

Kant took a deep breath. His expression looked extremely serious.

He held the banner in his hand high. The red banner with a golden lion emblazoned billowed in the wind.

Intimidation!

That was the strongest item Kant currently had in his possession.

That was where his confidence in winning the upcoming battle lied.

"This can't be..."

Even Scholar Hank looked shocked and shaken as he stared at the golden lion on the red banner with a dazed expression. He muttered, "The banner is a sacred item!"

The Jackalans charged.

A mystical aura enveloped the area after they were within a certain distance of the Oasis Lookout.

Something happened on Kant's side as well.

The Swadian troops guarding the ends of the street of Drondheim were very high-spirited.

The battle had begun.

Chapter 39: The Terrifying First Wave

The battle commenced.

The red banner billowed in the wind. The golden lion in the middle looked as if it was baring its claws and fangs.

That banner was none other than Kant's Intimidation.

It was his trump card.

As long as the enemy was caught within 1,640 feet of the Intimidation banner's effect, the first effect would come into play, cutting down enemy morale and striking fear of Kant into the enemy.

The Jackalans were, at the moment, Kant's main enemy.

That meant the Jackalans were about to be subjected to its effects.

Owwwuuuu, wuuuuuuu

Their howls sounded like they came from beasts. The shrill noises emanated from their fang-filled mouths.

That was the only language the Jackalans were capable of learning.

The Jackalans, in massive numbers, charged as the howls were heard throughout the place. They rushed at the houses of the Oasis Lookout, bringing about a raging charge.

The night was dark.

However, the Jackalans had night vision, which meant they were able to detect the human soldiers standing at the ends of the street.

Eight days ago, they had developed a new grudge against the Oasis Lookout.

It accumulated along with the old hatred from 10 years ago regarding the Dukedom of Leo.

The Jackalans, which had little intelligence to begin with, were fueled by all those emotions. They charged even faster with their spiked clubs in hand.

Their expressions had grown more terrifying and ferocious.

Roar!

The Jackalan chieftain roared as he charged to the front. His mail armor clanked about wildly as he ran at great speeds.

He was eager to get a taste of enemy blood.

The Jackalans behind him shared the same sentiment.

They had no strategies to speak of.

They had no concept of formations.

As primitive, foolish creatures, they only knew how to slaughter.

Suddenly, something else happened.

As they continued to charge, getting increasingly close to the Oasis Lookout, their minds began to waver.

The same thing happened with the Jackalan Chieftain.

His green eyes were filled with brutality and ferocity.

However, that was not all his eyes displayed.

There was also a hint of fear of the human soldiers.

They were now just 1,640 feet away from the Oasis Lookout.

The Intimidation banner had begun to work.

Its effects had been activated.

The Jackalans, which had been charging quickly at the humans, were all stunned for a bit after getting within a 1,640-foot radius of the banner. They continued to charge, but all their ferocity and wrath were lost.

Their morale was instantly diminished.

Worse still for the Jackalans, their method of combat needed strong, explosive morale more than anything else.

Once the morale diminished, bad things followed.

It worked the same with the Jackalans.

...

"For Swadia!"

Neat, high-spirited shouts were heard throughout Drondheim.

The soldiers standing ready at the eastern end of the street, stared down at the charging Jackalan troops with resolute expressions. Along with panic seen deep in their eyes, there was also psychological readiness for a grim future.

If they were not able to survive, they saw nothing else to do but give it their all.

The soldiers were at the eastern end of the street.

It was the location the 2,000-strong Jackalan forces were heading.

It was where a bloody slaughter was about to happen, as well as where the stench of blood was going to be thickest.

Only 30 Swadian Recruits were standing at the forefront of the street with their shields raised and spears extended from the cracks between the shields.

The tips of their spearheads gleamed.

Behind them stood 60 Swadian Peasants. They physically sealed off the 32-foot-wide street off in tightly packed formations. They raised their long scythes and faced forward, trying to form a tight defensive formation.

They were determined to make themselves into a force able to make the mouths of their enemy bleed with a single bite.

That was not the only formation put in place.

Kant had 35 of his best second-level troop class standing by at the rooftops.

Their loaded hunting crossbows were readied and capable of shooting bolts at any given moment.

Heater shields and heavy spears were laid down right beside them. They armed themselves with the combat shovel, which was better at fighting up close and personal.

They were doing so to prepare themselves against any Jackalan that managed to climb up to the rooftops.

These were all traditional Swadian houses. As such, they were about 9.8 feet tall. Even with the triangular roofs taken into account, the height was still within 11.4 feet tall. It was not that much of a barrier against the Jackalans.

"They're here!"

Scholar Hank spoke with a deep voice, which turned Kant's attention forward.

Kant narrowed his gaze on the enemy as he held his light crossbow. The Jackalans were close enough that he could smell their stench.

It was a stench that belonged only to the Jackalans.

As they rapidly charged, the Jackalans covered the 1,640-foot distance in no time.

Black shadows filled the place. It was as if they were floodwater overcoming a dam, threatening to engulf everything before them as it gushed. The Jackalans were about to break into the Oasis Lookout and flood the soldiers at the end of the street in mere moments.

Shooop, shoop, shoop, shooop...

The sounds of bowstrings being let loose and bolts streaking through the air were heard.

The triggers had been pressed.

Be it Kant or the militia members on the rooftops, they all attacked at the same time without being given an order.

Iron bolts were instantly seen flying toward the enemy.

Blood splattered among the Jackalans who were at the very front. The tips of the iron bolts easily pierced through their hide, tearing at the muscles beneath the layer of fat under their skin. It ruptured their blood vessels and left deep wounds on their bodies.

Oowwwww!

Shrilled howls were heard. The eyes of the Jackalans shot at the front glittered with bloodlust.

The shots from the hunting crossbows had yet to cause lethal damage against the Jackalans.

Still, there were exceptions.

Four Jackalans who had likely been hit in vital areas. They slowed and dropped to the ground. They were quickly stomped on by the Jackalans charging from behind without mercy. Whimpers were heard before they were snuffed out.

The charge had been a success.

The four who dropped to the ground were but a casualty like a drop of water in the ocean to the 2000-strong Jackalan forces.

However, that was still like pouring oil into a pan.

Morale was at an all-time high.

The red Intimidation banner with a golden lion called billowed slightly in the wind. The eyes of the Swadian Recruits guarding the end of the street, who were already close enough to stare into the eyes of the Jackalans, glittered with excitement.

The fourth effect was activated.

Enemy casualties on the battlefield boosted the morale of the friendly forces.

"All hail Swadia!"

The recruits shouted. The ferocity derived from courage allowed them to give it their all, leaving them all with determined expressions.

The odds were further stacked against the Jackalans.

The Jackalans fiercely crashed into the formation at the end of the street.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang…

Sounds that resembled something heavily hitting wooden boards were heard. In actuality, it was the Jackalans frenziedly crashing into the spears and seemingly sturdy shields at the end of the street. They were using their bodies and spiked clubs to try and break through.

The Jackalans' charge was truly insane. Despite there being spears and long scythes right before them, they came crashing down without hesitation.

Crack, crack, crack...

The sounds of wood being snapped were heard.

The Swadian Recruits at the forefront painfully whelped.

The entire formation was right before Kant's eyes. The Swadian Recruits had backed up four or five steps before they finally stopped. The 12 Swadian Recruits at the front taking on the enemy head-on had already dropped dead to the ground.

The recruits were holding their shields steady with their left shoulders, extending their spears through the cracks between their shields with their right hands.

The peasants behind them helped by holding the spears of the recruits, enabling the weapons to stay steady against the enemy's power.

They still suffered massive casualties as the Jackalans tore at them.

Shields were cracked and shattered, and spears were broken. More than 20 Jackalans were brought down by the spears and long scythes, but the formation seemed to be on the verge of collapse.

The edge provided by sheer numbers had completely overwhelmed a strategy of superior quality.

If it had not been for the Intimidation banner, which continued to billow without any winds blowing, boosting the morale of the Swadian troops and urging them to advance, morale would have probably suffered a sharp drop among the troops holding the street after being dealt with such a horrifying charge.

All of them had been living people.

"In the name of Swadia, hold the line!"

Kant's voice was heard shouting throughout the street.

However, his voice fell onto deaf ears. The place was drowned with shouts and noises of slaughter by any remaining recruits and peasants, as well as howls from the Jackalans. All of those sounds drowned out any orders given by Kant.

The Swadian Recruits were struggling to keep the formation in place. They were no longer able to keep the spears steady. They dropped them just to keep their shields up and protect the peasants behind them.

Long scythes were brought down from above or thrust from behind in the formation.

However, none of that lasted for long.

The bodies of Jackalans piled up on the ground. At the same time, Swadians were being brought down left and right by the Jackalans' spiked clubs.

As the noises of the battle raged, casualties were incurred on both sides every single second.

Jackalans had even emerged before the militia members on the rooftops.

They had no choice but to cast their hunting crossbows away and fight up close and personal using the heater shields and combat shovels.

However, things did not look good for Kant's forces.

"Scholar Hank, we need to retreat further away."

Kant gritted his teeth as he saw the troops before him being dropped one after another.

The first wave of the Jackalans' charge had almost brought down his lines of defenses altogether.

He knew that his forces were not able to last long. The Jackalans probably only needed a few more minutes to render his puny line of defense in Drondheim non-existent. The enemy, which had terrifying numbers, was about to massacre his forces using the flesh and blood of their brethren to pave their path to victory.

Chapter 40: Mystical, Supernatural Power

"Retreat? We don't need to retreat."

Scholar Hank held on to his cane. His wrinkled face looked calm.

He sported a deadpan expression.

His wrinkled looks showed not only his age but also his experience, which eclipsed that of most people.

This was not his first time seeing such a brutal battle. Furthermore, as a well-informed and knowledgeable scholar of the Dukedom of Leo, Hank had mastered mystical powers while he was looking into the record. They had required a lot of studying to obtain and included things like spells.

"Rock Hide."

He tapped the ground lightly with his cane. A brown glimmer swept away from Scholar Hank.

The Swadian Recruits, who had been struggling to hold the line, were shrouded by the brown light. It seemed as if they were covered with brown stone. Although the layer was thin, it allowed them to stand stubbornly as if they were constructs of stone.

Even though they were being hammered by the spiked clubs of the Jackalans, causing the layer of stone on their skins to crack, but were able to tough it out instead of just spitting blood and immediately dropping to the ground.

It was the work of a spell cast by Scholar Hank.

"Is this..."

Kant was stunned.

He extended his hand intending to drag the scholar away, but he immediately halted.

"Level 1 earth elemental magic, Rock Hide."

Scholar Hank wore a faint smile. His eyes shone with pride as he elaborated, "I have gotten to expert level with this spell. It is capable of allowing the troops to withstand five heavy impacts from the Jackalans. It is equivalent to giving each of them fine-scale armor."

"That is really something." Kant subconsciously gulped.

The Swadian troops at the front were no longer backing away from the Jackalans' fierce impacts. They had even stood their ground and regrouped. They formed a defensive formation and continued to strike with their spears and long scythes.

The troops, who had stabilized their line of defense and put the formation back together, were being caught in a momentary deadlock.

It was attrition warfare from then on out.

The place had become a mill of the flesh and blood. It was like a slaughterhouse grinding lives down.

The night sky seemed to permeate the stench of blood from the slaughter.

As long as a side was unable to keep up with the attrition and had fear strike their hearts, the momentary deadlock was bound to be broken. The side overwhelmed with fear faced slaughter by the winning side.

Fighting on battlefields was extremely brutal.

"I never thought..."

Kant slightly shook his head. He smirked and said, "Master Hank, you are actually a mage."

When Kant was studying in the academy with Scholar Hank, he had always thought the old man was a high-level scholar and nothing else. Kant had never seen any signs that Scholar Hank was a mage.

Scholar Hank chuckled and replied, "While I'm indeed a senior scholar of the academy, I'm also an honorary mage in the Association of Mages."

"I don't understand. That's like two different worlds to me."

Kant shook his head and kept the smirk on his face. "I'm really surprised."

He was well aware of the so-called Association of Mages.

For Kant, he only knew what he had seen in the records.

The true mage tower was on the side of the castle, which was forbidden ground for Kant. Despite being the youngest son of the duke, he was deemed unqualified to venture inside. Thus, he had been unable to learn more about the place.

Instead, he had chosen to learn in the academy.

"The Association of Mages is extremely strict with their selection of mages. That much is no secret."

Scholar Hank was able to sense Kant's dejection from the tone of his voice.

The scholar stayed silent for a while before offering words of comfort and saying, "Although the mages mastered supernatural powers, those powers acquired through years of study and experimentation. If you were to become a competent mage, it would require no less than 30 years dedicated to magical studies."

"That many years, eh? That's quite a steep cost."

Kant smirked. Despite having an apparent desire for supernatural powers, that was not a cost he willing to bear.

It was especially so given that he had a cheat with him.

His capabilities were not all that different from those capable of supernatural powers.

For instance, there was the Intimidation banner in his hand. As the battle went on and a great number of Jackalans were being brought down by the long scythes and spears, the red banner became increasingly gleaming and the golden lion looked increasingly fierce.

Brroommmmm

Faint rumbles of thunder were heard on the battlefield.

Glimmers of shock were seen in the unforgiving eyes of the Jackalan Chieftain, who was commanding his forces at the center.

He was not the only one. The other Jackalans behind looked up as well.

The rumble of thunder had grown increasingly loud, yet there was not a single dark cloud shrouding the dazzling stars in the sky above. All of the Jackalans were puzzled. They wondered where that rumble of thunder, which seemed to be so close to their ears, actually came from.

Owwuuuu!

Shrieks of fear were heard among the Jackalans. The howls were how such a primitive race communicated.

The Jackalans at the rear started to waver. Even those who were still tearing at their enemies up front, whose eyes were filled with bloodlust as they tore at the human forces, also retreated. All signs of ferocity and brutality in their eyes disappeared without a trace.

The reverence and fear spread throughout their ranks and were gradually seen in the eyes of all the Jackalans around.

They soon discovered where the rumble had come from.

The 50 heavy cavalry units, which were in the form of the retainer knights, came crashing down at them with their lances extended.

"Hobson's knights."

The face of that wizened scholar looked rather relieved.

He smiled faintly as he turned around to look at Kant. He held up his cane and said, "Given that the plan is ongoing, I shall cast a level 2 spell afterward, Baron Knight. You will need to do your part after that."

"Of course." Kant nodded.

That had been the plan to begin with. It was just that no one had expected Scholar Kant to cast magic.

However, there was no doubt that it was indeed due to the spells cast by the scholar that Kant's forces, which consisted of low-level troop classes, had been able to hold their own against such ferocious Jackalans attacking in such huge numbers. It helped turn the tables around and gave his forces a chance at winning.

"Poison Mist."

Scholar Hank's eyes glimmered slightly as he pointed his cane forward.

A mysterious connection seemed to have been built. Dirt-yellow light was conjured. It quickly turned into a green liquid. As the scholar willed, the liquid slithered through the Swadian troops struggling to resist the Jackalans. It finally struck the enemy hard, spraying all about the ranks of the Jackalans.

Fiiizzzzz!

Owwuuuu, wwuuuuuu

The green liquid splattered on the bodies of the Jackalans. Intense corrosion was soon seen taking place.

Smoke rose into the air. A thick stench permeated the place. It was a result of the corrosive chemical effect taking place when the green liquid came into contact with flesh and blood. All the Jackalans splattered by the liquid howled in pain.

However, those howls did not last for long.

The corrosive liquid only took seconds to eat past their skin and coats and makes its way into the muscles and vessels underneath. Jackalans were hardy creatures, but they knelt on the ground coughing up blood in intense pain all the same. Those that were hit were rendered dead within seconds of their first whimper.

More than 39 feet of the battlefield, which had been packed with ferocious Jackalans, had almost been instantly cleared away.

"Do not hesitate, Baron Kant."

Scholar Hank patted Kant's back and said in a low voice, "This is an opportunity like no other, so don't waste it."

"Sure." Kant immediately came to his senses.

He raised the Intimidation' banner in his hand high and drew the short sword by his side. He charged forward shouting, "Brave warriors of Swadia, press forward! With me!"

"Kill them all!"

The handful of Swadian Recruits left standing roared in anger.

The peasants, who had suffered severe casualties, responded in the same manner. All of them raised their long scythes and pressed forward.

Courage welled from their hearts.

Even the militia members on the rooftops, who had long been fighting against the Jackalans while armed with their combat shovels and heater shields, roared angrily. The deaths of their comrades caused intense hate to explode within them.

The forces, which had dwindled to below 100, had forgotten all about possible injury and death.

They pressed forward with their weapons held high under Kant's orders. They charged head-on against the Jackalans flooding into the street. They slaughtered the Jackalans until the Jackalans were no longer behaving like an army. Some of those primitive race had even begun to fear and run from the frenzied human soldiers.

Two effects of Intimidation activated at the same time.

Effect 3 easily dispersed enemy forces due to panic and fear.

Effect 4 boosted the forces' morale when the enemy suffered casualties.

Morale immediately skyrocketed.

The tables had turned in favor of Kant's forces.

The situation quickly becoming in their favor was so apparent that it would have turned a coward into a roaring butcher.

Even common peasants would have become Swadian warriors eagerly charging into battle.

"All hail Swadia!"

"Long live Lord Kant!"

The remaining eight Swadian Recruits swung about with their hand axes.

The remaining 19 Swadian Militia members brought their combat shovels onto their enemies.

The remaining 53 peasants tore at their enemies with their long scythes.

It was like they had all become bloodthirsty lunatics. They charged at their enemies with wild abandon, bringing down all of the Jackalans flooding the end of the street. They were all willing to go as far as was needed to kill all those Jackalans invading their village, even if it cost them their lives.

Owwuuuuuu!

The chieftain, who was wearing mail armor, angrily howled.

However, the chieftain, who had initially been an intimidating and commanding presence, had no way to stop his forces from faltering. The fear spread throughout the entire Jackalan force, causing their formations to crumble. Many Jackalans were seen running away.

The most apparent ones were on the frontlines fighting against the humans. They were so severely slaughtered that they began to flee.

There were also the ones on the flanks.

Hundreds of Jackalans stared ahead in fear and shock. Their gazes were locked hundreds of feet before them. The threatening, imposing knights were charging, and they were coming for the Jackalans.

The dust kicked up by the knights seemed to have been enough to block the sky from view.

The hoofs hit the ground hard, bringing about intense tremor and noises that sounded like thunder. It caused the legs of the Jackalans to wobble in fear.

The human heavy cavalry forces from 10 years ago re-emerged in their minds.

Mass panic had taken place among the Jackalans, and many began to flee.

Chapter 41: Forging a Path to Victory

Intimidation was an extraordinary item provided by the system to begin with.

It served to weaken the enemy's morale, including those of the Jackalan forces.

Brroooooooommm

The 50 retainer knights led by Hobson immediately cut into the flanks of the Jackalans. The might from the charge of the handful of heavy cavalry units was comparable to that from over 1,000 infantry units.

Around 40 to 50 Jackalans were sent flying by the stout warhorses charging into their midst.

Their fine lances easily skewered the Jackalans' bodies.

As they continued to rampage among the Jackalans, the knights drew their longswords. Any that had not been able to evade the knights' attacks in time, or those who simply froze in fear, were quickly slain by the knights on the spot.

Cavalry units always had an edge over infantry units.

Heavy cavalry units in the era of cold weapons were lauded as kings of land battles for their impressive capability to crush any other types of units.

As such, the Jackalans were thrown into utter chaos.

After seeing their own instantly dropping dead left and right, and knowing that they were caught in a pincer attack carried out by human infantries in front and human cavalry units at the rear, the Jackalans stopped resisting and started fleeing in panic.

"For Swadia!"

The infantry units on the street, who were all in a frenzy with bloodlust, continued to hunt down the Jackalans before them.

Kant also had his own cavalry force.

The 17 Desert Bandits quickly emerged. Each one held a spear and skewered any Jackalan that did not manage to flee in time. The Desert Bandits did not even bother to pull their spears out before bringing down their flanged maces onto the heads of those beast-like creatures.

The Jackalans' skulls were cracked open.

Crimson blood, which was mixed with grey brain matter, splattered everywhere.

When it came to brutality and ferocity, there were times when humans were on par with beasts.

The humans showed no mercy.

In this battle, the survival of their species was on the line. The Desert Bandits charged forward with their horses. They paid no heed to their own safety as they blazed a trail for the infantry units behind them. They charged straight into the deeper parts of the Jackalan forces.

The Desert Bandits divided the already messed-up formations of the Jackalans. As they pushed through the tribe, it was as if they were slaughtering chicks. The ferocious primitive tribe members fled with only terror and fear in their minds.

Owwuuuuuuuu!

The Jackalan chieftain swung its two-handed battle ax down onto the Jackalans beside him, killing them on the spot.

He wanted to stop his forces from crumbling. However, it did not matter how angry his howls were. The Jackalans, which were feeling nothing but fear and terror by then, had no intention of staying on the battlefield.

That was the fate of primitive forces fighting without any form of strategy.

They quickly fell into panic and chaos once a crippling blow had been dealt.

Furthermore, that red banner emblazoned with a golden lion continued to billow without wind. It cast formless waves onto the battlefield in the dark of night.

Its effects continued to work at full force.

The Jackalans' morale had practically been decimated to the point that was hardly any morale left.

All of them fled quicker than before.

Even though the Jackalans had an overwhelming advantage in terms of numbers, all of them had been thrown into utter chaos and panic. They knew of nothing else at the moment but to run with their brethren around them. As they saw some of them were already running, more Jackalans ran. The vicious cycle brought about by a herd mentality caused the Jackalan forces to crumble.

As he followed behind the Desert Bandits, Kant drew his short sword and held his banner high.

The retainer knights, who seemed to be clad in blood-red linen robes, were seen causing terror among the Jackalans not far away. They were covered in blood by then. Their red linen robes were stained with the blood of slain Jackalans.

In this battle, the value of an elite force was brilliantly displayed.

Even Kant had grown envious of the retainer knights, who were still rampaging about.

If only I had 50 Swadian Knights under my command.

He quickly rectified his thoughts.

Even if he had 10 Swadian Knights under his command, he would have been extremely happy. It would have allowed him to lead the low-level troop classes. They would have torn the Jackalan forces apart, slaughtering the enemy to their hearts' content without any restraint.

Owwwuuuuu!

Howls of anguish were heard somewhere in front of him.

Kant narrowed his gaze forward and held tight on his Intimidation banner. He looked rather serious.

The howls had come from the Jackalan chieftain.

The chieftain swung his two-handed battle ax without any regard for the Jackalans around him. He brought down two of the retainer knights' horses on the spot. The blood on the ax was a testament that those two knights' fate had taken a turn for the worse.

A chieftain position was reserved for the strongest Jackalan.

The strongest Jackalan before them wore mail armor and wielded a two-handed battle ax. He had especially terrifying combat prowess.

He was so terrifyingly powerful that not even the retainer knights dared to get close to him.

That Jackalan chieftain's bloodshot eyes were focused forward. He howled in a frenzy as he charged at the retainer knights. The chieftain swung his battle ax with wild abandon. He brought down several retainer knights like a miniaturized windmill.

That scene seemed to have restored some of the morale of the Jackalans around him.

"Sh*t." Kant frowned.

If the Jackalans had their morale restored, the chaos before them was likely to continue.

It was especially so if they were to discover that the number of humans hunting them down was actually only a fraction of their forces in terms of numbers.

At that time, those ferocious Jackalans would have fiercely retaliated. Kant's forces, as well as the retainer knights know, would have quickly experienced what it was like to be brought down by overwhelming numbers.

"Lord Kant, I guess we need to take that guy down."

The Desert Bandits, who were riding their horses in front of Kant, noticed Kant frowning.

They continued thrusting with their spears and swinging their flanged maces, bringing down Jackalans around them.

Due to the might brought by all 17 of them, the Jackalans around them were escaping left and right without any intention of fighting back. The Jackalans were still in a panic and desperately trying to flee. F

"Alright, do you guys have any ideas?"

Kant nodded with a serious expression.

"Sure." The Desert Bandits answered affirmatively as they drew the javelins from on their backs.

The javelins, which were comparable in length to that of a grown man's arm and crafted using fine wooden materials, had very pointy spearheads. They were stabilized by a weighty metal counterweight at the rear end. All of that made them very formidable throwing weapons.

The Desert Bandits were also very well-trained in the use of such weapons.

Kant said in a low voice, "Take him out!"

The Desert Bandits lifted their pilums in place of a verbal answer before kicking the belies of their horses hard.

A stinging pain was felt by the desert horses, causing them to immediately charge. All 17 of them formed a wall of horses. They trampled any Jackalans that happened to get in their way.

The Desert Bandits quickly closed in on the Jackalan chieftain.

They expertly threw their javelins, which they had raised beforehand, in full force at their target.

Shoooooo…

The sounds of projectiles tearing through the air were heard. The Jackalan chieftain continued to madly swing about with his battle ax several feet away. Before he knew it, he soon felt a massive force hitting his back.

Owwwuuuu...

The pain caused his eyes to become even more bloodshot.

The 11 javelins penetrated his back, which was clad in mail armor. The spearheads, which had blood grooves, lodged deeply into his back muscles. It made the Jackalan chieftain, who seemed strong and mighty, look like a hedgehog instead.

His right arm, which was the arm wielding the battle ax, had two javelins lodged into it. The pain was so intense that he struggled to maintain a grip on the weapon.

Howls were heard from his wolf-like head. His eyes quickly filled with murderous intent. He glared at Kant and the Desert Bandits behind him. The Desert Bandits switched back to their spears and flanged maces.

Those were the people who threw javelins at him moments ago.

However, he was able to do nothing but remember the moment.

Shoooo…

A glitter of cold steel was seen as a longsword lacerated the throat of the Jackalan chieftain.

Sir Hobson charged at the chieftain with his sword in hand, which was sharp enough to easily tear through the chieftain's throat. It caused the chieftain, who looked strong and mighty, to fall to his knees holding his throat.

The Intimidation banner billowed in the breeze. The golden lion looked even more ferocious than before.

The second effect was activated.

Killing the enemy leader caused the enemy forces to be thrown into chaos.

The Jackalan forces had fallen into complete chaos by then.

It was chaos of such a level that the Jackalan forces suffered an utter defeat right there and then.

The Jackalans, which saw their chieftain falling to the ground, dropped their weapons and whimpered. There was only one thought on their minds by then—run!

The further away the were able to get the better.

"For Swadia, kill them all!"

The death of the Jackalans' leaders became a decisive turning point that determined the outcome of that battle.

The soldiers charged as they shouted in a frenzy. They pounced on the fleeing Jackalans with greater fervor since they no longer had anything to fear.

The retainer knights galloped away on their warhorses, killing any fleeing Jackalans they were able to find around them. They wanted to make sure that the members of that primitive race being thrown into chaos was so thorough that there was no way for them to recover again.

The entire place was filled with fleeing Jackalans.

It was quite ironic given that there were still at least 1,500 of them around.

However, having lost the will to fight, they were of little difference than sheep waiting to be slaughtered.

To Kant, his single largest threat in the Nahrin Desert was that massive Jackalan Tribe. Now, under the glittering stars in the sky, they had completely lost the ability to fight him. The Jackalans were reduced to little more than gravel to be stepped on. They were now a page in the history books.

Chapter 42: Surplus Experience

The bright moonlight shining from above seemed to have been imbued with a chill that seeped deep into their bones.

They were in the Oasis Lookout within the Nahrin Desert.

The fighting at dusk had been intense, and it ended with the total collapse of the Jackalan forces.

The stench of blood remained thick in the air.

It made the scene feel like a slaughterhouse.

After all, it was a battlefield where fevered combatants had gone for each other's throats. Dead bodies were sprawled everywhere. Blood was in such abundance that it stained the sand beneath them red. The bodies belonged to beings who did not want to die. The yearning for life was still seen deep within their lifeless eyes.

None could have afforded to pull punches on that battlefield. None could have afforded mercy for the enemy.

Only victors were qualified to savor the brutality of a battle and be sorrowful over it. Losers deserved only to be buried and reduced to specks of dust in history.

Kant knew that very well.

If he had been on the losing side in that battlefield, not even the bodies left sprawling on the ground would have ended up being buried.

Jackalans were not averse to the notion of eating human flesh. To the members of that primitive race, fine, juicy human dead bodies were, to an extent, considered a delicacy to them.

Jackalans and humans were totally different races at the most fundamental levels.

"Winner takes all. Losers can shove it."

Kant quietly muttered to himself. He had little to mourn over regarding that intense battle.

He did not mind seeing more Jackalans dead. On the contrary, he felt pity for all the Swadian troops who perished in that battle. It meant that his military force suffered a huge loss.

The leader of the trade caravan did the accounting and made a report of the casualties:

100 Swadian Peasants. 58 dead, 42 remained

30 Swadian Recruits. 24 dead, six remained

35 Swadian Militias. 16 dead, 19 remained

The loss was crushing.

Kant's forces had suffered a devastating blow in the battle.

It was bound to take quite a while for his forces to recover.

Kant frowned hard when he saw the report.

He took a deep breath to calm the intense frustration he felt deep down. He bitterly said, "The cost of 92 dead is steep."

It was actually more than steep.

More than half of his zero-level troop class was lost.

His first- and second-level troop classes were almost gone.

It was a crushing blow that would significantly slow the development of Drondheim.

After losing so many troops, Kant was not going to be able to organize an effective defense.

After losing so many peasants, he was also unable to further develop his village.

"Count your blessings, I guess."

Kant sighed. He still felt grateful for the bright sight of things.

Although he had suffered huge losses, he had the system. It allowed him to recover some parts of the loss.

[Ding... The enemy has been totally crushed after a bloody battle.]

[Side Quest: Persistence in Adversity is complete.]

[Reward Acquired: Denar x 1,000, Reputation x 500, Honor x 1]

[Introduction: Your bravery served to keep your forces going on the brutal battlefield. As a result, they were able to hold on to their beliefs and crush the brutal, merciless enemy forces in staggering numbers.]

Kant's reward was issued by the system through the dialog box.

However, a new dialog box appeared before the one he was reading disappeared.

[Ding... You have acquired a proud victory due to having a battle in which you had been severely outnumbered.]

[Evaluation Acquired: Epic Victory]

[Acquired Reputation x 100]

[Acquired Honor x 1]

That was the evaluation of the battle given by the system.

The result was astonishing.

Epic Victory?

Kant clenched his fists as his heart raced.

It was quite a lovely surprise for him.

It was especially so because he had acquired two Honor. While he suffered considerable losses on the battlefield, have those two points for the prize draw in the mall allowed him to recover all of his losses. If he were really lucky, he could become even richer than that.

After all, Kant had acquired the sacred Intimidation banner through prize drawings.

Suddenly, a dialog box from the system appeared yet again.

It was a dialog box regarding troop classes.

[Ding... Your forces have upgradable units.]

The battle was over.

After the intense battle, his troops were finally able to continue getting upgraded. They could become troop classes with greater combat capacity.

"Open up the troop class page."

He felt rather heavy deep down and took a deep breath.

His upcoming actions greatly affected the strength of his forces.

The dialog box from the system immediately opened, and the list was packed full of options.

...

[Upgradable Troop Class: Swadian Peasants x 42]

[Spend 10 Denars each to upgrade to Swadian Recruit]

[Ding... You have surplus experience. Your forces can be upgraded consecutively.]

...

[Upgradable Troop Class: Swadian Recruits x 6]

[Spend 20 Denars each to upgrade to Swadian Militia]

[Ding... You have surplus experience. Your forces can be upgraded consecutively.]

...

[Upgradable Troop Class: Swadian Militias x 19]

[Spend 30 Denars each to upgrade to Swadian Footman/Swadian Skirmisher]

[Ding... You have surplus experience. Your forces can be upgraded consecutively.]

...

[Upgradable Troop Class: Desert Bandits x 17]

[Spend 25 Denars each to upgrade to Elite Desert Bandit]

[Ding... You have surplus experience. Your forces can be upgraded consecutively.]

...

Things happened as Kant had expected.

After securing an Epic Victory in that battle, every single unit that lived managed to get upgraded.

There was even surplus experience to be had.

According to the system, they were able to be upgraded to further levels.

All of that served as a testament to how much Kant gained from that one battle. Bagging a decisive victory fighting 2,000 invading Jackalans had been incredibly difficult.

One mistake could have led to them all ending up dead on the battlefield.

Kant gulped.

He browsed the troop class page. "Well, the number of Denars required for upgrades seems rather steep."

According to the available upgrades for his current forces, it required spending 1,367 Denars to get the upgrades.

Worse still, that expenditure excluded further upgrades after that.

Kant had no idea just how much surplus experience would have been left after upgrading them.

Then again, he would not have had to worry about it in the first place.

At the moment, the 1,367 Denars was a huge sum to Kant.

He had acquired 500 Denars after selling the dates.

He had spent 30 Denars recruiting one Desert Bandit.

He next acquired 1,000 Denars by completing the Persistence in Adversity quest.

With that added together, Kant currently had 1,470 Denars to spare.

If he upgraded all of his remaining units in one go, Kant would be broke. It would have created a situation like how it had been before where he could not afford to pay the upkeep for his forces in the following week. It was bound to put him in a very awkward position.

There was no way he was able to proceed in that way.

"This is really a headache."

He pinched at his brow hard. He had just secured a victory, yet he felt jaded all over.

It felt as if all of his strength had been sucked out of his body.

As he was thinking about what to do next, he heard hurried footsteps from behind.

Captain Rowan, who had been fighting alongside the retainer knights before, approached Kant. He was also soaked in blood. He lowered his head and said with a rather complicated expression, "My Lord, Sir Hobson and Scholar Hank wish to speak with you."

"Yeah, noted." Kant nodded.

Regardless of feelings, Kant was a baron, so Rowan's tone was polite and lacked the slightest bit of impatience in it.

The presence of both Hobson and Hank was a testament to Kant's nobility. As a mere captain of the knights, Rowan's status made it such that he was unthinkable to offend Kant.

Kant quickly went to the Council Hall, where the retainer knights were regrouping and tidying themselves up.

When they were charging at the Jackalans and dealing them a crushing blow, there had been many among those brave retainer knights who ended up injured. There had even been several among them who died during the battle.

Kant went up and asked in a rather serious tone, "How are the casualties, Sir Hobson?"

"Six were gravely injured, and seven are dead," Sir Hobson replied.

Kant's frown became even more pronounced as he apologized. "I'm sorry for getting you all in this mess, Sir Hobson."

It was indeed him who got them in that mess.

If it had not been for Kant, those retainer knights would not have had needed to come to the Oasis Lookout and fight that many Jackalans in the first place.

"It is the destiny of knights to die with glory on the battlefield."

Sir Hobson shook his head and took a deep breath. He said, "It's a more memorable way to go dying in battle than to die of old age yet having accomplished nothing after all."

He paused for a bit before turning around to look at Kant. His tone became rather secretive when he said, "It is indeed our mission to help solve your problems when we're out here. That was the other mission of ours, one that no one briefed us about or said out loud."

"I don't quite understand." Kant frowned.

"You are part of the duke's bloodline."

Scholar Hank walked out of the Council Hall with his cane and said, "I never believed for a second that someone of my status would have warranted an escort consisting of 50 retainer knights of the castle for protection, or that the expedition was little more than a common survey."

"I'm truly sorry." Sir Hobson had nothing to offer the scholar but an apology.

"Don't be. I was able to guess what was going on." Scholar Hank smiled after shaking his head. In a lethargic tone, he said, "That's how it is with you nobles, and that's why I don't like mingling with you people."

Both men knew that there was no need for more words after that.

Kant frowned, recalling his high-born, convenient father—Duke Cameron.

"So, it's because of you," the scholar muttered to himself.

Now that thing had been put in such a manner, everything made sense.

"Baron Kant." Scholar Hank interrupted Kant's thoughts.

"What is it, Master Hank?" Kant came to his senses again.

The scholar said, "The Jackalans have suffered a crushing blow. If everything goes well, they won't be attacking this place again for a very long time. As such, I'm preparing to leave this place."

"Leave?" Kant was slightly baffled.

"Yes, I'm thinking of leaving."

Scholar Hank felt rather overwhelmed when he gazed at the faraway dunes. He shook his head and said, "The lost city is but a myth. I thought that Duke Cameron had been moved by my findings and finally decided to back my expedition. Come to think of it now, it was reckless to judge that the legends were true from nothing more than a single line in some book."

"Well..." Kant opened his mouth but quickly found himself tongue-tied.

Scholar Hank shook his head and wore a bitter smile. "I'm thinking of heading back. I can consider the expedition to have fulfilled my dreams." He sighed and quipped, "The lost city is but a myth after all."

It was a renowned legend in the Dukedom of Leo. Countless people throughout history had searched for it before.

If there had indeed been clues out there, said clues would have probably long been found.

Chapter 43: Part-time Slave Trader

It was early dawn.

People were seen getting busy in the Oasis Lookout.

The Swadians were diligently cleaning up the battlefield. They disregarded their fatigue as they went about cleaning up the village as quickly as possible.

It was especially so with the bloody mess of dead Jackalans. The bodies were of a top priority on the list of clean-ups to do. Temperatures in the desert were high. Once the bodies began to rot and seep into the soil, underground water reserves would have ended up contaminated. At the point, things would have taken a turn for the worse.

The sun slowly rose, bringing the arrival of dawn.

The battlefield had been completely cleaned up. More than 400 Jackalan bodies were piled into a mound.

That was the result of the previous night's battle.

There were also more than 100 Jackalans with their hands tied behind their backs located at the back of the houses. All of them hung their heads low in despair.

That was also a result of the battle. Those Jackalans had been taken as prisoners.

The 19 Swadian Militia member who managed to survive were keeping a close eye on the Jackalan prisoners. They held on tightly to their hunting crossbows. If they dared to try anything funny, bolts loaded on the crossbows were ready to be unleashed on the prisoners.

There was also the combat shovel—a weapon capable of penetrating armor with a single hit—being readied, waiting to crack open the skulls of the prisoners.

Then again, no one else seemed to care much about those Jackalan prisoners.

Kant's allies, who had helped him win the battle the previous night, were getting ready to depart that morning.

"It's time for us to leave, Baron Kant."

Sir Hobson extended his hand and held Kant's hand tightly. "Thank you for providing us with breakfast and fresh water. May Edmund, the great God of War, watch over you and your lands."

"Likewise." Kant nodded. Gratitude was seen in his eyes.

He turned around and looked at Scholar Hank. In an apologetic tone, he said, "Master Hank, I do wish the expedition into the Nahrin Desert would have brought more than just regret for you."

"It did." Scholar Hank shook his head and grinned. "I shall leave finding the lost city to my juniors."

He lightly sighed. He seemed rather vexed as he rummaged through his clothes and handed a scroll over to Kant. "This is the sum of my research of the lost city from the academy. I may never come to the desert again. Since you're the lord of the place, it would please me if you were to be able to find ruins, or at least some artifacts having anything to do with the lost city."

"Thank you, Master Hank." Kant solemnly took the scroll.

Kant was aware that the scholar's lifework was contained within the scroll.

He packed it away carefully and replied, "I shall treat it with care."

"I hope you can finish my work." Scholar Hank smiled and nodded. He looked as if a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. He chatted with Kant for a bit before returning to his carriage.

"Farewell, Baron Kant."

Sir Hobson nodded before turning around and leaving with his retainer knights in tow.

Those who were gravely injured were assisted by their peers. The dead retainer knights were strapped onto the warhorses that served them. Both knight and horse were of a single entity. Even though they died on the battlefield, they needed to be brought home by others. That was where true honor lied.

Captain Rowan was among those helping the severely injured retainer knights.

After fighting such an intense battle, it was likely that Sir Hobson would vouch for him when they returned home. There was a possibility of a promotion waiting for him.

Then again, none of that had anything to do with Kant.

He had left the Dukedom of Leo quite a while ago. Now, he was but a lesser lord in the Nahrin Desert.

However, he still immediately recalled that father of his. At the thought of him, he sighed. He was puzzled at what was actually going on in his father's head.

He exiled me here, yet...

He hung his head low and felt complicated emotions. Why bother sending anyone to back me up out here?

That was what troubled him most.

He had been living in that world for 16 years. It was inevitable that he would become attached to that world.

It was even more so in the case of his father, the man who raised him.

"Good morning, Lord Kant. You do not seem to be in the mood."

A respectful greeting was heard from behind.

Kant turned around and found the leader of the trade caravan from Reyvadin behind him.

Kant grinned after nodding. "Good morning."

He behaved more amicably to the leader. That man, whom he knew nothing about before, had participated in that battle the previous evening. He fought hard with his escorts and mercenaries. That changed Kant's opinion toward him.

"I do hope I'm not getting in the way of anything, My Lord."

The leader of the trade caravan behaved just as respectfully as he had always done.

He did not let the merit of his help toward Kant get to his head. That was the way a person should have behaved. As a leader of a trade caravan going around towns and cities alike, he knew that very well.

"Is there anything you would need from me?" Kant was able to sense the man's hesitation.

The leader gulped and nodded. He said, "Well, it's like this, Lord Kant. I've seen that you have captured several Jackalans from the battle last night."

"Do you have any thoughts about them?" Kant was slightly startled.

Instead of skirting the question, the leader nodded and hurriedly said, "Those Jackalans look fit, and they seem to have some sense of reason still. I'm thinking that they would serve as decent labor for working in mines and forests, after they are tamed, of course."

"So?" Kant knew there was something else.

That was a specialty of the game.

Captured troop classes were resources tradable using Denars. Selling them to slave traders would have been very profitable. That was considered to be one of the most important sources of Denars to players.

"I'd like to purchase the Jackalan prisoners." The leader immediately said what was on his mind.

"I see." Kant grinned as he eyed the rather awkward expression on the leader. He looked at the faraway dunes and said, "It never occurred to me that a trade caravan dealing with regular goods was into slave trade as well."

"It's a part-time job." The leader awkwardly lowered his head.

Slave traders were not of good repute. In fact, they were considered a notorious bunch on the Continent of Caradia.

To Kant, who was in desperate need of money, it was a boon and one of the best things that could have happened to him at the moment. He had sold slaves back in the game. Currently, there was no way he was going to overlook this type of opportunity.

As such, Kant asked without beating around the bush, "How much are you offering for the Jackalan slaves?"

"Well, in this case, I'd offer 30 Denars for each prisoner."

The leader gulped as he looked at Kant with rather fearful eyes. In full honesty, he added, "I'm not a professional slave trader, so I'd only be able to evaluate and offer 30 Denars each. I do think that the actual price for each of those prisoners would be higher."

"30 Denars, eh?" Kant muttered to himself. He turned around and said, "We have a deal."

According to prices in the game he played in his past life, even the lowliest of bandits would have been worth 35 Denars each. However, considering that the leader was the only buyer having any link to the system, Kant did not object to the offer.

Besides, he still had to do business.

Furthermore, those were Denars that he gained from doing nothing.

Even if he were to only be given 10 Denars each, Kant would not have hesitated to sell the Jackalans.

He was unable to think of any decent ways to deal with the Jackalan prisoners. If the leader of the trade caravan had not offered to buy them, his only way to deal with the prisoners would have been to slit their throats, throw them into the pile, and burning them down to ash.

He did not need Jackalan slaves.

"There are 142 Jackalan prisoners."

The leader flashed a beaming smile as Kant confirmed the headcount. He quickly said, "With each being worth 30 Denars, the sum would be 4,260 Denars."

Kant's heart skipped a beat. He asked again, "How much?"

"It is 4,260 Denars." The leader lowered his head respectfully and added, "If there were any other slave traders around, they may have offered more than I did. For that, I'm truly sorry, Lord Kant."

"Don't be. That's good enough." Kant gulped, struggling to keep his emotions in check.

He had earned more than 4,000 Denars from selling 142 Jackalan prisoners.

This is explosively lucrative!

Not only did the trade gave Kant the funds needed for upgrading his forces, but he also gained enough to further develop his village by being able to build more buildings. It had also taken care of the weekly upkeep of his forces. All his problems were solved in one shot.

Kant's eyes glimmered. He had suddenly discovered a good way of generating wealth.

He licked his lips and looked at the leader. He asked, "Would you mind purchasing slaves for prolonged periods?"

"I shall be here once every month. If you happen to have slaves to sell, I shall evaluate them."

The leader nodded affirmatively and added, "But, of course, I'd still prefer regular goods. If there were to be nothing else up for sale, then I shall purchase the slaves as well."

"Very well."

Kant nodded with glittering eyes. "Those Jackalan slaves are all yours now."

The leader excused himself and gestured to the people behind him.

The six escorts and 12 mercenaries standing by immediately walked up to the Jackalan prisoners with a vicious grin on the faces. They hoisted the prisoners up by the ropes, tying their hands and headed for the grocery store.

Those people had their own ways of making those Jackalans obedient slaves.

The 4,260 Denars were immediately added to Kant's account in his mind.

The sum he had at the moment was 5,743 Denars.

Time to get on with the upgrades.

Given that he now had so much money, Kant had nothing to worry about.

Chapter 44: Explosive Growth in Quality of Forces

With 5,743 Denars available, Kant had nothing to worry about.

Even back in the game played in his past life, there was no doubt that such an amount of money was a huge sum.

Kant immediately willed it and connected to the system.

"Open up the troop class page."

A dialog box was seen on his retina.

Kant's current forces were displayed. All of them had a "+" sign behind the names of their respective troop classes. It meant that he only needed to pay the required amount of Denars to level them up and make them troop classes of higher level and greater combat capacity.

I really am rich now.

He only needed to reorganize his crippled forces standing guard all over the Oasis Lookout.

...

[Upgradable Troop Class: Swadian Peasants x 42]

[Spend 10 Denars each to upgrade to Swadian Recruit]

[Ding... You have surplus experience. Your forces can be upgraded consecutively.]

...

[Upgradable Troop Class: Swadian Recruits x 6]

[Spend 20 Denars each to upgrade to Swadian Militia]

[Ding... You have surplus experience. Your forces can be upgraded consecutively.]

...

[Upgradable Troop Class: Swadian Militias x 19]

[Spend 30 Denars each to upgrade to Swadian Footman/Swadian Skirmisher]

[Ding... You have surplus experience. Your forces can be upgraded consecutively.]

...

[Upgradable Troop Class: Desert Bandits x 17]

[Spend 25 Denars each to upgrade to Elite Desert Bandit]

[Ding... You have surplus experience. Your forces can be upgraded consecutively.]

...

All of them were troop classes available for upgrades to Kant.

The upgrades required payment of 1,367 Denars.

"Upgrade them all!"

Kant nodded affirmatively and with style.

At the moment, the 1,367 Denars was a small sum to him. It was money that needed to be spent anyway, so he did not hesitate.

If his forces were formidable enough, it allowed him to gain as much money as he fancied.

There was no shortage of Jackalans in the Nahrin Desert.

[Troop class upgrading...]

The system was continuing to upgrade his troops.

The 42 Swadian Peasants instantly became 42 Swadian Recruits.

The six Swadian Recruits became six Swadian Militias.

There was something different with the upgrade of the 19 Swadian Militias.

That was where routes for further upgrades split.

[Ding... Optional upgrades are available for Swadian Militias.]

[Swadian Footman/Swadian Skirmisher]

A dialog box was seen in the system.

It was two entirely different routes from then on out. One specialized in melee combat while the other in ranged combat.

Kant had long come to a decision about that. He made his choice without hesitation. "Upgrade all of them to become Swadian Footmen!"

Those troops were ideal for serving as the main infantry units on the battlefield.

The bodies of the units became even stouter and stronger. Their equipment became something else altogether. They were no longer clad in leather-based armor from top to toe. That had been swapped for iron-based armor. It made them look like elite troops.

They were armed with heavy spears, longswords, and thicker heater shields.

They were clad in mail armors and standard infantry iron helmets.

They wore thick leather boots covered in mail armor. It was a standard Swadian-styled armament.

The Swadian Footmen served as one of the main fighting forces on the battlefield. Further upgrades were divided into two different routes as well.

[Swadian Man-at-Arms/Swadian Infantry]

After getting past that stage, the king of land battles of the Kingdom of Swadia would become available. Be it infantry units for garrisoning or laying siege to cities or cavalry units excelling in fighting battles out in the open, the might of the strongest kingdom found on the Continent of Caradia would have been known to all.

However, it was not those troop classes from Swadia that saw the greatest change.

There were still the 17 Desert Bandits.

The bandits, who originated from the Sarrand Sultanate, acquired a huge amount of experience as well. All of them had been successfully upgraded.

They became Elite Desert Bandits.

After the upgrade, the Elite Desert Bandits were still armed with spears, but their close-combat weapon became the heavy flanged mace. It was capable of causing greater blunt trauma damage and sported better armor penetration.

Their hide-covered round shields, which were often seen in desert areas, remained unchanged. Two additional javelins were added to the initial four they carried. All six had become heftier.

Their initial leather armor was changed to scale armor, offering better defensive capacities.

Those top-notch bandits of the Sarrand Desert usually served as leaders or bosses of bandit gangs. Even the regular army of the Sarrand Sultanate was given quite a headache from those bandits, who proved even more ferocious than most.

Combined with the Desert Bandits he would recruit from then on out, Kant would have formed his own elite cavalry force by then.

Those elite forces were no match for the heavy cavalry units of the Kingdom of Swadia or even fourth-level cavalry units like the Sarrandian Horseman, but those Elite Desert Bandits were on par with mercenary riders available for recruiting in taverns. In some cases, the Elite Desert Bandits were an even better choice.

Prompts from the system did not end there.

[Ding... Surplus experience detected. Consecutive upgrades available.]

[Would you like to proceed with further upgrades?]

It was an inquiry from the system.

At that moment, there was no way Kant was about to object to making upgrades. As someone who had just gained riches, he nodded without hesitation and said, "Continue upgrading."

[Ding... Surplus experience from the system detected, continue upgrading troop class...]

[42 Swadian Recruits can all be upgraded...]

[Six Swadian Militias can all be upgraded...]

However, the following dialog box from the system made Kant frown slightly.

There were only two options for upgrades.

It was the Swadian Recruits or the Swadian Militias.

As for the Swadian Footmen, who were all stronger units, they had no "+" signs behind any of them.

It was a key sign that was linked to their upgrades as heavy cavalry units.

"System, are those two the only ones available for upgrades?"

Kant frowned and asked the system in his mind, "Are the footmen not available for an upgrade?"

"Unavailable." The system answered crisply as it had always been. "The current amount of experience is only available for upgrading low-level troop classes. Please acquire more experience if you would like to upgrade mid-level troop classes."

"Alright." Kant nodded exasperatingly.

The system only told the truth. There was no point arguing with it.

[Upgrade Cost: 540 Denars]

[Would you like to upgrade?]

"Upgrade them to become Swadian Footmen."

Kant had chosen the route of melee combat for upgrades. He needed to get a sizeable force of footmen ready.

All 25 of his Swadian Footmen were clad in mail armor and wore iron helmets. They were armed with heavy spears and heater shields, as well as wearing longswords at their waists. It made them look like the retainer knights he saw before.

They had begun to look like elite troops.

The 42 Swadian Militia members appeared behind him. All of them were stout, well-armed, and wore a solemn expression.

Swadian Militia was a second-level troop class and a reliable main force among the low-level troop classes.

It was especially so in the case of Kant's Swadian Militias. Each one of them was armed with hunting crossbows. That meant Kant was able to put aside any considerations of upgrading his troops to become ranged combat units. He only needed to focus on melee combat units for the time being.

After all, firing a round of bolts before charging with their spears made for a formidable assault.

As for the Jackalans, there was no way they were going to be able to withstand attacks from the Swadian Militias, even if both sides were of equal numbers.

It was even more so given that Kant had gained access to Swadian Footmen. It made his forces even more formidable.

Kant's Denar reserves dropped from 5,743 Denars to 3,836 Denars.

He had spent nearly one-third of his Denar reserves with just those upgrades alone.

The expenditure was worthwhile. It immediately enhanced the quality of Kant's forces. While he remained utterly incapable of fighting 2,000 Jackalans, it hardly mattered since those Jackalans would not have dared to show up anyway.

It was no longer Kant who was living in fear. It was the Jackalan Tribe.

It was worth noting that the massive force of 2,000 Jackalans was utterly crushed altogether. Even the chieftain had died on the battlefield. With only scarred and terrified remnants remaining, there was no way they were going to come looking for trouble in the Oasis Lookout.

The Jackalan Tribe was probably setting up defenses, speculating in fear of just how many humans there were at the Oasis Lookout.

There was no way a Jackalan force of more than 2,000 units would have been defeated by a small force.

Their brains were incapable of figuring out that Kant, Sir Hobson, and Scholar Hank had managed to win despite being severely outnumbered.

At the very least, the Jackalans were terrified to their cores.

Kant, on the other hand, was pleased with himself.

The Jackalans were now like treasure in his eyes. They were fine commodities to be traded for Denars.

Best of all, it was a trade that required no capital. As long as Kant was able to amass a force sufficiently formidable, he had the ability to capture those beast-like humanoid races and sell them to the system's trade caravan for Denars.

"System, open up the mall for a prize draw."

Kant connected to the system in his mind again with a grin on his face.

He currently had two Honors.

[Ding... System Mall is open.]

[One Honor is required for every draw.]

A dialog box from the system was seen.

There was a shut treasure chest on it. It symbolized the countless hidden treasures of the system.

Chapter 45: A Jungle That Came With Its Own Soil

"Begin the draw."

As he spoke, Kant's eyes shone with anticipation.

A prize draw from the system provided far better rewards than those acquired from side quests.

The treasure chest opened.

Rainbow-colored lights were seen.

[Ding... You have acquired an item pack.]

[You have opened the item pack and found Date Palm Jungle within.]

[Acquired: Date Palm Jungle x 2 acres (matured trees)]

A card was seen on the system's dialog box.

It was an image of a jungle as seen from above. It had lush trees growing in the sand. Dates were vaguely visible hanging on the branches, which were evidently ripe and ready to be harvested.

Date Palm Trees.

Kant was familiar with the tree. It was the most practical thing available in the desert.

When he first arrived in the Nahrin Desert, he had been given 20 Date Palm Trees as a reward from a side quest.

However, 20 trees were nothing compared to two whole acres worth of Date Palm Trees.

"What kind of reward is this?"

Kant, who usually had a rational mind, found the reward to be somewhat ridiculous.

While it seemed easy to plant two acres worth of Date Palm Trees, there were only 7.5 acres of land for farming in the entire Oasis Lookout. All of that land had been used for planting wheat. There was currently no space available for planting these Date Palm Trees.

At the moment, it was a totally useless reward.

[Ding... System Prompt]

[All items acquired from prize draws will be completely materialized as seen in their card form.]

A dialog box re-appeared on his retina. The system seemed to have detected Kant's unease about his prize.

That line immediately made Kant frown.

"Completely materialized?"

Kant pondered on what those two words meant. He knew that any prompts given by the system always meant something.

He willed and summoned the card he had just acquired on his retina.

There was no way the two acres worth of Date Palm Trees could have been fully illustrated on that small card. Instead, it was just a small part of the jungle as seen from above being illustrated. It included the sand where the trees were planted.

When he saw that, Kant's heart raced.

He cross-referenced his thoughts with the hint given by the system. He quickly realized what the system meant. "Oh, don't tell me..."

He headed straight for the northern end of the Oasis Lookout. That was where the agricultural area of Drondheim was located and the 20 Date Palm Trees were planted.

The items acquired completely materialized as was seen in their card form.

If what those words meant was exactly what he speculated them to be, he was about to gain himself a tremendous windfall.

It was a windfall comparable to how he had gained a new Council Hall when he first came to the Oasis Lookout. That needed building symbolized the beginning of the establishment of Drondheim.

"This is it."

Kant swiftly headed to the northern end of Oasis Lookout.

The crude network of irrigation channels had been completed. Fresh spring water flowed in them, rendering the farm, which consisted mostly of sand, wet. The precious fresh water supply spread throughout the originally barren land.

Using the irrigation channels allowed for the 14 plots to be divided from the 7.5 acres.

It was still a desert. Even soil found in an oasis consisted mostly of sand.

The irrigation channels had been specifically dug to ensure ample irrigation. The sprouting of the seedlings meant that the channels, planned and dug by Kant and the peasants, worked as they were supposed to.

At the moment, however, Kant set his sights on the two rows of Date Palm Trees.

The 20 Date Palm Trees were planted neatly at the border where the oasis and desert beyond met. They were lush. They looked very green and pretty. They added color to the otherwise barren, boring yellowish tone of the place.

Kant suddenly hesitated.

He gulped and took a deep breath before asking, "System, can I plant the Date Palm Jungle here?"

"You could," the system answered.

A glimmer was seen in Kant's eyes as he willed the card in his mind into existence.

A mystical aura instantly emerged. Data streams of staggering numbers were seen deep in Kant's eyes. They shot out like a hurricane at the desert before him, systematically enveloping only the two acres of land.

The process only took seconds.

The data streams began to recede. Right before Kant's eyes, a jungle filled with tall, sprightly trees was now seen.

A Date Palm Jungle had emerged.

"I knew it."

Kant gulped. His hands were clenched in excitement.

His gaze moved to the base of the stout trunks. Instead of finding yellowish, soft sand beneath, he saw brownish, solidified sandy soil.

The place had literally been terraformed.

It was the only term appearing in Kant's mind that he felt was adequate to describe his shock of the scene.

Kant finally realized just how powerful the system was at that very moment.

It was capable of entirely changing a landscape.

The system had just transformed the seeming useless sand into a sandy soil capable of being used for farming.

That power surpassed the understanding of common folks. It made it seem like a divine miracle of sorts. In fact, it had been nothing short of a miracle since it was a sandy soil that could have only been created through the great powers wielded by gods.

"This is my cheat."

Kant quelled his excitement. He worked hard to calm himself down.

The system of the game was available only to him.

He alone wielded such mystical powers.

There was no reason for him to get excessively excited about things. Once he managed to calm himself down, everything would return to feeling normal.

He eyed the densely packed Date Palm Trees and sighed. This is just magnificent.

Lush Date Palm Trees were planted in neat rows.

The way they were planted seemed to have been planned since the trees had been saplings, which was why they currently looked very neat.

Full, ripe purplish-red dates were situated in clusters beneath the signature long, slender leaves of the stout, tall palm trees. That meant the dates were definitely ready for harvest.

All of the Date Palm Trees were now bearing viable fruit.

The Date Palm Trees, which were all over 22 feet tall, seemed to have shrouded the northern side of the desert from sight.

Kant had no idea just how many of those trees could be planted on two acres worth of land.

[Ding... System Prompt]

[50 Date Palm Trees can be planted on one acre of land. The current total of two acres of land has 100 Date Palm Trees.]

The subsequent dialog box from the system gave the answer that Kant sought.

Nice, very nice indeed.

Kant grinned at the thoughtful system. His face was adorned with a beaming smile.

With so many Date Palm Trees now available, his current problem with food was completely solved. Even if his forces were to eat only dates and drink only spring water from the oasis, it was enough to last them at least half a year.

If the trees were meticulously taken care of, another batch of dates would be ready for harvest in another six months.

He finally realized why people native to the middle-eastern deserts of Earth planted so few crops of other kinds yet had such an abundance of Date Palm Trees.

The dates, which were known to be desert bread in the minds of the desert people, were comparable to staple foods like wheat, rice, and others.

He instantly made a decision.

Kant speculated that if he called upon all of his people to pluck the dates, the harvest would probably be enough to fill the entire storage room.

The amount of harvested from 100 Date Palm Trees was equal to the total amount of crops planted by a village. They provided ample food for at least 300 people over the course of months. It was more than enough to last until the next harvest.

The harvest was thought to have been able to last for half a year. If the ripe dates were harvested in time, the trees would likely bear fruit even sooner.

Six months was only an estimate of the time required for the dates to become ripe and ready to be eaten.

The trees, which grew in a desert climate, were free from the interference of seasons. They were able to bear fruit at any time of the year. Therefore, his people had the opportunity to secure a steady supply all year long. It was a huge advantage over fruit trees planted on flatlands and mountains yet were affected by weather conditions.

That was why Date Palm Trees were considered something else altogether.

Then again, the trees could absolutely do more than just provide food.

Kant licked his lips.

Kant, who hailed from Earth in his past life, knew without a doubt that if there were a huge number of trees found in an oasis, the oasis would have been considered a mature oasis capable of forming a self-sustaining ecosystem.

Photosynthesis of the trees and evaporation of water enabled effective temperature regulation throughout the oasis.

Days could potentially become less hot, and nights could potentially become less cold.

If they worked on the land between the trees further, it enabled the planting of more drought-resistant crops. As long as irrigation and fertilization were sustained, one had the potential to plant vegetables and fruit trees. Such was the way of farming invented by desert people.

Eventually, it would have been possible to keep small animals, such as breeds of chicken and goats capable of surviving in a desert or desert horses, around.

The emergence of the jungle really has brought the development of the village back on track again.

Kant felt overwhelmed and excited.

Products provided by the system were nothing short of the best. There was no way defective products were found among them.

Kant's eyes glistened at the thought that he still had one honor left. It meant that he could continue drawing yet another prize.

He was getting anxious.

"System, begin the draw again!"

Chapter 46: Firentis the Wandering Knight

The treasure chest shown on his retina reopened.

As he confirmed his choice, the last honor Kant had disappeared.

A faint rainbow glimmer was seen as the treasure chest slowly opened.

[Ding... You have acquired a hero pack.]

[You have opened the hero pack and found Firentis, the Wandering Knight from Swadia.]

[Acquired: Firentis the Wandering Knight (the only hero)]

A card appeared on his retina.

It was not a building or an item illustrated on the card. It was the image of a young knight. He was looking ahead, seemingly gazing at something. However, the knight's eyes were filled with sorrow. He looked as though he was perhaps hesitant or anticipating something.

Kant was slightly jolted.

However, he quickly grinned. He was quite familiar with the Wandering Knight known as Firentis.

"Materialize."

His will connected to the system. The card in his mind disappeared into golden specks of light.

On a nearby dune, a rider clad in mail armor and a linen robe riding a chestnut-colored warhorse had become visible. The rider seemed to have just appeared there by chance. The rider halted his horse at the top of the dune, seemingly watching the Oasis Lookout.

He had the appearance of a traveler who had been on a long journey and just discovered a village. The rider slowly rode down the dune.

"Firentis, a noble of Swadia."

Kant wore a wide grin as he watched the rider heading toward him.

Kant was impressed with Firentis, the man who called himself a Wandering Knight. He thought, This is one righteous guy who managed to hold onto his beliefs in this messed up world. He is a true knight.

Kant knew that man quite well.

Firentis was a decent character back in the game. He was a hero who stood fast to the principles of knighthood.

The knight was kind-hearted and compassionate to the weak.

Firentis was someone who hailed from a militaristic noble clan in Swadia. He was proficient at combat and leading forces into combat. Furthermore, he held fast to the code of knights and was eager to lay the hammer down on crime and evil.

He never robbed commoners or attacked villages with force.

After defending villagers from invading bandits, he had even refused gifts from them.

If a player committed any of the above acts, Firentis would have immediately left the party. Those actions violated the principles he held so steadfastly in this messed-up place of a world. While he seemed insignificant, he was still shining like a star.

Furthermore, personal problems never caused him to leave a party.

Firentis had not cared about realistic problems, such as pay being delayed or a food shortage. He always remained waiting for orders from the party despite any problems.

That was why Kant liked the knight very much.

Firentis was a true knight who never resorted to cunning tricks or sheepishly fled from the battlefield. He also had a great sense of responsibility. A party that was in the early stages of establishment could not have asked for a better member.

"Greetings, Lord Kant."

Firentis came before Kant, deftly halting and getting off his horse.

He looked at Kant quietly after briskly getting off his horse. His eyes glittered for a bit before he half-kneeled before Kant and said, "Although I have never met you, your kind actions of taking in the refugees have impressed me."

"Welcome aboard, Firentis."

Kant was slightly stunned, but he quickly came to his senses.

Kant's intention of taking the refugees in was only to add to the population of his village. In the eyes of Firentis, it was an act of mercy for the weak that deserved praise.

Firentis lowered his head and replied, "It would be my honor to serve you."

Kant helped him up. Firentis was his first hero general and one of the best combatants available in the game. Kant was overjoyed to have Firentis join in his forces.

Firentis was a noble as well as a knight with formidable combat prowess.

He was capable of leading troops into battle, as well as fighting on his own.

Firentis' arrival alleviated Kant's pressure in commanding Drondheim's current growing fighting force. The knight was able to make his forces fight more efficient.

After chatting with Firentis for a bit, Kant was even more pleased.

Kant was of noble birth in that world as well, yet he relied mostly on self-study when it came to affairs of war.

Firentis had provided him with a systematic elaboration on how to make use of the fighting forces of the Kingdom of Swadia. Besides, he was a true Swadian and a knight from a militaristic clan.

He was proficient in matters like leading Swadian fighting forces into battle and using strategies and tactics.

From what Kant knew, Firentis the Wandering Knight was a person who walked the talk.

My stress is considerably lessened with a general leading the forces.

Kant sighed, but he looked happy and contented.

He had been the one leading the battles with the Jackalans. While he had managed to win every single one of those battles, those victories made Kant realize that it was crucial to bring superior troop classes to bear down on any enemies.

When it came to details with strategies and tactics, he had nothing truly out of the ordinary to offer.

To put it precisely, he knew next to nothing about strategies and tactics.

All that he learned about war from games, movies, television series, and novels could not be counted as experience on the real battlefield.

At the very least, Kant knew that he was the one who was talking about things he knew little about. There was a lot he could learn from Firentis.

"Oh, right, Lord Kant."

Firentis interrupted his thoughts.

His rather hesitant tone piqued Kant's curiosity. "What is it, Firentis?"

"Well, Lord Kant, I'd like to first apologize for my rudeness."

Firentis lowered his head and sighed, saying, "I saw a group of homeless vagrants on my way here, and I told them that there is a merciful lord, as well as hope for a better life, to be found here.

A prompt from the system was heard when Firentis was done speaking.

[Ding… Side Quest assigned]

[Side Quest: Firentis' Refugees]

[Reward: Swadian Militias x 28]

[Introduction: Firentis led a group of refugees, who had nowhere to go, to the oasis. He is hoping that a merciful lord such as yourself will take them in.]

The dialog box was seen clearly on his retina.

Kant's eyes glimmered. The grin on his face turned into boisterous laughter.

"Sure. Is there a reason why I wouldn't take them in?"

As he turned to look at Firentis, Kant was in a considerably better mood. He said, "I would always welcome refugees into my village. I would bring them new hope, should they choose to believe in me!"

"Your compassion is impressive." Firentis lowered his head with the utmost respect from the bottom of his heart.

[Ding... You have chosen to mercifully take in the refugees.]

[Side Quest: Firentis' Refugees completed.]

[Reward Acquired: Swadian Militias x 28]

[Introduction: It is a wise choice to absorb refugees to boost the population. However, it is worth noting that too many refugees will strain the village, affecting the mood of the peasants.]

A dialog box from the system quickly appeared.

The assignment and completion of the side quest took less than two minutes.

The reward seemed to have been something like a free lunch.

Kant was pleased with the turn of events. Be it the incoming refugees or the new 28 Swadian Militias added to his forces, all of them were vital human resources to the current Oasis Lookout.

At the very least, Kant had yet to encounter the overpopulation mentioned by the system's introduction.

Fighting wars was the best way to keep populations in check.

At the very moment, Drondheim had a lack of peasants, troops, defensive measures, and civilian buildings.

The place had a shortage of everything.

The arrival of more refugees was a boon to him.

It was worth noting that the 100 Date Palm Trees spread over the two acres of land had the potential to produce more than 4,400 pounds of dates. Kant had been wracking his brains on how to divide his forces to pluck the dates.

At that moment, a huge labor force was sent his way.

Soldiers, who knew mostly how to hack and slash, were more suited for combat.

Farm work and menial labor were best left to the peasants.

"They are here."

Firentis looked up at the dune from which he had come.

A huge group of refugees in ragged clothing was helping each other up as they moved. The 28 Swadian Militia members were surrounding and protecting the refugees.

They all looked exhausted, but they all cheered in excitement when they saw Drondheim appear before their eyes. Their steps immediately quickened.

All of those people had been Kant's side quest and reward from the side quest.

He had gained 200 Swadian Peasants and 28 Swadian Militia members.

"Get them food and water."

Kant nodded and ordered several recruits not far away, "Make sure they have enough to eat and drink."

"Yes, My Lord!"

The recruits immediately nodded and headed toward the spring water pond to the south.

Smoke immediately billowed from the Council Hall's kitchen. The fragrance of cooking food gradually spread throughout the place.

The refugees, who had all been on an arduous journey, needed a good rest. Kant would have never taken them to be numb, unfeeling NPCs. They were all people of flesh and blood. At the least, he had to ensure that those people had their stomachs filled.

Chapter 47: Current Data

Several days passed.

As dawn approached, a new week began.

The first piece of news that the system delivered was regarding his forces' salaries.

In an instant, 1,384 Denars disappeared.

Kant now only had 2,452 Denars left in his account. He recalled having a staggering sum of nearly 6,000 Denars just a few days ago. Now, more than half of that sum was already gone. He immediately felt exasperated at just how costly it was to maintain a fighting force.

The Oasis Lookout currently had only 300 troops to feed, yet about 1,500 Denars had to be spent every week just to keep all of them fed.

His main expenditure was undoubtedly the upkeep of his soldiers.

The amount of food consumed every week required more than 100 Denars.

He was in the Council Hall.

Kant was quite troubled by all the petty matters he had to take care of.

The dialog box on his retina was put away. He unconsciously rubbed his eyebrow.

For now, the threat of the Jackalans was gone.

Without enemies to fight, he needed to put the development of the Oasis Lookout back at the top of his priority list.

Drondheim was still at the earliest stage of its development. Many of the buildings available had yet been built. Most of his peasants and troops were still sleeping in crude tents and sandpits at night.

"Open the datasheet."

Kant willed and connected with the system in his mind.

The system instantly appeared on his retina. It brought up the latest datasheet.

...

[Drondheim]

[Lord: Kant]

[Balance: 2,452 Denars]

[General: Firentis]

[Type: Swadian Village]

[Current Population: 200]

[Buildings: Council Hall, House (5), Watchtower, Desert Bandit Lair, Grocery Store]

[Available for Construction: House, Wall, Mill, Well]

[Resources: Date Palm Jungle (2 acres), Wheatfield (7.5 acres)]

[Fighting Force Summary: Infantry, 95, Cavalry, 17]

[Current Forces: Swadian Militias (70), Swadian Footmen (25), Desert Bandit Elites (17)]

[Recruitable: Swadian Recruits (Council Hall), Desert Bandits (Desert Bandit Lair)]

[Comment: Drondheim looks to be in good shape. Cool, refreshing spring water flows in the rugged irrigation channels, nourishing the barren, dry land. High-spirited peasants work in the jungle and fields, looking very lively. The village still seems crude due to a shortage of buildings. It is worth noting that there are no women in the village.]

...

That summed up the data regarding the current state of Drondheim.

Kant felt rather heavy. His village looked rather dilapidated.

The place was really just too crude.

Due to the threat from the Jackalans over a week ago, Kant had been putting all of his efforts into building his fighting force. It could have been said that he had completely neglected to develop his fief altogether, which in turn caused the delayed development of Drondheim.

However, there was nothing he had been able to do about it.

The threat from the Jackalans had been too great to be ignored.

If it had not been for Sir Hobson and Scholar Hank from the Dukedom of Leo offering their assistance, Kant probably would not have been able to defend his fief.

There was no way he could have defended his place against a threat posed by 2,000 strong Jackalans.

It's a good thing that everything turned out fine.

Kant sighed in exasperation and began putting his thoughts into developing his fief.

The evaluation of Drondheim by the system was correct. There was a severe shortage of buildings. At the very least, he needed to ensure that everyone was able to stay in houses instead of tents and sandpits.

He made his decision and connected to the system. "Construct houses."

[Ding... System Prompt]

[The construction of houses requires 100 Denars and seven days to complete.]

[Would you like to construct?]

A dialog box from the system appeared, asking the usual questions regarding construction.

"Construct." Kant made his choice without hesitation.

The crisp clanging sound of metal coins was heard as he confirmed his choice. It sounded rather pleasant. However, 100 Denars immediately disappeared from his account. That was the price paid for constructing the houses.

[100 Denars spent]

[House: Under construction]

[Completion: Seven days]

The system's dialog box refreshed as he finished making his choice.

A team of builders, which consisted of 10 workhorses and five carriages, was seen on a dune not far away.

More than 30 stout builders followed along the side of the convoy, helping to move the carriages in the soft sand. Since the carriages were filled with wooden and stone materials, it was easy to tell that the team was transporting materials needed for construction.

A fat guy was in the lead. While the man looked simple and honest, the unmistakable cunningness of a merchant was seen in his eyes.

Before long, they arrived at the Oasis Lookout.

The 10 Swadian Militia members holding heavy spears diligently inspected their cargo.

The builders seemed to have been used to all of that.

After all, rules were aplenty in the fiefs of nobles.

"Foreman, Lord Kant wishes to speak with you in the Council Hall."

A Swadian Footman quickly approached the caravan and glanced at the team of builders. He set his gaze on the foreman and said in a crass manner, "Come with me."

"Sure, sure."

The foreman did not look offended. He followed the solider with a flattering grin on his face.

Surviving in the messed-up Continent of Caradia and being able to earn great profits required sacrifices. For instance, dignity and face were often overlooked as those were deemed near worthless in most cases.

The foreman quickly went into the Council Hall. He was rather familiar with the place.

Kant was sitting in the Council Hall, reading the parchment in his hand.

There was a packed list written on the parchment. It listed everything the Reyvadinian trade caravan had in its possession. He was thinking of making some last-minute purchases before the trade caravan left.

"Good morning, revered Lord Kant."

The foreman bowed respectfully. He sounded rather pleased as he said, "Your humble servant hereby greets you."

"Oh, it's you again." Kant put down the parchment on his hand and nodded to the foreman.

However, he still picked on the errors in the sentence blurted by the foreman, correcting the man in a plain tone. "Take note. I'm just your employer, and you're not a servant of mine."

"In my mind, you are of far greater nobility than King Harlaus."

The foreman did not seem to care about what was said and took his buttering effort up a notch. "You are the light of dawn in all of Caradia."

"Hehe." Kant chuckled.

Kant never paid any heed to such obvious, typical bootlicking words.

Furthermore, Kant knew that the foreman was rather sly. While the man was no doubt able to finish his job in a timely manner, he was the type who would steal pieces of bread for supper during meal times, even if he were to be unable to finish them.

The foreman was no doubt a very tight-fisted hoarder of sorts.

Kant went on to warn the foreman in a rather stern expression, "Be just as serious with the construction of the houses."

"Please rest assured. I and my team of builders live on our reputation."

The foreman hung his head, seemingly aware that he had been overdoing his bootlicking act.

Kant nodded, feeling satisfied with the foreman's attitude.

Kant traded a few words with the foreman, telling the foreman just how keen he was about the progress and workmanship of the buildings, before waving to dismiss him. It was crucial to develop his fief, so the foreman needed to know his priorities.

Besides, Kant still had other matters to look into.

He turned around and glanced at the Swadian Footman standing guard behind the door. He said, "Get me the leader of the trade caravan."

"Understood."

The Swadian Footman nodded and walked out of the Council Hall.

The foreman arrived shortly after.

"What do you need of me, Lord Kant?" His attitude remained respectful.

"Right."

Kant took out the parchment and pointed to the list of supplies on it. "I'm thinking of buying all of these before you leave."

The Reyvadinian trade caravan was only staying there for seven days.

This was the day they planned to leave. They had packed everything, which included more than 100 Jackalan prisoners with their hands tied behind their backs. They had been starved until they were able to barely stand. They looked miserable as they were tied behind the carriages.

"Two cans of oil and 10 sets of tools."

The leader took a look at the marked goods and muttered as he repeated the list, "Five rolls of linen cloth."

"Any problems with that?" Kant asked.

That was the goods he was thinking of purchasing. They were needed for further development of his place.

Kant, however, felt exasperated with the prices.

The prices of items were steep all over the Continent of Caradia, which was about 30 percent higher than that found back on Earth.

Considering that those were things only provided to him by the System, Kant had no choice but to bear with it. Besides, benefits would eventually come from the price he had to pay. As long as he grew strong and formidable enough, he could easily use the Jackalans to pay his bills.

Slave trade was indeed tempting.

Chapter 48: A New Main Quest

"No problem, Lord Kant."

The leader put down the parchment. He hesitantly said, "Oil, tools, and linen cloth. We have all of that in the caravan, but I'm afraid the price would be rather steep."

"How much would they cost?" Kant asked in a rather nonchalant tone.

"Two cans of oil is 1,000 Denars. The 10 sets of tools are 2,000 Denars, and the five rolls of linen cloth cost 1,000 Denars."

The leader completed the calculations and looked at Kant. Continuing in the same hesitant tone, he said, "It would cost a 4,000 Denars, but I could give you a discount. You would only need to pay 3,800 Denars for all of these goods."

"3,800 Denars?"

Kant rubbed his chin, thinking about how steep that price was.

However, he smiled and asked, "In that case, would it be possible for me to barter using the dates?"

"Of course, that would be no problem."

The leader of the trade caravan was slightly startled. After doing the calculations, he nodded and said, "However, we would only take high-grade dates like those from before. We would only want 76 baskets."

One Date Palm Tree produced two baskets of dates.

Kant currently had 120 Date Palm Trees in his fief, which meant that 240 baskets of dates could have been produced.

If each basket was worth 50 Denars each, the total amount of dates would have been worth 12,000 Denars. That was why Kant was confident enough to buy that many things in one go.

If the Reyvadinian trade caravan had ample Denars to spare, Kant would have even immediately asked for cash.

It was a pity that the trade caravan only had 3,000 Denars to spare.

As such, he had no choice but to resort to barter.

"Well, 76 baskets of dates will be no problem at all."

Kant smiled as he nodded, agreeing to it right away. The 200 peasants had been busy the past two days harvesting all of the dates hanging from the 100 Date Palm Trees.

The 200 baskets of dates were dried under the sun on linen cloths, turning the fresh dates into dried dates.

There was no way they could have finished eating them all.

It was of the utmost importance to barter what they had in abundance for the items they lacked most in the Oasis Lookout.

The trade was sealed. The supplies Kant had asked for were carted off of the carriages.

The 76 baskets of dried dates were stacked next to the door of the grocery store. The amount was so staggering that they almost clogged the street. The baskets of dates were soon carted off to the carriages by the mercenaries, who were currently doubling as coolies.

One basket of dates after another was put onto the carriages.

Three carriages were filled with the 76 baskets of dates. This was something would have never been possible outside of the system.

When he saw how the way things were packed on the carriages hardly changed, Kant had thoughts running through his head. The system definitely had some sort of space-folding techniques. In reality, the 76 baskets of dates should have filled at least five carriages.

"Farewell."

The leader of the trade caravan remained respectful as he talked to Kant before leaving. "Thank you, Lord Kant, for your generous hospitality throughout the week. If things go well, we will meet again next month. I shall bring you more of what you would need by then."

"See you next month." Kant nodded.

Both parties bode each other farewell. The Reyvadinian trade caravan embarked on its journey. The three carriages slowly moved toward the dunes.

The members of the trade caravan remained the same. It included one leader, six escorts, and 12 sentries.

They climbed over the dune and quickly disappeared like a mirage. They were returning to the Continent of Caradia through the system's mystical powers, heading straight for Reyvadin, a city of Vaegir.

Kant was naturally used to it by now.

It was how the system had always worked.

"All of you, come here."

Kant turned around and called the 10 Swadian Militia members to his side.

He pointed at the supplies on the street and ordered, "Put all of those back into the storage room of the Council Hall. Be careful not to break anything fragile."

"Understood." The 10 Swadian Militia members nodded.

They efficiently worked together to move the supplies left behind by the trade caravan.

The fragile items Kant had mentioned was the oil. Those two cans of oil were luxury items worth 500 Denars each. The oil was made of high-grade animal fat. Not only was the oil edible, but it was also used for maintaining weapons and making flames.

Since the oil was considered tactical supplies, commoners were not allowed to consume it. Oil was something that every lord needed a supply of in their storehouses.

Kant had many uses for the oil.

Since my father still hasn't completely cast me away, I might as well try getting in touch with the Dukedom of Leo.

He frowned slightly, making his calculations.

While the main part of his plan to strengthen his grip on the Nahrin Desert and secretly develop the place, it was impossible to just stay in the barren desert and sever the connection with the dukedom.

At the very least, there was the salt mine he planned to take in the future. He needed a way to sell the salt produced.

The only route he had within his grasp was the Dukedom of Leo.

Furthermore, in the process of making white salt, charcoal played a crucial role, both as fuel and a filter. Wood was only found in the Senwaya Range, which separated the dukedom from the desert. Kant had no way of securing such supplies elsewhere.

The tools he had bought were actually 10 high-grade woodcutting axes made of iron.

Kant had his own plans for those axes.

He planned on sending Swadian Peasants to a secluded spot in the range. They would build a logging camp there.

By then, he hoped to have the Elite Desert Bandits collect the crude raw salts at the alkali soil.

While the cost for sending two different teams to two different locations was quite high, if the operations proved sustainable and the finest of white salt was produced, the trade sealed with the dukedom basically created a beneficial cycle. The returns had the potential to be unimaginably high.

Gallop, gallop, gallop...

The rushed galloping noises of horses were heard.

Kant looked up at the northeastern dune. More than a dozen riders were seen approaching.

Kant's expression remained unchanged.

It was not the enemy. Those were the 17 Elite Desert Bandits led by Firentis, who were returning after making their patrols.

The patrols were made three times a day—once in the morning, once in the afternoon, and once at night.

While the Oasis Lookout had a watchtower, the view was still somewhat limited.

As such, he had the light cavalry units ride out and scout the deeper parts of the desert to see if there had been any unusual footprints found in the sand. They were to deal with any anomalies as soon as possible.

"Halt."

Firentis led the cavalry units back and slowed his horse down.

He saw Kant inspecting the place at one end of the street. He immediately got off his horse and respectfully bowed before saying, "Good morning, Lord Kant."

"Good morning, Firentis."

Kant nodded and took a glance at the 17 stout Elite Desert Bandits and asked, "Did you find anything out of the ordinary?"

"Nothing at all. Everything is safe."

Firentis grinned and added in a relieved tone, "That is the best."

"Of course." Kant nodded at the same time.

They were at the developmental stage of things. If the Jackalans continued to harass them, it would have caused Kant quite a headache.

As the victor of the previous battle, Kant still had the initiative for the time being.

Time was one of the spoils of victory.

If Kant sped up Drondheim's development within a short time, becoming strong enough to resist that Jackalan Tribe, everything was bound to take a turn for the better.

Kant whole-heartedly believed that.

He knew he would have the final victory.

Besides, I still have three volleys of arrows left unused.

Kant exhaled and felt more confident than usual.

Three volleys of arrows from 500 Vaegir Marksmen were no joke. They had the ability to create a rain of arrows that enveloped quite a large area.

They were the strongest archers available. The arrows they used were also the best barreled arrows. If such a rain of arrows fell onto the Jackalans, which wore no armor and held no shields, it would have resulted in huge losses on their side.

If Kant put all three volleys to good use, the effects would have been comparable to that from a charge of 50 highly skilled retainer knights.

"Firentis."

Kant felt rather anxious at that thought.

"Please speak, Lord Kant," Firentis immediately replied.

Kant, however, stayed silent for several seconds. He looked at Firentis and asked, "In your opinion, what are the odds of us winning if we were to take on the Jackalan Tribe with the number of troops we have at the moment?"

"Umm..." Firentis was quite surprised by the question.

It was obvious that he had no ideas to offer regarding those wild, unrealistic thoughts Kant had.

To put it precisely, Firentis had a good grasp of the size of Kant's current forces. There were less than 100 dedicated combatants. Even with the peasants added as auxiliary troops, they only had a force consisting of nearly 300 units. It was utterly ridiculous to think that such a force was able to attack a large tribe that had more than 2,000 Jackalans in it.

However, a system prompt suddenly appeared on Kant's retina.

[Ding... Main Quest Assigned]

[Main Quest: The first powerful enemy]

[Quest Reward: 10,000 Denars, 1,000 Reputation, 10 Honor]

[Introduction: The first powerful enemy encountered in one's life will forever remain unforgettable. The enemy symbolizes power and invincibility, just like how giants left a lasting impression in one's heart when one was young. It is but the first obstacle one faces in life. While the impression is a lasting one, it actually symbolizes the fear before one becomes powerful.]

Chapter 49: Firentis' Strategy

[Ding... Main Quest Assigned]

[Main Quest: The First Powerful Enemy]

[Quest Reward: 10,000 Denars, 1,000 Reputation, 10 Honor]

[Introduction: The first powerful enemy encountered in one's life will remain unforgettable. The enemy symbolizes power and invincibility, just like how giants leave a lasting impression in one's heart when one is young. It is but the first obstacle one faces in life. While the impression is a lasting one, it actually symbolizes fear before becoming powerful.]

The dialog box from the system was clear and unmistakable.

Kant's pupils slightly contracted as he scanned the contents in the dialog box. He felt rather stunned by it all.

He forcefully regained his calm as a bitter smile appeared on his face.

It seems like I've gotten myself cornered.

He had only made a simple inquiry to Firentis. He had asked if they had the ability to get rid of the Jackalan Tribe. He knew the chance of doing so was slim. He had asked the question on a whim.

He never expected the system to issue a quest right after he asked the question.

It was impossible to not become restless about it.

He knew that despite the Jackalan Tribe having lost more than 800 Jackalans after suffering a defeat when they last fought, the tribe still had the decisive edge in terms of numbers. Kant's mere 300-strong force was not able to compare even closely.

Worse still, 200 out of the 300 were peasants. They were a zero-level troop class, which was the lowest of all troop classes.

This is really frustrating.

Kant let out a long sigh. He felt totally overwhelmed.

Kant steadied his emotions as he looked at Firentis. He asked, "If we were to have 500 Vaegir Marksmen on our side, what do you think our chances of winning are?"

He was referring to the three volleys of arrows.

"Hmm... That would be no problem then!"

Firentis was slightly stunned but immediately added, "Of course, Lord Kant, if we had 500 Vaegir Marksmen on our side, running over those brutal Jackalans would be a piece of cake."

Firentis, who was of Suno nobility, had no doubt known regarding the capabilities of Vaegir Marksmen.

The kingdoms of Swadia and Vaegir were not on good terms.

In truth, both kingdoms had fought several large-scale battles over the ownership of the northern icy plains. If it had not been for the Kingdom of Rhodoks' betrayal, the Nords invading from the sea, and harassment at the plains from the Khergit Khanate, Swadia and Vaegir would have likely continued fighting to this day.

"Vaegir Marksmen are capable of continuously raining arrows throughout the battlefield."

Firentis' expression grew serious as he said, "Coupled with our infantry forces, we could definitely crush that Jackalan Tribe with a frontal assault."

"Hmm." Kant nodded.

He still looked rather awkward. Firentis had misunderstood what he meant.

He paused for a bit and said, "Those marksmen are capable of only firing three volleys."

What Kant said made Firentis frown. "Three volleys? That's all?"

"Indeed." Kant nodded in exasperation.

The Vaegir Marksman was a fifth-level troop class in the original system of the game. They were a top-level troop class. Not even the Kingdom of Vaegir in the game had been able to amass a staggering number of 500 top-notch marksmen without using cheats.

If they were available in massive formations, exceptionally formidable archers of that sort were a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield.

If a rain of arrows were unleashed from 500 Vaegir Marksmen in an orderly formation, infantry forces without shields and armor would instantly know what nightmare in a battlefield was truly like.

As a player, Kant knew just how fearsome those archers were.

However, that was where the problem lied. Regardless of the 500 Vaegir Marksmen or not, he did not have even one Nord Archer, which was widely considered as the trashiest of ranged combatants, in his forces. He only had 70 Swadian Militia members standing in as ranged combatants, armed with their hunting crossbows.

In truth, the power of hunting crossbows was hardly considered lethal to creatures with life force as strong as that of the Jackalans.

"Lord Kant, if we were to launch a front assault then, we would absolutely stand no chance."

Firentis frowned hard. In a severe tone, he said, "We need to rely on effective strategies that are capable of dealing a crushing blow to their morale so those primitive beasts fall into chaos. That will make them lose all courage to fight.

"Please continue," Kant said.

If both men were to be compared regarding fighting strategies, although he knew a thing or two about them, his knowledge paled in comparison to that of Firentis.

Firentis was not known as the Wandering Knight for no reason. He had been wandering the Continent of Caradia for many years on a journey of penance. At the same time, it allowed him to amass ample fighting experience.

"Lord Kant, I thank you for your humbleness."

Firentis sensed how much Kant appreciated having him around. He bowed slightly and said, "It works similar to the battle you told me about. It was the one in which you defeated an invasion from 2,000 Jackalans by working with 50 retainer knights who were all heavy cavalry units."

"That was due to having allies," Kant replied.

If it had not been for Sir Hobson and Scholar, Kant would have probably ended up dead in that brutal battle.

As such, that battle left a lasting impression on him.

"Allies huh?" Firentis lowered his head and looked on with a puzzled expression, before saying, "Perhaps."

"Do you feel it to be otherwise, Firentis?" Kant frowned.

Firentis solemnly continued, clarifying Kant's doubt, "Lord Kant, your father exiled you to the barren desert. There was no way he could have sent help to rescue you after doing so. From my perspective, your father was probably only trying to retrieve your dead body."

Despite being a kind-hearted person, Firentis had wandered the Continent of Caradia long enough to deeply understand the darker side of things with people.

Furthermore, Firentis was of noble birth himself.

That was why he turned against his own younger brother for a seductress and eventually ended up accidentally killing his brother. That led him to choose to leave his family behind, exiling himself to the Continent of Caradia to go on a journey to polish his spirit as a knight and seek penance while doing so.

"It might actually be so."

Kant did not confirm nor deny Firentis' judgment in the matter.

He looked up slightly at the winding dunes and said, "At the very least, Sir Hobson and Master Hank, along with the 50 retainer knights, helped me repel the Jackalans. Right?"

Firentis remained silent. He had a rather complicated expression as if he knew what Kant said was true.

Kant let out a long sigh. "They were able to tell that the Jackalans were entirely capable of breaking through to the Oasis Lookout and killing every single one of us, yet they chose to risk their lives and help me." He paused before saying in a serious tone, "Maybe they did not want to see me dead after all."

He smiled nonchalantly and did not continue discussing the matter.

If Kant had a strong castle and powerful forces at his disposal, he might have been able to easily crush the Jackalans without help from anyone else.

It was a world where might made right.

"Well, would we still stand a chance of taking down that Jackalan Tribe?"

Kant steered the conversation back to the topic. He looked at Firentis and said, "Would three volleys of arrows from 500 Vaegir Marksmen be enough to cause massive casualties to the Jackalan forces and trigger mass panic?"

"It's entirely capable of doing so." Firentis pondered for a bit and nodded affirmatively. "There's no doubt about that."

"Tell me your plan," Kant said.

Firentis gathered his words and replied, "Lord Kant, I remember that you said when you took over the Oasis Lookout, you did so using terrain advantage and the sun. That caused that small Jackalan Tribe to be caught off-guard and get crushed outright, right?"

"That was how it was done. I only had 20 allied knights to serve as shock troops, as well as 30 low-level troops at my disposal."

As he spoke, Kant felt rather pleased with himself.

The strategy was well-employed back then because he used terrain and the sun to his advantage. It had enabled them to eventually kill all of the Jackalans squatting at the Oasis Lookout and win the battle.

Firentis, who was a veteran in the battlefield, felt rather impressed with it and said, "That would be what I intend to do."

"Hold on."

Kant's grin, which stemmed from self-praise, was somewhat rescinded.

Looking at Firentis' serious expression, Kant immediately voiced his doubts as he frowned, "But things are different this time. There are just too many of the Jackalans around."

"Yes, they are many."

Firentis nodded, but his eyes brightened as he said, "But all of them are useless."

Kant frowned hard, waiting for Firentis to continue.

Without hesitation, Firentis said, "Those Jackalans are all scattered forces from that defeat. While the weeks since then allowed them to ease the fear and panic from that defeat, if they were to be crushed yet again, they would totally lose the ability to get themselves organized."

"So, are you saying..." Kant paused for a moment before asking, "Are they now like a burned child dreading the fire?"

He adapted the term using the native language of the place, but the expression was still similar.

Firentis nodded and affirmatively said, "Indeed. That is what our strategy would be based on."

Chapter 50: Preparing for a Great Battle

"That is too risky."

Kant mulled over the proposal. He did not want to adopt that strategy.

As the supreme commander of his forces and the operation, Kant needed to make responsible decisions.

It was not about being responsible for the Oasis Lookout, Drondheim, or even the Swadians occupying the place.

He had to be responsible for himself.

If he lost that battle, it would cost him everything he had.

That was what caused him the greatest anxiety and hesitation.

People died in wars, but there was a certain number of casualties that were deemed tolerable. If the resulting casualties exceeded what Kant deemed acceptable, he might as well have lost the battle even if he actually won. He was not going to let something like that happen.

As such, he slowly opened his mouth and asked, "Are there better strategies to do this?"

"That is the only strategy that would give us an edge."

Firentis shook his head and. A sense of regret was seen in his eyes. "As they are now, our forces are just too small."

"Is that so?" Kant narrowed his eyes on the man before him. His expression looked rather hazy.

Firentis was right. They force at their disposal was too small.

If that were the case, the 200 Swadian Peasants could not be considered troops.

The only reliable ones he had were the 25 Swadian Footmen and 70 Swadian Militia members.

Those were the ones who served as his main forces.

They were able to withstand charges from the Jackalans while also retaliating with ample force.

It always seemed to come down to one thing. If Kant had 100 Swadian Knights at his disposal, he would have no need to worry about any of that. He grew increasingly frustrated just thinking about the size of his fighting force.

It seems like I'll need to delay the main quest for now.

Kant breathed a heavy sigh and regained his composure.

He had delayed the first main quest he was given, Build a Village, for 16 years before finally heading to the desert to make it happen.

The current main quest was undoubtedly one of far greater difficulty. His wanting to finish that main quest with the number of troops he currently had was nothing more than a pipe dream.

Even if he had the three volleys from the 500 Vaegir Marksmen, which was the formidable trump card that would have made completing the main quest even remotely possible, the chances of completing the quest remained low. That was entirely due to the abhorrently small fighting force he had at his disposal.

When one was not in one's best state, the best course of action was to bear with it. That was the standard rule that nobles lived by.

However, Kant still narrowed his gaze as he read the introduction from the system. He felt vexed about it all.

He did not want to just give up like that.

In a severe tone, Kant said, "Firentis." His eyes looked gloomy.

"Yes, My Lord," Firentis replied.

"If we had the troops fight to the death in the battle, would we stand a chance of crushing the Jackalans?"

As he spoke, Kant's tone was extremely serious.

Firentis' expression was one of slight shock, but he still nodded affirmatively and said, "We would."

Swadian Footmen were considered true regular troops.

Those units were clad in iron equipment from top to bottom, which consisted of mail armor and iron helmets. They were also armed with heater shields, longswords, and heavy spears.

Even back in the Dukedom of Leo, that equipment was reserved only for elite infantry. All of that, coupled with the footmen's formidable combat prowess, would have enabled them to take down the primitive Jackalans.

He was planning on having the footmen as shock troops. The militia member would have been in the middle while the peasants brought up the rear.

Putting their all into boosting damage potential, trading for a decisive, formidable charge with heavy casualties on Kant's forces was practically a suicide mission without any hope of coming back alive. Yet, doing easily enabled them to kill at least 500 Jackalans. There was no doubt about that.

"Alright."

Kant took a deep breath. He clenched his fists slightly tighter.

He turned around to look at Firentis' severe expression and slowly said, "If I want to attain eventual peace and development, it can only by us annihilating that Jackalan Tribe. Otherwise, what we have now is but a fleeting mirage."

Eternal peace was about as pretentious as it could have gotten.

Firentis nodded and said in a solemn tone, "I understand, Lord Kant."

"I hope this won't clash with your ideals." Kant extremely valued Firentis and his hard-earned abilities. One of the last things Kant wanted was for Firentis, who was top-notch and formidable general material, to leave because of one battle.

"It won't," Firentis said as he shook his head.

He paused for a bit before saying, "What we would be doing would be for securing our future and peace. We won't be able to attain a good life by having mercy on our enemies. That is even more so given that it's the brutal Jackalans we're talking about here. A knight shouldn't be showing creatures like that any mercy."

"Very well." A slight grin finally appeared on Kant's face.

That was at least a decent piece of news.

Kant's plans included molding Firentis to be the supreme general of his Swadian forces from then on out.

The decision was made.

Kant and Firentis immediately returned to the Council Hall to lay out the new strategies.

Even if it were to be a suicide run that ended with all of his forces dead, Kant was determined to chew up that first formidable enemy of his whole. Furthermore, he wanted the victory to be a brilliant, decisive one.

The entire Oasis Lookout seemed to have noticed the warring atmosphere permeating the place. Everyone's expressions turned increasingly serious.

With the exception of the builders making noise from the construction happening from day to night, everyone else in the entire Oasis Lookout seemed to be silent. Everyone was busy with their own tasks or staying vigilant at their posts.

There was no mistaking what was about to happen. A new battle was about to begin.

The sky gradually darkened, and the scorching heat finally began to cool.

Kant was in the Council Hall.

White candles were lit and placed on the table. They emitted bits of light that illuminated the place.

A parchment was laid out on the table. It had messy pencil marks all over it. The lines were crooked, which made the parchment look more like the product of a child doodling.

However, both Kant and Firentis looked at the messy lines on the parchment with increasingly solemn expressions.

They were looking at a map.

It was a map drawn according to Kant's memory from when he and the Desert Bandits went out to scout the Jackalan Tribe weeks ago.

He had completed the basic preparation regarding the upcoming strategy.

It was also imperative that simulations were run using the map before eventually starting a new battle.

Without proper planning, it left them with no contingency plans or back-ups should any unexpected circumstances take place, such as failing to strike hard enough to throw the enemy into disarray. If that happened, it meant throwing his forces into chaos instead of the enemy. As such, it was a crucial job that even the dumbest of commanders would not have skipped doing.

Time gradually passed.

The moon was hanging high in the air. Brilliant stars dotted the skyline.

After meticulous discussions were carried out in the Council Hall, the strategy was finally set.

"It's now settled."

Kant nodded slowly, showing approval of the strategy that had been decided upon.

It was also something that both men had spent the whole day concocting.

It was a strategy that gave them the greatest advantage.

"We'll strike before dawn. At that time, they will be in the most relaxed state."

Firentis nodded as he added about the strategy, "It is a time when even the sentries would have felt drowsy, assuming that the Jackalan Tribe had them in the first place. It would be the best time to ambush them."

"It would indeed." Kant nodded.

Firentis said, "I will lead 17 of the Elite Desert Bandits and charge right into the center of the tribe to locate the huge tent, where the Jackalan shaman will likely be, in the shortest amount of time. We will then take out the shaman. The tribe, which would have just lost its chieftain, will be thrown into complete chaos due to not having any command of any sort. After that, it will be up to you, Lord Kant."

"Rest assured. I will lead the troops to scatter and immediately take care of any resisting Jackalans we encounter."

As his eyes narrowed, Kant's gaze looked rather dangerous. "Even if they are somehow able to organize a resistance, three volleys of arrows will crush them all the same."

Firentis nodded with a serious expression. "Enemies thrown into disarray are no longer enemies."

The three things that needed to happen included the Jackalans losing command, being thrown into chaos, and scattering. If all three states were imposed upon the Jackalan Tribe, it almost guaranteed victory for Kant's forces.

Then again, it was certain that they would also have casualties. The loss of lives was likely going to be severe.

There was nothing neither men were able to do about that.

People died in wars. In its essence, fighting battles was an act of spilling blood and extinguishing lives.

Be it the enemy or his people, bodies were going to be left strewn all over the place one way or another.

"To finally secure a future for us, I would have no problem seeing my entire force wiped out as long as that Jackalan Tribe is completely crushed."

He let out a long and hard exhale as he muttered to himself.

Kant had never considered himself to be a decent man. Although he was known to be diligent and studious back in the Dukedom of Leo, he, as someone of noble birth who had lived two lives, was bound to be a self-serving person.

"I will recruit some new blood for fighting this battle."

Kant looked at Firentis and slowly said, "Recruits will at least be able to fight better than peasants."

"That should be the way." Firentis nodded.

Kant was allowed to recruit troops every week, which meant converting Swadian Peasants into Swadian Recruits.

The rule that allowed recruiting only one unit per week, like how it was with the Desert Bandit Lair, did not apply in this regard.

There was no limit to the number of Swadian Recruits that could be recruited.

It was a random thing that was completely up to the system.

Chapter 51: New Incident

The battle plan was ready.

Kant felt increasingly at ease as he continued to talk about the details of the plan with Firentis.

Everything was ready. Now, all that remained was to put the plan into action.

"It's so late already, huh?"

Kant stretched his stiff neck.

He looked outside the window. The night was extremely dark. It was only then that he realized it was past midnight.

"Indeed." Firentis nodded and sighed. "It looks like we got ourselves too into it."

The candle flame continued to sway and flicker.

The melted wax spread. There was only a stump left on the candle sitting on the table. It was obvious that three hours had passed since they lit the candle at nightfall. The candle seemed as if it could have been extinguished at any given moment.

It was quiet outside.

The construction noises made by the builders had long ceased since dinner time.

There were only the sounds of leather boots stepping on soft sand, which left prints on it and caused the sand to shift.

Swadian Militia members, who were organized into groups of five, carried their spears as they walked past the door of the Council Hall.

It was the periodic patrol the took place after nightfall.

The 10 Swadian Footmen, who wore infantry mail armor and carried their spears, remained vigilant inside the Council Hall.

"You best get some rest, Firentis."

Kant rubbed his eyebrows. He looked rather tired himself.

"Indeed, My Lord." Firentis' expression was one of exhaustion.

He stood up and bowed to Kant respectfully. Before he left, he said, "Lord Kant, I hope you rest early as well, for the sake of your health.

"Will do." Kant nodded and bode Firentis goodnight.

There was a room reserved specifically for Firentis in the Council Hall, which was right beside the storage room.

He was Kant's only general at the moment, which meant that he had perks and privileges befitting his status.

Then again, Kant had his reasons for making such arrangements.

If any unforeseen circumstances took place, Firentis was able to quickly head out and take care of things. His skill at commanding forces also enabled the damage from any untoward happenings to be confined.

"Stay sharp."

Kant stood up. He looked at the footmen taking shifts at guard duty and said, "Don't let your guard down."

"Yes, Lord Kant," the footmen solemnly replied.

"Right." Kant nodded and walked up to his room on the second floor. He slumped onto his bed and immediately fell asleep.

Since he had to get up early the next morning, he had not bothered to take off his clothes.

The battle plan had been put in place. The upcoming battle was going to be the most brutal battle that he had ever fought.

The resistance from more than 2,000 Jackalans was likely going to be every bit on par with the prior invasion.

The scale of the upcoming one had the potential to be even larger.

A fighting force that consisted of only 300 low-level troops was about to attack a Jackalan Tribe that had at least 2,000 Jackalans. If that were to be heard back in the Dukedom of Leo, those nobles who had been in battlefields before would have probably laughed at Kant for his perceived stupidity.

The expeditionary force sent by the dukedom 10 years ago had also been only 2,000 strong.

Then again, all of those units had been elites.

Almost every single one of them had been heavily armored heavy-cavalry units. They had been the main force pulled back from the frontlines. It was only due to those factors that they were able to decimate hundreds of Jackalan Tribes, reducing them to a mere fraction of what they had been. The remnants were frightened enough to retreat into the deeper parts of the desert.

At present, Kant intended to attack a 2,000-strong Jackalan Tribe with merely 300 low-level troops.

The notion itself was absurd.

Despite knowing the absurdity of the operation, Kant was still getting ready for it.

He was not a fool. He was simply confident with what he had at his disposal.

It was just like how Firentis had put it before. The Jackalan Tribe had seen multiple consecutive defeats, and their morale was as low as it could have been. With their chieftain ending up dead in the last battle, the Jackalans were now little more than frightened children.

Kant remembered something he had read in an ancient Greek poem. It eluded to the fact that a ragtag band of people could not be considered a fighting force.

From Kant's perspective, he saw them as little more than a ragtag band of walking trash.

In terms of strategy, he was behaving condescendingly.

However, he remained aware of the Jackalans' strength, tactically speaking.

The red banner with a golden lion emblazoned on it remained perched in the sand by the Council Hall's door. The banner billowed despite there being no wind around. It was the banner's own might that caused the phenomenon.

It was the Intimidation.

It was a product of both light and dark.

It was a mystical item that belonged to Kant.

It was a sacred item in the battlefield, which also served as Kant's true trump card in the upcoming battle.

It was because that banner was capable of decimating enemy morale and even causing panic in the ranks of the enemy that Kant had dared to make the decision to do what he was about to do. Even if the battle ended up killing every single unit in his fighting force, he was determined to bring the Jackalan Tribe down.

He and Firentis made calculations.

Killing 300 Jackalans resulted in significantly shaken their morale.

Killing 500 of them meant practically crushing the will of the entire tribe to resist.

Killing 1,000 annihilated any psychological defenses the survivors had, throwing them into mass panic.

Furthermore, killing the leader of the Jackalans, which was now the Jackalan shaman, ushered in the collapse of the entire Jackalan Tribe, preventing them from regrouping and retaliating ever again.

While accomplishing those feats was going to be difficult, victory was entirely possible as long as the plan was carried out in full.

Kant was feeling drowsy.

By the time he opened his eyes again, dawn had arrived.

It was early in the morning.

Kant felt rather stiff when he woke up, which was due to having slept in his full regalia.

He twisted his neck and moved his body about, cracking his joints as he walked downstairs.

Firentis opened the door at the same time.

"Good morning, Lord Kant."

Firentis wore a rather solemn expression as he bowed respectfully to his lord.

It was a gesture of respect that symbolized the status difference between them.

Kant had already gotten used to it all. He simply nodded and said, "Good morning, Firentis."

There were 10 peasants busily working in the kitchen near Firentis' room. From the looks of it, they were about to begin cooking. However, due to them having to prepare food for more than 300 people, breakfast would not be finished for another two hours.

"I will be off, Lord Kant."

Firentis took a look at the kitchen and reported to Kant, "I'm off to carry out the usual patrol and scouting."

"Yeah, be careful out there."

Kant waved a gesture of acknowledgment. However, he still reminded Firentis, "Keep an eye out for anything happening at the northeastern side. We'll get on with the operation in the afternoon."

"Understood." Firentis nodded and quickly walked outside the Council Hall.

The plan was scheduled to be carried that afternoon.

The 17 Elite Desert Bandits in the lair next to the Council Hall had been awake for some time. They were scrubbing down their horses in the stables, as well as feeding them with hay and water.

The Elite Desert Bandits waited for the horses to finish their meals before mounting them and riding toward the northeast.

My turn.

Kant looked calm on the outside, but he was feeling serious deep down.

He connected his mind to the system and said with a serious tone, "Begin recruiting Swadian Recruits."

However, a dialog box appeared just as he was about to start the recruitment.

Kant was slightly stunned. It was different from what he had expected.

[Ding... Incident triggered: Villagers Sharing a Common Enemy]

[The peasants who had once lost their homes and suffered did not want to lose the village they now have. They are enjoying a hard-fought peace and the happiness of living a busy, earnest life. They are unwilling to lose their hope, which is why they are willing to take up arms and fight for the lord who brought them hope, even if it means dying in battle.]

[Incident Reward: Swadian Recruits x 200]

[Incident Requirements: Extra payment of 200 Denars]

[Do you accept?]

It was an incident triggered by the system.

It was something that had branched out from a side quest.

Kant knew a thing or two about it. He had seen such incidents happen before.

That incident asked for Kant to accept 50 Swadian refugees from the Continent of Caradia. The reward he eventually acquired was having the refugees converted into 50 Swadian Peasants.

That incident had even unlocked the Reputation and Honor parts of the system.

It was something he was not about to forget.

The new incident being triggered caused Kant's heart to race.

"Yes, I accept."

Kant answered and made his choice without any hesitation.

To him, given the situation, it was the most logical arrangement and the best choice he could have made.

He only needed to pay an extra 200 Denars to recruit 200 Swadian Peasants. That meant he only needed to spend one Denar on each peasant to upgrade them into Swadian Recruits. Kant was not about to pass up on the offer.

He needed 2,000 Denars to upgrade for starters anyway. Adding the extra payment only bumped up to the total to 2,200 Denars.

It was a price Kant found affordable.

Paying 2,200 Denars brought him a significantly greater chance to succeed.

Swadian Recruits were a first-level troop class. They were weak in terms of combat capacity, but they were still a true fighting force and armed with decent fighting equipment. With the addition of armor, they were fully capable of fighting the Jackalans.

That was the greatest aid the system provided him.

Chapter 52: Inspection Before Departure

"Confirm," Kant said as he verified his choice.

The Denar balance in his mind instantly dropped.

The Swadian Peasants, who had just woke up not long ago from their sleep in the sand pits and tents in the Oasis Lookout, were quickly wrapped in gushes of data streams.

The data streams left as quickly as they came.

However, all of them in the Oasis Lookout became stouter and their muscles bulged.

Their gazes also became sharper.

Dark-brown leather armor materialized beneath their loose, tattered linen robes.

Wooden shields, which were pieced together using planks, were seen on their backs. They now had shorthand axes strapped to their waist with linen cords, and two 3-foot-long spears in their hands. They wore reinforced and boots securely strapped to their legs.

All of them had become Swadian Recruits.

The 200 peasants had turned into the most basic, first-level troop class of the Kingdom of Swadia.

They were as much as cannon fodder as cannon fodders could have been.

Yet, such cannon fodders were the main element of Kant's fighting force for maintaining his line of offense.

While it would have been like throwing eggs at a stone wall to have those Swadian Recruits fight against the elite, heavily armed armies of human kingdoms, their crude armament, and basic military training allowed them to have no problems taking on the primitive Jackalans.

The Kingdom of Swadia never feared fighting battles with such a basic force.

The Continent of Caradia was thoroughly ravaged by the constantly warring states within it, yet anything related to the military always saw advancement by leaps and bounds.

Even the lowest recruits developed rather high levels of militaristic professionalism.

Having such a fighting force gathered to take on the Jackalans, which had no concept of tactics or strategies, head-on was entirely doable.

That was what Kant relied on.

Time passed.

The fragrance of food permeated the entire place.

Meals to feed 300 people were being prepared in the kitchen of the Council Hall.

Five huge basins of food were prepared.

There was bread and dried meat cooked using leftover heat from the charcoal, soup made from cabbage and flour, and dates for everyone.

While the food was simple, the meals contained a mixture of vegetables and meat. Not only were the meals hearty, but they were also very nourishing.

Everyone ate their breakfast in silence. It was as if all of them were anticipating the upcoming war. The atmosphere throughout the entire Oasis Lookout was solemn and serious.

Even the building foreman, who was skilled at sucking up to people of a higher status, chose to squat somewhere quietly with the builders.

Besides, they were just civilians entirely incapable of fighting.

Kant had no intention of conscripting them. While the builders might have appeared well-built, they were only slightly better than the peasants. It was absurd to think they could have fought like the escorts and sentries guarding the trade caravan.

While everyone was eating breakfast, a group of riders appeared at the northeastern dune.

Firentis and the 17 Elite Desert Bandits had returned.

"There was nothing out of the ordinary, Lord Kant."

Firentis leaped onto the sandy ground after halting his horse. He looked rather relaxed as he said, "It seems like everything will be going well at the start."

"Very well." Kant nodded and said, "Come, let's have breakfast."

"Thank you very much."

Firentis bowed respectfully.

He sat on the chair opposite Kant without refusing his lord's offer. He dove right into the meal he had been given.

Breakfast was also being eaten outside the Council Hall.

After they were done putting their horses aside, the 17 Elite Desert Bandits went to eat with Kant's troops.

The soldiers, who were squatting and eating breakfast with their compatriots around them, cared little about image. Things were dire at the moment. A meal capable of filling their stomachs was deemed sufficient. They saw no need to ask for anything more.

They were about to wage a war.

Everyone sensed the thick air of war throughout the oasis.

The killing intent was rife in the atmosphere.

Although Kant had yet to actually announce the news of attacking the Jackalan Tribe, everyone was psychologically ready.

It was a sixth sense developed through years of living with constant fighting.

There were no longer any peasants around. All the soldiers were getting ready, awaiting orders.

The farm work to be done in the Oasis Lookout was completed. As for daily watering with the irrigation channels to keep the jungle of Date Palm Trees quenched, the Swadian Recruits were more than able to handle it.

The Swadian Recruits, who had only been made soldiers not long ago, still had memories of the time when they were peasants as they sported their combat skills.

They quickly gathered around.

They got into formation.

Kant had given the order. His forces were being inspected. He gave them a pep talk before departing.

Firentis approved of it.

However, Kant was doing that because the system had sent a side quest.

[Ding... Side Quest assigned]

[Side Quest: Inspection Before Departure]

[Quest Reward: 100 Reputation]

[Introduction: Letting your troops know what they will be fighting for will enable them to fight with courage.]

It was actually a side quest.

The reward for it was merely 100 Reputation.

However, Kant would have ordered an inspection to be carried out with or without the side quest.

He was about to declare the start of a war.

"Everything is ready, Lord Kant," Firentis gently said.

His forces were on the street before the Council Hall. They stood tall and straight and looked tall, neat, and serious. Their gazes were sharp and lacked a shred of fear. They were simply waiting for Kant to brief them and get the inspection done.

"Alright." Kant nodded.

He sounded rather heavy. Yet, when he began speaking, everyone heard him loud and clear.

"We will wage a new war, a war against those Jackalans. We shall head out to conquer them this afternoon. We shall have those dirty, lowly, primitive creatures kneel before us."

Kant began talking. He sounded very serious.

The expression of the troops gathering and waiting at the street looked just as serious.

All of them listened to Kant talk attentively.

"Just as how we wrestled the oasis beneath our feet from the Jackalans, we shall now continue to rob them of what they have. They do not deserve to live. Swadians and Sarrandians shall continue to grow in this very desert, becoming the sovereign of this new world. Under my leadership, we shall obtain new peace."

Kant continued speaking. His voice sounded rousing and solemn.

It was encouragement given before waging a battle, and he did nothing to conceal their nature as invaders.

There was no compassion or mercy to be had between races. Both sides were only able to maintain peace as long as the fighting prowess of both parties was more or less equal and neither was capable of trumping the other. Otherwise, it would have only been a matter of time before they went for each other's throats.

Kant had lived in this world for 16 years. He was more than used to how things worked.

He took a deep breath and solemnly said, "If we want to have a better life and a better future, then we need to fight for it. We shall kill all those Jackalans and make what is theirs ours!"

"All hail Swadia!"

The soldiers on the street furiously shouted, "Kill the Jackalans!"

Kant had a grin on his face. The speech had been a success.

Even Firentis, who was standing by his side, looked unfazed. He was not disconcerted by the speech that was filled with bloodlust and killing intent because he was not concerned for the livelihood of the Jackalans.

It was just like how a player would have brought Firentis along to kill monsters like bandits and whatnot back in the game.

He was practically declaring themselves to be the righteous ones.

[Ding... You have completed the quest through your efforts.]

[Side Quest: Inspection Before Departure is complete.]

[Quest Reward: 100 Reputation]

[Introduction: This is conquest. This is a massacre. There is no peace between races. One must remove one's enemies to further one's development. Such is the truth.]

A dialog box from the system appeared.

Kant grinned at the 100 Reputation that he just bagged.

The reward might have been peanuts, but it was still a reward.

He turned around and addressed Firentis. "Get the supplies ready. We leave at 2 p.m."

"Understood." Firentis nodded.

Kant continued boosting the morale of his troops. The inspection lasted 30 more minutes.

Everyone in the Oasis Lookout was excited.

It was a frenzy before the fight.

Everyone dispersed and continued to busy themselves with preparations for the upcoming battle.

Firentis was well-versed with making such preparations.

Bread, dried meat, dried dates—food with long shelf lives—were being loaded onto the three carriages that Kant had brought when he came to the Oasis Lookout.

Water sacks were all filled with crystal-clear spring water.

The water was enough to last everyone for three days.

When Kant and the riders had departed the Oasis Lookout the previous time, it had taken them an entire day to reach the Jackalan Tribe. These troops were about to march on foot. It was easily going to take them at least twice the amount of time to make the trip.

Before long, everything was ready.

Chapter 53: Assault Before Dawn

It was now 2 p.m.

The temperature had slightly dropped. After Kant's forces were done with the preparations, they waited on the northeastern side of the Oasis Lookout.

Kant and Firentis took the lead on their horses.

The builders from Suno stood respectfully before them.

"Lord Firentis, you are a noble from Suno. I wouldn't have dared to be at ease if I had known it was you who was around."

Cold sweat was seen on the foreman's fat face.

After he realized that the general who stood side by side with the lord of the place was none other than someone of greater noble birth of Suno, his sweat was even more noticeable. He grew increasingly afraid. He gulped as he obediently stood like a sitting duck.

"Very well," Firentis nonchalantly said.

Firentis quickly frowned after seeing the foreman looking extremely terrified. He asked, "Do you know me?"

"Y-yes, Lord Firentis."

More cold sweat was seen on the foreman's fat face. "Well, everyone in Suno knows about you. Although you and your brother..." He immediately realized that he brought up a subject that should not have been broached. He immediately changed the subject and said, "Umm, nothing much. You're well known for the breadth of your intellect, Lord Firentis."

Firentis had heard what the foreman said but remained silent.

He looked glum. The foreman's eyes seemed to be filled with despair as he said, "I'm no noble lord of Suno."

"Well... umm..." Cold sweat continued to drip from the foreman's face.

He gulped. He thought that he still had the opportunity to make things right, so he blurted, "Lord Firentis, if you just return to Suno, I wonder how happy your father will be."

However, what he said simply made Firentis' expression more complicated.

There was no way that the foreman did not know that he said something wrong again.

"Lord Kant, I'll keep an eye on the forces."

Firentis turned around and said to Kant, "Excuse me for a moment." He rode away without waiting for Kant to reply.

By now, the foreman's fat face looked ashen. His legs seemed wobbly.

It was apparent that, as a commoner of Suno, the foreman greatly feared the noble clan that Firentis came from.

"It's best not to bring that up in the future."

Kant spoke with a calm expression.

He turned his gaze on Firentis. He felt rather exasperated and regretful about what had happened to the knight.

Firentis wandered the continent because he had fought over a temptress with his younger brother out of jealously and accidentally killed his brother. Whenever a player had Firentis in their party while being close to Suno, Firentis told the player about his sad past.

It was where Firentis got his title as the Wandering Knight. He refused to return to his noble family. Instead, he exiled himself to wander the continent.

Kant frowned slightly and took a look at the sun above.

It was about time.

He told the foreman, "Keep a close eye on my village."

"Yes, My Lord."

The foreman quickly nodded and looked at the 30 builders behind him. True to his bootlicker nature, he said, "We will keep your village safe, even if we have to fight to the last man!"

After having offended Firentis, there was no doubt that he wanted to curry Kant's favor.

"Hehe."

Kant did little more than chuckle at what the foreman said. "It'd be great if you did that."

He commanded his horse to move and loudly shouted, "Let's head out!"

"Let's go!" Firentis led the way.

The army, which was already prepared, began to slowly march forward.

The army headed northeast to find the Jackalan Tribe.

Every single member of the village headed out.

"My Lord, we shall await your victorious return."

The foreman waved and followed respectfully. He was acting like a woman who was reluctant to let her lover leave.

However, his efforts were apparently in vain.

Kant and his forces never bothered to even turn their heads around.

The fat foreman did not care. Being entrusted with an additional task like that deepened his relations with the lord. From his perspective, it was absolutely a reward like no other.

There was also the problem of the oasis being invaded.

For now, that was not something that needed to be taken into consideration.

The Oasis Lookout was in the middle of nowhere in the Nahrin Desert.

The place was so barren that even lowly escaped slaves would not have thought of going there.

As for evil people like marauders and bandits plundering the place en masse, that was little more than a fantasy.

The only enemy to be had at the moment was that Jackalan Tribe, which was what Kant was leading a force to attack.

There was no problem leaving the builders in charge of looking after the place.

Kant found no problem with that.

The 200 Swadian Recruits followed behind the carriages in neat formations.

The 70 Swadian Militia members took the rear of the expedition.

The 25 Swadian Footmen headed out alongside Kant and the carriages.

The 17 Elite Desert Bandits were at the forefront of the formation with one additional Desert Bandit that had been recruited that week. All of the riders fanned out, serving as scouts to survey the situation up front.

According to Kant's estimation, the journey was going to take them two days.

Previously, they were able to travel quickly because they had ridden their horses. They had reached the Jackalan Tribe after riding for just one day.

However, the bulk of Kant's forces consisted of infantry units. It was impossible to hasten the march at all.

Then again, Kant did not mind. As long as they reached the tribe in the shortest amount of time possible and launched the attack right before dawn, just as they had planned, all would be well.

Besides, the march was not actually all that slow.

They were undoubtedly moving a lot faster than how it had been with Kant and his 30 Swadian Peasants when they first traveled to the oasis.

They continued moving forward in the dark of night.

At midnight, they set up camp and slept. They continued on their way when the sun, and subsequently the temperature, had yet to rise.

When the temperature was highest at noon, they only dug out pits in the sand to rest.

The process was repeated. Before long, they arrived at the part of the desert where the Jackalan Tribe had been located.

It was getting dark by the time they arrived.

It was evening.

Nightfall was moments away.

Kant sat still with his horse halted as he gazed at the Jackalan Tribe off in the distance. His expression gave him the appearance of being overwhelmed.

He turned around and said to Firentis, "That's them."

"Their numbers are great." Firentis nodded.

He was able to see the messy tents erected at the flatland-like place at the bottom of the dune. Many Jackalans went in and out, seemingly being busy with things in their tribe.

All of them were the enemy, and all of them were marked for slaughter.

The soldiers behind the two of them looked serious. While exhaustion was visible in their eyes, they still clutched their weapons tightly.

They were eager to start the fight.

"Everyone, stay concealed."

Kant's orders reached everyone's ears. "Let's take a break for the moment."

The attack, according to the plan, was not one to be launched in the evening.

The time of the attack was before dawn.

That was the time when the sky was at its darkest and all creatures were at their drowsiest with their brains at their foggiest state.

Be it alertness or reactions, they were all at their worst.

The soldiers quickly set up camp.

The wind was blowing whirling around then. They were behind the dune, which meant that they had no problems lighting up fires to cook food.

Furthermore, where they were was at least 3,280 feet away from the Jackalan Tribe. If anything out of the ordinary happened, sentries at the top of the dune would quickly notice. Be it to fight or retreat, Kant's forces were the one with the initiative.

The night gradually darkened.

Dazzling stars appeared in the silent, dark night.

Kant and his forces ate a small meal. They went to sleep without removing their gear. They were practically sleeping while holding onto their weapons.

They were waiting for the right time.

The sentries changed every hour, ensuring that everyone received ample sleep.

They were waiting for the bright moon above to gradually move westward.

They were waiting for the dazzling stars in the dark of night to eventually dim.

The dark right before dawn eventually came.

"Get up, get up, everyone."

All of the troops gently patted at their comrades. Bonfires remained burning in the sand pits behind the dune.

The Swadian infantry was wide awake by then.

Their expressions were all serious. Intense killing intent was seen in their eyes.

"Lord Kant."

Firentis fetched Kant's horse for him.

The 17 Elite Desert Bandits and the newly recruited Desert Bandit appeared behind him. All of them were leading their horses with their left hands while holding onto their flanged maces with their right hands. All of them waited for orders with serious expressions.

"We'll move according to the plan."

Kant nodded. The 295 Swadian troop members close to him were already ready.

"Understood." Firentis nodded and asked, "Is everyone ready?"

The Desert Bandits all nodded. They quickly checked their weapons. Eventually, each of them fished out two water sacks that were tied together. They all looked at Firentis and Kant and replied with subdued voices, "Ready."

"Let's move." Kant nodded and gave the order to begin.

"Let's head out."

Firentis and the Desert Bandits did not immediately mount their horses. They had instead moved elsewhere, taking a detour while leading their horses.

The target of their plan was different. They were to enter the battlefield from a different place.

Outside that dune, the huge, messy tents of Jackalan Tribe remained silently standing under the dimmed starlight and moonlight. The Jackalans did not have the slightest idea of the impending danger that was about to crush their tribe.

Chapter 54: A Massacre in Fire and Blood

The night was cold and quiet.

Firentis continued leading his horse as he moved to the western side of the Nahrin Desert dune.

The 17 Elite Desert Bandits and newly recruited Desert Bandit walked with their horses in tow as well, following right behind him. Their eyes were filled with the thick, unmistakable killing intent.

All 19 cavalry units were to strike at the heart of the enemy and cut the head of the enemy's leader. It was an insane operation.

If luck was on their side and their mission turned out well, everyone would emerge happily.

If luck was not on their side, it meant that not only would they be unable to complete their mission, but they also all would be caught in a predicament.

However, none of them cared.

Firentis took a look at the night sky. The dazzling stars above began to dim. The bright moon was gradually disappearing. Only pitch black darkness was seen in the sky. It was as if it was all an attempt to prevent the coming of dawn.

"That beam of light shall eventually pierce through the darkness."

Firentis seemed to have recalled a song from a bard back when he was in Suno.

His heart raced, yet his teeth remained clenched as he nimbly mounted his horse.

"It's our turn now."

Firentis spoke in a low voice as he prompted his horse to move forward.

The 18 cavalry units, who were familiar with fighting in the desert, nimbly got onto their respective horses. They held onto their spears as they kicked the bellies of their horses, following right behind Firentis.

Gallops were gradually heard. However, the hooves simply made shallow prints on the soft sand. The sound of horses galloping did not travel far.

It was a given that they were not moving all that quickly.

The beast of burden that had become the most used to the desert was the camel. Horses were still more suited for traveling on flatlands.

Then again, those warhorses were still capable of bringing 70 percent of their usual speed to the operation. The sand, which was nothing like quicksand that could swallow anything heavy whole, was capable of sustaining their horses' weight.

After getting off of the dune, the horseshoes hit the soft sandy ground as they hastened.

The layer of sand there had been trampled solid by the Jackalans.

"It's beginning."

Kant took deep breaths and clenched his fists.

He stood at the top of the dune, keeping his gaze fixed at the western side of the dune. When he saw more than a dozen black dots appearing and moving at speeds far greater than that of what people were capable of at that Jackalan Tribe, the calm on his face was replaced by heaviness.

Everything was going according to the battle plan.

Everything was going smoothly as well.

However, it was not the time to let his guard down. Kant turned around to look at his troops, who were all standing by. He said in a low voice, "Heads up, people. Get ready to attack."

"Yes, My Lord." A unanimous reply was heard throughout the dune.

The Swadian troops also wore severe expressions. All of them eyed Kant, who was standing at the dune, with fervor. It was as if it was a tournament in which one was proud to participate in instead of a brutal battle that was waiting for them.

There was no turning back for any of them.

Everyone knew that very simple fact. All of them were determined to fight to their deaths without the slightest hesitation.

The Kingdom of Swadia never had a lack of warriors.

Firentis led 18 cavalry units. They charge the western side. They had entered the Jackalan Tribe.

They were like a howling gale.

As they zipped past the crude, dirty tents at great speeds, the riders held the reins tightly in their hands. Firentis and the cavalry units did not care about the tents. They took out the two water sacks that each held. They tore holes in the sacks and poured the contents all over the tents at their sides.

While the night was indeed dark, under the starlight and moonlight, one was still capable of somehow telling that it was brown liquid.

They seemed to have doused the tents at the flanks with rainwater as they charged forward.

However, the two Elite Desert Bandits at the very rear fished out two barrel-like items. They tore some linen cloth and stuffed it into the openings. Bits of gleaming red were seen within.

They were cans stuffed with charcoal.

Along with the cans, the two men threw the dried up water sacks in their hands without showing any change in their expression.

Charcoal dropped all over the place, coming into contact with the tents where the sacks had previously drenched. The charcoal pieces, which were lit with dim red colors, ignited sparks when it came into contact with the brown liquid before bursting into huge fireballs.

It was not spring water that was contained within the water sacks. It was the oil Kant had purchased.

Vrrooommmmm

The brown oil was lit and burst into fireballs within mere seconds, along with the tents crafted using tattered linen cloth.

The fireball spread to the adjacent tents, burning with increasing intensity.

The desert was dry without any water vapor around. Worse still, the tents were gathered messily without paying any heed to the possibility of catching fire. Flames danced along the route that had been splashed by the oil.

Owww

There were finally drowsy Jackalans emerging to see what was happening.

They emerged only to see fires burning brightly far away, as well as their brethren bursting out of the tents due to the fire. Before long, those burning Jackalans were reduced to charred meat.

None of them were able to tell how the fire had started.

However, some had survived the previous night raid. They frantically took their spiked clubs out of their tents. It was not ferocity seen in their eyes. It was extreme fear.

They had caught sight of the cavalry units charging straight for the center of their camp.

It was Firentis.

There were also 18 ferocious bandits from the Sarrand Desert.

The horses beneath the riders zipped past at great speeds. They no longer bothered circling the tents before them. They sent their horses crashing into the tents and trampling hard on the Jackalans who were still sleeping inside.

Firentis looked up and saw the larger tent, which was less than 328 feet away from where he was.

However, there were about 40 to 50 Jackalans in his way. They all held their spiked clubs high and intended to defend that huge tent with their bodies.

"For Lord Kant, kill them all!"

Firentis kicked the belly of his horse hard. He swung the sword in his hand without mercy.

Blood splattered everywhere.

Several Jackalans were sent flying by the charge. Two Jackalans had their heads cut off by the sword.

The 18 Desert Bandits followed suit with their spears held straight. The pointy spearheads pierced through the chests of the Jackalans, skewering several of them like kebabs as the bandits charged.

The Desert Bandits, who were all prepared to give their all, paid no heed to the spiked clubs swung at them.

They were ready to get injured just so they could kill more of the enemy.

As they charged in a frenzy, they gradually closed in on that huge tent. They were even able to see the Jackalan shaman, who held a staff in his hand, frantically escaping the huge tent.

Ooowwww

The Jackalan shaman was of advanced age. His coat of fur had turned from grey to white.

He was rather slouched as he held onto his staff. He stared at the burning tents, which had turned the entire western side of the tribe into a sea of flames. Countless Jackalans were running around screaming. That shaman yelled in anger, "Humans!"

It was a human language that was spoken from his mouth.

"Kill him!"

However, Firentis and the Desert Bandits were in no mood to communicate.

The sword and flanged maces were swung left and right, cutting and banging down any Jackalan that got in their way. Even though there were already three Elite Desert Bandits brought to the ground and killed by spiked clubs, they steadily charged at the Jackalan Shaman.

Their mission was to take the head of the leader of the tribe.

That leader meant none other than the Jackalan shaman.

"I shall tear your bones out and hang them on my body as jewelry!"

The eyes of the wrinkled Jackalan Shaman were filled with frenzy. His intelligence, which far surpassed that of the usual Jackalans, enabled him to able to tell that his tribe was being attacked by human forces.

"Let the bloodlust of your ancestors shroud your hearts. Kill those human riders!"

He grabbed a fistful of colorful dust and scattered it at the Jackalans around him. He held his staff high and shouted, "Bloodlust!"

Ooowwwww

The eyes of the stained Jackalans instantly turned bloodshot.

The Desert Bandits, who were still charging on their horses, took out yet another weapon to deal with the situation before the Jackalans were able to pounce at them—the javelins.

Zooooommm

The javelins tore through the air as they were thrown.

That old Jackalan shaman intended to dodge when he realized what was going on, but it was already too late.

Throwing weapons like javelins and tomahawks were few and far between in that world. There was no way the shaman was able to evade the javelins thrown by Elite Desert Bandits, who had become very accurate and lethal with their throws.

"Oowwww... My impressive power, no..."

Four javelins were lodged deeply into the body of the Jackalan shaman.

The old shaman whelped and shrieked before gradually slumping to the ground with the staff still in his hand.

In his perspective, as a powerful, extraordinary spellcaster, there was no way he should have died so easily. Furthermore, he also had Jackalan warriors buffed with Bloodlust, which made them very agitated and had no fear of death, by his side.

"Let's go!"

After seeing the Jackalan shaman fall, Firentis flicked his reins.

He swung his longsword hard at a Jackalan whose eyes were thoroughly bloodshot as he signaled his horse to continue charging. According to the plan they had laid out, they were to never return to the west side again. Instead, they were supposed to tear through the entire Jackalan Tribe as they headed east. That was where Kant was going to lead the charge with his forces.

By now, Kant had already launched the attack with his forces.

A rain of arrows shrouded the sky, enveloping the tents at the eastern side, as well as punching through the heads of Jackalans that emerged in panic.

Chapter 55: A Battlefield enveloped in a Rain of Arrows

Kant stood at the top of the dune.

He looked calm, but glittering light was seen in his eyes.

In the distance, the fire spread wildly.

"Attack."

Kant gave his order in a subdued voice.

Footsteps were heard from behind. His Swadian troops, who had all been ready, began to march forward.

Shing! Kant drew the short sword strapped to his waist.

He walked to the forefront.

His forces, which consisted of 295 infantry units, were arranged in three roles.

All of them held their spears high and started to jog, increasing their speed as they went.

The Jackalan Tribe was about 2,000 feet away. There were many Jackalans with grey and brown fur leaving their tents due to the fire at the west. They stood where they were, seemingly feeling dazed and confused about what was happening to the west.

None among them understood the concept of fire-fighting.

Water was the most precious resource found in the desert.

These Jackalans hardly had enough to even drink among them every day, so there was no way there was water left available fire-fighting.

The scene created an opening for Kant's forces.

Due to the chaos taking place in the tribe, no one noticed that there was a force consisting of 300 human combatants moving quickly from the top of the due in the east. As they closed in on the edge of the tribe, all of them had unmistakable killing intent in their eyes.

Flaappp

Kant unraveled the Intimidation banner in his hand.

The red banner, which had a golden lion emblazoned on it, billowed without wind.

The banner enveloped the area within a 1,640-foot radius.

The Jackalans, who remained watching the fire happening to the west feeling confused, were suddenly hit with an inexplicable fear. It caused their hearts to race as if they had met some unknown fear.

They soon came to realize what was happening.

Kant quickly brought his forces forward.

The Jackalans were still unaware of the ambush in the dark.

The smirk on his face was one of ridicule, yet the seriousness in his eyes had long turned into intense killing intent.

"Rain of arrows."

Kant shouted in a low voice, "First wave."

He connected his mind to the system. A golden card in his mind was immediately activated.

It had begun.

Projectiles whooshing above Kant's head were heard.

The night was dark. One was only able to tell that the noise was getting increasingly closer and louder.

In reflex, the Jackalans up front all looked up into the sky. Their beast-like faces continued to look dazed and confused about what was happening.

Their capacity for intellect was hardly different from an eight-year-old human child.

The attack unfolded before their green eyes. Countless thin, black shadows swamped the sky where the dazzling stars had been. As the whooshes became increasingly apparent, the arrows reflected in their eyes became increasingly numerous and tight.

Shooo, shoo, shoo, shooo, shoo, shooo...

The 500 arrows tore through the sky and came down in beautiful, mystifying arcs.

The pointy iron arrowheads were wedge-shaped, which gave them excellent armor-piercing properties.

The arrows were extremely lethal.

Such arrows were high-grade iron arrows from the Kingdom of Vaegir. They were used specifically by Vaegir Marksmen.

Arrows were steadily raining down from the sky onto their targets.

The arrows easily penetrated the Jackalans' coats of fur, killing the unlucky ones who were standing between the tents and unable to evade in them. The arrows made porcupines out of them. The Jackalans slumped to the floor and writhed for a bit before staying still altogether.

The rain of arrows caused the death of more than 200 Jackalans on the spot.

Voooommm

As more Jackalans dropped to the ground, the Intimidation banner billowed with an even mightier force. Its invisible powers spreading out all over the place.

Fear had overtaken the Jackalans' minds.

A good number of them were survivors of the failed attack from a while ago. They had lived in extreme fear ever since. As they caught human forces lining up at the dark dune and coming at them from the corner of their eyes, they all felt as if their hearts had been tightly gripped.

The effect of the Intimidation banner continued to be at work, decimating the Jackalans' morale.

That was the main reason Kant had dared to assault the Jackalan Tribe with a force of such mediocre numbers.

As long as one was to able to seize the opportunity and make good use of it, such a sacred item easily crushed an enemy before the battle was over.

This was the moment.

This was the opportunity Kant had sought.

"Kill them all!"

The Swadian troops moved forward side by side, moving increasingly faster as they went.

They leveled the spears in their hands, pointing them forward as they charged at the Jackalans struck down by the arrows. They charged all the way to the center of the tribe, which was already in chaos.

If Firentis and the Desert Bandits failed in their mission to cut down the leader, Kant and the infantry units would have been able to back them up.

Killing the Jackalan shaman was the most important part of their battle plan.

Kant held the Intimidation banner high as he charged quickly with his forces. He saw hundreds of Jackalans up front, who had all realized what was going on. With a calm expression, he ordered, "We'll meet the enemy head-on! Kill them all!"

"Kill them all!" The Swadian troops skewered away with their spears in a frenzy.

The three rows of troops held their spears straight ahead as they remained in tight formation. The formation did not look impenetrable, such as one with spears being drawn and thrust repeatedly, which was how it was when defending on the spot. As the troops charged with the spears in their hands, it looked more like a simplified cavalry charge.

Jab, jab, jab, jab, jab...

Still, the spearheads easily penetrated the Jackalans' bodies. The force used was enough that one spear went through several Jackalans in one go.

More than 60 Jackalans were instantly killed right before Kant's forces.

However, more Jackalans quickly pounced on them in a frenzy. It was as if they realized their hopeless state of being. Despite suffering from increasingly intense fear from the deaths of their brethren, they continued to resist with their spiked clubs.

Bang, bang, bang...

Heavy bludgeons were soon heard. More than a dozen Swadian Recruits were quickly brought to the ground due to lacking real combat experience.

More Jackalans with bloodshot eyes appeared t and pounced on them.

It was especially so after they smelled the human blood. The Jackalans even closed in on the Swadian Recruits, who were not completely dead yet, with their beast-like heads. They chomped down on the exposed arms and thighs with their fang-filled mouths, tearing huge bits of flesh off and making the scene look even more brutal.

Jackalans never had a problem eating humans to begin with.

Forces from both sides clashed up close and personal. There were even Swadian troops who did not manage to get their spears out in time. It forced them to ditch their polearms and switch to single-handed weapons to fight.

Even Kant was under the protection of the Swadian Footmen, who wielded longswords and heater shields. They had only been able to steady themselves under the relentless charge of the Jackalans, which no longer feared death. Kant maintained a tight hold on the Intimidation banner, which continued to reduce enemy morale and enable Kant's forces to maintain their speed of advancement. As time passed, casualties began to pile up.

"For Swadia!"

The infantry units from Swadia shouted.

They were drenched in the dirty stench of blood. However, bodies of dead Jackalans continued to build as they advanced.

Although they had suffered casualties, things were even worse for the Jackalans.

More than 100 Swadians were dead, but that had brought about at least 300 dead Jackalan bodies lying on the ground.

Kant's forces gradually closed in on the center of the tribe. He was able to see more than a dozen riders charging about several hundred feet away. They headed straight for the huge tent as they rode.

The number of troops on Kant's side continued to dwindle as the Jackalans feverously pounced at them.

"Rain of arrows!"

Kant extended his arm. Data streams immediately appeared in his eyes.

The sounds of projectile whooshing in the air were heard again. It was yet another volley from the 500 Vaegir Marksmen being brought to the world. It appeared as if the arrows were a rain to cleanse the world as they immediately struck down more than 200 Jackalans right before him.

He wiped the dirty blood off of his face and looked on with a menacing expression. He shouted feverishly, "Keep on killing them all!"

"Kill them all!"

At that moment, the remaining Swadian warriors by his side seemed to have burst with hidden powers. They brought down their swords, combat shovels, and hand axes wildly on their enemies as they continued to move forward with increasing speeds.

On the other hand, the Jackalans seemed to have been overwhelmed by the growing enemy morale. The bloodlust and killing intent in their eyes quickly subsided. Panic and fear were quickly seen taking over in their eyes.

Voommm

The Intimidation banner in Kant's hand seemed to have burst with a solid wave, enveloping Kant's surroundings.

"The Jackalan shaman is dead!"

A footman with good eyes pointed forward. He exclaimed with extreme excitement, "General Firentis has done it!"

Kant turned his gaze forward.

The Jackalan shaman, who had been holding a staff as he stood at the huge tent before, now had four or five javelins sticking out of his body. The shaman wobbled for a bit before slumping to the ground. His condition was unknown.

Judging from the effects brought about by the Intimidation banner and rapidly shrinking morale of the Jackalans, one could have easily guessed that the Jackalan shaman had been taken down. The enemy's leader was dead.

Owwwwww

More and more Jackalan howls were heard all over the place.

However, there were even more who cast their spiked clubs away and ran out of the tribe.

None of them dared to continue resisting. Their forces had been completely crushed.

We won, Kant thought. He looked at the Jackalans, who had their backs against him as they fled. He held the Intimidation banner high without any bit of mercy. In a subdued voice, he said, "Chase them down and kill them all!"

He saw fit to continue slaughtering the Jackalans while the odds were with him, annihilating the Jackalans once and for all.

Kant had no current need for many prisoners.

The reasoning was simple. Dead Jackalans needed no supervision. By now, Kant's forces had been reduced to less than 100 units.

Chapter 56: Spoils of Victory

Pfftt.

Blood splattered as the short sword was pulled out of the Jackalan's eye socket.

Kant flicked his forearm, splashing blood staining the blade onto the ground. He kicked the Jackalan that was kneeling and dead in front of him. His face looked rather relaxed and tired. "It's over."

The thick stench of things being burned permeated the air.

Even thicker than that was the stench of blood in the air, so much so that it felt as if it was solid.

Bodies were all over the ground where Kant stood.

Most of the bodies belonged to dead Jackalans. The occasional perished Swadian warrior was also seen.

Under the valiant and suicidal charge of Kant's forces, the battle was finally over.

At that moment, the ownership of the Nahrin Desert was finally decided.

The Jackalan Tribe was engulfed by the flames. Heatwaves swept all over the place, lighting up the dried, ragged tents around and turning the place into a sea of flames. Any Jackalan that did not manage to escape in time was quickly burned or suffocated to death in the flames.

This was the place where the Jackalans had lived for generations.

It was also the grave marking the end of their reign.

It was a totally different story for Kant.

The man stood at the edge of the flames, enjoying the scene of the roaring fire engulfing everything in its path. He sensed the heatwave dispelling the chill of night in the desert while lamenting the brutality of war.

He had been the victor.

He had been the one who had conquered the Nahrin Desert.

He was a noble and a baron of the Dukedom of Leo.

That was enough for him.

The Swadian troops who survived stood behind Kant. They watched the flames before them.

The roaring inferno before their eyes did not scare them. Instead, it made them feel rather warm.

They were all very tired from all that fighting mere moments before.

Their bodies were covered in blood and grime. Many limped along as they helped each other out. If one looked close enough, it was easy to tell that almost everyone had ended up injured. It was a testament to the extent of brutality witnessed in the battle that had just ended.

Kant's forces had taken the lead with their initial ambush.

However, when the Jackalans resisted, his forces were still severely devastated.

Casualties were high in their ranks.

"Two-thirds of us will be left behind in this place."

Kant turned around and made a rough count.

He let out a deep sigh. Less than 100 men were standing behind him, and all of them were injured.

He turned his gaze on the eastern horizon.

A beam of the dawn's light pierced through the thick darkness. A faint round white bulb gradually rose on the horizon.

Dawn was approaching.

Gallop, gallop, gallop, gallop...

The rushed gallops of the horses were heard coming from the great fire.

Firentis took the lead and led four or five Elite Desert Bandits out of the sea of flames. They pulled their reins when they came near their lord, ordering their horses to halt with a vocal command.

"You're back."

Kant nodded to Firentis. He looked rather relieved. "It's good to see you around again."

Firentis was his only general.

The general had been scalded by the flames as he emerged from the sea of flames. If it had not been for the fact that he was wearing an iron helmet, all of his hair would have probably burned off. Based on how the horses' manes were almost half-burned and injuries were everywhere on their bodies, the same would have happened to him. The wounds from both the fire and the spike clubs looked very harrowing.

Firentis expressed his gratitude in a very solemn manner. "Thank you very much for your concern, Lord Kant."

Firentis got off his horse and took a package from one of the bags hanging on the horse's back. He handed it to Kant and said, "Here are the belongings of that Jackalan shaman, My Lord."

"Huh?" Kant took hold of the package.

He opened it and found a staff that was broken in several places in it, as well as a book that looked rather old.

Kant's expression was serious.

The staff was made of some sort of thin wood. It had been snapped into several pieces after it was stomped on. Firentis had collected it in its entirety. The most eye-catching part was the top end of the staff, which contained a black gem that was about the size of an egg.

Kant had seen one of those back in the Dukedom of Leo. It was where the staff's power came from.

The royal mages in the castle all had similar staffs to aid with spellcasting.

The old book caught Kant's attention the most.

"What is this?" Kant was unable to help but frown.

He held the book in his hand. It felt rather soft. The cover of the book seemed to be crafted with a soft goat pelt. While the book had dirt and dust on it, it still made Kant's heart race. It was as if he was holding some incredible item.

At the same time, a dialog box from the system appeared.

[Ding... You have secured victory after fighting a bloody battle.]

[Main Quest: The First Powerful Enemy is complete.]

[Reward: 10,000 Denars, 1,000 Reputation, 10 Honor]

[Introduction: The act of defeating a powerful enemy was but a steppingstone. A new journey awaits, so please keep working hard. Believe in your abilities. None of your enemies will be as terrifying as your first powerful enemy. None will be able to stand in your way.]

It was obvious from the dialog box that the quest from the system had been completed.

Kant grinned.

He had expected this.

The Jackalan Tribe before him had been engulfed in flames. When the fire was extinguished, nothing but ruins would be left behind.

It was no longer a place where any Jackalan would live.

Even the ones that had survived the battle and made it out would not be able to survive long in the harsh conditions of the Nahrin Desert. Furthermore, the extreme heat and cold between day and night were enough to take their lives.

When he was still mulling over the aftermath of the battle, a new dialog box appeared on his retina.

[Ding... You have obtained stunning results due to having won the battle despite heavily outnumbered.]

[Evaluation Acquired: Epic Victory]

[Reputation acquired x 100]

[Honor acquired x 1]

The result of that battle was evaluated by the system to be an epic victory.

Kant grinned at the results.

He had crushed a Jackalan Tribe that consisted of 2,000 Jackalans with only 300 men. He won despite being severely outnumbered and at a disadvantage. That evaluation was well within expectation.

Kant turned around.

He saw his limping troops behind him. The grin on his face gradually disappeared.

Despite being an ambush, his forces had suffered heavy casualties.

Only 10 Swadian Footmen were left.

Only 31 Swadian Militia members were left.

Only 46 Swadian Recruits were left.

Finally, only five Elite Desert Bandits were left.

The total of his surviving units was a mere 92.

It was as if he had been robbed clean. All of the reward he gained from the last battle was gone in that one battle.

War had a way of burning through one's resources quickly.

[Ding... Your forces have upgradable units.]

It was a consolation and relief that his surviving forces were at least able to get upgraded.

All troop classes after the upgrade would become elites.

"Open the list of troop classes."

Kant connected his mind with the system. A dialog box immediately appeared on his retina.

...

[Upgradable Troop Class: Swadian Recruits x 46]

[Spend 10 Denars each to upgrade to Swadian Militia.]

[Ding... You have surplus experience. Your forces can be upgraded consecutively.]

...

[Upgradable Troop Class: Swadian Militias x 31]

[Spend 20 Denars each to upgrade to Swadian Footman/Swadian Skirmisher.]

[Ding... You have surplus experience. Your forces can be upgraded consecutively.]

...

[Upgradable Troop Class: Swadian Footmen x 10]

[Spend 50 Denars each to upgrade to Swadian Man-at-arms/Swadian Infantry.]

[Ding... You have surplus experience. Your forces can be upgraded consecutively]

...

[Upgradable Troop Class: Elite Desert Bandits x 5]

[Spend 40 Denars each to upgrade to Sarrandian Horseman.]

[Ding... You have surplus experience. Your forces can be upgraded consecutively.]

...

The upgrade routes of the troop classes were clearly shown on the system's dialog box.

However, Kant's heart was racing.

The fruit of victory was indeed sweet.

All of his troops were available for upgrades.

Better yet, all of them were able to be upgraded further.

Even if they were to not be upgraded to become troop classes of higher levels, the quality of Kant's forces would be enhanced.

Kant only needed to make it through the exhaustion period after the war to take in the fruits of his victory and gain a second explosive growth in his forces.

It was just like how it had been with the night invasion back then.

However, a new dialog box appeared on his retina before Kant had begun to upgrade his troops.

[Ding... Extraordinary things were discovered after a careful inspection.]

[Special Quest: Explore the Mysterious is complete.]

[Reward: 5,000 Denars]

[Introduction: You have received loot from the Jackalan Tribe, which contained mystical powers.]

Kant was slightly stunned by what he saw in that dialog box from the system.

Special quest?

After a short while, Kant finally recalled something of that sort.

It was a special quest given by the system when he scouted the place the week before.

Kant had forgotten all about the special quest because he had been preoccupied with invading the Jackalan Tribe. He only came to suddenly remember the quest when he was reminded by the system.

He lowered his head and looked at the broken staff in the package, as well as the mysterious old book.

Kant knew deep down that those two things were what the system was talking about.

The system gave him the answer he sought.

[Ding... Side Quest assigned]

[Side Quest: Help from the System]

[Reward: Upgrade the village]

[Introduction: This is a world with mystical powers at work. Items holding conceptual powers contain energies that the system desperate needs. Will you allow the system to absorb the items?]

[Remark: The system will be amplified after absorbing the items.]

[Will you allow the system to absorb the items?]

Kant was thoroughly dumbfounded.

That side quest from the system did not even give him any choice regarding the matter.

The reward offered was the upgrade of his village.

Furthermore, there was also the remark, which he had never seen before. All of that meant that the system was in desperate need of those items.

Kant nodded and made his choice without hesitation. "Yes, I will."

The system was the only help he had in that world and the only thing he was truly able to rely on. Boosting the system led him to prosperity. Losing the system led to his downfall. Kant was not foolish enough to hold anything back from the system.

Besides, the system was his cheat.

It was held in such great importance that Kant deemed the cheat to be more precious than his parents in that world.

Chapter 57: Swadian Man-at-Arms

Kant had naturally made the right choice.

As a transported one, he knew that the cheat was the only power that he was truly able to rely on.

He gently lowered his head to look at the package in his hand. Bits of data streams were seen spreading all over the broken staff, seemingly encroaching and taking the powers within. The black gemstone at the top of the staff gradually dimmed and looked washed out.

This was the staff that had once belonged to the Jackalan shaman.

Since he had seen that shaman before, Kant had some impression of that spellcaster.

"He was killed by the javelins."

As he saw Kant continue looking at the broken staff, Firentis began to explain. "We have the boys from Sarrand to thank for that."

He was talking about the Desert Bandits. However, as someone who had a distaste of the likes of bandits, Firentis did not like calling them by their troop class name. He turned around and added, "I have to admit, the Sarrandians' javelins are possibly the most powerful weapon to be found in the desert."

"You're right. I think so myself." Kant nodded in agreement.

When it came to throwing weapons, the Sarrandians were every bit on par with the Nords, who were adept at throwing axes. The Sarrandians relied on nothing but their trusted javelins to do so.

It was especially so in the case of the Elite Desert Bandits, who were ferocious criminals who had reigned supreme in the vast deserts of Sarrand. The speed at which they rode their warhorses lent inertia to the javelins they expertly threw. Killing a target within a 64-foot radius was considered a piece of cake for them.

Despite being called supreme beings, mages did not actually have as much defense against cold weapons as heavily armed infantry units covered in metal from top to toe.

Kant had looked into the matter when he was in college.

In many of the books that detailed epic battles, the mages, who wielded either supernatural powers or supernatural items, were illustrated in glorious light, yet the records also exposed their weaknesses.

They were of mortal flesh.

They feared blades. They feared horses and spears. They also feared bows and arrows.

Kant was able to get useful information out of the books.

The best way to deal with the mages was to simply gather a group of archers, rain arrows over the area, and shatter their mystical defenses. That enabled one to make short work of those wielders of mystical powers, who were unable to resist such onslaughts of conventional weapons from over 320 feet away.

Besides, no mystical powers were able to attack something that was more than 320 meters away.

No wielders of such powers were able to resist having their bodies being pierced by cold weapons.

That provided Kant confidence while arranging for the Elite Desert Bandits to take out that shaman. First, he relied on their fearlessness. Second, he relied on their eerie accuracy with the javelins.

The color of the gem in his hand greatly dimmed.

The data streams that covered the item rapidly grew.

The system was quickly absorbing the gem's power.

Those mystical powers were probably magic as told in the legends he had read about.

It was a pity that he had no mastery of the arts of the mages. In his perspective, letting the system take the loot was a way to bestow some value to those items.

"But this book..."

Kant frowned slightly. The old, brown book still caught his attention.

The book made him feel as if he was holding onto one of the oldest books there was to be found in the college's library, which were precious items accessible only by high ranking scholars. Every book was hundreds. Some were even more than a thousand years old.

Since the system was still not absorbing they book, Kant continued to look at it.

The cover was very dirty and stained by dust and all manners of other dirty things, which gave it a brown color.

If he paid close enough attention to it, he could vaguely make out lines.

There seemed to have been something written on the cover.

He threw away the staff with the gemstone, which was about to have its contents wrung dry. He opened to the book and began to flip through it.

That curiosity he had developed back in college compelled him to do so.

The book was not very heavy. It felt more like a thin notebook that would have been used back on Earth in his past life.

He found the inside of it to be just as dirty as the cover. While he was able to somewhat make out the symbols on the page, they were simply too dirty to be read.

The Jackalan shaman had intelligence comparable to a human grown-up, but the same could not have been said about his hygiene habits.

He flipped the page in a rather displeased manner.

As he expected it, the next page was just as dirty.

"What a damn waste."

Kant was unable to help but coldly snort.

As he was about to continue flipping the pages, he was surprised to find that the old book contained only two pages.

He scanned the page closely and found it to be something that resembled papyrus.

The leather cover of the old book took up most of the book's thickness. The pages were simply stuffed within for safekeeping.

"What a pity." Kant shook his head.

If the system had determined the book to have mystical powers, it would have been of greater value than it appeared to be.

Kant was quickly reminded of Scholar Hank.

If his college teacher were present, that old man would have possibly been able to tell what that book had actually been.

Then again, when he thought about it, if the scholar had been present, he would not have agreed to let Kant allow the system to absorb the book. Kant would not have even been able to reveal that he was capable of upgrading his forces with seemingly nothing. That was his cheat and the only thing that he was able to truly trust.

He knew that it would have been a sin just being able to use such a cheat.

The system's data streams quickly wrapped around the book, absorbing it in no time.

The gemstone on the ground was now nowhere to be seen. Only the empty cavity on the staff that used to house the gemstone remained. It was obvious that the gemstone had been completely absorbed by the system.

A dialog box from the system suddenly appeared on Kant's retina.

[Ding... Your arduous effort allowed the system to fully absorb the mystical powers of those two items.]

[Side Quest: Help from the System is complete.]

[Reward: Upgrade the village]

[Introduction: You have helped the system absorb mystical powers and have earned a mystical reward. Your village can now be upgraded. Please choose your route of upgrades wisely.]

A golden card appeared at the bottom of the dialog box.

Kant was able to instantly tell that he was able to upgrade his village if he used that card.

However, he saw fit to do so only when he returned to the village.

At the moment, Kant needed to focus on upgrading his troops, who had all gained tremendous experience and were ready to be upgraded.

"Open the troop-class page."

Kant willed the system in his mind and confidently said, "Upgrade all of them."

He had just completed a main quest, which instantly gave him 10,000 Denars. He had quite suddenly become very rich.

[Ding... System Prompt]

[Current upgrades and further upgrades will cost 2,300 Denars.]

[Do you wish to upgrade?]

Kant replied without hesitation, "Yes, upgrade them all."

There was nothing he had to hesitate about.

That was especially so since after Kant finished the system's main quest, it left more than 10,000 Denars in his balance. Upgrading all of them made a minimal dent to his balance.

For him, the 2,300 Denars were nothing worth mentioning.

[Ding... Please select your troop class for upgrade.]

[Swadian Militias x 46 available upgrade: Swadian Skirmishers/Swadian Footmen]

Those were further upgrades available after the Swadian Recruits were upgraded.

Kant had nothing to hesitate about. He currently did not need ranged combatants, so he made his choice and said, "Swadian Footmen."

For now, he needed warriors able to serve his main force on the battlefield.

The system provided another dialog box.

[Ding... Please select your troop class for upgrade.]

[Swadian Footmen x 41 available upgrade: Swadian Infantry/Swadian Men-at-Arms]

Kant slightly shuddered when he saw that.

The time had finally come.

He was about to get Swadian Men-at-Arms.

They were the strongest fourth-level troop class and the only one at a fourth level capable of wearing armor all over. Furthermore, their warhorses were clad in armor, which made them true heavy cavalry units. That allowed them to serve as kings running over enemies on the battlefield.

They were also the greatest troop class of the Swadian fighting forces. They were just one level below Swadian Knights.

Having those Swadian Men-at-Arms meant that he had the capacity for riders clad in armor to run over low-level troop classes at his fancy on the flatlands. That gave him a powerful force capable of mopping up many enemy forces with ease.

"Upgrade them to become Swadian Men-at-Arms!"

Kant was almost rushing into the decision.

With 41 Swadian Footmen leveling up to become Swadian Men-at-Arms, his forces were about to experience a leap like that of upgrading a peashooter to a cannon.

Both were Swadian troops and clad in metal armor.

However, the mobility afforded by the horses of the Men-at-Arms made them all the more precious.

In other words, those kinds of heavy cavalry units served as heavy infantry units after dismounting, yet a class like Swadian Footmen was unable to serve as cavalry units due to a lack of riding training.

Scrruuuffff

The dialog box on Kant's retina instantly disappeared. The sounds of noisy warhorses were suddenly heard all over the place.

He grinned as he turned his head around to see the change.

The 41 Swadian Men-at-Arms were seen on their horses. Both entities were clad in armor. They were scanning around the place while holding their lances high. They all looked on with coldness in their eyes behind their helmets at the roaring flames burning before them.

The 46 Swadian Footmen, who were wearing mail armor, stood right behind the Men-at-Arms.

The Footmen served as the main force in maintaining the frontlines while the Men-at-Arms served as battering rams out to crush their enemies' psychological defenses. The fact that they were stationed in the desert and had to ride their horses through soft sand did not change how invincible and powerful they were.

Kant turned around to look at the five Elite Desert Bandits who had become Sarrandian Horsemen.

All of them wore iron armor and held fine sabers. However, the desert horses they rode, which were unarmored, slightly paled in comparison to that of the Swadian Men-at-Arms, which were also a fourth-level troop class.

However, he knew that those five Sarrandian Horsemen were able to continue leveling up, which have made them the most fearsome troop class.

It was a fifth-level troop class that was even more suited to battles in the desert—the Mamlukes.

Chapter 58: The Well in the Ruins

The sky was getting increasingly brighter.

By the time dawn arrived, everything in the Jackalan Tribe that succumbed to the fire had burned to ash.

A thick burning stench permeated the place as black smoke billowed in the air.

Charred, curled bodies were seen strewn about. They looked as if they were poor victims of a great fire. For the Swadians who had been setting up camp not far away, every single one who died deserved it.

For the sake of the Oasis Lookout's safety, the Jackalans had to die.

It was a slaughter carried out between different races. For the sake of the survival of one's own race, the other one had to go.

It was truly that simple.

Inside a tent, Kant woke up. Given that he had not even slept for two hours, he was still very tired. However, it was not the time to rest. He still had many things to take care of.

He lifted the drape in the tent and went outside.

"My Lord."

Two Swadian Men-at-Arms were standing guard outside his tent. They bowed slightly and greeted their lord respectfully.

Clad in cavalry mail armor from top to bottom, the two men made quite a bit of noise when they moved. The warhammers strapped to their waists had a spike on one end, which enabled the weapon to easily punch through an enemy's armor and helmet. It was truly a formidable armor-piercing weapon.

"Yeah." Kant nodded.

The Swadian Men-at-Arms were his most elite troop class, but there were only 41 of them. Yet, these mounted units, who were clad in armor from top to toe, were effectively capable of serving as tanks. If they went on a frontal charge, they could easily run over up to 500 Jackalans.

Furthermore, he also had 46 Swadian Footmen right behind them. They also wore mail armor, which enabled them to fight with the Swadian Men-at-Arms as infantry units.

If there were 200 more Swadian Militia members behind and Kant struck the Jackalan Tribe with such a force, in accordance with the strategy that had taken place before dawn, the casualties would have been significantly lower. This current lineup of forces would have allowed him to easily crush the Jackalans' psychological defenses faster.

In the era of cold weapons, heavy cavalry units served as the key to making someone a king on the battlefield.

"Where is Firentis?"

Kant slightly frowned as he looked around the camp.

He asked the footmen, who were patrolling while holding their heavy spears, "Have any of you seen Firentis?"

"Lord Kant, he is currently patrolling the area with the Sarrandian Horsemen."

The footman who took the lead bowed respectfully and replied, "We found tracks of Jackalans. They seem to be the ones who managed to flee in the attack. They probably came back here to take a look thinking that we had all left."

"Is that so, huh?" Kant nodded and said, "Stay sharp, and keep your eyes peeled."

"Understood." The footmen bowed.

Kant waved and dismissed them, gesturing for them to continue patrolling. However, he took what that footman said to heart.

While the attack on the Jackalan Tribe had been a success, and better still an epic victory, Kant knew that the achievement was gained by crushing their forces instead of actually killing every single one of them.

Then again, having one's forces crushed and having one's forces entirely wiped out did not actually make much of a difference on the battlefield.

A group of scattered soldiers was hardly considered a fighting force, just like how cattle about to slaughtered were no longer considered livestock.

Such beings were reduced to food. In his case, they were reduced to merit in combat.

Gallop sounds were quickly heard from the faraway dunes. Firentis led the remaining five Sarrandian Horsemen back to the temporary camp.

"Halt."

Firentis pulled his reins and bowed to Kant, saying, "Good morning, My Lord."

Kant nodded and replied, "Morning."

He looked at Firentis and the five Sarrandian Horsemen. A frown appeared on his face as he said, "Something tells me that you guys ran into those filthy primitive beasts when you were patrolling."

The linen robes covering their armor had blotches of blood on them, making the fact easy to tell.

Firentis did not bother hiding it and said, "Scattered groups of Jackalans were seen when the sun just came up. We drove quite a number of them off and prevented them from gathering again to ensure that they were not trying anything funny at our camp."

"Good work." Kant smiled and voiced his approval.

While the job was simple, it was still quite bloody.

Firentis and the Sarrandian Horsemen, who were once Desert Bandits, likely showed no mercy to those scattered Jackalans. The riders only had to hit those creatures harder to ensure they stayed where they were for good.

"Lord Kant." Firentis turned around and asked, "What should we be doing next?"

"Next?"

Kant frowned, thinking that the matter needed careful consideration.

Kant looked up at the blackened, charred ruins before him. Black smoke was still rising into the air. The disgusting stench of burned things wafted throughout the area. Kant said, "Let's search the battlefield."

While all of them were regular humans, they were still warriors with steely hearts.

They were used to the charred stench of war, especially since it was common throughout the Continent of Caradia. As such, none of them felt anything much about it. They had no problems continuing to search the burned ruins.

The sight of charred dead bodies was not something that would make them sick.

Only poor children had such reactions. The charred bodies were not all that different than burned chicken to the warriors.

Kant gave the order to search the battlefield.

The forces on standby immediately made arrangements. The 46 Swadian Footmen went up first. They stepped on the charred things and bodies, as well as flipped the still-burning ashes with their weapons about without paying any heed to the warm ruins. They need to find out if there was anything of value left behind.

The 41 Swadian Men-at-Arms led their horses as they gathered.

If anything unforeseen were to happen, the heavy cavalry units were able to quickly react. That was because of the experience they had gained fighting in many battles.

The search was a quick one.

There was no way anything of value in the Jackalan Tribe, which was already reduced to charred ruins, would have been spared by the fire.

There were only old broken urns, bones that somehow were capable of resisting the fire, rocks, and similar trinkets left in the ashes of the ruins. The search revealed that the Jackalan Tribe hardly even had iron items with them.

"Hey, what's this?"

However, several Swadian Footmen seemed to have found something interesting.

They stood at a site of the ruins that seemed more elevated than anywhere else. They flipped the ashes away with the heavy spears in their hand. They quickly discovered something solid getting in their way.

They looked at each other and put their spears aside. They brushed the pitch-black dust and ash off without paying any heed to the residual heat. The entire pile of ash seemed to have suddenly lost its support and collapsed, revealing a 6-foot-wide hole in the ground. Clear splashes of water were heard as the fallen debris collapsed.

There was water inside the hole.

The footmen were very surprised, especially considering where they were currently located.

They were in the Nahrin Desert. It was a barren, dry place where water was a scarce resource. Yet, splashes of water were heard from inside that hole. It was clear that the hole was an incredibly rare water supply point in the desert.

In other words, it was a well.

The footmen quickly relayed the news to the ones behind them.

A well was an important discovery.

The importance of the news was on par with having discovered a mountain pile of silver or gold coins.

Kant reacted calmly to the news. He had been expecting to find a well somewhere in there anyway. When he came to scout the place the first time, he had seen the Jackalan shaman arranging for members of the tribe to get their daily fill of water. He had long speculated that there was a well somewhere in the tribe's primitive camp.

While water was a scarce resource rarely found in a desert, that was not to say that there was no water in the desert at all.

Furthermore, given how there were hardly any plants found and water vapor at the surface was scarce, the underground water reserves were likely incredibly massive. That was why oases existed in deserts. They were peculiar environments made possible by underground water reserves emerging to the surface.

When Kant approached the well, a dialog box was suddenly seen on his retina.

[Ding... Side Quest assigned]

[Side Quest: Mysteries in the Well]

[Quest Reward: Posthouse x 1]

[Introduction: Gleaming water is seen in the well, but your eagle-like eyes seem to have discovered something at the bottom of the well. While you are unable to see what is down there, you are still able to sense a mystical aura emanating from it. You are determined to take it.]

The system had given him another side quest.

Kant frowned slightly and felt the introduction to be a rather exasperating one. Eagle-like eyes were something that he did not have.

Regardless, he walked up to the side of the well and peered inside. The water was indeed gleaming, and there seemed to be something reflecting light from the bottom of the approximately 16-foot-deep well.

Kant squinted to take a better look.

He actually found something at the bottom of the well.

He took a closer look and found that the thing seemed to be a golden disk. However, it remained obscure he could not truly make out what it was.

Chapter 59: Discovery of a Golden Disk

There was really something at the bottom of the well.

Kant frowned slightly. He vaguely made out the outline of a golden disk.

He straightened himself and ordered a Swadian Footman, who was on standby at his side, "Get some ropes and someone down there to have a better look. Haul that thing up if possible."

"Yes, My Lord." The footmen around him all immediately nodded.

They quickly retrieved ropes from the carriage and had the smallest Swadian Footman take off his armor. They tied the rope securely around his waist and slowly lowered him into the well.

Several others worked from behind them to keep the rope steady. The footman in the well finally touched the surface of the water.

Kant waited at the side of the well. He paid close attention as his soldier was being lowered slowly into the well. He frowned and said, "Be careful down there. Notify us at once if you run into anything. We'll pull you up right away."

"Rest assured, Lord Kant, there is nothing out of the ordinary down here."

The lowered footman replied in a rather delighted tone, "It's really cool down here. It reminds me of autumn back in Swadia. I'd like to sleep down here."

He touched the water's surface and made several clear splashes. It sounded like music to their ears.

However, the footmen keeping the rope steady above the well were all sweating from the exhaustion. They chastised him as they panted, "Don't waste Lord Kant's time. Finish the job quickly. If you still want to sleep down there when the job's done, we'll let go and you can sleep forever down there. Hell, I think you'd thank us for that later!"

"Hurry up. We haven't got all day," Kant said.

"Yes, My Lord. I'll try to fish things up right away. The water in the well doesn't seem to be all that deep."

The footman in the well immediately responded and splashed about again. He finally found the golden disk, which was about 3 feet in diameter, at that bottom of the clear water. He unconsciously gulped.

He slowly extended his hand and sunk his arms into the water. It was a refreshing experience.

The water in the well was just cool enough instead of feeling ice cold like how it typically was deep underground. He thought it was curious but did not think much about it. He raised his voice and shouted to the people above, "Keep lowering the rope. Slowly."

The robe around his waist was lowered quite a bit, enabling his thighs to hit the water.

His toes stepped on the stone walls of the well. Half of that footman's body had sunk into the water, but he still was unable to reach the golden disk with his arm. He wiped the water off of his face. Basking himself in the cooling sensation, he said, "Lower the rope for a few more feet. I'm about to reach the disk!"

"Be careful," Kant said as the rope was lowered further.

The footman was still part of a unit capable that was upgradeable to become a Swadian Man-at-Arms. Losing one in a non-combative situation would have been a huge loss. Kant had no intention of losing another soldier who had the potential to become a powerful heavy cavalry unit.

"I'm fine down here," the footman responded.

His arms waddled about in the water. His feet were already stepping on the golden disk. He straightened himself and found that the water was just above his chest.

The water was not deep. It was only about 5 feet deep.

The footman was quite relaxed. Since the water was so shallow, it meant that nothing would happen to him so long as he remained careful. As such, he bent over and dived. He grabbed one side of the golden disk and leaned backward. He pulled hard with his back against the stone wall. He was finally able to flip the golden disk over.

"Huff." His head emerged from the water. The footman shouted with glee to those above, "I've got the disk. It's not all that heavy. You can pull me up now!"

He took off a section of the rope tied around his waist. The section was reserved for an emergency.

He quickly tied it around the golden disk at the bottom of the well. Since it was only 3 feet in diameter, the disk fit rather well in his arm. As the footmen above pulled, it was slowly hoisted up the well.

That footman in the well was perceptive enough to notice bubbles emerging at the bottom where the golden disk sat.

It was apparent that the well was connected to an underground reserve.

At the top of the well, everyone was working hard.

Kant frowned slightly. While that footman below was not that heavy, Kant noticed that the people pulling the rope were sweating all over their bodies. They were gritting their teeth as they slowly pulled the one footman up from the well. It was obvious that they were using quite a lot of strength for the task.

"Get more people here to help them out." Kant said to a footman, who was still searching the tribe not far where Kant was, "Tell the others to come here and pull the guy in the well up."

More than a dozen other footmen who knew what happened came to help pull the rope.

When the footmen who had descended into the well got close enough, some of the others went to the mouth of the well to help hoist him up. They dragged the footman, who was drenched and cradling a golden disk in his arms, out of the well.

"This is it, Lord Kant."

That footman was panting when he was hoisted out of the well.

He quickly put the disk in his arms onto the ground and commented, "While this thing initially felt light, it was actually quite heavy. I reckon it is about as heavy as four to five steel shields put together."

"Good job." Kant nodded and complimented the footman.

A dialog box from the system instantly appeared on his retina.

[Ding... Your relentless efforts have finally allowed you to get your hands on this mysterious item.]

[Side Quest: Mystery in the Well is complete.]

[Quest Reward: Posthouse x 1]

[Introduction: The mysterious item found in the well seems to be emanating some faint special energy. The energy will allow the system to decipher the rules of this world better. Would you like to allow the system to absorb it?]

[Remark: The system shall be amplified further after absorption.]

[Will you allow the system to absorb the item?]

Kant had no problem making his choice regarding that question.

However, he did not immediately respond.

He squatted next to the golden disk. Suspicion and puzzlement were seen in his eyes. For some reason, that golden disk felt rather familiar to him.

Kant was feeling that he had seen something like it before.

He narrowed his gaze on it and extended his hand to touch the golden disk.

The disk felt cool and intricate. A golden sheen was seen glittering off of it when exposed to sunlight. There were tight, detailed patterns on it, which gave it its mystical feeling and made it look like an intricate, beautiful piece of art. Kant was quite astonished by its beauty.

The water on the patterns was evaporating in the sunlight.

Noon was approaching, so the sunlight was getting increasingly intense. The golden sheen on the disk seemed to have given off a faint golden sparkle under the scorching sunlight. It spread out all over the place.

It was beautiful and very attractive.

It was definitely a piece of treasure that was worth cities.

The system had also verified it to be a mysterious item that possessed mystical powers.

Kant's frown deepened.

Something seemed to have popped up in his mind, which caused his eyes to suddenly widen.

"This thing..." Kant was extremely astonished.

He continued to eye the disk before him and was unable to help but gulp. He moved his hands all over the patterns on the disk, comparing it to the ones he remembered. He muttered in disbelief, "The lost city..."

It was a myth that even children back in the Dukedom of Leo knew about.

Kings throughout the generations of the kingdom yearned for the discovery of the city, yet all of them eventually found nothing. The tale eventually became nothing but an age-old myth.

It was said that before the dukedom was established, humans had been thriving in a golden city standing tall somewhere in the desert thousands of years ago. It was a city that only those with the noble blood of gods were permitted to take up residence in.

It was the lost city.

Kant lowered his head and quietly eyed the golden disk before him. He finally knew why the item felt so familiar to him.

Scholar Hank had given Kant a book that contained his life's work. There was an important chapter in it that introduced the patterns in detail. The pattern was one that specifically belonged to the lost city.

It was the Sacred Sun Pattern.

Kant still remembered the name of the pattern.

After gathering the experience of those who came before him, the scholar had coined that name. It was then cross-referenced with his archaeological findings and old study texts. Scholar Hank eventually claimed, albeit only through speculations without specific proof, that the Sacred Sun Pattern had been the highest, noblest pattern found in the golden city.

The pattern symbolized a sun that never set.

Kant looked at the golden disk, as well as the Sacred Sun Pattern clearly seen before his eyes, and gulped. He muttered to himself, "The lost city really does exist, Master Hank..."

It was solid proof that would have dispelled all prior ridicule and verified the existence of the lost city.

Master Hank's research had been correct after all.

Scholars in the academy, as well as the nobles and the mages, had laughed at and ridiculed Scholar Hank. At the moment, it seemed that they were the ones who should be laughed at and ridiculed. They were the ones who had been living under a rock.

However, Kant's expression immediately calmed.

He turned around to scan his surroundings. Swadian Footmen gathered around while the Swadian Men-at-Arms waited somewhere not far away for orders, tending to their horses.

It was a secret he could not let anyone else know about.

Chapter 60: Getting Ready to Leave the Salt Mine

The spread of this news was not allowed.

It had to remain Kant's secret and Kant's alone. If he did not become powerful enough, he was determined to take the secret to the grave.

Then again, he knew very well that if the news were discovered, it would cause a huge commotion in the Dukedom of Leo or and other human kingdoms. That would have easily cleared Scholar Hank of all the ridicule he had suffered in the past.

Yet, Kant still decided to make such a decision.

He was not going to tell anyone about it.

He wanted to keep the proof of the lost city's existence a secret even from those around him.

He was not about to let that golden disk, which contained the Sacred Sun Pattern, appear in the eyes of others in the world.

To carry even such an item would have been seen as a crime by others.

When one had an item coveted by all others, that was simply how things worked.

Due to having discovered that golden disk, Kant would have risen to immense fame. With the proof that the lost city existed in that desert once upon a time, it would have enabled him to take up a job in the academy and become someone worthy of respect. He would have become a professor and a learned scholar with a status every bit as high as a greater noble.

Despite what he would have gained, he chose not to reveal his findings.

All of that was built on the assumption that Kant would have lived to tell the tale.

He knew very well about the state of things.

Some nobles in the dukedom extremely disliked him. Those people probably even found him repulsive.

It was especially so in the case of his older brother—the eldest son of Duke Cameron—who was a mere several years older than him. His brother was the heir apparent of the dukedom's throne. He would not have wanted Kant to be alive and well in the dukedom.

As such, he had to leave where the struggle for power was at its thickest.

Getting exiled to the barren, dangerous Nahrin Desert was the limit of their tolerance.

Kant knew it all too well.

Now, he had just discovered proof of the lost city's existence. He had the evidence that verified the existence of that fabled golden city. He might have actually found the true lost city if he continued on this path, eventually locating the city that was made of gold and only those with the blood of gods in their veins were allowed to reside in.

Such a discovery would have affected everyone's interests.

Those greedy, cunning nobles would have gone to any lengths to get what they wanted. They would have likely amassed a force to take him out as soon as possible.

They would have taken the Oasis Lookout for themselves using the most direct means available.

Kant, a baron of the Nahrin Desert who currently only had 41 Swadian Men-at-Arms and 46 Swadian Footmen serving as his fighting force, would have been reduced to the former ruler of the Oasis Lookout. He would have been rendered dead by unknown means.

After a pretentious, secretly gleeful mourning, the place would have fallen into the hands of those nobles.

The lost city was fabled to have more gold than one was able to imagine. Such wealth was a temptation that very few could resist.

It would have turned the most composed of figures into the most insane of lunatics.

Greed was the most terrifying thing.

[Will you allow the system to absorb the item?]

A dialog box appeared and blinked on his retina again.

Kant came to his senses and nodded without any hesitation. "Yes."

Data streams appeared in his eyes.

The golden disk was immediately shrouded in the flow of data. It shook lightly for mere minutes before it ended up absorbed by the system. It disappeared entirely from the world, just like how it had been with the gemstone and the two pages of papyrus.

Allowing this to happen was the only way Kant would be able to rest easy.

The system had taken care of the one great potential threat for him. It allowed Kant to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Lord Kant, you do not seem to look well."

Firentis walked up to him from afar. He eyed Kant's rather pale and severe expression and asked out of concern, "Would you like some water? I've heard that we've found a well around here."

"I'm fine." Kant's expression returned to its usual calm.

Seeing how Kant did not say anything more, Firentis did not ask any further questions. He simply eyed the well that had been charred pitch black by the fire. He exclaimed in surprise, "Is that the well everyone is talking about? The well that supplied drinking water for more than 2,000 Jackalans every day? It looks like the amount below is quite vast."

"Sir Firentis, the well is about 20 feet deep, yet the water within is less than 5 feet deep."

That footman who had been inside the well hung his dripping wet clothes around to be dried as he reported, "I found a bubbling eye when I was down there. I think there's definitely a subterranean river beneath the well."

Firentis was surprised. "A subterranean river?"

"Indeed." That footman nodded affirmatively.

Kant eyed the south. With thoughts weighing on his mind, he speculated, "I think there is actually a subterranean river somewhere below the Nahrin Desert containing vast amounts of water. The Oasis Lookout probably emerged thanks to such a river as well."

"There probably is." Firentis nodded in agreement.

Wells and oases never emerged in a desert for no reason. The only reason they existed was that there was a river underneath the sandy surface.

There was likely a rocky layer of soil underneath the sand, which contained vast amounts of water.

"Oh right."

Firentis seemed to have been reminded of something and said to Kant, "My Lord, I recalled that you said the Jackalans had discovered a natural salt mine that was formed after a lake dried out not far from here."

"There is one." Kant nodded.

He recalled the situation he saw when he last scouted the place. Narrowing his eyes, he added, "There were quite a number of Jackalans over there as well."

Firentis looked serious. "I think we've got our work cut out for us."

"There is definitely more work to do." Kant chuckled. His expression remained calm, yet there seemed to be a fire in his eyes. "That beautiful white salt is waiting eagerly for us to take it."

Since the situation was brought up, he deemed it necessary to get to it as soon as possible.

Kant was a decisive person and dreaded having to wait on making decisions.

With the Jackalan Tribe now reduced to ruins of ashes, there was not much of value left to be found if they continued to search the place.

Even all the crude salt the Jackalans gathered had been reduced to charcoal, making it utterly inedible.

In Kant's perspective, there was a salt mine not far away ripe for taking. Losing a bit of the tribe's crude salt was nothing in comparison. The source of the salt he aimed to get his hands on was like a source of wealth that would never run out.

Charcoal was harvested in Senwaya Range.

A natural salt mine was in the Nahrin Desert.

Kant had taken two sources of water for himself.

All of that meant that high-grade white salt, which only appeared at the feasts and banquets of nobles, was in his grasp.

Every bag of salt was almost worth its weight in silver.

Even rough salt of lower quality fetched great silver from the pockets of nobles and gentlemen. Going around plundering places would have yielded less than selling those salt.

"We'll be heading out now."

Kant got on his horse and waved in front of him.

The 46 well-armed Swadian Footmen formed a neat, winding line behind him as they moved.

As for the 41 Swadian Men-at-Arms, there were traveling slowly at the rear. They were having some trouble moving around given how both the men and horses were clad in armor. While the warhorses did not actually sink into the sand as they moved, their speed while traveling on sand still was not comparable to traveling on flatlands.

Both Kant and Firentis knew that very well.

The five Sarrandian Horsemen clad in mail armor and iron helmets served as scouts.

They were riding Sarrandian desert horses, which were more suited to desert environments. Furthermore, none of the horses were clad in horse armor, which made them quite nimble while moving around in the desert. Besides, Sarrandians were people of the desert.

They encountered the occasional bunch of Jackalans as they traveled.

They were thoroughly frightened and ran for their lives when they saw Kant's forces, which they seemed to have taken for demons.

It was apparent that those Jackalans had been the ones that managed to flee when their tribe was crushed.

Neither Kant nor Firentis paid any heed to them.

Despite his forces being less than 100 strong at the moment, their actual combat prowess was more than twice, perhaps even several times stronger, than that of the 300-strong force from before.

One look at the equipment packed by those forces, as well as the iron armor worn beneath their linen robes, was more than enough to tell that they were battlefield veterans.

This type of a fighting force would have served as small elite forces led personally by the nobles back in the dukedom.

The march slowly continued.

The workhorses were pulling the carriages as they moved. The pace was not too fast and not too slow.

Due to having found a well, Kant and the others did not bother conserving what they had in their water sacks. The road between the Jackalan Tribe and natural salt mine was paved, so the trip back and forth was only going to take them about a day.

It was less than half a day faster than when Kant went out to scout the place a while ago.

With the Jackalans had long paved the way, the hardened layer of sand made it easy for wheels and hoofs to travel.

They took a short break at noon.

They continued on their journey after eating lunch and drinking enough water. After they were done resting, Kant and his forces headed at around 2 p.m.

Time passed.

The sun gradually set in the west.

Dusk descended upon them.

They arrived at the natural salt mine.

The landmark was an obvious one. Dried Jackalan corpses at the top of the dune created long shadows in the light of the evening sun. It was a harrowing scene.

However, Kant brought more than just the Desert Bandits with him on the trip this time. He had brought a well-organized cavalry force and infantry force. They were regular combatants with a formidable fighting prowess.

They charged straight for the dune.

Some Swadian Footmen found the landmarks to be eyesores. They kicked the Jackalan bodies, which were tied to wooden stakes, down as they passed.

The salt mine was right below the dune before them.

The Jackalans, who all knew that the Jackalan Tribe was no more, were busy packing their things and getting ready to leave.

Kant slightly narrowed his gaze on them.

He found quite a number of amusing fellows.

He saw more than 30 Jackalans down there. They were all wearing mail armor and held double-handed battle axes. They served as overseers to keep the other Jackalans, who looked smaller and frailer, in line, as they packed the bags of salt and prepared to leave the place.

Chapter 61: Strange Jackalan

Kant narrowed his eyes. There was a hint of strangeness in his eyes.

The Jackalans were a lowly race, a backwater tribe that had not even developed civilization yet. How could there be more than 30 standard combat soldiers who wore full-body mail armor and held two-handed axes in their hands?

Looking at the multilayered mail armor as well as the two-handed axes that gave off a cold glimmer, it was obvious that they were not of inferior quality.

The weapons and armor even seemed a few levels higher than the mail armor and the two-handed battle ax equipped by the Jackalan chieftain that Kant's group defeated a while ago.

This was precisely what puzzled Kant.

30 beings that were not inferior to the Jackalan chieftain actually appeared in this salt mine. It was really strange.

"They have discovered us. "

Riding on his warhorse, Firentis looked at the group of Jackalan below. His right hand was already gripping the hilt of his sword by his waist.

Kant also looked at him coldly.

However, he did not give any orders. His eyes swept over the group of Jackalans. His pupils shrank. Then, he frowned and said, "Look among these Jackalans. Is there one who looks stranger than the rest? "

"A strange one? " Firentis frowned.

The Jackalans below all looked very strange compared to the Jackalan tribe that they had destroyed earlier.

The usually savage and dumb Jackalan was actually carrying a huge sack as if it was a mine worker. With its heads lowered and drooping, it acted under the orders of its companions who wore mail armor and held two-handed battle axes.

The weapon in its hands was not the commonly seen spiked club too.

Instead, it was a rather thick and long pole style weapon.

No, it should not be considered a weapon. It was just a tool made from a long wooden pole, something like a rake. At a glance, one could tell that it was a tool used to collect raw coarse salt.

Firentis narrowed his eyes slightly.

He had indeed discovered a strange Jackalan.

"That's right. That's the one," Kant said in a calm tone.

Firentis did not reply. He knew that his lord had not yet finished speaking.

"Let me take a closer look. Hmm, he's wearing a linen robe."

Kant continued in a calm tone. "It looks like fine linen. Based on the style, material, as well as the color, it should be similar to the linen robe I use to shade the sun in my room."

"Yes, they are very similar." Firentis nodded.

Kant chuckled and asked faintly, "Firentis, do you not think that this is very strange? "

"Very strange indeed," Firentis replied.

"I also think that it is very strange."

Kant narrowed his eyes. "A group of lowly Jackalans wearing mail armor and holding two-handed battle axes in their hands. This is actually nothing, but why is there a well-dressed Jackalan?"

"Like us," Firentis said, cutting straight to the point.

"Yes." Kant lowered his head and chuckled. "The main issue here is that they have also occupied my salt mine." He raised his head, his eyes already filled with killing intent. "Firentis will lead the team, the Swadian Heavy Cavalries are fully prepared."

Although he spoke in a subdued voice, it was Kant's order.

"Understood," Firentis replied in a deep voice.

The 46 Swadian Swadian Heavy Cavalry units behind him who were already prepared had already lined up into two rows on the dune.

The weight of the armored warhorses and the fully armored riders caused the hooves of the horses to sink into the top of the dune. However, even the soft sand could not obstruct their charging path, nor could it become the protection of the Jackalans.

At the same time, Kant extended his hand and passed [Intimidation] to Firentis.

"You will be able to use this," Kant said.

"Thank you very much, Lord Kant." Firentis nodded and did not decline. He extended his hand and directly and accepted the mighty flag with a red background and a Golden Lion. This was called making the most of everything.

The 500-meter effect range was actually not large.

Kant stood on the dune and waited for Firentis to lead the Swadian Heavy Cavalry to charge down. The area of effect was close to the border.

Firentis would also not refuse in order to win.

At the same time, the system dialog box popped up in Kant's retina.

[Ding... Side Quest assigned]

[Side Quest: Seize the Salt Mine ]

[Quest Reward: Dromedary x 10]

[Introduction: This is a land of saline-alkali soil formed by the drying of the lake. It is a precious resource bestowed by God onto the desert. It is also a precious treasure bestowed onto you. Now, you intend to seize it from the hands of the Jackalans.]

As expected, it was a side quest from the system.

Kant was already familiar with these types of quests. It felt like a chain of quests.

There was a professional term for it, running in loops. [1]

Shaking his head slightly, Kant could not help but chuckle. Who cares? As long as he could get the rewards, anything was fine.

The current him was still too weak.

The sound of battle reached him.

Kant lowered his head and looked towards the edge of the salt mine located at the bottom of the dune.

30 Jackalans in mail armor attempted to stop 46 fully armored heavy cavalry units. It was no different from a mantis trying to block a carriage. They were easily pierced through by those three-meter-long lances and were all stabbed to death on the land filled with saline-alkali soil.

The standard equipment of the Swadian Heavy Cavalry unit was not only the full mail armor, but there was also a three-meter-long lance.

After the armored Jackalans were dealt with, the Jackalan who held the long wooden pole did not dare to continue resisting.

Waves began to spread outward from [Intimidation].

Fear and cowardice appeared in the hearts of these Jackalans, causing their morale to collapse, which in turn made them turn around and run.

However, before long, they were all stabbed to death by the heavy cavalry that had spread out.

"Come, let's head over there."

Kant said as he rode his horse slowly down the dune.

Behind him, the Swadian footmen holding their heater shields and spathas cautiously guarded him by his side. They strode forward and moved in haste in order to stay close to him as they followed.

[Ding... Through your tireless efforts, the enemy has been defeated.]

[Side Quest: "Seize the Salt Mine" completed.]

[Reward Acquired: Dromedary x 10]

[Introduction: Salt is an indispensable condiment in life, but it is also a luxury that only exists in the banquets of nobles. This white material represents a wealth that makes people smoke. Now, it belongs to you.]

The system dialog box popped up.

Kant glanced at the introduction that appeared on his retina. The card representing 10 dromedaries also appeared in his mind.

The reward was not bad.

Kant was gratified. After all, the most effective means of transportation in the desert, or the most reliable means of transportation, were these camels that were also known as the ships of the desert.

In particular, these camels called the dromedaries that only have one hump on their backs.

On Earth, the dromedaries were used as a means of transportation, and they made great contributions to the trade caravans across multiple vast oceans of sand.

The desert has rejected the survival of many livestock.

But that did not include camels.

The ability to withstand thirst, heat, cold, as well as the ability to withstand sandstorms, were all advantages of camels.

For Kant, the existence of these 10 camels meant that the transport of goods in the desert in the future would become a lot more convenient. Compared to draught horses and horse-drawn carriages which were more suitable in the plains, these camels were much, much better.

They walked down the dune.

Kant rode on his horse and continued forward.

The edge of the saline-alkali soil still reeked of blood.

Even the armor of the heavy cavalry units who rode on their horses was splattered with blood.

They made a charge on the dune and directly killed the 30 Jackalans who had dared to resist. These fresh patches of blood were not dirty, instead, they were medals of honor that were worth bragging about.

However, Kant did not speak.

Five Swadian Heavy Cavalry units walking on the ground came over, following Firentis in front of them.

"Lord Kant, this one was captured alive," Firentis reported.

Kant turned his head slightly.

The strange Jackalan he saw on the dune earlier was walking behind Firentis with its head lowered.

Its movements were very honest-looking, unlike the Jackalan Kant had captured previously.

Perhaps this was due to the five heavy cavalrymen who were following it on foot. They had already removed the warhammers hanging from their waists. They held them in their hands, ready to smash the Jackalan's head into pieces at any time.

"Well done."

Kant praised Firentis.

Then, looking at the Jackalan wearing a linen robe and behaving just as strange as its outfit, Kant asked with some interest, "Hey, do you know the common language of humans? "

"Of course. " The Jackalan in front of him raised its head slightly before quickly lowering it again. "I know a little."

Note

[1] A gaming term in Chinese used to describe a phenomenon where players need to clear a long chain of quests.

Chapter 62: Asage's Grievance

Asage was a little angry today.

No one would be able to maintain his cool after learning that the desert trade route that he worked so hard to reopen was facing destruction.

In particular, this natural salt mine.

It was Asage's most profitable resource at the moment. Thinking about the huge amount of money it spent on this trade route, on this salt mine, and to solve the livelihood issues of those lower-class Jackalans, it felt even more infuriated.

It also felt a little wronged.

From Mannheim Coast, across the Nahrin Desert before reaching this place...

Even the strongest Jackalan miner would need to spend 30 days to walk all the way to this place.

As long as it could transport the white and coarse raw salt back to the Kingdom of Grey Mane in the Mannheim Coast, the nobles and high-class Jackalans would buy these wonderful things that could season food. However, the most important thing was that it had not yet made a profit.

It had only been a year since it reopened this trade route and discovered this natural salt mine.

In order to solve the problem in the desert - dealing with the dumb low-class Jackalans - it had to use gifts to impress the only one who could communicate with him, the Jackalan shaman. Just hiring these low-class Jackalans as miners took him three entire months.

Moreover, it spent a lot of money.

Asage thought about it. For this trade route, it had sold everything it owned in the Kingdom of Grey Mane, which made its heart palpitate.

Three thousand silver coins in circulation in the Kingdom of Grey Mane had bought him a military map from ten years ago.

It had invested at least 500 silver coins every month in order to maintain the trade route and its trade caravan.

Now, it had to just give them up for nothing?

Asage's mouth full of sharp teeth snapped tightly together. Its eyes turned from green to red with anger.

"Damn these lowly good-for-nothing Jackalans who should just eat sand in the desert! "

An angry roar came from Asage's throat.

Asage stomped heavily on the ground and kicked the body of a Jackalan who was tying linen bags not far away. Then, it roared, "If you didn't provoke those humans, I wouldn't be in this desperate situation now!"

The Jackalan was kicked away and wailed like a dog.

Its eyes were filled with fear and anger, but when it glanced at its companion who was tied to a wooden stick and had died after being left in the sun on the dune, the anger and ferocity in its eyes were replaced with fear. It lowered its head and trembled.

Asage, a Jackalan who looked the same as the other Jackalans, showed no mercy and did not empathize with them at all.

"Lord Asage, calm down."

Behind them, a few Jackalans wearing mail armor and holding battle axes came over.

Using the Jackalan language similar to the common language of humans, the Jackalan advised Asage, "There's nothing more we can do now. We'd better hurry back. After all, the Grey Mane Kingdom's army has arrived. This salt mine is still yours."

"Yes, yes. Lord Asage, you bought the map from the king and successfully opened up this route to the human kingdom. It is enough to get you a great reward."

These high-class Jackalans who wore mail armor tactfully consoled Asage.

After all, Asage was their employer.

They looked at each other and understood what each of them was trying to say.

A relatively strong and bulky high-class Jackalan said, "Lord Asage, we'd better go back now and bring back news that the human kingdom has also started to set foot in the Nahrin Desert. I think His Majesty the King will gather many brave Jackalan warriors and return here to kill those small and weak humans and turn them into delicious meat jerkies."

"Go back? You cowards only know how to retreat!"

Asage lowered its head. Its eyes were filled with anger, but it did not dare to say it out loud.

Asage had been able to safely cross the Nahrin Desert and get to where it was by relying on the protection of these Jackalan Guards. Without these cunning and cowardly beings, it would have been extremely difficult for him to return to the Kingdom of Grey Mane.

Asage licked its lips and said, "In that case, let's go back."

"This is a wise decision, Lord Asage."

The Jackalan guards nodded quickly and smiles of relief appeared on their faces.

Asage looked at them coldly. It was furious. However, when it thought of the news from those low-class Jackalans, the anger in its heart seemed to dissipate as if a bucket of cold water had cooled it down.

Its green eyes were filled with fear.

The human kingdom's heavy cavalry forces had actually returned to the Nahrin Desert. Moreover, there were also many heavy infantries attached to them. They were all elite troops, and their combat strength was very high.

They had even destroyed the largest Jackalan tribe in the southern part of the Nahrin Desert. It was simply terrifying!

Although they were low-class Jackalans who were uncivilized, dumb, and were unable to join the Kingdom of Grey Mane, they had at least 2,000 people. Even the regular army of the Kingdom of Grey Mane, a fully armed group of high-class Jackalan warriors, would need to make a considerable amount of effort and suffer significant casualties if they wanted to destroy a tribe like that quickly.

However, the human kingdom forces had destroyed the Jackalan tribe so quickly.

"Could it be that these humans have discovered the fact that the Kingdom of Grey Mane had the intention to initiate an invasion?"

Asage gulped.

This piece of intel was part of the Kingdom of Grey Mane's strategic plan.

After the low-class Jackalans that had migrated into the desert 10 years ago informed the Kingdom of Grey Mane formed by high-class Jackalans that a human kingdom existed across the desert, the idea of an invasion was formed.

However, these humans had no reason to know that the Kingdom of Grey Mane wanted to invade and plunder.

"We must hurry up and return now. "

Asage finally made a decision in its heart.

Asage turned its head and looked at the bags of coarse salt that the low-class Jackalan miners carried on their backs.

As long as these white things were transported back to the Kingdom of Grey Mane, Asage would at least receive 1,000 silver coins. Moreover, if it were able to bring back news that the human kingdom had begun to set foot in the desert, it would definitely receive a reward.

Although the high-class Jackalans that formed the Kingdom of Gray Mane were not good at naval warfare and could not fight against the human pirates that came from the sea, in the inland and desert areas, the high-class Jackalan warriors who wore iron armor and held battle axes were the strongest. They could easily fight against three human warriors with the same equipment.

As long as they were the cavalry units covered in iron armor.

Asage added in its heart.

It calmed its mind.

Asage turned its head to look at the Jackalans who were preparing to leave. grabbed a whip and began to shout loudly, to make the tribeless low-class Jackalans that it hired carry the coarse salt that they had mined.

It could not lose these coarse salts that were already available.

Asage was busy all the way until the evening. Finally, the packing had been completed.

Water sacks, food, and coarse salt.

They could have left the desert and headed north toward the uninhabited Devil Desert.

There was no oasis or water there.

They could only endure and persevere by relying on their preparations.

Thanks to the strong physique of the Jackalans, they could bear the devilish zone in the Nahrin Desert. It took them 30 days to cross the desert to get to where they were.

The sun gradually set.

Dusk made the saline-alkali soil golden.

Asage was a little frustrated.

"I really don't know when I will be able to come back." It gently wiped the tears from the corner of its eyes.

Throughout its journey, it had invested nearly 10,000 silver coins. If it were not for the reputation and recouping part of its capital, Asage would have jumped off the cliffs of the Mannheim Coast.

"Lord Asage, let's go."

Behind Asage, 30 Jackalan guards wearing iron armor and holding two-handed battle axes comforted it, "The king will definitely reward you."

Asage sighed and said, "Let's get a move on then."

No matter how rich the rewards were going to be, could it be as much as 10,000 silver coins?

Asage did not believe that would be the case.

However, before Asage could walk more than a few meters forward, the low-class Jackalans behind it, who were carrying coarse salt on their backs, suddenly let out a series of frightened howls. They sounded extremely uneasy.

"What's wrong with this group of low-class trash?"

Asage angrily turned its head towards these low-class Jackalans, it had no intention of treating them as its fellow countrymen.

But when it turned its head back, its pupils suddenly constricted.

Under the twilight of dusk and on top of the dune, multiple fully armed humans riding on warhorses awaited orders.

Although it did not seem like there were many of them, at a glance, each of them was wearing a piece of fine and exquisite armor. Asage instantly realized that they were probably the elite vanguard of the human kingdom that destroyed the Jackalan tribe!

"It's over!" That was the only word in Asage's mind.

On top of the dune, the armored human heavy cavalry had already raised their three-meter-long lances before pouncing down toward them.

The most straightforward killing intent accompanying their charge.

Chapter 63: The Kingdom of the Jackalan

After dealing with the 30 Jackalan warriors in mail armor, what came next was very easy.

The low-class Jackalan holding the wooden pole and carrying the coarse salt sack on its back had no intention of resisting at all. It threw away the things it held in its hands and ran straight towards the depths of the desert.

Firentis did not have the troops pursue too far away.

Without fresh water and food, even if they had escaped, they would not be able to escape death in the end.

"Neigh..."

Tightening the reins, Firentis stopped his warhorse from moving forward.

Not far in front of him, ten Swadian Heavy Cavalrymen holding spiked warhammers in their hands rode their horses and were in the midst of surrounding a Jackalan. The Jackalan wore a linen robe and was seated on the ground with its head lowered. It looked like the Jackalan had surrendered.

"Sir Firentis, this thing can speak our language."

A Swadian Heavy Cavalrymen lifted the visor of his cavalry helmet and said curiously, "And it is quite good at it."

"Is that so?" Firentis nodded.

He was actually not surprised that this Jackalan knew the common language of the human race.

When he led the Elite Desert Bandit and directly beheaded the Jackalan Shaman, that evil old Jackalan was speaking the standard human language. It meant that these Jackalans also knew the common language of the human race.

For example, this Jackalan, who wore a linen robe and looked quite decent.

It was Asage.

When the Swadian Heavy Cavalry launched their charge, it had already fled to a relatively safe shanty area.

It could only watch as all 30 of its guards were easily punctured by those three-meter long lances as if they were a bunch of hilarious chicks. Now, it was making sculptures on the sand. It had already lost the courage to face death calmly.

Compared to being captured by humans, it felt that death was more terrifying.

Besides, it had invested 10,000 silver coins in this salt mine. It was not worth it to die like this.

Regardless, Asage decided to speak. It spoke in the standard human language, "I am not a thing. Please don't insult me with a term like this. I'm not a low-class Jackalan, but a civilized high-class Jackalan."

"Oh, is that so? "

Firentis nodded. At the same time, he waved his hand to those Swadian Heavy Cavalrymen and said, "It doesn't matter. Bring it to Lord Kant."

"Understood. " The strong Swadian Heavy Cavalry grinned. The warhammer in their hands bounced on their iron gloves as they said impolitely, "Jackalan, do you want to stand up and walk, or do you want us to carry you? "

"There's no need to trouble you. I'll walk on my own."

Asage glanced at the spiked warhammer with a tinge of fear and unconsciously gulped.

It stood up and walked in front of soldiers obediently.

Just a dozen or so minutes ago, Asage clearly saw how these seemingly ordinary spiked warhammers easily cracked Jackalan skulls. It was just as easy as cracking a piece of fruit.

"A wise choice," Firentis praised with a smile.

However, the 10 Swadian Heavy Cavalrymen around Asage cautiously dismounted their horses and followed close beside it.

Their hands tightly clenched the warhammers. The moment any unusual situation arose, with their skills, they would be able to completely subdue and control this seemingly rational and intelligent Jackalan in the shortest amount of time.

In reality, Asage did not resist.

It was not that it was calm, but that it was genuinely afraid of the fierce-looking heavy cavalrymen around it.

It walked towards Kant.

The Swadian Footmen with their heater shield in their hands had raised their spathas vigilantly as it approached.

None of them had a friendly look while killing intent filled their eyes. This made Asage's legs go weak. It could not help but lower its head as it followed along. It did not dare to lift its head.

"Lord, we've captured it alive."

Firentis walked in front and reported to Kant, "That strange Jackalan from earlier."

"Well done." Kant nodded.

While examining Asage with his eyes, he asked with a calm tone, "Do you know the common language of the human race?"

"Of course."

Asage mustered up its courage and answered, "A little." However, no one knew just how frightened it actually was. Its heart pounded loudly as if someone was playing the drums while both its legs had gone so weak that it was about to fall to the ground.

Kant chuckled and said, "Relax, this is nothing."

Asage gulped and glanced at the Jackalan corpses around the area from the corner of its eyes. Its heart trembled even more. Asage was certain that no one would be able to relax after witnessing a massacre.

"It looks like you are different from your other Jackalan compatriots."

Kant smiled and continued to ask in a calm tone, "It gives me the feeling..." He paused and then continued, "As if you have your own civilization and you are not wild beasts like the rest of them."

"No, it should be different."

Asage was a little angry. It mustered up enough courage to retort, "I am a high-class Jackalan. I am completely different from these low-class Jackalans in the desert. They are still wild beasts, and I am a civilized race!"

"Oh." Kant frowned slightly and asked in surprise, "High-class and low-class?"

He really did not expect that Jackalan had such a class division.

"Yes. " Asage swallowed its saliva. Seeing that the human noble in front of it was not angry, it could not help but explain in a low voice, "I am a high-class Jackalan from a place north of the Nahrin Desert, the Mannheim Coast. I am a merchant of the Kingdom of Grey Mane. There is a fundamental difference between me and those lowly Jackalans in the desert."

"But it looks like you are all similar," Firentis added.

Of course, Kant also had similar doubts.

No matter how he looked at it, this so-called high-class Jackalan was only slightly taller, stronger, and dressed in decent clothes.

There was not much difference between this Jackalan and the other so-called low-class Jackalan in terms of appearance.

They all had sharp teeth, beast-like heads, and grayish-brown fur that covered their bodies.

However, this made Asage feel a little proud. It mustered up its courage and said, "We have established our own Kingdom of Grey Mane on the Mannheim Coast. There is a fundamental difference between us and these retarded low-class Jackalans!"

"Mannheim Coast? Kingdom of Grey Mane?"

Kant frowned even more. These two names had never appeared in the academy library of the Dukedom of Leo.

Now that he heard this Jackalan mention it, Kant could not help but ask, "You said that you came from somewhere north of the Nahrin Desert? But according to my understanding, the Nahrin Desert is very large, and even birds can not fly through it!"

"You are talking about the Devil's land, right? That's right, only we, the Jackalans, can cross it!"

Asage gulped and regained some confidence, "I come from a place north of the Nahrin Desert, the Mannheim Coast, which is a lush coastal area. It takes 30 days to walk in the desert to get here!"

Kant's brows furrowed together.

Looking at the Jackalan, he asked solemnly, "Are you saying that your kingdom exists north of the Nahrin Desert?"

"Of course." Asage bared its teeth as it said with a stern expression, "That is the Kingdom of Grey Mane. I mentioned before that the kingdom was established by high-class Jackalans, and the troops are very strong. They can pass through the Devil's Desert that you humans can not pass through. If you don't let me go, the troops of the Kingdom of Grey Mane will pass through the Devil's Desert and plunder your human kingdom! "

"Oh, so that's how it is."

Kant nodded and exchanged glances with Firentis.

Asage looked at Kant's calm appearance and was instantly flustered. It realized that even though it had used all of its trump cards, the other party was still not afraid and had no intention to let it go.

Immediately, it became even more fearful, it said without thinking, "You'd better let me go quickly. Otherwise, in half a year's time, our Kingdom of Grey Mane's troops will officially arrive here and attack your human kingdoms. You won't be able to defend them at all. Our high-class Jackalan warriors are the strongest!"

"That's good, isn't it?"

Kant laughed lightly. Firentis also laughed at the side.

Both of them were laughing gently.

Asage became even more fearful.

"Bring it back and we'll have a lengthy discussion." Kant waved his hand and instructed the Swadian Heavy Cavalryman seriously, "Tie it up good. This is our friend after all."

"Understood. " The heavy cavalrymen nodded.

Asage looked at the approaching heavy cavalryman holding a bundle of hemp rope in his hands in horror. Finally, it could not help but shout, "I'm willing to use 1,000 silver horns to redeem myself. Please, don't kill me! No! Don't!"

The response was the heavy armored boots of the heavy cavalryman.

Asage's face was full of despair after it was kicked to the ground. It thought about the humans who were turned into food after being captured in Mannheim Coast and felt sad about its future and fate.

"I hope they don't turn me into a stew." Asage looked at the sky in despair and prayed in silence.

Chapter 64: Kant’s new threat

Asage's upper body was bound by a hemp rope, leaving only his two feet free for walking.

At the same time, 41 light infantrymen in chain mail walked over. Everyone put their hands on the hilt of the Germanic sword at their waists and looked at the Jackalan with an unfriendly expression. It was as if they could draw their swords to slash at it in the next second.

This made Asage lowered his head obediently as he was tied up, staying as a captive of Kant.

He only looked into the distance with a wronged expression.

This saline-alkaline land that was formed by the drying of the saltwater lake no longer belonged to him.

Asage's heart was filled with sorrow and despair. Tears welled up in his wolf eyes because he now understood that even he, a high-level Jackalan that was ought to be treated with dignity, had become a captive. He no longer had any freedom.

There were not many opportunities left for it to grieve in its heart.

With Kant's order, the temporarily occupied Salt Mine returned to its ownerless state.

This was because the heavy cavalry and light infantrymen of Swadia had already repacked their weapons and equipment under the leadership of Fatis and Kant. They walked in the direction where they came from.

They did not even collect the white and raw coarse salt on the saline-alkaline soil.

Even the coarse salt from Asage's gunny sack was casually piled on the edge of the saline-alkaline soil, with no intention of taking it away.

No one would steal these things that could not be eaten directly.

Those low-level Jackalan had already been defeated. Other than Kant who would send people to mine the salt mine again and he was two days away from here, no one else would appear here basically, let alone coming here to steal salt on purpose.

Kant was very relieved.

And he was in a relatively happy mood.

This was a high-grade natural salt mine, and it had been seized and occupied by him just like that.

As long as he arranged the logging site in the Senwaya Range, an unending stream of timber would be transported to the Oasis Lookout. In addition, a large amount of unprocessed white coarse salt would be transported there. With some boiling and filtering, it would be fine white salt that could only be enjoyed on the tables of aristocrats.

Basically, it could be considered a lucrative business, second only to the spice trade.

However, Kant's face had turned gloomy.

His mood did not become happy because of this good news.

On the contrary, in the depths of Kant's seemingly calm eyes, a solemn and dignified expression appeared once again, and he was somewhat at a loss.

The reason was very simple.

The so-called high-level Jackalan that he had just captured had actually brought news from the north of the Nahrin Desert. Moreover, it was not that friendly to him, because the country across the desert was a kingdom formed by high-level Jackalans.

He did not care about the so-called high or low-level amongst the Jackalans.

All he needed to know was one thing.

That was a Jackalan-established kingdom, not humans.

"This is really troublesome."

Kant's face was gloomy as he spurred his horse forward. He felt that the space between his eyebrows was faintly swelling.

The newly appeared Kingdom of Grey Mane, as well as the Mannheim coast opposite the desert had disrupted his strategic deployment directly.

Originally, he had wanted to rely on the Nahrin desert as a rear base to slowly plot against the Dukedom of Leo. Who would have thought that the large rear he had set up would end up becoming the center of borders between the two countries.

Moreover, there was a possibility that it would become the battlefield directly.

According to the captives, the Kingdom of Gray Mane to the north of the desert was hostile to the Dukedom of Leo.

It was understandable after thinking about it.

It would be a miracle if kingdoms with different races could become friendly to each other.

"Firentis," Kant said.

Firentis, who was behind Kant, gently knocked on the horse's belly. He was parallel to Kant. "I'm here, Lord Kant."

"Do you think what it said is true?" Kant asked.

Firentis pondered for a moment, but he still nodded. "Under our circumstance of lacking sufficient information, I would rather believe that it is true. After all, it has its own intelligence, which indeed set it apart from these low-level Jackalan in the desert."

Kant also sighed softly. "That's right."

The two of them subconsciously turned their heads and glanced behind them.

The Jackalan who was wearing a decent linen robe was no less than them.

If one looked carefully, one could see that the Jackalan's hair was smooth and glistening. It even had some care done. It was indeed different from those messy, dirty, and filthy Jackalan.

Most importantly, it had intelligence.

It knew fear and rules. Even if it was captured, it would lower its head and follow orders, instead of resisting.

After the Jackalans that Kant had captured recovered from fear, they thrashed around like angry wolves. After giving them a good beating and made them starve for a few days, they finally became docile.

Or rather, they only learned how to calm down when they became severely weakened by hunger.

"We can assume that what it said is true."

Firentis spoke with a grave tone, "But this means that we have a new enemy."

"That's right." Kant let out a helpless breath. "This is exactly what I'm frustrated about."

Being in the middle of the gap between the Dukedom of Leo and the unknown Kingdom of Gray Mane made Kant quite uncomfortable. Whenever he thought of this, his chest felt stifled, making it impossible for him to breathe normally.

No one would be willing to be in the same room as a greedy lion and a ferocious jackal.

And Kant was in this room exactly.

He happened to be right in the middle of the two. Although no major problems had yet to erupt, if there were any abnormalities between the two in the future, it would be fatal for Kant, who was stuck in the middle.

He was in an awkward position.

If the Gray Mane Kingdom really intended to cross the desert and attack the Dukedom of Leo, then the first thing they would have to do was to occupy the Oasis Lookout as an outpost base, to obtain the most precious water source in the desert, and to obtain strategic advantage and safeguard.

In this way, whether it was to attack the Dukedom of Leo or retreat, the Gray Mane Kingdom's troops would sufficient options to choose from.

As for the Dukedom of Leo, whether it was to defend or counterattack, they also could not leave the Oasis Lookout, which was like a bridgehead. As long as they could repel the attacking Gray Mane Kingdom, these Jackalans without secured water source would surely dig their own graves.

Therefore, whoever occupied this place was equivalent to attaining half of the victory in the war.

"To me, neither of them winning is good news."

Kant shook his head and his brows were solemn.

He was the Baron of the Nahrin Desert, so he had the final say in this area.

It was absolutely impossible for him to give up the Oasis Lookout that he had painstakingly built and hand over Drondheim. They are Kant's bottom line and the only thing that ensures his survival in this world.

Kant's expression returned to calmness as he spurred his horse forward. However, his expectations were abnormally solemn. "Firentis, I think that the development of the Oasis Lookout should be accelerated after we have returned."

"Of course, Lord Kant." Firentis nodded and followed closely behind him.

The infantrymen and cavalry also hastened their pace.

At the very least, the current Oasis Lookout and the Nahrin Desert belonged to Kant.

If he accelerated his development and utilized the golden finger to grow his influence into a colossus, even the troops of the Gray Mane Kingdom and the noble families of the Dukedom of Leo would not dare to confront him directly. Then, Kant would become an unshakable existence.

At that time, he would not be bothered by the actions of others.

Instead, it would be up to Kant to give orders and everyone would have to be afraid according to his mood.

"There is still time."

Kant thought in his heart. This was his only advantage at the moment.

His mind spun quickly. "it is impossible for the Kingdom of Gray Mane to send troops over in a short period of time. It is also impossible for the Dukedom of Leo to know that I have developed so quickly in the Oasis Lookout in a short period of time."

After pondering for a moment, Kant had an idea. "Let's continue with the original plan. However, we need to speed up."

As long as there was salt, Kant would be able to obtain a large amount of wealth.

The Dukedom of Leo would not refuse the white salt that was much cheaper to enter the market. They would also not be stingy with the silver coins in their hands for procurement with the trade caravan that Kant intended to form.

46 Swadian heavy calvary.

41 Swadian light infantrymen.

And the following Swadian troops. As long as they had Denar, they would quickly appear in this world.

Even if the noble families of the Dukedom of Leo coveted Kant's salt mine and experienced a few head-on battles, Kant's army would cut off their outstretched claws and everything would be peaceful for the time being.

Most importantly, the relationship between Kant and Cameron, the Duke of Leo, had not been completely severed.

Chapter 65: The Returning Troops

The night sky was brightened up with the river of stars.

Under the moonlight, Kant had led the troops back to the ruins of the Jackalan tribe.

The temporary camp was still there as Kant had originally planned to come back with the troops after eliminating the Jackalan from the salt mines. After resting and replenishing fresh water, they started their returning journey.

After arranging the sentry posts and replacement personnel, everyone fell asleep.

Although they had gone through battles, they did not have much time to rest.

The next day at dawn.

The Swadian soldiers woke up of their own accords. They greeted each other groggily, stretching their bodies and looking at the breaking dawn on the horizon. Gradually, they regained clarity.

Last Night, they slept in armor.

When they woke up in the morning, their muscles were somewhat sore and painful.

But no one cared about that.

They were in the depths of a dangerous desert. They could encounter enemies at any time. Taking off their armor to sleep would only lead to their own demise. If they were ambushed by enemies, it would not be easy for them to put on their armor in a hurry.

For the sake of their lives, it was a wise choice to sleep in their armor.

Of course, the mail armor on the warhorses would be removed.

This bunch of delicate livestock would not sleep in mail armor that had covered their entire body. Should they do that, the weights would have rendered them powerless to pull out their hooves that had sunk into the sand on the second day.

"Get ready, we're going to set off."

Someone shouted loudly, relaying Kant's order, making everyone move.

Now, they still had a lot to do.

The temporary camp was quickly tidied up and piled up on the three carriages they brought.

They had to set off quickly before the sky turned bright.

This was the wisdom of the desert.

It was also the necessary survival rule of the desert.

Resting in the day and moving at the night. Sometimes, they were also the key rules to survive.

The water sacks were filled. This well that was connected to an underground water source could replenish fresh water quite easily. Moreover, the water level would not drop too much regardless of the amount of water taken out of the well. The underground water was abundant and could always make up for the withdrawn water quickly.

This was also the reason why more than 2,000 Jackalans could rely on this well to survive.

But now, Kant had an idea.

To him, this well was useless for now, and would not be used much in the future. After all, there was more water in the Oasis Lookout, so this well was just superfluous.

It could even support the enemy and replenish fresh water for them.

"Firentis."

Kant turned his head and waved at his knight, who was not far away.

"Lord Kant, do you have any order for me?" Firentis walked over quickly.

"Yes." Kant nodded and did not hide his thoughts. He said to Kant, "Is there a way to block this well? I don't wish to see those Jackalans becoming a threat again with the help of this well."

"I see..."

Fatis was slightly stunned, "But Lord Kant, we need the water from this well too when we send people to mine the salt mine."

It required a total of two days to travel from the salt mine to the Oasis Lookout.

If they wanted to mine the salt mine, then they had to be like the Jackalans. Some of the people would be stationed in the salt mine to transport food and water daily or replace the tired miners.

However, this two-day journey was the exact challenge to the convenience of providing supplies.

The supply of food was okay, but in the dry desert and the storage capacity, the most important thing was fresh water.

Mining was a tedious job.

What they handled were natural salt mines with extremely high salinity.

In addition, the desert's temperature increased the miners' daily demand for fresh water.

It was too unrealistic to rely solely on the transportation of the Oasis Lookout. Therefore, by burying this well, it meant that Kant had to limit the number of miners in the future. Otherwise, the supply of fresh water would become a burden.

It was precisely for this reason that Firentis tried to dissuade Kant.

"Forget it." Kant sighed.

Turning his head to look at the burnt Jackalan tribe, he said indifferently, "Not many Jackalan would dare to return here. Even if they do, we can still kill them."

"You are right, Lord Kant." Firentis nodded.

Even if the heavy cavalry did not move out, these 41 Swadian light infantrymen were enough to deal with 500 Jackalans.

With the fully-armored Infantry Formation performed by a team of elites that had been through the battlefield, it was really easy to deal with a group of primitive, low-level Jackalans who only knew how to charge forward in a mess without any tactics.

And the most important thing was...

Those Jackalan would probably turn around and run away in fear when they saw Kant's troops.

The courage in their hearts had been completely defeated, so it would not be easy for them to recover from that.

"Prepare to set off."

Kant waved his hand forward, got on his horse and led his troops on their returning journey.

Firentis also urged his horse to follow closely behind.

This was the first time they had taken the initiative to attack other enemies. Those who remained at Oasis Lookout did not have their own defensive forces, and only 30 construction workers were helping to guard the house.

According to Kant's calculations.

Two days later, it was the weekend, and they could return to Oasis Lookout in time.

By that time, the construction of the standard house in Swadia would be completed and the system workers from Suno would be able to complete their mission and leave, returning to the continent of Caradia.

This was all planned.

The Journey back was peaceful.

There were no Jackalan nor any dangers.

The speed of their return was also much faster.

They traveled day and night.

By the afternoon of the second day, they could already see the green of the Oasis Lookout.

Over a hundred date palm trees swayed their branches and leaves on the two acres of land. Their lush greenery seemed to bring coolness to the sweltering desert, adding a hint of comforting and relaxing green to the scene.

They had finally returned.

Everyone was worn out from the journey.

They were almost moving in fast march and none of them had rested well in the desert.

They had to try their best to return as soon as possible.

Kant stood on the dune and looked at the date palm trees on both sides of the spring water at the bottom, as well as the neatly arranged houses. His face was filled with relief and pride. This was his village.

"Keep walking. Everyone can rest well when we have returned!"

Firentis also spoke. He pursed his chapped lips and cheered up the soldiers loudly. "We're Home!"

"Long Live!"

The soldiers were all happy. Their faces were tired, but their eyes were filled with excitement.

The relentless fighting and the long journey had exhausted their stamina.

Even Kant had sighed in his heart.

He understood that his strength was far from enough. Just by looking at the Jackalan tribe raid, he knew that if it was not for the help of the system, they would not be as relaxed as they were now.

300 people before they set off.

When they returned, there were less than 100 people.

Kant could not help but sigh at the cruelty of war.

"However, the gains this time are enough to cover the losses. " Kant's heart was calm.

41 Swadian light infantrymen.

46 Swadian heavy calvary.

5 Sarrandian Horsemen.

These were the only troop classes left. Regardless of whether it was the troop class 3 light infantry or the troop class 4 cavalry, they were all elites. They could not be compared to the recruits and militia from before.

At present, Kant had 92 soldiers. They could easily crush the previous 300 troops.

This was only one of the fruits of his victory.

He still had 15,000 Denar, 1,000 reputation points, and 11 honor points.

Although he had spent more than 2,000 Denar to level up, he still had 13,000

Denar left. This was enough for Kant's current expenses.

However, the thing that he liked the most was the 11 reputation points.

This meant that Kant would be able to randomly pick 11 gift packs in the System Mall!

A gift from the system would definitely be of high quality.

As long as Kant was not out of luck, drawing anything would get him the most generous reward.

The current Oasis Lookout was like a child in urgent need of nutrition.

Help from anyone would not be refused!

Chapter 66: The Joy of the Construction Team Leader

Kant led the troops toward the Oasis Lookout.

On the Watchtower, the construction workers holding wooden sticks soon discovered them.

The fatter construction team leader quickly walked out of the Council Hall and gathered all of the construction workers. They quickly walked to the edge of the Oasis and waited respectfully for Kant's arrival.

Looking at the travel-worn troops, the construction leader also took a step forward.

He bowed respectfully and said in a very humble manner, "Lord Kant, seeing that you have returned safely, I believe that you must have achieved a glorious victory. Please allow me to represent Suno's construction team and offer you my most sincere blessings."

"I appreciate your gratitude." Kant raised his hand with a calm expression.

At the same time, he looked at the newly built houses and these respectful and humble construction workers in satisfaction. It made his face blossomed into a smile. He nodded and thanked them. "During the period of our absence, it has been hard on all of you to help guard the house."

"We ought to do this as it's part of our job! " The construction team leader bowed hurriedly and replied.

However, he was very proud of it in his heart.

Helping the Lord to solve problems and leaving a good impression on the Lord would definitely not be a loss for him, even as a mere leader of a small construction team. Any stingy Lord would show his favor to him and his construction team in return.

In the future, he would not have to worry about not having a job and can instead just focus on construction-based tasks.

Kant also made the same decision.

Pursing his dry lips, he said to the leader of the construction team, "If there's any construction work in the future, I will arrange someone to inform you. I will hire you as long as your construction team is not busy."

"Your kindness makes me feel as if I am bathed in a holy light." The leader of the construction team was overjoyed.

However, these flatteries did not have much effect.

Kant waved his hand and signaled the troops behind him to move into the village of Drondheim.

It was tiring to travel day and night. After arriving at his village, he had to rest well. Although these people were all recruited and upgraded by the system, they were still living beings after all. They would also experience exhaustion and tiredness.

This was because Kant himself could sense his own status. He had almost reached his limit.

"Oh right, I have a task for you."

Kant looked at the tired soldiers behind him and said to the leader of the construction team who was still waiting at the side, "Clean up all the houses and let my soldiers rest well. "

"Rest assured, Lord Kant."

The leader of the construction team replied firmly, "I'm good at handling these trivial matters!"

With that, he quickly walked to the side and led his construction workers to clean the rooms. At the same time, he assigned the soldiers who were barely standing in line but seemed to be able to fall asleep at any time to their rooms.

A standard house in Swadia was designed according to the needs of a complete family.

For example, there is a master bedroom, a second bedroom, a kitchen, a living room and everything needed. There were also toilets, basements, storage rooms, and other supporting facilities. It was absolutely sufficient for a family of five to live comfortably.

There were 11 houses and it was easy to fit 92 soldiers to sleep.

Of course, if there were new peasants arriving at Drondheim, Kant would have to build more houses. After all, he could not possibly let some of them sleep in tents and sandpits.

Fortunately, everything was sufficient for the soldiers' needs for now.

This leader of the construction team could arrange rooms for everyone meticulously.

Including the warhorses, the cavalry took them to the date palm jungle to rest and avoid the heat.

There were now 46 armored warhorses, 5 Salander horses, 6 civilian reins and 2 military horses of Kant and Firentis. In sum, there were a total of 64 horses in Kant's army.

It was obviously insufficient to rely on the horse stable located in the stronghold of the sand bandits to contain all of the horses.

Therefore, the construction workers could only build a temporary horse stable in the date palm jungle to let the warhorses rest first. After they had fully regained their strength, Kant would decide whether to build a special horse stable for them or going with an alternative plan.

Soon, the construction team leader had finished arranging everyone's restrooms.

He walked quickly to the Council Hall and reported to Kant and Firentis respectfully, who were sitting on chairs and chatting, "Lord, everything has been arranged. Those brave warriors are now resting."

"Well done." Kant smiled at him. "I appreciate your efforts very much."

Firentis nodded slightly and praised, "You have solved our problem."

They had just returned and were quite tired. What they wanted to do the most was to have a good rest and not to solve these trivial matters.

This was especially true for Firentis as he had helped Kant with everything on the way back. It was obvious that he was tired as told by his dark circles. Evidently, he did not have a good rest.

"Lord Kant, you should rest first."

The leader of the construction team was even happier. He patted his chest and swore, "We will help your troops to stand guard at night. As long as there are any abnormalities, my workers will blow off the alarm horn in the shortest time possible!"

"My troops will be fully rested by afternoon."

Kant was still worried about handing over the defense task of the village to the construction team leader as his main job was to design and build.

However, he was not someone who would kill the donkey after the grinding was done. He said calmly, "I will give you 100 Denar as a token of my gratitude for helping to guard the village."

This was the way of a superior to establish his rapport.

The leader of the construction team had a surprised look on his chubby face. He bent down again and flattered, "Thank you very much, my Lord. Your kindness and generosity seem to have brightened our hearts."

"Alright, you can leave now." Kant waved his hand.

The leader of the construction team complimented him a little more before he left.

He had already noticed the fatigues on Kant and Fatis' faces. The wise choice was to shut up quickly and do his job well. For example, he would continue to be a sentinel for his Lord and guard this desert.

However, he was also very relaxed. Not many people would come to this damned place.

Not to mention the enemy.

This was also the reason why Kant was able to temporarily relax and let these construction workers help defend.

If there really were enemies nearby, they could launch an attack at any time. If that time comes, even if his soldiers were as tired as dead dogs, Kant would not hesitate to arrange for the replacement personnel to be on guard.

The matter of life and death was Kant's bottom Line.

After chatting for a while, Kant and Firentis were also extremely tired, so they had gone back to their rooms to rest respectively.

They went to the second floor.

Kant entered his room, casually pulled off the linen robe that was full of fine sand, taking off his underwear loosely and crashed onto the bed to sleep. He urgently needed to replenish his energy.

But in the dream, he had an inexplicable dream.

The dream was chaotic and he could not tell what it was about.

There were the nobles of the Dukedom of Leo, his father, Cameron and his elder brother.

There was even his mother, whose impression of Kant when he was young had almost disappeared. He could only vaguely remember that she was a blonde white woman, sitting by the bed, looking at him with a sad expression when he was still a child.

But when Kant was about to take a closer look at her face, he woke up groggily.

The dream was still on his mind.

Kant blinked his eyes in a daze and looked at the roof made of rough wood. Only then did he realize that he was lying on his bed.

And his mouth was so dry that he could breathe fire.

He needed to drink water.

He lifted the linen blanket and went to the table. There was spring water in the silver kettle that had been boiled and cooled. He opened the lid and gulped it down, finally extinguishing the fire in his chest.

He turned his head to look out of the window. The Sun was not hot.

Kant was stunned for a moment before he realized, "It's already afternoon. Time really flies."

He had slept until now.

When they came to the window, the Swadian light infantrymen in mail armor had already started their patrol in groups of five. They held heavy spears and heater shields in their hands, patrolling around the entire Oasis Lookout and the streets of Drondheim.

The Swadian heavy calvary on warhorses were also patrolling in a few clusters nearby.

"Everything is normal."

Kant nodded in satisfaction. This was the atmosphere that his village should have.

Of course, he did not forget about his own matters.

"Open the System Mall."

Linking his mind to the system, the dialog box for the lottery in the mall immediately popped up in his vision.

A treasure box with colorful lights hidden in it appeared in the middle of the dialog box. As long as one honor point was consumed, the treasure box would be opened and any Big Gift Pack would appear.

Chapter 67: The Prize for Ten Consecutive Lucky Draws

Kant was no longer a stranger to the lucky draw organized by the system's store.

On his retina, a dialog box popped up, in which a colorful treasure chest that seemed to contain infinite wonder stood.

He instinctively swallowed his saliva.

If he chose to take part in the lucky draw and spend the Honor Points he had, the treasure box in the pop-up window would be opened, and, along with colorful lights, all sorts of big gift packs that the system offered him would appear. It was quite amazing.

Currently, Kant had 11 Honor Points, meaning that he had 11 draws.

Thinking about the generous rewards he received in the past, Kant's eyes lit up. he had never gotten anything bad in previous lucky draws.

The system's products must be of high quality.

These were not just empty words, they were drawn from his very own profound experiences.

Letting out a breath, Kant said, "Draw. "

His thoughts contacted the system.

But just as he was about to draw, a dialog box suddenly popped up.

[ Ding... System's notification ]

[ According to the system's rules, you would receive an additional random gift pack for 10 consecutive draws. ]

[ Yes/No, would you like to do 10 consecutive draws? ]

It was the system's dialog box, but Kant was startled when it popped up at that very moment.

"10 consecutive draws for an extra random gift pack? "

He had just woken up and was still a little confused.

The consecutive draws reminded him of a popular online game in his previous life.

"This activity seems pretty good. "

Kant pinched the bridge of his nose, and his expression returned to normal. He couldn't help but grumble in his heart, "No matter how I look at it, it still seems to be tricked consumption..."

Moreover, the temptation was hit right on the spot.

Kant's heart was stirred. He nodded without hesitation and said, "Yes, I choose 10 consecutive draws! "

Weren't the Honor Points meant for lucky draws?

Kant now needed to convert all his resources into strength.

10 consecutive draws to obtain an additional random gift pack. To Kant, that was pure profit. He would not reject it.

He was not a fool who would miss a cost-effective opportunity like that.

[ Ding... The system's lucky draw begins. ]

The dialog box popped up.

The treasure box opened slightly, and the colorful light became even more dazzling.

At that very moment, the dialog box popped up one after another on Kant's retina.

[ Ding... You have acquired a Prop Pack. ]

[ You opened the Prop Pack and found the "Page of Fertile Soil" (Rare Item)]

[ You opened the Prop Pack and found the "Page of Spring Water" (Rare Item)]

[ You opened the Prop Pack and found the "Sun Disk" (Rare Item)]

The Prop Pack appeared first.

Kant frowned. The names of the three items that appeared sounded rather familiar.

However, before he could think about it, dialog boxes continued to appear on his retina.

[ Ding... You have acquired the "Construction Pack"]

[ You opened the Construction Pack and found the "Desert Bandits' Camp" inside. ]

[ You opened the Construction Pack and found the "Training Ground" inside. ]

[ You opened the Construction Pack and found the "Stone City Wall" inside. ]

[ You opened the Construction Pack and found the "Sugar Workshop" inside. ]

Four new Construction Packs appeared in the dialog box.

Moreover, new dialog boxes continued popping up on the retina.

The consecutive lucky draw went on.

[ Ding... You have acquired the "Hero Pack". ]

[ You opened the Hero Pack and found "Manid", an exquisite merchant from a noble merchant family, the Nord family. ]

However, one dialog box appeared this time.

It was a golden card that represented a hero.

When Kant glanced at the name, excitement glimmered in his eyes.

This lucky draw seemed to be of great value.

[ Ding... You have acquired the "Military Equipment Pack" ]

[ You opened the Military Equipment Pack and found a "Recruit's Equipment: Hunting Crossbow"]

[ You opened the Military Equipment Pack and found "Military Supply: Bread"]

The 10 consecutive draws finally stopped.

The dialog box did not continue to pop up. The list of gift packs was already quite lengthy.

However, Kant was still waiting.

He knew that there should be an additional gift pack.

As expected, a system dialog box popped up again.

[ Ding... You have acquired the "Army Pack" ]

[ You opened the Army Pack and found "20 Ravenstern Rangers" from the Ravenstern Kingdom. ]

All 11 gift packs were opened.

And in Kant's mind, 10 Honor Points had also disappeared.

But it did not mean that this is the end.

There was still one Honor Point, as well as... an incomparably bountiful harvest!

"There is always a silver lining."

Kant's mouth was wide open, his heart was trembling violently.

The 10 consecutive successful draws were out of his expectations, causing him to be rather clear-headed now. He no longer had the drowsiness caused by fatigue from before, and he was extremely excited.

He was so excited that it felt like thoughts were exploding in his mind!

Kant did not expect this.

He did not expect that the harvest this time would be... So Bountiful!

It was ten times or even a hundred times more than what he had lost in the battle.

His losses had been made up for by these consecutive draws!

"Three rare items, four buildings, a hero, two types of military equipment, and a troop... "

Kant swallowed his saliva.

He took a deep breath, but the excitement was still written all over his face.

Even with his temperament, he could not maintain his composure at such a time.

"I really didn't expect this. "

Kant shook his head, his lips were decorated by a bitter smile.

He was mocking himself for his excitement.

However, looking at the densely packed list in the system's dialog box on his retina, he instinctively clenched his fists. "This time... This time, I'm really rich. "

He took out the three rare items.

Kant finally knew why he thought that they were familiar.

Those were the three relics with mysterious powers that he had seized from the Jackalan tribe.

***

[ Page of Fertile Soil (Incomplete)]

[ This page with mysterious symbols on it seems to be torn from a certain book. However, it still has mysterious power and can communicate with the mysterious plane of the Earth Element. Every seven days, it can summon a small group (5-10) Earth Giants. Remark: Since the page is incomplete, the summoned creature can not be controlled. The summoned creatures are very likely to be hostile. ]

[ Page of Spring Water (Incomplete)]

[ This page with a mysterious symbol on it seems to be torn from a book. However, it still possesses a mysterious power and could communicate with the mysterious plane of the water element. Every seven days, it could summon a small group (5-10) of Water Giants. Remark: due to the incomplete pages, the summoned creatures can not be controlled. The summoned creatures are very likely to be hostile. ]

[ Sun Disc (Damaged)]

[ This golden disc engraved with mysterious patterns faintly holds the power of the Sun. However, probably because a long time has passed, the mysterious engravings have become blurry and the disc cannot bear any more power. However, it can still absorb sunlight if it was placed at a great height. ]

[ Special Function: Temperature Control: Absorbs sunlight during the day and lowers the temperature within 500 square meters. Releases sunlight at night and raises the temperature within 500 square meters. The constant maximum temperature is 30 degrees. The lowest temperature is -5 degrees. ]

***

Kant froze.

It was indeed the mysterious power.

When the system absorbed the relics, it did explain their power, and now they had been proven.

But Kant didn't expect that these magical items would reappear in front of him after being absorbed by the system.

"There's still one thing that hasn't appeared. "

Kant thought of the gemstone on the staff and also discovered the difference.

He didn't care.

Perhaps the system used the gemstone as energy and directly absorbed it. He was already very happy being able to get back the other three items.

His thoughts communicated with the system.

The card that was still floating in his mind instantly shattered into pieces and turned into rays of golden light before disappearing.

However, when Kant lowered his head, two papyrus-like pages appeared in his hands. At the same time, a 1-meter-long golden disc appeared at his feet once again.

It was no longer dirty like it was before. It looked brand new.

There were all kinds of mysterious symbols and carvings on it. Although the disc was heavily worn, the symbols were still visible.

"This really belongs to the Lost City. "

Kant licked his lips.

Although he could not understand the symbols on the two pages, he thought that they were similar to the hieroglyphs of the ancient Egypt and China. They had a very distinct pictorial nature, and he could guess what the symbols stand for.

Especially when he looked at the golden disc, the introduction on his retina was very detailed.

Swallowing his saliva, Kant muttered in his heart, "Temperature control? This is clearly the power to manipulate the Sun!"

Scattered records mentioned that the Lost City was closely related to the Sun.

Even the book that Scholar Hank gave him clearly recorded that the Lost City, the city made of gold, used to be the home to the Sun God's descendants.

Now Kant finally understood why the Lost City would be located in the desert.

Chapter 68: The Arrival of Manid

The environment in the desert was cruel, and it was not suitable for people to live and reproduce. This was mostly due to the strong sunlight and high temperature.

Looking at the special function of the Sun Disc that could control the temperature, Kant finally understood why the Lost City could survive in the hot and desolate Nahrin Desert and became the legendary Holy City of Gold.

"But the special function only works within 500 square meters... "

Looking at the introduction on his retina, Kant frowned.

In the current Drondheim village, the buildings already covered an area of 1,000 square meters. This did not include the area of the spring water, the 7.5 acres of wheat fields, and the 2 acres of date palm forest.

This meant that the Sun Disc could only maintain the temperature around the council hall.

"The range is too small. "

Kant frowned. This was different from what he expected.

If the special function of the Sun Disc could cover the entire Oasis Lookout and the entire Drondheim village, the sunlight and temperature that had been mediated would definitely cause a huge change in the oasis.

At the very least, the people would not have to worry about their wheat seedlings being burned.

[ Ding... System's notification ]

[ The rare items currently in possession are displayed as incomplete or damaged. They can be repaired. Once the rare items are complete, they will work even better and have more special functions. Remark: Please find your own way to repair it. ]

As if the system had sensed Kant's frustration, it gave him a hint.

However, the hint was useless.

It only told Kant to solve the problem but did not specify how to solve it. The remark, "Please find your own way to repair it", put Kant in an even more helpless position.

"This certainly gets on my nerve."

Kant could not help but smile bitterly and shook his head helplessly.

Well, it was better than nothing.

Looking at the faint golden light at his feet, the Sun Disc was absorbing the sunlight that came in from outside the window. The originally dry and hot room had unknowingly become much cooler.

Although it was still hot, it was not as hot as before when the room felt like a steamer.

And it was in the afternoon.

The highest temperature in the Nahrin Desert was at noon.

Although the high temperature of 70 °C lasted for less than half an hour, if there were no protective measures, an ordinary person would suffer from heatstroke and dehydration within that amount of time. They would collapse miserably in the desert and become a dried corpse in the shortest time possible.

It was named the Civilization Destroyer for a reason.

Kant was here, so he naturally had profound comprehension.

"I can sleep well from now on. " Kant smiled bitterly as he comforted himself.

At least he would not be woken up from his afternoon nap by the heat and by the cold at night.

Kant pinched the bridge of his nose and continued to pour himself a glass of water on the table to moisturize his mouth and throat. The list of data in his retina was pulled down, and a new gift pack list appeared on the dialog box.

***

[ Desert Bandits' Camp: Military Building. Upgraded from a lair to a building made of sand and stone. Every 7 days, 10 desert bandits could be recruited. Remark: You need to own a "Desert Bandits Lair". ]

[ Training Ground: Military Building. The ground of the plaza is compacted and paved with stones. It allows advanced troops to train troops from the lower levels, increasing their Experience Points. ]

[ Stone City Wall: Military Building. The whole wall is made of stone. The wall is 5 meters high and 2 meters wide. There is also a strong wooden gate. Currently, it can cover the whole village. The price to extend the wall is 10 Denars per meter. ]

[ Sugar Workshop: Civil Building. A small house made of wood, completed with a set of tools inside. Arrangements can be made for peasants to move in. Use raw materials to make various types of sugar. Currently available product: Date candy. ]

***

Those were the buildings.

They were the items in Kant's four construction packs.

3 types of military buildings and 1 type of civilian building.

After checking out the introduction, Kant nodded to himself, "It fits the current situation. "

The Desert Bandits' Camp was an upgraded version of the stronghold. The most notable feature was the number of recruits. From one recruit per week to ten, it greatly increased the time for the Desert Bandits to form the light cavalry.

With the training ground, the soldiers from high-level troop class could train those from low-level troop class, this could improve the quality of the troops.

"As for the Stone City Wall, I finally have a defensive measure. "

Kant had a smile on his face.

Although it was only a small stone wall of five meters in height and two meters in length, it was still a city wall.

As long as the entire "Drondheim" was surrounded and there were no siege weapons, Kant could lead his troops to defend Oasis Lookout and remain invincible.

Well, there was no water source around Oasis Lookout.

The closest water source was the well in the Jackalan tribe, which was two days away on foot.

If the enemy could not finish the battle in the shortest time possible and then immediately attack Kant's village in one go, it would be impossible to besiege Kant for a long period. They would end up dead because of dehydration or probably because of the heat.

"However, the city wall is not an immediate concern. "

Kant planned carefully and had come up with his own arrangements.

Currently, his enemies were not only those from the Kingdom of Grey Mane but also the noble families of the Lion Kingdom.

When his trade caravan appeared in the Lion Kingdom, the news of the Oasis Lookout being rich in table salt would spread through different countries. By then, countless merchants, speculators, and even various types of bandits would appear here.

Kant would not be so naïve that he believed that no one would covet the valuable table salt trade.

This was a world where the size of the fist ruled!

Therefore, he needed to build a sufficient city wall that would surround the village of Drondheim to protect it. At the same time, he also needed to ensure that the development of the village would not be hindered and restricted by the construction of the city wall.

After all, while the city wall protected the village, it also divided the area.

Moreover, the enemy was nowhere near the village yet, so Kant did not plan to rush the construction of the city wall.

Development was the most important element.

On his retina, Kant looked at the last building, and his eyes lit up a little.

"Sugar Workshop? "

He softly read out the name, he seemed to be deep in thought.

In this world, spices and refined white salt were not the only luxury goods, high-quality sugar also had high demand. They were the things that noble families and big merchants flocked to, they would spend silver coins on them.

Snow-white sugar sometimes had the same value as spices, and it was more valuable than white salt.

As for the sugar in the Lion Kingdom, most of it was bought from the Elves, the price was also shockingly high. It was not something that ordinary people and nobles or knights of lower ranks could afford.

The only things that could provide sugar were the apples that grew in the forest or the berries that grew in the bushes.

The sugar remained in the fruits, that was why it was not really sugar.

"Date palm sugar seems to be very interesting. "

Kant licked the corner of his mouth.

Date palm contained a lot of sugar, and it was indeed a good choice of raw material to make sugar.

He knew that date palm that was dried and ground into powder was already the most basic form of date palm sugar. If he could add some honey and boil the dates a little, they could even be made into very sweet sugar cubes, and the taste was quite delicious.

Kant thought of the date palms that had been dried in the warehouse and smiled.

He suddenly realized that, apart from the table salt trade, he could also start up a sugar trade.

The Lion Kingdom had a large market for high-quality products. After all, Kant knew that the kingdom was made up of mostly plains and hills that did not produce table salt or sugar. Most importantly, this world did not know the concept of dumping.

The cheaper the products were cheap, the more popular it would be, and hence would sell well.

It was very simple.

Kant already had a candidate in mind for the leader of the caravan.

Firentis was an outstanding commander of the Swadian Army, but when it came to business activities, he was no match to this professional businessman called Manid who came from a traditional business family in the Kingdom of Nord.

The card in his head turned into a golden light and shattered into pieces.

And just behind the dune not far from Oasis Lookout, a figure who was riding a packhorse and carrying a backpack appeared.

Soon, the soldier on the watchtower noticed him.

Five Sarrandian Horsemen rode over and brought him back after a simple conversation.

Watching Manid and the five Sarrandian Horsemen approach slowly riding their horses, Kant walked toward the window, holding a cup of water with a smile on the corners of his mouth. The man who would lead his caravan was here.

"Get your spirits up! "

Firentis' voice rang out. He was assigning the patrolling tasks to the members of the troops.

Kant opened his mouth and said to him, "Firentis, take good care of Manid. I think you recognize him. "

"Manid? Oh, that handsome businessman? "

Firentis was a little startled. He raised his head and looked at Kant. He then nodded and said, "Of course, I know him. I used to work with him in Kulau, we beat up a few drunkards who were looking for trouble. "

"From the sound of it, I can tell that you're good at your job. "

Kant took a sip of the water and nodded with a smile, "From now on, he will be the leader of our caravan. "

On the Continent of Caradia, Firentis and Manid got along well. They were both heroes who refused to rob civilians and caravans. Moreover, one of them was born to a noble family while the other in a merchant family, they had similar interests.

Chapter 69: New Lucky Draw Results

"Have a good chat with him. I'll go down later. "

Kant finished the water in his cup as he watched Manid approaching on his packhorse, and instructed Firentis, "Tell me about the salt mine. When I meet him, I want to hear his thoughts."

"Understood, Lord Kant, " Firentis answered.

"That'd be all." Kant nodded towards the knight, he trusted him.

Walking away from the window, he returned to the table in his room and sat down. He poured himself another cup of water and sipped it gently, making sure that his body was sufficiently hydrated.

On his retina, there was not much left in the dialog box.

There were two types of Military Equipment Pack.

[ Hunting Crossbow for recruits: It allows a Swadian recruit to have the hunting crossbow as standard equipment. ]

[ Military Supply: Bread: Currently, all troops will receive a portion of the bread as their rations. ]

Kant was rather calm about this.

He had received weapons before.

For example, each soldier in the Swadian Militia now had one hunting crossbow and 30 arrows as standard equipment.

The same went for the ration that Kant just got from the lucky draw.

The only difference was that the troop class had changed from the Swadian Militia to the Swadian recruit.

"There's an increase in the number of ranged weapons, it isn't too bad."

Kant nodded.

The power of the hunting crossbow had already been revealed in the battle against the Jackalan. It didn't do any good and made Kant feel like he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Although this kind of hunting crossbow was lethal, its effective range was less than 50 meters.

This indicated that the arrow could not even penetrate the Jackalan's fur if it was fired from 50 meters away.

And even if the arrow was fired from within 30 meters, it basically would not cause any damage if it did not hit the Jackalan's vital organs, such as the eyes, throat, private part, chest, etc.

Even if a Jackalan was covered in arrows like a hedgehog, the arrows would only cause superficial injuries on the tough Jackalan.

That was why Kant only gave a "not bad" comment.

If they were to face a fully armed, armored, and shield-wielding army, the hunting crossbows would have no effect at all. They would be utterly useless.

High-class Swadian sharpshooters were equipped with powerful crossbows that could pierce through armors and shields.

The strongest crossbowmen, the Rhodok Sharpshooters, were equipped with the even more terrifying siege crossbows.

The steel arrows fired from the siege crossbow could pierce through the strongest steel shield within a 50-meter radius. Ordinary armors and helmets would not be able to withstand the attack of a siege crossbow.

This was why the defense system of the Kingdom of Rhodok was said to be terrifying.

These hunting crossbows obviously couldn't reach Kant's expectation. They could only be considered "no bad".

At least, it was better than nothing.

Compared to Kant's comment on the useless hunting crossbow, the second gift pack with military supply was way more practical for Kant, it gave each soldier one loaf of bread.

One loaf of bread was one day's ration.

Together with other food, it could last three days after being sliced for each soldier.

There was nothing more satisfying than filling one's stomach, especially for the soldiers who risked their lives every day. Satisfying their basic needs was one of the things a Lord needed to do.

But when Kant thought of food, he frowned.

The food supply in the Oasis Lookout was not a problem at the moment. It was more than enough for less than a hundred people.

What he thought of was the fodder for the warhorse.

There weren't many horses in the Oasis Lookout previously, so it wasn't a problem to feed them with a mixture of bread, date palm, and a small amount of fodder stored in the house.

But the situation was different now.

46 armored warhorses, high-quality Swadian military horses, could not be fed so carelessly.

Fine forage, date palm that increased nutrition, and even fresh alfalfa grass, as well as minced meat, had to be sufficiently prepared. They must not have the same treatment as ordinary draught horses and lean horses.

If they were not fed well, it would have a huge impact on the heavy cavalry's combatant capability.

"Let's wait for the Reyvadin's caravan to return first. If it really doesn't work, we feed them with bread and date palm first. "

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Kant was a little moody.

Bread and date palm were not the right fodder for warhorses. Moreover, they ate a lot, which directly reduced the rations of the soldiers.

The amount of food eaten by a warhorse was equivalent to that of three soldiers.

Moreover, this type of armored warhorse required more strength and energy.

If they started to recruit Desert Bandits from now on, the number of warhorses would only increase. Although the demand for fodder for desert horses was not as high as that of the Swadian military horses, they were also used as saddle horses in battles, so they had to have sufficient fodder too.

"It's a difficult problem. "

Kant shook his head helplessly.

However, this difficult problem could not be solved at the moment, he could only put it aside for now.

On his retina, only the data of the Army Pack was left in the dialog box.

Kant stared at it.

His expression changed slightly. It was because of this Army Pack that he was able to quickly break free from the difficult problem of warhorse fodder.

This was the additional reward that Kant had obtained after 10 consecutive draws.

20 Ravenstern Rangers.

In the classic Mount and Blade MOD, Pander's prophecy, the Blue Kingdom's "Ravenstern Kingdom's" Class 5 Ranged Troop had the advantage of being cheap, easy to use, quick to form, and strong combatant capability.

As Class 5 troops, the Ravenstern Rangers and Vaegir Marksmen were of the same level.

Top-notch archers!

If the Vaegir marksmen were synonymous with fast, accurate, and ruthless, then the Vaegir marksmen were synonymous with steady, accurate, and ruthless.

Although they appeared to be one word apart, they were two completely different concepts when applied.

The Vaegir Marksmen only used the firepower, they were like a machine gun on the battlefield. As long as these top-notch archers were able to gain a firm footing, then the enemy's front line would be destroyed by their continuous dense rain of arrows.

The Ravenstern Rangers were different.

They were archers from the dense forest of the Ravenstern Kingdom. They had been promoted from forest rangers to combat rangers.

In the complex forest environment, what they sought was stability for shooting. They were like semi-automatic rifles. Each shot was lethal and aimed at the head. Their goal was not to form a dense rain of arrows. They only sought to eliminate an enemy with each arrow.

The strengths and weaknesses of the two troops depended entirely on how they were used.

Kant naturally would not reject any one of them.

These 20 Ravenstern Rangers were currently his only Class 5 troop!

He would cherish them and use them very carefully, how would he have the heart to reject these archery masters?

"However, it would be even better if they were Dragon Knights or Swan Knights. "

Kant felt a little regretful.

In the Ravenstern Kingdom, the Captain of the Dragon Knights and the Swan Knight were both top-tier Cavalry. They were not inferior to the Swadian Knights at all. In fact, they were even slightly better than the Swadian Knights in terms of equipment.

After all, the Swadian Knights were equipped with half plates and heavy chainmail armor.

"I'm a little too greedy. "

Kant suddenly chuckled and could not help but shake his head.

Having already obtained 20 Ravenstern Rangers was good enough. One must learn to be grateful!

These 20 Rangers standing on the city wall, together with the recruits and militia who were holding hunting crossbows, were enough to deal with a portion of the enemy. They could even use the Rangers' stable and ruthless archery skills to shoot the enemy's leader to death when the enemy was careless, this would cause the enemy to fall into chaos and allow Kant's heavy cavalry to directly charge out and win the battle.

After all, they were a Class 5 troop. Their strength was not something a Class 1 or 2 troops could compare to.

However, Kant was a little stunned.

A dialog box appeared in his mind.

It showed his Honor Points. The lonely number 1 told him that there was still 1 Honor Point.

This was the Honor Point that he won when he got the Epic Victory.

"System, proceed with the lucky draw. "

Kant swallowed his saliva and made a decision right away.

Although he still wanted to accumulate 10 Honor Points to make 10 consecutive draws, he did not know when he would be able to have enough points.

The current Drondheim was still weak and small. He needed to turn all the resources into his strength. Even if it was just 1 Honor Point, as long as he got something useful out of it, it would be worth it.

On the dialog box, a treasure chest appeared.

The colorful light slowly came out, and the treasure chest was finally opened.

[ Ding... You have acquired an "Item Pack"]

[ You opened the Item Pack and found a mysterious power that can be controlled by you. ]

[ Acquired: Terrain Modification (Lake) ]

The treasure chest was fixed, and the result of the lucky draw appeared on his retina.

Kant was dumbfounded.

He opened his eyes slightly and could not help but mutter to himself, "Terrain... Terrain modification? What is this! "

Chapter 70: Construction and Topographical Reconstruction

A golden card appeared in Kant's mind.

However, there was a ball of light imprinted on it instead of a pattern. If one were to look carefully, one could see that the ball of light was actually made up of countless tiny mystical symbols.

Kant's breathing quickened.

Kant was familiar with these mystical symbols.

He had come into contact with these symbols during his internship in the Academy, and the system had even given him a temporary side quest.

The magic patterns of a Mage.

The two pages Kant owned, as well as the mysterious symbols on the sun disk, were all somewhat related.

It was said that current magic was something that some mages figured out and created after archaeology of those glorious civilizations. The mages of the Dukedom of Leo naturally also possessed part of the magic inheritance.

But Kant never thought that it would appear in his own system.

He felt a little thirsty.

Maybe it was a result of the magic staff that he had absorbed from the Jackalan Shaman.

He immediately opened the system dialog box.

Kant looked it up.

[Terrain Transformation (Small Lake): Contains the mysterious power of laws. It can transform any terrain into a small lake that is 80 meters long, 30 meters wide, and 2 meters deep. There are no living creatures in the lake, and the bottom of the lake is connected to groundwater.]

This was the introduction of the terrain modification.

He was slightly taken aback.

Kant was a little stunned as he communicated with the system in his mind.

Terrain Modification?

Small Lake?

This was clearly the map editor in the Magic Ball!

Just like the card he had, he could directly change the entire map according to his own ideas, adding or deleting certain environments with his thoughts alone.

Everything would be as he wished!

Everything would truly be as he wished.

As long as he did not exceed the inherent limitations of terrain modification, such as the size and depth of the small lake, it would not be a problem no matter how Kant modified the terrain.

A small lake that was 80 meters long, 30 meters wide, and 2 meters deep.

For Kant, there were many things he could do.

For example, if he connected the spring water that originally existed in the Oasis Lookout to become a T-shaped flowing water lake, it would be equivalent to increasing the size of the entire oasis, or several expansions.

The oasis would not disappear as long as there was water.

And as the water source steadily increased, the oasis would expand.

This was an unchanging fact.

"Use [Terrain Modification]. "

Kant made up his mind.

He was connected to the card in his mind. As the golden light flashed, he instantly appeared more than 20 meters above the Oasis Lookout. It was as if he had entered god's perspective.

In the distance, there seemed to be no end to the vast sea of sand.

In the south, one could vaguely see the rolling hills.

That was the Senwaya Range that separated the Nahrin Desert from the Dukedom of Leo. It was a precious area full of wood and wildlife.

But Kant did not look too much.

He looked down at the Oasis Lookout.

This was his village.

The narrow and long spring water separated the residential area from the agricultural area.

The residential area was in the south. The Council Hall, the Watchtower, the Desert Bandit Lair, the House of Swadian, and so on were all in place, forming a neat regular-looking street.

The agricultural area was in the north. It too had been cultivated in a neat and orderly manner.

There were 7.5 acres of cultivated wheat fields on the edge of the spring water. Neat and well-divided canals were distributed among them, extending into two acres of Date Palm Jungle, that brought precious moisture to these barren sandy land.

Several groups of Swadian footman with heavy spear were on patrol.

The five of them were in a neat formation.

Although Drondheim was a village, they had not forgotten about defences and everyone was quite vigilant.

Kant's mind jumped.

It suddenly occurred to him that maybe he could continue choosing to build buildings here.

In his mind, the five building cards were arranged in sequence.

These included the posthouse he had previously obtained, as well as the Desert Bandit Camp, training ground, sugar workshop, and stone city walls he had obtained from the lucky draw.

"Build."

Kant's mind opened the cards. As expected, they were able to be built.

The Desert Bandit Camp could be upgraded via the Desert Bandit Lair. Its card shattered into a golden light, and the Desert Bandit Lair next to the Council Hall was enveloped by a data stream. After a few seconds, it stood out from the rest.

It had become 500 square meters from a simple building of about 200 square meters.

The overall area was larger than the Council Hall, and there was also a watchtower at the top. It was six meters tall, and it seemed to be set up for the Desert Bandits to quickly find the trade caravan or the regular army of Sarrand.

"Continue building. "

Kant didn't stop and communicated with the Sugar Workshop.

This 100 square meter workshop was located on the west near the spring water.

Next to it was the grocery store. Kant planned to create a small lake that ran south to north on the west side, which would be helpful for the Sugar Workshop's water use in the future.

In fact, in Kant's original plan, the west side was the crafts area.

The Sugar Workshop appeared.

"Build the training ground. "

Kant's voice continued but this time, he was building on the east side.

The originally flat sand ground seemed to have been pressed down, and a large number of stones and bricks were laid. It looked extremely neat, and the entire 2,000 square meters was comparable to a stadium.

The training ground itself could accommodate troops.

The construction was slightly slower.

The Desert Bandit Camp, Sugar Workshop, and training ground. These three buildings needed to be built immediately.

The posthouse and the stone city wall did not need to be built immediately.

Kant had his own plans.

The city wall would divide the area and affect the development. He needed to wait.

The posthouse was planned to be set up between the Oasis Lookout and the Senwaya Range. After all, it would take seven days to travel between the two places. Without the posthouse as a transit station, the long journey in the Nahrin Desert would be full of pain and suffering.

Kant had experienced this when he first came to the Nahrin desert from the "Stone Pass" in the Senwaya Range.

With a posthouse as a transit station, it would relieve a lot of the pressure of trekking.

A golden light appeared.

Kant's thoughts touched on the mysterious power.

[Terrain Transformation (Small Lake)] activated.

The data flow began to spread.

The data began to spread over the western side of Oasis Lookout. The originally soft layers of sand began to change in a visible manner.

Depressions, expansions, soil, stones, and a clear spring water began to emerge from the bottom.

The underground water was connected.

It was just like the spring water next to it.

It was clear and bright.

This was a new lake, and it was indeed small.

80 meters long, 30 meters wide, and 2 meters deep, the clear lake water shimmered as it reflected the sunlight.

Lush plants grew at the edge of the lake.

And at the bottom of the lake, one could vaguely see many aquatic plants swaying in the water.

The few small fish that remained in the spring water seemed to have discovered a new world. They waved their tails happily as the entered the small lake from the connected waterway.

The two-meter-deep lake could be considered a brand new world.

It was not impossible to develop the fishing industry.

"So beautiful. "

These two words appeared in Kant's heart.

But before he could continue to admire his creation from the perspective of God, his mind suddenly fell.

When Kant reacted, he realized that he was still sitting at the table on the second floor of the Council Hall. He was holding a glass of water, as if he wanted to gently sip it.

"Wow, wonderful. "

After drinking the water, Kant stood up.

The power of the system was indeed eye-opening.

However, the most important thing now was that he had new territory. Kant was excited. Although his face was calm, there was no tiredness in his eyes. He couldn't wait to inspect the Oasis Lookout.

The leader of his trade caravan, Manid, was still waiting downstairs.

Chapter 71: Thoughts on the Salt Trade

The lake water was clear. It glistened ever so slightly under the gradually slanting sunlight.

It was no longer as hot as noon.

Due to this small lake, it was as if the entire Oasis Lookout had a refreshing coolness to it.

Perhaps this had something to do with the solar disk installed at the top of the Watchtower.

Although they had already walked out of the 500 square meter coverage area, the mysterious power that absorbed sunlight still faintly affected the surrounding environment and brought a little coolness.

They strolled along the lakeside.

Firentis and Manid followed behind Kant.

The three of them chatted cheerfully, and the atmosphere was harmonious.

Manid had come from a merchant family in the Kingdom of Nords. He was extremely talkative and led the conversation, never leaving traces of flattery. He alone influenced the atmosphere positively.

"My Lord, this is really a miracle in the desert."

Speaking softly, Manide sighed, "It reminds me of the Shareze Oasis in the Sarrand Desert."

"Ah, Shareze, " Kant shook his head with a smile, "That is a prosperous place."

Shareze was the capital of the Sarrand Sultanate. It was a prosperous city located beside the Great Oasis and a pearl in the desert famous for its economy and military. Kant was aware that Oasis Lookout was a far cry form it.

"There is already a glimpse of Shareze here," Manid complimented with a smile.

"I hope so."

Kant nodded gently. In a good mood, he said, "Everything will get better."

"Definitely," Ma Nide said.

The best way to compliment someone was to make them feel prouder of something that they were proud of.

The perfect compliment would hit the sweet spot.

Kant's pride was naturally the establishment of Drondheim, a safe haven in the harsh Nahrin Desert; the expansion of the Oasis Lookout which allowed him to realize his full strength.

Manid's compliment hit just right.

"Manid."

Kant turned his head to look at the handsome Nord merchant.

"At your command, my Lord," Manid bowed slightly.

"From now on, you will be the leader of my trade caravan and be in charge of the administration of business," Kant gave his appointment. "I think it will be very easy for you to take up this profession."

"As you wish, I will do my best," Manid nodded in gratitude.

Kant smiled and nodded, "Okay. "

The three of them continued chatting happily as they walked along the lakeside.

It was almost dusk.

When they walked out of the Council Hall, cooking had already begun in the kitchen.

The fragrance seemed to have drifted over.

"The food is almost ready. It's all the same old stuff. If you keep eating it, you'll get sick of it too."

Kant shook his head and touched his nose. The aroma of the food made him feel depressed: "To be honest, dinner wasn't very sumptuous."

"It will be in the future," Manid shrugged and smiled, "and I don't care about the quality of the food. I'm sure Knight Firentis feels the same." After a pause, Manid continued, "You must carry out the ideals in your heart, even if it means persisting in adversity."

"Yes, the desire brought by the tongue is just an illusion. "

Firentis nodded. He was a knight who insisted on his own morals. When he was roaming the continent, he had saved suffering civilians merely to uphold justice. He would not even accept the reward from the grateful civilians.

This was also the reason why Firentis and Manid were able to have a drink together when they met in the tavern on the continent.

Both of them had their own bottom line and morals.

"Indeed," Kant nodded with a smile. His gaze deepened slightly.

He thought that what Manid and Firentis said was right.

But staring at the desert in the distance, a thought surfaced silently in Kant's heart: "It's just too idealistic."

The lack of strength made everything an illusion.

At this time, Manid spoke, interrupting Kant's thoughts, "Lord Kant, there's no need to worry. We can sell our salt to the Lion Kingdom in exchange for a large amount of resources and food that will enrich our stomachs."

"What do you think about this salt trade?" Kant asked.

"It's high risk, high reward," Manid said.

"I understand that, but are there any more details?" Kant nodded.

Manid thought about it and raised his head, "We won't venture too deep into the Lion Kingdom. Instead, we need to find an agent. We will be safe for the time being as long as this agent doesn't falter."

"Agent?" Kant seemed to be deep in thought.

"That's right," Manid nodded before continuing, "We neither have a professional trade caravan, nor the capital to ensure the safety of a trade caravan. The end result may not be good if we rashly trade with the Lion Kingdom. Therefore, we should find an agent who is strong enough and is willing to cooperate. We can give up part of the profits to let him establish the trade caravan of the Lion Kingdom, or even the salt of other human kingdoms."

"You mean to avert attention in the early stages? "

Kant frowned. In disbelief, he said, "I don't think we can hide from those who really want to investigate this."

"No, why should we hide?" Manid shrugged. With a smile, he said, "They can know that we have a natural salt mine in this desert."

"Please continue," Kant frowned.

Manid said, "I don't believe that anyone would really gather elite troops to deal with this matter in a war between two Lords. Moreover, they would have to enter via the Nahrin Desert and walk for seven days before attacking the Oasis Lookout. It's simply not worth it."

The three of them continued to walk on, following the lake to the agricultural area on the north side. The Date Palm Jungle was very lush.

"My Lord."

A group of Swadian Footman raised their heavy spears and saluted.

"Mm, keep your guard up. "

Kant nodded, indicating for them to continue their patrol.

However, he frowned slightly and asked Manid, "These noblemen may not fight personally, but they could always employ the services of well-trained bandits."

"What does that have to do with us?" Manid asked with a smile.

Kant was slightly taken aback, as if he thought of something.

Manid said straightforwardly, "The trade caravan of the Lion Kingdom is not ours, but the agent's. How he distributes the profits is up to him, not us, so dealing with those noblemen is also the agent's job."

"That..." Kant raised his eyebrows slightly, pensive.

"That's right," Manid nodded. "The profits we share with the agent do not come for free."

"Ha... " Kant could not help but laugh.

He turned to look at Manid's handsome face, shook his head and sighed. "Sometimes, I really doubt whether you really are a person from Nord. My impression of them is that they are all muscular warriors who jump off ships raising axes and big shields. "

"The business in Nord is equally developed."

Manid shrugged and joked, "Things that are plundered must be sold, so businessmen are equally important."

"Hahaha!"

The three of them immediately laughed.

The atmosphere was harmonious.

Kant was happy that he had obtained Manid, a professional businessman.

Although Firentis could not handle business, he was familiar with Manid and could be considered an old friend.

They returned along the east side of the spring.

On the flat training ground, there were already Swadian Heavy Cavalry training slowly. Some of them held spears and war hammers, sparring with the Footman to hone their skills and impart experience.

As a level 4 troop class, Swadian Heavy Cavalry were naturally qualified to impart experience to the level 3 troop class of Footman.

Kant naturally understood the rules of the training ground.

It would be even more effective if it was a level 5 troop class against a level 1 troop class.

Still, Kant was satisfied with this.

Why had their previous conversation not mentioned what would happen if bandits indeed attacked the Oasis Lookout from the desert?

This was the reason.

Kant's home ground was the Nahrin Desert.

Kant, who had firmly occupied this water source, was as good as the arbiter of life and death.

If anyone dared to attack?

46 Swadian Heavy Cavalry and 41 Swadian Footman were ready and waiting.

20 Ravernstern Rangers were also in waiting.

Although there were only about 100 of them, they were all elites!

If any bandits wanted to cause trouble?

They would be beaten to death!

Even if they were lucky enough to escape, seven days in the Senwaya Range was a road towards death.

Without water, they would only become miserable dried corpses.

The vitality of humans was not as tenacious as Jackalans.

Chapter 72: The Sealed Golden Light

The dinner was held as a banquet.

It was a banquet for the complete victory of this battle.

Bread, dried meat, cabbage, flour, date palms, all these ingredients had been transformed into all kinds of wonderous delicacies in the hands of the chefs. The food filled everyone's stomachs and brought about the comfortable feeling one felt when one had a full belly.

It was the happiness of a full stomach.

The only regrettable thing was that there were no alcoholic beverages to liven things up.

Nonetheless, holding wooden bowls in their hands, everyone treated the cool spring water as beer. They laughed and boasted to each other about their heroic performances on the battlefield while at the same time also making fun of others for almost peeing in their pants.

Of course, such accusations were met with the other party's retort. They would say that they were ambitious, and such accusations were simply slanders.

The construction workers who stayed behind and did not go to the battlefield listened with admiration in their eyes.

Many people had looks of admiration and fear on their faces.

The battlefield was a place to test whether one was a real man or not.

Swords and blades clashed against each other.

Fresh blood splattered everywhere.

Lives withered and death was the only constant.

Only brave warriors who had long thrown away their fear of life and death and were willing to fight dared to enter the battlefield. Ordinary civilians did not dare to appear on the battlefield at all.

It was the boundary between the dead and the living.

However, in the end, they still laughed and clinked their wooden bowls together. They drank their water in one gulp as if it was beer. Although there were no alcoholic beverages, the atmosphere of the banquet seemed to make everyone intoxicated.

Even the construction workers scrambled to hold their spring water up high and toast them as if it was beer.

"Prepare your bellies, there will be no limit to tonight's dinner!"

Kant raised the glass in his hand. It was also filled with spring water.

Nonetheless, his face had a slight flush. He looked at the soldiers sitting on both sides of the table and chairs on the street and shouted, "To victory, to the future, cheers!"

"Cheers!" The soldiers cheered and drank the spring water in one gulp at the same time.

"Huff Huff..." Kant drank it all and exhaled in satisfaction.

He signaled for everyone to continue. Then, he shrugged helplessly and said to Firentis and Manid beside him, "In the future, we will buy some malt liquor. The light beer from the Dukedom of Leo is not bad either. They are all good things that make people feel good."

"An appropriate amount of alcohol can help liven up the atmosphere, but it is easy to make mistakes if one drinks too much."

Firentis smiled gently and continued to try to dissuade Kant, "I should not have said this at the banquet, but the ban on alcoholic beverages is a wise choice for us."

"Of course. " Kant was not angry. Instead, he smiled and said, "We must maintain our vigilance. I understand."

They had successfully destroyed the Jackalan tribe in this battle.

It was indeed something worth celebrating.

However, they could not let their guard down. The standalone Oasis Lookout lacked backup and support. Just one wrong step and they would be falling off a bottomless cliff, and if they fell, they would be crushed into pieces.

Kant had long since been prepared.

20 Ravenstern Rangers were already on alert.

They were highly skilled bow masters. Even the dense forest of a misty mountain could not block their line of sight.

Gazing at the watchtowers on top of the desert bandit's camp, one could see rangers stationed in them. Together with these companions seated on the roof who held heavy bows and were sizing up the surrounding desert, one could say that their defense was basically foolproof.

It was easy to find enemies in the distance in the desert with a wide field of vision.

Nothing would happen.

Those soldiers who did not ingest alcohol and only drank water and ate meat could pick up their weapons at any time and form a good formation with clear heads to deal with all kinds of troubles and unusual situations.

Although it was a banquet, it could also be simply regarded as a gathering.

Without a large amount of alcohol that could relieve fatigue and free the mind, just what kind of banquet was this?

It was the one thing they could not solve.

However, replacing wine and beer with water and then letting everyone talk to and tease each other made the banquet just as successful.

After experiencing a cruel battle, this sort of gathering could solve many psychological problems. Unrestrained laughing, singing, boasting, and teasing each other helped dissolve the pent-up tension and anxiety in one's heart.

The banquet continued all the way until late at night.

Buckets of spring water were all emptied.

This also caused the smell of urine to permeate the barley fields and areas around the date palm trees.

There were no toilets in the current Oasis Lookout. Everything was only stored in wooden buckets before being poured into the barley fields and date palm trees as artificial fertilizer. It was something one would consider as waste utilization.

Stars shone brightly in the Milky Way.

The moonlight was also bright.

After the banquet ended, the sober soldiers helped to put away the remaining food on the long table.

It was shameful to waste food.

The sentries on duty began to change shifts.

The Ravenstern Rangers also walked down from the watchtower, the sentry tower, and the roof of the house.

Replacing them were the energetic Swadian Footmen.

After eating and drinking their fill, their spirits were high.

It was time for them to rest late at night. The following day was the start of a new week. At the same time, it was also the last week of the month.

Council Hall.

Manid's room was already tidied up.

When Kant saw that there were no problems, he nodded to Firentis and Manid. He went to the room on the second floor and fell asleep.

At the top of the watchtower.

The mysterious runes on the sun disc installed horizontally on top of the watchtower were emanating some sort of golden light.

It corresponded to the moon in the sky from a distance.

The Golden Light flowed, and even the seriously worn-out runes radiated a sort of golden light as if they were gold-colored symbols.

Then, within a range of 500 meters, a warmth that belonged to the day slowly appeared.

The cold was dispelled.

It was the special effect of the sun disc, regulating the temperature.

In truth, the disc would absorb the sun's heat during the day while releasing the sun's temperature at night so that it would not be too hot or too cold.

At the very least, Kant and the others in the Council Hall slept very comfortably.

Even the two Swadian Heavy Cavalrymen who carried their warhammers while standing in front of the council hall felt a little uncomfortable. They wondered if they wore too many pieces of clothes under their chain mail, and now they actually starting to feel the heat.

However, no one noticed that the golden light radiating from the sun disc at the top of the watchtower was getting more and more intense.

It was as if it was going to break through the sun disc before soaring into the sky!

If the golden sun disc could be erected, the light could probably be used as a searchlight.

However, none of this happened.

Every time condensed golden light appeared on the sun disc, a large number of data streams would appear on it.

The golden light exploded. Then, the data streams began to converge.

It just happened to stop the beam of golden light bursting into the sky, just like a dam intercepting and stopping a flood.

This dam was actually also fighting back forcefully.

The data streams became more and more intense, and finally, the stream of data managed to forcefully push the golden light back into the golden symbol. Even the data streams were infused into it, completely sealing off the golden light.

The moon was bright.

The stars were bright.

Everything was the same as usual.

Except for the depths of the Nahrin Desert.

It was a cruel and brutal environment where no vegetation grew. No living creature or life could live in it.

Even the most tenacious Jackalans were exhausted every time they passed through this place. Half their lives would be lost every time before they were able to pass through this Devil's land in the middle of the desert.

It was because the sunlight in that area was even more intense.

The blazing sunlight in the area was the same as noon at other locations from noon all the way until dusk.

The deeper they went, the closer they got to the center, the hotter the sun became.

According to the categorization of the Jackalans, the center of the Devil's land was the center of the Nahrin Desert.

They usually walked along the edges of the area, bypassing the hottest locations. It would take them 20 days to pass through it. In fact, it took less than 10 days for the Jackalans to go from the Kingdom of Grey Mane to the edge of the Devil's land. They only had to spend so much time because they needed to bypass that brutal area, and it was what caused the Nahrin Desert to become a difficult obstacle.

And now, at the center of the Devil's land.

Fine grains of sand formed thick layers of sand, covering everything that had once been. Only a vast ocean of sand remained.

However, a faint golden light seemed to be rising through the layer of sand.

It seemed to want to connect to something in the sky. However, in the end, it shrunk back in vain as nothing could be found.

Chapter 73: Migrating Sand Gazelles

Kant was awoken by the sound of someone shouting.

His head was heavy with slumber still. There was the sound of a palm beating urgently on the wooden door, and it was mixed with a rough voice. Kant stepped out into the corridor outside the room. "My Lord, wake up quickly."

"Stop knocking."

There was anger still lingering from being awoken so abruptly. Kant forced himself to suppress it and said helplessly, "You'll pay with Denar if you break the door."

Kant lifted the wool blanket and quickly put on his clothes. He opened the door and looked at the embarrassed and excited infantry outside. He could not help but shake his head and said, "What happened? Did the enemy attack?"

"No, we found a herd of sand gazelles."

The Swadian footman gulped and quickly reported, "They are migrating near us!"

"What?" Kant had an incredulous expression.

He looked at the footman, unable to think straight after a night's sleep. He could not help but blurt out, "You said that there are sand gazelles migrating near us? "

"Yes, my Lord!" The light footman nodded resolutely.

Kant rubbed his face. "Is it April Fools' Day Now? I don't remember there being such a festival in Caradia."

But he walked down the stairs anyway.

After all, seeing is believing. One only needed to take a look to see if there were any sand gazelles migrating near the Oasis Lookout.

"My Lord, Good Morning."

"Good Morning, Lord Kant!"

In the Council Hall, Swadian cavalry wearing chain armor were standing guard.

Kant nodded. "Good morning."

As he walked out of the Council Hall, there was no bustling crowd outside the street.

Instead, at the western end of the street, many people were gathering at the sugar workshop. Swadian Heavy Cavalry, Swadian Footmen, Sarrandian horsemen, and the Ravenstern rangers were all blocking the street.

"What happened?"

Kant frowned. He saw that Firentis and Ma Nide were also standing there.

They were all looking outside, full of vigor.

"Are there really sand gazelles migrating? How can there be such creatures migrating in this damned place?"

Kant was helpless. His curiosity was piqued and he quickly walked over.

The Nahrin Desert did not have the rich vegetation resources of the Senwaya Range, nor did it have the streams and water pools that were commonly seen in the Senwaya Range. It was not a place where creatures like the sand gazelles lived.

Sand gazelles. Despite their name, it was not like they could really live in the desert.

They could only adapt very slightly to the desert environment.

Rather, compared to other creatures, they had evolved their own way of living in the desert.

"Lord Kant, you're here."

Ma Nide heard footsteps behind him and turned his head to see Kant walking over quickly.

With a smile on his face, he said to Kant in surprise, "I didn't expect the Oasis Lookout to be part of the sand gazelles' migration route. In the future, we can hunt these gazelles for food, and their hide for leather products."

"Are there really sand gazelles?" Kant was slightly stunned.

Firentis also nodded affirmatively and pointed outside. "There are many, my lord."

The other soldiers also saw Kant walking over and bowed their heads respectfully. At the same time, they gave him a path to the outside so that Kant could see for himself in front.

"I see." Kant nodded in response.

Walking forward, the newly appeared small lake was sparkling. His eyes looked at the lake to the west, and then they widened as if he had discovered a new continent. "This... There are so many?!" He could not help but exclaim.

What they said was that there were sand gazelles migrating. From Kant's point of view, it was not just a lot.

It was an overwhelming number!

Thousands of sand gazelles were gathering and sticking their heads out to drink from the lake.

They were orderly and vigilant. Many sand gazelles were poking their heads out of the lake to look in the direction of Drondheim. Their eyes, dark as black pearls, did not allow strangers into their depths.

Their small bodies were vigorous and agile.

Tufts of black hair cut across their necks from the top of their heads to the end of their backs. Among the pale yellow fur on their bodies, they looked like a long black line, adding to the spirituality of the little thing.

There were also two long horns that were spiraling slightly above their heads, like sharp swords that pierced through the sky.

"How did they appear here?"

Kant swallowed, the shock disappearing from his expression..

Firentis said from behind, "We found them when we were patrolling this morning. They came from the Senwaya Range, and it wasn't just this herd. Many herds of sand gazelles had passed before, but they weren't as numerous as this herd. "

"I know they came from the Senwaya Range."

Kant nodded. He had known this since he was young. The sand gazelles in the Senwaya Range was a delicacy on the plates of noble families.

But looking at the sand gazelle in front of him, he could not help but ask, "I want to know why they went to the depths of the desert. Is there something in the depths of the desert that attracts them?"

A herd of cute little things risking their lives to enter the desert was unusual.

The surrounding soldiers frowned slightly. They did not understand either.

"I may have an idea. "

Ma Nide suddenly spoke. His tone was slightly hesitant, but after some thought, he still asked Kant, "I remember that you once talked about the sand gazelles in the Senwaya Range. At the end of the month, even the most outstanding hunter of the Dukedom of Leo would find it difficult to catch one during this time, right?"

"That's right. Everyone in the Dukedom of Leo knows about it." Kant nodded.

This interesting matter was recorded in some books, but they did not take it seriously. After all, there were a few days a month when they could not eat the sand gazelle meat, so it did not matter too much.

But who would have thought that these sand gazelles would actually appear here?

This made Kant curious.

Ma Nide continued, "Moreover, in the ruins of the Jackalan Tribe, we once found burnt dried meat, which were all made of these sand gazelle. At the same time, I remember that your first battle in the Nahrin Desert was to kill the hunting team of the Little Jackalan Tribe that originally occupied the Oasis Lookout."

"Yes, that's right. It's true." Kant frowned, and the image of that time appeared in his mind.

In his memory, he seemed to have arrived at the Oasis Lookout at the end of the month. With this thought in mind, Kant understood. "You mean to say that, in the last week of the month, there will be sand gazelles migrating near Oasis Lookout? "

"That's right." Ma Nide nodded slightly. "It's very simple, then. Perhaps there is something in the Nahrin desert that is attracting these sand gazelles, even if it they have to risk their lives to go in. "

Kant frowned slightly.

Firentis and the other soldiers who surrounded them were all staring at them in a daze.

Obviously, they had not reacted yet.

Looking at the puzzled gazes around him, Ma Nide said with certainty, "It's salt. "

"Salt?" The surrounding soldiers were still in a daze.

They were all model warriors. If they were asked for a way to kill the enemy in the shortest time, then they would be able to come up with seven or eight of the most effective ways instantly.

But this kind of question was obviously difficult for them to deal with.

Kant opened his mouth, and his furrowed brows slightly relaxed. "You're referring to the natural salt mines? If that's the case, then maybe you're right."

"That's right. This is the most reasonable explanation." Ma nide nodded.

At the same time, he also explained to Firentis and the other soldiers, "The sand gazelles should be similar to those creatures in the Salander Desert. They have a lot of vigor and so they need to replenish a lot of salt. Therefore, they need to migrate to the salt mines in the depths of the desert to restore their salt levels, and they will use the water source of the Oasis Lookout as a transit station."

Ma Nide said, "This is also the reason why the Jackalan Tribe would have the dried meat of the sand gazelle. There are the carcasses of the sand gazelle in the salt mines and here in the Oasis Lookout as well, which was once occupied by the Jackalan Tribe. "

"I see." The surrounding soldiers suddenly understood.

Ma Nide chuckled and said, "Lord Kant, perhaps this is a good opportunity to stock up on food."

"Of course." Kant also smiled and nodded.

He waved at the Ravenstern Rangers behind him. He pointed at the sand gazelles and asked, "Can you help me set aside some of the gazelles? Fresh gazelle meat is better than dried meat, after all."

Chapter 74: Needlegrass Meadows Acquirerd

There were so many gazelles. It would be a pity if they did not set aside a few to eat.

Just as well, Kant had with him the Ravenstern Rangers who boasted excellent archery skills. After all, they were a Level 5 troop, so hunting these little cuties would be a piece of cake.

"Easy enough. "

The 20 Ravenstern Rangers nodded, their expressions unchanging.

The lake was only 30 meters wide—more accurately, it should be called a pond—and it could not pose much of a hindrance to the heavy bows in their hands. The gazelles were also gathered in a dense herd, so there was also no need to carefully take aim before firing, like in a jungle hunt.

One after the other, they raised their heavy bows, the bowstring and bow arm stretched out in a beautiful arc.

They loaded a special high-grade cone arrow...

Took aim calmly...

At the target from afar.

The Ravenstern Rangers released their grip on the arrow. The accumulated power of the bow arm was instantly converted into kinetic energy for the arrow, and the bowstring vibrated ceaselessly, firing out cone arrows.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh—

The cone arrows streaked through the air, shuttling through space like a flash of lightning.

Not far away from the pond, blood splattered everywhere.

The 20 gazelles that were still drinking by the lake collapsed instantly. Their eyes, which were bright like black pearls, had completely lost their luster.

That was because the arrowheads had already pierced through their eyes.

The arrows had violently destroyed their eyes, hard arrowheads piercing deep into their skulls and crushing their brains. They pierced through their tilted skulls, dragging out white brain matter and bright red blood.

The gazelles fell, dyeing the lake water red.

All of this happened in a single moment.

The other gazelles barely had time to react. What had happened?

"Baa Baa Baa... "

Only a few of the surrounding gazelles moved aside. They looked at the other gazelle companions lying on the ground by the lake, puzzled, and they only understood when they smelled the blood. The bleats tore their throats as they jumped and ran, and all of them scattered into the depths of the desert.

These small creatures were extremely vigilant creatures. It was instinct to escape.

"My lord, it's settled. "

The Ravenstern Ranger put away his heavy bow. There was a calm look on his face.

This was par for the course to them. It was just a hunt, and there was nothing to be proud of.

However, Kant smiled and nodded. "Thank you for your hard work."

At the same time, he turned his head and instructed the other soldiers behind him, "Round up the gazelles quickly. I think we'll be able to have roasted sheep by noon!"

"Yes, sir! " More than a dozen Swadian Footmen immediately ran across the lake.

There was nothing that could not be solved with a barbeque.

Even if there were, sprinkling some spices would do the trick. And if there were no spices, salt would do.

This was a delicacy from a non-modern era. It was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and one would have their mouth full of oily, roasted mutton. It could be served as the main dish for a national banquet. As long as it was dipped in white salt, it would be enough to satisfy one's appetite, even without spices.

Kant, who had eaten enough air-dried meat, could not stop himself from this fresh red meat.

The soldiers were also delighted.

They shared Kant's sentiments. Even if there was no roasted mutton, the taste of simply stewing mutton was equally splendid.

Especially fresh meat soup. Add a bit of chopped cabbage and date palms, and then add some flour after boiling for a period of time, to form a thick soup. Paired with bread, it tasted far better than air-dried meat made into a thick soup.

The dialog box appeared again on their retina.

Ding! A side quest has appeared.

Side quest: Hunt 50 gazelles.

Reward: One acre of Needlegrass Meadow.

Brief: How can you refuse such food this mouth-watering when you lack red meat? This is a good time to hunt. If you can hunt 50 gazelles, then there will be a bountiful reward waiting for you.

Kant was stunned as he took in the sudden mission that had appeared on his retina.

"Hunt 50 sand gazelles... "

He repeated the quest and reward, "One acre of Needlegrass Meadow?"

Subconsciously, he redirected his stunned gaze to the gazelles that were fleeing in the distance. It was only then that Kant realized those little guys had already drunk enough water and continued to move towards the depths of the desert.

In a moment, the thousands of gazelles disappeared among the dunes in the vast sea of sand.

"This..." Kant felt a little helpless.

But before he could say anything, the Swadian footman on guard duty on the Watchtower behind him waved at the ground and shouted, "Heads up, there's another batch of gazelles! "

Kant raised his eyebrows and waved his hand without hesitation. He said, "I need you to set aside 50 gazelles! "

"Understood, my lord."

The 20 Ravenstern Rangers behind him still looked calm.

They drew their arrows from the quivers they had tied around their waist and gently loaded it onto their bows, and then turned their heads to look at the large group of gazelles that had appeared at the dune in the south. There was no pity in their eyes.

They were hunters from the Ravenstern Kingdom, and so they were the best of hunters.

"Baa baa baa... "

The gazelles trudging through the Senwaya range were quite tired.

They whispered to each other and went to the lakeside to drink water. It was obvious they did not understand why the small oasis spring water had become so large.

But they did not care.

In the past, when the gazelles came here, the Jackalans would also be here to hunt.

The frail and weak gazelles would die at the end of each month during their migration.

The Senwaya Range stretched for thousands of miles and was so nebulous it could even obstruct the Nahrin Desert. Even then, the sheer number of gazelles living within it was overwhelming, and so the monthly loss of thousands of gazelles was completely acceptable.

Rather, this was also some sort of natural selection.

Gazelles subsisted on salt.

Once a month, the gazelles in the Senwaya Range would come to the Oasis Lookout in batches and head to the natural salt mine.

In fact, these gazelle did not come every month.

Instead, these gazelles came from different herds and different mountain areas, across 12 months. Every month, gazelles from a certain mountainous area would begin to migrate. Just as they had agreed, this dangerous but necessary migration for salt would commence.

Obviously, Kant did not know.

As the 20 Ravenstern Rangers drew their arrows and fired, 50 gazelles immediately fell to the ground.

All of them were shot in the eyes and not a single one bore damages to their fur.

If possible, these gazelles could be skinned for their hide that could be made into leather products. Skilled craftsmen could go one step further and use these soft gazelle hides to make warm and waterproof fur coats. These were also clothes that the noble sought.

Ding! After your unflagging efforts, the hunt has been completed.

Sudden mission: Gazelle Hunt has been completed.

Reward acquired: One acre of Needlegrass Meadow

Brief: There is nothing like fresh red meat to reward soldiers. When you obtain these needlegrass meadows, you must know that they are also the best green fodder for livestock. Remember to reward your warhorses as well. Perhaps you'll be able to raise some other livestock.

The system dialog box also gave him a hint.

In Kant's mind, the five acres of land marked out as "needlegrass meadow" also appeared in the form of a card.

The lush vegetation grew luxuriously on the sandy land.

Needlegrass was the easiest of the herb to ensure survival for on the sandy land. It was a medium-quality forage grass, and could quickly take root and sprout as long as there was water. It could be used to feed livestock all year round to sate their hunger.

Ding! System prompt.

Needlegrass: In the early days of its life, this plant makes for good feed for livestock. Its stem leaves are tough, long and smooth. It is a very useful fibrous plant for making paper and rayon. It can also be used for weaving baskets, grass curtains, brooms, and the like. Its leaves become extremely tough after soaking in water, and they can be used as grass rope. It can also be used to improve alkaline land, protect water channels, and maintaining water and soil.

The system explained the function of this herb.

Most importantly, it solved a huge problem that Kant was currently facing.

The problem of horse feed!

"We'll be making the most of this, since the warhorses can consume this as well. "

Kant smiled. The one problem that had been weighing on his heart was now resolved.

Although the nutritional value of this green feed was not very high, they could remedy this with a bit of breadcrumbs, date palms, and minced gazelle meat. It would then be completely possible for these tall and big warhorses of the Swadia army to be fed food that were high in nutrition calories, and thus gain an abundance of physical strength.

The effect would only be amplified if they threw the nutrient-rich alfalfa grass into the mix!

"Things are already pretty good now."

Kant was satisfied, and he cast his gaze towards the lake.

He was deep in thought, especially about the vast flat land of sand on the west side of the lake. He also had some idea of what to do with the acre of needlegrass meadow.

"Use it. "

His mind connected to the system, and the card in Kant's mind instantly disappeared.

The data spread.

From the south to the north, on the west side of the 80 by 30 meters lake, large areas of vegetation began to appear.

The sandy layer had turned into sandy land.

Although it was still barren, at least there was soil that could allow the vegetation to grow.

Lush needlegrass began to appear, sprouting and sprouting. In an extremely short time, it appeared at the lakeside in full. The acre of land was even larger. Green filled the expanse from south to north, and there was a scattering of slightly bright flower stamens everywhere.

These were all ready-made grass meadows which could immediately be harvested or grazed on.

Even when the needlegrass meadow appeared, a few small birds, which had already existed in the Oasis Lookout, flapped their wings and flew over from the date palm jungle. They stared curiously at the lush grass meadows with their small eyes.

Chapter 75: Requirements to Level Up

The needlegrass meadow was quite lush.

The entire west side of the lake had been occupied by the stubborn vegetation that grows on the sandy land.

There were even quite a number gazelles that were on their own. They looked like they had stumbled upon a whole new world when they saw the grass between the dune in the distance. In a split second, they burrowed into the needlegrass meadow and disappeared within the acre of land.

It was obvious that these sand gazelles, in a panic and not knowing where to go, treated the needlegrass like a meadow within which they could hide from hunters.

"They're so foolish it's adorable."

Kant shook his head and smiled helplessly at these little cuties.

If they were really treating the acre of needlegrass as a hideout that could save their lives, then they were like sheep walking towards a tiger, pointlessly offering up their tiny bodies for burial within.

But as Kant thought of this, an idea flashed through his mind.

He turned his head to look at Ma Nide and asked, "Can we tame them? "

"The sand gazelles?" Ma Nide's tone reflected his doubt.

"Yes. They look tameable." Kant nodded.

Ma Nide hesitated, but he still shrugged and said, "My lord, although sand gazelles are indeed tameable, there is little value to taming them. Why don't we just buy some sheep or goats to raise? The wool, sheepskin, mutton, and goat milk produced, they're all much better than what we'll get by simply taming these sand gazelles for food. "

"Is that so?" Kant paused and smiled ruefully.

Ma Nide was right.

Sand gazelles were wild animals. Aside from the fact that they were difficult to domesticate, the value of domesticated gazelles on their own was not much.

This kind of gazelle that lived at the edge of the desert was not as valuable as goats and sheep. One could not gather wool from it, and it could not be milked to make cheese. Unless it was killed for meat or for its hide, either of which would be of a little value.

In short, they made for good prey, and there was no need to tame it.

"It's a new week, let's get moving. "

Kant clapped his hands and signaled for the soldiers gathered at the street corner to disperse.

But as he looked at the sand gazelles that they had brought over and piled up beside where they stored their spices, Kant still instructed, "Skin them. We'll feast on the fresh meat today, and if we can't, then we'll let it dry into air-dried meat."

"Yes, my Lord." The soldiers behind nodded.

The soldiers surrounding the street dispersed and continued with their own matters, allowing Drondheim to resume its work.

At the dune, another batch of sand gazelles arrived.

However, it was a relatively small batch this time. There were only about 500 of them, which could be considered a small herd of gazelles.

Kant did not order the hunt either.

Right now, Drondheim had no lack of food. In total, there were only about 100 people. Even if there was an unlimited supply of food, they could eat until they were full every meal. The bread, dried meat, flour, and other reserve foods that they currently had could feed them for a month.

Moreover, at the end of every month, there would be new sand gazelles arriving.

Kant did the math. "If this is how it is, then we should get around to forming a trade caravan as soon as possible. "

Forming a trade caravan was one of Kant's current strategic goals.

It was obviously irrational to spend precious Denar and rely on system merchants to purchase certain materials.

After all, relying on a country like the Dukedom of Leo that was rich in resources was better. Some of the higher-priced food and tools sold by system merchants, for example, were extremely cheap in the markets of the Dukedom of Leo.

Here was the most typical example of all.

The system merchants sold tools, such as axes and hoes, for a total of 100 Denar.

This amount of money was almost on par with how much it cost for a Swadian Knight to level up, which was 120 Denar. One would only have to think about it briefly to realize that this was not cost-effective at all, and that it was better to spend a few silver coins to buy a dozen or so tools.

As for a precious trade item like table salt, there was no issue in exchanging one bag of it for hundreds of tools.

Kant was thinking.

The system dialog box appeared on his retina.

Ding! A new week has begun, following the sunrise.

Income: You have collected 0 Denar(s) worth of taxes in Drondheim (village).

Expenditure: You have paid 2,186 Denar(s) of wages to the entire army.

Summary of finances: Currently, there are no civilian, merchant, or factory taxes imposed in Drondheim. There is no income. The main expenditures were: 369 Swadian footmen, 1472 Swadian heavy cavalry, 145 Denar for Sarrandian Horsemen, 100 Denar for Firentis, and 100 Denar for Ma Nide.

This was the financial report that appeared early Monday morning.

Kant glanced at the numbers on it and his expression was calm.

He had long been mentally prepared for this.

Drondheim was currently relying solely on the help of the system, and this was how they had been able to hold on until now.

Moreover, the population had all been converted into soldiers for combat. The overall development model was also based on military priorities. If one wanted to build factories and carry out commercial activities, at the very least, they would have to wait for Drondheim to develop further.

Just like now, Drondheim could continue to level up.

"Remember, I still have a level up card."

Kant did the math.

This was the reward from the mission that he had obtained after helping the system absorb the strange items.

Looking at the Golden Card floating in his mind, Kant's mind contact system silently said, "Use."

Ding! System prompt.

Unable to raise the level of the village. Please construct all buildings needed for the village to level up in time. The village can only level-up after construction is complete. Remark: Please base your consideration of the number of houses to be built upon the subsequent upgrade.

The system spat out a dialog box.

The golden card in his mind did not disappear. On the contrary, it was still floating in Kant's mind.

Looking at the introduction, Kant frowned. "Build all the buildings needed for the village to level-up? "

As Kant let himself think, a dialog box appeared on his retina again. It was the existing buildings in Drondheim, as well as the buildings that had yet been built and the construction pack.

Constructions available: Council Hall, House (6 buildings), Watchtower, Desert Bandits' camp, grocery store, sugar mill, training ground.

Constructions available: House, City Wall, Mill, Well.

Construction Pack: Posthouse, Stone City Wall.

Kant understood.

"City wall, mill, and well? "

He spoke softly, but his brows were slightly furrowed.

The reason why he did not build these three buildings was that they were currently useless in Drondheim. Even if they were built, it would only be a waste of time and Denar.

An introduction of the building popped up on his retina.

Mill: Agricultural Building. It can be divided into wind and hydraulic power. It can grind barley and other grains to produce flour. Construction takes 14 days, at a cost of 200 Denar.

City Wall: Military Building. Stones are piled up into half a meter and then surround the village. The purpose is to prevent poultry from running into the wild, not to defend against the enemy. Construction takes seven days, at a cost of 100 Denar.

Well: A civilian building built by digging the ground. There needs to be a water vein underground, otherwise the dug well will not produce water. Construction takes seven days, at a cost of 100 Denar.

Kant was still helpless.

His wheat field had not been harvested yet, so it was useless to build a mill so early.

The half-meter-high city wall could only stop the livestock from running into the wild.

As for the well..

Kant currently had spring water and lake water. This thing was practically useless, and he would only be wasting his energy if he constructed it.

Were they a village situated amidst the area ravaged by the tribe of Jackalans, Kant might have been able to build a well. But in the Oasis Lookout, one would have to be exceedingly naive to build a well in an area with abundant water.

"Hang on... " But Kant was slightly stunned.

His mind was wandering as he looked at the posthouse of the construction pack. He suddenly had a bold idea.

The posthouse was the transit station between the Oasis Lookout and the Senwaya Range.

If the table salt trade started, Kant planned to build a posthouse midway and arrange for some soldiers and peasant to be stationed there to provide some services for the trade caravan between the two places.

This included fresh water and accommodation.

Kant's previous idea was to use a water sack to transport the water, but now it seemed that it did not need to be so troublesome.

"System, build a posthouse. Can we build a well next to it?"

Kant's thought communication system inquired.

"Yes." The system's answer was still straightforward. "As long as there is a water vein underground, we can build a well."

"Okay."

Kant nodded his head lightly, his eyes twinkling.

If that was the case, then the well was not that useless. If it was well-matched with the posthouse, it could definitely become the next village gathering point. It was also, to a certain extent, Kant's bridgehead to the Dukedom of Leo, an observation outpost.

Chapter 76: Preparation Before Leaving

In order to bring the village to a higher level, Kant would not hesitate.

At present, only three more buildings were needed for the system upgrade. They could be built with only 400 Denars. It was not expensive, but Kant was worried about the construction time.

The construction of the mill required 200 Denars and took 14 days.

The construction of the city wall required 100 Denars and took 7 days.

The construction of the well required 100 Denars and took 7 days.

if his calculation was right, 28 days would be wasted, and that's almost a month.

Although it was much faster than real construction, Kant could not wait.

Kant intended to put the table salt trade, which could bring huge profit, on the agenda before the end of the last week of this month. It would be best if the candidate for the sales agent could be confirmed so that the trade could start directly.

The other trade between the Oasis Lookout and the Lion Kingdom would also be opened after the table salt trade.

This had a huge impact on development.

That was why Kant was not happy about the 28 days, and he wouldn't allow it.

"System, is there any way to quickly build a building? "

Kant's thought contacted the system.

If he did not understand anything, he would just ask. The system would give the most reasonable explanation for this kind of question regarding the system.

Soon, the system replied.

"100 reputation points can reduce construction time by one day. "

The system also offered another method, "Many buildings can be built at the same time. For each additional building, an additional 100 Denars will be charged as the cost of labor. "

"Huh? " Kant was stunned.

Of course, he knew the method of using reputation points to build.

Wasting the hard-earned reputation points to reduce the construction time was obviously not cost-effective at all. After all, he had worked so hard, but his reputation points were only a little over a thousand now, and that was only enough to reduce the construction time by ten days.

What he found heart-stirring was the second method given by the system.

"Construct more buildings at the same time. "

Kant muttered to himself, "So, for every additional building, an additional 100 Denars of labor cost is charged? "

"That's right, " the system quickly replied.

"Oh. " Kant raised his eyebrows.

The corners of his mouth curled up into a smile as he scanned how much Denars he had in his mind. His heart swelled with pride, "It's no big deal! "

Reward: 10,000 Denars for completing the Main Quest.

Reward: 5,000 Denars for completing the Special Quest.

In addition to the 1,000 Denars he previously had, Kant's savings had soared to 16,000 Denars.

Even though he had spent 2,186 Denars on military expenses this morning, he still had 10,000 plus Denars left.

Three buildings with an additional 100 Denars?

That'd only cost 700 Denars in total. It was really a piece of cake!

"Build the buildings. "

Kant communicated with the system in his mind. At the same time, he set up the mill at the empty desert on the east side of the spring water.

The mill was useless at the moment, but it could be used as a warehouse.

Once there was a good harvest of barley, and when Kant also bought all kinds of grains from the Lion Kingdom, the mill could be put into use. The empty desert in the surroundings could be used as an open-air warehouse temporarily, killing two birds with one stone.

Kant thought about the city wall carefully.

Although this half-meter-tall building was defined as military construction, it had no use to Kant at the moment.

They were in the Nahrin Desert.

It was not an area that had lots of natural resources or a forest with a complicated environment.

There were no ferocious carnivores.

There were no thieves or burglars.

Most importantly, Kant did not have much livestock.

The warhorses had already recognized their owner and would only stay close to the Swadian cavalry. Even if their owner died on the battlefield, they would not leave the battlefield too far without anyone controlling them.

"But... This would work."

Shaking his head helplessly, Kant discovered the function of the city wall.

Through the communication system in his mind, Kant confirmed to start the construction of the city wall, "Build the city wall around the 7.5 acres of barley fields and the 2 acres of date palm jungle. I don't want those desert gazelle that would appear nearby at any time to enter. "

[ Building the mill costs 200 Denars. It will take 14 days. ]

[ Construction of the city wall costs 100 Denars. It will take 7 days. ]

[ Due to the simultaneous construction of multiple buildings, you will need to pay an additional 200 Denars. ]

Dialog boxes appeared on Kant's retina.

"Confirmed. "

Kant frowned but did not mind.

He looked at the construction time for the mill. 14 days were equal to two weeks. The construction time made him hesitate for a moment, but he still made up his mind and said, "I will spend 700 reputation points to reduce the construction time of the mill by 7 days. "

[ Ding... System's notification ]

[ You have used 700 reputation points. The mill's construction time has been reduced by 7 days. ]

He needed all the buildings to be completed by the end of this week.

It was time to bring the village to the next level.

Kant speculated that after the village being leveled up, two choices would appear.

One was a military "Fortress", and the subsequent level up in the game would be "Castle".

The second one was "Town" the represented economy, and the next level up in the game was "City".

Of course, Kant would choose to build Drondheim according to the castle interface.

If he didn't have sufficient military force and defense capability, he wouldn't be able to keep a foothold in this area. No matter how prosperous Kant's city was, it would only benefit other parties in the end.

Power came from the barrel of a gun.

Kant would not forget this saying and did not dare to be careless.

At this moment, a large number of construction workers appeared behind the dune. There were 200 of them in total. Besides, 10 carriages that accompanied them were filled with various construction materials.

They were heading toward the Oasis Lookout.

The leader of the caravan was the construction coordinator who had left after building the house in seven days.

Now the chubby coordinator was all smiles. He thought that nothing would go wrong sucking up to the Lord. It had not been long since he left, and now there were already new orders and missions for him. It really made him happy.

Especially when he thought that he could make a fortune this time, happiness was written all over his face.

Kant also noticed them.

He walked over and chatted with the construction coordinator. Since they were all acquaintances, he did not ask too many questions.

These construction workers' craftsmanship had left a good impression on Kant.

Now, other important matters were waiting for him to deal with.

For example, the table salt trade, and the construction of the posthouse and well.

"Go and tell Manid and Firentis to see me. "

Returning to the Council Hall, Kant casually ordered.

"Yes, sir. " A member of the heavy Swadian cavalry, who was in charge of standing guard, immediately responded and left quickly to search for the two targets.

Soon, the two arrived at the Council Hall.

"My Lord."

Manid and Firentis respectfully placed their hands on their chests and saluted.

"Have a seat." Kant gestured and went straight to the point. He said, "Now that the development of the Oasis Lookout has basically come to an end, I plan to go to the Lion Kingdom. Manid, you will go with me. Firentis, you will stay behind and be in charge of guarding this place."

"Yes, my Lord. " Firentis immediately nodded.

However, Manid frowned and asked Kant, "My Lord, isn't this too impatient? After all, we haven't started producing table salt yet. At the very least, we have to do a background check on the candidates for sales agents. "

"Candidates? "

Kant's lip quirked upwards in one corner. After living in the Lion Kingdom for 16 years, he was not completely ignorant.

Letting out a breath, he looked at Manid casually and said, "I have a candidate in mind. As long as you can make him understand what profit means and persuade him to work closely with us. "

"I will do as you say, my Lord. " Manid nodded.

"Very good. " Kant smiled.

The Senwaya Range, which separated the Nahrin Desert from the Lion Kingdom, was not completely impassable. There was a gap in it. It was the passage that the Jackalan tribes in the desert used to enter the Lion Kingdom. It was also the only passage that connected the two places.

Now, of course, the Lion Kingdom had built a fortress to defend the gap in the mountain range.

The Stone Pass.

The name meant that the fortress was as solid as stones, firmly guarding the pass.

It had not been built for long, its construction started 10 years ago to defend against the Jackalan. Its function was just like its name, guarding the passage like a solid stone. Even the Jackalan tribes that were scattered on the Senwaya Range could not casually pass through the gap in the mountain range to travel between the Nahrin Desert and the Lion Kingdom's mountain range like they used to.

However, Kant knew better that the baron who was responsible for guarding this pass was also a little short on cash...

Chapter 77: Memories of the Lion Kingdom

Nevertheless, Kant had to be prepared.

Kant never took his safety for granted.

"I will lead the team on this mission."

Kant's fingers gently knocked at the table.

However, his brows were furrowed. After pausing for a moment, he said, "The five Sarrandian Horsemen and the 10 Desert Bandits that we currently have will come with us to the Stone Pass to protect us."

"Alright." Manid nodded. He would follow the Lord's arrangements when it came to military matters which he was terrible at.

On the other hand, Firentis frowned, he was worried. He suggested to Kant, "Lord, aren't you going to bring along more people."

"There's no need." Kant smiled and said, "We have enough manpower."

The nobles of the Dukedom of Leo would not allow a large unfamiliar troop to appear in their territory. In Kant's impression, the baron at the Stone Pass was a new baron who was granted knighthood after performing meritorious deeds in a battle. However, compared to those experienced nobles who knew how to endure and compromise, he was more impulsive and overzealous when it came to defending his territory.

"Noble boor." Kant shook his head helplessly, but there was a hint of mockery at the corner of his mouth.

It was a very derisive term given by the Dukedom of Leo to those who did not have a noble background and only knew how to fight and kill to obtain military achievements. It was the same term used for merchants who donated money to obtain noble status.

Without the so-called noble heritage, the background that was built upon the marriages among the nobles, one would not be truly accepted into the noble circle.

Actually, this did not just only happen in the Dukedom of Leo. The other human kingdoms had a similar situation.

"Should we bring the Swadian Heavy Cavalry? "

Firentis was still trying to persuade him, "The members of the elite heavy cavalry, even if there are only ten of them, will still deter those who harbor ill intentions. "

"Even so, it is too ostentatious."

Kant shook his head. He glanced at the two members of the Swadian Heavy Cavalry who were standing guard at the door and sighed in his heart.

The heavy cavalry was indeed an elite force.

They had flat-top helmets that covered their faces. Each of them wore a chain mail armor made of iron plates and thin rings, a linen robe on the outside, and a gray cloak that hung down to their calves. Besides, they also had lock gloves, leather boots that were inlaid with iron, and a spiked war hammer that hung from their belts. The cavalry's shield under the cloak and the cavalry's lance, which was held tightly with one hand and stood on the ground, were like a bright lamp in the night.

The outfit was way too eye-catching!

Moreover, even the military horses under the cavalry were covered in mail armor and linen coats. They made a rustling sound when they walked. They looked like steel puppets and this added to the visual impact of these heavy cavalry soldiers.

This set of equipment and attire was good enough even if they were compared to the Dukedom of Leo's elite order of battle.

Only the knights who were in the noble families' reserve forces were allowed to have this kind of equipment.

Captain Rowan, who escorted Kant, and the 19 cavalry soldiers under him were only wearing chain mail armor, and that was only because they were Cameron, the Duke of Leo's household cavalry.

The ordinary cavalry could only wear mail armor made of iron rings.

"We are there to start a trade."

Kant shook his head and sighed. "It's not good to be too ostentatious. "

Firentis understood Kant's concern and could only nod, "It's a pity."

However, if he thought about it really carefully, the Sarrandian Horsemen was also a Class 4 troop, their combat strength would not be too bad. There would be no problem for them to lead the 10 Desert Bandits to protect Kant and Manid.

They would encounter any enemies in the Nahrin Desert.

The most important function of the guards was to intimidate those who harbored ill intentions when they arrived at the pass.

For example, the ubiquitous thieves, burglars, or those bandits who dared to appear in the wild to rob houses. In fact, the Dukedom of Leo had not been a safe place because of the war that had been raging on for years.

Due to the Stone Pass' proximity to the Senwaya Range, there were many demonized creatures and Jackalan tribes, the public security was even worse.

Even in the villages under their jurisdiction, the farmers sometimes rob too.

When they had jobs and farm work to do, they were well-behaved peasants. Once they didn't have any jobs, and during the farm slack season, to provide for their family or to make a small fortune, they would form groups and become the outlaws. It was a common phenomenon.

And there was a reason for this.

The Dukedom of Leo was divided into three counties, the North, the South, and the East County. The North County, where the pass was located, was the poorest.

Although the Senwaya Range acted as a barrier, the heat of the Nahrin Desert still had an impact.

The land in North County was relatively barren, and it was also slightly desertized. Only to the south and across the plains behind the Mountain of Leo, there was the most fertile land in the country as it was close to the Resniston River and a vast swamp lake. It was responsible for 50% of the country's grain production and was in the South County which was directly under the reign of Cameron, Duke of Leo.

The East County was under the Countess Aishara's jurisdiction. Although she was Kant's aunt and Cameron's cousin, they were estranged and did not stay in touch.

Thinking of this, Kant came back to his senses.

Firentis and Manid were still quietly discussing the safety issues with each other.

Kant couldn't help but laugh at himself, "You are just overthinking. "

The purpose of this trip to the Stone Pass was only to explore the route. He had no intention of going deep into the Dukedom of Leo.

Not even in the future.

As long as Kant found the sales agent he wanted and handed everything over to him, the interests of the Dukedom of Leo would have nothing to do with Kant himself. He was only responsible for delivering the goods and not getting involved in the maelstrom that would eat people alive.

Kant was very clear about it.

He was also testing the bottom line of the Dukedom of Leo.

He would use the table salt trade and his contact with the Stone Pass to test how the noble families would view him after he chose to leave the Castle of Leo and exiled himself to the Nahrin Desert. What would they think of someone who survived the desert and was lucky enough to obtain a natural salt mine?

Venturing into the heart of the Dukedom of Leo?

Kant would not do that.

He was not stupid.

Before leaving, Kant also made some arrangements for the few government affairs of the Oasis Lookout.

He inspected the construction site and the deployment of the troops.

After everything was settled, he was relieved to hand over the authority of the Oasis Lookout to Firentis.

Kant put a lot of trust in this Swadian Knight and had never doubted his ability.

Kant did not doubt the troops and generals that the system recruited.

However, these people who came into the system had their own emotions and wisdom. They were all very much alive. Although they were absolutely loyal to Kant, they had to be assigned carefully because they had very different abilities.

For example, if a careless person was given an important position of a night sentry; if a weak and incompetent soldier was assigned to be the vanguard in a war which was the most important position; if two people who had conflicts and secretly hated each other would be assigned to work together on a mission, it would be a wonder if they didn't fail to fulfill their duties!

The game had already clearly illustrated this issue. It was just like if two generals, who didn't have the same personalities or didn't like each other, were forced to work together, within a few days, one of them would choose to leave the team.

This was Kant's worry.

Fortunately, the soldiers he had now were all leveled up through blood and fire, and they were all cold and strong warriors.

Firentis and Manid were also friends with similar personalities.

Kant was thus relieved.

Since there was nothing to do in the afternoon, Kant spent 300 Denars to recruit 10 Desert Bandits in the Desert Bandits' Camp, this week's quota. At the same time, he assigned five higher-level Sarrandian Horsemen to lead them to familiarize themselves with the environment.

And the reward, 10 uni-humped camels, were also materialized by Kant.

These camels were the main force of the table salt trade in the future.

They would also contribute to supplying raw materials to the Oasis Lookout. They were the most important means of transportation to bring the raw coarse salt from the salt mine in the Nahrin desert and the charcoal from the Senwaya Range under the hot temperature.

The camels were given the title, the Boat of the Desert, for a reason.

Everything was ready.

They would take off the next day.

Chapter 78: Another Journey in the Desert

The next day, at dawn.

Kant had finished his breakfast and packed his luggage. He walked to the street corner.

Manid was waiting for him.

Five Sarrandian Horsemen wearing chain mail armor and linen robes were also waiting, followed by ten Desert Bandits who were wearing leather armor and holding spears. However, their rebellious appearance was constrained by the Sarrandian Horsemen.

That was the difference between soldiers and bandits.

Although the Desert Bandits were fearless, they were still inferior to the well-equipped and skilled Sarrandian Horsemen.

Both of them were light cavalry, but they had completely different roles.

The role of the Desert Bandits was to disrupt the enemy's infantry formation or to attack the enemy's supply line with their desert horses' high mobility and their short javelins. Their goal was to cause a psychological blow to the enemy instead of fighting head-on.

The thin leather armor on their bodies was not enough to protect them during the violent close-quarter fighting after charging.

The Sarrandian horsemen were the main attacking force, they were able to completely destruct the enemy's formation. Although they were no match to the Swadian Heavy Cavalry, they were still very powerful.

"Looks like you guys are all ready."

Kant said while looking at them and nodding with satisfaction, "Then let's set off as soon as possible."

"Understood, " Manid and the others replied.

"Have a safe journey, my Lord. "

Firentis and the soldiers in the Oasis Lookout who did not have important guard duty came to bid farewell to Kant. Even the 200 construction workers were reluctant to part with him.

Kant was, after all, the Lord of the Oasis Lookout. He was a majestic existence in their hearts.

"Alright then."

Kant waved his hand and urged his horse forward with a spur.

Manid also cracked his whip and followed.

The five Sarrandian Horsemen and the ten Desert Bandits followed them at a relaxed pace. They were vigilant, they scanned through the surrounding dune and were constantly on the lookout for any abnormalities.

As guards, they were much more serious than Rowan and his men who were in charge of escorting Kant.

The horses' hoofs clattered.

A Sarrandian Horseman led the way.

These desert clansmen were very experienced in dealing with the Nahrin Desert.

They were moving forward along the edge of the dune at a very fast speed.

"This is the feeling. "

Kant tightened the hood on his head. The scorching sun made him sweat profusely, especially since it was almost noon.

However, this reminded Kant of the pain he had suffered when he first left the Stone Pass and came to the Nahrin Desert. Thinking about the foundation he had built in the Oasis Lookout, all sorts of feelings surfaced in his mind at that moment.

It was very difficult to start up a business, not to mention a business in the desert. It was like walking in the fire.

"My Lord, it's almost noon. Let's get to the back of a dune and rest for a while."

The Sarrandian Horseman who was leading the way held his Sarrandian horse and slowed down beside Kant. Looking at the endless sea of sand in front of him, he advised, "We cannot only focus on the speed when marching in the desert."

"I understand." Kant nodded. He instinctively licked his dry lips and said, "I'll listen to you. Set up a tent and rest."

"Yes, sir."

The Sarrandian Horseman, who was leading the way, let out a sigh of relief. He continued urging his horse forward to look for a suitable spot.

Soon, they found a slightly larger dune. They came to the back of the dune and dismounted. They quickly spread out the tents they took out from their bags and used a spear to prop them up. They dug a cool sandpit and a temporary camp was formed.

Marching in the desert was not only about speed and distance.

They had to also ensure that they had enough physical strength and stayed hydrated.

Those who did not know these things had long become dried corpses in the desert. They were buried miserably in the sand and would not see the sun ever again. Perhaps when the sandstorm hit, the dune would move and they would be exposed again.

They consumed some fresh water under the tents.

They also ate some bread, dried meat, and date palm for lunch.

After resting for two hours and waiting for the day to become less hot, Kant led the team and carried on with their journey.

According to the plan, they had to reach the Stone Pass in three days.

They were traveling with a cavalry, their speed was naturally fast.

If there were infantrymen and the accompanying supply carriage in their team, it would take seven days.

Kant and his men continued to quickly move forward under the scorching sun. Especially as the sun was setting, the heat from the sun was slowly reducing. They were like fish swimming in the water.

Dusk was approaching.

The sky was about to turn dark.

The horses that had been trekking in the desert for the entire afternoon were also snorting, and their eyes revealed that they were tired.

"Rest for two hours. "

Kant let out a breath and raised his hand as a signal for his men to stop. "Let the horses rest as well. "

His team members behind him stopped one after another.

Manid, who was born and raised in a merchant family, was lying on the horse's back and slowly got down. After a day-long bumpy journey, both of his legs were sore, and he looked strange when he walked.

"Are you alright?" Kant asked. He valued his business partner very much.

Manid gave him a wry smile, "I'm alright."

"It'll be fine once you are used to it." Kant nodded and said thoughtfully, "At night, put something soft on the saddle. "

"Thank you." Manid sighed. "I hope it won't delay things. "

In reality, if a person who was not good at horseback riding rode on a military horse that was bumpy on a long journey, his whole body would probably fall apart. Even the inner part of his thighs would be bruised, and he would not be able to walk at all.

Manid was a businessman, he did not have the horse-riding skills that Firentis had as a result of the training that had begun since he was a kid.

He was even worse than Kant, the second son of a nobleman.

After all, Kant had to learn sword skills, riding skills, and etiquette. Although the scholar who taught him did not take him too seriously because he was the second son, he was still much better than Manid, a pure businessman.

Well, when Manid first arrived at the Lookout Oasis, he was riding a docile packhorse.

The men set up tents, ate dinner, and rested.

They then continued their journey.

Although it was cold at night in the Nahrin Desert, it was not totally unbearable.

It was much better than the scorching heat during the day. At the very least, if they wrapped themselves up in warm clothing, they were able to withstand the cold breeze.

The team continued to move forward.

The bright moonlight and the splendid starry sky gave them quite some light.

There were no clouds in the Nahrin Desert, so it was very bright.

Kant was riding on the horse, and white mist came out of his mouth and nose. His whole body was cold, and even when he swallowed his saliva, he did not feel much heat. Moreover, the feeling of tiredness brought about by the darkness at night also made him feel exhausted.

"I haven't reached my limit."

He swallowed his saliva and looked at Manid and the cavalry behind him.

Thoughts gradually emerged in his mind because of the tiredness due to the long journey. Seeing that the moon had already reached the center of the sky, he asked, "Who knows what time it is now? "

His voice was hoarse, and he sounded a little weak.

This was normal after a long march, not to mention that they were marching in the Nahrin Desert, which consumed a lot of physical strength.

"It's almost midnight, " answered a Sarrandian Horseman.

"Midnight." Kant took off his hood and his breath formed a condensed white mist from the cold air. He murmured, "So, we have traveled for a day and a night? "

"About half of the journey," one of the Sarrandian Horsemen estimated and said.

Manid also nodded weakly and said, "According to the calculation, we have already traveled more than half of the total distance."

"Okay," Kant swallowed his saliva.

Kant closed his eyes, his thoughts quickly connected to the system in his mind, "Can we build a posthouse and a well here?"

"You can build a posthouse but not a well," the system replied.

This answer made Kant frown, "Why can't we build a well?"

"There's no underground water," the system's answer was straightforward.

Kant was stunned.

There was indeed such a rule for the construction of a well.

He looked at the vast sea of sand around him under the bright moonlight. He couldn't help but laugh bitterly, "How would there be underground water in such a damn place? "

Manid and the others behind him kept quiet.

Even the Sarrandian Horsemen and the Desert Bandits, who were born and raised in the desert, were unable to quickly locate the underground water in the unforgiving desert.

Locating the underground water required some sophisticated skills. Luck also played a part.

There was a vast area of nothing but sand. Finding shallower underground water?

It was no different from finding a needle in a haystack!

However, the system replied, "There's an underground lake three miles ahead, a well can be built on it. "

At the same time, Kant's retina also displayed some abnormalities.

A light blue line extended from the bottom of Kant's feet all the way to the south. It seemed to be the location of the lake three miles away that the system mentioned.

"Let's go. "

Kant swallowed his saliva and gave the order.

Of course, he chose to trust the system.

Chapter 79: Letter from Veruga

The system would never make a mistake.

Following the light blue line, they soon arrived at a place where the sandy ground was relatively flat.

Kant tightened the reins. His face had become even paler due to the cold. However, his eyes were burning as he looked at the ground in front of him. "This is it."

The light blue line indicator stopped extending in the area in front of them.

It obviously meant that the underground lake indicated by the system was hidden under the vast layer of sand around this area.

"Build a well."

Kant's thoughts connected to the system in his mind.

This time, the system did not decline his request. Instead, a dialog box popped up.

[Ding... System prompt]

[Well construction, 100 Denar and seven days required for construction.]

[Since multiple buildings are being constructed at the same time, an additional 100 Denar is needed.]

The sound of metal coins clanging appeared. Another 200 Denar were subtracted in Kant's mind.

On the flat sand layer, at the location where Kant's impression of where the well was supposed to be built, lime powder appeared out of thin air as if someone had spread out lines and formed a circle of half a meter out of nowhere.

Kant's expression was calm. Of course, he knew that the half-meter circle would become a well in seven days.

His heart had slightly eased.

Originally, Kant was worried that if he built a posthouse and set up a well here, some troops from the Dukedom of Leo would come over with ulterior motives. Then, they would use the water here to invade the Oasis Lookout.

Now, he could see that the scale of the well was much smaller when compared to the Jackalan tribe.

A diameter of half a meter would not be able to sustain the water needs of many people. It could only be used as a resting place during journeys.

Even if enemy troops invaded, as long as they used stone slabs or stone pieces to plug the well, they could easily disable the place. After all, the most likely scenario for those trying to dig up the well again in this area within the desert was that the stone slabs and pieces used to build the well would collapse. This would cause the surrounding sand layer to collapse inside, burying the well in a ridiculous amount of sand. By then, it would be impossible to dig it up again.

The sand layer was not a layer of soil. They flowed and moved. It was almost impossible to dig.

Kant nodded to himself. At the same time, he connected his thoughts to a card in his mind and said, "Build the posthouse. "

It was the building that he had drawn.

In the game, the function of the [Posthouse] was to inform the players to return as soon as possible when the enemy arrived with the intention to loot the village. Paired with the watchtower that could delay the raid, it could be said to be very useful.

Now in the real world, a [Posthouse] also had a similar function of scouting and informing.

Data spread.

A two-story building appeared next to the well. It was a structure made of stone and wood. It was a standard Swadian building style, sturdy and durable. There was also a platform on top of the roof that where one could use to observe the surrounding situation.

"I can sleep in it tonight."

Kant looked at the 300 square meter building and smiled.

Nights in the Nahrin Desert were cold. The thin linen tent could not block the bone-chilling coldness.

"That's great. " Manid also nodded as he trembled. He subconsciously tightened his clothes. As a young merchant, even though he was robbed of his goods and was forced to wander in the Continent of Caradia, he lived a good life. He had never experienced such a tough military life.

Now that a posthouse had appeared, it was like a warm paradise had appeared in the hellish desert.

It was not only him, but the soldiers behind him also felt the same.

"Tie up the horses and remember to give them some water."

Kant stretched out his hand and ordered, "After you are done, we can make a fire and have a good rest in the rooms inside. "

"Hip hip, hooray!" The soldiers from Sarrand cheered.

After unpacking their bags, the five Sarrandian horsemen carried their sharp scimitars inside to check. After confirming that there were no problems, they found the straws and firewood stored in the posthouse. They took out their flints and struck them together a few times, causing sparks to fly. Then, they lit a bonfire in the fireplace inside the hall.

A hard-earned warmth immediately filled the room as the flames rose.

A few pine oil torches were also lit and were inserted into a few grooves in the room.

These were torches used for lighting. The grooves were distributed reasonably. With the torches inserted into the grooves, the entire hall began to brighten up.

The ten desert bandits tied up everyone's horses and poured fresh water into the trough to let the warhorses get some food. One by one, they rubbed their hands together while walking into the posthouse with cold air coming out of their mouths. Later, they simultaneously went to the fireplace to warm themselves, they did not care that the choking smoke generated by the burning firewood was a little too much. Instead, a relaxed expression appeared on each of their faces.

"Manid, drink some hot water."

Kant also brought a water sack that was heated by the fire and handed it to Manid, who was slumped on the chair with his legs spread apart. Kant smiled and said, "It seems that you have never experienced a life like this before."

"That is certainly true." Manid smiled wryly. "It's really too difficult."

After grabbing the water sack, warmth spread all over his hands. Manid withdrew his separated legs to make himself more presentable and polite. However, the pain of his inner thighs made him frown. Then, he shook his head helplessly and said, "I will get used to it in the future."

"It will get better in the future. "

Kant shrugged and turned his head to look out of the window. As he did this, he slightly furrowed his brows together.

He seemed to have heard the sound of footsteps.

Beside the stove, the desert bandits who had put down their bags and luggage reacted even more intensely than the rest. They reached out to pull out the scimitars hanging on their waists. Then, they pointed their shiny blades at the door with grim expressions.

"Who goes there?"

The five horsemen wearing Sarrandian chain armor and Sarrandian helmets also pulled out their sharp scimitars.

The gear they were equipped with made them the equivalent of heavy footmen, as such, they were not afraid. They raised their shields with their left arms and placed them in front of their bodies. They glanced at each other before walking to the door while shouting angrily, "We heard your footsteps. Don't sneak around. Come out and show yourself!"

"Lord, lords of Sarrand... Don't, don't be rash... We are on the same side!"

Outside the door, a trembling voice emerged.

The owner of the voice sounded extremely afraid. He was even stuttering as he spoke. "We, we are from the construction team of Veruga. We received a mission to build... Build a well here!"

"Huh?" Kant was slightly stunned. He turned his head and looked at Manid.

The expressions of the desert bandits who had already drawn their scimitars turned from grim to calm.

However, the five Sarrandian Horseman at the door walked towards the door quickly. They carefully held their shields in front of them. When they saw ten people wearing linen robes, holding tools, with a carriage full of materials behind them, their expressions finally relaxed.

They turned to Kant and reported, "Lord, it's the construction team from Veruga."

"Let them in."

Kant waved his hand. He understood that these were the construction workers that the system had arranged to build the well.

The reason he was stunned was that he did not expect these construction workers to be from Veruga. Kant thought that they would be the Suno construction workers that he had seen before.

Veruga was a city of the Kingdom of Rhodok, while Suno was a city of the Kingdom of Swadia.

The distance between the two cities was relatively large.

"Construction workers are selected from random cities?" Kant nodded thoughtfully.

The workers walked in from outside.

They were dressed no differently from the construction workers from Suno. The only difference was that there was a slight change in their accent. It carried the sharpness and euphemism of the mountain area of Rhodok. Regardless, they could still be understood.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, my Lord."

The leader of the construction team bowed respectfully.

"Right." Kant smiled. "I hope I didn't trouble you guys for making you come all the way from Veruga to build a well."

"No, no, it is our honor."

The leader of the construction team quickly bowed and saluted. "To be able to serve you, Great Lord Kant, it is an honor that we can talk about all our lives. We will definitely build your well seriously."

"That is wonderful to hear." Kant nodded with a smile.

The people of Rhodok came from a complex mountainous area, but their personalities were quite simple and their compliments were also somewhat sincere.

Kant had nothing to do, so he also had a few words with him.

The leader of the construction team also saw Manid, who was next to Kant, and could not help but be slightly stunned. "Ah, it's Lord Manid."

"You know me? " Manid asked curiously.

The leader of the construction team said, "Of course, you have been to Veruga before. All the girls in Veruga are saying that you are handsome."

Kant, who was next to him, smiled and shook his head.

Manid could be said to be the most handsome man on horseback. He was handsome and had a powerful family background. Although he was left to wander the lands, no one could say when he would take off again. So naturally, he was popular with girls.

With regard to this, Manid turned his head around in embarrassment. "Is that so... I always thought that the people of Veruga were very passionate. "

Then, the leader of the construction team suddenly thought of something.

He took out a letter from his pocket and handed it to Kant on the table. Then, he said respectfully, "Lord Kant, through the construction workers, Sir Firentis' father found out that his son, Sir Firentis, was working for you. Therefore, he entrusted me, who had come here, to pass this letter to you. I hope you can pass it on to Sir Knight Firentis."

Chapter 80: Arriving at the Stone Pass

The foreman's expression was sincere.

Kant, on the other hand, was slightly stunned.

He did not understand why Firentis' father did not go through the construction workers from Suno, but instead went in such a roundabout way to ask the construction workers from Veruga of the Kingdom of Rhodok, to submit a family letter?

This was undoubtedly unnecessary.

However, on his retina, the system's dialog box suddenly popped up.

[Ding... Side Quest issued]

[Side Quest: Firentis' Family Letter]

[Quest Reward: Troops recruitment doubled (Permanent)]

[Introduction: Family ties are indelible emotions. When the wandering child continues looking for redemption, the old father whose hair had grown gray longs for the child who had made a mistake to return to his side.]

A side quest appeared.

Kant first scanned the introduction and could not help but sigh. "So, it is like that, huh?"

It was just as the introduction described.

It was a gray-haired elderly father longing for his child who had made a mistake.

He understood the plot, and he also understood the story of Firentis.

The originally radiant eldest son, whom an elderly father adored and entrusted the most, had accidentally killed his own brother because of a promiscuous socialite. He felt immense pain after he regained his senses. After that, he chose to exile himself in search of redemption.

However, as an old man and the father of the two brothers, was he not feeling more pain and sorrow in his heart?

To Firentis, he had lost a younger brother.

To his father, he had lost two sons.

The estrangement they felt diluted as time passed. The old noble had entered his old age. He constantly worried about his son who had made a mistake. He hoped that his son would return to his side; to inherit the family, and start his life anew.

"I will pass this letter to Firentis."

Kant opened his mouth and spoke. At the same time, he picked up the thin family letter and placed it on his chest.

"Thank you for your help, Lord." The foreman immediately bowed.

After all, a commoner like him asking Kant, a noble, to pass a letter was the equivalent of being disrespectful. If he were to encounter a stubborn old man with a bad temper, it was absolutely possible that the soldiers beside him would have to drag him out and whip him a few times.

"It's fine." Kant waved his hand.

Turning his head to look out of the window, Kant found that it was already deep into the night.

The light of the stars and the moon sprinkled down as if adding a thin layer of silk on the world.

"Everyone, rest."

Kant stood up and walked towards the second floor.

Manid and the five Sarrandian Horsemen followed. They were all sleeping on the second floor.

After all, it was a posthouse, and it could occasionally be used as an inn. There were three rooms on the second floor. If one were to tidy the place up, it would become three large bunks. Not to mention them, even if the ten desert bandits were to be included, they would still be able to sleep well.

But for safety reasons, the ten desert bandits were better off staying on the first floor.

The soldiers had no objections to the arrangement while the construction workers would not dare to make any objections even if they had any.

They brought blankets from Veruga, and they could make beds easily by laying them on the floor. Moreover, there was a fireplace in the living room. The burning wood emitted enough heat and made it much better than sleeping in the sand pit.

On the second floor, Kant had his own room.

After saying good night to Manid and the five Sarrandian Horsemen, he closed the door and lay on the wooden bed.

He did not take off his clothes.

Kant reached out and touched the letter in his arms.

His expression was a little gloomy and uncertain.

Although he agreed to it firmly in front of many people, he was a little hesitant. It was because Kant did not know if his current general would choose to leave if he were to hand this letter to Firentis.

Such a thing had never happened in a game before since those had been virtual worlds controlled by programs.

But now, it was the real world.

Firentis had his own thoughts and beliefs. He also had regret for his dead brother and guilt towards his old father. Perhaps he would really leave Oasis Lookout and return to Suno in the system.

Now, to tell the truth.

Kant did not want to give this letter to Firentis even if it meant that the the temporary side quest had to fail.

"Doubled troops recruitment."

Kant narrowed his eyes slightly as he glanced at the reward of the quest.

So what if the number of recruits doubled? It would still not be able to match Firentis' value.

This was a knight who was a military noble and familiar with the Kingdom of Swadia's troop configuration. He was the equivalent of a general who would lead the Kingdom of Swadia's troops in the future. How could he let him go so easily?

Kant let out a deep sigh. His eyes were filled with gloom. "Troublesome."

Compared to the virtual world where data was king, reality was really troublesome.

Manid, the soldiers, and the construction workers all saw Kant accept the letter.

Even if Kant could give the order and prohibit them from telling anyone, Firentis' father had entrusted this construction team to deliver the letter. This meant that he could also entrust other construction teams to complete this task. It was not something that could be hidden for too long.

"Forget it, it's just a letter."

Kant closed his eyes and decided to simply not think about these troublesome things.

He understood Firentis' character. He was definitely the standard of a knight of justice.

During the start-up phase of the Oasis Lookout, during their most difficult time, if this general of his who had been entrusted with high hopes were to choose to leave, it was possible that an indelible influence would be left deep in his heart.

Kant opened his eyes. Then, he closed them again.

He knew that Firentis was a good man.

A good man would have ideals and principles.

Fortunately, he was not one.

The night froze.

The light from the posthouse pierced through the window and illuminated the sand outside.

Time passed little by little.

The distant horizon lit up with a touch of white.

At dawn.

The fragrant smell of food had emerged from the kitchen of the posthouse.

The desert bandits were using the charcoal in the fireplace to bake bread and dry meat.

Just outside the posthouse, the construction workers from Veruga had already finished unloading the materials on the carriage. They were busy with their tools and were cautiously digging the well beside the posthouse.

Kant also woke up.

He walked down the stairs and saw that Manid was handling some trivial matters.

After chatting for a while, he asked the Sarrandian Horsemen and the desert bandits to head over and have breakfast together.

They still had a lot of things to do.

"My Lord, are you leaving soon?" The foreman was also a little surprised.

Kant nodded. "That's right, you guys work hard over here. We have left some food and water for you. I saw that you have brought also your own bread and water, so we left some dried meat for you."

"Thank you so much, my Lord."

The foreman immediately bowed deeply to thank him.

Kant chuckled. "Do your best and dig the well. By the time we come back from afar, I hope that we can drink fresh and clean water from the well."

"Definitely." The foreman nodded with gratitude.

Without saying anything else, Kant continued onward and led the team forward.

The posthouse was only one of the quests. Even after Kant reached the Stone Pass, he would still have to inspect the surrounding Senwaya Range to look for an empty space that could be used for a lumberyard. He would then have to send camel squads and peasant farmers over to cut down the trees and transport the lumber back.

Charcoal was absolutely necessary for the brewing of white salt.

The sun rose and time passed.

Morning, noon, afternoon, dusk.

Just as the sun was setting in the west, emitting layers of dim yellow light through the clouds and dyeing the desert golden, the originally faraway Senwaya range that looked like a gigantic majestic dragon was already within reach.

Kant's route was correct.

And as he gazed into the distance at the connected and consistent Senwaya Range, a gap suddenly appeared in his sights.

It was said that it was a canyon that appeared due to the wrath of the gods.

However, now, it was the only link between the Nahrin Desert and the northern county of the Dukedom of Leo.

The Stone Pass was located within it.

It was built on the south side of the canyon, near the Dukedom of Leo. It was built entirely from stones and wood of the Senwaya Range. It could not be considered as a strong and well-defended castle. However, against the Jackalans who did not have siege weapons and possessed few armor pieces and iron weapons, it was more than enough.

"We're here."

While continuing to lead Manid and the cavalrymen forward, Kant let out a sigh of relief.

The wide canyon was right in front of them.

The mountain rifts on both sides were quite smooth. It was as if they had been sliced open before being moved to the sides, forming the two cliff walls.

The wind had brought and spread yellow sand into the canyon.

Crushed rocks and sand were everywhere. There were also many withered trees that had fallen from the cliff at the top of the mountain. No one had cleaned them up. As the years went by, debris accumulated and made it somewhat difficult to walk on the road.

Luckily, around a thousand meters of the canyon could still be considered empty.

They had to spur their horses to travel a considerable distance.

Then, around a thousand meters in front of them, a stone wall connected to the cliffs of the Stone Pass on both sides appeared in front of them.

Chapter 81: Elated Asage

At the Oasis Lookout.

Asage stood by the lake, staring blankly at the small lake.

It did not remember that there was a small lake here.

But it did not think too much of it.

Asage felt a cold sensation from behind that caused a chill to run down its spine.

It was because it knew that two elite cavalry cavalrymen in fine armor were right behind it. They were definitely following it without any expressions on their faces. In addition, beside their armored large hands were the spiked warhammers hanging from their belts.

"Gulp." Asage gulped.

The more it thought about it, the more afraid it felt. The cold sweat on its forehead had even dampened its gray fur.

Asage did not know when those sharp warhammers would ruthlessly smash into its head and easily pierce through its skull, sending it to its death.

"Hey, what are you standing there for?"

A Swadian Heavy Cavalrymen behind it looked unhappy.

Staring at the two-meter-tall Jackalan, the feeling of raising his head to look up made him feel very bad. He lifted his leg used his chain-mail boots inlaid with iron to kick the leg of Asage. "Enjoy and savor your free time."

"Uh..."

Asage knelt on the ground but did not dare to resist. "Yes, yes, yes. I'll go. I'll go."

As it spoke, it walked slowly along the lakeside, but its eyes were filled with sorrow.

It was time for a walk.

Kant had arranged it so that it was able to move around the village.

As the interrogation and investigation over the truth of the so-called Kingdom of Grey Mane had not yet been completed, Asage, the high-class Jackalan, was still guaranteed basic dietary requirements and a certain degree of freedom.

Just like right now, it had half an hour for a walk.

Compared to cruel torture tactics, giving one a bit of hope was often more effective in breaking down a person mentally and having them reveal everything they knew.

However, escaping was definitely impossible.

Asage had been under strict supervision ever since it was captured and brought to this Oasis Lookout.

Moreover, as the only outsider, not only was it locked up in the basement of the council hall every day, even its free time would never exceed half an hour.

Although there was enough food and water, it was being watched closely.

If it really dared to escape...

Asage glanced at the two strong and burly human warriors behind it and could not help but tremble in its heart.

Back then, it was exactly these guys who rode down the dune on fully-armored warhorses and easily nailed the Jackalan warriors it had hired to the sand. The miserable state of being annihilated in an instant had awoken it from its dreams recently.

It was just a merchant. These fighting and killings... they were the most terrifying.

"What will happen to me, Supreme Storm Monarch? Please give me hope."

Asage could not help but pray sorrowfully in its heart.

The Storm Monarch was the god with the most extensive influence on the Mannheim Coast. It was also the religion of the high-class Jackalan in the Kingdom of Grey Mane. It could ensure the safety of seafarers and protect regions where it was located from being affected by disasters.

Asage prayed in its heart, but it could not help but sigh. "This is the south of the Nahrin Desert. Even the power of the Storm Monarch cannot reach this place."

The Nahrin Desert used to be a forbidden area.

The many races and countries on the Mannheim Coast would not venture deep into the Nahrin Desert.

Ignoring those like Asage who went around the extremely hot Devil's land to reach the extreme south of the Nahrin Desert and discovered an astonishing amount of natural salt mines before being captured miserably...

The truth was that the Kingdom of Grey Mane had not been inside the Nahrin Desert for a long time too.

It started ten years ago.

The low-classJackalan tribes that moved to the Nahrin Desert and had narrowly escaped death were discovered by the Kingdom of Grey Mane.

Then, after further studying the desert, they learned that there were human kingdoms in the south of the Nahrin Desert, and there were many of them. These human kingdoms had even sent troops to slaughter the low-class Jackalans in the desert.

On the Mannheim Coast, the Grey Mane Kingdom, which was a middle-class force, could not sit still anymore.

They urgently needed to open up a new battlefield and plunder enough things to make their country stronger.

The other two countries on the Mannheim Coast had grown their wealth rapidly in recent years since the establishment of their maritime trade. Even their military strength grew rapidly. This really made these high-class Jackalans somewhat fearful.

One was the Lizardmen Kingdom and an Elf Republic.

Asage gulped.

According to its understanding, the Kingdom of Grey Mane was about to send troops to plunder those human countries.

Even the low-class Jackalan tribes could enter the human countries and wreak havoc for three years. Would it not be even easier for the high-class Jackalans, who were much better equipped, to easily defeat the human countries' armies, plunder wantonly, and even conquer new estates?

"When the time comes, I'll be saved." Asage suddenly felt elated.

"Quickly, go!"

However, a force came from behind, causing it to stagger forward a few steps.

Its elated heart turned into fear again. It walked quickly, not daring to resist the two Swadian Heavy Cavalrymen behind it at all. It did not dare to even look at them with hatred.

Right now, its life was still in the hands of others.

...

Senwaya Range, Stone Pass.

Kant narrowed his eyes slightly.

He did not find any troops on the six-meter-high city wall in front of him.

He raised his head and glanced at the two sides of the tightly shut city gate. There was also not a single person in sight on the seven-meter-tall wooden arrow tower.

"The defense is lax." Kant's lips curled into a mocking smile.

Even if there were only Jackalans in the Nahrin Desert and they were not worth paying much attention to, such lax defense was enough to showcase the management level of the owner of the Stone Pass, Baron Dylan.

"Lord, do you want to knock on the door?" A Sarrandian Horseman behind him asked.

"Knock on it. Make it louder." Kant nodded.

The Sarrandian Horseman nodded. He gently kicked his horse's abdomen and urged his horse to quickly reach the outside of the Stone Pass' city gate. After dismounting his horse, he raised his leg and kicked heavily on the wooden city gate. One after another, creating multiple heavy "Bang! Bang!" sounds.

The sounds were very loud, and the wooden gate shook continuously.

"What's going on? Are the Jackalans attacking?"

"This vibrating sound! Is the Jackalan tribe charging in?!"

"Set up the defenses! Set up the defenses! We can't let those Jackalans in!"

A mixture of noses immediately came from inside, but no matter how one listened to it, it sounded a little panicky and unprepared.

After a long while.

More than 30 soldiers in leather armor and holding long lances appeared on the city wall.

Each of their faces was filled with fear and panic. Kant, who was below, even saw many young and tender faces. Moreover, he felt that they were just like him, children who had just reached adulthood at the age of 16 or 17!

"Is this the garrison at the pass?"

Manid could not help but say, "It is just like a group of militia."

"These are all peasant recruits. They are not much stronger than our Swadian new recruits. They are used as cannon fodder."

Kant naturally understood the military configuration of the Dukedom of Leo.

However, looking at those abject soldiers on the city wall, he could not help but snort, "It's such a crucial pass, yet they still use these peasant recruits as the key forces guarding the city wall? This is just too careless."

"Damn... Damn it, who are you people?"

On the city wall, the soldiers also realized that Kant and his group were not Jackalans.

The confidence of also being a human appeared. They shouted loudly without much fear, "Do you know that this is the Stone Pass, an estate belonging to Baron Dylan?"

Just as these peasant recruits were talking, new troops walked up the city wall.

These were warriors who wore leather armor ingrained with iron and chain mail. They looked much stronger, and the weapons in their hands were standard military weapons such as iron swords and spears.

Obviously, the new reinforcements had arrived.

Moreover, more than ten archers had gone up the city wall and the arrow tower. They looked at Kant and the others coldly.

"This is more like it."

Kant shrugged and ordered Manid, who was next to him, without any fear, "Tell them that Baron Kant of the Nahrin Desert wants to enter the Stone Pass. He also wants to meet with Baron Dylan to discuss important matters."

"Understood." Manid nodded.

At the same time, he urged his horse to take a few steps forward and looked at the garrisoned soldiers on the city wall. Then, he said loudly, "This is the noble of the Dukedom of Leo, the second son of King Cameron, one who was conferred the title of Baron in the Nahrin Desert, Baron Kant. He is preparing to enter the Stone Pass. He also wishes to meet with Baron Dylan to discuss important matters!"

Revealing his identity and conveying his intentions early on was already a gesture of goodwill.

There was a brief silence on the city wall.

The militia formed by the soldiers and the recruited peasants was not qualified to deal with matters that concerned the nobles.

Chapter 82: The Cold Baron Dylan

Kant did not wait for long.

About ten minutes later, a burly figure wearing mail armor appeared on the city wall.

His slightly messy hair casually draped behind his head. His face was covered with sword scars due to his injuries. It was obvious that he was a person born out of a battlefield. His eyes were as sharp as an eagle's.

He was the Lord of the Stone Pass, the Baron of North County, Dylan.

Below the city wall, Manid looked up at the baron who was also sizing them up. His expression was slightly solemn.

Manid, who came from a merchant family, naturally knew how to read people's expressions.

And now, he was looking at this Baron Dylan who stood atop the city wall. There was a hint of doubt in his eyes. The reason was that, from his appearance, he did not seem like the kind of self-indulgent person addicted to the pursuit of pleasure, and who did not know how to develop his estate.

It was obvious that he was in his 30s, which was also the time when one was at his strongest and most energetic.

However, that was exactly the case.

Manid's brows were tightly knit together. He swept his gaze over towards the peasant conscripts beside him who still had a hint of panic on their faces.

He had clearly witnessed what had occurred earlier on the city wall. In the beginning, the level of vigilance was undoubtedly poor. Manid who came from the continent of Caradia felt that in that chaotic continent of his, this seemingly sturdy stone pass would fall within a day.

"Don't overthink this."

Kant seemed to have noticed Manid's thoughts.

The corners of Kant's mouth curled into a strange smile. He naturally understood why this Baron Dylan was acting in such contradictory ways.

This actually originated from ten years ago, it was earlier than when the Dukedom of Leo conquered the Nahrin Desert and massacred the Jackalan tribe. When Kant had just turned five or six years old. It was a battle that the Dukedom of Leo continued to brood about, even to this day.

In fact, Kant's fall and exile to the Nahrin Desert were also related to that battle back then.

"Whew. " Kant took a deep breath and did not continue overthinking it.

He kicked the horse's belly and urged his horse forward. When he was about ten meters away from the city wall, he raised his head and said, "Uncle Dylan, it's very nice to meet you again. How have you been recently?"

As soon as he said that, the entire place fell silent. The answer that should have appeared did not appear.

There was a slight commotion behind him.

The five Sarrandian Horsemen and the ten desert bandits were somewhat indignant.

The reason was that even if they did not know proper etiquettes and only knew how to kill, they knew that the silence of Baron Dylan, who was on the city wall, and his lack of an answer were the equivalent to a serious lack of manners. One could even argue that it was an extreme contempt towards Kant.

This person was their lord.

If it were not for Manid, they would have already started cursing the Sarrand region.

However, Kant did not care.

A gentle smile appeared on his slightly young-looking face, and the light in his eyes was extremely sincere.

Looking at Baron Dylan on the city wall, he lowered his head slightly and continued to speak politely, "Last month, I was conferred the title of the Nahrin Desert. Unfortunately, due to my tight schedule, I did not meet you. Now that my estate has settled down, I have come here in the hopes of meeting you. After all, in my heart, excluding my mother, Uncle Dylan is the person who treated me the best."

There was still pm;u silence. No one spoke or responded.

However, Baron Dylan, who had a cold expression on his face, finally spoke. "Open the city gate. "

Upon hearing his order, the soldiers behind him immediately reacted.

As the clinking and clanging sounds of the winch began to fill the air, the city gate, which was made of thick crude wood, slowly opened as the iron chains and ropes attached gradually moved, revealing the pass behind the gate, as well as hundreds of spear-wielding soldiers who had gathered around behind it.

Baron Dylan turned his head and walked down the stairs.

At the same time, without turning his head, he ordered without any expressions, "Who called about an attack from the Jackalan? Find all of them and give each of them ten lashes. If something like this ever happens again in the future, I will have him directly hanged."

"Yes!" A few soldiers in iron armor immediately responded.

With an unfriendly yet blank expression, he pointed at a few peasant conscripts, took out a horsewhip from behind his back, and lashed out fiercely.

"Crack, crack!" Sounds of whipping filled the air.

Streaks of blood instantly swelled up on their skin.

Along with mournful cries, Baron Dylan, who had walked down from the city wall, got on his horse and left. There was still no compassion on his face.

At the Stone Pass, he had always been known for being cold-blooded and cruel.

"Lord... Dylan. "

His butler trembled as he waited beside the horse. He gulped and finally mustered enough courage to ask, "Baron Kant has arrived outside. Do you need me to prepare a banquet for tonight?"

"No need," answered Baron Dylan who had already mounted his warhorse and was about to leave. Then, he said bluntly, "Just prepare more food."

"Yes, yes, Lord Dylan." The butler nodded and left.

Meanwhile, Baron Dylan snapped his horsewhip and urged his horse to leave the city gate quickly.

The soldiers clad in iron armor from before followed behind him. They rode on their warhorses and tottered carelessly on the narrow and filthy streets, causing the peasant men and women wearing simple and crude clothes to rush to both sides of the streets to avoid getting hit. Meanwhile, they also had to bow to the baron at the same time.

However, for Baron Dylan, seeing these peasants only made his expression grimmer.

He snapped his horsewhip and the warhorse ran even faster.

Outside the city gate, Kant and his cavalrymen finally began to slowly walk in.

They were not riding on their warhorses. It was a formality to enter the city.

Leading his warhorse, Kant walked at the front. He looked at the middle-aged man walking over to welcome him. He glanced at the fine linen robe donned over his body and immediately understood that this person was probably Baron Dylan's butler.

He frowned slightly. Kant's face did not reveal the slightest bit of dissatisfaction. He was still calm.

"Honorable Baron Kant, Baron Dylan has entrusted me to offer you the most sincere greetings and welcome."

The slightly chubby butler wiped the cold sweat off his temples. He bowed deeply and placed his hands on his chest in a very respectful manner. Indeed, he was bowing to Kant in the most respectful manner. There was not even the slightest flaw in his manners.

It was indeed the most sincere greeting and welcome.

As for whether it was commissioned by Baron Kylan, Kant understood it very well.

When he passed by this place the last time, he replenished his supplies, including food and fresh water, and then rested in the place. However, even after staying for an entire day, this Uncle Dylan of his did not even invite Kant to visit him at his official residence.

"Yes, I'm very happy to see Uncle Dylan."

Kant had a brilliant smile on his face. He narrowed his eyes, just like a big boy without any schemes.

This made the butler feel relieved.

The butler extended his hand and gestured for Kant to come inside the city gate. Then, the Butler said respectfully, "Please follow me, Baron Kant. Baron Dylan is waiting for your arrival at his official residence. At the same time, he has prepared a wonderful feast for you. He intends to speak to you in detail."

"Lead the way." Kant nodded.

The butler's smile became even brighter and more respectful after seeing how easy it was to talk to Kant.

He led the way and welcomed them into the Stone Pass.

Kant led the horse in front, while Manid and the cavalrymen followed behind. They looked curiously at the fortress built in the middle of the canyon and blocked the passage.

There were also many other curious gazes.

This included the soldiers who wielded spears and were lined up messily on both sides of the street.

There were also the wives of farmers and their children dressed in shabby clothes outside their narrow shacks in the distance.

In particular, when they looked at those walking in the front, Kant and Manid, both of whom were young and handsome, as well as the five Sarrandian Horsemen and the ten desert bandits who looked neat and tidy, their eyes were filled with admiration.

To them, only nobles and knights would dress like this.

Otherwise, they were rich people.

As for themselves, they were just the lowly poor who were sheltered in the stone pass.

Kant could not help but frown under these gazes.

Although the streets under his feet were made of stone, dirty water flowed through the cracks. There was even a faint stench coming from the slum areas on both sides of the street. Every step they took, the bottom of their cowhide boots would generate a "Splashing" sound.

Obviously, dirty black mud also covered the stones of the street.

It made him frown even more.

It was really too filthy.

Chapter 83: Filthy Slum

Kant had stayed for one night in an inn at the Stone Pass in the past.

However, he had not truly ventured out before.

As a noble, a conferred Baron, there were some things that he did not have to do personally.

From the Lion Fort in South County, he rode on a comfortable carriage to reach the Stone Pass in North County. Swadian peasants who accompanied him along the journey were in charge of purchasing goods. They completed these miscellaneous chores wonderfully.

The next day. At dawn.

It was still early, so they took advantage of the cold to enter the Nahrin Desert and begin their journey.

Kant turned around and looked at the butler beside him who was leading the way.

The middle-aged man's expression was normal, it was as if he had already become used to this sort of dirty environment as well as the slightly pungent smell. He walked forward as if he did not mind at all, even when his leather boots stepped into a puddle of sewage water, casing turbid liquid to splash all over the place.

Stopping his footsteps briefly.

Kant avoided droplets from the splash of sewage.

At the academy surrounded by an academic atmosphere, or in the castle that was always cleaned, Kant's status made it so that he had never come into contact with the life of a bottom feeder. It was filthy, messy, and just plain terrible.

Even at the Oasis Lookout, because of the system, it was kept particularly clean and hygienic.

The leather boots rubbed against the rocks.

After everyone had entered the Stone Pass, Kant immediately mounted his horse.

Manid and the cavalrymen behind him also mounted their horses. They frowned as they looked at the dilapidated houses around them, as well as the poor people in shabby clothes. Their rating of the Stone Pass had gone down a bit.

Although the continent of Caradia was plagued with wars, hygiene was, at the very least, still guaranteed.

This was probably due to the design of the Turkish couple.

Kant, of course, knew this very well.

To be honest.

Whether it was the academy, the Castle of Leo, or the bustling City of Lion's Heart, all the places that Kant had lived in were considered clean.

As for the places he had not yet visited.

For example, small villages, a knight's fief, or other gathering places outside castles...

The environment of those places would probably be similar to this place.

A large number of bankrupt peasants or people without any assets lived in these slums. Their clothes were ragged while their bodies were just bags of bones. Their bulging eyes due to hunger had no life in them, instead, they revealed an indifference to life along with fatigue of powerlessness.

This world of swords and magic was similar to that of Medieval Europe on Earth.

Kant narrowed his eyes slightly.

The butler leading the way had also got on a skinny old horse.

He turned around and continued to humbly lead the way and greet Kant. At the same time, his eyes swept over to glance at the desert horses that the Sarrandian Horsemen and the desert bandits were riding behind him. He could not help but feel a little envious.

He could not help but exclaim, "They are all high-class warhorses. I imagine only the Lion Fort has them, right?"

It was clear that he had misunderstood something.

Kant did not know how to explain. He only said faintly, "As long as they are well-fed, they are high-class warhorses."

The butler noticed the distance in Kant's words. He nodded humbly in agreement and did not continue to say anything further.

The butler also had an idea of what was going on.

He was just a servant. Although by relying on Baron Dylan, he could be arrogant towards those poor people, it did not mean that he could be rude, even if a little bit, to Kant who was beside him.

Kant, the Baron of the Nahrin Desert, the King of the Dukedom of Leo, the second son of Cameron.

The blood of lions flowed in his veins.

He was, essentially, a noble.

Even if rumors among the nobles spoke of Baron Kant as someone who was exiled to the Nahrin Desert, it was not something that servants like him could talk about. It was the difference in status, the suppression of classes.

They continued along the street and went deeper into the Stone Pass.

The fortress at the pass was actually quite well-built.

The lumberyards and quarries at the Senwaya Range provided a large amount of high-quality stone and wood materials to this place.

For example, when entering the south side of the pass, the number of houses built with stone and wood also increased.

The outfits of pedestrians were no longer shabby or ragged. Although they still looked rather skinny, one could detect vigor in each of their eyes. Obviously, these were civilians in the Stone Pass who were considered useful.

In other words, these people had jobs. They were taxpayers and back-up recruits during wars.

If they were in the city, they should be called citizens.

Now, the civilians were still surprised by Kant's arrival from the north. They looked curiously at the Sarrandian horseman and the desert bandits riding on their majestic warhorses.

At the same time, they also expressed their admiration for their clean and tidy outfits.

However, there were also people with very sharp eyes.

As the five Sarrandian Horsemen rode and urged their horses forward, their linen robes fluttered in the wind, revealing the iron hoops and armor plates that were tightly wound together - the Sarrandian chain mail. Those who had looked closer and carefully widened their eyes as they saw these.

No matter who it was, those who could wear iron armor were all brave soldiers.

In fact, their guesses were also correct.

As a Level Four troop class, the Sarrandian Horseman was considered a core force in the later stages of the game.

As for top-tier Level Five troop classes such as the mamluke, they were only considered elites due to their scarcity. They were usually sent into battlefields cautiously and could only be treated and used as consumables in the final battles.

Thus, the Sarrandian Horsemen could completely stand on their own.

However, amidst the admiring crowd, a few skinny figures were hiding in the shadows in the corner.

Looking at Kant ride his horse towards the mansion of Baron Dylan, their faces seemed a little solemn.

Clearly, they knew each other.

They exchanged glances with each other. Then, they nodded slightly, put on their hoods, and left separately.

Wooden houses where civilians lived filled both sides of the street.

These figures in hoods were not attention-grabbing. The main reason was that North County was frequented by sandstorms and it was very convenient and common for people to put on a hood.

They made seven or eight turns.

Finally, they arrived at a hidden alley somewhere.

After turning around and ensuring that no one was around, they went into a wooden house in the alley, found a basement, and entered it in a single file.

The expected narrow storage basement did not appear.

Instead, it was a slanted passage leading downward. The stairs went underground for about five meters. After that, another wooden door appeared. The leader pushed the door open, and illuminated by the light of the candle, a different world was revealed.

It was a space of around 50 square meters and logs were used to support this underground basement.

Another door was on the side. It looked like it would lead to somewhere else.

However, in the middle, a hooded man wearing a hood sat on a chair. He held a quill and was writing something quickly. Nonetheless, he still sensed that they had returned. He asked, "What happened?"

"Lord."

The leader took a step forward and bowed his head respectfully. At the same time, he said, "Baron Kant is here."

The quill stopped moving for a brief moment.

A drop of ink dripped and left a mark on the slightly yellowed straw paper.

"What?" The man raised his head. He was middle-aged, but his eyes were unusually sharp.

"Baron Kant is here. He wants to meet with Baron Dylan at dusk. Right now, the butler is leading him to the official residence. 26 people are accompanying him. According to my observations, there is one servant, five cavalrymen wearing iron armor, and 10 cavalrymen in leather armor."

The man reported quickly. It was simple, quick, and the content was clear.

"Hah! De didn't die in the desert."

The man sitting on the chair nodded. The quill pen which was originally used to write at an incredible speed was also placed on the side.

He lowered his head slightly. The hood hid his entire face in the darkness. Only his voice could be heard. "I understand. You guys continue to follow Baron Kant. If any situation arises, remember to report it in time."

"I understand." The skinny figures nodded.

"Leave." He waved his hand.

As the people left, the room instantly became empty again.

The sound of the door closing filled the space.

The candlelight flickered slightly in the wind.

The light in the room also flickered.

"Interesting." The person murmured.

He raised his head slightly, and his eyes also flickered with the candlelight. With a playful tone, "After the death of Princess Sofia 16 years ago, how many of those who infiltrated the Silver Platter Kingdom remain? "

If a higher-ranking noble were present, he would easily remember many things from these words.

Princess Sofia.

The eldest princess from the Silver Platter Kingdom.

A duke of the court with royal blood conferred by the Silver Platter Kingdom.

The second lawful wife of Cameron, the King of the Dukedom of Leo.

And...

Baron Kant's mother, who died early from illness.

Chapter 84: Provocation in the Hall of Lords

The butler led the way.

Kant and the others soon arrived outside Baron Dylan's official residence.

Kant raised his head to look at his Uncle Dylan's official residence. The corners of his eyebrows twitched.

Baron Dylan's official residence was rather exquisite and well-built.

Compared to the surrounding civilian buildings made of stone and wood, this building was as tall as a four stories building. It was wholly made from stone and was clearly divided into three stories. Calling it a mini castle would have been more accurate.

The mansion was built on one side of a cliff and the wall was connected to the south side's Stone Pass wall.

However, the connection area was three meters higher than the city wall. They were connected by a retractable wooden bridge made of thick wooden planks and chains.

The watchtower was ready and the arrow tower stood tall.

The outer wall also had an opening for archers or crossbowmen to shoot.

The front door of the mansion was also very narrow.

It was only less than three meters high and two meters wide.

It could only accommodate a carriage or a charging cavalryman whose head had been lowered.

A small castle with a typical architectural style highlighted the tenacious spirit of wanting to resist the enemy with a small number of troops, doing their utmost best to prolong and extend the enemy's siege until reinforcements arrive.

Manid sighed.

Kant shook his head.

They finally understood why Baron Dylan did not pay attention to the defense on the north side of the pass.

With this small castle, why would he be afraid of Jackalans?

If they could not win, they would just recruit civilians into his official residence to continue resisting, completely abandoning the outer areas. They would strap in to defend the fortress and wait for reinforcements to arrive. With the food they had accumulated, it would not be a problem even if they had to defend for a few months.

In less than a few months, reinforcements from other counties would have also arrived.

"Please come In, Lord Kant."

The slightly plump butler hurriedly bowed and extended his hand to Kant, inviting him in.

In front of the main gate, there were already servants waiting respectfully.

"Okay." Kant nodded and stepped forward.

Not far from the main gate was the patrol team.

Unlike the skinny and sickly looking soldiers holding spears outside, the soldiers of the patrol team looked strong and sturdy. They wore iron-plated scale armor that fit them perfectly.

In the arrow towers on both sides of the official residence, archers holding longbows looked down below with vigilance.

It was obvious that they were fearful.

It was because even they were able to tell the difference between a troupe of trade caravan guard and a squad of elites from the battlefield.

The five Sarrandian Horsemen and ten desert bandits were exactly that.

However, due to prior instructions, they knew that these were Kant's guards and did not act excessively.

The warhorses were handed over to the ten desert bandits. They were in charge of watching over and feeding them in the stable. The five Sarrandian Horsemen followed Kant and Manid into the official residence as their personal guards.

However, something interesting caught their eyes.

The spears, shields, and other pieces of equipment were all placed on the Sarrandian horses. They only carried their scimitars with them.

The butler glanced at this and did not say anything.

In the Dukedom of Leo, which was founded on the basis of fighting, asking others to hand over their weapons was the equivalent of one of the deepest humiliation.

He naturally did not dare to ask that.

He led them into the official residence.

Due to the military-oriented architectural style, the light was a little dim.

Kant blinked his eyes before getting used to the light.

"Please follow me. Dinner is being prepared, and Baron Dylan should be waiting for you in the hall."

The butler continued to lead the way.

Kant and the others followed.

After walking through a stone-paved corridor, the butler pushed open a wooden door.

It was a space of about 200 square meters. Ten pillars stood on both sides. They were completely made of stone and were connected to the logs and boulders of the ceiling, making the room seem spacious and sturdy.

At the same time, a long table sat in the middle of the room between the stone pillars on the sides.

The table was extremely large. Chairs were set aside on both sides. At a rough estimate, it could accommodate 30 people eating at the same time.

It looked like this was the Lord's Hall at the Stone Pass.

"Baron Dylan is probably dealing with something and hasn't come yet. Lord Kant, Please take a seat and rest first. I'll go prepare some fresh water. You must be extremely thirsty after coming all this way."

The butler was a little embarrassed and quickly tried to remedy the situation.

"Alright, that's fine." Kant nodded and waved his hand, indicating to the butler that he could go and prepare.

The butler quickly lowered his head and left. At the same time, he waved his hand and asked the maids to prepare some fresh water.

Kant sat in the seat that the guests should be sitting in.

Kant looked at the torches burning on both sides. The light in the hall was still considered sufficient.

He turned his head and glanced at Manid and the five Sarrandian Horsemen. He said, "What are you standing there for? Put down your things and take a seat. Rest! Aren't you tired after traveling for such a long time?"

"Yes, Lord." The Sarrandian horsemen nodded, obeying his instructions.

Manid also sat down.

He looked around at the Lord's Hall. With a nostalgic shrug, he said, "it doesn't look much different from the castle halls in the continent of Caradia."

"It's just a little small." Kant chuckled.

Although they did not possess extraordinary powers, the original version of the continent of Caradia and the construction of the castle could still be considered magnificent.

While its performance in the game was relatively bad, the images were still quite extremely magnificent.

Kant, who had lived in this world for 16 years, could also determine, after comparing them in his mind, that this small castle at the Stone Pass could obviously not reach the scale of a real castle, even if it could accommodate a lot of people.

"Someone is coming," Manid suddenly said.

Kant looked in the direction that Manid pointed to. It was the wooden door of the hall.

The sound of leather boots stepping on the ground emerged.

There was quite a number of people.

Moreover, rude and loud voices came from the corridor outside.

This kind of building was not soundproof.

"What? Baron Kant? Ha, isn't he just a little guy who was exiled?"

"It's already surprising that he didn't die in the Nahrin Desert, but now, he actually said that he is coming as a guest. I really want to see and ask if he is coming to take refuge. Remember how he was scared to the point where he almost wet his pants when he encountered the Jackalan in the Nahrin Desert? I almost wet my pants with laughter!"

"Hey, shut up! You guys have to pay attention. This is Duke Cameron's second son!"

"Hahaha, you should say that he's the king's second son. Anyway, our leader is Baron Dylan. Do I have to remind you what the king did to us back then?"

"That's right. He became a king while we became country bumpkin knights in a barren place like this!"

There was no attempt to conceal the mocking tone at all.

It was rude and filled with dissatisfaction, but more of it was contempt.

As the footsteps and voices became louder and louder.

The door was pushed open, and more than ten burly figures walked in. Each and every one of them looked unruly. They grimaced as they looked at Kant, who was sitting firmly in the hall with his back facing them.

Nonetheless, their expressions changed.

It was because this group of rude and unruly individuals also saw the five Sarrandian Horsemen seated on both sides of Kant with hostile expressions.

Burly and strong bodies.

On the table were Sarrandian helmets made of iron.

And from the bulges on their linen robes as well as the silver light revealed through the gaps, it was obvious that they were also wearing full iron armor under these robes.

Most importantly.

These five Sarrandian Horsemen had already placed their palms on their scimitars.

Their eyes were cold and filled with killing intent.

These warriors who had experienced the bloodiness and cruelty of the battlefield had already caused the dozen or so burly men who had just pushed the door open to freeze on the spot. The sinister smiles and impudence on their faces had also turned into solemnity and worry.

All of them wore ordinary linen robes, not iron armor that could protect their bodies.

Similarly, they were not carrying any weapons.

Although there were many of them, these five elite warriors would have no problem slaughtering the lot of them.

Thinking of what they had said just now.

The atmosphere instantly turned cold.

A strange silence filled the Lord's Hall.

"It's dinner time."

Kant's voice appeared. He said without turning his head, "Sit down obediently."

The five sarrandian horsemen retracted their cold and indifferent gazes and returned to their seats. Their expressions were cold and they did not say anything. It was as if they were ice-cold killing machines that naturally brought a sense of dignity around them.

The muscular men at the door also gulped.

It was a step.

Seeing that the other party had withdrawn their murderous gazes, they also exchanged glances with each other. The smart ones did not continue with the provocation and returned to their seats, which were the chairs on both sides of the main seat.

The Sarrandian horsemen were all elites who advanced after going through the mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

In terms of imposing auras, they naturally had it.

And it was quite terrifying!

Chapter 85: A Gift from Kant

A strange atmosphere filled the hall.

However, it was unusually quiet.

The dozen or so burly men who had just entered subconsciously glanced at each other.

Fear filled their eyes.

The calm sitting posture of the five Sarrandian Horsemen and the fact that Kant's words could so easily make them so obedient particularly made them secretly clicked their tongues.

Such elite level discipline was nowhere to be seen in their remote and barren northern county.

The scene remained quiet.

Kant did not continue to say anything else.

He sat in his chair, together with Manid and the five Sarrandian Horsemen, on the seats for the guests.

After all, they were guests, to begin with.

"Ahem."

A dry cough sounded outside the door.

Baron Dylan walked in with the butler.

He looked around in the hall, at the strange atmosphere and then at his dozen or so subordinate knights who were usually unruly and wild. Seeing how they had become so quiet, he could not help but snort coldly.

"Since everyone is here, let's begin," said Baron Dylan indifferently to the butler.

"Yes." The butler immediately nodded.

At the same time, he quickly walked out of the hall and closed the door gently.

He went to prepare dinner.

Baron Dylan went to his seat and sat down.

The dozen or so tall and strong men on both sides bowed their heads to greet him.

These men were subordinate knights who were either attached to or conferred by Baron Dylan. They were the ultimate force that maintained the entire stone pass as well as the small castle. They were also the main generals during the wars.

"Uncle Dylan."

Kant also stood up from his seat. He placed his hand on his chest slightly and said, "It has been a while."

His movements were very elegant.

Moreover, his voice was calm. He really looked like someone from the younger generation who had not seen his uncle for a long time.

"Yes, it has been a while."

Baron Dylan nodded. His face was cold and expressionless. "Also, Baron Kant, I think it's best for you to address me as Baron Dylan at this time. We are at the same level."

It did not sound like a reprimand. Only a reminder.

Nonetheless, it immediately attracted the muffled laughter of his vassal knights on both sides.

Clearly, in their eyes, their great lord and baron had just helped them with a strong retort in response to their earlier embarrassment.

His words were indeed unreasonable.

Even Manid's face turned slightly stiff.

Not to mention the five Sarrandian horsemen, their faces were flushed red.

They could not tolerate these words that were close to insulting Kant.

Kant was able to tolerate it.

He was already dissatisfied, but for the sake of his development, he did not care.

As one whose soul had been transported, he did not place too much emphasis on class or status in this world. As for the so-called self-respect and pride, he also felt that it was especially laughable when people prioritized them when they did not have the strength to back them up.

If Kant had 1,000 Swadian knights in formation waiting outside the Stone Pass, the situation would probably be different.

In short, it was just a difference in strength.

Kant stood up.

He still spoke respectfully and sincerely, "Uncle Dylan, I still remember the shortsword that you gave me as a birthday gift when I turned six years old. It is still stored in my box."

"Is that so?" Baron Dylan narrowed his eyes slightly, his face also showing some emotions.

Kant nodded and smiled, "Of course."

Seeing Baron Dylan's expression relax, Kant continued and said, "Uncle Dylan, I came to visit you this time but I bear no good gifts. I hope you will like these things."

Beside him, Manid brought a package out.

It was a thin linen bag. Inside it was a relatively new urn.

Everyone's eyes were on it, curious to know what was inside.

Kant did not let down everyone's curiosity. He directly opened the urn, placed it on the table with both hands, and said, "This is fine white salt. As a baron, Uncle Dylan, only white salt like this which is as beautiful as snow can match your status."

After saying this, the vassal knights on both sides of Baron Dylan exclaimed.

They were not ignorant.

This urn was the size of a human head. If it was filled with fine white salt, then its value would be very high.

It was a kind of salt that only high-ranking nobles could eat.

Although these vassal knights were also nobles, they could only eat brown salt that had a bitter taste, at most. It was still a lot better than the poor people who could not even afford salt.

At least they could still have salt in every meal.

"This gift is very expensive."

However, Baron Dylan frowned slightly. Although his face was moved, it became solemn.

He looked at Kant and asked directly, "Such expensive white salt is really too valuable. Baron Kant, did you encounter any difficulties?"

"No, Uncle Dylan, this is just a token of my regard."

Kant shook his head. A sincere smile still on his face.

Seeing that his question was not answered, Baron Dylan snorted coldly. Then, he nodded and said, "In that case, I'm very grateful for your gift. If you encounter any difficulties, let me know and I will try to solve them for you."

Kant bowed slightly. "Thank you very much."

At the same time, the servants brought dinner.

The dishes could be considered common. In fact, the quality was lower than the food at the Oasis Lookout.

Roasted pork, roasted sausages, and roasted birds.

Stewed mutton with chickpeas, cabbage soup, and an unlimited amount of lager beer.

Plates filled with the food items were placed in front of everyone while others were put inside wooden bowls.

Finally, the butler personally distributed a plate of salt.

"Let us begin."

Baron Dylan announced the start of dinner.

Immediately, the dozen or so vassal knights began to gorge on the food.

Knights who only knew slaughter knew nothing about elegance or manners. Those were things that only knights who had noble backgrounds paid attention to. Knights who were promoted through civilian-military merits never paid attention to this.

Sometimes, when they were short of money, they would even act as bandits and rob trade caravans.

The fundamental meaning of being a knight was military force, not philanthropy.

Eat and drink. The atmosphere of the entire dinner was very strange.

Normally, a dinner would have conversations, banter, and laughter; however, this dinner ended in silence accompanied by the sounds of people drinking and eating.

Baron Dylan did not say much from the beginning to the end,

Occasionally, he would speak but it was always with his vassal knights, and these conversations usually did not last very long. The atmosphere of the entire dinner was extremely stiff and cold. It caused the butler waiting on the side to break out in cold sweat.

Dinner ended.

Desserts were served.

These were wild apples from the Senwaya Range. The desserts were made by first cooking the apples before having honey poured on them.

If one were to talk about the taste, at least Kant was having a hard time eating them.

Manid and Kant exchanged glances the entire time. They both understood each other's thoughts, which was to wait for dinner to be over.

In fact, Baron Dylan thought the same.

And finally, dinner was over.

Those rude vassal knights thanked Baron Dylan before leaving.

However, before they left, with their faces flushed pink after drinking light beer, some still stared provocatively at Kant and his group. Even under the cold glares of the Sarrandian horsemen, they showed no fear.

A few knights were even looking at the exquisite Sarrandian Horsemen's chain armor under their long robes with drooling eyes.

In the Dukedom of Leo, a full set of iron-made equipment was not cheap.

A set of armor that could save one's life on the battlefield was the goal of every soldier and knight. However, apart from extremely wealthy nobles, a group of country bumpkin knights of the common class could never obtain this.

Their fiefs in the village could only support their daily lives.

The barren land could not produce too much food and economic crops to sustain their splurges.

"Baron Kant, tell me, what's your reason for finding me?"

After everyone left, Baron Dylan did not wait for the servants to tidy up. He said, "Is it because your estate was attacked by the Jackalans again, and you want me to help you defeat them?"

Baron Dylan took the initiative and looked at Kant. "But you must know that I am not Sir Hobson from the Lion Fort. If you want me to help you solve your Jackalan crisis, this urn of white salt is far from enough."

On this, Kant smiled. "No, Uncle Dylan. I remember that your wife is the daughter of a merchant?"

Baron Dylan's expression turned ugly. His wife did not belong to a noble family, but a merchant. She was a laughing stock in the aristocratic circle. Although he was a warrior baron, he still had the status of a noble.

Baron Dylan snorted coldly and said, "Baron Kant, do you want to use your noble bloodline to humiliate me?"

"No, no, no. "

Kant had a sincere smile on his face as he looked at the cold and cruel Baron Dylan. Instead, he said gently, "I don't have a Jackalan crisis, nor do I have any intention of humiliating you. I just want to start a long-term trade agreement with you, Uncle Dylan."

Chapter 86: Confirmed Trade Cooperation

In the Lord's hall.

On the wall, the burning pine oil torches that were used for lighting crackled.

The leftovers of the food were still on the table.

The slightly plump butler's face was covered in a cold sweat. He stood beside his master, Baron Dylan, with his head lowered. He understood that at this moment, he should maintain the most humble and respectful attitude.

However, in reality, no one cared about him.

In front of Baron Dylan, the jar of white salt that Kant brought was placed on the table.

Manid was the one who put it there.

Through the opening of the seal, Baron Dylan could see the white substance in the jar under the dim light. It was fine white salt, the best seasoning, a luxury item that only a noble could afford, and it was the most popular ingredients used by the mages in the Mage Tower who possessed extraordinary powers to cast a spell.

Slowly sticking his fingers into the jar, Baron Dylan grabbed a small pinch of white salt and scattered it in front of his eyes like an hourglass, "This is good stuff. " He spoke with a level and cold voice, but there was a slight tremor in his voice.

"That's right, Uncle Dylan, as you can see. "

Kant sat on the chair with a smile at the corner of his mouth. "This is the deal I want to offer you. "

Baron Dylan did not answer.

Instead, he narrowed his eyes. A terrifying look appeared in his eyes, just like the expression he had when he was risking his life on the battlefield. He took a deep breath to calm himself down and slowly said, "Kant, what exactly do you mean? "

"A long-term trading," Kant said.

Baron Dylan raised his head and looked at him directly. "I am asking you what exactly do you mean."

### Feeling the awe in his eyes, Kant did not feel the slightest ripple in his heart. He still said calmly, "Uncle Dillard, my aunt's family is a grain merchant from the northern county. The trade routes include the southern county and the eastern county. I think this is your advantage. "

Baron Dylan did not answer. He kept staring at Kant.

He suddenly realized that the Baron Kant sitting in front of him was no longer the shy and polite child he met before.

"Table salt trade. " Baron Dylan muttered.

"That's right. " Kant nodded.

"You found a salt mine in your territory?" Baron Dylan continued to ask.

"Yes." Kant chuckled, he was not going to keep it a secret.

Such a straightforward answer kept Baron Dylan quiet for a moment before he raised his head to look at Kant, "How many cans of this white salt can you give me every week? I need an accurate number."

"Ten cans," Kant said. "And I can guarantee that you will have them every week. "

Baron Dylan looked deeply into his eyes and finally nodded, "Okay."

"May we have pleasant cooperation, Uncle Dylan. I know that you are my closest and most trustworthy uncle."

Kant smiled.

He was a smart man. Although Baron Dylan was a warrior who came from a commoner background, his humble background did not affect his intelligence, whether it was his business or political mindset.

Being promoted from a commoner to a knight and then to a Baron was already an unimaginable dream for ordinary people.

Baron Dylan did it.

Looking at the Baron who was kind to him when he was young, Kant's heart did not waver. He still looked at him sincerely and said, "The only person I can trust is you."

This was the truth. Kant did not lie.

Baron Dylan narrowed his eyes. He looked at Kant and nodded expressionlessly, "I was your mother's old subordinate."

"I know," Kant nodded.

He had been in this world for so many years, and he was not completely ignorant.

However, the status was no longer of much use to him now, because his mother had passed away due to illness 15 years ago. The subordinates she brought to the Dukedom of Leo had had their power completely suppressed by the local noble families.

For example, Baron Dylan, who had made an important contribution in winning a losing battle, was sent to the arid and barren Stone Pass to become a baron there. If he was a local nobleman of the Dukedom of Leo, he would probably be on the fertile plains of the South County. It was even possible to carve out an area for him to build a village. The difference between the two was obvious.

This was also why Kant came to him.

He had been born a commoner and had gone through a lot of hardships, but in the end, what he got was unequal treatment and a barren piece of land.

No one in his position would feel that their efforts were proportional to their returns.

Of course, Baron Dylan was indignant.

Staring at the Baron who was already in his middle age, Kant did not reveal any deep emotions. Instead, his gaze was sincere as he said, "Uncle Dylan, this might be the beginning of our success."

"That's right," Baron Dylan nodded. He finally looked squarely at Kant.

He narrowed his eyes slightly and asked in a deep voice, "This business is worth joining, but I want to know the details first." He paused and stared at Kant, "For example, how much is the price of each jar of white salt?"

"50 Great Silver coins. It's 150 Great Silver coins cheaper than the white salt that's currently on the market. "

Kant spoke, but Baron Dylan started breathing heavily after hearing his answer.

Instinctively clenching his hand tightly, Baron Dylan narrowed his eyes and looked into Kant's eyes. He continued in a deep voice, "I don't understand why you set the price this way."

In the market of the Dukedom of Leo, the price of white salt was 200 Great Silver coins.

In the barter system, a jar of white salt had a value equivalent to three years' worth of crops produced by all the villages in the barren lands of the North County and all the fields cultivated by the free people and serfs.

Back then, Kant had used 20 Great Silver coins to make the elite cavalry of the Lion Fort work for him.

Now, who would ignore the profit of 150 Great Silver coins per jar of table salt?

A smile curled Kant's lips.

However, his expression remained sincere, "What I mean, of course, is to sell this white salt to you at the price of 50 Great Silver coins per jar, my most respected Uncle Dylan. "

"This... " Even though Baron Dylan was mentally prepared, he was still dumbfounded.

10 jars of white salt per week, 150 Great Silver coins per jar of white salt.

1,500 Great Silver coins per week.

6,000 Great Silver coins per month.

72,000 Great Silver coins per year.

Even the richest territory in the Dukedom of Leo, the City of Lion's Heart, which was built on the banks of the Resniston River and under the direct command of the king, was a very prosperous trading city, and it could only earn 50,000 Great Silver coins per year through various taxes.

In addition to the maintenance fees and personnel expenses, it was already good enough to have a net profit of 30,000 Great Silver coins.

But now, Baron Dylan could easily earn 72,000 Great Silver coins a year.

It was extremely profitable.

Baron Dylan clenched his fists tightly.

He looked at Kant and suddenly lost his rational mind.

Breathing heavily, Baron Dylan smile, "My most generous little Kant, you know, on my honor and your mother's name, I swear that we will be the best partners. "

"Of course, Uncle Dylan," Kant smiled, he was extremely sincere.

However, there was a flash of coldness in Baron Dylan's eyes, but he forcefully suppressed it.

The salt mine in the Nahrin Desert.

This was indeed a resource worth coveting.

However, he needed to determine where it was located and whether it could be completely controlled by him.

Although he was the Lord of the Stone Pass, Baron Dylan knew his power. He was considered the weakest among the lords in the North County, not to mention the wealthy South County and the East County, which had already stopped any interaction with other counties. Only by gathering resources can a lord become more powerful.

The dinner was about to end.

Baron Dylan had a smile on his face. He turned his head and glanced at the butler beside him who was sweating. He was satisfied with the way he stood with his head lowered. This was an honest man who was intimidated by him.

Looking at Kant, he asked, "My dear little Kant, no one else knows about the table salt trade, am I right? "

"No, no one else knows."

Kant nodded and shrugged with a smile, "But, Uncle Dylan, when your trade caravan starts to operate, I think many people will know about it. There might be a lot of problems. "

"It doesn't matter. Everything will be resolved." Baron Dylan lowered his head and smiled, his face gleamed with excitement.

Chapter 87: The Country Bumpkins of the North County

The dinner went great.

Kant and Baron Dylan exchanged a few more words before parting with each other in the dead of night.

The maid led them to the rooms that had been arranged beforehand in the official residence. Manid, the five Sarrandian Horsemen, and the desert bandits who did not attend the dinner were also placed in rooms that were close to Kant's room. They were given rather good treatment.

However, the torches in the Lord's Hall were still burning, causing the entire space to be filled with the choking smell of smoke.

Baron Dylan sat quietly on his chair.

Excitement gleamed in his eyes.

Two burly figures pushed the main entrance's door of the hall open and entered. As the light shone on them, it was clear that they were the two of the vassal knights from before. They were also Baron Dylan's right-hand men.

"Lord Dylan." The two of them came over and bowed respectfully.

"Yes," Baron Dylan nodded.

He pointed at the chair beside him and said, "Sit down. You two were in the next room, you should have heard."

"Yes, sir." The two of them did not refuse. They sat down and nodded at the same time.

While Kant and Baron Dylan were talking, the two vassal knights were in the next room.

After all, Baron Dylan needed protection. Even though guards were guarding the door, the five Sarrandian Horsemen in the Lord's Hall still gave everyone in the hall the creeps.

It was the pressure of facing elite soldiers.

However, Baron Dylan was not thinking about this. Instead, he was thinking about the jar of the white salt that was placed on the table in front of him.

"Is there a salt mine in the Nahrin Desert? "

Baron Dylan asked faintly, "If I remember correctly, we have been stationed at the Stone Pass for almost ten years. How come we never know anything about it? "

The two vassal knights looked at each other and lowered their heads in shame, "I'm sorry."

"There's no need to apologize." Baron Dylan shook his head.

Squinting, he had got a dangerous look in his eyes, "Even if there is a salt mine, it would probably be very deep inside the Nahrin desert. After all, when we went into the desert to kill the Jackalan tribe, there was no salt mine around the Oasis Lookout. "

The vassal knights nodded and waited for Baron Dylan to continue speaking.

Baron Dylan went on, "But this is an opportunity. I didn't expect little Kant to survive in the Oasis Lookout. He even found a salt mine. It seems like he is doing great."

Thinking of the Sarrandian Horsemen who were fully armored, Baron Dylan narrowed his eyes and said, "Could it be that Princess Sofia's forces are still secretly supporting him? "

"That's impossible. "

The two vassal knights narrowed their eyes slightly, and there was a solemn look in their eyes.

They knew Baron Dylan. Both of them came from the civilian class as well. They had been following Baron Dylan for more than ten years and were trusted by him on the battlefield. Otherwise, they would not have been treated as trusted aides by Baron Dylan.

"It's possible," Baron Dylan snorted coldly.

Thinking of the unequal treatment he had been subjected to since he came to the Stone Pass in the North County, he was enraged.

Clenching his fist, he slowly said, "Let's wait quietly. Time will prove everything." He paused, his voice was low, "But our fate must be held in our own hands. With the money from the table salt trade, I can recruit more knights and buy more armor. By then, even Viscount Wayne who rules the North County will be afraid of our strength."

"We will follow your orders." The two vassal knights nodded with a determined look on their faces.

***

In the room, Kant was resting quietly.

Manid had just left.

They chatted for a while, but due to the poor soundproofing of the room, they did not talk too much.

They only talked about today's trade briefly.

In other's territory, they absolutely could not reveal any secret information. Who knew if there were any secret agents of Baron Dylan right next to these rooms?

Kant did not harbor any so-called sincerity towards this uncle Dylan.

As the saying goes, only children care about right and wrong. To noble families, profit is the only eternal thing.

Now Kant had offered profits that Baron Dylan could not refuse, and at the same time, he had also revealed a small part of his strength. The cooperation between the two parties had basically been established.

Kant was not sure about how long that would last.

But at the very least, both parties would remain in a friendly and peaceful atmosphere for a year, the honeymoon phase.

A year later, Baron Dylan, who had tasted the sweetness, would become stronger as a result of this trade and might want to continue sharing Kant's profit, which had already given him enough benefits. By then, he would realize that Kant, who was originally just a little snake, had become a terrifying dragon.

In a year, with the help of the system, Kant wouldn't stop developing his territory, would he?

This gave Kant his confidence!

There was a proverb in the Dukedom of Leo, "A lion is strongest when it is an adult."

Even a sand gazelle would dare to kick a lion cub with its hooves, let alone a hyena. This was because they knew that lion cubs did not have sharp claws, fangs, or a strong body.

Only by relying on the protection of the adult lions could they survive.

Kant and his "Drondheim" were like a lion cub. They were hungry for all the nutrients and would seek protection from all the adult lions.

For this, they were willing to sacrifice some of their food.

But once a grown lion had developed sharp claws and a strong body, who would dare to plunder its food?

No one would dare.

This was the law of the jungle, the survival of the fittest.

He drifted off to sleep.

But Kant remained vigilant.

The night passed peacefully.

When Kant woke up the next morning, he, who was sleeping on the soft bed, could not help but stretch.

He must admit that the room in the official residence was set up very well, especially the soft bed. Kant, who was used to sleeping on a hard bed, felt that his waist was a little sore.

Of course, the quality of the sleep was very satisfactory.

When he walked out of the room, Manid and the cavalry also stepped out.

The maid led them to the Lord's Hall, where breakfast would be served.

The vassal knights of the Stone Pass were the first to arrive at their seats. They laughed and talked about all sorts of things, but the topic was none other than women and wine, or how heroic they used to be on the battlefield.

After Kant entered, the noise in the hall stopped.

But they continued to reappear along with the sound of discussion.

However, some vassal knights here occasionally looked at Kant and his associates with an unfriendly expression, especially at the chain armor under the linen robes of the five Sarrandian Horsemen. Their eyes were filled with envy and some sort of evil and greed.

"Humph!" Kant snorted.

Kant settled into his seat while Manid and the horsemen beside him also sat down according to yesterday's arrangement.

They talked softly and stayed out of the vassal knights' business.

The truly capable vassal knights had long been conferred with titles and left. They had their own fief around the Stone Pass. Those who remained here were all boors who did not have much ability and only knew how to fight.

Moreover, just by looking at their boorish appearances, they were no match to the five Sarrandian Horsemen.

"No wonder he is called a country bumpkin knight."

Kant's lips curled into a mocking smile. The interesting news that he had heard in Lion Fort crossed his mind.

The North County was a barren place, and that causes the knights' equipment and the soldiers to be of low quality. They were considered the troops of the lowest quality in the entire Dukedom of Leo. Every time they started a war with the enemy, the lord and troops of the North County were second-rate cannon fodder.

That was why they were called a bunch of country bumpkins from the North County, the brainless boors.

Kant could even make an inference.

Looking at the unfriendly expressions on these guys and the way they drooled over the five Sarrandian Horsemen beside him, Kant estimated that he would encounter a small accident after leaving the pass.

Chapter 88: The Power Structure of Knights

Kant did not wait for long.

The arrival of Baron Dylan marked the official beginning of the breakfast.

As the butler waved his hand, well-trained servants brought the breakfast. It was rather similar to last night's food, except that there was no light lager to get drunk on. Obviously, this kind of drink was not available for breakfast.

However, compared to last night's coldness, today Baron Dylan was more friendly and kind towards Kant.

It was impossible to refuse such ample benefits.

The change made the vassal knights who had ulterior motives look pale.

They exchanged looks with each other when they thought no one was looking and saw the indignance in each other's eyes, as well as the greed for the hidden chain armor on the Sarrandian Horsemen.

The poor Stone Pass would not give them such excellent armor.

But because of the change in Baron Dylan's attitude, they didn't seem to have a chance at having it.

The sound of people chewing and swallowing the food filled the hall.

The food on the table soon disappeared.

The breakfast was announced to be over. After expressing their gratitude to Baron Dylan, they left the hall.

Many tasks were awaiting those vassal knights.

The area around the Stone Pass was protected by these knights. They faced problems such as the invasion of Jackalan, the discovery of demonized creatures, and the appearance of a bandit gang everyday. These knights would lead the soldiers to solve those problems.

Baron Dylan asked Kant to stay with him for a private conversation. He was brought to the room next door by the butler.

It was a guest room. The tables and chairs were arranged in a very orderly manner.

Many animal heads that had been tawed were hanging on the wall. They were baring their teeth. They seemed to be game animals.

They were the ornaments that were used to show off their owner's power.

"Alright, you can go." Baron Dylan waved his hand, telling the butler who was leading the way to leave.

The door was closed by the butler. Only Kant and Baron Dylan were in the room.

When he saw Kant looking up at the head of a wolf-like animal on the wall, Baron Dylan said with a proud smile, "That fellow is a magical creature that appeared in the logging field in the west of the Senwaya Range five years ago. His strength is probably similar to that of a Grand Knight. He injured two of my vassal knights and killed at least 20 soldiers."

"What a powerful monster." Kant was stunned. He glanced at the head and then said with a smile, "But Uncle Dylan, it ended up hanging in your room."

"Hahaha."

Baron Dylan looked very happy. He sat on his chair and said, "I killed it myself. I almost lost an eye." He pointed at the scar on his right cheek, "A close one."

Kant smiled and nodded. His voice was also filled with emotions, "You are very brave. "

His compliment on the spoils of war further accentuated Baron Dylan's bravery.

Kant was licking the baron's shoes in such a way that the baron did not notice that Kant was sucking up to him.

However, Kant was also a little surprised. Although Baron Dylan talked about the incident like it was not a big deal, two vassal knights were injured and 20 soldiers were killed in the battle with this Grand Knight-level demonized creature, it was definitely a thrilling experience.

"There are many demonized creatures like that in the Senwaya Range."

Baron Dylan sighed heavily, "It's still very difficult to be a baron here."

Kant shrugged.

Difficult?

It must be at least simpler to manage compared to Kant's territory in the Nahrin Desert. Kant could only rely on that small oasis.

Baron Dylan also realized that his complaint did not seem reasonable. He shook his head and did not dwell on this topic. Instead, he asked Kant, "My dear little Kant, when can you start supplying table salt?"

"It can start at the beginning of next month," Kant replied.

A smile appeared on Baron Dylan's face, "That would be great. Are you handling it yourself?"

Kant shook his head, "No, my business manager dealing will be connecting with your trade caravan. His name is Manid. He is the one who was sitting on my left-hand side during breakfast. "

"Oh, good. Very good." Baron Dylan nodded.

Of course, he did not remember Manid's name, nor did he care who was dealing with him. As long as he could see the table salt at the beginning of next month, it would be enough for him.

Those will give him Great Silver coins that symbolized wealth!

The extremely huge profit of 72,000 Great Silver coins a year made him extremely excited, even when he was sleeping last night.

The serious matter had been settled.

Kant and Baron Dylan continued to chat in the room for a long time.

Most of the time, Baron Dylan was pointing at the spoils of war in the room, showing off the monsters that he had killed before.

All of them were of the rank of a Grand Knight.

Kant also showed his admiration and respect for Baron Dylan.

The two of them chatted happily.

Baron Dylan's cold and indifferent attitude towards Kant was basically gone. He was like a real uncle, telling his nephew stories from the past.

The atmosphere was very joyous.

Of course, deep down, both Kant and Baron Dylan knew that only a fool would believe everything they said to each other.

Their relationship was built on profits.

However, Kant was still surprised by Baron Dylan's physical strength.

After all, in this world with magical powers, one could obtain great power by only training his body.

And this was how the Knight Class was structured.

Although they could not really control magical powers like the mages, the small amount of magical power that the knights used during physical training still changed these knights a little.

For example, they became stronger than ordinary people.

For example, they had better eyesight than ordinary people.

For example, they could react faster than ordinary people.

These were all the benefits that knights obtained after training with a small amount of magical power.

It was independent of the noble system. Knights were divided into levels of physical strength.

Knights, Grand Knights, Extraordinary Knights.

They became knights after a long period of training. They had lots of different fighting skills and strong physique.

Grand Knights needed to contain their magical strength. They needed a grand knight as a mentor in order to move to a higher level. After being promoted to a higher level, their stats would be three times that of ordinary knights. They were extremely powerful and could fight against a hundred people on the battlefield alone.

Extraordinary knights were known as the strongest knights. Their exact strength was unknown.

It was said that this kind of extraordinary knights actually possessed the mystical powers of mages. They also had extremely strong bodies. They were could easily change the situation on the battlefield. They were extremely powerful.

At least Kant, who had seen mages, had never seen an extraordinary knight.

Whether it existed or not was another story.

"Uncle Dylan, since we have sealed the deal, I will return to my territory."

Kant said goodbye to Baron Dylan.

"You want to go back so soon?" Baron Dylan expressed his wishes for Kant to stay.

Kant replied respectfully, "I still have to deal with too many things in Oasis Lookout. After all, there are too many Jackalan tribes in the Nahrin Desert and they are extremely ferocious. I'm afraid that something will happen if I am away for too long."

"That's a pity." Baron Dylan sighed softly.

However, an idea came to Baron Dylan's mind, he said caringly, "Little Kant, if the Oasis Lookout needs reinforcements, I think I can help. I'll lend you 100 infantrymen and two of my vassal knights to help defend your territory."

"Thank you for your concern, Uncle Dylan."

Kant smiled and declined tactfully at the same time, "I can still defend my territory. Many soldiers are helping me."

Only God knew what this Uncle Dylan's real intention was by sending his troops over.

The entire Oasis Lookout might end up having to listen to his orders. Especially after they found the salt mine, they would want to lay their hands on the Oasis Lookout's matters. At that time, the territory would have a different owner.

Baron Dylan nodded with a straight face, "That's good. Safety is the most important thing. "

"Of course." Kant nodded with a smile.

The two continued to chat for a while, and then Kant left after bidding farewell.

Baron Dylan walked Kant out of the official residence. Manid, the five Sarrandian Horsemen, and the 10 Desert Bandits had all packed their things and were ready to return to the Oasis Lookout.

After saying goodbye, Kant spurred his horse and led his troops on the journey back home.

The mission was completed.

As long as the table salt trade was established, an endless stream of Great Silver coins would end up in Kant's hands.

Kant would not completely rely on these cold silver coins. He would use them to get more useful materials, such as food and tools, which would be the driving force for the development of the Oasis Lookout.

Oasis Lookout, which did not produce enough crops, could not self-sustain.

Therefore, one of Kant's plans was to use this table salt trade to open up the market of the Stone Pass.

Chapter 89: Two Different Conspiracies

When Kant led his team out of the official residence and headed towards the city gate, many spies who had been waiting outside the official residence immediately left in the shadows.

The five hooded men who were already targeting Kant when they arrived at the Stone Pass were among them.

However, they were not the only ones who were watching.

A few civilians in tattered clothes who were walking among the pedestrians outside the official residence also left in a hurry with their heads lowered.

Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary.

However, in reality, something was lurking in the dark in this small Stone Pass.

In a basement.

The five skinny men with hoods were reporting their findings.

The man sitting on the chair nodded and said in a lazy tone, "So, you don't know what Baron Kant and Baron Dylan were talking about? "

"I'm sorry, Lord. There's nothing we can do. "

The leader among the five skinny men looked ashamed.

"No, there's no need to apologize." The leader sitting on the chair shook his head slightly, "The five of you did a good job. After all, Baron Dylan, that country bumpkin, values his mansion very much. It's impossible to get a few spies in his mansion. "

The flame of the candle on the table flickered, and light appeared in the room.

Silence fell upon the basement.

The leader of the spies sat on the chair and pondered for a moment. He made up his mind, "Wait for me here. "

"Yes, sir." The spies replied.

He pushed himself up from the chair with both hands. He grabbed the crutches beside him and limped toward a wooden door on the side. Obviously, he was a cripple.

However, the five spies did not dare to show their disdain and continued to wait respectfully.

The leader of the spies slowly pushed the wooden door open.

Another basement was on the other side of the door.

There were cabinets, tables, and chairs, as well as a few other wooden doors. It was like an underground maze.

The leader of the spies was already familiar with the route.

He took out a box which had the size of a human head from a hidden compartment of the cabinet. After opening it, a huge crystal ball that was beaming with a faint blue light could be seen in the box. He moved his hands around the ball, and it gradually emitted layers of light.

A low voice could be heard in the room.

The voice sounded like it was talking to the crystal ball.

After a moment, the light around the ball faded, and the room was again filled with silence.

The spy leader put the chest back into its original place and returned to the room where he was before. He limped to the chair and sat down, he then said faintly, "Bring Miss Jacqueline along with you guys. In the desolate desert, a young hero will lend a helping hand to a beautiful lady who is being bullied. "

"Yes, Lord." The five spies nodded.

"Go do your job." The leader of the spies waved his hand, telling the spies to leave.

In the empty room, a hint of mockery decorated the corner of his mouth.

These young noblemen who just gained their power were willing to show off their strength and pride, like the heroes from the classic scenes in novels. The hero saving the damsel in distress, simple and effective.

***

In the slum area of the Stone Pass.

Dirty sewage flowed wantonly on the street, and a faint pungent smell came from the huts on both sides of the street.

The pedestrians were in ragged clothes.

They were bankrupts and poor people who lived here. Their eyes looked cold and lifeless.

Even if they were alive, they were barely living.

However, deep in the slum area, more than 40 skinny men gathered in a slightly larger house made of wood. All of them looked respectfully at the four burly men sitting on the chairs in front of them.

If Kant and the others were here, they would recognize these four burly men.

Kant had met them in the Lord's Hall last night at dinner and this morning at breakfast.

Although they did not speak, he could still vaguely recognize them based on their faces.

These four guys were Baron Dylan's vassal knights!

They were also the four knights who looked at the Sarrandian Horsemen greedily in the Lord's Hall. They left a deep impression on Kant, who was actually very vigilant. He couldn't forget them in a short period.

Kant predicted, at that time, that he might run into trouble.

And now, his prediction turned out to be true.

"After this job, we can get out of this damn Stone Pass."

The leader of the vassal knights opened his mouth and said with a gloomy expression on his face, "I know that Viscount Wayne, who is the commander of the North County, is very dissatisfied with Baron Dylan. If we join him, we might have a chance to obtain our own knight's territory. "

Another person also said, "That's right. Viscount Wayne will definitely give us the villages near the Stone Pass as our knight fief, unlike that darn Dylan, who did not once mention awarding knight fiefs even after five years we've been stationed here!"

Speaking of this, all four of them had a sullen expression on their faces.

They had been stationed at the Stone Pass for about five years. Although they were recruited as vassal knights, they were not given their own fief.

Without a fief, they were not truly recognized as a knight. They had to rely on Baron Dylan completely and followed his commands. It was just like a nomad knight who could be hired with money.

A knight who had a knight's fief and a knight who did not have a fief had absolutely different statuses!

The former was the real reserve force of a noble.

The latter was just a mercenary who had superb military strength.

Therefore, the four of them had long been dissatisfied with Baron Dylan. They were no longer willing to stay in this barren Stone Pass. They wanted to join Viscount Wayne's gang and become real knights by causing discord between the two, they would obtain their own knight's territory and their own fief.

"Now that we have so many people, let's do it!"

Finally, the four vassal knights made up their minds. They looked at the 40 skinny men in front of them. They all looked hungry, but as long as they were armed, they would still be powerful enough.

They acted on what they said. They were not some kind souls, to begin with.

Before becoming vassal knights, they had killed many people on the battlefield and even robbed trade caravan for money.

Even after they came to the Stone Pass, they would still occasionally take up their old jobs.

Sometimes, bandit groups appeared in various places and disappeared mysteriously after robbing. They were the vassal knights who were short on cash. The lords knew about it but they chose to turn a blind eye.

Well, their own trade caravan was not robbed. If they interfered too much, they would only get the reputation of being stingy.

This was also the main reason why commerce in the Dukedom of Leo was not developed.

Even on the Resniston River, there were occasionally river bandits in disguise. If it wasn't for the river patrol team set up by the City of Lion's Heart, the economy of the Dukedom of Leo would probably be even worse.

The bandits had created a really serious problem in the Dukedom of Leo.

Of course, Kant didn't know that his whereabouts had already been targeted by these people.

He was still buying some things in the market at the pass with his team.

For example, logging axes and farm tools were urgently needed in the Oasis Lookout. He would just buy 50 pieces of tools that would be useful, whether it was for logging, farming, or gathering coarse salt.

However, on the mountain paths on both sides of the Stone Pass, two groups of people were heading to the desert without leaving a trace.

They had to be prepared in advance.

Chapter 90: Fortuitous Encounter After Leaving the Desert

The market of the Stone Pass was located next to the slums.

Since commerce in the North County was not developed, the market was not big. In fact, there were only very few things. The main stalls were the ones that were selling necessary farming tools or smithies that repaired weapons for the soldiers.

It was close to the Senwaya Range. To resist the demonized creatures and Jackalan, weapons and armor wore out rapidly.

Because of the system, Kant did not need many weapons.

But to discover new talents, he wanted to see the skills of the blacksmiths at the Stone Pass.

Kant looked at the faces of those who were smiling flatteringly, their eyes were glimmering as they thought that he, a nobleman, was a big customer. They took out swords and axes made of bad quality iron as if they were offering a treasure, Kant could not help but roll his eyes. When he saw the bloated and useless thickened iron-scale armor, he immediately sighed.

"Enough. "

Kant waved his hand as he sat on the warhorse and kicked the stirrups gently, "Get ready to take off. "

"Understood," Manid and the others answered.

The weapons and armor made by these blacksmiths were trash to Kant who was used to the high-quality products produced by the system. They were not worthy of his attention at all, and he would not spend silver coins on them.

There were probably no skilled blacksmiths in such a poor place like the Stone Pass.

Although it was a world of swords and magic.

However, excellent craftsmen, blacksmiths, and armor makers were all precious resources in the war. If their craftsmanship was good enough, they would be able to live a much better life in those large noblemen's castles or cities with flourishing economies than in poor places like the Stone Pass.

"Pleasure working with you. "

Manid had finished bargaining with the stall owner. He took out three Great Silver coins and tied up the sack that held the bad quality iron tools. The Desert Bandits worked together to put everything on the horses.

Although the 50 tools were heavy, they could still be easily carried by the 10 horses.

Of course, they had already prepared the drinking water and the food that was needed to cross the Nahrin Desert for everyone that could last for five days.

"Lord Kant, everything is ready."

Manid rode his warhorse to Kant's side and reported.

"Okay, let's go." Kant nodded and gently kicked the stirrups, spurring his warhorse forward.

The entire team headed towards the northern city gate.

As the northern side of the pass was close to the Nahrin Desert, Jackalan tribes would occasionally attack the city gate. Therefore, the northern side of the Stone Pass was basically a slum area. It was dirty and messy as dirty water was flowing everywhere. The smell was rather unpleasant.

Kant frowned as he swept past those skinny poor people who quickly dodged. He now knew how good life was in the Oasis Lookout.

He created the "Drondheim" village in the Oasis Lookout.

Although it was small in size, it had everything. And although everything in there was still new and not fully formed, it was undoubtedly a utopia for the residence there. They could enjoy the comfortable life they imagined.

Although there were wars, at least there was hope.

It was way better than the life of the poor people here who had no hope in their eyes.

"The task is too difficult."

Spurring his horse forward, Kant sighed in his heart.

Oasis Lookout was his base. If he didn't want it to become like this, he could only work harder.

He wanted to be successful.

The thick and heavy northern gate made of logs was opened.

Under the supervision of a few captains dressed in iron-plated scale armor, the peasant recruits, who were pale and wearing loose leather armor, used all their strength to pull the winch to open the gate. They also respectfully sent Kant and the others off.

They knew that these were Baron Dylan's distinguished guests.

Moreover, Kant's status as a baron was also the reason why these civilian soldiers were kneeling before him.

"Let's go."

Kant did not care about the flattery.

The warhorse under him seemed to understand what he was thinking. After leaving the city gate of the Stone Pass, its handsome figure stretched out. Its four hooves stepped on the sand-filled canyon road, and it started to gallop.

Manid and the 15 horsemen quickly followed him.

They left the canyon safely.

The billowing sand sea of the Nahrin Desert appeared before their eyes. The desert stretched as far as the eye could see to the north.

But the desert was like a home to Kant and his men.

The Stone Pass was not within their sphere of influence after all. It did not feel good to live under someone else's roof, especially when it involved noble families' interests. After sealing the deal, they quickly left.

Although the Nahrin Desert was still a no man's land, it was like Kant's territory.

The horsemen and desert bandits from the Sarrandian Desert were more familiar with this kind of desolate environment.

The only one who felt awkward was probably Manid.

There was a tingling sensation on the skin between his legs on the warhorse. He could only sigh and put up with it. He planned to return to the Oasis Lookout and polish his riding skills up. He would not be this embarrassed in the future.

To alleviate his pain, Manid started to speak to divert his attention, "Lord Kant."

"What's Wrong? " Kant turned back.

"The deal between this Baron Dylan and us won't last long in my opinion," said Manid.

"That's right," Kant nodded. He was not surprised, "No one is willing to give up the precious salt mine. Even if they had gained a huge profit, they'd still want to completely own the salt mine themselves, only then will they feel at ease."

Kant understood the mentality of Baron Dylan, who was unwilling to accept the fact that he was stuck at the Stone Pass.

And greed was one of the reasons that the cooperation between them was successfully established.

"But we have to speed up our development, my Lord." Manid knew that Kant had a plan in mind, but he still reminded him. "In my opinion, this is a dangerous game."

Kant chuckled, and mockery crossed his young face, "That's right, it is a dangerous game. "

Baron Dylan was using trade to gain power.

Once he had enough strength, the cooperation between them would be torn apart, and the table salt trade would crumble to dust.

When the time came, the greedy Baron Dylan would definitely be the first to make a move on Kant, who was in the Oasis Lookout. He would use his power to completely control the salt mine that Kant owned and let his caravan monopolize the table salt trade.

Kant did not even need to predict, he could be sure that such a thing would definitely happen.

Greed was endless.

However, when Baron Dylan thought that his development was rapid, he absolutely could never imagine that the one who developed even faster was Kant!

Kant, who had a golden finger, was already standing on the shoulders of giants and could soar to the sky at any time. How could he develop slower than Baron Dylan?

Baron Dylan could help Kant withstand the pressure from the Dukedom of Leo.

He looked back.

In the Nahrin Desert, Kant's Oasis Lookout had expanded into a force that even himself had to be careful. He was even at a slight disadvantage. When the time comes, it would be obvious who would win.

Kant led the team into the depths of the desert.

The traces they left when they came were still faintly visible. As long as they followed the right direction, they would arrive at the posthouse at night.

That was a place where they could rest.

However, the Sarrandian Horseman leading the way had a slightly tense expression. He tightened his grip on the reins and slowed the Sarrandian horse beneath him down. At the same time, he said in a deep voice, "Something's wrong, Lord Kant. We've got a situation ahead."

Kant narrowed his eyes.

He also saw that at the bottom of the dune ahead, a dozen horsemen were moving rapidly in this direction.

Chapter 91: Poor Acting Skills

It was rare to see people in the Nahrin Desert, and this was the first time.

No one knew who were these cavalries and where they came from.

The current situation was unclear.

Since they did not know whether they were friends or enemies, five Sarrandian Horsemen moved forward cautiously.

They held three-meter-long lances in their hands, they lightly tapped their horse and slowly urged the horse to step in front of Kant. They stared coldly at the cavalries approaching by horses from afar.

The ten desert bandits also urged their horses to stand on Kant's sides. Each of them held their two-meter-long spears tightly.

However, as they got closer.

Kant furrowed his brow because he saw that cavalries were actually chasing the rider at the front.

He slightly narrowed his eyes.

The rider in Kant's eyesight was getting closer and closer. He slowly said, "A woman. "

"It is a woman. "

Manid held a shortsword in his hand and said, "Those cavalries are chasing after her. "

However, either the five Sarrandian Horseman at the front or the ten desert bandits on the sides, their mind seemed to be not bothered by the situation. They still held their weapons tightly and were very vigilant.

In such a desolate desert, it was very strange that a dozen of cavalries chasing after a woman.

And as desert bandits, they understood better.

Since these cavalries dared to chase after that woman so brazenly, there was definitely something fishy. In fact, these cavalries might be just like them, they were also probably bandits who would kill people mercilessly!

Subconsciously, their eyes all looked at Kant.

However, Kant spurred his horse to aside and glanced. Then he ordered, "Don't be nosy. Make way for them. It looks like those cavalries won't be able to catch up to that woman yet. "

The canyon of the Stone Pass was not far from them, and the garrison of Baron Dylan was there.

If that woman escaped into the canyon, there might be a way out for her.

"Understood." Manid nodded. He and the others moved their horses to the side. Although they were on guard with their weapons, they all knew that they didn't want to get involved in this chase.

Been through warfare of the continent of Caradia, they all understood the rules, never meddled in other people's business.

However, things did not went to the plan.

The woman at the front was nervously lying on the white horse's back, and wrapped her hand tightly around the horse's neck.

When she saw Kant and the others, her eyes brightened. She turned her horse around and she cried out sorrowfully with a desperate face, "Help, help, gentlemen, those bandits are after me. Help! "

As she cried out sorrowfully, she quickly charged her horses over to Kant's side.

However, the Sarrandian Horsemen did not moved aside. Instead, they raised their lances and roared, "Stop! "

"Stop! "

The desert bandits were also roaring furiously, and raising their spears fearsomely.

Her horses charged towards them extremely fast, and it brought all of the mess to them. They were forced to be dragged into this accident, put Kant in danger. How could they not angry?

"Please, save me. My father is a great merchant of the eastern county. He will give you a lot of money. Please save me! "

The woman cried until her face was covered in tears.

However, when she saw the shiny spears and lances, she tightened the reins and slowed her white horse. When she was riding and stepped on the stirrups, her legs suddenly cramped as she was extremely exhausted. She fell heavily on to the soft sand at just a few meters away from them.

As the sound of the horses hitting the sand behind her getting closer and closer, she couldn't stop her body trembled.

She struggled to stand up, but because of her injuries from the fall, she laid back on the ground. She seemed to have hurt her ankle. She could only raise her head, revealing her fair face. Her pair of big eyes were filled with tears as she pleaded, "Please, save me. "

Her pleading gaze was aimed right at Kant, her teary innocent eyes made every man want to adore her .

However, the cavalries after her finally caught up in time. They all had a fierce look on their faces. As they glanced over Kant and the others, their eyes exposed their fear.

The Elite Sarrandian Horseman and the fierce desert bandits, their powerful aura was as frightening like theirs.

"Hey, do you know we want to capture this woman? "

The leader of the cavalries slowly moved his horse forward. He looked at Kant, who was obviously the leader, and said wickedly, "If you don't want to have any trouble, then you'd better hand this woman over to us! "

Kant narrowed his eyes slightly.

He knew his men around him will rush forward and save this woman if he gave them the order.

Kant's looked the pitiful young girl. Her rose-white fair face, jade-like eyes, her light green long hair, and the neat silk dress on her body all indicated that she was not an ordinary girl.

"Save me, save me. " The woman was still crying.

However, Kant raised his head and said calmly to those bandits, "Oh, okay, please go ahead. "

The scene went quiet.

The crying beautiful woman looked at Kant incredulously, she was shocked in tears.

The ferocious cavalries were shocked as well.

Their eyes widened and they were all speechless.

A strange silence came upon the groups.

Kant was a little annoyed with this silence. He gently tapped his, pulled the reins and let his horse walked to the side. At the same time, he said to his cavalries, "It's none of our business, let's go. "

This made the beautiful woman came back to her senses.

There was anger in her eyes, but her hands and feet did not stop. She cried and struggled as she crawled towards Kant. "No... No, save me, sir. My father is a great merchant of the eastern country. I can pay 500 great silver coins as a reward! "

The beautiful woman straight ahead crawled and blocked the way of Kant and the others. She let out a piercing and despairing cry.

"Hey, are you sure you want to go against us because of this woman? "

The bandit spoke fiercely and pointed the longsword in his hand at Kant and the others.

Just like the actors who had finally found their lines, each of them put the fierce look back on their faces and looked at Kant furiously. "Don't think that you can fight against us. Do you know that we are the Demon's Fang

Bandit Gang of the northern county? "

"Are you Idiots? "

Kant frowned slightly. He heard of this bandit gang before, and it seemed that they had quite a lot of power in the northern county.

However, he looked at the bandits who wearing armors without any fear and said calmly, "Just order your man take this woman away quickly. Don't block my way. "

"You... you... " at this time, even the woman couldn't help but pointed at Kant with her shaking hands.

Her widened her eyes, but didn't know what to say.

Logically speaking, an arrogant young noble, who just turned into adult and gained power, should had rescued the princess in danger and save the day.

However, the plot went completely off-track.

"Do you know why? "

Kant spoke softly. His eyes glanced over this beautiful woman, his mouth quirked at the corner. "Your acting is too bad."

Chapter 92: A Sudden Ambush

As soon as Kant finished his line.

"Do it! " Manid suddenly shouted, as if they had a telepathic connection.

The horsemen and the desert bandits, who were always alert and long been ready, kicked their horses and urged their warhorse forward. They were holding their weapons and charges fiercely towards the enemy cavalries. The enemy cavalries couldn't react to the attack in time. Their bodies were pierced by the spears and lances.

The sharp spears and lances easily pierced through the leather armor and the bodies of the enemy cavalries.

Their leather armors instantly dyed red by their fresh blood.

The beautiful woman in the white silk dress widened her beautiful jade-like eyes. She was in shocked, frightened and couldn't believe what she just saw.

"No... No... uh... "

The assault of the Sarrandian horsemen and the desert bandits was a blink of the eye.

It lasted for less than ten seconds.

The twelve enemy cavalries had all fallen under their horses, and their entire abdomen had been pierced. Although they were still alive, from the painful expression on their faces, one could tell that even their internal organs had been pierced. They definitely won't live for long.

Even bleeding could lead to death.

Kant and the others still didn't have much expression, nor did they have any pity for their life.

Compared to the Sarrandian horseman who had fought in battlefields for a long time, and the desert bandits who were savage and brutal, these so-called Devil Fang Bandit Gang were as weak as children.

"It's our turn. "

Kant spoke slowly, his tone were calm with the elegance of a noble.

But the beautiful woman who was lying on the ground in a white dress began to cry loudly.

"No, don't kill me, don't kill me! "

She knelt on the ground, her slim waist formed a gorgeous and beautiful curve. She couldn't stop crying, "Spare me, I can tell you everything. I can give you everything. I'm willing to give everything I have. Please spare me, Merciful Sir! "

However, Kant's face did not show any emotion.

He did not even look at the woman kneeling in front of him. Instead, he raised his head and looked at the dune. He said calmly, "Don't be agitated. I'm talking about them. "

On the dune, four figures on warhorses were coming over with 40 footmen with spears in their hands.

Kant was talking about them.

"Thank you for sparing me, kind sir. Thank you, thank you. I was only acting along with them and become a spy by your side. I don't know anything else. I don't know anything else. "

The beautiful woman wept and told him everything she knew.

She thought that she was safe.

Kant reached into his bag by the side of the horse and pulled out his light crossbow. At the same time, he stuck the iron crossbow on the bowstring. Looking at the enemies who were approaching from the dune, he said calmly, "Is that all? "

"Yes, that's all. Take me with you. If I can't complete the mission, they will kill me. But I'm willing to offer myself to you, sir. I'm willing to be your woman. "

The beautiful woman placed her hand on her chest. Her snow-white dress was breath-taking.

However, when she looked at Kant, her eyes instantly widened. There was extreme anxiety in her eyes. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but with a soft sound, she could only let out a "uh uh" sound.

"Bang! Bang! "

The bowstring vibrated.

The light crossbow instantly shot out the thick and heavy iron arrow. The sharp arrow directly shot into the woman's face, and blood splashed out in between her eyebrows.

"We don't need woman during a battle. "

Kant pulled the bowstring again and put the new iron arrow in the slot.

Even though he just killed a woman, his face didn't show any emotion at all. This was not Kant's first time killing someone. Even back in the Castle of Leo, he already killed a servant who was up to something bad to him.

"Get ready to battle. "

Kant turned his head and looked at Manid. "Be careful. "

"Thank you for your concern, Lord Kant. "Manid nodded with a smile. He did not even look at the woman's corpse under his feet. Instead, he gravely looked at the approaching troops. He said certainly, "It seems to be the troops from the Stone Pass. This is an ambush. "

Only the Stone Pass could organize a troop to ambush them. After all, Kant just leaves there, and he didn't cover up his tracks. It was easy to track them down and ambush them.

"Perhaps, but who knows. "

Kant nodded and looked at the 40 footmen with spears in their hands. He gave a mocking smile, "But these four knights dare to plunder us. They are looking down on us too much. "

In the flat desert, the four cavalries and 40 footmen were just like little sheep waiting to be slaughtered.

All 17 of them were cavalries. How dare those four horsemen chase after us?

Kant did not understood why they had such courage.

The strange troops in the distance finally approached. However, they looked nervous. This was because they saw the corpses on the ground beside Kant's group, and the horses that had not escaped far away.

Normally, these escaped horses were worth a lot of money.

But now, these footmen did not dare to spread out in formation. Instead, they held their spears and formed a tighter formation.

The four leading horsemen looked even more anxious.

The eyes in their helmets looked at Kant. They did not know what to do. The just tightly gripped their longswords. They had their plan but they didn't know what to do.

"Who do I think it is? It's uncle Dylan's vassal knights. "

Kant rode forward with a smile on his face. He recognized the four burly figures on the horses.

His young face looked tender and sincere. "Are you here to save me? There were some bandits from the Devil's Fang Bandit Gang who wanted to rob us. But they were killed by my guards. "

"Is... is that so... "

The leader of the vassal knights forced a smile. "We came here because we were ordered to hunt down this group of bandits. "

"Yes, yes, that's right. " The other three vassal knights also forced a smile on their faces and responded.

However, they secretly made eye gesture to each other.

The four of them knew each other for a long time and always been together. So, they knew what to do when they approached Kant. They would immediately take Baron Kant as a hostage. His guards would have to listen to their orders obediently.

When that time came, they would be able to do whatever they wanted.

"That's great. "

Kant chuckled and lowered the light crossbow in his hand.

Seeing him like this, the four vassal knights laughed and their eyes lit up. "That's right, Baron Kant. You're not injured, that's great. The job of hunting down these bandits should have been done by us. "

"It doesn't matter. It's just easier to kill them right away "

Kant laughed lightly, but he raised his light crossbow again. He put light crossbow forward, he straight away pulled the trigger without aiming.

"Bang! " The bowstring vibrated, and the arrow stabbed into the throat of one of the vassal knights. It pierced through his neck and came out from the back of his neck.

The arrow was stained with fresh blood, the red colour looked more gruesome under the sun.

"He eh... "

His vocal cords was damaged cause him unable to speak. His eyes were filled with regrets for life.

He wanted to struggle, but all the strength in his body seemed to have disappeared along with the arrow in his throat. He fell off the warhorse, his entire body twitching on the sand. The blood in his throat clogged his breathing, making him dizzy.

However, he could still vaguely hear the whooshing sound in the air.

As his pupils gradually dilated, he saw his three companions also falling off their horses and struggling.

One of them had his chest and abdomen stabbed with at least two short javelins. Then the others were heavily pierced by the blood-stained long lance. The sharp tip of the lance pierced through the back of their heads, stained by their blood and brain as it fell into the sand layer.

The militia that were were chased down by the cavalries like a flock of sheep. They eventually scattered and escaped.

"Cunning... " this was last impression of the vassal knight.

Chapter 93: The Post-war Clean-up of Forces

This battle ended with ease.

12 cavalries of the so-called Devil Fang Bandit Group and 4 vassal knights with strong combat strength.

There were also 40 armed militia who were holding spears and wearing leather armor. They seemed to have a certain combat strength. Now, they were all lying dead in the desert, the awful smell of blood permeated in the air.

Sarrandian horsemen and the desert bandits were riding their horses back and forth with their elite scimitars and flanged mace.

They were cleaning up the battlefield.

Or maybe they were making a last hit.

They looked for any enemy who was twitching and struggling to stand up. Then, they would walk over and use the steel elite scimitars in their hands to stab enemy's chests and sliced off their lungs.

The desert bandits were much more straightforward. They just raised the flanged maces and smashed a pit on their back of the heads.

Kant's order was took no prisoners.

In other words, he wanted all of them to die gloriously in battle here.

Manid was evaluating the results of the battle.

After counting the corpses of the enemies, he rode his horse to Kant's side. "Lord, everything has been taken care of. "

"Yes. " Kant nodded. "How are the results of the battle? "

Manid reported, "12 bandit cavalries, 4 vassal knights, and 40 armed militia were all annihilated. No one survived. " After a pause, he shrugged and continued, "Our side suffered no casualties. "

"Sure." The smile on Kant's face showed a slight of mockery.

He had just entered the Dukedom of Leo's sphere of influence, yet he already encountered such a wonderful performance.

Although he did not suffer any losses, Kant felt a chill in his heart.

He turned his head slightly and looked at the beautiful woman in the white dress lying on the sand. On her fair and elegant face, a thick and short iron arrow stabbed in between her eyebrows, causing her eyes to bulge out, ruined her beauty.

"With this few people, and such bad strategy. Do you really think I'm a fool? "

Kant gave a mocking smile, but his eyes were cold.

He had expected that his return to the Dukedom of Leo would definitely arouse the vigilance and backlash of some forces. However, he did not expect that this backlash would be so swift and fierce. They were tried to kill him in the first try, let him vanished in the vast desert sea, so he would never able to return.

Taking a deep breath, a dialog box appeared on Kant's screen.

[ Ding... After you fought with all your strength, the enemy was finally annihilated. ]

[Side quest: 'Wave after wave of trouble' completed. ]

[Reward: Military equipment: Scimitars.]

[ Introduction: When you choose to return in your homeland, you should aware that trouble is coming. Moreover, these troubles are coming to you endlessly, wave after wave. Please be prepared, this is only the beginning. ]

This was the dialog box for completing the side quest.

Kant exhaled, his eyes filled with gloom.

This performance was full of flaws, just like a third-rate writer's novel. The data was often wrong, and there were many bugs.

Kant, of course, would not believe that this was a coincidence.

The Demon's Fang Bandit Gang was famous, of course. They wreaked havoc in northern county for several years and had not been wiped out. But why they appeared in a desolate and remote land like the Nahrin Desert, and chased after a weak and helpless businessman's daughter?

When Kant saw this happened, he knew that it was not a coincidence.

It was a conspiracy.

Moreover, the system immediately gave him a side quest, which made Kant even more certain that this was a conspiracy against him.

Kant gave a hint to his cavalries.

Killing was inevitable.

Manid, who had understood Kant's hint, gave an order to the Sarrandian horsemen and the desert bandits to rise up and wipe out these bandits in less than 10 seconds.

At the same time, they also managed to slow down the 4 vassal knights with their sudden attack, and they won the final victory.

A sneak attack was always the best tactic.

As for the 40 armed militia, they were not enemies at all.

Even if they were holding spears, their spirits had went down after the 4 leaders were killed. In the end, they were all wiped out by 15 cavalries, not a single one of them madeit back alive.

It was a simple, straightforward, and efficient outcome of the battle.

They killed all enemies.

And there were no worries after the battle.

It didn't matter if Baron Dylan would eventually found the corpses in the desert, Kant would not be responsible for this mess.

Even if the four vassal knights were dead as well.

However, it would be a suicide to rob Kant, a baron from the Dukedom of Leo. No laws would be effective against Kant. Even as a lord, Baron Dylan would have to be punished from a higher ranked duke.

"Next time, remember to tell Baron Dylan about this matter. "

Kant turned his head and said to Manid beside him, "I think he is a smart person. He will know how to deal with it. "

"Yes." Manid lowered his head and replied.

The matter was that simple. When it comes to benefits, Baron Dylan would not go against Kant.

Moreover, this is mostly his fault.

Manid thought of the seized items and asked Kant, "Lord, in this battle, we seized 14 horses, four sets of mail armor, 52 sets of various leather armor, as well as weapons such as spears and longswords. "

The warhorse that had not fled far from the battlefield was brought back by the desert bandits.

There were also the weapons and equipment of those who had died in battle. Those weapons and equipment were all pulled down and piled up together. It seemed that there were a lot of them.

However, Kant frowned slightly.

Looking at the spears and leather armors, he could not help but ask, "How are the quality? "

"Very bad, " Manid replied, "they are all junk. "

"As expected. " Kant shook his head, he casually instructed, "Use their horses to carry them back. Next time when we come to the Stone Pass, go to the market and get rid of all of them. To us, they are all junk. To those mercenaries and militia, it can be considered good weapons. "

"Yes, Lord. " Manid nodded.

These weapons and equipment were all standard products. Since Kant had the system, he had no interest. But to ordinary mercenary groups, or even the peasants and armed militia conscripted by knight, they were all top quality goods.

One had to know that in this world with low productivity, there were many conscripted peasant summoned by knights, and there more people who just had no weapons but dung forks.

"Let's move. "

Kant ordered.

This was just a farce on the way back.

After packing up the goods, they rode on their horses and continued to advance towards the deeper part of the Nahrin desert.

However, they had nearly twice as many horses now compared to when they started the trip. The seized goods were also carried by these horses as they moved along the desert, just like a trade caravan heading towards the Oasis Lookout.

This was like the prototype of a trade caravan.

On the desert outside the Stone Pass, dozens of naked corpses were lying there.

And of course, there was also a beautiful woman who was still wearing a white dress. If one ignored the crossbow arrow between her eyebrows, one might think that she was a noble girl who was enjoying the sun in the desert.

It was quiet, gentle, and pitiful.

However, the strong smell of blood around her destroyed the tranquility.

After half of a day.

It was close to noon, and five hooded men rode on their horses. They finally discovered the battlefield.

After a quick inspection on the battlefield, they were frightened by the scene. They quickly took the woman's corpse and turned their horses around. They ran quickly toward the Stone Pass along the hidden path and reported what they saw back in their lair.

Shortly, the news spread, most people in the Stone Pass knew the horrified tragedy.

But strangely, there was no any action taken.

It was like they were all in hibernation, waiting for the others.

Chapter 94: The storm at the Stone Pass

At the Stone Pass, inside the Baron's mansion.

Although it seemed like there was nothing happened, the patrol team was more alert than usual.

Baron Dylan was sitting in his living room, he looked annoyed.

It was noon, the heat from the Nahrin desert mixed with his anxiety. He couldn't hide his urge to kill. He had a brutal temper, but he knew how to control it.

In front of him, stood the two vassal knights that Baron Dylan trusted the most.

The two of them had just returned from the desert.

At the same time, they had brought all the corpses back with carts. The corpses were now placed on an open space outside of the official residence. They announced to the public that these corpses were the soldiers who died in the battle with powerful demonized creatures.

The countermeasure to fool the people made Baron Dylan ease a little. He looked at them and said, "I know I can trust two of you. "

"Lord Dylan, we've known each other for a long time. "

The two of them lowered their heads and answered humbly.

Baron Dylan's eyes looked more gratified. He looked at these two comrades who had been with him since they were still peasants. He sighed deeply, his tone became furious. "I believe that you're right. The other vassal knights are all trashed. They came to my place to scrounge for free meals. They even tried to fool me to grant them my villages. They're all bastards who just used me as a stepping stone! "

The vassal knight didn't know the whole story, but he could roughly get some ideas.

The other four vassal knights who died in the battle, they have been bragging about Baron Dylan not granted them villages to rule.

"Lord, please don't say that. "

One of the vassal knights tried to dissuade, and he made a gesture pointing outside of the room. These words could not be spread out.

However, Baron Dylan slammed the table heavily. "Those four trashes went to kill Baron Kant, my dearest nephew. Don't tell me I don't know what their motive is? Isn't it because they want to please that old thing, Viscount Wade? "

"Lord, don't say these words. " The other vassal knight also tried to dissuade him.

Baron Dylan panted in anger.

After he calmed himself, he gritted his teeth and said, "Those damn bastards, that's how they were."

The two vassal knights kept comforting Baron Dylan. Two of them looked at each other helplessly and smiled bitterly.

In fact, they understood.

Princess Sofia's forces and men had always been suppressed, even though they had less power and were once civilian warriors.

However, the nobles of the Dukedom of Leo were still afraid of them, and even suppressed them secretly. The nobles would not allow them to possess any power, or even the best fief and vassal knights.

When they could backstab others, they would not show mercy. It was normal to see conflict and discord among themselves.

No wonder that Baron Dylan was so mad.

It had been ten years since he came to the Stone Pass. He had long been ostracized by the northern county's noble families.

"Lord, what's confusing is we found the members of the Demon's Fang Bandit Gang."

The vassal knight frown and said, "These guys appeared near the Mountain Range of Leo and the east of Mountain of Execution. Although their lair is in the northern county, we all know that they will not come to Stone Pass. "

"Why, because we are too poor? " Baron Dylan snorted and mocked himself.

The vassal knight also shook his head helplessly and said, "But it is strange that they appeared in Nahrin Desert. "

However, Baron Dylan wasn't bothered by that.

He lowered his head slightly and spoke with a hoarse voice, "The Demon's Fang Bandit Gang was formed by Viscount Wade. It seems that this damn old man couldn't hold back anymore. He wants to get his hands on my Stone Pass. "

This bandit gang that was active in the northern county, their targets would be the federal territory of the southern county and the Countess' territory of the eastern county.

There were lots of fortunes over there, unlike the northern county which was poor and barren.

If it was not for the noble families of the northern county as their backer, this bandit gang will be annihilated many times. In fact, Baron Dylan knew that some of the cavalries in this bandit gang were actually served under the nobles of the northern county as well.

After letting out a deep breath, Baron Dylan closed his eyes and said, "Be cautious during the patrols. It seems that people are beginning to infiltrate."

"Yes." The two vassal knights lowered their heads and replied.

The Stone Pass was his territory. Baron Dylan would never tolerate anyone interfering in his territory.

Especially the table salt trade brought by Kant.

Baron Dylan clenched his fists. As long as he could wait and endure the frustration, a large number of silver coins will be in his hands. Then he could gather a large armored troop, even the Viscount Wayne of the northern county couldn't do anything with him.

This world was all about strength!

.....

Meanwhile.

In a wooden house's basement in the slums.

The five hooded men placed the body of the beauty in the white dress on the ground.

The candlelight flickered.

The dim light illuminated the beautiful face of the beauty.

Big eyes, small red lips, exquisite nose, fair white face, and light green long hair.

With her curvaceous and beautiful figure, she was indeed a rare beauty in northern county.

But there was a crossbow arrow stuck between her eyebrows.

It seemed to be shot at close range, directly piercing through her brow bone and deep into her brain.

The leader of the spies limped over.

He quietly looked at the dead beauty and said in a regular tone, "Have you clean up that place? "

He was talking about the desert battlefield. The five hood spies immediately nodded and one of them replied, "They will only know that it was done by the Devil's Fang Bandit Gang. We didn't leave any traces."

"Yes, very good. " The leader of the spies nodded.

He limped back to his chair and said with regret, "It seems that Miss Jacqueline didn't trick Baron Kant. It's really a waste of years of training. "

The five hood spies didn't dare to reply and stood upright.

"Stay low for the time being. Quietly wait for the order. "

The leader of the spies waved his hand and said calmly, "If we failed, so be it. It's not a big deal. "

"Yes." The five spies heard the leader's speech and nodded. They turned around and quickly left the basement.

However, when the room quieted down, the spy leader scowled his face in anger.

He looked at the corpse on the ground and felt the rage pumped through his veins.

Jacqueline was a masterpiece that he had nurtured for more than ten years. He put in countless efforts to this woman, all for the sake of catching a big fish. But now, she became a corpse, a useless piece of trash.

"Baron Kant. "

The leader of the spies narrowed his eyes and laughed gloomily. "How much more did Princess Sofia leave for you? "

He had a wrong idea, just like Baron Dylan.

How could a mere Kant, a baron who had been exiled to the deep of the Nahrin Desert, have such a strong guard cavalry? He was definitely helped by his elders, or even by the hidden forces of the Silver Platter Kingdom.

He slowly stood up and limped towards the room next to him.

He opened the cabinet and took out the crystal ball. The crystal ball lit up, it continued to report the truth to its master.

But the truth it told was deviated.

No one knew about the 'transported', and no one knew about the 'cheat' either. Similarly, no one knew what "Mount and Blade" was!

A series of misunderstandings had unintentionally formed.

Chapter 95: Food in the posthouse

The horses ran on the sand and formed long, shallow lines. A team of 33 horses marched through the desert.

Kant and his team started the way back.

Two Sarrandian horsemen led the way, while the others followed.

The environment of the Nahrin Desert was harsh, but it was normal for the desert race, Sarrandian. They able to navigate using the dune and the sun to make the most correct route, while enduring the extreme heat,

They had already traveled far away from the Stone Pass.

After a whole day trip, it was already close to dusk, yet they did not encounter any accidents.

This was the Nahrin Desert.

It was once a desolate forbidden place of civilization, even escaped slaves would kill themselves rather than set foot in this cursed land.

It was impossible to see a living soul here.

Kant reached out his hand to take out the water sack, removed the lid, and poured himself a mouthful of warm water. As his throat was nourished by the water, the tried young man became a little more energetic.

"Lord, we will arrive at the posthouse by eight o'clock at night. "

Manid lightly tapped the stirrup, and his horse moved slightly faster. He caught up with Kant and said, "It will be easier once we get to the posthouse. "

"Indeed." Kant nodded.

Kant squinted his eyes and looked ahead. The vast sea of sand stretched into the sky.

This scene seemed vast, and it was a beautiful scene in this desolate land. But in reality, anyone who lived in the desert would understand the cruelness of this land.

When Kant arrived for the first time, he truly felt from his heart that he was exhausted.

"Luckily it's safe now. "

Kant felt relief in his heart and sighed lightly.

He tapped the horse, and his warhorse ran faster. The group heard his voice, "Speed up, all of you. We need to move faster and strive to rest at the posthouse tonight! "

"Understood, " the cavalries replied.

Their speed instantly increased. They were all riding forward, which was much faster than walking.

As for the captured horses, they were not as strong as the other three breeds, the Swaldian warhorse, the Salander horse, and the desert horse. They transferred most of the items to stronger horses, so the load of captured horses was reduced, and they can move faster.

Kant was thinking that it was time to get more horses.

Perhaps it was because of the system's rules, the upgraded cavalry had much better endurance compared to the cavalry in the real world.

Just like the Sarrandian Horseman.

On the basis of a Sarrandian horse as the main warhorse, they should add two other horses which were the horse for carrying loads and the horse for riding.

The Swaldian cavalry normally rode an armored warhorse, so they need another two horses for carrying loads, one horse for riding, as well as a warhorse for replacement.

In the Middle Ages of Europe, this was how the heavy cavalry was equipped.

There were even servants who took care of their daily lives, retinue cavalry that followed them in the war, and a small number of elite footmen that followed them.

After all, being able to become a heavy cavalry was equivalent to being a noble. At least they were as rich as a wealthy landlord. It was true that ordinary civilians did not have the money to buy this expensive full-body armor, and they could not afford the warhorse that needed delicate care.

Of course, the system did not have so many strict requirements when recruiting and upgrading cavalry soldiers.

Their endurance must be much stronger than the regulars.

They could refer to the breed line of warhorses in recent years for comparison.

The endurance, charging speed, and physical strength of the warhorses were all top-notch.

The augmentation of the system's rules had solved Kant's problem.

Think about it, even the transported existed and they were real, so it wasn't hard to accept the support from the system's rule. If he really wanted to equip each cavalry with three horses or even five horses, then it would be too cumbersome and expensive.

Kant was satisfied with it.

Of course, with more horses, they could increase their speed, and they can form more efficient tactical attacked and tactical shifted.

This was just Kant's idea. Perhaps in the future when he gained more power, he would be able to make a deployment like this.

Everyone continued to move forward.

After the sun in the sky emitted its last light in the dusk, the magnificently bright galaxy had taken over the night sky.

The bright moon slowly rose into the sky.

The temperature suddenly dropped.

The white mist spurted out of their noses and mouths, mixed with the hot air, and condensed into tiny droplets.

Kant and the cavalries had already changed their warm woolen sweaters and thicker linen covers during the dinner. They could keep their bodies warm even in the cold desert.

They continued their journey.

Their warhorse ran through dune after dune.

After they climbed over the new dune, a flat sand layer appeared in front of them.

"Is that... "

The leader of the Sarrandian Horsemen raised his head and looked forward. He stared into the distance and saw something unusual.

In the middle of the flat and layer, a two-story building stood still.

Light shone through the tightly shut doors and windows. Even though they were far away, they could still saw of the flames clearly under the bright starry sky.

"We've arrived at the posthouse, " Kant spoke out everyone's thought.

This was precisely the desert area with the underground lake.

And that two-story building was the posthouse that Kant built a few days ago.

"That's great. " Manid's lips curled up slightly, and he looked relaxed.

"Let's go."

Kant urged his horse down the dune and led the team charged forward quickly.

It was late at night.

The construction workers at the Posthouse finished their day with work. They were chatting and resting by the fireplace.

They didn't fall asleep yet.

But soon, they were awakened by the sound of horse hooves.

One by one, they instinctively grabbed any things around them and nervously stared at the main door.

The continent of Caradia was constantly in chaotic wars. There were bandits and marauders everywhere. Now that they had come to this world, how could they not be nervous when they had a sudden encounter in the middle of the night.

"Relax, friends of Rhodoks. "

Kant pushed the main door, lifted his hood, and said with a smile, "We're not the enemy. "

"Oh, it's Lord Kant! "

"Lord Kant, Good evening. It's so nice to meet you. "

"It's You, my Lord! "

Immediately, the construction workers from Veruga put down the chairs and wooden sticks in their hands. With their sincere looks, they put their hands on their chests and bowed in embarrassment, trying to apologize for their rude behavior.

"It's alright. " Kant waved his hand. Of course, he wouldn't care about such a small matter.

The cavalries moved the warhorse and the supplies into the posthouse accordingly. After a long day of travel, they were eager to rest.

But soon, the atmosphere in the posthouse became lively.

"It smells so good. " Kant sniffed. He didn't smell it when he first came in because of his freezing nose. But now that he recovered his smell, the entire posthouse was filled with the fragrance of delicious food.

"Lord Kant, it's toast, dried sausage, and cabbage soup."

The construction workers quickly answered.

At the same time, they brought over the tables and chairs for eating and served the freshly cooked food from the grill.

Initially, these construction workers were planning to enjoy supper while sitting around the fireplace. It happened that Kant and the others came over with their empty bellies, so they could enjoy these free meals.

The construction workers were also willing to offer this food to Kant and the others.

"Thank you so much."

Kant rubbed his cold face and smiled at them.

After riding through the freezing wind for the whole day, their stomach had been empty for a long time.

Now that they could eat hot food, and it was like heaven to them. Kant and the others didn't felt ashamed, they sat down and started swallowed up every food quickly to replenish their strength.

Late-night canteen?

Kant could not help but smile. "It's fun."

Chapter 96: Firentis' Principle

After finishing supper, Kant and the others returned to their rooms to sleep.

The posthouse was divided into two floors. Each room was used as a large bunk, which could accommodate 30 people and allow them to rest.

If the spacious living room was included, accommodating 50 people was also definitely possible. If they had opened an inn on a busy commercial road, accommodation at the inn would most likely be full every day, and they would collect so much money their hands would go weak.

However, in this civilized desert, the inn could only let Kant and the construction workers rest.

Lying on the bed, Kant rested comfortably.

He was drowsy.

When he woke up the next day, the sky outside was already somewhat bright.

Noisy sounds passed through the windows and reached his ears. Listening to the sounds, it should be from the construction workers digging the well. With a hint of laughter, it seemed that the water had already been dug out.

Kant got up and quickly put on his clothes.

When he went down to the second floor, he found out that the hall was empty. Only then did Kant realize that everyone had gathered at the construction site outside the building.

"Water is gushing out. Hurry up and use stones to cover the bottom. Don't let the sand sink in."

"Quick, quick, quick! It's almost done. Ge me more stones."

"It's done. Just build up the walls with the stones. The bottom is already built."

The workers were cheering.

Clearly, they achieved considerable success.

Even Manid and the cavalrymen who were watching nearby applauded.

"The well is done?"

Kant walked over.

The outlines originally drawn with lime had now become a well.

Construction workers climbed out of the well. At the same time, they steadily lay stone bricks to build the well's wall. Under the mysterious support of the system, the well was completed. The mouth of the well even extended beyond the ground for up to half a meter. They also made a water lift out of wood and hemp rope.

"Lord Kant, the well that you instructed us to build has been completed."

The foreman was delighted.

"Very good." Kant nodded with a smile on his face.

The construction workers turned the water lift with all their might and pulled a bucket of well water out from the well.

The fresh well water was not muddy at all. It was undoubtedly high-grade underground lake water. The water had been nicely protected by the layers of sand and was not evaporated by the sun, becoming the lifesaving water of this desert.

"Lord, it's all good water."

A Sarrandian cavalryman took a sip from the bucket. Relaxed, he nodded at Kant and said, "It's drinkable."

"Replenish the water sacks and make sure the warhorses are given enough fresh water."

Kant nodded. At the same time, he ordered, "We'll set off later."

With this posthouse and well, there was finally a transit station between the Oasis Lookout and the Stone Pass. One could even argue that, as the salt trade flourishes, another trading village could even be formed here.

After all, the Nahrin Desert was Kant's estate in name.

Soon, the water sacks was filled with water.

The warhorses were also fed with water and fodder, and all preparations had been completed.

"You can leave at any time after the construction is complete. I will have new personnel come to the Posthouse."

Before leaving, Kant also gave instructions to the construction workers.

"Yes, Lord Kant. "

The foreman nodded and said apologetically and gratefully, "Lord, please do not forget to pass the letter to Sir Firentis. Thank you so, so much."

Kant smiled gently and answered, "I won't."

After handling matters of the Posthouse, Kant rode his horse towards the north.

It would take at least a day to get from here to the Oasis Lookout.

However, Kant's heart was a little more complicated.

The letter that Firentis' father wanted to pass to Firentis was still in his pockets. Kant was still hesitating. If he lost Firentis, it would mean losing a good general from Swadia. This was, undoubtedly, a huge loss.

However, it was an unsolvable situation.

Shaking his head and smiling bitterly, Kant sighed.

It was just a letter from home. He should just go ahead and hand it to Firentis.

If another letter from home came in the future and he was found to have concealed a letter from Firentis' home in the past, the situation would be quite awkward.

He narrowed his eyes slightly.

Kant's eyes flickered slightly.

Moreover, according to Firentis' personality, the current Oasis Lookout was growing. There was a chance that he would choose not to abandon him and go back. After all, Firentis who had fully embraced and put the Knight's code and spirit into practice was not someone without principle.

Trust was also one of Firentis' principles.

With mixed feelings, Kant led his team and they galloped across the Nahrin desert.

After a break at noon, they continued to travel in the afternoon.

Finally, they saw the outline of the Oasis Lookout in the evening.

This tough and perilous journey was finally over, and it was also a complete success.

Before long, Kant and his team's return was discovered by the constantly vigilant sentries.

Ten Swadian Heavy Cavalrymen rushed over from the Oasis Lookout. Their faces were filled with joy under their flat helmets. "Lord Kant, it is truly a joy to see you again. Welcome back."

"Thank you," Kant replied with a smile.

At the same time, he looked at them, puzzled, and asked, "Where is Knights Firentis?"

"Knights Firentis is currently leading a team to patrol the northern region. We have recently discovered traces of Jackalans again. We have already repelled their assaults several times, but they are still constantly ambushing us. It is very troublesome."

The reply of the Swadian Heavy Cavalrymen made Kant frown.

"Jackalans are actually ambushing and attacking us?" Kant was in disbelief.

"Yes, but the number of Jackalans isn't high. Each time, there are only dozens of them. We can easily defeat them." The heavy cavalryman's tone was very relaxed, because he had personally killed at least ten Jackalans.

That beast-like species was simply not an opponent that could withstand a frontal assault of the Swadian Heavy Cavalrymen's attack.

Not to mention, there was the god-like flag of war, [Intimidation].

Returning to the Oasis Lookout.

It was as peaceful as ever, no different from when Kant left.

The only difference was that the Swadian soldiers maintained a higher level of vigilance and patrolled more frequently.

This was especially so for the 41 Swadian footmen, who continued to remain on standby status.

As for the 20 Ravenstern Rangers, they ate, drank, relieved themselves, and everything else on rooftops. With their archery skills and vigilant personalities, apart from being the first to fight and kill the Jackalans in close combat, they would shoot and kill the Jackalans in the desert with their heavy bows.

The charred bodies of the Jackalans were piled on top of each other and were ready to be used on the wheat fields as fertilizers.

"Lord Kant."

Before long, Firentis, who had received the news, rushed back.

Some blood stains were on his body. Apparently, he had just been through a battle. Firentis did not hide anything and reported directly, "Those Jackalans have been attacking us like crazy. This is the second wave that we defeated today."

"Is it that serious?" Kant frowned.

"Yes." Firentis also nodded to Manid and said in a low voice, "There seems to be a change in the north."

Kant was silent. His brows furrowed together.

He did not expect to receive such bad news the moment he returned to the Oasis Lookout.

"By the way."

Kant seemed to have remembered something. He took a letter out from his pocket and handed it to Firentis in a seemingly normal manner. "This is a letter brought by the construction workers from Veruga. I believe it was commissioned by your father. Firentis, hurry up and have a look at it."

"My... Father's letter?" Firentis stared at the letter with a stunned expression.

Chapter 97: Love From a Father

Firentis lowered his head and looked at the letter in Kant's hand. He had mixed feelings.

He had a rather tragic background story.

No matter which world it was, brothers killing each other was taboo. Moreover, Firentis, the older brother, had killed his own brother for the sake of a promiscuous courtesan. It went against the Knight's code that he once learned and was embodied in his bloodline.

Looking at the letter, even though Firentis knew that it was from his father, for a moment, he did not dare to reach out to take it.

His heart was filled with fear.

Kant looked at Firentis' face and also had mixed feelings.

However, his face remained expressionless. With a faint smile, he raised the letter in his hand and placed it in front of Firentis. He nodded encouragingly and said, "My knight, it seems rude of you to leave me holding your letter like this."

"I'm sorry, my Lord." Firentis came back to his senses and took the letter.

"Don't you want to open it?"

Kant shrugged and smiled. He said calmly, "This is a letter from a father to his son."

Firentis was slightly stunned.

Looking at the envelope in his hand, his breathing quickened slightly. He raised his head and looked at the smile on Kant's face. He seemed to have made up his mind. "Yes, this is a letter from my father to me. I have to read it after all."

He gently tore open the envelope. However, tears fell from the corners of his eyes.

Then, at this moment, a dialog box popped up on Kant's retina.

[Ding... After your hard work, the quest has been successfully completed.]

[Side quest: "Firentis' Letter" has been completed.]

[Quest Reward: Recruitment doubled (Permanent)]

[Introduction: This letter from a father to his son is the embodiment of a father's reluctance to part ways. Time has lessened hatred and dissolved all barriers. This is the love of a father for his son.]

The dialog box showed that the quest had been completed.

It was originally a side quest from the system. Kant chose to complete it.

"So that's how it is." Firentis' voice came from the side. His tone was extremely sorrowful.

Kant looked over and sighed softly. "Firentis..."

This wandering knight who had once sought redemption was now sobbing like a child.

Looking at the familiar handwriting on the letter, Firentis might have found redemption at that moment. Although he could not make up for his past mistakes, his deeds in the continent of Caradia had long reached his father's ears.

The letter did not mention much about it, however, it had expressed his father's affirmation of Firentis.

However, it was this affirmation that made Firentis, who was still lost and seeking redemption, burst into tears.

"Someone has been paying attention to the path of redemption that you kept insisting on after all."

Kant sighed softly and said to Firentis, "I really envy your father. He is a true... father."

His tone was a little sad. At this moment, an image of Kant himself as an orphan in his previous life and his father in this world, Cameron, appeared in his mind. He could not help but shake his head and say, "Then what do you plan to do, Firentis?"

Kant decided to leave the choice to Firentisand let him decide.

"Father expressed his appreciation to me for following you."

Firentis wiped away the tears on his face. His face, which was still young, had become serious at that moment. Then, he said, "I will follow you with a firm conviction."

His words were extremely sincere, but this stunned Kant slightly.

After hesitating for a moment, Kant asked, "Didn't your father ask you to go back?"

"No." Firentis shook his head. He looked a little puzzled, but his expression was serious. "My father has his own assistants helping to take care of things. I don't need to go back. In his view, following you is a new beginning, a new future for our family."

"Okay." Kant nodded and only uttered one word.

Kant was a little ashamed now.

He actually thought that Firentis would leave after receiving the letter from his family.

Moreover, in order to retain Firentis, or at the very least, to hide the letter from Firentis, Kant had made countless plans in his mind.

However, at that moment, it seemed that these ridiculous plans and tricks were actually only useful in Kant's own imagination. The strong fatherly love and kinship between Firentis and his father surged into Kant's heart like a dam that had burst and made him extremely uncomfortable.

Perhaps Kant thought of his father, the Grand Duke of the Dukedom of Leo, Cameron.

Firentis wiped away his tears and solemnly put away the letter.

At the same time, he said to Kant with a solemn expression, "Lord, my father knows about the difficulties that you are facing now. As such, he mentioned in the letter thaT a batch of supplies and personnel are on their way over here. He sent them as support to you on behalf of our family."

"Support?" Kant was slightly stunned.

"That's right. According to the timeline mentioned in the letter, they will be arriving soon."

Firentis nodded and explained, "My family has gathered 200 peasants willing to come over, as well as 50 Swadian Infantry from the family. In addition to that, we have purchased 200 bags of grain, 50 bags of dried meat, and 50 bags of dried sausage."

"This... Please help me thank your father."

Kant gulped unconsciously after hearing about the number of personnel and resources.

"Lord, it is also my father's investment in you on behalf of the family."

Firentis did not shy away from saying, "We believe that, under your leadership, the family will have a new beginning."

"Regardless, it is still a yeoman's service," Kant said as he exhaled.

One had to be cautious when investing. However, Firentis' father did not hesitate and instantly chose to invest in him. Moreover, he invested so much from the beginning. Even if Kant's mentality was great, he was still ecstatic.

In terms of resources, there were 200 bags of grain, 50 bags of dried meat, and 50 bags of dried sausage.

These were food supplies that could last them months!

However, when compared to the 200 peasants and 50 Swadian Infantry, it was like a fluorescent light competing against the sun. It simply could not be compared fairly!

That was the support that truly shocked Kant and made him truly ecstatic.

The appearance of 200 peasants eased the labor shortage in Drondheim. It allowed them to quickly fill various positions.

As for the 50 Swadian Infantry, they were the equivalent of heavy cavalry, a fourth-level troop class. This would bring the quality of troops in the Oasis Lookout to a new level. The reason was that the combat strength of these fourth-level troop class infantry soldiers was much stronger than the Swadian Footman, which was a third-level troop class. They were several times stronger.

In terms of the troop class of the Kingdom of Swadia, these two troop classes were extremely important.

If the Swadian heavy cavalry was the spear for offense, then the Swadian Infantry was the shield for defense.

The spear thrust out, and the shield defended.

Together with the Swadian Heavy Crossbowman, these troop classes formed the Kingdom of Swadia's complete battle sequence.

While Kant did not have any Swadian Heavy Crossbowmen, he had the even stronger fifth-level troop class, the Ravenstern Rangers. This powerful troop class that wielded heavy bows could completely act as a counterattack force during defense, using those conical arrowheads... to kill any enemy in an instant.

"Lord, there's a team approaching from the east!"

On the watchtower, the sentry in charge of surveillance immediately poked his head out of the tower. Then, he pointed to the east, and shouted, "There are at least 250 people!"

The Swadian Heavy Cavalrymen, who were already on alert, quickly assembled.

However, Kant's expression was calm.

Of course, he knew what was going on. He knew that this 250-man team was, in fact, a group that Firentis' father had gathered in Suno, and was part of his investment in Kant.

"They came very quickly."

Kant smiled, gesturing to the assembled heavy cavalrymen not to worry.

At the same time, he looked at Firentis before nodding. Then, he said, "Since they are from Suno, Firentis, you should be quite familiar with them. Come and welcome them for me. You can do it."

"Of course." Firentis nodded firmly. After bowing, he got on his horse and led the team to welcome them.

It was a mission from Kant. It was also his trust.

"Investment, very good."

Kant gently clenched his fist while a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

As expected of a military noble house of Suno. After making up his mind, he simply sent the investment over without any hesitation.

As a transported, Kant understood that, in the game, even just 50 Swadian Infantry was considered extremely valuable. Sometimes, during a tragic war between nations, one might not even be able to gather this many infantrymen.

Even after the game world had turned into the real world, their value was still just as high.

Chapter 98: The fortress of Oasis Lookout (first order in ten thousand words)

Fathis soon returned, followed by Suno's team.

Among the 200 peasant, there were five carriages full of supplies. Under the tarpaulin, sacks were piled up. They were the grains, dried meat, and dried sausage that they had purchased in Suno. They were all food that could be stored conveniently.

When they arrived at Oasis Lookout, they all looked at this small oasis curiously.

However, the 50 Swadian infantry that were accompanying them were much calmer. They formed a formation and stood upright.

These were all outstanding warriors who had experienced many battles.

One could tell just by looking at their equipment.

Everyone was wearing infantry chain armor similar to the heavy cavalry. They wore flat-topped helmets. However, they did not wear cloaks as they specialized in combat. Instead, they wore a layer of nail-studded leather armor on the outer layer of the infantry chain armor, it was used to prevent long-range arrows from piercing through the armor plates, as well as knife and sword attacks from close-range enemies. It could indeed be called a heavy footman just by relying on defense.

In the battle sequence of the SWADIAN troops, their role was to resist the enemy troops head-on and maintain the stability of the front line.

They held up the heater shield, which was embedded with nails on the iron edge of their left arm, and held tightly onto the hand-and-a-half swords that were meticulously crafted by the blacksmiths. In front of the overwhelming charge of the heavy cavalry, they were the reliable guarantee of firmly defending the defensive line.

Kant looked at these swadian infantry soldiers with satisfaction, who were still in high spirits after a long journey.

"they are elites worthy of recognition. " Kant nodded to himself.

And with the addition of these 50 Swadian Infantry, the troops of Oasis Lookout were basically formed.

An infantry formation of 50 infantry, 41 light infantry, an archer formation of 20 Ravenston Rangers, 46 swadian heavy cavalry, and light cavalry such as desert bandits that could be recruitable at any time.., it could be said to be a standard combat sequence.

Although the current army was still around 200 people.

But the actual combat strength was more than ten times more than when Kant used low-level soldiers to conquer the world!

"Fateh, " Kant said.

Fateh, who had already recovered his determination, quickly walked over. "Lord, please give me your orders. "

Kant smiled and looked at the sorrow that had disappeared from his face. He nodded and said, "then you will lead the team and familiarize yourself with our current environment. If you encounter Jackalan who are trying to ambush us, you will be responsible for commanding the battle. "

"understood, Lord Kant. "

Fadis nodded and took over the command without any hesitation.

After receiving the letter from his father, he seemed to have undergone a complete transformation and successfully transformed into a true noble knight. He had gone through strict training since he was young and had gone through hard training on the mainland. He was a military commander who could take charge of his own affairs.

Fadis gathered the troops in Oasis Lookout and at the same time, put these 50 Swadian infantry into the ranks and led the team to set off.

It was Kant's trust and recognition that allowed Fatis to lead the troops.

At the same time, it was Kant's training and expectation for Fatis. After all, Kant knew that although he could command a small number of troops, as the number of troops increased, a professional commander would be more effective in controlling the troops.

As he stepped forward, the metal plates collided like clear wind chimes.

Kant was slightly intoxicated.

This was the Whisper of war, a unique display of strength.

Opening his eyes, Kant looked at the 200 peasant who were still curiously sizing up the place. He smiled and said, "Alright, my dear subjects, now is the time to be busy. You will get your jobs and your house. You will live well here. "

"Long live my Lord. "

The peasant immediately cheered. They had given up on Suno and came here for a better future.

Of course, the first job of the new arrival was to move all the materials they brought to the storeroom.

50 bags of dried meat and 50 bags of dried sausage. This kind of meat that could endure storage and was delicious and could quickly replenish one's strength was a good thing, especially the dried sausage. Kant, who was used to eating dried meat, could not help but want to taste this delicacy.

"move these 200 sacks of grain to the mill. "

Kant directed the peasant to work and pointed to the warehouse in the southeast. "there is a grain warehouse there. "

"Yes, Lord. " The peasant immediately began to work diligently.

The mill in the southeast, which was built separately on the sand, had reached the end stage after the workers' efforts over the past few days. The warehouse that stored grain and flour had also been built as an additional building.

However, the style of the mill was different from the wind and hydraulic mills that were common in the kingdom of Swadia.

This was a common animal-powered mill in the kingdom of Sarrand Sultanate.

Although compared to the wind and hydraulic mill, the animal-powered mill was less efficient.

However, the animal-powered mill was not limited by the terrain. It did not need to be built beside a river or between windy mountain passes.

Kant understood that the system must have considered the lack of water and wind in the Nahrin Desert. Otherwise, if those two kinds of mills really appeared, it would be really embarrassing.

Bags of grain were transported over.

The construction workers also helped. Just now, with the final wooden board finalized, the mill had been completed.

Including the city wall.

A half-meter-high stone wall made of brick-sized stones was built around the date palm jungle and wheat fields.

This was Kant's last resort.

The city wall did not have much meaning. It was the lowest-grade building with a cost-effective ratio.

If Kant hadn't upgraded the entire village, he wouldn't have even considered building this building. It would have been a waste of denar.

Kant had even decided.

As long as the level up of the village was completed, he would immediately tear down the city wall.

There were no beasts in the Nahrin desert, and the half-meter-high city wall couldn't stop the Jackalan who wanted to flip over. Rather than hindering Kant's troops from blocking the sneak attacks of the Jackalan and hindering the tactical attack, it was better to tear down all of them.

After all, Kant would continue to develop agriculture in the future, and he could not let the city wall restrict the land and space.

"Lord. "

Ma nide, who had finished arranging the horses and supplies, walked over.

"Yes. " Kant turned his head to look. "what is it? "

"according to Fatis, our salt mine... has been occupied by the Jackalan again? "

Ma nide frowned slightly.

This was related to the development of the table salt trade in the future. If the table salt could not be delivered to the stone pass as scheduled, the seemingly peaceful but in fact bad-tempered baron dilun Nanjue would probably turn hostile again.

"that's right. "

Kant nodded and did not deny it. He only frowned slightly and said, "it's not a big problem. "

"I think we should solve this problem quickly, " Ma Nide warned. "although business requires skill, this skill is not cunning and deception, but honesty. "

"I understand this principle. "

Kant sighed slightly and turned his head to look at the desert in the north, frowning even more.

The jackalan that had already been defeated and scattered actually dared to harass him, and even occupied the salt mine and the tribal ruins. It really made him feel that these guys had eaten the heart of a wolf and had the guts of a leopard. They were really bold.

"just clean it up again. " Kant snorted coldly, his eyes full of killing intent.

Kant didn't care about those small groups of Jackalan at all.

After being completely defeated, even the tribe was burned to ashes, the Jackalan in the Nahrin Desert couldn't be considered as a match.

The current sneak attack was only the last struggle before death.

It didn't even pose much of a threat.

Due to Fathis staying behind to guard the Oasis Lookout and carefully defending the surrounding dune day and night, it was basically slaughtering the JACKALAN that had been defeated once again, letting these pitiful worms that had lost their tribe scattered in the desert go to the underworld to reunite with their families.

Perhaps some jackalan would return to the ruins of the tribe and use the fresh water from the well to form a gathering place again.

But Kant's sweep would start again.

This time, he would not lead the low-level infantrymen who might be in danger of losing the battle to launch a surprise attack. Instead, he would lead the genuine cavalry to charge forward and completely defeat the Jackalan once again.

He would kill these low-level uncivilized beast races in the Nahrin Desert.

Because Kant had already changed his weapons, his troops had also completed their level up, and they had the ability to recruit a pure cavalry unit.

"use the card. "

Kant's mind moved slightly.

The golden card that was floating in his mind instantly turned to dust with Kant's mind.

This was the reward for completing the side Quest 'FHARTIS's letter of Home' .

[ double the number of recruits (constant)]

This was the reward for this quest. From Kant's point of view, this was the reason for the rapid recruitment of pure cavalry troops. Without a doubt, he could rely on this golden card to complete the construction of the cavalry troops in a short period of time.

[ ding... system prompt ]

[ please choose the Constant Building: Council Hall/Desert Bandits' Camp ]

The system gave a prompt.

Kant did not hesitate at all and said in a deep voice, "Desert Bandits' camp. "

[ ding... system prompt ]

[ permanent success, the recruitment effect of this building has doubled. ]

[ desert bandits' camp, the current number of recruits is 20 desert bandits per week. ]

The system dialog box popped up and then disappeared in his vision.

Kant slightly clenched his fist. "that's it. "

Because when he opened the recruitment interface of the Desert Bandits' camp, the interface that had once shown "recruitable 10/10 desert bandits" had now changed to show the number of "recruitable 10/20 desert bandits" .

"recruitable 10 desert bandits. "

It was already the weekend today, Kant would not waste these 10 quotas.

After paying 300 denar, the 10 desert bandits immediately walked out of the camp with their desert horses. Although their weapons and equipment were seriously outdated, they looked extremely thin and pitiful beside the SWADIAN man-at-arms, however, their temperament as seasoned bandits still remained, as if they were terrifying bandits who could go berserk at any time.

These desert bandits were originally light cavalry soldiers who came and went without a trace, using tactical diversion and charging as an advantage.

However, Kant still had to make some changes.

"use the military card. "

The dialog box popped up in his vision again. Kant chose.

The data stream instantly began to spread. On the waist of these desert bandits, the flanged mace, which was originally a close-combat weapon, disappeared into thin air. What reappeared was the scimitar that Sarrandan people were used to.

This was a genuine standard weapon, and not the flanged mace, which was cheap and easy to mass-produce.

Outside the impregnable stone pass, the mission reward obtained from annihilating the two waves of enemies with ulterior motives.

It happened to be perfectly matched.

"It's done. " Kant looked at the streamlined scimitar at his waist, and the corners of his mouth curled up into a smile.

Five Sarrandian Horseman led a team of 20 desert bandits. They used their spears and Scimitars to sweep through the Jackalan hiding among the dune. There was absolutely no problem, even if there were a lot of enemies. They used javelins to wear down the enemies from afar, lure them, and divide them.., then, they would destroy them. These desert races were all good at this.

This tactic was the Kujit People's specialty.

But when the Sarrandan from the desert and the Kujit people on the grassland fought, they also learned this tactic.

There was only a difference.

The Kujit people were good at using bow and arrow to harass the enemy. They would harass the enemy until they were exhausted before concentrating their strength to launch an attack. The Sarrandan, on the other hand, were more interested in the destructive short javelins, which directly caused the enemy to suffer a great loss. They brazenly used the enemy's timid mentality to launch a charge, completely crushing the enemy.

This was a different tactic displayed by the different characteristics of the two nations.

There was no good or bad, only whether it was suitable or not.

The Sarrandan rode a desert horse. Its hooves were wide and its body was well-proportioned. Its physique was also relatively strong, but its endurance was poor. It was a horse that was suitable for direct charging rather than wandering. The Sarrandan horse was a military horse that had been carefully nurtured by the desert horse.

As a result, the Sarrandan threw short javelins and instantly destroyed the enemy's formation. They charged forward with their horse's pilum. The effect was extremely good.

In the Nahrin Desert, Kant of course used the tactics of these desert nations.

This was the experience accumulated by the ancestors.

Just like in future wars, Kant's SWADIAN troops were perfectly in formation. However, these Sarrandan desert bandits were like flies that harassed the enemy's flanks and rear. Once the enemy revealed a flaw, they would be welcomed, would be complete death. This was because the flood formed by the Swadian man-at-arms could destroy all the troops in front of them.

"the next thing is to wait. "

Kant calculated in his heart.

All the buildings would be completed today. After meeting the system's criteria for upgrading the village of Drondheim, Kant would choose to level up directly.

That would be a new beginning, not the village of today.

For example, the fortress that Kant intended to level up.

When any force went from weak to strong, it was accompanied by a series of battles and fights.

Moreover, this was a world where hard fists represented justice.

Only by possessing strong military strength could one ensure one's own safety. Kant could not possibly devote all his resources to economic development in the early stages. The path he had set in advance was military development first.

It could also be said that Kant's development path was militaristic.

That's right, militaristic.

In Kant's view, this was not a derogatory term, but the fastest growth in strength, the best effect, and the shortest effect.

With military strength, it meant that the fist was hard.

As long as the Fist was hard and others did not dare to easily invade, then Kant could develop the economy without worry.

These troops were all recruited by the system and were always loyal to Kant. There was no military interest group that opposed Kant's economic development. They would only support him unconditionally.

Kant turned his head slightly.

The Sun in the sky had already reached the top of his head, emitting an incomparable heat.

It was almost noon.

Taking a deep breath, Kant's expression was calm, but there was a hint of complacency in his eyes.

He swept his gaze across the Oasis Lookout.

"as the sun rises from the east. "

Kant sighed in his heart.

This was already a small-scale village for him, the cornerstone of his glorious future.

..

The Darkness was condensing, as if it was trying its best to contain the light of dawn.

But as the blazing sun finally took shape, the darkness was like a broken flag in front of the light. In a short moment, countless rays of light pierced through the darkness, dispersing the night, and the dawn that belonged to the day arrived.

Kant opened his eyes. The sky outside the window was still slightly dark.

Shaking his head, he quickly recovered his spirit. He lifted the wool blanket and put on his clothes before opening the door and walking downstairs.

"Lord Kant. "

The guards guarding the first floor had been replaced by the Swadian Infantry, who were better at fighting on foot.

When they saw Kant come out, they stopped their chests in high spirits and saluted him.

"Yes. " Kant nodded in response.

Sitting on the wooden table in the hall, the peasant in the kitchen was preparing breakfast.

It was still the food portion for all the people, and they needed to prepare it earlier. Kant was not surprised by this. He just turned his head and asked the Swadian infantry who acted as the guards, "Did you notice anything unusual last night? "

"Lord Kant, everything is safe. "

The swadian infantry replied with certainty.

"very good. " Kant nodded with a smile on his face.

After midnight this morning, Kant took the opportunity to spend 600 denar to directly recruit 20 desert bandits during the recruitment period of the Desert Bandits' camp, forming a 40-man light cavalry team.

Kant did not let them stay idle. Instead, he arranged a mission.

Led by five Sarrandian Horseman, they took advantage of the night to sweep the dune around the Oasis Lookout. Now it seemed that the effect was remarkable.

"No Jackalan Attack? " Kant still asked.

"No. "

The Swadian infantry answered, and added, "absolutely safe. There is no trace of Jackalan around the village. "

"not bad. " Kant smiled in satisfaction.

The role of the light cavalry was not only to harass the enemy's front line and attack the enemy's supply line.

They could also learn and use tactics such as anti-reconnaissance, anti-sneak attack, and anti-infiltration. It was quite convenient, fast, and efficient. Sometimes, it was more useful than the heavy cavalry used to simply destroy the enemy's formation.

However, Kant still shook his head somewhat regretfully.

When he had the desert bandits form a cavalry team to clean up the surroundings of the Dune, he had also told them that if they could capture Jackalan, they would try their best to capture them. After all, these guys could be sold to the Zhivadin caravan that was coming this month.

As for replacing the flanged mace, Kant did not feel regretful.

In the game, this kind of blunt weapon could indeed forcefully stun the enemy and obtain a large number of captives.

However, in the real world, when the desert bandits used the horse speed hammer to hit the head, it was basically like a watermelon being hammered open. It would be fine if the skull was fractured, but most of it would be directly sent flying, causing the entire head to split into pieces, not to mention stunning them, the unlucky look on their faces was simply unbearable to look at.

This was also the reason why Kant had them change into scimitars.

They were all killers. The sharp scimitars were much stronger than the flanged mace, which had a shorter attack range.

Kant did not care.

If they could capture the Jackalan, they could capture them. If they could not, they could kill them all. There were no hard targets.

Right now, the development of Oasis Lookout was still the most important. Killing all the Jackalan wouldn't be a problem.

Sitting in the council hall.

The Sun became thicker. The night had completely disappeared. It was time for the day.

Kant was waiting.

The system also thoughtfully popped up the dialog box.

[ ding... as the morning sun rise, a new week begins. ]

[ income: you collect 200 denar in Drondheim (village)]

[ expenditure: you pay 4,766 denar to the entire army ]

[ financial summary: the main income is: 200 denar head tax for civilians in Drondheim, no taxes paid by businessmen, no taxes paid by factories, the means of income is seriously lacking. The main expenses are military expenses: 369 denar for the Swadian infantry, 800 denar for the Swadian infantry, 1,472 denar for the SWADIAN heavy cavalry, 145 denar for the sarrandian horseman, 240 denar for the desert bandits, and 1,540 denar for the SWADIAN man-at-arms. Fateh 100 denar, MA nide 100 denar. ]

This was the weekly income and expenditure report.

Kant's gaze swept across the financial summary of the retina. It was almost the same as what he had calculated in advance.

One of the disadvantages of using military force was that military expenditure would consume more than half of the savings.

But Kant did not care.

Now that he had determined the current development path of military priority, he naturally would not change it.

In this world, Jackalan were scattered everywhere. Not to mention the depths of the Nahrin desert, there were also many Jackalan tribe in the senwaya range. Capturing some for denar was really simple and easy.

After checking the finances, Kant's eyes shone.

What he had to do next.

But before that, Kant had to be fully prepared.

After a moment of silence, Kant looked up at the guard at the door and ordered, "pass down the order, ask FHARTIS to gather the SVALDIA troops as soon as possible and set up a defense in the oasis lookout. Ma nide will be the assistant. "

"understood, Lord. " The guard immediately replied and left after bowing.

Not long after.

The sound of footsteps and the neighing of horses could be heard outside the council hall.

Kant passed down the order and all the SWADIAN troops began to gather and wait for orders.

This was the strongest military strength Kant possessed at the moment. Even the Jackalan tribe back then would probably tremble at such a powerful force and would not dare to offend them easily.

41 SWADIAN footman and 50 Swadian Infantry.

46 swadian man-at-arms and 20 Ravensdon Rangers.

As well as the light cavalry that was still wandering in the desert outside with 5 sarrandian horseman and 40 desert bandits.

A strong elite made up of 202 people.

They were all high-level soldiers that could directly fight on the battlefield.

Among them, the lowest troop class were all SWADIAN footman who wore mail armor and mail armor. They were standard soldiers with heater shield, heavy spear, and Germanic shortsword on their waists.

Kant thought it was foolproof.

Oasis lookout was safe now.

It was also a good time to level up.

Kant's thought process was straightforward. He chose the golden card in his mind.

"level up. "

Kant confirmed that the golden card in his mind was instantly shattered.

A mysterious power descended.

The request for level up that had been rejected previously now appeared in Kant's retina once again.

In order to see the dialog box clearly, Kant closed his eyes.

[ ding... system prompt ]

[ currently, the equipment of the village "Drondheim" is complete. Level Up is allowed. ]

[ yes/no level up. ]

The system gave a choice, but Kant would not hesitate at this moment.

Taking a deep breath, Kant said with certainty, "level up. "

The words represented affirmation, and Kant's tone was equally affirmative.

The golden light that had already dispersed into fragments instantly turned into a stream of data, appearing in the outside world with Kant's will.

The entire council hall was wrapped up.

A large number of data chain began to intertwine, and a mysterious and mysterious existence was descending.

As if he had broken some sort of crystal wall and communicated with two kinds of rules, Kant, who was in the council hall, also transformed into this mysterious and mysterious force and began to transform the council hall.

As well as injecting new rules into it.

[ ding... system prompt ]

[ the village has reached the level up standard. There are two modes to choose from for this level up. ]

[1 fortress (military)/2 town (economic)]

[ please make a reasonable choice based on the current situation. Once confirmed, there will be no way to change it. ]

The system dialog box popped up in Kant's eyes.

Kant broke away from that mysterious power.

He swallowed his saliva slightly and made a choice. "fortress. "

[ ding... system prompt ]

[ the mode has been confirmed as fortress. The village has begun to level up. ]

The data stream continued to spread.

It seemed to be permanent, but it only lasted for a few seconds.

The data stream that completely covered the council hall was fierce when it came, but it disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Kant, who was sitting on the chair, opened his eyes.

"Is it over? "

Slowly exhaling, Kant looked in front of him.

What greeted his eyes was still a long table, which seemed to be no different from before. But when Kant raised his head to look at the decorations on both sides, he could not help but squint his eyes. The change was really too big.

The neatly cut stones were like green bricks, laid out neatly into the floor of the council hall.

The surrounding walls were no longer made of wooden planks, but stone instead.

The width was like the stone used to build the city wall. The engineers measured it neatly and built it layer by layer, making the height of the entire hall reach four meters. And for the sake of beauty, there was a lion flag hanging on the wall that symbolized the kingdom of Swadia.

This was also in line with the aesthetic standards and logo of the dukedom of Leo.

Kant looked at the image of the Dukedom of Leo after living in the dukedom of Leo for 16 years. He thought that there was nothing wrong with these flags that represented the dukedom of Leo.

Although the drawing of the Lions was different, they all represented the Lions.

Kant turned his head to look at both sides.

The originally spacious and open windows had disappeared. The four-meter-high stone wall had no concept of windows at all.

This caused the light to be a little dim.

This made Kant slightly stunned. He subconsciously thought of the stone pass, Baron Dilun Nanjue's official residence.

It was really very similar.

The rooms on both sides were already blocked by the walls. Only the corners of the walls on both sides where Kant was sitting had two passages that were connected to an unknown place. Similarly, there were two swadian infantry soldiers guarding each of them.

Just like the two infantry soldiers in front of the door, they were standing guard.

Kant stood up and walked towards the passageway on the left. He was deep in thought. "Is it leading upstairs? "

According to his experience in the game in his previous life, the fortress buildings in the kingdom of Swadia were usually multi-storied. Moreover, looking at the council hall that was now completely made of stone, it was estimated that there were more floors and the buildings were taller.

"Lord Kant. "

The Swadian Infantry on guard saluted respectfully.

"Yes. " Kant nodded in response.

Entering the passage, as Kant had expected, was a staircase made of wooden planks in the two-storied walls, leading directly to the top. However, looking up, it seemed that the council hall had become three stories.

The space on the second floor was relatively small. Both sides of the corridor were separated by wooden boards.

It was similar to the layout of a hotel in the game. It was obviously a room for the guards. At the same time, it was also a storeroom. Although it looked small, it could probably accommodate 20 guards.

Kant continued up the stairs to the third floor.

This should be the space of a Lord. There were only three rooms separated by wooden planks. The interior space was very spacious.

Moreover, there were many decorations hanging on the walls and carpets on the floor. They were all typical of the style of the SVALDIANS. They were luxurious and had a graceful and domineering aura. The aura of the former overlord of the continent of Caradia was undoubtedly revealed.

"not bad. " Kant nodded.

He checked the room. There were also carpets and ornaments inside. The bed was also covered with soft velvet.

In the game, this was a precious cloth.

However, Kant raised his head and found that the stairs were still leading to a higher place. He walked over curiously. There was a wooden door at the top. As he pushed it open, the bright and sunny sunlight instantly shone down. Kant could not help but squint his eyes slightly.

He immediately turned around and walked out.

This was a small house made of stone, similar to the elevator room on the top floor.

"Lord Kant. "

He respectfully called out. It was the two Ravenston Rangers bowing.

Kant's eyes adapted to the light, squinting at his surroundings. He could see the vast desert in the distance. The vast sea of sand was incomparably vast. The desolation and desolation that belonged to the desert stunned him.

This was the top floor of the council hall.

The stone roof had turned into a floor under his feet. There was a spacious space of about 400 square meters. At the edge of the room, there was a half-meter-high arrow-blocking wall. It was concave and jagged. It could also allow archers to shoot from a high vantage point.

"How High is this place? " Kant swallowed his saliva and asked.

The Ravenston Ranger replied, "Lord, it's 10 meters high. "

Kant came to the side of the arrow-blocking wall and looked down. Looking down from above made his heart beat faster. Although he was not afraid of heights, his fear of heights still made his heart palpitate.

The originally familiar street appeared in front of Kant.

The area of the council hall had changed from 300 square meters to 400 square meters now. Moreover, it was 10 meters high. It was like a stone giant that crushed all the buildings at the bottom.

They hesitated to level up the council hall, and the streets also changed a little.

But the overall effect was similar to usual.

FHARTIS was leading his troops to gather on the streets and wait for orders. When they saw Kant looking down, all of them revealed fanatical expressions and raised their weapons as they cheered.

"Lord Kant! "

This was their heartfelt fanatical respect for Kant, their heartfelt worship and loyalty from the soul.

And at this moment, Kant's heart seemed to be ignited with pride.

Standing at the edge of the arrow-blocking wall, he waved at the soldiers below. Although he did not say anything, this response caused all the soldiers of Svaldia to cheer.

"this is my fortress. "

Kant narrowed his eyes, his heart filled with incomparable confidence.

After the upgrade, although it seemed that the village's basic council hall had been changed to a fortress-level up, the council hall was now a fortress-level up.

But this was only one of them.

Kant opened his retina and looked at the current "Drondheim" interface. It was completely different.

A [ fortress ] type building had appeared.

This was a new beginning.

Kant left the top floor, and the two Ravenston Rangers bid him farewell.

They were the Sentinels stationed here. At the same time, they could also rely on their heavy bows to launch long-range attacks against any enemy who tried to approach the Oasis Lookout. With a height of 10 meters and the archery skills of the Ravenston Rangers, they could completely cover the entire Oasis Lookout.

Kant trusted these rangers who had been honed in the Misty Mountains.

Returning to the hall on the first floor, Kant sat back in his seat.

"open the data list. "

Kant's mind communicated with the system again.

The current data list popped up on his retina.

..

[ Drondheim ]

[ Lord: Kant ]

[ balance: 3,534 dinars ]

[ reputation: 1,200]

[ honor: 0]

[ general: Fathis, Ma Nide ]

[ type: Svaldia Fortress ]

[ current population: 200]

-LSB- buildinCouncilnHallhall (fortress-levelHouseouse (6 buildingsWatchtowerowDesertsBanditsdits' camp, grocery stoSugaruWorkshopshop, training ground, miWallwall, water well, posthouse ]

[ constructions available: house, barracks, stables, bell tower, city wall, city gate, Arrow Tower, weapons workshop, prison cell ]

[ level up: Watchtower, training ground ]

[ construction pack: Stone City Wall ]

[ agricultural resources: Date Palm Jungle (2 mu) , wheat field (7.5 mu) , Ji Ji Grass Beach (5 mu)]

[ animal husbandry: single humped camel (10)]

[ fighting force summary: 91 Infantry, 91 cavalry, 20 archers ]

[ current troops: Swadian Infantry (41) , Swadian Infantry (50) , Swadian heavy cavalry (46) , Sarrandian Horseman (5) , Desert Bandits (40) , Ravenston Ranger (20)]

[ recruitable: Swadian recruit (Council Hall) , Desert Bandits (desert bandits camp)]

[ comment: the brand new "Drondheim" fortress has just been established, and the situation looks a little bad. The clear spring water converges into the small lake, moistening the dry and barren land. Peasant with Hope are busy in date palm jungle and the fields. However, as a fortress, there were fewer buildings, and the living area was rather crowded. There were no fortifications. It was worth noting that there were no ladies in the fortress

[ remark: non-system-generated items are not included in the statistics. ]

... ..

This was the newly upgraded "Drondheim" fortress.

Kant let out a breath and could not help but smile bitterly. "the system's comment is really merciless. "

As a village, the comment was still good, but now it was directly defined as bad.

Looking at the densely arranged categories on the interface, Kant could not help but accept this comment. After all, according to the statistics of the large number of military buildings on the interface, the current fortress was indeed very simple.

To be called a fortress, it had to at least have a wall that could protect the estate.

Just like those castles in the game in his previous life.

However, now that the village had been upgraded to a fortress, the construction time of the buildings had gone from seven days to 20 or 50 days. It had doubled.

This made Kant feel lucky that he didn't use up all of his reputation.

"however, the city wall can be built. "

Kant's eyes flashed. This was the construction pack that he had drawn before.

He did not directly build the city walls back then because he was afraid of hindering the development and construction of the village. Now that he thought about it, it was still wise. If he had really chosen to build the city walls back then, then the appearance of the fortress building now would have completely disrupted the original plan.

The importance of the fortress planning could be reflected in the defensive effect.

If the city walls and defensive structures were not built properly, and there were blind spots and gaps in the defenses, it would be fatal to the fortress.

After all, this was a military building.

The key to defending an area was that if the defenses were lowered because of the planning problem, and a gap appeared, the enemy would find it and use it as an opening to launch a fierce attack. Then, it was only a matter of time before the fortress fell.

There was no such situation at the moment.

All the fortress-level buildings had formed a list.

Kant could completely rely on the buildings in the list and leave room for construction in advance. This meant that there was no problem in building the stone walls now.

"build the stone walls. "

Kant's mind continued to communicate with the system.

Since he had made up his mind, Kant would carry out the plan swiftly. Sloppiness was not his character.

In his mind, the card of the stone wall was instantly shattered into pieces.

The data flow was given new rules by the mysterious power.

Kant's entire body also rose with the divergence of his thoughts. By the time he reacted, he had already appeared at the height of 20 meters above the "Drondheim" fortress from the perspective of God.

From a high vantage point, he could clearly see his own fortress.

The entire council hall, which was made of stone, should be called a square tower. The height of 10 meters was like a rock giant.

On the street at the bottom, Fatis and his troops were still gathered and waiting for orders.

However, on the street of the council hall, they were like small black dots. They were not directly proportional to this huge rock giant. They seemed extremely small, as if they could be completely annihilated with a single kick.

Of course, this was just a figment of Kant's imagination.

Kant was amused by his own thoughts.

He shook his head slightly.

Kant regained his rationality and scanned the current layout of the Oasis Lookout. It was still mainly agriculture in the north, and mainly residential and handicraft industries in the south. This was the simple plan of the village, but it was a good foundation.

Kant did not plan to change the agricultural area in the north.

Kant also decided on the residential area and the crafts area in the south.

The weapons workshop in the list of buildings was also placed in the crafts area by Kant, and it was also placed in the south.

The west side was a small lake and five acres of Achnatherum splendens.

Kant planned to develop the west side into a livestock area. In the future, all kinds of livestock would be raised there, and the fertilizer produced could be transferred to the agricultural area. It was basically killing two birds with one stone.

As for the other similar cells and barracks, Kant planned to place them all on the east side.

Next to the pre-built training ground, there was also a spacious and empty sand land. These buildings could be spread out for military purposes. In the future, if anything happened, they could also provide timely support.

No matter how the fortress was planned, it would not be too big.

The close-knit buildings were linked together. With the city walls as the boundary, they could firmly resist the enemy's attack and ensure the lord's ownership of this area. This was the definition of a fortress or castle.

In the dukedom of Leo, castles and villages were the noble and Knight's fiefdoms.

As for towns and cities, they belonged to the exclusive territory of the king. It was necessary to send officials to the city hall to govern.

Of course, Kant only had this fortress at present, so there was no need to worry.

Chapter 99: Kant’s coercion

And so, Kant finished the zoning of Oasis Lookout.

The agricultural area in the north, the livestock area in the west, the resident and craft area in the south, and the military zone in the east.

The construction of the stone walls would proceed according to these four areas.

Kant thought of establishing a trading zone but he not to. After all, in the future, the trading activities with the system will fully rely on the grocery stores. There was no need to let the natives of this world entered the fortress during the trading.

In order to keep the location of the salt mine a secret, Kant planned to set up the trading area in the posthouse.

Not a single trade caravan could enter the Oasis Lookout.

If they wanted to trade table salt, they could only do so at the posthouse. If there were people up to no good and tried to inspect the truth, they will be executed if they ignored the warning. As the Lord, Kant was not bound to any laws and he could kill civilians.

Was everyone equal before the law?

Impossible

This statement was like a joke to the nobles.

Moreover, such a statement was meaningless in this world, as the bloodline and the social class were highly valued.

Perhaps there was another saying.

The law was the friendly assistant of the nobles to rule.

It was the true interpretation of the law.

This was particularly true for Kant. As a baron, although he was far away from the Dukedom of Leo, he had his own territory. He was more like a ruler who was far away from all those authorities. He could issue decrees or set rules on his own.

After finished the zoning, Kant had a plan in his mind.

His thoughts flew.

The data flow that floated in his mind instantly manifested into real substance and emerged at the Oasis Lookout.

The stone material for the wall was cut from the massive rock. The stone wall was rapidly forming and extending, separating the spring water from the agricultural area in the north. The water channels that were previously built were also cut off. The stone wall even extended from the east of the lake and the street entrance of the sugar workshop to the south. After extending to the desert, the new open space could be used for new houses. Then, the wall turned a sharp 90 degrees. From the training ground and the mill, the extending wall connected to another end of the wall where spring water was. The stone wall seemed to have formed a standard rectangular shape.

This the rectangular fortress as he planned.

The entire Drondheim was protected by the city wall and separated the spring water from the lake. Although the city wall had passageways connected to the lake and the spring water, these narrow holes were too narrow that only ducks, geese, and other small animals were able to drill in and out.

This was to secure the water demand of the fortress.

Even if they were surrounded by a large number of enemies, the troops could still use the spring water inside the city wall for replenishment.

Moreover, the small lake was only about 30 meters wide. If the enemies wanted to replenish the lake water, they would have to face the threat of the archers on the city wall. Every time the enemies want to replenish the water for their army, they would have to pay a certain price.

Although the enemies could replenish the lake water, it was actually the trap by Kant to lurk them in.

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ This time, the stone city wall can build two additional city gates. Please choose the location of the city gates to build. ]

Kant's mind was still in God's view.

The system popped up a dialog box.

However, Kant was already prepared. With just a thought, a six-meter-tall, four-meter-wide stone gate appeared in the East Military Area, and the residents and crafts area on the south side. The gate was made up of 20 centimeters thick wooden panels that were nailed together. It was further reinforced by iron boards that were embedded in it. The defensive effect of the gate was great.

At this point, the construction of the city walls had been completed.

"Whew. " Kant slowly opened his eyes and let out a long breath.

He returned from God's view.

He was still sitting on his chair, in front of a long table. It was felt like he had just ascended into the sky and his soul had completely left his body.

This was, of course, the power of the system.

In the council hall, which had already converted into a military tower, there were pine oil torches on the walls. The torches brought light to the dark surrounding, one could barely see things in the hall.

An increase in the defensive effect also caused a decrease in the comfort level.

There were a gain and a loss.

Kant stood up and walked outside. The two Swadian footmen who were guarding the door were still the two who were guarding the entrance of the council hall. When they saw Kant coming over, they immediately straightened their chests and released vigorous energy.

"My Lord, my respects to you."

The two of them saluted at the same time.

"Very good. " Kant nodded.

The two of them stretched out their hands politely and pushed the heavy wooden door open.

Kant walked in.

The troops of Firentis and Swadian were still waiting for orders.

Everyone was quiet, but they were in high spirits. The elites released an aura that can condense the air. Even Kant had seen the strongest knight troop in the Dukedom of Leo. Their spirit, energy, and spirit were truly something.

This was his troop.

Kant smiled and said happily, "Thank you for your hard work. "

"Everything is for you, for Svaldia. "

Firentis who was in the front answered solemnly. His words represented the thoughts of all the soldiers behind him.

Kant smiled and nodded. He looked at the city wall in front of him that had already taken shape. The Oasis Lookout was safely protected by these solid and thick stone walls. It was like the inside of the wall and the outside of the wall were two completely different separated worlds.

With this city wall, 'Drondheim' truly became a fortress.

Only then, he truly took root in the Oasis Lookout.

"Firentis," Kant said.

"I'll listen to your orders, my Lord, " Fateh replied.

His tone slowed down, Kant ordered, "Cancel the troop assembly and immediately organize the city defense system. "

"Understood. " Firentis nodded in response.

As a military noble, Firentis had his own unique views on the command and arrangement of the Swadian troops. This was the teachings of his family, and his lesson as a Swadian, as well as the experience he gained from his long travels.

The troops quickly dispersed, but it was not chaotic.

The heavy cavalry of Swadian moved first, and then the footmen and light footmen followed.

The planning for the desert area in the eastern military zone had been done. Although they didn't build the military barracks and other military structures in that area yet, it was still can be used as a temporary camp. The soldiers were on guard regularly, and those who were nearby the eastern gate could react in time as well.

The rangers of Ravenstern were divided into groups, and they were stationed at the top floor of the council hall and towards the direction of the city wall.

Everything was in perfect order.

"Alright, the current Oasis Lookout has reached a new chapter. "

Kant narrowed his eyes, and his eyes were filled with coldness.

He turned his head to Manid and Firentis, who had returned from deploying the troops, said, "Come with me. I remember that we once captured a guy who claimed himself a high-level Jackalan. It spoke the fluent human language and gave me the feeling that it really was a high-level elite. "

Firentis and Manid were not amused by Kant's joke.

Firentis walked in front, he led the way and said, "He was previously imprisoned in the basement of the council hall. "

"So it is now? " Kant smiled.

Returned to the council hall, the once narrow hall had become a four-meter-high spacious hall. There were no extra rooms and kitchens anymore. If they removed the long table, it would not be a problem to hold a ball in the hall.

Kant understood that this was a transition to the castle hall.

Although many rooms in the council hall had disappeared after leveled up, the basement was still existed and even expanded.

Asage, a self-claimed high-level Jackalan, who came from the Kingdom of Grey Mane on the Mannheim coast. It was imprisoned in the basement that had been converted into a prison cell. The wooden door of the prison was locked with iron chains. If there were any unusual sounds, the guards in the hall would go over to check.

Kant had once given an order that if the situation was at stake, the guards were allowed to kill.

They couldn't let a high-level Jackalan from a foreign land escaped, even if the soldiers had to kill it when necessary.

"Lord, please wait a moment. "

When they came to the corner of the hall, there was a lid on top of the stairway.

After opening it, there was the basement that had been converted into a prison cell. A Swadian footman led them to the prison cell. As the iron chain was unlocked, the footman brought up Asage, who was heavily guarded and both of his hands were restrained by an iron chain.

Kant narrowed his eyes and looked at the well-dressed Jackalan.

Even he could tell that this Jackalan's mental status was weaken compared to when they first met.

It looked exactly like a human.

For some reason, Kant could not stop thinking when he looked at this beast-like humanoid creature. He kept staring at Asage, and his eyes revealed his worry.

That was indeed the case.

Its long sharp fangs can be seen in between its lips, with its wolf-like head and the gigantic body, it was indeed a beast.

But in reality, this Jackalan was really what it claimed to be.

It was really a high-level Jackalan, possessing emotions that were similar to humans, or perhaps it could be said that it possessed intelligence that was as good as humans. This was what Kant worried about, his eyes exposed the fear in his heart.

Wild beasts were not scary, just like the Jackalan tribe in the Nahrin Desert.

However, if these wild beasts became civilized and formed a civilized country, then they became scary.

"Come out, behave yourself. "

The Swadian footman said with his deep voice. He rudely pulled the chain and dragged Asage's hairy head to the basement stair. He even gave it a strong kick with his iron boots.

These Level-4 soldiers fought in a fierce battle, they were frightening.

Moreover, this Jackalan's hands were restrained by the iron chains, and his legs were also shackled. It was heavily guarded.

"Alright, be gentle with our friend. "

Kant ordered the footman to drawback.

Kant looked at the Jackalan and said, "I know you can understand human language and how to speak it. Now, I think we should have a good talk. "

The restrained Asage raised his head.

The wolf-like head looked at Kant, it revealed with a human-like fear on its face. "At your command, your excellency human lord. "

"Let's talk about your hometown. "

Kant smiled and was very happy with its tactfulness. "For example, the Mannheim Coast and Gray Mane Kingdom."

Chapter 100: Secrets of the Kingdom of Gray Mane

Kant's voice was calm.

He still had a faint smile on his face, and he had a young and innocent appearance just like a human teenager.

In fact, he did look like a young teenager on the surface

But as an intelligent high-level Jackalan, Asage looked at the 16-year-old human noble in front of it, its heart was beating fast. The palpitation was caused by fear.

It could sense that this young human had very poor combat strength. He could not even compare to a young Jackalan.

But he glanced to the side.

The guards in heavy iron armors were waiting. Their right hand was already holding the longsword on their waist.

Although the longsword could not smash the skull like a warhammer, the gleaming longsword could slice through the neck instantly, completely cut off the head and let it fall freely onto the ground.

"Yes, the young master of human noble. "

Asage slightly lowered its head. In the current situation, it had no other choice.

It described everything it knew.

The Mannheim Coast was located in the extreme north of the Nahrin Desert. It was the coastal area of the Sea of Stars.

Because it was close to the vast Sea of Stars, the Mannheim Coast had high rainfall and abundant water resources. Therefore, the coastal area had dense vegetation, which could easily resist the desertification and allow countless species to flourish there.

This fertile coastal land is the home of Jackalans.

Over thousands of years, these Jackalans absorbed foreign knowledge, and formed their own culture.

In order to distinguish those in the desert, they call themselves high-level Jackalans.

In fact, it was true.

These Jackalans had gained intelligence, civilized, and developed their own civilization. They were completely different from the Jackalans in the Nahrin desert that fed blood and were more barbaric.

They were from the same origin but different clans; they were the same species but different races.

The Gray Mane Kingdom on the west side of the Mannheim Coast was the best proof.

The high-level Jackalan, who had gained wisdom and had developed, soon occupied the Mannheim coast with the Lizardmen who had also gained wisdom. Each of them established their own kingdoms and divided the territory of their race.

However the Lizardmen, who were good at water, were more suitable for living in the coastal areas.

They even once suppressed the Gray Mane Kingdom.

Then, in recent years, a large number of elves landed on the Mannheim Coast and established a republic with the name, Elven Parliament in the eastern desolate region. If it weren't for the elves who indirectly alleviated the suppression of Lizardmen Kingdom on Gray Mane Kingdom, the high-level Jackalans would have lost the dominance of the Mannheim Coast and could only seek refuge in the inland desert.

This was also the reason why Asage, as an explorer and merchant, had ventured across the desert and brought itself here.

The high-level Jackalan of the Gray Mane Kingdom also had their own strategic plans.

The high-level Jackalan knew that the Lizardmen, who were better at naval warfare; and the elves, who were more civilized, were the two terrifying enemies to them. The Gray Mane Kingdom was unable to pose a real threat to them. They could only rely on their thousand years of experience, tactics, and their current strength to maintain the current stalemate. But the situation was worsening day by day.

As a result, the Mannheim Coast remained peaceful, but it was a stalemate before the outbreak of war.

However, as the Lizardmen opened up the sea trading line and connected with the outer sea trade, their economic development and strength increased extremely fast.

Although the Elven Parliament had the least number of people and occupied smaller land.

However, due to their colonial nature, the elves could transfer troops from the outer seas elven headquarters at any time, and their strength also increased extremely quickly. They could become a giant republic in the next few years.

The Elven Parliament on the Mannheim Coast was intentionally a colony of the elven mainland after all.

Only the Gray Mane Kingdom made no progress.

In order to make use of their advantage in land warfare and the ability to withstand heat and cold, the high-level Jacklans took the risk and organized several teams to go deep into the Nahrin Desert. They planned to find an inland human kingdom by following the descriptions of the low-level Jackalan from ten years ago.

In fact, they crossed the desert and arrived here smoothly by following the route of the low-level Jackalan.

Not only did they found the traces of the human kingdom, Asage as a merchant had also found a natural salt mine. As the news traveled back, it had stimulated the Gray Mane Kingdom. The kingdom planned to send out huge troops to establish a new estate.

However, AsageI's fate was tragic.

It was the first to explore Nahrin desert and opened a safe route, but it was captured by Kant.

It lost the honor and money that it supposed to has. Asage didn't even know if he could survive or not.

There were human merchants on Mannheim Coast.

In the eyes of the high-level Jackalan, although there were some strong extraordinary humans, but most ordinary human were extremely weak. A normal human adult could not even defeat a weak young Jackalan. This was why they dared to carry out their invasion plan.

On the battlefield, even the lizardmen and the elves were terrified by the heavily armored Jackalan warriors.

How could a weak ordinary human defeated them?

...

Asage slowly shut its mouth. After a long time of talking, its mouth was dry.

This was all it knew.

"Well, very good." Kant nodded, still wearing a smile on his face.

Asage's eyes glanced at his smiling face, and its heart was flustered. This kind of noble-style smile was just like a stretching exercise for his cheek, the smile clearly did not reflect his mood.

This made its heart even more flustered.

Swallowing its saliva, it suppressed the fear in its heart and said, "I hope that you can give me a chance to prove my worth."

"Huh?" Kant was still thinking.

Asage did spit out a lot of information, which brought a lot of information on the new world to Kant.

But after hearing this, Kant smiled and asked, "What kind of value can you bring me?"

"Gulp."

Asage swallowed its saliva as if it had grabbed onto a life-saving straw.., it said anxiously, "I'm different from those low-level Jackalan in the desert. I can rely on you and help you investigate the information of the Gray Mane Kingdom, and I can also be a middleman. I can buy whatever you lack. The commerce in Mannheim Coast is very developed, there are plenty of goods there."

"Is that so?"

Kant raised his eyebrows slightly, showing great interest.

Asage's eyes revealed a slight of joy.

But in its heart, it was thrilled. As a merchant, it knew how to deceive the other people, especially such young master of human noble. Perhaps Kant held great power, but in terms of ability to judge, he was obviously not good.

Asage swore that if it could leave this place, it would let the troops of the Gray Mane Kingdom flatten this place!

This prison was the place that robbed its wealth and future. It had been imprisoned for so many days. The hatred in its heart was simply hard to wash away.

At this moment, it had to act obediently.

Asage's eyes were filled with hatred. The smile on its face became even more sincere because its was already thinking about how to torture these damned humans and let them know the terror of a high-level Jackalan!

"Well, in that case."

Kant smiled and turned his head to look at his left and right sides.

Those were Firentis and Manid, the leaders of his army and trade caravan, as well as his current generals and advisors. He slightly shrugged his shoulders and asked, "What do you think? "

"Not bad." Firentis frowned and nodded.

"Very good." Manid smiled, looking particularly optimistic.

Kant raised his eyebrows and nodded. "That's good."

These two gave him positive replies. Although they were worried, they still agreed with that.

"Thank you so much."

Asage lost its fear and appeared to be quite excited.

It thought that it was safe.

Kant did not explain anything. Instead, he gently knocked on the table and said in a calm tone, "Mannheim Coast, Gray Mane Kingdom, Advanced Jackalan, complete developed civilization."

Asage looked at him in confusion.

Kant nodded and smiled. "Very good."

"Of course, of course."

Asage continued to smile, but in its heart, it was cursing this damn young human.

When he kneeled in front of it in the future, Asage would lock Kant in the basement and let him have a taste of being imprisoned. Then, Asage would throw him into the pot to cook. It did not mind to taste the meat of other races.

"Take it out and get rid of it."

Kant looked at the smile on Asage's face and shook his head with a smile.

"Yes, my Lord." Asage was confused, then it was dragged by the Swadian footman.

"Wait, wait."

Asage's eyes were full of panic. "My Lord, my humble human lord, what happened? What happened?"

It was not clear why Kant, who was just talking and laughing just now, asked the guards to drag it out. Moreover, it looked like they were going to kill it!

But Kant did not answer it.

What answered it was a well-made heater shield.

Asage's face was hit hard by the shield of the Swadian footman. The sudden hit caused a concussion, making it dizzy. Blood splattered out of its mouth and nose, it couldn't say anything.

Then it was dragged out of the hall with the chain, and out the door.

"Boo-hoo-hoo... uh..."

The slight crackling sound of a sword came through the wooden door.

The Swadian footman reentered, their linen robe and scabbard stained with blood.

"It's done." he reported.

"Well done." Kant nodded, his face still calm.

He just turned his head to look at Firentis and Manid, he said in a deep voice, "Since we have the confidence to contend with the Gray Mane Kingdom, then we must act as soon as possible. I don't want to be stabbed in the back by the nobles of the Dukedom of Leo when we're dealing with the Gray Mane Kingdom. Otherwise, we will be doomed."

"Lord, this is very simple."

Manid chuckled. "They won't know anything about the Gray Mane Kingdom."

"I will do everything I can to trap the expedition army of the Gray Mane Kingdom in the desert," Firentis added solemnly.

"Okay." Kant nodded and slightly clenched his fist. "Since the Dukedom of Leo is like an iron wall, we can't infiltrate it. But we can develop toward the Mannheim Coast. After all, that place is not only the territory of the high-level Jackalan."

Chapter 101: The True Value Needed

Asage's body was like a broken ragged sack, the peasants picked it up and burned it.

There had been no peace between races.

Kant would never let go of this high-level Jackalan who were aware of itself, especially when Asage showed the wisdom and mind of a human, it was destined to die no matter what.

Because Kant needed it to tell him about the situation on the Mannheim Coast.

When he understood the details, its true value was gone.

Kant didn't care about the situation in the Kingdom of Grey Mane and the Mannheim Coast that it described. He only needed to know that there was indeed such a place on the other side of the Nahrin Desert.

This reminded him of the Middle East Desert.

Merchants from the Middle East crossed the desert to the eastern Mediterranean coast and sold their goods to European merchants.

This was an extremely profitable trade.

In particular, Kant controlled salt mines and could produce large amounts of high-quality white salt. This allowed the trade to continue because the Jackalan of the Kingdom of Grey Mane was not the only species on the Mannheim Coast.

There was also the Kingdom of Lizardmen, which thrived in the sea trade, and the Elven Parliament, which was a colony.

After offending the Jackalan, there were also these two races.

Kant, who came from the southern part of the Nahrin Desert, was a merchant who had come from afar. He was a trustworthy friend, and definitely not someone who was close at hand and tried to destroy other race forces at any time.

The principle of 'Befriend a distant state and strike a neighboring one' was prevalent in every world.

Moreover, no one would be foolish enough to start a war across the natural moat of the Nahrin Desert.

After all, humans didn't have high endurance like the Jackalans.

This was the reason why Manid was optimistic about it. As a Nord who had crossed the sea to the Continent of Caradia, he understood this principle. This was because the desert was not the sea, it could not be reached by the wind and waves.

As long as the Oasis Lookout maintained friendly trade with the races of the Mannheim Coast, they could even do business with the Kingdom of Grey Mane.

When it came to profits, hatred was only the means of the politicians.

Of course, before that, they would have to defeat the expedition army of the Kingdom of Grey Mane in the Nahrin Desert. Otherwise, if the army occupied the Oasis Lookout, it would be an absolute failure for Kant and the others.

Kant needed to win a victory and prove his ability in front of the forces of the Mannheim Coast.

The weaks could not protect their own benefits.

In the council hall, Kant had a conversation with Manid and Firentis cautiously. Since he had already decided to take this path, he should plan as soon as possible. Especially when dealing with the Jackalan the Kingdom of Grey Mane, who could attack at any time, he also needed to prepare as soon as possible.

Just as the three of them were talking, the sound of hurried horse hooves came from outside the wooden door.

Sarrandian horseman pushed the door open and entered. He bowed respectfully and reported, "My lord, we have returned from our patrol."

"Mm, very good." Kant nodded.

Five Sarrandian Horsemen led a cavalry team of 40 desert bandits. Even if a 46 Swadian heavy cavalry had to be careful when they encountered them. After all, these light cavalry soldiers with short javelins could not win in close combat. But they could fight and run at the same time, harassing them like flies was very simple for the bandits from the Sarrandian Desert.

"We also captured a group of Jackalan." Sarrandian Horseman continued to report.

"How many?" Kant asked.

"About 120. They are relatively difficult to capture. We killed more than 300 Jackalans before these guys surrendered out of fear." Sarrandian horseman shrugged and said with a regretful tone, "Otherwise, we could have captured more."

However, Kant was slightly stunned and asked, "Captured 120 of them? "

"That's right." Sarrandian horseman nodded affirmatively.

Kant could not help but praise, "Well done."

He did expect that these bandits with scimitar would have no problem killing the scattered Jackalans. However, he did not expect that they could actually capture 120 Jackalans.

According to the calculation, each Jackalan worth 30 denars, it would bring Kant 3,600 denars.

"The captive trading is indeed profitable."

Kant could not help but sigh. At the same time, he instructed the Sarrandian horseman, "Bring them to the training ground and keep an eye on them."

"Understood." The Sarrandian Horseman left after receiving the order.

However, Kant also felt a little regretful. He said to Manid and Firentis, "I suddenly regret killing that high-level Jackalan, Asage. I really don't know how much denar he can sell for."

"When the Jackalan expeditionary army arrives, we will know." Manid smiled and comforted him.

The Nahrin Desert would exhaust the last strength of the Jackalan expeditionary army. Kant and the others, who were defending the fortress, could literally watch and wait for the Jackalans struggling. At their weakest moment, Kant's soldiers could launch a fatal attack and win.

This was Kant and the others' strategic plan.

"Let's go out and take a look. "

Kant stood up and walked outside.

Manid and Firentis also stood up and followed behind.

So many Jackalan captives were indeed good news. When the trade caravan of Reyvadin arrived, they would replenish Kant's half-used denar savings.

They walked out of the council hall.

Kant walked along the street. The five-meter-high city wall blocked his view from afar.

The endless sea of sand that could be seen at any time was now blocked by the city wall. He could not admire it whenever he wanted.

This might be a pity.

However, Kant shook his head with a smile and shook off the thoughts in his head. If not for these city walls, he would probably have been forced to withdraw from the Oasis Lookout. They couldn't defeat the invading and plundering Jackalan expedition army on their own. So, they forced to invite the wolves into their house, attracting the noble families from Dukedom of Leo to come over here and help them. Only then, they could barely stop the Jackalan.

The wall was their safety measure!

Walking to the training ground in the eastern military zone, over a hundred Jackalans were squatting there with their hands and feet tied up by hemp ropes.

Groups of desert bandits were waiting beside their horses.

There were some rude desert bandits were riding on their horses. They were holding scimitars and circling around the Jackalan captives.

They were showing off their power, saying bad jokes and dirty jokes, which immediately made the desert bandits laugh out loud. However, it made the Jackalan captives look even more pitiful.

"Why do I think I'm the villain in a drama? "

Kant shrugged helplessly.

Firentis didn't answer, while Manid nodded affirmatively. "Look at these little cuties, they are indeed pitiful. I think we shouldn't mistreat them. After all, they are walking denars. "

"I like this saying." Kant nodded with a smile.

The desert bandits quickly walked over, and they also noticed Kant.

All of them quickly bowed and greeted Kant respectfully. At the same time, they waited for the orders solemnly.

"You all did well. "

Looking at the respectful manner of these desert bandits, Kant nodded to himself. At the same time, he asked, "Were there any casualties during the process?"

"No, Lord. They are as weak as chickens." one of the desert bandits answered.

Everyone immediately burst into laughter.

However, because Kant was here, all of them appeared to be very polite. Although they were bandits, they were also bandits who had been recruited by Kant. They had to left behind their bad images in behind and did not want to show it in front of their lord.

Kant did not mind that they held back their rudeness.

It was good that there were no casualties.

The light cavalry formed by these desert bandits was one of his trump cards. It was not worth having any casualty.

"Keep an eye on them," Kant ordered these desert bandits.

Turning to Manid behind him, he said, "You manage these captives. I guess that Reyvadin's trade caravan will be here soon. When the time comes, sell these captives to them and buy more food and tools."

"Understood. " Manid nodded. He was a merchant, so it was an easy job for him.

Kant then said to Firentis, "You should also go and do your work. Arrange the sentries and patrols to ensure the safety of the Oasis Lookout."

"Yes, sir," Firentis replied.

After all the basic arrangements were done, Kant nodded and walked towards other places. He intended to inspect his own estate.

After all, he wanted to take a good look after leveled up the place.

Arriving at the east gate, Kant walked around the city wall.

He was observing his own estate.

There was still a lot of empty lands in the entire Oasis Lookout. These lands were reserved for future construction.

Because the funds were not enough, these lands could only be used as an open warehouse to store miscellaneous items.

There were 200 peasant workers busy with their works.

However, the number of civilians in the current fortress was still very small. Many tasks could not be carried out for the time being.

For example, harvesting of the chee grass required a lot of civilians.

In addition, feeding the livestock with forage, processing the forage, and leveling the land required a lot of manpower.

"We're still short of people."

Kant sighed deeply.

The special effect of a house could recruit civilians, but this special effect could only be activated when there was a shortage of people and extra empty houses. Now that the houses were full of people, this special effect would not be activated at all.

In order to increase the population, other than temporary system characters, they could only build more houses.

Kant had long expected this.

The entire area of Drondheim fortress was about half a hectare.

And this was only the area inside the city wall.

This was enough for the current construction of the estate to cover most of the buildings.

After all the buildings were built, perhaps the inside of the city wall wouldn't be as empty as it was now, and it would become crowded.

At the same time, this would also promote the next level up of Drondheim. At that time, it would become a real castle. The buildings inside the city wall would become the internal buildings, and it would be the core area for the castle to continue expanding.

"Oh, the trade caravan is here."

Kant noticed something out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head and saw a trade caravan.

The familiar leader of the trade caravan rode in front. Six trade caravan guards followed him on their horseback. Twelve sentries were guarding five carriages on foot. They were from Reyvadin, just like the configuration of the trade caravan when they first arrived.

Chapter 102: The Return of the Trade Caravan

The Reyvadin Caravan, which had departed for three weeks, had finally returned on the first day of the month.

The strong horse was breathing heavily as it pulled the rope. It drove the wide and thick wheels with nails over the sand, leaving deep marks. It was obvious that the carriage was full of goods, and they had prepared all the goods for the trade.

Guarding the city gate was a team of Swadian footmen. After carefully inspecting the carriage and making sure that there were no abnormalities, they waved their hands and let it pass.

Although they knew each other, they were still extremely cautious of these Vaegirs people.

This was the habitual thinking of the continent of Caradia, so the leader of the trade caravan was not surprised. They received the same treatments when they passed by the various castles and towns of the Kingdom of Swadia. After all, the Kingdom of Swadia was an enemy country.

They led the trade caravan to the council hall.

The leader of the trade caravan turned around his head to look at the new buildings around him, with a surprised expression on his face.

It could really be said that things had completely changed.

Before he left, he still remembered that the Oasis Lookout was a small and simple village. However, three weeks had passed in a blink of an eye. When he returned to this place, he found that it had actually become a fortress that had just taken shape.

The stone city walls and city gates were firm and sturdy. They were guarded by the light footmen on duty.

The internal buildings were clean and tidy. The planning was reasonable.

"That is..."

The leader of the trade caravan glanced at the empty space beside the eastern city gate.

Firentis was assigning the mission.

The heavily and fully armed Swadian soldiers lined up neatly and waited for orders.

There were 46 Swadian heavy cavalry soldiers and 50 Swadian footmen. Although there were less than 100 of them, the guards and sentries of the trade caravan were shocked by this scene. They appeared to be frightened by the soldiers and couldn't help but shrink their heads.

These were the true elites that been through hundreds of battles, a powerful force that could break through the enemy's formation.

At the same time, they also discovered the 40 desert bandits on the training ground.

The desert bandits who were watching over the captives were also staring at the trade caravan. Many of them even raised their scimitars and revealed sinister smiles.

Profession habits were not so easy to change.

This made the trade caravan even more nervous.

As for these ruthless bandits who were infamous in the Sarrand Desert, the twelve guards of the trade caravan subconsciously grabbed their spears tightly. Their actual combat strength was not much better than the recruits, but facing so many desert bandits.., even if they resisted desperately, they would not be able to live for long.

The desert bandits here were at the same level as those bandits in the snowy plains of Vaegirs.

The trade caravan had traveled across the north and the south. Although they never met these bandits because of luck, they always heard of the unfortunate incidents of others in the tavern.

It was considered lucky if only their belongings were stolen by the desert bandits. If their water was snatched as well, it would be truly miserable.

"Everyone, get your spirits up."

The leader of the trade caravan in front of snorted coldly.

He, who had once served as a knight in the Kingdom of Vaegirs, had the guts and courage. However, when he saw his cowardly caravan members, he could not help but scold them in a low voice, "This is Lord Kant's estate. They are Lord Kant's cavalry! "

"Ah... Ah, yes. "

Hearing these words, the guards and sentries of the trade caravan came back to their senses.

However, being stared by the malicious gazes of those desert bandits, their hearts were still pounding. It was still made them afraid despite their glories and courage in their fighting days.

The leader of the trade caravan could only sigh to himself. He felt lucky that he had not been robbed by bandits in the past.

However, the sigh in his heart did not come out.

He led his warhorse forward quickly and looked at the figure standing in front of the council hall. He hurriedly bowed and said in a very respectful tone, "Respected Lord Kant, it is an honor to see you again. "

"I am also happy to see you." Kant replied with a smile.

He had a good impression of the leader of the trade caravan who could stand up and choose to fight during the crisis of the estate. Therefore, he asked in a more amiable tone, "What did you bring this time?"

"It's a lot of food."

The leader of the trade caravan immediately replied, "There are also various tools, oil in the urn, and tons of linen. These are all the materials you need now. I didn't bring the other luxury wines."

"This is indeed what I need the most." Kant nodded and smiled.

"That's great." The leader of the trade caravan happily lowered his head, appearing even more respectful.

Kant smiled and said, "Come in. Let them do these small little things." At the same time, Kant turned to the guard beside him and said, "Go and find Manid. I think they will have a common topic to talk about."

"Understood.", the Swadian footman, who was served as a guard, received the order and leave in fast paces.

"Manid? The genius merchant from Nord's territory", the leader of the trade caravan was slightly stunned.

Kant smiled and asked, "You've heard of him?"

The leader of the trade caravan revealed a bitter smile. "Yes, Manid is the model of our trade caravan. During the war between the Kingdom of Vaegirs and the Khergit Khanate, he provided supplies to both sides. He made the terrifying amount of profit and the news spread throughout the entire continent."

"Oh. ", Kant raised his eyebrows slightly.

The strategy of selling supplies to both sides of the war seemed a little familiar.

Shaking his head, Kant didn't think too much and said to the leader of the trade caravan, "If you're done with the trade caravan, then come in. I still want to discuss the purchase of food with you."

"Yes, Lord." The leader of the trade caravan watched Kant walk into the council hall.

At the same time, he hurriedly waved his hand, telling the trade caravan behind him to move quickly.

As an excellent leader of the trade caravan, he understood that he shouldn't let the lord wait for too long. Otherwise, it would be a serious breach of etiquette, and the relationship that he had painstakingly built with Kant would become loose.

Fortunately, the grocery store wasn't far away.

The leader of the trade caravan brought his men over and carried all the goods down. They placed them neatly on the empty counters and shelves. It seemed that he came prepared well.

Soon, the trade caravan resumed its business.

Kant returned to the council hall.

"Food."

He was sitting on the chair and tapped his fingers on the table.

Food was the problem that he needed to solve as soon as possible, it couldn't take long.

Although the Oasis Lookout had a lot of stored food.

But it was going to be an issue anyway.

The current Oasis Lookout had a rapid increase in the number of people, and the consumption of food was also rising day by day.

In particular, the consumption of food by the troops was even more terrifying.

All soldiers were gluttonous because they need more strength to carry tons of heavy works. Even the warhorse they rode on also needed to feed bread and grains constantly to replenish the nutrients that lack in the chee grass.

The most crucial thing was definitely the expedition army of the Kingdom of Gray Mane.

If these high-level Jackalan really crossed the Nahrin Desert and reached here, the Oasis Lookout would definitely be surrounded by enemies.

After entering a stalemate, Kant and the others would be able to defend with full confidence.

With sufficient food and water, as long as Kant did not act foolishly and the troops did not slack off, no matter how the Jackalan attacked, with his loyal elite troops, they would be able to defend this fortress.

It was just like what happened on a small island in the eastern Mediterranean in the 16th century.

Less than 200 hospital knights guarded a small castle on an island and forcefully withstood the frenzied attack of 20,000 Ottoman Empire troops. Although this had a lot to do with the geographical advantage, when the Ottoman Empire troops finally chose to besiege the hospital knights, the hospital knights didn't afraid at all, and they had sufficient food and water. They still defended for several years and became a sharp nail for the European forces in the Eastern Mediterranean.

This was a battle in history that Kant had once understood, and it was a living example.

The supply line of the Kingdom of Gray Mane would be stretched very long if they want to cross the desert. This supply line might even on the verge of collapse. They could only replenish their resources by plundering the territory of the human kingdom.

Therefore, Kant chose to defend to the death, just like blocking the thought of plundering by the expedition army of the Kingdom of Gray Mane.

Strengthen the defense and hide the goods, wait at ease for the exhausted enemies. This tactic was used a lot by the old Chinese ancestors

Back then, the Han Dynasty's Ban Chao had relied on this tactic to lead the various countries in the western region. Then, he sent the light cavalry to harass and intercept the supply lines of the expedition army of the Kushan Empire, easily won a victory.

This was a historically accurate and correct tactic.

As for these high-level Jackalan.

Kant didn't think that their supply line would be strong enough to supply their expeditionary army to cross the entire Nahrin Desert. If that was really the case, then the so-called Kingdom of Gray Mane, they won't be threatened by the lizardmen and the elves and came over here to develop.

While he was thinking, the wooden door of the council hall was opened, and Manid walked in.

At the same time, the leader of the trade caravan of Reyvadin also came in.

"Lord Kant."

The two bowed respectfully to Kant.

"Yes.", Kant didn't mind their politeness, he nodded and reached out his hand. "Sit down."

"Thank you for your kindness."

After the two thanked him, they sat on both sides of the bench.

The peasant, who was also a servant, came over with breakfast and gave them a portion of the bench. It was made up of toast, dried meat, dried sausage, boiled gazelle meat, and cabbage soup.

It was still the same as before, except for the fresh gazelle meat and a plate of fine white salt.

It was only breakfast time.

The trade caravan leader had not eaten yet due to rushing. When he saw his portion, he quickly stood up and bowed respectfully, "Thank you for your generosity, Lord Kant. "

"It's fine, I just prepared some extra." Kant smiled and shook his head.

The three of them quickly ate breakfast and chatted about the interesting things they knew.

However, most of the time, it was Manid and the leader of the trade caravan were talking. Kant was eating while listening. He related the content of the game that he played before with their chat, he could not help but smile when he heard some funny passages.

Chapter 103: Wei Jiya’s Quest

Occasionally, Kant would interrupt and say something that he knew about the background of the game, which attracted the admiration of the two of them. This made the breakfast very harmonious, at least there was not a bit unpleasant.

They were all people from the system, so Kant could be relaxed, at least there was no need for scheming.

In their happy conversation, they finished their breakfast.

The long-prepared servants came over to clean up the tableware. At the same time, they quickly wiped the long table with two dry and wet towels.

The table was cleaned and tidy.

The leader of the trade caravan became serious. He knew it was time to talk about some serious matters.

"How was breakfast, do you like it?"

Kant wiped his mouth with a handkerchief and asked casually.

"It's delicious.", the leader of the trade caravan answered immediately. At the same time, he said happily, "Especially the gazelle meat. The taste is very fresh."

"The sand gazelle that was killed not long ago. "

Kant nodded with a smile and said with a hint of helplessness, "This may be one of the few benefits in the desert. As long as the meat is hung in a dark place to dry, it is easy to preserve the meat. Unlike other places, if it is not well preserved, it will rot."

"No wonder.", the leader of the trade caravan replied.

Manid, who was beside him, asked with a smile, "Then do you accept this gazelle meat?"

Kant also looked at the leader of the trade caravan.

In fact, this was what he wanted to ask.

If the trade caravan, as a system merchant, accepted the gazelle meat, Kant and others could mass hunt the sand gazelles that migrated across the Senwaya Range every month. They could turn these little fluffy cuties into denars.

However, Kant and Manid's plans were clearly failed.

The leader of the trade caravan said hesitantly, "Lord Kant, we don't simply accept everything..."

This was a tactful refusal.

Kant was not mad. This was the rule of the system and had nothing to do with the leader of the trade caravan.

After pondering for a moment, Kant put down the handkerchief in his hand and looked at the leader of the trade caravan. He asked, "Then what can you buy? If possible, I will try my best to get my men to prepare it. This way, we can form long-term cooperation. "

Since the leader of the trade caravan said that he wouldn't buy everything.

It also meant that were somethings that he could buy.

"Yes."

The leader of the trade caravan nodded and replied, "Like the Jackalans from before, they are very popular in the Kingdom of Vaegirs. "

"Slave trade. ", Manid added on the side.

The leader of the trade caravan didn't beat around the bush, instead, he said straight away, "The Kingdom of Vaegirs is rich in iron ore, and beneath the vast snowy plains by the Coudun River, there are countless iron ores. These are the precious resources of our Kingdom of Vaegirs. As long as we can mine more iron ores, we will be able to earn more denar. "

"Oh, that sounds good.", Kant nodded. He obviously knew this.

After all, Coudun was a famous location for trading. The iron ore produced in this city and its village could be sold for two to three times the price in other cities. In Wercheg, a place where the iron ore was extremely lacked, it could even be sold for ten times the price!

The leader of the trade caravan also added, "Because the iron ore in the snowfield is difficult to mine, digging a mine in the snow and permafrost is also a threat to the miners' lives. Therefore, a large number of slaves are needed to be recruited every year. The owners of the iron ore mine express their admiration for the strong and durable Jackalan. They believe that this stupid race can be the best slave miners, so they will spend a large amount of denar to buy these slaves. They are very popular commodities."

"Indeed."

As a former leader of a large-scale trade caravan, Manid nodded and said to Kant, "Every year, the Kingdom of Vaegirs buys a large number of slaves, but apart from the war years, there are not many slaves to buy."

"But this is very good." Kant nodded with a smile.

He did not care about what would happen to the Jackalan. He only cared about the denar that he could obtain.

With a slight shrug, Kant said to the leader of the trade caravan, "We have recently captured another 120 Jackalan captives, and I plan to have a hunt to capture more Jackalan soon. I hope you have enough denar to buy."

"Of course, I brought enough money this time."

The leader of the trade caravan nodded.

At this point, he seemed to have remembered something. He took out a letter from his pocket and respectfully placed it on the table. He said to Kant, "King Yarogelk of the Kingdom of Vaegirs has this to entrusted me an expression of his sincere respect to you. "

Kant was slightly stunned as he stared at the letter.

As the ruler of the snowy plains at the beginning of the game, the King Yarogelk of the Kingdom of Vaegirs was very well-known.

Now, the king sent a letter to him.

Manid was good at reading people's thoughts. He immediately picked up the envelope on the table and placed it in front of Kant. At the same time, he said softly, "The people of Vaegirs are very forthright. It should be a letter to express their greetings to you."

"Is that so?", Kant picked up the envelope and gently tore it open.

He could understand the letter written in the Vaegirs language. The paragraph was not long, so it was indeed a greeting.

Moreover, in Kant's eyes, these greetings were very respectful. This king of the Vaegirs had completely placed himself in a weak position. Even the final discussion seemed to be a request.

When Kant finished reading the letter, a dialog box popped up on his screen.

[ Ding... Special Quest issued ]

[ Special Quest: the quest of the Kingdom of Vaegirs ]

[ Reward: Honor × 5]

[ Introduction: the snowy plains of the Kingdom of Vaegirs are rich in iron ore. This is the main source of revenue for their national treasury. However, due to the geological structure, mining iron ore was undoubtedly a difficult problem. The King of Vaegirs promised that if you could send 500 Jackalan slaves, then you would gain the friendship of the Kingdom of Vaegirs. ]

Kant quickly glanced at the mission dialog box.

He raised his eyebrows slightly. It was a special quest that he had not encountered for a long time.

"500 Jackalan slaves.", Kant's tongue brushed past his lips, and a smile appeared on his face. He nodded to the leader of the trade caravan and said, "Go back and tell King Yarogelk that I am very happy to solve the problem of the scarcity of miners for him."

"You are the most generous.", the leader of the trade caravan stood up and bowed respectfully.

"Of course." Kant smiled.

How could he give up the five honor points? This meant he could randomly draw the rich rewards in the system mall five times!

Not to mention he had the plan to gather troops and conduct a large-scale capture of slaves so that the defeated Jackalan would completely lose the ability to contend with Kant.

Otherwise, when the expedition army of the Kingdom of Grey Mane arrived, these low-level Jackalan might be gathered by them again.

"Right."

Manid spoke at this moment. He took a plate of fine white salt from the table and placed it in front of the leader of the trade caravan. He asked, "This is high-grade salt. Don't you know that the Kingdom of Veagirs needs this?"

Kant also looked at the trade caravan leader.

"Oh." The trade caravan leader's face showed embarrassment and hesitation.

"Don't you need this kind of goods?"

Kant was a little curious. Although Vaegirs was close to the sea and had its own coastline, it didn't have the skills to boil salt or dry salt. They usually bought the salt from the Nords of Wercheg, who had mastered the skills to boil salt.

Logically speaking, these Vaegirs definitely needed salt.

Manid also frowned slightly. He obviously did not expect that the leader of the trade caravan would give up the idea of buying table salt.

"Sorry, my Lord."

The leader of the trade caravan looked very ashamed and guilty. He said to Kant, "We can not buy things that are not produced by your territory, Drondheim, because this is the Land of Miracles. "

"Land of Miracles?", Kant's said with a strange look.

However, looking at the leader of the trade caravan's guilty look, he nodded and said, "It's okay.". It was probably the request of the system. According to Kant's understanding of the system, this could mean that an item that did not come from the system, could not be exchanged for denar.

Kant knew about this before.

He initially thought that the system would allow hard work trade and perhaps let go of this rule.

But he didn't expect it still to be the same.

The leader of the trade caravan also put down the plate of fine white salt regretfully, he said to Kant, "As far as I know, the goods that can be brought back from the Land of Miracles, other than the items produced by your estate and the Jackalan slaves, only gold and rare items can be brought back. And these two items can bring you a rich reward."

Kant was slightly stunned and soon caught the keywords in the words of the leader of the trade caravan.

"Gold and... rare items?"

Kant raised his eyebrows. In this world, the prices of these two items were a bit high.

Gold basically was not something that a peasant can acquire. It was a currency that circulated between noble families. Moreover, it was a special material that mages used to cast spells. Its value was equal to one gold coin, which could be exchanged for eighty great silver coins.

It was difficult for ordinary merchants to accept it. Even the smaller noble families probably did not have many gold coins.

As for rare items, they were even more precious.

Gold could at least be bought if one had money, but rare items that possessed extraordinary powers were not something that could be bought just because one wanted to. The owners have all kept it as a treasure of their families. Unless their families were at risk, they would not take out these rare items. When Kant was studying in the academy, he had read about them in books.

However, Kant reached out his hand and knocked on the table. He just happened to have a few rare items.

For example, [ Intimidation ], [ Page of fertile soil ], [ Page of clear spring ], and [ Sun disk ] were all rare items that Kant had obtained and indirectly returned by the system.

Among them, [ Intimidation ] and [ Sun disc ] were the most useful.

One was a war artifact, and the other was installed at the top of the sentry tower. It cooled down the temperature of the sun during the day and increased the temperature at night, making Kant sleep quite comfortably at night.

As for [ Page of fertile soil ] and [ Page of clear spring ], these two thin pieces of paper, Kant didn't know what to do with them.

"Come here, I have something I need you to do."

Narrowing his eyes, Kant turned his head and beckoned to the servant beside him, "Go to my room and take my box. It's in the cupboard "

"Understood ", the servant nodded and immediately walked over.

Soon, he took down a simple wooden box and placed it on the table in front of Kant, "My lord, this is it.", then he left politely.

Chapter 104: A Rare Item of High Value

The leader of the trade caravan looked at the ordinary wooden box with a puzzled expression.

Manid also looked at it.

"This is a rare item."

Kant shrugged and said, he pulled no punches.

Since they were all in this together, he opened the wooden box. The bottom of the box was made of exquisite smooth velvet cloth and two pieces of paper with mysterious runes written on them were placed on it. They emitted mysterious energy and seemed to be very enchanting.

They were the Page of Fertile Soil and the Page of Clear Spring that Kant had obtained from the Jackalan shaman.

"Help me estimate the price. How many Denars would these two rare items be worth? "

Kant pushed the open wooden box forward.

"Yes, my Lord. "

The leader of the trade caravan immediately stood up and respectfully walked toward Kant. He lifted the wooden box with both his hands and cautiously looked at the two rare items that seemed to be pages from a book. There was a gleam in his eyes, but his expression became extremely solemn.

Kant and Manid looked at each other. It seemed that the trade caravan leader valued this kind of strange object very much.

It was indeed the case.

The leader of the trade caravan sighed and said to Kant, "My lord, if I were to estimate the price, these two rare objects would be worth more than 20,000 Denarss." He paused for a moment and continued, "If it can be sold in Reyvadin where many nobles who have some money to spare would raise the price, the price would even increase by another 10,000 Denarss."

Kant raised his eyebrows. 30,000 Denars.

Manid, who was sitting next to him, also looked at Kant. It was obvious that the price of these two pages had also exceeded his expectations.

They were only two pieces of paper.

The price was already so shockingly high.

In comparison, on the Continent of Caradia, the 30,000 Denars could be used to open the most expensive dye factory in any city to produce velvet cloth.

Three dye factories, to be exact!

If he directly sold them to the leader of the trade caravan in front of him, he could obtain 20,000 Denars in the shortest amount of time possible. Kant had broken his previous record in earning Denars.

Kant had been living in this world for 16 years. And the total amount of money he had earned after all these years was probably this much.

And the two pieces of paper could easily be sold for that amount of money, he could not help but shake his head and smile bitterly.

"This really surprises me," Kant sighed softly.

"My Lord. "

However, the leader of the trade caravan spoke with a hint of tactful dissuasion, "If it is possible, I do not think that selling these rare items is the way to go. After all, they are unique and contain mysterious power, they might come in handy someday."

Kant frowned and looked at the two rare items in the wooden box, "Come in handy?

"Yes," the leader of the trade caravan nodded solemnly.

Kant, on the other hand, had some doubts. He raised his head to look at the man and asked, "I don't quite understand. Can you elaborate?"

The leader of the trade caravan who was deployed by the system definitely knew something. Perhaps this was also a hint given by the system. Although Kant did not understand, he would not let his so-called identity hold him back from asking.

If you don't understand something, just ask. Simple as that.

The leader of the trade caravan lowered his head slightly and said apologetically, "My lord, this kind of rare items are not something I am familiar with."

"Huh? " Kant frowned.

He reached his hand out and took the two rare items out from the wooden box. The mysterious runes on them seemed to be conveying a secret from ancient times.

However, Kant had never studied these runes before. His was not as good as those scholars in the academy when it comes to ancient history. Thinking about this, Kant could not help but smile bitterly. If Scholar Hank was here, perhaps he could give him some leads.

But even without Scholar Hank, Kant still had his system at his disposal.

As his river of thoughts started flowing, the information about the two pages popped up on his eye's retina.

***

[ Page of Fertile Soil (Incomplete) ]

[ This piece of paper with mysterious symbols on it seems to be an incomplete page that was torn from a certain book. However, it still possessed mysterious power and could communicate with the mysterious Plane of the Earth Element. Every seven days, it could summon a small group (5-10) of Earth Elemental Giants. Remark: Since the page is incomplete, the summoned creature can not be controlled. The summoned creatures are most likely hostile. ]

[ Page of Clear Spring (Incomplete)]

[ This piece of paper with mysterious symbols on it seems to be a page torn from a book. However, it still possessed mysterious power and could communicate with the mysterious Plane of Water Element. Every seven days, it could summon a small group (5-10) of Water Elemental Giants. Remark: Since the page is incomplete, the summoned creatures can not be controlled. The summoned creatures are most likely hostile.]

***

This was the detailed data on the two rare items. It was the system's analysis of the rules.

The introduction was very clear.

Kant's eyes narrowed. He seemed to be deep in thought.

"I see," Kant raised his head and looked at the leader of the trade caravan. He asked in a deep voice, "When you mentioned that they would come in handy, they must be the elemental giants that can be summoned every week with these two pages?"

"Perhaps so," the leader of the trade caravan lowered his head, he was not certain.

But, to Kant, it was no different from an affirmative answer.

The system's merchant might not be able to reveal the whole structure directly, but with the guidance of certain words, what they said were just like hints from the system. Kant was not a fool, he could understand the meaning behind it.

What these two pages could do was to summon the Water Elemental Giants and the Earth Elemental Giants.

Kant was not surprised.

This kind of magical object was quite common in the games, literature, movies, and other works in his previous life.

And in this world, Kant, who studied in the academy, also learned about this kind of stuff in some books about mages. Although he was not able to go deep into the topic because he did not have enough background knowledge, at least he knew what it was.

His gaze continued to sweep across the dialog box on his retina.

Kant carefully read the introduction of the two rare objects. In the end, he made sure that he did not miss or misunderstand anything.

Kant closed the dialog box and directly instructed Manid, "Go and inform Firentis. Gather 30 Swadian infantrymen and 20 Ravenstern Rangers outside the east gate. Get ready for battle."

"Understood." Manid immediately stood up and nodded. He bowed to Kant and quickly left.

At present, the situation in the Oasis Lookout changed with thunder-like violence and wind-like swiftness all the time.

Kant also stood up and smiled at the leader of the trade caravan who was still waiting, "If there's nothing else, let's go and take a look together. This might be the first time that things like elemental giants appeared on the Continent of Caradia."

"Their names sounded strange to me."

The leader of the trade caravan bowed respectfully, and he said with gratitude, "It's my honor, my Lord. "

Kant chuckled, "Let's go."

The garrisons in the Oasis Lookout had always been loose on the outside, but tight on the inside.

As Kant gave the order, Firentis immediately gathered his troops, and they began to assemble.

30 Swadian Infantrymen and 20 Ravenstern Rangers were all present. To ensure the town's safety, Firentis also deployed 41 Swadian Infantrymen as patrols and 20 Desert Bandits as reinforcements.

Even the 46 Swadian Heavy Cavalrymen were in formation on the open ground not far from the east gate.

Since moving the 20 Ravenstern Rangers who were keeping a lookout and observing on the top floor of the council hall might cause them to lose control of the surrounding situation, Firentis could only let part of the Swadian Infantry be in charge of standing guard. If it was not the case, Firentis almost wanted to gather all the troops that the current Oasis Lookout had.

All of this was done for the sake of Kant's safety.

After all, Kant was the lord whom they respected the most. Nothing could go wrong.

Soon, Kant came over from the council hall.

The leader of the trade caravan accompanied him, Manid and Firentis also went over.

"Lord Kant, the troops are assembled."

Firentis answered very solemnly.

"Yes, very good." Kant nodded.

Turning his head to look at the stairs at the city wall, he walked over and took the stairs to reach the top of the six-meter-tall city gate. Compared to the five-meter-tall stone city wall, it was clear that he was more satisfied with the thick stone city gate in terms of both width and sturdiness.

It was necessary to be cautious when facing the elemental giants.

"Lord, shall we begin?" Firentis asked.

"Wait."

Kant shook his head and pointed at the troops that were already lined up below. He instructed Firentis, "Have the Ravenstern Rangers stand guard on the city wall. All infantrymen stand by the inner gate. Move the cavalry behind the dune, they will attack at any time."

Upon hearing the series of orders, Firentis was stunned. He could not help but say, "We will not have any defense on the outside of the city wall."

Without the position on the outside of the city wall, the city wall would be exposed to the enemy's attack range.

If this was a desperate battle, it might not matter.

But now, Lord Kant was still waiting on the city gate. If the enemy attacked the city wall or even appeared above the city wall, the Lord would be in danger. It was unacceptable to Firentis.

Manid and the leader of the trade caravan also advised, "Lord Kant, this is indeed very dangerous. "

"This can't be considered dangerous."

Kant was calm, the corners of his mouth curled up into a smile, "They are only elemental giants of the lowest level."

Kant turned his head and chuckled, the knowledge he gained from the academy gave him confidence, "Don't worry. These elemental giants can not be called true giants. If these low-level fellows can break through the city walls, we might as well give up the Oasis Lookout and return to the Dukedom of Leo and let the noble take care of us."

"Then, Lord Kant, please remain vigilant."

Seeing his reaction, Firentis nodded and did not try to dissuade them. He waved his hand and ordered the troops to follow the orders.

However, to ensure Kant's safety, Firentis still gathered 10 Swadian Infantrymen and held a thick fan-shaped shield to guard the city gate. If any unexpected accidents happened, there would be time to react.

And the troops were all ready.

Chapter 105: The Elemental Giant killed

Everyone was ready.

20 Ravenstern Rangers walked up to the top of the city wall, holding white heavy bows in their hands. They pulled out cone-shaped arrows from their quivers and nocked them on their bowstrings.

30 Swadian Infantrymen and 41 Swadian Light Infantrymen also entered through the city gate. They gawked at the heavy wooden gate. As soon as an order was given, they could charge out of the city gate to fight.

The 20 Desert Bandits had already moved behind the dune.

As soon as orders came from the city gate, they would charge with their horses and pilums or use their short javelins to disrupt the enemies' formations, these were their specialties.

Furthermore, 46 Swadian Heavy Cavalrymen were quietly waiting at the open space beside the city gate. If something the other troops could not handle happened, they and their horses would appear on the battlefield. They were the "cruiser tanks".

They would crush any enemy like a great flood!

"Very good."

Kant praised them in his heart. That was a reliable elite troop.

His mind was about to communicate with the system, but the system contacted him first.

[ Ding... Temporary Side Quest issued ]

[ Temporary Side Quest 1: Kill All the Earth Elemental Giants ]

[ Temporary Side Quest 2: Kill all the Water Elemental Giants ]

[ Reward 1: Grouse's Nest × 5]

[ Reward 2: Desert Bees' Nest × 10]

[ Reward (additional): Spring Returns (All the date palm tree enters the flowering stage.)]

[ Introduction: You are ready to use these rare items, but a mysterious force that tells you that the elemental giants summoned by them are not under your control. But fortunately, you can kill them and let them know what you rely on. ]

The system dialog box popped up on his retina.

This was a temporary side quest from the system, but Kant glanced at it and frowned.

Two side quests.

Three rewards.

Kant had never encountered this kind of task before.

"But it's fine."

Slowly letting out a breath, Kant's expression hardened.

Since the system had already issued him a side quest, he would just do it.

It was just a battle.

Even in the introduction, the system had hinted that these elemental giants could be killed by his troops. This made Kant feel even more confident.

"Then I'll start with you. "

Kant exhaled gently, communicating with the system in his mind.

He held the [ Page of Fertile Soil ] in his hand. As the system connected with his mind, he was sort of enlightened. Although he still did not understand the reason behind it, Kant had a feeling that he was born with the power, he said softly, "Summon the Earth Elemental Giants."

A mysterious connection instantly formed. Through the rare object in his hand, the mysterious energy was suddenly released violently!

"Hum ---"

Space was seemingly trembling, a certain soft sound was heard.

On the top of the city wall, the 20 Ravenstrern Rangers who were ready for the battle suddenly drew the heavy bow in their hands into the shape of a full moon. They were master archers who honed their superb archery skills in the Misty Mountains. The cone-shape arrows were aimed at the sandy ground in front of them.

Their faces were extremely grave, and there was even a hint of astonishment in the depths of their eyes.

It wasn't just them.

Even the Swadian Heavy Cavalrymen on the city gate, the leaders of the trade caravan, as well as Firentis and Manid, were also filled with astonishment.

Kant, who had already mentally prepared himself, was also surprised.

In an area about 30 meters away from the city wall, ripples that looked like water waves appeared on the surface of the sandy ground that Kant had been looking at, and the sand grains and mud began to rise and condense in an extremely short time.

In just three to five seconds.

Seven humanoid creatures that were nearly two and a half meters tall and covered in mud appeared in front of them.

Two dim yellow lights were flickering in the area that seemed to be a head.

They were just like eyes. When they saw Kant and the others on the city wall, muffled roars were heard. They stepped forward, raised their huge hands that were completely made of mud, and stomped toward Kant.

Their bodies seemed to be very heavy.

Their feet sank into the sand with every step they took, but they did not care at all as they moved forward, approaching the city wall at a rather fast speed.

The seven Earth Elemental Giants were like fearless berserkers!

Kant narrowed his eyes. The Earth Elemental Giants that were once recorded in the books were indeed so ugly, just like mud sculptures of the worst quality. However, because of their elemental bodies, they were as strong as two adults together.

They did not fear death.

It was because these Earth Elemental Giants were magical creatures born from the Plane of the Earth Element. They were something between living things and matter.

To them, death was just returning to their original state.

However, their brute strength and the fact that they did not have a body of flesh and blood nor any obvious vital points would give any enemy a hard time. On the battlefield, these Earth Elemental Giants were like some powerful infantries who did not know fatigue. They would kill until they fall.

Rumor has it that mages from certain schools had researched and constructed golems based on these elemental giants, and they were very powerful.

Of course, Kant had only read about it in a book, and the author got the information from hearsay.

The most critical problem Kant was facing now was how to deal with these seven Earth Elemental Giants who were menacing and were obviously hostile. What could he do to make them stop?

Beside him, some burly figures moved forward.

Ten Swadian Infantrymen were holding their shields, standing shoulder to shoulder. The longswords that were meticulously made by blacksmiths had already been drawn from their sheaths.

They were fearless in the face of danger.

Firentis had also recovered from his initial shock. He pulled out his knight's sword and said solemnly, "My Lord, these monsters are definitely not friendly. Do you wish to give the order to attack? "

Kant nodded and said without hesitation, "Open fire!"

"Open fire!"

When Firentis heard Kant's order, he immediately turned his head and ordered the Ravenstern Rangers who were already in position on the city wall.

When the Earth Elemental Giant appeared, they had already drawn their heavy bows into the shape of a full moon. Before the order could completely escape Firentis' mouth, the Ravenstern Rangers, masters of archery skills, had already released the strings.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh -- "

The cone-shape arrows were moving at an extreme speed, the arrowheads easily tore through the air and flashed through space.

The archery skills taught by the hunting barbarians in the Misty Mountains made these rangers the greatest master archers in Ravenstern with excellent eyesight, high accuracy, and fierce shooting. They targeted the faces of the Earth Elemental Giants.

To be more precise, they aimed at the spots where the two balls of shimmering yellow light that seemed to be their eyes were located.

"Bang -- "

Broken pieces of mud were flying everywhere.

The slender and sharp arrowhead pierced directly into the Earth Elemental Giant's "eyes" that were shimmering with yellow light. The tails of the arrows buzzed while the arrowheads were buried deep inside their heads, and they seemed to have hit something because the seven Earth Elemental Giants, who were originally charging forward aggressively, instantly stopped moving and froze on the spot.

The firing range was less than 10 meters, and that was nothing to these Ravenstern Rangers who were a Class-5 troop.

However, at the top of the city gate, the Swadian Infantrymen held the heavy fan shields in their hands and still did not dare move their feet. Looking at the Earth Elemental Giants who were relatively close to them, they could even see that their bodies, which were made of soil, were still slightly green.

It seemed to be a grass species that had sprouted and grown on these Earth Elemental Giants.

Soon after, the bodies of the seven Earth Elemental Giants began to tremble slightly. The cone-shape arrows pierced deeply into their eye sockets on the blurry faces on their heads.

The dim yellow light dispersed at a speed visible to the naked eye through the arrow shaft.

The bodies of all the Earth Elemental Giants trembled even more intensely now.

In an instant, they collapsed into a large amount of soil. The entire Earth Elemental Giant's two and a half meters tall and broad body had turned into a pile of soil on the sandy ground outside the city wall.

"Is it over?" Manid sounded somewhat doubtful.

The leader of the trade caravan also mustered up his courage and took a few quick steps forward. When he arrived at the edge of the city gate, he looked at the seven piles of soil not far away and gulped, "Were they really all... killed? "

He could not describe it with words. A human-shaped object made of a pile of soil was killed. What word could he use to describe it?

"Yes, they were indeed killed." Kant nodded.

The Earth Elemental Giants should be considered a different kind of life form. After all, death existed.

However, he had carefully observed the battle. He turned his head and said to Firentis, "It seems that the vital points of these Earth Elemental Giants are not their bodies, but their eyes that are flashing with light. They are like the human heart and head. "

"That is indeed the case, My Lord," Firentis nodded. He also noticed that.

"Next comes the Water Elemental Giants. "

Kant was calm. He was not proud of killing these seven Earth Elemental Giants.

Putting down the [ Page of Fertile Soil ] in his hand, Kant took out the [ Page of Clear Spring]. His mind was connected to the system. That mysterious power appeared in his mind once again. It was as if he had practiced it countless times. He said softly, "Summon the Water Elemental Giants. "

"Hum --- "

As soon as he said that, a soft voice that seemed to tremble the space was again heard.

It was still within Kant's line of sight.

The grains of sand instantly became darker. This was because they were stained with water.

And within the grains of sand, clear water rapidly emerged. Within an extremely short period, they rapidly took shape and turned into humanoid creatures that were more than two meters tall. Their entire bodies were as clear as water, with a faint blue color, and deep blue light was emitting from the structures that seemed to be their eyes on the heads. And that seemed to be the center of a Water Elemental Giant.

These two Water Elemental Giants did not have legs. Below their waists, there was only water. They were equally aggressive and charged at Kant and his men at a high speed. It was as if they had a deep hatred for them.

Only this time, the two of them did not go too far.

The Ravenstern Rangers, who was already in position for a long time, immediately released the bowstrings. Following piercing screams, they kept away the heavy bows in their hands and looked in front of them indifferently. Water was splashing in all directions, the water droplets seeped into the sand and disappeared.

Only some light blue fragments were left. Under the sunlight, they were flickering with beautiful blue light among the grains of sand.

Chapter 106: Drop of defective gemstones

The arrow pierced straight into the eye socket.

The entire arrow was fixed at its head, just like it was pierced into a soft jelly.

The two water elemental giants' azure-blue bodies began to tremble. Large circles of ripples began to spread within their bodies. Following the sound of splashing water, their bodies exploded in an instant, scattered in all directions.

The extremely dry sand was nourished by the water, and the sand layer quickly pitted and turned to darker yellow color.

As for the water elemental giants, they had completely disappeared.

Only a few light blue fragments were left and fell in between the sand particles at the spot where their bodies collapsed. As the sunlight shone on them, they flickered with a beautiful blue light, but Kant and the others on the city gate did not notice it.

Kant smiled slightly and said, "It seems very easy."

After dealing with the seven earth elemental giants, the Ravenstern Rangers had mastered the vital parts of these elemental giants. They were able to shoot without missing an arrow within a range of less than 30 meters, they were among the top archers. Their bowstrings trembled slightly, and the arrows shot into the giants' eyes that were shimmering with a faint light. These elemental giants were then completely annihilated and turned back to their basic elemental form.

It was effortless for the Level-5 troop class like the Ravenstern Rangers.

At this moment.

Kant thought that the weekly salary of 77 denars per person was worthy.

"It looks like... "

Firentis frowned slightly and could not help but guess, "These elemental giants should had similar strength as the Swadian footman. Even though they don't have a body of flesh and blood, their combat ability can reach to the level of the Swadian Sergeant."

"Swadian Sergeant?", Manid sounded a bit surprised.

"Yes.", Firentis nodded. He understood why Manid sounded like this.

Looking at the piles of soil and the splashing water in the sand at the outside of the city walls, he said solemnly, "But their own defense is extremely poor. To top-notch crossbow masters, these elemental giants are actually no different from the most ordinary unarmed civilians."

"It seems that getting rid of these... things is very simple.", the leader of the trade caravan swallowed his saliva and sighed.

The use of word 'simple' was understated.

To the Ravenstern rangers, it was simply no different from their usual training.

Drawing arrows and shooting arrows, the enemy was killed in one go.

As the leader of the trade caravan who came from the Kingdom of Vaegirs, he turned his head to look at the Ravenstern Rangers who were adjusting the bowstrings. The rangers seemed very calm and relaxed, but his heart was rising with waves.

These rangers gave him the feeling that they were similar to Vaegirs marksman, those archery masters who were one in a hundred.

However, they were different from the Vaegirs marksman who wore leather armor and light clothing with longbows in hand.

The Ravenstern Rangers wore mail armor that looked like light footmen. They wore linen robes, and there was a fine two-handed greatsword in the scabbard on their backs. The white heavy composite bow was used as shooting bow, and it was placed in the bow pouch on their waists. It was obvious that when the enemy got close, these rangers with excellent archery skills could also pull out the two-handed greatswords on their backs, turning into experts in foot combat.

They could deal fatal long-range damage, and they could also engage in close combat. The leader of the trade caravan felt that the sharpshooters of the Kingdom of Vaegirs were at a disadvantage. After all, they still needed the protection of the Vaegirs soldiers who held two-handed battle axes.

"They are archers from the Misty Mountains."

Kant turned his head and sensed the shock of the leader of the trade caravan. He explained with a smile, "The Misty Mountain is a dense primitive forest. Sometimes, they need to face the enemy at close range, so they need to train their close combat skills."

"What an amazing warrior.", the leader of the trade caravan nodded, he still amazed.

Kant did not explain too much.

Ravenstern marksman was indeed a master archer, they were level 5 troop class that were as good as of Vaegirs Marksman. However, in reality, both sides had their own advantages. For example, their shooting range and shooting habits were different. This also had to take into account the military requirements between countries.

Vaegirs marksmen specialized in large-scale rain of arrows. They used the army-to-army tactics to carry out archery training.

As for the Ravenstern Rangers, they needed to defend against the barbarians in the Misty Mountains. They needed to fight in the primitive jungle. Therefore, moving in small troops and their accurate shooting, as well as their equally strong close combat, came in handy to defeat their enemies.

Neither side was stronger or weaker. Both sides adapted the tactics that suitable for themselves.

[ Ding... After your hard fighting, the enemy has been killed. ]

[ Side Quest 1: "Kill all the earth elemental giants" completed. ]

[ Side Quest 2: "Kill all the water elemental giants" completed. ]

[ Reward 1: Sand grouse nest × 5. ]

[ Reward 2: Desert bee nest × 10. ]

[ Reward (additional) : Spring (date palm tree has all entered the flowering stage)]

[ Introduction: you have successfully summoned the elemental giants. That unique life form made you confused and shocked. However, when you mustered your courage and gave the order to kill them, these seemingly powerful elemental giants were actually vulnerable to your army. ]

System prompt appeared.

On Kant's screen, the temporary side quest had been announced to be over.

Three cards floated in his mind. They were the reward for this quest.

However, Kant had yet to examine them carefully.

The sound of galloping horses could be heard.

The desert bandits, who had been hiding behind the dune waiting for orders. They seen the elemental giants had all been easily killed by the Ravenstern ranger with their own eyes. Once the problem solved, they could only rush back on their horses.

"Whoosh.", they came to the tightly shut city gate and tightened the reins to slow down the speed of the warhorses.

However, one of the bandits in the front was stunned.

He instinctively tightened the reins to stop the desert horse from advancing. He turned his head to look at the sand layer at the edge of the city wall and said, "There... seems like something over there."

"What?", the other desert bandits also turned their heads to look.

As the desert bandits, their eyesight was good.

In the sand pit which stained with water, there was a light blue item in the middle of the pit. As the sunlight shone on it, the light blue item was crystal clear, and the name of the item to instantly appear in their minds.

"Gem... Gem?", many desert bandits cried out in surprise.

On the city wall, the people who had not yet left also cast their gazes on them.

Immediately, a ranger with better eyesight noticed that the water elemental giant had been killed. In the sand layer where its body had turned into water, there was actually a crystal clear blue gem-like item.

Some desert bandits immediately dismounted and quickly walked over to pick it up.

At the same time, they looked for the sand pit next to them and also found a light blue gemstone-like object.

The city gate opened.

The desert bandits entered the fortress.

The leader offered these gemstones to Kant. "My lord, these are the gemstones dropped by the elemental giants. I really didn't expect that even after living in the Sarrand Desert for so many years, I have never seen such an exquisite item."

"Gemstones?", Kant reached out and took them.

Firentis, Manid, and the leader of the trade caravan were all gathered at the side.

Manid's expression was still fine, while the other two looked surprised at the light blue gemstone in Kant's hand. Clearly, even they had never seen such an exquisite item. After all, the continent of Caradia did not produce gemstones. Small number of gemstones were only obtained from Nord merchants who were able to trade across oceans.

"These were dropped after the water elemental giant was killed?", Kant asked in a serious tone.

The desert bandits nodded and said, "Yes, these two gemstones were obtained from the sand pit formed after the water elemental giant was killed. My guess is, they were definitely dropped after the giants being killed."

However, Kant frowned slightly and turned his head thoughtfully. "Could it be..."

"There are similar gems among the earth elemental giants?", the desert bandit immediately answered.

"Go and look.", Kant ordered in a low voice.

The desert bandits immediately nodded. "Yes, Lord.", they turned around and walked out of the city gate quickly.

But this time, he came to the seven piles of soil. The pile of soil was about half a meter high and had a slight fragrance after the rain. He could even vaguely see tiny stones and many grass seeds inside.

The desert bandits took out their scimitars and started to dig at the pile of soil.

"Could it be that the vital points of these elemental giants are actually these gems?"

Firentis swallowed his saliva secretly. Looking at the pale blue gem in Kant's hand, his sharp eyes noticed that the a crack on it. He could not help but think of the blue light that quickly fainted when the arrow hit the water elemental giant.

Manid nodded, "That is definitely the case. "

It was easy to guess.

Looking at the cracks of the crystal clear gemstones, it was obvious that it was formed from the impact of a sharp object. In fact, this was caused by to the arrow.

His guess was quickly confirmed. The desert bandits outside quickly returned.

"Lord, there are indeed seven gemstones."

The desert bandits held the seven pale-yellow gemstones in both hands. There were also cracks on the seven gemstones caused by the heavy struck. Combined with the appearance of the water elemental giant and the color of the gemstones, how could everyone not guess that these were dropped by the earth elemental giant.

They were sparkling, and seemed to have the majestic aesthetic of the earth.

They were like the most elegant yellow gemstones.

Of course, without looking at the cracks, it was indeed so.

Kant frowned slightly and turned to look at the leader of the trade caravan. His tone was somewhat helpless as he said, "Then, my dear leader of the trade caravan, I wonder if this kind of gemstone will be adored by the nobles of the Kingdom of Vaegirs? "

The leader of the trade caravan had an awkward expression. "Lord, these cracked gemstones... are not for sale."

Chapter 107: The Rider of Sarrand

The demand for gemstones in the continent of Caradia was not that great.

Although the gemstones were expensive, due to the constant wars on the continent of Caradia and its culture, these hard currencies like gold and silver were the things that crazed by the nobles. After all, there were times when these little white and yellow cuties could be used as denar.

As for sparkling gems, their values were much lower.

They were most likely inlaid on wedding rings and necklaces, the best accessories for pursuing certain ladies or noblewomen.

That was why the leader of the trade caravan from Reyvadin was somewhat embarrassed. After all, Kant was generous to him after coming to this miracle land, and he knew it.

If he were to treat some of the worse-tempered lords on the continent of Caradia like this, they would probably ordered their elite troops and rob his trade caravan. If he was lucky enough to survive, he would report it to the lord of his own city. But when they wanted to investigate this matter, he could only blamed some bandits. The lord who actually robbed him would never took any responsibility at all.

"I'm very sorry, my Lord.", the leader of the trade caravan sighed.

Kant chuckled, "There's no need to apologize. This has nothing to do with you."

This was a rule from the system. The leader of the trade caravan could not changed anything. Moreover, just because these trade caravans did not bought these inferior gemstones, it did not meant that the Dukedom of Leo or the merchants of other races would not took them.

Although these shiny little cutie was broken and cracked, it still had some value after polished.

After handing these seven pale yellow gemstones and two pale blue gemstones to Manid, Kant said with a sense of relief, "Keep these little cuties well. We might need them in the future."

"Definitely.", Manid nodded and carefully kept them in his pocket.

All the elemental giants had been taken care of.

If he wanted to summon them again, he would have to wait six days.

He had only saw a few words about the giants in the academy's books, which made Kant thought that these elemental giants were extremely powerful. But now it seemed that he was really disappointed. They were all taken care of by the Ravenstern rangers after two rounds of shooting, it really made him shook his head.

He was bugged by the elemental giants' weakness, and also marveled at the Ravenstern ranger's strength.

But he did not think too much.

If the supernatural powers in this world were really powerful, then the political system in this world would no longer be dominated by the noble families, but by the mages who had completely mastered the supernatural powers.

The ruling system was set up for the strong, not to protect the weak.

In some novels and games in his previous life, there were many examples of mages with great power forming a country.

Kant did not dwell on this matter.

As long as he had absolute strength and ensured his troops were extremely powerful, that would be enough.

Strength was the root.

Turning his head slightly, Kant swept his gaze over the troops that were still waiting for him. He turned his head and instructed Firentis, "All of you, disband. You guys are too cautious, it's unnecessary to mobilize so many people."

But Firentis said seriously, "Protecting your safety is our most important mission."

This was a compliment, but it was also sincere.

Kant smiled and shook his head, but he did not reply.

He just turned his head to Manid and ordered him, "You bring the leader of the trade caravan back. As for the materials that need to be purchased now, it will be up to you to decide. You just need to report the final results to me. I think you are the best at these things."

"Understood.", Manid nodded respectfully.

"Oh right.", Kant thought of something and instructed Firentis, "All the Swadian footmen and the desert bandits who participated in the killing of the elemental giants will stay behind. I have other arrangement."

"Yes, Lord Kant,", Firentis replied and began to make arrangements.

As the order passed down, everyone began to dismiss in front of the city gate.

Kant came from the modern era, and he did not learnt many management methods.

However, to make the best use of everything, placing talents in their most suitable positions would allowed the entire team to perform at their best status. And this was the best management method to support the Oasis Lookout currently.

Although he did not knew how to command in large-scale battles, nor did he knew how to use commercial and economic methods.

But as a Lord...

He only need his subordinates knew how. For example, Firentis and Manid were his best men.

The two pages of rare items were carefully placed in the wooden box once again. The box was held in the arms of a Swadian footman, who looked very serious. If anyone dare to approach this box, he would pulled out his sword and interrogated that person, except Kant of course.

This was something Kant asked him to keep. Other than his lord, anyone who dared to take it would die.

The Ravenstern rangers on the city wall left quickly.

They wanted to return to their posts at the top of the council hall. They used linen to pull out tents in all four corners to shade the sun. They also set up tables and chairs for them to rest. As the highest point of the Oasis Lookout, their workload was quite heavy.

The Swadian heavy cavalries were also dismissed by Firentis and returned to their own space to wait for orders.

The east side of the city gate became empty.

Only 41 Swadian footmen and 20 desert bandits remained here.

They looked at Kant with eager eyes and stood energetically under the sun. No matter how much sweat dripped down from their cheeks, they all wanted to leave a good impression in front of their lord.

However, what was arranged for them was not a mission at all.

It was a level up.

That's right. After the battle that killed the elemental giants, there were already some soldiers who able to level up. The most important ones were the Swadian footmen, who belonged to the intermediate troop class, as well as the desert bandits.

"Open the level up the interface."

Kant muttered in a low voice, his thought connected to the system.

The dialog box instantly popped up on his screen. The interface of the troop class was clearly visible.

......

[ Upgradable troop class: Swadian light footman X 4 men ]

[ Cost 20 denars per person, upgradeable to: Swadian footman/Swadian heavy cavalry ]

... ..

[ Upgradable troop class: Desert Bandits X 40 men ]

[ Cost 25 denars per person, upgradeable to: Elite desert bandit ]

[ Ding... you have surplus experience points. Your forces could be upgraded consecutively ]

....

However, the dialog box that popped up stunned Kant.

It was both expected and unexpected.

Only four Swadian light footmen can be leveled up.

As for the desert bandits, all 40 of them could be leveled up. They could even choose to level up more as they had extra experience points.

This was simply a difference in treatment.

Kant frowned, and his mind continued to connect to the system. He asked his golden finger, "Is it a cheat in the calculation of experience points? Why is the level up of the Swadian footman so little? "

"The system's calculation is absolutely correct. "

The system answered straightforwardly, "Recently, there have been a lot of troop class investments in the campaign. The gain of the Swadian footman's experience points is very low, so only 4 of them can level up. As for the desert bandits, they have fought larger battles, so the experience points is enough for all of them to level up. At the same time, there is an additional reminder. The experience points of the 5 Sarrand horseman riders is close to completion. After fighting the same scale battle, the experience points they gained are enough for them to level up to Mamluke. "

"This..." Kant narrowed his eyes slightly.

The system was right. The 40 desert bandits led by the 5 Sarrandian horseman riders this morning had defeated and severely injured about 500 Jackalans. Among them, 120 Jackalans were captured. Their battle merits were definitely enough to level up.

Kant shrugged helplessly and asked, "So, the troops that are produced alone do not share the experience points with other troops?"

"That's right," the system answered crisply.

Kant could only nodded, "Level up the Swadian light footman to Swadian heavy cavalry, level up all desert bandits as well."

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ this level up will cost 1,080 denar. Yes/No? ]

The official system prompt arrived.

How could Kant choose no? He followed the process and said, "Yes, level up."

The moment he chose, the data flow instantly spread.

Four Swadian light footmen were surrounded. In just a few seconds, the fully armored Swadian heavy cavalries appeared on the open ground. They had a completely different looks compared to the remaining 37 Swadian light footmen.

"Everyone dismiss," Kant ordered them.

The four Swadian heavy cavalries, who had completed their level up, immediately led their warhorse in the direction of the heavy cavalry troop.

The 37 Swadian light footmen, on the other hand, were still divided into patrol squads. They continued to patrol according to their last mission. The only difference was that they were missing four companions.

At this moment, the 40 desert bandits next to them also completed their level up.

Their leather armor had been completely changed into iron-plated leather armor. Their scimitars and spears remained the same. Four short javelins had been upgraded to six short javelins. They rode on their desert horses and waited for orders neatly. On the whole, they did not seem to have changed much.

But the aura that belonged to the bandits was even more ferocious. They could be called the wild outlaws of the Sarrand Desert.

[ Ding... an additional upgradable troop class has been discovered ]

[ Upgradable troop class: Elite Desert Bandit × 15 people ]

[ Cost 30 denar per person, upgradeable to: Sarrandian Horseman ]

Kant naturally chose to level up as well.

Sarrandian horsemen who were wearing Sarrandian scimitar, holding a Sarrandian sword, and also having a long lance and shield appeared in this world. They rode on a Sarrandian horses with a headscarf and iron helmet on his head, this was a different style of dressing compared to the Swadian people.

They were also elites on the battlefield and were good at charging into battle.

"This is not bad.", Kant nodded.

The level up of the 15 Sarrandian horsemen had saved the disappointment of the Swadian light footmen who could not level up.

Currently, Kant had 20 Sarrandian horseman and 25 desert bandits. In addition, he could recruit 20 desert bandits every week from now on. In a short period of time, he could have a pure light cavalry unit.

Although due to the equipment, their close combat ability was still poor.

However, as a spear cavalry unit, the impact force that appeared when they charged was still not something that the infantry could compare to.

Furthermore, the 20 Sarrandian horsemen in iron armor could act as the support in close combat. As long as they were not involved with the infantry, they would leave the range of the infantry at the cost of injury and death. If they were to charge back again, the infantry formation would be broken sooner or later.

This was the role of the assault cavalry.

Chapter 108: Daily Construction Work

After the level up of the troop class, all of them were in high spirits.

20 Sarrandian horseman and 25 elite desert bandits. These people could be considered to be the foundation of the light cavalry unit. In the next few weeks, they would recruit more desert bandits and the light cavalry unit would be successfully formed.

Small-scale sweeping, assaulting, and scouting could be handed over to them.

This could undoubtedly prevent the Swadian heavy cavalry unit, who were the trump cards, from going out and doing meaningless missions.

A heavy cavalry unit could easily break through the enemy formation and could be said to be invincible on land. Hence, using the heavy cavalry for the Jackalans that scattered in the Nahrin Desert would be overkilled. It was not a wised choice to send them for easy jobs.

Instead, it was the light cavalry that were the best at solving such problems.

"Dismiss, continue to guard the captives. "

Kant instructed the leveled up Sarradians, "Don't let our denar escape."

He was referring to the Jackalans who were tied up and squatting in the training ground with their heads lowered. The development of the Oasis Lookout and the increase of the military strength depended on the denar brought back by the Jacklan captives.

This was a precious resource for the system to exchange for denar. It was strategic useful!

"Understood."

Sarrandian horsemen and the elite desert bandit replied in a deep voice.

These standard soldiers and the elite desert bandits revealed the striking manner and aura. After an orderly response, they spread out as fast as they could, but they did not leave the training ground too far. They made some sort of a cage formation, trapping the Jacklans captives inside.

If these captives dared to cause trouble, they would have hard time to deal with the soldiers with scimitars.

Kant nodded, "That's right."

Currently, the 50 Swadian heavy cavalries were his trump card. They were the main force that he relied on to resist the other forces. Hence, Kant would not sent them to some small-scale sweeping operations. They would only serve as the guarding force of the Oasis Lookout.

Kant had already made his decision.

In the next few days, the light cavalry formed by the Sarrandans would be the main force that would take the initiative to attack the enemy.

The weekly recruitment quota of 20 desert bandits was a huge amount.

Level up of troop class was settled.

Kant himself became idle.

Many matters were settled by Firentis and Manid. As a lord, he only needed to make final decisions and listen to reports.

This was one of the benefits of having talent and being good at using it.

He walked out of the city gates.

Kant planned to inspect the agricultural area. After all, these ten acres of barren land were related to the future grain storage in the Oasis Lookout. As a lord, he could not be too optimistic and relax.

Moreover, he had just completed a mission and had a mission reward.

Five sand grouse nests and ten desert bee nests. These were all be related to agriculture.

"The animal husbandry industry has also begun to develop. "

Kant pondered for a bit.

After turning the city wall to the east side, many peasant were busy using tools or homemade wooden farm tools, carefully watering these barren sand lands and modifying the water channels. They ensured that the existing 7.5 acres of barley fields and 5 acres of date palm plantation could be fully hydrated in this hot weather.

When the city wall was built, it completely separated the residential area from the agricultural area.

At the same time, the spring water, which was originally the source of irrigation, was covered inside the city wall and became the exclusive water source behind the council hall to supply the water for the entire fortress.

At the same time, the irrigation of the entire agricultural area was completely dependent on the small lake that also connected with the underground water.

It was not difficult to transform the canal, they just need to dig out the canal.

However, the real issue was the slightly sandy ground. As the water was poured into the canal, there must be a peasant kept patrolling and maintaining the status of canal at all times. Otherwise, the flowing lake water would cause the soft sand to collapse, this would cause the canal to be blocked in many places and lose its irrigation function.

For example, currently the peasant had to hold a torch and checked the canal before going to bed at night.

However, when they woke up the next morning.

The canal that had been maintained last night was still collapsed by the lake water, blocking the flow of the canal. They had to continue to maintain and repair it in the early morning. Otherwise, the blockage of the canal would affect the water content of the ground.

The temperature of the Nahrin Desert was very high. Within half an hour of noon, the surface temperature could rise to 70 °C.

The high surface temperature increase the evaporation of the ground, and the water content of the ground would decreased. This was not a good news for the date palm tree and the seeds that were still germinating in the wheat fields.

"I remember that after the fortress is upgraded, there will be related buildings."

Kant glanced at the busy peasant with their farm tools, and he was slightly touched by it.

His mind contacted the system. As the dialog box popped up, there was indeed a canal in the agricultural building. As a system building, its durability was much better than the original canal he dug.

"Build the canal.", Kant directly ordered the system.

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ Building the canal costs 100 denars and takes 3 days. ]

The system gave a reply.

To Kant, this was just pocket money to him.

However, it would still take three days to build the canal, him felt that it was a bit too long.

However, as he swept his gaze across the crooked canal, Kant could not help but frown and said in a deep voice, "The construction is confirmed."

The buildings produced by the system were of the best quality.

With the current buildings in the Oasis Lookout, it was clear that the buildings produced by the system were of the best quality. Base on the design of standard Swadian buildings, there was also a little bit of modification for the desert area, which made the buildings more suitable to be built in the desert.

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ Since your 'Drondheim' is currently at the fortress level, the village level settings will no longer be used for the buildings. Currently, multiple buildings can be built at the same time without additional construction costs. ]

The system prompt immediately appeared on Kant's screen.

This was one of the benefits of upgrading to the fortress level up.

"Not bad.", Kant nodded and smiled.

Although the extra construction did not cost much denar, he would save as much as he could. He did not had much denar left.

Not far away, behind a dune, construction workers arrived with a carriage.

The Ravenstern ranger who had discovered this beforehand and reported the situation to the messenger downstairs. Then, ten Sarrandian horsemen rode over to inspect it. After learning that it was a construction team that was building a canal, the horsemen accompanied them.

This time, it was still Suno's construction team.

When they arrived at Kant's location, they immediately began to build the canal.

"Is your leader not here?"

Kant asked these construction workers.

He looked around at these people. However, there were only ten construction workers and a carriage carrying wood and stone. Kant was slightly curious as he did not see the chubby construction leader that he often saw.

"My Lord, our leader is busy recruiting workers."

One of the construction workers bowed respectfully and replied, "But he still asked me to pay his highest respect to you."

"Alright." Kant nodded. It was really the style of that chubby construction leader.

He continued to chat with the construction workers.

Kant actually found that this chubby leader had already made a fortune. Not only did he recruit more construction workers, but he also hired many engineers and contracted many projects in Suno and the surrounding villages. He was clearly a new construction giant.

According to the workers, even the fat juicy job such as Suno's city wall maintenance project had already been taken down by this fat man.

"Tsk Tsk.", Kant shook his head. This fat man was indeed a businessman.

The basic channel of the canal had already been dug by the peasant.

Therefore, the work of the construction workers became simple. They only needed to use stones to compress the canal and let the lake water flow on these neatly cut stones that looked like bricks. So the water did not contact with the sandy soil.

Moreover, there were 20 centimeters of paved roads on both sides of the canal for the peasant to walk on when irrigating the farmland.

"Right."

Kant looked at the canal being built, and the land could finally be irrigated more adequately. He was very satisfied.

However, the earthy yellow barren sand made Kant frown slightly. As if he had thought of something, he turned his head to call a few peasant and ordered, "There is some soil outside the east city gate. Pull all of it over and sprinkle it on these wheat fields."

"Understood.", the peasant nodded and immediately picked up the rattan baskets and tools to go to the city gate.

What Kant was talking about was the seven piles of soil outside the city wall.

These soil were formed after the earth elemental giants being killed, and their body crumbled and scattered. It looked very fertile and was better than the sandy soil.

Soon, the peasant came back with rattan baskets on their backs.

There was a lot of fertile soil, which they scattered in the wheat field as a fertilizing soil.

"This is enough.", Kant nodded while watching at the scene.

From now on, the earth elemental giants could be summoned every week. After killing those giants, the fertile soil would be sprinkled in the agricultural area over the time. It would definitely improve the quality of the soil and made the soil fertile.

In Kant's opinion, this was like ready-made fertile soil.

Kant continued to walk forward. After bypassing the city wall that was half a meter high, he arrived at the junction of the date palm jungle and the wheat field.

Ten one-humped camels were being raised here.

Due to the shade of the trees, it was neither hot nor cold. The food trough was filled with grass made from chee grass. These camels chewed and digested it slowly, turning it into energy stored in the humps.

Kant strolled around. The branches and leaves of the date palm tree blocked most of the sunlight.

Even though the light was a little dim, the temperature was really pleasant. It was comparable to the council hall under the Sun.

Date palm tree had the function of regulating the temperature.

Planting date palm tree in the Middle East Desert could also protect the growth of other delicate crops.

For example, beets, melons, and chickpeas could all rely on the shade of the date palm tree to grow perfectly. This was also one of the famous crop ecosystems in the desert of the Middle East. It was worth a try to do it in this world.

"Use the card."

Kant communicated with his mind. The three mission rewards he had just received could be used under the shade of these trees.

Desert environment was suitable for the sand grouse and desert bees, they were the good things.

Chapter 109: The Beginning of the Sugar Workshop

The mind communication system.

The two cards in Kant's mind instantly turned into a golden light.

Data flew and shot out from Kant's eyes, but before he could arrange it, they had already materialized.

Five chicken coops made of straw and wood, about half the height of a person, were placed side by side on the west side of the city wall, close to the city wall area. Next to them were the canals that were carefully compacting and laying stone bricks and slabs by the construction workers.

"Coo Coo Coo... "

The sound of grouse crowing could be heard continuously in the coop. Kant could even see a few small heads poking out from the small doors of the five coops. Brown feathers and black pearl-like eyes were looking around curiously, looking at the construction workers who were still busy not far away. They made a few soft "Coo Coo" sounds again. It was very strange.

"There are bees. So many. Oh, be careful!"

In the date palm jungle, the peasant who had been loosening the soil with tools cried out in surprise. They did not had time for their work. They threw down their tools and ran out with their hands covered their hands. Above their heads, many small dots that looked like flying insects were circling.

Kant turned his head and looked. In the middle of the date palm forest, ten wooden boxes were placed there.

They were the artificial beehives that had been developed by the Swadian beekeepers.

These desert bees arrived at the new place, they were flapping their wings and flying out of the beehives. The bees kept buzzing around, they the flew across the entire date palm jungle and even flew to the desert outside the city wall. They were trying to find out where they were.

At the edge of the date palm jungle, every peasant were looking worry.

The desert bees were moving in groups, like dark clouds. There were probably no less than a thousand of them.

"Chirp, chirp, chrip."

Just as this group of desert bees just flown out of the date palm jungle, a few small birds that were living in the Oasis Lookout flew out. Each of the them grabbed the bees in their mouths. When they landed on a branch, they stretched out their necks and swallowed the bees into their stomachs. Tilting their small heads, they flew back into the swarm of bees. It was clear that they treated these desert bees as insects that came from nowhere.

However, these small birds had only flown a few times to eat many desert bees. When they flew past the coop, the brown figure flapped its wings and pounced out, squishing the bird under its body. It used its stiff beak to peck the birds a few times, and then the birds died.

Surprisingly, it was a male grouse with a strong body and a crown on its head.

Behind it, there were female grouses that were smaller in size but extremely well-proportioned. They all looked around in confusion. They flapped their wings and were not afraid of people. They just pecked at the sand on the ground.

Five male grouse and 45 female grouse.

Kant swept his gaze across the five chicken coops, he could not help but shook his head and laughed at himself at the happy life of these five roosters.

"My life is not even as good as chicken." he complained helplessly.

Although the development of the estate would only be complete if there were women, the development of the oasis lookout was still in its early stages. Women were a burden, even if Kant really wanted to have some women. The system had to give the men of "Drondheim" some gentle and beautiful women. As for the local women in this world, Kant did not trusted them and would not brought them back.

Kant had this mentality when he killed that woman with ulterior motives.

He shook his head and did not took this matter to heart.

As for the peasants standing outside the date palm jungle, they were in a daze because the swarm of bees buzzed over their heads but did not attack them.

"These desert bees don't sting us."

A peasant suddenly realized and his eyes were filled with relief.

Although the desert bees were not highly toxic bees, the sting was still unbearably painful and the pain would last for more than ten days. If it was not necessary, no one would want to get close to where these bees were, so that they would not be covered in pain from the sting.

Now that the bees did not sting people, the peasant farmers smiled.

This way, they could continue to enter the date palm jungle and get busy with their tools.

"Someone bring some grain."

Kant also reached out to the peasant next to him and ordered, "Go to the warehouse and get some grain. I'll leave the task of feeding these grouse to you every day. I hope you won't make a mistake."

"Yes, my Lord.", the peasant nodded respectfully.

The grains were quickly brought over. They were all full and high-quality wheat. It was more than enough to make white bread.

Since he had these grouses, Kant did not want to be stingy.

As the peasant sprinkled the grains one by one, 50 grouse in total cried out and scrambled to peck at the grains on the ground. Soon, half a bag of wheat grains was sprinkled out. These grouses also straightened up in satisfaction. Occasionally, they lowered their heads to peck at the sands to help digest them. They walked in all directions as if they were patrolling their own estate.

Although there was a gap of one meter on each side of the city wall, these sand grouses never escaped.

Occasionally, there were sand grouses that entered the lake and nearby the chee grass field. Following the peasant's shouts, they all returned in a short while.

It was like they were domestic chickens that had been raised for a long time.

Kant looked at the chicken coop and beehive with satisfaction, as expected of the reward given by the system. It truly showcase the saying that the products of the system must be of the highest quality. From the very beginning, the system resolved the trouble of Kant on the process of domesticated these grouses.

"There's another card."

Kant raised his head slightly and glanced across the date palm trees.

The crispy green and silk-soft leaves of date palm tree added a paradise greenery to this earthy yellow desert. On top of the straight tree, the beneath of the long swirling leaves looked empty, as if something was missing.

The fresh date palm had been plucked, and there was still dried date palm in the storeroom.

For the Oasis Lookout where fruits were lacking, date palm was a popular item as it rich in sugar content.

At the end of almost every meal, each person would be given three date palms as snacks.

The delicious sweetness filled the mouth, and its soft texture was like a high-quality candy bread. Date palm was an addicting dessert after a meal, and it was also a reward for the tiredness of the day, a highly efficient energy source to replenish the tired body.

Kant's lips curled up slightly. "There will be honey to eat in the future."

His mind connected to the card in his mind, and the golden card instantly burst out with countless dense data streams.

Like a gust of wind, it appeared magically from the void and swept across all five acres of the date palm jungle. A lot of data stuck to the date palm tree. But when the data streams disappeared, the dense white flowers were swaying under the long green leaves.

And right in the middle of the white flowers, the small fruit was showing its embryonic form.

The sweet fragrance of the date palm tree blossomed in the entire agricultural area.

The desert bees that were flying around seemed to have found their home. They gathered instantly, flapping their wings and jumping into the white flowers. Their bodies were covered with pollen from the stamens before they flew towards their hive.

Obviously, this was the most common honey-gathering life of the desert bees.

"With honey and date palm, perhaps the sugar workshop can arrange for people to start working."

Kant looked at the desert bees going and out in the hive and thought.

Due to the scarcity of raw materials and the lack of manpower, they had not started making any sugar at the moment.

However, there was only one sugar that could be made in the sugar workshop, and that was the date palm sugar. However, according to the Sarrandan people, this sugar was actually made by grinding the date palm into powder and used as a condiment or something to drink.

"Open the building interface." Kant mind-controlled the system.

On his retina, a dialog box popped up.

[ Sugar workshop: Civilian building. A small house made of wood with complete tools inside. Arrange for a peasant to move in and use raw materials to make various types of sugar. Currently available for making: date palm sugar, honey, honey date palm sugar. ]

Kant raised his eyebrows.

Originally, he could only make date palm sugar, but now there were two types of sugar that could be made.

But looking at those simplify words, Kant smiled wryly.

It was basically honey and honey mixed with date palm sugar. In a sense, it could not be compared to real sugar like granulated sugar and malt sugar that was still a concept of ingredients.

[ Ding... Side Quest released ]

[ Side quest: the beginning of the sugar workshop]

[ Reward: Peasant woman x 50]

[ Introduction: Sugar is an expensive luxury product. To a certain extent, it is more valuable than salt. Now that you have the raw materials, you may try to make any type of sugar. Of course, if the level of the sugar you make is high enough, then congratulations. Your estate has another precious product that can be used as a trade item. Want to try it? Perhaps you should try it. This kind of delicious luxury product is an irresistible temptation. ]

The system's temporary side quest dialog box popped up in Kant's retina.

"Peasant woman?" Kant was shocked.

He didn't care about the mission this time. Instead, he directly stared at the reward. After all, the reward for this mission was an unexpected female peasant, not a male peasant.

With a bitter smile on his face, Kant realized that the system probably could not stand it anymore. There was only male peasants in his own estate.

But when he thought about it carefully, he understood.

There were more tasks now.

Whether it was feeding the grouse or organizing the beehive, it was easier for the tender women to do it.

There was also the work in the kitchen, including the work in the sugar workshop. The peasant women were much better than the farmers who were more suitable for delicate work. The appearance of a peasant woman at this time was just right for the current situation.

"In that case."

Kant chuckled. Of course, he chose to accept this mission.

It was just making honey date palm sugar. For the Sarrandan people in the desert, it was not a difficult technology.

Chapter 110: Boiled Sugar Cubes

Honey date palm sugar was piece of cake for the people of Sarrandan who were good at growing date palm and keeping bees.

This temporary side quest from the system was not a problem.

Kant returned to the stronghold and went to the sugar workshop.

It was probably because he had not used it for a long time, the tools and utensils inside were covered in dust. But overall, the sugar workshop was tidy and all the tools and utensils were in good condition.

While checking, two strong Sarrandian horsemen strode over.

When they saw Kant standing in the room, they gently knocked on the door and bowed respectfully, "Lord Kant, you were looking for us."

"That's right.", Kant nodded.

When they returned to the stronghold, he instructed the peasants to run errands and call two Sarrandians over.

As the Lord summoned them, the two Sarrandian horsemen who were the most senior among the group of Sarrandans, these two Sarrandian horsemen who were both level-4 troop class, came over to wait for orders.

Kant did not care about that and asked, "Do you know how to make sugar?"

"Sugar?"

The two Sarrandian horseman looked at each other and saw the shock in each other's eyes.

After hesitating for a moment, they did not answer yes or no. Instead, they said, "We know how to make date palm sugar. We have seen the craftsmen of the sugar workshop making it before. "

There was hesitation in their words. Clearly, they were not confident enough.

Kant nodded. "So, you haven't made it yourself?"

"I'm sorry, Lord Kant."

The two Sarrandian horsemen lowered their heads in shame. Obviously, this was the reason why they were not confident enough.

As level-4 elite cavalry, they were better at drawing their elite scimitars and fighting the enemy on the battlefield. They were not here to discuss the problem of making sugar with Kant. People specialized in different specialties, so Kant was calm.

After a slight pause, Kant raised his head and asked, "Then do you know the process?"

"Yes.", the two nodded.

Kant smiled and said, "Then it's simple. It's enough to know the process."

Although he had not personally made it, it was enough to know the process of how to make sugar. After all, the technical skill of making sugar was not complicated. If he knew the process in advance, he could tried a few more times to successfully make the sugar.

Soon, the tools and utensils in the sugar workshop were cleaned.

Even the fire had been lighted up. The charcoal that had been accumulated was crackling and burning inside, glowing with a fiery red light.

"My Lord, the honey has been brought. ", Sarrandian horseman walked over quickly from outside the door.

He was holding a small urn in his arms. A sweet smell faintly came from inside.

"Well done.", Kant nodded and reached out to take it.

The amber-colored honey was half-filled. This was the stock of the ten hives. Of course, he didn't ask the horseman to take out all of it, but only a little. After all, the desert bees couldn't reproduce without the honey as food.

And right next to it, on the stove of the sugar workshop, the sweet smell was spreading.

An iron pot was boiling the grinded date palm powder.

The reddish-brown liquid inside the pot gradually became thicker, this was the sugar content in the date palm powder.

"Add honey."

Kant had already heard about the sugar-boiling process described by the Sarrandian horseman. He tilted the pottery pot filled with honey and poured the amber-colored sweet honey into the iron pot, mixing it with the cooked date palm powder.

At the same time, the horseman beside him kept stirring the honey with the wooden stick.

When the fragrance was strong, he sprinkled some flour into the pot. Soon, the liquid in the iron pot became very thick.

"It's almost done."

The two Sarrandian horsemen looked at each other and saw the joy in each other's eyes.

The reddish-brown thick liquid became sticky. It was a little difficult to stir it with the wooden stick, but this was the moment when the date palm honey sugar was almost finished. The reddish-brown liquid in the iron pot could be called the sugar liquid.

"Very good.", Kant nodded in satisfaction.

This was the first time he boiled sugar, his luck was really good.

The two Sarrandian horsemen did not relax. They carefully poured the sugar liquid inside the iron pot into a container prepared by the side. After it cooled slightly, they used their hands to pat and fix the shape. After it was completely cooled, they cut it into pieces, and it became a extremely high sugar content and rich honey flavored date palm honey sugar. if they added some dried fruit crush, this would became the favorite delicacy of the Sarrandan people .

However, the Oasis Lookout didn't have any dried fruit currently.

The sugar quickly cooled down.

Taking out the scimitar in his scabbard, the Sarrandian horseman cut it into finger-sized pieces. The red-brown color of date palm was very eye-catching, and the alluring sweet scent was even more wonderful.

"Lord, please try it.", the two said respectfully.

"Okay.", Kant didn't refuse, he picked up a piece and put it in his mouth.

As he bit down, the rich sweet taste of date palm instantly filled his entire mouth. Mixed with the fragrance of honey, his tongue could feel the astonishing sweetness of sugar, and his saliva could not stop flowing out.

At the same time, a dialog box instantly popped up on his retina.

[ Ding... After your continuous research, you have mastered the technology of making sugar. ]

[ Side quest: "The beginning of the sugar workshop" completed. ]

[ Reward: Peasant women × 50. ]

[ Introduction: Able to eat sugar is undoubtedly a happy thing. It is the same for the peasants. This taste bring happiness and can make people forget their worries. The power of sugar is no less than salt at certain times. ]

Side quest completed.

Kant looked at the hundreds of sugar cubes in front of him. Their reddish-brown appearance was quite attractive.

"Put them away.", he instructed the two horsemen. At the same time, he said, "Clean up this workshop. I think that in the future, there will be quite a number of peasant women in our estate who will specialize in making sugar."

"Yes, my Lord.", the two nodded.

The mission was completed. Kant walked toward the council hall.

After that, when the peasant women arrived, they would be responsible for the sugar-making tasks.

Walking on the street, Kant turned his head to look at the empty sandy ground around him. He had some thoughts in his mind. Next, he would not only lead his troops to take back the salt mines and wipe out the Jackalans, but also open up a trade route as soon as possible.

Baron Dylan could not wait for too long.

Moreover, after Kant brewed these sugar cubes, he realized that he could add syrup into the future trade.

The Dukedom of Leo was also scarce of sugar.

Even this reddish-brown sugar, which was similar to snacks, was also a rare commodity in the Dukedom of Leo.

Perhaps it couldn't be compared to the white granulated sugar that circulation among the noble families, but these reddish-brown sugar cubes could be used as an alternative luxury ingredient to be used by the kitchens of those noble banquets, adding some sweetness to the dull dishes.

Even Kant, the young noble son, could not found any fault with it. This proved that the production of date palm honey sugar cubes was completely successful.

They walked into the council hall.

At the top of the hall, the Ravenstern rangers passed on the news that some strangers had arrived.

Kant knew that these were the 50 peasant women who had arrived in the distant continent of Caradia.

"My Lord."

The leader of the trade caravan and Manid were still chatting, but when they saw Kant entered, they stood up and bowed respectfully.

"How is it?", Kant asked.

"120 Jackalan slaves have all been bought, " Manid replied. "We have obtained 3,600 denar.", he paused and then reported, "But I also bought some grain, oil, linen, and some tools."

"You decide.", Kant trusted him.

"Understood, Lord Kant.", Manid nodded solemnly.

The leader of the trade caravan was envious. After all, it was not easy to gain the trust of a lord.

Thinking about himself, he had once entered the battlefield as Vaegirs horseman. Later, he was injured and became the leader of the trade caravan. Only then did he gain part of the trust of Lord Reyvadin. Only he knew how it felt.

The business was basically done, and the three of them began to chat in the council hall.

Not long after, a Swadian footman, who was the guarding outside, walked in and reported, "My lord, there are 50 peasant women outside. They say they are here to seek refuge with you."

"Yes, I understand."

Kant nodded.

The guard retreated and returned to stand guard outside the door.

Kant turned to Manid and ordered, "You can take care of these peasant women."

"Understood.", Manid nodded.

However, Kant knocked on the table with his finger, his tone was also somewhat playful. "Don't let these peasant women be together with those peasants. I don't want these peasant women to have big bellies and not be able to do some tasks when the workload is heavy. "

"Don't worry.", Manid also nodded solemnly.

Kant was telling the truth.

The current Oasis Lookout was in a period of rapid development. It was changing almost every day.

At the same time, the rapid development brought heavy and miscellaneous works.

Now that these 50 peasant women had arrived, they needed to make the best use of these peasant women. The peasant women could easily handle the miscellaneous tasks. They could even let the peasant women be in charge of boiling salt.

But this was the real world after all.

Kant's joke could indeed came true.

If those peasant bachelors really took a liking to these peasant women, and something happened that shouldn't have happened, it would only do more harm than good to the current Oasis Lookout.

Kant did not want to have a group of children born in his own estate.

Moreover, Drondheim was a fortress.

It was mainly for military, livelihood of people as second priority.

If such a situation really happened, Kant would rather have soldiers than pregnant women who needed long-term care.

"These problems are easy to solve."

Kant exhaled and his expression gradually became solemn.

The natural salt mine had once again been occupied by Jackalan. He needed to continue to lead a team to sweep the area.

Within this month, the first-class fine white salt would appear in Baron Dylan's Stone Pass. It would became Kant's first good start to this guy, ensuring that in the future, Oasis Lookout would no longer became attention of most of the forces in the Dukedom of Leo.

Chapter 111: The Unstopped Crises

Kant was a man of his word.

Moreover, reoccupying the salt mines was the main strategy for the development of Oasis Lookout.

Kant didn't want to see such a situation, allowing the defeated Jackalan to regain their strength in the salt mines and tribal ruins. This would gave them time to develop into a strong tribe again.

Although the Nahrin Desert was vast, its resources were extremely scarce.

Kant only allowed one force to survive and develop in this barren land, and that was himself.

As for the lives of the Jackalan.

What did it have to do with him?

After lunch and a short rest, assemble order was given.

Twenty Sarrandian horsemen and twenty-five elite desert bandits were all present. They were waiting outside the east gate of the city. They were riding on horses and whispering to each other, with a sinister smile on their faces, it was obvious that they did not take this expedition to seriously.

This group of Sarrandian desert bandits had always been fearless.

With Kant around, they did not have to worry about falling into danger because they underestimated the enemy.

They were all desert bandits who licked blood on the blade. They always underestimating the enemy due to their unruly habits. Although life and death were up to fate, none of them really thought about it. With Kant leading them, they would only be more cautious.

This time, clearing out the Jackalans who had occupied the well and salt mine was just one of the tasks.

It also included the coarse salt in the salt mine. They had to bring some back and boil a batch of it.

Stone Pass did not had much patience to wait.

"Are you ready?"

Kant walked out of the city gate and looked at the 55 cavalries in front of him. He looked relaxed.

Time did not wait for them.

It would take a day to go from Oasis Lookout to the tribal ruins, not to mention that they had to go to the natural salt mines. It would take a long time to go back and forth, boil salt, and then lead the team to the Stone Pass.

It would took a week.

Firentis followed behind. When he heard the slight anxiety in Kant's voice, he said, "Everything is ready."

This attack was arranged by him. After thinking for a while and confirming that there were no mistakes, he said with certainty, "The camels and supplies are also fully prepared. Once we reach the natural salt mine, we can directly mine the coarse salt and bring it back."

"Well done.", Kant nodded in satisfaction.

Not far from these Sarrandan people, ten one-humped camels were standing there quietly.

On the backs of the camels hung bulging gunny sacks. They were all food, water sack, and bags used to store coarse salt for this trip to the deep of the Nahrin Desert. All the things were taken care of by ten peasants, and they were quite well-prepared.

The Swadian footman brought Kant's warhorse.

Stepping on the stirrups, Kant nimbly got on the horse, pulled on his hood, and ordered, "Prepare to set off."

"Prepare to set off!"

When the Sarrandian Horseman heard this, the leader of the group immediately shouted.

The originally neat cavalry formation gradually dismissed. The Sarrandian horse beneath them began to move its feet, breathing heavily. With the pull of the reins, it turned its head and slowly walked in the right direction.

Firentis, on the other hand, took a few quick steps and said to Kant, "Lord, do we really not need to bring more people?"

"No.", Kant shook his head.

Looking at the Swadian footmen standing by on the city wall, as well as the light footmen patrolling around the oasis, Kant's expression was more solemn as he said, "Your task is to defend the fortress. Communicate with Manid and assign your own areas of responsibility. I don't want to come back and find my own estate in a mess."

"Understood, Lord Kant.", Firentis said with a serious face.

But he still looked worry.

Firentis had patrolled the deep of the Nahrin Desert for many days. He clearly understood that even if the Jackalan tribe was defeated, there were still had some small Jackalan tribe that was scattered in the desert.

"Don't worry.", Kant noticed his worry and shook his head with a smile. He patted his side and said, "I still have this."

It was a long rod-shaped object that was stored in a slender linen bag.

It was as long as a lance or spear used by cavalry, but it was slightly bloated on the outside, as if it was wrapped in something.

[ Intimidation ]

What Kant currently possessed could be said to be a divine artifact.

Seeing the folded flag, Firentis worried expression eased slightly, but he still reminded him, "Lord, fighting on the battlefield is very dangerous. If possible, please pay attention to your safety first before considering the outcome of the battle."

"Yes, I will be careful.", Kant nodded, shook the reins, and turned his horse and galloped.

The horse's hooves stepped into the sand, leaving a shallow pit.

The entire team began to speed up, heading deeper into the Nahrin desert.

Time was tight, so they had to use their fastest speed to head to the tribal ruins.

That was the only water source around. The Jackalan who had been defeated and scattered would definitely regroup in the ruins. Although the group was not as large as before, and there was no Jackalan shaman who had mastered a mysterious power, there were still quite a lot of ordinary Jacklans.

With the current 20 Sarrandian horsemen and 25 elite desert bandits, even though they were light cavalry, it would not be a problem for them to directly charged into theformation of these ordinary Jackalan and crushing them once again.

There were two times when a bird was startled by a bow.

Moreover, [ Intimidation ] wasn't something to be trifled with.

It could be used to weaken the spirit of the enemy by the first round. As their comrade kept dying, the spirits of the enemy continued to drop. They could kept reducing the spirit of the enemies for few more round until it became negative. How could they continued to put up a desperate struggle and fight Kant and the others to the death?

This was simply impossible!

The footprints and traces left by the expedition last month were still clearly visible.

There was very little wind in the Nahrin desert, so the footprints and rut marks on the dune could not be removed unless there was a once-in-a-century sandstorm. Otherwise, the traces would be removed after the wind blow for a period.

But it would take at least a few months.

Therefore, Kant and the others did not worried that they moved in a wrong direction.

Following the traces of the past, the team moved forward quickly. It was quiet on the way, and they did not meet too many Jackalan.

Normally, thirty to forty Jackalans would turned around and ran when they met Kant and the others. They looked panicked, obviously afraid of Kant and his light cavalry, and did not dare to fight against them.

At first, Kant ordered to his men kill them.

However, it was a waste of time and did not yield anything at all.

Therefore, when they continued to move forward, they did not pay any attention to the small group of Jackalan. Unless there were about a hundred of them, which might cause some harm to the Oasis Lookout. Kant would give the order brazenly and raised the flag of the golden lion with a red background, he would lead the team to crush them and slaughter them all in the desert to prevent future trouble.

The speed of the troops was still very fast.

Sarrand horse and desert horse were both suitable horses for the desert.

The single humped camel was also known as the ship of the desert. Although its short-distance burst was not as good as that of the horses, its had better endurance which was suitable for long-term journey.

This was the main factor to ensure the speed of progress.

Fortunately, Kant's camel and warhorse did not caused any accidents.

According to the experience of his previous life, horses were extremely sensitive to the smell of camels and would be very afraid of them. On the other hand, camels would be irritable towards horses. If the two were put together, it would probably be a chaotic situation.

This was also why the camel cavalry was the absolute nemesis of the warhorse cavalry.

This was precisely the reason.

However, this kind of troop class could only appear in the desert. After all, in flat grasslands or other plains regions, the highly mobile warhorse cavalry was not afraid of the slow-moving camel cavalry.

However, in the desert, the camel cavalry was extremely powerful.

This had once been shown in the deserts of some regions on Earth.

Historically, the Arabs rode camels and defeated the elite warhorse cavalry of countless empires in the desert, including the Byzantine Empire, the Sassanid Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and so on.

To be honest, Kant was quite interested in this.

However, thinking that there were no standard camel cavalry in the current cavalry, he could only choose to give up.

The troops moved very fast.

They rested at dusk and prepared dinner. After nightfall, they continued to set off and did not sleep until late at night.

They traveled at dawn and soon approached the tribal ruins.

From the Oasis Lookout to the ruins of the Jackalan tribe, the cavalry could arrive in just one day. Even if there were footmen accompanying them, two days was enough. The distance was not too far.

Kant rode his horse up the dune, followed by ten Sarrandian horsemen as his guards.

"There are no sentries."

These Sarrandian Horsemen, who belonged to the standard army, reported.

Kant snorted, "It seems that these Jackalan think that we will let them go?"

They did not even have sentries. They were really bold.

He stared at the bottom of the dune. On the originally flat desert, there was still a large area that was pitch black due to the fire. There were ruins everywhere, and there were ashes everywhere.

However, in the ruins, there were also tattered tents.

"Wait, that is..."

Kant narrowed his eyes. He discovered something unusual.

Among these tattered linen tents, there were more than ten tents made of brand new linen. Even when Kant's eyes glanced over them, these brand new tents had a clear demarcation line with the other tattered tents.

It was just like the Chu River and Han border. Although they were close, the two did not cross paths at all.

Even the Jackalan in those simple tents did not dare to come close.

It was as if there was some kind of great terror.

Kant was not surprised by this.

Because he had already discovered that the people who appeared in these brand-new tents were Jackalan in mail armor and holding two-handed battle axes. Their fur was clean and neat. They were definitely not low-level Jackalan who lived in the desert.

"High-level Jackalans, is they coming again?" He said slowly.

Chapter 112: The Invincible Charge

Tidy hair, strong and sturdy body, bright eyes, thick and powerful arms. These were the characteristics of the high-level Jackalan who had built the Kingdom of Gray Mane on the Mannheim Coast.

These were the characteristics of civilized people, civilized races, and people who knew modesty and etiquette.

Kant's eyes told him the truth.

The forces of the Kingdom of Gray Mane, who had once been in an unknown location, did not know where they were, and did not know when they would arrive, had already spread their forces to the south side of the Nahrin desert, carefully exploring this place.

"Damn it."

Kant squinted his eyes, lowered his head, and cursed softly.

Those ten or so brand new tents were enough to fortold that the crisis had come again.

Without the merchants, Asage, they still managed to reach this place based on the map and route map they had obtained,. They had also contacted the Jackalan that had been defeated previously and settled down here once more, establishing the foundation of the outpost base.

After thinking about it carefully, Kant was certain that when the expedition army had arrived, it would be the time to attack the Oasis Lookout.

"My Lord."

The Sarrandian horseman beside him spoke with a heavy tone, "Do we need to be ready for battle?"

"Yes.", Kant's eyes were gloomy. "I mean, right now."

"Understood.", the light cavalry behind them nodded silently. They packed their weapons, tidied up their armor, and continued to wait for Kant's orders. They gripped their spears and scimitars, ready for battle.

The slaughter would continue. This was a war for survival.

Kant would not allow the Kingdom of Gray Mane to occupy the Oasis Lookout and then attack the Dukedom of Leo.

It was not simply the responsibility of the Baron of the Nahrin Desert and as a noble of the Dukedom of Leo.

It was not for his father, Cameron the Grand Duke of Leo either.

It was for himself.

Losing the Oasis Lookout was equivalent to losing the Nahrin Desert. Losing the Nahrin Desert was equivalent to losing his fiefdom. Losing his fiefdom was equivalent to losing his noble title. Losing his noble title meant that his life had come to an end.

The gallows would eventually appear before Kant's eyes.

Within the Dukedom of Leo, the noble forces who had been glaring at him with hatred would personally place the gallows on Kant's neck and pull the trigger, let the suffocated corpses to sway like a pendulum.

Kant's expression returned to calm, but there was a thick haze in his eyes.

This was the consequence of losing the Oasis Lookout.

"It must be impossible."

His chest heaved up and down as Kant picked up the flag that was wrapped in a special long bag.

He turned his head to look at the Sarrandian light cavalries who were ready behind him, their faces looked serious and excited, he said in a deep voice, "Come, my cavalry. Let our friends know who is the true master of the Nahrin Desert!"

The flag made of velvet was pulled out, and a golden lion with red background instantly began to flutter in the wind.

[ Intimidation ] , activate!

"Everyone charge!"

Kant shook the reins with one hand and roared as he took the lead.

"Charge!"

Behind him, 20 Sarrandian horsemen and 25 elite desert bandits also roared as they shook the reins. A straight spear was clamped under their armpits. As the warhorse charged in high speed, they quickly passed Kant and formed a cone formation to protect him in the middle.

The cone formation was the most famous formation of the cavalry in the era of cold weapons.

It was like a sharp arrow, and also like a long awl.

The 20 Sarrandian horsemen who were fully armored were assault team, while the 25 elite desert bandits who were holding spears were the main force.

Without the slow movement speed of the footman, the entire cavalry ferociously pounced down the dune, piercing into the enemy's body with their sharp blades, completely tearing apart the enemy cavalries and their attempts to resist.

Before the enemy could even react, they were crushed!

"Rumbling--"

The sound of rolling thunder was incessant, it was weird to hear a thunder in this dry desert.

Those high-level Jackalan who were used to the warm climate of the Mannheim coast walked out of their tents and looked up at the sky in surprise. However, the expected thick dark clouds, rolling Thunder, and heavy rain did not appeared.

This made them very shocked since they came to the southern part of the Nahrin Desert, the high temperature and desolation of the desert almost driven them mad.

"It's not a heavy rain?"

Some high-level Jackalans asked in their language.

However, their companions were confused and doubtful to answer, and they had anxiety due to the high temperature.

They did not saw the fear and anxiety on the faces of the low-level Jackalanx in the tattered tents beside them. With their higher status, they had always looked down at the low-level Jacklans. They would not pay attention to their uncivilized sibling at all, despite the low-level Jackalans had become very frightened and nervous.

The tremors under their feet were getting stronger and stronger.

The rolling thunder was also getting clearer and clearer in their ears.

It even made them subconsciously think of the continuous muffled thunder when a storm appeared on the Sea of Stars.

The Kingdom of Gray Mane, did not have many overseas trade and port to begin with. Unfortunately, because the private boats of the Lizardmen and the sea patrolling of the Elven Parliament became more and more strict, they had basically lost all the possibility of sailing on their own. They could no longer see the Sea of Stars, the storm that terrified countless captains and sailors came from the supreme power of the storm monarch.

"Roar --"

The panicked howls of the low-level Jackalans broke their thoughts.

These high-level Jackalans turned their heads in confusion.

The tremors under their feet became more and more intense, and the sounds coming from their ears became louder and louder, so much so that they even felt that something was wrong. They turned their heads in shock to see dozens of figures rushing down from the dune, and their confused eyes instantly shrank.

They finally realized what the rolling thunder was the cavalry of the human race!

A rare troop class on the Coast of Mannheim.

The only ones that were similar to them were the Moondeer bow cavalry of the elf race. However, they had never seen heavily armored humans. They rode their horses with their spears and rushed over like a flood that had broken the dam, wanting to crush them into pieces!

"Awoo, awoo!"

The low-level Jackalans' terrified cries could be heard. There were even Jackalans who turned around and fled.

They had lost the confidence to continue fighting.

This made the high-level Jackalans who were still stunned to come back to their senses. All of them gathered together with solemn expressions. They held their battle axes in both hands tightly. This heavy weapon made them feel confident in their hearts.

They were not those ignorant and uncivilized low-level Jackalans.

Looking at the charging speed of the human cavalry, they knew that they could not run far with their own legs.

They could only fight back!

With their sturdy and strong bodies, the strongest melee race in Mannheim Coast, how could the high-level Jackalan warriors with two-handed battle axes lose to those weak humans?

Even if they were riding on horses, these strong Jackalan warriors only looked ferocious and fearless.

In a head-on fight, they had never been afraid of anyone!

However..

The human cavalry was getting closer and closer, and the rolling sound of thunder swept through their minds.

They can felt the faint tremors became stronger and stronger under the sand they tampered on, and even their feet could feel the violent tremors.

This caused them to lose their courage for some unknown reason.

The hearts of the 30 over Jackalan soldiers, who were holding onto their battle axes, wearing mail armor and linen robe, were beating fast.

Their mouths were dry and their tongues were parched.

They felt a strong urge to urinate in their stomachs.

As they watched the human cavalry approaching, their figure becoming clearer and clearer, and even seeing the red flag in their hands, the high-level Jackalans soldiers felt ashamed of themselves of being cowardly.

However, they couldn't change anything.

The human cavalry became faster and faster, and the rumbling thunder became louder and louder, and the vibrations became more and more intense.

The 3-meter-long spear approached closer and closer.

Finally, the two sides came into contact.

The spear pierced through the chest of the Jackalan. Their seemingly sturdy mail armor couldn't block the sharp spear, and it pierced through the back of the Jackalan easily. Along with the irresistible force of inertia, the spear continued to pierce into the chest of the another high-level Jackalan at the back, pushing them to retreat. They looked at front of them in despair, unable to retaliate at all.

The spear that pierced through them in an instant also took away all their strength. They that had been invincible in the Mannheim coast, yet they could not even held the two-handed battle axe and could only let it fall to the ground.

The horses neighed in their ears. These Jackalans could even see the human faces on the horses.

Indifference, coldness, and undisguised disdain in their eyes.

Because they could not fight back at all.

Because their bodies were continuing to stepped back.

Because all of their chests were strung up by long spears, they were pushed and knocked by the human cavalry. They retreated helplessly, and did not have any strength to fight back. They even no longer held their weapons, and they fell to the ground shamefully.

"Ka-cha... Ka-cha... Ka-cha... Ka-cha... Ka-cha... Ka-cha..."

A series of crisp sounds appeared.

The long spears hooked by the Jackalan sent them flying for a few meters. Finally, due to the instant blast and inertia, these refined military spears could no longer withstand the force and weight, and they broke apart with ka-cha.

However, the horsemen were already prepared.

They were all well-trained and the most elite cavalry.

Without hesitation, they abandoned the broken spear and urged their horses to knock away the Jackalans that had been strung together. They continued to rush towards the open space behind them and slowed down. They turned their horses around and stretched out their hands to pull out the scimitars on their waists.

Once they were ready to charge again, the cavalries tightened their reins and stood still.

Because of their charge..

The regrouped high-level Jackalan had all been wiped out.

They fell to the ground miserably.

The broken spear pierced into their chests, and fresh blood dyed the sand red.

No one could stood up.

And no one could survived.

The leading high-level Jackalan struggled to turn its head, and used its last bit of strength to look at the human cavalries with scimitars in their hands. Its eyes were filled with extreme fear and disbelief.

"This... is this the human's... cavalry..."

It slowly opened its mouth, but the blood gushing out of its throat was unable to make it say a single word.

However, fear was in its mind.

This was completely different from the human sailors they met on the Sea of Stars or in the port of the Mannheim Coast.

Those humans might be a little cunning, but they were not powerful.

There were no such warriors on horseback on the merchant ships. When they were being blackmailed by the Jackalan officials, they would only smile. Even if they encountered Jackalan pirates, they would at most wave their longsword to resist.

They definitely had never encountered such a brazen and almost invincible charge.

"No... impossible..."

The heart that had been pierced and destroyed by the spearhead could no longer supply blood, causing its brain to start suffocating.

Its eyes had also lost sight, and it could only laid on the sand.

This was very uncomfortable, but it could not did anything anymore. A thought suddenly appeared in its final consciousness, and that was that the Kingdom of Gray Mane had used up all its strength to put together an expedition army that would set off in a month's time. It seemed to be in great danger.

Chapter 113: Orders to Destroy the Well

"Whoa ---"

Kant tightened his grip on the reins, and his warhorse finally slowed down as he moved forward.

The Sarrandian Horsemen and the desert bandits beside him also slowed down their horses and gathered around Kant. Some of them held their machetes tightly in their trembling right hands, and their expressions were extremely cold.

They had just experienced a battle, and the enemies who dared to block them were crushed.

Even now.

These bandits from the Sarrandian desert were in disbelief.

They didn't understand why these Jackalan Heavy Infantrymen were so confident that they dared to face the spear of the cavalry head-on when the cavalry was charging at its maximum speed.

If they spread out, they wouldn't be annihilated in the first round of charging.

That was why Kant's men's right hands were trembling.

It wasn't because they were excited, nor was it because they were afraid. It was because of the reaction force when they came into contact with the Jackalan's Heavy Infantrymen during the charge. It caused their right hand and arm, which had been well trained, to suffer a considerable impact.

It would probably take two to three days for them to fully recover.

They could continue charging at such a large scale and intensity, but their arms would suffer irreversible damages.

Fortunately, the battle had already ended.

"It's over."

Kant's voice sounded with a hint of fatigue.

They had traveled all the way here and had to go into battle before they had time to rest. Most of their energy was used up.

The thirty or so Jackalan that dared to resist were killed on the spot.

The three hundred low-level Jackalan around them fled in great disorder. They didn't even dare to resist before vanishing into the vast sea of sand around them. They seemed to have suffered severe psychological trauma, so they couldn't organize a counterattack in a short time.

In fact, no Jackalan organized a counterattack.

No one would go on a suicide mission, even the savage, and uncivilized lower-level Jackalan.

They all knew fear.

"Lord Kant, do we still need to chase after them?"

The Sarrandian Horseman beside him spoke.

The surrounding Sarrandian Horsemen were also eager to give it a try. Their eyes swept across the dunes around them and were gleaming with undisguised excitement and obvious intention to kill because they felt that they had reached a critical point.

A quantitative change would cause a qualitative change. This was considered the critical point of rebirth.

However, Kant rejected their request to pursue, "There's no need."

Slowly letting out a breath, Kant ordered in a deep voice, "Let our caravan come over. Let's rest here and set up a temporary camp. Those fleeing Jackalans could never outrun our Warhorse. I don't want any accidents to happen."

"Understood," An elite desert bandit nodded and immediately rode his horse towards the dune where they were charging from.

When they charged, they left behind the caravan and the peasants.

The single-humped camels loaded with supplies and the peasants holding a long scythe were not the valiant and invincible cavalry on the battlefield. They could not even fight the low-level Jackalans holding a spiked club, not to mention the high-level Jackalan warriors.

Kant no longer needed the low-level infantrymen to risk their lives for the future.

These Sarrandian Light Cavalrymen were enough to deal with most of the problems.

Soon, the 10 peasants hiding behind the dune carried long scythe in their arms and led the 10 single-humped camels down the dunes. Joy was written all over their faces, they knew about the victory of this battle.

"Set up the tents."

Kant looked at the empty space around them. At the same time, he gave detailed instructions, "Go and check the well out. I hope there's no problem."

"Understood." The accompanying peasants immediately took action.

The elite desert bandits also dismounted and helped setting up the tents. At the same time, they also found some temporary stoves and started to prepare food. They had not eaten breakfast yet and were starving.

The Sarrandian Horsemen were responsible for cleaning the battlefield.

Even without Kant's arrangement, they could still do their jobs in an orderly manner.

The tent was set up.

The sandpit inside was done.

The old tent was set on fire. With the addition of the wood they brought, the temporary grill was officially completed.

Slices of bread, dried meat, and dried sausage were placed beside the bonfire to be heated up.

Together with a few date palms, breakfast was ready.

Of course, everyone also had a piece of date honey sweet, which had just been made successfully yesterday. The delicious and sweet taste filled their mouths, and the soldiers, who were used to eating salty and hard dried meat, were very satisfied.

There was also cool well water from the well, which was used by the soldiers, who had traveled for a long time, to clean themselves up and to scrub their bodies.

With this kind of leisure, it did not feel like a war, but more like an outing.

This was the treatment of a victor.

After breakfast, Kant also washed up a little. The cold well water was applied on his face and body with a towel. The tiredness from last night's journey seemed to have been washed away, and after this enjoyable battle, he became energetic.

He walked toward the well nearby.

The edge of the well was blackened by the fire, but the water wheel that was burned had been replaced with a new one.

It seemed to be changed by the high-level Jackalans.

The water was not only needed to keep their bodies hydrated but also to wash their body hair. Compared to the low-level Jackalans who didn't know what etiquette was, these high-level Jackalans cared more about their appearance.

"Lord, we can't keep this well."

The Sarrandian Horseman behind Kant said with a solemn tone, "This will become the enemy's aid."

"That's right," Kant nodded.

The high-level Jackalans had appeared here again. Asage, the captive, said that the expeditionary army would soon appear in the south of the Nahrin Desert, and this well would be their first stop.

It would probably take 30 days to cross the edge of the Devil's Land that had no water or vegetation.

Even if they brought a large number of supplies, those would probably be used up when they were here.

The expedition army of the Kingdom of Grey Mane would urgently need to replenish their water supply. This well was two meters in diameter and was directly connected to the underground water. The well that was once able to meet the needs of close to 2,000 Jackalans would be a life-saving straw to them.

It would also be the greatest help in conquering the Oasis Lookout.

Oasis Lookout was the most suitable outpost, and those Jackalan definitely wouldn't give up.

"I must destroy this well."

Kant made up his mind.

He could have the caravan bring more water sack to solve the drinking water problem, but he wasn't willing to let this well become the enemy's supply station.

Leaving the well would be irresponsible and would lead to the most serious consequences.

Fortunately, they discovered it in time and sensed that the expedition army of the Kingdom of Grey Mane was coming. They only needed to dig up the edge of the well and pour a lot of sand into it. They could level the well with the surrounding ground, and no one would see any traces of it.

And if Kant won the battle in the future, or if he wanted to continue to develop this place, he only needed to look for the well carefully.

The walls of the well were all ready-made.

By then, they only needed to dig along the stone walls of the well and dig up the sand again. This well, which was connected to the underground water, would continue to exist in the desert and become Kant's aid.

Of course, only Kant knew about this.

Those low-level Jackalans could not tell the exact location of the well.

This would make the expedition army of the Kingdom of Grey Mane, who reached the southern part of the Nahrin Desert after a long journey, helpless. They would continue to advance toward the Oasis Lookout with their exhausted bodies. Eventually, they would be destroyed by the desert, and Kant's victory would be achieved.

They did as they were told. The peasants and cavalrymen who had finished their breakfast came over to help.

After replenishing their sacks with the well water, they started to cover the well up.

It did not take much effort to fill a well in the desert. The amount of sand on the surrounding dunes was immeasurable.

Sacks of sand were poured into the well and blocked the bottom of the well.

This was not a small project.

They worked from the morning until noon. After resting, they continued to work. When it was almost afternoon, more than 60 people finally completely filled the well with sand. They even tore down the stones that formed the wall of the well and threw them inside. They continued to fill the well with sand until the place was completely flattened and no traces of the well could be seen.

They continued to rest. After eating dinner, Kant ordered, "Let's go."

They had other important matters to attend to after a busy day.

They still needed to clean up the Jackalans in the natural salt mine. The linen sacks carried by the 10 one-humped camels had to be filled up with coarse salt, and only then, was their mission accomplished.

Taking advantage of the dusk, they continued to move forward in the desert.

As the stars appeared, the coldness had already penetrated through their clothes, it was unbearable.

After they had traveled nearly half the distance, Kant ordered them to set up camp.

They didn't know if there were still Jackalans at the natural salt mine, or if there would be more high-level Jackalans. Therefore, it was critical to maintain their energy and physical strength on their way to the salt mine was

Nothing happened during the night.

They woke up early the next morning.

After breakfast, they went on with their journey and soon arrived at the salt mine in the morning.

In the vast desert, the white salt and alkaline land spread to the horizon. These were all precious resources formed after the salt lake dried up.

Kant looked around and didn't find any Jackalan.

However, the tents they destroyed the last time they came and the bodies of the Jackalans had disappeared.

The exact situation was unknown.

However, according to Kant's understanding of the Jackalan that lived in the desert, when they were hungry, even their own kind would be listed on their menu. So, they would not care at all about eating corpses.

"Peasants, collect the coarse salt. Hurry up."

Kant turned his head and ordered. At the same time, he said in a deep voice, "Sarrandian Horsemen, stand by. Desert Bandits, spread out and scout."

"Understood!" Everyone replied.

Kant had less and less time left.

He needed to improve his strength as fast as possible.

Kant was not confident about relying entirely on the protection of the current Oasis Lookout when the expeditionary army from the Kingdom of Grey Mane arrived. After all, he did not know how many troops there would be.

However, since these troops could carry out expeditions, they would definitely be in large numbers and would not be too weak.

Chapter 114: The Tragic Fate After Defeat

The expedition army of the Kingdom of Grey Mane was like the Sword of Damocles hanging above Kant's head. It would appear anytime, putting him in the most dangerous situation. One wrong step and he would be in the abyss of eternal damnation.

Time was not on Kant's side because he did not have the initiative and could only passively accept it.

This was undoubtedly the reason that made Kant the most anxious he had ever been.

He had not become the strongest. To the enemy, Kant's Oasis Lookout and the "Drondheim" that had changed from a village to a fortress, was still weak. Even if he had the power to fight back, it was still not enough to make the enemy worry.

This was contempt, confidence in their own strength, and they were underestimating Kant.

And to Kant, this might be the enemy's flaw.

He must return to Oasis Lookout as soon as possible and try to be fully prepared.

The experience gained from this attack and the coarse salt that he brought back could all become Kant's strength in the shortest amount of time, preparing him for the next battle.

After the small battles along the way and the battle at the tribal ruins, the original five Sarrandian Horsemen were already very well prepared and could be upgraded to Kant's another Class 5 troop at any time. This type of heavy cavalry was as good as the Swadian Knight in the original version which was the king in the desert, the Mamluke!

Kant's only Class 5 troop was different from the Class 5 Raventern Rangers. As archers, they only had a supporting role in the war.

On the other hand, these heavy cavalry, which was the strongest in the desert, were the true force that could charge into the enemy's formation. They were invincible and could tear apart the enemy's troops and destroy them. They were the symbol of true power!

Although there were only five of them, they were like the sharpest blades among the longswords.

This was because they had already become the most crucial and terrifying weapon.

These five Mamlukes led Kant's current 50 Swadian Heavy Cavalrymen, as well as the 15 Sarrandian Horsemen, 25 elite Desert Bandits, and perhaps the 20 desert bandits who could be recruited every week in the future.

This was like breaking the surface through a single point.

A cavalry of fewer than 100 people was enough to crush an army of more than 1,000 people from the front and directly cut it into halves.

Moreover, with the experience of the others, their power was likely to reach its peak.

Before the expedition army of the Kingdom of Grey Mane arrived, Kant would have this Sarrandian Cavalry clear the desert.

They would intercept and kill small groups of Jackalans.

It would also help them obtain a large amount of experience as soon as possible and finally go to a higher level.

The Sarrandian Horsemen and elite Desert Bandits were both light cavalry. There was no need to worry about the Swadian Heavy Cavalry. Although they were a Class 4 troop, they could not go deep into the desert to fight alone, but as long as they brought enough food and water, they could fight everywhere.

Therefore, what Kant lacked was time.

"What a pity!" He frowned and sighed in his heart. "The power is not in my hands."

While he was thinking, a Sarrandian horseman quickly came over and reported, "Lord, everything has been collected."

"Hmm, that was quick." Kant nodded and praised.

On the salt-alkali land not far away, the peasant used tools to collect the coarse salt that could be taken anywhere. All of it was packed in sacks and carefully tied up. They were placed on the backs of the 10 one-humped camels that came with them. The bulging sacks were filled with coarse salt and were put on the camels steadily. They looked heavy, but to these camels, who were used to carrying things, they were nothing out of the ordinary.

Back then, the Arabic merchants relied on these one-humped camels, known as the Ship of the Desert, to form a large-scale caravan. They crossed the vast desert and harsh desert, selling goods from the east and the west. The profits were quite substantial.

"Inform the surrounding desert bandits."

Kant opened his mouth and instructed the Sarrandian Horseman beside him, "We are preparing to return."

"Understood." The Sarrandian Horseman nodded and immediately rode off.

The elite Desert Bandits had already spread out, forming a five-man team to repeatedly scout the surroundings. They were either holding machetes to chase after and kill the small groups of Jackalans who thought that they were lucky and stayed nearby. While ensuring the caravan's safety, it also happened to increase their battle merits.

Of course, these battle merits were what Kant understood as a battle experience.

No one would be willing to accept the status quo.

They were all living people with their own ideas.

Becoming a powerful and respected Top-Class troop was their lifelong pursuit. Of course, they were willing to work hard.

Moreover, they all saw their hope.

In this miracle land, under the leadership of Lord Kant, there were already seniors who were about to become the Mamluke.

This was a goal that every Sarrandian soldier was after.

"Harrumph ---"

The desert horses beneath them snorted, and the elite Desert Bandits that had dispersed gradually retreated.

However, they weren't fast.

Because beside them, Jackalans with their heads lowered were walking side by side. Their bodies were covered in tattered animal skin and linen, and the spiked club that was in their hands had disappeared.

It seemed that these low-level Jackalans had been captured. They even let go of their weapons and chose to surrender.

They returned to the salt mine.

Kant looked at the prisoners, there were close to 300 low-level Jackalans. He was also stunned.

Turning his head to look at the elite Desert Bandits, he could not help but shake his head and laugh. He asked, "This really puzzled me. Why did you bring back so many captives when you went out to investigate? And these Jackalans actually obediently surrendered?"

"In fact, Lord, as you can see."

These elite Desert Bandits shrugged and said helplessly at the same time, "They really surrendered."

The Sarrandian horsemen were standing guard at the side. Although their spears were broken during the charge, the shiny Elite Scimitars were tightly held in their hands as they were vigilantly watching those dirty and sloppy low-level Jackalan. If there were any unusual movements, they would just barge in and kill them.

Even Kant found it hard to believe, not to mention the others, that these uncivilized, savage low-level Jackalans actually chose to surrender to them.

Just like it was theoretically impossible for Kant and his Oasis Lookout to surrender to the expeditionary army of the Kingdom of Grey Mane and the high-level Jackalans from the Mannheim Coast.

They were not of the same race. They were even hostile races who fought for the hegemony of the desert and survival.

There was not much difference between surrender and death. The final result was still the same...

Death!

It was just a matter of time. If they resisted, they would still have a small chance of surviving.

But once they surrendered, how could Kant let them go?

Kant snorted and stretched out his hand to instruct the elite Desert Bandits, "Since they have chosen to surrender, bring all of them back. The mine owners of the Snowfield iron mines in the Kingdom of Vaegirs were never short of Denar!"

Leniency?

It did not exist for Kant.

Which race and which power would be lenient and let their enemies go when they were on the rise?

It was just like an ancient country that had developed since ancient times, it had almost occupied half of Asia, and its enemies had been reduced to ashes one by one. Could it be that these territories were all given to it as a reward?

What a joke.

Being merciful to his enemies was being cruel to himself.

Kant preferred to eradicate the roots of the problem!

"Yes, My Lord."

The elite Desert Bandits responded, but their actions were not polite at all.

They pulled out their scabbards that were hanging on their waists and slapped the back of these low-level Jackalan's heads or cheeks. Those Jackalans, who had lost their morale and wildness, quickly gathered together.

Some people brought hemp ropes to tie up the Jackalans' hands and feet.

Although they were Jackalans, they looked no different from 300 dogs.

Kant looked at these Jackalans coldly.

He felt extremely complicated. The losers of the battle were so miserable. Only the winners chad the right to be arrogant. If he didn't want to be like the losers, other than winning the difficult battles, he needed to become stronger.

"Let's go." Kant got on the horse, turned around, and left.

"Let's go."

The elite Desert Bandits also yelled. They used the scabbard in their hands to hit the faces of the slower Jackalans.

Some used too much strength and the Jackalans were badly mutilated. Even a few of their teeth were knocked out.

But so what.

The Jackalans who had chosen to surrender and become captives didn't have the slightest bit of courage and savagery that they used to have. Although they were generally more like animals than humans, under the threat of death, they behaved more rationally.

Since they had surrendered, they did not want to die.

The whole team began to turn back.

Their speed was not fast because of the load on the caravan and the Jackalan captives.

They still ate their meals on time, set off at dawn, rested at noon, traveled in the evening, and slept at night. Their schedules were very regular.

There were no longer any Jackalans in the tribal ruins that had been destroyed by Kant.

After losing the well, this place had lost its value of existence.

In the vast desert sea, there might be oases with other water sources, but they were extremely rare. It was extremely difficult for these low-level Jackalans to find them, and even if they found them, they wouldn't be able to support too many Jackalans.

The Nahrin Desert was known as a desert for civilizations, a forbidden area for other races. It didn't exist in the poems that the poets sang but in the lessons of blood and tears.

The days of these low-level Jackalans, even if they were patient, became more and more miserable.

Of course, Kant did not care.

It would be better if all these Jackalans died in the desert so that he would not have to go back again in the future to eliminate them.

Two days and two nights passed.

The troops led by Kant finally returned to the Oasis Lookout.

They had tonnes of coarse salt but were short of water and food. The 300 Jackalan captives could not even walk properly anymore.

Chapter 115: Rich Battle Returns

The Ravenstern Ranger on the top floor had already seen Kant.

Before they reached the city gate, Firentis had already brought the Swadian Heavy Cavalry to welcome them.

The 50 heavy cavalry soldiers who were on standby, including their horses, were all heavily armored, even though they were covered in a layer of linen to block the scorching heat from the chainmail. The hooves of their horses shook the sand layer. Every step they took caused sand to splash out, leaving behind shallow holes, it looked truly terrifying.

They were known as the Class 4 cavalry with the best defensive measure and were the strongest in a group battle. This reputation was there for a reason.

"Lord Kant, welcome back in triumph."

Under the leadership of Firentis, everyone bowed respectfully to Kant.

"Mm." Although Kant was tired, he still tried to cheer up and nodded.

From the start of the journey to the salt mine, he had experienced battles and spent two days and two nights to return. It was indeed an extremely arduous journey.

Kant turned his head to look at the afternoon sun, the day was approaching dusk. Although the sun was not as hot as it was at noon, it still made him sweat profusely. Kant waved his hand and instructed, "Quickly prepare some food and water. Don't forget to give some fresh grass for the warhorse."

"Lord, everything has been prepared," Firentis replied. He was always very well-prepared.

"Very good." Kant was satisfied.

"This is my job."

Firentis bowed his head respectfully. His excellent manners stopped him from being arrogant.

At the same time, he turned his head and looked at the low-level Jackalans that were tied together. They were skin and bones, he frowned and said with a slightly apologetic tone, "Lord, I didn't know that there were so many captives. Therefore, their food and water can only be prepared after they are in the fortress."

"Don't worry about it," Kant replied.

These Jackalans were very tenacious. They wouldn't die in a short time.

To be on the safe side, the food and water that Kant only gave very little of food and water to these captives during the two days and two nights of the return journey. That could only satisfy their basic needs. They couldn't be full and energetic.

They were escorted back to the Oasis Lookout.

Manid, the merchant leader, and the infantrymen who were stationed at the city gate also came and waited respectfully.

As for the busy peasant, when they heard that their lord had returned in triumph, they all dropped their work and rushed to the city gate. They stood behind the soldiers and cheered to welcome him.

Kant rode his horse into the fortress.

There was a smile on his face. Although this was just a formality, his soldiers and the peasants were celebrating his return from the bottom of their hearts.

Vanity immediately filled his chest, he was kind of drunk on pride.

Kant sighed in his heart, "No wonder all those who are in power like to be welcomed. This feels really great."

He did not only feel special. The explosion of vanity in his mind could make him lose his head. It turned the once astute monarch into a muddle head and the general who was good at fighting into a big-head. Many people were destroyed by vanity.

Kant understood that and calmed down very quickly.

It was not because he was very rational.

It was the current situation of Drondheim that sober him up instantly.

There were not enough military buildings, the city walls were not high, there were no arrow towers, sentry towers, belfries, or weapons workshops. There was not even a military camp where soldiers can rest. At night, they could only sleep in tents that were lit by bonfires.

There were not enough houses. The few houses could only accommodate 50 peasant women.

The other 200 peasant women also had to sleep in tents.

From the outside, it looked like the Oasis Lookout was surrounded by the city walls, the soldiers were standing guard, and everything was in good order. However, in reality, the most backward northern territory in the Dukedom of Leo, the most remote Stone Pass, had a much better environment than here.

He got off the horse, and a Swadian Infantryman immediately came over and took the reins.

Kant also instructed, "Feed more water."

"Understood," the infantryman nodded and led the warhorse to the temporary stables.

The warhorses that traveled with them could not compare with camels.

Camels were known as the Boats of the Desert, and they were fed with enough food and water before the journey, they would be fine if they did not eat or drink for two days.

Warhorses were more delicate and could not do that.

During this three-day journey, Kant, the new military horse that had been meticulously nurtured in the Kingdom of Swadia, had slimmed down. It had lost its spirit from before the journey. It was obvious that this trip in the desert had exhausted it.

The Sarrandian horses of the Sarrandian Horsemen and the elite Desert Bandits' desert horses were also quite tired.

Trekking in the desert consumed three times more physical strength than trekking in the plains.

Pulling the feet out of the soft sand layer would consume physical strength, and every step was tiring. Compared to the stone or dirt roads on the plains, the sand was harder to deal with.

This was another reason why the camel-riding cavalry in the desert was stronger than the cavalry with warhorses.

Back at the Council Hall.

After Kant sat down, the peasant men and women who served as servants quickly brought him all kinds of food.

But it was still the same.

Stewed mutton, roasted bread, roasted sausage, cabbage soup.

But to Kant's surprise, there was also a layer of reddish-brown syrup on the toast, which seemed to be melted date honey sugar cubes. It tasted crisp and sweet, and together with the mutton that was also stewed with the sugar cubes, it was even more delicious.

This was not a bad cuisine.

After getting used to eating the salty and hard roasted dried meat and roasted sausage, these sweet foods were even more appetizing.

It was just that the quantity was a little small.

Just like the dishes at the king's banquet, they were famous for their delicateness and small portion.

Kant finished these sweet foods in two or three bites, but his stomach was still rumbling. He shook his head helplessly and asked the peasant women waiting beside him, "Is there any other food?"

"Yes." A smile soon decorated the peasant women's chubby faces, "It's being prepared in the kitchen."

"Then hurry up and serve the dishes." Kant nodded and urged.

These were the 50 peasant women from the Kingdom of Swadia. All of them were around 30 years old, just like the peasant men. They were quite healthy, strong, and had no problem going to the fields.

The standard Swadian women were not those delicate girls from the city. They were useless apart from being good-looking.

Soon, the following dishes were served.

The peasant woman twisted her waist that was as thick as a water bucket, her two strong legs were moving extremely fast. On her arms, which were comparable to Kant's thighs, she carried a tray and walked over to serve the food. There were two silver plates.

"Lord, this is the fried fresh fillet of antelope and fried eggs."

With a smile on her fat face, the peasant woman said proudly, "My lord, I made them myself."

"Oh, very good." Kant lowered his head, picked up the knife and fork, and ate them silently.

The taste was not bad.

The fried fillet was sprinkled with a little spice and salt, and the heat used for frying was just nice. It was also served with a sauce made of honey and cabbage. The combination was perfect. Compared to the time when it was either roasted or stewed, the taste had gone up a level.

The fried egg next to it was the same. Although it was an ordinary poached egg, it was as good as a delicacy for Kant.

The peasant women and men were still waiting for him.

Kant ate quickly, enjoying the relaxation and satisfaction of being home.

The delicious food brought a pleasant feeling to his mind, he couldn't help but let his thoughts run wild.

If this was a novel, perhaps those readers who had been looking forward to getting married would like these peasant women very much. If they married those women, not only could they have sex, but they would also have help with the housework. The peasant women could even pick up a kitchen knife and be their husbands' bodyguards, protecting them from bullies.

"Hmm, those who don't have a girlfriend will definitely like them," Kant thought silently.

After finishing the food quickly, Kant let out a breath in satisfaction.

These fried foods were much better than the coarse roasted food.

The peasant woman next to him also thoughtfully brought him a cup of hot water that was boiled with date palm powder. This was an after-meal drink, and it could also be treated as tea. The date palm flavor was very strong, and the taste was good.

Compared to those clumsy peasant men, the peasant women were better at serving people.

The fatigue from the journey was slightly alleviated.

Kant wiped the corner of his mouth with a handkerchief and ordered, "Clean it up."

"Yes, my Lord." The peasant women walked over and immediately started to put away the plates, they would take them out for cleaning.

Meanwhile, Kant stood up and walked out of the Council Hall.

The aroma of the food outside was very strong. On the street, tables and chairs were put together and piled up with food.

The Sarrandian people were eating happily. Obviously, the lamb cooked with oil was more delicious than the roasted dried meat and dried sausage. They had eaten enough of those along the way.

Manid's arrangement was also very proper.

When Kant walked out, the leader of the trade caravan hurried over to greet him, "I hope the food is to your liking."

"Very good." Kant nodded in satisfaction. "The fried food is very good."

The oil must have been purchased by the leader of the trade caravan. After all, only his trade caravan had this kind of material.

As if he was reading Kant's mind, the leader of the trade caravan smiled bitterly and shook his head, "Lord, Mr. Manid didn't buy the oil from me. He only bought a large amount of grain and linen."

"Huh?" Kant was curious.

"Those sand gazelle are very fat. It's goat oil extracted from fat."

Manid smiled and replied, "Although it has a little smell of mutton, after being covered by honey and spices, the fried food tastes pretty good. It's much better than simple baked food."

"Well done." Kant couldn't help but praise.

The price of a can of oil in the trade caravan was 500 Denars.

This was the oil that was refined from the fattest slaughtered pigs in the Continent of Caradia. Even Kant thought that it was expensive. That amount of money just to improve the food made his heartache.

After all, the weekly maintenance fee for 50 Desert Bandits was only 800 Denars.

Of course, Kant was not short of money now.

He turned to the trade caravan leader and smiled, "I have more than 300 Jackalan captives here. I can't wait to have those lovely Denars reappear in my hands."

Chapter 116: Thoughts About Slave Hunters

To Kant, the Jackalan captives that were worth 30 Denars each were the fastest way to get more Denars at the moment because as long as he wanted, countless Jackalan tribes were waiting for him in the Nahrin Desert or the Senwaya Range.

This was also the reason why he never worried about money ever since he discovered that Jackalan could be sold as captives.

"It's my honor to be able to help you solve your problems."

With a smile on his face, the leader of the trade caravan lowered his head and complimented him.

Jackalan captives were the most popular commodity in the Kingdom of Vaegirs. The owners of the Snowfield mines loved them. Although they ate a lot, most of them seemed to be honest and willing to work. One Jackalan was equal to five ordinary human miners.

They were very cost-effective.

Therefore, he asked the peasant who worked as a servant in the Council Hall to summon a guard in his trade caravan.

Soon, the door of the Council Hall was opened.

A young man wearing a linen robe, who looked energetic and capable, walked in.

He stood in front of the table and bowed respectfully. He put his hand on his chest, and said earnestly, "Good afternoon, the great Lord Kant, Mr. Manid, Uncle Joslin."

"Hello." Kant and Manid nodded in response.

Then, Kant chuckled and said in a self-deprecating tone, "I only find out that your name is Joslin now." He looked at the leader of the trade caravan and said helplessly, "I have always liked to call you 'leader of the trade caravan'."

"This is my profession, and I love it," Joslin replied with a smile.

His answer was very clever and did not make Kant feel awkward.

After all, Kant had a deep understanding of Mount & Blade in his previous life, to the point that he liked to use the title of his profession in the game to address Joslin. He also attributed the title, "leader of the trade caravan", to him alone.

It was not wrong to say that. Currently, Joslin was the only leader of the trade caravan.

"I see."

Joslin instructed the young man whom he admired the most, "Count the number of captives and feed the new captives some food and water. When the number reached 500, I will let you lead the team back to Reyvadin."

"I won't let you down, Uncle Joslin." Joy was written all over the young man's face.

"Go." Joslin waved his hand.

"Yes, sir." The young guard immediately bowed respectfully and left. From his jubilant look, one could tell that he was very eager to lead his team back to Reyvadin.

"Your nephew?"

After he left, Manid smiled and said, "He looks a little too young."

"Yes, he's already 17 years old, but he's still so easily agitated." The leader of the trade caravan nodded helplessly. He understood what Manid meant, he sighed and said, "Let him try this time. At least, with Lord Kant's reputation, not a single bandit gang on the continent of Caradia dares to rob the trade caravan from the land of miracles. This could be his training."

"It's always good for young people to get more training." Kant nodded.

Although he was only 16 years old, he had lived for two lifetimes. Summing up the years he had lived, he was already over 40 years old. He could be considered as a middle-aged man.

"I think so too." Joslin nodded, sighed, and said, "He is the son of my former comrade-in-arms. However, my comrade-in-arms died in the war with the Khergit people. Before he died, he asked me to help look after his son. His son is pretty good. He is proficient in riding and swordsmanship. He has inherited his father's bravery."

"A brave father will never have a weak son." Kant nodded and comforted him.

The atmosphere in the Council Hall was a little sad.

Manid noticed that and switched the topic to business.

As the most outstanding descendent of the Nord merchant family, he was completely able to control the situation during the conversation.

The joyous atmosphere was back.

Soon, the young man returned.

Again, he bowed respectfully and reported to Kant and Joslin, "There are 322 Jackalan captives. If they are purchased at 30 Denars each. The total value is 9,660 Denars."

"Close to 10,000 Denars?"Kant raised his eyebrows slightly. Although he was already prepared, he was still shocked.

Although most of the Jackalans he killed along the way to the salt mine were in small numbers, there were more than 1,000 of them added together.

Now that he thought about it, those that had been killed were not Jackalans.

They were 30,000 to 40,000 Denars! But they had been casually slaughtered and discarded in the desert. They had become worthless!

Shaking his head slightly, Kant thought about the Jackalans in the Senwaya Range. He couldn't help but lick the corner of his mouth, "It seems that I really need to set up a slave-hunting team in the future."

Manid nodded in agreement, "That's a good idea."

"Yeah." Kant frowned. Perhaps this idea could be implemented.

The current Oasis Lookout was quite barren. The only commodity that could be produced on a large scale was probably salt.

However, although salt was precious, Kant knew that there were restrictions.

The system would not accept the materials produced in this world at all. In the end, the salt could only be traded with the merchants of this world. At most, it could be converted into silver coins and become Kant's capital so that he could rapidly establish a business circle with Oasis Lookout as its center.

According to Kant and Manid's ideas, the most they could do was to wait for the economy of this world to be sufficiently developed and use silver coins to start purchasing gold that was allowed to be exchanged for Denars. However, this would not only be troublesome, but it would also easily cause turmoil in the already perfect financial world, this would then affect the business circle that Kant had established in this world, and the impact would be quite significant.

The business was scaled.

Exchanging silver coins for gold on a large scale would ultimately cause the price of gold to keep rising.

The rise of gold price would also affect other businesses, such as economic exchanges between countries and commodities trading. This would then destroy the entire business structure, from top to bottom.

In ancient times where there was no concept of business, the consequences of the collapse of the business chain were quite serious.

"Manid, remember the plan about the slave-hunting team."

Kant turned his head and looked at the Nord business genius he trusted the most. "Perhaps we should discuss it with Firentis tonight. I think this plan is feasible."

"I agree." Manid nodded.

At that time, the leader of the trade caravan, Joslin, had also finished counting the number of captives and the Denars that they would be paid.

He pondered for a while and turned his head to report to Kant, "Lord Kant, currently you have captured 442 Jackalans. If you can capture another 58 Jackalans, then King Yarogelk's entrustment will be completed."

"58 more?" Kant nodded and frowned, "That's very simple."

The special quest arranged by King Yarogelk of Vaegirs had a final reward of five Honor Points.

Kant was quite covetous of this.

Five Honor Points represented five chances to draw a lottery. He would never let this chance slip by.

His fingers were tapping gently on the table. Kant ordered with a solemn expression, "Somebody, send my order to Firentis, and ask him to lead the Swadian Cavalrymen to patrol the surroundings of the oasis and get more Jackalan captives back."

"Yes, sir."

The Swadian Infantrymen, who were standing guard at the door, immediately answered.

They were guards, but they were also messengers.

They pushed open the thick wooden door and walked outside. Kant's order was conveyed and carried out.

Many Jackalans were hiding just behind the dune not far from the Oasis Lookout. Some were run out and killed before, some escaped. These were the targets Kant planned to capture.

Although the Swadian Cavalrymen were not as efficient as the Sarrandian Horsemen, they were able to go deep into the desert.

However, when patrolling at close range, these 'land tanks' were extremely efficient.

Furthermore, with Firentis leading them, it would not take long for them to complete the mission. Perhaps during dinner tonight, they would be able to capture a large number of Jackalans. As long as they crushed those stubborn Jackalans who resisted with their horses' hooves, the other Jackalans who were famished would definitely choose to surrender. This was really simple.

Kant muttered to himself.

On his retina, his current balance was shown.

[ Balance: 15,614 Denars ]

The cost of the Desert Bandits' level up and the cost of building the canal had been taken into account.

However, after selling the Jackalan captives twice and together with the balance from before, Kant's savings had increased to nearly 16,000 Denars. Basically, he had enough money for the construction of the stronghold this month and the expenses of the troops.

"Lord, we'll be heading out for the time being."

The leader of the trade caravan, Joslin, bowed and left the Council Hall with his nephew.

The trade caravan that was currently deployed in the grocery store still had important matters to deal with. Especially with so many captives, Joslin was not comfortable at letting his subordinates handle all of them.

"Okay." Kant nodded to indicate that he understood.

Only he and Manid were still in the Council Hall.

With a frown, Kant raised his head and told Manid beside him about his arrangements, "In that case, arrange for some peasant men and women to boil the white salt as soon as possible tonight. You can set off tomorrow morning."

"Understood."Manid nodded.

"And the posthouse." Kant frowned and said to Manid, "Let seven Swadian Infantrymen and ten Desert Bandits station there. If the Stone Pass wants to open up a trade route, tell them that our trading station is there. If they continue to go further, they will enter the Baron's private estate that is not open to the public."

"Understood." Manid nodded. These were the plans that they had already discussed.

Knocking on the table, Kant was still a little worried.

He looked up and said to Manid, "Put more charcoal when boiling the salt to absorb the impurities. I don't want my salt to be bitter. Or else, other than those serfs who have never eaten salt, it will become a joke that the noble loathes."

"Please rest assured." Manid solemnly guaranteed, "This will not happen."

Chapter 117: Completion of the Special Quest

Kant also expressed his approval after seeing his solemn expression.

Whether or not he could use the refined white salt to open up the market of the Dukedom of Leo would depend on the first deal between Manid and Baron Dylan. If it went well, everything would go smoothly in the future.

The Stone Pass that connected the Dukedom of Leo and the Nahrin Desert would become the shield of Oasis Lookout.

But Kant did not think that this shield would be forever reliable.

On the contrary, if he showed signs of weakness, this shield would not hesitate to retaliate.

Baron Dylan, who was at the Stone Pass, could rise from an ordinary cavalryman from a foreign country to a baron of the Dukedom of Leo in just twenty years. He was not a stupid man who only rely on battle achievements, because that was unrealistic.

However, Kant did not care.

He dared to join forces with Baron Dylan although it was like asking for a tiger for his skin. He was confident.

As long as Baron Dylan could help him block most of the attention and malice in the early stage and allow Kant to survive in the Oasis Lookout, which was still weak. When the Oasis Lookout eventually became strong enough and could protect itself, the shield's job was done.

And when that time came, even if Baron Dylan did not want to continue being a shield, it was not up to him.

There were no urgent matters to be dealt with at the moment.

Manid got up and walked out of the Council Hall to start preparing for tonight's salt-making work.

Kant gave up the authority completely.

The salt-making technique was not difficult. The Sarrandian people had already told Manid to find a few strong peasant men and women. The sugar-making workshop close to the city wall was temporarily used as a salt-making workshop.

The peasant men and women were busy.

Sacks of coarse salt were piled at the door.

Nearly forty sacks were piled up into a half-a-meter-high city wall, taking up half of the street.

Charcoal, firewood, and oil for ignition were also prepared.

The two stoves in the sugar workshop were also cleaned and stuffed with firewood and charcoal. They were sprinkled with oil and ignited. Black smoke was released into the air from the chimney on the roof. There were no clouds and no wind. A stream of black smoke rose into the sky, it was quite eye-catching in the Nahrin Desert. It could be seen clearly from a distance that would take half a day to reach.

It was like a warning smoke or a signal to mark the location of the Oasis Lookout.

There were gains and losses.

The large-scale salt or sugar refining, because of the use of large amounts of charcoal and firewood, produced thick black smoke. It was like telling everyone that this was the Oasis Lookout that produced sugar and salt.

At the same time, it would also let malicious people know the exact location of the Oasis Lookout.

But it didn't matter.

Anyone could easily find the Oasis Lookout.

Within the Dukedom of Leo, there was still a map that marked the route from the Stone Pass to the Oasis Lookout. Otherwise, Kant wouldn't have dared to venture deep into the Nahrin Desert with just a few men.

Perhaps the expedition army of the Grey Mane Kingdom would be able to capture a few low-level Jackalans and let these true natives lead the way.

Although this world did not have GPS, those experienced leaders in the army could still find the right path with the stars and the Sun, as well as many geographical details that ordinary people did not care about.

Kant was beginning to learn the skills, so he knew how that would work.

Compared to the returns and benefits obtained from refining salt, these were all small problems that could be ignored.

The salt refining process continued.

If there were no limitations on charcoal and firewood, Kant would even increase the scale of salt refining.

However, tomorrow morning, the refined white salt would enter the Stone Pass. On the return trip, he would use his connections with Baron Dylan to buy a large amount of grain, charcoal, and iron tools. When Kant first arrived, he had prepared six horses and three carriages, they would return with these materials, solving the problems in the Oasis Lookout, forming a virtuous cycle brought about by trade exchanges.

In the sugar workshop, the speed of salt refining was also increasing.

Sacks of coarse salt and spring water were poured into the iron pot. As the temperature rose, the salt quickly dissolved and turned into saltwater.

Firewood was added up to the bottom of the pot.

The saltwater began to bubble and boil, and an extremely ugly grey foam appeared on the boiling water.

These were all impurities in coarse salt, various substances left behind when the salt-alkali land dried up were the main reason why the coarse salt was so bitter that it could not be eaten. It may even be poisonous and cause diarrhea.

The peasant women would deal with this.

They carefully skimmed the foam off and scooped it up the foam with a spoon. After the saltwater was slightly clearer, they poured it into a wooden bucket.

Charcoal was placed neatly in the bucket.

The water with a very high salt content was poured into the bucket, leaving only the last layer at the bottom. It was all grey and sticky to the touch. It was either soil, sand, or heavy metal residues, which were impurities that could not be absorbed by the human body, after sinking to the bottom, they would end up like the foam. It was poured into another wooden bucket and would be discarded later.

Then, the iron pot would be cleaned and the above steps would be repeated.

The saltwater that had been refined with these steps could already be consumed right away. Although the taste was still slightly bitter, ordinary people would not care.

Most of the salt was consumed by the noble families.

Next in line were the wealthy citizens in the cities who had decent jobs. They would still buy the salt although it was expensive and consume it during certain festivals.

The peasants in the countryside, the serfs who did not have freedom did not belong to the group of salt consumers.

If Kant was willing to sell these slightly bitter salt at a low price, it would be welcomed by most people. This was because this salt, which could even be afforded by the peasants in the countryside, would become a windfall that swept across the entire country.

Although the price was low, the quantity was large.

It was just like the salt industry of an ancient country, it was monopolized. While making salt affordable to ordinary people, they would also make a profit through quantity.

But Kant would not adopt such a trade plan.

Or rather...

Why would he want to turn the expensive salt, a luxury product that only noble families could afford, a commodity that was as precious as spices, into a common condiment that even ordinary people could afford to eat?

Kant had control over the source of salt production.

But he was not the only one who produced salt. The distant Dwarf Kingdom also produced salt.

The Dukedom of Leo already had merchants who used this as a means to make a fortune. They basically relied on this, and they would not let others interfere. This was also why Kant would give the vast majority of the profits to Baron Dylan.

Kant let Baron Dylan attract the firepower of those who once had a vested interest to win time for himself.

On the other hand, completely breaking the rules of the salt industry by turning salt into a condiment that both the peasants and the serfs could afford to eat would completely trigger the conflict.

It would no longer be a commercial competition.

Instead, it would be like subverting a culture. It would be so serious that it would cause a huge protest in the entire Dukedom of Leo.

Those high and mighty noble families would never allow it. The lowly peasants would never be allowed to eat the same salt, even if it looked similar but actually tasted bitter.

This was an extremely strict social system.

Bloodline determined everything.

If Kant changed this, even if it was just a symbolic thing, the consequences were not something he could bear at the moment.

This was his concern.

But Kant did not want to change this, because high-grade fine white salt was a rare luxury item that only appeared in noble banquets. The selling price was very profiteering, and it allowed him to quickly accumulate power.

Even if he shared most of the profits with Baron Dylan, the return would still be generous!

Because he controlled the salt mine.

Just like now.

After the impurities had been filtered by the charcoal, the remaining saltwater was poured into another iron pot.

As the firewood burned and the flame licked the bottom of the pot, the water quickly evaporated, and the remaining salt liquid became thicker and thicker. Eventually, the crystallized white salt began to form and adhere to the bottom of the pot. It was as white as snow and extremely beautiful.

The peasant women immediately used wooden shovels to take the salt out and put it in specially prepared gunny sacks.

However, the amount of refined white salt was much less.

Usually, a bag of coarse salt would be dissolved and filtered, and then the white salt would form. In the end, it would only fill up half a bag.

Almost half of the salt would be lost.

However, thanks to the vast difference between their prices, even if more than half of the salt was lost, the remaining half a bag of white salt would be worth 40 bags of coarse salt. This was hundreds of times more profit!

The appearance of the first finished product encouraged these peasant women and men.

They began to speed up and become more and more skilled.

By the look of their excitement, Kant knew that by tomorrow morning, these 40 bags of coarse salt would definitely be successfully refined and turned into fine white salt that was expensive but loved by the nobles.

With Manid's supervision, efficiency was guaranteed.

Kant was relieved.

Now, he still had another important matter to deal with.

Firentis had already brought his team back.

Behind the 50 Swadian Heavy Cavalrymen, there were over a hundred Jackalan captives with dirt-covered faces and bloodstains on their bodies. Looking at their fearful expressions, one could tell that they had already experienced how terrifying the heavy cavalry could be.

Without hesitation, Kant ordered Firentis and the leader of the trade caravan, Joslin, to quickly go to the Council Hall.

Emergency notification.

Once Joslin completed his inspection and officially purchased the 100 Jackalan captives, they would then have a total of 500 captives, the special quest from the Kingdom of Vaegirs could be announced as complete.

And the five Honor Points would officially belong to Kant.

Thinking about the big gift pack he could get from the lucky draw, Kant couldn't wait any longer.

"Lord Kant."

Firentis and Joslin walked into the Council Hall and bowed respectfully to Kant.

"Well done."

Kant nodded to Firentis with a smile on his face.

However, he turned to look at the leader of the trade caravan, Joslin, and said directly, "You've checked, right? I think with these captives, together with the ones captured previously, there should be 500 people, right?"

"Yes, Lord Kant."

Joslin nodded and reported, "This time, there are a total of 103 captives, which is equivalent to 3,090 Denars." After a pause, he continued, "In total, there are now 572 captives, the requirements of the quest are fulfilled."

"That's good," Kant chuckled.

Chapter 118: Kant’s Five-Draw

There was no doubt about Firentis's ability.

This time, they captured 103 Jackalan captives, and it was another 3,090 denars. The crisp sound of metal coins colliding was really pleasing to the ears, Kant's smiley face became more brilliant.

Looking up at the leader of the trade caravan, Joslin, Kant smiled and said, "Then my mission should be completed?"

"Of course, it has been completed, and it is quite outstanding."

Joslin stood up, put his hands on his chest, and bent down, using the most solemn etiquette of the Vaegirss, he answered respectfully, "Please allow me to express my most respectful gratitude to you on behave of King Yarogelk. The 545 Jackalan captives you sold us are the beginning of our good cooperation from now on."

Kant raised his eyebrows slightly. "Will the Kingdom of Vaegirs also purchase these Jackalan captives on a large scale in the future?"

"Of course.", Joslin nodded affirmatively. "There is never too much of snowfield mine."

"That's good.", Kant chuckled.

Since the iron mine on the snowfield of Vaegirs was so enthusiastic on the demand the Jackalan captives, then he would not hesitated.

In order to fight for the dominance of the Nahrin Desert and the lumber of the Senwaya Range, Kant would needed to have a fierce conflict with this primitive and savage race. Now, he could made money at the price of 30 denar for a Jackalan captive, it was just like recycling trashes.

He could kill them if he wanted to, but now he could exchange the captives for money. It was a no-cost business!

On his retina, a dialog box instantly popped up.

[ Ding... After your unremitting efforts, the mission has been completed ]

[ Special quest: "The Kingdom of Vaegirs's mission has been completed"]

[ Reward: Honor × 5]

[ Introduction: the Kingdom of Vaegirs, which is rich in iron ores, is difficult to excavate because the iron ores are located in the snowy plains. Now, you have provided more than 500 Jackalan slaves to help the Kingdom of Vaegirs solve this difficult problem. Many mine owners and noble families express their gratitude to you, and hope to maintain a good slave trade with you. ]

The dialog box showed that the mission was completed.

Kant's coveted 5 honor points were obtained immediately.

In his opinion, this was the most useful thing in the system reward, especially when combined with the system mall's lucky draw. If he was lucky enough to get a good item, it would be a huge profit!

However, the system dialog box had not ended yet.

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ You have obtained the friendship of the Kingdom of Vaegirs. ]

[ Additional reward: Reputation × 1000]

Kant was slightly stunned by this.

His eyes swept across the dialog box on his retina. Kant subconsciously swallowed his saliva. He was a little puzzled. "Obtained the... friendship of the Kingdom of Vaegirs?"

This system prompt was a little vague.

The system did not have a detailed prompt on what the friendship of the Kingdom of Vaegirs really meant.

"My Lord."

The leader of the trade caravan, Joslin, bowed slightly. "If possible, I would like to assist my nephew in arranging the carriage back home. You know, this will be his first time leading a trade caravan. I have many important details to explain to him."

"Of course, this is what I should do.", Kant came back to his senses and nodded in agreement.

"Thank you for your kindness.", Joslin bowed and walked out of the council hall.

Joslin, the leader of the trade caravan, was very attentive to his nephew. He busied himself as if he was his own son. Kant nodded and praised, "He is a good guy."

"He is worthy of being a reliable comrades.", Firentis also agreed.

However, Firentis still stood up and said to Kant, "Lord, if there is nothing else here, I will go and patrol the city walls. It is close to night, I am afraid that something will happen."

"Yes, arrange the soldiers on night duty.", Kant nodded.

"Understood.", Firentis replied and also strode out of the council hall.

Only Kant was left on the long table.

Turning his head to look at the empty council hall, there were only a few guards and peasant women waiting. Kant stood up and casually ordered, "Don't wait for me at dinner, I will come down myself."

"Understood, my Lord.", the peasant women immediately nodded.

The appetizing smell of cooking food had begun to spread.

The aroma of frying and barbecuing could be smelled coming from the narrow hole in the council hall.

It was almost dinner time.

Although he was a little hungry, Kant did not care. He quickly walked towards the stairs and entered his room on the third floor. He lied on the soft and comfortable bed with velvet cushions and closed his eyes.

"System, enter the system mall to draw the lottery."

Kant's mind connected directly to the system and went straight to the point.

This was what he was most concerned about.

[ Ding... System mall is ready. ]

As Kant's mind communicated with the system, a dialog box appeared on his retina.

The colorful treasure chest was in the middle, and a faint colorful light was glimmering within. It seemed to be waiting for the moment to be opened, and it would bloomed with an unbelievable surprise.

"Begin the lottery draw."

Taking a deep breath, Kant didn't hesitate.

Moreover, his tone was quite certain, and he directly chose, "Proceed with the five-draw!"

Although it was a five-draw, and there wasn't an additional reward of ten-draw, Kant couldn't wait for too long. What he wanted was a five-draw, and without any hesitation!

[ Ding... system lottery draw begins. ]

The dialog box popped up.

The treasure chest slowly opened, and the colorful light became even more dazzling.

And at the moment it was fully opened, dialog box after dialog box popped up on Kant's retina, indicating the grand prizes of the five-draws.

[ Ding... you have acquired the "troop class pack". ]

[ You have opened the troop class pack and found out that it was Vaegirs Archers X 50 from the Kingdom of Vaegirs. ]

A wonderful beginning.

Kant's lips curled up slightly.

Vaegirs archer, Level 4 troop class, the main long-range archer that second only to Vaegirs marksman.

The system dialog box then popped up.

[ Ding... you have acquired the "troop class pack"]

[ You have opened the troop class pack and found out that it was Swadian Crossbowmen Kingdom of Swadia. ]

This time, Kant was slightly stunned.

Unexpectedly, another troop class pack had appeared.

And it was also a level 4 troop class.

It was the Kingdom of Swadia's main long-range attack force, the Swadina crossbowman.

Kant's eyes were bright.

He was looking forward to the next pack.

[ Ding... you have acquired the "construction pack"]

[ You have opened the construction pack and discovered that it is the "Arrow Tower X 4". ]

The system dialog box popped up.

Unexpectedly, the construction pack was actually the arrow tower that was completely compatible with the troop class pack.

And there were four of it.

Before Kant could be more surprised.

The dialog box then popped up on his retina.

The fourth one.

[ Ding... you have acquired the "construction pack"]

[ You have opened the construction pack and discovered that it was "City Wall Attic (increased height)"]

It was still the construction pack.

However, Kant frowned slightly. He had never heard of the this building he obtained in the original version.

Soon after, the dialog box for the lucky draw appeared again.

It was the last one.

[ Ding... you have acquired the "item pack" ]

[ You have the item pack and found out that it was "Ammunition reloading spell x 3 times"]

All five consecutive draws had ended.

There was no additional reward.

Kant had already understood it in his heart. He did not feel any regret. Instead, he frowned slightly. All the items that he had obtained from this draw appeared on his retina. His heart beat was beating fast.

This time he system's draw still yielded a bountiful prizes.

All of these were things that Kant urgently needed or could use!

"50 Vaegirs archers, 50 Swadian crossbowmen."

Kant swallowed his saliva.

His gaze swept across the other gift packs as he silently said, "Four arrow towers, city walls attics." His tone was a little surprised, "And... three rounds of ammunition reloading?"

These were the results of the lucky draw.

It was a completely defensive-oriented reward.

Or rather, it was a long-range firepower-oriented reward.

The two troop class pack was the most obvious indication.

50 Vaegirs archers and 50 Swadian crossbowmen were all archers. When these 100 long-range attackers joined Oasis Lookout, it immediately alleviated the current situation of relying on only 20 Ravenston rangers, their long-ranged attack density was very low.

There were still four arrow towers. As long as they were placed around the walls of Drondheim fortress, with the standards of these level 4 and Level 5 archers, it would be no problem for their firepower to cover a distance of 200 meters from a high point!

Moreover, there was also the "Ammunition reloading spell" for three times.

This made Kant think of the magic spell of the fantasy MOD, "Wind of War: New Era". When the archers did not have enough ammunition, they could automatically reload it. It was quite a practical spell.

Slightly clenching his fist, Kant nodded in satisfaction. "The lucky draw this time was really good."

The expedition army of the Kingdom of Gray Mane was already within reach.

Their firepower output was extremely weak, these buildings and troop class completely made up for the weakness of Kant's troop class.

Moreover, with the three rounds of ammunition reloading, their firepower became even more durable. If those Jackalan dared to attack, Kant would not hesitate to have his archers unleash all their firepower!

The rain of arrows was one of the effective ways to stop the siege.

"Perhaps, I'll need to purchase a large number of arrows to go to the Stone Pass.", Kant made up his mind.

If Kant's guess was correct.

Every Vaegirs archers should have a quiver, which could hold more than 30 arrows.

The Swadian crossbowmen were about the same. They were equipped with a quiver and more than 30 arrows.

Even with three rounds of ammunition reloading, they could only increase their firepower by three times. Ninety arrows per person was not a lot in a city defense battle. In other words, there were only 9,000 arrows per 100 people, it was still very little.

Therefore, they also needed to purchase military supplies at the Stone Pass to replenish their supplies.

Although Kant's buildings had a weapons workshop that could produce arrows and crossbows, they lacked wood, iron, feathers, and other raw materials. They also lacked blacksmiths, fletchers, and other professional craftsmen. It was impossible to manufacture the arrows and crossbows.

They could only buy these items.

Considering the benefits of cooperating with Baron Dylan, Kant was certain that this cunning baron would agree.

Baron Dylan did not knew that the Jackalan tribe in the Nahrin Desert had basically been wiped out.

If he lost Kant, a partner who could provide a large amount of salt, and he could not directly lead the troops into the oasis. Before he could personally seized the salt mines, he would get endless of military supplies.

Chapter 119: The New Situation Before the Banquet

The evening gradually came to an end. The glittering stars accompanied the moon, dazzling their own light in the sky.

It was like a soft gauze falling on the ground, brought upon the gender night.

The wooden stick was wrapped in linen strips and soaked with oil. The Swadian light footmen of the patrol team made some simple torches and held it in their hands. They were patrolling along the outer dune of the Oasis Lookout before nightfall.

On the streets within the city walls, the same torches were lit and inserted into the specially-made notches on both sides of the walls.

The torches were brightly lit, as if it were daytime.

The entire street was clearly visible.

This made it easier for the busy peasants and peasant women to get busy with their work.

Tables and chairs were moved out of the house.

At the same time, wooden bowls and plates, as well as knives, forks, and spoons, were prepared.

The rich aroma of food permeated the air. Ten roasted golden sand gazelle were brought to the table, including sliced bread in small wicker baskets, and white salt sprinkled with a little spice on the wooden plates.

And there were tubs of cabbage soup, it was steaming hot and had a tempting smell.

It was time for dinner.

And it was a feast specially prepared to celebrate the victory.

There was also that fascinating malt liquor.

It was all goods from the Reyvadin trade caravan.

For tonight's banquet and to celebrate the successful establishment of the fortress, including the launch of the table salt trade, Manid took the initiative to purchase 10 barrels of malt liquor. Although the price was slightly expensive which reaching to 250 denars per barrel, it had a very good relaxing effect for those who had been busy for a long time, like the soldiers and civilians who were stressed out.

Manid had already reported it, and Kant also agreed.

It was already soaked in the cold spring water, and it could be pulled up and opened when the meal began.

Taking a sip of the amber-colored liquor, the slight malt sweetness spread in his mouth along with the coolness. He swallowed it in one gulp and let out a satisfied burp. Before the satisfaction feeling gone, he used a small knife to cut a piece of roasted golden lamb, dipped it in salt, and put it in his mouth, it was very delicious.

Just thinking about it could made ones' felt like their mouth and stomach were going to explode tonight!

Everyone's faces were filled with joy.

Food and wine, the eternal rule of all things.

The soldiers who were off-duty also came over to help.

The malt liquors that were cold in the spring water were all scooped up and placed neatly beside the long table. The wet wine barrels had yet to be wiped clean, and a circle of water had soaked the sand and soil under their feet.

They could not waited to taste the liquor.

No one could refused the amber-like liquor flowed down their throats. It was refreshing and addicting.

However, Lord Kant, their lord had yet to come down, so no one would really drank the malt liquor, even if it was just a sip.

This was respect for the worthy lord from the bottom of their hearts.

After patrolling, the Swadian footmen returned with torches. After confirming that there were no problems, they exchanged duties with their companions, put down the burden of a busy day, and walked toward the streets in groups of three or five.

The light footmen who took over the duties stood at the city gates or the city walls as sentries.

At night, they just needed to carefully guard the city walls and the key points.

However, there were still elite Swadian footmen wearing heavy armor to form a patrol team to patrol the interior of the fortress.

The patrol was loose on the outside but tight on the inside. Safety was the first priority.

Everyone was waiting for orders on both sides of the street. Those who were familiar with each other sat together, chatting about interesting stories from the past. From time to time, they even laughed out loud. The atmosphere was very lively.

The banquet was about to begin.

As the host, Manid stood at the chair of the long table and nodded to himself when he saw the lively atmosphere.

From the looks of it, this banquet was already halfway to success.

"Has Lord Kant not come down yet?"

After Firentis had arranged for the night sentries and patrols, he quickly walked over.

However, he did not saw Kant. He could not helped but turned his head to look at the towering council hall at the side. He said to Manid somewhat helplessly, "Didn't anyone call for Lord Kant? Perhaps he fell asleep because he was too tired."

"No.", Manid was also helpless. "Lord Kant told me not to call for him for dinner."

"But, this banquet might be disappointing without Lord Kant.", Firentis was slightly stunned, then shook his head and smiled bitterly.

This was a celebration banquet.

Currently, Oasis Lookout had held the largest banquet.

Roasted sheep, roasted meat, dried sausage, and all kinds of food were piled on the table.

There was also cabbage soup and malt liquor. They were all quite luxurious food.

In order to successfully host the banquet tonight, many spices were added to the food. For the current Oasis Lookout, this was equivalent to sumptuous banquet condiment.

But now, Lord Kant didn't showed up.

The owner of Oasis Lookout, the Lord of Drondheim fortress, he had to show up at the banquet.

"Wait."

Firentis's pupils shrank.

He turned to look at the corner at the edge of the city wall and said in astonishment, "I don't remember there being... That's..."

"What?", Manid also turned to look.

The soldiers who were still chatting had also noticed something. They all stood up and looked around with widened eyes, as if they had discovered something.

However, their eyes were filled with joy.

"Is that the arrow tower?"

Firentis's voice burst out, and his tone was full of surprise. "There are also city walls attics?"

"That's right.", Manid nodded in agreement.

Everyone inside and outside of the fortress nodded in affirmation, especially the Swadian people, who were even more surprised.

The arrow tower that was made entirely of stone, as well as the city wall attics were made of solid wood, had a strong style of the Kingdom of Swadia. How could these Swasdian soldiers not reminisced and touched?

"This is Lord Kant's miracle."

Manid opened his mouth, everyone at the banquet cheered up instantly.

In their impression, this was a supreme power that only a god could achieve.

And they also knew it.

Lord Kant, the lord who followed by those in the land of miracles, could also do it!

Everyone's faces were filled with joy and smiles. The appearance of these buildings represented the rise of the city defense system once again, and it was a guarantee of their safety. Especially the peasant and peasant women, they were so excited that they wept.

This meant that they had a chance to survive.

Under the enemy's attack, they had the strength to fight back.

In the rectangular fortress, arrow towers appeared on all four corners. The height of the tower was 10 meters, which was the same as the council hall. The width of the tower was 5 meters, and it was divided into three levels. At least 30 archers could be stationed there. It was like a giant covered with thorns, guarding the fortress with its chest out.

The stone wall, which had only a concave and convex arrow-blocking wall, had changed greatly.

The most eye-catching part was its height.

The stone wall, which was 5 meters tall, had become 7 meters tall. The attic was made of wood, it was 2 meters tall. Not only did it increased the height of the wall, but it could also blocked the wind and rain, and even blocked the rain of arrows from the sky.

This was the attic where the archers were stationed. It really was developed from the normal attic where the people lived.

It not only improved the survival of the archers.

When the war had not started, it could be used as a resting place for the archers, and they could guard their posts day and night.

If the war came.

These archers pushed open the window-like shooting holes, and they could turned this attic, which was usually blocked the wind and rain, into a giant beast of death that spewed countless arrows. They could let the attacking troops know what the anger of the city defenders was.

"Wu --"

The sound of an alarm horn suddenly sounded from the top of the council hall.

The Ravenstern ranger stuck his head out from above the wall, pointed to the east and shouted loudly, "An unidentified army is approaching!"

"What?"

Firentis was slightly stunned, and there was still some doubt on his face.

But he immediately clenched his fists and shouted to the surrounding soldiers, "Everyone, get into battle status. Immediately set up a defense on the city wall. Before receiving new orders, maintain the defense on the city wall!"

"Understood!", the soldiers on the streets who were still waiting for the banquet to begin roared in unison.

Everyone's expressions were death serious.

This was because the unidentified troops were still heading towards the Oasis Lookout. At the moment, all they could thought of was that the expedition army of the Kingdom of Grey Mane from the Mannheim Coast was here to conquer their enemy troops!

"Wait, it doesn't seem to be the enemy!"

At the top of the council hall, the Ravenstern ranger stuck his head out and shouted.

Looking at his comrades who were ready for battle, the ranger looked a little embarrassed, but he still shouted at them, "It seems to be the troops of the Kingdom of Vaegirs and the Kingdom of Swadia. Send someone out to take a look."

The soldiers who were rushing towards the city wall subconsciously stopped in their tracks.

The Kingdom of Vaegirs..

And the Kingdom of Swadia?

The leader of the trade caravan, Joslin, was stunned. He was a Vaegirs.

Firentis frowned, he reprimanded the ranger, "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

The ranger replied apologetically, "Sorry, I didn't make it clear."

"Make it clear next time!", Firentis snorted.

But he didn't continue reprimanding him, he turned to the soldiers around him and ordered again, "Disarm the alarm and send a few light footmen to investigate. If it's the troops of the Kingdom of Vaegirs and the Kingdom of Swadia, bring them here. To be able to come to the land of miracles means that they are brave warriors who are willing to follow Lord Kant and help us."

"Yes.", the four elite desert bandit replied and quickly ran to the stable.

After finding their own desert horses, they untied the reins and mounted the horse. They immediately ran out of the city gate and headed towards the dune on the east side.

Right behind the dune, a 100-man army was walking in an orderly formation. Other than the little noises of stepping on the sand layer and pulling out the sand, the entire army was silent. They only walked towards the direction of the Oasis Lookout.

Although the formation was tight, these 100 people were clearly divided.

50 people were Vaegirs archers.

And another 50 people were Swadian crossbowmen.

Chapter 120: Soldiers in High Spirits

Four desert bandits galloped on their horses and soon appeared at the top of the sand dunes.

Holding the desert horses in their legs, they looked ahead, cold sweat instantly dripping down their temples. The hand holding the reins slowly lifted the hilt of the knife on their waist, but without any impulse. They swallowed saliva and rode their horses quietly on the top of the dunes.

Out of the dunes below, within a range of nearly 100 meters, hundreds of archers had lined up.

Arrows and crossbows had also aimed at them now.

Although they had not drawn their bows and pulled the trigger, these fierce men who fought over the battlefield knew that if they showed any hostility or pulled out their machetes to charge, in less than a second a shower of arrows would cover the top of the dunes where the four of them were, completely turning them into real hedgehogs with arrows or crossbows .

The indifferent eyes of the hundreds of archers were fixed on the four of them.

The slightest movement would make a shower of arrows.

Even turned around to escape they wouldn't, nor would they dare run away.

The speed of four-legged desert horses was indeed fast, but they were nowhere near as fast as a shower of arrows that could fly through the air.

Moreover, there still had a mission.

''Don't be impulse,'' the chief desert bandit spoke slowly.

And his hand, quite slowly, loosened from the hilt of the knife at his waist, and re-tighting the reins, he tapped the horse belly lightly to give it two steps forward, and he said: ''This is the fief of Lord Kant, strange troops from the Kingdom of Virginia and Swadia, tell me your intentions.''

His words seemed to have worked.

The longbows and crossbows that were aimed at them initialy were all lowered, and also showed their goodwill.

This was a slight relief to the four desert bandits.

It seemed really not the enemies.

And among the hundred people, two of them looked at each other and seemed to be the leaders. They came out at the same time, put down their weapons completely and spoke in unison.

''We are 50 crossbowmen from the Kingdom of Swadia, came to following Kant's honor.''

''We are 50 archers from the Kingdom of Virginia, came to following Kant's honor.''

These words officially identified them.

The four elite desert bandits completely relaxed, shaking their reins and walking down the dunes, a smile and a nod to them: ''We are here to greet you, our new friends from Swadia and Virginia. Welcome to the Land of Miracles!''

If not enemies, then friends.

Both sides put away their weapons. After all, they knew the Sarrandan people well enough.

Soon, the elite desert bandit took them back to the sentry oasis.

The Swadian light infantry, who was standing guard at the city gate, smiled at them and, without hesitation, directly asked the gate to be opened and let in all these archers.

Both are the same arms of the Kingdom of Swadia, a look could tell true or false.

''Welcome.''

Fhartis also came outside the street to greet them.

Looking at these energetic archers, he nodded with satisfaction: ''Your arrival, so that our defense system can finally come into use.'' Shruggling slightly, he pointed with a smile at the rampart attics and arrow towers: ''Without you archers and crossbowmen, our fortifications would be useless.''

''Glad we could help,'' the crossbowmen replied humbly.

The atmosphere became very harmonious.

The crossbowmen from the Kingdom of Virginia and Swadia had also heard of the tales of Fhartis.

This former wandering knight was one of the few nobles on the continent.

Many lords wanted to enlist this knight with noble blood who had honed himself while wandering, but for reasons of ideological Fhartis did not accept the title and instead came to the Land of Miracles to serve Lord Kant.

And for all of us, this was the highest honor.

The banquet continued.

More chairs and tables were moved out, and the sounds of welcoming new friends rang out.

The leader of the caravan from Reyvadin, Jocelyn, was also entrusted by Manide to help greet the newly arrived Virginia archers, and they chatted with each other which made the atmosphere more lively and cheerful.

There was no such thing as a tense, war-ready atmosphere.

In fact, that was a misunderstanding.

''Dang dang dang.''

There was a knock on Kant's door .

''Lord Kant, I hope it didn't disturb your rest.''

Manide stood outside the door, heard a voice from inside and whispered: ''The banquet is about to begin, and just now 50 archers from the Kingdom of Swadia and 50 crossbowmen from the Kingdom of Swadia came here to follow you.''

Inside of the room, Kant opened his eyes in a daze.

There was no candles lit in the room, so it was relatively dark.

Through the narrow opening of the window, he saw a blaze of stars and a seemingly frozen darkness.

''Oh, I fell asleep?''

Kant's sleepy eyes burst open and his mind was suddenly awake.

Only then did he realize that his mind had risen to the sky at the time, and after opening the perspective of God to build the building, he actually fell asleep on the bed groggy and only woke up when Manide came knocking at the door.

''Lord Kant?'' Outside the door, Manide tapped twice more.

''Yeah, I heard that,'' Kant replied.

Fortunately, he had not taken off his clothes. He stood up, stretched, went to open the door and saw Manide with a wry smile: ''This is a mistake worth remembering. I actually fell asleep.''

''It is a result of fatigue.''

Manide bowed slightly, stepped half back and looked at Kant: ''Lord, the banquet will begin soon.''

''We are going.'' Kant led the way.

Manide hurried to follow.

Candles were lit in the stairs of the ruling chamer, so there was plenty of light

Kant walked down the stairs quickly and came to the outside of the ruling chamber.

The torches were burning, releasing more light and the whole street was as bright as a day. Kant stepped out of the dim hall, his eyes even a little unable to adjust and he couldn't help narrowing his eyes and stood there for a second or two.

But in the street just ahead, the soldiers, who had been bragging and laughing, burst into cheers.

''Good evening, praiseworthy Lord Kant!''

''Good health, my Lord!''

''Great Lord Kant, how excited to see you!''

They all looked at Kant enthusiastically with the most fervent reverence, and even when they looked at the king of their own country, they did not have such fanatical and reverent gazes, as if they were looking at the only faith and reliance of the world and the spirit.

This was the constant loyalty from the system.

There was also the legend of miracles that Kant circulated in caladia.

''Hello.''

Kant nodded and reached out to respond.

With a smile on his face, he walked to his main seat and sat down: ''Sit down, all of you, and make this banquet lively.'' And at the same time to Manide and Fhartis: ''And our new friends. I hope there is enough food.''

''Enough.'' Manide nodded affirmatively.

In the kitchen, the new desert antelope had been dragged out and roasted. Although a hundred more people there, the number was definitely enough.

The desert antelope, which appeared at the end of each month, was a rich source of prey.

''Let's start.''

Kant held out his hand to signal the banquet to begin.

Cheers immediately were emitted from the mouths of the soldiers, farmers, and peasant women.

The sound of wolfing down food also appeared. Roasted mutton and dried meat, sausage, bread, and other items on the long table in front of them were torn into pieces by the hungry men.

At the same time, the lid of the malt liquor was lifted.

A bowl per person.

Not much or even drunk, but limited each person one bowl of malt liquor, just to be on the safe side.

No one was allowed to drink more.

Even Kant led by example, downing his bowl and not continue to drink these paralyzing drinks and refraining from drinking anything too alcoholic, for safety's sake.

Danger lingered on his side, and only fools would celebrate.

It was a lively banquet.

But it was also a yearning for a better life in the future.

Want to eat this delicious every day.

In addition to hard work, there was endless cruel fights.

Holding a piece of roasted and charred lamb in his knife, Kant dipped it in salt sprinkled with crushed spices. It tasted good after his mouth, and the feeling of the oil soaking in the salt and spices and melting in his mouth made him breathe out after swallowing.

It was a delicacy, and he loved it.

The banquet ended in excitement.

The peasant women cleaned up a mess of tables, chairs, and the floors.

He did not want his oasis to turn into the grubby look of the Stone Pass, which was unacceptable to him coming from a modern age, not to mention the poor sanitation would cause a plague.

The oasis was the only concentration of deserts.

If there was a plague, there would be no hiding in such a small place.

Hygiene, therefore, had always been a key issue for Kant.

Fatis continued to patrol the city wall before going to sleep.

Manide supervised the salting work.

And after the banquet, the leader of the caravan, Jocelyn, stood at the city gate.

Not far away was his nephew and his entourage of 12 sentries.

Three carriages took the lead in the return journey, returning the more than 500 Jackalan slaves that Kant had captured back to Reyvadin.

''It's going well.''

Kant stood at the top of the ruling chamber, next to the 20 rangers of Ravenston.

Smiling slightly, he exhorted the rangers: ''I've got Virginia and Swadia archers to be stationed in the attic and arrow towers of the city wall, but your task is still arduous.''

''We will be vigilant,'' the rangers answered firmly.

''Very good.'' Kant nodded.

These rangers, after all, were tier 5.

Although it looked like it was only one level away from tier 4, actually they were worlds apart.

With these rangers stationed at the top of the ruling chamber, Kant slept soundly.

He walked down the stairs.

Kant returned to his room.

Looking at the dark night outside the window, he lay on his bed and thought: ''Tomorrow is the day of the caravan's departure, this week can be sorted out all the trivial matters. Just wait quietly for the expeditionary army from the Graymane Kingdom to arrive.''

He frowned slightly.

There was a grim smile on Kant's lips.

He still had the confidence to win and obtain the hegemony of the Nahrin desert

Chapter 121: The Wind on the Mannheim Coast

Summer had passed.

Although the Mannheim Coast was close to the Nahrin Desert and had never experienced four seasons, the many races living on the Coast could still sense that the sweltering heat of summer had begun to fade.

The breeze coming from the Sea of Stars crept over the Coast.

The leaves swayed with the wind. Sensing the arrival of autumn, they would turn light yellow within a few days.

Autumn was around the corner.

However, the autumn wind filled the sails that were hanging on the mast on the merchant ships on the Sea of Stars that were loaded with goods, bringing the ships to the fertile Mannheim Coast.

There were also a large number of merchant ships entering and leaving the port of the Kingdom of Grey Mane.

And there were quite a number of them.

On both sides of the stone wharf, various merchant ships were docked.

The Jackalan laborers were loading and unloading goods for the merchant ships at the wharf.

In the market at the wharf, merchants from all races could be seen.

Jackalan, Lizardmen, elves, humans, and even the Beastmen.

They were all discussing fervently or haggling intensely. The straightforwardness, honesty, friendliness, and cowardice of all the races had all turned into the craftiness of the merchants without leaving a trace on their faces.

All for the sake of earning a few more Great Silver coins.

This shiny round silver object was something that all races sought after.

Including these Jackalans.

The port in the capital of the Kingdom of Grey Mane was the only deep-water harbor on the entire Mannheim Coast. Although the Jackalans weren't good at ocean navigation, just the berthing fees and business taxes would make them rich.

This was how they maintained a monopoly on the Mannheim Coast.

The only port that could harbor a large number of merchant ships and accommodate a huge amount of business trade was the port of the Kingdom of Grey Mane.

This was also something that the lizardmen had been brooding about.

They were good at sailing and ocean trading, but in their own Lizardmen Kingdom, there were only two small ports. The number of merchant ships that could dock there every day was pitifully small, and only very few large merchant ships that had a deep draft could dock.

It was nothing compared to the king's city port that could accommodate at least 50 large merchant ships.

However, the two races had a long-standing feud.

In order to sustain their trade, the Lizardmen chose to compromise.

However, the Jackalans' term was that the Lizardmen had to rent a pier at a high price. At the same time, they had to pay a huge amount of business tax for each deal. The conditions were extremely harsh, and it was almost blatant extortion.

Because of this, the two races had even gone to war.

The population of the Kingdom of Grey Mane was 40,000.

The population of the Kingdom of Lizardmen was 70,000.

Although the infantry of the Kingdom of Grey Mane was the strongest, the crossbowmen of the Lizardmen were not bad either.

Besides, the Lizardmen had their own navy, as well as a few fierce pirate gangs that they had secretly trained. When the war started, they sealed off the port of the capital, making the Kingdom of Grey Mane, which relied entirely on taxes to survive, hesitate to take action.

It was because no one could do anything to the other, and they were all afraid of each other's strength, that this tradition continued.

It was only until the elven parliament came across the sea and established a colony city on the east side of the Mannheim Coast. Although there were only a few thousand people, they were good at fighting, and their combat strength was extremely strong. This caused the Lizardmen Kingdom, which originally occupied the east side of the Mannheim Coast, to suffer a fair amount of losses. Only after negotiations did they reluctantly acquiesce to the existence of the elves.

The fragile peace created by the three races also continued because of mutual fear.

But early this morning, five warships slowly sailed into the port of the king's city.

The streamlined hull accurately cut into the side of the dock and slowly docked.

The many merchant ships that docked there were puzzled. They glanced at the empty flagpole that did not indicate any race and power. The faces of some shrewd merchants suddenly turned pale, and their hearts beat faster.

There were many pirates on the Sea of Stars.

Among them, there were Jackalan pirates who liked jumping overboard. They wore chainmail armor and held two-handed battle-axes in their hands.

Usually, if these ferocious pirates jumped onto the deck, the battle would be over because no merchant of any race could defeat these strong and burly Jackalans on the deck.

Just like those burly Jackalan warriors who were lining up to come down from the five battleships.

If the merchants' eyes were sharp enough, they could even see the familiar faces who had once robbed them.

However, the entire port received a statement from the Kingdom of Grey Mane. They claimed that for the stability of the Sea of Stars and the safety of many merchants who had come to the port of the capital, they had already recruited and reorganized these pirate gangs of their own race, by including them in the Army of the Kingdom of Grey Mane. This vicious Jackalan pirate gang would no longer appear on the Sea of Stars in the future.

The new young merchants might believe these words.

However, those experienced merchants secretly sneered.

This vicious Jackalan pirate gang had roamed the Sea of Stars for so many years. It was absolutely impossible that they did not have a backer, and there was only one person who could fully support this Jackalan pirate gang.

However, the merchants could totally live without these pirates.

But the Lizardmen and elves were all shocked.

As forces that had already taken root in the Mannheim Coast, they naturally understood that this pirate gang, which was all made up of Jackalans, was a force that the Grey Mane Kingdom had secretly set up on the Sea of Stars.

Now, they were called back, claiming that they had been recruited and reorganized.

It was like handing over the authority of the Sea of Stars to someone else. How could anyone believe that?

After all, if the Kingdom of Grey Mane, which only relied on the harbor had power over the deep-water harbor in the capital, they would be in trouble if they lost control over the Sea of Stars.

Some things could not be done openly.

For example, one would wonder why were the Lizardmen's merchant ships often plundered.

And some merchants who relied on the port for a living and were on good terms with the Jackalan would also be visited by the pirates.

These were all hidden truths.

Losing these measures was like losing some of their partners. Even for merchants who had formed good trade relations, they had to consider whether or not they should befriend other races.

The king's city port was indeed under the control of the Jackalans.

But it did not mean that they would be in the Jackalan's hands for the rest of their lives.

The Mannheim Coast was surging with undercurrents.

But for the upper echelons of the Kingdom of Grey Mane, this was just a way to distract the enemy.

Calling back these 300 fierce pirates was also part of their plan because these Jackalan pirates would, together with the 1,000 elite Jackalan soldiers and 2,000 Jackalan warriors that were transferred from the army, form an expeditionary force of 3,300 people. This force would go past the Nahrin Desert and head to the strange world on the other side to plunder as many resources as they need.

This was what they had been planning for ten years. If possible, the Kingdom of Grey Mane would even extend its territory to the south of the Nahrin Desert, conquering the humans there, and creating a rear area for the high-level Jackalans.

They were creatures on land.

The vast and turbulent sea was not the ideal battlefield for the Jackalans.

The undulating deck was not as good as the thick and stable land.

After these high-level Jackalans of the Grey Mane Kingdom came into contact with and fought with the Lizardmen and elves, they had to admit that when they were on land, their vanguard was invincible in the field.

But on the sea, they were no match for the Lizardmen Navy or the Elven Navy.

The Lizardmen were agile, good in the water, and preferred crossbows.

The elves were intelligent, had all kinds of extraordinary spells, and excellent archery skills.

These tall and burly high-level Jackalans had nothing worth mentioning other than their close combat skills, or even more violent close combat after the shamans used the basic witchcraft.

That's right.

Even they themselves concluded that they weren't suitable for the sea.

Thus, they made a strategic decision.

Since they weren't suitable for the sea and couldn't have a powerful navy, then they would give up the hegemony of the Sea of Stars and guard the only deep-water port on the Mannheim Coast, extending their power towards the human kingdoms to the south of the Nahrin Desert. They would create their land hegemony and even conquer the human kingdoms. Then, they would take the opportunity to develop and devour the Mannheim Coast.

In the Nahrin Desert, the Jackalans who had good stamina had nothing to worry about. They could endure the heat and cold and march during the day and night to launch surprise attacks.

Therefore, they recalled the 300 most elite Jackalan pirates.

They were all experienced elite soldiers who had fought against the Lizardmen and the Elven Navy every day.

In addition, there were 1,000 elite Jackalan elite soldiers stationed in the capital, 2,000 brave Jackalan warriors, and a few shamans who had magical powers. They were enough to conquer the human kingdoms.

Of course, this colonizing army would set off in a month.

Now, the first to go was the 300 most elite Jackalan pirates.

They would seize the recorded Oasis Lookout and lead the low-level Jackalan tribe in the Nahrin Desert to establish an outpost base so that the remaining 3,000 Jackalan expeditionary soldiers would be able to set off safely.

This conquest of the human Kingdoms could not fail.

And the upper echelons of the Grey Mane Kingdom thought that even 500 weak human soldiers could not stop 50 ordinary Jackalan warriors.

Although the human soldiers also had long-range weapons such as bows and crossbows, their shooting skills were not as good as the elves. Moreover, their close combat skills were too poor, and they could not even jump into the sea to hide temporarily and waited for an opportunity to strike like the Lizardmen.

The actual examples had already shown that.

There were indeed brave men worthy of praise among the humans.

However, most of the time, when the ferocious Jackalan pirates resisted the arrows and jumped onto the deck of the human merchant ships, it meant that a massacre was about to begin.

The humans were really weak.

300 of the most elite Jackalan pirates were enough to seize the Oasis Lookout.

Perhaps, they could also order the low-level Jackalans who lived in the desert to attack first.

They didn't need the main forces of the Kingdom of Grey Mane to be there. They could easily slaughter the human countries.

Chapter 122: Trade Caravan Heading for the Pass

Nahrin Desert, Oasis Lookout.

The sun had just begun to rise, and the darkness of the night had yet to completely fade away.

It was dawn.

Last night's banquet did not lower the soldiers' guard, they were still very vigilant.

These outstanding soldiers from Swadia, Sarradia, and Vaegir, even after drinking, did not forget their duties. On the contrary, they were worried that the enemy would launch a sneak attack, so they did not sleep deeply.

The first rays of sunlight had just appeared.

On the arrow tower, the other soldiers took over the position of the Vaegir archers who were on night duty.

On the city wall, where an attic was built, the Swadian archers holding crossbows were on alert behind the shooting window.

The 50 Vaegir archers and 50 Swadian archers were scattered on the city walls and were not in a large number, but the interior of the Drondheim fortress was only half a hectare. If there was a problem, they could mobilize troops to provide support at any time.

Although the fortress was small, it was also convenient to defend.

Outside the Council Hall.

Kant walked out, full of energy. He no longer had the tiredness he had when he had just woken up.

Walking out of the room, Kant walked quickly to the right. At the same time, he asked in a deep voice, "Is everything ready?"

"Yes," Manid was following behind him.

The two came to the sugar workshop.

The sacks of coarse salt that were piled up on the street had all disappeared.

Brand new sacks were piled on the wooden shelves beside the city wall. To ensure that the surface of these sacks was clean, two layers of linen were placed on the wooden shelves.

These new sacks were filled with fine white salt that was processed last night.

The workers worked against the clock last night to process the salt.

"Lord Kant, Lord Manid."

At the entrance of the sugar workshop, the peasant men and women who had not slept for the whole night quickly saluted.

Looking at the dark circles under their eyes, Kant knew that they had put in a lot of effort for this. Kant nodded and said, "No need to be so polite. You have been busy for the whole night. Have a good rest today."

"Thank you for your kindness." The peasant men and women bowed and left gratefully.

"Go and rest." Kant smiled and nodded.

These people did this for him. He should definitely be kind to them.

They were no longer needed for the rest of the work.

Manid reported, "Lord Kant, if there is no other situation, I would like to pack up immediately and take off with the team before noon. If I estimated correctly, we will be able to come back with full supplies by next Sunday."

"Okay, let's do that." Kant nodded.

It would take four days to travel from Oasis Lookout to the Stone Pass, even if they took the shortest route.

The team was made up of cavalrymen and carriages.

If it was just made up of infantrymen, it would take a longer time. It would probably be similar to the time when Kant first came to Oasis Lookout. They would have to trek through the harsh Nahrin Desert for seven days.

Time had no mercy. Kant did not have much time to waste.

Soon, the peasants moved the carriage over. It was pulled by two horses. It was the same carriage and the horse that Kant came with.

The peasant worked together.

The 20 bags of fine white salt that were piled on the wooden rack were all loaded onto the carriage.

Just beside the street, the other two carriages were also loaded with things, but they were the supplies needed for the team to cross the Nahrin Desert.

For example, fresh water and food for everyday consumption.

These could last for several days.

Ten Sarrandian Horsemen and 20 elite desert bandits were also ready.

After all, when Kant went to the Stone Pass last time, he encountered some bad things. To prevent Manid from encountering those situations again, the guards were indispensable.

Along with him were 10 Swadian recruits.

They carried hunting crossbows and wore iron-plated scale armor.

They also carried a wooden shield and a two-meter heavy spear on their backs, with a combat shovel and a quiver hanging on their waists.

They wore a linen robe on the outside.

These were the 10 peasant soldiers Kant brought to the salt mine last time. After defeating several Jackalans, they were promoted to a higher level. Moreover, they could directly join the Swadian Militia. They were suitable to lead the team to the posthouse and take over the job of receiving guests and protecting the posthouse in the future.

Very soon, the three carriages were all loaded with supplies.

The soldiers were also ready.

"Be careful at the Stone Pass."

Outside the city gate, Kant's expression was solemn. He told Manid, "I think you understand."

"I understand." Manid nodded.

"Take care." Firentis also came over to bid them farewell.

"Goodbye."

Manid waved to the two of them, got on his horse, and began to set off with the team.

Six strong horses pulling the three carriages soon disappeared behind the vast dune.

Manid, as a Kant's representative, would go to the Stone Pass to trade with the lord there, Baron Dylan.

If the table salt trade was successful, the Oasis Lookout would gain an ally that could protect them through most of the storms in the future. At the same time, they would also have a sales agent for a long time, it would be a win-win situation.

Kant stood in front of the city gate.

His face was very serious. Looking at the sea of sand in front of him, he said in a deep voice, "It's up to Manid now."

"He won't let people down," Firentis comforted him.

"Yes." Kant nodded.

Manid, who came from a merchant family in the Kingdom of Nord, was a genius in the business world.

However, Kant was not anxious or worried about business. He only cared about whether there would be greater ostracism and counterattack against the historical legacy of the Stone Pass because of his identity.

After all, the two groups of people he met when he left the last time still made his heart sink.

That was a sign.

Even after being exiled to the Nahrin Desert, many people were still very unhappy to see Kant setting foot in the Dukedom of Leo.

Thus, there was a robbery.

Baron Dylan's vassal knights led a group of armed militia to rob him. They made a fool of themselves. Kant led the cavalry to kill those who overestimated themselves.

Perhaps the robbery was just an accident. They were coveting the armor of his subordinates.

But the beautiful woman they met, who was playing a damsel in distress, was definitely not that simple.

Now that they thought about it carefully, they knew that it was a conspiracy.

A conspiracy against him.

Kant frowned, turned to Firentis, and said, "Get the troops ready. We're now in a critical period before our transformation. Tell our soldiers not to relax. I don't want to see anyone dropping the ball at such a critical time."

"Don't worry, Lord Kant." Firentis' expression was solemn.

"That's it." Kant nodded.

It was like the peace before the storm, the darkness before the dawn.

The expedition army of the Kingdom of Grey Mane.

If the Oasis Lookout could survive that, they would receive the best rewards.

For example, troops of the highest rank, a safer territory, and the hegemony of the Nahrin Desert would all be in Kant's hand. They would become stronger on this barren land. They would build a castle so strong that it made the enemies' hearts palpitate.

The castle would stand in this Oasis Lookout.

Kant returned to the Council Hall.

He began to plan and make arrangements for the future.

For example, there was a serious shortage of houses in the current Drondheim stronghold.

The soldiers could sleep in it the new attics on the city walls instead of in sandpits and tents.

However, there were still very few civilian buildings.

The most typical building was the Swadian-style houses, but there were only seven of them now.

"System, construct some buildings."

Kant frowned and sat on his seat, giving the order regarding the buildings.

The system instantly showed a dialog box.

A dense list of buildings that Kant could build at the moment was in it.

However, he did not hesitate and said, "Build 43 houses."

[ Ding... System's notification ]

[ Each house costs 100 Denars. 43 houses will cost 4,300 Denars. ]

[ Yes/No? ]

The system gave a prompt.

"Build!"

Kant was sure about his decision.

It was costly, 4,300 Denars, a terrifying number, it was one-third of Kant's current savings. But in reality, when 43 houses were built, it would be clear that the cost was worth it.

House could be built in seven days.

If they were all built at the same time, it meant that Kant would get 43 houses in seven days.

Including the seven houses that were existing, there would be 50 houses.

If each house could accommodate 10 people, 50 houses could fully meet the housing needs of 500 people.

This also meant that Kant could increase the number of civilians up to 500.

The background data of the house showed this property. When the number of houses in the town was larger than the number of civilians currently living there, refugees would be attracted to settle in the village, and in a short time, the number of civilians would reach the saturation point.

This was one of the reasons why Kant bought so much food.

More people meant higher food demand.

But it was not a waste of food.

The civilians were not a burden because Kant could recruit soldiers from these civilians at any time.

Class 1 troop class 1, the Swadian recruits, came from the civilians.

And when the enemies became stronger and more frenzied, causing Kant to lose his current troops, these recruits, who gained Experience Points after being in the battle for days and could be upgraded to a higher troop class, would be valuable.

As long as there were civilians, Kant's Oasis Lookout would have an endless supply of reserve troops.

Even if all the elite troops were wiped out, Kant would still have a chance to start over.

As the defender of the city, Kant wanted to gain a large number of Experience Points from the enemy's siege. It was really simple. As long as these recruits, or even the peasants, kept transporting supplies during the battle, they could be promoted to a higher level because they had gained a huge amount of Experience Points.

"And, there's also this thing," Kant's eyes narrowed when he looked at the other buildings on the building interface.

He suddenly discovered a very special building on the list of fortress' buildings.

The bell tower.

Chapter 123: The River of Time Was Flowing

"System, give me the detailed data of the clock tower."

Kant was pretty interested.

On his retina, the detailed data from the system immediately popped up.

[ Ding... System's notification ]

[ Belltower: Military Building. The building was made of stone, and there was a small bronze bell at the top. It could be used for daily time reporting or as an alarm. Attribute: For emergency mobilization. When war came, the bronze bell could be used to call all civilians to grab a weapon and protect their homes. During a siege, all civilians would be temporarily promoted to recruits. The construction would cost 1000 Denars and take 10 days. ]

The information was very clear.

Kant slightly raised his eyebrows. The building was quite special.

Or rather, it was simply unique!

At present, it was the only building that had a special characteristic.

[ Emergency mobilization ]: When war came, the bronze bell could be used to call all civilians to grab a weapon and protect their homes. During a siege, all civilians would be temporarily promoted to recruits. The construction would cost 1000 Denars and take 10 days.

"It seems a little familiar."

Kant licked the corner of his mouth.

This building characteristic was awesome for defending the city.

When there were a large number of civilians in the fortress, Kant would instantly have 500 more Swadian recruits who had basic military training and certain combat skills if the bronze bell was rung, and this building characteristic was officially activated.

Although they were unable to defeat a powerful enemy, they could and resist the enemy's attack for a short while and delay them from taking over the fortress.

"Build the bell tower."

Kant immediately made a decision.

[ Ding... System's notification ]

[ Building the bell tower costs 1000 Denars and takes 10 days. Construction has started. ]

The system gave a response.

"10 days." Kant's lips curled up, "That's simple."

He could wait for ten days.

Although the Jackalans' expeditionary army could appear any time, Kant still remembered that Asage, whom he had executed, said that it would take at least 30 days to cross the Nahrin Desert.

They were not an ordinary trade caravan.

If it was a huge army that was trying to invade, the preparation time would definitely be longer.

Crossing the desert to launch a military attack on another country had never appeared on Earth before.

Deserts were often forbidden areas and natural moats. If it wasn't for the Jackalan's innate ability to endure high and low temperatures, Kant wouldn't have taken the Grey Mane Kingdom of the Mannheim Coast to heart.

An ordinary human army would already face many difficulties crossing the mountains, let alone the desert.

Kant also didn't believe that those high-level Jackalans would dare to give up all their supplies and come here at the cost of their lives.

Without logistics, they wouldn't win the battle.

It wasn't so easy to use the resources seized from war to support another war.

Even the Mongols who had once terrorized the world and conquered Eurasia had to support the war with another war during the unprecedented expedition to the west. They had to ensure that they had enough supplies for their troops.

"Wait." Kant was slightly stunned.

When he thought about logistics and using a battle to support another battle, he seemed to think of something else.

Frowning, Kant muttered, "Using one battle to support another..."

In an instant, he seemed to realize something.

The Jackalans would use a battle to support another battle. They would rest and reorganize at the Oasis Lookout, and when the human countries still did not know about the presence of the Jackalan troops, they would break through the Stone Pass and set foot in the North County of the Dukedom of Leo.

A continuous stream of follow-up troops would arrive and slowly encroach on the North County of the Dukedom of Leo.

When the time came, with a large amount of food, sufficient drinking water, and the fortifications at the Stone Pass, this expeditionary army would be able to form their own faction. They could easily invade the North County, and if they were to retreat, they would be able to defend themselves from the Oasis Lookout.

If they failed, they would still have a chance to start all over again as long as they still had control over the Oasis Lookout.

"Would this be their plan?"

Kant raised his eyebrows slightly and tapped his fingers gently on the table.

Although he was just guessing, that was the Grey Mane Kingdom's military strategy.

He took Asage's description into account.

The Grey Mane Kingdom, which was facing serious external threats, obviously planned to use this place as a way out for their problems.

After plundering a large amount of humans' wealth, the Jackalans on the Mannheim coast would regain their power and be able to compete with the Lizardmen and elves' kingdoms that were getting stronger, instead of slowly dilapidating and becoming the helpless prey for the two races.

Of course, Kant wouldn't have thought of that.

The Grey Mane Kingdom's troops came here not only to plunder.

They also wanted to conquer.

These Jackalans with high intelligence wanted to completely conquer the human countries and made them their colonies.

They wanted to make the human countries their colonies and continuously let them take whatever they wanted. That was what they needed the most.

However, the Kingdom of Grey Mane did not know that the Oasis Lookout had welcomed its lord.

Moreover, a fortress that could make the Jackalans shed blood had already been built!

***

A construction team of nearly 400 people from Suno arrived.

The leader was the chubby construction team leader who had made a fortune from construction.

When Kant met him again, he found that he was even chubbier. He did not look like the honest and capable construction team leader from before. Instead, he looked like a landlord who had contracted a manor.

"Dear Lord Kant."

When the construction leader saw Kant, he immediately bowed respectfully, "Your loyal servant greets you!"

"Pay attention to how you address yourself," Kant shook his head. His personality was still the same.

Looking at the more than 400 construction workers that he had brought along, as well as the hundreds of carriages filled with wood and stone, Kant nodded, "A big project is coming next."

"That's right, Lord Kant."

The leader quickly smiled apologetically, "But don't worry, there won't be any problems with the quality."

"That'd be the best," Kant nodded.

Although this guy was a suck-up, the quality of the houses he built was indeed good.

Without continuing to chat with him, Kant casually gave a few instructions and returned to the Council Hall.

The layout of the 43 houses had been completed. The ground was covered with the shapes of the foundations drawn by lime powder. The construction would cover the entire south side, forming a total of four streets. The empty space that had been set aside in advance would be completely occupied.

When these buildings were completed, there would not be many empty spaces left in the fortress.

The tranquility of the Oasis Lookout would be gone.

The entire fortress would be busy.

Everyone would be busy.

The 400 construction workers in particular. They came and went in the southern residential area, shouting at and coordinating with each other to move the wood and stone. The entire residential area had become a construction site. These hard-working workers had also put in a lot of effort, they were working very hard to build the 43 houses and the bell tower.

They were building for Lord Kant, and they were doing it from the bottom of their hearts.

However, Firentis thought that there were too many construction workers.

If Firentis didn't know that they were all construction workers from Suno, he would definitely assign soldiers to guard them at the side. After all, if these people tried to rebel, the entire Drondheim fortress would be in chaos.

Although the combat strength of these construction workers couldn't compare to the militia, this number of people would still troublesome.

Smash, crack, pillage, and burn. Although the rioters couldn't fight the enemy on the battlefield, they were very good at the destruction.

Even if they were suppressed by the mobile troops in the end, they would still disturb Lord Kant.

Firentis thought that this was a mistake.

Even the archers stationed on the city wall were also shocked by the number of the construction workers below. Especially after Firentis' reminder, they would keep an eye on them.

In the attic on the top of the city wall, the Swadian archers looked at the workers coldly.

At the top of the arrow tower, Vaegir archers did not even bother to hide the fact that they had already drawn their bows and nocked their arrows. If there was anything unusual, they would start shooting. This scared the construction workers below out of their wits.

They were from the snowy plains of Vaegir, and their personalities were as cold as the snow.

Because of that, the construction leader had to ask Kant for help.

These archers looked at the workers coldly as if they were dead people. These honest construction workers really couldn't work properly.

Kant could only order the soldiers to remove their high vigilance towards the workers.

After all, these construction workers came from the system, so their loyalty could be guaranteed.

Time passed quickly.

The foundation of the building has been laid.

The weekend had passed.

Monday was here.

The size of the army, compared to last week, was bigger because a little more soldiers had joined, Kant directly paid more than 6,000 Denars for military expenses.

However, with the previous sale of Jackalan labors, the remaining savings still exceeded 10,000 Denars.

This had made Kant more determined to set up a slave-hunting team.

The slave trade was really profiteering.

However, on Monday, the leader of the trade caravan, Joslin, had to say goodbye to Kant and returned to Reyvadin.

A new trade caravan would not arrive until next month.

The slave trade could only be temporarily put on hold.

After all, there were no buyers. Even if Kant let the desert bandits capture hundreds of Jackalans, it would be a waste of food in the end. They might even cause problems when they were in custody.

Next month, when the trade caravan arrived, it would be fine to capture more Jackalans.

Days passed.

The construction of the forty-three houses started with the foundation, and now the walls had been put up.

The construction workers were responsible, and this sped up the project.

By Friday, all the houses were finally completed.

Fifty standard Swadian houses were built side by side with the same style and materials. They filled up the originally empty space in the south, forming the current residential area and four brand-new streets.

And right at the edge of the residential area, close to the Council Hall, the construction of the five-meter-tall bell tower was about to come to an end.

In two days, this bell tower that could be used to announce the time in peacetime and recruit peasant soldiers during wartime would probably be completed.

Time passed very quickly, and the construction also went very fast.

In the posthouse in the southern part of the Nahrin Desert.

The ten recruits who were left behind were welcoming Manid and the others who had just returned from the Stone Pass.

Chapter 124: Brought Back the Bountiful Resources

Nahrin Desert, dusk.

The sun struggled unyieldingly, scattering the last rays of light onto the desert, as if it was dyed with a layer of golden yarn.

The day of Friday eventually be replaced by night after dusk.

The sun set between the endless dune in the west. The source of light that once illuminated this world was announced to its end. A new world had arrived.

Night fell.

The stars in the sky were remarkably bright. The bright moon rose, bringing a faint light to the dark night.

Although it was not as clear as day, it could still be seen by people.

There was also a bit of coldness.

"Rustle..."

The warhorse beneath him snorted impatiently.

Manid wrapped himself in the leather robe he was wearing. The temperature of the desert dropped sharply after nightfall. It could be said to be two different things compared to the hot weather during the day. He could not helped but let out a long breath. "Fortunately, we are well prepared."

This leather robe was a commodity sold at the Stone Pass. It was the material that Manid purchased.

It was made from antelope skin.

It was soft and comfortable in texture and had a good effect of keeping warm. It was the best choice for the people of the northern county to keep warm during winter.

Manid purchased quite a lot for this.

Now, the other people in the trade caravan were all wearing similar leather robes. Their feet were also wearing leg warmers to keep them warm. No matter how fast they rode their horses, they were no longer as cold as before.

Linen robes and woolen sweaters were not as effective in blocking the cold wind as leather robes.

The people of the northern county relied on these cheap clothes to survive the winter.

As for the peasant conscripts who could not afforded leather armor, when they responded to the Lord's call, they would often put on a few layers of leather robes to protect themselves from arrow attacks. However, the soft leather robes were still not hard leather armor. Hence, it was up to fate whether they could survived the chopping and stabbing by enemies at close range.

This was the additional function of the leather robes.

It was very pitiful to the peasant conscripts, but it was the truth.

These cannon fodder did not need much protection.

Manid and the Sarrandian cavalry would not be so miserable like them.

Because they had their own armor. Even if the Sarrandian horseman's full-body Sarrandian chain armor was worn by the high-ranking noble of the Dukedom of Leo in this world, it did not degraded their noble status at all.

The leather robe was just clothes that Manid bought to keep out the cold.

He shook the reins.

Manid spurred his horse forward a few steps.

The cavalries behind him were still tidying up their tents and luggage. They had just finished their dinner and rested for less than half an hour before they were ready to continue their journey back to the Oasis Lookout.

They used the sand to extinguish the bonfire.

They tied up the tents and put it back into the carriage.

Soon, the temporary camp was tidied up. The cavalries got on their horses and gathered together to get ready to leave.

Lord Kant had once urged them that time did not wait for them.

"Let's go."

Manid rode his horse and walked in front.

Seeing that the temporary camp had been tidied up, the cavalry rode their horses and began to move forward. There were also three elite desert bandits who were sitting on the carriage and swinging their whips, to increase the speed of the horses that were pulling the carriage.

The trade caravan set off again.

The specially modified wooden wheel rolled through the sand layer, leaving deep ruts.

It was full of goods.

This time, they had not only harvested these fur products when they went to the Stone Pass.

There were also grains and tools that filled up the carriage.

These were the materials needed by the Oasis Lookout, and Manid focused on purchasing them.

However, he turned his head to look at the three carriages behind him. As the wooden wheels rolled across the desert, they left deep marks on them, and a slight regret appeared on his face. "The scale is too small. We can definitely increase the scale of the trade caravan in the future."

That's right, the current trade caravan was indeed too small.

It was so small that it was not enough to satisfy Oasis Lookout's hungry appetite.

Moreover, as the appetite developed, it increased day by day.

The three carriages carried food and water, as well as 20 expensive bags of table salt. They could went to the Stone Pass to find Baron Dylan for the table salt trade and brought back 1,000 great silver coins.

This was a shocking huge profit in the Dukedom of Leo.

A tremendous profit.

However, the great silver coins earned from table salt needed to be spent to satisfy the current Oasis Lookout's development. Otherwise, it would not be enough to support Drondheim's increasing speed of development.

For example, Kant set the rule to store .

This was to make reserves for the war.

There were also arrows and crossbows. They were also Manid's purchasing targets for the Stone Pass this time.

However, Baron Dylan rejected this purchasing proposal.

However, he did not completely rejected it.

"Heh, he's really wary."

Manid shook his head and revealed a mocking smile.

This Baron Dylan looked calm on the surface, but in fact, he seemed to be poking at the Oasis Lookout. It was like a hungry wolf had seen its prey and was grinding its claws and teeth, waiting for the moment to pounce on it and enjoy it.

The huge amount of profit concessions didn't make Baron Dylan feel grateful.

On the contrary, he was greedy for the salt mine owned by the Oasis Lookout.

When they returned, Baron Dylon had repeatedly expressed that he wanted to send 30 personal guards over to help for Kant's safety. If there were any problems, they could be dealt with in time.

Of course, Manid declined, saying that this was not something that he could decide.

Even if Kant was there, he would not agreed.

This was similar to invite a wolf into the house. It would expose Kant's advantage in the Oasis Lookout to the eyes of this cunning baron. It would also quickly spread across the entire Dukedom of Leo under certain means of adding fuel to the fire. This would made Kant, the already exiled Baron, once again became a thorn in their eyes.

Manid exhaled, "When we go back, we need to properly report back."

Although this operation seemed to be going smoothly.

In reality, he knew that this was just waiting and hiding before he understood the other party.

Sometimes, merchants and noble families were similar. They were cunning and insidious, and were good at using the other party or others. Therefore, Manid guessed his potential enemy with a dark side. It was the right choice.

He was also satisfied with this.

After all, it was a good start.

The trade caravan continued to trek through the desert, and everyone's faces were filled with excitement.

Manid's eyebrows were also raised.

"Look, it's our fortress!"

When they climbed over the dune, they finally saw the Oasis Lookout, a fortress that had changed greatly.

The cavalry were in high spirits.

Nearly a week of trekking back and forth had already exhausted them.

They had finally arrived at their hometown. They couldn't wait to go back and rest.

"Hurry up!"

Manid also chuckled and waved behind him. "Tonight, we can sleep in our own stronghold. We don't have to worry about enemies appearing suddenly anymore!"

"Long live Lord Kant!"

The cavalries cheered.

Chapter 125: Saturday’s Busy Morning

The return of Manid and the trade caravan was approaching midnight.

The twinkle stars and the majestic moon were shinning bright.

As they got closer and closer to the fortress, smiles appeared on their faces.

They were going home.

However, there was no smile on the faces of the sentries in charge of night duty in Drondheim Fortress.

Vaegirs archers, who were stationed at the top of the arrow tower, had already discovered a black dot that was rapidly approaching from the far end under the hazy night sky.

They were all experienced veterans and excellent archers who had survived the chaotic war.

They were very vigilant.

Moreover, when they came to this world, Knight Firentis had already reminded them that the Kant's Lord had many enemies. Apart from the six kingdoms from Caradia, no one could be trusted.

This was even after considering the words of the Vaegirs and Sarrandian.

What Firentis had said to the Swadian, was that no one could be trusted except Swadian.

However, these Vaegirs archers with keen eyes had already sensed that strangers were approaching.

They quickly gave the notice.

In the desert bandits' camp, ten fully armed elite desert bandits immediately came out. They led their desert horses in the stable and quickly rushed out of the east gate that was slowly opening for them.

As for the light cavalry soldiers on night duty, they would go to investigate when they received the news.

If they were friends, they would be the first to welcome them.

If they were enemies, they would use the speed of light cavalry soldiers to circle them in the desert.

They came from the Sarrand Desert and had a lot of similar experience.

10 Swadian footmen and 20 Swadian light footman had also appeared behind the city gate. If anything happened, they would took the lead to defend the city gate until reinforcements arrived.

In order to deal with the expedition army of the Kingdom of Gray Mane that could appear at any time, the Oasis Lookout had already prepared everything.

However, in a instant, their originally vigilant appearance became gentle.

The archers on the arrow towers had already received the news that the strangers were actually friends.

This was because behind the dune not far away, the 10 elite desert bandits who went to investigate were following behind those people like loyal guards. Their attitude was not only friendly, but also quite modest.

Vaegirs's archers were deep in thought.

Especially when they looked at the three carriages filled with goods, they had already understood.

This unfamiliar group that had arrived late at night was actually the trade caravan. The trade caravan set off by the time when these archers had just arrived at Drondheim fortress. The leader of the trade caravan was Manid, the renowned Nord genius merchant of the entire continent of Caradia.

The city gate made of thick and heavy wooden planks was slowly opened.

The Sarrandian footmen and light footmen stood upright on both sides. They were in high spirits and did not seem to be tired from the late night at all.

Manid rode his horse in.

Behind him were ten Sarrandian horsemen and thirty elite desert bandits.

There were also three carriages full of goods.

"Manid, Welcome back."

Having received the news, Firentis, who was sleeping, immediately got up and rushed over on his horse.

Looking at the full load of goods, as well as the fatigue on Manid's and the cavalries's faces, Firentis thoughtfully nodded and said, "Seeing you all return safely is really something to be happy about. However, I think what you all need most is to return to your own rooms and rest well."

"This is indeed what we need most.", Manid nodded with a wry smile.

From Oasis Lookout to the Stone Pass.

Then from the Stone Pass to Oasis Lookout.

They went back and forth for seven days, and it took them five days and five nights to trek through the desert alone.

Even the strongest Sarrandian horsemen were exhausted.

Not to mention that Manid, who was a businessman, was almost exhausted to the breaking point on the way back.

"I have already asked people to prepare food.", Firentis looked at his tired appearance and said, "Eat something to replenish your strength. Lord Kant means that if there is no urgent matter, then report it tomorrow."

"Thank you, Lord Kant.", Manid thanked him gratefully.

Back to the council hall.

The chefs brought the food to the long table.

The food was roasted until it was soft, and it was coated with a layer of honey. There was also meat porridge made from chopped antelope meat and wheat grains.

There was also date palm, which was like an energy bar that able to quickly replenish one's strength.

"Hurry up and eat. It's been hard on you."

Kant sat in his seat and said to Manid, who was beside the long table, "These are all easily digestible food. I will hold a banquet here alone at noon the next day to welcome your return."

"I am very touched by your kindness, Lord Kant.", Manid stood up and bowed respectfully with his hands on his chest.

"You are welcome.", Kant nodded with a smile. "Hurry up and eat."

Manid gobbled the food. His hunger made him lose his usual etiquette manner.

No matter who had gone through the arduous journey, he could still endure the temptation of food.

At least, Manid could not endure it.

Firentis walked in from outside the door and saw Manid was eating bread and meat porridge. He smiled. The two of them had known each other for a long time, but they had never seen this arrogant and educated Nord genius merchant, swallowed his food without any table manners.

This was the first time.

Firentis smiled. He understood that his friend was really tired and hungry.

Instead of mocking him, he reported to Kant with a straight face, "Lord, the cavalries' food and beds are ready. They have been excluded from the patrol duty tomorrow morning. I gave them a day off."

"They deserved it.", Kant nodded.

Manid ate quickly.

There was not much honey bread in the supper prepared by the kitchen.

On the contrary, the meat porridge was boiled to the brim, allowing Manid to eat three bowls in a row.

The cooked wheat grains, together with the chopped antelope meat, mixed with cabbage and flour, made the meat porridge very sticky, and it was quite easy to digest. It was the best choice for travelers that returned from a long journey.

The cavalries outside also ate the same thing.

After drinking the meat porridge, their body had warmed up, dispelling the cold of the night.

He finished his supper.

Manid's stomach was slightly bloated.

If he did not knew that it was not good to eat too much after a long journey, Manid would have ordered three more bowls of meat porridge.

"Rest."

Kant saw that he finished eating, so he nodded and said, "Let's have lunch together tomorrow at noon."

"It's my honor.", Manid and Firentis nodded respectfully.

This was, of course, Kant's arrangement for the two of them.

It was late at night after all. Manid had rushed all the way back , so his mental and physical strength had long been exhausted.

He would rest well first, and when he reported tomorrow, he would be full of energy. Instead, he would not miss any details.

Kant returned to his room on the third floor.

Firentis and Manid's room was on the second floor.

The silence of the night was restored outside the council hall. Other than the sentries on night duty and the two teams of light footmen patrolling in the fortress, the entire Drondheim fortress was extremely quiet.

The night was getting darker and it was already completely late at night.

The snoring could be heard from the residential area and the city wall.

Everyone was sleeping very soundly.

Time passed.

The sentry on the arrow tower was also replaced twice until the darkest hour of the night. The eastern horizon was showing a bit of light.

The sky was about to brighten.

At the wheat field on the north side of the city wall, there were some noises coming from five chicken coops.

The sand grouse seemed to have sensed something.

When a ray of light pierced through the dawn, almost in no particular order, five male sand grouse with crowns appeared on the roof. They flapped their wings, stretched their strong bodies, raised their necks, and chirped like domestic chickens.

"Cluck, Cluck, Cluck..."

The rooster announced the dawn.

That ray of light finally pierced through the thick darkness and brought the message of dawn.

The sky quickly brightened up in the shortest time possible.

"Dong -- Dong -- Dong --"

The bronze bell was rung, ringing a melodious and long chime.

The bell tower, which was about to be completed, had finished installing the bronze bell yesterday. It was rung by the construction workers who woke up in the morning. This long chime followed the sound of the rooster, ringing the arrival of a new day.

In the residential area, the peasant and peasant women opened the doors and windows.

The sound of washing could be heard.

Soon, they were all in high spirits and walked out with clean faces.

The busy and fulfilling day had begun again.

The archers who had woken up walked out of the attic that had been reinforced by the city wall.

The attics that surrounded the city wall had basically become the places where the archers slept at night. They were wrapped in thick woolen blankets and covered with linen mats. Even the cold of the night could not do anything to them.

If the enemy invaded, they could also set up a defensive line at the fastest speed.

Of course.

The footmen and cavalries still slept in tents and sand pits.

The three-meter wide city wall was not enough to let too many soldiers sleep on it. If they really squeezed into these attics, they would probably get in the way and cause some trouble when the enemies invaded.

For safety reasons, it did not matter much if they temporarily slept in the sandpit before the military camp was built.

They were as busy as usual.

The soldiers patrolled, went out to scout, or trained their martial arts skills on the training ground.

The peasants continued to take care of the wheat fields and the date palm jungle.

They also fed the sand grouses with grain to make these little cuties lay eggs as soon as possible.

Because just a few days ago, the farmers had discovered that the 50 grouses produced more than 50 eggs a day just like domesticated chickens .With enough grain to feed them, sometimes even more than 60 eggs.

It was really as economic as the chickens.

It was like the grouses were a mixture of domestic chicken and sand grouse, inheriting all the advantages of both sides.

Smoke rose in spirals.

The kitchen was preparing breakfast for everyone.

Large amounts of bread and flour, as well as antelope meat, heaps of dried sausage and dried meat, were gathered together.

Food for nearly 600 people was not easy to make.

Chapter 126: The Idea of Forming A Camel Caravan

As the smoke rose in the kitchen, the aroma of food began to permeate the air.

The ingredients that had been prepared last night were all processed in the kitchen. The peasant women were more meticulous as they were as strong as the male peasants. In terms of taste and texture, they were much better than before.

The entire Oasis Lookout welcomed this warmly.

No one would refuse them.

For example, the bread and dried meat that they usually ate the most could became a favorite delicacy by the hands of these peasant women.

The bread was sliced and roasted on a small fire until both sides turned golden yellow.

The dried meat was torn into strips and roasted until it dripped with oil and had a slightly charred fragrance.

After eating this delicious breakfast, there was no problem for them to last until noon. This was especially so for the light cavalries who went out to patrol the dune. Every time, they would bring a few more pieces of bread and dried meat. If they missed lunch, they could made do a small meal in the desert.

This included the new inventions of the last two days.

The wheat grains became extremely soft after being boiled. Date palm and sugar cubes were added.

20 eggs were added to form a thin and long egg flower. Finally, flour and water were added to thicken the soup.

Sweet egg flower oatmeal.

It had only been launched for two days, but this slightly sweet oatmeal was already popular among everyone.

There was even a unique way to eat it.

The brown and crispy bread was coated with a layer of oatmeal. With a bite, the slightly soft sweetness and sticky taste mixed with the crispy taste of the bread filled up the mouth, allowing the tongue to absorb the sweetness and charred aroma. Then, there were the roasted and greased salted dried meat. The feeling was too wonderful.

Even if he was used to eating the expensive dishes in the Castle of Leo, Kant still gave this sweet egg flower oatmeal a good review.

Of course..

As a Lord, Kant's meals were even more sumptuous.

This was one of the privileges of being a lord and a superior. People from the continent of Caradia, who had a strong principle of class and hierarchy, should feel that this was normal.

As a superior and a person vested interests.

Kant certainly would not mind about it.

With 10 Swadian footmen, Kant made a routine inspection of his "Drondheim" fortress.

This was his morning job.

But this routine was indeed a routine. Usually, it was just patrolling around the fortress. The civilians and soldiers who came to this world were usually very serious, they had the spirit of a pioneer, and did not slack off at all.

Even the workers of the construction team were quite conscientious.

At least, Kant had never seen his subjects being lazy in the slightest.

The soldiers did not relaxed at all.

"This is very good.", Kant made a round of inspection and nodded in satisfaction as usual.

Back in the council hall.

He found that Manid was already waiting in the hall.

When he saw Kant coming over, he immediately bowed and said solemnly, "Lord Kant, I have successfully completed my mission and returned. I have also bought a large number of tools, some grain, and fur products to block the coldness at night."

"Yes.", Kant nodded and said with a relieved tone, "I can rest assured when you do things."

Manid bowed respectfully again. "Thank you for your trust."

Kant came to his seat, Manid reported, "This time, I went to the Stone Pass, Baron Dylan was still the same. Fortunately, the salt trade was very smooth. We obtained a profit of 1,000 great silver coins from 20 bags of table salt. At the same time, I used 100 great silver coins to purchase 500 iron farm tools and two whole carts of wheat."

"We won't be short of farm tools for the time being. Well done."

Kant nodded in satisfaction.

When the peasants unloaded the goods from the carriage this morning, he had already seen bundles of farm tools, including hoes, shovels, forks, and logging axes. They were all made of iron, and their prices were much higher in the iron-deficient northern county.

However, it was useful in the Oasis Lookout. After all, most of the peasants were refugees, and they did not brought too many things with them when they fled.

Manid continued to describe what he had seen and heard when he went to the Stone Pass.

Kant also interrupted and asked, "I didn't see any arrows or crossbows in the carriage." After a pause, Kant narrowed his eyes slightly and said in a mocking tone, "Could it be that my uncle Dylan did not agree to the small request that I mentioned to him in the letter?"

"Yes, he rejected the idea of purchasing a large number of arrows and crossbows."

Manid shrugged and said, "In fact, the purchasing process of these farm tools is a little difficult. This baron is very tricky. If I didn't give the merchant who provided the farm tools 10 great silver coins as a rebate, it would be impossible to buy so many farm tools. After all, as you know, if you melt these farm tools, they can be completely forged into weapons."

"Just like the low-quality goods used by the conscripted peasant at the Stone Pass?", Kant could not help but sneer. "You must be joking."

Kant was backed by the continent of Caradia.

With the entire level up system of the Kingdom of Swadia, as well as the support of the other four countries.

Would Kant need these low-quality weapons?

Impossible!

However, Kant was very clear about what this Baron Dylan was planning. He was simply afraid that after the Oasis Lookout obtained so many farm tools, they would be smelted into weapons, which might affect his plans in the future.

Kant's proposal to purchase a large number of arrows and crossbows was probably rejected because of this reason.

"But I think that perhaps we can purchase these materials in the future."

Manid shrugged, but his tone was calm. "At the moment, both side don't have the least bit of trust."

"Trust?", Kant's lips curled slightly. "With those guys, this thing never existed."

"But it has to be.", Manid added.

Manid shook his head and continued, "Profits are the best foundation to ensure trust. When we let this Baron Dylan rely more and more on the profits brought by the table salt trade, trust was born."

Kant shook his head and chuckled. "At that time, it's probably his time to make a move on us."

This was the truth, and it was also in line with the thought of Baron Dylan.

Towards this, he and Manid could not help but laugh.

If they really attacked, then this Baron Dylan would understand how weak an army without logistic supplies was in the Nahrin Desert. In just a few days, they would be defeated into a pile of sand, the most common sand in the desert.

The seven-meter-high city wall and about 600 soldiers and civilians.

It was as easy as flipping one's hand to defend this fortress.

Humans were not Jackalan who could resist hunger, thirst, and heat. The conquest of the Oasis Lookout by the Dukedom of Leo 10 years ago had proved this point. If they really wanted to forcefully attack, a 2,000-man army without tens of thousands of logistical supplies. They even couldn't defeated the messily-charging low-level Jackalan with no weapons and armors,

The harsh natural environment made the Dukedom of Leo not be able to maintain the conquest for too long.

In less than a month, they retreated from the Oasis Lookout and left the Nahrin Desert. Instead, they conferred the Stone Pass, which was then the logistics center, to Dylan and promoted him to a Baron, who was in charge of guarding this important pass.

"Take a break for a while."

Kant arranged for Manid, "Go to the Stone Pass at the end of the month. I will ask you to bring more fine white salt. After all, there are only 20 bags. Even the noble and knights in the northern county can't satisfy with it."

Manid nodded, "Understood.". However, he still suggested to Kant, "Lord, we have to increase the scale of the trade. Especially at the moment, our three carriages are not enough to transport too many goods. Although the profit of this trade is big enough, it is still too little for us to buy some goods."

"This problem.", Kant frowned and ordered his most trusted merchant, "You are in charge of handling it. Buy a carriage and a horse carriage. As long as you can transport the purchased goods back, it will be fine."

"Okay.", Manid nodded.

However, Kant thought for a moment. He obviously understood that relying on a carriage and horse carriage alone was not the best solution.

The soft desert was not suitable for this kind of plain carrier.

When Kant and the carriage came to the Oasis Lookout, they encountered some dune that were difficult to pass through. They had to let the peasants push the wooden wheel. Otherwise, the soft desert would not be able to bear the force and the carriage would tremble, they would not be able to pull the carriage that was full of goods.

The best solution, of course, was to form a camel caravan.

The history of Earth had proved that a camel caravan formed by single humped camels was completely capable of serving as a carriage to cross the desert.

However, Kant only had 10 single-humped camels.

Compared to the size of a camel city formed by hundreds of camels, or even thousands of camels, it was pitifully small. This was also the reason why Kant did not use these 10 camels as a trade vehicle.

The cargo that 10 camels could carry was too little.

Compared to the horse carriage, this was the disadvantage of camel caravan.

"Stabilize the Oasis Lookout first."

Kant shook his head and did not continue thinking about this problem.

There was no single-humped camel in this world. Kant had never seen a creature similar to a camel in the books or travel stories of this world.

This meant that there was no way to build a camel team apart from relying on the system.

But if he had the chance, Kant would definitely build a camel caravan.

With this camel caravan, perhaps it wouldn't be too much of a problem to pass through the cruel devil's land that the Jackalan had mentioned. As for the Mannheim Coast, which could only be reached after a 30-day journey, he would also have the chance to extend his force there.

Kant's eyes flashed with a cold light. "The most crucial thing is the Jackalan in the Kingdom of Gray Mane."

Victory would grant him a new qualification.

That was to step into a new world, the world north of the Nahrin Desert!

Chapter 127: The Difference of Level 5 Troop Class

Just as Kant and Manid were talking, breakfast was served.

Later, Firentis also came to the council hall.

The three of them had their breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the long table in the hall. They would talked to each other while eating, which was also the time for the two of them to report matters to Kant. If there were any problems, they could discussed it in time.

Although the area of Drondheim was not large.

When the three of them gathered together, they could only communicated and chatted during the three meals.

As the Oasis Lookout developed, they would be busier and busier.

Breakfast was soon over.

Firentis continued to patrol the city defense of the fortress, while Manid went to the trade caravan. He continued to check the specific amount of the trade and planned in advance for the next trade to ensure more profits.

Oasis Lookout did not lacked silver coins, but a large amount of resources.

During breakfast, Kant had already instructed Manid.

Even though they earned lots of great silver coins from the table salt trade, they were going to pay those coins to Baron Dylan's trade caravan. The ultimate goal was to exchange for a large amount of resources, whether it was grain, tools, linen, arrows, crossbows, and other military supplies.

After all, the fortress was located in the Nahrin Desert, a barren and desolate place

Other than the alkali soil that can be found everywhere, this "Drondheim" fortress basically lacked everything.

However, this was at least a good sign.

Oasis Lookout already had a trading partner, and they could sold table salt.

At the same time, they could exchanged it for the necessary supplies.

"Drondheim" was on the right track, and it was developing healthily.

Kant was also hesitant about this.

Perhaps he really needed to look for someone who good at internal affairs for help.

After all, Firentis was the military commander, and he was good at leading the Swadian heavy cavalry troops in battle.

Manid, on the other hand, was an elite merchant, and his main job was foreign trading. He normally led the troops and left for a week. Although he had some experience in dealing with internal affairs, he would went for trips for a long time, and the internal affairs still had to be handled by Kant himself.

Fortunately, there were not many internal affairs at the moment, so Kant could handled them.

Once Oasis Lookout continued to develop, a large number of miscellaneous matters would swarm over, and Kant would definitely overwhelmed.

The efficiency of governance was equal to the efficiency of development.

Kant deeply agreed with this statement.

If they governed the place with slow-paced and sluggish style, it would definitely delay the development of the estate.

"It's all problems."

Kant pinched his eyebrows.

It seemed that he was gradually getting on the right track, and the system did not released those simple system quest.

Kant could clearly felt that after he upgraded from a village to a fortress, the system's attention on him had suddenly decreased. Originally, clearing a certain area or exploring a certain area would have a rich reward. But now, he only received some rewards after a battle or completed a difficult mission.

Among these, the side quest regarding the strange item was the easiest to complete.

The earth elemental giant and water elemental giant summoned by the strange item were easily killed by the level 5 troop class, the Ravenstern rangers. It seemed simple, but in fact, it was also partly due to luck.

And the reward was actually not that good.

Five chicken coops and ten beehives, as well as the rejuvenation spell that could make the date palm tree bloom, were not brought much help to the current Oasis Lookout. They could only slightly improve the food sources.

There were too few grouse in the chicken coops. Even if they laid eggs, they would not be enough for everyone to eat.

The honey produced in the beehives was even less. It could only be used for Kant and the two heroes to eat alone.

As for the fruit of date palm jungle...

It would probably took another two months.

Kant could not helped but shook his head and sighed. "Is the beginner honeymoon over?"

But there was no regret on his face.

Because regret and fear could not solve any problems at all.

Kant was determined.

He believed that only a reasonable plan with maximum efforts, he could ultimately succeeded.

In real life, there was only hard work.

Kant stood up and walked towards the third floor.

Although there were not many earth and water elemental giants that could be summoned every week, the elemental gemstones that he obtained were hard to fathom and he did not know what they could be used for, Kant also discovered the most important part of these two strange objects.

By summoning the earth elemental giant, one could obtain fertile soil after killing it.

By summoning the water elemental giant, one could obtain clear spring water after killing it.

This was especially important in the desert.

Kant sprinkled the soil on the sandy soil to increase fertility, while killing the water elemental giant would increase the amount of water in the lake. He still understood the fact that many a little make a mickle.

He found a wooden box in the cabinet.

After opening it, he took out two pages of strange objects that were placed on the velvet cloth.

[ The Page of Fertile Soil ] and [ The Page of Clear Spring ]

Kant left the council hall. At the same time, he instructed the guard at the door, "Pass down my order. Have 20 Ravenstern rangers retreat from the top floor and find me at the east gate."

"Understood.", the guard nodded and immediately ran to the top floor of the council hall to pass the order.

Kant came to the top of the city gate.

The six-meter tall and five-meter wide city gate was made entirely of stone. The two-meter tall reinforced attic made the city gate appeared even taller. The opening six windows were used as as shooting holes, one could see the both sides of the city walls from the windows, it formed a protruding crossfire.

"My Lord."

In the attic at the top of the city gate, two Vaegirs archers were on guard.

Seeing Kant came over, they immediately saluted him with a solemn expression.

"Okay.", Kant nodded.

The 20 Ravenstern rangers behind him also quickly walked over. Their neat and tidy movements made these Vaegirs archers slightly raise their eyebrows, one could saw the uncertainty in their eyes.

As level 4 troop class archers, they clearly sensed the aura of these level 5 archers.

However, the two sides did not confronted each other.

Vaegirs archers nodded slightly and took the lead to pay their respects. This was because they already knew that these 20 Ravenstern rangers, who were stationed at the top of the council hall, were masters of archery. They were able to compete with the Vaegirs marksman. They could even compared to the legendary master of Vaegirs marksman. They were not jealous or pretending to be cold.

The Kingdom of Vaegirs respected archery masters very much, even to the archery masters of other countries as well.

It doesn't matter one has a late start, only the one who truly master the skill matters.

It was similar to this principle.

As a level-5 troop class, the Ravenstern rangers did not showed any so-called arrogance. Instead, they paid tribute to the Vaegirs archers.. They returned the salute with smiles and nods. The atmosphere was quite harmonious.

Kant smiled at this.

Internal strife was something he did not want to see. It would only caused no good to them.

Kant turned his head to look at the Swadani archers on the city wall who were curiously looking at him, he waved his hand and instructed them, "All Vaegirs archers and Swadian crossbowmen, retreat from this section of the city wall, leave it to the Ravenstern Rangers to defend the wall temporarily."

"Understood." ,the archers and crossbowmen immediately nodded and quickly retreated towards the other city walls.

The following battle was indeed not something they could participate in.

"Summon the earth elemental giants."

Kant placed his hand on the [ the Page of Fertile Soil ]. Along with the mind communication system, a mysterious power instantly descended.

Just as his gaze passed through the shooting hole, more than 30 meters away from the city gate, the sand layer instantly rippled. Just like last week, seven earth elemental giants appeared in just a few seconds, taking heavy steps and arriving in this world.

However, their existence was obviously short-lived.

As a Level 5 troop class, not only were the Ravenstern rangers excellent in archery, they also clearly remembered the weaknesses of their enemies.

The light in giants' eye sockets flickered.

This was the weakness of these seemingly strong and powerful earth elemental giants that were as thick as the earth!

The white heavy bow was instantly pulled into shape a full moon. The powerful strength of their arms and waist made the surrounding Vaegirs archers stared dumbfoundedly at them. The Vaegirs archers were unable to pull a heavy bow in an instant.

The Archers of the Kingdom of Vaegirs preferred to use longbows instead. They would only use heavy bows to train their strength.

This was due to the different positioning of the archers between the two countries.

The Ravenstern rangers did not hesitate at all. The cone-shaped arrows were ready. They looked at the earth elemental giant outside the city wall, who had already discovered this side and was walking forward with a bang, causing sand to splash out. They immediately released their fingers that were holding on to the bowstring.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh --"

The sound of air being torn apart can be heard.

The cone-shaped arrows instantly pierced the eye sockets of the giants that were shimmering with earthen yellow light.

The bodies of the seven earth elemental giants froze. As the ripples flickered, they began to collapse in an instant. The earth elemental giants, which were some sort of material and living things, had once again turned into the soil elements they belonged to.

"Battle finished."

These Ravenstern rangers looked relaxed.

"Of course.", Kant chuckled.

At the same time, he turned his head and instructed the archers, "Inform our peasants. Remember to sprinkle all that soil in the wheat fields. After you find the gemstones, remember to send it to the council hall."

"Understood.", the shocked Vaegirs archers and the Swadian crossbowmen quickly replied.

Such steady, accurate, and ruthless archery skills shocked them greatly.

Although there were only one level different between a Level 4 troop class and a Level 5 troop, there were significant difference between their combat strength.

Perhaps only a level 5 Vaegirs marksman would be able to experience such a difference.

However, even if a Swadian crossbowman became a level 5 Swadian marksman, he probably wouldn't be able to compare to these two types of archers. This was a gap between their natural capacity. After all, the heavy cavalry was strongest troop in the Kingdom of Swadia.

And the Rhodok sharpshooter was the level 5 troop class that was comparable to them.

After all, level 5 troop class was divided into three grades.

Chapter 128: The Mighty Mamluke

The archery skills of the Ravenstern rangers were impeccable.

In terms of close-range accuracy and rapid shooting, even the Vaegirs sharpshooters could not compare to them. This was the advantage of the ability of troop class, but it was very unlucky for those elemental giants summoned by strange objects.

Looking at the elemental giants that already collapsed into mud outside the city walls, it was clear that they had already grasped their weakness. This time, before the giants could even took three steps, their elemental gems in the eye socket were instantly hit by the arrow. The arrows pierced through their "organs" that were as important as the heart and turned them back into mud.

Kant had once seen a description of the elemental giants in some secret historical documents.

The chroniclers all gave a positive comment on the lethality and destructive power of these elemental giants.

On the battlefield, they were equivalent to a different kind of trump card army.

They did not have a body of flesh and blood, were not afraid of pain, and would not die easily in battle. Their great strength was their advantage, and they were often able to rampage on the battlefield. Under the leadership of their mages, they were able to defeat enemy forces that were ten times stronger.

The book did not recorded the weaknesses of these elemental giants.

Perhaps they were intentionally ignored it.

The only way to destroy the elemental giants was to use a large number of soldiers to attack and deplete the bodies of the elemental giants. As long as the elemental bodies were depleted to a certain extent, they would collapsed on their own.

This would allowed these unusual elemental creatures from the elemental plane to walk towards what the physical world considered "death".

As for Kant, he didn't need to go through so much trouble.

The weakness of these elemental giants had already been discovered. It was the elemental gemstone in their eye sockets.

As level 5 troop class, the Ravenstern rangers used their heavy bows and arrows that could pierce through shields and armor to easily aim at the elemental gemstone hidden in their heads.

Just like in front of them.

The eye sockets of the three summoned water elemental giants were instantly pierced through by the arrows.

The vibrating power of the arrows caused the entire blue crystal-like body to turn into waves. Then, they collapsed like a waterfall. Like a heavy downpour, it crashed into a small lake beneath them.

"This is very easy."

Kant smiled slightly and nodded in satisfaction.

After putting away the [ the Page of Clear Spring ] , Kant also turned to the Vaegirs archers and the Swadian crossbowmen behind him. "Go to the lake and pick up the three elemental gems. I hope to see them in the council hall."

"Understood.", the archers guarding this section nodded.

Kant summoned the water elemental giant from the west side, right next to the city wall in the direction of the lake.

This way, after killing the water elemental giant, Kant could sprinkle all of the clear spring water from the water elemental plane into the lake. So the spring water would not be wasted in the desert like last time, where it would be evaporated by the Sun.

The problem was that it was difficult to pick up the elemental gemstones.

But it did not matter.

Although this so-called small lake which was transformed from the terrain , it was actually equivalent to the size of a larger pond. The depth of the water was about two meters, and it was very clear. If one swam across the small pond, one could easily found the elemental gemstones that were as big as eggs. If they held their breath and dived in, they would be able to fish them up.

Although the swimming skills of the Swadian people were not as good as those of the Nords who came from the sea.

But such a small pond was a piece of cake for them.

Soon, the Swadian crossbowmen in the attic of the city wall worked together and fished up three cracked water elemental gemstones. They sent them to the council hall and placed them together with the seven earth elemental gemstones on Kant's seat on the long table.

"No one is leveling up."

Kant continued to patrol the city wall.

After summoning the elemental giants twice, the Vaegirs archers and the Swadian crossbowmen on the city wall did not showed any signs of leveling up. It was obvious that the experience points gained from killing these nine elemental giants was not much.

After muttering to himself for a while, Kant looked at the large number of archers on the city wall and thought to himself, "Is it because there are too many of them that the experience points are evenly distributed?"

He thought about the troop class allocation last week.

The only ones who really joined the battle were the Ravenstern Rangers.

The other troop class were all gathered under the city wall, so no one gained much experience points. Only four of the Swadian light footmen were upgraded to the Swadian heavy cavalries.

As for the 40 desert bandits, they had leveled up because they had single-handedly killed about 500 Jackalans.

"Maybe in the future, I'll choose a troop to level up."

Kant made up his mind.

These elemental giants were the experience point babies. Under the lead of the Ravenstern ranger, a small number of low-level troops could quickly leveled up and grew into a high-level troop class in a short period of time.

The effect was much better than the training ground, which had very little experience points to gain every day.

"My Lord, do you have any other missions?"

The leading Ravenstern ranger asked.

Right behind Kant, these 20 rangers were wearing mail armor and linen robe. Their heavy bows were placed in their waist pouches, and they carried two-handed greatswords on their backs as they waited in formation. They didn't look like archers, but rather like heavy footmen who could shoot arrows.

"Return to your positions,", Kant instructed them.

After saluting, these rangers quickly walked towards the council hall.

On the second floor of the council hall, there were not only Firentis and Manid's rooms, but also the rooms of these 20 Ravenstern rangers and the guards. After all, if there was any situation, they would be able to move out in time.

And when emergency, the guards and rangers on the second floor would be Kant's last guarantee of safety.

However, if they could break through the forces of the current Drondheim fortress, it shouldn't be a problem for them to break through the giant tower of the council hall. At that time, Kant wouldn't be foolish enough to continue resisting and would directly chose to surrender. He would had to compromise first, it wasn't impossible for him to endure the humiliation just like Goujian.

If you don't have strength, don't be arrogant. Those who achieve great things don't care about small matters.

Kant walked forward.

Two Swadian footmen followed behind him. They were guards who showed cast their lord status.

Kant narrowed his eyes slightly and swept his gaze across the troop class interface in his retina. It was not that there was no troop class that could be upgraded. Instead, there was a level up option that represented "+", appearing behind the Sarrandian Horsemen.

These five Sarrandian horsemen were the few who followed Kant to the salt mine.

At that time, they had already reached the critical point

Along with Manid, they had gone through some battles on the way to the Stone Pass. Finally, when they returned to Oasis Lookout and killed by nine elemental giants, they reached the final level up.

The five of them could level up.

......

[ Upgradable troop class: Sarrandian Horseman X five ]

[ Cost 80 denars per person, can level up to: Mamluke ]

[ Level Up? Yes/No ]

.....

Looking at the interface of the troop class.

Kant raised his eyebrows slightly. How could he refuse such choice?

"Level up!", his answer was unusually firm.

400 denars disappeared instantly, but some kind of data chain gushed out of Kant's body at the moment the denars decreased. It circled in the air and then surged into the five Sarrandian horsemen not far away.

They seemed to have just returned from patrolling.

The other 15 Sarrandian horsemen and 25 elite desert bandit looked envy.

In their eyes, this was the power of a miracle.

After a few short seconds, the five Sarrandian horsemen officially broke through their levels. They slowly rode out of the data, their bodies wrapped in thick Sarrandian chain armor. Fineiron sheets were tightly interlaced, there was also a disc-shaped heart-protection mirror on their chest. It was covered with beautiful patterns, like the most precious artifact.

The delicately dyed linen robe was draped over their bodies. Even the robust Sarrandian warhorse was also draped in the light gray linen robe. As the horses moved, the layers of iron plates interlaced into the warhorse's armor were also faintly revealed.

It was like the armor of a Swadian heavy cavalry.

However, just by looking at the arrangement and precision of the armor plates, one could tell that these Mamluke's armors were more meticulously forged by blacksmiths, and it were also more expensive.

These noble heavy cavalry, the strongest heavy cavalry in the desert, were equivalent piles of denars.

It was priceless!

The Sarrandian helmet on their head completely covered their face, and only two eyes can be saw through the gaps. The eyes carried a callous indifference towards life, as well as a indifference towards war and the way they handled things.

They were real elites, a butcher who had survived hundreds of battles!

The heavy lance in his hand was much thicker and longer than the spear in the Sarrandian horseman's hand.

The shield of the elite cavalry in his left hand was also of excellent quality.

The elite scimitars were hidden in the sheath at their waist, and a terrifying two-handed weapon on his back. The entire body of the two-handed iron staff was cast from iron, and a flower bud pattern was meticulously carved at the front part. A single strike this weapon could easily broke people's bones, burst the brain and caused bleeding of internal organs!

This was Mamluke's standard equipment, the strongest two-handed blunt weapon.

Even a Swadian knight had to be careful when facing this heavy and powerful two-handed iron staff. Otherwise, a casual swing would be able to break the bones under the chain armor.

Blunt attacks were never about bloody external wounds.

But the seemingly harmless internal injuries that could actually killed a person!

"My Lord."

Five Mamluke slowly rode over.

The original 15 Sarrandian horseman and 25 elite desert bandits looked at them fervently.

Even the 50 Swadian heavy cavalries in the distance looked over with envy and respect in their eyes. This was because this troop class from the Sarrandian Desert was the only opponent that could face the Swadian knight head-on in the plains, it was worthy of their respect.

"Good, very good, very good."

Kant's tone was calm.

But his eyes were filled with unconcealable excitement.

Kant swept his gaze over the five men and horses, Mamluke, who was wrapped in the Sarrandian chain mail, took a deep breath and said to them in a deep voice, "In the future, you will be the sharpest dagger of Oasis Lookout!"

Mamluke, who had already become a level 5 heavy cavalry, had already surpassed the level 4 troop class, the Swadian heavy cavalry.

In the midst of the violent charge.

The five of them acted as the sharp blades, able to pierce through any enemy who tried to block in front of them.

This was the most elite troop class.

Even with the entire country's capacity, there weren't many Mamluke in Sarrand Sultanate!

They were the strongest king in the desert!

Chapter 129: Distribution of Troop Class

Kant nodded to himself.

Mamlukes were indeed worthy of being the top troop class of Sarrand Sultanate. They were the assurance of the foundation and security of a nation.

Although there were only five of them, the energy and spirit of these five Mamlukes almost crushed the Sarrandian horseman and elite desert bandit next to them.

They were all Sarrandian.

As the level 4 troop class, the 15 Sarrandian horsemen were the regular army of Sarrand Sultanate. They were doing not so bad.

But the 25 elite desert bandits was even more unbearable.

They were once the rebellious bandits. Now, they rode on horses next to the Mamlukes, the difference between them was like a desert quail compared to a mighty falcon. They no longer as arrogant as before.

Mamlukes were the strongest regular army to begin with.

In the battle sequence of the Sarrand Sultanate, they were the most elite and could be said to be a king-level existence.

They were the troop class that was used to break through the enemy's defense line and obtain complete victory.

The wild monster and the unrated elite desert bandit obviously could not be compared to these trump cards.

Only the Sarrandian horseman still maintained a bit of grace.

They were regular army.

Although they were currently used as light cavalry, they could also be classified as heavy cavalry.

In fact, in the battle sequence of the Sarrand Sultanate, these Sarrandian horsemen were once heavy cavalries who charged forward together with Mamluke, tearing apart the enemy's front line.

Kant had positioned them as light cavalry because the number of cavalry in the lookout oasis was too small.

And they were very weak. It was not because of the Swadian heavy cavalry unit. But it was because of the light cavalry unit made up of desert bandits were too weak in close combat.

Other than a round of spear-pincer charge, the bandits could only used scimitars for close combat, and they only wore leather armor as defense. In fact, once they were caught in the enemy's formation and could not broke through in time, they would be in danger if they were caught in the formation. They would be cut into meat paste by the enemies, including horses and themselves.

Thus, Kant incorporated the Sarrandian horsemen into the light cavalry as the main force.

The effect was very good.

In the previous battles, both sides cooperated very well.

"If that's the case..."

Kant lowered his head slightly. He still needed to recruit more cavalries for the current combat sequence of the troop.

Mamluke would not longer to be integrated into the light cavalry. As heavy cavalry, they would be integrated into the heavy cavalry unit with the Swadian heavy cavalries. It was their job to be able to defeat the enemy on the battlefield.

After muttering to himself for a while, Kant communicated with the system and said, "Recruiting 20 desert bandits."

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ Twenty desert bandits recruited. Requires 600 denars. ]

[ Yes/No? ]

The system dialog box popped up and appeared on his retina.

"Recruit!"

Kant's response was very affirmative.

And as the 600 denar disappeared, a mysterious power descended on the desert bandits' camp.

On the inner side of the street, next to the bell tower that was about to be completed, the thick wooden door of the desert bandits' camp was pushed open. Twenty ferocious figures were wearing brown leather armor, covered in linen robe and carrying scimitars. They were striding outside of the door while holding leather shields and spears in their hands. They turned their heads to look at the 20 desert horses that also appeared in the stable, and then walked quickly towards Kant.

They were desert bandits from the Sarrandian Desert.

They had just been recruited by Kant.

"Mamluke."

Their footsteps paused slightly, and their faces froze.

The desert bandits held back their arrogance, and they were as smooth as the elite desert bandits, or even more timid.

Just like the flock of sheep in front of the lion, and the quail in front of the falcon.

The strength of the Sarrand Sultanate was supported by these Mamlukes. These desert bandits, who could not even defeat the Sarrandian horsemen, did not have the slightest confidence to be at ease.

"Respected Lord Kant."

The 20 desert bandits quickly walked in front of Kant. They were still as respectful as before. They bowed simultaneously and said, "Before we met you, your reputation has already established a great impression in our hearts."

"Welcome to join us.", Kant smiled and nodded.

This group of desert bandits were very tactful.

Although these bandits had already started to lag behind with the development of Oasis Lookout.

But as the only light cavalry that could be recruited in Drondheim fortress, and the only development sequence of the Sarrandian cavalry, they held an important position for Kant.

These desert bandits were very qualified as light cavalry.

Scouting, harassing, quick assault, attacking military logistics, and cutting off supply lines.

These were all the specialties of the desert bandits.

Although they were poor in close combat and incomparable to the Sarrandian horseman or the Swadian heavy cavalry, the advantage of the light cavalry was fully displayed by them.

Light cavalry wouldn't interfere in a frontal assault.

The heavy cavalry unit formed by the Swadian heavy cavalry was the main force in a direct battle.

They were fully armored, charging forward like tanks. They would gained the upper hand in the battlefield and won the final victory.

It was not the case for the light cavalry.

The desert bandits in the Sarrandian Desert liked to rob trade caravan and the civilians, they did not like to fight head to head.

They avoided the conflict.

They drew their knives and rushed forward to chop off a piece of meat before running away.

This was their favorite tactic.

Of course, Kant liked to recruit these desert bandits. The most important reason was the desert bandits' camp. Every week, they could provide 20 qualified cavalry for recruitment, which was 80 people in a month.

The more the merrier.

If they were in the real world, would they be able to have 80 qualified light cavalry in a month?

It was simply a pipe dream!

Moreover, these rebellious bandits could quickly grew up and obtained promotions, as long as they were honed on the battlefield and won a few victories under the command of the commander.

For example, they could attacked the enemy's supply line.

They could charged at the enemy's flank at the crucial moment.

They could even ambushed the enemy at the crucial location and disrupted the enemy's marching plan.

As long as they won, the experience points of these desert bandits would soared by a large margin. Although there would definitely be casualties in the end, they would become the elites of the elites if they played a major role and survived in the battle.

Just like the five Mamlukes who were all wearing the Sarrandian chain mail!

"Distribute the troops now."

Kant looked at the newly upgraded and recruited cavalry and placed them into the combat troops. "Mamlukes go the heavy cavalry combat sequence, and the desert bandits go to the light cavalry combat sequence."

"Understood.", the five Mamlukes and 20 desert bandits answered together.

"Everyone dismiss.", Kant waved his hand.

The troops immediately scattered and joined the combat sequence that had already been assigned to.

The five Mamluke obviously placed with the 50 Swadian heavy cavalries. All of them were wearing heavy armor. Although they were not from the same race or nation, their combat styles were very similar. They relied on their strongest charging and frontal combat ability, they charged through the enemy's front line and led the follow-up troops to victory.

As for the desert bandits, they were light cavalry to begin with. They were also the only light cavalry.

They formed the backbone of the light cavalry.

Usually, they were responsible for the security around Drondheim fortress, maintaining the daily patrol work, and acting as a quick reaction force. If there were any problems, they would take the initiative to attack and stabilize the situation.

These desert bandits could be considered the most efficient light cavalry.

The miscellaneous matters were settled.

The cavalries split up and returned to their respective groups. Kant looked satisfied.

Oasis Lookout regained its peace.

Thanks to the advance development plan, Kant had discussed with Firentis and Manid about the construction of the buildings and the upgrade of the troop class to ensure that there were no omissions and mistakes. If there were any problems, they could be remedied in time.

Of course, Kant's decision was right for now, which made him felt at ease.

This week passed very quickly.

A new week had arrived.

Just early in the morning, Kant opened his eyes on the bed.

"Dong -- Dong -- Dong --"

A Swadian footman ,who was in charge of the bell tower, shook the bell hammer and knocked on the bronze bell. The bronze bell outside the window let out a clear sound, announcing the arrival of a new day. The bell reminded everyone to get up and wash up, and no exception to anyone.

Half an hour later, there would be the next bell.

This bell would be the reminder for work.

And an hour later, when the bell rang again, it would be time for breakfast.

The timing was very reasonable.

In the 50 houses, the sleepy peasants and peasant women all walked out of the room, carrying wooden basins neatly and began to wash up. They poured the water on their faces to completely shake off the sleepiness and made them relaxed.

They could not be tired while working. Although there were no supervisors, they would felt uneasy if they slacked off for a bit.

These Swadian civilians were quite honest.

[ Ding... as the morning sun rise, a new week begins. ]

[ Income: You collect 190 denars in Drondheim (fortress)]

[ Expenditure: You pay 7,788 denars for the wages of all the troops ]

[ Financial summary ]

[ Main income: 190 denars head tax were collected from civilians in Drondheim. No businessmen pay taxes, no factories pay taxes. Income methods are severely lacking. ]

[ Main expenditure: Swadian heavy cavalry (50 people) 1600 denars, Swadian footman (50 people) 800 denars, Swadian light footman (37 people) 333 denars, Swadian recruit (10 people) 100 denars, Mamluke (5 people) 255 denars, Sarrandian horseman (15 people) 435 denars, Elite desert bandit (25 people) 625 denars, Desert bandits (20 people) 400 denars, Ravenstern rangers (20 people) 1540 denars, Swadian crossbowmen (50 people) 750 denars, Vaegirs archers (50 people) 750 denars. Firentis 100 denars, Manid 100 denars. ]

The system gave a summary of the income and expenditure.

The expenditure up to 8,000 denars did not made Kant's expression change at all.

Instead, he let out a slight breath and lifted the wool blanket covering his body. Kant said in a low voice, "System, 20 desert bandits have been recruited this week. They belong to the light cavalry."

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ 20 desert bandits have been recruited. Cost 600 denars ]

The system did not asked and directly recruited them.

However, in Kant's retina, a dialog box suddenly popped up.

[ Ding... Side quest released ]

Chapter 130: The Crisis Hidden In the Undercurrent

The system dialog box popped up on his retina.

[ Ding... Side quest released]

[ Side quest: The undercurrent comes ]

[ Reward: 10,000 denars ]

[ Introduction: When you choose to develop, an undercurrent will come. In the face of this new challenge, will you and your estate be able to withstand the attack of the undercurrent like a reef? Be careful, be careful, be careful! ]

Kant narrowed his eyes slightly.

Kant swept his gaze across the introduction that was both moving and grinding.

"Undercurrent?", he muttered softly.

Even in the system's introduction, there were three "Be careful" words that were used to mark the importance of this side quest. It made Kant's heart feel as if it was being gripped by an invisible force. He could not help but squinted his eyes, "Is it that... serious?"

Yes, it was very serious.

Kant understood in his heart. Otherwise, the system would never have given such a notification.

He muttered to himself for a while.

Kant looked towards the north, deep in thought. "Where is it?"

North of the Nahrin Desert, in the direction of the Mannheim Coast, the location of the Kingdom of Grey Mane had been known for a long time. Those high-level Jackalan form the expedition army were starting to march towards the Oasis Lookout.

At this moment, the system suddenly gave out a side quest.

The purpose was to remind Kant..

They're here!

If it wasn't for the expedition army of the Kingdom of Gray Mane, those high-level Jackalan who had their own civilization, Kant would never believed that the system would give such a serious reminder and release a side quest with such a warning. At the same time, the reward of the side quest was directly raised to high price of 10,000 denars.

In the third week of this month, the enemy was finally going to appear in front of Kant.

He stepped forward.

Kant quickly returned to the council hall and waved to the guard at the door. "Go and find Knight Firentis. Inform him that there is an emergency waiting to be dealt with."

"Understood!", the guard saluted and quickly turned to leave.

He sat on his chair.

Soon, Firentis pushed the door open and quickly entered with a solemn expression. "Lord Kant, you were looking for me?"

"Yes.", Kant nodded.

His expression was equally solemn. He extended his hand and said to Firentis, "Sit down and talk. It seems that we are really about to face a new test. I think we should be prepared for everything."

"The Kingdom of Gray Mane?", Firentis narrowed his eyes and guessed the truth of the matter.

"That's right."

Kant nodded and tapped his fingers on the table with a very serious expression, "That's them."

Firentis frowned.

His heart beat faster.

But there was no panic or fear on his face. They had deduced the possibility of the attack from the expedition army of the Kingdom of Grey Mane more than once. Taking a deep breath, Firentis said in a deep voice, "I'll go prepare."

"There's no need for that for now.", Kant shook his head and frowned. "They haven't arrived yet."

"There's still time?", Firentis asked with a frown.

"That's right,", Kant replied.

The system's introduction had already given an obscure expression.

The undercurrent was about to come.

The word "about to" obviously meant that it had not happened yet. Combining that with this sentence, Kant could easily guess the system's hint that there was still some time before this danger reached here.

Perhaps for a long time.

Perhaps for an instant.

Firentis's expression was serious as he said slowly, "We must not let down our guard."

"Yes, we must not let down our guard.", Kant nodded and ordered in a deep voice, "After the meeting is over, you will arrange for all the soldiers to be on standby. Cancel all their vacations and raise the alert level to the highest level."

"Understood.", Firentis nodded.

However, Kant didn't finished his words. After a pause, he continued to arrange, "Get all the desert bandits to spread out and conduct reconnaissance. The range is three kilometers from the Oasis Lookout. Recon to the north direction."

"Yes.", Firentis continued to nod.

These were the arrangements during the time of war. Kant had to make the decision himself.

It was also the arrangement to succeed the plan.

"Fateh, go and make the arrangements."

Kant waved at Firentis. He looked at the Swadian noble in front of him and said in a grave tone, "Tell your soldiers that the crisis is right in front of them. Stay alert."

"I understand.", Fateh nodded and left in hurry.

He could handled it very well.

Kant believed in Fateh's ability, but he still had some worries before the battle.

It wasn't fear.

It was just a slight fluctuation in his heart towards the arrival of the war.

The development of the "Drondheim" fortress had already reached a certain critical point. Although there were still many buildings that had yet to be built, it didn't have much of an impact on the current situation.

The soldiers that could join the battle and city defense fortifications that were able to resist the enemies.

They had everything that they needed.

What they really lacked was perhaps the experience gained in a real battle with the enemy.

"A storm is coming.", Kant took a deep breath.

He had long been mentally prepared for the arrival of the expedition army of the Kingdom of Grey Mane. After all, Asage, the noble Jackalan, who had been captured, and the high-level Jackalan warriors who had been discovered and annihilated last week had proved this. The force of the Mannheim coast began to extend to this place more and more, and starting to reach out and probe.

And the time for the final attack was also not far away.

.....

"Dong Dong Dong Dong Dong Dong Dong Dong Dong Dong Dong Dong Dong..."

A hurried bell sounded.

The rush and clear sound of the bronze bell echoed inside and outside the Oasis Lookout.

Agricultural area.

The peasants and peasant women who were originally busy turned their heads to look in the direction of the fortress in shock when they heard the bell. Their eyes were still somewhat blank, clearly not understanding what had happened.

But in the blink of an eye, the meaning of the bell had already appeared in their minds.

Cold sweat instantly appeared on their skulls. They threw down the tasks in their hands and ran towards the direction of the fortress gate.

Their running speed was very fast.

It wasn't just them.

There were also the Swadian footmen who were originally patrolling in the agricultural area and the pastoral area.

These level 3 troop class were the main force that formed the patrol team. Basically, the current oasis lookout was relying on their patrols to maintain stability and ensure the safety of the civilians.

But now, they were running, carrying the armor on their bodies.

They were panting as they ran, and they couldn't even maintain their formation.

They rushed into the fortress through the two city gates. At the same time, they saw their comrades were holding longbows and crossbows, they were guarding behind the shooting windows in the attic of the city wall. Their eyes were bright as they looked into the distance. Clearly, they were very serious.

Their hearts skipped a beat.

War was coming.

Peasants and peasant women gathered in front of the bell tower, waiting silently.

On the street next to them were all the troops that Oasis Lookout currently had, including Mamluke, the Sawadian heavy cavalries, the Swadian footmen, the desert bandits, and even Manid, who was still inspecting the sugar workshop.

This was the bell of the emergency assembly bell.

It only sounded urgently when there was an emergency order.

It was completely different from the usual bell sound.

Just like the Lord was urging them.

In the bell tower, Knight Firentis walked out with a solemn expression. He swept his gaze across the troops that were all on standby except for the archers. In the sheath by his waist, the awe-inspiring knight's pulled out his sword .

"Lord Kant's subjects and soldiers."

Firentis took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "The war is about to begin."

This was an emergency gathering.

It was natural for this knight who was good at military affairs to announce the state of war.

Kant had given him the task.

Firentis did not hesitated. This was his area of expertise.

He gave orders after another.

All the soldiers were mobilized. The entire fortress was put into the highest alert mode. Any slight movement would attract the attention of everyone. War was the priority.

The civilians also received the order.

All the valuable things were moved into the fortress, and all the livestock were separately listed out in the city wall.

Including the 5-arches chee greass beach on the west side of the small lake, the peasant and peasant women were also required to harvest it in the shortest time possible and store it as fodder.

As for the date palm tree that had already bloomed and would bear fruit in less than a month.

They could only hoped that the Jackalan would came slower.

Although the stone walls of the current "Drondheim" fortress had been built, they could not completely cover the entire area. In fact, even if it was built into a luxurious castle, the walls would not be built over a single date palm jungle. This was not cost efficient and was unrealistic.

The best way was to cut down and burn the surrounding trees.

It was to prevent the enemy from building siege weapons.

For Kant, if the Jackalan expedition army was really coming, he would not hesitated to order them to cut down all the date palm tree and not leave a single one behind.

He did not expect that the high-level Jackalan did not have siege technology.

They had already established the Kingdom of Grey Mane.

They had their own civilization.

How could these high-level Jackalan not have the skills to make siege weapons?

Moreover, they came here.

Their goal was to conquer the human kingdom and plunder the wealth of the humans. How could they not have siege weapons, or even craftsmen who knew how to make siege weapons?

So much good wood.

Even if they could not build siege weapons, just by using the tree trunks as stairs. It was enough to climb up the seven-meter-high city walls and attic, allowing the Jackalan used the stairs as stepping stone for them to invade the fortress and conquer the Oasis Lookout!

Desert bandits rode their horses and rushed out of the city gates.

Three people in a group, spread out and began to scout towards the north.

The dark clouds of war shrouded the Nahrin Desert.

Meanwhile at the natural salt mine, 300 Jackalan pirates had escaped the devil's zone and trekked over. They weakly looked at the torn tents on the ground around them, as well as the white bones full of teeth marks that were strewn all over the place.

According to the plan.

There should be a high-level Jackalan team in charge of supporting them in this salt mine.

They looked at the bones fiercely.

Their faces were extremely ferocious.

The white bones with teeth marks were obviously caused by chewing. From the bones, one could tell that it was the leg bones of the Jackalan. The teeth marks on them were also caused by the fangs of the Jackalan.

They were furious.

The low-level Jackalan tribe of the Nahrin Desert was indeed a barbaric tribe.

These Jackalan pirates had already made the judgement in their hearts.

Chapter 131: Pirates of the JACKALAN

''Howl --''

Hoarse and hateful wolf howls appeared at the salt mines.

The head of Jackal pirates chief, his scarred face was filled with the wrath of an outcast.

They carried supplies themselves around the Devil's Zone, from the Mannheim coast to the southern part of the Nahrin Desert, even didn't find the corresponding team, let alone the camp that should have been built.

They had been almost exhausted, whose heart gushed out endless killing intention.

It wasn't easy to make the long journey to get here.

The clean water in the water sacks had long since been drunk, and now were filled with stinky urine, but even this kind of filth, which would have made them vomit and been spurned by any civilized high-level jackal, was the guarantee of their current lives.

This was because their supplies had already reached the desperate point of exhaustion.

In the vast dunes, no one knew which one would be their grave.

"Something's wrong."

The head of the pirates chief stopped howling and his eyes were bloodshot.

He looked down and swept his gaze across the white bones scattered on the ground, looking at the teeth marks, stepped on them with his full of gray furry claws. He stomped hard on them, and the slender leg bones smashed into bone slag with a "click".

The other Jackal pirates one after another gathered around.

With ferocious looks on their faces.

Since they were dispatched to the southern part of the Nahrin Desert, they were ready to die.

But not for lack of water.

The pirate leader looked down at the dune, where the trail was clearly stepped on, pulled out his two-handed battle-axe from his back, and growled in a low voice, hoarse from lack of water: ''To that low-level tribe of the Jackals, we will use our battle-axes to get clearn well water, and... a lot of cannon fodder rushing in front of us!''

''Howl --''

The howls of despire, almost like a beast were emitted from the throats of the Jackals .

They were ready.

Since the squad of soldiers dispatched in advance, had encountered with an accident.

In such extreme conditions, the camps prepared for them were destroyed, and their corpses were eaten by these uncivilized low-level Jackals in the desert. It was obvious that an irreversible conflict had occurred between the two sides.

"Let's go."

The pirate leader led the way down the dune.

TheJjackal pirates stepped behind them.

Many took out the water sacks in their arms which were quite shrivelled, and obviously there was not much left, but they still pulled out the stoppers for the rest of the trek, letting the stinky liquid pour into into their stomachs along the thirsty throats.

The malevolence on everyone's faces grew stronger.

They came to the south of the Nahrin Desert in order to conquer the human kingdom and establish a colony dominated by the higher Jackals, not for fun and easy outings.

A full set of chain-mail and two-handed axes were necessary for the expedition.

Therefore, they did not have much food and water.

This was also why, when the Graymane kingdom failed to contact Asage, they immediately dipatched a new team of elite Jackal warriors over here, in order to take the lead in establishing a camp for the following up troops.

This trek, after all, would last a full 30 days.

They would also have to carry heavy weapons, as well as personal supplies to bypass the dangerous and scorching Devil's Zone.

They had reached their limit at the salt mines.

Just as they were now.

According to the plan, the elite teams that arrived in advance would set up camp.

They would also establish an alliance with the Jackal Shaman, who had the same wisdom in the largest lower Jackal tribe. After the arrival of the real expeditionary force, they would be included into the cannon fodder forces, becoming a stepping stone for the higher Jackal to conquer the human kingdom. It was a perfect plan and took many factors into consideration.

Just unexpectedly, there was still an accident.

A day and a night later.

300 Jackal pirates dragged themselves, exhausted, to the lower tribes of Jackal that existed on the map.

However, they looked at the flat desert in front of them with shock and confusion.

The entire flat sandy ground was covered with burning ashes, and there were charred corpses all over the ruins, even the bits of bone that had been gnawed on.

Those low-level Jackals weren't afraid to use their own kind as food.

''What is this?''

The pirate leader's eyes were stunned.

The anger that had already been ready to fight off all these lower Jackals dissipated as quickly as a sandtower washed away by the waves, leaving only the despair and disbelief from the bottom of their hearts.

What was already certain was not what they had imagined at all. It was these lower Jackals who had brazenly killed their elite squads and expedition caravans in defiance of their enslavement.

Their inferences turned out to be wrong!

''This...'' The elite Jackal pirates were also staring in horror at the ruins .

Their drinking water had been completely depleted.

Including the stinky urine.

Even after drinking the water, they couldn't urinate much because the heat of the Nahrin Desert had evaporated the water in their bodies along with the sweat, never turning back into urine, a life-saving liquid.

''Roar...''

But not far away from the ruins, there was a howl of uneasiness.

At the same time, down in the earth, a group of low, silt-covered Jackals crawled out of the pit. Looking at these 300 strong higher Jackals, they let out a whisper like wild beasts.

It was like a warning and a declaration of the sovereignty for their own territory.

''The lower races.''

The pirate leader muttered a curse in Jackal language.

''That... Look at those guys' chins!'' But behind him, the Jackal pirate's voice was tinged with excitement: ''Chief, look at those damn lower races, they seem to have drunk water!''

Many Jackal pirates pulled out their two-handed axes behind them.

All of them were breathing fast.

Even the pirate leader saw the lower Jackal that had crawled out of the hole, his gray fur dripping wet, and dripping from his chin and neck.

Apparently, these lower Jackals had just drunk the water.

''Roar --''

The pirate leader's eyes immediately were scarlet, filling with malevolence.

And, with a wild roar, he and his subordinates darted forward, causing the dozens of lower Jackals to wail in horror and flee toward the surrounding dunes like cowards who were pissing their pants.

These Jackal pirates didn't care about these lower races.

In their opinion, these lower Jackals should be afraid of them.

Arrived at the pit, there were sand and stones scattered everywhere.

At the bottom of the pit, which had been dug down by claws to a depth of nearly seven meters, the sunlight shone in and a small pool of water, the size of a washbasin, could be clearly seen seeping out.

But this was indeed water.

It could survive!

The Jackal pirate leader, who was extremely thirsty, directly jumped down and gulped down the little fresh water at the bottom, his eyes extremely ferocious, but he did not drink much for too long.

Back to the top, he growled in a low voice: ''Three sips each, quickly!''

There was not much fresh water trapped by sand at the bottom .

That was about three sips per person.

It was even insufficient.

At last there was only wet sand left in the pit, but even this was stuffed into the mouths of some pirates who had not drunk enough water and sucked hard to absorb the water their bodies desperately needed.

If they did not drink water, these higher Jackals would all die of thirst.

''What exactly happened?''

The Jackal leader could not help but mutter to himself.

It looked around at the still dark ruins, obviously the marks of the fire.

His mouth was still thirsty, but its emotions were extremely complicated, and even fear was in his eyes: ''Could it be, those human kingdoms have already discovered our plan?''

The Jackal pirates beside him were silent.

After drinking the water, now they no longer had the despair that they could go all out at any time like before.

Instead more desire to live.

No one was really willing to die.

But they all knew that it was impossible for them to return to the coast of Mannheim now and that they had no resources to return, for they had lost this water source, and that all the pirates who came here would die of thirst in three days. It was the same no matter how much their talent made them endure.

Without water, one would die of thirst, the basic element of life.

'' Sentry Oasis, let's go there.''

"Take a day's rest here, then we'll go south, where the map indicates an oasis with springs and desert antelopes for food." He spoke slowly and gravely, looking to the south.

The Jackal pirates behind him were extremely moved

They had all heard of this point on the map and it was also the place where the expedition army would build an outpost base in the future.

But now, they were all out of spirit.

And also physical strength was almost exhausted.

The only way to reach the sentry oasis after a three-day journey was to get a small amount of water from the excavated puddle, or to fill their own water sacks to strengthen their mental and physical strength.

They did not have enough physical strength to travel through the desert at their top speed.

There was madness in the eyes of the Jackal pirate leader.

He had already made up his mind.

Even if there were human troops in the sentry oasis, he would take his subordinates and easily slaughter those extremely weak humans in close combat, just like on the sea of stars.

On the deck of the merchant ship, the humans were not their opponents.

Now they were on land that the Jackals do best.

He believed that even if its subordinates lost the combat effectiveness due to the lack of water, the same is not those weak humans can compare. They would easily win!

''Howl --''

The howls echoed through the surrounding dune, carrying with the vague language and despair of the lower Jackals, as well as the words of a beast that did not know what to say.

The lowerl Jackals had no words or language, so their voices were much higher than those of the beasts.

''The lower group of races.''

The pirate leader's eyes looked at the lower Jackals that stuck its head out from behind the surrounding dunes and grinned ferociously: ''Ready-made cannon fodder.''

Chapter 132: Refugees Who Arrived Before the War

The scorching sun was burning in the sky.

The sun's mighty power enveloped the Nahrin Desert, as if even the air was about to be burned up.

It was noon.

But just north of sentry oasis, among the continuous dunes, a squadron of ten desert bandits roamed on their horses, spears clutched in their hands, their leather shields strapped to their left arm.

It was obvious that this patrol had prepared them for battle.

''Harrumph...''

This was the sound of the desert horses snorting in annoyance.

The sun in the desert was already quite strong. It was noon now, and the temperature was soaring rapidly.

With a tap on the horse's belly, the ten desert bandits shook the reins and turned the horses' necks, ready to return the way they had come and finish their patrol deep into the desert.

Their patrol was serious and careful.

Make sure there was no problem in this area before they choose to leave.

However, they didn't know that right at the tribal ruins, the expedition army from the Kingdom of Greymane had already sent an advance team, which was the 300 powerful Jackal pirates, and successfully trekked there.

And took over the well in tribal ruins and worked together to extract more groundwater.

The news did not come through.

Kant did not set up a sentry post or posthouse in the tribal ruins.

But the system had given a warning. The ''Drondheim'' fortress was ready, all troops were on standby, ready to meet any enemy troops may appear at any time.

The Desert bandits rode back to the Sentry Oasis.

The ruling hall with a height of 10 meters and the arrow tower with four corners were the first to enter the eye.

Then there was the seven-metre-high wall reinforced with lofts.

The awe-inspiring defense had been completed. Soldiers stood on the entire city defense, from the arrow towers to the attic, or to the top of the ruling hall, the archers were all vigilantly scanning the area they were in charge of.

No army would be able to approach the sentry oasis quietly.

The archer's eyesight was always very good.

The city gate opened slowly.

Ten Swadian light infantry walked out with spears.

Not far away, the desert bandits who had spread out to scout and patrol had all returned, and under the supervision of these light infantry, were walking into the heart of the fort with their desert horses.

The '' Drondheim'' fortress had been placed under high martial law.

The management was extremely strict.

This was a good habit brought upon the Caradian land.

Martial law was common in fortresses and towns during the chaos of the war.

Not only did entering the fort require queuing up on foot, rather than riding in on horseback, but any soldier or civilian who wanted to go out had to ask for permission from their superiors in advance.

This was to prevent spies from giving away internal information.

Although it was impossible for the current "Drondheim"to have spies, this habit was still maintained.

It was always good to be strict.

The aroma of cooking began to spread, and lunch was ready.

Strong peasant women carried their lunches to the wall with wicker baskets on their backs. The crossbow men would take their meals and rest in groups to ensure that the guard level did not decrease.

So did the infantry and cavalry in the tents already raised under the walls.

Inside the ruling hall.

Kant sat in his chair eating the food on the table in front of him.

Manide and Firentis sat on opposite sides of the long table, also eating.

A hearty lunch was delivered from the kitchen, consisting mainly of toast and fried mutton chops, with a side dish of fried eggs and stewed gruel of mince and wheat, and, for dessert, honey-covered croutons.

The trio's lunches, sprinkled with increasingly rare spices, were delicious.

But Kant looked calm.

Although he was skillfully eating the lamb chops with a knife and fork, he asked: ''Have you noticed anything unusual recently?''

''No,'' Firentis replied.

''Everything is normal,'' Manide replied.

Kant's eyes twitched: ''This is really not good news.''

The discovery of the enemy meant that he had already grasped the enemy's movements.

And the fact that he had not discovered the enemy all this time also meant that the enemy was still out of his grasp and in an unknown state, which made Kant anxious, and even the delicious lunch could not feel the taste of it at all.

Firentis frowned: ''Lord, why don't I lead a team to investigate further?''

''It's too dangerous.'' Kant overruled his proposal.

Swallowing the mutton chop he was chewing, Kant said in a low voice: ''Perhaps it will take some time for our enemies to reach the sentry oasis with his troops. After all, it is still two days' ride from the natural salt mines."

''On foot, it will take three days,'' Manide added.

Kant nodded: ''That's it.''

There was silence in the hall.

Kant raised his head again: ''But we have to make preparations.''

Manide and Firentis looked up at him.

''If I remember correctly,'' Kant narrowed his eyes slightly and said, ''My fellow countrymen should have done all the work in the morning, bringing in the contents of the whole agricultural and pastoral areas.''

''Yes.'' Manide nodded.

Kant was talking about Achnatherum splendens, which could be used as green fodder, as well as chicken nests, beehives and so on.

But he still reminded him: ''Lord Kant, the five acres of date palm tree on our north side are still unfelled. If the enemy does come, we will not be able to cut them down in a short time.''

''There is no time...''

Kant put the lamb chops in his mouth, looked at Firentis beside him and said calmly: ''Then burn them all.''

''Got it.'' Firentis nodded.

They will not leave anything behind to help the enemy with the possibility of a siege.

Although the troops in the fortress were well-equipped and well-trained veterans, Kant was not sure in his mind if he would be able to have the advantage in close combat when faced with the strong Jackals who had mail armor and two-handed battle axes.

The battle for the city wall could begin only after the enemy had exhausted themselves.

If they wanted to fight for the city wall at the very beginning...

It meant that the soldiers stationed in the fortress were too lax to give up so obvious a weakness and a vital point to the Jackals, which was absolutely unacceptable to Kant.

''In that case,'' Kant ordered, ''Ask all the civilians to cut down all the date palm tree in the afternoon.''

''Got it.'' Manide nodded.

But with some reluctance on his face, he hesitated: "The date trees are in flower, the bees can still gather honey, and the dates can be produced in a month at most."

''Cut it down.'' Kant repeated, shaking his head.

This was something that could not be helped.

To be safe, they had to lose something.

Just like the date palm tree in these five acres of land, if they succeeded in harvesting it, they would obtain 240 baskets of dates.

If the caravan of Zhivardin had bought the dates, the total value of the 240 baskets would have been 12,000 dinars, which was more than the village mine balance in Kant today. It is a huge amount!

The most important thing was that, mixed with honey, Kant could brew a large amount of date palm sugar.

This kind of product that could bring sweetness and satisfy the tongue was also a luxury that the noble families in the dukedom of Leo, who could only rely on fruit and honey to obtain sweetness, were passionate about and pursued!

Even turning dates into candied fruit could sell at a high profit!

In the Kingdom of Lion, which lacked seasonings.

The value of salt, sugar, and spices often represented a huge sum of money.

Kant chuckled. Although there was still regret in his eyes, he still said calmly: ''We will get more date groves in the future. This is just a trade-off for the sake of war.''

''Yes.'' Firentis and Manide nodded.

Lunch was over soon.

Manide was the first to leave. He had to arrange for the peasant to cut down the date palm tree and try to complete the work before nightfall.

After reporting the arrangements for the city defense, Firentis also took leave.

They are both very busy.

The most leisurely, perhaps, was the Lord Kant, who spent much of his day inspecting the various points of the fort, or listening to reports from both, making final decisions, and making arrangements for himself.

It was just like cutting down the date palm forest.

As a Lord, he did not have to put in all his effort, but he had to grasp the overall situation.

This was Kant's creed.

With the sweep of the logging axe, large patches of date palm tree were cut down.

After a simple renovation in the agricultural area, the thickest trunk was carried into the fortress, carefully placed against the walls and tents were made of linen to protect the straight logs from the sun.

After all, the main trunk of the date palm tree was the high-quality wood.

The material was sufficient to make beams and planks, as well as gun and arrow shafts, and the leaves were collected and used as fuel in the sugar mills.

The whole body of the date tree is made of usable materials.

Today passed quickly.

The civilians and soldiers fell asleep after a busy day.

However, on the city walls and arrow towers, there were the archers on guard to ensure that they would not be attacked at night.

Caution was necessary.

But the next morning, at dawn, there was a loud noise.

The whole sentinel oasis was rapidly transformed into a state of combat readiness.

Even Kant was awakened by the sound of the guards knocking on the door. He quickly dressed and asked: "What's the matter? What's going on? Is the enemy attacking?"

''No, Lord Kant.''

The guard's tone was serious. He said seriously at the door way: ''There are refugees coming.''

''Refugees?'' Kant frowned.

After dressing on, he walked out of the room quickly without having time to wash.

But instead of going down to the ruling hall, they ascended the stairs to the top floor, where 20 rangers of Ravenstern, with their bows in their hands and looking eastward, greeted Kant with a salute.

''Well, what's going on?'' Kant came to the concave arrow-blocking wall.

Just to the east, behind the dunes, close to 300 refugees were gathering in fear.

40 desert bandits, holding spears and riding horses back and forth, were watching the refugees as closely as ferocious desert vultures were watching the poor little quails.

Kant couldn't help but frown: ''Refugees really?''

PS: I realized that I haven't thanked everyone for their rewards for many days. Recently, you have given me a lot of rewards. I will resume the plot rhythm first and thank you all after the plot rhythm of the story is smooth. After adjusting the outline, it was indeed not so awkward to write.

Chapter 133: Medal from the Mission

That's right.

Just to the east, behind the dunes, the cowering crowd, Kant determined, was the refugee.

Standard swadian attire.

It was exactly the same as the refugees who had come to the sentry oasis.

Although the civilians of this world were dressed similar to the civilians of the Caradian land, they are in fact very different from each other in detail, with their own national style, if you look closely at them.

This made him frown a little: ''What a fuss?''

The 40 desert bandits had gone out.

Many of them had drawn their machetes at their waists, as if in close combat status.

Even Kant, standing here on the top floor of the ruling chamber, could have detected the glint of the drawn scabbard on the Salander's customary scimitar.

But at that very moment, a dialog box poped up on his retina.

[ Ding... Temporary quest issued ]

[ Temporary quest: Pre-war refugees ]

[ Reward: 1,000 reputation points, 1 honor point ]

[ Introduction: In war, any refugees who seek refuge will be a burden. You have encountered such a situation. This group of innocent and pitiful refugees want to seek refuge with you. Do you choose to accept them? ]

The dialog box was a temporary quest.

Kant frowned slightly.

He guessed why there were refugees. After all, most of the 50 houses were still empty.

Given the passive nature of the house, so many empty houses would definitely attract many homeless refugees, adding to the civilian population of the ''Drondheim'' fortress.

Just like now, 300 or so refugees were squatting on the ground pitifully.

Without Kant's order, they wouldn't be able to become civilians here.

Or rather...

They would need Kant's confirmation to complete this temporary quest.

The system was right.

During war, these refugees were all burdens because they had no chores to do and no daily tasks to arrange. Even if there was a tower that could recruit these peasant into the front of the battlefield, they would probably be slaughtered by enemy and die as cannon fodder.

Even if these refugees became civilians, they would only waste food.

Kant narrowed his eyes slightly.

Just when he made up his mind and was about to communicate with the system, he heard footsteps coming from the stairs behind him.

Firentis walked up quickly and solemnly reported: ''Lord Kant, there is a group of Svaldiya refugees outside the fortress, 310 in number, have heared of your benevolent reputation and want to become your subjects, together with you to resist the enemy's attack and to contribute their own meager strength.''

''Well.'' Kant nodded slightly, ''I see it.''

His thoughts of communicating with the system paused.

The mind turns slightly.

Kant looked over his shoulder at Firentis who was behind him, clenched his fingers slightly and asked calmly: ''Firentis, do you think it is necessary to accept these refugees? After all, we are facing an unknown and powerful enemy.''

''I think so,'' Firentis replied solemnly.

''Tell me what you think,'' Kant said.

Although Firentis was compassionate, he was not pedantic.

If Drondheim really could not take in these refugees, definitely he would not have agreed to accept them.

Slightly pondering.

Firentis organized his words and reported: ''Lord Kant, these refugees will become our back-up personnel, in the continuous war, can act as fresh blood to replenish the blood of the war-damaged troops. They can very well avoid the passive situation where our troops can not even replenish their strength after a long period of war.''

''Reserve forces and war potential.'' Kant squints slightly, ''That's a good point.''

''This is my thought, Lord Kant.''

Firentis nodded and the same time he looked out at the cowering refugees in the sand dunes, terrified by the cutlasses of the desert bandits, said gently: ''And we have enough food at the moment.''

Kant did not answer. He thought quietly.

After a long while, he asked Firentis: ''How long can our food last?''

''Three months,'' Firentis replied.

''Three months?'' Kant frowned slightly, ''This time is still a little short.''

Although in the game, the war would only last four to five days.

But in the real world, the war could go on for years.

The ''Drondheim'' fortress, not even an enclave, which was in the territory of the dukedom of Leo, but was a lonely city without reinforcements. Once the enemy surrounded it, it would probably take months.

Even if Kant occupied the only water source.

But he wondered if there might be something special in this world of transcendent power.

Just like the [ Page of clear spring ] , he could obtain clear drinking water.

Kant clearly understood.

The world he was currently in was not the world of science of the previous earth.

Instead, it was a fantasy world with swords and magic!

Once they were besieged for too long, Kant's troops might run short of food. This was the most terrible thing in war. History had shown that lack of food could not only bring the morale of the troops to the extreme, but also lead to flight and rebellion.

Kant, of course, did not take such risks

He sometimes would gamble, but he didn't like to turn himself into a chip.

Standing on the top floor, Kant looked over his shoulder at the refugees behind the eastern dune.

At the same time, he looked down at himself, which was only half a hectare inside the city wall. "I understand what you mean," he said softly, "We are actually more short of people than food."

''Yes.'' Firentis nodded.

''That's it.'' Kant made a decision in his mind and said to him: ''Let these refugees go to the lake to bathe, change into clean clothes, and prepare food for them. I will accept them.''

''You are wise.'' Firentis stroked his chest respectfully and immediately went to arrangements.

At the same time, a dialog box popped up.

[ Ding... temporary quest completed ]

[ Temporary quest: Pre-war refugees ]

[ Reward: 1,000 reputation points, 1 honor point ]

[ Introduction: These homeless refugees thank you for your kindness. As your subjects, they are willing to give their lives for this place. Even if the enemy has already raised their butcher's knife and charged into the fortress, tthey will do everything in their power to resist. When you choose to accept them as your subjects, then this is their home. ]

Instantly received 1000 reputation points and 1 honor point.

Kant's face was calm.

At the dune below, Firentis was arranging for these refugees to head to the lake on the west side.

Hearing the news of their acceptance, they cheered with gratitude from below, thrilled that they had met the kind Lord, and that it was their good fortune.

However, the acceptance was not due to Kant's kindness.

Accepting them did not mean that they were lucky.

Confronted with the expeditionary forces of the Greymane Kingdom, Kant's ''Drondheim'' fortress stood in the sentry oasis, destined to be the main battlefield of the bloody battle. Since these refugees chose to turn to Kant as civilians, they could not escape either.

The same to go up the city wall to form a defensive line at the critical moment with the sound of the emergency bell.

War was always cruel.

It was not known how many of the seemingly numerous civilians who would survive.

Blood and fire would give birth to elite soldiers.

But in the process, they would first become corpses, paving the way for blood and fire.

The 40 desert bandits had all dispersed, and only 10 people were left to supervise. Under the arrangements of Firentis, they led the refugees to wash up at the small lake in the west pastoral area, making their dirty appearance clean.

At the same time in the refugee package they found the cleanest clothes to wear on the body.

These refugees once again became the peasant of Swadia.

With a happy smile on their faces.

There were not many lords to collect the refugees in the war-ravaged Caladian land. In the long war, the first consideration of these lords was the safety of their castles and towns, which was enough, because these two things were the basis for them to dominate the mainland and maintain their authority.

As for the villages and the peasants, they were at most dispensable. As long as they had the upper hand in the war and obtained the peace that they had not seen for a long time, there would always be a front row of desperate peasant who would seek refuge.

That was why Kant's kindness was so precious.

Like most of the previous arrivals, these 310 refugees were all men, without any women, children or old people, and made up of a sturdy labor force.

However, according to the system's nature, it didn't matter if there were women.

Same like the 50 peasant women he currently had.

With their thick arms, powerful thighs, and bucketlike waists, these women could carry logs for hundreds of meters without effort. Carrying a bag of salt in each hand is a carload, and their strength was no less than that of men.

The women who rode and hacked were no different from men.

"Watch out."

Kant instructed these rangers of Ravenstern and walked down to the top floor of the ruling hall.

After obtaining 1 honor point, the system mall opened for him once again.

"Start the draw."

Kant's thought was communicating with the system.

On his retina, a treasure chest that contained colorful lights was opened with a coin toss of 1 honor point.

[ Ding... you have acquired the item pack ]

[ You have opened the item pack and found the ''Lion Knight Order Medal'' ]

[ Lion Knight Order Medal: This is the honor symbol of the Lion Knight Order of the Kingdom of Sarion. Attribute: When a cavalry general wears this medal, it will shorten the charging distance of the cavalry by 30% and accelerate the charging stage. Remark: This medal seems to hide other secrets, but it has yet to meet the requirements. ]

This was a free reward, so Kant did not take it to heart.

But when he opened the treasure chest at any time.

The appearance of the prop left Kant slightly stunned: ''The Kingdom of Sarion...''

Chapter 134: Enemies on the Horizon

Kant was naturally no stranger to the Kingdom of Sarion.

It was not the first time that the Lion Knight Medal that represented the Kingdom of Sarion was related to the influence of the MOD from"Pande's Prophecy".

In fact, sentry oasis currently had the only tier 5 troop class and the archers, the rangers from the Kingdom of Ravenstern were related to the kingdom of Sarion because they were once part of the Kingdom of ancient Pande.

Only later, due to the change in Misty Mountain, the Kingdom of Raventern became independent.

But it always came from the same origin.

In terms of military strength, as the successor of the Kingdom of ancient Pande, the Kingdom of Sarion still had to suppress the Kingdom of Raventern, relying on the powerful heavy cavalry troops and the strongest national knights, the Lion Knights.

It was the troop represented by this [ Lion Knight Order ] medal.

Kant held the medal in his hand.

The entire medal looked like a fan shield, with a lion that represented fearlessness and strength on the front.

A golden lion with a red background.

The overall paint was similar to Kant's [ intimidation ] .

The difference was only between flags and medals.

But this medal represented the Lion Knight Regiment of the Kingdom of Sarion.

One of the best in the group battle of the heavy cavalry troops and perhaps even the Swadian Knight was at a disadvantage. Only the legendary Swadian Knight could contend against the powerful heavy cavalry troops!

''A timely assistance.''

Kant could not help muttering to himself.

This medal, on behalf of the Lion Knights, fits well with the kingdom of Swadia.

Both countries are dominated by cavalry, with heavy cavalry at the top.

Both man and horse wearing heavy armor, armed with thick long lances his horse, with continuous speed between horses running, reached the state of the full charge with running speed brings its own start and inertia weight, and 3-meter lances sharp spear head, such as avalanche blunt past, sweeped away all obstacles in front of the enemy, rounded off!

Not to mention, this [ Lion Knight Legion Medal ] also had a special features.

[ Features: When worn by a cavalry commander, this medal shorten the charge distance of his cavalry unit by 30%, speeding up the charge phase. Note: This medal seems to hide other secrets, but it has yet to meet the requirements. ]

Kant scanned this column of introductions.

It was precisely the characteristics of this medal that made its value soar.

Especially in the hands of a Commander who was good at leading the cavalry into battle, it could play the role of a divine weapon!

Shorten the charging distance by 30%.

Speed up to enter the charging status.

These two key sentences represent that the cavalry commander could, in a shorter distance, drive his horses to launch a massive charge, so that all the heavy cavalry into a state of charge that could destroy everything!

On the battlefield, the overwhelming heavy cavalry was the greatest source of fear.

No Army dared to stand in their way.

This was because the heavy cavalry who had entered the status of charge could not stop this attack freely.

Only to crushing everything.

Before it stops.

The troops in front of them would be as inescapable as sheep from a flood of broken banks, pierced by lance after lance, knocked over by their armored steeds, trampled over with their horseshoes, and turned into a pool of unrecognizable flesh.

Kant already had the perfect man for this cavalry invincible weapon.

The knight who once wandered and was forgiven by his father, Firentis.

This knight who came from the military noble of the Kingdom of Swadia and had received all kinds of elite education since childhood and had been training on the continent for several years was actually the best person to wear this [ Lion Knight Order Medal ].

Kant believed he could make the most of it.

It came from trust and affirmation.

And also came from Kant's self-knowledge.

For a battlefield with a complicated environment, Kant was basically a novice, unable to command the large troops to fight correctly.

He was good at strategy, not tactics.

Most important.

Kant would not personally lead the heavy cavalry troops to charge.

Because he was a noble, a Lord with a deployment.

All he had to do was sit back to coordinate and wait for the outcome, just made the most reasonable decision, let the subordinate generals deal with it by themselves, and then gave him the best result and victory.

''Inform the Firentis Knights to come.''

Kant came to the first floor, sat on his chair and gave an order to the guard.

''Got it.'' The guard turned and went away.

It was not long before phatis hurried in and saluted respectfully: "Lord Kant, just after accommodating the refugees, the guard said you were looking for me."

''Yes, come closer.''

Kant nodded and placed the medal in his hand on the table beside him: ''Come and take a look at this medal.''

Firentis walked over and respectfully picked up the [ Lion Knight Order Medal ] on the table, with a hint of surprise in his eyes and gulped: ''I seem to feel a sense of power... in this medal.''

As a knight, he could feel the power displayed by the characteristics of the medal.

''You should be able to use this power wisely.''

Kant stood up and nodded to Firentis: ''This medal is in your custody for the time being.''

''Thank you for your trust.'' Firentis immediately bowed respectfully.

This came from the Lord's Trust.

He did not hesitate and stuck the medal on his chest.

The red gold lion on the medal was imprinted directly on the linen robe under his chain-mail, but when the robe was lifted it revealed that the medal was also on the chain mail.

Kant mused.

This medal wasn't pinned to the clothes, it was something between a soul binding.

''Go on with your work, and be on your guard.''

Kant waved to Firentis, indicating that he could leave.

But before he left, Kant suddenly thought of something, and frowned: "How long do you think it will take them, at Jackal's walking speed, to go from the ruins of the tribe to the sentry oasis?"

''Around three days,'' Firentis thought and replied.

''well.'' Kant bowed his head slightly.

This was the same as his speculation. After all, it took them nearly four days to lead the infantrymen to the first battle of the tribe.

Considering the Jackal's endurance talent and pace, 3 days was about the right amount of time.

The brows were furred, and Kant's fingers drumped on the table. ''If I'm not wrong, the time when they arrive at the sentry oasis is probably tomorrow?'' he said solemnly.

''That's right.'' Firentis nodded.

''Okay.'' Kant drummed his fingers slightly sharply on the table.

He had received a warning from the system yesterday.

A Day and a half had passed since then. If he counted it as three days, the Jackals would arrive tomorrow.

The last day of the week.

"Get ready." Kant put a little more emphasis on it: "Double the sentry at night."

''Sure.'' Firentis nodded solemnly.

Nothing more, he saluted and hurried out of the hall. The whole fort was so well defended that Kant felt sure that Firentis was the right one to do all this work.

No one knew the military arrangements of their country better than the military noble of Swadia.

Sentry oasis was ready for war.

Except for the city wall made of stone, the oasis had been completely cleaned up by the civilians.

The lush date palm forest had been completely cut down.

The luxurous beach of Achnstria splendens had been also harvested clean by the scythe.

The agricultural and pastoral areas were left bare, and even the walls, half a meter high, were torn down by careful peasant women, who picked up the stones and carried them back to the fortress, to the attic tops of the walls, where they were carefully piled up.

At regular distance there were piles of rocks.

If necessary, these stones would be smashed down in an emergency to deter the enemy's attack.

It was getting dark.

Torches would be lit inside the fortress.

The night sentry was very spirited, watching the dunes from the city wall and the arrow tower.

The light from the stars and the moon was soft, but it was still visible.

Even in the darkest hour before the dawn.

Firentis also arranged for sentries to be on guard. There was also a patrol team formed by the Swadian infantry. They walked in the attic in their chain-mail boots, making ear-piercing noises that would sometimes wake up the archers sleeping on the city walls.

This was the patrol that Kant had specifically entrusted to Firentis.

Kant, who was good at attacking before dawn, was also very vigilant at this time.

Fortunately, everything was fine.

The Jackal troops did not arrive.

Dawn pierced through the darkness in the east and appeared in the sky.

The sun rose.

Sunday came.

The last day of the week was also the time when the Jackalan was likely to appear.

''Dong-dong-dong-''

The bronze bell of the bell tower was routinely rung by the Swadian light infantry in charge..

Along with the rising sun, a clear sound covered the entire oasis.

15 Sarrandian Horseman, 25 Elite Desert Bandits, and 40 desert bandits, a quick-reaction light cavalry, had all waked up, washed up, and gathered quickly in the clearing on the east side.

The horses had been fed with forage and water as early as midnight.

Now, they just happened to be full of energy.

The light cavalry checked their weapons, quickly mounted their horses, and roared out with the open gates.

An early morning patrol.

Groups of people, spread out in a cone, heading north.

However, just as everyone entered deep into the desert and reached the limit of their vision, which even the arrow tower could not detect, they climbed over layers of dune, the desert bandit at the front tightened his reins abruptly, his eyes shrinking slightly.

''Hu --''

He reined in hurriedly, halting the desert horse under its legs.

The companions behind him did the same.

Far away on the horizon, black dots were moving, like ants in the sand, not quickly, but either not slowly, toward their southern position.

And this represented the troops on the march

The enemy was coming!

Chapter 135: The Heavily Guarded Fortress

Sunday, the last day of the week.

Drawing on the reins to stop the horses, they stood on the top of the dune, overlooking the horizon.

The desert bandits in the patrol did not expect that they would actually find the enemy troops advancing in the morning. Moreover, the horizon was covered with the enemies' silhouette, it was obvious that they had traveled quite a distance.

Based on the speed of their advance, they would reach the Oasis Lookout within two hours.

The enemy troops had already entered the desert bandits' patrol zone.

"Don't just stand there."

The leader of the team opened his mouth and spat to the side.

Although he was mentally prepared for the enemy's arrival, he was still surprised to see them so suddenly. He couldn't help but clench the spear in his hand, turned his head, and berated, "Damn it, we should go!"

"Go, go, go." The desert bandits all nodded.

They were not afraid of the enemy or trying to avoid the battle.

But, as scouts cavalry, they needed to quickly inform the Oasis Lookout about the enemies' arrival.

Turning their horses around, they quickly returned.

There was no need to send a signal to inform the other teams because the desert bandits in other regions must have noticed the arrival of the enemy's troops that were heading south on the horizon.

These desert bandits had an extremely acute sense of smell.

Or rather, those foolish ones had all died under the encirclement and suppression of the army of the Sarrand Sultanate.

They rode their horses at the top of the dune.

They returned to the Oasis Lookout as fast as they could.

And on the arrow tower, the Vaegir archers in charge of guarding the fortress soon discovered that they had all returned.

This was an unusual situation.

Usually, these desert bandits would patrol until noon before returning.

And them returning in a rush could only mean one thing.

The enemy had arrived!

The Swadian crossbowmen on the city wall also sensed that something was wrong. They all gathered together, holding their crossbows as they stood behind the window, vigilantly staring at the agricultural area to the north, which was already evacuated, as well as the dune to the north.

"It's an emergency. Open the city gate!"

All the Swadian Light Cavalrymen had a solemn expression. They pushed open the heavy city gate.

It was not that they were not flexible.

The desert bandit at the front rushed into the fortress with a solemn expression on his face. The people on the street saw him riding his horse so fast and made way for him. He stopped in front of the Council Hall.

"Stop! You are not allowed to enter!"

The two Swadian Infantrymen who were standing guard put their hands on the swords hanging on their waists and warned, "Soldier, tell us why you're here!"

The Council Hall was the center of the fortress.

It was the heart of the fortress. Moreover, Lord Kant was living there, it was not easy to get through.

The guards' first consideration was safety.

"I need to see Lord Kant!"

The desert bandit who was the first to discover the enemy dismounted and said in a hurried tone, "When we were patrolling, we discovered that the enemy's troops are approaching the Oasis Lookout. They would probably be here in less than two hours!"

"One moment please." The soldier instantly frowned.

He had already sensed the seriousness of the situation, but just to be safe, he still turned around and went in to report.

It didn't take too long. In less than two minutes, he walked out and said to the desert bandit through the door, "Lord Kant summoned you. Come with me."

"Yes, sir." The desert bandit immediately followed him.

In the hall, torches were lit.

Kant was sitting in his seat.

After receiving the news, his face hardened. He stared at the desert bandit who was brought in by the guards and asked right away, "Did you note down the size and composition of the enemy?"

Kant went straight to the point.

There was no need to talk nonsense now.

"I've noted it down clearly," the desert bandit immediately nodded.

"Tell me more," Kant said.

"Yes, Lord Kant."

The desert bandit quickly reported everything he saw in a concise way, "The Jackalan troops are marching towards us in the desert to the north. According to our estimations, there are about 1,500 to 2,000 people. They are all infantrymen. If our calculations are correct, we will see them from the top of the city wall in less than two hours."

"So there are about 2,000 soldiers?" Kant's heart beat faster.

"Yes." The desert bandit nodded. He knew that he was not mistaken.

These bandits who relied on plunder for a living had eyesight that was as good as the Vaegir archers.

"I got it."

Kant tapped his finger on the table and gestured at the desert bandit, "Return to your team."

"Understood." The desert bandit saluted and was about to leave.

"Wait." Kant said to him, "Tell Firentis and Manid to come immediately to the top floor of the Council Hall after setting up the defense system. I will wait for them there."

"Yes, sir." The desert bandit nodded and left.

The Swadian Infantryman who was standing guard at the door also left and returned to his post.

All the soldiers of the Oasis Lookout were mobilized.

Vaegir archers occupied all four arrow towers and waited in formations on the top floor inside the towers. They were holding longbows and looked outside the city walls vigilantly. They would shoot any enemy that appeared.

The Swadian crossbowmen were also holding crossbows in the attic on the city walls.

Each of the two long-range troops would be on the arrow tower and the city wall respectively.

The longbows were either for curved trajectory or rapid fire.

The crossbow was for collineation and aimed shots.

In coordination with the 20 Ravenstern Rangers at the top of the Council Hall whose firepower could provide support at any time, the city wall could be defended against the enemy's approach for a short period.

Not to mention that even the peasants had climbed up to the top of the attic and were holding long scythe to help defend.

Although their combat strength was relatively weak, they had rocks beside them.

The power of throwing the rocks from the top of the 10-meter-high wall was no less than that of the shooting of a ballista. No matter how strong the Jackalans were, their heads would probably be split open, exposing their brains.

For the sake of their home, they would do their best.

"Everyone, stand by and wait for orders. Inform me immediately if you see the enemies."

After examining the already stable defense system, Firentis' expression relaxed slightly. He said to the few captains who were following him, "I'll go see Lord Kant. I'll leave the rest to you."

"Understood." The captains nodded.

They were all commanders at the basic or middle level.

Firentis left the city wall.

He met Manid, who had just finish making arrangements for the peasant men and women, and walked towards the Council Hall together.

The two of them nodded to each other solemnly and did not communicate much.

They entered the council hall.

They walked quickly to the opposite side of the long table and bowed gravely, "Lord Kant."

"You're here."

Kant nodded and said to the two of them, "Sit down. The situation is urgent. There's no need for so many formalities."

"Yes, sir." The two of them did not refuse.

They sat on both sides of the long table and continued to look at Kant solemnly.

This was the real city defense since the establishment of the Drondheim fortress. They had to treat this batch of enemies with caution.

Just like when Kant personally led a team to attack the Jackalan tribe.

But now, the situation was even more dangerous.

"Is everything ready?" Kant asked in a deep voice.

"Everything is ready." Firentis and Manid nodded.

These affirmative words made Kant nod slightly, but his voice was still heavy, "We cannot lose this battle. If the defense fails, I think you both understand the consequences."

"We... will do our best."

Firentis and Manid looked at each other, then nodded affirmatively.

The price of failure was too great.

It would be like falling into an abyss. Although they came from the Continent of Caradia, they understood that once the Drondheim fortress, which was at the crucial to the Oasis Lookout, fell, everything they had built would crumble.

Their current strength was not enough for them to bear the consequences of losing the war.

Currently, the military force of the Drondheim fortress consisted of 37 Swadian Light Infantrymen, 50 Swadian Infantrymen, 50 Swadian Heavy Cavalrymen, 50 Swadian crossbowmen, 50 Vaegir archers, 20 Ravenstern Rangers, and 5 Mamlukes, 15 Sarrandian Horsemen, 25 elite desert bandits, and 40 usual desert bandits.

324 soldiers in total.

And 500 civilians and 50 peasant women could be recruited if necessary.

There were less than 1,000 soldiers.

Their number was at a disadvantage.

But Kant was not too stressed.

He had even thought of an idea to fight back and destroy the army of more than 2,000 Jackalans outside the city gates.

Of course, that was a risk that Kant would not take.

This was what made him confident.

The troops that Kant currently had were elite troops.

The infantry, cavalry, and archers were to be commanded by a baron in the Dukedom of Leo. After all, full armor, warhorses, and those precious crossbows were important resources. Ordinary craftsmen could not make them, and they were so expensive that they could not be used to equip the soldiers.

Back then, Baron Dylan's vassal knights were willing to betray him for the sake of the Sarrandian Horsemen's chainmail armor.

That was enough to prove how precious the equipment that Kant's soldiers had was!

On the battlefield, these weapons and equipment could easily guarantee the enemy's defeat!

"Good weapons bring victory." was always true.

In a war, excellent weapons and armor would guarantee victory.

Thinking about this, Kant stopped tapping the table with his fingers. Instead, he raised his head and solemnly proposed to the two men, "I plan to let the light cavalry leave the fortress. Each of them will carry food and water that is enough for three days, they will form small groups to harass the Jackalan troops of the Kingdom of Grey Mane. Just like what the Khergits did, harass them until they become extremely tired."

Chapter 136: Kant Was Stunned

Firentis agreed with Kant.

As the order was given, the two city gates of the Drondheim fortress were opened. With a sinister smile on their faces, the light cavalry rode their horses and left one after another. They called out to each other and disappeared into the vast dunes.

They might not be very proficient in city defense with rigid tactical requirements

However, they were equipped with light equipment. As long as they split up into smaller groups, they would be as free as the fishes that jumped into the water. They could easily apply the various methods they used in the Sarrand Desert.

Although they were Kant's light cavalry, they were once the bandits in the sea of sand that drove the entire Sarrand Sultanate crazy!

They split and attacked.

This was their specialty!

The Sarrandian Horseman and the desert horses, which were good at surviving in the desert, stepped lightly on the sandy ground and moved quickly among the dunes. With this speed, they were not much slower than moving on the plains.

With the 15 Sarrandian Horsemen at the center, 25 elite desert bandits and 40 desert bandits spread out over a wide area.

They could only see the other teams from a dozen meters away.

But the distance was not a problem. They had a way to communicate with each other, and they were surrounded by teammates. As long as someone rode up the dune, shouted, and greeted with a special tune that only the Sarrandian bandits would know. With the tacit understanding that they had cultivated in their plundering career, they would know what other comrades had in mind and react quickly.

Or they could spread out and attack the enemy's troops.

Or they could gather behind a dune and form an orderly charging formation, charging straight at the enemy with a spear.

However, at the moment, they were best at hiding.

Kant stood on the top floor of the Council Hall, while Firentis and Manid behind him. They gazed into the north and could clearly see the desert bandits spreading out behind the dunes, they were like slippery loaches shuttling through the cracks at the bottom of the dune.

"They're not bad," Kant's eyes gleamed with satisfaction.

"Perhaps," Firentis nodded.

His tone was indifferent. It was the arrogance brought by his country and the contempt brought by education.

To this Swadian Knight, although the desert bandits were notorious in Sarrand Sultanate and were considered as the light cavalry that everyone feared, he knew that they would not be of much use on the battlefield.

Even the Sarrandian Horsemen could hunt them down, not to mention the Swadian Heavy Cavalry who were fully armored.

Pausing for a moment, Firentis realized that his reply to Kant was rather rude, so he explained, "But these Sarrandians can cause some trouble and chaos to the enemy, which is pretty good."

"That's right, that's the goal."

Kant chuckled, not minding that Firentis misspoke himself.

He did not have high expectations for the desert bandits.

After all, they were only more or less a Class 3 cavalry. To be more precise, they were around Class 2.5. Only elite desert bandits could be considered as Class 3 cavalry, and their combat strength was not considered strong.

His only request for them was to harass the enemy troops.

These desert bandits could definitely do it.

Four short javelins per person might not be a lot, but 40 desert bandits would have 160 of those, and those were very effective in harassing the enemy.

Moreover, there were 25 elite desert bandits.

They were equipped with six additional short javelins per person. Although there were only 25 people, there were 150 short javelins.

Therefore, Kant was confident.

These 300 heavy short javelins were thrown out one by one. The effect was much better than arrows and crossbows. Although they were short-ranged, only 10 meters in total, the destructive power was huge.

Moreover, the momentum of the running horse boosted the strength of the arm, the short javelin that was thrown out could pierce through armor.

It was estimated that it could even pierce through the chain armor worn by a Sarrandian Horseman and form a bloody hole.

On top of that, according to Kant's understanding, the high-level Jackalan warriors of the Kingdom of Grey Mane were generally equipped with mail armor. Although it could shield the soldier against cuts from swords and sabers, it was not as effective against stabbing.

Due to its structure, mail armor was not as effective against arrows and crossbows as lamellar armor, chain armor, or scale armor.

Now that those Jackalans had to face javelins that could even destroy shields and chain armor, they could only hope for the best!

"They're here."

Firentis suddenly said and narrowed his eyes.

Kant and Manid's expressions were solemn as well. They followed Firentis' gaze and looked toward the north.

Among the dunes in the north, countless black dots were appearing at the top of dunes. They seemed to be moving slowly, but they were moving rather quickly towards the Oasis Lookout. Their dark silhouette covered seven or eight dunes.

"Doom doom doom... Doom doom doom... Doom doom doom..."

The bronze bell was rapidly struck by the Swadian Infantrymen who was in charge of it, and the clear sound of the bell reverberated in the fortress.

The soldiers who were on standby all stood tall.

The archers on the city walls and arrow towers all pointed their weapons toward the north.

Groups of civilians also lined up and waited in the open space right next to the city walls. If the fortress entered a state of emergency and the gate was about to be breached, then the special function of the bell tower would be activated, turning the 550 civilians into recruits with basic equipment.

Although they could not withstand the powerful attack, they could still keep the front line at bay with their own lives.

"They're finally here."

Kant narrowed his eyes and put his hands on the uneven arrow wall with both hands, but he was calm, "The expeditionary army of the Kingdom of Grey Mane."

He had been waiting for this day for a long time.

Asage had been captured after they defeated the Jackalan tribe. They had discovered that to the north of the Nahrin Desert, there was the Mannheim Coast. After learning about the Kingdom of Grey Mane, which was composed of high-level Jackalans, Kant knew that today's battle was unavoidable because the other party had malicious intentions. In essence, they were here to plunder and fight.

These high-level Jackalans of the Kingdom of Grey Mane had no intention of negotiating or trading.

Kant also didn't want those.

War was the best choice.

If those high-level Jackalans of the Kingdom of Grey Mane came here to build a friendship, and chose to negotiate, trade, and do business, who could Kant, who was only nominally a baron of the Dukedom of Leo and lived in the Oasis Lookout, represent?

He could represent no one!

On the contrary, he would be in grave danger because of the profits brought by the Jackalans.

Why would the nobles who exiled Kant to the desert let him have an opportunity to reappear in the upper-class society, smile hypocritically with them, talk to them, and then cut their throats with a knife?

Just look at the heirs of the Dukedom of Leo who died every year.

No good person could become a noble!

And the most important thing was the natural salt mine. It was an extremely crucial resource for Kant's future development. He would not give it up to anyone, even if it meant war.

This salt mine represented the future!

The only valuable thing in the barren Nahrin Desert was this salt mine.

Kant would not let go of it.

His heart beat faster because of his thoughts. It was not because of fear or excitement, but just pure palpitations. Especially when he saw the enemy troops getting closer and closer, as well as his light cavalrymen who were hiding in the surroundings, carefully observing. Kant slowly clenched his fist and said in a deep voice, "Tell everyone to get ready."

The Jackalan troops were less than 2,000 meters away.

Dark figures spread across the dunes.

The grey fur unique to the Jackalans was quite eye-catching. They had a slightly hunched back and a beast-like head.

If it was at night, their eyes would be filled with a green, dense light.

Dense and terrifying.

However, Firentis frowned. His gaze swept across the group of Jackalans and was finally fixed at the center. His brows furrowed even more. He suddenly felt that something was wrong.

"Huh?" Kant's brows also furrowed.

Even Manid, who was not good at military affairs, could not believe what he saw.

"What's going on?" Someone muttered to himself.

His tone was puzzled.

This was what everyone was thinking, and even their tone was with a hint of shock.

There were indeed a lot of Jackalans, they arrived in a dense mass. According to Firentis' estimation, the number definitely surpassed the 2,500 the desert bandit estimated. Even when he was looking down at the dense formation from above, he saw at least 3,000 people.

Otherwise, they would not have formed such a large-scale army and covered several dunes.

That was why Kant and the others were puzzled and shocked.

They were also a little incredulous.

Because the 3000 Jackalans were all familiar "old friends"!

They had long sharp teeth on their jaws, grey fur, a head that looked like a wild beast, tattered linen and animal skin on their bodies, and spiked club that was laced with gravel and inferior iron in their hands.

Low-level Jackalans!

These low-level Jackalans were the favorite preys of Drondheim, the favorite cargo of the Kingdom of Vaegirs, the favorite slaves of the iron miners of Snowfield, and Kant's favorite Denars.

That was the surprise.

That's right, the army was made up of these low-level Jackalans.

300 low-level Jackalans could be hunted down by just 40 desert bandits who were galloping on horseback and holding machetes!

They launched an expedition against Kant's Drondheim, gathering so many tribesmen as if they were going to risk their lives, use the spiked club in their hands to destroy this stone fortress in one go.

"Huh, is this a joke?"

Kant slightly narrowed his eyes and swept his gaze over the huge group of Jackalans.

The Jackalans formed a dark and dense patch, but as Kant got closer, he saw their messy formation that didn't have any tactics to speak of. Kant couldn't help but clench his fists, he said in a deep voice as if he was insulted, "Now I wonder, what about the expeditionary army from the Mannheim Coast of the Kingdom of Grey Mane?"

In Kant's eyes, those were his enemies.

As for these low-level Jackalans, they were just a bunch of trash that could be defeated at any time!

Chapter 137: Self-destructing Formation

On the dune, 300 Jackalan pirates carried their two-handed battle axes as they walked forward.

However, their expressions were getting woeful.

This was because when they saw the city walls and arrow towers on the Oasis Lookout. Their mind had became irascible after the long journey, right now their anger had turned into flames that rose in the severely dehydrated chests.

Their eyes turned red when they looked at the stone buildings. Their emotions were almost out of control.

"This isn't right."

The pirate leader gripped his two-handed battle axe tightly.

The rage stirred within its head, it swung its battle axe and wanted to kill all the cowardly, stinky low-level races around him. Only then he could ease the anger and hatred in his heart.

These low-level Jackalans lied to them.

These low-level Jackalans that they found and gathered said that there was nothing in the Oasis Lookout. There was no arrow tower, no city wall, and no fortress.

"Howl --"

The angry howl came from the throat of the pirate leader, with a mournful and despairing hatred.

The surrounding Jackalan pirates also howled and raised their battle axes high. Even though their throats were dry and cracked due to the lack of water, they still let out this mournful howl, as if they were in a desperate situation.

This was a way for them to release the emotions in their hearts.

Once on the Sea of Stars, they would howl until they were done. With the resolution to die, they destroyed one powerful enemy after another.

Although the Jackalans were not good at fighting in the water, they still dared to risk their lives!

But now, no matter how much they howled and how mournful they were, the despair in their hearts completely engulfed the willingness to win the battle. Even if they risked their lives, they still had no chance of winning.

Oasis Lookout had long become the territory of the humans.

It was built of stone, with arrow towers and city walls. It was a fortress that could only be conquered with siege weapons.

This was not a merchant ship or warship.

It was not a ship deck that could be jumped onto using ropes and fought.

The towering arrow towers and upright city walls had already formed an absolute barrier. It made the exhausted Jackalan pirates, who had come a long way, felt extremely despair.

The expedition army of the Kingdom of Gray Mane had obviously prepared siege weapons.

After all, they had made up their minds to conquer the cities and fortresses of the human kingdom and establish a Jackalan-led colony.

However, these 300 Jackalan pirates didn't.

They were only the outpost of the expedition army and belonged to the advance party. They were here to scout the way.

Their mission was to contact the Jackalan tribe and prepare the food and water for the expedition army to reach the southern part of the Nahrin Desert. They would replenished the food and water in time to ensure that their combat strength would recovered in a short period of time.

It was that simple.

Although they still had a secret mission.

It was only to kill the Jackalan shaman and the chieftain to take control of the low-level Jackalan tribe that was not under their command.

It was definitely not like this because the Jackalan tribe had been burnt down by the humans and turned into ruins. Even the water wells had been buried. They needed to dig a huge pit that was seven meters deep and more than 20 meters wide to find water the size of a basin.

Not to mention the 3,000-man expeditionary force, even if there were 300 of them, each of them would dried up after a few sips.

This was a serious lack of water, and they did not have any supplies.

That was why the pirate leader decided to gather all the Jackalan who were still on the verge of death in the desert, or to recruit the small Jackalan tribe. They would use the advantage of large fleet to occupy the Oasis Lookout. After obtaining fresh water supplies, they would took the lead in setting up the outpost base and wait for the expedition army to arrive.

Otherwise, when the expedition army and arrived at the south side of the Nahrin Desert ran out of supplies, they would still be exhausted.

They could endured the lack of water, but they still need to drink water.

Originally, the Oasis Lookout was the motivation for them to come here, but now, they were in a deeper despair.

"We have failed."

The pirate leader said in a weak voice, his voice filled with sorrow.

Even if it had spent a lot of effort to gather all these inferior races and form a cannon fodder army of more than 3,000 Jackalans, facing such giant city wall, they could not did anything without siege weapons.

The pirates behind it were all silent, no one said a word.

But their eyes were filled with hatred, anger, and reluctance.

They were already prepared to die in battle, but they did not want to die in such a humiliating way.

"Fight with your life! We still have a chance. The followers of the storm monarch will not give up!"

Some of the Jackalan pirates raised their two-handed battle axes in anger and pointed their sharp axes at the fortress in front, they roared, "We're going to die anyway. If we can break through the gate of the human fortress, we can win. That's what we did when we broke into the fortress defended by the lizardmen. No one is a match for us in close combat!"

Their words made all the Jackalan pirates shook off their depression.

The pirate leader was the same.

It gripped the battle axe tightly, its eyes looking at the fortress a thousand meters away, as he growled, "Let these cannon fodders die, we must charge in too, this is the only way we can survive!"

"Roar! Kill, Kill, Kill!", the savage nature of these Jackalan pirates surged out from their souls.

The surrounding low-level Jackalan looked at them in fear.

The natives Jackalans of the Nahrin Desert didn't have the slightest will to resist these high-level Jackalans.

Their intelligence was very low.

And the Jackalan from the Kingdom of Grey Mane were very strong.

,hese low-level Jackalan who were already on the verge of death and had no way to survive. Under the threat and enticement, they finally made up their minds to follow these obviously higher-level intelligent Jackalan shaman. They set off towards the Oasis Lookout, wanted to take back the water source that had been occupied by humans.

Slowly moving forward, the group of Jackalan moved forward in a mess. They climbed over the dune and arrived a kilometer away from the city wall.

Drondheim only had two city gates, on the east and south sides.

These Jackalan did not discovered the city gates.

However, when many Jackalans scattered towards the two sides, they discovered a small lake on the west side of the city wall. These low-level Jackalans had not drunk enough water for many days, they were overly excited like they were gone mad.

If it weren't for the high-level Jackalan pirates scolded and suppressed them, they would have already rushed over to drink the water.

"There are archers, don't take risks."

These intelligent high-level Jackalan clearly saw the archers in the arrow towers and attics.

They were experienced in this.

The lizardmen were good at using crossbows, while the elves were good at using bows. Without sufficient siege weapons, they definitely couldn't attacked the heavily guarded fortress, because the continuous crossbow and arrow attacks would still capable to kill the strongest Jackalan.

But thinking of this, they became more and more desperate.

Their current weakness was that they did not have siege weapons.

If they had large shields covered with leathers to block the rain of arrows, they could go to the lakeside to drink water one by one.

But not to mention large shields, there were not even trees in the desert. It was impossible to make them. This was not the Mannheim Coast with vast greenery, where there were enough trees to be cut down by their two-handed battle axes and then cut into wooden boards.

"Lord, we can only attack the city gate of this fortress first."

Some pirates suggested, suppressing the thirst for water from their drying throats. "This lake is a trap. I can see the human archers and crossbowmen, waiting for us to approach."

"Then move.", the pirate leader gritted his teeth and gave the order.

However, the low-level Jackalans who were extremely thirsty became impatience to the order.

Many of them even wanted to leave the team and run towards the lake.

Ever since the well was destroyed, these low-level Jackalan were already unable to endure their hunger and thirst. Although they continued to use their instincts to dig out the well and eat the corpses of their dead companions, they could no longer endured it.

They were a low-level race after all and did not have the intelligence of a high-level Jackalan.

Now that they saw the water, they became crazy.

"Roar!"

The roars could not be stopped. The low-level Jackalans could not hold it in any longer and ran towards the lake on the west side of the Oasis Lookout. Their eyes were filled with the desire for water and they did not notice that in the attic of the city wall. The Swadian crossbowmen already tightened their crossbows and the Vaegirs archers on the arrow tower had drawn their longbows as well.

"Huff Huff Huff Huff Huff..."

About 300 low-level Jackalans directly ran into the lake. The splashes of water wetted their gray fur. These brave Jackalan enjoyed the first bit of water.

They drank large mouthfuls of the clear lake water, enjoying the hard-earned moisture.

Behind them, even more low-level Jackalan were restless.

Even if the 300 Jackalan pirates held the line and used their two-handed battle axes to chop off a few Jackalan's heads, it would messed up the formation. The low-level Jackalans wanted to disperse on their own, and couldn't wait to go to the lake to drink water.

The physiological thirst for water had almost blinded the hearts of these low-level Jackalans.

"Damn it! All of you low-level races, stand where you are! Stand where you are!"

The pirate leader and his subordinates raised their bloody battle axes and threatened the low-level Jackalans who were about to collapse before they even made contact with the enemy. Their eyes were filled with bloodshot.

Of course, they knew that this was a human trap.

However, their hearts were filled with desperation. This was an obvious trap. The small lake was meant to lure the troops that were about to collapse due to the dehydration!

However, their endurance had became weaker, even if they had the blood of a low-level Jackalan.

When more Jackalan saw that their comrades were drinking water without restraint, they almost could not bear it.

The formation became more and more chaotic.

Even the low-level Jackalan at the back were staring at the front with red eyes.

No one noticed that at the top of the dune where they came from, dozens of human cavalries had gathered. They were silently watching the formation of these low-level Jackalans. It became more and more scattered and more and more chaotic, they were even about to completely collapse.

Chapter 138: A Brutal Internecine

On the arrow tower and the city wall, the Vaegirs archers and the Swadian crossbowmen were ready to shoot.

The archers pulled the longs bows into full moon shape, and the crossbow was tightened. The iron arrowheads of the arrows and crossbow arrows were aimed under the city wall. On the other side of the 30-meter wide lake, there were low-level Jackalans kneeling on the shore, fighting for water.

The splashing sounds of water and the howls of the werewolves fighting.

There were also the anxious howls of those who had not drunk the water.

It was as noisy as a wet market outside the lake, but the city walls and arrow towers were completely silent.

Everyone was waiting for orders.

Kant's orders.

He stood on the top floor of the council hall, but moved from the north to the west. He stood behind the concave-shaped arrow-blocking wall, quietly watching the low-level Jackalans who had lost control and were fighting for water regardless of the formation.

When he saw they were all swinging their spiked club to fight each other for water, he wanted to laugh.

"This is the enemy we are prepared for."

Kant's lips curled into a smile, seemingly mocking and disdainful.

But in the depths of his eyes, there was a coldness as cold as winter. He clenched his teeth tightly, and his voice came out from the gaps between his teeth. "This joke is too funny."

Firentis and Manid looked not happy as well.

They had been busy for so many days.

They were careful, afraid that something would go wrong.

Even the most important agricultural foundation at the moment, the five acres of date palm forest, had been completely cut down.

In exchange for this.

A group of messy, low-level Jackalans without any tactics to speak of, knelt by the lake and drank big mouthfuls of water. They did not care about the archers on the city wall in front of them who were already aiming at them. They only knew that their throat was so thirsty that it was about to smoke, crazily filling their stomachs with lake water was their priority.

They weren't troops at all, and they weren't soldiers at all.

They were just a group of lowly beggars who had fled here and wanted to live.

They were trash, giving the order to shoot was a waste of arrows!

More low-level Jackalans broke away from their impetuous formation and ran over in a hurry. They buried their heads in the lake water and drank big mouthfuls of the cold lake water. Their stomachs were extremely bloated, and they were unwilling to give way to the Jackalan behind them.

Their physiological thirst for water had already made them lose their rationality.

They selectively ignored about the current situation.

They ignored the city wall on the other side of the lake. They didn't care about the human archers who had already drawn their bows and arrows. They only knew whoever obstructed them from drinking water, they used the spiked club in their hands to smash them, whether they were once the same race.

Fresh blood was flowing, and some Jackalans were even beaten unconscious. They slowly lost their breath as they were trampled.

The smell of blood became stronger.

The smell stimulated the ferocity of those low-level Jackalans who couldn't drink the water in time.

The spiked club swung wildly. These Jackalans were eager to drink the water didn't care about the lives of their companions. They only knew that if their companions fell, they would be able to take a step forward and drink the water, and they would be able to survive!

In just a short ten minutes, there was a crazy slaughter by the lake.

Those low-level Jackalans were red-eyed and treated their own kind as enemies that prevented them from surviving.

"Lord."

Firentis slowly opened his mouth and said calmly, "This battle has already ended."

Manide's expression was the same.

There were nearly five hundred Jackalans crazily killing each other for the sake of drinking water. Even if there were crossbowmen on top of their heads shooting at any time, they were still killing like enemies. In just a few minutes, more than 100 Jackalans had fallen in this chaotic battle, and their blood had dyed the lake red.

Yes.

The battle had indeed ended.

The expected fierce siege attack did not appear.

The well-prepared city defense fortifications and the soldiers who were united as a city were now useless.

It was like they had become a joke.

They stood on the top of their city walls and arrow towers, watching the group of low-level Jackalans killing each other. Moreover, from the large troops a kilometer away, more and more Jackalans were rushing over sake of drinking water. They didn't care at all and fought with the other remaining Jackalans. There were corpses and blood everywhere on the shore.

They all killed each other, as if they were blood feuds for generations.

Kant watched all of this coldly.

He snorted coldly and waved his hand forward, "All of you shoot."

He felt a little tired.

There was no need to continue watching. This group of low-level Jackalans had already lost the ability to attack the city. Even if they used the ant-climbing tactic and piled their corpses against the seven-meter-high city wall, it was impossible for them to climb into the attic.

Killing each other had already depleted the remaining trust of this group of low-level Jackalans.

"All of you fire!"

The messengers shouted and conveyed Kant's order.

The Ravenstern rangers stationed at the top of the council hall reacted the fastest.

They raised their heavy bows and looked down from the top of the council hall. They aimed at their preset targets and mercilessly fired a volley of arrows at the Jackalans who were still fighting by the lake.

The sound of arrows whistling through the air.

The archers on the city walls and on the arrow towers also received the order to pull the triggers or release the tightened bowstrings.

The rain of arrows poured down like a waterfall.

The air was filled with the miserable cries tearing apart by the arrows.

"Puff Puff Puff Puff Puff Puff Puff Puff --"

The arrowheads penetrated the flesh.

The Jackalans who were still fighting each others irrationally by the lake instantly fell to the ground at the same time.

Before the Jackalans could react, the archers who were shooting at a faster speed nocked their bows again. They shot another rain of arrows, pinning the remaining Jackalans to the ground like hedgehogs.

The shooting range was less than 30 meters, so there was almost no need to aim too much.

The power of the arrows and crossbows was also at its strongest.

These low-level Jackalans did not have armor on their bodies. They were all wearing tattered linen robe and animal skin. At such a close distance, their skin and muscles, even their bones could be penetrated easily.

They all let out miserable howls .

These Jackalans finally reacted.

They looked at the human archers on the city walls and arrow towers in horror and began to retreat.

But at this time, the Swadian archers pulled the trigger again.

The heavy crossbow bolts arrived in an instant.

The slow-moving Jackalan's back was pierced through. If it was unlucky ,the arrows directly pierced into its lungs. As it ran, the blood in its mouth surged up, its legs went limp and it knelt on the ground. It breathed in but did not breathe out, and his pupils were dilated.

Low-level Jackalans were not Kant's opponent.

"Firentis."

Kant's face was calm as he ordered, "Lead all the heavy cavalry and prepare to attack."

"Understood.", Fateh nodded.

Without hesitation, he turned around and left the council hall. He gathered the heavy cavalry troops under his command. As the south gate opened, the horses stepped on its horseshoes and stepped into the soft sand.

Behind Firentis, there was a Swadian heavy cavalry wielding [ Intimidation ] .

A golden lion in red background fluttered in the wind behind him. An eye-catching [ Lion Knight Order Medal ], with the same golden lion in red background but with the size of a palm, was attached on his chest

With the addition of the two great items, Firentis was full of confidence.

This was also the reason why Kant asked him to lead the heavy cavalry troops to attack.

.........

In the distance, the 300 Jackalan pirates were shocked by the intense rain of arrows and they were in extreme despair. They subconsciously slowed down their action on stopping the formation from falling apart.

They were not stupid low-level Jackalan.

All of them came from the Mannheim Coast and were famously known in the Sea of Stars.

They looked at the human crossbowmen on the city wall.

The sorrow in their hearts became more and more intense.

Even if the Kingdom of Grey Mane was preparing to set out from behind, the Jackalan expedition army with siege weapons would probably have to pay a certain price to gnaw on this fortress. With just 300 of them and the 3,000 not so smart low-level Jackalans, even if they pounced on mountains of corpses and seas of blood, they probably wouldn't be able to conquer this fortress.

Looking at those Jackalans who were killing each other just to drink water, they simply didn't have any confidence.

They were also thirsty.

Their throats were also smoking.

But their rationality made them understood that if they were to kill each other now, the final result would be death.

"We can't stay here any longer."

The Jackalan pirate leader spoke, its eyes filled with determination.

It turned around and looked at its pirate subordinates who had followed it for more than ten years. It slowly stepped back and said, "Let's go. We can't control these natives in the desert anymore."

The low-level Jackalans looked at the city wall in fear. Some of them even started to run away.

The seemingly huge army was on the verge of collapse in an instant.

But this was not an army.

The pirate leader could see everything clearly now. Even though its throat was smoking and the thirst in his stomach made it weak, its head still told it that the best thing to do now was to leave.

To stay away from the Oasis Lookout and the human troops in the fortress.

Or rather, to escape.

Tormented by thirst and hunger, they were unable to fight anymore.

Moreover, the cannon fodder that they had brought with them had already gone out of control. The scene of them killing each other just now had also given them a warning.

"We'll listen to your arrangements, Lord!"

The pirates nodded one after another.

Thus, they slowly retreated, completely ignoring the low-level Jackalans around them.

To them, these low-level races couldn't even speak the Jackalan's language completely, so they couldn't even be considered as their own kind. They were just a group of beasts that looked similar. Using them as cannon fodder was the right choice, but it was definitely impossible to see them as their own kind.

As the Jackalan pirates left, the low-level Jackalans who had lost their command were at a loss.

More and more low-level Jackalans began to flee.

However, there were even more Jackalans who gathered together. They looked at the sparkling lake water not far away from the city wall. Their eyes were filled with the desire to drink water. They had already lost their rationality.

Leaving just like that, these low-level Jackalans weren't willing to accept it.

Chapter 139: Unexpected Surrender

"Roar --"

Finally, some Jackalans could not hold back their hunger and thirst. They ran quickly and continued to rush towards the lake that was filled with corpses. Even the water was dyed red with blood. They drank large mouthfuls of the lake water that carried the smell of blood.

Hundreds and thousands of these low-level Jackalans continued to rush forward like a swarm of bees.

Their thirst made them go crazy.

Even on the city walls and arrow towers, the Vaegirs archers and the Swadian crossbowmen continued to shoot arrows, causing the arrows and crossbows to fill up the bodies by the lake like layers of white straw. But it still could not stop the large pack of low-level Jackalans rushing over to drink water.

In order to save more high quality awl arrows, the Ravenstern rangers had already put away their bows and stopped shooting.

However, the rain of arrows was even more intense.

50 archers and 50 crossbowmen had all gathered on the west side of the city wall and the arrow tower.

The rain of arrows continued, causing the lake shore 30 meters away to be littered with the corpses of low-level Jackalans. Layers upon layers of blood flowed into the lake, dyeing the originally clear lake pink.

This group of unarmored low-level Jackalans simply couldn't block the arrows and crossbows!

"Crazy."

Manid couldn't help but speak.

The low-level Jackalans in front had been shot to death, while the ones behind were still moving forward.

For the sake of drinking water.

Or to come into contact with the lake water that had already been dyed red with blood.

This survival instinct made all the low-level Jackalan's eyes turn red. The entire formation completely collapsed. The originally dark and large furry fleet completely disappeared into nothingness as more and more low-level Jackalans fell into a frenzied fight.

They continue to kill each other.

They ruthlessly smashed the head of their companions using spiked club.

The brain matters and blood gushed out form the heads.

Death was everywhere, and there would be arrows rained down on them at any time.

This made them even crazier.

These Jackalans were completely gone crazy! !

Kant stood in place and calmly looked down at the riverbank where blood flowed like a river. As the archers on the city wall shot, a Jackalan hit by arrows fell down at every moment, but there were still more Jackalans pouncing on them, layer upon layer, they seemed fearless. But in the end, their bodies were floating in the lake, and hundreds of them died.

This was a farce.

A farce that was worth laughing at.

However, Kant's expression was calm, and his eyes were filled with anger.

When he saw that more and more of these low-level Jackalans died, the anger in his heart grew even more.

Kant clenched his fist and said slowly, "This is the enemy that I asked for strict defense. I really didn't expect that my enemies were these lowly Jackalans, trashes that even new recruits could defeat."

Manid smiled bitterly, "They are indeed vulnerable.". He had nothing to say.

"Yes."

Kant nodded and sighed softly, "They really are vulnerable."

At that time, he chose to leave this lake outside the city wall and only left the spring water inside the city wall, in order to lure the enemy troops to drink water who were extremely short of water after a long journey. He wanted to use the advantage of the city wall and arrow towers to deplete the enemy's strength.

This was a decision he made himself.

However, he didn't expect it to be so good now.

The lack of water made these Jackalans gone crazy and completely lost their rationality.

Kant should be happy and enjoy the battle where the enemy was sending themselves to their deaths. However, he couldn't be happy because he didn't treat these low-level Jackalan as an opponent at all.

This was because he had led more than 300 low-level footmen to destroy the Jackalan tribe.

Now that he had more elite troops, why would he treat these low-level Jackalan as his mortal enemies?

Kant had prepared this trap, but it should only be enjoyed by those high-level Jackalans!

It was prepared for the expedition army of the Kingdom of Grey Mane, the high-level Jackalans from the Mannheim Coast!

"Report the results to me when it's over."

Kant turned around and left the top floor of the council hall without hesitation.

Firentis, who was not far away, had already led five Mamlukes and 50 Swadian heavy cavalries to prepare in formation. Their charging route was towards the low-level Jackalans who were fighting for water in the lake.

Although there were only 50 people, the charging effect would not be too bad.

This was not a battle between the armies.

Instead, 56 regular heavy cavalry soldiers were about to slaughter a group of beggars who had lost their will to fight.

It was a massacre!

The warhorses stomped heavily into the sand, and the soft sand instantly caved in. However, it brought an effective strength, making the warhorses ran faster and faster. In just a few seconds, it had covered a distance of 40 to 50 meters, it entered full-speed charging mode and crashed heavily into their target!

"Long live Lord Kant!"

Firentis charged at the front, raising the knight's sword in his hand high up as he took the lead in charging.

The sound of the hooves behind him came in waves. The warhorses stepped on the sand caused a faint thunder-like roar from the ground.

Five Mamluks protected Firentis on both sides, while the 50 Swadian heavy cavalries behind him lined up in a row, side by side. They stepped together in a neat charging pace and began to charge forward in a frenzy.

It was like heavy cavalry crushing light footmen!

"Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang --"

The fully armored warhorse easily knocked away the Jackalans that could not dodge in time.

The sharp lance easily pierced through the Jackalan that was reckless was still trying to resist.

The warhorse moved forward, and the horseshoe stomped heavily on the corpse, shattering its tendons and muscles. Even the unlucky ones who were still alive eventually died by the continuous trampling of the horseshoes.

The most straightforward one was probably the Jackalan whose head had been crushed by the horseshoes.

At least it didn't have to suffer!

Even a well-made lance couldn't withstand the impact of the houses' charge, and it broke one after another.

But either Mamluke or the Swadian heavy cavalries didn't care at all. They pulled out their two-handed iron staffs and warhammer, smashed heavily at the panic low-level Jackalans who were scrambling to survive.

Their heads were knocked into a pit, and their brains were splashed out.

The two-meter-tall Jackalan was like a perfect target. The heavy cavalry did not even need to bend down. They just needed to raise their arms and kill them one by one.

As for the low-level Jackalan's counterattack.

These beggars had not drunk or eaten for a long time, they did not had the chance to break through the defense of the chain mail they raised their spiked club!

In an instant.

The 56-man heavy cavalry chased after thousands of Jackalans and massacred them.

There were corpses everywhere trampled on.

[ Intimidation ] activated.

The golden lion on the red background seemed to have come to life. It moved without any wind, showing its might.

This was the activation of a special characteristic.

Looking at the Jackalans that were slowly collapsing, it was obvious that their morale had been reduced to a terrifying bottom. It was even close to the bottom of the valley. They had no intention of continuing to resist at all. They only knew to run aimlessly.

Fear was like the deepest abyss, opening its bloodthirsty mouth towards them, and they could only scrambled.

Just as Kant had said, this could not be a battle.

It was just a massacre.

And in the dune on the west side, the 300 Jackalan pirates left as soon as possible and escaped from the lower races. They became depressed and gloomy. They raised the battle axes in their hands and gathered together, breathing rapidly.

The desert bandits had already surrounded this group of Jackalan pirates.

80 light cavalries surrounded 300 heavy footman soldiers. It was somewhat laughable.

But it was indeed so.

These Jackalan pirates wore mail armor and held two-handed battle axes, it was obvious that they were elite Jackalan pirates. The desert bandits had their eyes on them. When these pirates quietly escaped, the bandits immediately brought people to surround them.

Not far away, a few short pilums were stuck in the sand. It seemed that they did not succeed.

However, these Jackalan pirates still not dared to make any moves.

This was because in their formation, two of their companions were crashing onto the ground. Their chests and lower abdomen were stabbed by the two short pulims. The mail armor on their bodies did not have any defense effect.

The inertia of impact caused the pilums pierced deeper into their chests. They did not even dared to pull them out.

These Jackalan pirates were very experienced in fighting for their lives in the Sea of Stars.

Of course, they knew that if they pulled out the pilums that pierced into their bodies, they would definitely bleed out. If they were not prepared, they would die.

However, they couldn't do anything about it.

The pirate leader's eyes were filled with violence and despair.

The other pirates were the same.

Looking at the desert bandits, they could already sensed that these humans riding on warhorse had become so strong, so fast, and terrifying lethal!

Even the elves riding on Moon Deer weren't as fast as these human cavalry!

"These humans... why are they different?"

Endless doubts rose in the hearts of the Jackalan pirates, but these doubts made them even more desperate.

After walking more than ten meters, they wanted to rush over and fight, but the human cavalries did not gave them the chance to get close. Like agile sparrows, they spread out in all directions and took the opportunity to throw short pilums instead. The humans immediately made their two comrades lose their fighting ability, and most likely going to die.

They wanted to leave, but the desert bandits rode their horses and circled around them.

This feeling made them feel like a pack of wolves.

As long as there was a chance, the pirates would pounced on them and fiercely bit off a piece of their meat. Every time they threw javelins, there would be a life-long pirate comrade fell down, waiting for death.

The common riding and shooting tactics from the Khergits could drag down all footmen.

Right now, it made the Jackalan pirates anxious, but they couldn't make any choice in their despair.

Because when they moved, they revealed gaps and flaws. There was a dozen of whistling pilums, piercing through their armor, and causing the valiant and skilled elite pirates of the Sea of Stars to fall to the ground in humiliation.

In a short period of time, more than ten Jackalan pirates were hit by the pilums and fell to the ground.

"Humans... we surrender!"

The pirate leader looked at his subordinates who were filled with despair and had no hope left. He sighed softly and swallowed his saliva in his dried mouth. He said in a dry and hoarse voice that was emitting smoke, "We surrender..."

Chapter 140: An Epic Victory

The battle ended before noon.

The Sun was scorching hot.

The thick smell of blood spread along with the high temperature.

Outside the western city wall, Jackalans corpses filled with arrows were everywhere. They were trampled by the hooves of the horses, like torn sacks, lying on the edge of the lake.

Layer upon layer, it was like a Jackalan slaughterhouse.

These were nearly thousand of corpses.

Fresh blood formed into a stream, flowing through the soil into the lake. This small lake, which should be called a pond, was dyed red. The water channels let the polluted water flowed into the agricultural area, dyeing the cultivated wheat fields with layers of blood color.

There was a bright and seductive red colors everywhere, the blood flowed out from the countless Jackalan corpses.

It was a cruel battlefield.

At this moment, there was no killing force at the scene.

Only the peasants from Swadia were holding their long scythe tightly and stabbing at the Jackalan corpses on the ground. The scythe was shining with a cold light and had already been sharpened. They pressed hard on the throat of the corpses, the weak throat along with the muscles were completely cut open, exposed the white cervical vertebrae. It was extremely terrifying.

Since they had already fallen, they would die quietly. There was no need for them to stand up.

Because Lord Kant had already issued an order.

"Drondheim" fortress didn't need any badly injured Jackalans with not value. Sending them away and giving them a quick death was the only thing that these kind-hearted and simple-minded peasant could do.

Oh, that's right.

They also had to fish up all the corpses floating in the lake.

It was no good to let these bloody Jackalan corpses became the source of plague. They would be chopped up with long scythe and buried in the fertile fields of chee grass. The microbes in the soil would quickly decompose these fragmented corpses.

As long as there was sufficient water to irrigate them, after a month, there would be plenty of chee grasses flourished on the five-acre fields.

The young leaves and stems of chee grass were the favorite green fodder for livestock.

Unfortunately, the five-acre date palm jungle that used to be the spinning forest in the northern part of the agricultural area had been completely cut down. Only some wooden stakes stood on this barren sandy land, and there was no greenery at all.

It was difficult to cultivate a similar-sized date palm jungle.

It would take at least five to ten years for the saplings to grow into mature trees that produced fruits.

It was indeed a pity.

Not far away from there, all the footmen who were responsible for escorting the captives looked at the bare date pal jungle angrily. They felt annoyed, some of them even took out their scabbards and heavily slapped the faces of the Jackalan captives.

The scabbards made a muffled "Peng Peng" sound when they slapped the cheeks. They used strong force with their arms, and the lips of the captives were torn apart after a few slaps.

There were even some of the them pulled out the fangs of the Jackalan captives.

37 Swadian light footmen and 50 Swadian footmen. Although there were only 87 of them, intimidation of their refined armors scared the Jackalan to the point that they did not dare to speak. They obediently lowered their heads and walked forward.

These Jackalan captives had already been bound by linen ropes.

In reality, they didn't have the ability to resist anym,ore.

The surrendered captives had no enough water or food for almost a month.

They were exhausted and had reached the limit of their strength.

If not because of the Jackalan's talent for endurance, they had already starved to death or died of thirst.

When Kant had occupied the Oasis Lookout, annihilated the tribes, and filled up the water well, these low-level Jackalans had completely lost their supply.

Although they could get water from other places.

They could live by eating the corpses of their own kind.

But they definitely reached their limit considering thousand of them survived until now.

The choice of surrender was an option in their stupid heads.

So they really surrendered.

Lying in the desert, exposing their soft bellies and weak throats. Just like their own kind, when they fought for a water source, the defeated tribe would show their submission.

If they were lucky, they would merge into the winner's tribe.

If they were unlucky, they would become food.

Jackalan's diet had a wide range, including their own kind.

This was their survival rule.

However, just outside the escort of these Swadian footmen, there were also heavy cavalries riding warhorses and wearing full armor. They stared at them coldly, warning this group of Jackalan who chose to be captives, not to do anything funny.

Just half an hour ago.

These heavy cavalries swept through these Jackalan like plows on the battlefield.

If not for the severely inadequate of heavy cavalries and the Jackalans able to surrender in time, the Jackalan corpses under the hooves of the horses would probably cover the entire desert!

These heavy cavalries definitely would not hold themselves back to against enemies who dared to invade the Oasis Lookout. They used the two-handed iron staffs and spiked warhammer in their hands directly struck the heads of the enemies.

Although it was a blunt blow, it was a fatal blow that could cracked the skull.

There were also captives behind the heavy cavalry.

It was the desert bandits. They were escorting about 300 captives. However, compared to the dirty-haired Jackalans, these well-groomed Jackalans were obviously different.

Even the linen robe they wore was clean and tidy.

These were the high-level Jackalan captives, the pirate advance team from the Kingdom of Grey Mane that arrived here first.

But now they were no different from their lowly low-level Jackalan comrades.

If any Jackalan pirates walked too slow, the desert bandits who were riding on their horses would swung their scimitars and used the back of their scimitars to chop the heads or shoulders of these guys, fiercely letting them continue to walk forward.

There were also some rebellious and disobedient Jackalan pirates, glaring angrily at the desert bandits who were beating them up.

However, their angry glare did not earned praises for their boldness.

Instead, they were hit by the scabbard over again!

The light cavalries came closer and found the Jackalans who dared to glare at them angrily. They raised their scabbard and fiercely slapped them on the cheeks. After a few slaps, they did not let them go until their lips cracked, their mouths and nasal cavities were bleeding, and even half of their teeth had been knocked off.

These desert bandits were not good people.

Some of Jackalan pirates dared to resist and wanted to break free from the ropes that bound their hands. In response to these brave pirates, the desert bandits turned their scimitars around. It was no longer the scabbards and the back of the scimitars, but the sharp blades.

From top to bottom, the scimitars cut them in half.

Their heads fell to the ground and rolled a few times before their bodies fell to the ground. Their bodies convulsed and spat out blood from their necks. Their eyes were still open.

Then, it was stomped by the desert horse's powerful hooves and exploded like a watermelon.

For the Jackalans who had surrendered, such a cruel method did not provoked any resistance. Instead, it made the frightened captives even more careful and completely abandoned their courage, they became a walking corpse without a soul and only knew how to obey. They basically became qualified captives.

In the council hall.

Kant was sitting in his seat with an annoyed expression on his face.

His fingers were tapping rapidly on the table. His mood was even worse. Even though Kant had completed the mission, Kant was still in a depressed mood. He did not have any happy thoughts.

[ Ding... After your bloody battle, you have finally completed the mission. ]

[ Side quest: The undercurrent ]

[ Reward: 10,000 denars ]

[ Introduction: First of all, Congratulations on winning this battle. You are like a solid reef that has blocked the surging undercurrent. But do you think this is the end? No, please pay attention, this is the beginning! Respected Lord, this is only the first wave. There are even more terrifying waves behind it! Don't be proud of this victory. Please be careful! ]

The system dialog box floated on his retina.

Kant frowned slightly.

10,000 denars was no longer a huge amount to the him now.

It could be considered a small amount.

However, even these denars were unable to make up for the anger in his heart.

When he thought of how he had cleared out the entire Oasis Lookout in order to deal with the expedition army of the Kingdom of Grey Mane. He even cutting down the important date palm jungle. The anxiety in his heart turned into the burning anger in his eyes.

This was the worst decision he had ever made, and it could be said to be a stain on his life.

"Lord Kant."

The guard at the door entered and reported, "Knight Firentis, Mr. Manid requests to meet."

"Let them in,", Kant replied.

The guard nodded and walked out.

The wooden door was pushed open again. Firentis, who was wearing cavalry's mail armor, and Manid, who was wearing chain mail armor, walked in at the same time and bowed respectfully to Kant. "Lord, we won this battle."

"I already knew."

Kant's eyes were slightly gloomy. He said faintly, "How was the result of the battle?"

"Still evaluating.", Firentis replied.

Manid shrugged and said calmly, "The captives have all been sent to the fortress, and the corpses of the enemies that were killed are being handled by the peasants. It will take a while for them to collect and evaluatebefore they can report back."

"That's right.", Kant nodded.

At this moment, the dialog box on his retina suddenly refreshed.

A new dialog box appeared on his retina.

[ Ding... because of this battle, you have won more than you have won. You have achieved an impressive result. ]

[ Evaluation acquired: Epic Victory. ]

[ Reputation obtained × 500 points. ]

[ Reputation obtained × 5 points. ]

Kant narrowed his eyes, this slightly eased his mood.

Epic victory.

This evaluation was indeed worthy of its name.

Before he could take a closer look, the dialog box from the system reappeared on his retina.

[ Ding...Your forces have upgradable units ]

After experiencing a fierce battle, the soldiers had already obtained the experience points they desperately needed.

Perhaps there was some difference in saying this.

It was not a fierce battle.

It was a massacre!

Oasis Lookout's troops had only slaughtered a group of beggars who lacked water and food, and they had already obtained enough experience points to level up. They did not have any casualties , so how could they called this a gruesome battle?

This battle was really very easy.

Chapter 141: Elite Troops After the Battle

They easily won the battle, slaughtered the enemy, gained experience points.

Epic victory.

Towards this perfect ending, the knot in Kant's heart was slightly lifted.

At least 5 honor points were the most practical reward.

It was worth being in a good mood.

"Open the troop class-level up interface."

Kant's thoughts tingled.

On the retina in front of him, the dialog box immediately refreshed.

The interface of troop class appeared.

..

[ Upgradable troop class: Swadian peasant × 500 people ]

[ Cost 10 denars per person, level up: Swadian recruit ]

[ Extra experience points allow level up consecutively ]

..

[ Upgradable troop class: Swadian footman × 37 people ]

[ Cost 20 denars per person, level Up: Swadian footman/Swadian heavy cavalry ]

........

[ Upgradable troop class: Swadian heavy cavalry x 10 people ]

[ Cost 120 denar per person, Level up: Swadian knight ]

........

[ Upgradable troop class: Desert Bandits X 40 people ]

[ Cost 25 denars per person, evel up: Elite desert bandit ]

[ Ding... you have surplus experience points. Your forces could be upgraded consecutively ]

.........

[ Upgradable troop class: Elite desert bandit × 25 people ]

[ Cost 30 denars per person, level up: Sarrandian horseman ]

........

Most of the close combat troop class could be leveled up.

Kant frowned slightly.

However, he also found out that there were only a few level 4 troop class could leveled up.

Other than the 10 Swadian heavy cavalries who could leveled up to the top-tier Swadian knights, the other level 4 troops class showed no signs of leveling up at all. This was obviously something wrong.

As a level 4 footman, the Swadian footman did not directly involved in the battle, so it was only natural that they would receive little experience points.

However, one had to know that.

In this battle, the archers had played a huge role.

The rain of arrows formed by 50 Vaegirs archers and 50 Swadian crossbowmen had killed many Jackalans.

Now, there was actually no one who could leveled up to ;evel 5 troop class.

This was clearly out of Kant's expectations.

He asked the mind communication system, "System, in this epic battle, the experience points obtained are unable to allow more level 4 troop classes to reach full experience and level up to level 5 troop class?"

Ask if you don't understand.

The system would always gave an explanation.

Very soon.

A dialog box popped up on his retina, "Insufficient experience points, unable to provide more level 4 troop class to level up."

"This is the explanation?", Kant frowned slightly.

"Yes.", The system answered straightforwardly.

At the same time, it explained to Kant in detail: "Although the scale of this battle is large, the enemy is mostly low-level footmen. Their morale is low and their status is extremely poor, so the experience points gained is relatively small. They can only level up for middle troop class, and cannot afford a large number of high-level troops to level up. Thus, only 10 Swadian heavy cavalries can level up to 10 Swadian Knight."

After explaining, the dialog box disappeared.

Kant nodded.

It was indeed the style of the system. It was straightforward and did not said much nonsense.

In this battle, Kant indeed used a smaller troop to defeat the larger enemy fleet and won the battle. However, the slaughter of the lower-level troops by the elite troops was not a rare scene in the history. Many epic victories were such a case as well.

To a certain extent, the size of the troops was indeed better than the quality of the troops.

But there was a bottom line.

A number of troops with a certain quality was the best choice.

Otherwise, it would be like the end of the Han dynasty of an ancient country on Earth. The Yellow Turban Army had huge advantage of large troops, but it was still massacred by the elite soldiers of the imperial court, which led to its defeat in the end. At the same time, this war raised a group of more elite local warlords.

Just like some ancient Greek writer once said, a group of beggars could not be called an army.

And now.

Kant's army was very elite.

Through the mind communication system, Kant directly chose, "Level up."

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ Level up requires a total of 8,690 denars ]

[ Yes/no level up? ]

"Yes.", Kant did not hesitated, "Level up!"

Kant's current savings were 22,000 denars. Even if he spent this amount level up, he did not have to worry about the lack of denar for the maintenance of the army next week.

Because next month, the trade caravan of Reyvadin would arrive.

The leader of the trade caravan, Joslin, would buy all the prisoners he had obtained from this battle.

Although the statistics were not yet available.

But the number would definitely not be too small.

Outside the council hall, in the empty space on the east side of the fortress, the Jackalans were squatting there. In general, it was estimated that there were more than 2,000 of them. If converted into denar, it would be a huge amount of money!

Kant's savings would also increase to a huge amount.

With his affirmation.

8,690 denars instantly disappeared.

The flow of data flowed out quickly. In the entire Oasis Lookout, the troop class that could level up were all wrapped inside. Especially the 500 peasant who were still cleaning up the battlefield, their bodies were covered in a data chain.

This was the symbol of the transformation from a laborer who worked in agriculture to a military soldier.

It seemed like a very short period of time.

However, in the eyes of these soldiers who had leveled up, it was like several years had passed.

A complete set of combat knowledge was installed into their minds, and their bodies were also modified. It was like they had obtained a strong physique after years of hard training and been through several battles on the battlefield.

During the process of leveling up, the system then popped out the dialog box.

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ Because experience points surplus, Swadian recruit can continue to level up ]

[ Spend 5,000 denars to level up to Swadian militia ]

[ Yes/no level up? ]

"Level up."

Kant still did not hesitated and made his choice.

5,000 denars then disappeared.

Then, the recruits who were only wearing leather armor and holding spears and wooden shields had become stronger. The spears in their hands had also become military grade heavy spear. The leather armor had also become a piece of iron-plated armor with better defense. Beside the combat shovel at their waist, there was an additional quiver with 20 crossbow bolts inserted into it. With the light crossbow on their backs, they had the means to attack from afar.

Compared to the appearance of the peasant recruits, these recruits were more like soldiers in the army.

Level up was complete.

10 Swadian knights.

37 Swadian heavy cavalries.

25 Sarrandian horsemen.

40 elite desert bandits.

500 Swadian militia.

These elite soldiers had a completely different spirit.

Their appearance increased the quality of the troops in Drondheim.

Furthermore, the originally useless 500 peasant soldiers could only play a supporting role. When all of them were upgraded to the Swadian militia, it increased the number of troops in Oasis Lookout, causing the combat strength of the troops to soar!

All of the troops were already close to a thousand people.

If they encountered these low-level Jackalan again, they would already be qualified to engage in a head to head battle.

Furthermore, from Kant's point of view.

Even before these 500 militiamen joined, the "Drondheim" fortress with more than 500 soldiers would still capable to engage in a head on head battle with those low-level Jackalan. They might even be able to easily win the battle.

The 500 troops were all armored combat soldiers.

They could be said to be the elites of the elites.

How could these low-level Jackalan, who lacked water and food, fought against Kant's troops?

That was simply a joke!

Just like the current scale of the troops, Kant was already confident that even if the real expeditionary army of the Kingdom of Grey Mane trekked over the Mannheim Coast and tiredly crossed the Nahrin desert, even if they had good quality and quantity of troops, when they encountered Kant's troops in the wilderness, it was really uncertain who would live and who would die.

Kant's lips curled into a smile.

This battle could be considered the turning point of the "Drondheim" fortress.

Close to a thousand elite soldiers would bring absolute safety.

Even if the expedition army of the Kingdom of Grey Mane arrived, if they wanted to take down this heavily guarded and well-equipped fortress, it was absolutely impossible to succeed unless they paid a heavy price.

Moreover, there was a possibility of being counterattacked.

10 Swadian knights, 87 Swadian heavy cavalries, 5 Mamlukes, 40 Sarrandian horsemen, and 40 elite desert bandits. These were all extremely mobile cavalry troops that could tear apart the footman defense line.

142 heavy cavalry troops that could directly charge into the enemy's formation.

40 assault cavalry troops that could charge together.

Their fearsome charge attack was strong enough tobreak through the hundreds footmen formation!

In coordination with the heavy footman and footman's attack, they could forcefully break through the enemy's troops in the field. In this era where the heavy cavalry were the elite aces, it was too simple.

Level up was complete.

Kant put away the dialog box on his retina.

In the council hall, Firentis and Manid had already left.

The battle outside had just ended. After a brief report, they continued to get busy with all sorts of things.

Especially with regards to the placement of the soldiers, it was also a problem.

Almost all the civilians had disappeared.

Only 50 peasant women had not leveled up.

The 50 empty houses could completely be temporarily converted into military camps.

It was good enough to let the soldiers rest now. There was no need to consider the quality of their sleep. As soldiers who had fought in the battlefield, being able to live was their greatest request.

The current fortress could not let everyone rest beautifully.

There was still a long way to go.

Kant shook his head slightly, stood up and walked out of the council hall.

A large number of captives had been brought to the empty space in the military zone on the east side.

Jackalans were everywhere.

All of them were crouching in fear, not daring to speak loudly. Their eyes were filled with fear and anger.

They were also exhausted caused by the lack of water and food.

The militiamen walked out of the city. Each of them was carrying the spoils of war in their arms.

They were the mail armor and two-handed battle axes of the high-level Jackalans.

Only these valuable things would be collected by the militiamen. As for the tattered animal skins and linen, the militiamen did not attracted by them at all. Although they were collectible, their functions were the same as those spiked club, all of them would be used as cheap fuel, becoming combustible materials for the sugar workshop to boil salt.

However, with the end of this battle, Kant's heart was calm.

According to Firentis's report, he had captured many high-level Jackalans. Now, he used these captives to determine where the expedition army of the Kingdom of Grey Mane had arrived and their movements.

Chapter 142: Cruel Interrogation

Naturally, Kant did not need to worry about interrogating.

He passed down his order.

Very soon.

Ten Swadian footmen escorted five high-level Jackalans to the council hall's entrance.

They ruthlessly kicked the high-level Jackalan's legs with their chain-armored boots. The strong kicks caused these captives who had their heads lowered to fall and kneel in front of Kant.

"Roar...", the Jackalans growled because of the humiliation.

However, the 10 Swadian footmen who were in charge of guarding the captives did not show any mercy on their faces.

Instead, they curled their lips into a insulting smile. They pulled out the bastard swords from their waists and stabbed them heavily into the side of the captives. The tip of the gleaming swords pierced straight into the ground. There was no need to conceal their threatening menace.

The captives immediately lowered their heads and wisely chose to submit.

Only then the leading footman nodded in satisfaction and reported in a low voice, "Lord, we brought them here."

"Mm, well done.", Kant looked at this scene and spoke.

At the same time, he lowered his head to look at the five Jackalans who were surprisely dressed in linen robe. With a calm expression, he asked, "Jackalan from the Mannheim coast, the Kingdom of Grey Mane, why did you invade my fief's estate?"

As Kant's voice fell, no one answered.

The five Jackalans kneeling on the ground raised their beast-like heads, revealed their fangs on their jaws.

Their eyes revealed their anger and unyielding will.

They seemed to want to devour people.

Their eyes were ice cold!

They obviously accused Kant for all the torture and humiliation they had suffered after being captured.

If they were healthy and well-fed, they probably wouldn't even care about their own lives. They would carried their battle axes and perished together with Kant, who was sitting on the chair at the front steps of the council hall.

"Ha, unyielding eyes.", Kant chuckled.

Kneeling in front of others and threatening them with their eyes were always so weak.

At least Kant did not care.

He spoke to the captives in a cold tone, "You must know that your gazes can not kill others. But I controls your lives, I can easily...", he paused for a moment and said indifferently, "Kill all of you."

"Bang --"

Behind the Jackalan captives, the footmen lifted up their well-made chain armor boots were and heavily kicked on their backs.

A dull sound.

These captives were all lying on the ground. Their hands were tied up so that they could not propped themselves up. However, there was no need for them to stand up. The Swadian footmen that kicked them down reached out and pulled the gray hair on their heads to make them kneel on the ground again. The gleaming bastard sword was placed next to their throats at this moment.

The Swadian footmen did not want to see their lord being threatened by these inferior races. Even if it was merely the glares from their eyes, that was still not acceptable!

Kant nodded at them. He looked at the captives and asked calmly, "We can have a good conversation."

"Is... is that so?"

Finally, a Jackalan spoke in human language.

It was the leader of the pirates. There was still anger and humiliation hidden in its eyes, but it restrained itself and said, "Lord of the humans, what... What do you want to know..."

Kant nodded in satisfaction, "Cooperation is a wise choice."

"What do you want to know?", the pirate leader repeated.

"No, if you cooperate, I think you able to calm down. Cooperating in our friendly conversation is a good thing for both of us, a good thing that can be praised."

Kant smiled at the pirate leader. "What do you think?"

The pirate leader's expression was slightly ferocious.

It had roamed the Sea of Stars for so many years, but it had never knelt down to answer a question in such a humiliating manner.

Moreover, it had to kneel in front of human, a race that it always looked down. Its heart was thumping, and its eyes filled with bloodshot. This was really unacceptable.

Its anger was raging!

However, Kant only chuckled at its anger. "Help it calm down."

"Yes,", the footmen replied in a deep voice.

However, immediately after this reply, the sound of the wind whistling could be faintly heard.

Before the pirate leader could react, the scabbard that was embedded with iron skin directly struck its cheek. The force of the strike instantly knocked off the fangs in its jaws. Even its lips were torn and blood oozed out.

"Roar --"

This strike instantly pissed off the tyrannical pirate leader.

It stood up with its legs and its two arms struggled frantically to break free from the linen rope. Its green eyes turned red and it whispered with a mouthful of blood, wanting to rush towards Kant who was on the steps.

It pounced fiercely without any fear of death. Even the four Jackalan pirates on beside it were also aroused.

Although they had wisdom and civilized, but when they went crazy, their ferocity was far more terrifying than the uncivilized low-level Jackalan!

"Stupid.", Kant looked at the Jackalan pouncing at him without fear.

On the side, a footman with a thick fan-shaped shield came forward to block Kant. He used the shield forcefully withstood the pounce. Due to the force, he took half a step back, but he instantly withdrew his shield like a spring. He quickly gave a vicious right hook with his right hand tied with a chain-mail glove, the punch heavily landed on the left cheek of the pirate leader.

"Bang."

The pirate leader's teeth flew out, and his entire body blew away along with the heavy punch. He heavily fell down the stairs and laid in front of the four shocked Jackalan pirate subordinates.

The Swadian footman was silent. He shook his wrist and stood by Kant's side again.

"Can we have a good chat now?"

Kant said faintly.

The Swadian footmen at the side cooperated and raised their bastard swords. The sharp blades reflected the light of noon, bringing not warmth but the awe of slicing lives.

"Yes...", the pirate leader coughed and struggled on the ground.

It spat out two broken teeth, mixed with the smell of blood in its mouth. Its eyes were filled with despair. It stood up again and knelt in front of Kant. It lowered its head as if it had given up everything. "Human noble, what do you want to know..."

"This is very good."

Kant nodded, satisfied with his tactfulness.

Standing up and walking down the three-story stone stairs, Kant came before the pirate leader. He slightly squatted down and looked at its hopeless, murky and despairing eyes, he slowly asked, "Tell me, when will your large fleet arrive in this desert? Tell me, and I will let you go. I swear on my honor that I will never kill you."

His words were very tempting. Moreover, there was not a trace of malevolence on his tender face. Even his eyes were quite sincere.

The four Jackalans immediately swallowed their saliva.

To Kant's words, it was like they had grabbed onto a life-saving straw. They subconsciously looked at their leader whose cheek had been slapped until it was swollen. Their eyes were filled with the desire to live.

No one would really want to die.

No matter how strong their willpower was, after experiencing thirst and hunger, they had lost their faith.

"What I said is true."

Glancing at their eyes, Kant's lips curled up slightly. "I swear on the reputation of a noble."

"There are seven days left!", the pirate leader finally opened his mouth and lowered its bleeding swollen face, it said, "We are the advance team. We set off half a month earlier than the expedition team. If we are not out of our expectations, they will arrive at the southern part of the Nahrin Desert in seven days, which is the beginning of next month."

"Very good.", Kant stood up with a smile and sat back in his seat.

Kant looked at Firentis and Manid who had just finished patrolling the captive area, he nodded and said, "This information is very important. I like this friend. What do you think?"

"Of course, he is a very good gentleman.", Manid followed Kant's words and complimented him.

Firentis also nodded.

As a knight, he looked down on people who were captured in the war and still revealed the secrets of their forces. If they could endured the torture and death, he could still praised them.

Although death was still their final ending.

But Firentis could guaranteed that he would not chopped them up and used them as food or fertilizer.

"Send them back."

Kant waved his hand and motioned the footmen to pull the five high-level Jackalans away.

As if he had thought of something, he even reminded the footmen, "Give them some water and bread. Well, if they don't eat bread, they can also eat some dried meat as a reward for answering their questions."

"Yes.", the Swadian footmen answered.

"Lord... We, we eat bread!", a Jackalan pirate answered eagerly.

Kant heard this and chuckled, "Oh, that's even better. give them bread, dried meat, and clean water.". He paused and looked at the Jackalan pirate who answered, pointing at it, he ordered, "I like this guy very much. give him another dried sausage. If he can answer the questions we want to know in the future, let him eat his fill every meal."

"I, I am willing to surrender and join your side!", the Jackalan pirate immediately knelt on the ground, ignoring the complicated and angry eyes of his companions beside him. He shouted, "I know a lot of information about the Mannheim Coast and the Kingdom of Grey Mane!"

"Very good.", Kant nodded with a smile, still waving his hand to signal for them to go away.

Soon, the footmen took them away again.

Kant turned around and entered the council hall.

Firentis and Manid also followed.

Sitting back in his seat, Kant's smile disappeared and he said faintly, "In seven days, the expedition army will arrive at the Nahrin Desert. It means that at the beginning of next month, we will welcome our real enemy."

"That's right.", Firentis and Manid looked at each other.

Kant frowned and tapped his fingers on the table.

Looking at his two trusted subordinates, he said, "Arrange people to interrogate these high-level Jackalans. Let them tell us everything they know. Try to improve our understanding of the Mannheim Coast as well as the Kingdom of Grey Mane. Don't relax. We will officially face them next month."

"You will know more comprehensive information.", Manid had some research on interrogation.

"Okay.", Kant nodded and looked at Firentis at the same time. "Since Manid is in charge of the interrogation, you will be in charge of the army. When the Jackalan arrive at the Oasis Lookout, I hope you can give the best response."

Firentis also nodded heavily. "I will do my best."

Chapter 143: An Army With Only Footmen

Manid had some experience with interrogation.

As a genius born into a merchant family, he knew the art of many languages, such as intimidation, using both kindness and intimidation, and offering benefits. These were all the most basic methods in business negotiations.

Changing the way of thinking and the method was the technique of interrogation.

Manid took his leave.

Soon, he made the arrangement of interrogation and the soldiers in charge of intimidation.

That night.

The results of the interrogation were recorded on a sheepskin scroll and presented to Kant in written form.

However, the results were somewhat unexpected.

"Ha.", Kant had a mocking smile on his face.

Taking the information obtained from the interrogation of the captives as an example, the Kingdom of Grey Mane had already mobilized all of its elites for this operation, except for the necessary defensive forces of their own country, and they had almost recalled all of the the forces outside the Mannheim Coast. Their goal was to invade the human countries in the Nahrin Desert and turn the southern part of the desert into a colony of the Kingdom of Grey Mane.

The idea of going all out was an extremely bold strategy.

It had the imposing manner of 'If I don't succeed, I'll die'.

But in Kant's opinion.

These high-level Jackalans had never considered that if their strategic operation to colonize the human countries failed and the forces in the Mannheim coast shrank, they would be unable to advance or retreat, and would be surrounded and killed.

The consequences were unimaginable.

"They think that the human kingdom is very weak."

Manid sensed Kant's thoughts and reported with a shrug, "In their opinion, one Jackalan footman can easily deal with three human footmen. If the Jackalan starts to fight with their lives, they can deal with five human footmen."

Kant raised his eyebrows slightly. "That's true."

Firentis did not commented, but his silence was equivalent to tacitly agree that this statement was correct.

That was the truth.

The height of a Jackalan was generally 2.3 meters, while a well-nourished high-level Jackalan would usually weigh up to 300 pounds. All of them were tall and heavy, and their bodies were full of strong muscles.

The speed, strength, and weight-bearing ability of their body were much stronger than the footmen of the human countries.

Not to mention the individual duels.

Even if it was a clash between armies, the human army would still be at a disadvantage.

However, Kant picked up the sheepskin scroll again.

Kant looked at the records regarding the composition of the army of the Kingdom of Grey Mane and their battle sequence, his tone was a little surprised, "But, these Jackalans, don't tell me they think that the human kingdom is the same as them, that the army is made up of footmen?"

Manid nodded. "As you can see, that's indeed the case."

"Hmph.", Firentis snorted coldly and frowned. "This seems like a joke."

"There's nothing I can do.", Manid shrugged and said helplessly, "When I heard the information from the captives, I also didn't believe it. Only after I verified the words of the other captives and I realize that it was true."

"Only footmen.", Kant tapped his finger on the table, he couldn't helped but laughed.

Because the Nahrin Desert was a natural moat.

The Mannheim Coast, which was connected to the Sea of Stars, while the Dukedom of Leo, which was connected to the inland, didn't have any communication at all.

Neither side knew the other.

They were even less clear about the military level and troop class structure of the other side.

But now, it seemed that the Kingdom of Grey Mane on the Mannheim Coast, which was formed by high-level Jackalan, was too ridiculous. They only relied on heavy-armored footmen to fight, and even the long-range troops were recruited mercenaries or lizardmen captives. Moreover, they were treated as auxiliary soldiers. During the war, they also served as engineers, transporters, and other miscellaneous troop class.

"They have never seen cavalry. There are also no horses on the Mannheim Coast."

Manid seemed to have thought of something and added, "The only similar troops are the elven Moon Deer Cavalry. They use bows and arrows in long-range combat. Their close-range combat ability is quite weak."

"Bow cavalry.", Kant raised his eyebrows, looking pensive.

On the grassland southeast of Caradia, the Khergits elites were the Khergits veteran cavalry archers.

The strongest bow cavalry in the entire continent.

Under the influence of the tactics in the plains, these bow cavalry could even compete with the Swadian knight and Mamluke, the two strongest level-5 heavy cavalry. They relied on their extremely high mobility, as well as the accurate and deadly arrows that flew between the charging warhorse.

As for the bow cavalry who were good at guerilla warfare, they never fought a head on head battle.

As for the Swadian people, they preferred charge attack for victory.

Firentis spoke and expressed his puzzlement. "I don't quite understand. How could the Kingdom of Grey Mane be so foolish as to think of colonizing the human countries with just the heavy footman? At the very least, I understand that the Dukedom of Leo is also a country that mainly uses the heavy cavalry. Their strength on the plains is not something that these 3,000 heavy footmen can compare to."

"The information is not accurate.", Manid frowned slightly and gave this conclusion.

Kant nodded. "Perhaps so."

Only this conclusion could explain the Kingdom of Grey Mane's underestimation and arrogance.

Since there had never been a battle between heavy cavalry on the Mannheim Coast, they definitely would not have thought that humans would ride on warhorses, fully clad in armor, and hold long spears to charge at them.

They did not understand that a lance formation was not able to defend against the charging cavalry.

Not to mention in history.

Even the continent of Caradia had proven this point.

As long as the terrain was suitable, a charging heavy cavalry, even if it was a level 4 Swadian heavy cavalry, would be able to break through the strongest level 6 footman. The footman formation formed by the royal Nord guards would be easily trampled and knocked down by these footman butchers

Although this was a desert, the terrain was still relatively smooth.

It was also suitable for cavalry battles.

"This time, we really have to be prepared."

Kant knocked on the table and said solemnly to the two, "We cannot underestimate the enemy."

"Understood,", the two replied in a deep voice.

They also understood that they did not have the resources to underestimate the enemy.

They needed to fight alone and rely on themselves in the "Drondheim" fortress.

There were no reinforcements.

There were no backup forces.

Even if they failed once, they would fell into the abyss.

Compared to the powerful Kingdom of Grey Mane, they did not had the ability to underestimate the enemy.

Late night arrived.

The guards began to change shifts.

Kant's conversation with the two ended. He looked at the moon outside the window. It was in the middle of the sky. The moon reflected the countless dim lights in the dazzling galaxy, scattering the gentle gauze onto the desert.

A new week had arrived.

He slept until dawn.

Kant got up. There were not many administrative matters to deal with this week.

There were no any surprises.

The soldiers were busy, dealing with the corpses left on the battlefield yesterday, burying or throwing them to the low-level Jackalan captives as their food. This group of uncivilized races did not mind eating the corpses of their own race anyway.

In other words, as long as there was food, it was good enough.

Chapter 144: Five More Lucky Draws

In the morning, the system dialog box appeared as usual.

In the financial summary, the maintenance of the army was still the main expenditure. After deducting the denar, Kant's balance was left with only two digits, which meant that he had completely ran out of money.

Of course, this was temporary.

At the beginning of next month, the trade caravan from Reyvadin would arrived as promised.

And these 2,000 + Jackalan captives had became the most popular commodity in the Kingdom of Vaegirs under the recommendation of the leader of the trade caravan, Joslin. All the noble families were willing to offer their denar in exchange for these hard-working slave miners.

This was the source of Kant's denar.

With the endless supply of Jackalans in the desert, Kant's captive trade was very hot.

There was no need to feed them too much food and water.

As long as they passed this week, they would become a ready-made denar.

These Jackalans were weak due to hunger. They were also under guard. At least 50 Swadian footmen and 40 elite desert bandits took turns to guard them. There was no any disturbance yet.

This was to due to cruel treatment to the captives.

As long as there was any sign of disturbance, these Swadian footmen and elite desert bandits would showed no mercy.

It was like killing a chicken to warn the monkeys.

There were more than 20 Jackalan heads hung on the city wall.

As for the corpses, they were directly thrown into the Jackalan prisoners group, allowing the hungry companions to tear them apart and bite them, turning them into hard-earned delicacies.

Drondheim fortress was only this big.

If the 2000+ Jackalans were really to cause riot, the impact would be fatal.

Fortunately, they were safe.

Days passed.

Kant sat on a chair in the council hall while FIrentis entered the hall.

He stood respectfully in front of the long table and reported, "Lord Kant, the elemental giants have all been eliminated. This is the elemental gem that we obtained this week. The Ravenstern ranger's archery is very strong, so there are only few flaws on it."

"Well done,", Kant praised.

"This is what I should do."

Firentis smiled. He took out the two pages that looked thin but were actually extremely tough. He placed them on the table with the nine elemental gemstones and said, "Lord, please keep them properly."

"Yes.", Kant nodded.

Summoned the elemental giants and obtaining obtained mysterious elemental gemstones, this was the mission he had given to Firentis. And now, the mission was very successful.

As for the two pages of the rare item, it was not only used Kant. Both Firentis and Manid were allowed to use it, Kant had consulted the system for this.

However, the system had also given restrictions. For example, ordinary troop class could not use the rare item.

The explanation given was that ordinary soldiers could not closely communicate with the system.

He did not think too much about it.

Kant turned to the attendant beside him and ordered, "Put it away."

"Yes, my Lord.", the peasant woman who was waiting beside him immediately walked over and placed the rare items and elemental gemstones in the wooden box. Then, she quickly walked up the stairs and returned it to the inner side of Kant's closet.

"My lord, I will continue to patrol the fortress,", Firentis said.

"Go.", Kant nodded and said in a serious tone, "You have been working harder recently."

"Yes."

Firentis bowed and left the council hall.

Oasis Lookout was currently under the most strict curfew status. Anyone other than the patrol team was strictly prohibited from walking on the streets. Even if they had to eat, drink, and take a dump every day, they had to do it at their own post.

Whether it was food or emptying the toilet, the farmers would take full responsibility.

Safety was the most important thing.

"System, open the lottery store."

Kant still had the 5 honor points reward from the epic victory.

He communicated with the system and said, "Start the five consecutive draws. There's no need to choose."

[ Ding... system lottery begins. ]

The system was still straight to the point.

The dialog box popped up, and the colorful treasure chest slowly opened with Kant's affirmation.

The colorful light began to bloom.

[ You have received a construction pack: Vaegirs shooting range X 1]

[ You have received a construction pack: Camel farm X 1]

[ You have received a troop class pack: Vaegirs archers X 50 people ]

[ You have received a troop class pack: Desert bandits X 50 people ]

[ You have received a special pack: Spring's eye × 1 ]

The dialog box immediately refreshed.

The listed data was displayed on Kant's retina.

"As expected of the system."

Looking at the pack that he had received, Kant slightly raised his eyebrows.

The reward this time was still generous.

Especially the two troop class pack, it had increased the defensive ability of the Drondheim fortress. Moreover, with the addition of the 50 Vaegirs archers, the intense long-range arrow rain became even more deadly!

The longbows used by the Vaegirs archers were more powerful than the crossbows used by the 500 Swadian militia!

"There are other gift packs."

Kant's eyes swept across the dialog box on his retina.

The system's introduction was very comprehensive.

[ Vaegirs shooting range: military building. This is the most common shooting range in the Kingdom of Vaegirs. Archers can train here. 10 Vaegirs archers are available for recruitment every week. The recruitment fee is 50 denars per person. ]

[ Camel farm: livestock building. This farm was located on a barren sandy land. It could only domesticate single humped camels. Although the environment was cruel, it was fortunate that private chat and water were guaranteed. The camels produced were all sturdy. Five adult single humped camels were provided every week. They could be paired up on their own. The purchase price for single humped camels was 1,000 denar per camel. ]

"Very good."

With a smile at the corner of his mouth, Kant tapped the table in satisfaction.

He was slightly excited.

Vaegirs shooting range recruited 10 Vaegirs archers per week, providing a long-range troop class permanently.

This way, the troop class of Swadian could be avoided, and they would have to level up to crossbowmen.

After all, according to the game and the current world, the Swadian crossbowmen that holding crossbows were still somewhat unworthy of the title of a level 4 troop class, if not for the fact that the power and accuracy of crossbows were higher than that of bows. The Oasis Lookout currently lacked long-range troop classes. Kant even wanted to get rid of all the crossbowmen and use Veagirs archers as the main force of the long-range troop class.

One had to know that the level 4 veteran crossbowmen of the Kingdom of Rhodoks were already equipped with heavy crossbows.

As for the level 5 troop class, the strongest long-range troop class, the weapons that the Swadian snipers were also equipped with heavy crossbows.

It was just that their equipment was a little better.

However, as a long-range troop class, soldiers that able to produce more and stronger output was the most worthy.

The Level 5 troop class, Rhodok sharpshooter, was equipped with siege crossbows and steel crossbows!

This was simply the difference between heaven and earth.

Now that Kant had the Vaegirs shooting range, he could recruit the level 4 troop class, Vaegirs a archers, directly through the shooting range. This way, he could saved up the time and experience points. Who knew how much denar he needed to recruit the Swadian archers into the battles if he went for the other ways.

In Kant's eyes, the archers of the Kingdom of Vaegirs had very high cost-performance value!

Chapter 145: The Eye of The Magic Ball

The camel farm solved the problem of Kant's trade caravan.

With these one-humped camels, known as the ships of the desert, Kant could opened up a complete trade route in the Nahrin Desert, from the natural salt mines to the Oasis Lookout, then to the posthouse, and finally to the Stone Pass.

The vast desert sea was no longer a natural chasm.

"This lottery solved my big problem."

Kant smiled.

But his eyes looked at the final reward of the lottery. Even though he was mentally prepared, he was still a little surprised.

"Spring's eye."

Kant slowly read out this word.

It was very simple.

Very clear.

Even the most complicated grammar could found an adjective for it in the shortest amount of time.

The source of a pool of spring water.

That was it.

However, this made Kant's heart beat faster, and his breathing became a little faster. This was because this special gift pack brought a value that far exceeded the sum of the previous four gift packs.

That's right, the sum.

In Kant's opinion, this gift pack was almost priceless!

[ Spring's eye: This spring's eye connects to the mysterious water elemental plane, and it can continuously flow out the clearest spring water. Place it on the ground with no water vein, it will automatically generate a water source. ]

The system's introduction to the spring's eye.

This made Kant thought of the lake created by the magic ball outside the city wall.

It was able to change the terrain.

Or rather, it could directly affected the changes in the rules.

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ Spring's eye has been detected in the host's area. It is recommended that you combine the "Spring's eye" into one. It can increase the amount of water that comes out of the spring and also replenish the groundwater. It can form a wide-range water supply effect and create a natural water network. ]

The system immediately gave a hint.

Kant was slightly stunned.

Normally, the system would not gave such an obvious hint directly.

But now, the system directly told him that it was the wisest choice to combine the "Spring's eye" with the original spring of the Oasis Lookout. It could produced the most optimal result.

"Place the spring's eye!"

Kant connected with mind communication system and directly chose to use it.

The golden card in his mind disappeared and turned into fine powder.

His mind reappeared in the sky above the fortress, forming a god's view that could overlook the entire oasis.

Data chain spread.

On the north side of the council hall, inside the wall on the north side, there was the water source of Oasis Lookout. The spring was more than 20 meters long and more than 4 meters wide, it was filled with scattered data streams now.

The rules of the system began to merge with the rules of this world.

In just a few short seconds.

The turbulent spring water began to gush out instantly, shooting out more than 30 centimeters on the surface of the water. It was like a short and thick fountain, more like an spring city ancient country, the most famous Baotu Spring.

However, this protruding spring was even thicker and had more water.

Soon, the spring water within the entire city wall began to overflow. Even the three drainage holes on the city wall could not discharged the sudden surge of spring water to the lake outside the city wall in time.

The spring water had seeped into the sandy land outside, it instantly sank down.

Even from the sky, it could be seen clearly.

Kant was slightly stunned.

The data stream in his eyes began to spread in an instant.

The entire land seemed to have changed a little as the spring water seeped in.

The data stream flowed within it.

Vaguely.

Kant even saw that the spring water that was filled with the data stream not only gushed upwards, but also filled the sandy land near the Oasis Lookout with water. Even the ancient water channels under the sand layer began to spread the spring water filled with the data stream. In a very short period of time, it invaded the dried water network and continued to spread deeper into the desert.

"Is that... an ancient river channel?"

Kant swallowed his saliva and looked into the distance.

The spring water that was filled with data stream was spreading extremely quickly.

And in the distance, that seemed to be an area of tribal ruins, as well as the location of natural salt mines.

Spring water also appeared there.

However, it was not a narrow underground water system. From Kant's God's view and the faint sensing of the data flow, the surging spring water directly rushed up the sand layer. Following the dried-up ancient river that had once existed, it continued to spread into the depths of the desert. As if it was going all the way to the deepest part of the desert, the Devil's land that the Jackalan talked about!

"It can't be that it's going to support the enemy, right?"

Kant subconsciously swallowed his saliva. He was a little worried about the spring water that appeared in the ancient river.

If there really was a water source, that wouldn't be a good thing.

Once the water source was controlled by the expedition army of the high-level Jackalan that was about to arrive, they were able to obtain fresh water supplies. Kant's idea of filled up the water well, leaving only the lake outside the city wall to disrupt the enemy's morale would be a complete failure.

As for his strategic plan, he would also declare it a failure.

It was as it had sensed Kant's worry, the spring water that had spread to the far distance began to recede.

No, it should be the data flow inside had started to recede, causing the surging spring water to completely stop. It disappeared into the yellow sands of the ancient riverway. Not long after, the water that left on the sand was evaporated by the scorching sun, and the traces of the surging water were gone.

Kant calmed down.

As long as the spring water he created didn't had the effect of supporting the enemy, it would be fine.

"Build the Vaegirs shooting range!"

Kant recommunicated with the system and planned to continue building.

The wooden targets in his mind, and the building cards that looked like a training ground, were directly shattered.

But they began to appear in the real world.

On the south-east side of the "Drondheim" fortress, there was still an empty sand land, but now a large amount of data began to spread from the bottom up. Out of nowhere, a row of small wooden houses with the typical rugged style of the Kingdom of Vaegirs appeared. At the end of about 30 meters of land, there were shooting targets made of wood, straw, and boards appeared. There were also a few arrows stuck in them.

The construction of the Virginia shooting range was completed.

"Very good."

Kant nodded in satisfaction.

Unfortunately, he couldn't recruited the archers he was short of denar. Otherwise, he wouldn't had let go of these level-4 long-range archers right before the great war.

Kant shook his head, he continued to communicate with the system, "Build a camel farm."

The construction card then shattered.

But this time, it appeared in the livestock area on the west side.

On the south side of the lake which near to the west side of the city wall, a row of straw shacks made of straw, wood, and linen appeared on the side of the city wall. There were also sinks and food troughs made from date palm tree trunks.

The camel farm was completed.

However, there were no camels in it yet. Kant also did not had the money to buy one for 1,000 denars each.

His savings balance was now in double digits.

If he wanted to have some denars, he needed to wait for the next week, the first week of the new month. Joslin would brought his trade caravan from the faraway Kingdom of Vaegirs to come here.

"Show the troops. Let's finish this."

Kant's expression was not discouraged.

Denar could be earned at any time. Moreover, in this lottery, he obtained 50 Vaegirs archers and 50 desert bandits as a reward. It was a ready-made reinforcement!

His mind retreated from the god's view.

Looking at the slightly dim interior of the council hall again, Kant's lips curled into a smile.

"Everything is ready."

The current him only needed the east wind from the Mannheim Coast to make him take off again!

The Kingdom of Grey Mane used all of their strength to gather a expedition army was a mistake of their strategic plan.

Kant would told them.

How badly they would lose from this strategic plan!

Chapter 146: The Real Expedition Army

Time passed day by day.

However, the defenses of the Oasis Lookout did not relax in the slightest.

40 Sarrandian horsemen, 40 elite desert bandits, and 50 desert bandits were like the stars scattered in the sky. In a scattered formation, they began to patrol the north side of the Nahrin Desert.

A large number of light cavalry soldiers spread out and scouted carefully.

However, after scouting in cone-shaped formation, the 10 desert cavalries didn't return like the other light cavalries. Instead, they continued to ride forward. They continued to follow the ridge line at the top of the dune and rode towards the depths of the desert.

On their horseback, they prepared enough food and water to last for a week.

They were heading to the natural salt mine.

According to the high-level Jackalan captives, their route was from the depths of the Nahrin Desert, through the white-colored alkali soil, and finally to the salt mines on the south. They indeed arrived at the southern part of the Nahrin Desert.

According to the plan, the area where the salt mine would be set up to support the team.

These 300 Jackalan pirates also used their force to brazenly seize control of the low-level Jackalan tribe.

Then, they led their troops to continue occupying the Oasis Lookout.

In the shortest amount of time, they would establish the outpost base of expedition army and then attack the Stone Pass at the gap of the Senwaya Range's canyon. They would successfully entered the territory of the human kingdom and plundered it wantonly, creating a colony dominated by Jackalan.

It sounded like a perfect plan.

However, the success of this plan was not up to the expedition army of the Kingdom of Grey Mane.

Kant regarded the Nahrin Desert as his own estate, he would not cooperate with them obediently.

It was not for the human kingdoms.

It was also not for the Dukedom of Leo, the Grand Duke of Leo, Lord Cameron either.

It was only for himself.

Kant would not allow the strategic ideas of the Jackalans to become a reality.

Thus, he sent these 10 desert bandits to the natural salt mines to scout and detect the arrival of the expedition army of the Kingdom of Grey Mane. With the aid of the high mobility of light cavalry, they were able to send the information back to the Oasis Lookout in the shortest time possible, to ensure that Kant and Firentis could make preparations as soon as possible. It could not be like last time, where it became a ridiculous blunder.

Even now.

Kant thought of the five acres of date palm jungle that had been completely cut down, and he felt quite distressed.

But it was too late.

According to the time calculation, in less than ten days, the expedition army of the Kingdom of Grey Mane would arrive at the Nahrin Desert.

At that time, these date palm jungle needed to be cut down.

"It is indeed a pity."

Kant stood at the top of the council hall and looked at the barren sandy land to the north. The wooden stakes were neatly arranged there, and the once lush forest could still be seen in his mind.

Now, only the wooden stakes and the canal that flowed with the lake could vaguely recall the once lush past.

However, the inside of the "Drondheim" fortress was heavily armed.

100 Vaegirs archers were already stationed in the four city walls and arrow towers. Together with 50 Swadian archers at the window of the city walls' attic and 20 Ravenstern rangers at the top of the council hall, they formed the current long-range defensive firepower.

They were the first to launch the arrow rain attack to the enemy.

The 50 Swadian footmen in double-layered heavy armor held a thick fan-shaped shield in their hands. They stood in the darkness of the eaves with cold expressions on their faces. Their eyes under the flat helmets filled with coldness.

Around them were the 500 Swadian militiamen who were waiting for orders at all times.

They held hunting crossbows that weren't very powerful, but they could still look at their enemies indifferently and cause damages.

Their mission was very important.

This was because not far away from the city wall, there were countless captive camps that built from tents. There were close to 2,000 Jackalans living in there.

Although they were all so hungry that they felt dizzy and it was difficult for them to stand up and walk.

But with so many of them, if they really started a riot, it would definitely become a threat.

Even the heavy cavalries not far away were secretly on guard.

Ten Swadian knights who were wearing double layers of heavy chain armor and leading top-class warhorses that were also equipped with heavy full chain armor. They were all Swadian knights who were two meters tall, abnormally tall. They were carrying a knight sword and a knight kite shield on their backs, they were slowly walking on the training ground with heavy lance in their hands.

Behind them were five Mamlukes from the Kingdom of Sarrand.

There were also 87 Swadian heavy cavalries, who were equipped with similar heavy armor including their warhorses.

These were the heavy cavalry units that Kant was currently focusing on.

There were also the light cavalry that had already spread out to patrol.

For example, 40 heavy cavalries should be defined as heavy cavalry soldiers, but they had the advantage over the Sarrandian horseman, who had greater mobility.

There were also 40 elite desert bandits and 50 desert bandits.

"This is my confidence."

Kant had a smile on his face as he stood at the top of the council hall. He could not help but let out a soft breath.

Power comes from the barrel of a gun.

In this world where the strong preyed on the weak, justice was nothing but the advantage for those who were stronger.

Everything was arranged properly.

At the top of the dune where the natural salt mines were located, ten desert bandits had already set up their tents and were constantly on alert. They were constantly looking into the distance, looking for any enemy troops that might appear.

It was all thanks to the Jackalan's siege last time.

Most of the low-level Jackalans here had already been captured.

Even if there were a few low-level Jackalan that escaped, they would still be chased down by these ten light cavalries with their scimitars. Even if there were forty or fifty of them, they would still be slaughtered by these light cavalries.

The low-level Jackalans were scared to death by the human cavalry, they did not dared to face them.

In this dangerous silence, the week was about to end.

The night covered the sky.

Under the bright stars and the pure white moonlight, midnight passed by.

This was already a new week, a new month.

At the top of the dune of the natural salt mine, the two desert bandits who were in charge of night duty had just finished feeding their and comrades' desert horses with food and water. They twisted their stiff waists and chatted casually while looking at the desert to the north.

With a casual glance, they seemed to have noticed a faint shadow on the horizon.

They rubbed their eyes.

The two of them perked up and looked again.

Their originally relaxed expressions instantly stiffened. They turned their heads and entered their own tent with cautiousness. One kick after another, they kicked up their comrades who had just fallen asleep and had yet to fall asleep. "The enemy is here!"

The other eight desert bandits were suddenly startled awake.

All of them crawled up from the sand pits and stood outside their tents, staring into the distance to the north.

In the depths of the night.

A long black snake was stretching out in a crooked manner. Although the night sky and moon were not clear, how could these bandits who had lived in the desert for more than twenty years not be able to tell that this was the snake formation that was commonly used by the troops!

Thinking of the order that Lord Kant had given them before they arrived,
the 10 desert bandits immediately tidied up their tents, got on their horses, and dashed towards the south in a flash.

They wanted to quickly report this important information.

The expedition army of the Kingdom of Grey Mane had arrived!

Chapter 147: The Lucrative Slave Trade

At the natural salt mine, the light cavalries were rushing back at top speed.

In the white and alkali soil behind them, a long line of footmen was forming a slightly curved formation as they walked towards the dune in the south. Their speed was neither fast nor slow, as if they were calm and steady.

This was a marching pattern that only elite troops had.

While ensuring the marching speed, they also able to ensure that they had sufficient stamina. This was something that normal troops not able to do.

This required a high degree of discipline.

The 10 desert bandits sped up their horses and their return journey.

This was because they all knew that this was the expedition army of the Kingdom of Grey Mane from the Mannheim Coast in the northern part of the Nahrin Desert. They wanted to occupy their homeland and enslave them to become colonial army!

This important information needed to be quickly returned to the Oasis Lookout and reported to Lord Kant!

They had to rush back at night.

It would take at least an entire day to rush back.

The Oasis Lookout was still heavily guarded. At night, there were Swadian militia with heavy spear in hand and a large wooden shield on their left arm. They were in neat rows patrolling the inner side of the city wall. They were in teams of ten and were extremely cautious.

Especially the prisoner of war camp, which was strictly guarded.

For the sake of these 2,000 Jackalan captives, every militiamen were filled with nightshift and reduced their rest time.

Time slowly passed.

The late night was gradually replaced by dawn.

"Woah Woah Woah --"

The male grouse began to crow like a chicken. It stood at the top of his chicken coop and flapped it wings, proudly declaring its ownership of the chicken coop and the female grouse.

The first light appeared in the sky. It was already dawn on the second day.

A new month.

It was also a new week.

"Dong Dong Dong."

The wooden door of the room was knocked lightly.

Kant, who had not fallen asleep, woke up very quickly. He opened his eyes and asked, "What's the matter?"

Outside the door, a Swadian footman was standing there respectfully. He reported respectfully, "My Lord, Mr. Joslin of Reyvadin and his trade caravan have arrived."

"Yes, I understand."

Kant nodded, sat by the bed and quickly put on his clothes. At the same time, he instructed, "Let Manid be in charge of welcoming them."

The footman outside the door replied, "Mr. Manid is already receiving them."

"Well done.", Kant praised.

After the footman finished reporting, he left on his own and stood by the stairs as a guard again.

Kant put on his clothes, washed up, and walked down the stairs.

On the first floor of the council hall.

Manid was chatting with the leader of the trade caravan, Joslin, with a smile on his face. Occasionally, he even let out a few laughs. Although it was still dawn, the atmosphere between the two parties was very harmonious.

Kant walked down the stairs, and the two of them stood up to greet him.

"Good morning, Lord Kant."

"Good morning.", Kant nodded.

He said on the chair and to Joslin with a smile on his face, "You came at the right time this month."

"It can't be helped. The Kingdom of Vaegirs is too short of slaves."

Joslin shrugged with a helpless smile on his face. "Lord Kant, the last time we brought back more than 500 Jackalan slaves, in less than a day, they were all snatched by the mine owners of the snowfield iron mine."

"Well, this means that they are very popular, right?", Kant chuckled.

"Of course.", Joslin nodded.

At the same time, he stood up, took out a letter from his pocket, and respectfully placed it on the table. "Lord Kant, this is a letter personally written by King Yarogelk to express our most sincere gratitude to you."

The peasant woman who was waiting on the side walked over, poured a cup of date palm water for the three of them, and handed the letter to Kant.

"Let me take a look."

Kant tore open the envelope and looked at the beautifully drawn envelope.

It was written in the language of the Vaegirs.

However, he still understood it.

On the letter, King Yarogelk expressed his gratitude. He said some words of friendship with a hint of flattery. At the same time, he also pointed out at the end that if Lord Kant was free, he very much hoped that Kant would be a guest at Reyvadin. He would use the most ceremonious national etiquette and led all the noble families to welcome Kant's arrival.

After putting down the envelope, Kant said to the leader of the trade caravan, Joslin, "Help me thank King Yarogelk for his kindness."

"It's my honor.", Jocelyn nodded.

"And."

Kant's expression became slightly solemn. He turned his head and said to Manid, "You will be in charge of counting the captives. All of them will be handed over to Joslin before morning. It's best to settle all of them before morning."

"They are already being counted.", Manid replied.

"Very good.", Kant praised.

Manid was meticulous in his work. It was not without reason that he could become a business genius at such a young age.

He then continued to report to Kant, "When Mr. Joslin's trade caravan arrived at the fortress, he had already arranged his nephew and the footmen I sent to count the Jackalans at the captive camp. If there are no accidents, the count will be completed soon according to the time."

Kant raised his eyebrows with a smile on his face. "As expected of my trusted Manid."

"You overpraised me.", Manid lowered his head humbly.

The three of them chatted happily.

After a short while, the wooden door was pushed open and the Swadian footman walked in.

The footman who acted as the guard at the door reported in a deep voice, "Lord Kant, the nephew of the merchant, Joslin wants to see you."

"Let him in,", Kant replied.

"Yes.", the footman nodded and turned to leave.

A young man walked in quickly. It was the nephew of Joslin. the leader of the trade caravan.

His face was filled with joy as he bowed respectfully to Kant in the council hall. "Seeing you in the morning is like seeing a warm sun. Good morning, my Lord."

"Okay.", Kant nodded.

However, he looked at Joslin and smiled. "He wouldn't talk like that in the past."

Jocelyn smiled awkwardly. "I found a teacher in Reyvadin who teaches noble etiquette. After all, he's going to lead his own team in business. These basic etiquettes are necessary."

"That's true.", Manid nodded with a smile.

Kant smiled and asked, "Is the result out?"

"It's done."

The young man nodded and bowed respectfully. Then, he reported, "There are 2,096 captives this time. As the payment of 30 denars per captive, we will pay 62,880 denars."

"More than 60,000.", Kant raised his eyebrows.

This was a huge amount of money!

In the game, this amount of money was not a small number. Even a noble would be moved by it.

After all, the value of this money was enough to sustain a large number of elite troops for several months!

"Yes, a total of 62,880 denars."

The young man repeated.

However, there was some hesitation on his face. He looked up at his uncle and said slowly, "But there are 293 jackalan captives here. I can't distinguish their value, so I haven't counted them."

Chapter 148: The Return of the Scout Cavalries

Hearing his nephew's words, the leader of the trade caravan, Joslin, was stunned. "Jackalans that can't be distinguished by their value?"

In his impression, he didn't know about the existence of the high-level Jackalan.

"It's the high-level Jackalan, right?"

Beside him, Manid explained, "It's like this. We recently captured a new batch of Jackalan. They have their intelligence and their own civilization, and they understand the human language. Other than their appearance being similar to the Jackalan, they are actually no different from us humans. They even have their own kingdom, so they call themselves the high-level Jackalan."

"High-level Jackalan.", Joslin, the leader of the trade caravan, lowered his head slightly.

"That's right.", Kant nodded as well.

"Is that so?", after pondering for a while, Jocelyn asked, "Lord Kant, what's the difference between the strength, stamina, and endurance of these high-level Jackalan and those beggars like Jackalan?"

"There's no difference."

Kant replied. After thinking for a moment, he shrugged his shoulders and said, "Perhaps it's better because they have sufficient nutrition."

"I see.", Joslin nodded. After pondering for a moment, he raised his head, with a smile on his face, he said, "If that's the case, then these slaves will definitely be more popular. I'll buy them at 50 denar per captive. If Lord Kant can provide such high-quality slaves for a long time, then I'm also willing to maintain the slave trade for a long time."

This was an affirmative answer.

Kant smiled and nodded. "No problem at all. I've never lacked captives."

Not only did they not lack captives, the captives also appeared in large numbers.

Most of the low-level Jackalan in the Nahrin Desert had been captured. The rest could only go to the Senwaya Range, which had a complicated environment. The difficulty, cost, and time had increased by a lot to search for them over there.

However, a new source of slaves had come.

It was the expedition army of the Kingdom of Grey Mane from the Mannheim Coast, which had passed through the Nahrin Desert.

They were also strong Jackalan who were good at endurance.

These intelligent high-level Jackalan were definitely more popular among the mine owners than those beast-like low-level Jackalan!

"Let's make the deal first."

Kant smiled and said to Joslin, "It's a pleasure to work with you."

"It's been a pleasure.", Joslin stood up and bowed with his hands on his chest. He sincerely agreed.

For him, Kant did not put on too much noble airs and was very easy to get along with. Moreover, Kant did not have any improper thoughts towards his trade caravan. He was completely a benevolent lord, and earned admiration and respect in people's hearts.

62,880 denars from the low-level Jackalans obtained.

14,650 denars from the high-level Jackalans also obtained.

A total of 77,530 denars.

Just short of 3,000, the denars would be close to 80,000. Just short of 30,000, the denars would be able to reach 100,000 goal!

At this moment, Kant finally understood why there were countless black slave trading ships Earth's Atlantic Ocean, crazily transporting black slaves. This black slave trading line that made up of the blood and tears of the slaves and corpses was maintained for nearly 200 years.

Because the slave trade was really too profiteering!

And the profiteering of the high-level Jackalan shocked Kant even more.

2,000 + of low-level Jackalans were only sold for more than 60,000 denars.

Less than 300 of high-level Jackalans directly bought close to 15,000 denars.

The profits of both sides were not on the same line.

But for Kant, whether it was high-level or low-level, they were all his Jackalan captives, bringing him sufficient denars and solving his current predicament of running out of oil and urgently needing denar.

The grayish sky gradually brightened.

The sun appeared in the Nahrin Desert.

The cold air quickly rose again, and the entire Nahrin Desert became warm.

The captives were filled into the three carriage in turn.

They stuffed all 2300 Jackalans into the carriage just like they were some divine artifacts, as if it was a world of its own.

Joslin's nephew didn't wait long. After breakfast, he left the Oasis Lookout and led the Jackalan slaves toward Reyvadin, selling them to the snowfield iron mine owners who were in desperate need of slaves.

Although the majority of the profits would go to the noble families of Reyvadin, they could still make a small profit.

Oasis Lookout returned to its peaceful and cautious state.

Manid continued to purchase a large amount of grain from the trade caravan. Most of it was stored grains and dried meat.

This was an early plan.

They didn't know how long the war would last. Perhaps they would have to go through the encirclement of the enemy. Therefore, they had to ensure that they had sufficient food and water.

Oasis Lookout naturally did not lack water.

Large amounts of spring water came out from the spring water behind the council hall every day.

The most important thing was food.

As the number of people increased, the quality of the troop class increased, and the demand for food became greater and greater.

Just like the Swadian militia.

They were once peasants, they ate two pieces of bread, one piece of dried meat, and one bowl of thick soup every day.

Now, they ate eating four pieces of bread, two pieces of dried meat, half a piece of dried sausage, and two bowls of thick soup. They also ate some fresh roasted antelope meat to replenish the energy they used during their daily training and patrol.

Everything was to prepare for the war.

Time continued to pass.

Kant stood at the top of the city wall and looked in the direction of the Senwaya Range.

There was some doubt on his face.

Because the sand gazelles were supposed to arrive at the end of the month, but it had become quite rare. As if the sand gazelles knew that a war was going to break out here, there were only four or five small migration groups at the end of the month and the beginning of the month.

The total number was less than two thousand, which was much lesser than the tens of thousands of sand gazelle.

"But that's good."

Kant turned his head and looked towards the north of the desert.

The doubt on his face faded away, and his face became serious.

There were not many sand gazelles, it was not a big deal to him. After all, the skin and meat of the sand gazelle were not needed by the Oasis Lookout, which meant that it could be dispensed with.

If a large number of sand gazelles entered the depths of the desert like the migration before, he would be very anxious.

The expedition army of the Kingdom of Grey Mane was about to arrive.

If these sand gazelle became supplies for the Jackalan, these ready-made antelope blood and meat would become food that guaranteed their vitality after the cruel journey in the Nahrin Desert. That would be ridiculous.

However, Kant's eyes suddenly looked to the north.

He narrowed his eyes slightly.

He seemed to have discovered several small black dots that were speeding towards him at the top of the dune.

"It's the desert bandits that we sent out!"

The Ravenstern Ranger behind him had a better eyesight.

Looking at the ten small black dots in the north, they raised their heavy bows and reported to Kant, "My lord, these desert bandits who are in charge of scouting have returned!"

"Yes.", Kant narrowed his eyes.

These were the ten desert bandits that he personally ordered to be sent out.

Of course, he understood what the return of the 10 light cavalries who had been scouting at the natural salt mine meant.

Slightly clenching his fist, Kant ordered in a deep voice, "Send the 10 desert bandits to the council hall. At the same time, go and look for Firentis and Manid. Tell them that I will summon them at the council hall."

"Understood.", the Swadian footman that followed him immediately responded and turned around to pass on the message.

This was an emergency!

Chapter 149: Tupak 100-man team

Tupak was exhausted.

As it walked forward, one step at a time, it felt its legs were about to collapse.

The mail armor in its backpack and the two-handed battle axe on its shoulders were all reasons for its exhaustion. However, the most important reason was its throat was so thirsty that it was about to spit fire, which indicated that it needed to drink water.

Ever since it came to the south of the Nahrin Desert, he only drunk three mouthfuls of water, two of which were stinky urine.

When it passed through the Devil's land, its supplies were almost depleted.

All the water sack in its backpack had dried up. Even if the water sack was swollen, it was filled with stinky urine. However, the only water sack that was filled with fresh water was not allowed to be drunk at all.

This was the water sack that was only allowed to be drunk during the attack.

They lacked water.

Therefore, they could only use their lives to seize the water source from the enemy's hands.

Their mouths made the action of swallowing.

However, their throats were burning and painfully dried.

As they could not take in enough water, Tupak's mouth could no longer secrete saliva. Even the sweat on its body became very little. In the past two days, it even found that it could no longer urinate.

This was a dangerous signal.

If it didn't have enough water to nourish its body, it would die of thirst.

As a member of the Fang family, Tupak had seen similar records in the family library, and the low-level Jackalans who had passed through the Nahrin Desert and the Devil's land had also heard of the tragic consequences of lack of water.

They had fallen in the desert and been burned into dry corpses by the scorching sun.

If they were lucky, they would be buried in the desert.

If they were unlucky, they would become the food of the other Jackalan.

"No.", Tupak spat out this word softly and continued to struggle as he walked forward with his comrades in front of him. However, in its heart, it was unwilling to die in such a humiliating manner. He had been deeply educated to be brave, it would rather face thousands of enemies and die gloriously on the battlefield instead of dying like the low-level Jackalan who were eventually dried up and eaten as food.

This was also one of the reasons why he held on and continued moving forward.

At the same time, there was also the most important reason.

As long as they reached the Oasis Lookout, they would be able to drink enough spring water!

Sweet and clear spring water.

Tupak believed that his comrades that were marching in a long snake-like formation, were holding on because of this reason. Otherwise, when they saw that there was no support team at the natural salt mine, the ruined low-level Jackalan tribe, and the only water hole that was about to dry up, all of them would fall into mental breakdown.

However, everyone's hearts were still filled with hatred.

Under the commander's instructions, they all knew that all of this was done by those humans.

Destroying the support team and the low-level Jackalan tribe had left them in a desperate situation. If they did not use their two-handed battle axes to chop off the heads of those humans, their anger would not be appeased.

While his thoughts were running wild, Tupak suddenly noticed that the formation in front of him had stopped.

Everyone had stopped moving forward.

After climbing to the top of the dune, he stared blankly at the open space in front of him. A rectangular fortress was situated in the middle of the oasis. There were four arrow towers and a square tower in the middle. The entire structure was made of stone and wood.

"Roar --"

A howl was heard in front of him, causing Tupak to shiver involuntarily.

This was the howl of the chiliarch, the commander of thousand men. The entire expedition army of Jackalan soldiers were instantly startled awake. They held back their thirst and quickly moved forward. They formed four square formations of 500 people and quickly took off their linen robe, they took out their mail armor from the backpack on their backs and quickly put it on. Holding their battle axes, they became the once invincible Jackalan soldiers who fought war on the Mannheim Coast.

Tupak had also put on his mail armor and a layer of linen robe.

He held his two-handed battle axe with one hand while howling in the Jackalan language. He ordered the 99 Jackalan warriors under his command to quickly line up behind him and wait for the next order.

Tupak was a centurion, the hundred-men commander of the Jackalan army.

He was a subordinate under the personal command of the chiliarch, who led the troops and charge at the front of the 100-man team.

Only the most elite Jackalan warriors could be recruited in this 100-man team.

Not only was Tupak powerful, but he was also a member of one of the three great families of the Kingdom of Grey Mane, the Fang family. He definitely qualified as a centurion of this hundred-men team.

"Dong Dong Dong Dong Dong Dong Dong Dong Dong Dong Dong Dong Dong Dong

The urgent bell chimes echoed.

Tupak raised its head to look at the fortress in the distance. Its eyes swept across the city walls and arrow towers. It vaguely saw some human footmen stood on top of it, they were holding crossbows or bows, making threatening gestures towards them.

"This is a massacre!"

Tupak let out an angry howl and raised his two-handed battle axe.

The hundred-men team behind him also started to howl.

Even the entire Jackalan team was howling in anger.

This was the anger towards the weaklings who provoked them.

Past experience had already proved that as long as they climbed up the city wall and fought in close combat, these humans were not their opponents.

Even the underage Jackalans were able to defeat the adult human sailors, not to mention these elite warriors who had been through many battles. They could easily kill several humans without getting injured at all!

"Howl --"

The chiliarch's howl was heard once again. It was an order that only the Jackalan troops understood.

The entire troop moved towards the eastern wall.

Tupak charged at the front, and very quickly it saw the southern side of the eastern wall. The city gate made of wood and iron sheet appeared before its eyes. There were also a large number of human soldiers defending on it, but no matter how it looked at it, it looked like these humans were just struggled, it was like they wanted to submit to the siege attack that were about to begin.

"Drink water!"

Tupak roared loudly.

It took out the remaining water sack from its backpack, which contained clean fresh water from the Kingdom of Grey Mane.

The elite hundred-men team behind it, as well as the other hundred-men Jackalan team, did the same. They took out the water sack, opened the cover, and gulped it down their throats. As their stomachs were filled with fresh water, all the strength in their bodies seemed to surge up, the bloodshot thirst for slaughter also slowly appeared in their eyes.

"Howl --"

The orderly howls of wolves simultaneously let out from the throats of all the Jackalans.

There was no way out.

They not able to return alive, and their voices were filled with sorrow and determination.

This was a howl that would only be let out during a battle to the death, and it belonged to their race's ancestor.

The blood in the Jackalan's body began to boil. They were extremely sensitive to the smell of blood and couldn't wait to enjoy the upcoming bitter battle.

"Charge!"

Tupak raised its two-handed battle axe and placed it on its shoulder. It led its hundred-men team forward in an instant.

Their speed became faster and faster, almost as fast as running.

However, this hundred-men team's formation wasn't scattered. Three rows of Jackalan formed a rectangular formation. They carried their two-handed battle axes and followed Tupak, the centurion. Their running speed became faster and faster, and they were getting closer and closer to the city gate.

The bloodlust in their eyes also became stronger and stronger.

They all knew that there was a lake under the west side of the city wall, but no one said anything.

No matter how thirsty they were, they still pretended that they did not know that there was a water source there, that they could drink, that they could live, and it was able to alleviate their extreme thirst.

Because they all knew, when they attacked the city, such a lake was equivalent to a moat. They had already abandoned all their siege weapons after crossing the desert, it was impossible for them to attack the humans on the city wall after crossing the moat.

That was the stupidest choice.

They only had a chance to survive by using their two-handed battle axes to smash that city gate!

"Roar --"

Tupak roared, its mouth full of terrifying sharp teeth.

The 100-men team behind him followed closely behind. They gripped the two-handed axes tightly. As long as they reached the city gate, their battle axes made of refined iron would be able to smash the city gate into pieces with their own powerful swing.

They were getting closer and closer to the city gate.

Five hundred meters.

Three hundred meters.

One hundred meters.

Eighty meters.

Fifty meters.

But at this moment, a dense buzzing sound suddenly appeared in Tupak's ears.

It raised its head and looked.

In its eyes, a rain of arrows instantly appeared from the top of the city wall and covered the sky and earth like a storm. The dense arrows and crossbow arrows surrounded them all almost at an instant.

"Why are there more arrows than the lizardmen's crossbow bolts..."

Tupak suddenly had some doubts in its mind. It had seen the rain of arrows before, but it was definitely not like this.

The lizardmen liked to use crossbows in conjunction with their lance arrays.

It was definitely not like this, where the arrows fell from the sky like a torrential rain.

However, Tupak was unable to continue thinking because a brown cone-shaped arrow had already shot into its eye socket and pierced straight through its neck, destroying its head and spine.

Now, it had fallen to the ground, just like the ancestors of the Fang family, dying gloriously on the battlefield.

In the surroundings.

The originally glorious elite hundred-man team, had all fallen.

All of them fell to the ground miserably under the wave of arrow rain.

Their bodies were covered in white arrow feathers.

And there were countless of arrows and crossbow arrows on the surrounding sandy ground, just like flowers that were sending the elite hundred-men team to their deaths, appearing in the Oasis Lookout of Nahrin Desert.

The strange and bewitching aura of death bloomed with the corpses of once living creatures.

"Roar..."

The Jackalan troops at the back were completely silent. They just watched the strongest elite hundred-men team, not even getting close to the city gate.

The sudden death surprised all the Jackalans.

It happened at the same time.

Some of the more experienced Jackalans thought of the elven rain of arrows.

Although they had never seen it before, they had heard of it.

It was so intense.

It was so unreasonable.

Using the most violent and fiercest arrow rain attacks to kill any enemy who dared to appear in front of them.

"Roar --"

The chiliarch roared in rage as it launched a general attack. This decisive command made all the hundred-men teams instantly understood what their commander was thinking. Even if the entire army was killed, they would still climb up the wall of the human city with their corpses. They would slaughter all of the humans inside and used the blood of those weak humans who only knew how to defend the city wall to pay tribute to their fallen comrades!

This was a siege attack that they could no longer turned back and they could only grit their teeth and fight!

Chapter 150: The Long Prepared Fortress

When the Jackalan troops appeared within the range of the arrow tower, the Oasis Lookout was already prepared.

"Drondheim" had been waiting for a long time.

The troops were quickly mobilized. The archers all entered their preset positions, holding their longbows and crossbows, coldly looking at the expedition army of the Kingdom of Grey Mane that appeared at the top of the dune.

100 Vaegirs archers were in charge of the arrow towers and the city gates.

50 Swadian archers were in charge of the shooting window in the attic.

The 500 Swadian militiamen, who were also holding hunting crossbow, all climbed up to the top floor of the attic.

Although the hunting crossbow that equipped by the militia with was less powerful, there were stones prepared beforehand at the top of the attic, which were almost half the size of a human head. If they were lifted up and heavily smashed down the city wall, the Jackalan's skull would not be able to withstand it, it was expected that their skulls would be cracked in an instant. If they were lucky, blood would flow all over their faces. If they were unlucky, they would instantly become a corpse whose head had been smashed.

"Get ready for battle. Get ready for battle."

Firentis walked quickly in the attic with a solemn look on his face.

He stared past the attic, the expedition army of the Kingdom of Grey Mane on the sand dune in the distance, he subconsciously tightened his grip on the hilt of his swords. Firentis warned the crossbowmen who passed by, "Aim before you shoot. Try to cause the greatest damage!"

These words were actually things that they were well aware of.

But Firentis still reminded them before the battle.

As long as he could won this battle, won this crucial city defense battle, Firentis was willing to repeat his words hundreds of time.

He was a noble of Swadia. This was the most difficult battle after he followed Lord Kant.

If he had won the battle.

Firentis and his family would received the glory that would honored them for the rest of their lives.

If he lost the battle.

Even Lord Kant's life would be threatened. Other than dying on the battlefield to prove his family's honor, there was nothing else he could do. This was also the best way for a noble to preserve his honor.

Firentis was still arranging the archers' battle plans.

There was some noise coming from the city wall behind him.

"Keep quiet!"

Firentis reprimanded, only to find Kant's figure appeared on the city wall.

At the same time, the 20 Ravenstern rangers who were originally stationed at the top of the council hall also arrived.

"Lord Kant, it's very dangerous here."

Firentis walked over and bowed, but there was worry in his tone. He advised, "The city wall is the line of defense of the soldiers, not the place where the noble should appear."

Kant smiled indifferently. "Noble?"

"Lord."

Firentis still tried to dissuade him. "Please return to the council hall."

The surrounding archers also looked worried. After all, this was an extremely dangerous front line city wall. If the enemy rushed up, the attic was only three meters wide and would definitely block the way out.

As a lord, he definitely couldn't risk his life.

"It's alright."

Kant looked outside through the attic window. "These Jackalans won't be able to rush up the city wall in a short time."

He noticed that the enemy didn't carry siege weapons.

Kant frowned, he turned to the 20 Ravenstern rangers and ordered, "You guys go to the east gate. I'll leave it to you to guard there. You'll be assigned to the archers and listen to Firentis's orders."

"Understood."

The 20 Ravenstern Rangers replied at the same time, they turned around and walked quickly towards the city gate.

"These archers' support was very timely."

Firentis nodded in thanks, while analyzing, "Those Jackalan expedtion army didn't bring any siege weapons. According to my deduction, their main direction of attack is our city gate."

"That's right.", Kant nodded. This was what he had thought.

Crossing the Nahrin Desert, these expeditionary forces didn't bring much supplies, let alone heavy and complicated siege weapons.

There were only two ways to attack a city.

Using two-handed battle axes to cut down trees, building simple siege weapons like wooden ladders and siege cones, or directly crashing into the city gate, using the strong bodies of these Jackalan and heavy two-handed battle axes to smash the city gate into pieces.

Of course, it was not impossible to stack the corpses up to the height of the city walls.

However, judging from the current thoughts of these high-level Jackalan, their plan was to use the battle axes to smash through the city gates!

"Howl --"

Wolf howls came from outside, urgent and decisive.

Kant and Fateh looked towards the dune. The Jackalans had already formed five square formations and were moving towards the east. It was as expected and clear, their target was the eastern city gates.

At the same time, a hundred-men team of Jackalan broke away from the main group and charged out, carrying their battle axes.

"There's no diplomacy?"

Kant's tone was slightly mocking, but his eyes were cold. "I still want to persuade them to surrender."

Firentis laughed lightly and did not continue the topic.

Pulling out the knight sword in his hand, Firentis turned his head and ordered in a low voice, "All archers and crossbowmen, pay attention. Do not shoot freely. Stay alert and wait for the order to shoot!"

The low voice replied in one sentence, "Understood!"

"My idea is to wait for the enemy to get close before shooting."

Firentis reported to Kant in a low voice, "The sudden burst of arrow rain killed and wounded all the enemy's hundred-men team. This will affect the enemy's morale."

"You are the commander, you make the arrangements."

Kant nodded.

All the archers gathered on the eastern wall.

There were only a few militia on guard on the other walls.

There were not many enemies, and Drondheim fortress did not have many soldiers. Therefore, in a siege, they usually gathered their troops to attack a city gate. Moreover, these Jackalans who lacked resources could not sustain the attack for long.

According to Kant's estimation, it would take at most three days!

"Shoot!"

Firentis's order appeared on the city wall.

The loud voice made all the archers react in an instant. They released the bowstring in their hands and pulled the trigger in their hands. They shot out the long prepared arrows and crossbow arrows!

"Hum Hum --"

The vibration of the bowstring instantly appeared in the attic.

The whistling sound outside was the shrill cry of the arrowhead tearing through the air.

A black shadow whizzed past.

From top to bottom.

Then, it heavily smashed into the hundred-man Jackalan team within a fifty-meter radius of the city wall.

The arrowhead easily pierced through the mail armor and deeply pierced into the muscles. On the sandy ground within the entire area, clusters of flowers bloomed with the tail feathers of the arrowheads. The three rows of Jackalan team who were originally running with large strides while carrying a two-handed battle axe, there were more than ten arrows or crossbows stuck on their bodies.

With a shooting range of 50 meters, even the militia with hunting crossbow rarely missed!

Not to mention the level 4 long-range troop class whose archery skills were even better.

And the strongest were still the 20 Ravenstern rangers. As A Level 5 troop class, they coldly pulled their bows and shot arrows, aiming at the glabella, eye sockets, and chest of the target with the arrowheads that could easily pierce through armor, and stabbed their arrows into the enemies!

Chapter 151: The Beginning of the All-out Attack

''Hum Hum Hum---''

The bowstrings trembled violently and the arrows darted through the air.

Under the city wall, the arrow all over the ground bloomed like white flowers, mixed with the rich smell of blood, more and more demonic.

The strong and burly Jackal warriors were howling and striding forward.

The arrows all over their bodies made them like hedgehogs. Even if they tried their best to move forward, it was only the momentary recovery of consciousness just before death, finally in the continuous rain of arrows no longer hold on, heavy fell to the ground.

''Stop shooting!''

The voice of Firentis rang out the city wall..

In the arrow tower and the city wall, all the long-ranged troop class soldiers stopped pulling.

And that originally dense as a rainstorm of arrows also came to an abrupt end.

Orders were forbidden.

Just outside the city wall, the Centurion of Jackals, which had been lined up in orderly formation, was covered in arrows, and the fresh blood that seeped out had dyed the sand behind them red.

The scene was extremely tragic, but the soldiers on the city wall still looked indifferent.

This was a life-and-death battle.

Pity? It didn't exist.

They all understood that pity for the enemy was cruelty to themselves!

In just a short 50 meters, the 650 archers on the city wall with long-range bows and crossbows had already let the Jackal soldiers know what it meant to arrows shower. Looking at the silent Jackal army on the dune in the distance, these archers quickly checked the crossbows in their hands and made sure their weapons without any damage. They continued to take out their arrows and crossbows in the quivers behind them, prepared to shoot again.

Standing on the city wall, Kant clenched his fists, and his face was also extremely solemn.

He was somewhat mouth-drying.

It was the calm before the storm, and the Jackals from the coast of Mannheim were not deterred by such a dense shower of arrows, nor were they deterred from attacking by the stubborn resistance of the fortress of ''Drondheim''.

Both sides were in the same situation.

Kant and ''Drondheim'' had no way out.

The Jackals from the Kingdom of Greymane also had no way out!

''Howl ---''

The howl, almost mounful, was long, full of anger and despair.

More of the Centurals began to howl.

It was like walking in the night when you were confronted by hungry wolves. The howl was so gnawing at the heart that ordinary people's legs go weak and could barely stand.

This was a sorrowful song in despair.

Kant was breathing a little fast as he looked at the Jackals standing a thousand meters away, their heads raised and howling.

Even his compatriots in the desert of Nahrin , those low-level Jackals, were unable to cry out, because this was the grief of a civilized race, for the despair of the road ahead, and even if they were shattered to pieces, all wanted to be completely desperate determination!

These Jackals were indeed going all out!

They had no choice but to go all out.

In the southern part of the Nahrin desert, the Greymane kingdom had spent a huge amount of resources and resources to prepare the strategic layout, but it had already been completely destroyed by Kant.

For example, Asaiqi of the salt mine.

Wells of the lower Jackal tribe.

The lower Jackals scattered in the southern desert.

There was also a crucial sentry oasis that could be used as an outpost base and could be called an enclave!

Exiled by the dukedom of Leo to the Nahrin Desert, Kant , instead, appeared to released a real lion, occupying the sentry oasis, establishing the ''Drondheim'' fortress, destroying the Jackal tribe, and killing Asaiqi.

Intentionally or unintentionally, he had easily solved the layout of the kingdom of Graymane.

It was less than three months since Kant had arrived at the Nahrin desert.

However, due to the difficulty of information transmission, the information could not be timely received by the Graymane kingdom, so the higher Jackals had no idea at all. The strategic plan they had struggle to make was easily erased by half, and it was vital to the southern part of the desert without the possibility of regrets.

Because of this ignorance, step by step they entered the current desperate situation.

They could not retreat at all.

Without food and water for the return journey, they retreated only to be dried up in the desert.

In fact, they had been planning this strategy from start to finish for nearly a decade, even as soon as the lower Jackals emerged within their sphere of influence and became aware of the human states to the south.

The reason why they could hide in Mannheim coast for so long, and give up most of the stars in the interests of the sea, was to across the desert, and come to this piece of human nations bordering the south desert edge, making the successful development of Greymane kingdom colonies and their retreat, off the coast of mannheim's, as well as vital home front.

The arrow would have to be shoot.

These expeditionary army Jackals had no choice but to attack and risk their lives.

This was the only way to survive!

''Roar ---''

The Centurion let out a furious roar, and the five square formations began to advance in an orderly manner.

The 2,900 Jackals, all of them battle-ready soldiers, now made a general assault, exhausted as they were, but the heavy infantry, once invincible on the coast of Mannheim and capable of crushing everything, still brought with it a soaring momentum.

Stepping step by step in the sand, the dull sound was like the slow gallop of heavy horsemen.

The faint sound of ''Crash'' could be heard endlessly.

It was the clear sound of mail armor colliding with each other when they walked, but it was not sweet. It was more like Death, shaking its little bells like a toy, waiting for the final harvest of life.

The probing attack had ended, and now it was a brazen all-out Attack!

''Everyone!''

From the top of the wall attic, Manide looked at the silver-colored troops slowly pressing over in front of him, with a quite grave face.

He was holding Kant's light crossbow in his hand, commanding the 500 Swadian militia standing at the top of the attic to fight. But now, he could not help stepping back, gritting his teeth, he shouted at the militia beside him: ''Fire, get ready!''

The 500 swadian recruit raised the loaded crossbows in their hands and aimed them at the slowly approaching troops.

That strength of unity brought great oppression to their hearts.

Not to mention these militia.

Even the experienced archers of Vikia and Swadian in the attic of the city wall had a slightly changed face, they immediately gritted their teeth and wore a determined expression of readiness to fight.

''Coming.'' Firentis'breathing was also slightly hurried.

But at this critical moment Kant stood directly in front of him and took over his command of the wall.

At the same turning to him: "Firentis, go and command all of our cavalry troops to gather at the south gate. If you find an opportunity, or when the city wall is in danger, you will lead the Charge!"

Chapter 152: Effective Use of Corpses

Kant's face was solemn.

Looking at the army that was slowly approaching, he said in a low voice: ''Hurry up.''

''But...'' Firentis tried to dissuade Kant.

However, Kant said in a low voice: ''Listen to my orders, Hurry Up!''

''I will obey your orders.''Firentis gritted his teeth.

His face was extremely solemn. Looking at Kant's back, without a moment's hesitation, he turned around and walked down the city wall, running towards the open space where the heavy cavalry was.

This was a critical moment.

It was also not the time to hesitate.

The cavalry in the open space were all on standby.

Firentis mounted his horse, drew his knight's sword, and, watching the silent gaze of the cavalry, shouted to the east gate: "All cavalry, follow me!"

There was the rumble of hooves. The heavy cavalry of the ''Drondheim'' fortress were moving quickly along the streets.

The peasant women with forks and cleavers were guarding the southern gate.

When Firentis rode up, they opened the gates of the city, they understood and immediately opened the gate, and the heavy cavalry and light cavalry filed out, forming up into a thick and square formation in the flat desert outside the city gate.

However, they did not charge. They just stayed put.

Firentis was waiting.

This was his plan with Kant, which, though not yet stated, they both understood.

The idea of defending the wall, of using the advantage of the wall to keep the enemy at bay, was impractical, or impossible. They could only use external support to alleviate the pressure on the city walls, and the cavalry unit led by Firentis was such external support.

Cavalry could not defend on the city wall because they were the strongest with warhorses.

But leaving the walls behind and using high mobility to give the enemy a sudden charge at a critical moment was as effective as coming down the walls on horseback.

It was even better for defending the city wall!

The defense of a city often did not depend entirely on the city wall.

The defensive fortress itself was a strategic defense. If they lost even the outside of the city wall, it was equivalent to lose the tactical initiative, and completely lose the ability of the tactical offensive, slaughtered by others.

This was the reason why Kant let Firentis lead the cavalry and leave.

There was another reason.

The city wall... could not stop the attack of the Jackals!

The stone walls of 5 meters high, 2 meters high reinforcement attic, seemed to be seven meters high, but in actual battles, as long as the Jackals came to the 5 meters high stone walls, they could climb over the windows of the reinforced attic and directly enter the attic of the city wall, using their two-handed battle axes to kill wantonly, did not need to climb up the 7 meters high attic and then jump into the fortress.

The arrows of the archers were not muskets. A single bullet could incapacitate an enemy.

In the era of cold weapons.

As long as the arrows did not hit their vitals, it was perfectly normal to fight like a hedgehog all over your body.

Fortunately, the 500 Swadian militia at the top of the tower had already piled up all the rocks that they had obtained from the city wall. As long as the enemy got close, they would be able to defend for a long time.

As long as they could suppress the attack of the Jackal expeditionary force, with the[ deterring the enemy] and the arrows of the archers, they could kill as many of the enemy as possible, reducing the strength of this siege force and weakening their offensive ability!

Just behind the city gate, behind the 50 Swadian infantry, a golden lion with a red bottom was standing in the middle of the street.

It fluttered even though there was no wind!

''It's all up to you.'' Kant exhaled slowly a muffled breath of tension.

This flag, by far, was his most useful war artifact!

''200 meters!''

The Ravenstern rangers spoke and reported the enemy's distance from the wall.

At the same time, the 20 rangers pulled out the cone arrows from their quivers and two arms forcefully pulled open the white heavy bows in their hands, pointing towards the distance. Without waiting for orders, they directly released their fingers, and the bowstrings emitted a soft sound, the brown awl arrows disappeared in an instant. They could only see that in the distance, 20 undetectable black dots were rapidly across the arc, appearing 200 meters away.

''Whoosh Whoosh Whoosh Whoosh ---''

The arrows tore through the air, and the shaft of the arrows swayed slightly to bring more force.

The Jackal warriors charging at the front seemed to have heard something, and their ears twitched slightly. When they looked up slightly, a black dot instantly appeared in their eyes and then grew larger and larger, almost taking up their entire field of vision.

''Puff ---''

Then, it covered the salt mine. The brown feather at the end of the arrow was still swaying with the vibration of the shaft.

However, it was not the only one that fell. There were eight other Jackal warriors at the front, with arrows in their faces, gave a low, weak howl, and fell to their knees, tottering on their legs, but not quite falling.

The Jackal warriors behind them roared and supported their bodies.

But not fraternity.

On the city wall, in Kant's eyes, the nine jackals, shot in the eye, held high by their companions, like shields, across their faces, to ward off any arrows that might appear.

It was a cruel battlefield. If they wanted to survive, they even had to make use of the corpses of their companions.

No one thought that this was a cruel display.

Now it was the best choice of the Jackals, who had no shield and could only fend off the arrows in this way. Even the Jackals, who had been shot dead and wounded by the rangers of Ravenstern and could not continue to fight, did not mind being raised as physical shields.

In their eyes, they were also the honor of resisting injury for their peers, which was to create a victorious future!

''150 meters!''

There are archers Vikia Shouting.

Now that they were within their shooting range, the longbows in their hands were suddenly pulled open and the arrows in their hands were shot out. There was no need to aim at all, for a vast area was already covered by an army of 2,900 Jackals.

All you have to do is shoot it, and you would hit it 100 percent!

The whistling sound of the arrows did not stop. The buzzing sound of the bowstring vibrating filled the entire attic and arrow tower.

100 meters!

The Swadin crossbowmen began to shoot, pulling the trigger and shot out the iron bolt.

The whistling sound did not stop.

At 50 meters, the Swadian militia also joined in the shooting!

The rain of arrows was even more pouring.

Each wave would take away the lives of more than a dozen jackalan, as well as the light and heavy injuries of dozens of people.

The shrill whistling of arrows tore through the air. Death spread among the Jackals, who, at any moment or place, stumbled and fell under the blows of the arrows, but more often than not, were lifted up by their companions beside them, ready human shields.

The Jackal corpses held high above their heads effectively blocked the dense rain of arrows.

The corpses who were not afraid of the arrows were just like shields with excellent effects.

Finally, at the very front, the Jackals were getting closer and closer to the city wall, eventually came to the city wall, revealing their bloodshot eyes. They roared and threw the corpses filled with arrows above their heads at their feet, and then knelt down directly at the bottom of the city wall which was like a ladder, allowed the Jackals behind them to step on them and climb up!

Just like the human shield from before.

Now, these Jackals at the front were willing to be the human siege ladders!

Chapter 153: Get Caught Up in a Mad Offensive

''Roar ---''

The Jackals were howl of despair, but the original bloodthirsty and murderous nature, aroused at this moment, was far more savage and tyrannical than their indigenous brethren, the lower Jackals.

And the wisdom brought by a civilized race!

The front row of Jackals knelt down and used their backs as stairs, while the back row of Jackals mercilessly stepped on the backs of their companions. Using this human flesh stairs, they frantically climbed towards the attic window at the top of the city wall like ants attached to ants, even on the left and right sides, the archer towers and the archers at the city gates had formed a crossbow rain of arrows, causing casualties to many of the Jackals who wanted to climb up, but, the Jackals who followed behind continued to climb up with bloodshot eyes.

In the current situation, with heavy losses, they also wanted to capture the outpost oasis, even if more than half of the casualties, but also to take this vital fortress!

''Howl ---''

The Centurion was hidden among the numerous Jackal warriors, all of whom had reached the base of the wall, and two of the jackal body steps of human flesh appeared!

All the Jackals were trying their best to climb up.

They had no way out!

As for Kant, he was undeterred by their frantic attacks.

Because he, who was exiled, also had no way out!

''Go and Tell Manide to throw all the stones down. Don't let the Jackals climb up!''

Kant was issuing orders loudly.

The Swadian crossbowman behind him, who was the messenger, put away the crossbow in his hand, turned and quickly climbed the ladder to the top of the wooden attic, where they shouted back to Manid about Kant's orders.

''Got it!''

Manide replied. The noisy battlefield was filled with angry howls and soldiers'abuse.

A cold sweat ran down his face as the battle raged, but the crossbow in his hand refused to stop, and he shouted to the Swadian militiamen: "Change rocks and don't let the Jackals come up, hurry up! The others don't hesitate. Keep shooting!"

Only a few people were needed to throw the rocks.

The other swadian militia still needed to fire fast with their crossbows.

Although the power was relatively small.

But within a distance of less than 10 meters, the power of the hunting crossbow in their hands was also enough to pierce through the mail armor of the Jackals and even hit a vital point, it could directly hit the target!

Looking at the layer of Jackal corpses under the city wall, they had some credit!

''Smash!''

20 Swadian militia carried a stone the size of half a human head.

Arrived at the edge of the city wall, looking at the noisy battlefield below, one by one the teeth of the mouth, eyes with bloodshot heads of ferocious beasts, the heart slightly trembling, but the hands of the stones were held high in the heart, heavy hit down.

In order to protect their homes, this group of peasant militia was willing to die!

Sentry oasis, ''Drondheim'' fortress was their homeland!

''Whoosh ---''

The stone was heavily smashed down.

That speed brought with it the faint sound of wind, crashed into the tide of the Jackals in an instant, smashing into the head of the Jackals who were still kneeling on the ground, building a human ladder, clenching his teeth as he endured the stomps of his companions.

Blood splattered, and brain matter burst out, red and white splattering everywhere.

As for the Jackal whose head had been smashed, was directly lying among the pile of corpses beneath him, staring eyes full of despair and disbelief, but the recessed skull made their staring eyes quickly open.

The stone was thrown down with more force than the cone-headed arrows of the Ranger of Livingston!

''Bang Bang Bang Bang ---''

A dozen stones fell, and even the stair of human flesh that had been piled up so hard that the jackals were scattered, laying a layer of corpses on the ground. Even the other jackals, for a moment, howled with rage, but the Swadian militiamen at the top of the walls' attic could not be shaken.

Instead, the militiamen took advantage of the opportunity to come to the edge and pull the trigger to bombard the Jackals below with a shower of arrows.

Dozens more Jackals fell.

More and more bodies piled up at the bottom, and the Jackals grew more and more frantic as the death toll rose.

Howls of despair and anger filled the air.

But the Jackals had not give up.

A new front row knelt on the pile of bodies again, becoming a human ladder for the back row to climb on their own, not caring at all about the rocks falling from above, and blowing their brains out in a matter of minutes.

They had fallen into a kind of madness that was fearless in a desperate situation.

''Crazy, crazy, crazy!''

Manide was cursing the Jackals at the bottom of the pile of corpses.

He pulled the light crossbow in his hand, and the arrow pierced the chest of a Jackal at the bottom. It pierced through the mail armor and seemed to have hurt his lungs, but the Jackal did not care at all. Instead, he looked up at him with a ferocious smile on his face, unexpectly forcefully pulled out the arrow from his chest. The blood that splashed out had dyed the linen robe on his body red.

This was a demonstration of his fearlessness towards Manide, but also a fearlessness about death.

The price, of course, was that when the arrow was pulled out, the Jackal fell to his knees, limped on his legs, and became a staircase for the Jackals behind him, a new staircase filled with dozens of corpses!

It was because of this that Manide cursed the Jackals for being mad.

Because in this deadly charge, the bodies had piled up a slope, and even though the militiamen had hurled down the stones, and the arrows from the bowmen on either side of the arrow towers and at the gates, the Jackals could barely reach the garret windows by means of the slope of their companions' corpses!

''Wu —— Bang!''

The two-handed battle axe fiercely struck the windowsill, splashing the sawdust on the face of the crossbowmen inside.

The battle situation became more and more dangerous.

''Throw all our grease down!''

Kant's face was calm as he stretched out his hand and shouted a command in reply.

In the corner of the attic, there were four clay pots immediately carried by the Swadian crossbowmen and they fiercely smashed them out of the window, smashing down on a Jackal who had poked his head over.

The pots immediately shattered, and the amber-colored liquid inside instantly filled the entire staircase made of corpses.

''Torch!''

Kant's order continued to ring out.

It was clear and loud in this noisy battlefield.

The torches that had long been prepared were immediately brought over and were still burning as they were thrown out of the window. When they came into contact with the amber-colored liquid, a raging fire immediately rose up, and billowing black smoke with a fishy smell quickly began to spread!

The amber-colored liquid in the earthen jar was the oil purchased from the leader of the trade caravan, Jocelyn.

The oil was brewed from the fattest pigs.

The best inflammable substance!

Chapter 154: A Renewed Offensive

The swadian crossbowman slammed down the earthen clay pot.

It smashed into the skull of the Jackal at the front and shattered into countless pieces.

The amber-colored oil splashed from the broken pot, but more oil splashed onto the corpse stairs made of corpses outside the city walls and howling Jackals clambering upward, trampling over the corpses of others.

The torches were thrown straight out of the window.

In a short moment, the corpse stairs that were covered in oil suddenly burst into flames.

The heat wave was extremely oppressive.

Flame spreading through the bodies on the linen robe and hair was help up the fire, produced crackling sound, and with the cans of oil, the fire more intense, the ladder, composed of external wall body was burning up the big fire, let those Jackals who were still climbing, under miserable cry started to recede.

The fear of fire was imprinted in the depths of the souls of living creatures, and even these Jackals.

The fire spread, and the raging flames created a billowing heat wave.

TheJackals with bloodshot eyes, who were originally surrounded underneath, suddenly regained a little of their sanity. They were cowering and too timid to climb up the flaming corpse ladder and retreated subconsciously.

The siege was defeated, and the Jackal attacks weakened.

One surge of energy led to another bust.

As the madness faded in their eyes, fear appeared in the hearts of the Jackals.

No one wanted to continue dying, let alone climb the still burning corpse ladder.

''Howl ---''

A mournful wolf howl appeared. It was the order of the commander to retreat.

The entire Jackalan army was not able to continue the crazy attack. When the violent attacks after failure, temporarily away was a wise choice. Otherwise, the morale of the army would be severely depressed after a long time, under the threat of death, the initial madness would turn into a hopeless situation, causing the entire army to collapse.

The expeditionary army began to retreat. In less than 30 minutes, they had left more than 600 of their comrades' corpse, and were retreating in tragic strides, their orderly formation beginning to show signs of disintegration.

The Jackal crazy offensive had dissipated.

The archers in the attic of the city wall suddenly felt the pressure they were facing instantly ease, and all heaved a sigh of relief.

However, these archers did not relax. The longbows and crossbows in their hands continued to shoot out arrows. Even the Swadian militia who were holding hunting crossbows at the top of the city walls continued to shoot out arrows, they chased after the retreating troops.

Now was the time to take advantage of the situation to kill the enemy!

The sound of the air being torn apart was still shrill.

The Jackal troops quickly retreated, but they still left behind over 30 corpses before finally leaving 200 meters away, well beyond the effective firing range of the human marksmen on the walls.

Kant looked at the Jackal troops who had returned to the bottom of the dune and started to reorganize their troops, and the solemnity in his eyes eased slightly.

This meant that the other side would not continue the attack for a while

At least, they had to stabilize their morale and encourage these Jackals who had fallen into a desperate situation before they could attack the city again. But even so, the troops who had already been defeated in the siege wanted to continue to enter the city and forget everything else, only knew how to climb up with all their efforts, even if they became corpses, they would still have to be used as stepping stones for their companions. Their crazy status was no longer possible.

There was something in the depths of Kant's eyes as he thought of the madness of giving one's life for the sake of death.

He turned his head slightly, and the red-bottomed golden lion fluttered behind him.

Kant noticed a certain fact.

In that group of Jackals crazy attack, this flag of battlefield artifact, actually failed to cut theirs morale, Whether it was the first round of morale reduction or the increase in the number of deaths to reduce morale, it was very difficult, as these Jackals who went into hysterics, there was a constant of morale, it was impossible to be cut.

Only when their attacks suffered a setback and they retreated backward did they finally succeed in reducing the morale of a portion of the Jackals. However, the reduction was not great at all. It did not even cause the enemy's troops to fall into a state of low morale.

''Falling into a state of madness will automatically stabilize the morale and cannot be cut?''

Kant quickly came to a conclusion and his guess was very accurate.

However, this accurate conclusion was not a good thing. He could not help but sigh.

Turning his head to look at the archers who were moving their arms and massaging their muscles, he felt a little more at ease. After all, he was gratified that his soldiers were fighting back without fear of their madness.

''Pass on the message, watch out. The enemy will not give us too long.''

Kant instructed the messenger and turned to walk towards the stairs.

Instead of leaving the walls, he climbed to the top of the attic and, looking at the rows of Swadian militiamen sitting on the ground to rest, he found Manid, who was still busy, and asked: "How are things with you?"

''Everything is fine.'' Manide bowed, but still said solemnly, ''It's just that there are not enough crossbows.''

''So soon?'' Kant frowned.

Manide sighed: ''Yes, the militiamen had emptied their quivers in the last battle. After all, the militiamen had only 20 arrows in their quivers, which was not enough to sustain a high-intensity siege.''

''I see.'' Kant nodded. Manide was telling the truth.

It was probably not just these Swadian militias.

Even the other crossbow would have had no more than a few in his quiver by now.

In the frenzied siege battle just now, the archers had played an absolute role. The 600 plus Jackals corpses below were almost all caused by these archers. Moreover, the retreating Jackals, most of the people had heavy wounds on their bodies. If not for the dense rain of arrows, such a situation would not have happened.

After pondering for a while, Kant said: ''This problem is very easy to solve.''

''That's Great.'' Manide heaved a sigh of relief.

Kant's solution to the problem was naturally the [ Ammo Replenishment x 3] he had obtained from the lucky draw.

Mental communication worked in the system.

With his affirmation, the golden card in his mind suddenly scattered.

The number of suffixes also changed from three to two.

However, on the city walls, inside and outside the arrow tower, the data streams in the quivers of the Vikian archers, the Ravenstern rangers, the Swadian crossbowmen and militia began to spread. In the blink of an eye, it swelled up again.

The arrows were inserted into the quivers in an orderly manner, and the arrows were neatly arranged inside the quivers.

The archers'ammunition had all recovered.

But Kant frowned slightly.

Although all the arrows were restored to their former number, the strength of the bowmen had been greatly exhausted, especially in those who had to draw the bow. In the heat of battle, the constant drawing of the bow would strain the arm muscles severely.

At this moment, Kant somewhat missed the volley cards that he had used up completely.

After all, 500 Vikia marksmen could kill a lot of Jackals in an instant with three volleys of arrows.

''Howl ---''

At this moment, the mournful howl of Jackals reappeared.

The Swadian militia who had been sitting at the top of the attic, were all back on their feet, their crossbows pointed at the outside world, their faces still cold and determined to defend their homes.

Manide held the light crossbow with a solemn expression: ''This attack might be even crazier.''

The Jackals howled.

These guys, who had been boosted by the morale, had completely turned into desperadoes.

The stairs of the corpses were still burning, but the foundation was still under the city wall, forming a slope. As long as they rushed up against the rain of arrows and continued to make the slope higher, the Jackals behind them could even climb into the city wall through the window.

There would be a fierce battle for the walls.

This was the most direct melee, but for archers who were not good at close combat, it was their weakness.

Fighting against a 2 to 3-meter-strong Jackal was like throwing a stone at a stone

''I already have plans.''

Kant narrowed his eyes, with a hint of viciousness.

But he would not use this arrangement until the end. He turned and headed straight for the garret and told Manid: "If the walls below begin to fall, you and your militia should immediately leave the attic floor by the other stairs and fight the Swadian infantry behind the city gates!"

''Got it!'' Manide nodded.

''Well.'' Kant turned around and walked down the stairs again into the attic of the city wall.

Not far below the dunes.

The Jackals, rearranged in formation, resumed their attack.

Chapter 155: The Power of the Elemental Giants

In a very short period of time, the Jackal expeditionary force was completely reorganized.

Under the order of the commander, they rearranged themselves into five square formations and slowly pressed towards the city wall.

They did not wait.

Because these Jackals understood that the moment they set foot in the southern part of the Nahrin desert and lost their follow-up supplies, time had abandoned them and stood behind the humans.

The advantage of time had shifted.

Now, it was the humans who were in control of time. They had sufficient supplies and city walls.

They could not wait.

The more time dragged on, the greater the chance of death ofthese Jackal warriors who had once been invincible in the Mannheim coast. Now, they could only grit their teeth and attack while they still had some energy left in their bodies, besides fighting with their lives, the more time they waited, the weaker the Jackal warriors would become. In the end, they would become even weaker than human children!

The sun was hanging in the sky, releasing its mighty power, causing the scorching and terrifying temperature to sweep across the desert.

Noon was coming.

This was even more threatening to the Jackal expeditionary army who lacked water.

''Howl ---''

The commander's mournful howl appeared.

The five heavy footman phalanxes began to move forward at a faster pace and even began to run. Their targets were the two corpse stairs that were still burning, as well as the thick and heavy city gates that were wrapped in iron sheets and studded with iron nails!

The remaining Jackals were still in neat formation, their faces grim and desperate.

Kant's heart was beating faster.

But his face remained calm. He slowly raised his right hand and his voice was clear and loud: "Free fire, everyone!"

"Free fire!''

"Free fire!''

"Free fire!''

The squad leaders passed down Kant's orders.

But compared to Kant's calm face, their cold sweat and nervous faces revealed their unease.

Before, they had been able to support themselves, but with a small number of men, they felt great pressure, especially the archers. After the hasty shooting, the biceps in their arms had been severely strained, and now they became extremely sore. If they continued to draw the bow and shoot, they could not sustain themselves for a long time.

The only good news was that they had not suffered any casualties due to the Jackals' lack of siege equipment and ranged units.

''Start shooting!''

The Ravenstern ranger drew the heavy bow in his hand and gritted his teeth as he continued to shoot the cone arrows in his quiver.

These archers from the Misty Mountains were also beginning to feel tired and hands aching, but the bows were still perfectly drawn and the arrows were still deadly. At least six jackals fell in the first round.

Other victims were not killed on the spot, but still suffered mixed injuries.

They stepped into the range of the archers.

These Jackals could only choose to endure silently!

The Vikian archers and the Swadian crossbowmen also began to rain down their arrows.

The sound of arrows tearing through the air was incessant and the arrows and crossbows flying through the air could be seen with the naked eye, constantly hitting the formation of Jackals.

At the last 50 meters, the hunting crossbow of the Swadian militia also began to fire.

More and more Jackals fell under the dense rain of arrows.

Especially in the front row of those Jackals, full of arrows, mail armor on their bodies had been pierced through by the arrowheads, and bright red blood seeped out and dripped to the soles of their feet, leaving bloody footprints one step at a time, however, as long as their bodies were still able to hold on, they would still grit their teeth and let out low howls of encouragement, acting as a shield for their comrades behind them!

''Concentrate and fire!''

Kant's orders were being transmitted, and even if there were Jackal howls coming from outside, the archers could still hear them clearly.

This was the credit of the messengers.

As the orders were given, the archers' firepower instantly turned around.

They were no longer looking for the strength to kill the enemy. Instead, they poured all their arrows onto the two jackalan corpses and piled them up on the slope, forming layers of rain of arrows that turned the Jackals who wanted to step on the stairs into hedgehogs.

''Howl ---''

The Jackalan's attacks became more and more ferocious.

With the shrill howling of the Jackals grew more and more violent.

The Jackals didn't even care if the rain of arrows in front of them became more and more concentrated and the burning flames were so painful that they strode on the corpse steps, howling up, or falling down, to form higher and firmer steps!

"Come on, push, smash!"

Manide's voice was a little hoarse, and sweat kept coming out of his face.

The light crossbow in the hand still pulled the arrow on the string, pulled the trigger to shoot at the bottom at the same time, still turned his head to urge loudly: "speed faster! Is your limp movement a sign that you have not eaten this morning? !"

The Swadian militia didn't answer. They gritted their teeth and picked up the stones, smashing them down.

With a few muffled sounds, two or three Jackals were smashed to the ground by the stones on the burning corpse stairs. Their limbs were twisted strangely. Although they didn't die on the spot, they couldn't stand up at all.

Moreover, the Swadian militia didn't stop, but picked up the stones with clenched teeth and threw them at the bottom.

This was a critical moment.

The Jackalan corpses had formed a 4-meter wide and 6-meter long slope.

The fire caused by the broken oil tanks, the arrows from the archers, and even the rocks thrown down by the militia couldn't stop the Jackals from climbing up the city wall.

The defensive terrain seemed to have lost its effectiveness.

Kant and the others, unable to clean up the body, could not stop the attack of the Jackals.

There were even a few times where if it wasn't for the fact that the Ravenstern rangers had swung his two-handed greatsword and forcefully cut down the Jackalan who were so close to him, the city wall and attic would have been broken in!

''The situation is critical.''

This thought surfaced in Kant's mind and he was already aware that the situation was getting to a disadvantage.

The Jackal reckless attack almost chilled his heart.

Turning his head to look at the archers on the city walls, the high frequency of firing in a short period of time not only exhausted them, their hands ached, but even their spirits were a little depressed. After all, their spirits were kept in a state of high tension!

If the Jackals continued to attack like this, it was only a matter of time before the city wall fell.

''Damn it.''

Kant secretly gritted his teeth and subconsciously touched his chest.

He still had a trump card.

But before he could make a decision, a muffled sound suddenly appeared by his ear and subconsciously looked down. At the nearby gate, the 50 Swadian infantry who had been guarding there were already shouting and pushing forward with their shields. With the howling of the Jackals, the figure of them appeared inside the gate.

Clearly, that muffled sound was caused by the Jackals breaking through the city gate!

''Lord Kant!''

The Swadian crossbowman who acted as a messenger at the stairway quickly reported: "The city gate has fallen and the infantry is organizing a resistance!''

''I see,'' Kant replied, a cold glint appearing in his eyes.

He walked quickly toward the stairs, and there was a loud and confused shout of death below.

A dozen Jackals were charging through the gates with their two-handed battle-axes, slashing deep marks in the thick fan-shaped shields of the Svadian infantry.

''Uh huh...''

The Svadian infantry, however, fell back half a step with a red face, and the left hand, which had been raised with a shield, was also abnormally drooped. Obviously, the damage caused by this heavy blow made it difficult for these 4th level heavy infantry to resist effectively.

The strength of the Jackal warriors was indeed far greater than that of humans.

This was a racial advantage.

But the well-armed Swadian infantry, undeterred, carried on with their shields, piercing their chainmail with their sharp hands and swords, leaving deep holes in their blood.

''No, the Jackals are attacking!''

In the attic of the city wall, there was the roaring of the crossbowmen and the muffled groans of the Ravenstern rangers.

Kant looked round at once.

At the position of the corpse stairs on the city wall, it seemed as if they had felt the breakthrough of the city gate and were inspired. They actually rushed up to more than a dozen jackalan, waving their two-handed battle axes, in the narrow space, they fought with the Ravenstern rangers. However, looking at the exchange of the two-handed battle axes and the greatswords, one could tell that the rangers were constantly retreating. Obviously, still the strong and experienced high-level Jackalan had the upper hand!

''Continue shooting. Swadian crossbowmen, go and support the Ravenstern rangers!''

Kant gritted his teeth, but his orders still remained unruffled.

The Swadian crossbowmen with fan shields quickly went up to relieve the pressure on the Ravenstern rangers. In this short period of time, at least five rangers died in the attic because they couldn't block the Jackals' heavy axe, this made Kant's heart tremble. This was one of his few tier 5 archers!

With bloodshot eyes, Kant watched as more and more Jackals climbed down the corpse ladder.

He had already made up his mind.

Reaching out to touch the two thin pages on his chest, Kant's thought communication system said: ''Summon Elemental Giants!''

[ Page of clear spring ] and [ Page of fertile soil ] were instantly activated.

As Kant's gaze passed through the window of the attic and landed outside the city wall, familiar spatial fluctuations appeared. Within the soil, seven earth elemental giants formed from soil and four water elemental giants that were slightly blood-red were shockingly there, elemental light flashed in Kant's eyes before turning into a hostile and violent emotion.

Right around the eleven elemental giants, a huge Jackal army was crowding towards the corpse stairs and the broken city gates, completely unprepared for the sudden appearance of these elemental giants!

PS: Sorry, I was late to update something today, there will be another watch later, 3 a day is a must, no less, just wait a little, sorry. I may have to attend the wedding tomorrow, so the update time will be pushed to the afternoon, but there will be no less than 3. Just a word in advance.

Chapter 156: The Eruption of Intimidation

''Bang bang bang ---''

The thick mud arm heavily smashed the surrounding Jackals.

The earth elemental giants used their powerful strength to rampage around the Jackal troops.

''Crash crash ---''

The water elemental giants'attacks were even more bizarre.

The body formed by the water current swept across the Jackals like acid, eroding their skins and muscles at once, causing the Jackalan to howl in pain as the battle axes in their hands hacked down, leaving only a brief gap in the bodies of the elements of the reddish-coloured water, which would soon heal.

As for the earth elemental giant, its body was full of holes, but also fearless of the Jackal's axe!

For a moment there was chaos outside the walls.

Even the Jackals in the attic of the city wall were killed, those had broken through the city gate were pushed back, the follow-up support unexpectedly did not keep up, and all of them were held back by the 11 elemental giants!

The direction Kant had released the elemental giants was near the stairs and the city gate.

This was also the position he had carefully considered when summoning.

''Don't be stunned. Pack up the corpses and continue firing!''

However, Kant waved his hand and quickly gave the order.

The Jackal corpses were directly thrown out of the city wall while the corpses of their own people were moved to the bottom of the city wall, but most of the archers still forcefully held their sore hands and continued to rain arrows down.

This was their way of fighting back.

And the attacks of the Jackals were not over yet.

''The time is near.''

Kant gritted his teeth, breathing fast from the strong smell of blood and the stench of burning.

Looking at the Jackalan outside that was in a mess due to the elemental giants, who were fighting back brazenly, Kant subconsciously looked towards the south, where his true main force was hiding. Once appeared, they would be able to turn the tide of the battle in an instant!

But now was not the time to appear.

They had to wait.

Kant understood, and so did Firentis.

''Keep quiet!''

Firentis roared angrily, signaling for the restless cavalry to calm down.

Knight sword in the hand tightly holding, his face is very ugly, but still holding their emotions, shout a way: "Only the gates compromised, the wall was breached, not all lost. If we rush out now, we can only temporarily alleviate the situation and can't solve the real problem at all. All of you, wait quietly!"

These were his words to the restless cavalry, and indeed to himself.

They had been waiting for such a long time.

As long as they continued to wait, waiting for the enemy to be exhausted and unable to maintain the high intensity of their attacks, that would be the time for them to attack, to destroy the enemy's exhausted front line and end this tragic siege once and for all!

Even if more and more archers on the city walls were killed in close combat.

The Swadian infantry at the city gates were in a difficult situation.

The cavalry, who were the main force, still chose to wait because they were waiting for the final victory.

For the bigger picture.

Those archers and infantrymen were expendable targets!

''All fall back and enter the city walls and city gates in batches to form a joint defense!''

Manide, who was in the attic, also gave the order loudly.

Looking at the slightly skinny Swadian militia who were still wearing iron-scale armor, he could not help but give the order loudly: ''For the sake of swadian, hold off the Jackals!''

''For the sake of Swadian!''

The militia shouted loudly with excitement and malevolence on their faces.

They had already understood Manide's arrangements.

Because entering the city walls and the city gates to defend was actually using their own bodies to block those Jackals, and to the militia who were at a disadvantage in terms of equipment and combat skills, was equivalent to death!

But they did not care, striding down the stairs to the attic.

Raising their wooden shields and holding their combat shovel, they charged forward, forcefully withstanding the two-handed battle axes of the Jackal warriors. Even if the wooden shields were easily split open, and their companions in front of them were directly hacked to death, they would fearlessly charge forward!

Jackals risked their lives for survival.

Then these swadians, too, could risk their lives for their homes!

''Lord Kant, let's leave the city walls.''

Manide walked down from the attic, seeing more and more Jackals appearing at the city walls and city gates, he said to Kant very urgently: ''We must go to the council hall and set up a defense!''

''No, there's no need for that yet!''

Kant turned his head, with a hint of malevolence in his face.

The eleven elemental giants that he had summoned outside the window were shattered bit by bit by the Jackal two-handed battle axes. Their elemental bodies completely collapsed and turned into elemental substances that declared their deaths.

However, these elemental giants also took away at least a hundred Jackal corpses.

This had even affected a large number of soldiers.

The opportunity was getting closer and closer. Kant was no longer willing to retreat to the council hall to set up a defense. If he left, the soldiers who had lost his encouragement would be broken through, and the defense of Drondheim fortress would also be broken through.

At that time, the charge of the cavalry would not have much effect.

''Lord Kant!''

Manide tried to persuade him: ''You have to leave this place!''

''No Need!'' Kant replied firmly.

The battle was in a dangerous situation, he definitely couldn't leave and the current defensive line was still not in danger!

500 swadian militia filled the gap and used their lives to hold off the attacks of the Jackals, even blocking the two corpse steps and the gate, bringing the battle to a standstill again..

The Jackals attacked even more frantically.

However, the strength of their attacks had unknowingly become much lighter.

The two-handed battle axes were still powerful.

But they could not break the wooden shield in the left hand of the Swadian militia with a single strike, which often turn into two or three strikes, and even, because of its slow movement, was nailed to the skull by the militiamen's mattock, causing casualties.

Even though the death rate of the Swadian militia was faster.

The death rate of the Jackals was also increasing!

Manide saw that Kant did not leave the city wall at all, and a determined look appeared on his face. With the light crossbow in his hand, he continued to shoot towards the outside of the city wall, slowing down the attack speed of the Jackals.

But he frowned slightly and suddenly realized that something was wrong with the Jackals.

''Their attack has slowed down,'' Manide muttered to himself.

''That's right.''

Kant took over his words, and a smile finally appeared on his grave and serious face: ''Our turn!''

''Whoosh Whoosh ---''

The flag planted in the middle of the road behind him instantly fluttered, sounded as if it was being blown by a strong wind.

The golden lion with a red background moved against the wind, and its power instantly spread.

The invisible area was divided, and the Jackals enveloped in this area suddenly had heart palpitations for unknown reasons. Originally, they were still fighting forward with his two-handed axe and howling frantically, but now became afraid. Looking at the fierce battlefield in front of them and around, a chill appeared in theirs hearts.

They began to become afraid, and... cowardly...

They were already short of water and food, but now they felt even more thirsty and hungry.

The strength of their battle axes was declining.

Especially when they saw the death of their companions, not only did they lose the craziness of wanting to avenge their comrades, but they felt more and more terrified.

Their morale began to plummet in a short period of time.

Even the Swadian militia felt that the demoralized Jackals no longer had the terror they had before.

They became weak and powerless.

They also didn't dare to risk their lives, and even began to retreat.

''Howl ---''

Realising that their troops' morale was rapidly plummeting, the commander's shrill howling rang out.

Hearing this familiar howl, the surrounding Jackals seemed to have regained some of their courage.

However, on the city wall.

Kant, with his cold eyes, gritted his teeth and looked at a certain figure in the Jackal crowd, and raised his right hand to wave it forward fiercely, shouting angrily: ''Do you know that my order is to take its life!''

''Got it!''

The remaining seven Ravenston rangers still had blood stains on their faces.

However, the heavy bows in their hands were directly drawn to their full, and the cone-headed arrows were mounted on them, and they directly loosened the fingers that hooked the bowstring to the Jackal referred by Kant, so that the cone-headed arrows turned into a deadly black shadow and instantly appeared on the seemingly ordinary Jackal more than 20 meters away.

A cone arrow hit the center of the brows.

A cone arrow hit the throat.

Two cone arrows hit the eye socket.

Three cone arrows hit the chest.

Then, the seemingly ordinary Jackal fell down, instantly dead, with no chance of survival.

[ To deter the enemy ]

The red-bottomed golden lion suddenly expanded, and the hunting sounds were violent and rapid.

However, in the eyes of the stunned Jackals, that figure's fall was as if the sky had collapsed. Theirs hearts were beating violently, and confusion filled theirs minds. Even the attack had completely subsided.

Because the chief commander of the thousand-man army had died.

From the Mannheim coast, the strongest captain of the thousand-man army of the Graynane Kingdom, the highest commander of the expedition army, had died.

Their general had died!

The confusion soon cleared, but instead of indignation, there was panic.

The remaining 1,500 or so Jackals were exhausted.

They looked blankly at the sturdy fortress in front of them. Those figures with blood on their faces were still stubbornly guarding the city walls and city gates. Even if they were stepping on the corpses of their human compatriots, they would use their lives to block their human soldiers, these Jackals suddenly felt a chill. Fear and unease filled their hearts.

They couldn't even hold the battle axes in their hands firmly.

''Rumble---rumble---''

The sound of rushing tides and breaking through the dam came from the south.

These bewildered Jackals stared at the men, mounted on the backs of a creature not found on the shores of Mannheim, all armored, horses and men, with their lances and spears raised, and thundered fearfully, as they slammed down upon the stolid Jackals of the south.

The neighing of horses, the screams of the Jackals, and the power to tear a square formation into two halves!

Firentis and his cavalry finally charged forward!

Chapter 157: The Final Curtain

Kant stood on the city wall with a calm face.

When Firentis led the cavalry to charge on the flanks, directly pouncing towards the Jackals formation, the curtain had already been drawn, announcing the end of the battle.

At the forefront were the Swadian knights.

Ten knights in double mail, mounted on their fiercest armored steeds, raised their heavy cone-head lances, which were as thick as their arms, and pierced the bodies of the Jackals with ease, stringing them into gourds.

They used the inertia of the warhorse to continue charging into the depths of the formation.

The Swadian knights were always at the forefront of the charge.

They were sharp, and on both sides of them stretched Mamluke, a top-tier heavy horse from Salander.

With the same galloping fury, the charge was second only to that of the Swaadian knight, and the brandishing of the hands, with the speed of the steed, caused any Jackal that came in contact to fall back with broken bones, spitting blood.

There were no visible cuts, but even the bones were broken and thoroughly dented.

Jackals fell one after another.

As for more Swadian heavy cavalry, they were still riding behind.

Even the Sarrandian horseman behind them was also riding their horses, charging into the enemy formation with a spear in his hand.

As light cavalry, the desert bandit elite, with a spear in the coordinated charge, although the melee effect was less effective, but armed with a machete they were still able to fight.

Moreover, the heavy cavalry in front had already completely torn apart the enemy formation.

All the cavalry were urging their horses forward.

The horses' hooves trampled on the formations of the Jackals, ramming them against those who had no time to escape, and with the swinging of the knights' sword, scimitar, and mace, the Jackals fell to the ground with groans of boredom and despair.

Breaking the surface with a point.

All the troops rushed in crazily, the center blossoming, completely crushing the resistance of the Jackalan.

In fact, the Jackals didn't resist either.

When Firentis and his cavalry charged directly into the Jackal formation, the exhausted Jackals scattered, trampling under horses' hoofs without an effective counterattack, or being turned into corpses by the handfuls of cavalry melee weapons against their heads

Even the formation was penetrated by the cavalry from the south to the north.

Firentis even turned his horse around. Although some of the cavalry were injured, none of them died in battle.

The resistance they received was abnormally weak.

Even though the Jackals had their spears pierced through their chests and their machetes slashed, they still did not raise the battle axes in their hands, only looked at their companions in a daze who were massacred, and did not know what to do, but just waited in a daze.

They had lost the ability to continue fighting.

Their morale had collapsed to the extreme.

Their physical strength had been completely exhausted.

No one gave an encouraging howl, because they did not want to continue to fight, with the madness in their eyes before completely disappeared, looking at the cruel battlefield of the mess, they finally bowed their heads in despair, completely give up resistance.

They did not even rearrange their formation to meet the enemy.

Kant narrowed his eyes slightly.

From the walls he could see clearly, breathing from the rapid strain to the now steady, waving his hand and saying: "Everyone, stop shooting, stop attacking."

''Yes!'' The messengers replied.

Then, they immediately turned around and left.

Stepping on the corpses on the ground, they passed through the blood-stained city wall and attic to convey the lord's order.

The battlefield stopped.

The arrow rain that was originally dense also stopped shooting at this moment.

Even Firentis and his soldiers who were outside the walls had been told to stop attacking, to wait in the desert plains on the north side, with their lances and spears in their hands, and to look at the Jackals standing outside the walls as if they had lost their minds and were dead.

''The battle is over,'' Kant said. ''There's no need to continue attacking.''

The Jackals had lost the will to resist.

And to Kant, they were captives, beautiful denars!

Living Denar.

The leader of the trade caravan, Jocelyn, who was still waiting in the Drondheim fortress with his guards and sentries to defend the council hall, could buy these high-level Jackals at 50 denars per person.

Kant didn't think that he was rich enough to ignore this huge sum of money.

So many high-level Jackals were ready-made captives.

And the dead Jackals...

Had no value at all. They were just a pile of corpses that were disgusting even when they were cleaned up!

... ...

Kant's order to capture them was also passed down.

This mission was undoubtedly the work of the cavalry outside, and the cavalry who had just entered the battlefield and completely destroyed the psychological defense line of these Jackals were very happy with it.

There was nothing better than defeating the enemy and then capturing them, so they could enjoy the beauty of victory.

''Drop your arms and surrender to save your life!''

''Drop your arms and surrender to save your life!''

''Drop your arms and surrender to save your life!''

Instead of giving orders to charge again, Firentis circled the field of battle unscathed and surrounded the jackals, slaughtering anyone who tried to escape..

The desert bandits, nimble light cavalry, flapped their wings around with cutlasses and shouted out their words of surrender, but the cold, flashing cutlasses seemed more threatening.

However, it was the same for the Jackals who had completely lost their will to fight and their hope.

The confused them might need an excuse.

''Bang, bang, bang, bang...''

The two-handed battle axe fell on the sand under their feet.

All these Jackals fell to their knees, and there was no madness in their confused eyes, only a loss of future and the deepest despair, so deep that these Jackals, once invincible on the coast of Mannheim, did not have the least inclination to resist.

They kneeled on the battlefield filled with the corpses of their companions. The blood had dyed the sand red.

It was so red that it was an eyesore.

The closer he got to the city wall, the thicker the blood became, and the more corpses there were.

The two still burning steps of the dead, emitting black, scorched smoke, showed the cruelty of the battle, and the astonishing madness of the wolves in their desperation.

They could even give up their own lives and not take it seriously.

No matter how they were trampled to death, smashed to death, or burned to death, they had to become the stepping stone of their companions behind them.

But now.

This kind of self-sacrifice casualties seemed a little ridiculous.

For all the remaining Jackals had chosen to surrender, in the most shameful manner of the army, to their enemies, without conditions, in order to survive rather than die on the battlefield.

''Manide.''

Kant turned his head and said with a calm expression: ''You are in charge of handling the captives. You should be the best at it.''

After a pause, he reminded: ''Tell Firentis to clean up the battlefield. I will inform Jocelyn to come and help you later. After you finish your own matters, report to me in the hall.''

''Got it.'' Manide nodded immediately.

''Alright.'' Kant nodded as well and turned to leave.

The matter was handed down.

The two of them were able to handle it very well.

''Lord Kant!'' After leaving the city wall, the Swadian infantry, who were covered in blood and wounds, hurriedly stood up and saluted Kant. At the same time, they quickly separated ten infantry soldiers to follow behind him and continue to act as guards.

''Yes.'' Kant nodded.

Although his face was calm, his eyes were gloomy.

There were less than 20 of his original 50 Swadian infantry left, and each of them was injured.

Even the ten infantry who had been assigned to serve as guardsmen were not as well equipped as they once were, with scalloped shields, tattered iron plates on the outside, and broken chain mail on the inside.

Fresh blood seeped out and dyed the torn linen robe red.

When those crazy Jackals broke through the city gate, it was these 50 Swadian infantry who charged forward.

In a short while, 30 people were killed. If it were not for the hundreds of Swadian militia who risked their lives to defend, these infantrymen would probably be completely wiped out, and it was possible that the city gate would be broken through.

Those crazy Jackal warriors were definitely not something that low-level Jackals could compare to.

Even in Kant's view.

These advanced Jackals from the coast of Mannheim, who had been taught combat skills and have fought on the battlefield, were worthy of the title of tier 5, and it needed to take a Swadian of the same class to stop them.

The increase in combat strength due to the racial advantage was too terrifying.

After all, the height, weight, and strength of humans could not be compared to these high-level jackalan!

''Pay attention to rest after cleaning up the battlefield.''

Kant instructed the infantrymen and militia at the city gate, then turned around and continued to walk toward the council hall.

The bodies of the dead had been gathered together and laid out in order at the gates, while militiamen worked together to bring down the more numerous bowmen from the walls, and peasant women gave them their last respect by wiping their bloodied faces with towels dipped in water.

Dying in battle to protect their homes was a glorious death.

''My Lord.''

Those strong peasant women walked over, wanting to help Kant.

However, Kant frowned and said: ''No need.''

These peasant women retreated in embarrassment, their fierce faces filled with shyness: ''My Lord, the way you led your troops to valiantly defend the fortress is just like the legendary hero.''

"Hehe."Kant only chuckled and no reply.

Seeing that the peasant women were still holding pitchforks and kitchen knives, he calmly instructed: ''Go prepare lunch now. It's almost noon, and our soldiers haven't even had time to eat breakfast.''

''Yes, my Lord.'' The peasant women nodded.

They were not good at fighting, but they were still able to handle life well.

Kant returned to the council hall.

It didn't take long for the aroma of cooking food to appear, and lunch was prepared. It was a fast-paced meal that could quickly replenish the energy consumed during wartime.

There was plenty of supplies in the sentry oasis.

Chapter 158: A Huge Sum of Money

The peasant women cooked lunch.

The soldiers also used this time to clean up the battlefield.

The main thing was to properly place the bodies of the dead.

However, the casualties of Kant's troops on the defensive side were evidently better than those of the Jackals on the attacking side.

Just outside the east wall, the flowing blood had dyed the sand red. Not far away, under the dune, the bodies with full of arrows or smashed brains were neatly arranged.

Of the 3,000 elite Jackals from the Mannheim coast, more than half had died in battle. It was extremely tragic.

The surviving Jackals were all injured.

But no one pitied them.

As invaders, these Jackals had to be prepared to accept defeat after defeat.

Instead of food and water, the desert bandits brought flax ropes, scowling and shaking their faces, and tied the Jackals' hands behind their backs.

Not far away, Firentis was still leading the cavalry to deter the captives from getting into trouble.

But there was no resistance.

The jackalan were actually tied up obediently.

The Jackals expeditionary army, which had not eaten for many days to replenish their strength, and their bodies were extremely dehydrated, did not have any ability to resist.

When the light returned, they retreated crazily.

Their status became weaker and weaker.

Just like that, they were easily tied up by the desert bandits'backs. They kicked and whipped the Jackals captives to the south side of the city gate, because right there, the leader of the trade caravan from Reyvadin, Jocelyn, he was looking at these jackalan captives with a wide smile on his face. Occasionally, he would talk to Manide beside him, and the two of them would laugh even more enthusiastically.

The leader of the trade caravan, Jocelyn, could imagine how warmly he would be treated by the noble and iron mine owners when he returned to Reyvadin after purchasing over a thousand Jackals captives.

The Kingdom of Vikia was located in a snowfield, and its grain output was low, so its population was low.

However, the snowfield had an extremely large amount of iron ore. With a little mining, one could dig out baskets of high-quality iron ore.

This made the Kingdom of Vikia feel a little awkward.

The population of his own kingdom was small, and in the medieval era of cold weapons, mining ore was a dangerous job. Ordinary Vikians would not work at all, and there was no better option than to buy captives and become mining slaves.

And the main economic pillar of the Kingdom of Vikia was precisely these high-quality iron ores.

In order to be able to mine large amounts of ores and turn them into iron ingots, the Kingdom of Victoria would buy a large number of slaves almost every year.

It could be said that.

A portion of the slave trade on the continent of Caradia was hyped up by the Kingdom of Vikia.

Now, the Kingdom of Vikia had a new source of slaves.

It was Lord Kant, located in the land of miracles. As long as there was enough dinar, who was better than human miners used gnoll miners, as long as trained, rest for a period of time, handling well, completely ws the best miners, strong, know the commands, tube belly can day and night the exploitation of mining, was popular with the miners.

Of course, Kant also welcomed this.

These mine owners of the Kingdom of Vikia were his big customers. Otherwise, the endless denar would not have appeared in his pocket so easily, becoming the help of Drondheim's level up.

It was a good thing that everyone was happy.

Just inside and outside the city wall, everyone was still busy.

The feeling of having a common enemy disappeared.

However, there was no excitement from the victors. Instead, there was a faint sadness.

The familiar faces had been turned pale in the battle, lying on the sand, covered in white linen, a memory that existed only in the public memory.

They were the valiant guardians of the fortress, and the heroes who held the line to the end.

Facing the strong close combat ability of the Jackals.

In fact, even the corpses of these dead warriors were incomplete.

The farmers who were in charge of organizing their appearances had red eyes when they collected the corpses of the dead. Even the civilians who had seen many deaths, such a tragic battle, and such terrible wounds, other than the large-scale battle between the kingdoms, it was rare to see such a tragic sight on the continent of Caradia.

This was the reason why the caravan of Rivadin had purchased so much linen.

Even though they had already died in battle.

But as a Lord, Kant would never forget their contributions.

Even though they had already died in battle, he could use a towel to wipe off the dirty blood on his face and use the pure white linen as a shroud to give them respect and honor after death as compensation.

It was also a motivation for the surviving soldiers.

Lord Kant would never forget anyone.

... ...

The sun rose to the center of the sky.

The temperature of the Nahrin desert suddenly increased, forming a billowing heat wave that spread across the entire desert.

At noon.

Sentry oasis, the battlefield had basically been cleaned up.

The corpses were all separated and piled up in order to facilitate the post-battle inventory.

As the main battlefield, the blood-stained ground inside and outside the city walls and gates was also splashed and washed by the careful militia with clean water, restoring the yellow and orange sand to its original color and the rich smell of blood also became lighter.

It was basically finished.

The peasant women also walked over and called for the soldiers who were resting to eat.

In the kitchen next to the council hall, buckets of lunch had already been prepared. It was steaming hot and fragrant.

Because it was made in a hurry, it was no different from the food from before.

However, many soldiers who ate in batches also had looks of anticipation on their faces because they saw that in the kitchen, the batch of sand gazelle that had been hunted at the end of the month yesterday had already been dragged out and hung on the wall. Ten of them were being quickly cut and skinned by the kitchen knives in the hands of the peasant women, moreover, they had cut open their bellies and dug out their internal organs. It seemed that they were preparing for the celebration banquet that night.

And barrels of ale, rolled out by the Rivadin caravans who settled down in the grocery store, were a must-have for tonight's victory party.

This made the soldiers who had survived the fierce battle and won the battle look a little happier.

They ate their lunch in batches.

In the Council Hall, Kant sat in his seat.

On both sides of the long table, there were Firentis and Manide who had finished dealing with the matter, and the leader of the trade caravan, Jocelyn.

It was lunchtime.

At the same time, it was time for the two of them to report the results of the battle to Kant.

Because it was not a secret matter, the leader of the trade caravan, Jocelyn, did not avoid suspicion and leave. Moreover, to Kant, this merchant from the continent of Caradia could be considered half of his own people, at the very least, he would not secretly collude with the aborigines of this world, much less betray Kant and sell the most important resources.

The four of them ate their food first. After all, because of this battle, they had not eaten their breakfast yet.

After they were half full.

''Hmm, we are almost done eating.'' Kant wiped the corner of his mouth and said, ''Who will tell us about the results of our battle?'' Looking at Firentis and Manide, the corner of his mouth curled into a smile. ''I am quite looking forward to the results of this battle.''

''I'll go first.'' Manide nodded slightly, stood up and bowed respectfully.

He organized his words, his voice was filled with self-satisfaction: ''Lord Kant, in my opinion, this battle can be considered an epic-level victory. We captured 1,432 jackalan. According to the calculation of 50 denar per person, we received a total of 71,600 denar. To be honest, in my opinion, this is also a huge sum of money that anyone would be tempted by.''

''Of course.'' Kant nodded with a bright smile on his face.

When the Jackals captives were escorted to the carriage of the trade caravan, he already knew the exact amount of the money. This huge sum of 71,600 denar had been mixed with the balance of the savings, turning into an even more terrifying number.

[ Balance: 149,130 denar ]

Just under 1,000 denar, Kant's savings would break into 150,000 denar.

Continent of Caradia.

It could open 15 of the most expensive and most popular velvet dye factories in any town.

And if that didn't prove the value of the money, then the cost of maintaining the Swadian cavalry pillars, the armored horsemen of the fourth level, the Swadian heavy cavalry, 5,000 men for a week.

And it was in this one week.

These were purely troops formed by armored heavy cavalry, not to mention the continent of Caradia.

Even on Earth.

Other than the modern and modern battlefields of any era, in ancient and modern Chinese and foreign field battles, these 5,000 Swadian man-at-arms would be enough to completely defeat the enemy corps'main force. They would be like a torrential flood, breaking the enemy's formation into pieces.

Because these 5,000 heavy cavalry could be said to be invincible in a frontal assault.

Even if there were 100,000 infantrymen, they would not be able to hold on. They would be directly crushed by the surging torrent until the formation collapsed.

Kant's smile became more and more brilliant.

Just thinking about it in his mind was a wonderful moment for him.

For this reason, he looked at the leader of the Trade Caravan, Jocelyn, and said with a smile: ''Tonight, I will hold a celebration banquet. I hope you brought enough malt liquor this time. This time, I will let the soldiers drink as much as they want.''

''It's completely enough."''Jocelyn nodded affirmatively.

''Very good.'' Kant's smile was thick.

Nothing could soothe the hearts of the soldiers after the war better than alcohol.

If it was the custom in the continent of Caradia, not only would there be alcohol, but there would also be a sum of denar as a reward for these brave people. However, most of the time, it would be thrown into the hands of the tavern owner and the white breasts of those prostitutes, in the end, due to the various taxes of the Lord, it was returned to the Lord's treasury.

Of course, Kant also handed over the matters of purchasing to Manide to handle.

However, Kant turned his head and saw the solemn expression on Firentis's face.

He also frowned slightly. Next was Firentis, reporting on the losses of this battle.

Chapter 159: Tragic Casualties

However, when Kant looked at Firentis, the smile on his face disappeared.

His breathing calmed his heart. Since he already knew the happy news, it was time to report the unhappy news. Kant calmly asked, "How are the casualties of my soldiers in this battle?"

"It's quite severe."

Firentis stood up, bowed, and looked very solemn.

"Speak.", Kant narrowed his eyes.

Hearing Firentis's words, Manid and Joslin also fell silent.

This was indeed a topic that needed to be taken seriously.

Taking a deep breath, Firentis said in a deep voice, "On the city wall, 13 of the 20 Ravenstern rangers were killed, 37 of the 100 Vaegir archers were killed, and 40 of the 50 Swadian archers were killed."

As the commander of the city wall, Kant was already mentally prepared.

But now, after hearing the report.

His face still started to turn grim. The casualties were indeed beyond his expectations.

With a gloomy face, Kant said, "Continue."

"Yes.", Firentis nodded.

After slightly organizing his words, he continued to report in a deep voice, "37 of the 50 Swadian footmen were killed, and out of 500 of the Swadian militia...", at this point, his tone paused, as if he was hesitating.

"Continue.", Kant frowned and urged.

Firentis finally sighed and said in a serious tone, "312 of the 500 Swadian militia soldiers... were killed."

"What?", Manid exclaimed.

As the commander in charge of the attic, he had led the 500 militia to launch a counterattack against the Jackalans.

When the 500 Swadian militiamen were stationed on the attic, and the five-hundred-man formation was still quite complete. However, when they were sent to support the attic and the city gates, the casualty rate was more than half, almost all militia troops were crippled. If the battle lasted any longer, all of them would probably be wiped out!

Kant was silent, Joslin was silent, and Manid and Firentis were also silent.

This battle was too tragic.

The troops responsible for defending the city had a casualty rate of more than half.

Kant did not feel it when he left the city walls and city gates. Now that he heard the report, although it was just numbers and not seeing the corpses in person, his heart was still very heavy. After all, these were his soldiers.

His breathing was calm. Kant let his emotions relax and continued to ask, "What about the cavalry?"

"The casualties of the cavalry are relatively small."

Firentis spoke, his tone was finally no longer grave. "10 cavalries, 5 Mamluke, 87 heavy cavalries, 40 Sarrandian horsemen, 40 elite desert bandits, 70 desert bandits. No one died in battle. Only a few dozen people were slightly injured, and it did not affect the upcoming battle. They were all superficial wounds that did not require treatment."

"Very good.", Kant finally let out a breath of air.

This was his true trump card.

The level 5 cavalries he had trained previously did not suffer any casualties, and the level 4 cavalries were still in shape. This was enough.

However, out of his expectations, the 40 elite desert bandits, as well as the 50 desert bandits that Kant had won from the lottery, and the 20 desert bandits that he had recruited in the new week, did not suffer any casualties either. This made him feel a little more surprised after hearing the high number of casualties.

Although the desert bandits were only level 3 cavalries, they were still considered as cavalries after all.

These light cavalries formed a group and charged together with the heavy cavalries at the rear. The crushing effect was very strong. Moreover, when dealing with emergencies, they could also rush over as quickly as possible. They were much more flexible than the heavy cavalry.

Looking at the three people across the long table.

Kantian also opened his mouth and nodded slightly. With a calm expression, he said, "At the very least, we have won."

"Yes.", the three of them nodded in response.

With an army of around 800 soldiers, they were able to take on 3,000 Jackalan warriors who were at least level 5 footmen. These tragic losses were reasonable. After all, in terms of close combat, these Jackalan warriors were not malnourished, low-level Jackalan with weak physiques could not compare to them. They were like slaughtering machines on the battlefield.

All of them were 2.3 meters tall and weighed 300 kilograms. Because they had sufficient nutrition, their bodies were full of muscles.

They were equipped with sophisticated mail armor and two-handed axes made of iron.

This was the reason why even the level 4 footmen, the Swadian footman who were known for their defensive strength in the game, could not withstand the frenzied attacks of the Jackalan. After all, when they swung the two-handed weapons, the strength was extremely powerful.

It was similar to the bardiche that the troops of the Kingdom of Vaegirs liked to equip the most.

However, the attack power and battle experience of these Jackalan warriors could be compared to the one and only level 6 soldiers. They were known as the strongest and invincible footman in the entire Continent of Caradia, the royal guards of the Nord family.

Kant concluded in his heart.

In terms of the actual situation of this battle, he had won by luck.

If he had not destroyed the supplies of the Jackalan expeditionary force that set up in the Nahrin Desert in advance. Otherwise, the "Drondheim" Fortress would have been conquered and the Oasis Lookout would have been given away.

Most importantly, he had destroyed the low-level Jackalan tribe.

He had destroyed the well.

Not only had the expeditionary force lost all its supplies, but hunger and thirst had weakened them, and they had not rushed to the front during the siege. They also used the low-level Jackalans as cannon fodder and stepping stones.

If none of these had happened, Kant could imagine the situation of the battle.

The well-supplied Jackalan expedition army would be in a high-spirited formation. Just like now, there were 3,000 people in five square formations.

And right in front, there was a chaotic formation of low-level Jackalans. With the tribe's 3,000 low-level Jackalans at the center, and the 2,000 low-level Jackalans captured from other areas of the desert, there were more than 5,000 Jackalans in total. They howled and began to attack the two city gates of Drondheim Fortress. More and more corpses fell.

As for the high-level Jackalans, they raised the corpses as shields and approached.

Then, they piled the corpses on the city wall and quickly piled up the slopes. This was enough for the expedition army at the back to charge up the five meters high city wall and enter the human fortress to start a massacre.

In the end, the archers on the city wall would be eliminated.

The footmen and cavalries that stubbornly resisted would all retreat into the council hall.

But by then, it would be difficult for them to hold on by themselves.

The best outcome was that Kant could only dejectedly let the existing elite troops use their own lives to fight their way out of the fallen "Drondheim" Fortress, he looked at the Oasis Lookout with a face full of unwillingness. He could only choose to return to the Dukedom of Leo and hide his identity. He might even have a chance to borrow the system's temporary side quest and make a comeback.

If he was unlucky, he would be chopped into meat paste by the high-level Jackalan that rushed up on the spot.

Kant's heart was solemn.

This was indeed a fluke. He was lucky that he messed up all the arrangements of the Kingdom of Grey Mane.

Whether it was intentional or not.

The final victor was Kant.

Oasis Lookout.

The southern part of the Nahrin Desert.

This battle was completely under Kant's control.

"Continue to clean up the battlefield in the afternoon."

Kant calmed down the bumpy ride in his heart. He looked at Firentis and Manid and said, "Report to me after you've done all the statistics."

"Understood.", the two of them nodded.

Lunch soon ended.

There were still a lot of trivial matters waiting for them in Oasis Lookout.

Including the treatment of the injured soldiers and the burial of the dead soldiers, both of them had to personally attend to them.

Kant, on the other hand, had more important things to deal with.

The system accounting after the war.

Just as Manid had complimented him earlier, saying that this was an epic-level victory, it was indeed true for Kant. This was because the system had already given the best assessment and prove that he had won the glorious achievement of this battle.

"I'm done eating."

Kant put down his knife and fork and wiped the corner of his mouth.

After chatting a few more words with the three of them, he pushed his chair away and left, returning to his room.

Now it was time for him to deal with his matters.

A dialog box popped up on his retina.

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ You defeated a powerful enemy with a weak army. It can be said that you won a perfect victory. ]

[ This is an epic victory. ]

[ You have obtained 10 honor points and 5,000 reputation points. ]

Kant's breathing was a little hurried.

But it was definitely not because of this dialog box.

Just below, another dialog box popped up.

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ The result of this battle has been sent back to Caradia, causing a storm of discussion. ]

[ This is a legendary-level comment. ]

[ You have obtained 10 Honor Points and 5,000 reputation points. ]

Looking at the dialog box on his retina.

Even with Kant's current good mental control ability, he felt a little thirsty.

This was not an ordinary reward.

Two comments.

[ Epic victory ] and [ Legendary-level comment ]

The direct benefits were 20 honor points and 10,000 reputation points!

"Very good."

Kant sat on the chair in his room with a smile on his face.

This was the real post-war benefit.

If he could handle something today, he would choose to do it today, this was Kant's usual creed.

The data flow in his eyes started to flicker, and his mind had already communicated with the system. He said in a deep voice, "System, immediately open the lottery store and directly do 10 consecutive draws!"

Kant's tone was firm.

But the system still followed the usual practice and popped out the dialog box to ask.

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[10 consecutive draws will give an additional reward of 1 draw. ]

[ Yes/No? ]

"Yes.", Kant did not hesitate.

The system responded.

On the retina in front of him, the dialog box refreshed.

The colorful treasure chest appeared there, and it was slightly opened, releasing a small amount of colorful light. It carried the kind of beautiful light that penetrated one's heart, as if it wanted to absorb one's gaze.

This was exactly what Kant needed.

Or rather, it was the system gift pack inside the treasure chest that he desperately wanted!

Chapter 160: The Newly Obtained Council Hall

Kant's voice confirmed that the system had popped up a dialog box on his retina.

The five-colored treasure box was slowly opening.

[ Ding... The system lottery has begun. ]

System prompt.

The multicolored light became more and more intense, and at the same time, more and more dazzling.

Finally, the treasure box was completely opened.

The dialog box on his retina quickly popped up.

[ You received a construction pack: Stable ]

[ You received a construction pack: Tavern ]

[ You received a construction pack: Stone paved road ]

[ You received a construction pack: Linen workshop ]

[ You received a construction pack: Salt workshop ]

The dazzling five-colored light faded slowly.

Kant raised his eyebrows slightly.

What appeared on the dialog box was five construction pack.

The list continued to pop up.

[ Item pack: Date palm jungle × 25 arcs ]

[ Item pack: Wheat field × 50 arcs ]

[ Item pack: Chee grass beach × 15 arcs ]

[ Item pack: Alfalfa field × 20 arcs ]

[ Item pack: Flax field × 10 arcs ]

The five-colored light disappeared.

There were five item packs in a row.

"This is interesting.", Kant raised his eyebrows slightly and glanced at the list in the dialog box on his retina. He thought to himself, "It seems that the item pack that I have received in this lottery is all related to construction and agriculture."

There were only these two kinds of item packs.

They were indeed the basic elements of construction and agriculture that could allow "Drondheim" to continue to develop.

And the various kinds of fields.

Date palm provides the raw material for food and sugar, and it forms a forest that petrify the desert land, lowers the temperature, creates an oasis climate, and protects the plants and animals in the oasis from the sun and cold nights.

He obtained 25 acres from the lottery, plus the previous 5,30 acres of date palm jungle, is enough to form a large-scale forest.

Kant was slightly excited.

There were also 50 arcs of wheat fields from the system, 15 arcs of chee grass beach, 20 arcs of alfalfa fields, and 10 arcs of flax fields that could be used as cash crops with the linen workshop.

In Kant's view, these fields were more important than the buildings obtained.

The combination of the two.

Agriculture, animal husbandry, handicraft industry.

Everything was in place!

It completed in the foundation of "Drondheim" Fortress.

At this moment, the dialog box of the system popped up in Kant's eyes.

[ Ding... You have acquired a "Special gift pack"]

[ You open the troop class pack and find that it is "The growth of all living things (all plants grow into mature stage)"]

His eyes were slightly stunned.

Kant subconsciously looked at the north.

Through the window, in the desert outside the attic, there was a sandy land that was obviously darker in color. There seemed to be some trees growing there, but in the end, only rows and rows of neat stumps were left after trees were cut down.

That was the date palm jungle.

The five acres of date palm jungle that Kant once had.

But because of Kant's order, it was completely cut down and became a large amount of wood that was currently stored in the fortress.

But most of the time.

These excellent woods that should be used as pillars were not used for construction, but were chopped into firewood and stuffed into the stove in the kitchen to be burned, turning into wisps of green smoke and dissipating into nothingness.

"Is that so...", Kant muttered slightly.

He already understood the effect of using it.

It was the miraculous power that restored all the date palm jungle that he had ordered to be cut down.

[ Ding... The 10 consecutive draws this time are over. ]

The system gave a notification.

"Very good.", Kant's lips curled into a smile as he looked at the gift pack on his retina. His heart was still a little restless, because in his inventory, there were still 10 honor points that could still be used!

Taking a slight breath, Kant said in a deep voice, "Continue the draw!"

[ Ding... system lottery begins. ]

On the system dialog box, the five-colored treasure box appeared once again.

Dazzling light blossomed.

The list on the dialog box immediately began to refresh.

[ You have received the hero pack: James ]

[ You have received the item pack: Commanding power ]

[ You have received the construction pack: Warden camp ]

The first three gift packs were very normal.

Kant's lips curled up.

He was very satisfied with this. After all, he had never seen a bad pack from the system.

But then his eyes were filled with shock.

And the shock was getting bigger and bigger.

[ You have received a special pack: Double the number of recruits (constant)]

[ You have received a special pack: Harvest week (double the agricultural output)]

[ You have received a special pack: Terrain modification (Lake)]

[ You have received a special pack: Refugee tide (500 peasant)]

[ You have received a special pack: Migrant tide (500 peasant)]

[ You have received a special pack: Level up (Council Hall)]

[ You have received a special pack: Level up (Castle)]

Seven in a row.

All of them were special packs!

Kant's eyes widened slightly, and his mood was even more agitated than the previous ten consecutive lottery.

In the system's rules.

Special gift packs were much more precious than other regular gift packs!

This was because these gift packs with special effects were directly affected by the rules. Compared to ordinary gift packs of buildings, troop class, items, and so on, they were very much better!

But before Kant could take a closer look...

The dialog box popped up again on his retina.

[ Ding... you have acquired the construction pack ]

[ You have opened the construction pack and found that it was the council hall (village)]

"What?"

Kant's eyes were filled with shock.

So much so that he stood up on his chair.

His breathing was a little hurried.

His gaze was fixated on the dialog box on his retina. He used almost all of his restraint before finally sitting down again. The depths of his eyes were still filled with shock and disbelief as he looked at the final construction pack.

It was as if he had sensed Kant's agitation.

The system popped up an introduction.

[ Council hall (village): This is the foundation of a village. When you have this council hall, it means that you can build a village. Remark: this council hall will randomly select a kingdom's village. Please use it carefully. ]

Kant swallowed his saliva.

Kant's lips curled into a smile. He couldn't help but want to laugh out loud.

This was really a surprise that came out of nowhere!

Just this council hall alone was already worth the 21 gift packs that he obtained from these two lucky draws. In Kant's opinion, even if he completely gave up these gift packs in exchange for this council hall, it would still be worth it!

This represented a new village.

A new beginning.

As well as the continuation of a new power!

"Good, good, good.", Kant sat down again. His face was slightly red, and he could not help but mutter in a low voice, "Very good, very good, very good. This is really too good."

His 16 years of etiquette training had been almost completely defeated at this time.

But he could not help but be excited.

Kant could have chosen another reasonable area, built the council hall, and developed a new village.

And one in the light and one in the dark.

Let the Oasis Lookout "Drondheim" become the focus of everyone's attention, but in the dark, for his own safety and faster development, he could develop a new village, just like the two wheels of a carriage, driving side by side.

Most of the time, it was a cunning rabbit with three burrows.

If an irresistible accident happened, then there was still a chance to save himself.

It would not be the same as now.

If he made a wrong step, he would lose the whole game.

Kant, as the leader, knew the dangers of walking on the edge of the cliff very well. If he had not chosen the right route, had the system provided absolute help in the initial stage, and had some luck, perhaps his bones would have been thrown into the sand under the Oasis Lookout.

"It really is luck." Kant could not help but sigh.

He held back his excited thoughts.

Kant forced himself to regain his calm.

His gaze swept across the list of gift packs that had been drawn ten times in a row. He smiled and said, "These rewards are not bad."

A hero pack.

An item pack.

A construction pack.

And seven special gift packs with the power of rules.

He muttered to himself.

Kant communicated with the mind system said, "Open the hero pack and item pack!"

In his mind.

The 22 golden cards he had just obtained started to flip, and two cards with a man figure and horn on them suddenly exploded into a golden data stream, dissipating into nothingness.

One of the cards formed a data stream and appeared behind the dune on the eastern side of Oasis Lookout.

A figure appeared.

Riding on a horse and wearing a black linen hood, he slowly rode up the dune.

However, he was not an enemy.

He did not have any weapons on him, and the only thing that could be considered a weapon was perhaps the two meters long stick on his back. However, although the clothes on this slowly approaching rider were clean, he gave people a sense of dejection.

He came to the top of the dune and lifted his hood.

It was a face of a middle-aged man. Looking at the city gate and the city wall, where people were still cleaning up the blood stains, he frowned slightly.

However, when he saw a figure who was only commanding under the city wall, his face also showed some excitement. He lightly knocked on the horse's abdomen and urged the horse down the dune, walking toward the fortress not far away.

In front of him, 10 desert bandits had already received the news of the arrow tower and were rushing over on their horses.

Kant wasn't sure about all of this at the moment.

But in his room, an item that looked like an enlarged version of the ox horn appeared on the table. It was wrapped in silver and gold and had exquisite gemstones as decorations.

Introduction popped up.

[ Commanding power (Horn)]

[ Attribute: 1. The morale of your side within a 500-yard radius of the horn will increase. 2. When the horn is blown, the troops will gain a 10-minute "Excited" status and maintain morale. 3. When the troops are ambushed, the morale of the troops will not drop. 4. When the morale of the troops collapses, the sound of the horn can reignite the fighting spirit of the troops. ]

[ Introduction: this is the legendary horn. Having it means having victory. ]

Kant looked at the horn that looked like a work of art.

His eyes were filled with joy.

Because it this [ Commanding power ] had the same origin as [ Intimidation ]. It was derived from the title of the MOD of "Mount & Blade: Light and Darkness".

There was only a difference.

When it was used as a title, the two would never appear at the same time.

But now, it could be used as an item, as a strange object.

It just happened to appear in Kant's hands. As a divine weapon on the battlefield, it was supposed to display its strongest effect!

Chapter 161: The Construction of the Fortress

On the battlefield, morale can lead to an absolute victory or defeat.

This saying is absolutely correct.

It can be called the truth.

Because it had been proven in history that troops with low morale simply could not compete with troops with high morale.

If the two sides were to engage in a decisive battle.

Even if the troops with high morale had fewer people and poorer equipment, they could still easily defeat troops with low morale, better equipment, and large numbers.

And Kant now had in control of this mysterious morale!

He currently had two great items.

[ Intimidation ] was used to lower the enemy's morale, while [ Commanding Power ] was used to raise their morale. When these two items buffing each other, their troops would become invincible.

This was the reason why he was excited.

Although the loyalty of the recruits was enough, it was a constant loyalty.

However, with their own personalities, habits, and thoughts, their morale was not always at constant status.

This was because they would also be afraid, scared, and nervous. Hence, when they faced with the enemy's violent attacks, they would definitely not willing to sacrifice their life if the casualties were high. They would also choose to flee like ordinary people, but the result would be the complete collapse of their defensive line, thus, they would lose a certain crucial battle.

Hence, Kant had always placed great importance on the morale of the troops.

He looked at the horn on the table.

"Very good.", Kant smiled. This problem had been solved.

Mind communication system.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Kant made up his mind. He wanted to turn all the reward he had just drawn into reality. After all, the remaining 21 golden cards were still floating quietly in his mind.

In an instant.

The familiar view of God reappeared in Kant's eyes.

He once again arrived at the 20-meter high altitude of the Oasis Lookout.

First was the building card.

[ Stable: Military building. A shed made of stone and wood, which can shelter the horses from the wind and rain, providing a more comfortable environment. However, this building can only store horses and does not have the ability to nurture warhorse or provide excellent studs. ]

[ Tavern: Economic building. ]. The craftsmen built the stone well and carefully processed the woods. The building was built into a two-story building. Tables and chairs were placed, and alcohol-type drinks and food were prepared, so that people could drink freely in it during their leisure time. Remark: economic building can charge denar for its interior. ]

[ Linen workshop: Economic building. This small workshop does not look big, it is just a small wooden shed. The attentive peasant women are busy inside, and after processing the flax bales, they then process it into high-quality linen cloth. ]

[ Salt workshop: Economic type building. This is a workshop that covers an area of 500 square meters. The neatly cut stone slabs are arranged into whole pieces, and they have been treated with anti-seepage treatment to prevent damages when drying the salt. ]

[ Stone paving road: Civil building. Neat stones are laid together to form three-meters wide road. It can extend to a very long distance. If it exceeds the required distance, it will cost extra 10 denars per meter to build. ]

These were the five most basic buildings.

Kant narrowed his eyes slightly.

He built the stable next to the east city gate to store the warhorse of the heavy cavalry and light cavalry. In an emergency, these cavalries could immediately get on their horses and rush out through the city gate.

The linen workshop and salt workshop were built in the crafts area on the west side, which was close to the sugar workshop.

As for the tavern, Kant looked at the introduction and thought deeply.

If he charged denar internally, wouldn't he be able to open the tavern and let people spend money to earn denar? Just like the tavern in the game, if he wanted to drink, he had to pay.

"Not bad.", Kant chuckled. He built the tavern at the junction of the residential area and the military area. It was located at the east end of the council hall road and could be built close to the camp of the desert bandits.

"Hold on the road construction first."

Kant thought carefully and did not directly choose to build a road.

Although according to the introduction, he could completely rely on this system road to build a pathway from the Oasis Lookout to the natural salt mine or directly to the posthouse. In the future, it would be a huge leap to the trade caravan's progress.

But that was for the future.

Kant's current principle was to develop in secret.

The road leading directly to the posthouse was easy to expose himself, and the road leading from the Oasis Lookout to the natural salt mine would expose the location of his salt mine. Although he was not afraid of the enemy's attack, it would be good to have less trouble.

Development was the absolute principle.

Moreover, Kant had a camel farm. He bought more than ten camels to form a camel caravan. The speed of traveling in the desert was not slower than the speed of traveling on the road. Therefore, he was not in a hurry to build the road, but to build the buildings in the fortress first.

It was thanks to the city planning that he had prepared beforehand.

Now Kant was not worried about the location of the construction. Instead, he seemed to be in good order and not in a mess.

This was also the same for the agricultural area and the animal husbandry area.

The 25-acre date palm jungle was connected to the previous 5-acre date palm jungle. It was like a sand-blocking forest on the north side. Lush green patches appeared there. The date palm tree was tall and straight, and the greenery that had not been seen for a few days was restored. It gave people joy and happiness, because the cluster of small flowers under the palm leaves proved that these date palm trees were in the flowering and pollination period.

As if sensing the scent of pollen, in the fortress, groups of desert bees suddenly flapped their wings and flew out, happily diving into the forest that was filled with the sweet scent of date palm.

Before long, the sweet date palm honey would appear in the honeycomb waiting to be harvested.

The 50-acre wheat field was also connected to the 7.5-acre wheat field.

However, the previous 7.5-acre wheat field belonged to the sandy soil of the Oasis Lookout. Only the seeds produced by the system were used, so the growth cycle was also very long. At least more than a month had passed, but there were no signs of sprouting.

The wheat field produced by the system was different.

They were materialized in the real world.

The green wheat seedlings were swaying on the fertile soil. The slight greenery of wheat seedlings matched with the lush greenery of the date palm forest. It curled up slightly under the midday sun, making it look pitiful.

The 50 arcs of wheat fields were already quite huge.

In fact, with the 30 arcs of date palm jungle, the size of the agricultural area was almost twice that of Drondheim.

To the north of the city wall, rich crops were growing.

At a glance.

From the bottom of the city wall to the sand dune in the distance, it was completely the territory of date palm forest and wheat fields. The sand layer had completely disappeared and was replaced by the standard fertile soil, the kind of excellent land that could grow crops.

The systematic field was self-organized.

Kant had long known this.

Materialization in this world would change the structure of the land itself. Just like now, from sand to soil, it was like the fertile soil was dug out of nowhere, and exchanged with same volume of sand in here.

Even the pastures in the livestock area were the same.

On the west side of the lake, the chee grass grass beach extended to 20 acres, and the waist-height chee grass was very dense.

At the same time, in the southwest direction of the lake, the 20 arcs alfalfa grass pasture also known as the "King of forage grass" was also established there.

Both types of forage grass were high-quality forage grass that could be fed to livestock, especially alfalfa grass. It was well-nourished and could be fed to warhorses without any problems. As long as it was combined with a little beans and bread, the physical strength of warhorse would not decrease due to improper feeding, on the contrary, it would become stronger and more handsome.

If a cow that was producing milk wanted to produce a large amount of milk every day, feeding alfalfa grass was the best choice.

From this, it could be seen that alfalfa grass was extremely nutritious.

"Flax field."

Kant looked at the last piece of agricultural field and placed it on the north side of the lake.

These flax seedlings could become flax when they grew up. The harvested flax bundles could be used as raw materials for weaving. After being processed, they would form flax fibers. After being carefully woven, it would become a top-grade linen.

As for flax seeds, they could be pressed for oil.

Currently the oil that eaten by the people in "Drondheim" fortress was made from the fat of the sand gazelle, or the lard from the Reyvadin caravan. As for vegetable oil, it was quite difficult to obtain.

However, Kant didn't have a press oil workshop.

If he wanted to eat flax oil, he still needed to wait and see if the system's reward would appear.

"There's also the anger camp."

Kant's eyes lit up.

This was a building that was independent of the original battle group. It was from the game (Prophesy of Pendor). It was the troop class system of the Ravenstern Kingdom. The archer troop class was recruited by this building and they had their own abilities.

[ Ranger camp: Military building. This was the training camp that the Ravenstern Kingdom had set up in the Misty Mountains. They are the guardians of the northern border. These rangers received training here. Every week, 10 Ravenstern Rangers are available for recruitment. The recruitment fee is 60 denars per person. ]

The system directly popped out an introduction of the ranger camp in Kant's vision.

Clear and detailed.

However, these rangers, being a Level 4 troop class, were actually 10 denars more expensive than the same level 4 troop class, Vaegirs archers. Kant thought about it careful. These rangers were good at fighting in small groups. They were more powerful and had extremely high accuracy, they were indeed slightly stronger than Vaegirs archers.

After all, the archers of the Kingdom of Vaegirs were the strongest only after they formed into certain scale.

The two countries had different concepts of how archers were used.

Of course, none of them who was stronger or weaker. Only if the troop class coordinated well, and whose archers were more able to deal with the enemy's attack. After all, Vaegirs archers who were used to fighting on the snowy plains and grasslands, or on the plains, they definitely could not be compared to the Ravenstern rangers who were used to fighting in the deep mountains and forests. Each of them had their own strengths and weaknesses!

Kant thought in his heart.

This ranger camp was built next to the Vaegirs shooting range. It was also close to the direction of the city wall stairs.

The two buildings provided 10 archers per week for recruitment. As long as there was any situation, Kant could directly recruit these archers to fill the current shortage of archers on the city wall.

Chapter 162: Rules of the Special Gift Pack

Buildings were built quickly because of prior planning.

The next special gift pack that involved rules was easier to use because it did not require too much of planning. After all, changing the rules directly was the job of the system.

Kant glanced at the special gift pack that was still listed on his retina.

After pondering for a short while, he made up his mind. He communicated with the system and ordered in a solemn voice, "Directly use the refugee wave and the immigration wave."

The system followed his thoughts.

In his mind, the two cards with countless human figures on them suddenly shattered into countless streams of light.

It was still the same old place.

On the east side of Oasis Lookout, behind the dune, 500 refugees in ragged clothes and 500 immigrants in neat clothes were walking towards the dune in big and small packs. The two were clearly separated, but there was not much of a gap between them.

Vaegirs archers on the arrow tower quickly discovered that so many strangers were approaching.

Following the urgent shouts, 40 elite desert bandits led 70 desert bandits and rushed out of the city gate. They raised their spears and machetes and quickly approached the dune. They blocked in front of these 1,000 people, but they did not attack.

After asking, they confirmed that they were refugees and immigrants who had come to seek refuge with Lord Kant.

They simply let them pass on the spot.

After all, they were all on the same side, so there was no need to make things difficult for them.

Kant saw it clearly from the God's view.

At the same time, he also saw that in the direction of the city gate, Firentis was talking to an unfamiliar middle-aged man. Kant looked carefully and he knew that this was the hero pack that he had obtained previously -- James.

A doctor from the continent of Caradia.

Perhaps he was the best doctor. There was no doubt about it, especially in terms of surgery. After all, he was able to open the patient's skull for treatment in the Middle Ages, not only did ordinary doctors not have the courage, they probably did not understand surgery too well. And according to Kant's understanding of him, surgery, treatment, and first aid, James could be considered as a soldier's savior.

In the game, with James as a full-time doctor, the casualty rate of soldiers could be reduced by half!

He had great skills.

After all, Kant had three heroic NPCs.

Firentis was in charge of commanding the cavalry, Manid was in charge of making money from the trade caravan, and James was in charge of treating the wounded.

At the moment, it seemed that the combination was very reasonable.

Kant was also satisfied with this. At the same time, he scanned the golden card in his mind and chose a new one. He contacted the system and activated it. "Use terrain modification to create a lake!"

The card instantly shattered.

The golden data flow began to spread.

Kant had previously drawn the special reward of this "Terrain modification (Lake)", so he was very familiar with how to use similar magic ball rules. At the same time, he quickly made a decision in his mind.

The new lake was also 80 meters long, 30 meters wide, and about three meters deep.

The two lakes were connected to each other, moving in a north-south direction. The narrow and long waters just happened to occupy the sand dune plain where the Oasis Lookout was located. Although there were dune all around, the new lake could already extend to the end of the 50 acres of wheat fields and 30 acres of date palm tree, it was convenient for irrigation when the canal was built in the future.

The appearance of a large number of fields also meant a large amount of irrigation.

Especially in the desert where there was a large amount of evaporation, irrigation was needed at any time and place.

Otherwise, the tender seedlings would be directly burned to death by the Sun.

This was not a joke in the desert. After all, Kant's agricultural area had not been developed in time, and all of them had been burned to death because of his poor management, resulting in no harvest. Although no one laughed at it, Kant himself could not stand it.

He would not let such a situation happen to him.

"Build the canal!"

Kant did not say anything and directly chose to rebuild the canal.

After paying 100 denars, the construction team from Suno also appeared at the dune. According to the usual practice, the canal would be completed in seven days. It would irrigate all 50 acres of wheat fields and 30 acres of date palm forest, as well as the 10 acres of flax fields.

Because Kant had drawn a spring before, large amount of spring water poured into the underground water network, so the Oasis Lookout had no shortage of water resources.

"Use, growth of all living things!"

Kant said in a deep voice, his voice slightly grave.

The golden card shattered into pieces, and the data stream instantly surged out like a huge dragon. It exploded like a sprinkling, and countless tiny data streams fell down, slowly covering the entire Oasis Lookout, it was like a gentle wind and rain, brushing past the vegetation.

But when the vegetation and fields absorbed the tiny data streams, the original greenery became even more obvious.

It was like some mysterious force was stimulating the vitality of these plants.

And in just a few seconds, the five arcs of chee grass beach that had been completely harvested previously was sprouted and took shape again. The rich chee grass once again appeared in the grass beach, almost exactly the same as before it was harvested.

The most amazing thing was the five acres of date palm jungle that had only a wooden stake left.

At the top of the wooden stake, data streams were attached.

Date palm trees sprouted from the bottom to the top, followed by long palm leaves. Under the leaves were young branches full of date flowers, as well as small date fruits that could be faintly seen on them.

It was truly the growth of all living things.

Kant's eyes were filled with shock, but he quickly recovered.

He had been shocked too much today.

"Double the number of recruits, permanent camp of the Desert Bandits."

Kant continued to give orders, "Level up, permanent council hall."

The system quickly responded.

Kant had used "Double the number of recruits" in the past, and it was also permanent in the desert bandit camp. And now, by continuing to maintain this kind of rule, the number of recruits doubled. It directly increased to 40 desert bandits per week, which was almost 160 people per month, it was enough to form a cavalry unit!

The role of these light cavalries was brilliant in the previous battles.

Scouting, harassing, and following the charge of the heavy cavalries.

As well as the post-war cleanup work, all of them completed the jobs perfectly. Therefore, Kant had high hopes for these low-level light cavalry soldiers. Although their close-range combat ability was really not good, they had high mobility. They could display their full potential, and became the best cavalry.

When charging into battle, the Swadian heavy cavalries would naturally be in charge.

The option of "Level up" was a special gift pack to speed up the nurturing of high-level footman.

[ Level up (council hall) : A mysterious power condenses within it. The power of rules is contained within the golden light. Attribute: Swadian recruit recruited by the council hall can be directly upgraded to Swadian militia. ]

Kant read the introduction and nodded slightly.

As the central building of the fortress, the council hall had both administrative and military capabilities. Recruiting a Swadian recruit for the lord was also an important special effect.

However, the Swadian recruit was no longer able to keep up with Kant's pace of battle.

Or it could be said that even the militia was the same.

Compared to the weak Swadian recruits, these Swadian militia who had hunting crossbow, heavy spear, and equipped with iron-scale armor and wooden shields were enough to solve some of the problems. At the very least, they were much better than the Swadian recruit.

Looking at the remaining three gift packs.

Kant narrowed his eyes slightly, his expression slightly solemn.

Council hall, Level up, Harvest week.

Kant understood that the first two were the key to developing a village again, and the guarantee to let the current "Drondheim" develop into a real castle. According to his current plan, they were two special gift packs that would not be touched.

Kant still needed to carefully plan the location of the village to be built.

And to develop it into a castle, he still needed to complete the construction of all the buildings.

The use of these two gift packs was temporarily postponed.

"Harvest week."

Kant looked at the last special gift pack with a puzzled expression.

The system gave an introduction.

[ Harvest week: This card contains mysterious rules and powers. After use, the crops can immediately mature and harvest this week, allowing the owner of the crops to obtain a bumper harvest. ]

"I see.", Kant understood.

In layman's terms, it was directly allowing the crops to undergo the process of sprouting, blooming, bearing fruit, and maturing within a week.

He could only shake his head at this.

The changes from the system's rules were truly invincible.

In the Academy of the Dukedom of Leo, Kant had once heard about the secret matters of mages, especially in other dukedom where there was a Druid sect that advocated the nature. They were good at helping the development of agriculture. It was said that they could make crops sprout and grow quickly, but it was impossible to make such a large-scale change.

"There aren't many who can compete with the system, right?", Kant smiled.

This was his cheat.

It was also equal to his ability, not inferior to those mysterious mages who stayed in the Mage Tower all day long.

Compared to the so-called extraordinary power, Kant was more confident in how many elite troops he had. After all, a large number of troops formed by these ordinary soldiers, even extraordinary power had to bow in front of the army.

At the very least, he knew that these mages were not invincible.

Even when the Dukedom of Leo began to wage war, the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, could summon those mages with mysterious extraordinary powers to attack with the army and use them as a powerful force.

If the mages were really strong, how could the magical beasts, darkness, and some mages from the DND series bow their heads in front of the secular king?

In a low magic oriented world, an army formed by ordinary people was still strong enough to make the extraordinary powers bow their heads.

In a sense, an elite troop was even more precious than extraordinary powers!

Kant thought of the Dukedom of Leo and couldn't help but think of his cooperation with Baron Dylan at the Stone Pass. He hadn't traded table salt for nearly three weeks, and the baron was probably impatient of waiting.

"After settling the current matters, perhaps it's time to make a trip to the Stone Pass."

Kant made up his mind.

However, looking at the dialog box that popped up automatically in his vision, the corner of his mouth curled up into a smile. "Can all of the troop class be leveled up? In my opinion, this is really worth looking forward to!"

The dialog box of troop class popped out from the system.

After experiencing this double-rated epic victory and legendary comment, Kant's soldiers had obtained a lot of experience points!

It was more than enough to level up for all the soldiers!

Chapter 163: The Latest Data Interface

The system displayed the interface of the troop class on the retina.

The soldiers in Drondheim had just been through a battle and won. Therefore, the experience points they received was definitely enough to level up, and it was even possible for them to level up consecutively.

Except for 10 Swadian militiamen who were responsible for guarding the posthouse, they did not receive experience points.

The rest of the troop class that had not yet reached the top level could all level up.

"Level up."

Kant communicated with mind communication system directly and gave the order.

There was no need to be long-winded.

Since all the troop class's experience was sufficient, Kant would not be petty spending his denars!

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ All troop class's level up, a total of 36,510 denars. ]

[ Yes/No? ]

The system immediately popped up a dialog box.

"Choose to pay."

Kant had a lot of savings at the moment, obviously he did not hesitate.

Along with the crisp sound of metal coins colliding, the number of denars in his mind immediately decreased.

The data flow spread.

Outside the council hall, many troops that were still waiting for orders and cleaning up the battlefield were instantly covered by this data flow. In just a short moment, these troops that were scattered along with the data flow had undergone an earth-shaking change.

Their bodies became sturdy, and their weapons and equipment were completely new.

It was an earth-shattering change!

The Swadian militia received the most experience points after they desperately defending against the enemies and led to severe casualties. The remaining 188 militiamen skipped the level 3 troop class light footman, and were directly promoted to a Level 4 Swadian heavy cavalry.

This was as expected.

It was these level 2 militiamen who had risked their lives to stabilize the defense line when they were defending against the Jackalan's attack on the city walls and city gates.

If they had not fought to the death...

Once those crazy high-level Jackalan charged in, there would be unimaginable consequences.

At the same time, the 50 Swadian footmen stationed behind the city gates had received the strongest attack from the high-level Jackalan, they had paid the price of 37 deaths. The remaining 13 footmen had all been upgraded to a level up Swadian sergeants.

They had become the most well-equipped and luxurious level up 5 footmen in the entire kingdom of Swadia, or in other words, the continent of Caradia!

It was not just the footmen.

The archers who had stubbornly resisted on the city walls and arrow towers had also changed greatly.

All 63 of the Vaegirs archers had been upgraded to 63 marksmen who held the Vaegirs battle bow. They wore mail armor and wore a pot helmet on their heads. Their faces were resolute, and they had the power of level 5 archers. They were no weaker than the Raventern rangers who were also level up 5 archers.

As for the Swadian crossbowmen who had suffered heavy losses on the city walls, the remaining 10 of them had all been upgraded to Swadian snipers.

They were all level 5 archers.

Although they held heavy crossbows in their hands, their power was weaker than the snipers of the Kingdom of Rhodoks.

However, their rich experience over a long period of time had allowed them to have their own style of fighting among the level up 5 archers. At the very least, in terms of long-range sniping experience and skills, these Swadian snipers were no weaker than those Rhodok sharpshooters.

This was a qualitative change in the army.

It also included the last sweep, the cavalry which completely destroyed the enemy's morale.

87 Swadian heavy cavalries had used up tens of thousands of denars just to level up, but the result was 87 terrifying Swadian knight. They wore double layers of heavy chain mail, and even their strongest warhorse wore heavy chain mail from the top to bottom. Their lower chest and abdomen were covered by the chain armor until their calves. They were the strongest heavy cavalry that had never met any enemy on the plains.

Including the previous 10 Swadian knight, Kant now had 97 heavy armored tanks that were made of steel in the age of cold weapons!

It meant that they were invincible in this age of cold weapon!

The only one that could be compared to these knights was the Mamluke of Sarrand Sultanate. They were the king of steel in the desert. They were better at using two-handed iron staffs to fight in close combat.

The 40 original Sarrandian horsemen were all upgraded to Mamlukes.

Kant's absolute trump card.

The 97 Swadian knights were invincible in a frontal charge.

The 45 Mamlukes charged into the enemy's formation and fought efficiently.

The 120 Sarrandian horseman could also be considered heavy cavalry, they were all wearing Sarrandian chain armor and holding a military spear. The only drawback was that the Sarrandian horseman didn't have any armor, and it was only covered with linen.

This was the consecutive level up of 40 elite desert bandits and 70 desert bandits.

In the current battle sequence.

The complete light cavalry unit had temporarily disappeared, but they didn't need to wait too long. The desert bandit camp now had 40 desert bandits per week. As long as Kant had enough denar, they could quickly reappear in this vast desert.

The current Drondheim fortress was no longer the same as before.

No force could be like Kant.

Even if they had gone through a brutal battle, as long as they could forcefully hold on and obtain victory, it would be a rebirth for his stronghold. They wouldn't just blindly exhaust their strength and cause casualties form both other.

Kant had cheat.

In the true sense, Kant could use battle to nourish the battle!

Just like after this battle.

The 'Drondheim' fortress had entered a new stage of development. According to Kant's speculation, by the end of this month, he could even complete the construction of all the buildings and completely upgrade the fortress to a castle!

He already had a pass to level up.

Among the special gift pack that he had obtained from the lottery, the [ level up (Castle)] card was still floating quietly in his mind. As long as he completed the construction of all the buildings, this originally simple fortress would immediately be upgraded to a castle. It would become a regional building that could truly defend a strategic location!

Kant narrowed his eyes slightly.

The dialog box on his retina quickly refreshed.

He was excited. He calmed his emotions and ordered the system in a deep voice, "Open the data interface."

[ Ding... the data interface is opening... ]

The system immediately replied.

On Kant's retina, a new data interface appeared.

......

[ Drondheim ]

[ Lord: Kant ]

[ Balance: 112,520 dinars ]

[ Reputation: 13,700]

[ Honor: 0]

[ General: Firentis, Manid, James ]

[ Type: Swadian Fortress ]

[ Current population: 1,050]

[Building: Council hall (Fortress class), house (50) , tavern, bell tower, grocery store, sugar workshop, salt workshop, linen workshop, training ground, mill, fence, well, canal, posthouse, stone city wall, city gate, arrow tower, desert bandit camp, ranger camp, Vaegirs shooting range, camel farm, stable ]

[ Constructions available: Barracks, city walls, city gates, arrow towers, weapons workshops, cells ]

[ Level up: Training ground ]

[ Construction pack: Paved roads, council hall (village)]

[ Agricultural resources: Date Palm Jungle (30 mu) , wheat fields (50 mu) , chee grass beach (20 mu) , alfalfa grass fields (20 mu) , flax fields (10 mu)]

[ Animal husbandry: single humped camel (10) , desert bee (5 hives) , sand grouse (50)]

[ Current troops: Swadian militia (10) Swadian sergeant (13) , Swadian knight (97) , Swadian heavy cavalry (188) , Mamluke (45) , Sarrandian horseman (120) , Ravenstern ranger (7) , Vaegir Marksman (63) , Swadian sniper (10)]

[ Recruitable: Swadian militia (council hall) , 40 desert bandits/week (desert bandit camp) , 10 Ravenstern rangers/week (Ranger camp) , 10 Vaegirs archers/week (Vaegirs shooting range)]

[ Comment: In this barren desert oasis, the 'Drondheim' fortress stands tall. It seems to be in good condition. The clear spring water flowed into the lake, and then through the canal, it nourished hundreds of arcs of land. The people living in the fortress were busy with smiles on their faces. Their movements were light and skilled. They could find jobs here and make a living from it. The city wall was strengthened by the attic, and the arrow towers were neat and perfect. The city defense was well-arranged, and elite soldiers were stationed on top of it to guard it. This was a vibrant fortress, and it had a great future. But what was worth noting was that there were very few women in the fortress]

[ Remark: not included in the statistics. ]

........

Looking at the data on the system interface.

Kant smiled, and his eyes were filled with self-satisfaction.

In the final comment of the system, there were no sarcastic words. Instead, it fully affirmed the development of the fortress. This represented the success of Kant's military-oriented development path.

The military development would lead to the continuous development of the estate.

With sufficient self-protection ability, they could use this power to safely develop agriculture or the economy.

"Dang dang dang."

There was a light knock on the door. Swadian sergeant in double-layered chain armor stood outside.

With only 13 people left, they did not go to the defense of the city wall. Instead, they stayed alone in the council hall as Kant's personal guards, they also served as daily messengers. "My Lord, dinner has been prepared in the kitchen downstairs. I wonder if you have time to participate in the celebration banquet?"

"Of course I have time,", Kant replied.

He turned his head to look out of the window. The sunlight was no longer fierce, and the shadows of dusk could already be seen in the horizon.

He stood up, opened the door, and walked down the stairs.

Even the hall was filled with the fragrance of food. After he walked out, the streets were filled with tables full of various of food. It seemed like they not concerned about the cost, even the black pepper and white salt that was dipped in food were mixed in small plates. Anyone could eat these precious luxury condiments.

The peasant women were busy, and the new civilians were also helping.

Manid was arranging the command.

At the top of the attic not far away from the city wall, Firentis and James were standing side by side, leading a team of Vaegirs marksmen on patrol. They were sizing up the situation outside, looking extremely cautious.

"This is good, isn't it?", Kant had a smile on his face.

This was his estate.

Chapter 164: The End of the Month Arrived In the Blink of an Eye

Time flew by, and three weeks passed quickly.

It was the end of the month.

Oasis Lookout was still busy, but it was full of vitality.

The civilians were busy in the agricultural area and the livestock area on the north side. No one could relax, but no one complained about such days. Instead, they wore happy smiles on their faces, full of love for the construction of their home.

They were full of energy.

At the celebration banquet, Lord Kant, the lord of this place, promised.

"Drondheim" would not mistreat any of its citizens!

This statement was said by my Lord himself. It was absolutely authoritative. The civilians who had been plagued by exploitation and war in the continent of Caradia gave an absolute applause.

That was why they treated the Oasis Lookout as their home and worked diligently.

Moreover, this was the land of miracles.

Lord Kant's reputation was spread throughout the continent of Caradia. Under the praises of the bards, everyone knew that he was a young, benevolent, and philosophical lord. Even the noble would be awestruck when they heard his name, thus, they would never deceive ordinary civilians like them.

And when they came here, they also noticed Kant's kindness.

Because these civilians only needed to pay one denar per week for the head tax.

They were usually given food, drink, and accommodation.

In Caradia, those greedy nobles would not care about the lives of the civilians in their own estate, they were so greedy that they would break the bones and suck their marrow. They only knew how to levy all kind of taxes, and then expand their army to build stronger troops to plunder other lords. Or they responded to the king's call and attacked the territories of other kingdoms.

"May God bless Lord Kant."

Thinking of this, the civilians who were still busy with farm work prayed in their hearts.

It was rare to see such a good lord.

At this moment.

Kant was walking in the attic of the city wall.

Inside, the Vaegirs marksmen who were scattered in the city wall and the arrow tower came to Kant respectfully and bowed to him. They did not put on the airs of a level 5 troop class and were unusually complimentary to Kant.

"Did you find anything unusual?"

They came to the top of the arrow tower in the northeast corner.

Kant stood within the 10-meter tall arrow tower, looking at the continuous dune to the north.

The marksmen behind him replied, "No, my lord, everything is normal."

"Very good."

Kant nodded, and at the same time, exhorted, "Keep an eye out for me."

"Yes.", the marksmen replied.

Although they had defeated the expedition army of the Kingdom of Grey Mane and sold all the captives as slaves, basically wiping out these Jacakalans from the Mannheim coast, they still had to be vigilant.

Who knew if those high-level Jackalan would continue to send people over.

After all, the Kingdom of Grey Mane on the Mannheim Coast was an independent kingdom. Sending people over to inquire about the results of the expedition army was very simple.

There was also the most crucial point.

Manid, 30 one-humped camels, and a camel team of 20 desert bandits had already gone deep into the Nahrin Desert to collect coarse salt from the natural salt mines. It had been three days, and they should be back soon.

The speed of one-humped camels in the desert was not inferior to that of desert horses.

Kant spent 20,000 denars to buy the other 20 one-humped camels which were similar to the previous 10 camels. They were all boats of the desert, elves that could walk briskly among the dune.

Moreover, their ability to carry things was even more outstanding.

"There's a situation."

Kant was just about to walk down the arrow tower.

At the same time, the sharp-eyed Vaegirs marksman who was looking into the distance noticed something. After careful identification, he immediately reported, "In the north, Mr. Manid's camel team has returned!"

"Huh?", Kant also turned his head to look.

After passing through the lush 30 acres of date palm jungle, the endless sea of sand was still at the end of his gaze.

He squinted.

Kant naturally knew that these Vaegirs marksmen would not lie to him.

He waited for a moment.

Finally, at the end of his eyesight in the north, a tiny black dot appeared in his eyes. Although he still could not see it clearly, Kant still smiled and praised, "Well done."

The vision of the Vaegirs marksmen was much better than his.

Kant left the arrow tower and sped up his patrol of the city wall.

In fact, there was no need to patrol. The soldiers were all very conscientious.

Rather than saying that this was to patrol the city wall, it was better to say that Kant was venting his energy. After all, since the end of the city defense battle at the beginning of the month, along with the various construction arrangements in the fortress, the Oasis Lookout returned to peace. As a lord, he had nothing left to do.

All he could do every day was to walk around and look at his newly changed estate.

There were only so many places that could change.

After three weeks, Kant was already a little bored.

Although the previous days were a little tense and somewhat depressing, he was still quite fulfilled. Now that he was suddenly relaxed, he was not used to it.

After patrolling the city walls, Kant walked down the stairs.

Three Swadian sergeant followed behind him, swaying their burly bodies.

These were his guards.

"Good morning, Lord Kant."

"My Lord, how do you do?"

"Good morning, my Lord."

The civilians on the streets greeted Kant warmly.

"Good Morning.", Kant nodded in return.

As a noble, it was only right for him to enjoy such respect. After all, he was the lord of the continent of Caradia. If these civilians greeted the lord in an impolite manner, they would be punished according to the Lord's temper. Either they would be given a whipping, or they would be captured and thrown into a prison cell to squeeze out a ransom that was enough to bankrupt them.

However, Kant scoffed at this. A group of lords who had gone mad because of the war.

They walked along the street.

A faint sweet smell was spreading. It was the sugar workshop that was brewing date palm honey.

Those careful peasant women and the citizens who knew how to measure already boiled sugar on a large scale and cut it into thumb-sized pieces of sugar. The sugar pieces were placed in rattan baskets and placed in the cooler underground storeroom to prevent it from being melted by the high temperature.

There were now 20 baskets of date palm sugar in the storeroom of the council hall. They were all boiled during this period of time.

They were waiting for Manid's caravan to bring back coarse salt.

All of the coarse salt was processed into expensive fine white salt in the salt workshop before being transported to the Stone Pass.

Not only was the Dukedom of Leo lacking in salt, but it was also lacking in sugar.

These coarse date palm honey was also a precious sugar.

Moreover, the sweetness was more intense and prominent than pure honey. It would definitely be like the salt, becoming a separate business with the Stone Pass. The amount of trade would also be larger.

Of course, if Kant wanted to expand the trade, more than 3000 sets of mail armor and two-handed battle axes that he had seized could be sold at a sky-high price at the Stone Pass. Even Baron Dylan could not "eat" all these items alone. He would need the entire northern county of the Dukedom of Leo, or the southern county, which belonged directly to the king, would be able to buy them all.

After all, according to the proportion of the Jackalan's body size.

A set of mail armor could be cut into two sets that were suitable for humans. A two-handed battle axe could be smelted and forged again, and at least four longsword could be made.

This was a huge strategic resource!

Kant would not sell it rashly, which would arouse the suspicion of the Dukedom of Leo.

There was no need to cross the Devil's land to reach the nearby "Motherland". It would take more than 30 days of trekking through the desert to reach the southern part of the Nahrin Desert. If those greedy noble wanted to, they could appear outside the walls of Drondheim in a week.

Although his elite troops could ensure that he was no longer afraid of the threat of these nobles, they would still disrupt the development of Drondheim.

Currently, the buildings that had been upgraded were being built in full swing. The construction workers from Suno were in charge of the construction. The most time-consuming barracks would be completed on the last day of the month.

At that time, it would be the time for Drondheim to be officially upgraded to a castle.

Before that, he planned to personally lead a team to the Stone Pass and continue to communicate with his uncle, Baron Dylan. At the same time, he would explore the way and familiarize himself with the terrain in the Senwaya Range. He planned to build a village in a hidden place.

This was his main goal.

At the beginning, he had thought that even if there was no village, he would still want to build a logging field in the Senwaya Range.

Especially after defeating the expedition army of the Kingdom of Grey Mane.

Kant had completely brought the natural salt mine under his control, and increasing the production of fine white salt had to be put on the agenda.

This would also consume a large amount of firewood. The daily cooking of a fire and the brewing of sugar in the sugar workshop all required firewood as fuel. It was obviously not enough to rely solely on the date palm tree that had been cut down previously.

The establishment of a new village would alleviate this problem.

Although it was unknown which country the village would be randomly located at first, Kant had already planned to establish this village in the Senwaya Range as the location of the logging and slave-catching fields.

To provide a large number of high-quality charcoal for the Oasis Lookout.

And to provide Kant with a large number of low-level Jackalan.

After all, in this mountain range that separated the Nahrin desert from the Dukedom of Leo, who knew how many small groups of low-level Jackalan tribe were thriving within it. If they were to really talk about it, the number was even more than the Jackalan tribe in the Nahrin Desert.

After all, although the mountain range was barren, compared to the desert, it was obviously easier to live in it!

Back at the council hall.

Kant didn't wait for long before Manid and his caravan rushed back.

After properly arranging the task of the salt workshop, Manid took off his linen robe and tidied up his appearance. After making sure that he didn't lose his manners, he quickly entered the hall.

"Lord Kant, I'm back."

Manid first bowed and greeted Kant.

"Well done.", Kant nodded with a smile and reached out his hand. "Sit down, drink some water and eat something."

"Thank you very much."

Manid continued to respectfully put his hand on his chest to express his gratitude.

The peasant woman who had prepared food beside him brought it over and placed it in front of Manid.

Fresh toast, as well as sweet wheat porridge, fresh fried mutton and fried eggs.

It was quite a sumptuous meal.

Manid was starving and he did not hesitate. He was familiar with Kant's personality. After thanking him, he quickly finished his meal. However, in front of Lord Kant, he still maintained the most basic etiquette.

After finishing his meal, he wiped the corner of his mouth and said apologetically to Kant, "I hope I didn't offend you, Lord."

Chapter 165: Return of the Natural Salt Mine

Manid came from a noble family of merchants in Nord's mainland.

As a member of the wealthy class, he had naturally studied the noble etiquette. After all, his elegant speech and vast knowledge could help these merchants win the trust of unfamiliar nobles and business partners.

Thus, Manid paid more attention to etiquette.

He could maintain his elegant posture while swallowing down his food.

After filling his stomach, he exhaled in satisfaction. However, looking at the lord who was waiting for him to finish his food, he immediately picked up a towel and wiped the corner of his mouth. He said with an apologetic tone, "If I have offended you, please forgive me for my rudeness."

"No," Kant replied with a smile. "You did well."

"Thank you very much."Manid was relieved.

The peasant woman next to him walked over and quickly cleaned up the empty wooden bowls and plates on the table. At the same time, she wiped the table clean with a wet towel and a dry towel, making the long table clean again. There was no trace of oil or food residue.

Next was the time when Kant and Manid talked.

This was business.

After chatting for a while, the topic of their conversation also turned to natural salt mines.

Manid, who had just returned, reported first, "On this trip to the salt mines, 30 one-humped camels brought back a total of 180 bags of crude salt. After our processing and refining, we will get 120 bags of the purest refined white salt."

"Well, 120 bags of white salt.", Kant nodded and smiled with satisfaction. "Not bad."

Just simply looked at this world.

From the Oasis Lookout to the natural salt mine, the round trip cost was less than two great silver coins.

Even if the salt was processed and purified, and then transported to the Stone Pass where Baron Dylan was located, with the cavalry acting as the guards of the trade caravan to escort it, the total costs would not exceed 10 great silver coins.

And according to the contract with Baron Dylan, he would receive 50 great silver coins for each bag of white salt.

120 bags of white salt would be 6,000 great silver coins.

It was an extremely terrifying number.

It was also an extremely terrifying profit.

In Kant's hands, the natural coarse salt, which was originally in the alkali soil deep in the desert, was equivalent to a free gift. After a little processing and purification, its value had increased by hundreds or thousands of times. The word 'terrifying' was extremely appropriate!

"Make preparations today."

Kant opened his mouth and pondered for a moment. Then, he instructed Manid, "Tomorrow, we will set off for the Stone Pass."

"Understood.", Manid nodded.

This was a planned arrangement. He would know when he went to the natural salt mine.

The profit from this white salt was extremely huge.

To be able to have such a huge profit, it could not be separated from the shiny and cute valuable great silver coin. Otherwise, if these salt was simply saw as condiments and luxury goods, it could only be considered a little thing that could stimulate the tongue that was would circulate in the noble's kitchen at most. It was not a valuable precious item that could move anyone's heart!

At the very least, from the perspective of Baron Dylan from Stone Pass, he already tasted this profit that he could not refuse. It was obviously impossible for him to directly reject all of Kant's requests.

He bought it at the price of 50 great silver coins per bag and sold it for 300 great silver coins.

He roughly earned a profit of 250 great silver coins.

If he excluded the commerce's own operating costs, the expenses for the many lords, and the payment to some local bandits, the net profit of 150 great silver coins per bag of white salt would reach Baron Dylan in the end!

For the northern county of the Dukedom of Leo, which already had a harsh environment, the desertification of Stone Pass was extremely severed.

Several arcs of barren field, no matter how hard the serfs and farmers worked for a whole year, they would not be able to earn 50 great silver coins!

If this place was really rich and the land was fertile.

He would not had the chance to be in charge, he was a noble warrior with a sensitive identity after all.

Kant was certain.

The cooperation between the two sides would become closer and closer.

Before they completely fell out with each other, Baron Dylan would be easy to talk to and protect Kant to the death. He would guard his Stone Pass, and control the most important and the only passage in the Senwaya Range. He would completely monopolize the table salt trade with huge profits in his hands.

No one would give up such a huge and endless amount of long-term profits. Even if the two sides had a blood feud for generations, they were still able to fake a smile and sat down to negotiate while secretly stabbing each other.

Moreover, Kant and Baron Dylan did not have any enmity to begin with.

In a short period of time, with the support of such a huge amount of profits, the relationship between the two sides could only get better and better. And it would not get worse and worse.

Kant had been a person for two lifetimes. In this life, he was still a noble. He had seen many honeymoon periods with entanglement of profits. Or rather, Baron Dylan already treated Kant's Oasis Lookout and the natural salt mines as his own family property. As long as his strength grew stronger, he would be able to take over Kant's property after certain "accident".

It was a popular trick among the noble families, carrying the naked killing intent and greed. Even the fake smile on his face could not cover up the fragile balance line during this honeymoon period.

But the honeymoon period had not passed.

There was no need to worry about the two sides falling out. After all, if Baron Dylan wanted to develop to the point where he could conquer the Oasis Lookout, Kant's troops would have destroyed the Dukedom of Leo before that.

With the system's blessing, Kant was not afraid of fighting for his future!

Miscellaneous matters were finished for today.

The salt workshop also lit up firewood and began to boil salt. Using the Sarrandian method to purify it, they obtained the most expensive refined white salt. In one night, they could complete it all.

For this, Manid also arranged for 20 peasant women and 10 citizens to be in charge.

These townsfolks who came from the cities were obviously much smarter than the peasants who came from the countryside as refugees. Moreover, they all knew how to read and write, so they were qualified technical talents.

Night fell.

Oasis Lookout was sprinkled with soft muslin.

However, in the crafts area, the sugar workshop and the salt workshop were still busy.

The sweet smell of sugar and the sour smell of salt brine mixed together, and the smell was quite strange.

Anyone who walked past here were subconsciously cover their mouth and nose.

The doors and windows of the houses near the residential area were tightly closed, and the gaps were even clogged with linen. They were afraid that these two different smells would drift into the rooms, disturb their sleep, and affect their work tomorrow.

A lot of houses in the residential area had been built now.

During these three weeks, the Oasis Lookout had been greatly built.

As a house that could live and attract people, 50 houses were not enough to accommodate thousands of civilians.

So while Kant was building barracks, weapons workshops, and cells, he built 150 houses, and completely filled the residential area inside the city wall, forming five main streets and more alleys.

The 200 houses could accommodate 2,000 people.

If all of them were converted into overcrowded bunk beds, even 5,000 people could sleep.

Of course, Kant did not have to worry at the moment.

Now that there were enough houses, five people could be allocated one house, and there were additional public living rooms and toilets for people to use. Even if they got married and had a wife and children, five rooms in a house and 15 people living in it would not be a problem.

Good planning in advance could often be beneficial for the subsequent development.

Council hall.

With Kant as the leader, Firentis, Manid, and James were having dinner together. At the same time, they were chatting about some topics, telling jokes to each other, as well as the secret things that they heard. The atmosphere seemed to be harmonious.

There was no oppressive atmosphere at all.

And the food was also very fragrant, sweet, and delicious, which made people's appetite soar.

Until the end of the dinner.

"Burp..."he burped lightly.

Kant wiped the grease at the corner of his mouth with a napkin in satisfaction and said with a smile, "The chef's skills have been strengthened. This fried lamb chop tastes very good, especially the honey and date palm, as well as the sweet and spicy sauce made with spices. I like it very much."

"It comes from the skills of the citizens."

Manid answered with a smile, "Among them, there are tailors, blacksmiths, and chefs."

"They are much better than ordinary peasants.", Firenstis nodded and praised. "I have to admit that technical work is more suitable for the citizens to sit up, while peasant work is more suitable for the farmland."

James was older and more mature. He did not speak, but he nodded in agreement.

Kant also understood this point.

Just like the continent of Caradia, the development of handicrafts was often driven by the citizens.

As for the peasant, they were mostly in charge of agriculture in the countryside.

These literate citizens had their own specialized professions. When they received technical instruction, they could often accept it quickly and complete the task perfectly. Just like now, the sugar and salt workshops were taken over by these immigrant citizens.

The peasants were in charge of the agricultural area and the animal husbandry area.

"Tomorrow, Manid and I will head to the Rock Pass. We will be back at the end of the month."

Kant opened his mouth and brought the topic back.

Looking at Firentis and James, his commander and doctor said, "When the two of us leave, you will be in charge of the Oasis Lookout. If there are any problems, it is best to handle them carefully."

"Understood.", the two nodded.

The four of them talked about the work arrangements that they were going to do next.

"That's it.", Kant turned his head and saw that the sky had completely darkened, so he walked towards the stairs.

He needed a good rest tonight.

They would set off at dawn tomorrow morning. After at least three days of trekking, they would arrive at the Stone Pass.

This journey was not short.

"The dinner was delicious.", Manid also left, but he did not go to sleep. Instead, he inspected the salt workshop and sugar workshop to ensure that there were no problems before returning to his room on the second floor of the council hall to sleep.

They weren't going to the pass to travel.

They were going to trade.

As the fully-authorized merchant of Oasis Lookout, Manid naturally couldn't be careless.

At the same time, he was already calculating in his heart what he should buy when he arrived at the Stone Pass to meet Baron Dylan and his trade caravan to to ensure the replenishment of supplies for Oasis Lookout.

Although he was a merchant, he was Kant's subordinate.

Everything had to be done for sake of Drondheim.

Chapter 166: The Salt Camel Caravan at Dawn

"Oh Oh -- Oh --"

At dawn.

As the first ray of sunlight pierced through the solemn darkness, the sound of sand grouse sounded throughout the oasis.

This was the sign of the dawn.

The sleepiness of the entire Oasis Lookout was cleared. People opened the house and windows, stretched their bodies, greeted each other, and joked about their daily jokes, welcoming a brand new day.

The citizen responsible for the clock tower had also woken up.

After putting on his clothes and looking at the sun in the sky, he estimated the time in his heart.

It was about five in the morning.

Walking out of his room, he quickly walked toward the clock tower.

The citizens and peasant figures had also appeared on the street. They greeted each other with smiles on their faces. Although they had come from different places, since they had come to the Oasis Lookout, they were their own people now.

They were the residents of the Oasis Lookout, the close compatriots of Miracle Land, and the subjects of Lord Kant.

The peasant women carried buckets to the spring water.

They woke up early to prepare breakfast for the many civilians and soldiers.

This was not an easy job.

The citizens in charge of the bell tower sighed. After all, it was the food for more than a thousand people, three meals a day, and supper for the night guards. If it weren't for these strong peasant women being busy in the morning and in the dark, then soldiers or civilians would definitely be starving.

After breakfast, there would be lunch, and after lunch break, there would be dinner.

After dinner, there would be supper prepared.

In addition, everyone's wooden bowls, plates, knives, forks, and other cutlery needed to be washed.

For this, the 50 peasant women all applied to James, who oversaw the current trivial matters, and mobilized another 50 citizens to help. Otherwise, there would be too much work to be done, and there would be very little time for sleep and rest.

When he thought of the fact that his job only required him to ring the bell, the citizen was glad.

He arrived at the bell tower.

Next to it was the towering council hall made of stone.

The citizen subconsciously swallowed his saliva.

There were two Swadian sergeants standing at the entrance of the council hall. Under the linen robe, there was a bulging double-layer chain armor. Just the heavy heater shield in their hands and the heavy bastard sword at their waists gave him an aura of elite fierceness.

This was the strongest elite footmen in Swadia.

Any man who wanted to make a name for himself was secretly envious of their existence.

But he did not forget his work.

He entered the top floor of the bell tower.

A bronze bell was hanging in the middle of the top floor. Next to it was a wooden ram. As he gently applied force with his hands, he swung the ram according to the rhythm that he had already memorized in his heart and hit the bronze bell with force.

"Dong -- Dong -- Dong -- Dong -- Dong -- Dong --"

The gentle sound of the bell instantly appeared in the middle of the bell tower.

As the bell walls vibrated, the bell ring that represented time also entered the ears of everyone in the oasis.

It was five o'clock in the morning.

After the citizen finished ringing the bronze bell, there were chairs beside him. He sat down and looked at the busy figures that appeared on the streets below with a satisfied smile on his face. His next task was to ring the bell every half an hour, he just needed to hit the bell again and again. Although it was boring, it was extremely easy for him as he was in charge of the bell tower in the city before he emigrated.

He leaned against the wall in boredom.

He raised his head slightly.

At the top of the bell tower, on the first day he came to work here, he found a yellow disc embedded at the top. It seemed to be made of gold and was covered with strange and mysterious patterns.

The footman who was in charge of telling the time had warned him not to touch this golden disc.

Because this was the private property of Lord Kant.

Of course, he understood.

He also did not dare to touch it.

The private property of a noble was sacred.

If anything happened, he, a small citizen, would probably have to pay with his life.

There had always been many citizens who went bankrupt and died because they offended a noble in the Continent of Caradia.

But today, he could not help but frown.

He did not know why, but he found that the golden disc today seemed to be much brighter than when he first came to this bell tower. As the sun rose, the brightness golden disc embedded in the top floor and attic was getting denser and denser, as if it was absorbing the sun's light and secretly storing it.

He was a little confused.

While he was thinking, there was a lively sound coming from the street outside.

Shaking his head, he did not pay too much attention to it. He just took note of it in his heart.

On the street under the clock tower.

Lord Kant was walking out of the council hall and standing in front of the door, giving some orders. At the same time, someone brought a warhorse and slowly walked towards the south gate under the protection of 40 Sarrandian horsemen.

30 single-humped camels full of sacks followed behind under the urging of 10 peasant.

............

At dawn, the temperature was still slightly cold, but it was a good time to set out in the desert.

Breakfast had been eaten half an hour ago.

Fresh baked bread, antelope meat, and a lump of mutton oil mixed with salt and spices were to ensure physical strength during the next trek. At the same time, it was also to not quickly go hungry because of easily digestible food.

After leaving "Drondheim", there would not be much enjoyment.

"Please be careful."

Firentis and James stood in front of the city gate to send them off.

"Okay.", Kant waved his hand and led his troops and camel caravans towards the depths of the desert to the south.

He looked at the horizon in the distance.

He did not know if it was an illusion, but the endless hills of the Senwaya Range seemed to be vaguely visible. But to them, that was indeed their destination, the location of the Stone Pass.

The 40 Sarrandian horsemen were scattered in all directions.

They held a refined military spear tightly in their hands and looked at their surroundings with a cold expression.

Occasionally, there would be skinny low-level Jackalans appearing. As if they had discovered a new world, they would lightly knock on the horse's belly and rush over. As the mournful howls ended abruptly, their spear was stained with bright red blood and they returned to the formation.

These horsemen who wore Sarrandian armor were more powerful than the desert bandits.

After all, they were heavy cavalries.

Moreover, they were the more agile assault cavalries amongst the heavy cavalries.

If the low-level Jackalans encountered these horsemen, they would die.

Kant rode his horse forward and looked at these Sarrandian horsemen. In his mind, he recalled the first time he went to the Stone Pass. There were only five of them, and the rest were desert bandits. Their fighting abilities were significantly different.

If they were in danger.

It was estimated that these 40 Sarrandian horsemen were enough to defeat most of the enemies head-on.

This was a display of strength.

It was also a guarantee of the safety of the trade caravan.

The caravan behind them was made up of 10 peasants and 30 single-humped camels.

The camels carried 120 bags of fine white salt as trade goods, equivalent to four bags for each camel, plus four additional bags of food and water for each camel, as well as food for the warhorse and camels.

The name "Boat of the desert" did not come for nothing.

Just like now, it was like a small boat carrying goods and sailing briskly in the sea of sand.

The march was neither fast nor slow.

The speed of the journey was very balanced.

A mere three days of desert trekking was enough for a warhorse, let alone these single-humped camels.

From the Oasis Lookout to the Stone Pass, it was very easy for these camels.

After all, these desert "Fairies" are better at trekking long distances, using their incredible endurance and strength to traverse entire deserts, than transporting goods over short distances. Compared to the single-humped camels that once lived in the Middle East and traveled to Eurasian continent, Kant's "harsh" journey was a bit of a fuss, killing the chicken with a cow knife.

Kant couldn't help it.

At the moment, the only trade target he had was the Stone Pass.

If he had a trade target in the north of the Nahrin desert and the Mannheim Coast, needless to say, a caravan of at least 50 single-humped camels would directly cross the desert easily.

According to the high-level Jackalan captives, the Mannheim coast, which was close to the Sea of Stars, was also one of the prosperous areas in maritime trade.

Every day, hundreds of merchant ships docked at the port of the Kingdom of Grey Mane, unloading a large number of materials from overseas into warehouses. At the same time, various specialties of the Mannheim Coast were loaded onto the merchant ships, forming a complete trade chain.

Just thinking about it made people excited.

Take the Dukedom of Leo, which Kant was most familiar with, as an example.

The 200 meters wide Resniston River originated from the Great Swamp of the east and it nourished the soil on both sides of the river. In the busiest month, only dozens of merchant ships traveled every day.

As for the port of Lionheart City, which focused on river trade, there were no more than 30 merchant ships docked every day.

This was also due to the fact that the South County, which was directly under the Dukedom of Leo, was a grain-producing area.

If this Reniston River, which had been used for grain transportation, appeared in the desolate North County, it was estimated that there would be no more than five merchant ships every day. Most of them would be transporting materials to the North County, where the products were scarce. Instead of engaging in mutually beneficial trade, a large amount of important grain would be transported along the river to the borders of other dukedom or kingdoms to earn great silver coins.

"I really want to see the scenery of the Mannheim coast."

Kant's face was filled with anticipation.

A region that mainly engaged in maritime trade that was dominated by humans.

It was really quite attractive to him.

However, this was only an idea, a simple idea. After all, the current "Drondheim" had just finished off the expedition army of the Kingdom of Grey Mane and was basically in a hostile status with the Mannheim Coast.

If they really went to the north of the Nahrin Desert rashly.

The end result would probably not be to harvest trading partners, but to be hunted down by the sensitive Jackalan troops.

For safety, Kant would not go to the Mannheim Coast for the time being.

After he completely built the Oasis Lookout like an iron wall, so that even the Dukedom of Leo had to acknowledge his existence, Kant would choose to send a few elites to the Mannheim coast to scout the situation.

What he needed now was to become stronger as soon as possible.

After absorbing the dividends of this battle.

First, he upgraded "Drondheim" into a castle. At the same time, he set up a new council hall in the hidden area of the Senwaya Range. This would allow his force to spread and grow at the same time!

Chapter 167: The Demands Of the Posthouse Militiamen

Kant led a group through the Nahrin Desert.

However, the journey this time was much easier than before.

It was all thanks to the camel caravan formed by 30 single-humped camels.

Without having to personally carry a large amount of supplies and water, the warhorses felt relaxed and able to walk quickly on the top of the dune. In addition, there was sufficient water and fodder, as well as a linen robe that could shade the sun. After a day's journey, these warhorses were all quite energetic.

Very soon, they climbed over layers of dune and saw the posthouse that used to be in the sand plains.

The sky had already darkened.

The bright starlight and moonlight could not block the light that rose from the posthouse.

From the Oasis Lookout to the Stone Pass, only the posthouse here could provide accommodation and replenish the important drinking water. It could be considered an important part of Kant's original plan, and now it had also played a great role.

They immediately led the camel caravan and cavalry over.

The 10 Swadian militiamen who were in charge of guarding the place had already noticed the cavalries coming from the north.

Although the night was dark, it did not blind people's eyes.

Following the urgent shouts, these militiamen all carried heavy spears in front, wore iron-scale armor, and carried large wooden shields. They lined up neatly in front of the posthouse, but they were not ready for battle.

They were welcoming Kant's arrival.

The camel caravan and cavalries climbed down the dune. They were not slow either.

Kant rode his horse and walked in front.

These militiamen had sharp eyes. After all, as half a long-range shooter, they needed to have eagle eyes.

After seeing Kant, they hurriedly took a few steps forward and bowed respectfully. "Seeing you is like seeing the greatest sun in the world. My lord, we sincerely welcome your arrival."

"Mm.", Kant nodded with a smile. "No need to be so polite."

At the same time, he got off his horse and looked at the ten militiamen. He shook his head slightly and asked Manid beside him, "When did these ten simple militiamen become so fond of flattering me?"

"I think they are right,", Manid answered with a smile.

"Is that so?", Kant smiled and shook his head.

Everyone loved to hear flattery, but he was not interested in it.

After all, he had lived two lives.

He had the ability to resist puffery and flattery. They could not treat him like an ordinary 16 years old noble young master. Of course, he was willing to listen to flattery occasionally to make his mood a little happier.

Seeing Kant chuckle, Manid shrugged. "It's all because they're stationed here."

"They don't like it ?", Kant nodded in understanding.

"They don't like it very much.", Manid smiled helplessly. "The last time I came, they applied to me, hoping that there would be other militias to replace them. It would be best if they took turns to be on duty instead of having 10 of them here all the time."

"It seems that we don't have enough troops, right?", Kant raised his eyebrows.

"That's right, I have also explained it.", Manid said.

After a pause, he shook his head helplessly and smiled bitterly. "These militias are probably going crazy from holding back here."

"It sounds really sad."

Kant shook his head and smiled. Looking at these militias with anticipation, he said helplessly, "You guys continue to persevere. When I return to the Oasis Lookout, I will arrange for people to take turns with you."

"Hooray!", the militias immediately cheered.

Kant understood this.

Facing the vast sea of sand, there were only ten of them in the entire posthouse.

There was no entertainment on weekdays, and there was also no rich food to ease the growing agitation. Other than waiting for a trade caravan to pass by, hoping to learn some new things, they also hoped to be transferred out of this posthouse.

But for Kant, the ten militiamen really did not have a good area to move to.

At present, the Oasis Lookout was not too dangerous.

There was also not much area to look after. Even if there were a few accidents caused by low-level Jackalans, the newly recruited 120 desert bandits could deal with it in three weeks. Their performance was much better than these militias.

"This is also a troublesome matter."

Kant shook his head. But after thinking about it, it wasn't difficult to solve it.

Next was the strategic decision to develop the Senwaya Range. Let the troops bring these 10 militiamen into the depths of the mountain range to experience a few battles and upgrade to a higher level troop class. This way, it would be convenient for them to be integrated into other troops.

With an idea, Kant felt much more at ease.

They entered the posthouse.

After the cavalries and the accompanying peasants settled the warhorses and camels, they all walked in.

Not long after, the militiamen brought out hot food.

The porridge was boiled to a pulp, the baked crispy bread and the chopped cabbage was fried with minced antelope meat. There was also a boiled egg for each person. It was quite a sumptuous supper.

It had just been made.

It was easy to digest, and it could ease the fatigue of Kant and the others.

For Kant's comfort, the militiamen even brought a bucket of bath water from the well. After heating it, they placed it in the room prepared for Kant so that he could take a bath before he went to sleep.

Kant did not refuse.

As a feudal lord, he could not serve the people all the time with especially with his privilege.

He quickly finished his supper.

Kant returned to his room alone.

Manid was naturally in charge of taking care of the other cavalries and peasants.

The wooden bathtub was huge. Kant took a nice hot bath and washed off his fatigue before coming out. He wiped his body clean and then lay down on the soft bed to sleep.

With the wool blanket covering his body, the cold of the night could not invade.

The cavalries and the accompanying peasants also slept in their respective rooms.

After the tiring journey in the desert, it was already a happy thing to be able to rest in bed.

No one was picky.

And no one complained.

When all 10 militiamen were mobilized, they stood at the top of the posthouse and at the door, keeping watch for Kant and the others. All of them were in high spirits. Although they knew that there would not be any accidents around them, even there were only a few low-level Jackalans, but for the sake of safety, they still maintained their utmost vigilance.

Nothing happened that night.

The next day, at dawn.

Kant, who had already formed his biological clock, woke up automatically.

There were some noises outside the room. It was the sound of the cavalries who had woken up talking to the peasants accompanying them. There was also Manid arranging fresh water supplies and leaving some food supplies for the posthouse.

When Kant came out, breakfast was served.

It was not porridge that was easy to digest.

Instead, it was sliced bread and barbecued meat. As long as he ate this greasy breakfast, he would be able to stay up until noon.

The militiamen were very considerate.

They even helped to feed the 40 warhorses and 30 single-humped camels outside.

Everything was prepared very well.

"You all did well."

Kant finished his breakfast and nodded in praise to the busy militiamen.

This made the militiamen look even happier.

Of course, Kant also understood what they were thinking and pondered for a moment, he said to them, "I will set up a new village in the Senwaya Range. At that time, there will be a lack of defensive forces there. I think if you don't mind, maybe you can go there and try. Although there are dangers, there are also opportunities."

"We are willing to go!", the militiamen nodded one after another.

They did not care about the dangers.

Because danger often came with opportunities. Just as Kant said, if they went to the new village in the Senwaya Range, they might be lucky enough to gain a lot of experience points and upgrade to a higher level troop class.

This was also their lifelong wish.

Doing nothing was not the pursuit of the Swadian people!

After giving a few more instructions, Kant led the group and set off again.

Manid followed behind the caravan, while the 40 Sarrandian horsemen rode around on their Sarrandian horses to defend the surroundings. In the next day or so, they would be on their real trekking. There would not be any posthouse anymore to provide them with accommodation and supplies.

This posthouse represented half of the journey.

As long as they could hold on for another day, they would be able to reach the Stone Pass.

They had already been through this many times and had gained experience.

Time slowly passed, and the sun was setting in the west.

At dusk.

The entire outline of the Senwaya Range was finally revealed on the horizon. Its towering mountains were layered on top of each other. It was unknown how many mountains and valleys were hidden within it. It carried a great power that could stop the erosion of the desert, protecting the Dukedom of Leo.

The Senwaya Range was also known as the shield of the Dukedom of Leo.

It was precisely for this reason, Kant led the team to speed up their journey.

Soon, they found a canyon that was as sharp as a knife. The cliffs on both sides were quite smooth. In the deepest part of the canyon near the North County, there was the Stone Pass, firmly blocking the connection between the Nahrin Desert and the Dukedom of Leo. It was the most important fortress.

The canyon seemed to have been cleaned up.

The messy trees and piles of soil had disappeared.

What appeared in front of them was a dirt road that was barely enough to travel with the carriage.

It was obvious that this was Baron Dylan had built the dirt road to ensure that Kant's trade caravan could pass through the canyon and enter the Stone Pass quickly.

It was all done by the militias, and it did not cost much.

"Very considerate."

Kant urged his horse forward, a slight smile on his face.

"Perhaps.", Manid shrugged.

Both of them understood that this road could be the aid of the trade caravan, and it was also the passage for the troops.

Since this road had been built, they might have to send people, either openly or secretly, to follow Kant and the others back to the Oasis Lookout. They would also explore the possible natural salt mines and record them on the map for future use.

Based on Kant's understanding of Baron Dylan, of course he knew that this was the real purpose!

He would never underestimate the greed of the noble.

Soon, they arrived at the north gate of the Stone Pass.

Kant looked up and saw that there were more than 20 conscripted militias standing on top of it. Compared to when they first arrived, the security work was much better. However, when they saw such a large number of troops arriving, they were still a little flustered.

But they were quickly stabilized.

A middle-aged man wearing mail armor and dressed as a knight appeared on the city wall.

When he saw Kant and Manid, his face was still expressionless. Only when he swept his gaze across the 40 Sarrandian horsemen did he finally narrow his eyes, carrying a kind of suppressed shock.

He could see that under the linen robe of the cavalries, there were pure iron armors and the boots in the stirrups were chainmail boots.

Chapter 168: The Shock of the Vassal Knights

This was exactly what he was shocked about, because even he did not own such boots. Even when he was on the battlefield, he only wore leather boots inlaid with iron. Now, 40 cavalries had come, and all of them were wearing iron armors.

And the warhorses under them were all fat and strong.

They were completely different from the malnourished thin horses in the Stone Pass.

Perhaps the warhorse that Baron Dylan raised himself could be compared to the warhorses that they rode on.

"This is really Kant."

He gulped. He thought of the last two times when the Oasis Lookout sent people to here, there were not these many heavy cavalries. Moreover, all of them were elites, who were comparable to the vassal cavalry that served under Baron Dylan in the Stone Pass.

As a vassal knight, he was also a little unwilling.

But he had to admit it.

In fact, whether it was their weapons and equipment, or the warhorse they rode, these 40 heavy cavalries were much better than them. Their differences were like between a real noble and a wanderer.

"Unfamiliar troops, please stop!"

He gulped. Although he knew that it was Kant and Manid, he still did not give the order to open the city gates, instead, he shouted, "This is the territory of Dukedom of Leo, the Stone Pass in the North County, Baron Dylan's estate. If you want to enter, please state your intentions and show sufficient goodwill!"

Kant led 40 heavy cavalry soldiers. One could tell that they were valiant and elite troops by looking at them.

He did not dare to casually put them into the Stone Pass.

If not for these city walls, even with those peasant recruits and armed militias, over a thousand people would not be able to stop these 40 heavy cavalry soldiers. They would be massacred one-sided, even if the vassal knight himself would not make any difference if he joined the battle.

This was an absolute advantage in quality.

Hearing the vassal knight's question on the city wall, Manid looked at Kant.

This was diplomatic language.

At the same time, it was a way to show each other their identities.

Kant nodded at him. "You go."

"Understood,", Manid replied.

After getting Kant's permission, he urged his horse forward. Looking at the vassal knight on the city wall, he shouted calmly, "This is the second son of the Archduke of Leo, Cameron, the baron of the Dukedom of Leo, the lord of the Nahrin Desert, Lord Kant!"

The vassal knight on the city wall had long seen that Kant was at the bottom.

His face was covered in cold sweat.

As he sent someone to inform Baron Dylan, he gritted his teeth, he struggled to open his mouth and said, "Your Lordship, Baron Kant, May I ask why you led your troops to the Stone Pass? Forgive my rudeness. To allow your 40 heavy cavalries entering Baron Dylan's estate, we have to be reported and approved by the Baron."

Kant said to Manid, "Tell him that I understand."

"Lord Kant expresses his understanding."

Manid nodded, he immediately replied, "Our purpose here is to carry out trade. I hope that you can inform Baron Dylan that we are leading these 40 heavy cavalries only to deal with the large number of Jackalans in the Nahrin Desert to prevent the goods from being plundered. I hope that both sides can understand each other."

After exchanging a few more words, the person who informed them finally returned.

At the same time, Baron Dylan and his vassal knights were also here. They were all wearing mail armors and were all in high spirits. Their faces were glowing. Compared to when Kant first saw them, not only were their equipment upgraded, but their physiques were also stronger.

It was obvious that they had been living well recently.

Baron Dylan came to the city wall.

The vassal knight wiped the cold sweat off his face and reported everything in a low voice.

"You did well. When you go back, ask my butler to give you 20 great silver coins."

Baron Dylan nodded. Although his face was expressionless, it made the vassal knight feel at ease. "If there is such a situation in the future, you should still do this. You represent the Stone Pass. This is very good."

"Thank you for your compliment.", the vassal knight was delighted. He bowed his head to express his gratitude and then left.

Baron Dylan did not care about him anymore.

Instead, he lowered his head to look at the 40 heavy cavalry soldiers who were in formation 100 meters away from the city wall.

There was a hint of surprise in his eyes. He also looked at the full set of chain armors, the Sarrandian helmets in their arms, and the strong physique and the majestic warhorses. There was a hint of desire in the depths of his eyes.

These were the heavy cavalry soldiers that even he did not have.

However, he quickly regained his calm. His emotions were very stable.

"Open the city gates!"

Baron Dylan waved his hand and looked at Kant below. He then swept his gaze past the peasant recruits behind him. There was some indignation on his face, there was also a slice of reprimand in his tone. "That is Baron Kant. Have you all forgotten? This is the friend of out Stone Pass! How dare you not open the city gates? Open them now and let our friend in!"

"Understood.", the peasant recruits did not dare to refute.

They had no way to refute.

As they opened the wooden bolt that held up the city gate, the iron chain pulled open the city gate.

The two heavy wooden gates were slowly opened. Baron Dylan also walked down the city gate. He brought the vassal knights behind him to come down and personally greet Kant and the others, his tone was very happy. "Dear Little Kant, I feel that we haven't met for a long time. I'm so happy to see you again!"

"I'm happy to see you too, Uncle Dylan."

Kant had a sincere smile on his face, as if he was not angry about what had happened before.

The two of them chatted as they walked arm in arm into the Stone Pass.

Their relationship was very close.

Behind them, Manid led the camel caravan to enter first. The bulging sack on the camels' back made the smile on Baron Dylan's face deepen. However, when he carefully swept his gaze across the 40 heavy cavalry soldiers, a hint of fear appeared in the depths of his eyes.

The stone floor of the Stone Pass had already been swept clean. At the very least, the dirty dirt was gone.

The refugees with colorful faces were still waiting in the straw shacks on both sides.

When they saw Kant and Baron Dylan riding on their horses, they looked at them expressionlessly. They only bent their backs and placed their hands on their chests casually. There was not much so-called sincerity in them. It was as if they were just dealing with them.

Baron Dylan also pretended not to see them.

These lowly peasants were simply dispensable to him.

When he returned to the official residence built close to the mountain range, the soldiers guarding the door walked over and took Baron Dylan's Warhorse.

There were also servants who came over and helped to take Kant's warhorse.

"There's no need."

Kant declined politely. He turned his head and said to the Sarrandian horsemen behind him, "You guys take the horses to the stable. There's no need for so many people to follow me. At the Stone Pass, Uncle Dylan's estate is very safe."

"Haha, of course, Little Kant. You can treat it as your estate here!"

Baron Dylan laughed loudly.

The Sarrandian horsemen automatically divided into two groups. Thirty people led their warhorses and followed the servants to the stable at the back. The remaining ten people stood behind Kant. It was obvious that they wanted to follow him as a guard.

Baron Dylan did not mind. He waved his hand and said, "Come in, all of you. It seems that you are good lads."

"Of course.", Kant nodded with a smile.

However, he still arranged for Manid, "Manid, you go and deliver the goods to Uncle Dylan's trade caravan leader.". As he said that, a slightly apologetic smile appeared on his face, "This time, I brought a lot of goods. It might be a little troublesome."

"Hahaha, I am not afraid of trouble!", Baron Dylan laughed loudly.

The more goods he brought, the more he earned.

The profits from the last batch of refined white salt made him so excited that he did not sleep for a whole night.

"I asked someone to arrange dinner.", Baron Dylan said as he held Kant's arm like an elder, the smile on his face became brighter. "If you had come earlier, I would have been able to hold a banquet to welcome you. But tomorrow, I will also invite the famous gentlemen from Stone Pass to hold a grand banquet."

"Thank you so much.", Kant pulled his hand out without leaving a trace, a smile on his face.

They walked into the slightly depressing official residence.

This building was actually built with the specifications of a small fortress.

Although it was not as tall as a castle, with the complete defensive facilities and the narrow gateway, a few hundred elite soldiers would be enough to guard this official residence and ensure that the Stone Pass would last until the last moment.

They entered the Lord's Hall.

Torches were lit one after another and inserted into the blackened stone wall.

On both sides of the long table in the hall, the lord's main seat and the guest's table each had a silver three-pronged candlestick. The three candles on the candlestick were lit, emitting a steady and bright light.

"Don't you miss it?"

Baron Dylan smiled and invited Kant and the ten Sarrandian horsemen to take their seats.

At the same time, he brought his vassal knights to take their seats as well, with a smile on his face, he said to Kant, "These are silver candlesticks bought in South County, and these honey candles are all rare luxuries in our North County. However, you are the son of Archduke Cameron, so you should have seen a lot of these things."

"Very good.", Kant nodded with a smile. He sniffed slightly, but his brows were slightly furrowed.

"What's wrong?", Baron Dylan noticed his furrowed brows. The smile on his face was slightly restrained. He frowned and asked, "Little Kant, did you discover something?"

"Honey candles?", Kant asked.

Baron Dylan's expression was a little awkward. He turned his head and glanced at the chubby butler next to him, who had a blank look on his face. He had an answer in his heart. Baron Dylan's face was pale, however, he still nodded and said, "That's right. When I was buying it, the merchant from South County told me that this is the purest honey candle. It's also the favorite candle used by the noble families of South County at the banquet."

"Well, Uncle Dylan, perhaps you have bought a not-so-pure honey candle.", Kant shrugged slightly.

Baron Dylan was puzzled. "Is it a fake?"

"No, it is indeed a honey candle.", Kant shook his head, he frowned and said, "But the texture is not pure. It should be the wax liquid that melted after the original honey candle was burned. After it was collected, it was heated and melted, then reprocessed into a honey candle. From the light and the pungent smell produced by this candle, it can be known that this is a fake made by those merchants."

"These dirty bastards from South County actually dared to lie to me!", Baron Dylan seemed to be very angry.

Kant's expression was regretful and shame, "This is a small trick of those merchants from South County. It can be considered a scam. I didn't expect that Uncle Dylan, you also encountered it."

Chapter 169: The Celebratory Tournament

"These cunning merchants from South County."

Baron Dylan's face was gloomy. "If I meet them again, I swear I will hang them!"

As a baron with real power, he was certainly qualified to say that.

He was even more qualified to do so.

In the laws of the Dukedom of Leo, it was clearly stated that if a merchant dared to deceive and scam a noble, they could directly hang the merchant on the gallows after they were caught. If the fraud was indeed true, there was no need for a trial at all.

With Baron Dylan's anger, the atmosphere in the Lord's Hall turned cold.

No one would be happy if they bought a fake.

It was a second-hand junk that had been used by others!

On the chairs on both sides of the long table.

The vassal knights who belonged to the Stone Pass and listened to Baron Dylan's orders looked equally terrible.

Some of them even had a blush of humiliation on their faces.

They had never seen the market before, and they had praised the craftsmanship of this kind of wax candle, showing how knowledgeable they used to be. But now that Kant, who came from the top noble class, had exposed this matter, their cheeks were burning with shame.

This was no different from the country bumpkins they looked down on the most.

As knights, the noble reserve forces, they thought that they were more superior than those fat and greedy merchants who only knew about silver coins. Therefore, they were extremely embarrassed and angry, wishing that they could kill those treacherous Southern County merchants.

"Uncle Dylan, these are candles."

Kant seemed to have sensed the cold atmosphere in the hall.

He shook his head slightly, with a sincere smile on his face, and said to Baron Dylan, "I don't think you need to care. Those treacherous South County merchants will never come again, but to them, they have lost the wealthy noble who can buy real honey candles."

However, Baron Dylan was still a little angry. "I don't want to give my silver coins to these bastards who deserve to be hanged."

"Don't be angry."

Kant shrugged and only advised him a little.

This baron from the Stone Pass was indeed qualified to do so.

But in reality, he could not do it.

Because there were power of the noble behind these merchants of Dukedom of Leo.

Just like how Baron Dylan had a trade caravan from his wife's family as a tool to amass wealth, the nobles of the South County had long formed an unspoken rule. Basically, they were the backers of the merchants of the South County, otherwise, how would these merchants dare to deceive the noble? Moreover, they scammed the Baron Dylan who held power. If they were not absurdly bold, then they had a very strong backer.

Baron Dylan grumbled for a long time, and Kant listened for the same amount of time.

It seemed that he realized that something was wrong with him, Baron Dylan suddenly understood. "We haven't started dinner yet, right? It's all my fault. I almost forgot about this matter. Those merchants from South County are just too despicable." ,he said and clapped his hands hurriedly. "Serve the dishes."

The servants who had already prepared by the wall immediately served the dishes for dinner.

Roasted fat quail, roasted antelope tail, sliced white bread covered with cheese, with a glass of ale, and for dessert, apples boiled in ale and covered with honey sauce, and a thick milk soup with various seasonings.

It was a marvelous dinner.

The servants left quickly after serving the food and were waiting not far away.

The aroma of the food filled the hall.

Kant also praised, "Thank you for your hospitality. This is really a sumptuous dinner."

"It was hastily prepared. I hope it suits your appetite."

Baron Dylan smiled and extended his hand, he said to Kant, "Thanks to you, the standard of our food can be improved. Otherwise, with those profiteers from South County, every time they come to trade, they would plunder all the great silver coins that we worked so hard to earn. You used to be the youngest son of Archduke Cameron in South County. You definitely know that those merchants are really too greedy."

"Yes, they are very greedy.", Kant lowered his head unnaturally.

His face seemed to be a little depressed, but there was a hint of hatred in his voice. "To be honest, I don't like them very much."

His words seemed to imply something.

Baron Dylan's expression was slightly stunned.

He immediately understood and quickly explained, "Oh, Little Kant, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

He was apologizing for his own gaffe.

"No, it's okay, Uncle Dylan. This is the truth after all. I also don't like those guys.", Kant shrugged and smiled. He said to Baron Dylan, "But no matter what, I'm really touched that you can take care of me."

"It's what I should do.", Baron Dylan nodded and smiled.

The welcoming dinner officially began.

Both sides were having normal conversation, but the atmosphere became cheerful.

However, most of the conversations were between Baron Dylan and Kant. There were more than 20 vassal knights on both sides of the long table, as well as the accompanying 10 Sarrandian horsemen were all eating their own food in silence. They listened to the conversation between the two people and acted as the background.

The night gradually darkened.

In the Lord's Hall, the candles on the candlesticks had all been replaced.

As the plates were filled with residues, the dinner was about to end.

"It was a pleasure chatting with you."

Baron Dylan laughed loudly, his mood seemed to be very good.

"The same goes for me.", Kant lowered his head and smiled.

The conversation between the two ended with mutual flattery. After all, Kant was also a transporter who had come from the modern era. A few times of untraceable flattery and feigned curiosity made Baron Dylan talk even more lively on the topics.

The conversation was quite delightful and lively.

Timely flattery and inquiry could make the atmosphere more lively.

Of course, the dinner was about to end.

Baron Dylan glanced at the ten Sarrandian horsemen who were sitting on both sides of Kant. With a smile in his eyes, he asked, "Little Kant, are these ten brave men were the vassal knights who follow and protect you?"

"Oh, they are the people who protect me.", Kant also answered with a smile, "But they are not knights."

"Oh? I am very curious about that."

Baron Dylan continued to smile and asked Kant, "They are very strong and have completely reached the level of knights. Could it be that such outstanding talents have not been conferred the title and become knights who own villages and fief?"

"There are no villages or any land in the Nahrin Desert that can be conferred.", Kant shrugged, appearing to be very regretful and sad. "Uncle Dylan, you said that North County is a barren place. Then you definitely have not been to the Nahrin Desert. That is the real barren place."

"Nahrin Desert, no, I've been there."

Baron Dylan's face had a hint of nostalgia. "Ten years ago, your father, Archduke Cameron, took us to exterminate those Jackalan tribes, which was to go to the Oasis Lookout.". As he said that, his face also had a hint of solemnity. "The battlefield lasted for two weeks, and we came back. The environment there was really too harsh. Maintaining the supply line of 2000 cavalries was almost as large as the scale of the war with the Silver Platter Kingdom."

Kant nodded, his tone still dejected. "That's right. It was simply hell there."

"I understand.", Baron Dylan opened his mouth to persuade him to stay. "Little Kant, you can stay at the Stone Pass. No one will say anything. In a place like the Nahrin Desert, other than wild beasts like the Jackalans, no one is willing to live there."

Kant shook his head. "There are still my people there."

However, there was a hint of interest on his face. He looked at Baron Dylan and sighed softly. "I also have my own guards. Although there are not many of them, it is absolutely no problem for me to resist the attack of those small groups of Jackalan.". His tone paused slightly, he also said dispiritedly, "Moreover, I have promised father that I will become the lord of the Nahrin Desert. I will not hide in the Stone Pass like a turtle swimming in the Reninston River. I will hide my head whenever I encounter any difficulties."

"What a great ambition.", Baron Dylan seemed to be very happy, he nodded and said to the vassal knights on both sides of the long table, "He reminds me of Princess Sofia. Did you know that when I followed the princess, her personality was very tenacious?"

The vassal knights nodded awkwardly.

Especially the vassal knights who had ran away in the past two years, they lowered their heads and did not say a word.

Princess Sofia was a taboo topic in the Dukedom of Leo, the remote Stone Pass was the same. This Baron Dylan, who had once followed Princess Sofia, could speak without any restraints.

They were only lowly knights, how would they dare to speak recklessly.

Kant looked at Baron Dylan sincerely, as if he had found a bosom friend. He said in a moved tone, "Thank you for your understanding, Uncle Dylan. This makes my heart full of motivation."

"If you encounter any difficulties, come and find me!", Baron Dylan patted his chest, his tone was not shy. "When I followed Princess Sofia, I was still a cavalry of the guards. Before you were born, I was already fighting for your mother's loyalty by pulling out my longsword!"

"Thank you very much.", Kant's face was full of gratitude.

Baron Dylan nodded with a smile, as if he was a true elder.

The two of them chatted about some heartwarming topics.

Using the harmonious atmosphere, Baron Dylan said to Kant, "Little Kant, after the banquet at noon tomorrow, I will arrange a small-scale tournament in the afternoon. After all, we do not have many entertainment activities in North County. This kind of tournament will be held when you come here, as uncle's welcoming ceremony."

As soon as he finished speaking, the vassal knights beside him immediately had a look of joy on their faces.

Many people were whispering to each other.

The tournament was also an activity that the Dukedom of Leo was passionate about. Being able to obtain the first place in the tournament would also be helpful to one's reputation. If a noble wanted to be conferred a knight fief, they would also consider this tournament.

After all, to be the champion of the tournament, one must be powerful.

As long as one showed proper loyalty, it was easy to gain the favor of the noble.

In the poor North County, the last tournament was held two years ago by the Viscount of the North County, Wayne, in his Logue Castle. At that time, the grand event attracted the attention of the entire North County.

It was said that the first ranked knight already had three villages as fief.

These vassal knights could not help but become restless.

Kant naturally understood the significance of the tournament, and his face was filled with emotion, he said to Baron Dylan, "Uncle Dylan, isn't this too wasteful? The cost of the tournament is not small. Even if it was a small-scale tournament, without 500 great silver coins, it would probably not be able to be held."

"Small-scale.", Baron Dylan nodded with a smile, as if he was very grateful to Kant. "It's your guards and my vassal knights. The tournament only limited to our Stone Pass. We won't invite the lord of other places."

"Then I'm really grateful.", Kant was even more moved.

Chapter 170: The Raging Dark Tide

The matter of the tournament was thus decided.

As the banquet ended, the excited vassal knights brought them out of the official residence. In an extremely short period of time, the news spread throughout the Stone Pass, making those gentries, celebrities, and landlords hear about this news.

The tournament was not a small matter.

Even if it was a small-scale tournament, which was limited to the Stone Pass, it still made many people crazy about it.

The vassal knights were all rubbing their fists, intending to show off their skills.

Even those landlords and merchants with small assets had to prepare their families' most outstanding children to go on stage. After all, this was a performance stage. If Baron Dylan recognized their abilities, it would be possible for them to become knights.

Even the southern village of the Stone Pass had spread the news in the shortest amount of time.

However, the main character of tomorrow's tournament, Kant had already returned to his room, sat on the chair, but his expression was very calm.

It was the same room he had stayed in the last time he came.

The tables, chairs, and armoires were all new, but the biggest difference was that the bed was covered with a soft velvet quilt and a with a thick wool blanket. The overall layout was much more shabby than his first visit.

Baron Dylan had really earned a lot of great silver coins in this short period of time.

The profits of the table salt trade could be said to be terrifying.

Kant naturally understood.

Even the vassal knights who were once wearing the coarse linen robe had changed into brand-new soft clothes and thicker mail armors. From this, it could be seen that the table salt brought by Manid last time had greatly increased Uncle Dylan's appetite.

Otherwise, the atmosphere would not be so harmonious this time.

And he had even held a tournament for Kant alone.

One had to know that back then, when Kant was escorted through the Stone Pass from the Castle of Leo, this Uncle Dylan did not show up.

He did not even greet Kant as he should have.

It was like he did not know who Kant was, nor did he know about this matter.

This was the way of the world.

Kant curled his lips slightly. They could not be separated from the profits involved.

The so-called family and friendship were often weak in the front of profit. Moreover, this was a world where power was paramount. The so-called moral were just ridiculous principles to bound ordinary people.

For the sake of the title of nobility, even brothers in blood could turn against each other, and they could even poison their biological father.

It was all because of the profits involved.

At the banquet, Baron Dylan's various attempts to probe him were all temporarily suppressed due to the interests involved.

"Hehe.", Kant could not help but laugh mockingly.

Thinking of that scene, Baron Dylan sowed discord between himself and the South County, revealed the fact that Princess Sofia was Kant's biological mother, all of it was to let him, who was once his mother's follower, became Kant's reliance.

Obviously, it was for the natural salt mine that Kant controlled.

No problem, Kant would also cooperate.

With such a shield in front of him, attracting forces for him, why not use it?

Face? Dignity? The dignity of a noble?

Kant disdained it.

If even his own development was so weak, what was the point of caring about these things? He was afraid that those greedy nobles would have eaten him until there was not even a residue left. Where would he prove his dignity?

These were words that only the strong were qualified to say.

"Dang dang dang."

There was a knock on the door. At the same time, Manid's voice was heard, "Lord Kant, Can I come in?"

"Come in,", Kant replied.

The door was pushed open.

Manid walked in and carefully closed the door behind him. He whispered to Kant, "Lord, it's all done. There are a lot of silver coins and they have been placed on the camels. Ten Sarrandian horsemen have been specially arranged to look after them."

"Well done.", Kant nodded.

"I plan to buy some iron tools to bring back tomorrow.", Manid said. "We are very short of these materials now, but there is a limit to the amount sold to us at the Stone Pass. It seems that they are afraid that we will melt the farm tools and turn them into weapons. We need you to negotiate with the Stone Pass."

"I'll take care of it.", Kant nodded and exhorted, "Buy more axes."

"Yes,", Manid agreed.

The two talked about some common topics, but they didn't have a deep conversation. Manid took his leave and returned to his room.

He couldn't talk too much in other people's territory.

Even though their rooms were all connected.

But who knew if the soundproofing was good? Kant was very vigilant about revealing secrets during such conversations. In the films and television shows of his previous life, things like cubicles, secret rooms, and secret eavesdropping passages were quite common.

Walls had ears.

Kant naturally prioritized caution and could not reveal his power too early.

He needed to maintain a fragile balance.

.......

Kant's vigilance was reasonable.

After the two of them finished their conversation, until everyone fell asleep, a thin and small figure slowly squirmed in the narrow secret tunnel under the lower floor. Without making any noise, he quietly returned to a room at the corner of the official residence.

Soon, he left and came to another room in the mansion.

Baron Dylan was sitting there with two vassal knights, waiting for him expressionlessly.

The thin and small figure bent down and reported everything he had heard at the same time. Then, he quietly stood in the middle of the room with his head lowered, not daring to say anything.

"Well done. Go down."

Baron Dylan waved his hand, indicating that he could leave.

The skinny figure bowed and immediately turned to leave. It was very straightforward.

The door was closed.

There was no sound of footsteps outside the door.

Baron Dylan nodded in satisfaction and said, "These rats are still useful."

"Of course.", the two most trusted vassal knights nodded.

The rats were a spy organization at the Stone Pass. They had just developed in recent years. Initially, they were members of the trade caravan of Baron Dylan's wife's family. However, as their financial resources had increased recently, they had also recruited many capable people to help them. It could be said that these rats had given them a lot of useful information, which was very effective.

And today, Baron Dylan was very satisfied with Kant's secret surveillance.

"This little Kant is really young.", he chuckled as if victory was in his hands. "After we obtain more power, we will be able to control him."

"You are wise.", the two vassal knights flattered him.

"Haha.", Baron Dylan smiled.

However, there was a hint of hatred in the depths of his eyes. "His father assigned me here, but he did not expect that I would actually obtain the help of his son. I really want to see if he will regret it in the future."

Thinking back to the humiliation he had suffered in the past.

And the humiliation of not being able to integrate into the noble circle of North County, he was filled with resentment.

The vassal knight complimented, "Lord Dylan, now that you have the salt mine and the table salt trade, you will be able to develop quickly. You will definitely have the power to improve further."

"That's right.", the other vassal knight nodded.

If he had the table salt trade, he would have in control of great silver coins as well. There would be an endless income of great silver coins.

Baron Dylan smiled again.

However, he still rubbed his eyebrows, he instructed the two of them, "Be careful recently. Our table salt trade has attracted the attention of many noble families. As far as I know, Viscount Wayne of Logue Castle is very curious about why we have so much fine table salt. I think he has already sent a secret agent here."

"We will remain vigilant.", the two vassal knights nodded.

"Very good.", Baron Dylan nodded in relief.

He was very reassured by the two knights who had followed him from the very beginning.

At this moment, he said to them, "Don't look at the fief village. If I can obtain a better estate, or even contact the hidden forces of Princess Sofia, I can even overthrow the Dukedom of Leo. When the time comes, the richer South County will be our choice, not these barren North County territories!"

"We are absolutely loyal to you!", the two vassal knights immediately expressed their loyalty.

"That's right."

Baron Dylan pondered for a while, but he still said to them, "Perform well tomorrow and test out the cavalries that Kant brought. These guys are definitely not ordinary people. I reckon that they were once elite knights."

"What do you mean?", the vassal knight asked.

"It would be best if they could join us. If they don't join us, we can still show our goodwill now.". Baron Dylan lowered his head slightly, he said, "It might be the power of the Silver Platter Kingdom. After all, when Princess Sofia was still alive, she personally helped Cameron to become the Archduke. However, before the Silver Platter Kingdom could intervene, this princess died suddenly. Some hidden spies have yet to be activated."

The vassal knight nodded. "Understood."

Baron Dylan was reassured by them, but he still exhorted them, "Don't show any hostility at the moment. When we are strong enough that we don't need to rely on others or Kant, we will be able to shed all pretense of cordiality."

........

A storm was brewing in the Stone Pass.

Even in a secret room in the city, the spies who had plotted against Kant were also discussing this topic.

The spy leader seemed to be digesting the information carefully.

After hearing the report, he made a decision in his heart. "Don't be rash."

The five spies looked at him in confusion.

The spy leader limped up and waved at them. "You can leave now. Remember not to be rash and continue to lurk. What happens next is not something you can get involved in."

"Yes.", the five spies left the secret room.

The leader of the spies pushed the door open and entered another room. He took out the crystal ball again.

As the light bloomed.

A mysterious connection appeared.

"Cherff, is there anything that you need to report to the Lord Count? I want to inform you that you have been using the magic crystal ball to communicate quite frequently recently. I remember that I once said that you can just send letters to report the ordinary things."

A cold female voice sounded from within the crystal ball.

The leader of the spies quickly replied humbly, "I have important news to report."

"Speak.", the female voice was still cold.

Swallowing his saliva, the leader of the spies quickly reported Kant's matter. He also pointed out that Baron Dylan had recently developed the table salt trade and his strength had increased rapidly. He also guessed the relationship between the two of them and the source of the table salt trade.

"Is that all?", the female voice answered coldly. "Continue to monitor. I will report this news to the Lord Count."

After the female voice finished speaking, the crystal ball immediately dimmed.

It was obvious that the other party had cut off the connection.

The spy leader's face carried a hint of humiliation. He snorted coldly and turned around to leave.

Chapter 171: The Beginning Of the Tournament

"Bang, Bang, Bang."

The sky was still bright when there was a knock on the door.

Kant immediately woke up.

He turned his head slightly and realized that there was someone standing outside the door.

He did not answer. After waiting for a few seconds, he asked, "I'm here. What's the matter?"

The person outside spoke. It was a gentle female voice. "Respected Baron Kant, Baron Dylan asked me to bring you clothes. The clothes are for the banquet and the tournament. I hope they fit. If they don't, I'll immediately ask the tailors to modify them."

"Okay.", Kant nodded, but he did not get up from the bed. "I understand."

He casually answered, just like a young noble who lived in luxury.

Kant's voice was calm, but it also carried the impatience as he was woke up early. "Let Manid handle it. He should know my figure. If it's not time for breakfast, remember not to disturb me."

"Yes, respected Baron Kant,", the gentle voice outside the door answered quickly.

At the same time, the sound of the door opening was heard.

The Sarrandian horsemen in the next room walked out with an aggressive manner.

The owner of the gentle voice was so frightened that she let out an "Ah" sound. It was obvious that she was a delicate girl. She had not seen such occasion and had never experienced such a shock.

However, Manid said, "Leave."

"Yes.", Sarrandian Horsemen answered in a deep voice and then closed the door again.

Then, Manid comforted her, "You are the new maid, right? I didn't see you last time. Come with me. Don't disturb Lord Kant's sleep. You came a little early."

"I... I'm sorry...", the soft female voice replied in a trembling voice.

The conversation and the footsteps gradually faded away.

Kant closed his eyes and revealed a mocking smile, but just only a instant.

He was lying on his side comfortably as if he had fallen asleep again.

It was another honey trap.

This kind of probe really made him felt that it was child's play.

But thinking about it, he knew that since ancient times, the only things that could move men were beauty, wealth, and power. Perhaps in this world, they could add strength, but in the end, they were almost the same.

He had come into contact with many people from the Castle of Leo in the Dukedom of Leo.

His experience in his previous life made his mind as bright as a lamp.

He had the system.

He felt a sense of danger in his heart.

These little tricks were like a joke that made people laugh.

Kant obviously would not be fooled.

He closed his eyes and meditated for nearly half an hour before the door was knocked again, at the same time, Manid's voice appeared outside. "Lord Kant, it's almost time for breakfast. If you wake up, we will go to the Lord's Hall in 30 minutes and have breakfast with Baron Dylan and his vassal knights."

"I understand.", Kant replied in a lazy voice.

Manid also said, "These are your clothes. Baron Dylan sent you to wear them at the banquet."

"Well, Uncle Dylan is thoughtful.", Kant nodded. He lifted the velvet silky quilt and sat on the bed in his pajamas. He said to Manid, "Come in. Put my clothes on the table."

The door was pushed open.

Manid walked in. He was also wearing a well-fitting gentleman's suit. He was holding two sets of more gorgeous clothes in his hands. They seemed to be made of velvet, fine linen, and wool.

Kant took them and put them on.

The common noble's clothes in the Dukedom of Leo were red and blue.

"They fit you very well.", Manid praised. "Lord Kant, you look quite heroic."

"I like that word.", Kant nodded and smiled.

After washing up a little, he walked out of the room. The ten Sarrandian horsemen outside also finished their preparations and were waiting in formation.

Kant said to Manid, "Lead the way. Let's go to the hall of the lord. We absolutely cannot let Uncle Dylan go ahead of us. After all, I am a junior. We need to go ahead of him to show some respect."

"You are right.", Manid nodded and led the way.

Soon, they arrived at the hall.

However, there were already vassal knights arrived first.

Few groups of them formed small circles around each other and were talking excitedly.

The topic of course was about the tournament.

When they saw Kant and the others coming over, all of them lowered their heads to pay their respects. However, when they looked at the Sarrandian horsemen behind Kant, their eyes became even more fiery. It was like they had seen their lifelong opponent and wished that they could have a battle in the hall. They wanted to beat the opponent to the ground and show off their valiant side.

"Cough cough."

Baron Dylan let out a light cough and entered into the hall.

The vassal knights hurriedly saluted and greeted him.

Baron Dylan nodded, but when he looked at Kant, he smiled. "Little Kant, this outfit fits very well. It looks really good. You looks much more handsome than when I was 16 years old."

"You flatter me.", Kant quickly lowered his head in gratitude, this junior's attitude was very good. "It was all thanks to your help that I left Castle of Le...", his tone was a little depressed and angry. "My previous clothes were all taken. Other than a few limited pieces, there are almost no clothes that can be worn at banquets and competitive events!"

"Don't talk about that. It's all in the past.", Baron Dylan's eyes were a little proud. Didn't he give Kant the clothes to show that he was trying to win him over and be friendly?

Baron Dylan sneered in his heart, especially when he looked at Kant's young face.

A certain throb was shaking in his heart.

This son of Princess Sofia was in fact the abandoned child of the Silver Platter Kingdom. If he could use this opportunity to reconnect with those hidden forces, or even directly replace them after he reached a high position, becoming the spokesperson of the Silver Platter Kingdom in the dukedom of Leo. In addition to the help of the table salt trade, he might be able to develop further.

"Let's start breakfast. The banquet at noon and the tournament in the afternoon will definitely be more lively."

Baron Dylan's face remained calm. He still had a bright smile on his face, and he even extended his hand to invite Kant. He looked very free and easy. "This is the greatest courtesy I can give you. We are the closest relative, and we are also close neighbors. We should be even closer in the future."

"You are right, Uncle Dylan.", Kant put on a big, bright smile.

Breakfast officially began.

But this breakfast was very well-prepared like a grant banquet.

The candlesticks were filled with candles.

Although it was daytime, the dim fortress building made it impossible for the light to shine in. They could only use other means to make the hall brighter, making it seem as bright as the daytime outside. At the same time, there were many candlesticks and many burning candles. It also meant that the lord's wealth and strength were strong, and it could reflect the dignity of a noble.

Baron Dylan had received a large amount of great silver coins, he would not be as stingy as before.

Breakfast was quickly over.

He invited Kant into the reception room to chat.

The servants took the opportunity to hang up a large number of velvet flags. Baron Dylan's badge was on those flags, the pattern was made of a sword and a shield. It meant that he was a baron who had just been promoted of his battle achievements, and it was a symbol of military strength.

However, this flag could only be hung proudly in the remote northern county.

If it was hung in the southern county, those blossoms of flags that represented the hundred-year-old or thousand-year-old families were even more magnificent. A simple and crude flag with sword and shield on it was too embarrassing to hang out.

However, in the barren northern county, the Baron's flag could already be considered noble. Whether it was the warrior noble or the palace noble, they all had to display their glory and power in front of the merchants and landlords.

Before noon.

The lord hall had been decorated with velvet and various handicrafts.

The long table was also decorated with a new tablecloth.

It was made of the finest linen and was filled with fine silver cutlery. Under the illumination of the inferior beeswax candles on the candlestick, it sparkled and dazzled the eyes of the gentlemen and celebrities who came.

Although they were gentries and celebrities, their fame were only limited to the northern county.

Compared to the truly wealthy people in the southern county, they were much worse.

Moreover, they were all swallowing their saliva in their hearts after seeing all these silver tableware. If the event was not held in the residence of the infamous brutally and fiercely Baron Dylan, and that the guests were all locals, they would definitely steal one or two silver cutlery or small bowls.

This was very common in large-scale banquets and tournament events. After all, no one could resist these silver luxury items.

These luxury tableware were all silver coins!

At noon.

The banquet was held as scheduled. The celebrities and gentries at the Stone Pass laughed and chatted in the Lord Hall.

They looked very happy.

But most people were absent-minded about this.

They were most concerned about the tournament that would be held in the afternoon.

Meanwhile, the vassal knights were also talking to each other. They were eating the food on the table, but didn't really enjoy the taste in their mouths. Especially when they saw the Sarrandian horsemen standing at the corner in a group, they were irritated.

Finally, it was almost time.

The crisp bell rang.

The joyous chubby butler stood in the center and said, "Everyone, the banquet was held successfully. Next, Baron Dylan would like to announce something. Everyone, please be quiet!"

Everyone in the Lord Hall immediately looked at the high platform in the middle.

And Baron Dylan walked up.

The crowds gave a warm applause immediately, and everyone looked at him eagerly.

"Thank you all for coming to this banquet."

Baron Dylan had a smile on his face, the bearing of the noble baron was unquestionable. "In order to welcome my dear nephew, the Lord of the Nahrin Desert, Baron Kant, there will be a tournament held at the Stone Pass in the afternoon. Everyone will be able to participate. As for the top three winners, I will give out 100 great silver coins, 50 great silver coins, and 20 great silver coins respectively!"

"Oh!", the people below cried out in surprise.

However, their eyes lit up even more.

Especially those vassal knights, their breathing quickened.

Even though they were gentries and celebrities of the north county, they were unable to earn 20 great silver coins in a year, let alone 100 great silver coins.

Thinking back to that time, the 20 personal cavalries from the southern county were willing to sacrifice their lives for 20 great silver coins. Although it was because of Kant giving up the last of his drinking water, the value of 20 great silver coins was unquestionable.

One had to know that in this world, the poor were still in the stage of bartering.

For those who able to use small silver coins to trade, they were at least wealthy free citizens.

As for great silver coins, they were used among the lords, merchants and landlords to trade. Ordinary civilians probably had never seen a great silver coins in their entire lives. It was even more impossible for them to possess these coins!

Chapter 172: Mother’s Secret

The tournament had yet to begin, and the discussion had already become quite lively.

This was a rarely seen event in the Stone pass for several years.

Thinking back, the last time they had such a large-scale tournament held in the Stone Pass was when Baron Dylan had just obtained the title of baron and become the lord of this place. It had already been a full ten years since then.

As for the tournament that excited the entire northern county, only Viscount Wayne, who replaced Archduke Cameron and ruled the entire northern county, could hold such tournament once every three years in his Logue Castle.

After all, the cost of holding a competition was not something an ordinary lord could afford.

The banquet was announced to be over in the afternoon.

Everyone left the Lord Hall of the official residence, followed the carpet prepared by the servants, and walked up the spiral staircase. They came to the south side of the city wall. There was a 10-meter wide area of the city wall that was close to the mountain wall and the official residence that was embedded into the mountain rock.

It was the viewing platform that was built to watch the tournament.

The following tournament was held in the square on the south side of the city wall. One could see very clearly when sat on the seven-meter-high viewing platform. Any discussion would not affect the tournament in the square below.

Early in the morning.

The servants had already prepared linen sun-shading tents in advance, using hemp ropes to hang them above their heads to block the scorching sun.

The gentle mountain breeze brought a slight coldness.

Although it was close to the Nahrin Desert, the Senwaya Range always had a cold current gushing out of the ground. So it could neutralize the heat waves coming from the desert and allow plants and animals to thrive in the mountains. It became a natural hunting ground for the villages in the Stone Pass.

Scholars and mages from the Dukedom of Leo had jointly investigated the Senwaya Range.

They had made a conclusion.

The conclusion was that the cold current in the Senwaya Range belonged to negative energy, and long-term contact with the cold current would be harmful to animals and plants.

However, the temperature of the Nahrin Desert, which contained positive energy and fire energy, had washed away the negative energy over a long period of time, so that the Senwaya Range was safe. Even so, the number of demonized creatures in the Senwaya Range was dozens of times more than in other areas. Hunting teams of the villages often encountered them or these creatures would rush into logging fields and quarries. Knights had to step up their rescue efforts to suppress them.

However, the vassal knights and the celebrities, who were currently on the viewing platform, didn't care about this matter.

They had already lived in the Stone Pass for 10 years.

Some villages and clans in the Stone Pass had been existed for hundreds of years. No demonized creatures had rushed down from the mountain range. On the contrary, those Jackalans from the Nahrin Desert had caused more damage.

Now, with the fortress of the Stone Pass, there were many regular troops and more than 20 knights stationed there.

It was absolutely safe.

Compared to this problem, the landlords and merchants all brought their best children to come here. They were tried to get close to those vassal knights as they were promoting their children to become the attendants of these knights.

These vassal knights were also willing to talk to these rich and powerful landlords and merchants.

The overall atmosphere was very harmonious.

Although knights were nothing in the eyes of the real noble.

However, knights were still part of the noble's reserve force and they had a chance to become a noble themselves. After all, there was a slang in the Dukedom of Leo, knights could not be noble, but nobles were definitely knights.

After all, the Dukedom of Leo was built on combat strength. The high-end troop class of knights was listed as a class.

The other human dukedom were similar.

That was why these landlords and merchants were so keen to let their children know knights. Once they were accepted as attendants, they had the possibility to become knights and even had the qualifications to become a noble!

If a knight was said to be a noble's reserve force

Then a knight's attendant was a knight's reserve force!

Kant and Baron Dylan stood at the side of the viewing platform. There were no many annoying merchants and landlords around them. Only Manid and two close vassal knights accompanied them. They smiled and chatted with each other happily.

The tournament was still being prepared.

However, just outside the city walls, the footmen wearing iron-scale armor had already sealed off the square.

There were already more crowds waiting around. After all, the tournament was not usually the entertainment for the noble, but it was the entertainment for the civilians. Many residents of the Stone Pass had specially come to watch this once-in-a-few-years event. The residents whispered to each other, and the avenue were also filled with noisy crowds.

There were even many small vendors found their business opportunity. They were selling a lot of snacks with rattan baskets. Most of them were fruit platters made of wild apples from the mountains mixed with other wild fruits. They were placed in simple wooden bowls, one small silver coin could buy a large portion.

The residents lived in the Stone Pass often had the spare money to buy snacks.

Very soon, these small vendors made a lot of money.

At such a grand event, everyone was happy to spend money. Even the butler on the viewing platform sent people down to buy a few rattan baskets. They threw away the wooden bowls and replaced them with more exquisite silver bowls. They put them on the wooden table on the viewing platform for people to eat and drink.

At the same time, various cakes were brought up and placed on the table.

There was sweet wine diluted with honey, water and malt liquor.

There were also freshly squeezed lime juice and fruit juice drinks mixed with honey and water.

They were all placed on the viewing platform in barrels.

After all, those who could come to the viewing platform were all respectable people who had received invitations. Ordinary small merchants and small landlords could not receive this invitation. They could only squeeze together with the crowd outside the city wall which was under the viewing platform.

"It's really lively."

Kant held a silver wine glass in his hand and could not help but sigh.

Baron Dylan smiled and nodded. "This was specially arranged to welcome your arrival."

"Thank you very much, Uncle Dylan.", Kant thanked him gratefully.

At the same time, he raised the silver wine glass slightly as if he was toasting. He took a sip of the malt wine mixed with lime juice, he could not help but sigh. He smiled bitterly and said, "It's been a long time since I participated in the tournament."

Baron Dylan looked at Kant's elegant action, and there was jealousy in his eyes.

Only a noble child who was trained since young age could have such calmness and elegance.

But soon, Baron Dylan's heart regained its peace. Looking at Kant's sad look, the corners of his mouth curled up into a smile, and there was a hint of self-satisfaction in his eyes. So what if Kant was elegant and calm? Kant still had to respect him so much. He even addressed him as 'you' politely and called him 'uncle'.

One had to know.

If Kant was really still the eldest son of the Grand Duke.

If this was the south county territory of the dukedom.

Just the way he addressed him as 'uncle' was probably enough to attract the most severe reprimand from the Castle of Leo!

But now.

He, Dylan, a noble warrior who was originally looked down by everyone, was able to become the uncle of the eldest son of Grand Duke Cameron. He was able to stand in front of Kant and accept his proper address!

"You seem to have thought of something unpleasant?"

Baron Dylan chuckled, he said firmly to Kant, "You can tell me. No matter what, I will still be your strongest support. If there are any problems, I will settle them for you. In the name of Princess Sofia, I once swore my loyalty to her. As for you, who belongs to her bloodline, I will also do my do my best."

"You make me feel at ease, Uncle Dylan.", Kant lowered his head and shook his head slightly with a bitter smile.

He was like a lost child, he sighed softly and said, "I was once not qualified to participate in the tournament of Castle of Leo. Even if I could go, I could only stay below and watch my father and brother on the viewing platform, but they could not see me in the crowd at all."

Dylan's eyes showed a slight of smug.

He even tried to sow discord in a calm tone. "It doesn't matter. Now that you have your own estate and control the salt mine, why do you have to listen to their arrangements? You can live more like yourself, just like your mother. You have your own opinions and don't rely on others too much, because she herself yield the power to control the country."

"My mother?", Kant seemed to be very curious.

"That's right.", Baron Dylan sighed slightly. "Princess Sofia once controlled the powerful Silver light knights, but after your mother passed away, this knights group disbanded."

Kant was slightly stunned.

This had never been recorded in history or in those books.

Once in the academy, Kant had specifically looked up the records of his mother, in order to look for clues.

His goal was also to use the forces that his mother had left behind to give him of some support. At least, he could live a less depressing life before the golden finger materialized.

However, no matter how hard he searched, he could not find any records of his mother. He only knew that she was the second wife of Grand Duke Cameron.

After the she died due to sudden illness, all of her records had lost.

From the looks of it, it seemed that someone had deliberately erased all the records of his mother.

Just looked at the noble families of the Dukedom of Leo, Kant's mother was like a taboo topics, they were only allowed to talk about her in this remote place. Even in the academy with a strong academic atmosphere, the topics of his mother, Princess Sofia was not allowed to discuss at all.

Thinking about it carefully, even some teachers deliberately did not lend Kant some books.

It seemed that it was because of this hidden reason.

Some people wanted Princess Sofia to disappear and completely block off this news to Kant, so as to avoid any accidents or touched on some secrets that should not be told.

Just like the current silver light knights.

Kant knew nothing about this.

"If you have the help of the silver light knights, I think those Jackalans are no match for you."

Baron Dylan also seemed to sigh.

Looking at Kant beside him, he said in a nostalgic manner, "It is said that the order of silver light knights are made up of 1,000 highly skilled knights, and the highest commander is 10 grand knights who have grasped extraordinary powers. They are really powerful."

"10 grand knights." Kant was slightly stunned.

If it was based on his understanding of grand knights, it would indeed be extremely terrifying.

Chapter 173: Boring Tournament

Kant swallowed his saliva and said, "A knight order led by 10 grand knights."

"What a pity.", his tone was still a little disappointed, but he raised his head and smiled. "Although I don't know about the silver light knights, I still have the help of others." After a pause, Kant's tone was still firm, he expressed his thought , "I think they are not inferior to the silver light knights."

Baron Dylan glanced at a corner of the viewing platform on the city wall.

Ten Sarrandian horsemen were standing there and talking happily.

It was like they formed a self-organized system, a circle that rejected outsiders. Even if there were landlords and merchants wanted to take their children to try their luck, they were rejected after a few words.

Before long, all the merchants knew that these seemingly gentle but actually cold horsemen were not so easy to get close to.

Baron Dylan understood in his heart.

He would replace the forces Kant had mentioned, as well as the ten Sarrandian horsemen who had obviously been trained by knights, into the forces left behind by Princess Sofia. He smiled lightly and his eyes were filled with fear and craze.

If he could return to the hidden forces.

And replace them.

Perhaps he would have his place in the entire dukedom of Leo!

It was precisely because Baron Dylan was one of the forces that Princess Sofia had brought back then, he knew the true intention of Princess Sofia was to subvert and control the political situation of the Dukedom of Leo. In fact, after gathering small half of the Silver Platter Kingdom forces, she was truly capable of changing the current situation of this country!

Or rather, they had the power to subvert the entire country!

After understanding this situation, Baron Dylan became even more passionate towards Kant.

However, he could not hide the greed in the depths of his eyes.

In Baron Dylan's eyes, Kant was just like a silly and sweet little child who knew nothing. He called him Uncle Dylan friendly and sincerely, as if he truly regarded this baron as the only person he could rely on at the moment.

However, there was an imperceptible mockery in Kant's smile.

He had lived two lives.

Kant was not a fool.

Just as the two of them were still talking, the tournament below finally began.

The chubby butler walked over quickly with a sheepskin scroll in his hand. On it, there were dense words written with a quill pen. He handed it to Baron Dylan, and reported, "Lord, everything is ready. The children of the gentries' family will start first. It was the first part of the tournament segment to warm up the audience."

"Just make the arrangements.", Baron Dylan waved his hand and did not take the sheepskin scroll.

Instead, he looked at the chubby butler, who had followed him for many years. He solemnly instructed him, "Don't embarrass me. This is a competition held to welcome little Kant. If anything goes wrong, I will be angry."

"Absolutely not!", the chubby butler immediately broke out in cold sweat.

"Hmph, that's good.", Baron Dylan's expression softened slightly.

Following the arrangements.

Many merchants and children of the landlords on the viewing platform quickly left. They walked down the stairs to the city wall and changed into their weapons and equipment for the tournament. They walked side by side to the square and respectfully greeted Baron Dylan.

Baron Dylan also waved his hand slightly, indicating that the tournament would start first.

The crowds below immediately cheered.

These competitors were wearing leather armor and holding wooden spears, shields, and swords. They quickly broke out into fight. As many competitors moved around, it could be seen that there were two teams of twenty competitors fighting each other. It seemed like they were simulating the attack of the military formation.

They fought back and forth, it looked quite hot-blooded.

The civilians below also let out deafening cheers, which quickly ignited the atmosphere.

This kind of tournament was one of the few grand banquets they had.

Baron Dylan also expressed his satisfaction, he smiled and turned to Kant and praised, "These children are the sons of merchants and landlords. It seems that in a few years, they will become experienced warriors. If some of them have strong awareness and training, they can even become knights' attendants. I think highly of them."

"I think they are very good.", Kant nodded in agreement.

"These are all very good young men.", Baron Dylan nodded proudly.

However, in Kant's eyes, these competitors below were fighting back and forth in groups, and then they scattered to find another opponents to fight one-on-one after a short while. There was no entertainment at all.

It was far inferior to the competition in Castle of Leo, not to mention the blockbuster in his previous life. They were not on the same level at all.

He turned his head and looked at the merchants and landlords around him. As well as those vassal knights, they were all watching with great interest.

With a slight frown, Kant could not tell what battle techniques these young people had. They were simply chopping each other with wooden swords and stabbing each other with wooden spears. Occasionally, they would hit each other with shield strikes. It was as if they were children playing house.

However, he did not show it on his face. He was still pretended to be quite enthusiastic.

Soon, as a certain team was defeated, the battle was paused for a moment.

The losers left the arena.

The winners raised their head arrogantly and stood on the arena to show their victory.

The civilians below burst into enthusiastic cheers. Even on the viewing platform, many merchants and landlords were talking excitedly about their children's actions just now. Of course, the families of the defeated deliberately did not speak a word.

Losing the battle was not something that people were willing to accept.

At this moment, Baron Dylan opened his mouth.

He swept his gaze over the merchants and landlords and smiled. "The winners will be rewarded with one great silver coin each."

"Thank you, the kind Baron Dylan!"

Immediately, there were people with smiles on their faces who quickly bowed to him.

Some people had bitter smiles on their faces.

Obviously, they were happy to be the family members of the victors. The ones with bitter smiles were the family members of the defeated.

In response to this, Baron Dylan continued to smile. At the same time, he continued, "In the name of little Kant, give the defeated a reward of 50 small silver coins as a reward for their unyielding performance in the arena!"

"Thank you, kind Baron Kant!"

The merchants and landlords who had bitter expressions on their faces before immediately revealed a joyful look. They immediately bowed to Baron Dylan and Kant to express their gratitude. The consolation prize was not low, and they were quite satisfied. The most important thing was that they would not lose their faces too much because of failure.

"Uncle Dylan, you are too generous.", Kant also bowed his head to express his gratitude. After all, these small silver coins were given to those people in his name.

Baron Dylan smiled proudly and shook his head. "Don't care too much, Little Kant. As long as you are in my estate, then it will be just like your home, as long as you are happy."

Kant continued to lower his head to express his gratitude.

He acted like a young noble who was deeply touched, as if he did not have any schemes or tricks. If one treated him better, he would willing to open his heart.

The square below was filled with people.

Another two teams of competitors appeared. It was still those young people, but they were all new players. They continued to fight in a mess. Kant was speechless, but he still had a smile on his face.

The winners of the last two teams continued to fight to determine the final winning team.

This time, Baron Dylan was very generous. He had rewarded each of them with five great silver coins. It was almost equal to the income of these merchants and landlords for many months. The cheers became louder and louder.

The commoners below were extremely excited even if they were just watching the show.

The competition reached its climax.

At this moment, the butler walked over and said with a smile, "Lord Dylan, it's time for the knights to compete. I think it will be very exciting."

This was the real climax.

The vassal knights who had actual combat experience would be more fun to watch.

"Okay.", said Baron Dylan with a smile.

However, he also thought of something and turned to Kant. "My knights already know their level. Why don't you ask your guards to go as well?"

"My guards?", Kant was slightly stunned.

"That's right,", said Baron Dylan with a smile. "You brought 40 guards with you, so you can definitely select 20 people to form two teams."

Kant lowered his head apologetically. "That's not very good."

"There's nothing bad about it. I said it.", Baron Dylan smiled and patted Kant on the shoulder, he said earnestly, "Look at your guards. They are all strong and fit. They are more than enough to be knights' attendants. They can also play in the tournament, not fight on the battlefield."

"Then... Okay.", Kant nodded.

"This tournament will be even more exciting.", Baron Dylan smiled happily.

As the order was given.

The 20 Sarrandian horsemen, who were still waiting under the city wall, were immediately transferred to the arena outside. They also changed into leather armor, wooden swords, wooden spears, and wooden shields. However, just by looking at their robust appearance and the imposing manner when they walked, one could tell that they were not at the same level as the children of the merchants and the landlords.

The true elite warriors, even the civilians below could see it.

The cheers were even louder.

At the same time, the vassal knights from the Stone Pass also appeared.

The 20 vassal knights also formed two teams, each of them rubbing their fists and palms. Looking at the Sarrandian horsemen, it seemed like they wanted to teach this group of outsiders a lesson. They all looked over provocatively, winking at each other, wanting to provoke the other party.

However, the Sarrandian horseman's face remained cold and calm.

This made the vassal knights a little angry.

Provoking the other party, but the other party completely ignored you. It was like they were looking down on you.

One by one, they whispered to each other, saying in a low voice that they would definitely teach these guys a lesson later.

"The first team of guards from Lord Kant will compete with the first team of cavalry from the Stone Pass !"

A servant on the viewing platform of the city wall loudly announced the rules.

His voice was loud and clear, and even the civilians below could hear him clearly. "You are not allowed to cause fatal injuries, and you are not allowed to make serious injuries that cause sequela. The tournament is based on the competition, and it can not be treated as a battle on the battlefield. I hope you can understand!"

"Understood.", the 20 Sarrandian horseman calmly replied.

"Don't be long-winded. Let's begin!"

However, the knights were a little impatient. Their status was higher than these servants.

Thus, their tone was not polite at all.

Seeing this, Baron Dylan frowned slightly.

However, he still smiled and said to Kant, "Your guards are really not bad. They are just like well-trained knights. Compared to my vassals, the difference is really too big. They are more like a real noble knight and a group of wandering knight."

Chapter 174: Complete Silence On the Scene

It was obvious that Baron Dylan was drooling over Kant's Sarrandian horsemen.

Completely obedient to the order.

This motto may looked simple and comprehensible. However, for these troops in the era of cold weapons, as long as they could follow this motto, they could be considered as elites. This was because this motto represented discipline, a discipline that should be strictly obeyed in military operations!

"They are all good.", Kant seemed to be smiling modestly.

However, this deepened Baron Dylan's guess that Kant had a force behind him to help him.

If there was no force to help him, then how could these 40 completely obedient knight-level guards follow an exiled baron, who had lost the love of his family and was struggling to survive in the desolate desert?

If he went to seek refuge with any noble...

He would be able to obtain even more!

"It really makes me drool. What kind of great power does the legacy of Princess Sofia have?", this thought arose in Baron Dylan's mind. His eyes were filled with fanaticism and stared straight into Kant's eyes.

Then, two teams were ready at the arena which located at the bottom of the city wall.

The 10 vassal knights on the left and the 10 Sarrandian horsemen on the right.

They were not riding horses.

Instead, they were walking for the sake of convenience. After all, the size of the entire arena was not large. If all 20 of them were to ride horses, they would not be able to display their powers. If they wanted to watch the horsemen charge at each other on horses, involved only two competitors were the best choice.

"It's about to begin.", Baron Dylan's eyes were filled with satisfaction.

Although these vassal knights looked undisciplined, they were indeed had capability and worth kept by him.

There were many monsters in the Senwaya Range. Even the low-level Jackalan tribe would attack from time to time.

Usually, they relied on these knights to lead their teams to deal with the monsters. If they did not have some ability, they would have died in the Senwaya Range. If they were able to live until now, their ability could not be underestimated.

Kant was silent.

He also had some doubts about his ten Sarrandian horsemen.

After all, they were all level-4 troop class.

If the level-5 Mamluke was here, he might still have a chance. After all, these level-5 troop class were the strongest force that Kant could have at the moment. Compared to the Level-4 troop class, they were qualitatively better!

"You don't seem to have confidence in your guards?"

Baron Dylan smiled and comforted him, "Don't worry, this is just a tournament."

"Of course.", Kant smiled and shook his head.

Just below, as both sides were ready, the servant responsible for the shouting repeated the rules.

Then, he raised the flag in his hand and waved it down heavily.

"Begin!"

The battle officially began.

The originally hyped crowd was very focused on the two teams in the arena.

Even the retired rookies were watching solemnly. This was a competition of the true knights. As long as they learned a few useful techniques from watching, it would be of great help to them in the future, and it would be more beneficial to their growth!

However, the expected collision did not happen.

The ten Sarrandian horsemen stood shoulder to shoulder, holding shields in their left hand and spears in their right hand. They carefully moved forward in formation, but their speed was not fast.

It was just like the most common formation of the long lance soldiers.

It made the vassal knights who had spread out and rushed forward a few steps, a little stunned. They had no concept of formation to begin with. In their impression, in such a tournament or even on a real battlefield, only footmen would form a formation like this. These knights usually led their troops to charge at the front to show their bravery. They used their powerful combat skills to lead their troops to tear open a hole in the enemy's formation as the final breakthrough point.

However, in a battle on foot, charging forward in a mess was not that heroic, especially when the enemy had formed a formation like a tight turtle shell.

If they charged forward, it might not be optimistic.

"Hey, are you guys violating the rules? Why are you all gathered together? Come out and fight us one on one! Are you guys cowards? If you're so timid, people will look down on you!"

The vassal knights used insulting tone to provoke the Sarrandian horsemen.

However, the ten Sarrandian horsemen did not move.

They continued to move forward slowly, holding ten two-meter long wooden spears in their hands as they slowly approached the scattered vassal knights. There was no expression on their cold faces, as though they did not care about the insults.

"Fight! Fight! Don't dawdle!"

There were people shouting from below. There were many of the residents were waving their fists fervently.

Obviously, these knights moving forward slowly and testing each other was not what they wanted to see.

Even on the city wall, many merchants and landlords were frowning.

Even Baron Dylan smiled and said to Kant, "Little Kant, it seems that your soldiers are very cautious."

"I don't know much about them either."

Kant timely showed his ignorance.

But he still smiled and said, "But when they killed the Jackalans, they were very powerful. Basically, ten people riding horses could chase after hundreds of Jackalans, and they could even win."

"Well.", Baron Dylan nodded and didn't say anything.

In his opinion, his vassal knights could also do it, so it wasn't a big deal.

However, at this moment.

The ten Sarrandian horsemen under the city wall seemed to have come to an agreement. They immediately rushed forward for about 10 meters within few steps. Meanwhile, the vassal knights were still standing in a mess, each holding a wooden sword and a wooden spear, they were not prepared at all. They could only retreat in shock, but they could not dodge the ten wooden spears that were thrusting straight at them.

The tip of the wooden spears was not made of iron, but was made of wood. It did not have a sharp edge. However, it still caused a little pain when it stabbed someone's body.

Moreover, the attacks of the Sarrandian horsemen were caught off guard and were not noticed by the vassal knights at all. They hurriedly let go and retreated to both sides. However, there were still two or three people who were unable to dodge in time. They were stabbed in the back of their waists or stomachs by the tip of the spears and announced their lose.

"Lost?"

They did not react in time and just stood in the arena in a daze.

Even the people around them did not react in time.

On the city wall, Baron Dylan still had a smile on his face, but this smile was frozen on his face. Looking at the vassal knights who had been completely scattered and chased by the Sarrandian horsemen in the arena, his face suddenly turned red.

Kant did not say anything. He just looked down quietly.

Soon.

The vassal knights who had been defeated were all declared defeated.

"Lord Kant's guards have won!"

The servants hesitated. They looked at the vicious gazes of the vassal knights, but they still helplessly said this result. After all, it was the vassal knights who had been defeated, not the Sarrandian horsemen.

"This isn't fair!"

The vassal knights flew into a rage out of humiliation.

One after another, they shouted, "How can they fought like this on the arena? They should show off their strength in a fair way!"

They were all saying similar words as they raised their heads to look at the viewing platform.

"That's right, this isn't fair!"

"Request for a rematch! They can't do this!"

"We want to watch an exciting match, not something as boring as this!"

"Cheating, this is cheating!"

The audience made up of civilians also protested, saying that the Sarrandian horsemen was cheating. In the arena, it was impossible to compete like this. It should be like a real man, fighting head on head!

Baron Dylan also turned his head slightly to look at Kant.

Hearing the people shouting for the rematch, his expression recovered a little. He teased, "Little Kant, your guards seem to treat the arena as a battlefield."

"I'm not sure either.", Kant still did not know anything. He scratched his head and said, "Maybe they don't know."

"Then let's fight one-on-one.", Baron Dylan smiled and made the decision.

He did not have any intention of letting Kant choose.

Soon, this decision was made, and the people below immediately cheered.

The vassal knights also issued a challenge.

However, the Sarrandian horsemen remained expressionless, just like the everlasting Sarrandian Desert. No matter how the wind blew, they waited.

In the arena, two people appeared once again.

They were a Sarrandian horseman and a vassal knight. Each of them held a wooden shield and a wooden spear, with a wooden sword in their arms.

"Hey, I will crush you under my butt!"

The vassal knight was provoking him.

However, the Sarrandian horseman did not care at all. The vassal knight in front of him lowered his body slightly and blocked the wooden shield in front of him. The wooden spear in his hand was like a poisonous snake hiding behind the shield.

The skills of the Sarrandan people had been honed on the battlefield and in their families.

They were the tribe in the desert.

If they stayed desert forever and ate dust, then the heroic acts of conquering or expelling other races and monopolizing the resources of the oasis would have long disappeared in history. They would not be ruling the Sarrandan Desert like they were doing now, or spread their forces toward the continent of Caradia.

"Begin!"

The servant immediately waved down the banner.

The people below were all shouting, cheering for their vassal knights.

"Defeat the outsiders!"

"Go! Let him know how powerful the Stone Pass is!"

"You are the strongest Lord Knight!"

The cheers were very hyped and joyous.

It caused the vassal knight to have a confident smile on his face.

This was the confidence that came from killing several powerful demonized creatures in the Senwaya Range.

"Look at my spear!", he shouted as he quickly thrust forward. The spear in his hand seemed to be ready to pierce through the Sarrandian horseman at any moment.

However, the Sarrandian horseman still lowered his body.

He looked at the rapidly approaching spear.

He immediately turned around and raised the shield in his left hand diagonally, blocking the direction where the spear was coming from. Borrowing the force of the spear, he raised it upwards, while the spear in his right hand was placed flat on his waist and stabbed into the abdomen of the vassal knight.

It took less than 10 seconds.

The citizens who were cheering and demanding to beat up the Sarrandian horseman were like ducks being choked by the throats now.

Their faces were flushed red, their eyes were wide open and they did not make a sound.

Even the viewing platform suddenly became cold and silent.

After a long while.

"This... is impossible!". Finally, a merchant opened his mouth with a shocked expression.

He recalled that this vassal knight once killed a demonized creature with ease. He stabbed that demonized creature from its mouth to its spine with his spear. He even stabbed the demonized creature from its butt, it howled for quite a while before it died miserably! But now this defeated vassal knight was just standing on the ground in shock.

Chapter 175: The Knight Who Suddenly Arrived

But this vassal knight who was known for his bravery was defeated just like that.

He lowered his head in a daze.

Looking at the wooden spear that was pressed against his lower abdomen, he had a stunned expression on his face.

He simply could not imagine that he would be defeated so easily.

The stunned crowds around him and the silence on the viewing platform on the city wall made him feel ashamed and salty. It immediately turned into anger and he howled when he took half a step back. He stretched out his hand to grab the wooden spear that was pressed against him and ferociously charged forward, he wanted to use the shield in his hand to smash against that poker face.

"How can I lose!", his eyes were filled with hatred.

However, what welcomed him was not victory, but the agile turn of the Sarrandian horseman. Without any doubts, the Sarradian horseman let go of the wooden spear and pulled out the wooden sword at his waist. The Sarrandian horseman used the hilt of the sword to strike his lower abdomen once again.

But this time, the Sarrandian horseman did not show any mercy.

It was just like a close combat battle.

Steady, accurate, and ruthless.

"Bang.", a faint sound appeared.

The hilt of the sword heavily struck the unprotected abdomen of the vassal knight.

The aggressive vassal knight suddenly stopped. His eyes widened, and his gaze was dull. He could not help but let out a muffled groan, curled up his body, and slowly fell to the ground.

Only then the Sarrandian horseman slowly step back.

There was still complete silence.

Even the servant, who was announcing the result, could not react in time with his trembling lips.

No one had expected the result to be so straightforward.

Even the people on the viewing platform were completely silent, they felt that their necks were a little stiff. At this moment, they did not even dare to turn their necks to look at Baron Dylan, let alone shout.

Such a straightforward failure twice in a row was undoubtedly a provocation to the baron behind them.

Baron Dylan's face was indeed a little ashen.

This was very embarrassing.

However, he took a breath and tried his best to recover his emotions. He forced a smile and said to Kant who was beside him, "What a good guard. Little Kant, I'm really puzzled. How can your guard be so strong?"

"I.. . Don't understand.", Kant looked puzzled.

He really did not know, and he never saw that coming.

He didn't expect these Level-4 troop class Sarrandian horseman could defeat the vassal knights so easily.

However, he still explained, "That is the strongest among my guards. He used to be able to fight against more than a dozen of Jackalans alone. He is a very strong guard."

"No wonder then.", Baron Dylan's expression became much better.

The surrounding merchants and landlords also nodded thoughtfully.

No wonder then.

If he was not the strongest, he would not able to defeat that vassal knight who was equally strong so easily. Otherwise, wouldn't the knights at the Stone Pass become a joke?

"Reward the victor with five great silver coins!", Baron Dylan ordered.

At the same time, he smiled and said to his butler, "Give that defeated knight one great silver coin and tell him not to lose heart. This is a strong fighter among the guards. Since he started to underestimate the enemy, it is only right for him to lose."

"Yes, sir.", the butler immediately walked down from the viewing platform.

"Fair Baron Dylan."

The merchants and landlords all flattered their baron one after another.

Even the people below cheered again and continued to liven up the atmosphere. Obviously, they had also accepted this reason. After all, Baron Dylan was the supreme authority of the territory. The explanation he gave was completely correct, there was no need to doubt it.

The reward was soon given.

However, Kant shook his head at Manid who was beside him.

The two of them came to an understanding.

Manid immediately understood. He quickly walked down from the viewing platform and went to the outer area of the arena below the city wall. After giving a few gentle reminders to the other waiting Sarrandian horsemen, he returned.

Seeing Manid nodded, Kant smiled.

It was good that it was done.

"The competition will continue!", the butler's voice sounded again.

The Sarrandian horsemen and the vassal knights were engaged in a fierce battle. However, it was no longer as straightforward and sudden as the previous match. On the contrary, the following Sarrandian horsemen appeared to be a little clumsy. Their fight techniques were very methodical in their attacks, it was almost as standard as the textbook.

Sometimes, it was not suitable for a real battle, even for a simulating battle.

Very soon.

These Sarrandian horsemen and the vassal knights had some wins and some losses between them.

But in the end, more horsemen lost.

It brighten the faces of the vassal knights. They secretly discussed with each other as well. They secretly ridiculed these knight attendants who looked dull at first glance.

"The attack is too rigid.", a smile returned to Baron Dylan's face.

"Yes.", Kant nodded.

In the arena, the last match ended.

The Sarrandian horseman used the most standard attack method and was easily dodged by the agile vassal knight. Then, the vassal knight used the wooden sword to point at the back of the Sarrandian horseman, announcing the victory of this match.

"Long Live! You are the strongest!"

"The knight under Baron Dylan is the strongest knight!"

The crowds were shouting and cheering for their vassal knights to win the tournament.

The atmosphere in the entire arena was extremely heated.

It was the same on the viewing platform. Everyone was praising the excellent combat skills of the vassal knights. At the same time, they were secretly belittling the Sarrandian horsemen's rigid and textbook-like attack method. Their words were filled with disdain.

"Ha Ha!"

The last victorious vassal knight also let out a victorious battle cry. He raised his wooden shield and wooden sword high and made a provocative action towards the Sarrandian horseman.

However, his provocation was still ignored.

The 20 Sarrandian horsemen turned around and left.

However, in the eyes of the crowds and the vassal knights, they were fleeing in panic.

There were even more jeers at them.

"Little Kant, I hope you won't be angry.", Baron Dylan turned his head, he seemed to be consoling Kant. "Sometimes, victory can not be limited to those inferior Jackalan. After all, only our human warriors can possess all kinds of exquisite techniques and powerful strength."

"Perhaps.", Kant shrugged his shoulders in disappointment.

However, no one could see the hidden mockery in his lowered eyes.

That's right, this was only a tournament.

But after fighting in the Sarrand Desert, experiencing countless battles, and being bestowed with powerful combat techniques by the system, how could the Sarrandian horseman easily lose the victory of the tournament?

If he had not asked Manid to inform the Sarrandian Horseman, these vassal knights would probably have been beaten to the ground by now, making Baron Dylan lost his face!

This was for the sake of the overall situation.

Kant wasn't willing to reveal his strength so early.

It was good enough to show a little of his strength and let Baron Dylan know that he had the support from a hidden force.

If he were to reveal Oasis Lookout now...

It might ended up that Baron Dylan would be afraid of him, and there was even the possibility of Baron Dylan directly falling out with him.

The current harmony was based on the premise that Kant's strength was weaker.

Once Baron Dylan discovered that Kant's strength had taken root in the Nahrin Desert and became a terrifying devouring beast, it would be absolutely impossible for him to sleep as peacefully as he did now. He would probably not hesitate to collude with the other stronger noble forces in the Dukedom of Leo and join forces to devour Kant.

No one was a fool to be able to become a noble, and no one was willing to see the other nobles become stronger than themselves!

Thus, Kant just pursed his lips and smiled. But the others thought that this was the awkwardness and embarrassment after losing the match.

Baron Dylan even walked over and patted Kant's shoulder, he smiled and said, "You are already lucky to have this group of guards. As long as they have a few more years of practice, they will definitely comparable to my vassal knights. Don't be discouraged, it's not a big deal."

"Well, thank you for your arrangement, Uncle Dylan.", Kant smiled and nodded.

The atmosphere became harmonious.

While Baron Dylan was holding a sweet wine mixed with honey and about to say something, the chubby butler quickly walked over from the tower next to the viewing platform. His face was a little flustered.

"What's wrong?", Baron Dylan asked with a frown.

The butler came to the side of Baron Dylan and said hurriedly, "I don't know what's going on. Viscount Wayne's vassal knight has arrived outside, and he even said that he wants to participate in the tournament!"

"Viscount Wayne's vassal knight?", Baron Dylan frowned.

His expression was bitter. He reprimanded the butler, "I don't remember inviting that old thing, Viscount Wayne's vassal knight to participate. What's going on?"

"I was the one who volunteered to participate."

As he spoke, a middle-aged man with a cold expression walked out from the tower beside him.

The surrounding landlords and merchants were slightly stunned.

As for the vassal knights belonging to Baron Dylan, their expressions were solemn as they stared at the middle-aged man. They subconsciously clenched the wine glasses in their hands, their faces cold without any slight of a smile.

"Heh, Knight Terrence, it's such a coincidence to see you here at such a time."

Baron Dylan was wearing a smile on his face.

However, it was a cold and impatient smile. "I actually forgot to send you an invitation to the tournament. It really makes me feel a little apologetic. You must have come in a hurry and must not have made any preparations. Why don't I invite you to participate in the next tournament in advance?"

"Oh, thank you, Baron Dylan. I wonder when you will hold the next tournament?", the middle-aged knight called Terrence also asked with a smile.

Baron Dylan shrugged. "About ten years later."

"Hahaha --"

Immediately, the surrounding vassal knights burst into laughter. These knights who belonged to Baron Dylan, of course, were not on good terms with the vassal knights who were under the command of Viscount Wayne.

This stemmed from the conflict between the two noble families.

However, Dylan was a baron, and was lower than Wayne, the viscount who ruled the dukedom's northern county, .

They had always been bullied.

Now, they could find an opportunity to ridicule the vassal knights of the viscount, which was also a pleasant thing for them. Although they did not dare to directly ridicule him, they still laughed when they matched with Baron Dylan's words, it could also bring them psychological comfort.

"Well, that's a pity."

However, Terrence was not angry at all. Instead, he said faintly, "Ten years is a long time. It's long enough for some noble to be stripped of their noble title and become a lowly commoner again.". After a pause, he looked at Baron Dylan, he said calmly, "Oh, maybe it's even worse than a commoner, just like those dirty and smelly poor people."

Chapter 176: Expected Defeat

The subordinates of my subordinates are not my subordinates.

The vassals of my vassals are not my vassals.

This is a truth that has been passed down from the Dukedom of Leo, and even from the entire human kingdoms.

Just like the current Terrence.

He was Viscount Wayne's vassal knight. As long as he did not make any obvious humiliation to Baron Dylan, or directly speak rudely, then he could still point at the mulberry tree while cursing the locust tree, without any troubles.

Even if something happened to him, Viscount Wayne would be his backing.

Baron Dylan also understood this logic. He squinted his eyes slightly and snorted coldly. "Knight Terrence, I remember that your fief should be two days' journey from the east of the Stone Pass. You must have worked hard to participate in the tournament that I organized."

"It's not hard, it's not hard.", Knight Terrence smiled. "I came here to take the first place. I also want to prove to Viscount Wayne that I, as a knight, am the strongest.". At the same time, he looked at the vassal knights around him who did not look friendly, he smiled and said, "Of course, it's not very strong. It's just a little bit stronger."

This sentence was merciless.

It directly pointed out that no knight could compare to him at the Stone Pass.

Baron Dylan's face was ashen. He gritted his teeth and his breathing became rapid.

The faces of the merchants and landlords on the viewing platform did not look good. However, they did not dare to say anything. After all, the knights could still get involved in these noble mess, but none of these so-called celebrities could interfere at all.

However, Baron Dylan's vassal knights were furious.

"Arrogant bastard!"

"This is not your Viscount Wayne's Logue Castle!"

"If you have something on your sleeve, go down and try!"

These vassal knights let out angry roars and directly pointed at Terrence with their eyes wide open. They did not welcome this Knight Terrence who was in fact spying on them despite he came from the Logue Castle near to the Stone Pass.

If Terrence agreed, these guys would definitely let him know what was the taste of being ganged up!

Sometimes nobles could be unreasonable, there were no rules in their eyes.

Kant stood behind them.

Manid was with him and did not get involved in the fight between the nobles. He just watched quietly, feeling a little bored. It was just a dog-eat-dog fight.

But at this moment, the dialog box in front of his eyes flashed.

[ Ding... side quest issued ]

[ Side quest: contact with extraordinary power ]

[ Reward: Body of a knight ]

[ Introduction: When you came to this world, you found that there was some mysterious and powerful extraordinary power hidden. Now that you can contact it, ask your soldiers to help you. Maybe you can contact this power. ]

It was a temporary side quest that had not been seen for a long time.

Kant was slightly stunned.

Right in front of him, Knight Terrence nodded with a smile as if he was responding to the challenges of the vassal knights. He said directly, "Alright, then I will go to the arena and wait for everyone."

After saying this, Knight Terrence looked at Baron Dylan. "This is really a kind invitation."

"Hehe."

Baron Dylan sneered in a low voice and said calmly, "As long as you have the ability, even beggars can participate in the competition. Of course, Knight Terrence, you can also participate."

"Let's wait and see.", Knight Terrence smiled and walked to the edge of the viewing platform.

The merchants and landlords walked away one after another.

Terrence stood by the city wall and looked at the civilians below. The stunned civilians were looking back at him. He turned to the vassal knights and said, "Then who will go first? I don't have much time. I hope that all of you can go to the arena as soon as possible so that I can quickly win the champion of this tournament."

"You...", the vassal knights went mad and didn't finish their words.

Terence stood at the side of the city wall, then he directly jumped down. It was like he had committed suicide.

"Oh.", the merchants and landlords cried out in surprise. The civilians below also cried out in shook. With a muffled "Bang", Terrence's voice came from below. "Let's begin quickly."

"He..."

The vassal knights widened their eyes as if they had seen a ghost.

Even the big merchants and landlords were trembled and turned their heads to look at Baron Dylan.

As the upper-class celebrities at the Stone Pass, since they could stand on the viewing platform, it meant that their status was not low. They also understood certain things. For example, there were strict rankings among the knight class.

"Grand knight.", Baron Dylan's face was livid.

Even if he did not go to the edge of the city wall and take a look, he knew that this height of seven meters would not pose any threat to Terrence. Terrence had already mastered a little extraordinary power and had rapidly improved his physical fitness.

At this moment, Kant took a step forward.

With a sincere expression on his face, he asked, "Uncle Dylan, this Terrence does not seem to have a very harmonious relationship with you? Now that he has appeared, he really does not have the slightest courtesy."

"Hmph.", Baron Dylan snorted coldly. "This is the vassal knight of that old thing, Viscount Wayne."

As he spoke, he frowned and said softly, "I did not expect that this fellow would actually become a grand knight. Viscount Wayne must have gotten someone to bestow him with extraordinary power. He must have really invested a lot of capital."

"Uncle Dylan, why don't we do this?"

Kant seemed to know nothing, he patted his chest and said, "Let my strongest guard go up and test that guy. If there is any problem, let your knight go up. After all, this guy has offended Uncle Dylan. In my opinion, we should let him know what etiquette is!"

Kant's suggestion made Baron Dylan squint his eyes slightly. He nodded and said with a smile, "Then that's it."

It was exactly what he wanted to do, to let this Kant's man go up and test Terrance.

There was a sarcasm in his heart, but he nodded solemnly. "I've really troubled you, Little Kant. Your help really touched me."

"It's no trouble at all!", Kant laughed happily. "Uncle Dylan is so good to me. How could I be in trouble?". As he said that, he turned to Manid and said, "Let that guy go up and teach this Terrence a lesson!"

"Understood.", Manid nodded respectfully and then retreated.

Soon, the Sarrandian horseman walked out from the arena below.

Terrence was also wearing a training uniform. He did not use the wooden shields and swords in his hands. When he saw the Sarrandian horseman walk out, he had a mocking smile on his face. "I haven't seen you before. You're the new vassal Knight of Baron Dylan?"

"Lord Kant's guard.", the Sarrandian horseman replied coldly.

Terrence raised his eyebrows slightly and looked up at the viewing platform. Kant's young face was imprinted in his eyes, he nodded thoughtfully. "Oh, Oh, Baron Kant's guard. I didn't expect that Princess left so many things behind. I didn't expect that even if he was exiled to the Nahrin Desert, there were people still willing to follow him."

"Let's begin.", Sarrandian horseman did not say a single word.

"Alright.", Terrence nodded.

And just as the servant waved the flag, the battle began.

Sarrandian horseman was already so cautious that he did not choose to attack first.

"Ridiculous.", Terrence shook his head contemptuously and quickly walked forward. He raised the wooden shield in his hand and slightly raised the wooden sword. He looked quite capable, no less than Sir Hobson, who had brought 50 retainer knights to help Kant. They were all elites who had experienced actual combat.

The Sarrandian horseman was unafraid as he held the wooden spear in his hand tightly.

This weapon was heavy and made of solid wood. It was no less than the iron spear he used.

The two of them approached.

"Bang.", the Sarrandian horseman quickly stabbed the wooden spear while Terrence raised the wooden shield. Just like how he had used this move to block the vassal knight's stab, Terrence slightly turned his body and let the wooden spear slide away.

Terrence moved forward and said with a smile, "Your skills are not bad."

"Hmph."The Sarrandian horseman snorted coldly.

He did not panic. Instead, he was unusually calm.

He let go of the wooden spear and pulled out the wooden sword in his hand. However, this time, he did not use the hilt of the sword. Instead, he swung the sword from the bottom up, just in front of Terrence.

"You can do it.", Baron Dylan praised from the top of the city wall.

With this decisive move and this reaction speed, he could indeed be called an elite knight.

"So strong.", even the vassal knights were secretly amazed.

Now it seemed that, there were not many people in their group who could match up to this strongest guard.

"The uppercut? Well, this combat technique is very standard.", Terrence also nodded, he stretched out his hand and used his shield to block the attack from the bottom to the top. He said a professional attack name and took two steps back at the same time. "Your basic skills are very solid and you're determined. You should have been on the battlefield and killed many people, right?"

"Oh --", the surrounding civilians heard it clearly and immediately cried out in surprise.

Sarrandian horseman was still indifferent. "Continue."

"But even so, you can't beat me.", Terrence chuckled. A red light appeared in his eyes as he bowed slightly, he said softly, "Didn't your knight mentor tell you that no matter how strong a knight's skills are, they can't beat a grand knight who has mastered extraordinary powers?"

"Huff Huff Huff --" faint flames instantly burst out around him.

Terrence's figure moved forward at high speed.

His speed was more than twice as fast as before. His increasing speed did not give the Sarrandian horseman much time to react. He could only take a deep breath and subconsciously place the wooden sword in front of his chest.

Terrence had already raised his shield and appeared in front of him.

A faint heat wave swept over.

"Go down!", Terrence's voice appeared in front of the Sarrandian horseman.

"Uh.", the Sarrandian horseman widened his eyes.

He did not see how this grand knight got close to him, but he saw that the shield crashed heavily into the wooden sword in front of his chest. With a crisp crack, the Sarrandian horseman's chest slightly caved in, his entire body seemed to have been pushed out by a great force. He flew for three to four meters and fell to the ground. It took him a long time to get up, and he coughed out a few mouthfuls of blood.

It was obvious that his inner abdomen had suffered a great impact.

The civilians below were completely silent, just like what had happened just now.

It was the same on the viewing platform.

"Thank you.". After coughing, Sarrandian horseman supported himself and stood up. He nodded at Terrence and said, "I lost.". After saying that, he did not wait any longer. He threw away the broken wooden sword and walked towards the city wall.

He knew that Terrence had shown mercy.

Chapter 177: Knight’s Body Of Kant

This was a tournament.

It was not a life-and-death battle on the battlefield. Terrence had indeed shown mercy.

The Sarrandian horseman thanked him for this.

"You're a good fellow. If you think it's alright, Viscount Wayne's Logue Castle welcomes you to join.". Terrence put away his shield and looked at the Sarrandian horseman from where he stood. He smiled and asked, "How about it? Think about it."

"I'm not interested.", Sarrandian horseman shook his head, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and returned to his companions.

They were loyal to Kant.

They had no intentions of the recruiting by any local powers.

On the viewing platform.

"As expected.", Baron Dylan narrowed his eyes slightly.

His expression was rather pale, but he had also noticed Terrence's weakness, he turned around and spoke to his two most trusted vassal knights. "He just became a grand knight not too long ago. It seems that he wants to come here and establish his authority. I think that he seems to have misunderstood something. He thinks that there are no grand knights at our Stone Pass."

"He will regret it.", the vassal knight on the left nodded and stepped forward.

"Very good.", Baron Dylan nodded with a smile.

His expression calmed down.

The vassal knight moved forward to the direction of the city wall and stepped into the air. Like a zippy cheetah, he stepped on the stone wall and landed in the middle of the arena.

"This is that Lord! He also jumped down!"

"Edmund the God of War, what kind of power is this..."

"This is... the legendary grand knight!"

The civilians around the arena were still watching and cried out in surprise.

Even the other landlords and merchants on the viewing platform on the city wall widened their eyes in surprise.

However, those vassal knights looked calm and expected. Although these two vassal knights did not display the power of grand knights, these two were capable to deal with the crisis in the Stone Pass and stabilize the situation very quickly. If it was not for the legendary grand knight, it would definitely be impossible to do that.

In the arena.

This vassal knight held a wooden shield and a wooden sword. His eyes flickered with a faint blue light. He smiled and said, "Knight Terrence, I did not expect that you would also become a grand knight. This is really something worth congratulating."

"Yes, I have only become a grand knight for less than half a year."

Terrence nodded, but his eyes were a little more solemn. "The Stone Pass has a strong foundation. Could it be that you guys have colluded with those rebels?". He paused and looked up at Kant who was standing beside Baron Dylan on the city wall, and he looked a bit disdain. "Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot. Baron Dylan was originally from the rebellion. How could he collude with them, he's just return to where he's from!"

"Shut up!", blue light flashed in the vassal knight's eyes. He said angrily, "If you continue to speak rudely, I will officially propose a life and death duel to you as a noble to defend the honor of Baron Dylan!"

"What a good dog!", Terrence mocked, but he did not continue.

He had already said so.

There was nothing more to say.

Both of them were a little angry during this tournament.

Draw the swords and begin!

The reddish heat wave was like fire, colliding with the light blue waves like water. Both of them carried extraordinary power and an oppressive aura. Even the surroundings of the arena formed a current of hot and cold air, this caused the surrounding civilians to retreat. Even the lance footmen, who were maintaining the order, were also a little messy.

The eyes of the celebrities on the viewing platform, as well as the children they brought along, including the vassal knights, were filled with fanaticism. This was the magnificent extraordinary power that they were pursuing!

This included Kant.

His eyes widened slightly as he looked at the figures of the two knights crossing each other.

Their speed, agility, and explosive strength had not only doubled, it was almost three times stronger than the Sarrandian horseman. It was just like the movements of the best athletes who only wore thin clothes.

There was also the heat wave and cold current released from their surrounding.

Extraordinary power was surging out along with their fight.

"Could it be..."

Kant looked at the red and blue extraordinary strength, and combined it with some novels and movies that he had read in his previous life. He seemed to have thought of something.

However, a dialog box suddenly popped up on his retina.

[ Ding... After your unremitting efforts, the mission has been completed. ]

[ Side mission: 'Contact with extraordinary power' completed. ]

[ Reward: Body of a knight. ]

[ Introduction: extraordinary power is unique and mystery in this world. You have already come into contact with its essence. As a result, your physique has changed. Perhaps your physique now was comparable to a Swadian knight. ]

The dialog box popped up, but it disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Although Kant knew that it would not be discovered by others, he still remained cautious.

Just as the dialog box disappeared on his retina, the mission reward that he had obtained, the golden card with the faint figure on it, suddenly shattered, turning into a data stream that instantly entered his mind. Immediately after, a heat wave formed in his body, causing him to swallow a mouthful of saliva. His face was flushed red due to the heat in his body.

"Huff Huff Huff...", Kant's breathing was extremely rapid.

Fortunately, everyone's attention was attracted by the tournament in the arena.

No one cared about this ridiculous puppet-like baron.

Even Baron Dylan, who was beside him, took a few quick steps forward. His eyes were solemn as he watched the tournament that concerned his dignity and stared at the movements of the two grand knights,.

Even when he heard Kant's rapid breathing.

He was treated it as a normal reaction of shock when Kant saw the grand knights. Instead, he felt even more disdain in his heart.

However, Kant's body became hotter and hotter.

A large amount of cold sweat appeared on his forehead and back. It was like his entire body was drenched.

In the end, the heat spread to his entire body. Only then did Kant finally calm down. His breathing gradually became calm. However, the redness on his face and the cold sweat on his body made him look extremely disgraceful as he stared blankly into the space. He looked like a pitiful child who had been shocked.

He was indeed only 16 years old.

It was natural for him to have such a reaction when he saw a grand knight who possessed extraordinary strength competing.

Even the descendants of the noble families on the viewing platform, who followed behind celebrities and were about the same age as him, had the same reaction. Their faces were flushed with red and sweat as they stared straight at the actions of the two extraordinary grand knights below, and their breathing quickened.

However, Kant knew that he had become different under the heat that spread throughout his body.

He slowly clenched his fist.

Under the body of a weak young man, there was an endless amount of power.

Kant even felt that his current strength could destroy an ox with a single punch!

Of course, this was a joke. However, the power that was contained within his body, and the various longsword, knight's sword, footman sword, bastard sword, awl lance, military lance, and spear that were all instilled in his brain. There was also kite shield, fan-shaped shield, round shield, square shield, and even all sorts of warhorse techniques.

It like if he was born with all these knowledges, or had gone through 16 years of arduous training!

"Knight's body?"

Kant understood in his heart that this was the reward from the system's temporary side quest!

And in the arena below the viewing platform, this match came to an end with Knight Terrence retreating, as well as the wooden sword in his hand that was wrapped in ice.

"I lost.", Knight Terrence was unwilling, but he still admitted defeat.

"Ha.", the vassal knight revealed a smile, he looked at him and said faintly, "We will continue to hold a banquet tonight. If you are interested, why don't you continue to participate and we can talk about this match together? You have just advanced to be a grand knight, this is probably your first time participating in a tournament right?"

"There's no need for that.", Terrence's face returned to a smile.

He casually threw away the wooden sword that was wrapped in a faint layer of ice and fell onto the stone platform. With a crisp sound, the wooden sword instantly shattered into pieces, just like the sawdust that was wrapped in ice.

He raised his head to look at Kant and directly turned around to walk outside. Below the tournament stage, there were already attendants who brought warhorse over. The two of them quickly hopped onto their horses, at the same time, Terrence shouted to Baron Dylan on the viewing platform, "Respected Baron Dylan, Viscount Wayne has entrusted me to greet you. He also wishes to cooperate with your trade caravan. If possible, he hopes that you will visit him at Logue Castle another day. He will be very happy."

On the viewing platform on the city wall, Baron Dylan's expression was calm. One could not tell whether he was happy, angry, or sad. "I understand.", Baron Dylan nodded

"Let's go!"

Terrence turned his head, pulled the reins, and rode away.

His knight attendant followed behind him and soon left the Stone Pass.

He rode away quickly. Hearing the faint cheers coming from behind, Terrence loosened his grip on the reins. A cold current spread from his hand, it actually caused his palms to the rein as if his palms were frozen.

However, Terrence did not care at all. With a slight heat wave in his hand, he forcefully pulled off his palm on the reins. Fresh blood immediately flowed out along with the broken skin. The attendant beside him was surprised and quickly took out a pure white linen cloth to bandage him up, having not seen the damage caused by extraordinary power before, he looked a little terrified.

"This is a minor injury."

Terrence chuckled, his expression calm.

He turned his head to look in the direction of the Stone Pass, but his expression was solemn as he said, "We need to return quickly. Viscount Wayne must be very curious as to know why Baron Dylan's power has erupted so quickly in just a short month."

The two of them quickly rode their horses and disappeared on the rugged dirt road.

Meanwhile, at the Stone Pass.

The tournament in the arena ended, and the entire competition ended as the sun gradually set in the west.

Many civilians left while chatting and laughing.

Today's tournament was a feast for their eyes.

Meanwhile, those celebrities and gentries brought their most outstanding family members and rearranged the banquet in the Lord's Hall at dusk. They began to show unusual enthusiasm to those vassal knights, especially that grand knight, they even expressed their goodwill in a humble and respectful tone.

Kant and the others were still the same.

The Sarrandian horseman just lost the match, There were not many celebrities merchants and landlords came over to greet them.

Obviously, for them Kant's guards were not qualified enough to let their outstanding sons and daughters join them.

However, it allowed Kant to avoid nagging.

Chapter 178: The Development of Baron Dylan

The champion of this tournament was obviously the vassal knight.

The chubby butler personally brought a silver plate. With the light blue linen cloth at the bottom, there was a large silver coin as big as an egg on it. The edges were decorated with exquisite patterns, and in the middle was the head of the Archduke of Leo, Cameron.

This represented the legal tender recognized by the Castle of Leo.

It was a recently minted silver coin as well.

The gentries who attended the banquet subconsciously swallowed their saliva.

Just for the value of these 100 great silver coins, it was more than enough to buy over 100 acres of land in the village near the Stone Pass. However, no one was so stupid.

The land in the northern county was very poor.

If they bought more than a hundred acres of land in here, it was estimated that they would not be able to earn back the 100 great silver coins even after ten years of production!

The vassal knight took the silver plate respectfully and sincerely thanked Baron Dylan. At the same time, he left under the applause and handed it to his most trusted servant to put it back in his room for storage. After everything was arranged properly, he returned to the banquet. The atmosphere of the banquet was very harmonious.

Kant was still holding his wine glass and chatting with Baron Dylan.

The topic was also the tournament in the afternoon.

"Little Kant, I see that you are drenched in cold sweat. This is not a good sign. Although your noble etiquette is impeccable, your courage should also be improved."

Baron Dylan instructed him as an elder.

Kant lifted his wine glass in embarrassment and took a sip. "I will."

"Hahaha.", seeing Kant's expression, Baron Dylan shook his head and laughed. He hid the scorn in his eyes and looked at the guests in front of him. He raised his wine glass and shouted to everyone, "For the arrival of Little Kant, we congratulate him with a toast!"

"We congratulate Baron Kant on his arrival!"

In the entire Lord's Hall, the gentries, celebrities, and the vassal knights all raised their wine glasses.

The sweet scent of drunkenness had already begun to spread.

Although they were raising their glasses for Kant, all of them were looking at Baron Dylan. To them, the actual controller of the Stone Pass was the person they should respect.

As for that Baron Kant?

Oh, don't joke around!

He was just a pitiful person who had been exiled to the Nahrin Desert.

Everyone in the Dukedom of Leo knew that Cameron did not like this son of his. Even all the noble families did not like him. Otherwise, they would not have banished Kant and given the barren land of the Nahrin Desert to him.

The northern county was already sorrow and barren, and the Stone Pass was the most barren and desolate area in the northern county.

But compared to the Nahrin desert.

That was the true wilderness, the forbidden area of civilization, a terrifying area and all the harsh environments that one could describe.

An area that even escaped slaves were unwilling to set foot in.

They would rather be caught and killed instead of entering the Nahrin Desert.

Because living in the Nahrin Desert was comparable to the greatest torture in prison!

Once, the Dukedom of Leo issued a law in the chaotic political situation a hundred years ago. The prisoner who had committed treason and the crime of regicide was given a dull knife, a water sack, and a piece of bread. Then, they led a team to the Nahrin Desert, to throw this criminal into the depths of the desert.

This law was effective in intimidating during the chaotic political situation at that time, and it had continued until now.

It was enough to show the terror of Nahrin Desert.

.........

The dinner ended late at night.

The drunken gentries and celebrities still maintained good manners and thanked Baron Dylan.

Then, the dinner was dismissed.

With the help of their respective servants, they returned to their own homes in a carriage.

Many people's homes were close to the official residence at the Stone Pass.

There were also many people who came from many villages outside the Stone Pass.

Even the vassal knights left in the end. They had drunk quite a lot tonight, they were also drunk and satisfied. After all, for these people, the tournament and the sumptuous banquet were extremely exciting.

"Uncle Dylan, I'll go to bed now."

Kant's face was full of excitement, and he said gratefully, "This is really a beautiful day."

"As long as you're happy, Little Kant.", Baron Dylan laughed and patted his shoulder. His slightly red face had a bright and forthright smile. "I won't forget the help you've given me. We're the best of friends, and we're also the best of family. No one can break us!"

"Yes, no one!", Kant nodded firmly.

Only then the two of them separated.

Kant returned to his room. After drinking a lot of wine, he quickly fell asleep.

Manid and the ten Sarrandian horsemen who followed him also fell asleep in their respective rooms.

The entire mansion returned to silence.

However, Baron Dylan appeared in his living room. The two vassal knights were also there. The drunken look on their faces caused by the wine had disappeared. Even the redness on their faces had disappeared.

They looked like they had not touched a single drop of alcohol.

However, the three of them did not care about this small matter.

"How is it?", Baron Dylan turned his head to look at the vassal knight and said with a depressed expression, "That Terrence actually became a grand knight. Did you feel anything?"

"He just became a grand knight not long ago,", the vassal knight said.

"Of course.", Baron Dylan snorted. "It seems that it has not even been half a year.". He narrowed his eyes slightly, his expression was very awful. "Half a year ago, this guy was still polite to me. Now that he has become a grand knight, he dares to be rude to me. If it wasn't for that old bastard, Viscount Wayne, I definitely wouldn't believe it!"

"It's also very coincidental that he appeared at the tournament.", another vassal knight said, "They have a spy."

"Let the rats handle it.", Baron Dylan waved his hand. "They know what to do. I don't want to let these rats eat and drink for free. They are useless. Now there's a spy, find them all."

"Understood.", the vassal knight nodded.

He was in charge of leading the spy group, the rats.

"We need to speed up our plan."

Baron Dylan opened his mouth and asked the two vassal knights, "I asked you to arrange for people to go to the territory of southern county to find some mercenaries. Any news?"

"Yes.", the vassal knight nodded.

"How is it?", Baron Dylan asked.

"There are 500 elite mercenaries who are willing to accept our recruitment. The price is 30 great silver coins per month. If we start a war with the enemy, we will need an additional 20 great silver coins per month during the war as well as a monthly silver coin reward,", the vassal knight replied.

"500 people.", Baron Dylan automatically omitted the so-called elite ranking and nodded. "30 great silver coins per month. I accept this."

"There are still 500 pirates who are willing to join us. We only need 10 great silver coins per month."

The vassal knight shrugged. "I think it's useless to have them. We don't have a river here. I think that these people were captured by the river patrol team of Lionheart City. They just want to hide from the storm When the storm passes, they will definitely return to the river of Resniston and won't listen to our orders at all."

"Then tell them to get lost.", Baron Dylan snorted coldly.

"Yes.", the vassal knight nodded.

However, Baron Dylan frowned and asked in a serious tone, "Are there no other mercenaries willing to accept our long-term employment? This is not in line with those greedy people that grasping of money!"

"You know.", the vassal knight smiled bitterly. "Those famous mercenary groups in the Dukedom of Leo are in fact the forces of various noble families. If we really hire them, Stone Pass might be targeted by some noble families in the future. After all, our current table salt trade has already attracted the attention of Viscount Wayne of northern county."

"That old dog!", when Baron Baron Dylan thought of that old thing, anger rose in his heart.

He slammed the table heavily and stood up with his hands behind his back. He paced back and forth in the conference room as if he had thought of something, he turned his head and said to the vassal knight who was in charge of this matter, "Oh right, can we find the mercenary group from that crazy Countess Elsaiah in east county?"

"No,", the vassal knight answered helplessly.

"Why?", Baron Dylan frowned.

"The territory of countess at east county is still locked down, especially the recent conflict with the Silver Platter Kingdom on the other side of the river. It is said that they even clashed with each other on the river and almost started a war with the lord of Nazaire Castle on the other side. Our forces are unable to infiltrate.", the vassal knight shook his head.

"Hmph, it's still the same battle from ten years ago.", Baron Dylan snorted coldly. He was used to it. "If it wasn't for Archduke Cameron ceding countess's Nazaire Castle to the Silver Platter Kingdom, their blood-related relationship wouldn't be so stiff."

This wasn't a secret. He had obtained his title during the war between the Dukedom of Leo and the Silver Platter Kingdom.

Now, it had nothing to do with him.

Baron Dylan frowned and ordered, "These are all minor things. Go to other places and contact them. As long as they can introduce qualified mercenaries to us, I can give them commission. The higher the quality of the introduced mercenary and the more there are, the higher the commission will be. It will be settled in great silver coins, and there will be no limit!"

"Understood!", the vassal knight nodded.

Another vassal knight asked, "Lord, what about Baron Kant?"

"Don't act rashly,", Baron Dylan said.

His face was slightly solemn, he slowly said, "Princess Sofia's forces are still lurking, and they have only just revealed themselves. Sixteen years is not enough to completely wipe out them. Ten years ago, the Silver Platter Kingdom won the battle, and it is probably the result of the spies left behind by Princess Sofia. Now Kant is still developing rapidly, and it is probably supported by them. We only need to wait slowly and then contact them."

"But... They have already given up on us.", the vassal knight hesitated.

"Give up? Ha!", Baron Dylan sneered. "No, we are now the lord close to Kant. We control the Stone Pass, the only passage between the Dukedom of Leo and the Nahrin Desert. How can they give up? They will come back for us!"

There was a dangerous look in his eyes. "I will make a fortune this time!"

Chapter 179: The Route To the Village

The next morning.

Kant woke up on his own and opened his eyes. He was extremely energetic.

He had drunk quite a lot of alcohol yesterday.

Although the alcohol content was low, it was still similar to beer. With his 16-year-old body, he could not withstand too much alcohol. However, he was now refreshed and did not seem to be any different.

This was because the system had modified his body and infused it with the body of a Swadian knight.

He had peed a few times last night.

Basically, he had expelled all the alcohol in his body.

After putting on his clothes, Kant felt as if his entire body was filled with endless strength. He shook his neck, and the faint "Ka Ka" sounds kept ringing in his ears. This morning activities brought him comfort.

"Dang Dang Dang."

The door was lightly knocked.

At the same time, Manid said, "Lord Kant, according to the plan, we should set off."

"Got it.", Kant nodded.

"Good morning, Lord Kant."

He looked around the room and did not leave anything behind. Then, he opened the door. Outside, Manid and the ten Sarrandian horsemen were waiting. When they saw Kant come out, they hurriedly lowered their heads to greet him.

"Okay.", Kant nodded.

He walked quickly in front, at the same time, he asked Manid, "Have you told Uncle Dylan about us leaving? I don't want Uncle Dylan to wake up in the morning and find out that we left without saying goodbye. This is a very rude thing. It will make things very difficult for me."

"Everything has been arranged,", Manid replied. "Baron Dylan should be waiting for us at the entrance of the official residence."

Kant said, "It's good that Uncle Dylan knows."

Early in the morning.

The servants in the official residence had also woken up.

They were cleaning up the already clean and tidy passageway and the handicrafts placed on both sides.

It had to be said.

Baron Dylan had recently made a huge fortune. The handicrafts in the official residence had been replaced with brand new ones. In Kant's opinion, there were also quite a number of the most famous silver handicrafts in the Silver Platter Kingdom. Although they were just imitations, all kinds of exquisite animals and plants that were made of silver were placed on the exhibition platform, they still represented wealth.

This was not common in the originally poor Stone Pass.

Kant came to the entrance of the mansion after greeting him respectfully.

As soon as he walked out of the mansion, he saw Baron Dylan standing outside with more than ten vassal knights behind him. Baron Dylan put a smiles on his face, he also came over and gave him a hug. "Little Kant, you've only arrived at Uncle Dylan's for such a short period of time, and you're already leaving the Stone Pass. It really makes me feel a little reluctant for your leave."

"There were still complicated matters in my territory. I don't want to leave so early either.", Kant also hugged Baron Dylan. His face was filled with shame as he sighed softly. "I really don't want to go back."

When Baron Dylan heard this, the corners of his mouth curled up into a smile.

However, he still reminded Kant in a seemingly friendly manner, "That is your territory. If you go out frequently and the nobles of south county find out about it, they will strip you of your right to be a lord. They are very cruel."

"They?"

Kant snorted and said somewhat unwillingly, "Even if I am not the lord of the Nahrin Desert, who would go to that desert to be a lord? Those damned fellows would never abandon the rich south county and go to the desert to eat sand!"

The smile on Baron Dylan's face grew even wider.

However, he still turned his head and pointed at the pile of things behind him. "Little Kant, I know that your estate is dangerous, so I've prepared a gift for you. I hope that you will like it."

"Thank you so much, Uncle Dylan.", Kant was grateful.

"50 iron swords, 150 spears, 200 sets of leather armor, 10 bows, and 1,000 arrows.", Baron Dylan smiled. "Although it's not much, it can be used by many people."

"Thank you very much!", Kant nodded gratefully. "Uncle Dylan, these can already arm 200 soldiers. This is really important to me now."

Pausing for a moment, Kant continued to ask with a difficult expression, "Uncle Dylan, can you provide more arrows? I also lack such things now. Those Jackalans are like wild beasts. If we don't have bows and arrows to shoot, they will charge straight at me. People don't have much time to react. After all, there aren't many soldiers protecting my estate. It all depends on the archers."

"Oh, arrows?", Baron Dylan looked troubled. "Back then, Manid also mentioned it to me."

"Uncle Dylan, I can pay!", Kant sighed. "Other than you, I don't know who else can buy these arrows, especially now that we are leaving the estate. If the remaining soldiers don't have the help of the archers, they can only fight those Jackalans. There will be casualties every day. I can only rely on you."

"There aren't many arrows in my estate either."

Baron Dylan seemed to have made up his mind. He said to Kant, "I'll arrange a trade caravan to purchase a batch of arrows from other lords. When the time comes, I'll sell them to you at the original price. That way, you can protect your own estate."

"Then I'm really grateful!", Kant bowed his head in gratitude.

"We are very close after all!", Baron Dylan repeated this sentence.

The two of them continued to laugh.

Kant was sincere, while Baron Dylan was somewhat pleased with himself, as well as the mockery and disdain in his eyes.

For him, it was really easy to purchase arrows.

But why did he want to buy too many arrows for Kant? Only when Kant's power was consumed in the Nahrin Desert, he would then able to show up as a more useful savior and secretly come out with more plans!

The two of them exchanged a few words and then said goodbye to each other.

Baron Dylan sent Kant to the city gate.

It was not until Kant's 40 Sarrandian horsemen escorted the 30 camels that were full of food and disappeared into the slightly rugged canyon. After that, Baron Dylan finally returned to the official residence. His face was full of mockery and satisfaction while listening to the butler's rereport of the thousands of great silver coins he had obtained this time. He laughed happily.

In his opinion, he had undoubtedly made a fortune.

And that was indeed the case.

Kant left the gap in the Senwaya Range and returned to the vast desert.

He continued to move forward along the road he had come from.

However, after walking for two to three hours, he directly changed the team and walked towards the east. Looking at the towering Senwaya Range not far away, Kant sneered.

"Look at my Uncle Dylan. Do you think that this will make me feel grateful enough to join him?"

Kant shook his head and smiled, the mockery in his eyes became more and more intense. "He is indeed a martial arts noble. Even in the southern county, those cunning hundred-year-old noble would not use this little trick because it is simply too deliberate. If it was not for my perfect performance, my Oscars-level acting skill to perform this act, I would have been exposed long ago."

Manid on the horse behind him and shrugged slightly.

He did not know what Oscars was.

However, he knew what Kant meant and could not help but laugh. "But he helped kept us out of sight, especially that so-called Knight Terrence, who was sent by Viscount Wayne to probe."

"It's not us who are worried.", Kant chuckled. "It's my Uncle Dylan."

As the trade in table salt increased, the huge profits were swallowed by Baron Dylan, and he became fatter and fatter.

Those greedy nobles would definitely not choose to be mercy on him.

They would definitely test him.

Even all kinds of tricks, schemes, and even force would all appear near the Stone Pass, causing Baron Dylan, who had taken three-quarters of the profits, to suffer tremendously.

But he would never give up on these profits.

Especially since he had already tasted the sweetness of these profits, it was even more impossible for him to say that he was giving them away.

Those noble families would not be willing to share a small amount of the sweetness.

Greed had no end. If one got a little, one would try to get more. Even if Baron Dylan split a small portion of the profits, for others, they just wanted to eat more profits and nibble away at them bit by bit. In the end, Baron Dylan could not take it anymore and would react.

Or he could turn against those noble families and use force to decide the outcome of the battle.

Or he could choose to be patient with the noble families and instead take Kant's salt mine in his hands.

There were only these two choices.

However, according to Kant's understanding of Baron Dylan, he would definitely choose the second method. After all, turning against those noble families was equivalent to turning against the entire Dukedom of Leo. It was better to take this opportunity to take out Kant and take control of the natural salt mine, just like what Kant did, he left a small portion of the profits and gave away the rest.

Slowly developing, slowly accumulating, and eventually becoming an even more terrifying behemoth.

It was just not that simple.

Time would not allow him to reach this stage sooner.

It would take at least three years.

Within these three years, almost all of Kant's malicious intentions would be blocked by Baron Dylan.

Perhaps three years later, Baron Dylan be able to withstand the greater pressure and would choose to let go at Kant and against him. But would it really be as simple as Baron Dylan thought?

What a joke!

By then, Kant would have already grown into an even more terrifying colossus!

"Come, let's go there!"

Kant rode in front, leading the camel caravan and the guards forward at the edge of the desert.

Looking at the towering Senwaya Range in the east, data streams flashed in his eyes. A route given by the system appeared in his vision.

Just like how he had looked for the posthouse.

Now, the system had also given him hints and routes to guild him to the Senwaya Range, to build his new village.

It was in the eastern part of the mountain range. According to the estimated distance, it was about half a day's journey. Kant did not have to worry about the issue of supplies. The caravan was already full of food and water sack, which had been replenished at the Stone Pass in order to find the village, Manid had secretly prepared three days' worth of supplies.

Obviously, the merchants in the Rock Pass did not know.

They were also not clear about how much supplies they needed to bring from the Stone Pass to the Oasis Lookout.

They had never ventured deep into the desert.

Walking along the edge of the Nahrin Desert and the Senwaya Range, the undulating mountains became more and more majestic, allowing Kant to visually feel the vastness of the mountain range.

The mountains near the desert were rugged, with ridges and cliffs everywhere.

And most of them were bare without much green.

This was the cause of the desert heat wave, but it was also convenient for Kant and the others to climb, they could find a barely passable mountain path, and they entered the Senwaya range under Kant's lead.

Chapter 180: The First Ecounter with Demonized Creature

The Senwaya Range was an undeveloped mountain range. The so-called rugged mountain path was just an adjective.

In other words, Kant and the others had followed the undulations of the mountain into the depths of the mountain. They climbed up and down the the crooked mountain path, causing the Sarrandian horseman choose to dismount their warhorses and continue to lead the warhorses deeper into the mountain.

As for the camel caravan consisting of 30 camels and the 10 peasants, Kant did not allow them to enter the mountain. Instead, he left Manid and 10 Sarrandian horsemn as guards with them. They at the foot of the cliff at the entrance of the mountain, setting up tents to provide support, so they could act as a backup if Kant encountered any unusual situations in the mountain.

These one-humped camels were capable of walking in the desert for a long journey. They were undoubtedly at ease and thus established the title of "Boat of the desert" and "Desert elf".

However, these camels would be cumbersome in the mountain environment compared to the flexible warhorse. This was the main reason that they were left behind.

Kant thought that it was better for the camel caravan to stay outside. After all, in the Senwaya Range, demonized creatures, carnivorous beasts, and Jackalan tribe could be seen almost everywhere.

If there were any accidents, it would be troublesome to protect the camel caravan and the accompanying civilians.

Kant personally led the team into the Senwaya Range.

Thirty Sarrandian horsemen led their horses and followed him.

After the tournament at the Stone Pass, Kant had already understood the level of these level-4 cavalries They had generally reached the "knight" level of this world.

Although they were at the ordinary knight level, these Sarrandian horsemen had already shown that in terms of combat experience, they were stronger than these ordinary knights.

Just like Baron Dylan's vassal knights.

If Kant had not noticed that something was wrong and ordered these Sarrandian horsemen to use their most basic strength to fight, he expected that these Sarrandian horsemen was able to defeat all the vassal knights during the tournament. After all, they were the newly upgraded Sarrandian horsemen who had gone through countless trials and tribulations in the Sarrandian Desert

Even if they lacked extraordinary power and could not contend with grand knights.

But according to these Sarrandian horsemen, five fully armed Mamlukes or 20 fully armed Sarrandian horsemen would be able to exhaust these grand knights to death.

At the very least, they could maintain balance.

This made the so-called grand knights not dare to recklessly charge forward.

The equipment advantage and experience advantage were obvious.

These horsemen were came from the continent of Caradia, and every level up was a qualitative improvement. Not only would they be instilled with all sorts of combat experience, skills in using weapons, as well as strengthening their physiques, even their willpower would increase.

If it really didn't work, there was still a more effective way.

Let the level 5 archers all shoot in the same time.

A rain of arrows that covered a distance, they would be able to slow down the grand knight's movements even if these grand knights were slightly injured.

After that, their next move would be much simpler.

Large formation warfare was the mainstream of the continent of Caradia. Fighting one-on-one like a competitive tournament was not the rule of the battlefield. If one could kill the enemy, they would be the victor, and the victor would receive everything, including praise.

This was Kant's confidence in facing a grand knight.

Extraordinary power was indeed powerful.

But for Kant, who had the system and could recruit a batch of powerful troops at any time, using the large troops to overwhelm the opponent was perhaps a better choice. This was the advantage of large troops and also a guarantee of quality.

Furthermore, Kant's troops were not random troops.

A level-4 cavalry was a "Knight".

A level-5 cavalry was an "Elite Knight".

Although they still could not reach the level of a grand knight, how many grand knights could there be in this world? Could it be that they could form a pure grand knight troop like ordinary cavalry?

Kant clearly did not believe it.

Such extravagant behavior was something that even Grand Duke Cameron of the Dukedom of Leo could not do!

According to Kant's understanding in the books, grand knights could only be trained by other grand knight instructors. When it came to the seeds of the mysterious power, a grand knight instructor could only train five grand knights in his lifetime.

And for every grand knight that was trained, they would be in a period of weakness in the following year. The use of extraordinary power would become extremely weak, and they were no different from an ordinary knight. After training five grand knights, if one wanted to train the sixth, they would have to pay the price with their lives. Usually, there would be no grand knight mentor train more than two grand knights in their younger ages. Usually, when they were in their old age, they would train all five grand knights, at the last moment of their lives, they would enlighten the last grand knight.

This was exactly the reason why grand knights were so precious.

There were detailed records in the rare books in the academy.

They continued to follow the mountain path given by the system into the depths of the Senwaya Range. The heat wave from the Nahrin Desert had already dissipated quite a bit. Kant and the others could even feel a faint chill emanating from the mountain.

It was somewhat cool, as if it almost as cool as the Stone Pass.

At the same time, as they went deeper into the Senwaya Range.

The surrounding vegetation had also become richer, no longer as barren as the Nahrin Desert. The entire area had become lush green. If it wasn't for the fact that they were close to the desert, Kant would have thought that this was the royal hunting ground in the north of the Castle of Leo, the Mountain of Leo where countless lions lived.

When he thought of the Mountain of Leo, Kant frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, "Everyone, be cautious."

"Understood."

The 30 Sarrandian horsemen behind him replied in unison.

In fact, they had also discovered that something was wrong with this mountain forest. Although it had the appearance of a lush forest, it was too quiet. Not to mention that they had not seen the sand gazelle, elk, and other herbivores, even rabbits, mountain rats, and other small animals were nowhere to be seen. If they raised their heads to look at the sky, it would take quite a while for a few unknown birds to fly past. The birds were like they were in a hurry and did not dare to stop and chirp on the branches.

Clearly, this was not right.

And something was very wrong!

"Harrumph..." the warhorse that was lead by the reins was shaking its nose and shaking its head anxiously. Its huge head was shaking, and it blinked its eyes and refused to move forward. Clearly, there was something to fear in the forest ahead, it had already been noticed by the sensitive warhorse.

"Pay attention.", Kant's voice was calm.

"Understood.", the Sarrandian horsemen behind them released the reins one after another. They had shields in their left hands and spears in their right hands. After they dispersed, they looked forward with extreme vigilance in their eyes.

They were not worried that the warhorse would flee.

These warhorses were raised by the Sarrandian horsemen since they were young.

Even if they died in battle, these horses would still linger around the corpses.

To the cavalry, warhorse was not only a riding tool, but also a family member, a friend, and a trusted comrade. They had a long-term connection, and both sides had a tacit understanding.

"Roar --"

Just as they were getting ready, an angry roar suddenly erupted from the forest.

In the depths of a dense forest, a huge black figure squeezed through the sparse bushes. With a pair of scarlet eyes, it roared and rushed out of the forest. It seemed to be angered from not being able to ambush them, and it directly charged towards Kant and the others, it opened its mouth filled with terrifying fangs.

"Prepare for battle!", the Sarrandian horsemen instantly spread their legs and bowed with their spears in their hands.

The thirty of them stood side by side, the tip of their spears aimed at the charging black beast.

The warhorses behind them seemed to have been frightened, and they all let out a loud snort and a rapid hiss. However, as the horsemen had yet to leave, they jumped around impatiently and did not follow their biological instincts to escape.

"Roar --"

However, when the black beast saw the restless warhorse, its eyes became even redder.

It let out an angry roar and rushed out of the dense forest at an even faster speed.

Obviously, it was already very hungry. It wanted to eat the fat and strong warhorse as its food!

"Demonized creature!"

Kant instantly recognized this black beast that looked like a black bear but was covered in black scales.

He took out the warhorse's bow that Baron Dylan had given him. He pulled the bowstring and nocked the arrow. The entire bow was pulled into a full moon shape. As he released his fingers, it shot out the arrow instantly.

"Whoosh --"

The arrow tore through the air and let out a long shrill cry.

The black bear liked demonized creature did not dodge at all. The arrow carried powerful kinetic energy and went straight to its cheek. It splashed a pile of black blood, causing the demonized creature to feel pain and even let out an angry roar.

Clearly, this arrow did not cause any fatal damage.

Kant pulled out another arrow and nocked it on the bowstring and forcefully shoot it out.

"Whoosh --"

The mournful sound of the arrow continued.

The black bear liked demonized creature was shot in the chest, but even within a 30-meter radius, only a small part of the arrow shaft pierced into its body. The black bear liked demonized creature howling, it charged even faster, and the its eyes became even more red and furious!

Both sides were less than 10 meters apart.

The 30 Sarrandian horsemen bowed and lowered their weight.

Their spears were aimed directly at the demonized creature's eyes, head, and chest, which were both vital parts. The spear was made of fine wood and iron-clad steel. It was not so easy to block. In terms of piercing damage, it was even stronger than a feather arrow!

"Roar --"

The demonized creature that looked like a black bear crashed towards them.

The phalanx of 30 Sarrandian horseman felt like they had encountered a heavy cavalry. A huge impact was transmitted to the spear in their hands along with the demonized creature's charge. They utilized the impact transmitted to the spear and pierced the demonized creature into the eyes, mouth, and chest.

Just as the 30 Sarrandian horsemen retreated a few steps, and even someone at the front was knocked down, the 30 horsemen and the 30 spears in their hands actually managed to forcefully block the huge demonized creature.

"Roar --"

The scales on its chests were pierced through by the spear, its eyes were pierced through by the spear, and even its mouth were pierced through by two spears.

However, this black bear-like demonized creature was still roaring crazily, flapping its two huge palms. Black blood splattered all over its body, and it struggled to resist as if it had just returned from the afterlife.

"Whoosh --"

Kant's movement was very fast and he pulled out the knight's sword was pulled out of its scabbard.

Just like a standard knight's stab, the slender knight's sword in his hand directly pierced into the hole in its ear that was not protected by the scales, and directly into its brain.

As Kant's wrist shook slightly.

The black bear-like demonized creature's struggle weakened, and it fell down with a wail, twitching as it died.

Chapter 181: The Black Gemstone In Its Body

After the battle ended, the corpse of the demonized creature lay at their feet.

Kant pulled out his knight's sword.

Black blood mixed with grayish-brown brain matter dripped from the tip of the sword.

Black blood and brain matter also flowed out from the wound in the ear hole. The demonized creature was no longer twitching. It was clear that Kant's decisive strike had directly pierced through the eardrum and ear bone of the demonized creature. The sword penetrated deep into its head and destroyed its brain, killing it within a short period of time.

"There are no casualties,", the Sarrandian horseman reported.

"Well done.", Kant nodded.

The horsemen pulled out their spears from the corpse of the black bear liked demonized creature. Fortunately, the 30 spears had evenly distributed the impact, so none of the spears were bent or any or broken.

They all frowned as they looked at the corpse on the ground.

There were pitch-black scales all over the body's fur, just like the scales of a snake.

However, most of the scales were concentrated on the chest, shoulders, and arms. As for the neck, back, and limbs, there were not many of it. It was as if they were wearing simple animal scales.

If their expectations were correct.

This was the first time they saw a demonized creature.

Even Kant was the same.

He only seen similar illustrations in the books of the academy. Looking at its polar bear-sized gigantic body, its body that was nearly three meters long and its fat was still exposed under its scales, he thought of the scientific name of this demonized creature.

"Demonized black bear."

Kant frowned. This was undoubtedly one of the more troublesome types of demonized creatures.

It was a demonized creature that was originated from a black bear.

Similarly, there were other types of demonized creatures, but most of them were based on carnivores. For example, demonized black bears, demonized wolves, and demonized lions were the most common.

But their destructive power was not weak at all.

If ordinary people encountered them, it would be a one-sided massacre.

Only elite footmen led by knights could gather their troops to surround and hunt down these creatures. Otherwise, just relying on the weak hunting bows of the hunters would not be able to kill these sturdy, fast, and fearless demonized creatures. They were crazy demonized creatures after all.

It would be bad if they encountered a stronger demonized creature.

It was similar to the demonized wolf that was hung in the reception room by Baron Dylan. That wolf had reached the grand knight-level treat, they paid the price with many elite footmen's lives and severe injuries of the two vassal knights in order to kill it.

Demonized creatures were divided into ordinary species and savage species.

The ordinary species was the demonized black bear that Kant had encountered. Its combat strength was nearly twice that of an ordinary black bear.

And when it encountered savage species...

These creatures were the true terror. Even the records of the academy regarding demonized creatures claimed that if a troop encountered a savage demonized creature, if there were no grand knights, mages, or a certain number of elite troops and knights, then it was suggested to retreat immediately. Even some of them were left to die to stall for time, but it was better than all of them completely annihilated.

However, these demonized creatures also had weaknesses.

For example, they did not have the brains of humans, and they were far less intelligent and cunning as normal animals. They only relied on their strengthened bodies to fight fearlessly.

Most importantly, it was absolutely impossible for different kinds of demonized creatures to join forces. If they encountered one, they would even kill each other. Even if they were the same kind of demonized creatures, not many of them would join forces together. As for the demonized creatures that did live in a pack, most of them were demonized wolves that used to group battle. As for the demonized black bear and demonized lion, most of them lived in solitary.

However, even if they were solitary , their strengthened bodies were still much stronger than an ordinary troop class. In Kant's opinion, they were equivalent to or even higher than a level-5 troop class.

Thirty Sarrandian horsemen seemed to be able to kill this demonized black bear easily.

However, if there were only five of them, it might ended up differently.

"No wonder they say that the Senwaya Range is like a natural barrier. It seems that not only is the environment complicated and the difficult mountain paths, it is also due to these mass demonized creatures."

Kant sighed in his heart.

He lowered his head and pulled out two arrows from the demonized black bear's body. He looked at the wound, especially the chest. Although the scales were shattered, it was only stuck in between the flesh and bones of the chest. It did not penetrate too deep.

It did not cause any fatal injuries at all.

"Are the arrows ineffective?", Kant frowned slightly.

When he thought about the ordinary bow in his hands and the archery skills that had not undergone much strengthening, he thought to himself, "It should be because my skills are not good enough."

The system only strengthened him with the body of a knight.

In terms of skills.

It strengthened the riding skills, close combat skills, long-pole weapons, one-handed weapons, two-handed weapons, and so on.

As for archery skills...

Kant learned it when he was a young noble in the Castle of Leo as his interest in hunting.

His skills could not be considered strong.

This battle bow from Baron Dylan was only used by ordinary archers.

If a Ravenstern ranger held a heavy bow and used a cone arrow that could pierce armor, it would be a piece of cake for him to fight in this complicated and dangerous mountainous environment.

After all, the Ravenstern Kingdom was also guarding at the mountainous environment.

The Misty Mountain was even more complicated than the Senwaya Range!

"Right.", Kant was about to lead the team deeper into the mountain range and advance along the route given by the system. But he suddenly thought of something, he turned his head and instructed the Sarrandian horseman behind him, "Use the scimitar to peel open the heart of this demonized black bear. There might be something special inside."

"Understood.", one of the Sarrandian horsemen nodded.

He immediately pulled out the elite scimitar from his waist and aimed it at the ribs of the demonized black bear.

As the pitch-black blood flowed out, a thick stench of blood spread in the air. The surrounding warhorse became even more restless. They shook their heads as if they were resisting this smell.

Sarrandian horseman took off his gloves and reached into the wound to feel for the heart.

He quickly found the heart and pulled it out with a slight frown. His hand was dripping with blood, as if it was stained with a large number of stones. His companion beside him quickly handed him a piece of linen and asked him to wipe clean his arm and the black gemstone in his hand, the black gemstone was the size of an egg.

It was wiped clean very quickly.

Sarrandian horseman handed the black gemstone to Kant.

"This is it.", Kant frowned.

In the book, it was recorded that there would be such a black gemstone in the heart of a demonized creature. If the demonized creature was killed, the black gemstone obtained from the corpse could be sold at a high price because of the mysterious mages in the Mage Tower. They would buy these things in large quantities, and they had no limit on purchasing it at all. The more they sold, the more reward they would get from these mages.

But Kant thought of the elemental gemstone he obtained when he killed the elemental giant.

Then he looked at the black gemstone now.

There was a hunch in his heart, but he did not know how to say it.

Perhaps this was related to extraordinary power.

"We'll talk about it later."

Kant shook his head. This was not the time to think about this.

On his retina, the route given by the system was still clear. Along the edge of the mountain forest, there was a path that could barely pass through by people, extending into the depths of the Senwaya Range.

The destination seemed to be the top of a huge mountain.

He raised his head and looked at the sky.

The sun had already reached the top of his head, and it was close to noon.

"Let's keep walking."

He did not stop. Instead, he urged the Sarrandian horsemen behind him, "Everyone, be alert. We might encounter new demonized creatures at any time. Stay alert!"

"Understood.", the Sarrandian horsemen replied in a deep voice.

The team continued to move forward.

They went deep into the mountain range. Fortunately, they did not encounter any more demonized creatures.

When Kant climbed over the mountain and walked on the rugged, complicated mountain path again and again, the route given by the system was about to reach an end. It was at the top of the mountain, right at the peak of the mountain.

"Howl --"

From a far distance deep in the Senwaya Range, a faint howl of a wolf could be heard.

Kant was not surprised.

It was a brutal howl of a wolf and it sounded full of energy. It was definitely a demonized wolf.

However, judging from the faint sound, Kant knew that it was very far away from them.

It would take a time to reach them so there was no danger yet. Kant turned his head to look at the sparse woodland and shrubs around him. There were many rabbits, unknown birds, and even pheasants. He felt a little more calm.

At least it was quiet here.

"Let's settle our lunch here and rest for an hour before we set off again."

Kant instructed the Sarrandian horsemen and arranged all sorts of miscellaneous tasks.

Soon, the horseman cleared out an empty space and found dried wood. They lit it with fire sickles and lit a bonfire. They also made a grill in the shortest time possible.

Two other Sarrandian horsemen walked into the forest with bows and arrows.

Soon, with a mess of birds flying, each of the two Sarrandian horsemen came back with six pheasants. The other horsemen quickly bled and plucked the pheasants. The pheasants were placed on the bonfire and roasted quite neatly.

As the meat turned golden, it was sprinkled with white salt and spices. The taste was excellent.

They had a good lunch.

The resources in the mountain area were much more abundant than those in the desert.

Without the threat of the demonized creatures, the resources in the Senwaya Range would be enough to make the Stone Pass rich. After all, the fur of the wild beasts in the forest and other forest resources were all ready-made silver coins.

If they found minerals, they would be able to make even more money!

"It's dangerous."

Kant looked up at the destination at the peak of the mountain and sighed slightly.

He was also a little worried about setting up the village here.

Kant had experienced the weakness of the village level before. Even the low-level Jackalan could pose a threat to the village. If he had not fought with his life and walked out a bloody path, he would have become the white bones of the Oasis Lookout.

Where would he be today?

He took a deep breath.

Kant could only make the decision. He would first transfer troops from the Oasis Lookout to assist in defense.

Especially those Ravenstern Rangers and Ravenstern Wardens. They were the archers who were good at fighting in the mountains were definitely more suitable for the environment here. After all, the Vaegirs archers were more suitable defending in the vast desert, while the Vaegir marksman's rain of arrows had a better effect in a large scale warfare.

"Time's up."

Kant used the soil under his feet to kick out the bonfire.

After tidying up his clothes and equipment, he turned to the Sarrandian horsemen and said, "Let's continue on our journey."

Chapter 182: The Lost Ruins on the Mountain Peak

The Sun was no longer as scorching as it was at noon. Kant led the team and continued forward.

There was no road to walk through this undeveloped wild mountain. The only place they could move forward was the area where the mountain slope was relatively gradual. However, because they were still leading their warhorse, they must be more careful when they walked.

They did not encounter any ferocious and terrifying demonized creatures along the way.

However, Kant also found a lot of normal wild beasts around.

They were similar to the sand gazelle that liked to go deep into the Nahrin Desert, the forest wolves that lived in the Senwaya Range, and the slightly smaller black bear and a strong wild boar with fangs. In addition to the wild deer, rabbits, pheasants, and foxes that could be seen everywhere, the outer mountain range contained rich wildlife resources.

Kant did not dare to imagine how many resources would be waiting for him to exploit further.

The majestic mountain range was a natural barrier that hindered the communication between the two places.

However, it was also a place that nurtured countless animals and plants. It might not suitable for agriculture development, but just looked at all the resources at the Senwaya Range, the animal resources alone were enough for the development of a village.

Black bear skin, wolf skin, fox skin, antelope skin, deer skin.

These were all good furs for export and were very popular among the human countries, especially the tanned and dyed high-quality furs. They were also the high-quality clothes sought after by the noble families.

A piece of fine clothing made of high quality furs could be worth silver of the same weight.

Once, Kant had a graceful white fox fur robe.

But in the end, because he left the castle, he couldn't take it with him. Although it was one of his mother's relics, the final ownership was all belonged to his father Cameron. What Kant could take away were the ordinary clothes with little value, and the 20 great silver coins that he had saved.

He didn't think too much about it.

The memory of the past was a bit harsh, and it made Kant feel bitter in his heart.

Now was the time for him to work hard.

This was what he could truly do right now.

Looking at the surrounding mountain range, looking at the lush vegetation, as well as the animals that hopped in and out from the dense forest and thickets, Kant's lips curled into a smile as he sighed from the bottom of his heart, "This place is really not bad."

He had made the right choice back then.

Even though he had only gone deep into the Senwaya Range for half a day, the rich animal and plant resources had already moved him.

Moreover, even the system had given him a route hint, which indirectly proved that his choice was correct.

It was enough to prove that this mountain range was the best place to open up a new village!

Of course, hidden demonized creatures in this mountain range that could appear at any time, it was indeed a big problem. Kant had a slight headache when he thought of this problem.

"I hope the Ravenstern rangers can help to solve these things."

Kant thought of the building in Drondheim, it made his face became a little calm. He needed to kill these demonized creatures as many as he could. Even if some of his soldiers died, as long as he trainned a group of level 5 top-tier archers like the Ravenstern rangers, that would be enough.

They could even easily kill the elemental giants.

Although these demonized creatures were ferocious, they were still flesh and blood. There was no way they could not do something, right?

The bows used by the rangers, were the huge and powerful heavy bows.

Compared to the longbows that the Vaegirs liked to use because they pursued their shooting range, these Ravenstern people preferred to use heavy bows that pursued power. That way, they could kill any enemy within a short distance in the shortest time possible. At the critical moment, they could instantly make the enemy lose the ability to resist. This was the best choice they could make in such a complicated environment like the dense forests and mountains.

They continued to lead the warhorse forward.

The peak of the mountain was not far ahead, and they were about to reach their destination.

The faces of the Sarrandian horsemen were already stained with sweat.

Even Kant, who had the body of a knight, was breathing slightly faster. His face was flushed red because of walking on the complicated mountain path.

They had exhausted a lot of physical strength.

There was no road at all in the strange and wild mountain range, so it as not as easy as traveling on the soft sand in the desert. If it wasn't for the cold weather in Senwaya Range due to the faint cold current form the underground, Kant and his soldiers would have a harder time trekking through the mountains.

At this moment, Kant thought of the Rhodok people.

These mountain people who also lived in the Rhodok's mountain area might be the same as the people of Ravenstern. They had sufficient adaptability to the mountain range environment. After all, they grew up in the mountainous region.

"My lord."

While they were walking, the Sarrandian horseman suddenly spoke.

"Hmm?", Kant frowned and clenched the knight sword in his hand.

Subconsciously, his eyes scanned the surroundings cautiously, but he didn't find any danger. He couldn't help but ask in a deep voice, "What's going on? Did you find anything unusual?"

"Under the foot.", Sarrandian horseman said.

"What foot?", Kant lowered his head, but his pupils shrank slightly. "This is..."

Under his exquisite cowhide boots, there were stone slabs appeared on the rugged hillside.

The stone slabs extended one after another along the mountain slabs, all the way to the peak of the mountain a hundred meters away.

It was like a staircase.

Kant's expression was solemn. He clenched the knight sword in his hand tightly. This was not like a staircase. These stone slabs covered by a large amount of soil and fallen leaves were the stairs leading to the peak of the mountain!

"How is this possible!"

Slowly exhaling, Kant stared at the peak of the mountain in front of him.

According to the route he took, he did not find any other places with such buildings as stairs.

Kant had never read about any forces at the border of the Nahrin Desert and the Senwaya Range in the library of the academy and in the study room of the Castle of Leo. Especially with the lofty and magnificent Senwaya Range, crossing the mountain range from the direction of the Dukedom of Leo was extremely dangerous. Even without the threat of demonized creatures, the mountain was still fraught with all kinds of dangers!

Instead of establishing such a hidden force in the mountains north of the Senwaya Range,.

It would be easier to establish it in the south.

"Lord, looking at these stone slabs, it should be over a thousand years old."

Sarrandian horseman suddenly opened his mouth.

He slightly squatted down and knocked on the stone slab. It was full of potholes and had been weathered quite badly. However, he could vaguely see the excellent technique used to cut the stone. He could not help but speculate, "It was not built in recent years."

"Thousands of years?, "Kant frowned.

This was an incredible number. It was even longer than the founding of the Dukedom of Leo!

The Dukedom of Leo had been established for less than 300 years since the first Grand Duke of Leo. Its first 50 years belonged to a separatist warlord force of a dying kingdom.

"It must be thousands of years."

Sarrandian horseman nodded and said, "In the Sarrandian desert, there are also ancient ruins. According to the scholar's assumption, some of them are even older than the Caradia Empire."

"Is that so?", Kant's brows were still tightly furrowed.

The origin of the continent of Caradia was the Caradia Empire.

Be it the Kingdom of Swadia, the Kingdom of Rodock, the Kingdom of Vaegirs, the Khergit Khanate, the Kingdom of Sarrand Sultanate, or the Kingdom of Nords, which was a foreign merchant at the time, they were all part of this massive empire.

And the Caradia Empire might be the first empire to unify the mainland.

But right before the empire, there were countless forces that had existed, each leaving their ruins in certain areas.

What the Sarrandian horseman was talking about was the ruins left behind by the desert people who had lived in the Sarrandian Desert in ancient times. After thousands of years of decay, there were still some traces left behind.

Just like the stone stairs leading to the peak in front of Kant.

"Stay alert."

Kant took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Let's go up and take a look!"

Since they had discovered it, they had to go up. Moreover, the route on the retina indicated the peak of the mountain. Even if it was a dragon's den or a tiger's den, Kant had to go over and take a look before he could feel at ease. Otherwise, wouldn't the system's instructions be in vain?

The group maintained their vigilance and quickly walked up the stone stairs to the top of the mountain.

"This is..."

Kant was slightly stunned when the expectation of of a desolate mountain peak did not appear. "How is this possible..."

The eyes of the Sarrandian horsemen behind him also widened in surprise.

It was right at the top of the mountain in front of them.

It was not a dense forest, nor was it a lush thicket, nor was it a desolate land filled with weeds. When Kant and the others came to a corner of the mountain peak and really saw the whole picture, they realized that this was a of thousands of acres of flat land, moreover, it was full of collapsed stone buildings!

After countless years of erosion, there were dense shrubs wrapped around the collapsed huge stones.

However, Kant could still see the faint patterns on these stones. They had a mysterious and exquisite appearance. Through thousands of years, they brought to anyone who came, displaying the glory that originated from them.

The patterns were still somewhat familiar.

"This is... This is the ruins of the lost city!"

Kant swallowed his saliva and looked at this building.

Because right in the center, in the middle of the area where countless huge stones had collapsed and fallen, countless shrubs and vines were twining around an even large stone pillar. It seemed to be a human body, and it was wearing a unique armor, it was holding a circular plate that looked like it was emitting sunlight, as if it was once receiving the scorching sun in the sky!

At this moment, Kant finally knew why the patterns on the stone pillar were so familiar.

Even the circular plate held high in the hand of the stone pillar gave him a familiar feeling.

That was because this was the lost city.

In the legend, the city was cast in gold, and it housed the bloodline of a god. It represented the inheritance of the sun god, the lost city, the Holy City of Gold! The fascinating legend that appealed countless people was right in front of Kant.

And the one that came was even more impressive than the sun disk that was found in the well!

Because this was a real relic!

"Roar --"

But just as Kant and the others were shocked, a violent and crazy roar came from the ruins.

A faint sound wave came.

Kant's eardrums were hurting slightly.

In between in the ruins, there was a three meter tall black lion which was even stronger and more ferocious than the demonized black bear. It was stepping on the scattered giant stones and propping up the thick black mane on its neck. It slowly walked toward Kant and the others, and its pitch-black eyes were filled with the most terrifying brutal killing intent.

"This is..."

Kant gritted his teeth in disbelief and squeezed out, "Demonized lion... Savage species!"

Chapter 183: An Extremely Fierce Battle

The savage species among the demonized creatures were comparable to grand knights.

Kant's breathing was a little hurried. He clenched his knight sword tightly. The 30 Sarrandian horsemen came to his back, but they did not stand in a dense formation. Instead, they were slightly scattered.

They also sensed that this four-meter-tall demonized lion, which was even larger than the demonized black bear, was an even more terrifying demonized creature. If they continued to fight in a dense formation, they would be blown away by the first attack. In fact, these Sarrandian horseman were already prepared for casualties.

As for the Sarrandian warhorses, they had already collapsed on the ground with trembling legs due to the horrific appearance of the demonized lion. Their lower abdomen was oozing with stick urine. They did not move at all as if they had accepted their fate. They were so intimidated by the pressure of the demonized creature that they did not even dare to run away.

"Roar --"

The ferocious demonized lion opened its mouth wide and putrid black gas spewed out from its throat.

Its pair of scarlet eyes were filled with brutality and malevolence. It lower its thick limbs and charged with its huge body in an instant. With the sound of the strong wind, it howled as it ran on the collapsed boulders towards Kant and the rest!

"Spread out!", Kant ordered in a deep voice.

The formation formed by the Sarrandian horsemen spread out to both sides.

They held a shield in their left hand, and a spear in their right.

However, before they could completely spread out, forming a two-line pincer formation, the gigantic demonized lion had already appeared in front of them. As it ran, it let out a low roar that sounded like a demon's voice.

With a wave of its sharp claws, the two Sarrandian horsemen who could not dodge in time revealed a determined expression.

They could not dodge, then they could only choose to block!

"Raise your shields!", they groaned, as if they were cheering themselves on. However, they were instantly struck by a huge force on the Sarrandian shield on their left arm. Immediately after that, the shields was smashed onto their chests, their entire bodies felt like they had been hit by a huge rock thrown by a trebuchet. Their faces instantly flushed red, and their entire bodies were sent flying backwards along with their broken breastbones.

"Bang --"

"Bang --"

The two of them crashed heavily into the bushes by the side. They finally stop rolling after crashing into the stone pillar.

"Uh... uh...", they were still struggling slightly.

But in the end, as their pupils dilated, their arms drooped down and lost all signs of life.

It was clear that under the attack of this demonized lion, even if the two of them had made a reasonable defensive move, they were still blown away by that huge force. It had caused an extremely serious and fatal internal injury!

"Spread out, be careful!"

Kant's breathing quickened as he reminded in a deep voice.

When he glanced at the shields on the left arm of the two Sarrandian horseman, there were already deep scratches on the shields. Under this attack, the entire shield had already been destroyed. Even if it was repaired, it would not be able to return to its original defensive effect. It could only be reported as damaged equipment and redistributed a new one by the system.

After the equipment was damaged, it would cost denar to repair it!

However, Kant was not worried about denar.

It was the two level 4 cavalries who had followed him through life and death, but they were easily killed by this demonized lion. They did not even have the time to react.

This vicious demonized creature.

Wasn't it too terrifying!

However, just as Kant's thoughts were spinning, the huge demonized lion roared in a low voice. Its scarlet eyes were aimed to the side, and its four limbs burst forth once again. It continue to swing out its sharp claws. Amidst the fierce wind, its claws that were as sharp as scimitars finally shocked the Sarrandian horsemen who could not dodge in time.

Kant and the others finally understood.

How did the Sarrandian shield on the left arm of the two Sarrandian horseman break! !

In front of this huge force and sharp claws, not to mention the Sarrandian shield made of wood, leather, and iron nails, even the exquisite mail armor would be torn to pieces!

"Argh..."

Another two Sarrandian horsemen were sent flying in an instant.

Their bodies fell heavily to the ground a few meters away like human sandbags. Even if they managed to survive and struggled to stand up, their twisted limbs already indicated that they were unable to participate in the following battle.

Kant quickly retreated.

The other Sarrandian horsemen continued to hold their shields and spears, their faces looked grim.

In a short moment, four of their companions were killed.

However, that ferocious demonic lion was still unharmed.

This battle loss was far too terrifying. To them, the current battle was already in danger of losing, or even being completely annihilated!

"Roar --"

That demonic lion roared.

However, its huge body did not continue to pounce.

Instead, it slowly walked towards the Sarrandian horseman who was still alive, but was already heavily injured. It bared its shortsword-like sharp teeth and slowly lowered its head, followed by a miserable howl ended in abrupt. Its mouth was filled with blood.

"Damn it!", Kant gritted his teeth. His chest was already burning with anger.

The other Sarrandian horsemen's eyes were filled with anger.

That demonized lion actually ate their heavily injured companion in front of them. It completely ignored them and treated them like lambs waiting to be slaughtered!

Kant was even more furious.

Because he was the lord, and the corpse in the mouth of that demonized lion was his soldier!

Kant could execute any soldier he disliked for any reason.

But he absolutely could not allow this demonized lion to plunder his soldiers in front of him, just like how he did in his own vegetable garden. This was equal to provocation, equal to contempt!

"Kill him!"

Kant's voice rang out, and he walked quickly.

The remaining 26 Sarrandian horsemen held spears in their hands, stared with their eyes wide open and gritted their teeth. They charged at the demonized lion in a straight sprint, venting the anger in their hearts!

"Roar --"

The demonized lion chewed the innards and twisted horseman's body.

Its body was huge, yet it was extremely agile.

It let out a mocking roar and jumped around, dodging the spears. Just as the Sarrandian horsemen wanted to continue stabbing, its body crashed into them. With the black snake-like scales on its chest, it did not care the spears at all.

"Crack..."

Several scales were pierced through, and pitch-black blood splattered everywhere.

However, three Sarrandian horsemen were suddenly sent flying backwards. The Sarrandian armor on their chests shattered, and there were three scratches marks on them. Fresh blood seeped out, and there was also that ghastly white breastbone!

Seven of the Sarrandian horsemen had already died in battle.

"Go!"

Kant did not care.

At this moment, they could no longer care about casualties. If they retreated, they would definitely be hunted down until they were completely annihilated!

They could only grit their teeth and fight!

This was a complicated mountainous environment. Having trekked for half a day, they had already expended a lot of stamina. If they were to compete mountain climbing speed with this four-legged demonic lion , it would be no different from courting death!

Sarrandian horsemen also understood this principle.

They stabbed out their spears ferociously.

Whether it was its abdomen or its back, they no longer cared about his vital parts. As long as they could injure this demonized lion, it would be fine.

But their intention was harder to achieve.

The demonized lion tossed and turned. Its huge body rammed left and right. Its tail whipped like an iron whip, making a "Bang Bang" sound when it hit the shields. For a moment, they actually found it difficult to get close.

Kant held the knight sword in his hand, his expression was very bad.

He dodged the demonized lion's claws.

He was able to survive until now thanks to the strong body of the Swadian knight, as well as the killing techniques instilled by the system. There was also the desperate protection from the Sarrandian horsemen!

"Roar --"

The demonized lion also sensed the stalemate, and it let out a violent roar.

The scarlet in its eyes became even more intense. It had never encountered a creature that resisted so much. It could not help but roar angrily, and the mane on its entire neck spiked. An even more terrifying sound wave instantly exploded throughout the surroundings. Its roar was as loud as rolling thunder, it shook the surrounding Sarrandian horsemen's eardrums so much that they felt as if their eardrums were about to burst, and their heads felt a little dizzy.

Kant was the same. He even felt as if the sky and earth were spinning.

This rolling sound wave had destroyed their control of balance.

"Sizzle --"

However, the demonized lion used this opportunity to burst. It swung its two claws violently, and bit with its mouths full of razor sharp teeth. In a short moment, at least five Sarrandian horsemen were instantly sent flying. Half of the bodies of the two riders were bitten until they were into pieces, even the Sarrandian mail armor did not stop the blade-like sharp teeth from biting!

Just like an ordinary person chewing on a peanut, as the sharp teeth bit down, a large amount of blood and internal organs flowed along with the broken chain armor. It was like his entire body had been cut in half, and he let out a mournful howl.

However, as the Sarrandian horseman let out a mournful howl, Kant actually recovered from that muddled dizziness.

"Damn it!"

Kant gritted his teeth in anger.

Almost at hand, the demonized lion was wreaking havoc among the other Sarrandian horsemean. Kant grapped his sword tightly, he thrust it at the flank in front of him.

"Poof --" the knight sword went straight into the ribs of the demonized lion.

But it seemed like the lion contracted the muscles around its rib, the sword couldn't penetrate deeper not matter how hard he stabbed. It caused a relatively serious skin injury, but it was not an effective fatal injury!

"Roar --"

The demonized lion felt the pain and turned its head frantically.

Its entire claw swatted away another Sarrandian horseman who could not dodge in time. A foul stench spewed out from its mouth, and its mouth filled with razor sharp teeth was about to bite Kant.

"Follow me, stab straight!"

However, the Sarrandian horseman on both sides had also recovered.

Seeing that their lord was in danger, they roared furiously and did not care about their own safety at all. They raised their spear and stabbed heavily into the demonized lion's mouth. Even the tip of the spear pierced through the lion's side cheek, stabbing straight into the mouth. Black blood flowed out from its cheek, making the demonized lion even more outrageous!

"Attack the vital points! The eyes, ears, and the inside of the mouth."

Kant took the opportunity to retreat.

His breathing was extremely rapid, but the knight sword in his hand turned around and stabbed at the ear of the demonized lion. As the sharp tip of the sword pierced into the head, the ear of the demonized lion was pierced through.

Clearly, this was also its vital point.

The Sarrandian horsemen also listened to his orders. Even without the spear in their hands, they still drew their elite scimitars and slashed at the demonized lion, leaving deep cuts on the pitch-black scales and caused blood to splash out.

"Pu Pu --"

More of the Sarrandian horsemen used the spears in their hands to pierce through the demonized lion.

They did not care about their own safety at all.

The tip of the spear pierced through the parts that did not have scales. Ans one of the Sarrandian horseman let out his strength to use the spear in his hand pierced deeply through the demonized lion's * * * .

Chapter 184: The New Sun Disc

"Roar --"

The demonic let out a mournful roar.

Covered in pitch-black blood, it finally felt that something was wrong. It continued to blow away three Sarrandian horsemen with its paws. It turned around, wanting to get rid of these monkey-like creatures. However, it realized that it could not walk at all because its robust limbs had already been slashed by the elite scimitar, causing blood to flow all over the ground.

Even the tendons on the back of its right leg had been destroyed by the elite scimitar. As the demonized lion used its strength, the tendons on its right leg were instantly broke. It to let out a miserable howl as it limped out of the horsemen encirclement.

However, as it charged out of the encirclement, it was still wantonly slaughtering.

No Sarrandian horsemen could withstand the strike of this vicious demonized lion.

The shield was smashed into pieces.

The chain mail was torn apart.

Even the spears were broken and the scimitars were bent.

The Sarrandian horsemen suffered heavy losses.

In a short moment.

There were only less than 15 Sarrandian horsemen still standing beside Kant.

"Kill!"

Kant's eyes were filled with bloodshot.

His face became even more ferocious.

If he did not kill this demonized lion, he would not be able to sleep or eat in peace!

His feet moved quickly, and he was still stabbing the demonized lion mercilessly with his knight sword. From the bottom up, he quickly approached the throat of the demonized lion under the cover of Sarrandian horsemen. He gritted his teeth and let out all his force, cutting a deep wound on the demonized lion.

Pitch-black blood instantly spilled out, causing the limping demonized lion to become even more violent.

However, the fury of this demonized lion was no longer as fierce as before.

The spear that pierced directly into its large intestine was still in its body. Every time it made a big and vigorous movement, the sharp tip of the spear in its body would destroy its intestines and lower abdomen.

"Roar --"

The pain caused the demonized lion to let out a low roar.

But its movements became slower and slower.

Sarrandian horsemen seized the opportunity and surrounded the demonized lion on all sides. As if they had a tacit understanding, they gritted their teeth and ran straight towards it. Borrowing the inertia of running, they charged forward ruthlessly and used their spear to stab the demonized lion from all four directions!

Moreover, they specifically stabbed into its body that did not have any scales to defend it.

The soft abdomen on its both sides was directly pierced through.

The intestines suffered even more damage, causing the demonized lion to roar in anger as it pounced forward. It pounced on three Sarrandian who could not dodge in time, viciously biting down with its sharp teeth, chewing on the body with the of the chain mail, its scarlet eyes became more terrifying.

This demonized lion also seems to understand its situation, began to more and more desperate.

Now it's scarred.

Scimitar marks on the cheeks, holes penetrated by spears, black blood dripping down, but it still used its last strength to kill more Sarrandian horsemen.

This kind of demonized creature had a tenacious vitality to begin with.

If it was an ordinary demonized creature, it might be killed by utilizing exquisite techniques.

But this kind of savage creature was as strong as a grand knight's strength and vitality.

It required knight-level warriors to engage in close combat and sacrificed their lives in order to kill it.

Just like now.

The entire mountain peak was already filled with the thick smell of blood.

The 30 Sarrandian horsemen that they brought along were easily killed by this ferocious demonic lion. Only 12 of them were still standing on the mountain peak. In addition to Kant, a lord who had been wandering around, took the opportunity to stab it with his sword.

"Roar... roar..."

The demonic lion panted heavily as its bowl-like eyes swept over Kant.

It was not without intelligence.

Although its brutal nature engulfed its soul and its powerful strength made it not need to use its previous cunning techniques, it still had the instinct to take the lead in killing the leader of the enemy and obtain the final victory.

"Damn it.", when Kant saw that scarlet eyes were aimed at him, the fear gripped his heart.

How could he not understand the meaning of its gaze.

It was a desperate struggle.

It was a rage that wanted to tear him apart!

The demonized lion did not give him time to think. It gathered its final strength on the other three leg claws that had yet to be crippled. It rushed over violently and waved its claws, wanting to press Kant's entire body under it, then used its big mouth filled with sharp teeth to swallow the young prey who brought it great pain. It want to swallow its prey into its stomach!

"Roar --"an angry roar was rolling along with a gust of wind.

Kant clenched the knight sword in his hand tightly.

His heart was like being squeezed at this moment, but his mind was extremely clear.

Time seemed to slow down.

The body of the Swadian knight, along with the extreme desire for survival in his heart, gave him the power to tear space and time apart. Under the attack of the demonized lion, he knelt heavily on the ground with both legs, lowering his head and bending his waist as if he was kowtowing. He nearly avoided the huge body that pounced at him.

"Plop Plop Plop --"

The earth seemed to tremble slightly as the huge body pounced down.

Two Sarrandian horsemen who were originally supporting Kant were directly pressed to the ground by the two huge claws. Their eyes protruded out and their sternum were completely shattered. They let out their last breathes. They were directly pressed to death on the spot.

"Kill!"

However, the other Sarrandian horsemen did not let go of this opportunity. They continued stabbed their spears forward.

Those who did not have a spear pulled out the elite scimitars in their hands and continued to slash viciously at the limbs of this demonized lion. They aimed directly at the tendons in the leg, in order to cripple the mobility of this demonized lion!

No matter how powerful this demonized lion was, without its speed, it was equivalent to a fish meat that was waiting to be sliced up!

"Pu Pu Pu --"

Its black fur was cut off by the sharp scimitar.

As for the tendons of its legs, which were not protected by its bones or muscles, it was instantly destroyed. Several deep cut were made by the scimitars. As the demonized lion felt pain, it roared angrily and used its strength to turn around which then directly breaking its body. Its two hind legs instantly fell down, and the speed of the demonized lion instantly slowed down.

The tendons on both legs were cut off, and it no longer had the ability to run and jump.

Just its two front claws.

No matter how strong it was, it could not hurt the remaining Sarrandian horsemen's lives anymore.

It could only let out a low growl to vent the violent rage in its heart.

The demonized creature did not know how to surrender.

Kant would not let it surrender either.

With the help of the two Sarrandian horsemen, Kant stood up. His hands were trembling from the extreme action just now. He was pumped with adrenaline and now he suffered rapid decline in spirit and physical strength.

"My Lord."

One of the Sarrandian horsemen asked, "Do you want to kill it yourself?"

"You guys do it.", Kant waved his hand.

He swept his gaze across the battlefield beside him. More than 20 broken corpses of the Sarrandian horsemen were scattered all over the mountain peak and the ruins. His expressions turned sombre, "I think you guys hate it more."

"I'm willing to serve."

The two supporting Sarrandian horsemen nodded.

There were only seven of them left.

They looked at each other. Other than the two who were supporting Kant, the other five picked up the spears of their fallen comrades. Looking at the demonized lion that was still crawling on the ground with its claws, ferociously revealing its fearsome appearance. They ran up and brutally stabbed at it.

The tip of the spear easily pierced through the eyes, the pupils, and the eye sockets.

It pierced through its eye sockets and directly into the brain!

The left and right eyes were each pierced by a spear. This was the revenge of the Sarrandian horsemen for their comrades, including the spear that pierced through the ear canals in the left and right ears. Then, they ruthlessly pierced through its ribs, deeply piercing into the chest. The spear pierced through the heart that was still beating rapidly.

The five of them worked together, and the already heavily injured demonized lion instantly died.

The battle ended.

Kant watched this scene coldly.

The thick smell of blood made him frown slightly.

He gritted his teeth and ordered, "Clean up the battlefield."

Kant opened his mouth, and his tone was a little solemn and depressed. He said in a deep voice, "Dig a grave for the dead Sarrandian horsemen. If they die here, then they will also be here to guard our new village."

"Understood.", the remaining seven Sarrandian horsemen nodded.

They did not choose to rest directly. Instead, they went to carry the bodies of their dead comrades.

They understood Kant's meaning.

The dead Sarrandian horsemen deserved a decent burial.

But Kant took a step forward.

The route shown on his retina was not the edge of the mountain, but deeper, inside the collapsed boulder, deeper into the mountain.

At the center of the ruins.

At the spot where the stone statue had fallen.

[ Ding... Side quest issued ]

[ Side quest: explore the ruins ]

[ Reward: Building transfer card (can change the location of a building)]

[ Introduction: You have arrived at the mountain peak and found the remains of this building buried by vegetation. After your careful observation, even though time had made the remains of the building look like ruins, its former glory could still be shown through the remaining decorations and construction methods. Please explore carefully, perhaps you can find more. ]

The system's temporary side quest was suddenly released.

Kant nodded slightly. "Got it.". He himself wanted to explore the ruins.

The ruins of the lost city.

He was very sure.

When he followed the collapsed boulder and entered the building ruins from the direction of the main gate, the stone statue wrapped in vines was revealed in the center of his eyes.

Especially the circular plate in the center that was lifted by the two arms.

Although it had a radiation pattern, Kant still found something at the center of the circular plate with radiation pattern. There was a faint golden glowing under the cover of dust and soil, as if there was a different kind of golden object embedded on it.

"The sun circular plate?"

Kant's mind instantly recalled the golden circular plate he had in the Oasis Lookout.

He carefully scanned his surroundings.

In the corner of the ruins, there were countless piles of bones.

It seemed to be the lair of the demonized lion. After making sure that there was no other danger, Kant slowly walked forward, holding his knight sword tightly, and came to the side of the slanted stone statue.

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ Council hall can be built here, and a new village can be built here. ]

A dialog box popped up on the system's retina.

At the same time, the route that was displayed was also disappeared.

Chapter 185: All Forces of the System

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ Council hall can be built here. New village can be built here. ]

As Kant approached the final location of the route, the system immediately popped up a dialog box and displayed it on his retina.

The route that the system had instructed disappeared.

This proved that Kant's second village could be built here.

However, he was not in a hurry to build the council hall.

The ruins at the peak of the mountain were still in an unknown status. Kant needed to complete the system quest to explore the ruins and make sure that there was no danger before he could set up the council hall without worry.

After all, this was Kant's second stronghold.

He had to be careful.

Kant held his knight sword and slowly walked to the stone statue. The huge stones that were once used for construction had all collapsed and sunk into the soil at mountain peak. Only this stone statue was still half-exposed in the soil, it raised the circular plates in its hands and was covered in shrubs and vines. It seemed like a decadent garden art.

Kant raised his eyebrows slightly.

Kant had already noticed the huge size of these stones and stone statues.

The part of the stone that exposed from the soil was only a dozen centimeters shorter than his height of 1.8 meters.

This was not including the part beneath the soil layer.

There was also this other stone statue.

The waist part of the stone statue was exposed from the soil. It was four meters tall and wore an ancient-style armor.

The stone plate with radial-shaped edges was held high in its hands. Due to the collapse, its angle was slanted. Kant could just see the center of the stone plate, which was about two meters in diameter, with a golden disc embedded in it.

Kant was very familiar with it.

He had once obtained the same model, which represented the ruins of the lost city.

The Sun Disc!

It was still located at the top of the clock tower of the Oasis Lookout. During the day, it absorbed the heat from the Sun, and at night, it released the heat from the Sun. It balanced the temperature within a 500-meter radius, giving people a comfortable and livable feeling.

At this moment, the system dialog box suddenly popped up on his retina.

[ Ding... Special quest issued ]

[ Special quest: Familiar strange object ]

[ Reward: 5 honor points ]

[ Introduction: You have found a strange object that looked familiar. It still gives off a mysterious special energy. This energy is helpful for the system to analyze the rules of this world. Would you like to let the system absorb it? ]

[ Remark: After the system absorbs it, it will power up. ]

[ Yes/No, let the system absorbs the item? ]

Special quest.

Kant raised his head subconsciously and looked at the sun disk that was made of gold on the stone plate.

He did not hesitate at all.

"Absorb!"

This was the system's requirement, Kant would not hinder it.

Moreover, they had been together for so long, how could Kant not understand the system's nature.

Even if the system absorbed this strange item, it would definitely be picked out in a side quest or a system lottery. Moreover, after the sun disc had been analyzed by the system, he could easily use it by using his mind alone.

For example, the [ Page of Clear Spring ] and [ Page of Fertile Soil ] were two such items.

Most importantly, there were still those 5 honor points. This represented the system mall's lottery. Even though there was definitely a sun disc in it, the other four gift packs were all picked up for free. Why would Kant hesitate?

He would not hesitate!

The system's data flowed out and circulated on his palm.

He looked up at the tilted stone statue.

Kant understood that the system had told him to go up and place his palm on the sun disk.

He waved his knight sword and cut off the branches of the shrubs and vines. He immediately jumped onto the body of the stone statue like a cheetah and quickly climbed to the top of both hands. His leather boots stepped on the chest of the stone statue that was covered in dust and mud, then he took another step on the head of the stone statue that was covered in moss. His left hand that was filled with data flow and he directly imprinted it onto the Sun Disc.

"Hum --"

A faint spatial fluctuation instantly started to flicker. Some mysterious power seemed to have been activated.

On the golden sun disc, the mysterious sacred sun pattern instantly exploded with balls of golden light. Kant was at the top of the stone statue, and felt like he was standing under the scorching noon sun. The heat wave started to sweep over, and it actually felt hotter and hotter, it was as uncomfortable as being in an oven.

However, this high temperature instantly disappeared along with the spread of the data flow in his left hand. As the faint mountain wind blew, it was still the usual climate of the cool Senwaya Range.

It was like the heat wave just now was an illusion of his perception.

However, when Kant opened his eyes again.

The sun disc that originally existed in the stone disc had been completely devoured by the data chain that flowed out from the system. There was no trace of it, not even a bit of gold was left. There was only a two-centimeter inlaid pit, indicating that it was once at the center of the stone disc, there was an object with a diameter of about 1.5 meters embedded in it.

Kant understood that the sun disk had been absorbed by the system.

But at this moment.

The stone statue under his feet suddenly shook. Even the huge rocks around it that had collapsed with a certain rhythm to them, along with some mysterious fluctuations in space.

"Not good, is there an earthquake?"

This bad thought appeared in Kant's mind, and he immediately jumped off the stone statue.

Just as his two feet touched the ground.

That mysterious trembling and fluctuation was instantly stimulated. In Kant's eyes, the huge stone with the clear sacred sun pattern and the exquisitely carved stone statue beside him seemed to have been turned into powder. It was like these stones and statue had been through thousands of years in just a few breathes, and eventually turned into powder. Even the stone slabs under his feet were mixed with the soil on the ground. As the mountain wind blew, the magnificent and mysterious ruins on the peak of the mountain disappeared.

It was like a breeze blowing past, never to be seen again.

Only a little stone powder and soil were left on the ground.

There were also strange-looking vines and bushes lying on the ground because they had lost their support.

"My Lord!"

The remaining seven Sarrandian horsemen rushed over quickly.

They looked at the flat and empty peak with shock and doubt in their eyes. They clenched the scimitars in their hands tightly, clearly not understanding what had happened here.

The majestic ruins just a moment ago had actually vanished without a trace in the blink of an eye.

They definitely could not maintain their composure.

"Relax, there isn't any danger. Just remain cautious."

Kant's face was calm.

He continued to instruct the seven Sarrandian horsemen, "After cleaning up the battlefield, inspect this mountain peak. After confirming that there isn't any danger, stand by and watch the surroundings."

"Yes, my Lord!"

The seven Sarrandian horsemen nodded and quickly dispersed to follow the order to check the mountain peak.

There were thousands of acres of flat land on the mountain peak.

Although it was overgrown with weeds, shrubs, and a lot of woodland, it was definitely flat land. Not to mention building a village, these thousands of acres of land were more than enough for farming.

A mysterious and perfect mountain flat land.

In front of Kant's eyes.

A dialog box popped up on his retina again.

[ Ding... After your tireless efforts, the side quest has been completed. ]

[ Side side quest: "Exploring the ruins" has been completed. ]

[ Reward: Building transfer card (able to change the location of a building)]

[ Introduction: During your exploration of the ruins, you discovered a mysterious strange object. What a pleasant surprise. You look at the flat land around you with full confidence and feel that there is something you can do with it. ]

A golden card appeared in his mind.

Kant raised his eyebrows slightly and smiled, "Construction transfer card? Not Bad."

He scanned through the introduction of the card.

Kant understood.

This construction transfer card could transform any building that had been built into a construction card and move it to another area for construction. Of course, the prerequisite was that it had to be moved within the sphere of influence of the council hall.

The [ Ranger camp ] was the best transfer building.

With the [ Vaegirs Shooting Range ] , 'Drondheim' had wasted resources on the recruitment of the long-range troop class. Kant did not need to recruit a large number of archers in this Oasis Lookout fortress, he did not need two different archers. This was undoubtedly a conflict.

However, the new village in the Senwaya Range definitely needed long-range archers who were good at mountain battles.

These were the Ravenstern wardens!

From the literal meaning, it could be seen that the wardens themselves were excellent archers in the mountain and forest areas. Their strength can be fully seen by the time they in charge of killing those barbarians in the Misty Mountain!

"Now, it's time to build the village."

Kant took a deep breath.

He communicated with the mind communication system and said in a deep voice, "System, build the council hall here."

In his mind, the card representing the council hall instantly appeared.

Some faint golden ray condensed. At the densest moment, it instantly turned into a golden light. If one looked carefully, they would find that it was the subtle data stream.

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ Detected that there is already a council hall. The force is the Kingdom of Swadia. Its level is fortress-level. ]

[ This time, the construction of the council hall will be chosen along with random forces. The level will be village-level. ]

[ Yes/No? ]

"Yes.", Kant made his choice. The system had already warned him about this.

The system dialog box instantly refreshed.

A new prompt box appeared.

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ Random selection of forces. Please pause at will. ]

On the retina before his eyes, the dialog box directly turned into a disk. Countless names of forces appeared densely on it. Although he was relatively small, as Kant swept through it, he could vaguely see many familiar names.

Kingdom of Swadia, Kingdom of Rhodoks, Kingdom of Nords, Kingdom of Vaegirs, Kingdom of Sarrand Sultanate. Kingdom of Sarleon, Kingdom of Ravenstern, Kingdom of Fierdsvain, Dasha Tribe, Imperial Expeditionary Force, Jatu Tribe, Noldor elven force. Even the Great Ming Empire, Jurchen of Manchu, Mongolian golden family, Great Han Empire, Hunnic Empire, Oda Nobunaga, Nagao Kagetora, countries of Southern Europe, Northern Europe, Eastern Europe, and even the Middle East.

All ages, all regions, all kinds of formal history or alternate history, or fantasy world.

All existed on this disc.

This was the forces that contained in all of the MODs from the entire "Mount and Blade" series!

Kant took a deep breath.

The disc was spinning.

The name of the forces on it was no longer clear.

He was calm.

"Stop."

Following his words, the disc came to an abrupt stop.

The red pointer was aimed at the name of a certain force on the disc.

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ Congratulations on obtaining... ]

Chapter 186: Aaron Village of Rhodok

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ Congratulations on obtaining the Kingdom of Rhodoks' Council Hall ]

The system dialog box appeared on his retina.

Kant was slightly stunned.

Who would've known that it was the Council Hall of the Kingdom of Rhodoks.

This was the Kingdom of brown bears, which was built in the southwest mountains of the continent of Caradia.

Kant watched as the council hall in his retina reassembled into a card. However, on the golden pattern of the card, a burly and majestic brown bear flag appeared. The corners of his mouth could not help but curl into a bitter smile.

This was expected.

But it was also unexpected.

The system gave the location of the village in the Senwaya Range, and Kant guessed that it was probably a mountain country.

He quickly estimated the result.

The Kingdom of Rhodoks, the Kingdom of Ravenston, the kingdom of dwarf humans, and the Kingdom of forest elves.

Of course.

The last two non-human forces were a little far away.

However, the Kingdom of Rhodoks and the Kingdom of Ravenston were probably the strongest according to Kant's estimations.

After all, the Kingdom of Rhodoks was the original one.

In terms of kinship, they could even contact the kingdom of Swadia.

After all, these two countries were of the same species. It was their contrasting living environments that caused them to split, and the split didn't even last long. It was during the term of the current king of Swadia, Haraus, the kingdom of Rhodoks was exploited and taxed due to the King's obsession with tributes and negligence of protocol, that resulted in the appearance of the Kingdom of Rhodoks.

"But it's good."

Kant nodded, and his expression returned calm.

There were only two ways to level up in the Kingdom of Rhodoks.

Close combat.

Their defense was astonishing, and their close combat was second only to the Kingdom of Nords'Luo duoke.

Long-range.

The Rhodoks, who were said to be the strongest snipers, held a city-breaking crossbow in his hand, and could pierce through steel shields with a single arrow.

It was a military structure that was specially matched with the mountainous terrain.

Even the Swadian Knight, who was invincible on the plains, and the Mamluke, who was invincible in the desert, were not a match for the kingdom of Rhodoks in the mountainous region.

As long as the troops of the Kingdom of Rhodoks formed a dense formation, borrowing the advantage of the steep mountain terrain, and under the protection of the infantrymen armed with heavy shields and wearing heavy chain armor, allowing the snipers of the kingdom of rhodoks armed with siege crossbows to fire as much as they wanted, even the unrivalled guards of the Nord royal family would suffer in this complex mountain terrain.

They were the undisputed overlords of the mountain region.

Although they did not have cavalry.

However, the mountain region, which was undulating and densely covered with forests, did not need cavalry to defend.

Kant led 30 sarrandian horseman into the Senwaya range. These assault cavalry, who were originally invincible in the Sarrandian desert, suffered heavy losses because they left their warhorse, which they were best at, and used unfamiliar foot combat to face the enemy. 30 people were easily slaughtered by the ferocious demonic lion. In the end, there were only 7 people left.

If there were 30 corresponding level-4 infantrymen.

For example, the Swadian Infantry would definitely not have won so miserably.

This was because of the characteristics of the troop class.

Sarrandian horseman were good at charging in the desert. They were an extremely mobile cavalry. Coming to the mountain area was equivalent to giving up their best mobility and not charging on horseback. Instead, they became a weak force in close combat.

Now Kant had the Council Hall of the Kingdom of Rhodoks.

To be able to recruit this elite mountain battle force with the brown bear as its banner.

He would be completely unafraid of the complex terrain of the Senwaya Mountains.

For example, according to Kant's understanding, the level 4 infantrymen of Rhodoks were veteran lance wielders. They wore heavy chain armor with excellent defense profile, carried a broad shield with stronger defensive effects, and held armor-piercing, one-handed military hammers that could be used to blunt and stab.They also held, with two hands, long-hilted broadswords that was more than two meters long, and their attack was extremely powerful.

And even among those of the same level.

Among the level 4 infantrymen.

The veteran spear-bearers of Rhodoks was the strongest!

The same level of Swadian Infantry, Wei Jiya Infantry, Nord warriors, and Salander infantry would all be chopped down by these level 4 infantrymen of the Kingdom of Rhodoks. The veteran spear-bearers of Rhodoks, with the long-hilted broadsword in their hands, would definitely make people scurry like rats, unable to stand against them.

Although they were spear-wielders, these infantry soldiers used extremely powerful long-hilted broadswords.

The kind that could even shatter light shields!

And it wasn't just the infantry.

The marksmen were also astonishingly fierce.

Being a long-range troop class that also used crossbowmen, Swadian used a light crossbow, a Level 4 crossbow, and a level 5 sniper heavy crossbow.

In the long-range troop class of the Kingdom of Rhodoks, a Level 2 crossbow was a light crossbow, a level 3 skilled crossbow was a crossbow, a level 4 veteran crossbow was a heavy crossbow used by a level 5 troop class of Swadian sniper, and a level 5 Rhodoks sniper used the strongest mass-produced heavy crossbow in the entire continent of Caradia -- the siege crossbow.

Just by looking at the literal meaning of the name, one could tell.

How powerful was the siege crossbow? It had already far surpassed the heavy crossbow; its power to destruct reaching a terrifying degree!

Within 50 meters, it could directly pierce through the steel shield with the strongest defense.

Within 150 meters, it could pierce through the chain armor, causing fatal injuries to the flesh within.

Within the limit of 300 meters, it could still pierce the armored-scale armor.

This explained why the heavy armored cavalry of the Kingdom of Swadia was invincible in the plains, traversing the grasslands, snowfields, deserts, and coastal areas. As long as it was a flat area, they could crush the enemy.

However, it was in the Rhodoks Mountain area.

They could not do anything to these mountain people who did not even have cavalry.

However, in this world.

A foreign world with Kant as the main body.

The appearance of the Kingdom of Rhodoks allowed Kant's forces to enter the Senwaya range. With the help of powerful infantrymen and powerful long-range archers, they were like a nail, firmly nailed into this mountain range.

Although he was more fond of the Kingdom of Ravenston.

But he didn't reject the kingdom of Rhodoks.

After all, although the troop class of the Kingdom of Rhodoks was complete, and the four routes of close-combat infantrymen, close-combat cavalry, long-range archers, and long-range archers were all full, and the time needed to level up was also much longer. Moreover, in the Senwaya range, which had an extremely complex terrain, the only two types that could be relied on were close combat infantrymen and long-range archers.

After all, the Senwaya range was just a mountain range.

Unlike the Kingdom of Rhodoks, which had the majestic Misty Mountains and the slopes of the snowy plains that were suitable for cavalry to gallop on, there were still some differences between the two.

The Kingdom of Rhodoks that had been drawn this time was just right for the Senwaya range, which was all mountainous regions.

Not to mention the most important point.

The strongest archer system of the Ravenston Kingdom had already appeared within Kant's forces.

The [ Ranger Camp ] was an example.

As long as the rank 4 troop class, the Ravenston Ranger, level up to the rank 5 troop class, the archery skills that had once terrified the barbarian tribes in the Misty Mountains would reappear within the Senwaya Range. This was also the reason why Kant did not regret losing the force of the Ravenston Kingdom.

Rhodoks soldiers and Rhodoks snipers had completely made up for the lack of close combat troops in the Ravensdon Kingdom, as well as the fact that it was difficult to deal damage to the enemy's heavy-armored troops in a short period of time.

After all, although it was easy for the Ravensdon Kingdom to slaughter the barbarian tribes in the Misty Mountains...

In the face of the Feldspar kingdom, the kingdom of Sarion, and the Empire's expeditionary army, they were completely at a disadvantage.

The reason was that the Raventon Kingdom's troop class had sufficient output.

However, they lacked the ability to withstand attacks from the enemy.

Now, the combination of the best parts of the two could be considered as complementing each other. After all, although the Kingdom of Rhodoks' troops had strong defense and sufficient power of long-range shooting, the efficiency of long-range continuous damage was extremely low. Compared to the title of Vaegir Marksman's rapid-fire machine gun, Rhodoks' sniping was very vivid.

Kant's lips curled up slightly. "Construct the Council Hall."

Data streams flashed in front of his eyes, and the Council Hall of the Kingdom of Rhodoks in his mind instantly turned into golden powder with his voice. Kant's thoughts materialized in this world.

The stream of data spread, condensing into a data chain that swept through the center of the mountain peak in front of him.

A foundation made of stone appeared.

A floor made of neat stones, walls and roofs made of wood appeared.

The council hall was about 500 square meters.

It had two floors.

It was a villa that was still made of stone and wood.

At the same time, there was a small chimney extending out from the top, and green smoke was rising. It seemed that there were even people living in this council hall that had just materialized in this world.

A dialog box popped up on his retina.

[ ding... Your village has been established. Please name it. ]

Kant's expression was calm.

He lowered his head slightly in thought and directly said to the system, "Name it Aaron."

Aaron was the most famous city in the Kingdom of Rhodoks. The entire continent of Caradia was known as the most inland city with the most complicated environment. It was the most troublesome city to conquer. Even after the capital fell, he could use the complex mountain terrain near Aaron to defend the local area and plan a comeback.

Kant named this village Aaron and planned to use it as a strategic town.

[ ding... Village name: Aaron ]

The village was officially named.

The dialog box on the retina refreshed.

The village interface of "Aaron"also appeared on the retina.

——

[ Aaron ]

[ Lord: Kant ]

[ Type: Rhodoks village ]

[ Topulation: 50]

[ Troops: 10]

[ Tonstructions available: Council Hall ]

[ Constructions available: house, city wall, mill, Watchtower, well ]

[ Current forces: Rhodoks (10)]

[ Recruitable: Rhodoks (Council Hall)]

[ Comment: this unremarkable village is called "Aaron". It is located at the edge of the mountain range. There is no need to describe it too much. It is enough to know that its future is concerning. ]

——

Kant scanned the village interface.

He could not help but smile bitterly. It was indeed as the system's introduction had said, the future was concerning.

The entire village was too simple and crude.

It was just like back in the Oasis Lookout, when 'Drondheim'had just been established.

But now was not the past.

Back then, Kant had to fight to the death in exchange for the prosperity of the current 'Drondheim'.

Now, Kant wouldn't need to fight with all his might again for Aaron. He only needed to mobilize part of the garrison of the Oasis Lookout, the fort of Drondheim, and quickly build up the defense system.

At the same time, more than 100,000 denar also added to his confidence to build up Aaron!

Kant was no longer the same as before!

Chapter 187: Kant, Who Was at Ease

The construction of the Council Hall had been completed.

Although this lonely building appeared simple and crude, but it also meant that Aaron's village had officially taken shape.

Right behind the village.

A slight noise could be heard. It was the sound of footsteps and discussions.

A group of people walked over quickly.

When they saw Kant, their eyes were filled with excitement and exhilaration.

"My Lord, before you appeared in front of us, your name and your reputation had already spread throughout our lives."

The group of people were cheering.

They placed their right hands on their chests with extreme respect and then bowed solemnly.

This was the most ceremonious etiquette in the Kingdom of Rhodoks.

"Hello." Kant nodded.

In fact, the etiquette of the Kingdom of Swadia was the same.

The two came from the same source.

As for the humiliating kowtow, it was not popular in the continent of Caradia. As for the one-knee kowtow that was similar to the conferring of a knight, it would also be impossible to see if one did not have a certain status or occasion.

Kant looked at the peasant and clansmen of Rhodoks.

Although they were all in high spirits.

According to Kant's gaze, these 50 honest peasant of Rhodoks and 10 basic level 1 soldiers of Rhodoks really had the word "Weak" written all over their faces.

The 50 Rhodoks peasant held a round sickle that was used to cut wheat.

The 10 Rhodoks people were slightly better. They were wearing old leather armor, a butcher's knife was attached to the coarse cloth belt, and between their hands were grass forks that had been sharpened and polished.

They upheld the kingdom of Rhodoks'tradition of using long weapons.

However, they were inferior to the kingdom of Swadia's peasant.

At the very least, the peasant in the Oasis Lookout could still wield a long scythe. Although it was a farming tool, it was much better than the round scythe that belonged to a one-handed weapon.

Kant even curled up the corner of his mouth into a wicked smile.

If these peasant were given an extra hammer to cultivate their own artisan skills, then they could be invincible!

The brothers of the worker and peasant class United.

Overturn the other world!

"Cough Cough." Kant hurriedly shook his head hard and coughed a few times in slight embarrassment. He threw these somewhat shameful lines and attire out of his mind, allowing his mind to regain its clarity.

Now was not the time to let his imagination run wild.

These people from the Rhodoks mountain region were indeed quite poor.

The weapons used by the Rhodoks clansmen of the class 1 troops were actually pitchforks and sharp butcher knives.

One had to know.

The weapons used by the Swaduian recruit of class 1 troops were actual long spears. Even the melee weapons were hand axes and wooden shields. The difference between the two was like heaven and earth!

It could be said that the Swadian recruit could already form a basic combat force.

The class 1 troops of the Rhodoks were still only good for their numbers.

Such treatment could only be changed after becoming a class 2 troop, allowing the low-level troops of the Kingdom of Rhodoks to officially form a combat force that could be used on the battlefield.

A Level 2 Rhodoks spearman

A Level 2 Rhodoks crossbowman.

However, compared to the wealthy kingdom of Swadia, the level 2 militia could only be equipped with a spear, hunting crossbow, combat shovel, and wide shield. Being located in a mountainous area, the resources were slightly lacking, and the economy was not developed. The Kingdom of Rhodoks could only be divided into the troop class in detail: the strong character of the infantrymen, who were good at using spears, and the crossbowmen who were directly equipped with light crossbow.

This was a system the Kingdom of Rhodoks developed according to its own advantages.

The vast majority of the Rhodoks people lived in the mountains.

The years of poverty had allowed them to develop an indestructible character strong like a boulder, as well as an emotional state stable like a mountain range. They were the best spearmen in the entire continent of Caradia.

When they gathered together side by side into a dense formation, it was the strongest spear formation.

And they chose to spread out.

With their long-hilted broadswords in hand, they were like brown bears charging and slaughtering.

In addition, they were good at using the crossbow due to hunting.

The combination of the two.

Formed a mountain army that could sweep through the complicated mountain environment!

When the Kingdom of Swadia and the Kingdom of Rhodoks were still one, the infantry and crossbowmen of the Kingdom of Rhodoks, the heavy cavalry of the Kingdom of Swadia, were the strongest combination in the continent of Caradia!

Now, the city of Aaron needed to develop.

At the very least, he needed to develop it to the level of a fortress in order to restore the glory of the Kingdom of Rhodoks.

Relying solely on these peasant and clansmen.

How could they combat the dangerous Senwaya range with round sickles and pitchforks in their hands.

When Kant left this place, any ordinary magical creature that appeared would be able to slaughter the entire village, and they would have no power to resist, only sending themselves to their deaths in vain.

Kant needed a certain arrangement.

He narrowed his eyes.

His mind communicated with the system, and at the same time, the golden card in his mind instantly shattered into pieces.

The data flow began to materialize.

"Use the construction transfer card to transfer the [ Ranger Camp ] from Drondheim fortress to Aaron Village."

Kant gave the order to the system.

[ ding... transfer begins ]

The system answered straightforwardly.

The data flow instantly spread, and faint spatial fluctuations appeared.

And in the Oasis Lookout, the [ Ranger Camp ] that was originally standing in the military zone on the east side, adjacent to the [ Vergia shooting range ] , actually spread along with the data flow, it turned into a data flow and turned back into a golden light. At this point, it shuttled back and forth, forming a construction card in Kant's mind.

The spatial fluctuations disappeared, and the power of the system's rules returned.

Kant's gaze turned to the side of the Council Hall. He communicated with the golden card in his mind and said in a low voice, "System, construct the building there."

A stream of data appeared.

On the flat land at the peak of the mountain, a foundation, bricks, wood, and other construction materials appeared out of thin air.

In the blink of an eye, the construction of the building was completed from the bottom up.

[ ding... transfer completed ]

The system sent a notification.

"Very good." Kant nodded in satisfaction, but he did not end the construction.

Turning his head to look at the Flat Mountain Peak, Kant continued to give orders to the system, "Build 10 houses around the Council Hall. At the same time, build a city wall at the top of the mountain and build a well."

[ ding... system prompt ]

[ village-level construction, continuous construction of buildings. Each building will cost an additional 100 denar. ]

[ this construction will cost a total of 2,400 denar. Would you like to construct? ]

"Construct," Kant replied.

There was no need to hesitate. A mere 2,400 denar was not a huge sum of money.

The data stream continued to emerge.

At the foot of the mountain, 10 carriages and more than 100 people walked over. Dressed in the clothes of the Rhodoks people, they looked up at the peak of the mountain and shouted at each other as they walked up. They did not seem to be bothered by the pathless mountain. Instead, they weren't too slow, and it did not take long for them to arrive at the edge of the mountain peak.

"Honorable Lord Kant, we meet again!"

The leader of the strong men looked at Kant in surprise. He quickly put his hands on his chest and bowed. "We met when we built the well in the desert. You also helped me send a letter home to Knight Fatis."

"It's you." Kant nodded. He also thought of this man.

"It's me, it's me, the leader of the construction team in Veruga."

This construction leader nodded with a smile, as if he was happy that Kant still remembered him. At the same time, he hurriedly waved his hand behind him, shouting to the construction workers, "Come up quickly. This is Lord Kant's new estate. We must work hard this time. We can't let Lord Kant's buildings have any flaws!"

"It's really Lord Kant! We've really come to the land of Miracles!"

"Ah, that's right, it's really Lord Kant! It's really him!"

"Lord Kant of the land of miracles! Oh My God, we're working for Lord Kant!"

Behind them, the Veruga construction workers looked pleasantly surprised.

They all looked at Kant with extreme excitement and walked forward one after another, ignoring the carriage behind them. They hurriedly put their hands on their chests and bowed respectfully. Their attitude was so respectful that it was impeccable.

"Very good."Kant nodded and said to them, "Be careful."

He got the respectful replies of the construction workers in return.

The people who came out of the Rhodoks Mountains were all top-notch soldiers or workers. Their personalities were as steady and simple as the mountains. This was also the reason why the people of Rhodoks had a better reputation. There were very few swindlers among them, and on the contrary, the Kingdom of Swadia and the Kingdom of Nords had the most number of swindlers.

Kant dismissed these construction workers as they busied themselves.

At the same time, he also gave orders to the 50 peasant and 10 clansmen.

Using the farm tools in their hands, they cleaned up the weeds and bushes at the peak of the mountain. At the same time, they also had to clean up the small forest and level the thousands of acres of land, which would be the foundation of the village in the future.

For this, Kant also found the tools that he bought from the Stone Pass.

He had the peasant cut all the small trees as thick as bowls with a logging axe. Then, he used a round sickle to clean up the branches. Finally, he cut them into pieces and piled them up as firewood for future use. Or, he dug out mud pits and made them into charcoal kilns, he burned excellent charcoal and sent it back to the oasis lookout for use.

Kant was not the noble young master he was when the village was first established.

Now, he was handling it smoothly and orderly.

At the same time, for the sake of the safety of Aaron's village, Kant's thought reconnected with the system and silently said, "System, recruit this week's 10 Ravenston Rangers."

[ ding... system prompt ]

[ the recruitment price for Ravenston Rangers is 30 denar per person, a total of 300 denar for 10 people. ]

[ yes/no? ]

"Recruit." Kant calmly made his choice.

Just as the 300 denar disappeared from Kant's mind, in the [ Ranger Camp ] that was close to the council hall, 10 Ravenston Rangers quickly walked out, wearing nail-studded leather jackets and carrying heavy battle bows. On their backs hung two-handed greatswords, there was also a row of cone arrows in the quiver at their waist.

As level 4 Rangers, their equipment was not much inferior to level 5 Rangers.

Armor-piercing cone arrows were the standard equipment of the Rexton Kingdom.

After all, although the barbarians in the Misty Mountains wore simple leather armor, the armor they wore was extremely thick. If they did not have these cone arrows that were specially used to break armor.., just relying on ordinary arrows and barbs that dealt more damage to unarmored targets would obviously be slightly inferior in terms of damage. They wouldn't be able to maintain the normal stability of the Ravenston Kingdom.

Chapter 188: The evil aura of the cave

However, this was enough.

Forest rangers with excellent archery skills could form quite a strong fighting force.

As time passed, the number of forest rangers increased. With the appearance of a top-notch archery master like the Ravenston Ranger, they could firmly guard this "Aaron"village located on the peak of the mountain.

Although ordinary demonized creatures were powerful.

Against these Level-4 Rangers, they would be shot to death before they could get too close.

Moreover, they had the assistance of the crossbowmen of the Kingdom of Rhodoks.

Long-range sniping with a siege crossbow, medium-range shooting with a heavy bow, and short-range shooting with precision. Let alone ordinary demonized creatures, even savage demonized creatures, if they were to be held back by a wide-shield heavy-armored infantryman.., they could be turned into dead hedgehogs in minutes!

"But in the early stage, we still need to rely on the Rangers as the main force to deal damage."

Kant pondered slightly.

The Rhodoks tribe members recruited from the peasant tribe were the lowest level Class 1 troops. Their combat strength could not be counted on at all. It was better to let the Rangers lead these tribe members to hunt some demonized creatures in the Senwaya range and gain some experience while they were at it. Only by upgrading to a higher level up troop class would they be able to properly play their own role.

Upgrading the troop class was also a helpless move. Not only was it troublesome, but it also consumed time. It was completely different from the desert bandits, Vergia's archers, and the Ravenston Rangers who were directly recruited from within the buildings. It was easy and convenient.

Thinking of leveling up.

Kant already his troop class maxed out with experience points, allowing him to level up.

Mind direct communication system.

The retina refreshed before his eyes, and the dialog box for level up for the troop class popped up.

It was those seven horsemen, the Sarrandian knights that survived the Stone Pass contest with Kant, killed the ordinary demonized black bears in the Senwaya mountain range, narrowly won against savage demonized lions, and survived by a hair's breadth.

Their experience points had finally reached full value, and they could level up to Level 5, Mamluke Horseman!

He paid the denar.

The seven Sarrandian horseman had all transformed.

Seven Mamlukes, wearing Sarrandian heavy chain armor, appeared at various places on the mountain peak.

Their equipment had been replaced.

The weapons and equipment that were originally broken or damaged had been swapped out with the latest and best models.

Even the nearby Sarrandian Horsemen were also wearing heavy chain armor. Compared to before, they had at most added linen tot their outfits, and their combat power and defense had increased several times. The price was that their weight had increased, and their stamina would be consumed a little faster, even their charging speed was not as fast as their time as Sarrandian Horsemen.

Even their infantry combat ability was a qualitative improvement compared to the Sarrandian Horsemen.

If it was calculated using the default combat power system of this world...

They had reached the peak of the "Knight Class"!

According to Kant's understanding, if there was a Grand Knight mentor who was willing to use a year of weakness and only five enlightenment opportunities to let these Class 5 troop understand extraordinary power, then these level 5 Mamlukes would be able to advance to an even higher level, the extraordinary troop class. Perhaps they would even be able to to break through the system barrier of Level 5 and reach an even more terrifying level–Class 6!

Of course, this was just a thought.

The Dukedom of Leo was founded on martial arts. The number of Grand Knights could be counted on one's hands.

Even if there were Grand knights hidden in the shadows...

It probably would not exceed 50 people.

After all, after enlightenment, whether a knight could comprehend extraordinary power or not was still two different things. After Enlightenment, one would not be able to directly become a Grand Knight with extraordinary power. One would still need to rely on one's own cultivation.

Otherwise, with the ability of the dukedom of Leo.

It was simply too easy to nurture a knight regiment that was composed entirely of Grand Knights over time.

But most importantly.

Which Grand Knight was willing to spend a huge price to enlighten his subordinates for Kant, an exiled baron who had already offended most of the noble families and had almost no place in the Dukedom of Leo?

None at all!

Kant, of course, understood this point.

He shook his head and sighed helplessly, "Perhaps I'll have to rely on the system to help me with my supernatural powers."

As the golden finger who's experienced transmigration.

The system's function basically ran through the entire situation.

If there were any questions or doubts, Kant would receive excellent answers from the system. Now that he thought about it, the legendary supernatural powers had already been given a similar temporary quest by the system at the Stone Pass. According to the nature of the system, it had probably already started thinking about how to infuse the supernatural power of this world into the troop class of the system.

"It's best if the system can solve it." Kant's expression was calm.

Even without supernatural powers, with the troop class of the system and the tactics of thousands of knights forming a sea of people, it would not be a problem for them to defend a certain place. Although they could not dominate the world, it was not easy to be a warlord of a certain place!

Looking at the busy Rhodoks peasant and the Rhodoks tribesmen who helped him, Kant nodded to himself. At least for now, he was still developing at a high speed.

However, just as he was patrolling the peak of the mountain...

A Mamluke walked over quickly, revealing only two eyes under the full mask. He was cold and calm. "My lord, we found something unusual at the west peak of the mountain."

"Unusual?" Kant frowned slightly. This made him curious, so he said, "Lead the way."

"Yes." The Mamluke turned around. The Sarrandian heavy chain armor on his body made a slight rustling sound as he walked. The overall rhythm was smooth, showing the degree of excellence of this Mamluke and the excellent workmanship of the chain armor.

The area where they said they found the abnormality was not far away.

At the western central edge of the mountain peak, the other six Mamlukes were waiting. Both of their hands were holding the two-handed iron staffs that looked like little melons in front of them. Their eyes were equally cold.

The surrounding 10 Ravenston Rangers also noticed that something was wrong. They held their heavy battle bows and also quickly walked over.

"My Lord."

They nodded in respect to Kant.

"Yes." Kant directly asked, "What happened?"

"At the west side of the mountain peak, halfway up the mountain, we discovered an unknown cave. We also heard a low roar from inside. I'm afraid that there are demonized creatures like before."

The leading Mamluke quickly explained.

"A demonized creature." Kant narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice, "Are you sure?"

"Almost certainly."

The other Mamluke nodded and replied in a similarly solemn tone, "We heard a low roar inside, and there are traces of wild beasts around the cave. There is definitely a demonized creature."

Kant pulled out his knight sword and said in a deep voice, "Let's go and take a look."

Seven Mamlukes and 10 Ravenston Rangers immediately got ready for battle status.

However, Kant glanced at the 10 Rhodoks people not far away. They were the lowest Class 1 troop of the current Aaron Village. He waved at the Rhodoks people who were best at farming and called them over to join the battle sequence, if they encountered enemies, they could also gain experience to level up.

After walking down the mountain peak, Kant personally led a team to walk in front.

Beside him was the Mamlukes wearing heavy armor.

The 10 Ravenston Rangers and the 10 Rhodoks people stood at the back. If anything happened, they would be able to provide timely support.

The terrain on the west side of the mountain peak was relatively gentle.

Although there was a drop, it was less than half a meter. Walking carefully, they quickly approached the mountainside.

It was a flat area of about 30 meters.

The cave was located on the inner side of the flat area near the mountain. There were dense shrubs and forests around it. However, if one looked carefully, one could vaguely see that there were many dense white bones scattered on the flat ground in front of the cave. Moreover, there were many piles of them, the colors were different, so it was obvious that these bones had been scattered here for a long time.

The Mamlukes had been down the cave to investigate before, so he knew where to go.

Kant, who was at the front, stopped for a moment.

Ten Ravenston Rangers drew their awl arrows and put them on their heavy bows.

Two Mamlukes took the lead and walked down the flat ground, holding two iron staffs in their hands.

They carefully explored the interior of the cave and made sure that there was no danger for the time being. Then, they waved to Kant and the others on the hillside, indicating that they could come down. But even so, they did not let their guard down.

Because when Kant came down, he realized that this cave was really a cave.

Two meters high and three meters wide, a cold wind slowly blew from outside. Accompanied by that faint growl from inside, Kant subconsciously tightened his grip on the Knight's sword in his hand.

The Knight's body also gave him accurate hearing.

The growl that the Mamluke spoke of did exist.

Even Kant's ears moved slightly, and he could recognize that the growl was almost mournful and desolate, as well as violent and ferocious, full of negative emotions!

Kant would not have believed that it was anything other than a demonized creature/

He narrowed his eyes slightly.

He looked into the depths of the cave.

But since the cave was facing west, the sunlight couldn't penetrate it.

Kant could only see two to three meters inside the cave. He could still vaguely see the smooth stone walls. If he continued to look into the depths, he couldn't see anything at all.

Except for the darkness that seemed to have been accumulating since the ancient times!

"My Lord, something is wrong."

An arrow was nocked on the heavy battle bow behind him, the serious-looking Ravenston Ranger said solemnly, "In front of this cave, I feel an evil aura circulating. This reminds me of the legend spread by the Elves of Nordo, which is the underworld that the Dark Knights believe in!"

"Huh?" Kant's face suddenly turned serious. He turned his head to look at the equally serious Ravenston Ranger, and his breathing became heavy. "Underworld... Underworld invaders!"

The Pande continent, where the Ravenston Kingdom was located, was a fantasy world.

That's right, it wasn't a world devoid of history.

Even on the Pande continent, there were still ancient races left behind, the Nordo Elves. Even when the race was on the verge of extinction, they still had a little magic.

And on the Pande continent, there were also various artifacts.

And even more mysterious legends of the underworld.

As a player, Kant naturally knew that the legends of the underworld were true. The Dark Knights would eventually become servants of the underworld, that is, those death knights who had lost their human emotions.

And the real invaders of the underworld were the underworld demons.

Powerful and evil.

Ordinary human troops could not match them at all!

Now, this Ravenston Ranger actually said that the evil aura in this cave reminded him of the legendary intruders of the underworld, which was not good news for Kant.

Chapter 189: Release of the Main Quest

Kant's expression was grave.

If it really was an enemy at a level comparable to that of the underworld invaders, then it would be troublesome.

According to Pande's prophecy, a seven-man underworld invasion team could easily slaughter a regular army of 300 people. Even if all of them were the powerful Sarion Lion Knights, the final result would be the tragic end of all of them being wiped out.

It would be difficult for a regular human to fight against the Nordo Elves at sunset, let alone a real underworld demon!

At this moment.

The system dialog box instantly popped up on his vision.

[ ding... Main Quest released ]

[ main quest: The Secret in the cave ]

[ reward: 50,000 denar, 5,000 reputation, 5 honor ]

[ introduction: there seems to be evil hidden in this cave. You have decided to lead a team to explore and find the hidden secret. Although the road ahead is unknown, with the heart of a brave man, you think you will find a little surprise. ]

Kant's eyes flashed, "Main Quest."

The main quest had not appeared for a long time.

Now, it was actually right in front of this cave, directly announced by the system.

Kant's heart wavered.

He thought of what the Ravenston Ranger had said, as well as the ruins of the lost city that he had found when he had just arrived at the peak of the mountain, and even the sun disc that had been absorbed by the system.

"Something's not right."

Kant looked at the deep and dark Cave and slowly clenched the Knight's sword in his hand.

However, he still planned to go in and take a look.

After all, this was the system's main quest, not a temporary quest that could be abandoned. Although he did not know how much danger was inside, Kant still turned his head, ordering the soldiers behind him in a deep voice, "Tell the 50 Rhodoks peasant to put down their work and wait for orders on the hillside."

"Understood." One of the Rhodoks people nodded and picked up his Pitchfork to climb up the hillside again. He went to gather the peasant who were still working with their scythes and went to the edge of the west side of the mountain to wait for orders.

If anything happened.

These weak peasant might be able to hinder the enemy's efforts.

It was not because Kant was cold.

It was because they could only play this role in battle.

At the same time, the peasant used this time to prepare simple torches made of wooden sticks and old clothes. They doused them with oil found in the storeroom of the council hall and swiftly made 20 torches, enough for three hours of lighting.

Everyone was ready.

The torches were lit. The two Rhodoks tribesmen held them and slowly walked into the cave.

These two people were the first to investigate.

Although their combat strength was very poor, they could immediately retreat if they found anything unusual. After all, they were only wearing thick leather robes. Compared to the Mamluke tribesmen who were wearing Sarrandian heavy chain armor, they were completely light-armored units and were naturally more agile and swift in speed.

As for the Rhodoks tribesmen who were born in the Rhodoks Mountain region and had undergone a little military training, they turned around and fled when they encountered danger that they could not deal with. Obviously, there was no problem at all.

Kant had told them in advance that they were allowed to flee when they were in danger.

This was also the confidence of the two Rhodoks tribesmen.

The first tribesman held a torch in his left hand and a sharp butcher knife in his right hand. His companion beside him looked nervously at the interior of the cave. His two hands were tightly holding onto the grass pitchfork that had polished the front end until it shone with a cold light. Each step he took was quite steady, and he did not dare to relax even a little.

There were piles of white bones on the empty ground outside. Even inside the cave, they would stumble upon the bones from time to time.

With their weight.

The bones they stepped on inside the cave cracked against the ground.

This sound reverberated in the cave.

It was as if even the darkness had solidified.

The low growls that had originally lingered in their eardrums also disappeared, which made the two of them even more solemn.

There was definitely danger.

However, the two of them still walked forward slowly.

According to their calculations, they were probably already a hundred meters deep into the cave.

And it was from the top down.

It was a downhill path.

However, the air in the cave was still relatively fresh, and there was not the slightest stench of decay, which made the two of them feel a little more at ease. No strange smell meant that there were no wild beasts. At the same time, the air was fresh, which meant that there might be flowing water in the cave, or other cave openings, that allowed the air in the entire cave to flow.

This was the experience of those from the Rhodoks mountain area.

However, the two of them stopped.

The torches were still burning, and there was a slight burnt smell.

The two of them looked at each other.

They saw the fear and uneasiness in each other's eyes.

They were already quite far into the cave, nearly a hundred meters deep. Their entire bodies were cold, and with two layers of leather jackets on, they shivered uncontrollably.

They were deep into the ground of the mountain. Otherwise, it wouldn't be so cold.

What frightened them was still ahead.

Their instincts as the Rhodoks people told them that perhaps they shouldn't continue forward.

In the area just beyond their torchlight, the darkness seemed to be frozen. They turned their heads to look in the direction they came from. Only a few white spots were still visible, giving them a sense of direction and a sense of security.

"Something's wrong."

The Rhodoks holding the torches gulped.

Looking at the darkness in front of him, he clenched the slaughtering knife in his hand. "I keep getting this feeling that there's danger ahead. Perhaps it shouldn't be a territory we should step into." Pausing for a moment, he asked in a low voice, "Why don't we go back?"

"But..." the other Rhodoks also gulped. "The mission that Lord Kant gave us hasn't been completed."

"Let's leave." The Rhodoks holding the torch took half a step back and looked at the darkness in front of them, he became more and more fearful. "Lord Kant told us that if there is any danger, we can leave. He is merciful. We are only the lowest-level militia. We are not even regular infantry. Lord Kant won't punish us if we leave after sensing danger."

"Is... is that so..." The Rhodoks nodded, his face pale. He held his pitchfork tightly with both hands and nodded. "Then let's go back..."

They decided not to continue going forward.

They had covered enough distance.

Although they did not discover anything useful.

In their perception, if they continued to walk down this cave and to arrive at the legendary underworld, where only the dead could live, they would stay there forever, enduring the endless torture of entering the underworld without permission.

Thinking of this, they hurriedly turned around and retreated.

They ran as fast as can as if escaping from a lost battle, their faces filled with panic.

Perhaps they were scaring themselves.

But they felt that there was no harm in running faster.

But when they ran for more than ten meters, an extremely violent emotion seemed to be transmitted from the frozen darkness behind them. Pairs of scarlet eyes instantly opened in the darkness. With a certain kind of anger, they let out low roars, which were extremely clear in the cave. The sound reverberated, bouncing off the surrounding walls.

"Roar --"

The two Rhodoks tribesmen in the cave ran even faster.

Their faces were filled with extreme panic and fear.

Only now did they realize that they had made a wise choice to turn around and flee.

As they ran, they turned their heads to look behind them, wanting to see what exactly happened in the depths of the cave. When the torch-holding Rhodoks tribesman swept his gaze behind him, he only felt his scalp go numb, and his entire mind went blank for a moment. Subconsciously, he picked up the torch and smashed it fiercely into the depths of the cave, and his fleeing figure went even faster!

The two of them panted as they escaped from the cave.

With their minds blank, they did not even know that they should bow and report to Kant.

But Kant did not care.

"Pull them out." Kant frowned and ordered in a deep voice, "Forest patrollers, prepare to shoot."

The Mamluke who stood guard at the entrance of the cave with a two-handed iron staff in hand directly dragged the two of them, who were paralyzed from fear and that extreme running running, and stood in front of the cave in an orderly manner. His eyes under the helmet were extremely cold, and there was also a hint of solemnity and shock.

Right behind the seven steel-like Mamlukes.

The 10 Ravenston Rangers had already drawn the heavy battle bows in their hands into a full moon.

The Awl Arrows had already been nocked on the bowstring. The dense arrowheads were aimed at the inner side of the cave. Their eyes were fixed on their target, and their breathing had already slowed down slightly. This was their shooting posture.

Even Kant held his Knight's sword tightly.

He gazed into the interior of the cave.

About 50 meters away, the torch was still burning, dispersing the darkness within.

But they could clearly see it.

Right opposite the torch, in the darkness of the depths of the cave, pairs of scarlet eyes were staring outside. Their eyes were filled with unconcealed brutality and hatred, as well as viciousness to slaughter all that enter their sight.

And that coldness poured out of the cave in greater and greater measures.

It faintly enveloped Kant.

He did not expect that at the bottom of his Aaron village, just a short distance away, there would be such a huge danger entrenched. If he did not handle it well and this wasn't discovered by the careful Mamluke, he reckoned that some time after he leaves, the Aaron village, which had yet to mobilize its troops, would be destroyed by the enemy. All the soldiers stationed there would be killed!

The owners of those scarlet eyes inside.

They were all demonized creatures!

Moreover, they were the demonized wolves who most liked to band together hunt in groups among the demonized creatures!

Kant was sure.

Although he didn't understand why these demonized wolves were afraid of that small torch.

But Kant knew that as soon as that torch is extinguished, those demonized wolves will rush out of the cave and charge towards them!

"Howl --"

A mournful wolf howl sounded.

It was similar to the wolf howl of Jackalan, but also completely different.

It was filled with the extreme brutality, hatred, and desire to tear everything apart!

The torch has extinguished.

The layers of scarlet eyes in the cave rushed out like a flood. The sound of claws hitting the ground was accompanied by low growls, and it grew louder and louder, enlarged by the cave.

"Fire!"

Kant swung his sword forward without hesitation.

The 10 Ravenston Rangers, who were already prepared, immediately released their bowstrings.

The Awl Arrows tore through the air and instantly reached inside the cave.

A few pairs of scarlet eyes fell to the ground.

But the Ravenston Rangers did not stop. They pulled out the awl arrows from their waists and continued to fire with the heavy battle bows in their hands. One arrow after another was fire continuously, like a semi-automatic rifle.

The scarlet eyes were getting closer and closer, but they were also getting fewer and fewer.

"Face the enemy head-on!"

The seven Mamlukes were still unafraid. They raised their iron staffs with both hands and faced the pitch-black wolf head that was already faintly visible. They smashed down heavily.

Along with the heart-wrenching wolf howl, blood splattered everywhere, and chunks of brain tissue flew in all directions.

Chapter 190: Detecting Something Wrong

The two-handed iron staff was a variant of Salander's two-handed war hammer.

From the handle to the hammer's head, the entire body was made of fine iron. When swung, even if one was wearing the most top-tier heavy plate armor, the weak inner abdomen would still be heavily injured for several months.

Even a demonized wolf, which had undergone demonization and became far stronger than ordinary wolves, would still have their dark red blood mixed with the grayish-white brain remains splashed on the entrance of the cave, covering it layer after layer pathetically with each swing of the Mamluke, who had near-perfect close-combat skills.

The entrance of the cave was only three meters wide and two meters high.

No matter how crazily the demonized wolves in the cave attacked, they could not move beyond the Mamlukes, who stood firmly in the same spot.

Even if they gritted their teeth and swung their sharp claws, they could not cause any harm to the Mamluke who were wearing the heavy chain armor of Sarrandian. Other than scraping the wrought iron plate with exquisite patterns and tearing open the extremely dense links, they could not break through Mamluke's defense in the end.

The seven Mamlukse stood in two rows, and groups of demonized wolves fell at their feet.

As more and more demonized wolves pounced out, the Mamlukes even took out their elite machetes and held the steel shield in their left hand, raising a wave of dense steel shadows, slaughtering these demonized wolves more efficiently.

The cavalry of Sarrandian Sultanate all used the machetes as their melee weapons.

It was made for this very moment.

The two-handed iron staffs could not kill these demonized wolves as effectively.

The elite machetes, which were known for their sharpness and could cut off the claws of wolves, could make these seven Sarrandian horseman knights look like indestructible gods. Even when their bodies were stained with a large amount of dark red blood with a strong stench, and the demonized wolves'corpses had reached their knees, they still refused to retreat.

They firmly guarded the entrance of the cave. They would never let these extremely dangerous demonized wolves rush out!

Lord Kant's "Aaron" village was right above their heads.

If they retreated, the village would be massacred. These crazy and violent demonized wolves would definitely use the blood of humans in exchange for the price of rushing out of the cave. Only after killing all the peasant farmers in "Aaron"village in a frenzy and devouring them whole, would the demonized wolves finally be able to return to peace.

The Mamlukes would not see such a tragic scene.

Kant, as the Lord, would not allow such a tragedy to happen!

"Front row, back row, back row, forward!"

He ordered in a deep voice.

The Mamlukes, who were originally in two rows, immediately changed their formation according to his order.

The three Mamlukes at the front of the cave retreated, while the four Mamlukes at the back took large strides forward. They continued to swing their sharp machetes, slaughtering the demonized wolves one after another with their scarlet eyes wide open, chopping off heads and bodies, leaving only a thick pile of corpses and blood under their feet.

Even the Ravenston Rangers held two-handed greatswords in their hands and slashed at the demonized wolves that were lucky enough to escape Mamluke's slash. The exquisite swordsmanship that they had gained in the Misty Mountains could almost compare to their archery skills!

The low howls of the demonized wolves gradually turned into wails.

"Howl..."

As the demonized wolves behind them turned around and fled into the depths of the cave, the originally frenzied wolves suddenly stopped their attacks and retreated one after another. They howled miserably in low voices and fled from the cave entrance like defeated dogs.

The near-frenzied succession of attacks finally eased, and the exhausted Mamlukes let out a sigh of relief.

"It's finally over."

The Mamlukes in the front row put down the machete in their hands.

In the short span of ten minutes, the number of times they swung the machete had almost reached a couple hundred. It had completely reached their limits.

As real men made of flesh and blood.

They would also feel tired and their arms were sore. They might even have pulled their muscles.

"Send a few over."

Kant put the Knight's sword back into its sheath and instructed the Rhodoks beside him, "Go and help them back to the council hall to rest. Also, arrange for the peasant to prepare food and dinner. It seems that we will have to spend the next few days here."

"Understood."The Rhodoks nodded and moved quickly.

They helped the Mamlukes up the mountain peak with respect.

At the same time, the peasant carefully used tools to form a mountain path that was barely walkable on the slope at the foot of the mountain peak. From the edge of the mountain peak to the cave halfway up the mountain.

That was a dangerous place that was worth paying attention to.

At the entrance of the cave.

The thick smell of blood was accompanied by a fishy smell. Corpses were piled up all over the ground, but because the cave entrance was high and the cave was low, the blood flowed into the cave like a stream.

In this battle, Mamluke and the Ravenston Rangers combined had killed almost 200 demonized wolves.

Of course, the main combat force was still these level-5 cavalry.

Even if they dismounted to fight, they were still several times stronger than the Level 4 Sarrandian Horseman!

If the Sarrandian horseman were to face this battle, they would probably lose two or three people in order to successfully stop the terrifying frenzied charge of this demonized wolf pack. After all, their equipment was not full-body armor, only armor covering the main parts of their bodies. In this aspect alone, the two could not be compared, not to mention the difference in battle will and fighting skills.

"Dig out the gems in the hearts of these demonic wolves."

Kant ordered the Rhodoks peasant who came down from behind.

These peasant immediately complied, but when they squatted down and used the round sickles in their hands to peel open the chest of the demonic wolves looking for the hearts, their faces were filled with confusion and strangeness.

"What's going on?" Kant asked.

A peasant pulled out his bloody hand and said with some puzzlement, "My Lord, there isn't the gemstone you mentioned."

"What?" Kant frowned.

"Indeed there isn't." The peasant of Rhodoks continued to reach in, grabbing. Some even took out the heart of the demonized wolf and used the round sickle in their hands to chop and mash it up. There was still nothing but dark red blood dripping, the strong smell of blood with a slightly rotten smell filling the entire entrance of the cave.

"This is impossible." Kant's expression flickered slightly.

He quickly walked over and personally reached out to pick up a demonized wolf. The Knight's sword in his hand ruthlessly cut open the belly under the ribs. Dark red blood with a fishy smell immediately flowed out.

However, Kant was not afraid. He reached into its chest and searched for a moment. His expression suddenly looked awful.

He grabbed the heart with one hand and pulled it out of the chest of the demonized wolf. However, when he crushed the heart viciously, he still did not find the two pitch-black gemstones in the hearts of the demonized black bear and demonized lion.

"What is going on?"

Kant lowered his head and narrowed his eyes. His expression was a little awkward.

These pitch-black gemstones were the most precious things about these demonized creatures. They were deeply loved by the mages in the Mage Tower. With these in hand, it was equivalent to sacks of silver coins!

However, there were no such black gemstones in the hearts of these 200 demonized wolves.

Kant felt a deep sense of incomprehension.

That there was a black gem in the heart of a demonized creature. This was not something he only just knew. Even when he was studying in the academy, he already found out this secret in books. Even the hunters in the villages south of the Senwaya range who were lucky enough to kill a demonized creature would know to check the heart and look for the black gem. Then, he would exchange it for a great silver coin from the merchants, buy more than ten acres of land and become a well-known farmer!

But no matter what, there should be such a black gemstone inside the demonized creatures.

Dark red blood was still dripping from the gaps between his fingers.

Kant casually threw the heart remains on the ground.

He ordered the peasant in a deep voice, "Hide all the corpses of these demonized wolves and burn them. I don't want such a strong smell of blood to attract other stronger demonized creatures."

"Understood." The peasant nodded and began to move.

Kant shook his head gloomily.

"My Lord, wipe your hands." The Ravenston Ranger handed over a wet towel. It was probably soaked in clean water and had just been taken down to wipe the longsword or armor that had been stained with blood, to prevent the blood from sticking and causing corrosion.

"Yes." Kant nodded and took it.

The wet towel was quickly dyed dark red by his blood-stained hands.

However, while Kant was wiping, he lowered his head to look at the dark red blood on the towel. His expression was slightly stunned as he subconsciously looked towards the entrance of the cave. Under the corpse of the demonized wolf that had been dragged, there was dark red blood all over the ground, even on the stone wall beside him, there was a small amount of grayish-white brain matter that had been smashed out by the two-handed iron staff.

Raising his eyebrows slightly, the doubt in Kant's eyes deepened. However, when he looked into the depths of the cave, he also had a flash of realization in his heart. He finally understood why the demonized creature that he had killed did not have any gemstones in its heart.

"They're not real demonized creatures."

Kant spoke slowly, his tone somewhat solemn.

He had once seen a similar explanation in the academy's books on demonized creatures.

A real demonized creature would grow pitch-black scales all over its body, and its skin would turn pitch-black. Its body would grow rapidly, and its strength, speed, and physical strength would all increase.

At the same time, the blood flowing in its veins would turn pitch-black.

The brain matter in its head would also turn black.

Just like the demonized black bear that Kant had killed, and the demonized lion that took a lot of effort to kill at the top of the mountain, they all had the same pitch-black blood and brain matter.

Even their hoof tendons and muscles were black!

Although these demonized wolves with dark red blood were much stronger than ordinary forest wolves, they still didn't reach the terrifying level of the legendary demonized wolves.

According to the lucky survivors.

The demonized wolves that were good at group battle and speed were the most difficult demonized creatures to deal with.

Although the demonized black bear's skin was rough and its flesh was thick.

Although the demonized lion's strength was formidable.

A large number of demonized wolves was actually the greatest threat to humans!

PS: I recommend a book in the same riding and hacking genre, "Dream control game." A game producer with a strange sleeping sickness, reincarnated as a man who controlled dreams. He disguises the dream space as a virtual game. When he was sleeping and dreaming, the dream control game would begin!

Chapter 191: Developing Aaron Village

Kant took a small step forward.

This mysterious and dangerous cave made him more and more uneasy.

These black fur, black skin, and a few black scales on their bodies all indicated that they were demonized creatures, including their red-blooded eyes filled with brutality and madness.

However, these demonized wolves were not entirely demonized creatures.

They looked similar on the surface.

However, their veins, blood vessels, and brains still carried the original nature of the creatures. This included that they knew to fear.

If they were real demonized creatures, they would definitely fight to the death and not retreat. They would only leave after killing Kant and the others. Otherwise, these demonized creatures would fight to the death until the very last moment.

This raised Kant's doubts.

Standing at the entrance of the cave, he held the knight sword tightly in his hand.

The Ravenstern rangers followed behind him. They looked into the cave with a grave expression.

They had said it before.

There was an evil force inside the cave.

Although Kant did not know much about the underworld invaders similar to the Pendor Continent, he could not help but think about the movies and literature he had seen in his previous life.

Kant muttered in a deep voice, "Could it be the nest of the demonized creatures?"

It was possible.

However, he didn't dare to lead a team into this cave. Although the level-5 troop class was strong enough to kill some ordinary species or these fake and inferior demonized creatures.

If he had encountered a savage species like the demonized lion, he had no choice but to sacrifice a few level-5 Mamlukes to kill it.

And fighting in such a narrow tunnel definitely added the battle difficulty. If those savage demonized creatures charged straight at them, Kant's soldiers could not scatter and dodge, so they could only grit their teeth and fight. Even if they won, it would be an ugly fight, they had to suffer heavy losses.

"But it's alright.", Kant lowered his head slightly.

On his vision, the dialog box instantly popped up and refreshed quickly.

The system interface for the troop class's level up.

[ 20 Rhodok peasant can level up to be Rhodok tribesmen. ]

[10 Rhodok tribesmen can level up to be Rhodok spearmen/ Rhodok crossbowmen. ]

It only spent a little of denar.

Kant directly chose to level up. A mere 300 denars was not a big deal.

Soon, 20 Rhodok tribesmen holding pitchforks appeared.

At the same time, the 10 Rhodok spearmen that Kant chose to level up finally put on leather armor and held spears. However, the slaughtering knife at their waist was not removed. It was still a melee weapon, and behind them was a simple wide wooden shield.

It looked like they could only be compared to a Swadian recruit.

However, these Rhodok spearmen finally had some looks of a proper footman troop.

Although they were still weak, they could still barely withstand the enemy's attack.

If they were in the desert, these Rhodok spearmen might be enough to fight the low-level Jackalan on the battlefield. However, as a level 2 low-level footman in the Senwaya Range, they still needed to be careful.

According to Kant's calculation, only a level 4 troop class could survive in the Senwaya Range.

Only a level 5 troop class could live a stable life.

If a level 2 or 3 troop class came to the Senwaya Range, they would become free meals to these demonized creatures.

Thinking of this, Kant looked into the cave with a solemn expression. He ordered the warden, peasant, and tribesmen beside him, "Everyone, return to the top of the mountain. Leave two people at the edge to guard this place."

"Understood.", everyone replied.

This was the best solution at the moment.

Kant's troops were few and only Mamluke could withstand the attacks of the pseudo-demonized wolves. He could not let all seven men guard this place and make Aaron Village lose its ability to defend.

The ten Rhodok spearmen could not be considered the true combat strength.

Thinking of this, Kant made a decision in his heart and returned to the council hall. He instructed the two Mamlukes, "All of you return to the mountain immediately. Get the 10 Sarrandian horsemen to escort Manid and the camel caravan back to the Oasis Lookout. At the same time, instruct James to lead the 7 Ravenstern rangers, 13 Swadian sergeant, and 10 Swadian snipers to the "Aaron" village on the camel caravan. Also, arrange 20 desert bandits to be on standby at the posthouse. Another 20 desert bandits will set up a temporary camp at the mountain pass to be on standby."

"Understood!", the two Mamlukes nodded. Ignoring the fact that their armor was still stained with blood, they immediately got on their horses and galloped carefully along the mountain path they had come from.

As a level 5 troop class, their exquisite riding skills could barely allow them to ride their horses through the mountains.

Moreover, they also knew where the road was smoother.

"That's good."

Kant nodded with a calm expression.

These arrangements were of utmost importance.

Once these troop class moved in, the "Aaron" village could be considered safe in the Senwaya Range. He could also leave temporarily and leave the development of this place to James for the time being.

Although James' main job was to be a doctor, it was not a problem for him to watch over a village.

The combat and command abilities of this field doctor were not weak either.

Moreover, if any of the soldiers were injured, he could treat them in time. After all, although there were many demonized creatures or other beasts in the Senwaya Range, as long as they were protected by armor and shields, their injuries could still be recovered, which meant that there was a possibility for them to survive the injuries. At least they did not have to worry about it. Like the 23 Sarrandian horseman, they were severely injured by a demonized lion. As they did not know anything about medication, they were completely helpless and could only watch them die.

As for now, Kant still planned to stay here.

Aaron Village was still too weak.

Although Drondheim was waiting for him to return and level up into a castle, Kant did not leave immediately.

How could he give up on this village that was in imminent danger and leave.

If Kant really left with his team and this small village encountered a demonized creatures again, the village would be wiped out in the blink of an eye, leaving Kant filled with regret.

"I still need to put in the effort."

Kant couldn't help but shake his head.

When Manid returned with his team, James would probably arrive in the middle of next week.

Turning his head to glance at Mamlukes who was still resting in the council hall, Kant had a little plan in his mind.

He couldn't just sit around and wait for death.

It would be great to let these Mamlukes form a team, leading 10 Rhodok spearmen and 20 Rhodok tribesmen for training with the help of the demonized creatures in the Senwaya Range.

At the very least, Kant needed them to level up to an intermediate troop class in a short period of time.

This plan was realistic.

Kant had once learned the habits of demonized creatures in the academy.

It was the territorial behavior.

Any savage demonized creature would not appear within a 3-kilometer radius of another savage demonized creature. Occasionally, there would only be a small number of ordinary demonized creatures.

However, there would not be too many ordinary demonized creatures

This was their territorial behavior.

It was also what hunters or knights relied on to hunt demonized creatures.

According to Kant's understanding of these terrifying creatures, if all the demonized creatures hidden in the Senwaya Range were to gather together, it would not be a problem for the entire Dukedom of Leo to be flattened by these demonized creatures. After all, this mountain range that could even obstruct the Nahrin Desert was just way too big!

Kant's current position was only at the edge of the edge.

If the road was fixed, it wouldn't even take more than an hour from the mountain pass to the "Aaron" village.

In Kant's mind, there was "stone-paved road" that could be built. After the garrison reached the mountain pass, Kant would immediately use it to connect the Senwaya Range to the Nahrin Desert. He would let the "Aaron" village be officially included in the development area of the Drondheim fortress. A large amount of precious resources in the mountain range would be continuously transported back through camel caravans, it would become the driving force for development.

If there was a chance, Kant would want to build terraces in the Senwaya Range.

After all, after he developed agriculture in Oasis Lookout, he knew the hardship and pain of doing that in a desert.

It was thanks to the system that it had developed to its current scale.

Although the Senwaya Range was dangerous, the environment was basically suitable for growing crops. It was much better than the barren Oasis Lookout. As long as the water source was guaranteed, the development of agriculture would be even faster.

Moreover, it could also develop animal husbandry.

The opening of this second base was Kant's most successful move in developing.

That was the reason.

Kant turned his head to look out of the window. Twenty-three Sarrandian horses were still walking not far away. They looked lonely after losing their horsemen. However, they were plenty close to Kant so they did not leave. Instead, they began to walk around the mountain peak, stepping on the soft soil, from time to time, they would walk around the cemetery where the horsemen were buried.

"When Joslin comes again, we can sell them."

Kant shook his head and sighed.

Kant did not need too many horses. Selling the Sarrandian horses produced by the system and indirectly letting them return to their own world could be considered a good ending.

After all, these were all top-grade Sarrandian warhorses.

Even the noble families of Vaegirs would cherish them very much and would not treat them carelessly like weak horses.

This was the system's method of recycling.

When Joslin left, he also bought the weapons and equipment of the system's troop class that had died in the previous battle. It solved Kant's problem. After all, he did not want so many exquisite items to be spread to the Dukedom of Leo, it was still great to be able to exchange some denars with the system.

"Now, we just have to wait for James to lead the team here.", Kant thought.

Green smoke appeared in spirals.

In the kitchen of the council hall, the aroma of food cooking spread out.

It was the peasants making dinner. After all, with the setting sun and the approaching dusk, the sky was about to turn dark. If they did not make dinner, they would probably have to wait until the evening before they could let everyone have a warm meal.

The kitchen of the council hall was not big.

It barely maintained the food needs of more than 60 people.

Chapter 192: A Week’s Change

Time passed quickly.

A week's time had passed.

It was this week's Wednesday.

At the entrance to the Senwaya Range, James and Manid were riding their horses in the front. Behind them were seven Ravenstern rangers, 13 Swadian sergeants, and 10 Swadian snipers. Accompanying them were 30 camels loaded with all kinds of supplies.

Behind the camels, there were 50 fully armed Swadian knights who were holding huge awl spears and waiting for orders.

All of them were level 5 elite troops that sent from Oasis Lookout this time.

Their combat strength was guaranteed.

After returning to Oasis Lookout, Manid had already set up "Aaron" Village. The dangers and difficulties that Kant encountered were clearly explained to Firentis and James.

In order to ensure the safety of Lord Kant and the stability of Aaron, James immediately accepted the order.

Once again, Manid led the way. With the troop class that Kant had requested, they immediately set off. Moreover, they also brought an additional 50 Swadian knights troop, allowing these high-level troop class that could charge on horseback and fight shoulder to shoulder to supplement their combat strength. They had to ensure that Lord Kant's safety was guaranteed.

Their own lives could be ignored.

However, to them, Lord Kant was their supreme existence in this world!

They travelled arduously.

It took them three days to arrive at the mountain pass of the Senwaya Range from the Oasis Lookout. It had to be said that these single humped camels played an absolute role. Although its short-distance acceleration was not as fast as the Swadian warhorse of the Swadian knight, the advantages of these camels were clearly shown through this long distance, day and night journey.

The Swadian warhorses were already very tired from being tortured by the desert.

However, the single-humped camels were still relatively okay.

If the Oasis Lookout was further away from the Senwaya Range, the warhorses of the Swadian knight would probably be out of breath. It might even became dehydrated or sick due to the harsh environment.

The desert was not an environment that the heavy cavalry was good at.

Even if the system enhanced the abilities of the heavy cavalries, they would still not be able to adapt to the long journey in the desert.

This was also the awkward weakness of Kant's troops.

In a long-distance assault and strategic attack, they could only rely on the desert bandits, elite desert bandits, and Sarrandian horseman.

As for the fully armored Swadian knight, Swadian heavy cavalry and Mamluke, they could only move around the fortress.

In other words, they could only carry out strategic defense or tactical attacks. As for long-distance raids and strategic attacks, it was impossible. Logistics and physical requirements alone were already a huge challenge to them.

Kant had once thought.

If only the Nahrin Desert where he was based had a Nile River similar to the desert of North America in Earth, as well as the Euphrates River and Tigris River in the Middle East's desert region. Such a large river that crossed through the desert would be great. With the system, he would definitely be able to quickly grow into an overlord-level character.

The river could be used as a transportation route, allowing these heavy cavalries to have the ability to attack strategically.

It was not like now.

The powerful heavy cavalries could only move around the Oasis Lookout.

This was also what Firentis was worried about.

They had already defeated the high-level Jackalan of the Kingdom of Grey Mane. As far as they concerned, there would not encounter such a large-scale enemy again in a short term. This made Firentis anxious inwardly, he was eager to make a contribution and fight for Lord Kant's salvation in this world.

But he needed to wait, and Kant also needed to wait.

They still needed to develop.

Although their current strength was enough, they were unable to shake the forces of either side.

The Mannheim Coast by the Sea of Stars was full of races and had complicated relationships. Although Kant had defeated one of them, the high level Jackalan expedition army of the Kingdom of Grey Mane, it did not mean that he able to crush the whole kingdom.

They defeated the expedition army because they had the geographical advantage, a vast natural barrier protected the Oasis Lookout.

The plan that Kant and Firentis had made was very successful.

This was because no one was able to carry out a long and fierce siege battle without sufficient supplies after crossing the Nahrin Desert. This was unrealistic.

But even so, the high level Jackalan of the Kingdom of Grey Mane still showcased their absolute battle strength.

Kant already had some scruples in his heart.

What would happen if the distance between the two was shorter.

The former Jackalan captives were right. These high-level Jackalans were indeed invincible in the Mannheim Coast when it came to close-combat in heavy footman sequence. They were so strong to the point where the lizardmen could only rely on city walls and crossbows to defend themselves; so strong to the point where even the elves could only offer friendly letters on trade cooperation and peace.

Drondheim's strength was still relatively weak, including against the Dukedom of Leo.

Kant was confident, if he launched a surprise attack, he could easily take over the Stone Pass.

But Kant's strength would also be exposed.

What came to him next was definitely not the Dukedom of Leo's welcome for the strong, but an absolute fear for a potential threat to themselves. They would not hesitate to unite against a potential threat. Using the force they had cultivated in the Dukedom of Leo for a hundred years, they would crush Kant to death in the Oasis Lookout.

This time, it would be very thorough. They would not even give Kant the chance to continue his exile.

What they wanted was a corpse that could no longer threaten them.

......

The stone-paved road had been built. Following the mountain ranges of the Senwaya Range, it slightly curved from the "Aaron" Village to the entrance where Kant had entered.

The three-meter-wide road was paved with neatly cut stones. The gaps were filled with lime. In order to make the road waterproof, drainage channels were dug on both sides of the reinforced roadbed. Even if there was heavy rain, the road would not collapse, instead, the rain water would flow into the lowest mountain valley along with the excellent drainage system.

The most important thing was that there was finally a road in the complicated mountain.

This meant that they were able to move quickly and no need to worry about the trouble caused by the complicated environment.

Even the cavalry could move quickly.

This made the Swadian knights, who had already had enough of the soft sand layer in the desert, to tap their horses' stomachs lightly and increase their speed. They moved quickly along the mountain road towards the "Aaron" Village and could not wait to protect their Lord Kant.

Meanwhile, the 30 one-humped camels were still walking at a leisurely pace behind them.

The footmen and archers were accompanying them on both sides.

With these rangers, sergeants, and snipers, it would be a suicide for the ordinary demonized creatures to come across them. Even if it was the savage demonized creature, it would be killed by these elites if careless.

The Ravenstern rangers were top-notch archers.

The Swadian sergeants were the heavy footmen with the best defense.

As for the Swadian snipers, even if they used heavy crossbows which were not as strong as siege crossbows, they still had plenty of combat experiences.

Three layers of defense, far, middle, and close range.

This was also the reason why Kant asked these troop class soldiers to come over to assist in defense. With their presence, it would be the moment when the strength of "Aaron" Village would increase. Even if there were savage demonized creatures came over, there was no need to worry too much.

No matter what, those demonized creatures were all wild beasts.

The close combat of these creatures was many times stronger than humans, but humans had wisdom, command, and weapons.

As long as they avoided the attacks, they could grasp to the weaknesses of these creatures.

These demonized would only end up being dug by their hearts and become Kant's spoils of war.

And within these short seven days, Kant led the troops of the Kingdom of Rhodoks. With Mamlukes and the Ravenstern rangers as the foundation, they swept through the surrounding mountains and blocked the ambush of the pseudo-demonized wolves a few times at the Evil Cave. The initial 50 Rhodok peasants and 10 Rhodok tribesmen had all been upgraded to a level up 3 troop class.

40 Rhodok trained spearmen.

20 Rhodok trained crossbowmen.

It was these level up 3 troop classes that formed a dense phalanx of spears. Combined with the continuous arrow rain attacks from the Ravenstern rangers, they were able to keep the pseudo demonized wolf pack inside the evil cave.

As they experienced more and more battles recently, more and more concentrated battles, there were signs of leveling up again.

They would be leveled up in unison.

At that time, "Aaron" Village would welcome a new batch of Level 4 troop class.

This was all thanks to the danger of the Senwaya Range.

Or rather, it could be said that with the help of Mamluke and the Ravenstern rangers, as well ad for the 20 wardens who had first killed most of the enemies with their superb archery skills, these low-level Rhodok soldiers would have suffered heavy losses long ago. They could only let Kant lead them to level up in batches and would not be as simple as it was now.

Before long, James and 50 Swadian knights had already stomped on the stone-paved road and quickly arrived at the foot of the mountain peak where "Aaron" Village was located.

The mountain peak was not very steep.

There were cliffs on the east and south sides. The Evil Cave on the west side which located at the halfway point of the mountain was still considered flat, but there was also cliffs beyond the cave. Only the area where there were stone pavement ruins on the north side was a 40-degree slope.

Not to mention one could walk easy on it, even a warhorse could directly rush up.

However, at the top of the mountain, a half-meter-high city wall had already circled around the edge of the mountain, temporarily marking out the current area of "Aaron" Village. Although it could not stop the demonized creatures that really wanted to invade, it would not be a problem to block out some wild beasts.

Thousands of acres of land was quite vast.

The council hall was only built in the center of the north. Even if there were ten more houses, they would be insignificant to the thousands of acres of flat open land.

On the south side, the city wall had already been built.

However, the dense forests and shrubs had not been completely cut down by the Rhodok people.

It had at least 400 acres of land.

And according to Kant and the architectural team's previous calculations, the overall area of this mountain peak was about 1,600 acres, which was close to the land area of a small Village. As Kant's development plan, whether it was developing into a small town or a large castle, the area of this mountain peak was completely enough, and more than enough!

Chapter 193: Archery Master’s Performance

James and the 50 Swadian knights were the first to arrive. Even though they were two mountains away, the sound of hundreds of horseshoes hitting the road was like a thunderous waterfall.

Even the Rhodok trained spearmen were standing behind the city wall, guarding the wooden gate. They looked nervously at the road outside. They looked at each other and noticed the panic in each other's eyes, they were also afraid of the thunderous horse hooves outside.

Kant walked over quickly and waved at the extremely nervous Rhodok footmen. "Alright, don't just stand there. Open the gate and let our troops in."

"Understood!"

The Rhodok trained spearmen looked at each other, but they still chose to listen to Kant's orders. They quickly opened the gate and looked at the Swadian knights appeared at the bottom of the hill with a strange expression.

It was anger, hatred, and a certain kind of confusion.

This was due to the relationship between the two countries.

After all, 30 years ago, the mountain region of Rhodok was still a part of the Kingdom of Swadia.

These people of Rhodok had even cheered for the succession of King Harlaus.

If one were to say that the kingdom of Swadia collected a lot of taxes, it was close to exploitation. However, after the nobles of Rhodoks came to power and established the Kingdom of Rhodoks, the exploitation did not decrease much. Instead, because of the successive years of war, many of the young people had sacrificed their lives. Compared to the Kingdom of Swadia back then, it was even more difficult.

The so-called hatred actually had little to do with low-level civilians. It was just the noble families thought that after King Harlaus inherited the Kingdom of Swadia, he levied too much taxes on the noble families of Rhodoks.

Therefore, the two countries split due to their interests and began a hostile status for more than ten years.

Despite the hostility between these two countries, the interaction between the people continued. At the very least, the merchants were still trading with each other.

Especially for Veruga, the most important and nearby trading city of the Kingdom of Rhodoks, it was also an important place for the two countries to trade. Commerce was extremely prosperous, and economic exchanges were very frequent.

No one would refuse the exchange of the denar, and no one would refuse the denar to enter their pockets.

"Rumble --"

As the gate opened, James, who was at the foot of the mountain, brought the Swadian knights to the peak.

In reality, if they really wanted to come up, the gate alone would not be able to stop them.

It was estimated that the Swadian knight's huge awl lance would be able to easily destroy the wooden planks of the gate with a single charge.

This was due to their high respect for Lord Kant, which made them to choose to wait.

Otherwise, with the noble status of the Swadian knight.

They would definitely use the horsewhip to ruthlessly whip these Rhodoks mountain people, letting them know what it meant to be noble and lowly, what it meant to be a social class, and what it meant to use the most revered etiquette to treat the noble Lord Knight!

Those who came from the continent of Caradia had their own thoughts.

This included love and hatred.

As well as the concept of social class that was long cultivated on the continent!

To a certain extent, if Firentis wasn't a system hero NPC, he would also belong to the class of the Swadian knight. And in the Kingdom of Swadia, he was addressed with the title of "Knight" when he was called by the others. This was the reason why the others usually called him Knight Firentis. But because he followed Kant, the one and only unique existence, to some extent, he felt a greater honor.

These Swadian knights also felt a sense of honor because they were able to fight under the leadership of Lord Kant. When they arrived at the peak of the mountain, they rode on their warhorses, they raised their awl spears and saluted respectfully.

"Merciful and great Lord Kant."

Their voices were in unison, filled with fanaticism and respect for Kant.

The people of the entire "Aaron" Village on the mountain peak were attracted to them, especially the soldiers of Rhodok. They were shocked, and there was worry between their brows.

If it wasn't for Lord Kant leading them, they would have long fought to the death with these Swadian knights.

Although the final result was most probably that the low-level Rhodok soldiers suffered heavy casualties.

But at the very least, the dignity of the Kingdom of Rhodoks could not be humiliated.

"Alright.", Kant nodded, and nodded in satisfaction towards these Swadian knights. He waved his hand and said, "All disband. There's no need to be so formal.". He paused, at the same time, he reminded, "In this land of miracles, the Kingdom of Rhodoks and the Kingdom of Swadia are friends. There's no difference."

"Understood!", the 50 Swadian knights immediately replied.

These elite cavalries did not have any doubts. After answering, they quickly dispersed under the lead of their respective captain. As knights, they disdained to provoke the Rhodok people.

At their stage, there was no point in provoking them.

The Rhodok trained spearmen and trained crossbowmen, who were only level 3 intermediate troop classes, were also willing to relax.

Both sides were safe and sound.

Kant and James, who had come from afar, returned to the council hall. The Rhodok people had already brought hot water and squeezed honey out of the beehives found in the Senwaya Range and put it in the water as a dessert. James under the stars for at least three days, he was replenished with energy after the desert.

Not long after, the sound of horse hooves came from the hillside again.

However, it was Manid and his camel caravan who came. Kant sent people to invite Manid into the council hall, and at the same time, helped to carry down the various supplies on the camel's back.

This time, they brought back a lot of things from the Oasis Lookout.

They were all carefully selected by Manid.

"Drink some honey water.", Kant asked the servant to pour another cup of honey water and served it to Manid, who was sitting on the chair next to him. He then said considerately, "At that time, I only meant that James to come over and take care of Aaron. If you come again, I don't think your physical strength can withstand it."

This Nord merchant did not inherit the strong body of a Nord man. Although he was healthy, it was still a kind of suffering and torture to travel in the desert for a long time without a good rest.

Manid chuckled, "It is my honor to serve you."

"Mr. Manid still cares about you."

James was middle-aged and in his forties. He turned to Kant and said with a smile, "This village is related to your development, Lord Kant. It is also a way for us to work hard."

"Thank you very much.", Kant nodded.

While the three of them were talking, Rhodok people carried the goods from the camel caravan and piled it up in the storeroom of the houses.

At the same time, seven Ravenstern rangers naturally gathered with the 20 Ravenstern wardens and became the captain and leader of their team. They also listened to these level-4 archers briefed the situation around them.

The 13 Swadian sergeants and 10 Swadian snipers also followed.

They had just arrived here and needed to quickly understand the environment.

Of course, the danger of the Evil Cave was especially emphasized by the wardens. After all, the last few fierce battles had all started at the entrance of the cave. The 7 Mamlukes were fighting with their lives and the 20 wardens' superb archery skills, there were no accidents. However, they also found that the pseudo-demonized wolves in the Evil Cave were becoming more and more violent and ferocious.

As if they had sensed that there were humans at the top of the mountain, these demonized wolves gathered and wanted to rush out of the narrow cave entrance and slaughter everything outside.

The pseudo-demonized wolves with the typical characteristics of demonized creatures naturally had such tyrannical emotions.

This was currently the most noteworthy enemy.

In order to deal with this Evil Cave, there were 10 Rhodok trained spearmen guarding at the flat land outside of the cave. There were the squad that monitored the movements inside of the cave.

If there was anything unusual, they would blow the horn on their waist.

At that time, the troops stationed near the council hall would immediately assemble. Before they were completely annihilated, they would reach the Evil Cave and kill those crazy pseudo-demonized wolves. At the same time, they would obtain a large amount of additional experience points.

The leveling up of the troops were currently depended on this Evil Cave.

Just as everyone was visiting.

"Wu --"

A rather dull horn sound suddenly came from the west side of the hillside.

The soldiers who were originally patrolling there were stunned.

However, the 20 Ravenstern rangers were the first to react. They quickly shouted to the wardens, sergeants, and snipers behind them, "The demonized wolves are ready to attack. Everyone, follow me!"

There were only 10 Rhodok trained spearmen at the Evil Cave.

It would not be a problem to hold off the demonized wolves for a few minutes.

However, as time passed, the spear formation formed by these 10 spearmen would be broke through immediately. At that time, once the demonized wolves scattered in the complicated mountain area of the Senwaya Range, they would cross the cliffs and city wall, launching a sneak attack on the "Aaron" Village. It would definitely become a very troublesome matter.

However, for the archers or footmen who happened to be paying attention to the Evil Cave at the top of the mountain, they would be able to walk down very quickly. It wouldn't even take 20 seconds.

On the slope outside the Evil Cave, the Rhodok people had already used wooden planks and stones to carefully build a five-meter-wide staircase so that the troops could rush down in the shortest time possible. They were able to come to the platform that was completely paved with wooden planks and became the main force to resist the pseudo-demonized wolves.

These soldiers quickly came to the platform.

In the depths of the cave, before the demonized wolves launched a real attack.

They had already formed a formation.

"Demonized creatures?"

In the front were seven Ravenstern rangers, and behind them were twenty Ravenstern wardens. All of them held the heavy bows in their hands and drew the bows into a full moon shape. The arrows were already placed on the bows.

Pairs of scarlet eyes appeared in the dark depths of the evil cave.

It was as if the wolves glowed with malevolence and brutality.

"Stupid.", the Ravenstern rangers slowly spat out these words. The bow in their hands was slightly lowered, and the arrows were instantly shot out. In a blink of the eye, the eyes in the interior of the evil cave instantly dimmed.

Along with the whooshing sound, the arrow rain fell like a torrential rain.

The seven top Ravenstern rangers only aimed on those undetectable scarlet eyes from a hundred meters away and made the inside of the Evil Cave filled with miserable wails!

In terms of continuous shooting skill, these top archers were not weak at all!

Chapter 194: Probing Deep Into the Cave

Inside the council hall.

James and Manid already heard the mournful wails.

Their expressions changed slightly.

They had yet to see the pseudo-demonized wolves in the Evil Cave.

But hearing these mournful wails was definitely not something that could calm people down. They could not calm down while sitting here leisurely drinking honey water.

Kant took a sip of honey water and said, "Relax."

However, the two of them looked at each other.

They both noticed the worry in each other's eyes.

The mournful howl of wolves was amplified through the entrance of the cave, almost like a loudspeaker. They could hear it clearly in the council hall, and even the Rhodok trained crossbowmen had a look of shock on their faces.

The situation in reality might not be optimistic.

They looked at Kant.

But their lord was still drinking honey water, as if he was listening to beautiful music. It made their already anxious hearts slowly lift up.

James had just arrived in this world.

At the same time, he had discussed the dangers they had encountered with his old friend Firentis.

Those howling Jackalans were the greatest enemies that the Drondheim fortress had ever encountered.

Even now, they were wary of the Kingdom of Grey Mane on the Mannheim Coast which was beyond the Nahrin Desert to the north. They were even constantly on guard, afraid that the other side still had some strength left, that they organized another expeditionary force to appear in the southern part of the Nahrin Desert and once again became a formidable enemy on their way of development.

This wolf howl made James think of Jackalan.

But just as they were worried, the mournful wolf howl stopped.

Kant put down the honey water in his hand and smiled. He said to James and Manid, "Don't worry, isn't it settled?"

At the main entrance of the council hall.

A Swadian sergeant covered in blood, came in with his sword and shield.

His body was covered with two layers of heavy armor, and his linen robe was covered with dark red blood. However, the voice under the iron helmet was full of energy. "My lord, the enemy has been completely annihilated at the entrance of the cave."

"Very good.", Kant nodded as if he had expected this. He waved his hand and said, "You guys go and clean up the armor. Let the Rhodok people clean up the battlefield."

"Yes!", Swadian sergeant saluted and left.

James and Manid turned their heads to look at Kant in surprise.

They didn't expect that those legendary demonized creatures would be so easy to deal with!

"What else do you think?", Kant smiled and shook his head. "We have to carry out a fierce battle and pay more casualties before we can deal with the pseudo-demonized wolves that surged out of the Evil Cave?"

James and Manid's eyes were filled with confusion.

Kant smiled and stood up. "Come with me. Those pseudo-demonized wolves are no match for us."

The three of them walked out of the council hall.

After dealing with the Evil Cave, the Ravenstern rangers and Ravenstern wardens stood on the mountain peak once again. They leisurely looked at the Swadian sergeants washing their armor and linen robe in wooden barrels and basins not far away. Obviously, they were long-ranged archers, so they left the close combat to these soldiers who were good at close combat.

Not far away were the 50 Swadian knights, who were already in formation with their huge lances, vigilantly scanning the west side of the mountain peak. It was clear that they had yet to remove their combat status from the battle just now.

"My Lord."

Seeing Kant and the others walking over, the rangers and wardens respectfully lowered their heads.

"Yes.", Kant nodded and asked, "How's the situation?"

"We've killed 135 enemies. Our side has no casualties."

The leading Ravenstern ranger, answered with a relaxed voice, "This reminds me of the most common wolf pups in the Misty Mountains. It's easier than killing those high-level Jackalans."

"Very good.", Kant nodded in satisfaction.

"This is really incredible.", James was a little stunned.

He had seen many fierce battles, but he had never seen such a simple battle.

It only lasted for a few minutes.

After it was over, there were 135 corpses and the wolves returned to the depths of the cave. When he thought of what Manid had told him before he came, how terrifying the demonized creatures were, he was a little stunned.

James didn't know whether Manid was telling the truth or joking.

"What I said is definitely true."

Manid obviously sensed the doubt in James' eyes.

He couldn't help but smile bitterly and shake his head, he said helplessly to James, "I dare to swear that the demonized creatures in the Senwaya Range are extremely ferocious. I once talked about this topic with those civilian hunters at the Stone Pass. Sometimes, when the villages at the edge of the mountain range encounter the savage demonized creatures, it almost slaughter half of the village with hundreds of people."

"But, the demonized wolves here...", James looked at Kant.

Kant exhaled slightly. Standing at the edge of the mountain peak, he looked at Rhodok trained spearmen, who were still cleaning up the battlefield on the mountainside platform, and said slowly, "I don't know either."

He really didn't know.

These wolves obviously had some characteristics of demonized wolves, but how could these wolves were not the real demonized wolves?

They were stronger than ordinary forest wolves.

But they were weaker than real demonized wolves.

It was somewhat contradictory.

But it was real.

Kant turned his head to look at the Swadian sergeant who was washing his armor, his expression was somewhat solemn as he said, "Perhaps, I really should go into the Evil Cave to take a look. After all, we have to confirm what secrets that are hidden in the depths of this cave under the village!"

There was also the main quest that the system gave him, which was to explore this cave!

"This is a little threatening."

"I suggest that we wait for the time being."

However, as soon as Kant finished his words, Manid and James' directly voiced out their objections.

Right now, just looking at the endless waves of demonized wolves in the Evil Cave was already enough to make one worried. If they really went deep into the cave and fell into it, the final outcome would be unpredictable.

After all, the narrow and deep cave was completely different than the complicated mountain land and the vast sand!

"No, I think we can try going deep into the cave."

Kant said to the two of them, "Now that the Swadian sergeants has arrived, these 13 top-notch melee experts will definitely not let me fall into danger. This is my confidence to go deep into the cave." Kant continued, "Moreover, the seven Ravenstern rangers will also follow me."

The two of them had worry on their faces.

They were not combat personnel, and they could not find any suitable reason to dissuade Kant.

But both of them knew.

There would definitely be danger in the Evil Cave!

Kant naturally also knew. He frowned slightly, but still arranged for the two of them, "Go and prepare some hemp ropes and torches, and also get someone to bring along some charcoal. Since we plan to go deep into the cave, then we should make sufficient preparations."

"Understood.", James and Manid could only nod.

Because Kant had already decided.

This was not something that they could directly refuse.

They moved very quickly.

In less than half an hour, ten bundles of 30-meter-long hemp ropes, 100 torches soaked in oil, a small half basket of charcoal, food and water sack sufficient for three days. 20 Rhodok trained spearmen acted as attendants and carried supplies. By this time, all the preparations had been completed, and the Rhodok people were carrying the rattan baskets.

Thirteen Swadian sergeants were holding swords and shields, and seven Ravenstern rangers were holding heavy bows.

There was also James, who carried a backpack and a Germanic sword.

He had taken the initiative to request to join the expedition team. As a battlefield doctor, he could stop bleeding in the shortest amount of time to heal injuries and solve certain illnesses. If there was any accident, he could also save the lives of the injured members of the team.

After thinking for a while, Kant agreed.

They were ready.

The team came to the outside of the Evil Cave. Because they had just experienced a battle, the thick smell of blood had not yet dissipated. When the leather boots stepped on the ground, they made a clicking sound. It was the thick blood mixed with the soil, the sound of the boots stepping on it.

The torches were directly lit, and two Swadian sergeants led the way.

As elite level 5 footmen, they showed no fear.

Behind them, Kant, James, and the other soldiers followed.

The cave was still incomparably dark, and the cold chill came with the wind. As they went deeper, it was almost as cold as the night temperature in the Nahrin Desert, giving a cold chill that could penetrate one's soul.

Crack..

The sound of bones being crushed was heard.

Everyone's nerves were slightly raised, but they did not panic.

Bones were scattered all over the depths of the cave, as if it was a slaughterhouse. As they went deeper into the three-meter wide and two-meter high cave, beneath their feet was the path piled with dozens centimeters of bones.

Kant and the others had already gone a hundred meters deep.

There were still more than a dozen demonized wolves' corpses left here.

Under the flickering light of the torches, it could be seen that there were something between their eyebrows and eye sockets.

The awl arrows.

The Ravenstern rangers walked over and directly pulled the arrows out. After wiping it clean with linen, they directly put it back into their quivers. This was the demonized wolves that they had shot to death with their archery skills when they were outside.

Because they were too far away, the Rhodok people did not dare to come in and pick it up.

"Be careful.", Kant reminded them.

They held torches and went deeper into the cave.

Kant kept feeling that there was some evil eyes spying on him.

But it was not eyes.

But the feeling of being spied on became clearer and clearer. It even made him feel uncomfortable. He subconsciously tightened his grip on the knight sword in his hand. A small part of the sword's body was pulled out of its sheath. He gritted his teeth.

"This evil..."

The Ravenstern rangers stopped in their tracks. They narrowed their eyes and looked at the freezing darkness in front of them.

Their expressions became uglier and uglier, especially when they looked at the darkness in front of them. There was a hint of shock in their eyes. They slowly opened their mouths and reported to Kant, "My lord, we have sensed... the aura of the underworld."

"Is that so?", Kant tightened his grip on the scabbard. "You are not the first people to tell me this feeling."

The Ravenstern rangers had already spoken.

Deep in the cave, there was a sense of the underworld invaders, the terrible demons.

Chapter 195: The End Of the Evil Cave

However, Kant did not give the order to retreat. Instead, he turned his head to look at the rangers and sergeants behind him, as well as the Rhodok trained spearmen. He said firmly, "Let's continue forward."

"Yes.", everyone answered in a low voice, but the sound reverberated within the cave.

"Yes."

"Yes."

"Yes."

"Yes..."

The echoes continued, as if countless people were responding in unison.

Kant's expression became even more unsightly.

But he didn't care. When he led his team into the cave, he reckoned that they had already been discovered by the enemy. With those cunning and vicious demonized wolves, if they had the chance, they would have rushed out to bite and kill them.

But they hadn't appeared yet.

This meant that these pseudo-demonized wolves were still waiting for them somewhere.

There was no need to hide it.

However, Kant and the accompanying soldiers walked with extreme caution.

Every meter forward, they would carefully check the cave to prevent any hidden cracks or traps from appearing at the crevices of the cave walls. They ensured the safety of troops for advancing and retreating.

At the end of the troop, Rhodok trained spearmen carried the rattan baskets. They used charcoal to draw on the walls.

Every five meters, they left arrowheads for tracing. This was to ensure their direction and avoid getting lost in this cave that was deep into the mountain.

It was Kant's arrangement.

After all, he watched various movies and videos in his previous life. This kind of deep cave or natural karst cave were like a maze for hide and seek. If they lost their direction, they would be end up quite tragically.

Trapped in a dark and sunless deep cave.

After eating their food, they could only watch as the last flame was extinguished.

Cold, hunger, fear.

All attacked at the same time.

In the end, they were trapped and died in this place, becoming a pile of useless bones.

Therefore, Kant was very cautious in exploring this Evil Cave. Not only did he bring out all 13 Swadian sergeants, but he also brought along seven Ravenstern rangers. It was a sign of prudence.

Although rangers were long-range archers, their close-combat abilities were not weak either.

Both were the main forces in battle.

As for Rhodok trained spearmen, they were only the coolies in charge of logistics. Perhaps at a critical moment, 20 people could form a sharp and deadly spear formation, firmly guarding the rear and blocking the enemy's sudden attack.

"Continue to move forward."

Kant's voice sounded in the cave.

The sound of everyone's footsteps echoed, and from time to time, the crisp sound of bones being crushed could be heard.

But in front of the depths, the faint howl of a wolf had already reached their ears.

Although the sound was suppressed, the faint growl of the wolves, the violent emotion that wanting to charge forward, was magnified through the reverberation of the cave. Along with Kant and the others' footsteps, it also became more and more manic.

The two Swadian sergeants at the front were on alert.

They raised the torch in their hands.

The flickering light shone in the depths of the cave four to five meters ahead, but their chain-armored boots slowly stood still.

Something was wrong.

Even on Kant's two sides, the soldiers who acted as bodyguards slowly stood still. They raised the thick heater shield to block in front of Kant and looked coldly at the darkness in front of them. A haunting aura with killing intent was slowly spreading out, they could clearly sense that the enemy was slowly walking out from the depths of the cave.

Kant held the knight sword tightly in his hand. He had also sensed the something. At the bottom of the slope of the cave, the feel of being spied was becoming more and more intense.

"Rangers, move forward and shoot freely."

Kant ordered.

"Yes.", the seven Ravenstern rangers behind him immediately stepped forward. The heavy bows in their hands were pulled slightly and the awl arrows were placed on them. Their cold eyes were aimed at the darkness in front of them. If there was anything unusual in front of them, they would respond with the armor-piercing arrows that flew in a flash like lightning and could instantly pierce through the skull!

The darkness was gathering in the depths of the cave.

Nothing unusual happened.

Even the low growl disappeared. It was like what they had heard and sensed just now was just an illusion.

"Get ready."

However, Kant's voice was grave.

Everyone subconsciously tightened their grip on the weapons in their hands.

The rangers immediately drew out their heavy bows.

Just as they were getting ready, mournful wolf howls instantly emerged from the depths of the cave. It was like endless howls were magnified through the cave, and the flapping sounds of countless claws hitting the ground were also getting louder and louder. Beyond the depths of the cave at the very front, numerous scarlet eyes had already appeared there!

Like a tidal wave, the low howls that was able to tear one's soul surged up. It was obvious that hundreds of demonized wolves were charging at them!

Kant did not need to give any orders. He could not give any orders even with these low howls.

The evil cave was amplifying the sound.

The low howls of the countless demonized wolves had completely covered any sound that came out of their mouths. Even their eardrums were faintly aching. It was obvious that the sound was too loud and noisy!

However, no one was afraid, and no one retreated at the last moment.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh --"

The Seven Ravenstern rangers instantly released their heavy bows that had been drawn into a full moon. They shot out the arrows in their hands one by one like a continuous storm. They kept shooting at the wolves, causing some unusual miserable howls within the shrill howls, and it also extinguished the scarlet wolf eyes.

The rain of arrows continued, and the seven heavy bows shot out arrows almost every second. For these Ravenstern rangers who had trained their superb archery skills in the Misty Mountains, shooting out as many arrows as possible in a short period of time was their specialty!

If they did not use the rain of arrows to exhaust the enemy's numbers, then it would not be easy to engage in close combat.

In their world, the barbarian tribes that lived in the Misty Mountains were also good at attacking with a sea of people!

In the long passage of the evil cave, one could clearly see the groups of demonized wolves pouncing over one after another, but it was as if they had encountered a strange phenomenon.

The demonized wolves in the front row fell one by one.

The demonized wolves in the back row continued to advance, and then fell one by one.

Finally, in front of the Swadian sergeants, dozens of demonized wolves fell. Although their momentum was still brutal and fierce, compared to the terrifying atmosphere at the beginning, which seemed to be able to break everything, tear everything, and devour everything, the wolves were obviously started to fear, especially the demonized wolves at the front row. Even their speed had slowed down a little.

However, the Swadian sergeants were already prepared and would not let them go.

Thirteen soldiers wearing double layers of heavy chain armor passed by the Ravenstern ranger. The shields in their hands were placed in front of them, while the sharp swords in their hands stabbed forward fiercely.

They faced the hundreds of demonized wolves head-on.

The sharp swords pierced through the mouths of the demonized wolves in the front row, and the sharp blades instantly pierced the spines and the heads.

The shields slapped the corpses of the wolves fiercely, pulling out the heavy bastard sword made by the best blacksmith of the Kingdom of Swadia. Then, they continued to slash, slashing the demonized wolves until their blood splattered everywhere, turning them into piles of corpses that reeked of blood.

There was no need for fancy killing techniques. The numerous demonized wolves in front of them were the best targets.

The fangs and claws of the wolves tore apart the linen robes of the Swadian sergeant.

However, it did not have any effect on the tightly-knit chain armor. The wolves only left some scratches on their armor chain, let alone breaking through the defense. At most, it only left a few dents on the thick heater shield that was wrapped in iron sheet!

Wild beasts would never be the enemy of the human heavy-armored troops.

These pseudo-demonized creatures were also no match for Kant and the other top-tier footmen. Even if they were real demonized creatures.

As a level-5 troop class, the Swadian Sergeant also had the strength to resist and kill those ordinary demonized wolves appeared here. The combat strength of both sides was still not in direct proportion!

The only thing that could make Kant worry was only a savage demonized creature!

It had completely changed its own form and could no longer be called a beast.

It was a true demonized creature!

Strength, stamina, agility, cunning and ferocity, in addition to a certain level of intelligence. It had completely broken away from the concept of a beast with a contemptuous title. It could even be compared to the giant dragons that only existed in myths and legends!

However, these pseudo-demonized wolves could not even be considered as real demonized creatures.

How could they be considered terrifying and savage demonized creatures?

Now, there was only slaughter!

Swadian sergeants waved their bastard sword, and one by one, the pseudo-demonized wolves were chopped into pieces. They even held the heater shield in their hands as they pushed forward, step by step, chopping more and more demonized wolves to death and fell under their feet. Even if the sergeants in the front row were tired, the sergeants in the back row would squeeze through and continue to fight. Within the three-meter wide cave, the three of them could completely block the passage and let the demonized wolves pile up until the last one died.

The thick smell of blood was extremely pungent, and Kant and the others could not help but frown slightly.

But in the end, they had dealt with these demonized wolves.

"Continue moving forward!", Kant ordered in a deep voice.

The team continued to move forward.

The blood-covered Swadian sergeants did not clean up the filth on their bodies, and time did not wait for anyone. Rather than cleaning up now, it would be better to go back alive and take a nice hot bath.

But their eyes suddenly became serious.

What they stepped on was no longer a slightly sloping slope, but a stone staircase.

The entire team went down and entered a tunnel that was nearly 1,000 meters deep. They actually came to a wide space that was made of stone. With the illumination of the torch, they could still find many ghastly white bones.

Kant lowered his head slightly.

Under those ghastly white bones, there were many pieces of metal made of iron and copper.

James, who was accompanying them, said from behind, "It's armor, longsword, and battle axe.". He was a battlefield doctor and had seen all kinds of weapons and equipment. At the same time, he reminded Kant, "Lord, there's a stone door in front of us. From what I see, the situation doesn't look right. Let's get ready first."

"Yes, that's true.", Kant nodded and raised his hand to indicate that he was on alert.

All the soldiers held their weapons tightly.

This 100 square meters space was more than four meters high. There was a door just in front of the tunnel they came from. It was desolate and unadorned, and the patterns on it were already indistinct. If look carefully, one could still vaguely found the patterns carried a sense of grandeur and majesty. It did not seem like a trace left behind by an ordinary civilization.

"Sacred sun pattern.", Kant narrowed his eyes slightly.

He was not unfamiliar with these patterns.

As he took a step forward, Kant looked at the stone door that was already half a meter wide open. His heart beat faster and faster, because for some reason, that evil gaze seemed to be coming from within this stone door.

It was looking at him from behind the stone door.

Chapter 196: The Ruins Of the Sacred City Behind the Door

"Damn it.", Kant clenched his teeth slightly.

The feeling of soul being stared at by something else was extremely uncomfortable.

However, when he raised his head and looked at the faint patterns and the still-intact murals on the stone walls, he could not help but suppress his anxiety and looked up carefully.

This might be the murals left behind by the forces of the Lost City.

It could give him some useful information.

James followed beside him and also raised his head to look at the murals that had been carefully carved and painted. His face had little bit of surprise, "What a shocking masterpiece."

"That's right.", Kant nodded. He was also slightly shocked.

Although the paint on the mural were severely worn off due to time, they could not see what it used to look like.

However, the carved patterns and the remaining paint still allowed them to draw some conclusions.

For example, the origin of this cave.

On both sides of the stone door, there were a total of four ancient mural paintings.

According to their speculation, the murals should be read from left to right. Kant looked at them one by one. The murals were carved with magnificent capital cities, lush fields, merchants coming and going, and terrifying troops.

But what caught Kant's attention the most was the first painting.

On the painting that symbolized the capital city, hundreds of meters above all kinds of magnificent buildings, there was a thousand-meter-large disk hovering in the air. Countless sacred sun pattern spread on the disk, circulating with a formidable power.

This huge sun disk that exceeded Kant's impression seemed to be resonating with the blazing sun in the sky.

Golden rays blossomed and scattered around the capital, as well as emitting the essence of the sun into the temple at the center of the capital. Kant could still vaguely see a figure standing in the center of the temple on the murals, its hands were raised high, like it was interacting with the essence of the sun.

"Lost city."

Kant clenched his fists, and his heart beat faster.

Sure enough, the depths of the cave was still the ruins of a civilization that had been destroyed in ancient times, leaving only legends. He could not help but mutter, "The bloodline of the Sun God, the city where the son of god lives, the Holy City of Gold."

It was like he had opened a new chapter.

And when he thought about it thoroughly, the numerous bones in the tunnel, and the metal residue at the bottom of the bones.

It was the legend of the lost city. After hundreds of years of archaeology and searching for historical documents, the scholar of the Dukedom of Leo had come up with a guess. These metal residues were the weapons and armors used by the lost city at its glorious time!

However, after thousands of years, the originally indestructible weapons and armors lost to the bones made of calcium.

"Lord Kant, please tell us what to do next."

James held a torch behind him and glanced at the stone door that was still half open. He asked in a deep voice, "Should we go in... or retreat?" He suggested, "I think we should retreat first and wait for more warriors to be prepared before making any plans!"

Kant narrowed his eyes and hesitated.

Behind the stone door was definitely an important relic of lost city. Otherwise, there would not be the ruins of the temple of lost city on the mountain peak. There were even stone statues and the smaller sun disc dedicated to it.

However, those fake and inferior versions of the demonized wolves were coming out from the stone door.

If one looked carefully, they could see that the wounded demonized wolves from the cave were also covered in dark red blood when they retreated. They returned to the stone door that was half a meter wide open. In the deep darkness, the torches could not shine too far.

Two Swadian sergeants stood guard at the door.

They could only discover that the inside of the stone door seemed to be a bigger tunnel.

"Let's go in and take a look."

Kant made up his mind.

The legend of the lost city had been passed down for thousands of years. It had already reached the kingdom before the dukedom of Leo. In the ancient history that was even older than the previous forces, any danger would probably be wiped out in history.

He and his troops could still deal with a mere demonized creature.

Even if the lost city still had some mysterious backup plan.

However, according to the scholar's most approved speculation, it could be traced back to 10,000 years ago, which was the lost city in the era of the gods. Even if there was still a part of its energy left, thousands of years had passed, how could it pose a great threat to the current them?

Everything would be consumed by time. Even the gods who had once been the supreme honor had also retired.

The current world was the era of the humans and all the other races!

The troops that had rested and reorganized were once again on standby. The two Swadian sergeants at the front looked at Kant and asked in a deep voice, "My lord, would you like to open these two stone doors?"

"Open them!"

Kant waved his hand without hesitation.

Since they were already here, they would walk through the main door and entered upright!

At the peak of the mountain above them, 50 Swadian knights were still standing by. Any abnormal sounds or shouts in the cave, amplified by the sound effects in the cave, would cause these knights to immediately dismount upon receiving the order, they carried their heavy shields and sharp swords and ran down quickly. It was only a thousand meters downhill, and they would be able to appear here in less than ten minutes.

This was also why Kant dared to come down!

"Kacha, Kacha, Kacha..."

The thick and heavy stone door was pushed open by the two Swadian sergeants.

The shaft of the door seemed to have dried up, but because it was made of stone, as the weathered parts fell off, the slightly opened door was completely opened easily. The darkness within was completely revealed in front of Kant and the others after the door opened.

"Whoosh, Whoosh, Whoosh --"

An eerie cold wind instantly blew from within, brought forth a coldness that seemed to penetrate one's soul. Kant and the others could not help but tilt their heads slightly while standing in front of the main door.

This cold wind spread out along the tunnel of the cave.

And just as the cold wind blew.

"What is that?"

The Ravenstern rangers pointed forward and said in a grave voice, "There are lights!"

Kant also looked up.

In the eternal darkness within the stone door, right in front of where the rangers were pointing, two bright lights appeared, one on the left and one on the right. They were flickering with a faint light, and although they were very far away, they were very clear.

They were slightly golden, but there were no torches or candles burning and extinguishing in the flickering light.

It was like it was constant.

It was like two small suns.

They were releasing their weak light, illuminating the surrounding scene.

"That is...", Kant frowned. He suddenly thought of the sun disk.

But at this moment.

The two small suns instantly exploded.

The golden light continued to spread from the two suns. In the huge space inside the stone door, countless golden suns awaked by the golden light and began to light up. In the end, all the light converged into a hot golden light-ray that shone on the sun disk in the middle.

The sun disk was 300 meters long and was densely filled with the carved sacred sun patterns. It was more complicated than Kant's sacred sun pattern. Clearly, it hid more obscure and mysterious information.

However, this sun disk was made of stone.

A huge 200-meter-tall stone statue was standing in front of the sun disk. In other words, the sun disk was a part of this stone statue.

It wore ancient armor and held the ancient longsword in front of it with both hands.

It looked like a human, but there was a sacred sun pattern on its forehead. Golden light flickered in its eyes, and there was also golden light shining on it, giving it the prestige of a god.

Kant's breathing was a little rough.

Even the god of war, Edmund, who was worshipped in the the largest temple of the Dukedom of Leo, did not have such an insolent statue, nor did it have such a large space. It could be said that it was built like a hollow mountain!

"This is really... The relic of the holy city of gold..."

Kant gritted his teeth and endured the shock to recover.

The surrounding Swadian sergeants, the Ravenstern rangers, and Rhodok trained spearmen had also recovered. However, there was still shock and fear in their eyes. They subconsciously clenched the weapons in their hands, they gritted their teeth to prevent themselves from paying attention to those magnificent buildings and stone statues. Instead, they swept their eyes forward and vigilantly looked at the pile of black egg-shaped objects in the distance. Among them were countless pseudo-demonized wolves, they were bared their teeth and stared at them with their scarlet eyes.

"Prepare for battle", Kant ordered.

He also noticed that under the magnificent buildings and the golden light, in the center of the alley behind the stone door, countless huge black flesh eggs were trembling.

As they trembled, the demonized wolves with a few scales on their bodies were being expelled from the flesh eggs. Soon, they joined the remaining demonized wolves and gathered together with low howl. They could not walk very well, but their furious and brutal emotions were transmitted through their scarlet eyes.

As if sensing the arrival of Kant and the others, the black flesh eggs expelled the demonized wolves faster and faster. There were also more and more of them, and they became more and more agile.

Turning his head slightly, Kant said to James, "Tell the reserve team to come down."

"Understood!", James nodded.

He quickly walked towards the entrance of the cave, shouting loudly at the cave. His voice was loud, and it was quickly transmitted to the Senwaya Range outside the cave. "Abnormal situation detected. Reserve team, move in!"

"Abnormal situation detected. Reserve team, move in!"

The voice appeared outside.

The 50 Swadian knights, who had already dismounted and were ready, immediately lined up neatly and rushed in.

At the same time, Manid drew out his knight sword and brought the 20 Ravenstern rangers in with quick steps. The entire tunnel immediately rang with hurried and dense footsteps, as well as the sounds of armor clashing against each other.

In less than 10 minutes, all the troops appeared in this 100 square meter space.

Although it was crowded, they were all staring at the dazzling golden light behind the stone door with their eyes wide opened .

There were countless sarcomas-like black flesh eggs underneath.

And there were hundreds and thousands of pseudo-demonized wolves that had just been discharged. Countless of them were staring with their scarlet eyes, slowly assembling and adapting to this world!

"Advance!", Kant was full of confidence.

Chapter 197: The Coffins Under the Statue

They all entered the stone door.

The golden light brighten up the entire space. The entire sky was as bright as day without any torches.

When Kant raised his head to look around, he finally realized.

He underestimated the size of this space.

Because this space was 500 meters high, at least thousands of acres of space. It was like someone really emptied out the entire mountain to build this place. Moreover, after many years of carving and decoration, it still had a beautiful and glorious appearance until now.

The huge stone statue was facing the alley where Kant was.

It was a straight and wide road.

The thick and heavy stone slabs were neatly cut, and the surface was engraved with the mysterious sacred sun pattern. As the golden light shone on the top of the head, it flickered with a faint golden light.

On both sides of the road, there were small stone statues with worn off faces, but there were not many that remained intact.

Some were broken, some were collapsed, and some were destroyed.

The black flesh eggs scattered over the road on the empty square. These eggs had already squeezed the position of these small stone statues, thus destroying many of them.

However, just by looking at the outline, one could see that these small stone statues were not ordinary stone statues.

They were all fully armed warriors, wearing ancient armor and holding ancient weapons. They looked like guards, guarding the end of the road, standing in front of the sun disk and the huge statue that was shining with golden light and displaying its divine prestige. They were the loyal divine servants!

The relic in the belly of the mountain were incomparably majestic.

Even Kant still had shock in his heart.

He had seen many CG animations or movie special effects in his previous life, and there were definitely not many that could compare to this.

Perhaps the palace of Lonely Mountain belonging to the dwarf in "The Lord Of the Rings", and the Planes of Oblivion in "Elders Scroll V: Skyrim" could compare to this relic.

Although this relic was not as huge and grand as palace of Lonely Mountain; nor was it as mysterious and bizarre as the Planes of Oblivion, the combination of the resplendent golden light and the dazzling brilliance was not inferior to the two.

Especially the god statue at the center.

It made Kant yearn for it.

When he faced this huge and magnificent thousands years old god statue, his heart still beat slightly faster. It was like he was facing the god that truly existed in this world, and this god statue could also come to life in the golden light at any time, it would become a true god that people worshiped!

But now, Kant was not facing this visual impact, but the pseudo-demonized wolf pack. These wolves began to roar, scratching the ground, and slowly gather together, and ready to charge!

"Whoosh Whoosh Whoosh Whoosh Whoosh --"

20 Ravenstern wardens and 7 Ravenstern rangers took the lead in shooting.

Kant did not need to command them here.

With their backs against the alley behind them, these archers seemed to be familiar with the place already. They fired arrows at the wolf pack that had already gathered in a dense formation a hundred meters away, one by one impaling their eyes and glabella, they shot the demonized wolves to death on the spot without the slightest hesitation.

While the demonized wolves were still recovering after discharged from the black flesh eggs, these Ravensterns already beat up these pity wolves without given them any chance for recovery. They were very good at it.

Just like how they dealt with the barbarian tribes in the Misty Mountains.

They took the shortest time to kill their enemies before the enemies adapted to the hillside after leaving the mountain range and the arrow rain attacks that far exceeded the enemies' equipment level. They took the opportunity to deplete the enemy's morale and vitality more, alleviating the pressure they would face in the upcoming decisive battle!

This was the excellent tactic that the Ravenstern people had summed up!

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh" sounds were incessant.

The 27 archers shoot down the wolf packs hundred meters away within a short period of time.

Each archer took the life of a demonized wolf.

Moreover, there were still the 10 Swadian snipers behind them. Although their firing speed was relatively slow, every time they pulled the trigger, the more powerful crossbow would still crashed the head of the wolves, knocked them away and let them died miserably!

Wild beasts were never the enemy of the human army.

Because they were not worthy!

Faced with such casualties, these pseudo-demonized wolves seemed unable to withstand it. Many of them were still strong and could run quickly. They let out fierce howls and charged towards Kant and the others.

Then, they were shot to death on the spot one by one.

The reaction of low-level Ravenstern wardens were not inferior at all!

Under the continuous shooting, the demonized wolves' attacks were ineffective. They could not even get within 30 meters of Kant and the others. They could only be exhausted by these archers in vain, shoot to death by the whistling arrows over and over!

All of a sudden, the archers released all their arrows.

At least 300 demonized wolves fell.

Only the demonized wolves that just came out of the flesh eggs were still soaked with blood and limping. These demonized wolves were still struggling to attack, but they were still killed by the arrows.

"How can a beast be a match for a human?"

James shook his head slightly, his tone calm.

The 50 Swadian knights behind him stood in a row with cold faces. They did not have any expression on their faces at all because they had experienced more tragedies. Every knight and sergeant had fought their way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, they were all executioners, butchers, and war fanatics.

At the same time, Kant waved his hand and said, "Take care of them."

The 13 Swadian sergeants and 50 Swadian knights immediately stepped forward slowly.

At the same time, Kant looked at the 20 Rhodok trained spearmen behind him and ordered them, "And you guys, don't just stand there. Put down your backpacks. It's time for you to show off."

"Yes... Yes!"

These Rhodoks were already stunned, but they still forcefully came back to their senses and moved forward together.

The spears in their hands were still quite powerful, and they were the first to stab those unthreatening demonized wolves to death in front of the level-5 troop class.

Meanwhile, the soldiers and knights were also happy to relax.

At their level, ordinary battles could no longer provide experience points.

Or according to the system, they already maxed out their levels.

After all, in the original version, a level 5 troop class was equivalent to a top troop class. Although the Kingdom of Nords had stronger level 6 footmen, for other kingdoms, level 5 represented the end and the glory of the strongest.

After all, some kingdoms did not even have level 5 troop.

For example, Khergit Khanate, the top close-combat lancer cavalry was only a level 4 cavalry.

These small problems were not Kant's concern. He only needed to let Rhodok trained spearmen kill all of these demonized wolves. It would be good for them up to level up to level 4 footman, Rhodok veteran spearmen would do.

These experienced footmen were wearing chain armor, carried wide shields and long-hilted sabers. They were extremely powerful when grouped together!

They were the most ideal main force to carry the front line!

Before the Kingdom of Swadia had split up with the Kingdom of Rhodoks, when the Swadian knights attacked, these veteran spearmen were the main force responsible for stabilizing the defensive line, allowing the knights to charge at ease, they did not have to worry about their own defensive line behind them. Instead, they took the opportunity to be broken through by the enemy.

Back then, in the Khergit Khanate grassland, or in the snowy plains of Vaegirs, or in the coastal area of Nord.

These Rhodoks people played an absolute role.

It was not until the conflict between Harlaus and the noble of Rhodoks led to a split that the Kingdom of Swadia lost the steady support of its footmen. Only then, the Kingdom of Swadia continuously lose in a series of battles, causing the other countries to rapidly expand, causing this once-dominant kingdom to lost a large amount of land. They could only settle in the central region and defend a few cities to wait for changes.

When Kant and his troops were serious, it was very easy to deal with these pseudo-demonized wolves.

Even the dark flesh eggs no longer sent out demonized wolves to die.

The Rhodoks quickly returned.

They respectfully reported to Kant, "My lord, the demonized wolves in the entire relic have been dealt with. Please continue to give orders."

"Cut open all these flesh eggs,", Kant said faintly. "It's a little uncomfortable to look at."

He was obviously talking about those pitch-black, trembling, and slightly squirming flesh eggs.

There was also a huge crack at the bottom where the organs of the demonized wolves were excreted,

"Yes.", these Rhodoks immediately accepted the order.

However, the Swadian knight also looked at these flesh eggs with curiosity. When they heard Kant's order to the Rhodoks, they also drew the knight sword from their waists and swung it at the soft flesh eggs.

"Whoosh --"

It was like the cowhide had been cut open.

A pile of dark red blood suddenly appeared in the huge flesh egg and spilled out. The rich bloody smell had a rotten smell, and the entire flesh egg seemed to have dried up along with the huge wound, many demonized wolves that were still attached to the umbilical cord flowed out of the eggs.

The knights stepped back and frowned at the demonized wolves that were still attached to the umbilical cord. They thrust their swords forward and sliced open the throats of the unborn demonized wolves.

"Could this be the place where demonized creatures are produced?"

James exclaimed from behind Kant. He watched as the flesh of the eggs were sliced open and dried up, releasing balls of dark red blood and demonized wolves, he couldn't help but guess, "Could it be that all the demonized creatures in the Senwaya Range were produced by these pitch-black flesh eggs?"

Kant narrowed his eyes and didn't answer.

However, he also had this question in his heart, because this was the first time he saw how demonized creatures were produced, and it was also the first time he saw these pitch-black flesh eggs.

Even the books of the Dukedom of Leo did not record it.

As for the origin of the demonized creatures, it was even more strange. There was no book that mentioned these flesh eggs, nor was there any book that mentioned the inferior half-finished products like these pseudo-demonized wolves.

All the flesh eggs were destroyed, and hundreds of flesh eggs became shriveled.

Kant would send people to get rid of these eggs and burn them with oil some other day.

This relic had completely hollowed out the mountainside.

Perhaps it was a good choice to develop a secret base under the "Aaron" village!

Kant frowned slightly.

Kant looked at the center of the two feet of the huge statue, in front of the 10-meter-wide sword blade, a high platform stood there. There seemed to be rectangular objects placed on it, and it was guarded by more small stone statues, as if they were praying, it also seemed like they were worshipping it.

Kant saw it clearly. It was clearly a stone coffin!

Chapter 198: A Beautiful Girl

Kant led James and all the soldiers forward with quick steps.

They walked along the road towards the giant statue. The statue was hundreds of meters tall, walking along the road guarded by the small stone statues on both sides of the road, they could feel their own insignificance when they reached the foot of the statue, as well as the grandeur of this giant statue.

Looking up from the bottom, the supreme power of a god directly impacted the depths of their minds.

If their minds weren't firm, they would have already knelt in front of the shining golden statue.

Just like on the stair in front of Kant, the small statues kneeling on the stair lowered their heads and half-knelt respectfully, not even daring to raise their heads.

They were all carved into a completely loyal appearance.

"Lord Kant, perhaps what I feel is wrong."

James spoke slowly behind him, his tone somewhat solemn. "I don't know why, but I feel that this relic is instead like... like a mausoleum, a mausoleum specially built for the coffin on the stair!"

"Mm.", Kant nodded.

He didn't confirm, nor did he deny.

In fact, when he saw the rectangular stone coffin on the stone platform, which was nearly five meters long and three meters wide, this thought also emerged in his mind.

Manid followed behind, holding the knight sword in his hand tightly.

The merchant's face was now a little shocked. "Compared to the mausoleum I once knew, this one hollowed out the mountain and directly carved such a large-scale god statue. How many years will it take to build it?" He paused, he gulped. "This is much harder than building a city."

It was more than difficult.

It was almost impossible!

Emptying out a mountain was extremely troublesome even in the modern society Kant once knew, let alone in this foreign world in the era of cold weapons.

Even with the aid of magic, even with the help of divine spell, building such a magnificent building was too extravagant.

In Kant's eyes, it was definitely not so simple to build a mausoleum. Moreover, as a lost city in the era of gods thousands of years ago, it was also not a cost-effective behavior to build such a large-scale mountain structure just for the sake of a mausoleum.

The age of the gods was still the age of cold weapons.

It had high-end combat strength. It was said that it could easily destroy a mountain range.

But even so...

How could these high-end combat strength be used up for the sake of an ordinary mausoleum? Just like how those high-ranking noble families would not protect the safety of civilians in all aspects.

This was ridiculous.

The people who built this building during the age of the gods were still ordinary people.

Kant could even guess that they had used up countless lives and blood of ordinary people in order to build the building inside this mountain. Only then did they finally dug up this mountain and carved such a magnificent giant statue and the amazing, almost miraculous sun disc.

He took a deep breath. The thick smell of blood was irritating.

Kant said in a deep voice, "Go and take a look."

However, he did not walk up to the high platform. Instead, he gestured to the Rhodok trained spearmen and ordered, "Go, open that coffin."

This was almost like an act of suicide.

If there was a trap, then those Rhodok trained spearmen would all die.

But they didn't care.

Instead, they fearlessly strode toward the stone platform.

It was their honor to die for Lord Kant.

However, there was no trap on the stone platform. Instead, countless golden light flowed above their heads. At the same time, an extremely fine but pure golden ray of light refracted from the sun disk and gathered on the two eyes of the statue. Then, the two eyes refracted the light ray to the longsword that was held in both hands and then shot into the front of the ten meters wide longsword.

The longsword that was dozens of meters tall cut into the platform directly, as if the tip of the longsword had pierced into the mountain.

The coffin was half a meter in front of the longsword.

The fine golden ray also shot into the center of the coffin along with the longsword.

The 20 Rhodok trained spearmen looked at each other and came to the surroundings of the coffin. They nodded at each other, stretched out their hands and placed them on the edge of the coffin, forcefully pushing it to the side.

"Creak, Creak, Creak..."

The stone coffin lid was pushed, making an unpleasant sound.

However, there was definitely a pulley inside the coffin lid or somewhere that allowed it to be pushed. Otherwise, Rhodoks would not be able to push it.

"Creak, Creak, Creak..."

As if the coffin lid had been pushed to its limit, faint creaking sounds could be heard from inside.

The golden light continued to shine down.

However, the target was not the stone coffin lid, but the deeper part of the coffin!

"This is... Gold!"

The Rhodok exclaimed. As the light shone in, the brilliant golden light instantly covered the entire interior of the stone coffin. It was like countless golden liquids were flowing inside, which made their eyes wide-opened, their originally simple personality was now tinged with greed and desire.

"Get out of the way.", Kant walked over at this time.

These Rhodoks maintained their loyalty and immediately retreated to the side.

There was a look of shame on their faces. It was obvious that they were feeling guilty for their greed.

However, no one cared about these things now.

"This... this..."

Manid and James also walked over, their faces filled with shock.

Inside the stone coffin was another layer of coffin made of gold. Countless complicated and profound sacred sun pattern were carved on it, emitting a shocking liquid-like golden light along with the golden light ray that descended from above. It looked like a mysterious power was flowing within this huge stone coffin and accumulating .

"Ka Ka Ka..."

The sound of metal rotating suddenly sounded.

Kant's expression changed slightly.

The people beside him also subconsciously tightened their grip on the weapons in their hands.

The circulating golden light instantly began to shrink, completely melting into the golden coffin. The coffin actually slowly opened to both sides, like a treasure box made from the most sophisticated instruments.

Then, a face appeared in front of Kant.

Fair, tender, and exquisite.

The closed eyes had long eyelashes, a ruddy little mouth, and long golden hair.

It was a beautiful girl!

The clothes on her body was a long robe made of special gold threads. It was complicated and elegant. As the golden coffin was opened, it was exposed to the golden light inside.

The golden light seemed to be flowing with golden liquid.

The beautiful girl's forehead lit up slightly. The mysterious sacred sun pattern was spreading on her forehead. It started to extend to both sides of her forehead and eventually turned into a pattern that looked like wings.

At the same time, a threatening aura came from her.

Kant felt his mouth dry.

He wanted to say something.

However, in the golden coffin, the beautiful girl's eyebrows flickered. Her eyes were closed, but she started to blink their long eyelashes and slowly opened her eyes.

It was a golden pair of eyes.

They were pure, as if they were made of the most authentic gold.

She was emitted the pressure as a superior being, just a single glance was enough to make Kant and the others, who were standing around the coffin, continuously retreat. However, that rosy little mouth slowly opened, "Are you the servant who woke me up? You actually lost your sacred sun pattern as a servant. Then, what era is it now?"

The voice trembled slightly.

However, in less than two seconds, the voice had become clear and fluent.

A terrifying aura circulated.

Everyone around the coffin could not help but take half a step back.

The beautiful girl who was lying in the golden coffin did not receive any response. Instead, she flew into the air and faced the golden light. She turned her head to look at the huge ruins that were filled with the smell of blood, a hint of anger appeared in her golden eyes. "The power of the hell devils has actually defiled my temple."

Kant's heart seemed to be tightly gripped.

However, he still raised his left hand, indicating for everyone behind him to remain calm.

Because the archers behind him were already ready.

Even the Swadian knights and sergeants had already gripped their knight swords or bastard swords tightly. Under their helmets, their eyes were filled with shock and brazenness, as well as their undisguised killing intent!

However, Kant did not give the order to attack.

At this moment, they did not dare to act on their own.

No one knew what kind of power this beautiful girl who floated out of the golden coffin possessed. Especially the small amount of golden light radiating from her body, it shocked everyone. They were all from normal human society, they had never seen such power before.

Even those wardens and rangers from the world of Pendor which filled with magic, they usually did not able to see magic either!

And this beautiful girl floating above the coffin looked at the numerous soldiers in front of her with a hint of killing intent. Her eyes were indifferent and filled with disdain, she stretched out her white and tender finger and pointed it at Kant. "Explain the situation. I will promote you to the servant of the Sun God and open your sacred inscription."

However, Kant remained silent.

He lowered his head and seemed to be in deep thought.

The surrounding soldiers were breathing rapidly. They were all waiting for orders.

However, a new dialog box appeared on Kant's retina.

[ Ding... After your tireless efforts, the main quest has been completed. ]

[ Main quest: "The secret in the cave" has been completed. ]

[ Reward: 50,000 denars, 5,000 reputation, 5 honor. ]

[ Introduction: A magnificent relic has appeared in this cave. There is a different kind of darkness under the seemingly bright background. Perhaps this is still a new secret, but you still need to do a lot more.]

In an instant, the dialog box for the completion of the main quest popped up.

However, the dialog box was refreshed.

[ Ding... Main quest is released ]

[ Main quest: Absorption ]

[ Reward: The system's new function is activated ]

[ Introduction: You have discovered this beautiful girl. She seems to be hiding a mystery. This is a power that surpasses cognition. Absorb her, and you will receive a new power! ]

The words on the dialog box were simple and clear.

Kant's lips curled up slightly.

He had already made a decision in his heart, and he raised his head slightly to look at this beautiful girl floating in front of him.

He held the hilt of the knight sword in his hand.

Beautiful girl?

What a good material to absorb.

Chapter 199: A Descendant of the Ancient Race

Kant lowered his head, as if to show his humility in front of this beautiful girl.

But his palm gently gripped the hilt of his sword.

The golden light above his head shone brightly, and the power that belonged to the sun slowly flowed. Meanwhile, this girl, who was wearing a complicated and gorgeous dress made of golden threads, slowly floated in front of Kant.

She was like a god who stood high above.

Her delicate red lips opened, and her voice was very indifferent. "Servant, quickly answer my question."

"This is the current era."

Kant laughed lightly, and his mouth was filled with mockery.

He slightly raised his head to look at the beautiful girl whose thigh was floating in front of him. The malevolence in his eyes intensified, and he gripped the hilt of his sword tightly. He instantly swung out his sword, "This is the cruel era!"

A cold light flashed.

The blade of the sword instantly tore apart the complicated clothes that the beautiful girl was wearing.

Bright red blood instantly splattered.

The beautiful girl who had just walked out of the golden coffin did not understand what had happened. There was still a stunned expression on her delicate and fair face. She looked at Kant with disbelief in her eyes.

However, Kant looked directly into her eyes.

The body of a knight brought sufficient close combat experience and decisive action.

He used the knight sword directly stabbed at the girl.

The blade directly pierced through the beautiful girl's chest. As a large amount of blood began to flow out of her luxurious clothes made of golden threads, the golden light that was originally floating around her seemed to have lost control and instantly spread out in all directions, it shattered into pieces, and an angry shout was heard.

"No... You... damn... despicable..."

The beautiful girl finally remembered to retreat, and the intense pain caused her eyes to be filled with fear.

Her floating body flew backwards, her chest and heart had already pierced through, but the knight sword pierced deeply into her body again. As she retreated, she pulled it out, causing a large amount of blood to flow out from her internal organs, all the strength in her body dissipated with the blood, and she fell heavily under the giant stone longsword.

"Kill!", James and Manid's voices rang out almost at the same time.

But the soldiers behind did not move.

Because Kant's shouted immediately after, "All of you, stop.". After a pause, he slowly took a breath and said in a deep voice, "I'll do this myself."

The system completely relied on him to do the absorption.

He slowly walked over with his knight sword in hand.

The refined leather boots stepped on the stone slab, and the sound of faint footsteps could be heard.

Kant looked emotionlessly at the beautiful girl who was clutching her chest and coughing up blood. The bright red blood dyed her exquisite dress red, and the terrified and incredulous look on her beautiful face, it added some pitiful beauty of after being tortured, making people feel a sense of pity in their hearts.

She pointed at Kant with her rosy slender finger. She coughed up blood but could not suppress the anger in her heart. "You... lowly... servant... How dare you kill the descendant of a god..."

"The descendant of a god?"

Kant walked over, his face still calm.

Their eyes met.

His eyes looked at those golden eyes that seemed to be made of gold. The corners of his mouth curled up into a smile. He slowly squatted down and looked at the girl who was breathing rapidly up close. Blood was flowing out of her nostrils and mouth, he said faintly, "The descendant of the Sun God? Aren't you too weak? You are really too weak."

"You... lowly..."

It was as if Kant's words made the beautiful girl angry, and her eyes shone with a golden light.

A mysterious pattern instantly appeared in her snow lily-white palm, mixing with the surrounding blood and golden light, and emitting a certain heat.

"Whoosh --"

The shrill sound of an arrow instantly tore through the air, brushing past Kant's ears, and fluttering a few strands of hair.

"Argh...", the beautiful girl let out a weak and miserable howl. Her fair and tender palm was actually instantly pierced through by an arrow and nailed to the the giant longsword behind her. Fresh blood flowing continuously from her palm, the blazing heat and golden light that had originally gathered in her palm were directly torn into pieces by this arrow.

The temperature disappeared and the golden light dispersed.

Kant turned his head slightly and looked at the ranger behind him who was putting away his bow. He reprimanded, "You have no gentlemanly manners. How dare you treat a lady like this."

At the same time, he turned his head to look at the beautiful girl whose face was distorted due to the pain, which ruined the delicate beauty on her face, he said with an apologetic tone, "I hope you don't take offense. They are all rude soldiers. They have never seen such mysterious... extraordinary power. Oh, or should I say divine spell? I don't understand it either. If it's possible, can you explain it to me?"

"You...", the beautiful girl's palm was nailed to the stone wall of the sword. The intense pain and the weakness in her heart made her feel extremely hopeless.

Looking at Kant's calm eyes, a fear that originated from the depths of her soul crept into her heart.

Kant chuckled, "You don't want to say it?"

He reached out and slowly caressed the beautiful girl's cheek, feeling her fascinating and expected tenderness, he said faintly, "To be honest, I am shocked that you have survived from the gods era thousands of years ago until now. After all, the lost city, oh, it should be the Holy City of Gold mentioned in the ancient books, has long been destroyed in the yellow sand of the Nahrin Desert. The civilization has already disappeared, and only a few remain, as well as... you, mysterious lady."

He wanted to know more.

This mysterious, beautiful girl who had woken up in the coffin might be able to give him some unknown information.

Thousands of years, tens of thousands of years ago in the gods era.

It was already too far away from the present, and this woman actually came from that era.

This made Kant surprised and curious.

"Thousands of years... gods era...", but when she heard Kant's words, the beautiful girl's eyes suddenly widened, and a slight tremulous voice appeared in her tone. "No... impossible, father clearly let me wake up after sleeping for ten years..."

She seemed to have thought of something.

She suddenly looked at Kant, and her breathing was rapid, her golden eyes carried a fierce expression. "I remember now, there are people from the slave race who rebelled and colluded with the abyss demons to attack our Holy City of Gold. That's right, it's you. Because of betrayal from you people, Father God fell. Otherwise, with Father God's great power to control the sun, those demons from the abyss would definitely not able to withstand it. It was all because of your people's betrayal that all of this happened!"

The beautiful girl seemed to understand everything, her eyes were filled with schadenfreude. "You... you don't have extraordinary power. The extraordinary power of this world is declining. No wonder I can't use the power bestowed by Father God. I can't sense the power contained in this world either. So that's how it is. After the gods fell, the rules of this world began to change. You miscalculated. You damn slaves miscalculated. Didn't you obtain the greatest victory? You are also at the lowest point. If Father God's power were to awaken again, you would definitely not able to withstand our anger! You traitors!"

"No, I'm not a traitor."

Kant smiled and spoke with a calm expression. He did not have any reaction to the beautiful girl's words.

Instead, he leaned on his knight sword. The fresh blood on it had not been wiped off yet. He looked into those golden eyes, he said faintly, "Power? I don't understand, but I know that I can easily kill you now. I think you'd better choose to cooperate. Otherwise, I guarantee that you will die a miserable death."

"The descendant of the Father God never surrenders!"

The beautiful girl's face was filled with anger, and her eyes were filled with deep hatred. "You pathetic and lowly slaves will eventually become our slaves again, becoming us... uh... uh...ah..."

She didn't finish her words.

Even the anger and hatred on her face didn't fade away.

Kant's knight sword stabbed into her body again. It wasn't the chest that had been pierced, but the throat. It heavily pierced through the beautiful girl's throat, cutting her trachea and the muscles that connected to the spine of her neck, it directly pierced through the stone wall of the sword behind her.

"So much nonsense.", Kant stood up and pulled out his knight sword again.

The beautiful girl's head directly fell onto the busty and perky chest along with the broken spine.

Only the two sides of her neck skin and a small amount of muscles were still intact so the girl did not turn into a headless corpse, but no matter how one looked at it, this corpse was quite miserable. Kant's two attacks were completely fatal attacks, the kind that did not leave any survivors!

"Poor, this is a beauty that makes people drool."

Manid walked over and handed Kant a linen handkerchief. "But she chose to resist you, Lord Kant."

Kant was expressionless.

He used the linen handkerchief to wipe the blade and said indifferently, "Having you is enough.". He turned his head to look at the troops behind him who were walking over and said in a deep voice, "Women are just useless vases that can be bought at any time."

"That's because you haven't met true love.", James shook his head. He looked at the beautiful woman's corpse with pity. "My lord, it's time for you to have a girlfriend. If possible, I can help you with the introduction of a few noblewomen in Caradia. However, those greedy noblewomen are not worthy of your identity..."

"Now is not the time to talk about this.", Kant looked at the middle-aged man and ordered, "Lead the troops to inspect the battlefield. I think you can do it well."

"Yes, Lord Kant."

James nodded. He also understood that he seemed to have said too much.

But Kant did not care.

This was typically James. If it was in the game, according to the characteristic of this good-natured man, he would probably refuse to kill this unarmed woman. Otherwise, it would be a violation of his philosophy.

Now, he was complaining a little. It could be said that it was his character.

But what Kant cared about was the absorption method that the system gave after this woman died.

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ Please place your hand on the pattern on her forehead. ]

Kant did as he was told.

He squatted down again and used his hands to support the head that had already broken with spine and neck. He looked at the eyes that had already faded, as well as the beautiful face that had a hint of malevolence. He pressed his thumb on the sacred sun pattern on her forehead that looked like a pair of spreading wings.

Chapter 200: The Demon That Broke the Seal

As he pressed his thumb on the exquisite and mysterious sacred sun pattern on her forehead.

The system's data stream instantly appeared in the void.

Kant saw that the data stream directly wrapped around the head in his hands, allowing the data to seep into the beautiful eyes, ears, nostrils, and mouth.

A dialog box quickly popped up on his retina.

[ Ding... After your untiring efforts, the main quest has been completed ]

[ Main quest: "Absorption" completed ]

[ Reward: The system's new function has been activated ]

[ Introduction: With your help, the system discovered the hidden power in this world from this beautiful girl, the system appreciated for your help. Remark: the system has completed the database, new function has been activated ]

The absorption ended

The head in Kant's hand still looked beautiful, but it had lost some of its luster.

This was a corpse.

Kant did not care at all. He threw the head down and stood up.

Compared to capture this beautiful girl who once existed in the gods era, Kant thought that completing the system's main quest was more useful. And the myths had disappeared in the river of time, it was not worth paying attention to, those were all useless information now.

They were not information at all.

Even if Kant knew why the so-called Father God had fallen and why the so-called Holy City of Gold had been betrayed.

So what?

It was already a thousand years later, a new era.

Kant stood here.

He was a member of this era.

He easily killed this beautiful woman who obviously had a high status from the once existed mythological era. It also proved that the new era was not necessarily inferior to the previous mythological era.

At the very least.

Since he could kill this woman, it also meant that he could kill the existence in the mythological era that had come back to life!

Kant had the golden finger, he would not submit to the bloodline of these gods, nor would he worship those high and mighty gods. Even when he was in the Dukedom of Leo, he did not even enter the temple of the God of War to be baptized and become a believer of the God of War, Edmund. Instead, he went to the academy and became a scholar who pursued knowledge and truth.

The era of the gods had long gone. Humans were the masters of this land.

Even if the other races had also developed their own kingdoms and forces.

The races that relied solely on the power of the gods had long developed themselves and become the overlords of the new era. Even if the gods reappeared, it was estimated that they would have a fight with the royal authorities in front of them. Moreover, Kant had already heard what this woman said. This world could no longer accommodate more powerful supernatural powers.

Combining the supernatural powers that Kant had known in the past, Kant understood in his heart.

If his prediction was not wrong.

This world should be at the end of magic era.

The armies between races were the symbol of strength, and supernatural powers had long been reduced as an auxiliary means.

Just as what Kant understood.

When the extraordinary power could not conquer anymore, then they would lose their past glory, and the royal power would once again occupy the top of the power. The noble who controlled the army were the powerful people in this world. Even if it was divine power, or the mages who controlled the extraordinary power, they all had to lower their heads in front of this royal power and compromise with each other.

In the cave of the relic, the golden light was still bright.

Kant turned his head and looked at the left and right sides of the coffin. Each of them had a small sun disk.

There were the only real sun disks in the relic.

They were made of gold.

The other sun disks were all made of stone. However, because of the sacred sun pattern on them, they reflected this mysterious golden light, forming a bright light that filled the sky, just like daylight.

There seemed to be nothing left in this relic.

Only the thick stench of blood covered the ground.

Under the leadership of James and Manid, the soldiers carefully searched the other areas on both sides of the stone platform. However, other than the collapsed stones and the collapsed stone buildings, they did not find anything of value.

For example, gold, silver, gems, and other common funerary objects were not found.

If it wasn't for this coffin...

This place didn't look like a mausoleum, nor did it look like a pure temple. It was more like a sanctuary or a secret gathering place.

Kant narrowed his eyes.

His eyes swept across the pitch-black flesh eggs. They had all been cut open by the soldiers with swords, releasing all the blood and embryos inside and killing them. But when he saw these things, he still had a strange feeling in his heart, just like these pitch-black flesh eggs, it was not that simple.

But Kant thought that it was indeed not that simple.

He turned his head slightly.

The decapitated female corpse was completely dead.

But he still remembered that when this beautiful girl was alive, she saw the pitch-black flesh eggs below, the anger on her face, and said that the power of the demons of the abyss that had defiled this temple.

There was indeed a temple on the peak of the mountain outside, but it had already turned into ashes when Kant took down the sun disk.

This was also the reason why he did not dare to take down the two sun disks.

The consequences of taking them down.

Perhaps it was this relic that directly turned into ashes, and even caused the mountain to collapse. The village of Rhodok, "Aaron", which was located on the peak of the mountain, might directly turned into ashes too. Kant had spent a lot of effort to obtain this additional village, the second base in the future. He afraid it would completely turn into a bubble, turn into ruins.

"My Lord!"

And just as Kant was deep in thought, a Swadian sergeant came over.

With a solemn expression, he reported, "We discovered an abnormal situation. When we were cutting these pitch-black flesh eggs, we discovered that these flesh eggs all extended out from the ground, just like plants that grew out."

"What?", Kant frowned, his face a little solemn.

He walked to the flesh eggs at the edge of the stone platform.

Some knights had already cut open these flesh eggs, just like thick skin. After completely peeling them, they could still find that at the bottom of these flesh eggs, there was a black hole of about half a meter. The edges were covered with dark skin and fat, as if it was some kind of biological tube, it trembled slightly and secreted a smelly dark red liquid.

It seemed that what was secreted was actually blood, which was almost the same as the blood flowing in the bodies of the demonized wolves.

"The situation is not good."

James and Manid stood side by side.

Kant's face was solemn. "It is indeed not good."

These flesh eggs were connected, which meant that there was probably some unknown space at the bottom of this relic. It might even be hiding the key to the formation of those pseudo-demonized creatures!

Kant even suspected that all the demonized creatures in the Senwaya Range were bred in this way!

"Burn these flesh eggs."

Kant still ordered solemnly, "After we go out, have people carefully look after the inside of the relic. If there are any abnormal situations, immediately report it. If we encounter an enemy that we can't defend against, or even can't deal with at all, then defend the platform outside the cave or retreat to the council hall to defend!"

"Understood!", James and the soldiers behind him nodded.

"Ka Ka..."

But just as Kant ordered, the sound of a rock cracking suddenly appeared in the relic.

Everyone's faces were solemn.

They instantly pulled out their weapons, but they orderly took half a step back.

"What's going on? Is this place going to collapse?"

James's face turned even uglier. He raised his head and looked at the walls above and around him, but he didn't find any cracks. He couldn't help but remind, "It's not safe here, Lord Kant. We have to evacuate this relic!"

"No!", Manid turned his head to look at the stone platform. "The sound came from there!"

Kant turned his head to look.

The intense stone cracking was indeed there.

Even the stone platform had a dent.

"That's..."

The sharp-eyed Ravenstern ranger immediately lifted his heavy bow, his face filled with horror. "Someone's there!"

All the footmen instantly returned to their battle status.

Manid and James's breathing quickened.

Kant was the same.

Because at the edge of the stone platform in front of them, a two-meter wide hole slowly appeared, and a tall figure wrapped in a pitch-black robe slowly climbed out under the lifting of the pitch-black blood-vessel-like tentacles, a dangerous aura spread, and even the entire relic became dark.

"Ha... Haha... I... finally... broke the seal... and came out..."

A dry laughter sounded.

Countless pitch-black tentacles, thick or thin, floated behind the figure, baring their fangs and brandishing their claws.

The figure under the pitch-black robe slowly walked down the stone platform and stood unnaturally on the ground. After taking a few steps, she finally stood firm and turned her head to look at the beautiful woman in the complicated golden silk dress, then she turned her head to look at them. Her laughter became more pleasant and arrogant. "So... It's you humans. You really betrayed these gods..."

"Demon... ?"

Kant opened his mouth slightly, his tone extremely grave.

Because right in front of them, that tall woman looked like a human. However, her slightly red skin, the goat horns on her forehead, the triangular tail behind her buttocks, and even the irregularly curved thighs on her lower body, she was not a human.

Instead, she looked like the succubus that Kant had seen in movies and TV shows.

"That's right.", the woman held the pitch-black tentacles behind her and slowly took a few steps forward. Her figure under the black robe was extremely hot and curvaceous, and her face was equally beautiful, even with a hint of exotic charm.

He looked at Kant, who was obviously the leader, and gently stuck out his tongue to lick his lips. "Offer your sacrifice. I can let you enjoy extreme happiness.". She slightly turned her beautiful face and swept her gaze over the knights and soldiers, her voice was even more moving. "Very good, you have done well. I urgently need to replenish myself. Since you can bring these sacrifices, I will properly reward you!"

"Kill her."

However, what responded to her was Kant's cold order.

The Ravenstern rangers and wardens were already prepared. They instantly drew their bows and shot arrows.

"Whoosh Whoosh Whoosh --"

The arrow arrived in an instant.

Her eye sockets, forehead and chest were instantly hit by the arrow. That powerful force directly sent the demon flying. She didn't even make a sound before she fell heavily to the ground. She struggled a few times before she completely lost her breath.

And right behind her.

The pitch-black originally energetic tentacles seemed to have lost their strength as they fell to the ground one after another.

Even the pitch-black flesh and eggs seemed to shrivel up completely.

Chapter 201: Ruins that Suddenly Collapsed

When this female demon died, whether it was her tentacles or her pitch-black flesh eggs, all of them began to shrink. They dried up in a manner visible to the naked eye, turning into black powder just like rotten vegetation.

Kant slowly raised his left hand, indicating to stop the attack.

However, there were still four Swadian sergeant on both sides who raised their shields up and walked to the stone platform to check the results of the battle.

Seeing that her skull had already been split opened by the AWL arrows, piercing through the back of her head, they turned their heads and nodded at Kant. They put away the half-sword in their hands and said, "She has been killed."

"Very good." Kant nodded and praised the people of Ravenston beside him, "Very decisive."

"You flatter us."

The ranger and forest warden bowed slightly, appearing very modest.

After all, these were all archers.

Excellent archers.

When they saw this female demon, the disgust towards evil in their hearts had already begun to stir. Without Kant's permission, they almost couldn't help wanting to shoot, and the order from the Lord made them feel completely relieved. They drew their bows and shot arrows, killing the female demon that was emitting a dense evil aura, like an intruder in the underworld.

The people of Pande continent were born to hate all creatures in the underworld.

Kant naturally understood.

This was the reason behind Pande's worldview.

And the order he gave to shoot came from the mission issued by the system.

They walked forward.

Kant came in front of the body of the female demon who was shot into a hedgehog. Her beautiful oval face had been pierced by more than ten cone arrows until she looked like an alien. Looking at her miserable appearance, she was almost on par with that other demon goddess.

He shook his head slightly.

His eyes were still calm and indifferent.

He placed his hands on his temple, and data spread.

All the things that had happened in history had nothing to do with him.

Kant knew.

The key was to absorb the power of these ancient descendants to make the system stronger and his power increase. That was the only thing he could rely on to survive in this world!

[ ding... Through your tireless efforts, you have completed this mission. ]

[ main quest: "Absorb again" completed. ]

[ reward: System's new function is activated. ]

[ explanation: When you thought that you would win by defeating the opponent, you didn't expect that danger would appear again. The two women didn't seem to belong to the same camp, but it didn't matter. You also didn't belong to their camp. Absorb the new female demon, the system will once again gain new rule power. ]

The completed dialog box popped up on his retina.

Kant's mind hid it.

The system had already activated two new functions.

However, he was temporarily unable to check because after Kant gave the order to kill the female demon, as the pitch-black tentacles and flesh eggs withered and shrunk, even the golden light in the sky began to shake and dissipate.

In just a few short minutes, half of the golden light had already dissappeared.

"Lord Kant."

Manide raised his head to look at the dissipating golden light, solemnly reminding Kant, "This place seems to be a bit dangerous. I think it's best to evacuate this ruin now. After all, this is the interior of the mountain. If it collapses, we'll be in grave danger."

"That's right."James nodded in agreement. "We'd better retreat immediately!"

The golden light above their heads shone like the sun, giving them some assurance.

But these golden lights were dissipating.

The entire place and the interior quickly became dark.

Even the ordinary soldiers felt that once these golden lights disappeared, something bad might happen. It was best to retreat quickly, lest they were caught unprepared in the face of danger.

"Let's go." Kant nodded as well.

However, he looked at the huge stone coffin with pity.

There was a slightly smaller golden coffin inside. Judging from the purity of the color, it was the purest gold. If it was transported out, it would probably be enough to buy the title of the Count of the dukedom of Leo, as well as a piece of land!

That Golden Coffin was really priceless.

"Crack crack crack..."

Kant was about to speak and ask the soldiers behind him to pry open the golden coffin to remove it, but he did not expect that there would suddenly be violent shaking under his feet. Even the originally neatly cut stone slab had a certain undulation of the terrain that caused the interior of the ruins to slowly shake.

A large amount of dirt and stones began to fall with a crash. Like a rainstorm, the golden light that was still spreading and refracting in the sky quickly became small and dim at an extremely fast rate.

"This place is going to collapse!"

Manide and James were shocked. They grabbed Kant's hand and wanted to run toward the cave.

This was the interior of a thousand meters deep mountain.

Or it could be said that was the bottom of the mountain.

If this thousands of acres of space all collapsed, it would elicit the collapse of the entire mountain. Millions of tons of soil and stones would pour down directly, submerging them in the ruin.

By then, this place would really become a mausoleum.

Their mausoleum.

It was not worth it to die because of such a thing.

However, when everyone surrounded Kant and ran towards the cave, an even more violent tremor appeared. A few hundred meters above their heads, a rock that was dozens of meters tall collapsed with a rumble, with a loud noise, it crashed directly between the original position of the stone platform and the cave's stone door.

"Boom..." the infrasonic waves and air waves caused by the huge rock smashing down instantly sent Kant and the others, who had already entered the stone door and the cave's tunnel, flying away. Violent air currents instantly surged out.

It was as if they were in a storm and could not help themselves.

They whistled and flew four to five meters away.

Then, because of the sudden disappearance of the air wave, he fell heavily onto the stone pavement of the tunnel.

"Uh... Cough cough..."

For a moment, a painful cough was heard.

In the dark tunnel, the air wave even sprayed the accumulated bones out along the tunnel. This caused everyone to fall without a buffer layer, allowing their bodies to withstand their inertia and weight.

With the chain armor on their bodies, it was probably no different from being hit by a heavy hammer.

"Splash... Splash..."

There was a slight sound, but the sound was getting louder and louder.

The people who were still coughing looked at each other, especially Manide, who was used to living in the sea or rivers. He turned his head to look at the ruins cave behind him. "Is... is it the sound of flowing water?" He said in shock, "It's water!"

"Boom --"

Before the people could react, an even louder sound appeared.

It was indeed the sound of running water.

However, compared to the sound of the water seeping out and hitting the stone slabs, it was more like a flood that directly broke the dam. With a destructive momentum, it violently surged into the ruins!

"Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom --"

The waves were squeezed out of the narrow space. The sound of the waves hitting each other and struggling was like an angry roar.

And at the back.

With the torch that the Rhodoks had brought with him, the entire cave alley suddenly lit up. Although it was dark, it was still barely visible, and one could see clearly seven or eight meters away.

"That's..."

Manide's breathing was somewhat hurried.

James, who was beside Kant, also widened his eyes. "It's water!"

That's right, it's water!

And a lot of water!

A violent surge came from within the stone door. It was like a rising tide, rising at a speed visible to the naked eye. It even soaked through Rhodoks's familiar spear-wielding boots at the bottom.

"Retreat quickly!" Kant's order rang out.

Only then did they react and continue to climb up the tunnel.

Their injuries from the fall had recovered quite a bit.

These soldiers, who were originally strong, supported each other and surrounded each other. Under Kant's lead, they quickly walked towards the light at the end of their vision. This was because they knew that that was their path of survival. As long as they escaped to the location of the light, they would be able to survive if they saw the sky of the Senwaya Range!

"Boom, Boom, Boom, boom..."

Just behind them, the sound of water flowing and collapsing could be heard continuously.

Every time, it was like a bomb falling.

Because the water was spreading in the ruins, the air in the ruins was compressed. There was a gust of strong wind blowing from the inside to the outside in the entire alley. It was as if it was pushing them to quickly escape from this area.

In less than ten minutes, they had already seen the light that was right in front of them.

Kant was the first to drill out.

Behind him, James, Manide, as well as the infantrymen and archers, came out one after another.

And right inside the cave, the rumbling sound of water was still ringing in their ears, making their eardrums ache faintly. Even the natural sound of birds chirping and beasts chirping could be heard from time to time in the Senwaya range, they could not hear anything at all. They could only feel the rumbling sound of water that seemed to be continuous and never stopped.

"Let's, quickly, leave this place!"

Manide moved closer to Kant's ear and shouted loudly, "It will collapse! It's dangerous!"

"I know." Kant nodded and also shouted loudly, "Everyone, retreat immediately. Leave this... mountain. We're leaving, now!"

However, their eardrums were ringing, and no one could hear clearly.

They could only act according to their gestures and mouth movement.

After leaving the cave, they returned to the peak of the mountain. Aaron's village, which was originally located here, was not affected in the slightest. It was just that the 20 skilled Rhodoks spear-wielders and 20 skilled Rhodoks crossbowmen who were stationed there; and because of the panic caused by the loud noises, when they saw Kant and the others, they quickly came over and bowed respectfully. At the same time, they reported on the situation they had encountered.

"Let's go!" Kant did not speak any nonsense and could not hear the report clearly. Instead, he pulled them to the north and pointed at the smooth slope and paved road, shouting "Let's go!"

If the thousands of acres of cave collapsed, this mountain would suffer as well.

Collapsing was a good thing.

If there was a large-scale collapse, the entire mountain would be completely overturned!

Staying on top.

Was equivalent to waiting for death!

Rhodoks's village had disappeared. If he was lucky enough to draw another village, he could continue to build it. If he died, then everything would be in vain. Kant would not let his life be threatened at all.

He cherished his life very much.

The soldiers behind him were also running quickly with him.

The obedient warhorse and single-humped camel seemed to have sensed the shaking of the ground and quickly came to their side. They stopped to be ridden by their respective masters, or they brought additional people along the paved road and quickly rushed towards the desert outside the mountain range, in short, it was necessary to stay away from this mountain top.

Chapter 202: A Village that Profited from a Disaster

They only stopped when they were out of the range of the two mountains.

Their eardrums returned to normal.

The sound had also continued to transmit new waves.

"Hu --"

Kant opened his mouth to stop the warhorse beneath him. He turned his head to look at Manide and James, who were covered in dust beside him. He did not need to look in the mirror to know that he was definitely in a sorry state with dust all over his face.

If they retreated from the tunnel, it would be equivalent to running away.

If not...

They would die in the collapse or be swallowed by the flood that came from God knows where. When that happened, they would be extremely miserable. It was not the time to care about their image at the moment of life and death.

Kant did not have too many mysophobia.

"How lucky." James looked at the mountain behind him, he said with some lingering fear, "If we encountered an even more violent collapse inside, even if we were not buried alive, we would probably be swallowed by the sudden flood and drowned alive. If we did not walk faster, the consequences would be unimaginable."

"Yes, it was really dangerous."Manide also swallowed his saliva in fear.

The surrounding soldiers panted heavily in agreement.

The danger encountered during this exploration was almost as dangerous as when the expeditionary army of the Kingdom of gray mane came to attack. However, this time, it was even more terrifying and direct. If they had not retreated quickly enough, they would have been completely annihilated. It would be difficult to survive!

Kant's expression was somewhat gloomy.

He turned around on the horse and looked at the mountain peak in the distance.

That was where his village, Aaron, was located. However, it was about to collapse and disappear along with the violent tremors, causing the Kingdom of Rhodoks to lose its name in his development system.

"Damn it." Kant gritted his teeth.

He really didn't expect that there would be such a huge ruin hidden under the mountain peak chosen by the system.

He also didn't expect..

Directly killing the two survivors who had lived for unknown reasons in history, would lead to a total collapse that almost caused him to die in that ruin.

It was extremely dangerous!

Even now, he could still hear the faint rumbling sound.

It was the sound of the mountain collapsing.

It was even above his head.

Circles of unknown birds had already flown into the sky, covering the sky and the sun as they flapped their wings. It was obvious that they were also at a loss because of the sound of the collapse of the mountain.

The wild beasts in the surrounding mountain range also let out a series of roars.

"Boom, Boom, Boom --"

However, Kant's expression suddenly changed, and he turned his head in shock.

Manide and James, who were behind him, also looked down in shock at the side of the paved road. Following the deafening sound, a wave of foam-covered water, which was more than half a meter high, rushed out of the canyon between the mountains!

In an instant, it passed by them, who were still on the road. When they were building the road along the system, they deliberately widened and increased the height to form a concave canal, which rushed towards the entrance of the mountain range that they were about to advance into. In an extremely short period of time, it formed a depth of about three meters, the river that was four to five meters wide also became smooth because of the surging waves.

In a short moment.

It actually formed a river.

"What's going on?"

James opened his mouth and subconsciously looked in the direction that the river was rushing towards. He recalled the huge torrent that suddenly appeared in the mountain that he had escaped from. He could not help but swallow his saliva, he guessed, "Could it be that behind the ruins is actually a subterranean river?"

"Subterranean river..." Manide nodded silently and said, "Perhaps, it really is so."

At the bottom of this thousand meters tall mountain.

If it was not for the subterranean river or the subterranean lake, it was absolutely impossible for such a huge torrent to appear and directly crash the mountain. It was even blocked by the crevices of the canyon on the periphery of the Senwaya range and the paved roads, it formed this small river. Although it was small, Kant thought it had reached the stage where it could sail a boat!

Moreover, Kant looked back and suddenly realized that even if the village of "Aaron" had disappeared, the region on the edge of the mountain range would have extremely high development value because of this river!

The river represented the most basic agriculture.

As long as the terraces were cultivated on both sides, the abundant river water represented irrigation.

Although it extended into the desert and seeped into the ground to form underground water, the underground water near the mountain range would also become abundant, allowing the vegetation to grow more luxuriant and more suitable for the development of agriculture!

If they were lucky, after several years of cultivation.

This place would definitely become Kant's agricultural production base, maintaining the foundation for future development!

The food problem would not be controlled by others.

"The collapse seems to have stopped."

Some of the Swadian Rangers on the single-humped camels looked behind them. Their senses were more sensitive, so they quickly noticed that the sound of the collapse behind them was also decreasing, and finally, it became barely noticeable.

"Is it over?"James and Manide also looked behind them.

Everyone had a look of regret on their faces.

The faces of the Rhodoks people were even more sorrowful. Obviously, the disappearance of this village made them even more sorrowful. After all, this was a village of their own race, and they had deep feelings for it.

However, Kant frowned slightly.

He did not notice a message from the system that the village had been destroyed.

He raised his head and looked at the mountain peak in front of him. There was a gust of dust flying into the sky due to the air waves. It was like a gray fog that had slowly drifted down along with the collapse and shaking that had disappeared. It was like a fog that could be clearly seen.

However, this scene made Kant frown even more.

If the mountain really collapsed, the phenomenon would not be so simple.

The sky collapsed and the earth cracked.

Countless clouds of dust rushed into the sky.

The earth was shaking, and countless cracks extended onto the surrounding mountains.

The entire mountain range that was connected to it would probably collapse in that area.

It was like a small-scale earthquake!

But now, it ended so easily. The tremor and the loud sound of the collapse did not even reach Kant. How could he not be suspicious.

"Let's go back and take a look," He ordered.

"Lord Kant, is it dangerous?" Manide advised.

The surrounding soldiers were also worried.

"Maybe not."

Kant spoke and turned his head to look at the side of the paved road.

The river was still flowing smoothly. It did not dry up due to the passage of time. A few thoughts appeared in his mind. He could not help but say, "Perhaps our village will benefit from this disaster."

"Twenty Swadian knights, follow me."

Kant made up his mind. He turned his head and ordered, "The rest of you, wait here!"

"Understood!" The knights replied.

James and Manide also turned their horses around and came to Kant's side. From the looks of it, they were also planning to follow Kant back to take a look. They could not be at ease if they let Kant, the Lord, put himself in danger.

They rode their horses quickly and lightly.

They soon returned to the foot of the mountain where Aaron's village was located.

The paved road was still intact.

However, at the foot of the hill, a huge crack appeared at the foot of the cliff on the west side, forming a spring water that kept gushing out. A small lake more than 50 meters wide and more than 100 meters long was formed in a depression, and it followed the valley where the road foundation and Drainage Ditch were located, it began to spread toward the outside of the mountain range, forming a small river that Kant saw.

They raised their heads and looked up.

There was nothing unusual about the entire mountain top. Even the city wall at the top of the mountain was still standing.

"There's nothing wrong with the village!"James looked happy.

"Let's go and take a look."

Kant gently knocked on the horse's belly and used the speed of the warhorse to directly rush up the mountain top along the paved road. He looked at the Council Hall that was still standing, the 10 Rhodoks-style houses, and the seven-meter-tall sentry tower, and his face was filled with joy. Clearly, there was no problem.

When he got closer, he saw that the whole building was still intact without even a crack.

Kant could not help but smile. "When Veruga's construction team comes over, I will reward them with a great deal of denar. The quality of these buildings is very good."

"They deserve a reward." Manide smiled and nodded.

Kant smiled and looked around.

He was extremely excited.

A mere payment denar could not express his happiness at all, especially the appearance of this river. It was much more affordable than the reward. This was the agricultural foundation that could guarantee survival!

The only regret was that the priceless golden coffin was not produced.

But it was enough that the village had not been destroyed by the collapse.

If this "Aaron" still existed, everything would still exist.

Kant's strategic layout was not disrupted. On the contrary, it was a blessing in disguise. There was an opportunity to develop agriculture here. In his opinion, with sufficient irrigation, the agricultural development here was much better than that of the Oasis Lookout. There was no need to care about the extreme heat and water sources, he could directly open up the mountain land and build up the soil to form effective terraced fields!

"Let's go take a look at the cave." Seeing that the village was fine, Kant also looked to the west.

The ruins in the cave were the source of the current situation.

Although he knew that the inside would definitely be washed away by the flood, and the falling stones would also shatter a lot of the internal structure, overall, since the mountain did not fall and cave in, it meant that the collapse inside was not too serious. Perhaps if Kant and his men worked hard enough, they could still recover the gold inside.

He would never forget about the gold.

It was still dark inside the cave.

Standing on the platform outside the cave, Kant turned his head to look at the cliff next to him. There was a large amount of white bones scattered down, but it was like a mass grave underneath. At the same time, there were many small carnivores moving through it, but no meat was found, so they could only fiddle with some white bones before burrowing back into the dense bushes.

These were the white bones that were directly blown out by the air waves in the cave. There was no need to trouble Kant and the others to clean them up again.

The torches that were left behind previously were reignited.

There was no difference from before in the cave.

Only the faint sound of water flowing could be heard.

But it was not that roar either. Instead, it became more stable. It sounded like a slowly flowing subterranean river in a karst cave. Occasionally, there would be layers of sounds from the reefs, which carried a bit of playfulness.

"Be careful."

After entering the cave and advancing for more than 500 meters, the ground became slippery.

It was obvious that the waves had once risen here.

Manide and James were a little afraid. If they did not escape quickly, they would be swept into the waves and dragged back into the flood-filled ruins. That would really be a disaster.

However, their fear was quickly dispelled by their shock.

They arrived behind the two stone doors that had been pushed open.

The huge statue of the god on the opposite side was still there. Although the Golden Light was still as dim as dusk, making it hard for people to see, it still provided some visibility. The people saw that the originally flat stone ground had formed a half-meter-high lake, and near the stone platform in the distance, a large black hole had already opened up. Clearly, the water from the subterranean river had poured in.

On the south side of the stone wall, a cave that was more than ten meters wide had also opened up. The Subterranean River disappeared in the cave, bringing along a gentle flow of water. No one knew where it led to.

Chapter 203: Aaron’s Prosperity

Perhaps this ruin had cut off the underground river in the mountain range when it was built. If anything unusual happened, it would trigger a self-destruct program, causing the underground river water that had been accumulating for thousands of years to suddenly pour down and destroy everything in the torrential flood, making the ruin a tool to destroy the enemy so that they could all perish together.

Perhaps through thousands of years, an underground river eroded the karst cave, causing the river water to connect with each other and change its course. This was very common in the natural environment. After all, in close to 10,000 years' time, anything could happen.

These speculations were reasonable, but they were not of much help to the present.

Knowing history could help one understand the truth of gains and losses, but history was only experience after all. It was an anecdote that could not provide any help to Kant now. It was something that was dispensable.

Kant did not need to know what had happened here in the past.

Similarly, he did not need to know that the goddess in the ruins had survived in the golden coffin for at least 10,000 years, or that female devil who claimed to have broken the seal because of the weakening of the Golden Light. What kind of grudges did she have.

The current era was not the era of the gods.

Even if the so-called gods returned, Kant would not let them go.

Just like how the gods would not allow anyone to challenge their authority, Kant, who had no faith and was not protected by the gods, was definitely an existence they wanted to erase.

Kant could not offer his soul to the gods for protection.

From the looks of it, the two sides already had irreconcilable conflicts.

And it was the most intense kind.

"But we must be thankful that this is the age of chaos. The once high and mighty mages and priests also have to bow their heads to the swords in our hands. Even the demons have to die in front of the arrows."

Kant's voice appeared behind the stone door.

He turned his head to look at Manide, James, and the Swadian Knight who were standing on both sides of the stone door with a dull look on their faces. He said in a deep voice, "No one will be a match for us. This is what I firmly believe in my heart."

James was slightly older, so he quickly reacted. "Under your leadership, this will definitely happen."

"Yes... Yes." The others also nodded in agreement, and at the same time, they looked back at the stone door in shame.

The scene inside the stone door still shocked them.

Although they had seen the magnificent internal sculpture, architectural structure, and the almost spacious space, they had still attracted the attention of the demonized wolf and the two female enemies, so they did not observe it carefully.

Now, he relaxed.

When he inspected it again, the ruins that had collapsed due to the flood, although it was less solemn and serious, its had an awe-inspiring quality condensed through time.

The stone platform under the statue was still there.

The stone coffin wrapped in the golden coffin was also on the stone platform, and on the left and right sides, there were the god's descendant saintesses dressed in gold threads, as well as the female demon wrapped in a black cloak with a goat horn on her forehead.

They were all corpses, and their deaths were equally miserable.

"That's good."

Kant heaved a sigh of relief, and his gaze became even more fervent.

The two worthless corpses could be casually thrown into the subterranean river, but not the several tons of golden coffins. If the coffins were really washed away by the flood, or if they were to sink into the deep river beyond the stone platform, Kant would definitely not be happy, this was equivalent to giving up the ready-made denar.

The leader of the trade caravan from Reyvadin, Jocelyn, had once said that gold could be exchanged for denar.

Although he did not specify the price.

But just by looking at Jocelyn's seriousness, it was clear that the exchange rate was definitely not low!

No matter what, gold was the hard currency of various planes and crystal walls!

The same was true for the continent of Caradia.

This water source was the agricultural foundation for Aaron's long-term development, and this gold was definitely the spoils of war that allowed Kant to harvest a large amount of denar and obtain more opportunities for development.

As for whether this golden coffin was a rare object?

Kant didn't care.

If he could earn a large amount of denar, so what if it was a rare object? He wasn't lacking in rare objects at the moment!

"However..."

Kant raised his head slightly and swept his gaze across the two stone statues at the edge of the stone platform. They were made to look like they were kneeling down. Their hands were holding up the two sun disks, which were still emitting golden light.

Therefore, although the entire interior of the ruins was dark, it was still barely visible.

However, the flood continued.

The stone floor outside the stone platform collapsed, forming a deep and dark subterranean river. Under the golden light shining above, one could still vaguely see an unknown large fish that was more than one meter long swimming back and forth, occasionally breaking the surface of the water with its dorsal fin, slightly black scales arranged neatly, looking carnivorous.

There were not many vegetarian fish in the subterranean river.

"Ready-made fish!"

Manide raised his eyebrows slightly and looked at the flood outside the stone gate. There were many small and delicate groups of fish swimming along with the one meter long large fish, appearing and disappearing in the flood, he could not help but turn his head and smile at Kant. "I really envy Aaron Village. It seems that not only do they have more game, but they can also develop their fishing industry."

This underground river could be used to catch fish. Just by looking at the abundant fish, one could tell that this underground river was rich in natural fish resources.

Moreover, the water that seeped out from the cracks in the mountain, the small lake that formed at the foot of the mountain, and the small river that extended all the way out of the mountain range were all natural environments that could be used to raise fish. With a little modification of the terrain, it could form an artificial fishing ground.

As long as Kant had fish species, he could quickly cultivate many fish.

Making smoked fish and increasing the variety of food was definitely not a dream for this village "Aaron." It could be easily realized. Moreover, all kinds of game were added to make dried meat and open up the mountain to form terraces. Every autumn, one could harvest a warehouse full of grains. It was definitely an important base for agriculture!

In terms of development prospects, this village "Aaron" had surpassed "Drondheim" almost since the beginning of its establishment.

Because the resources here were really too rich!

It was just that it lacked the necessary development.

Once it took two to three years for "Drondheim" to supply the development of this place, and everything was ready, "Aaron" would feed "Drondheim" back, moving into a mutually beneficial phase.

Kant didn't plan to develop Aaron into a castle.

Instead, he would choose cities as the basis for the next level up.

After all, a castle was the key to controlling a certain place, and it was used for military purposes. In terms of people's livelihood, agriculture, commerce, and other development, it was completely backward, or it could be said that it was purely military-centered.

Drondheim's military level up was because there were external enemies.

On the other hand, Aaron had no enemies. Even if it had potential enemies, they were only wild beasts and demonized creatures in the mountains.

Therefore, the nature of the two was different.

"Let's go back."

Kant had already made up his mind. He led his team and left the stone door and the cave passage.

This ruin had already become his possession.

The entire area around Aaron was also Kant's possession.

Now, they only needed to develop.

The golden coffin was still on the stone platform, waiting to be made into a small sampan in the future. It would be fine as long as people went over to separate it and transport it out. Naturally, the thing that was already firmly in Kant's pocket wouldn't be able to escape.

..

The construction of the village, "Aaron," was completed.

In order to ensure development, Kant stayed in the Senwaya range until the end of the month before finally preparing to leave. This was also because James and Manide were worried about Drondheim, so Kant was the first to return.

During this period of time, the village Aaron continued to develop rapidly.

Twenty traditional house of Rhodoks were neatly arranged next to the council hall. They formed three small streets with the ten houses that had been built previously. They were already occupied by 300 fleeing Rhodoks peasant farmers.

Furthermore, on the south side of the council hall, the flat land on the mountain peak close to the depths of the mountain range had basically been flattened into farmland.

But because the soil layer was thin, and some areas were less than 20 centimeters, they were still full of broken stones. So these peasant farmers were using hoes to search for soil on other mountains, carrying it back in rattan baskets, and artificially starting to pave and raise the soil layer, to lay the foundation for future agriculture, so that they could quickly cultivate the mountain fields that could be planted.

And just at the foot of the mountain, next to the mountain crack, where the water from the subterranean river gushed out, a water mill had been built. The water wheel turned quickly, driving the stone mill inside to crush the grain and turn it into flour.

Peasant carried the flour up and baked it into bread in the kitchen of the house.

Wisps of green smoke curled in the air.

The village Aaron finally showed some signs of prosperity.

On the inner side of the city wall, 40 Ravenston Rangers with heavy battle bows were patrolling under the lead of seven Ravenston Rangers. They vigilantly scanned the situation on the outside of the mountain and guarded the safety of Aaron's village with their superb archery skills, to ensure the stability and ownership of this place.

During this period of time, at least 30 blind demonized creatures had fallen under their arrows.

Although they were all ordinary species, it also showed how powerful they were.

At the same time, 10 Swadian snipers and 20 Rhodoks senior snipers were stationed in the council hall. They were all using heavy crossbows. The only difference was that level-5 snipers had slightly more proficiency and experience.

It had to be said that the Rhodoks was a natural-born master of crossbows and long-pole weapons.

13 Swadian Sergeants and 40 veteran Rhodoks spear-wielders wielding long-hilted broadswords had already formed an army that could face ferocious demonized creatures. They also had ferocious combat strength.

Of the three vicious demonized creatures hanging in the council hall, two of them had been killed by them.

Moreover, it was a battle with no casualties.

Of course, the Archers of Ravenston and the Crossbowmen of Swadia and Rhodoks had also provided the necessary help to allow these close-combat troop class to deal with the vicious demonized creatures so easily.

The combat ability of the soldiers who formed the battle sequence far surpassed that of wild beasts.

Chapter 204: Trade Caravans Appearing One After Another

Everything had stabilized.

Kant patrolled the village. Although it was still small, it had a prosperous atmosphere.

His eyes swept across the southwest corner. Ten three-meter-tall kilns made of stone and mud rose in spirals. However, this green smoke was not obvious because it was only a dozen meters above the mountain peak, it dissipated in the gentle mountain breeze that appeared in the Senwaya range all the time and could no longer be seen clearly.

This was the only building that produced goods in Aaron's Village at the moment.

Charcoal kiln.

It was dedicated to the Oasis Lookout's salt-making workshop.

At the same time, it provided Drondheim's family with supplies for heating at night.

Now, 30 Rhodoks peasant farmers were in charge of it. After all, besides transporting the charcoal to Drondheim, Aaron, where he was, also had a lot of demand for it.

For example, the long strips of meat that the hunting team brought back after being skinned and dissected had to be smoked and roasted using the charcoal. They were sprinkled with a layer of fine white salt while it was hot and hung in the shade, waiting for it to dry naturally, this would form dried meat that could be stored for a long time and provide more meat for Drondheim.

The animal and plant resources in the Senwaya range were not lacking at all.

The hunting team only roamed around the nearby mountains and surveyed the terrain. They were able to harvest a lot of prey.

The enchanted creatures had already been eliminated.

The remaining ones were wild boars, sand gazelles, elks, pheasants, hares, foxes, and other small wild animals. There were also many large wild animals such as wild wolves, black bears, lions, and cheetahs. However, none of them were able to pose a slightest threat to the forest rangers in Ravenston, the hunting team that was formed with Rhodoks's peasants.

Instead, they became the main source of dried meat in Aaron's village.

At the same time, the mountain that had been cleaned up was also planned as a forest farm to vigorously develop the logging industry.

At the foot of the forest farm, there was a small river formed by the subterranean river surging out of the ground. There were also logging farms set up on both sides of the paved road. Every day, a large amount of wood was cut down and transported to the side of the lake at the bottom of Aaron's village, where professionals were waiting to deal with this batch of wood.

The wood was directly chopped into lumps and transported to the charcoal kiln at the hilltop to be burned into high-quality charcoal.

This was currently Aaron's complete planning process.

The subsequent planning had also been preliminarily followed.

Kant, Manide, and James had inspected the hilltops on both sides of the river. The area where the hillsides were relatively flat was the place where the logging industry was vigorously developing. There was a lot of enthusiasm in cutting down trees.

When all the trees on these hills had been cut down, they would be leveled.

Although the Rhodok people did not have the technology to build terraced fields, this technology was not a top secret that could not be learned. On the contrary, it was not difficult to imitate. Kant, who had the experience of his previous life, understood this in his mind, it was completely possible to experiment on the leveled hills, and eventually perfect the formation of a top-grade terraced field that could grow lush crops.

For this, a week ago, the river beside the paved road was slightly dredged.

It blocked all the overflowing streams.

At the same time, it dug up the mud in the shoals and other places, making the depth of the river close to two meters.

The valley between the mountains was originally the flow route of the flood after the previous rainstorm. After years of erosion, it had long formed a river channel. However, it only appeared during the summer rainstorm, and now it had become a constant flow of the river.

According to Manide, this small river could be used as a boat.

Although it could only be used as a small sampan 1 meter wide.

But it was still considered a boat.

Hundreds of sampans 1 meter wide and 3 meters long were carried down the river. The cargo carried by them could exceed the load of hundreds of pack horses. Moreover, their speed was very fast. As long as one was careful of the winding river channel between the valleys, it would not take more than 30 minutes for one to walk the distance that would take a trade caravan of horses or camels nearly four hours to travel.

The mountain where Aaron's village was located was quite far from the edge of the mountain range where the desert was located.

Although this was still the outer area of the Senwaya range, compared to the entire mountain range, this so-called outer area was still a daunting and huge area.

One had to know that when Kant entered the mountain range.

Even if there was a systematic road, he would only arrive at this place from morning until dusk.

It took him almost half of the day.

Even if he built a paved road.

Just by using the cavalry to ride warhorses and travel at a fast speed, it would take about three hours to reach the foot of the mountain peak from the entrance, not to mention the slower trade caravan.

Kant even had a longer-term plan.

If it was possible, when he extracted a new spring, he would definitely place it on the way to the river to replenish the water. He would even let the river go deep into the Nahrin desert and pass through the vast dune, he would go straight to the oasis lookout where Drondheim was, connecting the two of them.

If that was the case, it would take them less than three days to travel back and forth between the two places.

The two banks of the river would become oases.

Just like the two banks of the Nile River, they would use a large number of river plants that were suitable for living on sandy land, as well as a large number of trees to resist the erosion of the desert, or even reverse the erosion of the desert, forming a wider oasis along the river.

It was somewhat unrealistic.

But it was indeed Kant's ambition.

His plan was to use the system mall to draw in a large number of springs or lakes and other natural environments, and complete it in ten years' time. He would establish the connection between the rivers and roads between the two places, completely binding them together.

At that time, the southern part of the Nahrin desert would be completely under his control.

With the river transportation as a weapon of mass destruction.

His heavy armored troops could reach the two places at an extremely fast speed.

They could even reach any part of the river between the two places to launch a counterattack and surprise attack on the enemy.

Even if this ambition was unrealistic, Kant could achieve it with the help of the system. For him, who was still young, as long as he chose to wait, the future would not be grim.

With the right time, the right place, and the right people, time would stand on Kant's side!

..

Aaron's village was on the right track.

Kant temporarily handed over power to James and planned to start his return journey.

Fifty Swadian Knight followed him back to Drondheim, while Manide led the camel team, seven Mamlukes, and 20 desert bandits to the Stone Pass again.

Forty sacks of fine white salt were still on the back of the one-humped camel.

The table salt trade for this month still had to continue.

Manide was currently fully in charge of this task. At the same time, he could also purchase a large number of tools and food. Indirectly, he could use the great silver coins he obtained to turn them into raw materials. When he transported them back to Drondheim, he could also transport them to Aaron, who needed them more, he had to speed up the development of this Rhodoks village.

To a certain extent, Aaron's potential for development was much greater than Drondheim's.

"Let's go."

After leaving the area where the stone roads were paved, Kant led his team into the Nahrin Desert.

Scorching air waves surged over.

Although it was early in the morning, this feeling made Kant, who was used to the cool climate of the mountain range, feel a burning and tormenting feeling. Even though he quickly familiarized himself with it, he still felt quite uncomfortable.

No one would like the cruel environment of the Nahrin Desert.

He shook his head slightly.

Kant shook the reins and the group continued to ride forward.

It would take them a day and two nights to reach the posthouse, and then they would have to walk for a day and a night to finally reach the oasis lookout. Time was still quite tight.

They left at the beginning of the month.

It was already the end of the month.

Kant delayed the level up of Drondheim.

After all, in the middle of the month, the fortress on the oasis could be upgraded to a castle level up.

Of course, the delay was well worth it for Kant.

The new village, Aaron, was on the right track. According to his calculations, in a year's time, he would be able to feed the military castle of Drondheim on a large scale as a town.

At that time, both sides would coordinate with each other from the north and south.

They would be as solid as horns.

When the development reached a certain level, new villages would continue to appear.

After all, as the controller of the southern part of the Nahrin Desert, the lord of the entire Nahrin desert in name, Kant's forces could not rely on these two points to support themselves.

If possible, Kant would also arrange for new villages to be built in the depths of the desert.

This was to prepare for the forces that would come into contact with the Mannheim coast in the future. Moreover, after Kant returned to Drondheim, he would also put this plan on the agenda.

A new system appeared.

There were still two types.

Kant hadn't studied it in depth, but he was already deeply shocked.

Because the appearance of the two systems brought about two completely different extraordinary powers!

And it was these extraordinary powers that gave him confidence. Even if he came into contact with the Mannheim coast in the north of the Nahrin Desert, he still had the confidence to protect himself. He even had absolute control over his own region in the south, even if it was the powerful Gray Mane kingdom. Once again, he organized the Jackalan Expeditionary Army to come and fight. Kant was also confident that he could defeat them once again in the dune.

Moreover, the victory in the Senwaya range was extremely fruitful!

The sun set and the sun rose.

Kant led his team back at top speed.

Soon, they arrived at the posthouse.

10 Swadian recruits quickly came over to greet them. At the same time, 40 desert bandits were also informed to return on horseback. They only wanted to salute Kant and report the latest news.

They were the garrison forces that had just been stationed at the posthouse this month.

They usually scouted the desert.

However, after Kant arrived, the news they reported was not optimistic.

"What? A lot of scouting guys appeared in the desert?"

With a slight frown, Kant sat on the chair, holding a wooden bowl in his hand. He did not care about drinking the cool well water, instead, he asked the four desert bandits in front of him, "What's going on? Why are there so many people? I remember that before the beginning of the month, no one came to the Nahrin Desert, right?"

"That's true," The desert bandits replied. "We have already beaten back three waves of self-proclaimed trade caravan guys, and there was one time when the other party almost went to war despite our dissuasion."

"They really came fast."

Kant lowered his head slightly, and his thoughts wandered. He raised his head and praised, "You guys did a good job."However, he still put down the wooden bowl, he knocked on the table and said, "Next, I will continue to mobilize some Sarrandian horseman to help. This is the only way to the Oasis Lookout. You guys have to pay more attention to the situation around you."

"Understood," The desert bandits replied in a deep voice.

Chapter 205: The Changes of Drondheim

This was within Kant's expectations.

The posthouse was the only way to pass through the Rocky Pass and the Oasis Lookout.

As long as there were people who wanted to test Kant and came to the depths of the desert disguised as trade caravans, they would pass by this flat sand plain. The posthouse that was being built in the middle of the sand plain could be said to be extremely conspicuous.

No one would give up the idea of testing the posthouse.

Moreover, in the area around the possible routes, 40 desert bandits would carry out continuous patrols.

When they discovered that there was an unfamiliar trade caravan visiting, these extremely agile and valiant desert bandits would go over and say that Kant had issued an order forbidding them from going deep into the desert. If they encountered any stubborn resistance.., they did not mind pulling out the scimitars at their waists or the short javelins on their backs to let the other party experience the cruelty of the desert.

Even if the guards of the trade caravan were extremely powerful and could withstand these desert bandits who were weaker in close combat, it would be difficult for them to withstand the harassment and attacks day and night.

The desert bandits were very good at this kind of alternate guerrilla tactics.

Therefore, they relied on this tactic to continuously harass the trade caravan, letting them sense the danger. After hearing the good advice, they went to the posthouse to replenish fresh water and food, then turned around and returned, not daring to go deep into the Nahrin Desert, they were afraid of encountering these vulture-like desert bandits and causing some unpleasant accidents.

In the early stages, the ones who came to probe were real merchants or some secret agents disguised as merchants.

Therefore, they were very professional in the trade caravan.

Similarly, they could sense that these desert bandits were not lying. Once they went too far away from the posthouse, or touched the bottom line of these desert bandits, then cruel harassment would eventually come.

Otherwise, they would choose to return to the Stone Pass.

Or they would risk their lives to kill their way to the Oasis Lookout.

There were only these two options.

However, no matter how they looked at the second option, it was extremely brutal.

After all, after a period of examination, they knew that the lord of the Nahrin Desert, Baron Kant, controlled a group of heavy cavalry troops. Although they were few in number, they were extremely elite, be able to fight back and forth with the Knights at the Stone Pass and not lacking in power.

Naturally, they were talking about the Sarrandian horseman who had once displayed their brilliance at the Stone Pass.

It was just a pity.

Out of the 20 Sarrandian Horseman, only 7 survived.

However, even these 7 survivors were successfully promoted to Mamlukes. They had the standard of a top-tier Knight. In terms of close combat and battle experience, they were even stronger than Grand Knights who had extraordinary strength!

The system had instilled tens of years of killing experience into them. It was equivalent to fighting through mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

The effect was naturally extraordinary!

However, based on the current strength of these spies from the trade caravan, they were at most ordinary people.

They could deal with the desert bandits.

After all, the number of guards in each batch of trade caravan would not be too large. Compared to the size of the 40 desert bandits that could gather in large numbers with a whistle, they were at a complete disadvantage. Similarly, they did not dare to have any thoughts of resisting.

This was the early stage of testing, and it was not the time to use force to test.

Kant's strict blockade was enough to block the gazes of many people.

However, this was only temporary.

Oasis Lookout's table salt trade to the stone pass became more and more formal. The amount of silver coins traded increased, and the overall profit kept rising. It would also attract a large number of greedy eyes.

The probing would continue.

Once Kant's strength was clear, the new round of probing would arrive.

Until they understood Kant's bottom line.

Those noble and merchant were like devils from hell. They were not inferior in terms of fighting.

This was the work of greed.

Kant understood them.

Therefore, he made a choice against these greedy fellows.

The stone pass had already blocked many greedy gazes for him. Without the help of Baron Daron, even more spies and agents, as well as various bandit groups and violent organizations, would have appeared in the Nahrin Desert, moving towards the oasis lookout on a large scale. They would have had to engage in "Intimate"contact.

To tell the truth.

Kant was currently under very little pressure.

Desert Bandits alone could deal with the small trade caravan that had appeared in the Nahrin Desert after bypassing the Stone Pass.

The fierce bandits trained in the Sarrandian desert were still like fish in water in the Nahrin Desert. Moreover, this was Kant's home ground. If they encountered an enemy that they could not deal with, with the desert terrain and the cruel environment, added to the elite troops that could be transferred to Drondheim, destroying the opponents easily wasn't just a dream.

Now, in this vast and cruel Nahrin desert..

Kant's forces were ranked first!

... ..

Another trek.

Finally, on the last day of the month, Kant returned to the oasis lookout.

The long-lost stone wall of Drondheim appeared in front of him. The four arrow towers and the tower-like council hall were as tall as before, carrying safety and stability. They were the cornerstone of Kant's current forces.

This fortress allowed him to occupy this oasis.

And the Veruga marksman who first noticed Kant's arrival had already passed on the news.

Fatis was leading a team.

The Swadian Knight, the Swadian Heavy Cavalry, Mamlukes and Sarrandian Horsemen stomped on the sand, causing the soft sand layer to fly, showing their imposing manner.

This was the grandest welcome.

"Welcome back, Lord Kant!"

Fatis had a solemn expression on his face.

The heavy cavalry behind him also looked at Kant with enthusiasm. "Welcome Back, my Lord!" They shouted in unison, their eyes burning with passion, making them offer the most reverent wish in their hearts.

"Alright." Kant nodded.

Looking at these heavy cavalry, as well as the archers on the city walls and arrow towers, his expression was one of satisfaction.

These were his soldiers!

"Go in, "Kant ordered and entered Drondheim under the escort of many cavalry soldiers.

However, he also found that while he was away, although Fateth didn't have the authority to level up the fortress to become a castle, he still built Drondheim according to his authority.

More houses appeared inside the city walls.

More pedestrians came and went on the streets, and the atmosphere was bustling.

Green smoke curled up from the salt workshop all day long.

Piles of salt were placed on the wooden boards, waiting to be filled. More than a dozen workers were holding shovels and loading the fine white salt into linen bags. As the salt sprinkled, it looked white and beautiful. It was quite tempting.

The sugar workshop next to them was also smoking.

However, there were fewer goods.

Due to the lack of raw materials, the Sugar Workshop was limited.

However, with the hard work of the honey and the output of the date palm tree, the thumb-sized date palm candies were finished. They were also packed in linen sacks, and then carefully transported to the storeroom, waiting for their own internal digestion.

The sugar production has not yet formed a grand scale yet, so the products are produced for their own consumption.

Chapter 206: Beginning Of the Castle Level Up

The raw materials needed to make sugar were quite hard to get. At present, "Drondheim" could only mix honey and date palm to make original mixed sugar cubes. There was no technology to make higher-level sugar.

For example, maltose, which could be produced from wheat, but no one knew how to make this kind of sugar.

As for other sugar such as white sugar and brown sugar, they needed to be extracted from the beets, sugar cane and other plants that were rich in sugar. Of course, according to the research of the Sarradian, if date palm was refined, perhaps rough sugar such as brown sugar could be obtained. However, it had not been thoroughly studied, so brown sugar did not appear.

Compared to salt, which was a rich natural resource in the desert, sugar was obviously a little more troublesome to obtain. However, everything was developing at a high speed. Perhaps before long, date palm, which was rich in sugar, would be successfully studied. Then, Kant would able to produce new kinds of goods for the commercial exchanges with the world.

Sugar-rich cash crops such as sugar cane, sugar beet, figs and date palm could even be used to make dried fruits and produce fructose. These crops could be grown in the desert. Due to the temperature difference, the sugar content inside the fruits could be increased.

Kant had already made up his mind.

When the "Aaron" Village in the Senwaya Range was developed, the basic wheat fields and flax fields could be transferred over there, leaving "Drondheim" with only the cash crops that produced sugar.

At that time, the Oasis Lookout would not only be a military castle.

It would also be a workshop center that could supply the entire human countries with salt and sugar.

With these two condiments, which were comparable to luxury goods, a large amount of great silver coins would flow into Kant's pockets. The profiteering was no less than the spice trade.

This was because all these resources were ready-made for Kant.

Salt and alkali soil in the depths of the desert, date palm and honey of the Sarrandian people.

All of these did not cost too much!

If possible, Kant would even increase the investment in the breeding industry. For example, artificial beehives were all placed in the "Aaron" Village. With the rich plant resources in the Senwaya Range and the flowers that bloomed all over the mountains, it would become a place that could produce a large amount of honey. Together with date palm, batches of date palm sugar would be produced in sugar workshops.

And even if it was a spice trade, there might be a chance to try to get into this industry.

After all, the Senwaya Range was close to the Nahrin Desert, hence the natural environment tended to be humid and hot. From time to time, there would be cold and gloomy currents blowing over, caused a very strange climate, but it also created a climate similar to the subtropical mountains.

This was precisely the environment where spices such as pepper, cloves, nutmeg kernels, nutmeg, and ginger were easy to cultivate.

It was a pity that Kant did not have spices seeds.

According to what he knew in the academy, these spices were all purchased from the outer seas.

There were no spices in all the human kingdoms and the distant dwarf kingdoms, so these things were extremely precious. That was why spices were equivalent to the great silver coins. Several sacks of silver coins could be exchanged for a small sack of spices.

These spices were the luxury items that were only afforded by the nobles. In terms of luxury, spices were far surpassed fine white salt!

After patrolling the entire fortress.

Kant had a faint smile on his face.

He was very satisfied.

Especially after observing his own fortress, his plans for the future were much clearer and more intuitive.

Kant was in an extremely good mood.

He had finally gotten rid of his status as a weak and exhausted little lord. In the next level up, he would even have a brand new and sturdy castle. It was like the most thorough nail, firmly rooted in the Oasis Lookout, allowed him to become the indestructible true king of this land!

"Firentis.", Kant nodded in praise. "During the time I was away, you did very well."

"Thank you for your praise.", Firentis lowered his head, and there was a smile on his face after being praised.

"This is the praise you deserve.", Kant said with a smile.

Although Firentis's internal affairs ability could not be compared to the military command level, the education from the descendants of the great noble families, as well as the knowledge brought by traveling the continent, were not something that ordinary people could compare to.

For example, Manid and James were slightly worse than Firentis.

This was the difference brought about by education.

According to the original version of the game, the difference was not large because of the existence of the players.

But in reality, it was exposed without a doubt.

Among these hero-level NPCs, the one who could be compared to Firentis was probably Alayen, who came from the same noble family in the Kingdom of Vaegirs.

However, there was a difference between the two.

Due to the problem of education, Alayen was more like a general who led his troops to charge at the front.

He personally went to the battlefield and bathed in blood to boost the morale of his troops.

Firentis was different.

He was the commander-in-chef who led his troops in battle.

Although he could also charge at the front, the position of commander-in-chief reflected his military attainment. He played his role in tactics and strategy, not charging at the front as a general.

Kant had a very deep understanding of the original version.

When he came to this world, he also held the same principle.

There was no one who was the strongest or weakest, no one was useless. The things that mattered were whether they were put in a suitable position or not, or were they doing the right job, and were they fully unleash their potential or not!

Back at the council hall.

The peasant women immediately served warm food.

It was much more sumptuous than what they had eaten in the "Aaron" Village. There were even the freshest roasted lamb chops.

This was the best tonic after a long journey.

"Oh right, I suddenly discovered a strange phenomenon."

Kant looked at the golden and crispy roasted lamb chop and seemed to recall something.

He put down the knife and fork in his hand, he turned his head and asked Firentis, "It's the end of the month now, but why don't I see groups of sand gazelles starting to migrate? If I remember correctly, these sand gazelle sin the Senwaya Range will migrate in large numbers towards the depths of the Nahrin Desert at the end of the month. They will only return after they have eaten enough salt when they reach the salt and alkali soil."

"Yes, that is indeed the case.", Firentis nodded slightly and replied, "I have also discovered this recently. The number of sand gazelles is becoming fewer and fewer compared to before."

"The number of sand gazelle is becoming fewer now?", Kant frowned and asked, "This is not normal."

"Did you find anything unusual in the Senwaya Range?", Firentis asked.

"No.", Kant frowned.

Firentis said hesitantly, "Actually, since the end of last month, the number of sand gazelles has been decreasing. If it isn't a problem in the depths of the Nahrin Desert, then there must be a problem in the Senwaya Range."

"Is that so?", Kant nodded. His analysis was very reasonable.

Firentis also shrugged slightly and said in a relaxed tone, "Lord Kant, maybe the last time the expedition army came, they scared the sand gazelle, so they don't dare to come here for a while."

"Maybe.", Kant nodded.

He always felt that it was not so simple.

However, the current "Drondheim" did not need to rely on the sand gazelle as its main food.

It was just a source to provide dried meat.

And when Kant established "Aaron" in the Senwaya Range, he hunted a large number of rich wild animals and made them into dried meat. He did not need to rely on the sand gazelle as a source of meat.

The current herds of gazelles only served as a source of red meat for "Drondheim", allowing people to eat fresh meat.

So it didn't matter much.

All the prepared food was served.

Because it was early in the morning, Firentis accompanied Kant to dine.

But the two talked more.

After being away for so long, Kant needed to listen carefully to Firentis's report, especially since the construction work and changes of "Drondheim" after his departure. These were all things to consider when he decided to level up next.

The conversation ended at the end of the meal.

Kant nodded slightly. "Very good."

Firentis reported all kinds of situations and current situations in detail.

Thanks to its self-enclosed development, the fortress did not communicate with the outside world. Therefore, the changes of "Drondheim" were not big, and the changes were all within the scope of control. It did not have much effect on the next level up.

"Continue to be on alert."

Kant wiped the corner of his mouth with a linen towel and wiped the grease off.

Then, he stood up and walked to the second floor. At the same time, he continued to instruct Firentis, "I will go back to my room to rest for a while. You will continue to manage the fortress. If there are any abnormalities, tell everyone not to panic."

"Understood.", Firentis also stood up and nodded respectfully.

Kant was talking about the abnormalities caused by the level up.

The construction of the "Drondheim" Fortress had been completed. The soldiers were neat and elite. There was no problem for it to be leveled up to castle.

He returned to his room.

The window was open, the air was dry, and there was no strange smell.

He had not been back for a while, and the room was very clean.

Obviously, his room was cleaned every day. Looking at the smooth surface of the table, there wasn't even a layer of dust on it , let alone sand. One could see how dutiful were the peasant women who were responsible for cleaning the fortress.

He closed the door.

Kant lay on the bed that was changed every day.

Dialog box instantly popped up in his eyes.

His mind had already contacted the system, and he said in his mind, "System, level up."

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ You have the option to level up once. Please confirm the target of level up. ]

["Drondheim" Fortress/"Aaron" Village. ]

The system quickly gave a prompt.

Kant said in a deep voice, "Level up "Drondheim" Fortress!"

There was no need to hesitate.

"Drondheim" was his main reliance now. If he could open up a trade route to the Mannheim Coast, then this "Drondheim" would be even more useful!

As Kant affirmed, the data flow instantly surged out.

The upgrade card that was already in his mind had already turned into pieces.

However, on the council hall of "Drondheim", the data flow had already completely engulfed the building and was expanding, beginning to produce irreversible changes.

The data flow quickly dissipated.

The entire council hall, which was built entirely from stone, no longer had the shape of a military tower.

Instead, it was the real main body of the castle!

Chapter 207: The Data Interface Of the Castle

Kant's mind instantly rose to the top of the sky.

God's view expanded.

The entire Oasis Lookout suddenly appeared in a bird's-eye view.

In the distance, the lush date palm jungle, the wheat fields with sprouting seedlings, and the sparkling lake water brought the vitality of nature to the surrounding sandy dune.

Peasants were busy in the fields, holding farm tools to clean up the ridges they were responsible for.

The lake water in the canal was trickling.

The well-built canal could connect the date palm jungle with the wheat fields, and the flax fields, and pour water into the lake through the sewer at any time. The canal prevented the date palm jungle, which was ready to bloom and bear fruit, and the sprouting wheat fields to have any possibility of drying up from the astonishing amount of evaporation during the day.

The Swadians knew more about agriculture than any other country's peasant and farmers, even the chickens as well.

Those free-range and desert-adapted grouses were not cooped up in their coops, instead they spread their wings and dived deep into date palm jungle or chee grass beach in search of flesh worms.

The grouses would not venture too deep into the desert. It was like there was a bottom line that they would not easily set foot in.

Every time the peasant women carried flax sacks and called out loudly, these sand grouse would flutter their wings and quickly rush over, enjoying the grains that were scattered on the sandy ground. This was their luxury food.

If the villagers in the Kingdom of Swadia saw them directly feed the sand grouse with grains, they would definitely wail in grief.

The chaotic continent of Caradia didn't even have enough to eat after all.

[ Ding... system prompt ]

["Drondheim" has completed its upgrade. Current level: Castle ]

The dialog box that popped up from the system brought Kant back to his senses.

He lowered his head and looked down.

The originally tower-shaped council hall had been completely transformed into a tall building made of large stone strips. It occupied an area of nearly 1,000 square meters. The buildings on both sides were pushed out, and the width of the street was less than five meters.

This was the real main body of the castle, completely different from the previous towers.

The height of the six-story building was close to 15 meters.

In addition, there were additional arrow towers at the four corners of the castle-level council hall.

Even the outer walls were tightly built with a seven-meter-high city wall and a concave-shaped arrow-blocking wall that was one meter higher.

There were even semi-circular towers extending on both sides of the main gate of the council hall. On top of the tower, there was a thick and heavy gatehouse, which just opened up a gap of half a meter. On the platform next to it, there were a large number of stones the size of a human head. It was estimated that if an enemy attacked the front gate, these stones would be able to smash down fiercely and slow down the enemy's attack.

The main body of the council hall had an extremely strict system, which was as well-defended as the main bodies of the castles in the game.

This building itself was the key to the castle!

It could be said that if the entire outer and inner parts of the castle had been lost, as long as this council hall was still intact and had resisted the enemy's attack, then there was still a chance to recover the lost land!

Because the very purpose of the castle was this towering building!

But why would Kant let his 'Drondheim' fall?

It was absolutely impossible.

He swept his gaze across the council hall that had already changed. His gaze swept past the surrounding buildings and lined them up densely. It was already unable to accommodate any more new buildings.

But with a thought, the system actually popped up a dialog box on his retina.

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ Detected that you have entered "Castle-level", the rules are beginning to change. ]

[ Detected two new rules at the same time, beginning to load the system... ]

[1. Supernatural power rule loading... ]

[2. High level troop class rules loading... ]

[ New rules loading completed, the system has successfully fused the new rules. Remark: Due to lack of necessary information, the system's rules are lacking. Please obtain more supernatural power for the system to analyze the rules of this world. ]

This was a notification from the system.

After a rough scan, Kant could not help but nod to himself.

This was the new rules he obtained after killing those two women. It was also the reason why he chose to kill those two women without leaving anyone alive.

Supernatural powers.

High level troop class.

These were all terms in fantasy fictions. Kant naturally understood it.

And he also understood that when these two rules were loaded, it had already surpassed the level of the original version's history. The game had reached the level of the legendary fantasy world!

The real fantasy world.

Just like the real world Kant was currently in..

There were magic, foreign races, and divine artifacts!

This was the confidence of Kant for engaging in battles. There were troop classes that were even stronger than the original level 5 troop class. Those abject ancient survivors who had already been squeezed by the age of chaos and had lost most of their strength, what qualifications did they have to compare with him, after he gained such great strength?

The absolute power was to have core combat strength!

Kant would never give up.

On his vision, a new dialog box continued to pop up.

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ You have entered "Castle Class". Reputation and honor system unlocked. ]

[ You have entered "Castle Class". Recruitment and employment system unlocked. ]

Kant scanned through the new dialog box.

The recruitment and hiring system was very simple in the literal sense. It allowed him to recruit higher-level troop class. He could also hire the original version of mercenaries in the tavern, for example, mercenary horsemen, mercenary crossbowmen, trade caravan guards, porter, profession warriors, and so on, these were the various troop class that had appeared in the past.

Although most of them were troop class with inferior equipment, their advantage was that they could respawn in the tavern every week. Occasionally, there would be a level 5 top-tier troop class appeared, which could improve the quantity and quality of his troop classes in a short period of time!

Kant frowned slightly as he looked at the reputation and honor system.

He was quite familiar with these two systems.

Because in the early stages, when he fought the Jackalan tribe head-on, it had already been activated after he obtained victory. Now that it was still unlocked, he was indeed a little puzzled.

If it was already unlocked, could it be unlocked again?

The system seemed to sense his doubt.

The system dialog box popped up.

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ Because the initial reputation and honor system were unlocked as a reward for the mission, there are some functions that have not been unlocked. New rules are in place, all functions have been unlocked, please continue to use. ]

[ Remark: Consume 10 reputation points to speed up the construction time by one day, consume 100 reputation points to attract a small group of refugees. ]

[ Remark: Consume reputation points to draw high-level items and high-level troop class, consume 10/100 reputation points to level up the estate. ]

The system's explanation was clear.

Kant nodded. In his heart, he understood that the new reputation and honor system had also changed.

Or it could be called the function unlock.

Now, using 10 reputation points could speed up the construction by one day, which was 10 times less than the original 100 reputation points. Moreover, it could attract a small group of refugees at the price of 100 reputation points, which was a new function.

It was very suitable for the rapid development of "Drondheim" Castle and "Aaron" Village.

Especially "Aaron" Village.

With these two new functions, the construction of the village could be completed in a short period of time, and a large number of people could appear in the village. It would perfect the employment needs of each post, and a large number of buildings could be built in a short period of time, this would allow the entire village to enter the level up stage.

Because of the honor function of the system, it allowed the automatic level up.

Level up the village to a military-type fortress or a civilian-type town by consuming 10 honor points.

Level up the fortress or town to a castle or a city by consuming 100 honor points.

As for the higher level up, the system did not provide it.

Perhaps it had already reached its peak.

After all, in the original version, castles and cities already represented the highest-level strongholds. As for the other large-scale castles or cities in the MOD, such as the capital of the five kingdoms and the Nords Castle in "Prohesy of Pendor", they did not appear. As for the epic-level cities and castles in the "Custom Commander", they did not appear at all.

Even if these castles and cities were available, the cost of honor points required would be astronomical.

Leveling up to a castle required 100 honor points.

If leveled up to 'Drondheim of the Ancient Council', it would require tens of thousands of honor points. It would tire Kant to death while he was doing endless side quest. It was estimated that he would never be able to gather enough honor points in his lifetime.

However, there was no need to think too much right now.

Kant muttered to himself.

The current castle level up had been completed.

Next, it was time to start the construction of the castle.

After all, after upgrading the castle, these originally fortress-level buildings had lost their former effects. They were all replaced by castle-level buildings, just like how fortress-level buildings replaced village-level buildings.

"Open the data interface."

A dialog box popped up in Kant's mind communication system.

.....,,

[ Drondheim ]

[ Lord: Kant ]

[ Balance: 62,520 dinars ]

[ reputation: 24,300]

[ honor: 10]

[ General: Firentis, Manid, James ]

[ Type: Swadian Castle ]

Current population: 1,500

Existing buildings:

[ Military: Council hall (Castle-level) , training ground, barracks, desert bandits' camp, Vaegirs shooting range, stone wall, city gate, arrow tower, weapons workshop, jail ]

[ Civilian: House (100) , tavern, bell tower, grocery store, sugar workshop, salt workshop, linen workshop, mill, wall, well, canal, posthouse, camel farm, stable]

[ Buildable buildings ]

[ Military: Large bell tower, footman training camp, crossbowmen training camp, cavalry training camp, large tower, high-level watchtower, large arrow tower, h sigh level tone city wall, high-level city gate, wooden attic, high-level weapons workshop, large prison ]

[ Civilian: High-level house, trade caravan station, deep well, fire tower, watchtower, blacksmith's shop, blacksmith's guild, drinking channel, small fountain, water tower, horse farm ]

[ Agricultural resources: Date palm jungle (30 arcs) , wheat field (50 arcs) , chee grass beach (20 arcs) , alfalfa grass (20 arcs) , flax field (10 arcs)]

[ Animal husbandry: Single humped camel (50) , desert bee (5 hives) , sand grouse (50)]

[Troops: 60 footmen, 580 cavalries, 103 archers ]

[ Current troops: Swadian militia (60), Swadian knight (97) , Swadian heavy cavalry (188), Mamluke (45), Sarrandian horseman (120), Vaegir marksman (103), desert bandits (120)]

[ Recruitable: Swadian militia (council hall) , 40 desert bandits/week (desert bandits' camp) , 10 archers/week (Vaegirs shooting range)]

[ Comment: In this barren desert oasis, the 'Drondheim' castle stands tall. It seems to be in good condition. The clear and abundant spring water flowed into the lake, connecting the canals to irrigate hundreds of acres of land. Although the city walls were short, they had been strengthened by the attic. However, the distribution of arrow towers and needed to be increased, and it did not reflect the castle's excellent defense. However, there were many elite soldiers stationed there, which made up for the lack of city defense construction. In the end, this was a simple yet vibrant small castle, and it had a great future. However, it was worth noting that there were very few women in the fortress

[ Remark: non-system items are not included in the statistics ]

.........

The new data was already displayed on the dialog box by the system.

It was very clear.

Chapter 208: Miracle-like Construction

The data provided by the system was very detailed.

Kant looked at every detail carefully.

This was the data of the castle-level "Drondheim". He must not be careless.

After all, to build his own castle and the construction in the future would mean that Kant had officially established himself in the Nahrin Desert. He was the center of power. Whether it was to expand outwards or to defend in place, he had to think carefully.

As for the buildings that could be built, there were many types, but they were not complicated. However, Kant's eyes were slightly stunned.

The castle-level buildings that could be built were very familiar.

Many of the buildings existed in the fortress-level were also built inside the city walls now. Moreover, their functions were almost the same, or they were exactly the same. The only difference was that they were upgraded and not upgraded.

For example, the tower, the arrow tower, and the city walls.

They became large towers, large arrow towers, and high-level city walls.

Although it only looked like one or two words were added to the buildings, there were much more going on from the architectural blueprint on Kant's retina. It was bigger and more magnificent!

Compared to the original five meters tall city wall and added the two meters tall wooden attic, it was just seven meters in height.

Now the high-level city wall was completely seven meters tall alone, and it was made of two-meter-long and half-meter-thick bluestone blocks. The width of the city wall had also increased from two meters to five meters. There were no interlayers in the middle, and the whole building was completed in one, only large-caliber cannons were able to destroy it. It already became the nightmare of siege troops in the era of cold weapons.

And the three training camps could provide recruitment for the high-level troop class.

This was the system's compromise.

According to the original game, it was impossible to directly recruit mid-level and high-level troop class. One could only gain experience points through a level 1 troop class after experiencing a battle and slowly level up.

This was the case for the Kingdom of Swaida's troops.

If one wanted to level up, one had to slowly level up from level 1 to 2, 3, 4 and 5.

It was quite complicated.

Kant had already realized this point.

Thus, when the system gave him a troop class upgrade, Kant directly used it in the council hall.

The current "Drondheim" could directly recruit a level 2 Swadian militia.

But even if they were level 2 militiamen, they still lost the ability to engage in a frontal battle to the enemies that Kant was currently facing. Perhaps only a level 3 troop class light footmen, who wore mail armor with a German sword and a heater shield, be used in an footmen's front line that withstood the assault during a war.

Only a level 4 heavy footmen and level 5 sergeants who wore chain mail armor were the only person who could maintain the front line.

As for a troop class 4 heavy cavalry and troop class 5 knight, they were the true main force that Kant relied on!

As for the crossbowmen of the Kingdom of Swadia...

With the "Aaron" Village from the Kingdom of Rhodoks and the existence of the strongest sniper and crossbowmen, there was no need to recruit them at all. Even in terms of the combat strength of the footman, the Swadian sergeants could be eliminated by the Rhodok segeants who wielded long hilts and heavy scythes. Even the level 6 infantrymen, the royal guards of the Nord family, could compete with them.

However, the Swadian sergeant was good at using a sword and a heater shield. With the combination of a warrior sword and a thick heater shield, they could directly cut into the enemy's battlefield, making up for the weakness of the Rhodok soldiers' low mobility due to the use of long hilts and heavy scythes.

Kant withdrew his thoughts.

He was impressed by the strength of the castle-level.

With the appearance of all these buildings and the elite troop class, he could completely defend his castle.

Even if the enemy attacked, they could rely on the perfect city defenses to fight against the enemy. They could even use strong field combat ability the Kingdom of Swadia soldiers to defeat the exhausted enemy.

Just like how they dealt with the expedition army of the Kingdom of Grey Mane!

A living example was right in front of them.

Moreover, Kant did not believe that with just this castle stood in the oasis in the depths of the desert, what kind of enemy would be able to encircle them for a long time? It was estimated that they would have to retreat not long after.

Even the nearest Dukedom of Leo.

Ten years ago, the 2,000-man army had retreated in less than two months.

The logistical supplies in the desert were a huge problem!

He muttered to himself.

Kant thought about it and directly communicated with the system, he issued a series of orders in a deep voice, "Upgrade the current stone city walls to castle-level. Build one large arrow tower every 10 meters, one large tower every 30 meters, and upgrade all the city gates to high-level gates. Build one large arrow tower and tower on each side of the gate."

The large arrow tower was 15 meters tall and had four floors. It could accommodate 50 archers.

The large tower was 20 meters tall and had six floors. It could accommodate 80 archers.

It could be said that these castle-level large arrow towers and towers that built along the city wall were basically impregnable. Any enemy troops that attempted to attack the city wall would have to suffer heavy casualties when they approached the city wall. Otherwise, who knew how many people were able to get close if they just directly attacked with their lives.

Moreover, with the range and firing speed of Vaegirs archers, as well as the sturdiness and height of the city wall, the enemy would give up their attempts to use simple siege weapons to attack the city wall.

Such as the ordinary long ladders and simple battering ram, it was impossible to break through the high-level city wall of castle.

The five meters thick high-level city wall was made of bluestone blocks.

It had reached the point where one had to use high-grade siege weapons such as siege engines, siege towers, and catapults to get close to the city wall and suppress the enemy's firepower. Only then, they could take down the city wall.

As for whether or not they could withstand the rain of arrows and break through the stubbornly resisting city wall defenders, that was another matter.

Moreover, the Swadian heavy cavalry troops were not to be trifled with.

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ The construction this time requires a total of 29,570 denars. Yes/No? ]

Along with the expenditure of nearly 30,000 denars, the city walls of the entire "Drondheim" castle suddenly underwent a change. The construction team from Suno had already appeared behind the dune not far away. The number was huge, and there were than 500 people, the large amount of wood and stone, as well as construction tools, were all filled with 100 large carriages.

To upgrade and build all the city walls, arrow towers, and towers was a huge amount of work.

The overall construction time given by the system had also reached 150 days.

It was close to half a year's time.

If it was in the real world, in the era of cold weapons with manpower as the main labor force, to be able to obtain such a defensive effect in half a year's time was definitely a godly speed.

According to the game, the so-called 150 days was about 20 hours in the real world.

After playing the game for a few days, it would be completed.

But now, although Kant was in the real world, he still had the system time in the game.

150 days, half a year to complete it was a bit too long for Kant.

With the help of the system.

Any construction project of Kant could be completed in a short time!

The system had once warned Kant not to waste his reputation recklessly. Hence, he had kept the reputation points that he had obtained. And now, the reputation points that he had kept had played a crucial role!

Now, 10 reputation points could reduce the construction time by one day.

That meant that Kant's 150 days of construction time could be completely offset with 1500 reputation points!

To Kant, who had 24,300 reputation points, it was like a drop in the bucket.

Previously, the various main quest, temporary quest, and special quest had allowed Kant to accumulate such a large amount of reputation points. Now was the time to use it. He did not need to care about the consumption problem at all!

This was the reputation points that he had saved!

There was no burden in using it.

"System.", Kant directly communicated with the system and ordered, "Pay 1,500 reputation points immediately and shorten all the construction of the city wall to one day!"

[ Ding... construction time has been shortened. ]

The system popped up a notification.

In Kant's mind, the number of reputation points immediately decreased by 1,500 points.

However, there was still 22,800 points left.

Kant's lips curled into a smile as he used the system's golden fingers to complete the building. This feeling was extraordinary, because right below him, at the "Drondheim" Castle, a large amount of data streams had already begun to spread.

The clanging sounds of buildings rang out rapidly.

Almost at a speed visible to the naked eye, the outline of the city walls and arrow towers had already appeared.

And as the data stream dragged on, it was nearing completion.

The 150 days of construction time was shortened to one day, which was almost the end of the project. The four city walls were tall and wide, with large arrow towers every 10 meters, and one large tower every 30 meters.

These fortifications were built one after another, standing like giants.

In front of the 10 meters tall walls, the 15 meters tall arrow towers, and the 20 meters tall towers, the buildings inside the walls were as short as chicks. Even the 15 meters tall council hall was seemed to be much shorter.

However, as the main building of the castle, the council hall occupied a larger area, and the walls were thicker and heavier, so the defense was better. After all, this building had a comprehensive defense system.

When the enemy broke through the walls, all the soldiers and civilians in the "Drondheim" Castle would enter the council hall to defend. The height of the six-story building could accommodate thousands of people, so it was no problem to retreat into the council hall and fought against the enemies.

Of course, Kant would not let the enemy break through the walls.

At present, 1,500 civilians could become 1,500 Swadian militiamen with once the bell tower rang.

Although their combat strength was relatively weak, they were fearless in protecting their homes.

In the list of buildings, the bell tower could also be upgraded. Meanwhile, Kant scanned through the list of buildings that could be upgraded and built. At the same time, he gave orders even faster: "Level up all the houses, upgrade the bell tower, build the footman, cavalry, and crossbowman's training ground. At the same time, build all the civilian buildings."

With the expenditure of denars and reputation points, under the system's rules, all of the buildings were instantly completed like a miracle!

Chapter 209: The Utility Of Civilian Buildings

As Kant gave the order, the system instantly popped up a dialog box.

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ This construction will cost 15,570 denars. It will take a total of 100 days. ]

[ Yes/No? ]

[ Remark: Only 17,380 denars left after the construction. Please be aware. ]

The system gave a warning-like prompt.

There were less than 20,000 denars left. This was no longer enough to maintain the balance of payments. Or it could be said that Kant had never had any income at all, he always spent his denars right away. If there were only this little denars left, after Kant paid the first week of military expenses next month, he might ran out of denar.

The system had no choice but to give a prompt.

However, Kant did not hesitate at all. "Build!"

This was his command.

The system chose to listen. Instantly, data gushed out and engulfed the castle building below.

At the same time, Kant thought continued to give the command, "Consume 1,000 reputation points and shorten the construction time to 1 day!"

Since the construction time had already been shortened, there was nothing wrong with continuing to shorten it. To Kant, he only lacked denar. As for reputation points, he definitely did not lack any at all!

What he wanted was a castle that could be built quickly in a short period of time!

[ Ding... the construction time has been shortened. ]

The system popped up a dialog box.

Under Kant's body, in the "Drondheim" Castle, buildings were instantly built in the data stream.

It was really being built at a speed visible to the naked eye.

These houses were originally made of stone as the foundation and wood as the walls. Now they were all built with neatly cut stone materials in the data stream. Whether it was the walls or the pillars, the entire body was built with stones produced in the mountains of the Kingdom of Swadia, even the roof was also built with stones. Only a few parts of the structure, such as the wall support, doors and windows, were made of wood.

The originally three meters tall house was directly transformed into a two-story building that was more than six meters tall.

It could accommodate twice the number of people as before!

These 100 renovated high-level houses could accommodate 1,500 civilians. Even if 700 soldiers went in to rest, it would be more than enough. This was because the newly appeared high-level houses had a huge increase in the internal living space!

If packed it with bed bunks without any other comfort amenities, it could totally accommodate 5,000 people!

That was an impressive number!

It meant that with Kant's "Drondheim" Castle, it could already accommodate 5,000 fully armed soldiers. As long as they met the need for food and water, even tens of thousands of enemies troops would probably not able to take down this castle, especially with the Nahrin Desert's cruel environment and Kant's geographical advantage, even if hundreds of thousands of troops arrived, they would have to die on the spot!

A troop needed to put ten times more effort in siege battles than the defending side to have a chance of winning.

Because the defending side had massive advantage. On top of the geographical advantage, there was also the city defense fortifications. In fact, when the defending side's morale was high and they had sufficient reserves, it was as difficult as ascending to the heavens to take down this city!

The history of Earth had already proved this point.

Whether it was in China or abroad.

Or in the ancient times, feudal period, and modern times, it was the same.

If one wanted to capture an united defensive city, it was absolutely impossible to do so without tragic casualties. Even if they managed to capture it, their losses would be extremely heavy. In the end, it would cause a chain reaction when the battle dragged on.

Especially on the high-level walls of the "Drondheim" Castle, the large arrow towers and large towers could almost be called a forest. If 5,000 soldiers were to be stationed there with 1,000 archers among them, they would fully unleash the best effect of the city defense fortifications. They would let any siege troops taste the feeling of arrows poured down like heavy rain, and they would not be able to even get close to the city walls!

Currently, Kant did not have 5,000 fully armed soldiers, but he had 1,500 civilians, close to 700 elite soldiers, and the upgraded high-level bell tower! It was 20 meters tall and close to the council hall.

This high-level bell tower had almost become part of the council hall. The arrow tower of the council hall had a small opening, allowing one to access into the high-level bell tower at the height of 10 meters.

If there was necessity, this high-level bell tower could not only serve as a watchtower, but also serve as an arrow tower for archers!

However, the most useful thing was its characteristics.

[ High-level bell tower: Civilian/military building. A large building made of neatly cut stones. There was a bronze bell on top of the tower, which could be used for daily time reporting or alarm. Attribute: 1. Emergency mobilization: When war comes, ring the bronze bell, and all civilians can be called up to protect their homes. During the defense period, all civilians will be temporarily promoted to the Swadian militiamen. 2. High morale: During war, when the enemy attacks, ring the bronze bell and make a deafening sound, encouraging the soldiers to fight, and prevent the low morale of the soldiers due to the enemy's long-term siege or harsh battle situation. ]

Kant swept through the introduction of the high-level bell tower. Compared to the previous bell tower of the fortress level, it had also undergone an earth-shattering change. It had brought a qualitative change in the abilities of the defending army in the entire castle.

The original characteristic of the bell tower was to upgrade the civilians to Swadian recruits.

However, they could directly become Swadian militia now.

Although the level 1 and Level 2 troop class were not of much help to Kant's current combat sequence, they could still transform of 1,500 civilians into Swadian militiamen and suppress the enemy with the advantage of large troop.

There was no such thing as HP or Def in the real world.

Even if one was a powerful extraordinary knight, the one who could fight against 100 or 1,000 of people, he still had to die of he was stabbed in the heart no matter how powerful he was. With such a fatal wound, it was impossible for him to survive.

In the game, if one was stabbed in the heart, it might be a vital attack.

Although they had lost a lot of HP, they were still attacking vigorously like they were not injured at all.

With the help of the tall, wide, and sturdy city defense fortifications, these Swadian militiamen could use their advantage in number to defend against the enemy army. If the enemy wanted to attack, even if they climbed up the city walls, they would have to suffer from the attacks of militiamen. These militiamen, who were wearing iron-plated scale armor, the militia heavy spear, pickaxe, and wide shield, were the most tenacious resistance!

In close combat, pickaxe that could break through armor was not to be trifled with.

Moreover, on the narrow city walls, a fight to death would be inevitable!

The second characteristic of the high-grade bell tower, 'high morale', was precisely the characteristic that soar any soldier's morale, which made they willing to risk their lives to fight.

Kant could also use his strange item, that [ Commanding power ] horn to further increase the morale of the militiamen. This could even make the militiamen burst out with a morale that exceeded their original state of mind. They would have the courage to die together with the enemy, like fighting just like a madman, protecting their home and country, and did no fear of sacrificing themselves!

Castle-level buildings often had their own unique functions!

After all, a village was only the most basic unit, and in a sense, it somewhat represented a symbolic stronghold.

A fortress was an expansion of a stronghold, and it had its own territory. Perhaps building a stronghold in a certain location was to showcase the ruling power of an authority, but it was more important to establish the ruling power firmly.

A castle was different.

A castle was the true ruling center of the area, and it was the central domain of any lord.

If they attacked the village, it would be tantamount to a provocation.

If they attacked the stronghold, it would be tantamount to declaring war.

If they attacked the castle, it would be tantamount to a deadly and ugly warfare!

The castle was no longer purely military. It also represented political significance.

Attacking the castle was like a slap in the face, which made all the lord of the castle lost face. There was almost no possibility of a communication with the attacker. Unless the victor was decided, or one side lost, only then they would communicate together at the negotiation table.

Therefore, castle-level buildings were not only perfect, but it also taken account of military and political factors. City defense fortifications and high-level towers were like this, as well as the civilian buildings.

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ Please confirm the construction location of the following buildings. Construction will begin soon. ]

Among the civilian buildings that Kant built, there were many buildings that cannot leveled up. He needed to personally choose the location and let these civilian buildings connect together to form a complete channel.

That's right, it was a channel.

Deep water well, water tower, water diversion channel, small fountains, fire towers, and guard towers were all built as a whole.

They needed to be connected to form a channel to complete the construction.

The water tower could connect the live water or the deep water well. From there, the water would be transported to the huge water tower by the water truck. The height difference would then allow the water poured down form the water tower into the diversion channel. Finally, the clean water would enter the small fountains and fire towers connected to the diversion channel and could be used by the soldiers and civilians living in the castle.

Not only could it be used as daily drinking water, if there was a fire in the city at a critical time, the person in charge of the watchtower would able to gather the civilians. Then, they were able to use the buckets to take the water from the fountains and the water channels to quickly put out the fire.

This was the perfect water source mechanism in castle-level buildings.

Even if they were in a drawn-out war with enemy, they could use fire attacks without fear to exhaust the enemy and quickly put out the fire afterward.

Although these castle-level buildings were for civilian use, there was actually a military component in them.

Kant pondered for a moment.

These buildings had to be arranged properly, especially the water towers and deep water wells which should be the centers of the canals. They had to be placed carefully.

The interior of the castle was clear from God's point of view.

100 high-level houses occupied the entire southern living area.

The crafts area in the west was crowded.

The governing area in the north and the military area in the east were also crowded due to the increasing number of buildings.

However, when all the buildings had been built, the castle had basically maxed out the level. The next thing that Kant considered was not the upgrade of the "Drondheim" Castle, but the development of more villages and upgraded them into castles or cities, it would be an important help for him to control the entire Nahrin Desert.

Chapter 210: The Appearance of Professional Craftsman

After thinking carefully, Kant had already made a decision.

The 15 meters tall water tower was built in the spring water behind the council hall, and its bottom was just right in the middle of the spring's eye.

As the system was modified, the spring's eye that was already connected to the water elemental plane began to emit fresh water. At the bottom of stone wall of the water tower, the wooden water pump began to rotate, drawing large amounts of fresh water into the top five meters of the wooden water tower, which was like a big head doll, became a reserve of water source.

At the same time, Kant also built two water towers in the eastern military region, the southern residential area, the western crafts area, and the central residential street, forming a total of seven water towers.

Next to the water towers, he built a deep-water well and fire tower allowing the wooden water pump to extend into it. As long as a civilian came to the water pump and operated it, he could quickly replenish the fresh water into the water tower with the help of the water pump, it would reserve the water source to supplement the daily need for water.

The water stored in the water tower would also be distributed to the fire tower.

These 20 meters tall buildings could overlook the entire "Drondheim" Castle. The observers stationed at the top of the fire tower were able to identify the source of fire and gave the instructions to mobilize the fire force on the ground. The fire force would then use the water trucks and buckets to carry the clear water in the fire tower to extinguish the fire.

These buildings that were attached to the water tower would be the helpers to prevent fires!

Of course, there were also the small fountains.

Kant also set up four small fountains on the southwest and northeast sides.

The four small fountains on the southwest side guaranteed the daily water use of the administrative area, the crafts area, and the residential area, respectively. In a critical moment, they would first stop the spread of the fire before the fire force arrived.

The four small fountains on the northeast side mainly provided water to the soldiers of the military area.

It could be said that these two-story fountains, which were more than three meters wide and more than one meter high, were not only for viewing purpose.

They were also the main source for drinking water and to put out the fire!

During the daily routine, they could also admire the spring water with beautiful arcs. Moreover, when the spring water was sprinkled, it formed a mist that lowered the temperature inside the entire city wall.

Although the effect was not great, it also added some water vapor, and it would not appear to be too hot.

This depended on the diversion channel.

The diversion channel was mainly made of stone and wood, and it actually referred to the drinking water pipes of the Kingdom of Rhodoks and the Kingdom of Sarrand, which formed a unique structure after fused by the system.

It was even the main structure that mobilized the water source in the "Drondheim "Castle.

The construction should be more careful.

Because the establishment of the diversion channel is related to the drinking water, fire prevention and extinguishing, as well as the distribution of water resources.

Connection between the water tower, deep water well, fire tower, small fountain was the core of the whole water flowing system of "Drondheim"!

The diversion channel is divided into two levels.

The upper level is made out of the date palm tree trunk, the trunk was hollowed out to form the channel. It was set up on the four walls, and the roof of a house. Next, it finally connected with the water tower, and then flowed into the underground diversion channel.

The underground water diversion channel was built neatly by cutting small stones.

At the same time, it was covered with materials such as lime to prevent water seepage.

Then, it was buried half a meter underground. Together with the eight small fountains in the entire "Drondheim" Castle, it eventually formed a siphon effect, allowing the fountains to spew out beautiful water.

Even the council hall had a separate water diversion channel.

This was similar to the Roman drainage project.

The difference was that these diversion channels didn't reach the scale of stretching few kilometers away to bring the drinking water from the mountain lakes into the city. They only used manpower to transport the fresh water from the lakes and deep wells to all parts of the castle.

Although the scale was small, it had all the organs, making "Drondheim" Castle unassailable!

To ensure safety, the civilian watchtowers were also built in the four districts of the castle.

These four watchtowers had a wide jurisdiction.

Similar to the city management system, they could use the watchtowers to maintain order and cleanliness in peacetime, patrol the streets in wartime, maintain stability, and search for spies. These watchtowers showed the determination of the castle authority to win and maintaining the stability.

It was just that there were no outsiders in the castle at the moment, so the watchtower was just for show.

After all, these soldiers and people were always loyal to Kant, and it was impossible for them to betray him.

As for spies.

Kant did not intend to open the "Drondheim" Castle, so there would not be these rats.

As for other civilian buildings like the craftsmen guild built next to the training ground.

This was a building that could recruit or trained craftsmen. The recruited craftsmen could make siege or defensive weapons, such as catapult, tower, ladder, or ballista.

However, they were not only craftsmen who made siege weapons.

In the craftsmen guild, there were also professional blacksmiths, sugar-makers, salt-makers, weavers, tailors, and so on.

These professional craftsmen were trained and recruited by the guild and all of them had specialized skills.

Just like how the peasant was more suitable for farming, these professional craftsmen were more suitable to fill the gaps in the handicraft industry of the current "Drondheim" Castle.

For example, salt workshop, sugar workshop, and linen workshop could train outstanding talents to move in and start working more efficiently. It was far better than the temporary workers and the part-time peasant.

There were even all kinds of workers needed in the weapons workshop.

For example, arrow craftsmen, spear craftsmen, leather craftsmen, weapons craftsmen, and other professional craftsmen.

The weapons workshop Kant had obtained this building at the fortress level.

However, it was less cost-effective.

It could only produce weapons like wooden sticks. They even gave up on the leather armor production due to the peasant's rusty craftsmanship and the lack of professional craftsmen.

Although forging and tanning looked very simple, without practical experience, it was really impossible to complete the production of weapons.

Otherwise, it would be a child's play to simply hand over the inferior weapons to the soldiers to protect their country.

On a real battlefield, if there were no good weapons, the soldiers could only charge the enemy's formation with these inferior weapons. Perhaps these weapons would directly break or shatter, and it would be impossible to maintain a high intensity battle.

This would ultimately lead to the failure of the battle and caused tragedies.

The appearance of the of craftsmen guild also made up for this shortcoming.

The current "Drondheim" Castle had an high-level weapons workshop. As long as there were raw materials such as iron ingots, they could completely make weapons themselves. There was no need to continue purchasing weapons and spend a large amount of denars.

Although they got along with Joslin, the merchant of Reyvadin, they were just talking business after all.

The damaged goods could not be sold for much denars.

The replacement of lost weapons, such as the cavalry's lance and spear, consumed a lot of denars.

This was a system restriction.

Unless they had their own arsenal.

And now, Kant was already confirmed that the weapons workshop could be put into use.

They could save a huge amount of cost from buying the extremely cheap iron ingots of the Kingdom of Vaegirs, and having professional blacksmiths and full-time weapon craftsmen make various weapons and armors, then distribute the weapons to soldiers. These weapons could even be sold to the outside world in exchange for great silver coins, exchanging them for gold would then become a source of denar as well.

Weapons could also be traded for huge profits. It was not inferior to the trade of salt, sugar, and spices.

The Stone Pass was an extremely good example of this.

Those knights with noble statuses only wore repaired mail armor. When they saw the fine scimitar, military spear, sword, shield, and other weapons and equipment on the Sarrandian horseman, they would be extremely envious. They would even have the greedy and evil intentions towards the equipment of the Sarrandian horseman. In the end, they would die under the close-range assault of the Sarrandian horseman and the desert bandits.

Well-made weapons and equipment were hard currency. They were strategic materials that were difficult to purchase even if one paid for them!

Even the ordinary spear and short sword were the same.

Weapons that could kill enemies on the battlefield and armor that could protect oneself on the battlefield were good things.

Otherwise, Kant would not have had such a difficult time purchasing arrows.

If it was not for Baron Dylan thought he still needed Kant, he would probably treat Kant like a beggar and only gave him a few weapons. He might not even gave him the low quality longbows and arrows.

These weapons were the armed forces that could go on the battlefield to kill enemies!

Only names and weapons could not be borrowed. This was precisely accurate.

Kant understood this logic.

At present, the castle-level building was basically completed. As for the remaining large jail was randomly upgraded. This building that was used to lock up prisoners, spies, and enemies was not very useful.

It was randomly arranged at the southeast corner of the military area's city wall to increase the number of buildings.

However, the high-level watchtower was extremely effective.

This kind of high-level watchtower had a bottom floor of nearly six meters wide and was built with stones. It extended straight to a height of 40 meters and had a top of about one meter. It almost reached Kant's current height of God's view.

The field of view on the watchtower was extremely wide.

In a clear and sunny place with sufficient light and flat terrain, one could even vaguely detect any movements 10 kilometers away.

The range of vision could be said to be terrifying.

If equipped with a large telescope, one could even see clearly for 20 kilometers away.

It could be said that after this high-level watchtower was built, any enemy marching in the daytime would be discovered by the guards on top of it in the shortest time possible. Even at night, with the help of the moonlight, one could also find a black mass of targets within two kilometers, which was different from the khaki color of the Nahrin Desert.

With this high-level watchtower, it was impossible for the enemy to launch a sneak attack!

This was because the Nahrin Desert was a relatively flat area where the height of the dune was generally less than five meters.

Kant had built this high-level watchtower next to the council hall, next to the large bell tower, and even extended to the council hall. At a height of 15 meters, he deliberately built a door, connecting the council hall's walls and roof. He connected the three buildings into a whole, forming three different levels of viewing angles.

As the system's rules were reflected.

The construction of all the buildings was mostly completed.

It was indeed a miracle.

Even when Kant saw the towering watchtower and the thick, tall, and well-structured city wall and arrow tower around it, he could not help but feel a sense of pride.

With the current defense of the castle, would the enemy attack?

It was a ridiculous thought!

Only the current "Drondheim" Castle dared to say that it truly stood tall in the Nahrin Desert.

Oasis Lookout would not be afraid of the enemy's attack!

Chapter 211: Kant’s Noble Flag

Kant lowered his head and looked at the city wall filled with buildings from the bird's eye view.

It was as clear as a chessboard, and the distance between the buildings was well-distributed. Although the ability to plan the city was not very good, it was still excellent. There was absolutely no sign of inferiority or mediocrity. He said with satisfaction, "This is enough."

The construction of the "Drondheim" castle was basically complete and would not change in a short period of time.

After all, this was a military castle.

It was not a town that vigorously developed agriculture, handicrafts, and commerce. This castle only needed to ensure that it could resist the enemy's attack and firmly occupy this oasis.

Therefore, Kant did not have too high a requirement for the "Drondheim" castle.

This was his political and military center.

Under the premise of guaranteeing the military, there was room for development in other industries.

If the enemy was at war.

Other industries also had to make way for military operations without mercy, military politics first, and militarism first. Under the premise of ensuring their own safety, it was the time to develop other industries.

This was Kant's helpless choice to protect himself.

The rules of the system dissipated.

Kant's thoughts fell, and he returned to his room.

But the current council hall was not the three-story-high place at that time. Instead, it was a full six-story, 15-meter-high building surrounded by complete city walls, arrow towers, sentry towers, and towers. It was an extremely large and majestic military-style building.

On the side, there was a large bell tower and a high-level watchtower connected together. It could be said to be the largest building.

Even the area in front of the door and the area behind the spring water were squeezed into more than half.

Kant's room alone occupied a small area on the first floor, but in his view, his room was still huge. Even if there were cabinets, tables, chairs, and a separate fireplace, there was still 80 square meters of space in the middle, which could be used as a small meeting hall, or a small dance party.

The decoration in the room was even more gorgeous.

A large number of silk scarves made of velvet, as well as gold and silver foil made of precious metals, were plastered all over the wall and printed with luxurious patterns. The word "luxury" could not help but flash in his mind.

There were also all kinds of precious handicrafts.

Silver statues with a mythical aura from Nord overseas were placed on a display platform made of high-quality wood.

The decorations of snow leopards and other beast heads made by the Vikians were also hung on the walls.

The floor was covered with Sarrandan blankets.

Next to the doors, windows, and the roof were high-quality velvet and fine linen made by the Rhodoks people. There were also artworks carved from precious wood.

There were also exquisite oil paintings made by the Swadians.

Besides luxury, there was nothing but luxury!

Even Kant could not help but turn his head to look at this room. In his impression, even in the Dukedom of Leo, his cheap father, Grand Duke of Leo Cameron's Lion Castle, it was only so-so.

This was a room that only the great noble could enjoy!

Of course, Kant was qualified to enjoy it.

In terms of reputation and status in the continent of Caradia, Kant was comparable to the kings of the Six Kingdoms.

He was even slightly higher than them.

In the past, King Yarogelk of the Kingdom of Vikiya used the most noble words in his letters to Kant. He even requested for a mission. This was evident from this.

Even people from other kingdoms had great respect for Kant.

For example, the family of Fatis and the trade caravan of Reyvadin could tell.

This should be the arrangement of the game system.

But for Kant, these compliments were obviously less troublesome for him. As long as the order was given, those people from the continent of Caradia could listen to his orders. There would be no insubordination or backstabbing.

Although they could not directly follow Kant because of the restrictions of the system rules.

But there should also be the core rule of constant loyalty.

That was also the source of Kant's ruling power.

Even if it was other continents, such as the Pande continent, the magical continent of the magic ring, the wind of war, or even the historical continents of Han, Daming, and Western Europe, Kant had a very high reputation, and could recruit troop class, he could obtain the items within and get everything he wanted.

He admired his own room.

Kant regained his rationality.

Instead of going out to continue inspecting the council hall, Kant stood up and went to the window.

He was on the sixth floor, the commanding point of the Council Hall.

He could see that the outside world was still busy, and the energetic peasant were working.

They quickly shuttled through the streets.

With a smile on their faces, they would occasionally meet people they knew, greet them, and exchange a few words with each other, then they would continue to leave and quickly busy themselves qwith their own work, especially the streets where the crafts area and the two city gates were located. There were people coming and going, in and out, carrying sacks or something else.

It was an extremely harmonious scene.

Within the thick city walls, people lived and worked in peace.

It was a bustling scene.

Kant nodded in satisfaction, but his gaze followed the city walls. Every 10 meters, there was a large arrow tower, and every 30 meters, there was a large tower. It was like a fully armed giant, guarding the prosperity within the city walls.

In parallel, Kant also noticed that there was a flag fluttering in the wind.

It was the flag of the Lion of Swadia.

The golden finger he obtained was originally a force of the Kingdom of Swadia. Hence, the system had tacitly considered the flag of the lion of Swadia to be an awe-inspiring flag, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws.

Only Kant frowned slightly.

The flag of a noble was not something that could be set up so easily. It had to be matched with the emblem of a noble.

Just like in the Dukedom of Leo, most noble flags were different because the academy that managed the heraldry would design the flag according to the noble's experience. It was very suitable for the noble's own experience.

Of course, other than those noble heraldry that was hundreds of years old, the other noble heraldry was mostly simple.

It was either a sword, a shield, or a crossbow or a warhorse.

These were obviously noble warriors.

And those who brought flowers, musical instruments, and fine wine were royal nobles.

In the eyes of the noble, both were new nobles, the representatives of the nouveau riche. Compared to their beautiful heraldry, it was simply too simple.

And Cameron, the Grand Duke of the Dukedom of Leo, as the ruling royal family, used a lion.

A majestic lion.

Lions, dragons, cheetahs, falcons, and other animals were not used for heraldry.

They were either high-ranking nobles or symbols of the royal family.

Although he was the youngest son of the Dukedom of Leo, Cameron, the heir of the royal family, Kant, who had already been given his own estate and become a Baron, was not the first heir to inherit the Dukedom. Therefore, in the Dukedom of Leo, the Dukedom of Leo's emblem and flag were not allowed to be used.

When Kant left the castle of Leo, the Academy did not design the emblem and flag for him. After all, in the eyes of most people, this little baron would be sending himself to his death if he went to the Nahrin Desert.

Instead of wasting his time designing the emblem, it was better to pretend that he did not know anything.

This was why Kant's emblem had yet to be determined.

And because of his previous development, he didn't care. Now that he saw the lion flag of the Kingdom of Swadia, although it was different from the Dukedom of Leo, there were also lions, and he couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

Unknowingly, he had already reached the stage where he could contend with the Dukedom of Leo.

One had to know that when he left the southern county territory, he was almost down and out.

Even a small cavalry captain could object to his words, and there was only a small amount of respect.

Instead of saying that he respected Kant, it was more like he respected his identity as a baron. More importantly, he respected the system of the Dukedom of Leo, the fresh blood flowing in his body, and the dignity of the blood of the Dukedom of Leo behind him.

As for Kant himself, who was exiled in the Nahrin desert, he did not have much respect for him at all.

He could be anywhere.

[ ding... system prompt ]

[ because 'Drondheim' as entered the castle level, please choose your faction flag. ]

The system suddenly popped up a dialog box.

Kant was slightly stunned, and a smile appeared on his face at the same time. "Not bad."

His system was indeed thoughtful.

Kant indeed needed to confirm his emblem and flag to confirm his identity, especially to let the forces in this world know what kind of emblem and flag the lord of the Nahrin Desert had.

He didn't need to ask the academy outside the Lion Castle to design it.

Kant could decide on his own.

Because he had the power and the ability!

A large number of flags popped up on his retina.

These were the game flags that the system had stored up, but Kant's entire team swept through them and rejected all of them.

Kant was already mentally prepared.

After pondering for a while, Kant came up with the flag pattern that he wanted, and he gave the system an order, "Confirm the flag, it's a red-bottomed golden lion, the same as the flag of [ intimidation of the enemy ] !"

[ ding... system prompt ]

[ flag confirmed: red-bottomed Golden Lion ]

[ do you want to add other changes? ]

Soon, a new dialog box popped up, and the pattern on it was the red-bottomed golden lion that Kant was familiar with.

It was similar to the legendary item [ intimidation ] .

No, it should be said that it was exactly the same!

"Confirm!"

Kant confirmed in a deep voice.

Because in these battles, the [ intimidation ] that he held in his hand had almost become his symbol. This flag and this emblem were using the red-bottomed golden lion. There was no barrier at all.

As he confirmed, the data flow instantly surged out.

The flags and emblems that were hung within the entire Drondheim Castle had all changed.

Even in the faraway Senwaya Range, in the council hall of Aaron's village, the data flow appeared in the void, and the flags that were originally hung had also changed.

All of them had become red-bottomed golden lions.

Even the shields of all the soldiers were painted with red and yellow tree paint.

Chapter 212: The Mage Apprentice’s Dormitory

The emblem was fluttering in the wind on the flag.

On the sturdy shield, the golden lion on the red bottom was also clearly visible.

This represented Kant's region and troops. When these emblems and flags appeared, it was his territory. It symbolized the legitimacy of Kant's ruling power and the display of the Lord's honor.

Standing at the window, Kant smiled and nodded. "That's it."

High above the red flag, the Golden Lion was awe-inspiring.

When Kant's power began to be exposed by outsiders, the castle under this flag, as well as the elite soldiers gathered around this flag, would become an existence that everyone feared.

Now, he could sleep well at night.

But Kant would not relax.

Looking at the bustling scene outside the window, he knew that if he was careless, the flames of war would still spread.

Although the environment of the Nahrin Desert was cruel, the true cruelty was not beyond the hearts of the people.

After coming out of the Dukedom of Leo, Kant had experienced countless battles. If it were not for his previous life's experience, he would have been devoured by the group of nobles who were eyeing him covetously.

Noble status did not bring him glory and wealth.

It brought him a life-and-death crisis!

He had to be willing to give it up. Only by being open-minded could he survive.

Otherwise, he would not be willing to give up most of the profits and let Baron Daron, who was at the Stone Pass, be his shield. He even lowered his status and gave up his dignity. He lowered his head and called him "Uncle."

"Of course."Kant narrowed his eyes. "There's no need for that now."

He could endure humiliation.

That was why he could step into glory.

The real world did not have so much arrogance and pride for you to show off.

If you wanted to live, how could you make a comeback?

Then learn to be humble when you were weak, lower the enemy's guard against you, and use all the people you could rope in to unite and form an advantage that was advantageous to you. Slowly develop, and then live to become stronger!

Kant, who already had a castle, was now on the rise, stepping into a glorious and prosperous status.

Although he still had to treat the noble families of the Dukedom of Leo with caution.

But he could also be fearless.

Even if the number of soldiers and civilians in Drondheim Castle was only 2,000, the castle beneath him was a castle. The towering city walls and arrow towers, as well as the elite and valiant soldiers, so what if there were tens of thousands of enemies?

Going deep into the Nahrin desert, the logistics could drag down any human army!

Just like the Kingdom of Gray Mane.

High-level Jackalan had wisdom, strategy, and combat strength. Their civilization was not inferior to that of the human countries. In fact, in terms of combat strength, they were superior to the human troops because of their racial talent.

However, even after passing through the Nahrin desert, they were exhausted and had lost their logistics. They were also wiped out in the desert by Kant and a few elites. Even if there were surrenders, they were sold to the Kingdom of Victoria in Caladia, they became slave miners who could not see the light of day in the snowfield mines.

The physical fitness of humans could not compare to jackalan, and they did not have the talent to endure the heat and cold.

Therefore, Kant's geographical advantage could offset his disadvantage in numbers.

He returned to his room.

The castle had been built, and now it was time for the other parts.

System mall's lottery.

After experiencing the main quest, Kant now had 10 honor points.

These 10 honor points could be used for 11 lottery draws.

This was a reward that belonged to the system.

A dialog box popped up in Kant's vision, and a colorful treasure box appeared in the middle of his eyes. The mysterious content seemed to burst out, bringing all kinds of useful materials.

"System, start the lottery!"

Kant gave the order.

[ ding... the lottery begins ]

The system answered quickly, and at the same time, the colorful treasure box slowly opened.

The notifications kept coming.

[ you have received a construction pack: chicken farm × 5 ]

[ you have received a construction pack: Bee Farm × 5 ]

[ you have received a construction pack: small fishing farm × 5 ]

[ you have received a construction pack: Tanning Workshop × 5 ]

[ you have received a construction pack: flax fields × 50 acres ]

[ you have received an item pack: urban migrants × 500 people (female)]

[ you have received an item pack: rural refugees × 500 people (female)]

[ you have received an item pack: Trade Caravan × Team 1 (random destination)]

[ you have obtained Hero Pack: Villain Noble, Rolf ]

[ you have obtained hero pack: Crossbowman captain, Bandake ]

The 10 consecutive draws of 10 honor points ended immediately.

However, the system reappeared in the dialog box.

[ you have obtained construction pack: Apprentice Dormitory (Enfath Empire) ]

An additional reward from the system.

"Apprentice's Dormitory?"

However, when Kant saw the final construction pack, his eyes widened. "Could it be..."

His heart beat rapidly throughout his body as he stared at the dialog box in his eyes. He could clearly see the construction pack that he had received, but the agitation in his heart grew even more fervent. "Enfath Empire!"

His mind directly communicated with the system, and the details of the building popped up on his retina.

[ apprentice dormitory: Military Building. This was the dormitory where mage apprentices lived in the Enfath Empire. At the same time, they would also study their magic theories diligently. Special Effect: one mage apprentice can be provided for recruitment every week. The recruitment fee is 50 denar per person. Remark: this building can be integrated into the Council Hall. ]

Kant's eyes were slightly stunned.

But his originally calm face immediately showed an ecstatic expression.

He could no longer maintain his calm.

Because the most valuable gift pack for this lucky draw was this building!

The Enfath Empire, a powerful human empire in the wind of war, occupied the western side of the continent. It had powerful firearms troops and close combat troops, as well as mysterious and unpredictable battle mages.

And the apprentice dormitories were the necessary building to recruit mages.

Although they were only the lowest level of mage apprentices.

But these mage apprentices were also mages who had mastered mysterious spells!

Even if the power of the spells used was low, and even the power of heavy crossbows and other cold weapons could not compare to it, for ordinary people, spells that appeared out of nowhere and mastered natural elements such as earth, wind, water, fire, and so on, the shock that would be brought would be the trembling of the soul, the fear that came from the soul!

Just like how firearms were able to scare warhorse and soldiers when they first appeared on the battlefield.

What people often feared was the mystery of the unknown!

"Very good."

Kant's breathing was a little hurried.

In this world, it was clearly recorded that there was an existence that possessed the power of magic.

The mages in the Mage Tower were like Otakus. They also possessed magical powers that was difficult for the world to learn. Even the powerful grand knights and Extraordinary Knights of the human race had to show their respect in front of these mages.

In order to rope in these mages, the human countries had even defined their ranks as honorary noble families.

The meaning was very simple.

If one became a mage, then one could become a noble!

Although they did not have real power, their reputation was respected to the point that they could not be added to it. Even the priests and pastors in the temple had to bow their heads to these mages who had extremely high destructive power and all kinds of strange magic, to express their respect for them.

And in the recent example, Kant's teacher in the academy, a Hanke academia who had studied the lost city his entire life, was a low-key mage who had hidden himself in the academy to study archaeology.

However, Hanke Xuezhe's spells were definitely not weak.

The arcane spells he cast allowed Kant's low-level troop class to face the barbaric jackalan head-on.

From this, one could also experience the profoundness of spells.

If Kant had been able to rely on elite troops to exhaust the enemy troops with battle mages in the past, he would not have been afraid of these mages who had mastered mysterious spells. However, this did not mean that he did not need this troop class that had mastered mysterious powers.

The Enfath Empire's apprentice dormitory made up for this flaw for Kant.

It also allowed him to have the troop class of mages in his combat sequence!

"Build!"

Kant's thought communication system directly turned this golden card into golden light.

The apprentice dormitory could be built in the Council Hall. Therefore, Kant directly built this building on the top floor of the council hall. It was located on the west side, forming a single small house with strange patterns.

This was the residence of the mage apprentices, where they would rest and study after a hard day's work.

Kant intended to take a look.

His own room was on the sixth floor, the highest floor of the council hall.

The spiral staircase connected the entire floor of the council hall, while on the fourth and sixth floors, each had access to the large bell tower on the right and the high-level watchtower, as well as the wall of the council hall, which was guarded by soldiers.

The entire council hall was more like the main body of a small castle. It was a military building alone.

It was the same on the top floor.

Kant followed the spiral staircase to the top floor.

20 Vaegir marksman were standing around vigilantly. When they saw Kant coming over, they immediately bowed and said, "My lord, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Yes." Kant nodded and asked, "Did you find anything unusual?"

"No," A Vaegir marksman answered seriously.

"Very good."

Kant turned his head to look at the layers of yellow sand in the distance. He nodded in satisfaction and said, "Continue to be vigilant."

These Vaegir marksmen were very conscientious.

Kant turned his head to look at the top-floor platform.

The entire top-floor was very wide at a glance. It was about 500 square meters in area. On the right was a large watchtower and a high-level watchtower. Kant raised his head to look up. His neck was 90 degrees. Only then could he see the high-level watchtower that was 40 meters high, the height of the tower made him feel a little dizzy. It was estimated that people who were afraid of heights would be so scared that their legs would go weak.

However, Kant was most concerned about the apprentice dormitory that was built on the west side of the platform.

It was also built with stone and wood.

However, the surface was decorated with exquisite traditional patterns of the Enfath Empire.

The entire building looked somewhat mysterious and noble.

There was nothing they could do about it.

The wind of war belonged to the fantasy world, and the human countries, the powerful Enfath Empire, would undoubtedly crush the Kingdom of Swadia in terms of overall strength. Even the former Kaladya Empire would probably not be able to compare to it.

Moreover, it would crush them in all aspects, such as economy, culture, system, military strength, art, and so on.

Chapter 213: The Ambition of a High-End Force

Just like this apprentice's dormitory.

Its exterior decoration was exquisite and elegant, almost comparable to a Kant fortress-level room.

And the people living here were only mage apprentices, the lowest level of mages. From this, one could see that the strength of the Enfath Empire was fully reflected.

Rustling sounds could be heard from inside the door.

There seemed to be someone inside.

Soon, the door was opened. Five mage apprentices holding magic staffs, wearing gray mage robes and mage hats, quickly walked out and stood respectfully in a row.

They lowered their heads and bowed with their hands on their chests. "I'm especially happy to see you, my Lord."

"Me too." Kant smiled and nodded in response to their salute.

However, looking at these five mage apprentices, his brows slightly raised. According to his observations, these five mage apprentices looked like they were all young people in their twenties. Although their faces were firm and respectful, they were still young and tender.

Perhaps it was because they had stayed in the Mage Tower for too long that all of them were fair and tender. Their skin was even better than that of women.

Being young did not represent vitality.

Compared to those elite troop class that were all middle-aged, these young mage apprentices did not give Kant much of a sense of reliability. Especially with their identity as apprentices, they even greeted him in terms of combat strength.

He understood the MOD of the wind of war. Mage apprentices were not a high-level troop class in the first place.

"What do you know?"

After pondering for a moment, Kant still opened his mouth to ask.

The five apprentices looked at each other. They all looked shy.

In the end, the apprentice in the middle took half a step forward, he introduced himself to Kant, "My lord, we are all excellent apprentices who have studied at the Mage Tower for ten years. We have a solid grasp of all kinds of magic theories and knowledge. There are three types of spells that we have learned."

Kant nodded and looked at these young apprentices with a smile and encouraged them, "Very well, continue."

The apprentice was encouraged and showed a grateful expression.

After organizing his words, he continued, "The spells that we have mastered are magic bullet, which is a single-target offensive spell, Fireball, which is an area-of-effect explosion and a continuous burning spell, and sharp golden blade, which is a status spell that can enchant the weapons of soldiers for a short period of time to produce a sharp effect."

"Magic Bullet, Fireball, Sharp Golden Blade." Kant concluded these three spells.

"That's right." The mage apprentices nodded.

Kant smiled. "Very good."

The five mage apprentices immediately beamed with joy. Obviously, Kant's praise made them very happy.

Indeed, they were all apprentices who had just walked out of the Mage Tower.

Their personalities were still very pure.

Kant shook his head. After experiencing a few brutal battles and leveling up to an official mage, these pure apprentices would put away their silly and sweet feelings and become battle mages who could adapt to any battlefield.

However, Kant seemed to have thought of something.

He pondered for a moment and asked them, "Then what is the daily limit of your spells?"

"Oh, it's like this."

The mage apprentice immediately replied, "We can use five magic bullets, three fireballs, and two sharp golden blades per day. If we have mana replenishment, we can use them multiple times. There is no limit."

"Okay." Kant nodded. "I got it."

He did not have mana replenishment at the moment.

According to the Mage Apprentice, he could cast ten spells per day.

It was indeed useless in a cruel battle.

To be honest, Kant was a little disappointed, but he did not show it. He still had a faint smile on his face. He casually chatted with these five wizard apprentices, making them feel like a spring breeze, he was so grateful that he seemed to have met the most important confidant and mentor in his life. His gaze became extremely respectful.

Although Kant was young, his mental age was close to 40 years old.

In his past life and this life.

In addition to the training of the Dukedom of Leo, he could be considered as a veteran in the officialdom.

Compared to these young apprentices who had just left the mage tower, their differences were like that between heaven and earth. In terms of power and trickery, he could sell these guys and let them count their own money.

Of course, due to the constant loyalty of the system, these mage apprentices would not betray Kant.

Through communication, Kant also understood the power of these three spells.

The magic bullet spell was commonly known as the magic missile.

It was condensed with magic power and was triggered by a magic staff that had a magic circle engraved on it. It had a range of 100 meters, and its speed was similar to a rock thrown by a catapult. It was the size of a fist, but because it was in accordance with the rules of the world, the power it produced was not small. It was similar to a blunt blow, it was like a heavy blow with a two-handed hammer. Even if an ordinary soldier had a shield and armor to protect them, they would still be severely injured.

The fireball spell was not much different from Kant's impression of magic. It did not matter if it was called an explosive fireball.

These mage apprentices condensed fire elements and compressed them before they were also activated with their magic staffs. Their range was only a little less than 80 meters, and their speed was even slower than the magic bullet spell. However, as long as they hit the enemy, a violent explosion would occur and they would turn into a raging sea of fire, they would cause double and continuous damage to the enemy, similar to the combination of a grenade and a burning bomb.

As for the Sharp Metal Blade, it was a status spell.

This was a spell that was completely different from the game in the wind of war.

It seemed that the system had combined the rules of this world. The sharp metal spell became a spell that increased the status of the surrounding soldiers. The range was about 10 meters. As long as it was cast, the magic elements would gather on the weapons in the hands of the soldiers, it would make melee weapons such as swords, blades, and spears sharper, causing more casualties to the enemy.

"Overall, it's not bad."

Kant muttered in his heart.

Although the mage apprentices seemed to be of little value at the moment, and they would lose their ability to fight if they cast all their spells, they could still level up.

When the experience points were up, they would be able to level up if they paid denar.

It was not like they had to think hard in reality and learn for decades before they could level up to a higher level wizard.

If they followed the MOD of wind of war and leveled up to a wizard and a great wizard, then they would really be called Mages in fantasy works. Moreover, this title was simply living up to its name!

For example, the strongest great wizard.

Not only could they cast spells from thousands of meters away, they could also cast lightning strikes, frost, and flames.

He could also summon activated weapons and natural elements. One person was almost equal to an army. With a few great mages standing together, he could summon an army to pounce on them. With the addition of offensive spells, his combat strength was simply ridiculously strong!

Kant, who had an enemy, naturally did not lack exp to level up.

Even if he had not fallen out with the stone pass and the Dukedom of Leo yet, there was no ready-made enemy troops to fight.

But the enchanted creatures in the Senwaya range were ready-made.

With Aaron's village as the center, with the Ravenston Ranger leading the team and Rhodoks's veteran spear-wielding as the guard, they went to the various mountains with these mage apprentices to look for the enchanted creatures to gain experience. Their leveling speed would definitely not be too slow.

Kant could afford to wait for these mage apprentices to grow up.

Through the mind communication system, Kant used up the recruitment quota for one mage apprentice this week.

The six mage apprentices stood in a row.

"Continue to study."

Kant waved his hand, indicating for them to return to their own dormitories.

Although this dormitory looked like it was only 50 square meters in size, Kant only found out after entering that the space was very large. It was like using some kind of space folding technique. Just counting the rooms, the living room was 100 square meters, both sides were piled with all kinds of books. It could be considered a small apartment.

Moreover, the decoration was extremely exquisite and elegant. Even if it was not as luxurious as the royal family, it was still something that only wealthy people could afford. At the very least, Kant believed that his room at the fortress level would fall behind this dormitory.

The Enfath Empire was indeed powerful. There was nothing that could be done about it.

After all, the ultimate troop class of this empire was the Titan that controlled the spear of lightning.

In terms of combat strength, it had already crushed the Swadian Knight. In other words, there was no comparison between the two.

There was no way to compare history and the fantasy world.

Combined with this world, which was also the rules of this fantasy world, once the Titan appeared in this world, it would probably be comparable to the legendary era of the gods. It was already beyond the scope of understanding of mortals!

At the very least, Kant could not imagine how terrifying the troops formed by Titan sand the Archmages were!

Of course, this was just a random thought.

Kant visited the apprentice's dormitory, then turned around and left. He walked towards the high-level watchtower that was about 40 meters tall. He planned to walk along the spiral stairs to the top and look at the surrounding scenery.

This building that occupied the highest point really deserved to be called the watchtower.

After climbing for more than 20 minutes, Kant arrived at the top of the tower.

The two-meter-tall tower only had a space of about two square meters.

It was being guarded by three Vaegir marksmen. When they saw Kant coming up, they immediately wanted to salute him.

"Continue to be vigilant."

Kant reached out his hand to stop them from bowing.

At such a high distance, the air did not become cooler. On the contrary, it was still rather stuffy due to the sun's rays.

Especially when he looked down from the open window, the entire "Drondheim" castle had turned into a small matchbox. Kant's breathing could not help but quicken a little. The feeling of being high up in the sky and losing the firm ground, he couldn't help but withdraw his gaze and look into the distance before it eased up.

A few teams of desert bandits were patrolling along the predetermined route. Small black spots could be seen clearly in the desert.

There was only one color in the Nahrin desert.

That was khaki.

Any abnormal color was a stranger. If the abnormal colors were gathered together, it would be an unfamiliar team. This was the recognition that the Vaegir marksman responsible for observation and the discerning ability to be consciously organized.

If they had a large telescope or astronomical telescope, they might be able to identify friend or foe.

Kant was also deep in thought.

After all, the technology to make a telescope was actually not difficult. As long as one was a skilled craftsman, after a few months of careful processing, they would be able to polish the lenses.

The difficult part was to find a flawless, large transparent gem.

After all, if one wanted to make a telescope without the glass making and purification technology, they would have to rely on these natural creations.

"Let's talk about it later."

Kant shook his head regretfully. With his current strength, he really could not make a telescope.

However, if he were to draw a lottery in the system, he might be able to get one.

In the modern MOD series, there were many tools like telescopes. For example, the World War II MOD had military telescopes that were specially designed for snipers.

However, Kant had never unlocked an army with modern firearms due to the rules or the system's own restrictions.

It was just a joke to imagine that if a World War II army equipped with the M-1 Galand semi-automatic rifle could be established, Kant would dare to take down this world, let alone the Dukedom of Leo.

The emergence of hot weapons in the era of cold weapon too was out of balance.

It was the same even in the fantasy world.

Chapter 214: Qikan's Trading Caravans

Kant rubbed his glabella at the top of the tower and regained his consciousness.

However, he did not dare to continue looking down.

Ordinary people did not have acrophobia, but this height was enough to make his legs go weak.

However, Kant's mind communicated with the system to ease the fear of heights in his heart. He directly ordered in a quiet voice, "System, use the item pack and the hero pack."

[ ding... use is over ]

The system immediately responded.

At the same time, in Kant's mind, three item cards and two hero cards instantly turned into golden light and shattered.

And behind the dune not far from Drondheim Castle, three groups of strangers appeared out of thin air. This made the Vaegir marksman, who had been watching their surroundings vigilantly, look solemn. They immediately wanted to pass on the news.

This high-level watchtower was equipped with a sound transmission device. It was a pipe made of iron sheet and wood. It was 40 meters long and directly penetrated the top tower and the direction of the council hall at the bottom. If there was any news, they could directly tell it to the pipe loudly. As the sound reverberated, it was clearly transmitted to the bottom.

"No need. They are all on our side."Kant opened his mouth to stop them.

Of course, he knew that they were the residents he had recruited.

500 urban migrants and 500 rural refugees were all women.

"Maybe we can start normal reproduction and communication."

Kant pondered slightly.

In the past, the system data indicated that his estate lacked women.

But because he did not need too many women in the war, Kant did not take the initiative to ask for more women.

Now that the system had sent 1,000 women, they could marry the men. As long as they could get married and have children, the Kingdom of Swadia would be able to have children.

These were real men and women. Naturally, they could have children.

Watchtower did not send any news.

However, there were also Vaegir marksmen stationed on the Arrow Tower at the city gate. Hence, they quickly discovered these unfamiliar teams.

One team of desert bandits rode out on their horses.

However, among the women, two figures also rode out to negotiate with the desert bandits.

Although it wasn't clear.

Kant knew that it should be Rolf and Bandake.

These were the two heroic NPCs he had drawn.

Although Bandake was a romantic, his character was extremely good. He could match up with Fartis, Manide, and James.

Especially when it came to pity for the commoners, he had almost the same topic as Fatis.

After all, even if Bandake, the captain of the crossbowmen, obtained a noble title and a fief, he would not allow others to call him lord. Instead, he would call himself the protector of the commoners. It was his responsibility to protect the commoners. He was the protector of the innocent commoners.

However, Kant was not sure about Rolf.

From his title, the scoundrel noble could see just how despicable this hero NPC was.

In fact, that was indeed the case.

Robbing trade caravan, robbing civilians, and slaughtering captives were all things that Rolf liked to do. There was also extortion, exploitation, and theft. This self-proclaimed noble was a first-rate expert.

Of course, this included his outstanding combat strength.

In the original version of riding and hacking, Fatis was an existence that absolutely did not get along with Rolf.

Manide, James, and Bandake also hated this kind of companion that did not have a bottom line.

If it was according to the game's settings, the four of them would definitely work together to push Rolf out of the team. However, in the real world, Kant felt that he might be able to try other methods to make them get along well.

Especially the desert bandits who had yet to be led, they might be able to fit in well with Rolf.

Their essence was similar.

In fact, Rolf, a noble, had really been a bandit or a mountain bandit.

He definitely had no objections to leading this group of desert bandits.

As for Bandake, Kant planned to send him to the village of Aaron. As an infantry crossbowman, he was definitely suitable to lead Rhodoks's troops. After all, the troops of the Kingdom of Swadia were led by Fatis.

Currently, the forces of Drondheim's castle were not many.

Hence, it was convenient to arrange the personnel.

Rolf led the Desert Bandits to the posthouse. He was in charge of preventing spies from scouting and patrolling the Nahrin desert near the mountain pass of the Senwaya Range. He wanted to ensure that there were no enemies with strange intentions. He secretly organized a team to go deep into the oasis lookout.

"However, we need to seriously consider these buildings."

Kant frowned slightly.

There were also five types of construction pack this time.

And there were quite a number of them.

For example, there were five chicken farms, five bee farms, five small-scale fish farms, and five tanning workshops.

As for the flax fields, it was a total of 50 acres!

This amount was quite astonishing.

If the 50 acres of flax fields were to harvest mature raw flax silk, there would be an estimated 500 bales.

This material was used to make linen.

There was now a linen workshop in Kant's "Drondheim" castle. As long as these raw flax silk were harvested, the weaver would be able to make the flax into smooth and soft linen!

After thinking for a moment.

Kant also had an idea. The handicraft industry in "Drondheim" castle still needed to develop, and close-range raw materials were definitely necessary. Therefore, the thought communication system said, "Then build these flax fields and connect them to the previous 10 acres!"

The card shattered, and the data flow instantly gushed out.

Next to the original 10 mu of flax fields on the west side of the lake, a new 50 acre of flax fields appeared.

The crisp flax seedlings had already grown, and it would only take a few months for them to sprout and grow. When it was time to harvest raw flax silk, the entire Drondheim Castle would be able to obtain a large amount of flax cloth.

This was a commodity that could be directly traded with the continent of Caradia.

After all, this was an item produced by the system.

As for the five small fishing grounds, Kant chose to build them in the oasis lookout. There weren't many fish in this narrow and long lake. Even if there were, they would only be the size of a pinky finger. They couldn't be considered as economic fish species.

This was something Kant had carefully considered.

The lake was the embodiment of the rules of the system. There were also many aquatic plants in the lake, which could provide fish with shelter from the scorching sun.

At the same time, the bottom of the lake was connected to the spring water and underground water, so the temperature would not be too high.

With the economic fish species in the small fishing grounds, the castle of Drondheim would be able to obtain fresh fish, as well as produce smoked fish and other storable food.

It could directly bring help to the oasis lookout.

Although "Aaron" could also place small fishing grounds, it was a new river after all, and it was not suitable to be a fishing ground.

Perhaps it could only be done after Kant had re-transformed it.

Although "Aaron" could not place small fishing grounds, Kant had other plans.

For example, five chicken farms that could be raised, and five beekeeping farms that needed a lot of flowers were the buildings that he wanted to place in "Aaron."

"Switch to Aaron's village."

Kant's thought communication system immediately entered God mode once again.

However, this time, it was not the oasis lookout in the Nahrin Desert.

It was the "Aaron" village in the Senwaya Range!

Looking at the Rhodoks people who were still busy at the bottom, as well as the Ravenston Rangers who were stationed inside the city wall, Kant's thoughts moved slightly. Five chicken farms and five bee farms instantly appeared at the east side of the city wall.

Outside the city wall was a cliff, which could prevent wild beasts or magical creatures from climbing.

The thousands of acres of flat land on the entire mountain was enough for the grouse in the chicken farm to play.

One had to know that the chicken farm was not the same as the chicken house before.

There were 100 grouse in each of these buildings, and as the eggs were laid and hatched every day, the number of these grouse would increase exponentially. The number of eggs and feathers that could be provided every week was extremely high.

Eggs can be used as food, and they can also be used to hatch chicks.

Feathers are necessary for making arrows.

If it were not for the fact that the oasis lookout was not suitable for large numbers of grouse, and that this was the main base on the surface, Kant really intended to build these five chicken farms outside the castle of Drondheim.

The same was true for the reason that the apiary was built in Aaron.

However, honey was easy to store and carry.

Kant could transport the honey to the oasis lookout through the Camel Caravan.

Moreover, this sweet food was also a raw material and a commodity. If it was simply sold as honey or made into candied fruit with dates, it would be a good thing. The price in the continent of Caradia was also not cheap.

Just like linen, it could be exchanged for denar.

"That's it."

Kant withdrew from God's view.

He returned to the top floor of the high-level watchtower. Looking at the immigrants and refugees who had entered the castle one after another at the bottom, Kant walked down. Next, it was time for him to arrange a mission.

At the same time, he planned to see what was going on with the trade caravan.

After all, there were these people in the item pack.

Among the women, 10 carriages and more than 20 people followed them into the castle.

"System, open the details of the trade caravan."

Kant gave the order.

The system soon popped up an introduction on his retina.

[ trade caravan: This is a caravan consisting of a caravan leader, 4 caravan guards, 12 sentries, 20 ponies and 10 carriages. It can trade with the outside world. Remark: before starting trade, you need to choose a city randomly. This city may be a power of any kingdom. Please consider carefully. ]

Kant raised his eyebrows slightly.

Kant scanned the trade caravan.

In his mind, he instantly thought of Jocelyn from Ravendin. If he guessed correctly, this trade caravan was definitely Kant's own caravan. As long as he chose a city randomly, he could conduct trade with that city in the world of riding and hacking!

At the same time, Kant scanned the list of buildings he had.

He remembered that there was another building at the castle level that had a similar effect. It was also a trade caravan!

[ trade caravan base: civilian buildings. This building could organize a trade caravan to go to the continent of Caradia for trade. It would return at the beginning of every month to settle the income and expenses of this trade. At the same time, the trade caravan could also be ordered to purchase the necessary materials, or be designated to sell certain materials to a certain city. ]

"This seems to be interesting."

Kant looked at the system's introduction on the dialog box.

He was deep in thought.

The appearance of these two trade caravans might be able to rely on the current income of the denar and completely rely on the plight of the captive trade. If they formed a good trade network and had better products, according to Kant's experience in the game, each trade caravan earning tens of thousands of denar in a month existed!

Chapter 215: A Castle Full of Talented People

He followed the spiral staircase and left the high-level watchtower.

It was indeed not convenient to go up and down from a height of 40 meters. Although there was an elevator-like hanging basket in the middle of the pillar, Kant still chose to walk down on two legs in consideration of the swaying feeling of the air.

With the physical qualities of a Swadian knight, the tens of thousands of wooden stairs were not a challenge for Kant.

Soon, they reached the bottom.

Two Swadian Knight holding a Warhammer and a thick kite-shaped shield were guarding the door.

High-level sentry towers and large bell towers were forbidden areas.

Ordinary people were not qualified to enter or leave.

Of course, Kant, as the Lord, was naturally different. Seeing him walk out from inside, the two Swadian Knight immediately bowed their heads and placed their right hands on their chests. They bowed very solemnly and greeted him, "My lord."

"Mm." Kant nodded to them kindly.

Looking at the east side of the street, Fatis was walking in front, bringing a group of people over.

Behind him was a vast and mighty group.

The surrounding patrolling soldiers and the passing civilians all subconsciously whistled. With an infatuated smile on their faces, they stared straight at the more than 1,000 newcomers like hungry wolves who had discovered a lamb.

Even the Vaegir marksman at the top of the council hall stretched out their bodies and looked at the newcomers with curiosity.

They were all women.

Women rarely seen in the "Drondheim" castle.

Although many of them were middle-aged women with a wide waist and a fat body, for these civilians and soldiers who had not seen women for a long time, the arrival of these women undoubtedly added a bit of charm.

No, this was a wrong description. There was no charm added to the castle.

It was just a group of male hormones secreted.

Fatis had a strict personality.

He turned his head slightly and swept his gaze over this group of soldiers and civilians who were not in good status. He could not help but let out a soft cough.

"Cough cough."

The expressions of the surrounding soldiers and civilians instantly changed slightly.

Each and every one of them had an awkward expression on their faces. They silently nodded to the women who were looking at their surroundings timidly. They still hurriedly continued with their work, but their spirits were even higher.

"Ha." Rolf chuckled softly. "Bandake, you must have a lot of followers."

Rolf glanced at Bandake, who was around his age, but was clearly more handsome and mature. Rolf could not help but say with jealousy, "I really want to use a knife to scratch your old face."

"The prerequisite is that I will shoot a crossbow through your head." Bandake patted the heavy crossbow on his waist as if he was demonstrating his power.

"Hmph." Rolf shrugged and snorted coldly.

He had never gotten along with these people who were conceited and thought they were good people.

Looking at Fathis in front of him, especially this former wandering knight, many unpleasant experiences had happened. Now, he actually had to work under this young fellow, and his title was not even as high as his, it really made Rolf feel a little indignant in his heart.

But he did not flare up. Rolf was not a fool, so he naturally knew what this place was.

Looking at the street entrance in front of him.

Rolf said softly, "That is, Lord Kant, right?" He raised his eyebrows slightly. That young and dignified appearance made him lower his head guiltily, looking at Bandake beside him, he tried to find something to say. "It makes me feel the aura of a king. It's really shocking."

"Yes." Bandake nodded as well. This was the first time he had met Kant, and he was just as nervous. He couldn't help but swallow his saliva, trying his best to calm his emotions and make himself more stable.

"Relax, guys."

Fatis reminded the two of them in a calm tone.

He brought them to Kant, and the group of people dismounted and bowed respectfully, "Lord Kant, this is Rolf and Bandake from the continent of Caradia, as well as a complete trade caravan. There are also 1,000 women from towns and villages who have heard of your reputation and want to seek refuge with you."

"Welcome." Kant smiled, expressing his approval of the vast crowd.

Drondheim, who had just become a castle, needed a lot of human resources.

Kant would not refuse them to join.

He told Fatis, "Arrange their accommodation and food first. You will take these ladies to the residential area, and after they are allocated rooms, settle down as soon as possible. Then, get someone to properly arrange them into the vacancies of various posts. As soon as possible, fill all the posts in the castle with people, and get them all up and running."

"Understood, I will take care of it properly." Fatis nodded and turned around to leave. He led his men and shouted at the thousands of women as they walked towards the streets of the residential area. There were many vacant rooms waiting for their owners to move in.

Fatis had always been a reliable person.

Kant nodded to himself when he saw the many women walking towards the residential area in an orderly manner.

These immigrants from the cities and the refugees from the countryside seemed to be of good quality.

"They are all experts in the workshops."

Kant had already decided on their jobs.

Women were naturally more attentive and serious than men.

In the technical work of the workshops, their attentiveness and talent could be put to the best use. Therefore, in the castle, such as the Sugar Workshop, the salt workshop, the linen workshop, and so on, they were all trained by the craftsmen guild to become qualified female craftsmen, they were professional and excellent full-time craftsmen.

As for the men, they would devote themselves to the farm, the blacksmith shop, and the weapons workshop to do manual labor, making the entire "Drondheim" castle completely busy and prosperous.

"Lord Kant."

Rolf and Bandake bowed respectfully to Kant.

This was the first time the two sides met. They didn't want to stay in front of this Lord of the continent of Caradia, whose reputation had spread everywhere, and they all wanted to show their excellent first impression.

Even the scoundrel, the noble Rolf, had a very respectful expression, and his tone was very humble.

"Hello."

Kant nodded. He had long understood the two of them.

The game impression from his previous life.

He walked towards the council hall. At the same time, Kant said to the trade caravan that was still waiting respectfully behind him, "Go to the trade caravan's base and settle down. Tomorrow, there will be a trade caravan from Reyvadin. We will talk in detail."

"Understood." The leader of the trade caravan nodded respectfully.

At the same time, a knight walked over and led the trade caravan's members and guards towards the south city gate.

The trade caravan's base was set up outside the south city gate, close to the city wall.

It was an independent building with walls, courtyards, and warehouses. The whole building was like a rectangular courtyard house, covering an area of nearly 2,000 square meters. However, the warehouses took up a lot of space and seemed to be able to accommodate at least five trade caravans.

Trade Caravan's base. This term was very appropriate.

However, Kant had not come over to take a look yet.

Manide was in charge of the business side.

If Kant's estimation was correct, Manide, who was heading to the Stone Pass, would return with the caravan at the beginning of the next month. Therefore, he would temporarily put down the arrangements for this trade caravan.

There were specializations in the field, and Manide could handle business problems with ease.

Just like Rolf who was good at leading troops to raid villages and trade caravan.

And Bandake was able to command crossbowmen and display the strongest combat strength of these troop class.

The two of them now respectfully followed Kant into the Council Hall.

The first floor of the castle-level Council Hall had already been turned into a wide Lord's Hall. Inside the slightly narrow iron-clad thick door were two rows of ten thick stone pillars and a long table with white linen placed in the middle.

This was a long table and chair made of high-quality wood. Not only were there patterns carved on it, but there were also a few silver accessories wrapped around it.

The main seat was raised by half a meter, allowing one to directly see the entire situation.

This reflected the identity of the owner of the main seat.

This was Kant's position alone. No one would raise any objections because as Lord Kant, who was respected by the entire continent of Caradia and even other worlds, it was only natural that he should have a high status in society.

Kant did not decline and directly sat in his own seat.

Rolf and Bandake did not sit down. They stood respectfully across the long table.

Because Kant had not spoken.

Seeing their reserved looks, Kant chuckled, he waved his hand and said, "Since you have come here, you are my dependable subordinates. There's no need to be so formal. Sit Down. In the future, I will still need to rely on you to deal with government affairs and trouble for me. It's not good to be too distant. It will affect the communication."

"Thank you, Lord Kant." Rolf and Bandake looked at each other and thanked each other respectfully. Then, they pulled out the seats on the opposite side of the long table and sat down.

Although Kant said it lightly, it was really difficult to sit up.

They did not want to sit down casually.

Showing their inferiority at the right time was a form of respect for Lord Kant. They all understood that this kind of etiquette regarding the noble was not those country bumpkins who had just come out from the villages or farms.

Kant smiled and did not care about the two's formality. He opened his mouth to start a conversation.

In fact, they were not unfamiliar with each other.

In the continent of Caradia, these heroic NPCs also had a small reputation.

After all, they were npcs who could follow players. After the continent of Caradia became the real world, there were no players, but they had shown outstanding talent. In terms of business, military, medical skills, commanding troops, engineering, and other technologies, they were far superior to ordinary people, they were valued by the king and the noble.

A few topics about Caradia started, and the relationship between them became warmer.

Rolf and Bandake knew each other from the beginning.

Although they were not happy all the time, it was not to the point of falling out. They could still chat under Kant's lead.

Soon, Fatis also returned to the Council Hall.

He reported to Kant, "Lord, the ladies have been arranged."

"Take a seat." Kant nodded in satisfaction. He waved at him and said, "Take a rest first. We'll continue our in-depth exchange during lunch. Now that my castle has two more talents, we can solve more problems."

Rolf and Bandake lowered their heads humbly again. "You flatter me."

Chapter 216: Spies That Captured Suddenly

Lunch was quickly prepared.

The maids brought out dishes and placed them in front of the four of them.

Crispy golden bread, fried antelope meat covered in flour, large fried eggs, honey date palm, and a small glass of ale for each of them, along with a steamed dried sausage.

It was a very sumptuous lunch. It was Kant's way of welcoming the two of them.

The aroma of the food spreading to the outside.

Lunchtime.

With shouts, buckets of lunch were transported to residential areas and city walls for soldiers and civilians to eat, as well as a two-hour lunch break to escape from the scorching noon Sun.

The atmosphere in the council hall was still harmonious, the four of them ate and chatted.

Firentis was carrying the conversation.

From time to time, he laughed, and his words were filled with respect for the future. The atmosphere was very warm.

The two of them humbly declined the praises from Kant .

"This is not an excessive praise, but an accurate comment."

Seeing the two of them being so humble, Kant smiled and said, "I appreciate your talents."

He had played the game before, so he naturally understood what these NPCs were good at, he continued to make arrangements, "Both of you must be good at your own fields. Next, I will directly appoint you to the positions. I hope that both of you will familiarize yourselves with this world as soon as possible and set a good example in your own positions."

Hearing that they were going to be appointed, Rolf and Bunduk's faces immediately turned solemn.

This was related to their future work in "Drondheim" Castle, as well as Kant's impression of them.

This matter indeed had to be treated with caution.

As for Kant, he already had a plan in mind regarding the areas that the two of them were good at.

First, he looked at Bunduk and said, "In the southern mountain range, I still have a village of the Kingdom of Rhodoks that needs to be managed. Currently, James is taking care of it temporarily, but he's best at medical knowledge. He's obviously weaker in managing the village and the army, so I plan to let you help me manage that village."

"I'm very happy to help.", Bunduk immediately stood up and bowed respectfully to Kant. He said solemnly, "I will do my best to take care of that village for you."

"Yes, very good.", Kant nodded.

Bunduk sat down again.

Rolf, who was beside him, immediately swept his gaze with envy and jealousy. However, he looked at Kant even more fervently.

Although Bunduk was not conferred the title of noble by Kant, he was appointed by the noble, Kant with position that was similar to village chief and mayor. It was a high-level official who could directly manage the village and garrison troops, and the core management personnel in the future.

If he performed well, there was definitely a chance for him to be conferred the title of noble in the future.

Even Bunduk was excited in his heart.

This was not the Continent of Caradia, which required bloodline, identity, reputation, and honor to be a noble. Instead, it was a land of miracles filled with opportunities and chances. It was a world that Lord Kant had personally led them forward!

As long as they put in effort, there would definitely be lots of gains.

Noble status was one of them!

Kant chuckled as he looked at the fervent and excited eyes of the two. This was the effect he wanted, to use real fame and fortune to stimulate their enthusiasm.

Although due to the limitations of the system, they were always loyal to Kant, everyone's personality was different. It was possible that one of them really wanted to waste time and didn't put effort into works. Kant had even saw these phenomena in some of the soldiers, especially those who liked to play tricks on others, their military discipline was not very good.

It was only because there were only a few troops now and Firentis was strict in managing the army. He would patrol a few times every day, which prevented this temporary peace from becoming lax.

However, when the number of troops increased, it was crucial to put the establishment of necessary department like the military court on the agenda as soon as possible.

However, this still needed some time.

At present, Kant was dealing with the appointment of personnel and perfecting the roles of each person.

"Rolf..."

Kant looked at this middle-aged man who had a ferocious expression but appeared humble and respectful.

"I'm here, Lord Kant.", Rolf immediately stood up and nodded with a hint of excitement on his face. It was finally the time for his appointment. His heart even more excited when he thought about it.

"You're a noble from the east."

Kant opened his mouth and muttered to himself.

"Yes, that's right. I come from a kingdom outside the Continent of Caradia.". Rolf nodded, he said somewhat helplessly, "I'm still a noble, but I don't have much of a concept of managing a territory. I can only entrust the estate to someone else and come to Caradia to try my luck and earn some denar back."

He was not afraid to say that he was not a native of the Continent of Caradia.

In other words, Caradia had long been the stage for other races.

There were many outsiders.

Even those who had established kingdoms, such as the Kingdom of Nords from the Nord Continent on the other side of the sea, the Kingdom of Vaegirs from across the Snowy Mountains in the northeast, and the Kingdom of Khergit Khanate from the Khergit Plain on the other side of the mountains, even the Kingdom of Sarrand Sultanate was a country formed by the races that migrated from the depths of the desert.

The true indigenous people of Caradia were probably the Swadian and Rhodok people. And both of them were once ancient Caradia people.

"Mm.", Kant nodded.

He also understood this phenomenon. It was similar to the great racial integration.

It was just that the process was somewhat tragic.

The Kingdom of Caradia was divided. Various nations that had once been suppressed had established their own countries and forces. And because of the poor political skills and military literacy of the king of Caradia, Haraus, he had kept some snakes in his bosom, causing the entire Continent of Caradia in a dangerous situation.

However, the chaotic situation also made many speculators sense an opportunity. They all arrived at the Continent of Caradia with various purposes, trying to obtain some benefits in this chaotic continent.

Rolf was like this.

He was a noble of other kingdom, but because he did not know how to manage his properties, his family had fallen into disrepair.

In order to revive his family, he could only come here, wanting to earn a large sum of denars before returning home.

But the reality was a little cruel.

Many ambitious people had caused the Continent of Caradia to become incomparably chaotic. Rolf, this rude noble, didn't know how to do business and socialize. In the end, he had become a person with an empty noble title, living like a bandit leader... no.., it should be said that he was a bandit leader. The title of a scoundrel noble was very accurate.

He led the troops he had recruited to rob innocent people and trade caravan. He even attacked villages and forced villagers to provide supplies. There were even cases where he kidnapped city residents for ransom.

Rolf had walked down a dark path. He did not take his noble identity seriously at all.

This was also the reason why Bunduk, Firentis, and the others had a lot of opinions about him.

But it was nothing to Kant.

Since Rolf liked to rob and plunder, it could be said that he was a bandit leader with noble status and military leadership qualities. Then, in Kant's battle sequence, there was a position that he was best at.

He could lead the desert bandits to stand guard at the posthouse and stop the increasing trade caravan and spies in the future!

Kant believed that this scoundrel noble would be able to perform well.

"Rolf."

Kant raised his head and looked at Rolf, who was still standing in his position and looking at him eagerly.

Kant pondered for a moment and organized his words, he said, "I have an important task for you. I have a posthouse in the south. That is the key point to prevent anyone from coming here. I need you to lead 100 desert bandits to patrol the area. Use any means to prevent anyone from discovering the Oasis Lookout."

"Oh, so that's the case.", Rolf raised his eyebrows slightly. There was not a hint of disappointment on his face. Instead, he could not help but smile because of Kant's words. "Lord Kant, you mean, by any means?"

"That's right.", Kant nodded. "By any means."

"Thank you for your appointment!"

A strange smile appeared on Rolf's face, but he immediately bowed respectfully. "Under my patrol, no one will appear at the Oasis Lookout, unless they are captured captives or dead bodies with eyes wide open."

Kant was very satisfied with his statement. "Mark your words."

"Yes.", Rolf bowed respectfully with his hands on his chest.

This was what he was good at.

Naturally, Rolf was familiar with these desert bandits. He even had a real in-depth communication with these bandits in the Sarrand Desert, and they even worked together a few times.

The Sarrand Desert might seem rather barren, but the nobles and merchants who lived in those two oases could be said to be extremely wealthy.

After doing a few big deals, they could earn quite a lot of denars.

The four of them were chatting when suddenly, the door of the council hall was pushed open.

The Swadian knight who was responsible for guarding the outside walked in and reported with a solemn expression, "Lord Kant, the desert bandits in charge of patrolling have discovered a few spies. They are now being escorted to the prison cell. At the same time, they are asking you how to deal with them."

"Spies?", Kant frowned.

Firentis, Rolf, and Bunduk also turned their heads to look.

Just a moment ago, they were still discussing how to deal with the increasing number of spies in the Dukedom of Leo.

Rolf, who was about to appoint a posthouse patrol officer, could not help but snort coldly, he said fiercely to Kant, "This group of rat-like fellows is the most despicable. I think we should kill them all and stick their heads on the spear. Let the other fellows see the consequences of offending your dignity!"

"Wait a minute. Let's go to the prison to interrogate these spies."

Kant shook his head and did not agree with Rolf's opinion.

After pondering for a moment, he raised his head and said to the three of them, "I really didn't expect them to be so fast. I don't know which noble sent spies to be able to reach our castle."

"This is worth paying attention to.", Firentis reminded.

"Okay.", Kant nodded. "Let's go."

As he said that, he stood up and led the three of them to the prison cell, which was in the southeast corner of the castle.

The large prison cell had just been built.

It had a dungeon, a water prison, an interrogation room, and a detention room.

There were two strong civilians acting as guards in the cell.

On the city wall, the five Vaegir marksman were watching the large prison cell. If there were any riots, the bows in their hands would not show any mercy.

Chapter 217: Borg From the Eastern County

Borg's face was ashen.

He squatted in the damp and cold corner of the wall, his eyes filled with anxiety.

He had finally discovered this secret.

Looking up at the small cell made of rocks, Borg's heart trembled at the discovery of this secret.

If possible, he really did not want to appear in the Nahrin Desert. He did not want to be curious because he saw the watchtower that reached into the clouds. He also did not want to come to the nearby dune, and observed the castle that almost made him dumbstruck on the spot. He wanted to see what was going on here!

If he hadn't been curious, perhaps he wouldn't have been locked in this prison in a dungeon. There wouldn't have been fierce and ferocious guards holding leather whips made of cow skin walking back and forth.

The fierce and vicious gaze that seemed to want to eat him alive made his heart tremble even more.

Borg had never thought of himself as a heroic man.

No, he willing to become a shy girl, then perhaps he could still use his body and beauty to flatter and live humbly in front of these terrifying guards or the owner of the castle.

It was better than being hanged, beheaded, strangled, buried alive, and been through a series of cruel methods.

Thinking of this...

Borg's tears could not help but flow out again.

"Great God of War, Edmund, please save me. I just want to find a trade route for my family.", Borg knelt on the cold stone slab with his eyes closed and tears flowing down. He kept praying for the protection of the God of War.

Thinking of his family's business in East County was about to fall, his tears flowed even more.

However, pleading was obviously useless.

The group of dutiful guards outside would not let him off easily.

However, someone responded to Borg's prayer.

"You might have made a mistake."

Light footsteps could be heard from the corridor outside the door as well as a response. "The God of War, Edmund, protects warriors who can die gloriously on the battlefield, not captives who surrender out of fear."

Borg instantly opened his eyes.

Just outside the iron fence, Kant walked over slowly with a calm face. "Am I wrong?"

"You... You are...", Borg looked at Kant.

However, his expression was extremely terrified. He subconsciously fell to the ground and leaned back against the cold stone wall. His tone was somewhat abnormal, "You are... Baron Kant!"

"You know me?", Kant stood outside the fence, and his tone was somewhat curious.

There were many people in the Dukedom of Leo who knew his name.

After all, the eldest son of the Grand Duke who was exiled to the Nahrin Desert was practically a funny joke after a meal.

However, there were clearly not many people who knew Kant's face and recognized him directly. Even the noble families of the Dukedom of Leo might not be able to recognize him when they met in an unfamiliar environment.

Kant was very sure that the captive looked at him as if he knew him.

"Baron Kant... Lord Kant!"

Borg seemed to have discovered a possibility to live. He knelt on the ground and kowtowed heavily, he said sorrowfully, "You are merciful. Please let me go. I came to the Nahrin Desert to save my family's business. I only came to save my family. Please let me go!"

Kant did not answer. Instead, he looked calmly at Borg in the dungeon.

This kind of begging had no effect on him.

He knocked on the iron fence with the horsewhip in his hand. The handle was gold-plated tail and inlaid with emeralds, it made a soft sound. Kant turned his head and walked out. "Take him to the interrogation room. I want to interrogate him personally.". Kant paused and then instructed the guards, "Also, write down the statements recorded previously and give me a copy."

"Understood.", the two guards who followed him immediately nodded. After they entered the prison to work, they understood their duties and the tasks they needed to do. They did not just torture them. They also summarized the key points that each prisoner had said when they begged for mercy. It was also a key task to write down the key points.

Borg was not the only one imprisoned in the cell.

The guards of the trade caravan he brought from the East County were now all imprisoned in small cells as well.

This was a large-scale prison at the castle level.

Not to mention to imprison more than ten people, even more than a hundred people would not be a problem.

In order to prevent this group of people from colluding with each other, they were imprisoned separately. The dungeon, the water prison, the cage, and the ground cell were all locked up separately. There were also temporary peasant guards with long scythe and long whip patrolling, they were waiting for Lord Kant's interrogation later.

In the interrogation room, Kant sat on the main seat, while Firentis, Rolf, and Bunduk sat around him.

The prepared document had been sent over.

It recorded in detail about who these people were and why they appeared near the Oasis Lookout.

As for the authenticity, there was no way to guarantee it.

Kant put down the document in his hand, his tone was a little strange. "The son of a merchant from the East County wants to come to the Oasis Lookout to trade fine white salt with me in order to save his family that is on the verge of bankruptcy. If this is true, then I have to admire this young man called Borg for being so desperate."

"A young man whose family is on the verge of bankruptcy and try hard save his family's business. Not a bad young man.", Bunduk shrugged. It seemed that this story was very good, at least it suited his taste.

"Huh? A little bastard from a rundown family?". However, Rolf was somewhat disappointed.

Rolf stroke his chin that he had carelessly shaved, the stubble was a little prickly, but he could not help but shake his head and say, "I bet I won't be able to squeeze much out of him.". He paused for a moment, he said to Kant, "If he was the son of a large family, I would be able to earn a large sum of ransom for Lord Kant. It's a pity now that he's not of much use."

"Hmph.", Bunduk snorted in response, using his own actions to express his displeasure towards Rolf.

Even Firentis looked at Rolf with displeasure.

But Rolf did not seem to notice.

Instead, he said proudly, "You are bunch of swollen headed and self-proclaimed decent men. This isn't Caradia. I'm accumulating wealth for Lord Kant. I'm not the same as you guys!"

"Alright, bring this Borg guy up."

Kant instructed Rolf, "Be gentle. If he is really as described in the document, perhaps we can use him as a springboard to extend our forces to the East County and develop other subordinates. We will not be completely controlled by Baron Dylan at the Stone Pass."

Kant had already told Rolf and Bunduk about the detailed information of this world, especially the distribution of power in the Dukedom of Leo. It was an important matter that they had carefully communicated with each other.

Rolf and Bunduk knew about the three counties in the dukedom of Leo.

They also knew what kind of crisis the Oasis Lookout was facing.

"Understood."

Rolf nodded and quickly brought Borg into the interrogation room.

This young man in his twenties had cold sweat all over his face. His legs were weak, and he was almost trembling when he walked.

He was obviously extremely afraid.

"Relax."

Kant sat on the main seat and said to Bunduk beside him, "Bring him a chair."

Bunduk stood up and placed the chair in front of Borg.

It seemed that this handsome middle-aged man made Borg feel ease a bit, so he gulped and sat on the chair shakily. He looked at Kant with great desire. His lips trembled, but he did not dare to say anything.

Beside him were the guards.

Especially the two heavily armored Swadian knights, who gave him the worst deterrence.

"Are you from the East County?", Kant asked him.

"Yes... Yes.", Borg nodded and gulped, with a trembling voice, he said, "My family is a slightly famous merchant family in the Winter City. We mainly sell goods from various countries. Once, we had our own fleet on the Resniston River. But because of those damn corrupted river patrol team, they slandered our fleet for being involved with the river bandits, so they confiscated all of our fleet and fined us a large amount of money!"

Kant nodded slightly. "This is really a tragedy."

The capital of the East County was a Winter City. Its status was comparable to Lionheart City in the South County. It was also a river trading port.

Ten years ago, it was even the largest trading port of the Dukedom of Leo.

However, because Kant's aunt, the biological sister of the Grand Duke of Leo, Countess Agatha, who was conferred with the title of Lord of the Eastern County, fell out with the Grand Duke, and both sides fell into a cold war. After that, the East County was sealed off and basically did not communicate with the southern and northern counties. As a result, Lionheart City had seized the opportunity to seize the position of trade overlord on the river.

This was not a secret. It had even been openly recorded in the books of the Academy. Kant naturally had some understanding of Borg's words. He even knew why the river patrol team of Lionheart City would target the Borg family's fleet.

"It was all about the struggle of power."

Kant shook his head. The river patrol team of Lionheart City was naturally the hunting dogs worshipped by the merchants of Lionheart City. They naturally were not happy with their competitor, the merchant fleet of Winter City.

Before the conflict between the two high-level officials broke out, there were already some subtle quarrels and fighting as well.

Otherwise, Kant's aunt, Countess Agatha, would not have changed the name of Winter County to East County.

One had to know that East County was located in the west.

And the name of Winter County originated from the land of this county. One could feel the freezing cold current blowing from the west, and one could even see polar-white heavy snow in winter. It was not like the Direct South County, where the impact of winter was less, and the overall climate was warmer, it was like the tropics, allowing the vegetation to mature four times a year!

This was also why the South County was a direct territory, and the large amount of rich crop output, as well as the output of various surplus livestock production. These were the reasons why many human countries had to send merchant ships over there to import food.

The grain and dried meat of the South County were top-grade products. They were high quality and cheap, and were widely sold in other kingdoms!

Kant understood everything.

But looking at Borg in front of him, he did not think that this was a real spy.

Bunduk might be a peacemaker, but Firentis and Rolf were both elites from the noble family.

Especially Rolf who dared to fight alone. He had his own way of identifying spies. As the interrogation continued, he whispered his thoughts to Kant.

Chapter 218: Probing In the Dark

"He doesn't look like a spy.",Rolf concluded. "He's too inexperienced."

"Are you sure?", Kant asked.

"Mm-hmm.", Rolf shrugged, he said affirmatively, "Of course, Lord Kant. Compared to Manid, this guy is like a simple and reckless child. If the two of them play some businessmen dirty tricks, I'm sure that Manid will be able to fool him."

Manid was a famous new star businessman in the Continent of Caradia. Although he was only in his twenties, his superb business skills were not inferior to those old men in their fifties.

If he had not encountered an irresistible robbery, he probably would not have failed.

"He is indeed very young."

Kant agreed with his conclusion.

This was reflected in the interrogation. This young man called Borg was really very simple.

He was almost silly and cute.

He didn't say much and made his identity clear.

And most importantly, Kant didn't believe that in this era of cold weapons, there would be any psychological training for spy.

He slightly reached out and knocked on the table. Kant gave a signal to the guard to send Borg, who was sweating profusely and obviously very nervous, back to the cell. He ordered, "Let him calm down first."

The guard nodded. One on the left and one on the right, they carried Borg back to the cell.

This guy was so scared that he couldn't even walk on his own.

"Ha, this is what a young man is like. He's so silly and cute. He doesn't know anything. He only has hot-blooded passion, and immediately flinched when run into troubles." Rolf had a mocking look on his face.

However, when he saw the young Kant, Rolf's eyes twitched a little. He realized that he might had said something wrong, he quickly said, "Of course, Lord Kant, I didn't mean to insinuate you. Ahem, what I meant was... This Borg just now..."

"Alright, everyone has been young before,", Kant said, sitting in his seat and thinking.

The appearance of this spy made him feel a sense of crisis.

People couldn't resist the temptation of the table salt trade, even if it meant they needed to risk their own lives, they still going for it.

After all, Kant was at the posthouse at that time and ordered the desert bandits to tell any spies that whoever tried to cross the line of the posthouse, they would be killed as long as they got close to the Oasis Lookout.

But now Borg and his trade caravan still came.

Kant underestimated the greed of these people.

He did not believe that this young man really came here with a passion.

Perhaps he really wanted to save his family.

However, if said that there was no one behind it, Kant would not believe it at all. After all, the table salt trade between the Oasis Lookout and the Stone Pass was not something that ordinary people could know. Even if they knew that Baron Dylan's trade caravan sold fine white salt, but most people did not know that these goods were came from the Oasis Lookout.

Firentis said to Kant solemnly, "It's probably someone who wants to use this Borg to test you, Lord Kant. I think we should handle it carefully."

"Yes.", Kant nodded. He also thought so.

However, as he was thinking.

Kant raised his head slightly. "We seem to have reached a bottleneck."

"A bottleneck?", Firentis and the other two looked at him with doubt in their eyes.

The current "Drondheim" Castle and "Aaron" Village could be considered to have given Kant the foundation to occupy Nahrin Desert and the ability to control it. Hence, it could not be said that they reached a bottleneck from achieving the peak.

Bunduk and Rolf knew that their current strength was not enough to contend with the Dukedom of Leo.

Kant chuckled. "It's not military."

The three of them were still puzzled.

After a moment of silence, Kant turned his head and looked at the corridor where Borg was dragged out. He asked, "Do you think that with our current strength, we can enter the Dukedom of Leo and open up a new battlefield?"

"We don't understand.", Rolf was straightforward.

"I plan to arrange for people to go to East County to try our luck."

Kant opened his mouth and said in a low voice, "This Borg is the best pathfinder.". He paused for a moment, there was a glimmer in his eyes. "Those guys want him to explore the Oasis Lookout, so I will give them this opportunity. Instead, I will use Borg's family network to extend our forces into the Dukedom of Leo."

"But this will be a little dangerous. If it is exposed, it will even affect our cooperation with the Stone Pass. After all, with the current state of table salt trade, the Stone Pass will not tolerate a second partner.", Firentis raised his opinion with a frown on his face.

Kant nodded. "This is also my concern."

Because of the table salt trade with the Stone Pass, the greedy Baron Dylan able to block out the others.

If Kant started the same table salt trade with others.

With Baron Dylan's personality, he would probably overreact.

Although Kant would not care about the so-called threat of military strength, if Baron Dylan opened the canyon and let a large number of spies appeared in the Nahrin Desert, it would be troublesome.

After pondering for a while, Kant said, "I don't plan to use table salt as the main trade commodity."

The three of them did not know much about business, so they listened quietly.

"Our sugar workshop can already produce a large number of honey-date palm sugar cubes. This is the commodity that I am considering to cooperate with the Borg family. No one will think of us."

Kant thought for a while and said, "And even if we are exposed, there won't be any evidence at the Stone Pass. After all, we are cooperating with sugar cubes trading, not table salt. Both sides have great interests and have no connection with each other. Therefore, that guy, Baron Dylan, will also not fall out with us and turn hostile against us."

"But there will be a breach of trust in the cooperation between the two sides.", Bunduk said.

However, Rolf, who was beside him, mocked, "You're so naive. Don't we have a breach with them already?"

"Rolf is right.", Firentis nodded and surprisingly agreed with Rolf's words. At the same time, he raised his head and said to Kant, "But how to avoid the Stone Pass to discover that we are cooperating with others in the early stage? This is the thing to pay special attention to. I suggest that we discuss it after Manid returns."

"Yes, that's it.", Kant agreed.

He also agreed with Rolf's statement.

The relationship between Oasis Lookout and the Stone Pass was already fragile. The reason why they were able to cooperate was purely because of the profits involved.

It was the fine white salt produced by Oasis Lookout that brought the foundation of cooperation.

This was an extremely expensive luxury condiment.

When Baron Dylan at the Stone Pass saw this white little cutie, he automatically substituted with the white great silver coins. Thus, their cooperation seemed to be close, but in fact there were huge cracks in it. When the two sides had any differences or when one side became stronger, they would ruthlessly suppress the other side.

Kant only earned 50 great silver coins for each bag of white salt, but Baron Dylan could earn 250 great silver coins.

This benefit cooperation was like a steel wire.

Because neither side had the strength to annex the other, the fragile peace was maintained.

Once Kant became stronger, he would not be satisfied with 50 great silver coins. He would even go deep into the Dukedom of Leo and take back more benefits. Even if he did not do so, Baron Dylan would still be wary of Kant's strength.

How could he allow others to sleep peacefully on his bed?

This was a common reason.

Moreover, Baron Dylan had always coveted the salt mine that Kant controlled. No one would complain when they earned too much. And controlling the salt mine was the same as controlling the entire silver mine completely! He would not give up this chance that could make him soar to the sky in one go.

Kant and Firentis discussed the feasibility of this matter in detail. Although they were not proficient in business, they could still discuss whether this plan would be successful in a short period of time for the nobles in the Stone Pass and the East County, it would also have a beneficial impact on the future and ensure that their development would receive another boost!

Just as they were discussing, the guard outside the corridor walked over.

He bowed respectfully and said, "Lord, that guy called Borg has been making a racket, saying that he wants to see you. He also said that he has secret information that he wants to tell you. I think it might be useful to you, so I'll report it to you. Should we bring him here?"

Kant was slightly stunned, but he still nodded and said, "Bring him here again."

"Yes.", the guard retreated and quickly brought Borg back.

But this time, Borg was wearing tight shackles. They were all made of iron. His neck, hands, and feet were all restrained by heavy chains and shackles, making it difficult for him to walk.

But he still managed to raise his head to look at Kant, he knelt on the ground. "Baron Kant, Viscount Wayne of the North County sent me here. He gave me the map of how to pass through the Senwaya Range and how to get to the Oasis Lookout. Now I understand. He wants me to be a spy to investigate you!"

"Well, it's like this.", Kant's eyes flashed. "You mean that Viscount Wayne from Logue Castle is also involved in this matter?". He asked, "If you make wild guesses without evidence, you are slandering the noble. The court will sentence you to be hanged."

"That's right! It's definitely Viscount Wayne!"

Borg said resolutely, "At that time, I brought the goods to Logue Castle. Viscount Wayne's financial officer received me. At that time, he told me that Oasis Lookout discovered a salt mine and that Baron Dylan of Stone Pass had made a fortune!"

After pausing for a moment, Borg gritted his teeth and said, "In order to save the family, I listened to the financial officer's words. I even received financial aid and obtained these guards. However, when I came here and was caught by you, I realized that I was a spy and a scapegoat. You can interrogate my guards and they will know all of this!"

"There is such an inside story.", Kant narrowed his eyes.

The three of them were also silent. Their faces were slightly solemn.

This was a obvious test!

Although Viscount Wayne did not appear, the financial officer of Logue Castle could completely issue this order on his behalf. And this family was about to go bankrupt. Borg, who desperately wanted to save the family's future, entered their sight.

Kant turned to Rolf and said, "Interrogate those guards and get the details."

Chapter 219: Strategies For Conquering the East County

Rolf came back very quickly.

At the same time, he brought a bloody human body.

He threw it on the ground and let out a painful moan. The moans and the blood stained his tattered clothes. There were whip marks everywhere. He looked extremely miserable.

Borg's face turned green.

He was no longer as calm as before. Instead, he looked to the side, and cold sweat broke out on his face.

It was the guards who had been with him for more than ten days, now that they had fallen to such a state, it was a deterrent to him. Thinking of the benevolent reputation Kant had left behind, he swallowed his saliva. He had a deep understanding of the bottom line of these nobles.

If they were really merciful, it would not be like this. It was because of Kant's kindness that he dared to take the risk to avoid the patrol team of the desert bandits and go deep into the Oasis Lookout.

However, Kant's face was calm. "How is it?"

"Not a stubborn guy.", Rolf snorted coldly, he nodded to Kant and said, "They are indeed the guards from Logue Castle. Their abilities are close to the level of knights. When they saw me bringing people over, they wanted to resist, but I kicked them between their legs. After dozens of whips, they told me everything.". At the same time, he handed over the interrogation document.

Bunduk looked at this miserable guard who was covered in blood. It was obvious that he was still breathing. If he was not treated, the consequences would be terrible.

He looked at Firentis who was beside him.

However, Firentis shook his head. His expression was calm and there was no pity in his eyes.

Bunduk nodded. He understood his young friend's thoughts.

He was not a pedantic person.

Even if he had the thought and desire to protect the civilians and become a protector of the people, he would still burn the villages of other kingdoms, kill the troops of other kingdoms, and slaughter the bandits.

On the matters that needed to be done, Bunduk never hesitated.

"How troublesome."

Kant put down the document. The details of the interrogation were written on it.

He already understood the background of this guard. It was Viscount Wayne of Logue Castle, the highest noble in the entire North County. He controlled an elite force directly under him, as well as the union of many small noble families. Compared to the current military strength, it was far more powerful than Kant.

Viscount Wayne was indeed a big trouble.

Kant had not provoked him yet, but because of that greedy sense of smell, Wayne came to him first.

"The situation is not good.", Firentis said to Kant. "Viscount Wayne of Logue Castle didn't try to hide anything. He sent Borg to Oasis Lookout. Perhaps he will use this opportunity to make a fuss because we captured him."

"He will probably use this opportunity to make a fuss."

Rolf also thought about it while touching the stubble on his chin, he then said, "If it was me, I definitely wouldn't let go of this opportunity to reach into Oasis Lookout. I think that Viscount Wayne is a bastard like me."

Bunduk glanced at Rolf and suggested to Kant, "Lord, the patrols in the direction of the posthouse should be strengthened."

"That's right."

Kant nodded. Their suggestion was worth considering.

Meanwhile, Borg, who was still kneeling on the ground, suddenly raised his head and said to Kant, "Not only Logue Castle, but even Masburg and Aviles Castle of the East County have sent people to the desert posthouse.". As he said that, his eyes dimmed. "It's just that they didn't foolishly fall for the trap like me and cross the posthouse to come here."

"Viscount Kevin of Masburg, Viscount Gibran of Aviles Castle."

The information about the nobles of the Dukedom of Leo appeared in Kant's mind.

The corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up into a smile. He looked at the unwilling Borg in front of him and said, "I really didn't expect that they would dare to pay so much attention to me and be so brazen."

"Table salt is too expensive.", Borg lowered his head, he said it straightforward as if he was going all out, "No one will give up your salt mine, Baron Kant. Even if you or the forces behind you built this castle, for those greedy noble families, if they can't get your salt mine, they won't stop."

"You're right.", Kant nodded, not caring about his rude words.

Because Borg was indeed telling the truth.

Looking at his courage, Kant also knocked on the table and asked with some interest, "What about you? I remember that I asked anyone to return to the posthouse and not to go deep into this place."

"I was also blinded by greed."

Borg lowered his head and clenched his wrists, but his voice became firm. "Lord Kant, I discovered your secret. If there are no accidents, perhaps I will die. But I think that if there is anything useful, please give me a chance to live. I am willing to pay my loyalty."

"Ha, loyalty.", Kant did not speak after hearing his words. Rolf, who was rude, sneered instead. "This is a wonderful word. When I am drunk, I can serve anyone."

"Hmph.", Firentis snorted. "Your words are a bit too much."

Bunduk also glanced at Rolf. "If the noble you meet has a bad temper, he will whip you directly."

"Sorry, I'm just used to it.", Rolf instantly reacted and laughed embarrassedly. "Of course, my loyalty to Lord Kant comes from my soul. There is no impurity in my loyalty."

"Watch what you say in the future.", Kant reprimanded him slightly, but didn't probe further.

This guy's personality was just like that. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone from a noble with honor to a scoundrel that everyone hated.

The system was guaranteed the loyalty of these NPCs, so Kant believed that Rolf was loyal to him.

But towards Borg, who was kneeling in front of him, he narrowed his eyes slightly, he asked in a deep voice, "I don't know what kind of person you are. I also don't know if I should believe your words. After all, your current loyalty is extremely cheap to me. What can you give me to make me believe that what you said is true? Are you willing to completely offer your loyalty to me?"

"I don't have anything to prove it.", Borg raised his head. His 20s face still had a hint of naivety, however, he looked at Kant firmly and said, "But if I die here, my clan will be completely bankrupt. Please give me a chance. I I don't want my clan that had passed down for more than 200 years to fall into decline or even be destroyed because of me."

"Interesting,", Firentis said.

Bunduk also nodded. Even Rolf looked at this young man with a bit of calmness.

Firentis and Rolf both wanted to revitalize the family, and they felt the same way.

Kant, on the other hand, chuckled. He waved his hand at the guard beside him and said, "Alright, remove his shackles. I don't think anyone who is willing to submit to me will be treated as a criminal."

"Lord Kant!", Borg's expression was extremely excited.

He did not expect that his resolution of going all out, or rather the courage of nothing to lose would actually paid off!

The guard came over and untied his shackles.

Kant ordered, "Bring him back to the council hall and arrange a room.". After a pause, he looked at Borg and asked, "The guards of the trade caravan who came with you, do you think they are trustworthy?"

"Other than the old butler who served me since I was a child, no one else is trustworthy."

Borg hesitated, but he still opened his mouth and said to Kant seriously, "They are all the financial officers of Viscount Wayne. I don't even trust them when they arrange the guards and manpower for me."

"Rolf, you are in charge of handling it.", Kant turned to look at Rolf after hearing that.

Rolf nodded. "Understood."

It was easy for him to deal with a dozens of rats.

However, looking at the bloody guards, he touched his stubble, he smiled sinisterly. "These guys can still provide a lot of information. Even if it's useless, they can sell it to Vaegirs's snowfield iron mine. Although the value is not high, they can still sell it for a few denars."

"The snowfield iron mine of Veagirs still needs human slaves?", Kant frowned slightly.

"Yes.", Rolf Shrugged. "Men, women, and children all need it. If they encounter labor shortages, they even wanted the elderly. They lack slave miners, and every year, they will attract many slave traders."

"I see.", Kant lowered his head slightly.

He was deep in thought.

Selling humans as slaves was not a psychological barrier for him.

There was also a slave trade in this world. And it was in full swing.

Not to mention human slaves, there were all kinds of beautiful women and maidservants. It was said that there were even dwarf slaves. They were locked in the depths of the workshop as senior blacksmiths. With a little better service, these dwarf slaves could help to forge high-quality weapons and armor, this was something that could be found within the sphere of influence of the great noble families.

For Kant, rather than killing them for nothing or leaving behind any future trouble, he might as well made them his slaves.

If he bought the Kingdom of Vaegirs trust and exchange it for denars.

That was a good idea.

Kant was tempted, but he did not show it. He turned around and walked outside.

Firentis and Banduk followed.

The two knights also helped Borg to walk. The heavy chain armor made a slight rustling sound as they walked, but it did not frighten Borg. Instead, there was a light look on his face as if he had barely escaped from death.

He really survived.

After leaving the prison cell, his old butler was also led out by a knight to the council hall.

As for those unfamiliar guards?

They could only hope for the best.

........

Today's time soon passed.

Night fell.

The entire Nahrin Desert seemed to have entered the winter season.

The cold air spread on the ground.

Around the "Drondheim" Castle, the 10-man team of desert bandits were still patrolling.

The discovery of Borg during the day made everyone vigilant.

Kant even specially sent a message to the posthouse, reprimanding the 40 desert bandits who were guarding there, asking them to increase the frequency of their patrols, and telling them that they would send more desert bandits and Rolf, who was the chief of security, to the posthouse at the beginning of the next month. Everyone had to brace themselves to prevent similar accidents from happening again.

However, even if the patrols were stepped up, more and more people appeared at the Stone Pass.

The hotels were already filled with people with ulterior motives.

The bountiful profits of the table salt trade made countless people envious. Even Baron Dylan was under great pressure.

The North County, South County and the sealed East County all sent various spies.

It was a storm that was coming.

Chapter 220: The Tense Atmosphere Between the Two Sides

Early in the morning at the beginning of the month.

Kant woke up from his sleep, and a little noise entered his ears.

He frowned slightly and glanced at the bright sky outside the window. He quickly calmed down with a bit of his morning breath. Kant paid attention to the noise. It was the neighing of the camels, and he already understood what was going on.

Manid and his camel caravan had returned.

He put on his clothes and went to the window.

Kant looked down. Many peasants were carrying the goods on the backs of 30 camels and piling them on the side of the street. Manid stood by the side and busy commanded them. Looking at the thick fur coat on his body, Kant knew that he had just returned in the early morning.

He retracted his gaze.

Kant washed his hands and face and walked out of the room.

There were a few beautiful maids with fair and supple faces waiting on him outside.

When they saw Kant walk out, they hurriedly bowed. "My lord, good morning."

"Yes, good morning.", Kant nodded.

These were all immigrants from cities and towns. Bunduk had specially picked them out and arranged them to serve as maids in the council hall.

Beautiful young girls between the ages of 18 and 25.

Their faces were cute and pretty. Many of them were girls from wealthy families. That was why they were arranged to serve Kant as his personal maids on the sixth floor. They would usually clean Kant's exclusive room and serve him with food, clothing, and travel.

Bunduk had chosen unmarried young girls.

He also vaguely hinted that they could also work in bed in the middle of night.

Kant understood what he meant.

After all, "Mount & Blade" was a western game, so it was more open to such things.

Moreover, this was the medieval background in which a lord was above everything.

If he moved his finger, these beautiful maids would wash themselves clean and lie on his big, soft bed, unlocking any position and fooled around over and over again.

But Kant did not make such a gesture.

Even if these beautiful maids were really gorgeous and they were much more eye-catching than those old ladies with bucket waists.

But he thought these were not the things he should considered at the moment.

Kant's body was only 16 years old.

Excessive indulgence would affect the development of the body, which was worth noting. Even if he had the physical strength of a knight, but his body was still developing, it would still be irreparably affected by such things.

Therefore, Kant had sufficient self-control to allow himself to stay rational.

He would not be seduced by beauty.

Excessive indulgence would destroy a person's spirit. In history, more than one person had fallen due to trapping in the embrace of beautiful women. If one was unlucky, the end result would be miserable.

No one leave him a way out unscathed.

History could be the proof.

Kant waved his hand to dismiss the maids and continued to clean the room. He walked down the spiral staircase and left the sixth floor. Soon, he reached the first floor.

This was a floor that used for greeting guests, banquets, and administration.

Currently, there were not many people in duty.

Only Kant and Firentis were handling the matters of "Drondheim" Castle. Although Manid would help occasionally, he would deal with business matters alone most of the time. After all, as the table salt trade expanded, his task would become more and more important. He basically could not be distracted to help with other matters.

In fact, the current administrative matters were relatively easy to handle, so Kant and Firentis could handle it.

Therefore, they did not hire additional government employees.

However, Kant sensed that something was wrong.

With the development of "Drondheim" Castle, it was not only a military center, but also a commercial and political center. All kinds of matters that needed to be handled and decisions began to increase.

The intelligence came from the Stone Pass. All kinds of matters in the "Aaron" Village in the Senwaya Range. In addition, there were spies spying on this place all the time. These were all the things that Kant needed to deal with next.

Moreover, he was secretly guarding against the Kingdom of Grey Mane from the Mannheim Coast which located on the opposite side of the Nahrin Desert. It was already exhausting for him to think about it.

"I really need to hire some employees.", Kant sighed.

This plan was put on the agenda in Kant's mind.

He was thinking about it.

The faint fragrance of food appeared in the council hall.

In the kitchen at the back, the chefs were preparing breakfast. According to the usual time, it would take less than half an hour for everyone in "Drondheim" Castle to eat.

Kant sat in his seat and waited.

The maids brought a tray with silver bowls and plates on it.

"My Lord, please have some sweet porridge and dessert first."

She put down the tray.

The silver bowl was filled with soft porridge with honey, date palm powder, and a little malt wine.

On the silver plate next to it was a bread strip the size of a finger. It was wrapped with egg liquid, honey, date palm powder, and a layer of flour. After that, it was put into a frying pan and fried into a crispy little dessert. It was a dish brought by the immigrants from these towns, and it tasted very good. It was also a good dessert to appease the hunger before meals.

Kant fell for it since he had it during the supper last night. He even had the maid to specially arrange this dessert before his breakfast. Looking at the still steaming hot dessert, one could tell that it was made by the chefs of these immigrants from the cities.

After tasting a piece of dessert, the taste was sweet and crisp.

Kant nodded in satisfaction and said to the maid, "Please help me prepare four more delicious desserts."

"Yes, lord."

The pretty maid chuckled. She happily turned around and ran to the kitchen to instruct the chefs to prepare.

Kant turned his head at the same time and instructed the Swadian knight who was standing guard at the door, "Go and invite Firentis and Manid to come to the council hall to have breakfast with me. Hurry up."

"Yes.", the knight nodded and left the house swiftly.

Kant was still making arrangements.

Bunduk and Rolf, who were temporarily staying on the fourth floor, walked out of the stairs.

When they saw that Kant was already sitting in the main seat, they immediately tidied up their collars and quickly walked over to greet him respectfully. "Good morning, Lord Kant."

"Mm.", Kant smiled and nodded. "Take a seat."

"Thank you very much.", the two of them thanked him and sat down.

However, when Kant saw that the two of them still had black circles under their eyes, he smiled and asked, "What's going on? It seems that you two don't have a quality sleep last night?"

"I just came to the land of miracles. I'm under a lot of pressure,", Bunduk said honestly.

Rolf also shrugged. "A looooot of pressure."

"Relax.", Kant could not help but laugh.

He understood their pressure, so he comforted them. "This world is no different from Caradia." As he spoke, he used the knife and fork in his hand to cut open the crispy dessert, after chewing it in his mouth, he swallowed it. "Just like these delicious desserts, we still use this method to eat them. What's the difference from before?"

"Perhaps.", Bunduk nodded with a bitter smile.

Even so, regarding the land of miracles, the Continent of Caradia had long been the talk of the town.

Especially the construction workers and trade caravan guards who had come here before and had actually seen Kant, as well as the King Yarogelk of Vaegirs, who had a letter exchange with Kant, all held deep respect for this.

This further glorified the legend of the land of miracles.

As they were chatting, the door was opened, and Firentis and Manid came in.

"Lord Kant."

The two bowed and greeted him.

Manid was slightly surprised. He looked at Bunduk and smiled. "I didn't expect to see your figure in the land of miracles. Brother Bunduk, it's so good to see you."

"Me too.", Bunduk nodded with a smile.

Their relationship was good to begin with.

However, Rolf sat awkwardly by the side. Manid had no intention of greeting him.

Clearly, the relationship between the two was very stiff.

It could be seen from the seating arrangement.

Originally, Bunduk and Rolf were sitting on the left and right side of the long table.

However, after Firentis and Manid arrived, they both sat beside Bunduk on the left side. As for Rolf, he was the only one on the right side. He looked lonely and a little pity.

Both sides did not talk much throughout the conversation.

It was obvious that the three of them formed a small group and left Rolf out.

"Breakfast time."

Kant opened his mouth and broke up the awkwardness and tension in the atmosphere inside the council hall. At the same time, he instructed the maids, "Since we are all here, bring the desserts and breakfast to us."

"Okay.", the maids nodded and turned around to get ready.

Kant was also somewhat helpless about the situation.

Rolf, this unscrupulous scoundrel, he would try to get denar in his hands by any foul means.

In the background of the characters, he could not be considered a good person.

He would have conflict with Firentis and Manidwere, especially Bunduk. Although both of them appeared to be friendly because they came at the same time, in fact, they had a fundamental conflict with each other's personalities, temperaments, and conduct. There was no possibility for them to become friends with just normal communication.

Therefore, the atmosphere was not only awkward and tense, but also filled a hint of hostility.

"Let's separate them as soon as possible."

Kant shook his head and sighed softly.

From the looks of it, if they did not have a life-and-death experience that was engraved in their hearts, their relationship would not be much better.

After all, this was the system setting.

When recruiting NPCs, there were actually two lines.

The first line was the line of justice. NPCs' personalities were both lawful and kind, or they had sense of justice and stayed neutral. They refused to commit any criminal acts such as burning villages, robbing, or extorting.

This was also a line prepared for the kind-hearted players.

The second one was the line of evil. NPCs' personalities could either be bad but still followed the law, lawful and stayed neutral, or complete chaotically evil. There were absolutely no taboos for them, and they had no bottom line.

This was a line prepared for players who liked to conquer and destroy, as well as players from the dark side.

Of course, these were also the game settings.

However, as Kant's golden finger, he inherited this point.

But it was no longer a setting of the game.

It was more of a complicated character's personality!

To truly communicate with these NPCs who had come alive, even if they were loyal to Kant, they could not change their personalities in a short period of time. They could only be trained slowly and subtly influence them.

As for whether if the two NPCs could get along with each other, that would be a matter of opinion.

Now, Kant alone could maintain a basic peace stance.

If both sides worked together.

It would probably be quite difficult to work together just because they had different ideas from each other.

Chapter 221: Saving That Reached Its Bottom Again

In this slightly tense atmosphere, desserts and breakfast were served.

The beautiful maids were like a beautiful scenery.

They carried the wooden plates briskly and placed the silver cutlery on the long table. Each of set put on a silk scarf to wipe their mouths and a glass of water that was added with flowers for rinsing their mouths.

The extravagance of the Kingdom of Swadia was fully reflected. Although it was not yet to the extent that King Harlaus could enjoy it, as a castle-level "Drondheim", there were also many rules. As for these young girls that came from wealthy families, even though they became maids, they would still be top-notch. Naturally, they would maintain their former elegant style.

This was what Kant mattered because he was the supreme lord, the king who commanded everything in the estate. Naturally, he should have such complicated and extravagant rules.

The dishes were very sumptuous and were sprinkled with a little spice, as it was a grant dinner of the lord and the gentlemen.

The first dish was boiled antelope meat.

The second dish was fried fresh wild vegetables with egg liquid.

The main dish was a fried pike.

Finally, it was served with minced meat and wheat grains that were boiled into porridge.

In addition, there was a small cup of malt wine to cheer them up, as well as a few dried date palm.

"I wish everyone good health."

Kant raised the small cup of malt wine and looked at the two sides of the long table where the atmosphere was awkward and no longer happy as before. He smiled and said, "After come over here, I hope that everyone can strive for the same goal. When we reach the peak, I don't mind dividing up the land and the castle to create a new future for my loyal subordinates."

"Thank you for your kindness.", Firentis and the other three raised their glasses together.

But now, their eyes were shining.

Kant's words were undoubtedly a stimulant, which shocked them instantly.

Granted with land and the castle was equivalent to becoming a noble. Although among them, for example, Firentis was already a noble, he was still inferior to the those noble who truly controlled a certain area and a castle. That was what a true noble should be.

They couldn't help but be excited!

While they were eating, a charming personal maid walked over and gracefully laid down beside Kant's ear, and a faint virgin fragrance came from her, the voice whispered in Kant's ear, "Lord Kant, Mr. Borg and his old butler have woken up in the room. Would you like to invite them to come down and have breakfast together?"

"No, bring them breakfast."

Kant directly denied it.

After pondering for a moment, he raised his head and ordered his maid, "Bring them three meals a day. Ask the servant to invite them to rest in the room. If there are no accidents, it's best not to leave the corridor."

"Yes, I understand.", the maid smiled and left.

The faint fragrance disappeared into the distance.

Kant's heart palpitated slightly. His 16-year-old body had indeed reached the stage of puberty.

Taking a sip from his wine glass, Kant regained his composure.

Across the long table, Firentis guessed the reason for the maid's arrival and said, "Is it that guy called Borg?"

"That's right.", Kant nodded.

"Please be careful,", Firentis suggested. "Lord Kant, he can't gain our trust yet. It's best to limit his range of activities. We can't let him find out the ins and outs of our castle."

"If he runs around, send someone to kill him,", Rolf said fiercely. "A spy is a rat!"

However, this sentence made Bunduk glance at him with dissatisfaction.

But Rolf's words made sense.

"I have already restricted his range of activities and placed him under house arrest in his room."

Kant nodded. "I will meet him in the afternoon and ask him to leave with you.". After a pause, Kant looked at Bunduk and Rolf, he said solemnly, "Be careful to the post I have appointed. At the moment, we cannot afford to be so extravagant that we fail. If anything goes wrong, we will fall into an abyss of misery."

"Yes, I will do my best."

Bunduk and Rolf immediately stood up, put down the knives and forks in their hands, and bowed solemnly.

Kant stretched out his hand and gestured for them to sit down. "You must be 100% responsible for it."

"Yes!", the two of them answered solemnly and sat down.

"And Manid."

Kant turned his head to look at Manid, and said with a solemn expression, "Arrange this Borg well. Give him 5,000 great silver coins. I think this money is enough to save some of their family's current decline."

5,000 great silver coins was equivalent to nearly a year's basic tax revenue in Lionheart City.

It was definitely a huge amount of money in the Dukedom of Leo!

It was absolutely no problem to save the family that had fallen into decline. Although it could not bring back the dead, it could prolong the period of bankruptcy. They could still struggle to sell some goods, reduce the scale of business, and survive so that they would not become a poor family, there was no problem of doing so.

According to Borg, their family's business completely relied on the fleet of the Resniston River, helping them to operate and sell goods. Their annual net profit was only 2,000 great silver coins.

Although they had lost the fleet, with Kant's investment, 5,000 great silver coins were enough to stabilize the current situation.

"Understood."

Manid thought for a moment and nodded.

Kant had considered enough. In terms of investment, this huge sum of money was enough.

However, Manid still proposed his own suggestion. "Lord Kant, we should perhaps send people to follow this Borg. If he gets our investment and absconds, we will still be at a disadvantage."

"There's no need."

Kant narrowed his eyes slightly. "He will not do that if he controls a new trade that is comparable to the table salt trade."

Manid had just returned from the Stone Pass. He did not know that Kant had already planned to hand over the sugar trade to Borg, he could not help but wonder, "If we lose the rights of supervision, it is equivalent to raising an enemy. After all, although our cooperation of interests is firm, it is also too fragile. Once he controls the interests, he might unwilling to become our puppet."

"He must become our puppet."

Kant opened his mouth and said with a smile, "It is not easy to make sugar cubes with honey on a large scale." After a pause, Kant said in a deep voice, "Moreover, the core of the sugar workshop, those date palm, only exists in the Oasis Lookout throughout this world."

"I see.", Manid widened his eyes slightly. With his business mind, he instantly understood.

This was the advantage of a monopoly.

Just like table salt, it was once monopolized by the dwarves for a very high profit.

Now Kant not only had the salt mines in the desert, but also the date palm tree, which was not available in this world. It was equivalent to monopolizing the raw materials used to make this extremely sweet candy, and the profit would not be low.

As long as Borg came into contact with this trade, he would definitely not be able to leave.

There was no date palm tree in this world!

At least in Kant's impression, when he carefully recalled, there had never been such a tree plant in this world!

This was also Kant's defense against Borg.

Sugar cubes required a mixture of honey, date palm powder, and fried flour.

The whole thing was similar to cake cutting.

These date palm sugar cubes were durable and extremely sweet. Not only could they be used as seasoning, but they could also be eaten directly as a dessert. Compared to the nobles of the Dukedom of Leo, they still ate bread with honey or made simple desserts with fruits, date palm candies were even more attractive to the tongues and stomachs of these noble families!

Borg's pledge of allegiance could not be unlimited.

After all, he was not one of his own people like Firentis who came from the continent of Caradia. In the eyes of Kant, his trust level could not even be compared to that of a commoner.

Just like now, he was not qualified to have breakfast with Kant.

Perhaps Kant could choose to trust him after some performance, but it would never be possible to truly accept Borg as a core member. It was because people's hearts would change. Without the guaranteed loyalty from the system, Kant could not trust anyone at all, it was even more impossible to let these natives to have access to the core secrets.

The wariness of a traveler was always from the heart and soul.

Just like a thief, using an excuse to enter a stranger's home and always had the mind of avoiding being discovered.

It was almost time for finishing the breakfast.

The breakfast had basically been wiped out, leaving only a little residue.

At this moment.

On Kant's retina, a dialog box instantly popped up.

[ Ding... As the morning sun rise, a new week begins. ]

[ Income: you collect 2,600 denars in Drondheim (village)]

[ Expenditure: you pay 16,287 denars to the entire army. ]

This was a notification from the system.

The crisp sound of metal coins colliding with each other was like wind chimes colliding with each other.

In the end, Kant's savings balance was only less than 3,000 denars.

After all the castle-level construction, his savings were finally in trouble again after this military expenditure. This point, let alone next week's military expenditure, even purchasing some items from the Reyvadin caravan was not enough at all. if there was no denar replenishment afterward, Kant would probably be bankrupt now.

"Just wait for Joslin to arrive."

Kant sighed lightly.

He was already prepared to see the bottom of the denar.

Fortunately, he could still sell some of the inventory in the warehouse.

For example, various honey and date palm products, sugar cubes. It was said that this kind of material was not cheap even in Caradia. It could be said to be goods on par with salt.

In addition, there were other miscellaneous items.

For example, elemental gemstones, various harvested crops, and war-damaged surplus goods could all be sold at a good price.

If it did not work out, Kant also planned to sell the sun disk to Joslin.

After all, it was made of gold and was within the scope of the system's purchase.

The door of the council hall was opened.

A Swadian knight quickly walked in and reported, "Lord Kant, Mr. Joslin from Reyvadin is leading his trade caravan into the castle and into the grocery store."

"Coming.", Kant smiled and waved his hand. "Go and invite Mr. Joslin in."

"Yes.", the knight turned around and moved.

Kant instructed both Bunduk and Rolf at the same time, "Go and prepare. Attend the farewell banquet at noon, and each of you will go to your own appointed defense area. Don't let down my trust and expectations of you."

"We will do our best!", Bunduk and Rolf nodded.

"Lord, I will continue to patrol the city wall."

Seeing that he had nothing else to do, Firentis said goodbye and prepared to leave.

"Okay.", Kant nodded. "Go.", he also told Firentis, "Remind Bunduk and Rolf. Tell them the things that need to be noted, be more detailed and don't hide anything."

Obviously, Kant understood the enmity between them, so he reminded them.

"Don't worry.", Firentis nodded.

He turned around and left with Bunduk and Rolf. They were both combatants and were not good at internal affairs and economics. Instead, they felt that the conversation between Manid and the leaders of the trade caravan was a little boring, it was better to take this opportunity to make a detailed introduction of the current situation, so that these two new companions would understand what they should and shouldn't do.

Of course, the last sentence was Firentis's idea of Rolf.

Chapter 222: Loan From the Trade Caravan

After receiving the summons, Joslin arranged the trade caravan and quickly walked into the council hall.

At the same time, his eyes were filled with amazement as he bowed to Kant. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lord Kant. I didn't expect that your estate has already been built into such a magnificent castle. I'm really proud of your achievements."

"It will be better in the future, Joslin.", Kant smiled to express his welcome. "I'm also very happy to see you come. You should know that I'm very short of denar at the moment."

"That's a little straightforward, Lord Kant.", Joslin shrugged awkwardly.

"Hahaha."

Kant laughed a little self-deprecatingly. "I'll sell everything that can be sold in my castle warehouse now. Otherwise, I won't have any military expenses for the next month."

"Is it that serious?", Joslin was slightly stunned.

"Of course.", Kant was also somewhat helpless. "The cost of building this castle is not cheap."

"So that's the case."

Joslin sighed and said solemnly to Kant, "Lord, I will calculate the price of the goods according to the market price. You won't suffer any losses. Please rest assured."

"Yes, please.", Kant nodded.

After a pause, he asked Kant, "How do you calculate the price of those elemental gems and gold?"

Kant had quite a number of elemental gems at the moment.

When he was not in "Drondheim", Firentis would summon elemental giants every week.

The elemental gems produced after killing the giants almost filled up the small box.

Currently, Kant had a total of 36 earth elemental gemstones and 12 water elemental gemstones.

Joslin also understood these exquisite gemstones that were damaged by the arrows. He lowered his head slightly and estimated in his mind for a moment before raising his head and saying, "I can buy these defective gemstones at 500 denars each."

"Then these 48 elemental gems can bring in a profit of 24,000 denars?"

Kant raised his eyebrows slightly. There was a hint of joy in the depths of his eyes.

"That's right.", Joslin nodded.

"The price of these elemental gems is very generous.", Kant's heart was moved. Perhaps the elemental giants that were produced every week could become the source of the denars in the future, adding a way to obtain the denar!

However, Joslin reminded him, "Lord Kant, I don't recommend that you sell these elemental gemstones to the public."

"I remember that you once said the same thing."

Kant frowned.

Joslin had indeed said these words, but the problem was that he was currently short of money.

If he did not sell these elemental gemstones, the entire administrative system of "Drondheim" Castle would probably deteriorate. He would not be able to pay for the maintenance for the large troop of soldiers, and there would be a lot of solders escaped and disbanded.

The army was Kant's foundation!

Manid also spoke to Joslin, "Currently, the financial revenue is lacking. We can only exchange the elemental gemstones and the sun disc for denar."

"Although I don't understand, these elemental gemstones and rare items forged from gold are really not recommended to be sold."

Joslin's tone was grave.

After hesitating for a moment, he suggested to Kant, "Perhaps some scholar can analyze the power of these elemental gemstones. If it's a legendary mage, he might be able to use the power of these elemental gemstones. It won't be to the extent that they would only be used as decorations on the Continent of Caradia. Their effects would be much greater."

"A mage can use the power of these elemental gemstones?"

Kant's pupils shrank. This was really an unexpected news.

However, when he thought of his current lack of money, he smiled bitterly and said, "I can't help it. I'm very short of money right now. Without denar, I can't maintain the army."

"If you're short of money, Lord Kant, perhaps I have a way."

After pondering for a moment, Joslin opened his mouth.

"What way?", Kant asked.

"I can lend you a loan.", Joslin's expression was solemn and serious, he said to Kant, "I can provide a loan service between 10,000 denars and 100,000 denars. The repayment period is one month. Of course, on top of the principal of the loan, I will charge an additional 20% interest."

"20% interest?", Kant raised his eyebrows slightly. "This interest is quite high."

"Please understand me."

Joslin lowered his head apologetically, but his expression was still solemn as he said, "This is the current capital of the trade caravan. Although Reyvadin forbids external loans during a daily business journey, for you, Lord Kant, I want to help you tide over this predicament temporarily, there is no problem for that. I'm guess even King Yarogelk would agree."

"Oh, is that so?", Kant's face was calm, but his eyes flickered.

What Joslin said moved him.

Although it was 20% interest, a one-month repayment deadline was completely achievable for Kant.

However, Kant still turned to look at Manid, who was beside him. He gave a curious look this business elite. "Manid, what do you think of Mr. Joslin's suggestion?"

"Yes.", Manid nodded solemnly.

"That's good."

Since Manid had expressed his agreement, Kant did not have any concerns.

However, in order to ensure that his side's interests were maximized, Kant asked Manid, "Based on the current situation, how much denar do you think we should borrow?"

"If it's possible, at most.", Maind said, "100,000 denars."

"100,000 denars."

Kant frowned slightly and nodded, "Then 100,000 denars!"

"I will transfer these loans to your account properly.", Joslin nodded and surprisingly said a somewhat modern term, just like a banker.

On Kant's retina, the dialog box then popped up.

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ You will be loaning 100,000 denars from the Kingdom of Vaegirs for a period of one month. In addition to the principal repayment upon deadline, there will be a 20% interest of 20,000 denars. ]

[ Yes/No? ]

This was the dialog box that popped up from the system. It could be seen that this loan had been recognized by the system.

Kant, on the other hand, was slightly stunned.

He suddenly thought of a MOD that had once been popular in the original version -- the bank patch.

It was just like the current situation.

Not only could one save and withdraw money, but players could also borrow money when they were short of money. At the same time, they could also lend and invest when they had a lot of money. It was extremely suitable for the patch series MOD in the real world. He did not expect that it would also be integrated into the golden finger by the system.

"Confirm the loan!"

Kant immediately nodded in agreement.

Along with the crisp sound of metal coins colliding with each other, the balance of the deposit soared.

[ Balance: 102,630 denars ]

"Happy cooperation."

Joslin nodded respectfully at this time and said to Kant, "I believe that you will use these loans to quickly earn enough principal and interest to complete the magnificent transformation. I believe that very much."

"Thank you for your help, Joslin.", Kant nodded with a smile.

"It's just a small amount of help."

Joslin appeared very modest.

Manid smiled at Joslin and asked him, "Mr. Joslin, you have been the leader of the trade caravan in Reyvadin for many years. I wonder if you want to have a better development?"

"Huh?", Joslin was slightly stunned. "Better development?"

In fact, Kant also looked at Manid in a daze, not understanding what he meant.

Manid smiled and explained, "Lord Kant has two trade caravans, but he lacks people like you, Mr. Joslin, who know how to do business and lead the trade caravan."

"That's right, that's true.", Kant thought about it, but he nodded his head.

Joslin's talent in business was not bad.

Although he could not compare to Manid, leading the trade caravan to various cities was not a problem for him.

Manid wanted to recruit talents for Kant.

As the lord, Kant also looked forward to the talents joining him. He said sincerely, "Joslin, I am very short of talents in business. If you can join, I think it will relieve a lot of my pressure."

"Is that so?", Joslin's face was slightly stunned, but his eyes were flickering. He was indeed moved.

This was the land of miracles.

A place that everyone in the entire Continent of Caradia wanted to come to.

After swallowing his saliva, Joslin still stabilized the emotional ripples in his heart, he said solemnly to Kant, "Lord Kant, please allow me to explain this matter to King Yarogelk. After all, I am still the leader of the Reyvadin Caravan. If I were to rashly leave my post during this business trip, I think it would be an extremely irresponsible thing to do."

"I understand.", Kant smiled and said, "It is good that you are willing to help me."

"Of course, I am willing to accept your invitation, Lord Kant!"

Joslin looked at Kant and at Manid at the same time. He stood up very solemnly and bowed, he thanked him with the most ceremonious manner, "This is the land of miracles. After I have arranged for the daily handover this week, I am willing to rush to the castle on the second week to join your business team."

"That's good. When the time comes, Manid, I'll let you help Joslin get started as soon as possible."

Kant smiled and arranged for Manid.

"Don't worry.", Manid nodded, "Mr. Joslin is a dutiful leader of the trade caravan."

In the entire Continent of Caradia, being the leader of a trade caravan was enough to show his ability.

And Joslin was even discharged from the army by the Vaegir knights.

He was quite talented in martial arts and business, and he had a natural sense of certain dangers. Even if he encountered danger, he could calmly handle it and perfectly overcome the danger.

Whether it was to let him lead a team to the Continent of Caradia, or to lead a random trade caravan, even if he went to the Stone Pass to carry out the table salt trade, he would be able to do it excellently.

Manid believed in Joslin.

It was precisely because of this that he wanted to rope Joslin to Kant's s side and provide the necessary help for Kant's rapid development of business. After all, there was a trade caravan that could go to the Continent of Caradia or other MOD worlds, they would bring a good amount of fortune. Being a merchant was an extremely profitable way to make money!

The three of them chatted happily.

However, Kant still remembered Joslin's words.

He turned his head slightly and instructed the maid, "Send all the elemental gemstones in my room to the apprentice dormitory on the top floor. Tell them that if possible, please let them study these powers."

"Yes, Lord."

The maid nodded and immediately turned around to deal with it.

Chapter 223: Research Of Mage Apprentices

The maid quickly sent a box full of elemental gems to the dormitory on the top floor.

These otaku mage apprentices did not have many hobbies. Studying the essence of magic was what they were passionate about, just like the graduate students who loved to study. They worked extremely hard.

In the world of the Enfath Empire, it was the world of the high magic MOD, the wind of war!

It could be said that it was the most difficult world to play among the "Mount & Blade" MOD.

All kinds of spells, divine spell, innate skills, as well as all kinds of races and special monsters were constantly emerging. Just by relying on these apprentices who had only mastered the basic principle of spells, they were equivalent to low-level cannon fodder in that world.

It was no wonder that they worked so hard, almost as if they were ascetics. If they did not work hard, it was equivalent to suicide!

The Enfath Empire was especially heavy on military force.

Even if they were mage apprentices, before they had received systematic training, they could not leave their masters.

At that time, they were still called mage students.

Only after they had learned all the conventional spell knowledge could they be called mage apprentices.

Therefore, they could assist their instructors in conducting spell experiments.

Otherwise, if they knew nothing about spells and was vague about the concepts and theories of spells, those mages or great mages who acted as mentors would probably fly into a rage and kick out all these mage apprentices who could not achieve anything and could not do anything. Only the students who could be trusted could participate.

Although mage apprentices had the title of apprentices, they had already finished their studies.

They had the ability to protect themselves even on the battlefield.

Now, Kant had let these mage apprentices to study and analyze the elemental gems. It was obviously the right choice. They also urgently needed examples to analyze and study the magic rules of this world.

There were already seven mage apprentices in the mage dormitory.

When they saw these elemental gems, their eyes immediately lit up.

There were all sorts of experimental equipment reserved in the dormitory. They were all the standard equipment of the Enfath Empire. The mage apprentices could directly carry out spell experiments, allowing them to immediately enter into diligent research.

They could be said to be familiar with magic research and self-experimentation.

As magic power stimulated the elemental gems.

In the mage dormitory, light yellow and light blue light flashed from time to time within the glass-inlaid windows. It was extremely strange and mysterious. At the same time, it was accompanied by faint spatial fluctuations, causing the twenty Vaegir marksman stationed on the top floor next to them to look over, their eyes filled with fear.

Abilities that were beyond their knowledge were all mysterious and extraordinary powers.

However, it was on the first floor of the council hall. As time passed, the Sun had already risen into the sky, and it was right in the middle.

11:30 am.

The banquet in the council hall began.

Not only Firentis and the others were invited, but the leader of the trade caravan, Joslin, and the other two leaders of the trade caravan who belonged to Kant, as well as the 10 Swadian knights who had fought valiantly in the past battles and had made meritorious contributions, and 10 Mamlukes, who attended as invited gentlemen.

Although the Swadian knight and Mamluke were troop class, they were the noble gentlemen of the Kingdom of Swadia and the Sarrand Sultanate, and did not wear full armor, but simply wore casual clothes, which gave them an elegant demeanor.

The banquet was very large and could be said to be the largest noble banquet held by Kant.

Borg and his old butler were also invited.

This was a farewell banquet.

Bunduk and Rolf were going to lead their troops to their respective defense areas.

At the same time, Borg was going to leave.

His mission was to return to the East County as Kant's spy.

In the future, there would be a continuous support from "Drondheim" Castle to Borg so that his family could overcome the difficulties. At the same time, he would develop his own power in the East County territory and provide all kinds of secret information for Kant to intervene in the Dukedom of Leo in the future or providing necessary help.

Kant had paid a great price to invest in Borg.

5,000 great silver coins had been handed over to Borg.

At the same time, there was a trade cooperation agreement signed between the two sides.

In the Dukedom of Leo, it was roughly estimated that the price was 20 great silver coins for a bag of date palm candy. Kant sold it to Borg for 10 great silver coins, which was equal to a 50% discount. As for how Borg would sell it in the future, it was up to him, Kant and Oasis Lookout did not have many restrictions on him. Kant only needed Borg to send some information back to him during the monthly transactions.

However, when Kant sent spies into the Dukedom of Leo or the East County territory to develop secret forces, Borg had to help. Otherwise, the cooperation between the two sides would automatically be dissolved. He and his family members would also be on Kant's assassination list.

Under the temptation of benefits and the threat of force, Borg had no choice but to cooperate.

This was the only way he could choose.

If he did not cooperate, Kant would definitely let the soldiers kill him.

In fact, even if Borg returned to the Dukedom of Leo, he would have to accept the fact that his family would be bankrupt. Everyone would become a pauper with nothing, that was much worse than death.

Borg simply chose to cooperate.

When he came to the Nahrin Desert, he saw the castle on the Oasis Lookout.

Borg understood that he had found a new opportunity. Moreover, after seizing this opportunity in his cell, he no longer had the idea of being a spy for Viscount Wayne. He had the confidence to let his family rise again!

After controlling the extremely sweet sugar trade, why would his family still go bankrupt?

Absolutely Not!

After the banquet ended, Borg set off together with Bunduk and Rolf.

He and his old butler was very satisfied!

At the same time, he was astonished by Baron Kant's military strength, and he was even more certain of his cooperation. As for whether he would betray Kant or not, Kant had warned him beforehand that if he chose to betray, his entire family would be assassinated. Borg had a bottom line in his heart after that, he did not have any single thought of betrayal.

This was a blatant threat. Kant did not hide his determination to assassinate anyone.

Borg also believed in the authenticity of Kant's words.

Just like now.

Manid and his 30 camels formed a camel team and were heading to the stone pass for the table salt trade.

They were accompanied by 30 Sarrandian horsemen as guards.

The 10 horsemen were Borg's personal guards. They followed him from the small path in the Senwaya Range, bypassing the Stone Pass, and bypassing the noble's eyes of the north and east county through the hidden mountain paths. These horsemen would guard Borg's family and help him solve his future problems, as well as act as monitors.

These 10 knight-level Sarrandian horsemen made Borg's heart tremble. He didn't dare to have any thoughts of betrayal. After all, ordinary noble didn't have the capital to recruit these powerful horsemen!

Before they reached the posthouse, both sides separated.

After all, there were many people around the posthouse. If they were discovered by spies, they would have to deal with these troubles.

Manid still followed the usual route to the stone pass.

On the back of the single-humped camel, there were bags of fine white salt. Each trade brought back 2,000 great silver coins or resources that were urgently needed in the Oasis Lookout.

This was an trade line that could not be concealed.

At the same time, it was also an obvious sentry that attracted many gazes.

However, any spies and merchants who went to the posthouse and rested for a short period of time could not get close to the camel caravan. This was because the 20 Sarrandian horsemen would not be polite. If they did not listen to the advice, they would be whipped. If the other party drew their swords, these horsemen would charge forward without fear, displaying the valiant combat strength of a level 4 cavalry!

Ordinary merchants and guards were unable to contend against these Sarrandian horsemen. Moreover, they were in the desert where the horseman was most adept at. If they caused some unpleasant incidents, they were just simply looking for trouble.

It was simple for Bunduk.

Ten Mamlukes would escort him to "Aaron" village at the periphery of the Senwaya Range.

When they arrived, James would assist them with administrative matters.

In fact, Rolf's burden was heavier.

In order to complete the patrol mission arranged by Kant and prevent large numbers of enemies from infiltrating, Rolf brought out a total of 140 original and newly recruited desert bandits in the castle.

After heading to the posthouse, they contacted the 40 original desert bandits who stationed over there. All of them had 180 people, which was almost equivalent to a medium-sized cavalry team. Moreover, their combat strength was relatively strong, and they were good at running and attacking in the desert.

In a harsh environment, only these bandits could patrol the desert.

Kant was worried that a strong force might appear.

He even specially arranged for Rolf to have 50 Sarrandian horsemen as the main assault force. If they encountered enemies that the desert bandits and light cavalries could not contend with, they would have these heavy cavalries charge directly and destroy anyone who dared to step into the desert and the intruders who came to their estate.

After all, the noble families of the Dukedom of Leo would definitely not just send some spies. If they knew that spies could not even get close to the Oasis Lookout, it was likely that various "Bandit" forces would appear in the Nahrin Desert. These vicious dogs that were secretly raised by them would come in handy at this time.

Kant had a deep understanding of this.

Although the desert bandits were all bandits, their equipment was still poor, and their numbers were also low.

If they were to engage in a battle with the dark forces from the Dukedom of Leo, the outcome would not be one-sided. There would definitely be casualties, or worst, they might even encounter enemies that they could not deal with.

If they encountered some shameless noble who directly send army troops to disguise themselves into bandits, that would be even more tricky to handle.

Therefore, these 50 Sarrandian horsemen were very timely in providing support.

When everything was arranged properly.

.........

At dusk, the maids and peasant women had already cleaned up the council hall.

There weren't many traces of the banquet.

A maid knocked on Kant's door and reported, "My Lord, the mages in the dormitory have discovered a few secrets about elemental gems and spells, and they hope that you can go over and inspect their research results."

"Okay.", Kant nodded. "I understand."

It was only the afternoon.

He was about to rest, but he did not expect the progress of the research to be so fast.

Originally, Kant thought that these mage apprentices would need at least a few weeks to research and analyze the elemental gemstones. Now, they did it in less than 12 hours, the results were out of his expectations.

After putting on his clothes, the sleepiness from the lunch break also disappeared.

Kant planned to go and take a look.

Chapter 224: The Magic Experiment That Went Wrong

In the apprentice dormitory, the number of mage apprentices had also increased from five to seven.

These were the results of last week's and this week's recruitment.

Kant pushed the door open and entered the dormitory. This seemed to be a self-enclosed space. Seven mage apprentices were gathered around at the table in the middle. On the table were a few elemental gemstones that were still emitting a faint light.

Seeing Kant enter, he hurriedly bowed and greeted, "My lord."

"Mm.", Kant nodded. "Well done."

"You flatter use. We are only carrying out the experiment according to the knowledge we had learnt."

The leading mage apprentice slightly bent his back, at the same time, he pointed at the elemental gemstones on the round table and introduced, "We found that these gemstones contain rich earth elements and water elements. Then, according to the conventional experiment method, using magic to form a pulse, we successfully stimulated the elemental power within these elemental gemstones."

"Well, this is really amazing.", Kant nodded.

His eyes swept over the elemental gemstones that were still emitting a faint light. He narrowed his eyes slightly, and this made him think.

He thought of the various faint lights that appeared in the eye sockets of the elemental giants.

This kind of faint light represented life.

Or rather, it represented a being that was able to move and think. It was this kind of faint light that indicated that the elemental gemstones had been stimulated, allowing these elemental giants to form their own unique way of living.

Different from flesh and blood, a different type of elemental life form!

Kant frowned slightly.

Kant asked the seven mage apprentices, "Are there any other developments regarding the elemental gemstones that have been activated so far?". He paused, his tone was grave as he said, "What I mean is, other than the faint light that can be emitted so far, can these elemental gemstones bring us any beneficial effects?"

Just by emitting a faint light and activating the elements was not what Kant wanted to see.

He wanted to see the real results of the research.

"Yes."

The leading mage apprentice nodded, he reported affirmatively, "According to our research findings, it may be possible to use magic power to stimulate the elemental power contained in the elemental gemstones, thus forming effective energy and stimulating some magic items that require energy. Of course, this still requires further calculation. After all, we do not have any magic items for us to carry out experiments. This is a problem that has troubled our research progress."

"Magic items.", Kant pondered for a moment. "I can provide them."

"That's great.", the apprentice immediately nodded in surprise. "If there are magic items, we can directly carry out the next step of the experiment!"

"Yes.", Kant nodded and instructed the mages beside him. "Go and tell the marksmen outside the door to take down the golden disc on the top of the large bell tower and send it here for the magic experiment."

"Yes.", the mage apprentice immediately nodded and walked out to make arrangements.

Soon, the golden disc was taken down and transported into the dormitory.

The two Vaegir marksmen carried it together and carefully placed it on the round table in the middle.

The golden disc shone with a golden halo along with the light.

Within the sacred sun pattern, mysterious energy was still flowing within it. With the golden light visible to the naked eye, it flickered within the dense and mysterious sacred patterns, reflecting some source of power.

The power of the once Golden Holy City still existed even after thousands of years.

It was just that when everyone looked at the sun disc, they no longer had the respect they once had.

Instead, there was an experiment that was like a blasphemy to it!

For research, the mage apprentices were rational.

And the mage apprentices, who had grasped the foundation of magic and obtained the magic power, they only had respect for the once magnificent power, and did not have the fanatical faith for the so-called gods.

This was a rational study.

The sun disc was fixed, and the magic equipment inlaid with ten elemental gems was ready.

There were five earth elements and five water elements each.

The seven mage apprentices leaned on the two sides of the round table, the magic staffs in their hands slightly extended forward and aimed at the elemental gems that had been fixed on the magic equipment. They softly chanted an unknown incantation, which appeared with some mysterious rhythm, the pale yellow and pale blue light expanded, and there were even a few pulses that struck the gold-forged round plate directly.

The energy quickly washed away the sacred sun pattern carved on the round plate. It even formed a yellow and blue light, filling up the dent of the sacred sun pattern.

And it filled up more and more until it was full.

"What's going on..."

Kant raised his eyebrows slightly, and his heart beat slightly faster.

He seemed to have sensed that something was wrong. As the sacred sun pattern was filled up, an even greater power began to spread in the golden disc. He could even see the data flow on the surface of the sacred sun pattern!

"The energy is overloading!"

The leading apprentice exclaimed.

"What?", Kant was so angry that he laughed. He glared at the apprentice and said, "Is this the magic experiment that created from your so-called magic theory?"

"I'm sorry, my lord... we... are just apprentices..."

The leading apprentice's eyes were filled with horror.

However, he still said to Kant, "My lord, we overestimated our ability. The energy produced now has completely communicated with this magic item, but we don't understand the reason. But in order to ensure your safety, please leave the dormitory quickly. Perhaps this place is no longer safe!"

"Damn it!", Kant clenched his fists, his eyes filled with anger.

Although these seven mage apprentices had caused a big mess, they were still his troop class. He was the one who had confirmed the beginning of this experiment, so he also had his own responsibility. He could not help but remind them, "You all pay attention to your safety!"

"We will... do our best... to make up... to make up for..."

That mage apprentice gritted his teeth and held on.

However, before he could finish his words, the data flow on the sun disk instantly scattered into small cracks. A golden light shot out instantly, carrying yellow and blue light, flying out of the window and disappeared.

At the same time, a sound that sounded like metal trembling also appeared on the sun disk.

"Hum --"

There was continuous buzzing in their ears.

The metallic tremor reverberated throughout the student dormitory.

The people around the round table, including Kant, felt as if their heads had sunk into the sound waves. They suddenly started to feel dizzy. At the same time, a nauseating feeling appeared in their throats because of this dizziness.

It made them want to retch in during their dizziness.

Fortunately, this sudden metallic noise disappeared very quickly.

However, it was followed by the sound of crashing to the ground.

Seven mage apprentices fell to the ground on their knees because they did not have strong bodies. The food that they had for lunch was thrown all over the ground.

However, the two Vaegir marksmen were still barely in their status.

Despite feeling dizzy, they still forced their way over, wanting to support their Lord Kant.

"There's no need."

Kant stretched out his hand, rejecting their support.

Data flowed in his eyes, and the surface of his skin seemed to be covered with a special layer of gauze.

This was the protection of the system.

Just now, when the metallic trill suddenly appeared, Kant had indeed been affected by it and could not help but want to retch, but the data that came from the depths of his soul spread out, clearing away the dizziness in his head. He able to return to normal state, so he did not suffer too much damage.

"I... I'm sorry... Lord."

The seven mage apprentices also recovered, but at this time, they stood by the side with their heads lowered, wiping the filth at the corners of their mouths, and even their voices became softer.

"Remember today's mistake,", Kant reprimanded.

But thinking that he only had these seven mage apprentices, he could not help but sigh. "It's good that there are no accidents."

Kant couldn't accept the fact that someone was injured or killed because of this.

He didn't die on the battlefield.

Instead, he died in the accident of this magic experiment.

It was really depressing.

Even Kant himself felt somewhat helpless. Except for when he personally led a team to fight against the enemy and experienced such a critical moment when he came to the Oasis Lookout. Ever since the construction of the "Drondheim" fortress, he had never been this close to death, which made his heart beat faster.

Even the expedition army of the Kingdom of Grey Mane did not make Kant excited.

But he also did not intend to punish these mage apprentices.

There was nothing he could do.

In the future, he would have to rely on these mage apprentices to conduct research and analysis on his extraordinary power. He could not order them to have their heads killed just because of this accident. Kant could not do that.

Looking at the regretful expressions of the seven mage apprentices, Kant also understood that they had probably remembered this lesson.

"Clean up the room."

However, Kant did not say anything more. He casually reminded them and left with the two Vaegir marksmen. At this time, it was the right thing to let them reflect on themselves.

Although there was no punishment, it did not mean that Kant was not angry.

This indeed put his life in danger.

He did not want to stay in this filthy and rotten dormitory either.

However, just as he walked out of the dormitory, a Vaegir marksman quickly walked over. With a surprised look on his face, he pointed to the north and shouted at Kant, "My lord, look, north, is that a dark cloud?"

"What dark cloud?", Kant turned his head, but his eyes instantly widened.

Just at the horizon in the north, a dark cloud-like weather phenomena was surging towards them,
it blotted out the sky and covered the sun. It was really like a storm cloud in the sea!

Kant's eyes widened, and a thought flashed through his mind. At the same time, as the dark shadow that blotted out the sky pounced towards them, he turned his head and shouted, "It's a sandstorm!"

The strong wind whistled past and blew Kant's hair.

The linen clothes on his body were fluttering!

"Sound the alarm!"

Kant opened his mouth and a large amount of sand entered his mouth.

The strong smell of earth made him cough, but he still covered his face, he ordered angrily, "Everyone, immediately take care of the livestock, then enter the house and the arrow tower to avoid the sandstorm, block the doors and windows, and wait for the bell to sound when it's over. You are not allowed to leave the room until it's over!"

"Yes!", Vaegir marksman obeyed and quickly moved.

In a short moment, the strong wind whistled, bringing countless dust and sand particles with it. The originally clean and refreshing air was now so gray that it could not be seen clearly.

The most terrifying weather in the desert, the sandstorm was about to arrive!

Chapter 225: The Sandstorm That Swept Across the Land

"Dong-dong-dong-dong-"

The bronze bell was rung, sounding like an emergency bell right before a war.

The peasants who were originally in the agricultural area and the livestock area had already started running towards the castle. However, they did not forget to bring their livestock in to avoid the terrifying sandstorm.

Although they did not have the strength, they were not fools.

To be able to survive the chaotic situation on the Continent of Caradia showed that they were smart.

With such a strange weather, many people were prepared before the strong wind blew. They pulled their camels and sand grouse, as well as the military horses into the stables, and then moved towards the inner-city wall. When the strong wind at the beginning of the sandstorm blew over, they almost done with the preparation.

These peasant farmers had time to fix the water diversion channel made of date palm tree trunks on the roof. At the same time, they cut off the water flow in the water tower to prevent the water diversion channel from being blown away by the strong wind.

As for the wheat and flax that had just sprouted in the farmland, there was no way to move them.

There were the palm leaves with small fruits on the date palm tree. They were also swayed wantonly by the sandstorm, as if they were going to be torn off from the tree trunk.

The power of the sandstorm was like a tsunami along the coast or a landslide in the mountains.

If it was not handled properly, it would cause huge losses!

However, the losses that Kant had caused were already huge enough. After this sandstorm was over, most of his agricultural area would be destroyed, and he would have to start all over again.

"Damn it!"

Kant gritted his teeth and swept his gaze in the direction of the agricultural area, but the raging sandstorm blocked his vision.

Dust and gravel were everywhere, filling up the sky.

The whistling gale even began to sweep up larger grains of gravel, causing slight pain when it hit people's skin.

This was a signal that the real sandstorm was approaching.

The distance was very close.

"Lord Kant, quickly enter the council hall to hide from the sandstorm!"

After Firentis arranged the defense of the troops on the city wall, he had already arrived at the top floor of the council hall.

Looking at the gray sky in the distance, Firentis looked anxious and said to Kant solemnly, "I once heard that there would be a terrifying sandstorm in the Sarrand Desert, but I didn't expect that there would be one in the Nahrin Desert as well."

"It should be said that there would be sandstorms in any desert,", Kant added.

However, he still followed Firentis and quickly walked into the council hall, temporarily using the heavy stone castle to avoid the sandstorm.

Although the sandstorm was terrifying, it could not destroy the stone walls and blockhouses.

Inside the council hall of the stone castle, the maids also worked together to close the windows. Thanks to the military structure, they only needed to close the wooden boards that were embedded with iron sheets and nails, and the sandstorm would be completely blocked outside. The wind could not blow into the stone castle at all, allowing them to enjoy a moment of peace here.

"Will the watchtower be destroyed by the strong wind?"

Kant sat in his seat. His brows were slightly furrowed, but he still appeared to be worried.

The large watchtower was a full 40 meters tall.

Although the watchtower was usually the highest point, in this sandstorm, it was also the first point that was affected by the strong wind and sandstorm.

Firentis comforted him, "No, Lord Kant. The watchtower is made of stone and is half a meter thick. Unless there is an earthquake, no matter how strong the wind is, it will not be able to destroy the watchtower."

"I hope so.", Kant sighed.

"But Lord Kant."

Firentis frowned and said with some doubt, "This sandstorm came suddenly. It is very surprising."

"Yes.", Kant nodded.

Logically speaking, the appearance of a sandstorm would also have some meteorological anomalies.

Just like the halo of the Sun before a heavy rain.

The oppressive dark clouds before the storm.

However, this sandstorm did not have any unusual circumstances. Instead, it appeared out of thin air. It really caught them off guard. Even if there were no casualties at the moment, it was still very surprising.

Kant was also surprised because according to his memory, there had never been a sandstorm in the Nahrin Desert.

The records of the Academy were not wrong.

There was a historical record of hundreds of years and there was no record of the sandstorm phenomenon in the Nahrin Desert at all.

It was just a desolate forbidden area of civilization.

"This is really..."

Kant muttered to himself and lowered his head. "An accident."

However, he immediately raised his head and thought of the accident that happened when he was in the apprentice's dormitory, watching the seven mage apprentices carry out their magic experiments. It seemed that it was due to that golden stream of light shot out of the window and disappeared into the horizon.

In less than ten minutes, the sandstorm began.

"Could it be because of this?"

Kant clenched his teeth.

Firentis also noticed that Kant seemed to know something and could not help but ask, "What did you find, Lord Kant?"

Kant's heart was racing, and a palpitation made his breathing a little hurried.

He listened to the howling wind outside the window.

And the soft sound of the gravel hitting the iron window in the wind.

Kant frowned. "It seems that our troubles are coming.". He pondered for a moment and looked at Firentis, "After the sandstorm has stopped, immediately reorganize all the troops of the combat sequence. The entire castle will maintain a high alert status. If you see anything abnormal, report to me immediately!"

"Understood!", Firentis nodded immediately, but his eyes were still filled with confusion.

"Specially to guard the depths of the desert."

Kant did not have the intention to answer. This was only his guess.

But even if it was a guess, he did not intend to let down his guard, instead, he instructed Firentis, "Tell the cavalries on patrol that if they encounter a human wearing golden clothing or coming from the depths of the desert, if they do not show any malice, do not attack first. At the same time, keep your guard up, you must stabilize the other party."

"Yes, I will give the order."

Firentis nodded solemnly.

"Mm.", after giving the order, Kant let out a sigh of relief.

Thinking of the mysterious woman he saw in the ruins beneath "Aaron" village in the Senwaya Range, his heart palpitated even more. He even felt that he might have really triggered some important key node.

For example, he would let the seven mage apprentices who only had solid basic skills to conduct magic experiments on the sun disk.

However, at this moment.

The system's dialog box suddenly popped up on his retina.

[ Ding... Special quest issued ]

[ Special quest: bear the consequences ]

[ Reward: 10,000 denars, 10 honor, 1,000 reputation ]

[ Introduction: When you chose the magic experiment, the golden light escaped in the sun disk, and the sandstorm appeared in the depths of the desert, blowing fiercely around the desert. However, when the sandstorm is over, you should go to the relics under "Aaron" to take a look. Maybe you can detect more abnormalities there. ]

Kant glanced at the dialog box on his retina and frowned slightly.

"As expected.", he could not help but mutter to himself. It was really because of that magic experiment that caused this sandstorm to appear in the depths of the desert.

However, Kant's brows were tightly furrowed.

The system had surprisingly given him a special quest instead of the main storyline and side quest.

Kant took a deep breath as he scanned through the bountiful reward of the quest. His heart calmed down.

He should be the one to bear the consequences.

The system's quest name was right. This was his mistake. If he had not recklessly given the sun disk to the mage apprentices to conduct magic experiments, none of this would have happened.

However, the system's quest was not in the depths of the Nahrin Desert, but the relics under the "Aaron" Village.

This caused Kant's brows to furrow even more.

The system was hinting at something.

However, as long as he waited for the sandstorm to subside, Kant planned to personally lead a team to take a look. He absolutely could not allow his village of the Kingdom of Rhodoks to be affected in the slightest.

If there were any abnormalities in the relics within the mountain, if it collapsed, it would affect the existence of the mountain peak.

It was like the saying, be bound together for good or ill.

However, this sandstorm lasted a little longer.

Darkness covered the Nahrin Desert. Even the sandstorm was covered in its darkness.

In the bell tower, the bronze bell was rung.

The bronze bell rang eight times in total, which meant that it was already 8 pm. This sandstorm that started at 5 pm had already lasted for nearly three hours.

"My Lord, let's eat first."

The Maids served dinner.

There was a food storage room in the basement of the council hall.

In truth, most of the food storage in the castle was located in the storage room at the bottom of the council hall. This was to ensure that when the city wall was breached, the defending troops could rely on the council hall in the stone castle to counterattack. They could drag the enemy to the point where they could only retreat, or they could welcome reinforcements from both inside and outside to defeat the enemy and obtain the final victory.

However, even now, the food storage could help Kant and the others solve the food problem. After all, a large amount of food was piled up here, and they could not finish it no matter how many dozens of people there were.

Of course, the houses in the residential area also had basements.

The civilians would also store small amounts of food in them, as snacks or suppers, to solve similar problems.

This was a habit left over from the Continent of Caradia.

Wandering around, they did not know when they would encounter all kinds of dangers.

Therefore, they would leave food in the basements or hidden places to survive, so as to avoid not having any food to survive.

During this time of sandstorm, the council hall could not distribute food.

The food stored in advance came in handy. Everyone relied on the food stored in the storage to survive for a few days. After the sandstorm subsided, they would be able to get food supplies from the council hall.

Everyone was optimistic.

After all, the sandstorm would not last long, especially the Sarrandian people, who were used to it.

The sandstorm in the Sarrand Desert would last four to five days at most.

This was the largest sandstorm.

Even if the food ran out, the council hall could still arrange people to distribute the food. However, it would be a little dangerous. They had to wear heavy armor and tie each other with ropes to prevent accidents. After all, the wind speed was extremely high, if there were no safety measures, the strong wind alone could blow up the people who were lighter, not to mention the gravel and stones that flew rapidly in the strong wind.

With the support of the strong wind, the gravel and stones could hit people's body and cause pain.

If one was unlucky and encountered a flying block of wood, it was possible to get hit in the head, stun the person, and be buried alive by the sandstorm.

One must not be careless!

Chapter 226: The Desert Bandits Who Came On an Adventure

The sandstorm lasted for a whole night.

The next morning, as the strong wind weakened, it finally dissipated into nothingness.

The heavy iron door of the Council Hall was opened.

Kant was the first to step out. The fine sand that was blown by the wind had already accumulated several centimeters in thickness and turned into a soft layer of sand when he stepped on it. The entire "Drondheim" castle was now covered in yellow sand.

There was sand everywhere. And there were sand layers everywhere.

On the streets, on the roofs of the houses, on the city walls, and on the arrow towers, it was full of sand.

Earthy yellow sand.

Sensing the disappearance of the Sandstorm, the civilians in the residential area also removed the doors and windows that blocked the sandstorm. They all stuck their heads out and greeted each other in a low voice. At the same time, they looked at the unfamiliar and familiar yellow sand world around them, looking at the area that had almost been eroded by the yellow sand, they looked at each other in dismay.

Coming from the Kingdom of Swadia and the plains, they had never seen such a terrifying sandstorm. Even the color of the entire castle had changed, becoming much deeper and heavier.

Because of the yellow sand blown by the sandstorm, the entire castle was covered in a layer of yellow gauze.

The three-story high military camp was like an apartment.

The doors were pushed open.

The Mamluke who belonged to the Sarrandan people walked out of the room. They swept their eyes over the yellow sand around them and the traces of the Sandstorm. Their faces were filled with a strange nostalgic look.

They all thought of the Sarrandian Desert in the past.

But they still clapped their hands and signaled to their comrades who were also shocked by the scenery around them. "It's time to work."

"Everyone gather!"

At the bottom, Fatis's voice had already sounded.

He had already walked out from the council hall and stood on the training ground outside the military camp. He ordered loudly, "Continue to remain vigilant and maintain the alert on the city walls. Everyone, adjust your mentality and enter a high alert status!"

"Yes!" In the three-story high military camp, all the heavy cavalry and archers responded in unison.

Then, the footsteps were hurried.

They quickly gathered under the command of their respective captain.

The Archers of Wei Jiya who remained in the Arrow Tower and the tower also reappeared on the top floor of their respective towers. After clearing the remaining yellow sand, they continued to be on guard and sentry duty.

Inside the city wall, the civilians also began to sweep the streets and house with their brooms.

A large amount of sand was pushed out by carts and fell outside the city wall.

The castle-level roads were paved with green bricks, especially the two main roads from the Council Hall to the East Gate and the South Gate. They were paved with stone bricks that were used to build stone castles and city walls, and they were straight and flat.

These roads could provide faster walking on normal days.

Moreover, during wartime, they could also provide effective troop movements, making up for the lack of troops when the enemy troops attacked fiercely at the two city gates.

It was easier to clean up inside the castle.

The sandstorm did not cause much damage to the main body and details of the castle.

Even the most vulnerable water diversion channel, the main trunk of the wooden channel on the top floor, was not blown down by the sandstorm after being reinforced.

But it was different outside the city walls.

Standing on the large bell tower, Kant looked at the agricultural area in the north with a heavy expression.

The sandstorm brought a large amount of yellow sand.

After a night of blowing, almost all the wheat seedlings that had just sprouted were covered under the sandstorm.

The tens of acres of farmland could not be seen to be green at all.

Even the lush date palm jungle was still straight and upright, but after the destruction of the sandstorm, many long leaves that looked like palm leaves were also covered in fine sand. They did not have the previous appearances of listlessness; it was as if they had seen a miracle of life.

More than half of the agricultural area had been destroyed.

At the very least, the wheat and flax fields could no longer be recovered. They needed a new round of sowing.

When sowing, they also needed to clear the sand layer on the surface of the ground.

Even the sand that was piled up in the canal had blocked up the lake. It was in urgent need of a clean up.

As the city gate opened, the civilians took their tools and walked towards the agricultural area. They were concerned with cleaning up their fields so that the flat and fertile land could come back to life.

The grouse that had been driven into the house also ran out of the city gate and returned to their chicken coop.

However, the grass on the chicken coop had been blown away, leaving only the main structure of the stone and wooden frame.

Not only the chicken coop, but even the camel farms and stables in the West had also been blown away by the strong wind. The top layer of grass needed to be covered with new hay to form a sunshade roof.

There was no hay for buildings like thatch or straw, so linen was a choice.

Kant could import this kind of material at the Stone Pass.

"My Lord!"

Just as Kant was standing on the top of the bell tower, observing his own estate, the Archers of Wei Jiya behind him pointed to the south and said in surprise, "Are those... our desert bandits?"

"What?" Kant turned his head to look in surprise.

In the south, a few black dots were approaching from the distance, charging quickly.

They were about to reach the city gate.

They could vaguely see the leather armor and the handsome desert horse.

They were indeed desert bandits.

"Bring them to me, "Kant ordered directly.

The Archers of Wei Jiya immediately received the order and quickly brought the five desert bandits to the council hall. Kant was already waiting for them in his seat.

However, when he saw the five desert bandits, Kant's brows were tightly furrowed.

Their bodies were covered in dirt and sand.

There was a tired look on their faces, but there was still determination between their brows. They bowed respectfully to Kant. "My lord, we have just arrived and haven't had the time to wash up. I hope you won't take offense."

"I won't."

Kant waved his hand and asked directly, "Which defense zone are you from?"

"Aaron Village." The captain of the Desert Bandits opened his mouth and swallowed a mouthful of saliva. His dry lips made him look like a refugee. His entire body was covered in sand and he looked dirty. In fact, he had nothing to do with refugees, it was obvious that they had encountered the sandstorm during their long journey.

It was indeed the case. He did not care about his embarrassment. Instead, he reported to Kant, "We found something abnormal in the ruins under the village. The water level of the subterranean river has dropped. An ancient passage has appeared!"

"What?" Kant instantly stood up. "An ancient passage?"

"Yes!"

Desert bandits nodded, he continued to report, "This passage extends along the subterranean river to the west. We don't know where it leads to. Just when we were about to seal it, we were attacked by demonized creatures. There are a lot of demonized creatures in this ancient passage, and they are mainly demonized wolves that we met before!"

"So that's the case." Kant frowned and asked in return, "Has Bandake arrived at Aaron Village?"

"Not yet."

Desert bandits answered, "When we came here, we met Mr. Bandake and the escort troops by chance. Based on the time, we estimate that it will take another two days to reach Aaron Village."

"Yes." Kant's expression was solemn. He nodded and said, "I understand."

After saying that, he waved his hand and signaled the servants to bring them down to rest for the time being.

Troubled times.

This terrifying sandstorm and the anomaly in the depths of the desert had just appeared.

The "Aaron" village in the Senwaya Range had unexpectedly appeared again, and there was even an ancient passageway. There were a large number of demonized creatures in it, and it really caught him off guard.

This series of events had happened too quickly.

"But the system also asked me to take a look over there." Kant pondered. "Could this be related?"

In the introduction of the system quest, it was clearly stated that Kant had to go to the underground ruins to explore the mystery before completing the quest. If this ancient passage that happened to appear had nothing to do with the Sandstorm and the legendary lost city, it would be unbelievable!

When he arrived at Aaron's village, the truth would be revealed.

Time was limited.

Kant intended to set off immediately.

He turned his head to look at the warm morning sunlight outside the window. The temperature had yet to reach the highest point of noon.

He immediately ordered in a deep voice, "Inform Fatis that when I leave the castle, he will take full responsibility. If there are any unusual circumstances, we will act according to the measures I told him before!"

"Yes." The knight who was the messenger immediately turned around and left.

However, Kant also called for another knight and arranged for him, "Gather all 188 Swadian man-at-arms and immediately follow me to Aaron!"

"Understood!" The Knight also immediately went to deliver the order.

Kant was cautious in this operation.

The 188 heavy cavalry had sufficient numbers, enough force, and enough combat strength.

As the strongest heavy cavalry amongst the level 4 cavalry, they were proud enough.

Their equipment, armor, weapons, and warhorse were all top-notch. After forming a scale, their charge was like a landslide. Even in the dismount battle, their formation into a long spear formation was comparable to Rhodoks's veteran spearmen.

As the direct inheritor of the Kingdom of Swadia, the troop class training and combat aspects weren't bad.

At the same time, Kant also had his own ideas.

If they were to encounter the demonized wolves, these heavy cavalry soldiers would definitely be able to fight and accumulate experience.

The fake and inferior demonized wolves were no match for the regular troops.

When the massacre appeared, a large amount of experience would spur these heavy cavalry soldiers to level up to level up to level 5 knights. At that time, not only would their combat strength soar, but they would also be able to accumulate another batch of powerful knights for Drondheim Castle!

The current administrative center and Military Center were, after all, the Oasis Lookout.

Aaron's village mainly focused on developing agriculture and handicraft industries. In the normal military aspect, it was only enough to protect itself.

The troops packed up their luggage and supplies.

Fatis had personally supervised them, and confirmed that the food and water, as well as the tents for the camp, were complete.

After everything was ready, Kant did not waste any more words and immediately led the troops to set off. The 188 Swadian man-at-arms rode their horses and stepped on the soft sand, leaving a long trail of footprints.

The ancient passage under Aaron's village was still waiting for him.

Moreover, the system quest had already pointed out that this might be the key location to make up for the bad consequences.

Chapter 227: Self-Recommended Apprentices

Kant rode the horse and led the team to the Senwaya range.

However, they did not walk too far. The sound of horse hooves came from behind them. When they turned their heads, they saw the seven mage apprentices.

They were all young scholar-type mages, so their riding skills were poor. As the horse galloped, they hung on the saddle unsteadily. They even had to wrap their arms around the horse's neck to stabilize their bodies. They looked very pitiful.

"Slow down." Kant pulled the reins slightly and shouted.

Then, he turned the horse around and reprimanded the seven mage apprentices who had caught up. "Why are you following us? Do you know that we're going to the Senwaya Range? It's more dangerous there. It's not a place you can go."

The combat ability of the mage apprentices was currently inferior to that of the Veruga Archers.

Although the power of their spells was greater.

But their casting range and times were pitifully few.

In addition, their own strength was inferior, and they had never learned close combat skills. It was equivalent to casting ten times a day. These wizard apprentices who wore thin wizard robes and held wooden staffs were no different from ordinary civilians.

No, there was still a difference.

At least the Swadian peasant would use a sharpened long scythe to fight back like a cornered beast!

They were much stronger than these wizard apprentices who only had wooden sticks.

"It's very dangerous there. It's not that I'm deliberately belittling your combat strength."

Kant spoke very directly and tried to dissuade them. "You're still the most basic apprentices. It's very dangerous to face the magical creatures that appeared in the Senwaya Range." He paused and sighed, "If you can become mages and have more spells cast, stronger destructive spells, and mysterious summoning spells, perhaps I can bring you there."

He only had seven mage apprentices with extraordinary powers. If he lost them in the dangerous ruins, it would not be worth it. This was not training his troops, but sending them to their deaths.

"My Lord."

The eyes of these seven wizard apprentices were filled with determination. They clenched the magic staffs in their hands and said solemnly, "We are not afraid of life and death. Please let us join your team and make up for our mistakes!"

The leading wizard apprentice also lowered his head in shame and said, "We think that we have to grow up quickly."

"Is that so." Kant frowned.

He turned his head and glanced at the 188 Swadian heavy calvary beside him.

He noticed that although the heavy cavalry looked calm, there was still a hint of contempt between their brows as they looked at the seven apprentice mages. It was obvious that they did not take these apprentice mages who possessed mysterious elemental powers seriously. In the depths of their hearts, they were not willing to let them join their own combat sequence.

It was no wonder. The real battlefield would always be a cruel hell, a battlefield of life and death with blood and flesh flying everywhere.

Just based on these mage apprentices who looked like they should stay in the castle and the academy, they were really not suitable to fight together with them. After all, when these heavy cavalry charged, no one would stay behind to protect them.

"Please allow us to join, my Lord."

The mage apprentices bowed their heads respectfully, but their tone was very calm. "It is the tradition of the Ainfas Empire. There has never been a mage who is afraid of war. Although we are the most basic apprentices, we still have the heart to be fearless of life and death."

"Okay." Kant finally nodded, expressing his agreement to the request they made.

It was indeed so.

Mage apprentices were the same as other troop class. Without experiencing war, it was really difficult for them to level up to become mages.

Just by looking at the 45-year-old wizards, one could tell that the research on magic was not inferior to the research on mathematics and Physics on Earth. As for the more powerful great wizards, their hair and beard had long turned white. There were people around 60 to 70 years old.

If these wizard apprentices were to carefully study and explore, it would be too slow for them to level up.

Kant could not afford to wait for these decades of hard training.

He took a deep breath, he turned his head and solemnly reminded these apprentices, "We will be safe on the way, but when we reach Aaron village in the Senwaya Range, remember, you must be protected by the close combat troop class. Otherwise, if there are casualties, I will lower my comment on you in the future!"

"Understood!"

The mage apprentices looked delighted and immediately nodded solemnly.

"Let's go." Kant did not waste any more time. He turned his horse around and continued to lead the team forward.

The sound of horse hooves trampling on the sand was dull.

Occasionally, there would be the sound of rolling thunder due to the steadiness.

The medium-sized heavy cavalry team was advancing in a group. They were equipped with heavy chain armor, including men and horses. There was also a linen cover on the outside. After the Sandstorm, there was a breeze that blew over, lifting up their cloth cover and rolling up a few grains of sand. They looked awe-inspiring!

These cavalry were equipped with a triangular flag on the tip of their lance.

It was a red-bottomed golden lion.

It was also on their shields.

This was a symbol of their status. It meant that they all belonged to Kant, and they were a united force.

Moreover, to deal with the so-called ancient passage in the ruins, Kant also brought along intimidation and commanding power. The square flag was raised high, and it fluttered in the wind in the hands of the cavalry beside him.

The horn was pinned on Kant's waist, and he could blow it at any time.

Apart from the Lion Knight Legion Medal, Kant had already brought out all the war items from his family.

He attached great importance to the system's special quest.

Perhaps the inside story was related to the lost city in the mythological era, the sacred city made of gold. He could not afford to be careless and use all his strength to deal with it.

Because he had seen the resurrected Sun Saintess in the Golden Coffin.

Her beautiful face still appeared in his mind.

And in her eyes that were made of gold, she was indifferent to him and ordinary humans.

Kant did not think that if there really was a mistake, or if the bloodline of the gods who had been sleeping in the mythological era woke up, they would hypocritically beg for forgiveness from him, forget their past honor, and rule the new world together with the humans who were slaves in the ancient mythological era, they would rule over this emerging world together.

It might be possible to temporarily beg for forgiveness, but it was impossible to completely abandon the past glory and merge with the humans into a new force, unless the humans were willing to become their slaves again.

But that was the problem.

Kant did not want to be a slave. He had been working hard to get rid of slavery and bondage.

Why could the god bloodlines of the ancient mythological era enslave humans again and make Kant a slave? Perhaps because of his strength, he would do some favors and become the best among the slaves, but he would still be a slave!

Kant would not appoint anyone, he would definitely resist!

These troops and war wondrous things were Kant's preparation. If he encountered the god bloodlines again, he would still give the order to kill without hesitation, so that they, who had fallen behind the times, could see who was in charge now, who could decide the life and death of the other party!

..

The entire cavalry marched forward at a very fast speed.

Thanks to the support of the system, the restrictions of the heavy cavalry in the desert environment were much less.

At the very least, they did not need to worry about sinking into the soft layer of sand on the calves of warhorses.

Just after passing the hoof, the horseshoe at the bottom seemed to have stepped on the hard layer of sand, bringing the riders on the horse forward quickly to avoid sinking into the sand layer, and then pulling out the extra physical strength and time consumed.

Even the endurance to the heat of the weather, as well as the aspect of bearing weight, had been blessed by the system.

It was not as unbearable as the real world.

For example, the riders wore full sets of chain armor, and the Swadian warhorse under them also wore warhorse chain armor, as well as the weapons, equipment, and supplies that they carried. After being blessed by the system, they could maintain this status for a long time.

If the heavy cavalry of the dukedom of Leo had seen it, their eyes would have fallen out.

After all, it's against the laws of physics.

This, of course, is the blessing of a system that incorporates the rules of this world.

It's Kant's cheat code.

Over the course of a day and a night, the gently undulating dune is replaced by a flat desert plain.

In the middle of the desert in the distance, a two-story building stands out.

It was Kant's posthouse.

Although it was daytime, one could vaguely see many trade caravan coming or leaving with their horses. Merchants wearing sun-shading hood and linen robe were coming in and out quickly.

One could even occasionally see trade caravan guards with swords in their hands facing each other due to some trivial matters.

However, they could not fight.

In the posthouse, the Swadian militia, who were holding heavy spear and wearing iron-plated scale armor, walked out. Although they were alone, they were not afraid at all. It was as if they were loudly reprimanding the trade caravan guards, separating them from each other.

If there was a slight stalemate, even his words would not be of any use. Following a series of whistles, ten burly sarrandian horseman riders walked out of the posthouse. They were wearing Sarrandian chain armor and holding horsewhips in their hands. They came over and fiercely lashed out, those who dared to resist immediately drew out their Sarrandian swords and used their exquisite close-combat scimitar skills to let the group of trade caravan guards know who was the boss here.

"Not bad." Kant looked from afar and nodded in satisfaction.

Although it had only been a short day, Rolf, who had come here in advance, had already managed the posthouse in an orderly manner.

Rolf's appointment was very correct to let a scoundrel manage the trade caravan with the cunning of a noble. The merchants understood in the quickest time that this burly man who seemed to have the bearing of a noble was truly impervious to oil and salt, a scoundrel who would not be swayed by force or persuasion!

Most importantly, they did not dare to offend this fellow, because the nearly 200 cavalry troops were watching them covetously in the posthouse. Any abnormal situation would turn this scoundrel into a fight and devour them until not even their dregs remained!

They believed that this fellow would dare to slaughter their trade caravan and snatch away the great silver coins they brought.

One could tell just by looking at that Lawless Bandit's temperament!

"My Lord!"

Just as Kant was looking at the posthouse in the distance, the heavy cavalry beside him reminded him, "Someone is coming."

Kant turned his head. Not far behind the Dune, five desert bandits were rushing over. When they saw the flag fluttering in the wind and the red-bottomed golden lion, they hurriedly dismounted, they half-knelt on the ground and bowed respectfully. "My Lord, it is a great surprise to see you here."

Chapter 228: The Impact of the Sandstorm

"Get up."Kant sat on the horse and stretched out his hand. "There's no need for so many formalities."

These were all trustworthy light cavalry soldiers.

At the same time, Kant's eyes swept over their bodies. The outer linen robe and the leather armor inside were all dirty. There were even grains of sand in their hair. They looked like they were worn out from travel.

Kant could not help but frown slightly. He asked, "The sandstorm has continued until here?"

"Yes." The desert bandits nodded with lingering fear. "It has continued for an entire night. It only ended in the morning."

"How are the losses of the posthouse?" Kant asked with a frown.

"It's worth rejoicing. Before the Sandstorm arrived, we all returned to the posthouse and blocked the doors and windows with wooden planks and blankets. There were no losses," The desert bandits replied.

"That's good." Kant nodded.

The desert bandits were all Sarrandian, and they were also a race in the desert.

They knew how to deal with the terrifying sandstorm in the desert.

However, these desert bandits still shrugged their shoulders, some of them gloated and said, "Those spy trade caravan that came to our posthouse to inquire about the situation suffered heavy losses. Originally, there were more than 40 trade caravans, but after the sandstorm, there were still more than 30. Other trade caravans that dared to go deep into the desert, or did not have dune to hide, were probably buried alive in the sand."

"That's right, they did suffer heavy losses." The other desert bandits added, "It's said that the patrol team heading south in the early morning saved more than 30 lucky survivors in the sand, but they found even more corpses."

"That's right." Kant nodded.

The strong wind swept across the desert, carrying countless grains of sand and flying at high speed. It could be said to be terrifying.

Even those who were prepared would not be able to survive the sandstorm in the open desert, not to mention these unprepared merchants from the Dukedom of Leo. The heavy losses were only for everyone.

Some unlucky fellows were probably completely annihilated in this violent sandstorm.

"This is really bad news."

Kant shook his head and casually said.

This was out of pity for the fragile lives.

But beside them, the seven mage apprentices lowered their heads and looked even more ashamed.

The reason why this terrifying sandstorm appeared was not because they were not skilled enough. They clearly had not reached the stage where they could completely master this kind of advanced magic experiment, yet they wanted to display their knowledge in front of the Lord Kant. In the end, the consequences were so terrible that it made them feel ashamed and guilty.

It was not because they felt guilty for burying the trade caravan, but because they felt guilty for causing trouble for the Lord of Kant. They were loyal to Kant, and they did not have the slightest bit of pity for the other natives of this world.

Scholars were sometimes cold and cruel, not to mention mages who had mastered the mysteries of the world.

"Let's continue."

Kant gently knocked on the horse's belly, indicating for his warhorse to move forward.

But the direction was not the posthouse.

"My Lord, aren't you going to the Posthouse to rest?" The desert bandits were a little surprised, they quickly comforted him, "The sandstorm has just passed, and there is still wind now. I don't know if it will still appear. For safety reasons, you should go to the posthouse and stay for a while. Wait for the wind to stop and make sure that the weather is normal before you set off."

"No, there might not be another sandstorm in the near future."

Kant shook his head and rejected their suggestion.

He had originally planned to quickly head to the village of "Aaron" in the Senwaya range, and did not plan to rest at the posthouse.

Because the posthouse was full of people.

If the trade caravan spies found out that he was leading a group and was not heading to the Stone Pass, then there would be trouble. After all, the village of "Aaron" hidden in the Senwaya range was his second base, it was a key node that was more important than Drondheim's castle, the future agricultural center!

In order to ensure that his army was hidden and prevent Aaron's village from being exposed, Kant did not plan to enter the posthouse. Instead, he instructed the desert bandits, "Tell Rolf to increase his vigilance."

"Yes, my Lord!"

Seeing that Kant had made up his mind, the desert bandits nodded respectfully and watched the heavy cavalry leave.

The surrounding dune was also scattered with patrols formed by other desert bandits.

When they saw Kant, they would usually dismount their horses and kneel.

The patrols near the posthouse were very strict. At least when Kant waved his hand to signal them to continue patrolling, they did not find any trade caravan spies. The march was very quiet and concealed.

It was clear that under the attack of these patrols, the spy trade caravan with ulterior motives really disappeared.

If they did not listen to his advice, they would continue to move deeper into the desert.

These desert bandits would not hold back.

Kant gave Rolf a lot of power. He could control his own life and death.

This meant that the military authority was fully delegated to Rolf.

If he encountered any trade caravan that relied on their powerful backers, dared to draw their swords and resist stubbornly, or insisted on going their own way, Rolf would not hesitate to give the order to attack.

After a few rounds of javelins and a round of pincer attacks, these trade caravans that dared to ignore his warning were basically all turned into corpses. They did not even know how to restrain themselves and just casually threw them in the desert to warn those trade caravans that dared to continue moving forward, what kind of slaughter would they face if they continued moving forward.

These corpses were very abrupt in the earthen yellow sand, and they could be seen from a great distance.

Kant and the others continued to move forward.

The supplies had been prepared in advance.

For example, drinking water was five days per person, including the water for the warhorse.

The water sack alone occupied most of the space in the Warhorse's backpack on both sides. As for ordinary food, it was easy. After all, it was impossible to eat too much during the long journey, in case there were problems with the stomach.

They continued to travel day and night, only resting in the cold late night and the scorching noon sun.

Finally, at dusk on the fourth day, they approached the periphery of the Senwaya range.

Soon, they found the way into the mountain. At the entrance, there were five desert bandits who had set up temporary tents to guard.

They were the messengers.

The five desert bandits who had passed on the information of Aaron's village were from their team.

"My Lord."

When they saw Kant's team coming over, they immediately rode their horses and bowed respectfully. With some excitement on their faces, they said, "It's really exciting. At the crucial stone, you're finally here."

"How's the situation in the village?" Kant asked straightforwardly.

"It's alright. The pressure isn't too great."

The desert bandits also answered quickly, "Bandake and Mr. James have personally led a team to contain the demonized creatures in the ruins. There are no signs of spreading. However, yesterday's situation said that more demonized creatures began to appear in the depths of the ancient passage, causing a certain number of casualties to the garrison."

"The situation is critical." Kant frowned and said with a serious expression, "I understand." At the same time, he turned his head and called out to the heavy cavalry behind him, "Let's enter the mountain range, hurry up!"

"Yes!" The Swadian man-at-arms behind him replied in a deep voice.

Although the desert bandits said it easily, they could still sense the increasing danger within.

The defending army urgently needed reinforcements!

The rumbling horse hooves stomped on the solid soil of the mountain. All of them entered the pre-built stone paving road and used an even faster speed to reinforce Aaron's village in the depths of the mountain range.

The number of the defending army of Aaron wasn't many.

Apart from the 10 Ravenston Rangers who would level up every week, the Rhodoks people alone wouldn't be able to satisfy too many battles.

When the troop class leveled up, there would also be casualties.

Only 20 low-level Roduoke people would be able to level up three of the Roduoke veteran spearmen.

As for the top-level Luo duoke soldiers, they were even more miserable.

Without piles of Roduoke people leveling up one level at a time and using their lives to pave the way, it was impossible for too many to appear. Even if Kant came to this world with the cooperation of other troop classes, the cost of leveling up was a little worse.

Compared to this, the level up of the Kingdom of Swadia could be seen.

After more than 3,000 people fought bloody battles and experienced all kinds of fierce battles, there were finally less than 500 level 4 and Level 5 troop class. Although elites had to undergo training, this training was too cruel.

"Boom Boom Boom Boom --"

The sound of horse hooves violently knocked on the stone paving road.

Kant rode his horse in front, leading the heavy cavalry and mage apprentices as he galloped along the road by the river at an extremely fast speed.

The flow of the small river by the side had decreased by nearly half.

Thinking back to the information reported by the desert bandits, the amount of water flowing into the subterranean river in the ruins had decreased. Thus, the ancient passage built in the mythological era had appeared, thus understanding the reason for the decrease in the amount of water in the small river.

However, Kant was also slightly glad that the small-scale fish farm was not built here.

If it was built here, it was estimated that as the amount of water decreased, a large number of fish flocks raised in the fish farm would die.

The spring or lake that he won from the lottery was still useful.

Simply relying on the nature of this world was too random, and mistakes might occur.

In the future, Aaron Village would be the center of agriculture, farming, and aquaculture. They could not be careless.

Soon, they arrived at the bottom of the mountain.

The water that was originally gushing out from the cracks in the mountain like a fountain had lost its former glory. Only a small amount of water was still gushing out, barely forming a small pond in this area. However, it could not even maintain the pond at that time, the water volume dropped quite quickly.

In the Watchtower at the four corners of the city wall, the patrolling Rivenston Rangers had already noticed Kant's arrival. James immediately led a team and arranged for people to open the wooden gate of the city wall so that Kant and the heavy cavalry could directly rush up along the road.

"Hu --"

Kant rode his horse to the peak of the mountain and pulled the reins, signaling for his warhorse to stop moving forward.

He scanned the council hall and the 20 houses, the mill buildings, and the busy civilians, and said to James, who was walking by, with satisfaction, "Well done. The village looks good."

Chapter 229: The Army of Aaron Village

"Everything in the village is normal, but in the ruins at the bottom of the village, we found a new ancient passage. There are a lot of dangers and troubles there," James nodded and said.

He looked troubled, he continued to report to Kant, "A large number of demonized creatures are breeding in the depths of the village and forming an attack group to launch a surprise attack on us. The situation is more serious now. After Mr. Bandake arrived, he personally led the army to suppress the demonized creatures and barely blocked the attack."

"Barely?" Kant noticed the key words in James's words.

"Yes, Lord Kant. The number of demonized creatures is increasing, and the attack is also becoming fiercer."

James's tone was solemn, "Since yesterday, the demonized creatures in the ancient passage have appeared in groups. So far, the Swadian sergeant and the sniper crossbowmen at the front have all been killed."

"What?" Kant was shocked.

Then, he looked at James and said in a low voice, "Are you kidding me?"

These were the top combat strength of Level 5!

Even if the troop class of the Kingdom of Swadia was not the strongest among the infantry and crossbowmen, how could all the infantry and crossbowmen equipped with the best armor suddenly be killed?

Kant was extremely serious. "Tell me what happened."

"Yes, Lord Kant."

James's face was solemn, he reported, "Just as the backflow of the underground river decreased and the ancient passage was discovered through the gap in the mountain, the magic creatures hidden in it took the opportunity to launch an attack. Swadian sergeant and the sniper crossbowmen used their lives to resist the attack of the magic creatures, so all of them died in the battle. No one survived."

After pausing for a moment, James said in a deep voice, "Their deaths have provided us with the necessary time to mobilize our follow-up troops. That's why we were able to stop the demonic creatures from attacking the ruins at the last moment."

"That's right." Kant nodded, his expression softened. "They are all brave warriors."

"That's right, they are brave warriors." James nodded in agreement.

The Swadian sergeant and sniper crossbowmen that Kant had sent here were the only level 5 troop class, but there were less than 30 of them. Facing the attacks of hundreds of knight-level demonized creatures, they were able to hold on until reinforcements arrived before they were completely wiped out, this was enough to show that these swadian troop class had a valiant spirit that was close to that of a stubborn rock.

The demonized creatures that James had mentioned were truly demonized creatures.

It had the combat strength of a knight.

Ordinary infantrymen could not fight against it at all. They could only kill it through the cooperation of a level-4 troop class and a level-5 troop class. Once the advantage in numbers was formed, even a small number of level-5 elites would be killed.

For example, in this battle, 13 Swadian Sergeant and 10 Swadian sniper crossbowmen were completely wiped out.

"How did the battle situation become so grim?"

Kant frowned and turned his head to look in the direction of the evil cave.

Just inside the city wall, Rhodoks, the veteran lance operator, and the Ravenston Ranger were sitting there resting. There were visible traces of blood on their armor. As for the pile of linen jackets that had been taken off, they had been dyed a large dark red.

Obviously, they were soldiers who had been replaced in the cave ruins.

"Half an hour before you arrived, the demonized creatures had just launched a wave of attacks."

James said solemnly, "It was during this wave of attacks that six of Rhodoks's senior spearmen were killed. If it weren't for the Ravenston Rangers who used their two-handed greatswords to engage in close combat, the demonized creatures in the entire ancient passage would have almost broken through the line of defense formed by the infantrymen and charged out."

"You didn't recruit any extra troops?" Kant frowned and asked.

"Yes, I did."

James nodded and replied, "I recruited 200 Rhodoks, but my main mission is to clean up the battlefield and transport supplies. The main battlefield is still a small number of veteran infantrymen, as well as the Rangers in Ravenston."

"Well done." Kant nodded and understood.

The npcs under Kant could not level up their troop class.

In other words, due to the limitations of the system, if they wanted to level up their troop class, they had to be determined by Kant himself.

Otherwise, even if Kant gave full authority to an npc, they would not be able to level up their troop class due to the limitations of the system. This was a restriction of the system's rules. It was directly locked as a core function, it was not a non-core function that allowed npcs to build villages and buildings. Only Kant could use it.

Kant already knew about the system's restrictions.

Thus, he was not surprised.

"I'll go to the ruins to take a look myself later."

Kant warned James in a deep voice, "This village must not yield to those demonized creatures. Even if we do our best, we must defend this village. This is related to our future."

"I will do my best!" James nodded solemnly.

"Yes." Kant patted his shoulder, his expression equally solemn.

This was related to the future development route.

Aaron's village must not be lost. Otherwise, it would be too difficult for the castle of Drondheim in the oasis lookout to support itself. The impact on the future would be quite far-reaching.

Entering the Council Hall.

The village-level Council Hall looked extremely simple and crude.

Kant did not care as he sat on the main seat.

The hardships he had suffered were still in his mind. His hard work was still fresh in his memory, but Kant did not care.

The key now was to level up the troop class.

A data box appeared in his eyes.

Kant's mind contacted the system in his mind and directly gave an order, "Open the village's troop class interface!"

——

[ upgradable troop class: Rhodoks, veteran Spearman × 40 people ]

[ cost 80 denar per person, level up to Sergeant Rhodoks ]

..

[ upgradable troop class: Rhodoks, veteran crossbowman × 20 people ]

[ cost 80 denar per person, level up to Rhodoks, sniper crossbowman ]

..

[ upgradable troop class: Ravenston Ranger × 40 people ]

[ cost 80 denar per person, level up to Raventon Ranger ]

..

[ upgradable troop class: Rhodoks x 200 people ]

[ cost 10 denar per person, level up to Rhodoks proficient spear-wielder ]

[ level up if experience points overflowed ]

—— --

The interface of troop class appeared on his retina.

As Kant had expected, after the tragic battle situation in recent days, these original level 4 troop class could all be upgraded to become a stronger level up 5 troop class!

Even the 200 Rhodoks recruited by James showed that their experience points were overflowing, and they could be upgraded continuously.

The battle was fierce.

Kant's face was solemn.

He could see the madness of the demonized creatures from the experience points of these troop class.

It was not only the inferior version of the demonized wolves.

Even the genuine demonized black bears, demonized lions, and demonized wolves appeared in the ancient passage, launching wave after wave of attacks. They were almost unafraid of death, and every battle was quite fierce.

The most fortunate thing was that there were no vicious demonized creatures.

Otherwise, it would be difficult to deal with these demonized creatures with the formation of 40 senior spear-wielders from Rhodoks and the continuous rain of arrows from the Ravenston Rangers at the rear, as long as the formation was slightly torn open by the vicious demonized creatures, it would definitely be devoured by the hundreds of ordinary demonized creatures at the back with an absolute advantage in numbers!

However, Kant also felt a sense of crisis in his heart.

Back then, he had only encountered a fake version of the demonized wolf pack in the ruins.

But now, the ones that appeared in the ancient passage were actually ordinary demonized creatures.

The ferocious demonized creatures might really appear next.

Those were terrifying creatures that were far beyond the Knight class and had already grasped extraordinary strength. Only Grand Knights who also grasped extraordinary strength could deal with them. Even if Kant wanted to fight them head-on, there was no strongest enemy that troop class could face head-on!

Although a level 5 Swadian Knight was strong, Kant was not sure that a one-on-one PK would be able to defeat a beast-type demonized creature.

After all, the Swadian Knight was the strongest in a group battle.

"Don't think so much."

Kant shook his head and communicated with the system in his mind. He said in a deep voice, "All troop class, proceed to level up immediately!"

[ ding... system prompt ]

[ all level up costs 14,000 denar. ]

[ yes/no? Level up? ]

[ remark: Rhodoks Upgrade spear player level up to 2,000 denar, follow-up upgrade skilled spear player level up to 4,000 denar, this fee is included. ]

"Level up!"

Kant confirmed the option to level up.

The data stream instantly spread along with his thoughts.

The turbulent data stream rushed out of the council hall and directly engulfed all the troop class outside.

The promotion ended in just a few seconds.

Kant opened his eyes slightly and stood up from his chair. He turned to James, who was still waiting for his orders, and said, "Stay here. I will lead a team into the ruins to investigate. What exactly is that so-called ancient passage?"

"Lord Kant, please pay attention to your safety!"

James reminded him solemnly, "According to the people in Riverston, there is darkness inside."

"I understand." Kant nodded.

But he was fearless.

Darkness?

During the collapse of the ground, Kant had been shot to death by the Ravenston Rangers. They seemed to be female demons. Even if there was some darkness, he did not believe that they would be able to withstand the sudden increase in the quality of the reinforcements, they could withstand the damage of swords, bows, and arrows. They could withstand the slaughter of their bodies being destroyed!

40 Rhodoks Sergeants, 40 Rhodoks sniper crossbowmen.

And 200 level 3 Rhodoks proficient spear-wielders.

And 47 Ravenston Rangers, including the 40 Ravenston Rangers that were recently recruited every week.

These were the elite troops stationed in the village of Aaron.

Not to mention the 188 Swadian man-at-arms that Kant had personally brought with him. They were equipped with heavy chain mail, half swords, a heater shield, and a lance used by the cavalry. They were extremely valiant!

Kant turned his head slightly.

Seven mage apprentices who had mastered magic were still looking out of the window in the direction of the evil cave.

Looking at their appearance, it seemed like they had discovered something.

Chapter 230: The Grim Situation of the Ruins

"My Lord."

The leader of the wizard apprentices spoke in a grave tone, and there was a hint of surprise in his eyes.

He walked forward and came to the window. He looked in the direction of the evil cave outside. After observing for a moment, he turned his head and reported in a deep voice, "This area is very strange. I feel that there's something... strange about it."

Even the other six mage apprentices also nodded. "We also have this feeling."

"Well, tell us what you have found."

Kant frowned.

These mage apprentices definitely found something unusual.

Just like when the Ravenston Rangers approached the cave, they also found the evil in it. They even claimed to have sensed the aura of the underworld. Then Kant met the evil demonized creatures.

There were even real demons.

Female succubi with goat horns, goat hooves, bat tails, and bat wings!

Although the land of Pande where the Ravenstons lived was a fantasy world, it was in the age of doom.

It seemed to be the same world as Kant's.

Therefore, although these Ravenstons did not control all kinds of magic or extraordinary powers, they could still draw certain instinctive perceptive conclusions from historical rumors and their natural aversion to evil.

The mage apprentices's perceptive senses were even stronger.

They came from the world of war, where technology was advanced and magic was powerful.

In other words, these mage apprentices themselves had mastered the mysterious power of magic. They already had some understanding of the rules of the world, and their basic theoretical knowledge was better. The conclusions they obtained after perceptive senses were also more scientific, they were even more able to understand what kind of trouble was hidden under this village!

After Kant's confirmation, the mage apprentices discussed with each other.

But they quickly came to a conclusion.

Obviously, what they sensed was the same.

This made them feel calm. The leading mage apprentice answered and organized his words.

After a short pause, he reported to Kant solemnly, "This started when we were close to the Senwaya range. At that time, we had already sensed that the elemental energy in this mountain range was somewhat unstable."

"I have no concept of magic."

Kant frowned and reminded the mage apprentice, "Put it simply."

"Oh, I'm sorry, my Lord. It's like this."

The leading Mage Apprentice's expression was a little awkward. He immediately changed the academic report and explained in the usual language, "It is the positive energy that represents justice, and the negative energy that represents evil that creates conflict and conflict." After a pause, he continued, "Especially when we enter the inner part of the mountain range and come to the village where we are, we can clearly sense that these two opposing elemental energies are almost fighting each other."

"Positive energy and negative energy." Kant nodded. He could understand this.

Seeing that Kant did not raise any objections, the apprentice continued to report, "For example, in the Senwaya range, there is positive energy gathering at the top, but underground, there is also negative energy gathering."

"This is very strange." Kant frowned. He seemed to have thought of something.

"That's right." The mage apprentice nodded. "This is what we are surprised about. It is very illogical."

Kant turned his head to look out of the window.

The lush forests and mountains were still as usual without the slightest abnormality.

But in his heart, he seemed to be thinking.

After pondering for a moment, Kant turned his head to the mage apprentices and asked, "Does the positive energy represent the sun, heat, fire and other factors, while the negative energy represents... evil like demons?"

"That's right." The mage apprentice nodded.

After thinking for a moment, he explained again, "Solar energy represents positive energy, but flames and flames are formed by fire elements alone. As for negative energy, demons can indeed represent it. Similarly, there are undead that have risen from the dead."

The world of warlike in the emfars Empire was a complete magical fantasy world.

Humans had never been the rulers of that continent.

There were also elves, dwarves, and even kingdoms established by the demons and the undead.

Thus, the mage apprentices from the emfars Empire knew a lot about other races. After all, mages were also scholars. When studying certain spells, they needed to learn from the descriptions of spells in many historical biographies, they also had to learn from the understanding of other races on spells. This was the most important thing.

Therefore, these wizard apprentices could only really come to a conclusion after sensing.

The positive energy and the negative energy were clashing.

With the Senwaya Range as the boundary, the positive energy from the sky and the negative energy from the underground were clashing fiercely. It was like water and fire. A winner and a loser had to be determined.

"Could it be that the environment here is also formed because of this?"

Kant pondered for a moment.

He quickly pieced together the various details that came to his mind.

The hot Nahrin Desert, the Senwaya range with a little cold air, and the relics and sun disk that belonged to the bloodline of the sun god, which had been left behind during the age of the gods.

In addition, the female succubus said that the war originated from the age of the gods!

"It's like this."

Kant narrowed his eyes. He had already gotten the conclusion he wanted.

He did not hesitate. Instead, he stood up and directly waved his hand at the mage apprentices and the soldiers waiting outside. He gave his order in a deep voice, "Everyone, enter the evil cave and attack the demonized creatures in the ancient passage!"

"Yes!" The messenger immediately responded and walked out of the council hall to pass on Kant's order.

The troops were already ready.

240 infantrymen, 87 archers, 40 crossbowmen, and 188 heavy cavalry.

Other than 200 level 3 intermediate troop Luo duoke who was proficient in spear and Lance, the rest of the troop class were all level 4 and Level 5 elites. They were the middle and high level powerful combat troops!

Kant left the council hall and stood at the door.

He swept his gaze across these elite troops and nodded slightly. He waved his hand and ordered, "Cavalry, dismount."

"Understood!"

Swadian man-at-arms immediately obeyed the order.

All of the cavalry dismounted and carried only their own weapons and equipment. They lined up in a formation and formed a square formation. Each of them held a lance and a fan-shaped shield. They wore heavy chain armor and did not look any different from the wide shields on their backs, the soldiers of Rhodoks held heavy machetes.

The infantrymen and crossbowmen of the Kingdom of Swadia were of the same lineage as the Kingdom of Rhodoks. In other words, the training methods and fighting methods of both sides were almost the same.

Because both sides were once one.

The arrangements were completed.

Kant turned to James and instructed, "Watch the village. I'll go down and support Bandake."

Bandake was leading a small number of elite troops to defend below.

The troops Kant had calculated were all the troops of the village of Aaron. In reality, they were divided into two parts, the peak of the mountain and the cave. After all, there was no region for leveling up. As long as Kant chose to level up, the data would flow into the ruins, those low-level troop class could also level up.

"Lord Kant, there won't be any mistakes here."James solemnly guaranteed.

"Very good." Kant nodded in satisfaction.

Without much nonsense, he directly walked in front and led the team to the inside of the ruins.

Sergeant Rhodoks acted as the personal guards to protect Kant.

Next were the crossbowmen and archers, as well as the infantrymen and cavalry.

Although there were only 555 people, the imposing manner that they walked out was like a thousand people. They were all elite troops. Their entire bodies were covered with well-made iron armor, and they held excellent weapons. They had strong combat ability.

Even Rhodoks's skilled spear-wielders wore mail armor.

As they walked, everyone's bodies emitted a faint clattering sound. This was the sound of mail armor colliding.

They rampaged through the evil cavern's tunnel.

Very soon, they arrived behind the stone door.

The originally turbulent subterranean river had already receded, but there were still many water stains.

He raised his head slightly.

The sun disc was still emitting a dim light on the stone platform.

Kant narrowed his eyes. The coffin on the stone platform was still there. At the same time, he could see two corpses lying side by side. They were indistinct and could not be seen clearly.

But he did know that he had killed the two mysterious people.

He walked down.

The entire stone platform was somewhat slippery because it was soaked in the water of the subterranean river.

However, in front of him, there was a 20-meter-deep depression under the stone platform. The sound of water rushing was still coming from it. It was quite deafening, as if it was the mouth of a river.

"Lord Kant!" Bandake walked over from not far away.

When he saw Kant and the elite troops walking out quickly behind him, his face was filled with excitement. "You came just in time. We urgently need support now!"

"It seems that the situation is very serious." Kant nodded and looked at the hole in the stone wall on the west side. It was almost five meters high and more than 20 meters wide. It was just enough to hold the surging water of the entire subterranean river. The so-called ancient passage should also be there, there were more than 20 soldiers of Rhodoks holding heavy machetes guarding there.

"It's very serious." Bandake smiled bitterly. "The time for those demonized creatures to attack is getting shorter and shorter. The intensity of their attacks is also getting crazier and crazier."

It had not been two days since ban dake arrived here.

However, the demonized creatures that he encountered were crazier than before.

Half an hour ago, there was an even crazier attack. All the soldiers had to work hard to defeat those demonized creatures. Now, those corpses were still left in the ancient passage.

That was why Kant saw the soldiers who were resting in the city wall.

"Howl --"

A mournful wolf howl suddenly appeared.

Bandake suddenly turned his head and looked at the ancient passage where the stone wall had collapsed on the west side. He turned his head and smiled bitterly at Kant. "Lord, those damned demonized creatures are here again!"

"It's very simple now."

Kant's tone was calm. He turned his head and said, "Get into formation and prepare for battle."

"Yes!" The soldiers replied in a deep voice. Under the lead of their respective captain, they quickly rushed over.

They all formed into a regular battle formation.

The Sharp Spears moved forward to form a spear formation. Thick and heavy long-handled sabers stood on both sides, protecting the archer formation at the front. They were soon ready for battle.

Kant moved forward.

Under the cover of this group of elite troops, he was full of confidence.

Chapter 231: The Power of the Entire School of Bowmen

The turbulent subterranean river was flowing.

On the left side of the tunnel that was sunken into the ground, there was a flat stone road that was nearly 10 meters wide.

The golden light from the ruins shone in.

One could vaguely see that the stone wall on the left side of the stone road was carved with a human-shaped relief sculpture.

If one looked carefully, they would find that it was an ancient warrior who was holding a weapon and wearing armor. The sculpture was solemn and stood with the former might and glory, guarding this ancient passage.

It was simply a stunning architectural masterpiece.

Kant raised his eyebrows slightly.

He was also visually shocked by this ancient passage full of reliefs.

It was the architectural style of the age of the gods.

Moreover, it was closely related to the lost city. If one were to look closely at the lifelike reliefs of the ancient warriors and the mysterious patterns on the armor, one would discover that this was the most common sacred sun pattern on the golden disc.

Combining this ruin with the ruins of the first building found on the top of the mountain, Kant could conclude that this ancient passage and the ruins were from the same era. It was an integrated building; even this underground river was probably once part of this grand building!

"What a great masterpiece."

Kant sighed.

He did not know why the lost city would build such a magnificent and incredible building.

However, it did not stop him from appreciating the superb level of architecture that originated from the mythological era.

Even the Dukedom of Leo or the powerful empire that Caradia had never had before did not have the ability to hollow out the mountain or even the underground to build such a huge building along the subterranean river.

This was unrealistic.

It was even more useless to any power or country.

Yet, it just happened to appear before Kant's eyes!

"Prepare for battle!"

Bandake's voice rang out.

Kant's contemplation and shock were interrupted. He looked into the ancient passage. The darkness seemed to have solidified into an endless void, as if it had existed since the era of the ancient gods.

However, the soldiers behind him were not shocked at all. Instead, they held their weapons tightly and were ready for battle.

Because evil was entrenched in the darkness.

Rhodoks's sniper crossbowmen held their siege crossbows, while the Ravenston Rangers and Rangers held their heavy bows. They all looked indifferently into the depths of the ancient passage. Countless dark green eyes with a hint of scarlet had already appeared.

They were demonized creatures!

They slowly crept over in the darkness.

Their green eyes were dyed with a scarlet malevolence and a murderous intent.

It was indeed time to prepare for battle.

Even the seven mage apprentices who followed closely behind Kant held their magic staffs tightly in their hands. The front end was aimed at the interior of the ancient passage. All of them nervously swallowed their saliva, and cold sweat dripped down their foreheads.

Not counting the teaching battles when they were studying, this battle was still their first actual battle.

Kant shook his head slightly.

He did not say anything.

Kant did not include these wizard apprentices in the current battle sequence in his heart.

It was good that they could come and gain experience.

The battle was up to fate.

Kant needed them to quickly become wizards. They had qualified for destruction spells and summoning spells. They could bring stronger and more status-type spells to the troops. That was when the wizard troops would be of use!

Not Now.

After pondering for a moment, Kant waved his hand and shouted, "Everyone, fire at will!"

"Fire at will!"

The captain who was waiting immediately repeated the order.

However, in the firing formation formed by 87 archers and 40 crossbowmen, they had already released their bowstrings or pulled the trigger. The arrows and steel crossbows that were ready in their hands were instantly shot out.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh --"

The sound of air being torn apart could be heard.

The Arrows tore through space, and the steel bolts pierced through the air.

From the estimates of these elite archers, the distance between the two sides was only 100 meters. If they wanted to ignore their existence within such a short distance, it was no different from lying to themselves!

"Awoooo --"

Pairs of scarlet eyes were instantly extinguished.

Miserable howls immediately sounded from the ancient passage. After being amplified by the Echo, it made one's eardrums tremble.

However, the Archers's formation beside Kant stood still.

The Ravenston Rangers, the Ravenston guards, and the high-level archers from the Ravenston Kingdom shot out cone-shaped arrows with their exquisite shooting frequency that was like a semi-automatic rifle.

Their shooting had its own rhythm.

It was almost as if they were at ease!

The snipers from the Kingdom of Rhodoks, on the other hand, appeared much rougher. Thanks to the extremely strong attack power of the weapons in their hands, no matter how many enemies there were, they were still fearless in the face of danger.

The city-breaking crossbow, which was much larger than ordinary crossbows, was tightly wound and hung with a sturdy and heavy steel crossbow. After aiming at the target, they pulled the trigger and then quietly waited for the scarlet eyes of the target in the distance to suddenly explode and extinguish, after finishing the shooting, they continued to bend down and hang the steel crossbow again.

With their terrifying attack power, they didn't need any rhythm.

Because the enemies who dared to block their city-attacking crossbows and steel crossbows were already dead!

How could the steel crossbows and city-attacking crossbows, which could even penetrate the steel shields, be blocked by the skulls? After penetrating the eye sockets, they even pierced the back of the head. They still carried a strong killing power and heavily injured the demonized creatures behind them!

"Ha, ridiculous."

Kant looked at the rapidly extinguished scarlet eyes in the ancient passage.

The miserable howls in his ears were like moving musical notes.

He slightly narrowed his eyes, but more and more scarlet eyes surged out in the deeper darkness like heroic warriors who used their own lives and bodies to block the arrows coming from the front, opening a bloody path for their companions behind them!

The demonized creatures did not know fear. They might be cunning, but they did not know what fear was.

They could do it one after another.

However, it was indeed laughable in Kant's eyes. "What's the difference between this and suicide?"

The whooshing sound of arrows tearing through the void continued. The bowstring vibrated with a buzzing sound, and endless torrential rain poured out in the straight ancient passage.

However, this torrential rain did not bring rain that drenched one's entire body. Instead, it brought an arrow that could be nailed to one's body and could be fatal!

This was the call of the Grim Reaper!

Behind him, Bandake's solemn face became relaxed.

With such a dense scale of long-range attacks, they had already blocked the ambush of the demonized creatures.

They did not even need to engage in close combat!

The soldiers of Rhodoks and the proficient spear-wielders of Rhodoks, who were ready to fight, stared blankly at the 127 high-level archers who were easily slaughtering the demonized creatures in the ancient passage.

The wails were incessant, even covering the sound of the river flowing.

An extremely dense smell of blood pervaded the air.

Those originally dense scarlet eyes that were moving forward one after another had already disappeared in just a few minutes.

Only a frozen darkness remained.

"This... this..." Bandake gulped. Although he understood the might of Rhodoks's sniper crossbowmen and had seen the archery skills of the Ravenston Rangers and the forest patrollers, now that the two of them had formed an advantage in numbers, they were able to resolve the battle so quickly. It made him surprised in his heart.

He himself was also a crossbowman. Now that he had come to the village of the Kingdom of Rhodoks, he had also used a siege crossbow. However, he really did not expect that this battle would end so easily.

"This is very normal."

Kant spoke with a calm tone, because he had already expected it.

This was the nature of an all-bow attack.

In riding and hacking, the all-bow attack was one of the well-known troop class.

With the combination of Vaegir marksman and Rhodoks's sniper crossbowmen, they formed an advantage in numbers and formed a long line of shooting formation. When the non-heavy cavalry troops faced them, they would be shot like hedgehogs by the rain of arrows that covered the sky and earth, they would not even have the right to approach and would all fall to the ground, turning into corpses on the ground.

Right now, the cooperation between the Ravenston Rangers, the Patrollers, and the sniper crossbowmen was so strong.

"Umph." The mage apprentices subconsciously gulped.

They looked at each other.

They all noticed the fear in each other's eyes.

They sheepishly put away their magic staffs. Just based on their casting distance, they could not compare to these crossbowmen. Moreover, in terms of firing speed, they had to chant spells and prepare to communicate with the rules. The attack interval was even longer than that of the sniper crossbowmen.

As for the power, it was a matter of opinion.

In any case, these mage apprentices did not have any thoughts of comparing.

"Howl --"

But before Fatis and Bandake could continue to exchange a few more words, the sudden howl of a wolf appeared.

In the ancient passage, a faint green light appeared.

It could be vaguely seen that it appeared in the deeper part of the passage. At the same time, there were low growls reverberating in the air. The low growls were deep and heavy, but they were not wolf howls. Clearly, there were traces of demonized black bears and demonized lions outside the demonized wolf pack!

"They... are here again!"

Bandake tightened his grip on the siege crossbow in his hand and took out his steel crossbow to reinstall it.

However, his tone was quite solemn, he reported to Kant, "Lord, according to reason, after the end of the wave of attacks, they should rest for at least half an hour or a few hours. How could it be that another wave of demonized creatures has appeared? This is too unusual!"

"How could they possibly discuss with us?"

Kant chuckled.

But his eyes flashed with a cold light. "Everyone, continue to prepare to fire!"

The interval between the attacks was getting shorter and shorter.

Kant also had doubts and misgivings in his heart, but he was not afraid.

With his own soldiers in formation, so what if there were a large number of demonized creatures?

Based on the battle just now, more than 20 of Rhodoks's 200 skilled spear-wielders could level up to Rhodoks's experienced spear-wielders. If they experienced it a few more times, they would probably all be able to level up to wear chain armor, a Level 4 elite veteran infantryman with a machete!

Kant was not afraid of the wheel, not even the continuous wave of impact, as long as he can fight so that his troop class can gain experience.

If worst comes to worst, he could use battle to nourish the battle!

If one of the seven wizard apprentices leveled up to a wizard, then according to Kant's understanding.

The ownership of this ancient passage would be completely stabilized!

"Fire!"

Facing the low roar, Kant ordered.

The bowstring vibrated.

Chapter 232: A Mission in the Ancient Passage

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh --"

A rain of arrows shot out, followed by a torrential downpour that appeared in the ancient passage.

The scarlet eyes were extinguished one by one, and the wails became more and more intense. Even though the growls became more and more powerful, and the distance between them and Kant and the others was getting closer and closer, the decline of defeat was becoming more and more obvious.

Even the mage apprentices did not choose to cast their precious spells.

The battle was over.

Thirty meters away, the last demonized lion fell to the ground.

Two cone arrows were shot through its eye sockets, and a steel crossbow arrow pierced through its glabella.

This wave of attacks from the ancient passage ended once again.

No matter how the demonized creatures came in groups and rushed over like crazy, they still fell under the pouring rain of arrows, dejectedly throwing their lives on the straight Stone Road.

The thick smell of blood mixed with the rotten smell of corpses filled the air.

Kant couldn't help but frown slightly.

The Golden Light of the sun disk in the outside world was dim, so it couldn't shine into the passage at all.

He then ordered Bandake beside him, "Arrange for people to prepare torches. After lighting them, hang them directly in the inside of this ruin. The environment is too dark, so it will affect our vision."

"Understood." Bandake nodded and immediately retreated. He arranged for people to properly make torches.

Actually, there was no need to make them.

There were simple torches made for patrolling at night in the village.

The wooden sticks were tied with cloth strips and carefully tied up. After soaking them in flammable animals, they were childish. As long as they came into contact with the sparks, they would be able to burn vigorously. Moreover, according to the burning speed of the torches, it would not be a problem for them to burn for nearly half an hour.

Fifty torches were transported to the ruins.

"Light them up."

Kant waved his hand and directly ordered the torches to be lit up.

As the Flint struck out sparks, twenty torches immediately burned fiercely. They carried the smell of burning grease. At the same time, they released black smoke and illuminated the surrounding area of more than ten meters.

"Lord Kant, are we going to enter the interior of the ancient passage?"

Bandake looked at the burning torch and couldn't help but ask.

"Yes." Kant nodded.

"But there will be some danger." Bandake was slightly stunned, he hurriedly advised, "We don't know how many demonized creatures there are in the ancient passage. At the same time, we haven't explored it yet. If we encounter danger, we might be caught unprepared. I think it's best to send a few brave soldiers to explore first."

What he said made sense. It could be said that the safety factor was very high.

With Kant's status, he didn't need to explore it himself.

He was a Lord.

However, Kant chuckled and said with a calm face, "There won't be any danger."

"This..." Bandake wasn't good with words. For a moment, he was somewhat unreasonable towards Kant's words. He didn't have any thoughts of retorting. He only earnestly advised, "Lord, it's really dangerous."

"When I first discovered the evil cave, James advised me the same way."

Kant chuckled and patted Bandake's shoulder. "But isn't it the same now? You're still alive and well."

His expression froze.

Kant pulled out the knight's sword at his waist and ordered in a deep voice, "Everyone, follow me into this ancient passage. If you find anything unusual, immediately report it. If you encounter any life-threatening danger, you can counterattack on your own!"

"Understood!" The many soldiers behind also responded in a deep voice.

"This..." Bandake's face was stunned.

But seeing that his Lord had already made up his mind, he sighed and pulled out the Teutonic sword at his waist to protect his side.

They were also duty bound to obey orders!

Torches burned.

The 10 Rhodoks soldiers were the first to enter the ancient passage.

The person at the front held a torch in one hand, and his left arm was covered with a thick broad shield. He looked ahead vigilantly, and under the vigilance of his companions who were holding long machetes behind him, he slowly walked forward.

Kant's main force was 30 meters behind him.

However, they were all divided into two parts.

At the back were the 188 Swadian heavy calvary, led by Bandake.

This was to prevent accidents from happening, so that they could take care of each other from the front and back, so as to prevent them from being split up and fighting on their own, which would guarantee destruction by the enemy.

The 500-strong army was not small either.

They entered the ancient passage.

The originally neat stone road was littered with the corpses of the demonized creatures.

The thick smell of blood was very strong.

Next to them was the subterranean river that was more than 20 meters wide. As the water flowed, it stirred the air to form a breeze. However, the smell of blood was getting stronger. After these days of fighting, the entire ancient passage was close to the ruins, the smell of blood was so strong that it was pungent.

Kant frowned and ordered the soldiers behind him in a deep voice, "Throw all the corpses of these demonized creatures into the subterranean river. We don't need to keep these useless corpses."

"Understood!" The Ravenston Rangers behind him nodded first. They bent down and wanted to throw the corpses into the subterranean river.

However, Kant glanced at the corpses of these demonized creatures and was slightly stunned.

Layers upon layers of pitch-black scales, whether it was the demonized wolf, the demonized bear, or the demonized lion, their bodies were all covered with these scales. They were so black and shiny that they were like the scales of a snake the size of a palm. Under the illumination of the torch, they actually reflected a faint arc of light, bringing with them a hint of intoxication and demonic.

"Ordinary demonic creatures."

Kant muttered to himself.

Only when they had reached the knight level could ordinary demonic creatures have such beautiful scales.

And these... seemed to be ordinary demonic creatures!

Kant's eyes instantly lit up, with a hint of brilliance. He said to the Rangers who were still planning to dump the corpses, "Wait, dig out the hearts of these demonic creatures and look for black gems."

"Yes." The Rangers nodded.

Although they were puzzled by Kant's order, they did not stop what they were doing.

They pulled out the daggers at their waists and stabbed the ribs of these demonized creatures, making a deep cut.

The stinky blood and black internal organs immediately slid out.

However, they did not care at all and reached into their hands, skillfully feeling for the location of the hearts. As they held onto the hard object that was the size of an egg, their faces were immediately stunned. They turned to Kant and said, "My Lord, there really is something!"

"As expected."

Kant raised his eyebrows slightly and said in a deep voice, "This is what I need."

The gemstone that was stained with black blood appeared even darker and deeper.

The forest patroller had washed it clean in the subterranean river beside them. The crystal clear black color was solidified in it. As the torch lit up, it carried a mysterious air.

"This... this Is..."

Before Kant could appreciate it, the mage apprentices behind him exclaimed, "The product of the condensation of negative energy!"

It was obvious that these mage apprentices knew about this kind of thing.

Without waiting for Kant to ask, the captain of the mage apprentices immediately walked over and held the black gemstone in his hand. After carefully observing and sensing it, he said to Kant in surprise, "Lord, this is indeed a gemstone that is highly condensed from negative energy. Although it carries the brutal aura of the forces of hell, such high purity can even be used in those hell portals to recruit the troop class of the forces of hell!"

"Do you know this kind of black gemstone?" Kant frowned slightly and did not care about his rudeness. Instead, he asked in a deep voice, "You said that this is related to the hell faction. Can you tell us about it?"

Although the word 'demonized' was used to describe a demonized creature, it was more of an adjective.

But he did not expect that it was really related to the hell demon now.

Kant's heart was not stable.

"Yes, this is indeed related to the forces of hell."

The mage apprentice nodded affirmatively, holding up the black gem, he said, "Just like the Earth elemental gem and water elemental gem that you gave me before, each of them can be connected to the corresponding earth and water elemental planes. This negative energy gem condensed from negative energy can also be connected to the negative energy planes such as hell and the undead."

After a pause, Kant continued to explain, "The negative energy contained in this negative energy gemstone is violent and crazy. Obviously, it can only be produced in hell. If it was the undead plane, the negative energy would be cold and hateful towards the living."

"I see." Kant nodded.

Although he didn't understand it too well, he had grasped a few key points.

After pondering for a moment, Kant looked at him and asked, "You mean that these demonized creatures are actually creatures of hell, and these negative energy gems are actually the center of these creatures of hell?"

"That's right," the mage apprentice said with certainty. "Only hell has such violent and crazy negative energy."

"That's right."

Kant nodded, his expression calm.

Looking at the depths of the dark ancient passage ahead, he could not help but snort coldly.

If these demonized creatures were related to hell, no wonder he met the female succubus at that time. And that Succubus said that she was sealed, as well as the war during the age of gods, perhaps he had already grasped some clues.

At the same time, he also had some guesses about the endless demonized creatures that appeared in the Senwaya range.

Perhaps the source was underground.

"If this ruin is used by the bloodline of gods to seal the demons, and the ruins on the top floor are also part of this ruin, then where does this ancient passage lead to?"

Kant's thoughts were fluctuating.

There were no records of the history of the past.

Even the most famous academy in the Dukedom of Leo was not recorded in the relevant books. It was only a myth that was between an epic and a legend. If one were to look carefully, one would know that it was completely made up. There was even the figure of the god of war, Edmund.

Kant knew that the so-called god of war, Edmund, was just a religion that had been passed down from the silver platter kingdom.

It was said that the time of religious belief had not even been 300 years.

It belonged to a new type of religion.

Only the concept of martial arts that catered to the dukedom of Leo was established as the national religion.

However, the ones who really held power were the archdukes and nobles, not these priests and pastors.

In fact, even in the Silver Platter Kingdom, which had a strong religious atmosphere, the god of war, Edmund, was not a major god. This was because in the silver platter kingdom, where the economy and handicraft industry were more prosperous, the Holy See was the national religion.

And what they believed in was Holy Light.

On his retina, a dialog box suddenly popped up and interrupted his contemplation.

[ ding... side quest issued ]

Chapter 233: Changing the Expedition's Troop Class

[ ding... temporary side quest issued ]

[ temporary side quest: explore the secrets of the ancient passage ]

[ reward: level up (village)]

[ introduction: When you stepped into this ancient passage, you seemed to have guessed at the myths of the past. You thought that there might be deeper secrets, so you decided to continue moving forward until you explored the secrets of this ancient passage. ]

The system dialog box appeared on his retina.

Kant frowned slightly.

"The secret of the ancient myths."

After scanning through the introduction on the dialog box, Kant muttered softly, "How interesting."

That's right.

This was indeed interesting, to the point that even Kant wanted to understand.

The once glorious era of the gods had come to an end, leaving behind only ruins and debris. There were not many that could pose a threat to him. Even if it was a demonized creature, without a large number of savage species, facing an elite army of more than five hundred people, he would have to bow his head in submission and understand who was the true king of the current era.

Kant's influence might be weaker, but it was not the same as these mythical survivors who had been struggling for thousands of years. After losing their glory and power in the past, they could still fight with him.

Moreover, after completing the special quest, he might also have to explore this ancient passage.

The stone roads were neatly arranged.

The flow of the subterranean river on the side was like a dike road.

However, this dike road was carved along the mountain and the underground stone layer. It was 10 meters wide. Not only were the stone roads paved, but on the right side of the mountain, reliefs of ancient warriors were carved every five meters or so.

The deeper one went, the clearer the reliefs on the side were.

However, the road became deeper and deeper.

It was as if there was no end to it. It had to extend all the way to the dark depths that seemed to be frozen in time.

Kant and his troops had already walked for nearly two hours.

Although they were on foot, the distance was definitely several kilometers. They could estimate it.

However, the ancient passageway that was carved along the subterranean river actually extended for several kilometers. They didn't even know if it had reached its end. Obviously, their original idea had been overturned.

The soldier next to them raised his torch.

The burning flames illuminated the surrounding environment.

The five-meter-high ceiling still had traces of rocks being dug by tools. There was no ceiling or relief sculpture.

It should be a problem of cost and technology.

Even in the age of the gods, it was impossible to build such a large-scale building without considering the cost. Moreover, manpower and material resources were limited. The fact that they could dig such a long tunnel was already proof of their construction level, even if it was just an ordinary tunnel, it could make the people of this era gasp in admiration.

However, Kant and the others did not come to this ancient tunnel to admire the construction level.

They came here to solve special quest and side quest.

Instead of admiring the buildings, he had already appreciated the excellence of the architects in the era of the gods in the cave ruins. Even the mountain was completely hollowed out, and even the mountain rocks could be carved into such a great giant statue.

That was already a top-tier architectural level.

"This road."

Kant opened his mouth slightly and said with a depressed expression, "Is there no end?"

The darkness in front of them was condensing eternally.

After walking for such a long time, even Kant's knight body was a little tired.

In fact.

The elite soldiers behind them were also tired. After walking for two hours, although it was a flat stone road, they were still panting due to the heavy weight of their weapons and equipment.

Besides, there were several small-scale attacks by demonized creatures.

Bandake walked to the front.

Looking at Kant's depressed face, he sighed and suggested, "Lord Kant, I think it's better to retreat now. We are too far away from this ancient passage."

"But it's a bit regretful to go back like this."

Kant narrowed his eyes.

Bandake advised, "Perhaps we can send cavalry over."

"Cavalry?" Kant was slightly stunned.

"That's right." Bandake saw that Kant was deep in thought, he quickly suggested, "This ancient passage is paved with stone slabs. Even cavalry can march. We don't need to explore on foot at all. We only need to send a few cavalry into the passage to investigate the situation first. After we get an effective conclusion, we can move forward more efficiently."

"This suggestion is very good." Kant nodded and agreed with Bandake's words.

He turned his head and looked at the Swadian heavy calvary who were in charge of the rear, he directly instructed Bandake, "Immediately lead a part of the troops back and bring all the Warhorse of the cavalry over. At the same time, prepare a day's worth of food and fuel. I intend to lead the cavalry to continue advancing!"

"Uh... Lord Kant, that's not what I meant." Bandake's expression was stunned.

"Don't explain." Kant interrupted him and directly instructed him, "Quickly go and handle it. I think you won't disappoint me. I will continue to wait here for you to return with the supplies."

"But if we continue to go deeper, won't it be too dangerous?"

Bandake's face was slightly anxious.

Kant was the supreme lord in his heart. If he encountered any danger, it was all because of his incompetence. Therefore, for the sake of safety, Bandake continued his attempt to stop him.

Especially when he swept through the depths of the ancient passage, Bandake said solemnly, "Just as the mage apprentices said, if we continue to go deeper, we will be able to feel the evil power being emitted. If you continue to lead the team forward, perhaps you will encounter more and stronger magic creatures. This is risking your life to investigate!"

"That's right, my Lord. Please consider it carefully."

The mage apprentices also advised him solemnly.

"Yes," Kant replied.

Although Sergeant Rhodoks and the Ravenston Rangers at the back did not speak.

He could still see the dissuasion in their eyes.

No one wanted to see their lord, whom they were loyal to, meet with the slightest danger, because this was the biggest mistake for them. It was even more serious than being defeated and massacred.

Their lives could be ignored, and dying in battle was glorious.

But Lord Kant had to survive.

This was their belief.

Kant looked at the soldiers' sincere eyes and also understood where their belief came from.

He took a deep breath, and it was a little cold. But Kant looked at Bandake, the Mage Apprentice, and the soldiers behind him. He said in a deep voice, "I want an answer. What is waiting for me in this ancient passage? So I will not quit. I must get an answer."

This was a mission given by the system. Kant would not give up.

Moreover, he believed that the system would not harm him.

After scanning their eyes, Kant continued in a deep voice, "Follow my arrangements and continue to move. We must finish investigating this ancient passage this week."

"Yes!" Seeing that Kant had made his decision, Bandake could only nod solemnly.

"Understood!"

The many soldiers similarly replied in a deep voice.

Since this was an order from Lord Kant, then they would obey unconditionally.

If they were to encounter danger.

They would use their own bodies to build the sturdiest shield wall for Lord Kant. As a level 4 and Level 5 troop class, they also had their own pride and fearless heart in their chests!

Bandake turned around and brought the Swadian heavy calvary back.

The others were stationed at the same spot under Kant's arrangements.

The torches they brought were only lit three times. They were lit in front, middle, and back respectively, relying on this bit of light to maintain their vision.

The water of the subterranean river flowed with a splash.

In this deep darkness, perhaps the mountains of the senwaya range were above their heads. The entire ancient passage was silent. The soldiers all squatted on the damp and cold stone slabs to wait, or took out their own bread and water sack, they ate and drank a few mouthfuls to replenish their energy.

As for sleep, it was shallow. Moreover, the guards were arranged. Similarly, no one slept soundly. After all, there were a group of bloodthirsty and brutal demonized creatures in the ancient passage.

Everyone was on high alert.

Kant was also sitting on the stone slabs. Although there was a leather cushion, he still felt a bone-chilling chill spreading.

The underground passage and the existence of the river made the temperature extremely low.

Kant even touched the moist water vapor in the corner of the wall and found layers of frost. Clearly, if the temperature was low, this place could be frozen into ice. Clearly, the chill was extremely deep underground!

Even the soldiers could only sit back to back with their bodies curled up.

As for leaning against the stone wall, they did not dare to do so.

Although there was support, the chill on the stone wall was quite strong. It could easily pass through the linen robe and chain armor, quickly causing the body's heat to disappear, resulting in a weak status.

It was similar to the weather in the snowy plains of Veruga, so they had some understanding of this.

"It was a mistake."

Kant frowned at this and was slightly regretful. "I should have told Bandak to bring some leather jackets over."

This kind of soft fur coat was not worth much in the hard stone pass.

Thanks to the abundance of wild animals in the Senwaya range, hunters were able to bring back a large number of prey every day. Thus, fur products were equivalent to exports in the hard stone pass, and the price of self-selling was very low.

In order to solve the problem of the cold night in Drondheim Castle, Ma Nide had purchased quite a number of fur coats.

Similarly, he sent close to 300 sets to Aaron Village.

Although it was not enough for everyone to wear, it was used as a cushion during rest so that everyone had a place to sit and lean against. It was absolutely not a problem to isolate the cold from the stone pavement and the stone walls.

After waiting for close to three hours, the sound of horse hooves came in waves.

The rumbling sound was like a flood that had broken the dike.

It was the Swadian heavy calvary who were riding their horses. They held their torches high and were very conspicuous in this dark, ancient passage. They soon appeared in front of Kant and the others and stopped their horses.

"Lord Kant, I've brought all the warhorses."

Bandake got off his horse.

At the same time, he led the warhorse that was not ridden by anyone to Kant's side and reported respectfully, "The food and fuel that you've arranged are all ready."

"Well done." Kant nodded at Banake with Satisfaction.

The surrounding infantrymen also stood up.

However, it seemed that they had been squatting for too long, and the cold had invaded their legs and feet, making it inconvenient for them to move around.

However, they didn't need them anymore.

Chapter 234: Complete Victory of the Charging Heavy Cavalry

Kant did not intend to let the infantrymen participate in the next expedition.

Therefore, he instructed Bandake, who was still waiting beside him, "Lead these infantrymen to light a bonfire for warmth and set up a temporary camp here. If there is any danger, I will send the cavalry to inform you to provide support."

"Yes, I understand."

Bandake nodded solemnly. At the same time, he said solemnly to Kant, "Lord Kant, please be careful."

"Don't worry." Kant's expression was calm.

Without any nonsense, he immediately got on his horse. However, before he could advance, the mage apprentices stopped him.

The leading mage apprentice said anxiously, "My Lord, we can sense the evil aura. Perhaps we can also sense those magic creatures. If possible, please lead us forward together."

"You must be joking!"

Ban dake frowned and reprimanded, "Lord Kant is leading the cavalry forward. How can you mages keep up? If you meet the enemy, you can't even ride a warhorse, you can only add to the chaos!"

What the mage apprentices could ride was a docile traveling horse.

Compared to the obedient but tyrannical Swadian warhorse in armor, they definitely could not be controlled.

Their riding skills were very poor.

This was the reason why Bandake rejected them.

"Isn't our traveling horse behind us? We'll hide behind and help sense those demonized creatures. If we encounter a large number of demonized creatures that want to ambush us, we'll be the first to discover them!"

The mage apprentices were still pleading.

Kant frowned.

He turned his head and looked behind him. Their seven traveling horses were used as working horses, carrying a lot of supplies on their backs.

These supplies were charcoal and food for the infantrymen to keep warm.

However, after hearing the mage apprentice's self-recommendation that they could sense magic creatures, Kant raised his eyebrows slightly and asked them in a deep voice, "Can you sense magic creatures? Is this real or fake?"

"It's real!" The leading mage apprentice nodded, he said quickly, "Every time they appear, they carry a strong negative energy from hell. After we are familiar with their energy fluctuations, we can vaguely sense their general situation, such as the number, distance, and information about their levels and types."

After experiencing a failed magic experiment, they no longer dared to boast about anything other than their own abilities.

Kant understood this.

After thinking for a moment, he directly waved his hand and said, "Keep up!"

"Understood!" The mage apprentices immediately saluted in surprise and ran towards their traveling horses.

They took off the supplies and threw them on the wall, then spurred their horses to follow behind Kant and the others.

"Let's go!"

Kant lightly knocked on the horse's abdomen and led the team to charge in front.

Behind them were 188 Swadian heavy calvary and seven mage apprentices riding on their traveling horses. They continued to go deeper into the ancient tunnel, allowing the sound of horses's hooves to hit the Stone Road. The rumbling sound spread out for miles like thunder.

The momentum was unrivaled!

The ancient tunnel was ten meters wide, although it was relatively narrow compared to the plains.

They could still run as fast as they wanted.

Even if they encountered enemies, they would still be fearless.

The narrow ancient passage extended straight without any corners or corners. It was almost the best battlefield for the Swadian man-at-arms to launch an assault!

As long as they launched an assault.

The sharp lance and the powerful warhorse would destroy everything.

Even if the demonized creatures were ferocious and terrifying, they still had to face someone.

They wanted to resist the charge of the heavy cavalry?

Perhaps they were thinking too much!

They could only rely on the complicated terrain of the mountains to survive.

Although it was a huge threat to the surrounding lords, the ones who were really slaughtered were the demonized creatures. As long as they were found in the Lord's estate, they would definitely be disposed of in a short period of time, there would also be specialized high-level knights to deal with them.

Therefore, only the demonized creatures that were slaughtered and treated as trophies could be seen, but the destroyed estate could not be seen. Perhaps a few logging and quarries were destroyed, but the Lords could start building them at any time.

If those demonized creatures died, they would really die.

Kant led his team and advanced rapidly.

They seemed to have sensed their aggressiveness and did not even see the traces of the demonized creatures.

The heavy cavalry who had been secretly on guard with their lance at all times did not relax in their hearts. Instead, some doubts appeared in their hearts. They even looked at the darkness in front of them vigilantly, not daring to be the slightest bit careless.

Unusual meant unusual. Unusual meant danger.

The speed slowed down.

Kant also noticed this.

Behind the heavy cavalry, the mage apprentice was hugging the neck of the traveling horse, panting heavily due to the turbulence.

It was obvious that such an intense gallop made it difficult for them, who were not good at riding.

At the back, the Swadian heavy calvary looked on coldly without any intention of helping. For them, they could not even control the traveling horse, just like the mage apprentices who were like students. There was a fundamental difference.

It was similar to the close-combat cavalry who looked down on the long-range archers and crossbowmen.

However, the mage apprentices did not care.

They also disdained to have any entanglements with these stupid soldiers who were riding horses.

Instead, they rode their horses to the front, came to Kant's side, and reported while panting, "My lord, we have sensed that there are groups of magic creatures about 300 meters ahead!"

"Well done." Kant nodded. Squinting his eyes, he looked at the silent darkness in front of him with a calm expression.

As expected.

It was so quiet that it was almost strange. It would be impossible if there were no demonized creatures lying in ambush.

This was the sixth sense of a soldier.

Now that the mage apprentices had reminded him, it proved his guess.

Pulling out the slender knight sword on his waist, Kant turned his head and said in a solemn voice, "Rest for five minutes. After five minutes, prepare for battle. Enter the charging posture and crush them!"

"Yes!" Many of the Swadian heavy calvary answered firmly.

However, these five minutes of rest were not wasted.

Using the light from the torches, they quickly checked their armor and weapons. Straightening their helmets, they tied up the linen robes outside their armor. Each of them had a fan-shaped heater shield in their left hand and a 2.5-meter long lance in their right hand, they looked at Kant coldly.

After a short five minutes, they were ready and waiting for their lord's order. They could drive their armored warhorse at any time and enter a violent charging posture.

After more than ten years of hard training and life-and-death battles on the battlefield, this had almost become their instinct!

"Advance!"

Holding the Knight's sword tightly, Kant urged his horse forward.

The horseshoe lightly knocked on the Stone Road.

The sound in the ancient passage grew noisier as it slowly accelerated.

In just less than 50 meters, all the Swadian heavy calvary had already urged their horses to accelerate. The sound of the horseshoe knocking on the Stone Road began to reverberate in the ancient passage like rolling thunder.

Even the splashing sound of the subterranean river was completely covered.

At the same time, in the darkness of the ancient passage, there was a low growl that seemed to have sensed that something was wrong.

The demonized creatures were lying in ambush.

However, in the short distance of 300 meters, the Swadian man-at-arms had already entered the posture of charging at full force. The rumbling thunder sounded under the feet of their warhorse. With a violent charge that swept through everything, they instantly entered the peak charging moment, the Sharp Lance drooped down directly. The awe-inspiring tip of the Lance was pointed at a spot that was less than half a meter above the ground.

As long as an enemy appeared in this position, the sharp and sturdy tip of the lance, with the support of inertia and strength, would instantly pierce through the seemingly tough bodies of several demonized creatures that were actually still flesh and blood!

And this was not the beginning, nor was it the only one.

Right behind the 188 Swadian heavy calvary, the mage apprentices raised their magic staffs.

"Sharp Golden Blades!"

After muttering a few words in a low voice, a golden light instantly bloomed between the magic staffs.

Moreover, it enveloped the heavy cavalry at the front row.

Even the darkness was dispelled a little bit. The demonized creatures that had their eyes closed and were lying in ambush a hundred meters away could be vaguely seen standing up with their teeth bared. They opened their scarlet eyes and began to attack crazily.

However, this was only a short moment.

"For Swadia!"

The front row of the Swadian heavy calvary roared furiously.

The tip of the lance in their hands was on the sharp tip of the lance. At this moment, it was covered with a layer of faint golden light.

However, they did not seem to notice it.

However, when they were charging forward, the two sides were closing in on each other at an extremely fast speed.

The sharp lance was like a hot knife cutting into cold butter. It easily pierced through the tough fur, tore through the strong muscles, and directly stabbed out from the back, bringing with it the terrifying power of charging forward, it continued to fiercely stab into the bodies of the demonized creatures behind, and in the blink of an eye, it pierced through them again!

After approaching three demonized creatures in a row, they were unable to stabilize due to their weight. They could only let go of the lance and pull out their sharp hand-and-a-half swords, slashing wildly from top to bottom.

"Sharp Golden Blades!"

But behind them, golden light reappeared in an instant.

Another wizard apprentice raised the staff in his hand and chanted a few words to use his spell slot.

Although they had not experienced actual combat, as a military power, the Emfath Empire had a lot of military training for these wizard apprentices. Otherwise, they would not be able to fight against other races with an ordinary army.

And how the mage apprentices cast spells at the critical moment was the most important part of the training!

Golden light flashed.

On the battlefield at the front, the hands of nearly twenty swadian man-at-arms, which were still swinging their swords, suddenly emitted a faint golden light. The moment they slashed down, they easily cut through the tough scales, even the fragile backbone was about to be directly cut off, a fatal blow!

The hooves of the warhorses rumbled and shook. The warhorses that were fully armored to their calves were top-class warhorses that had been tempered by the battlefield. These warhorses that were fully armored charged forward without any fear, knocking away any demonized creatures that blocked their way.

Those sharp fangs and claws could not cause any damage to these warhorses at all.

Although there were flax outer layers that were torn and ripped apart.

Occasionally, some of the tight shackles on the chain armor were torn off.

However, the warhorses did not suffer any casualties. They continued to run forward in a frenzy, crashing down the demonized creatures in front of them. At the same time, they used their entire weight to stomp down on the heavily injured demonized creatures, turning them into a pile of mud!

The torches swayed as they charged forward. The light turned from dark to almost dark.

When it was over.

The torches burned steadily.

The light illuminated the surroundings.

It was still the same old tunnel deep underground, and the darkness condensed from ancient times at the end. However, the scarlet and green eyes of the demonized creature were gone. Only the snorting of the warhorse and the rapid breathing of the riders could be heard.

In addition, the miserable howls behind them gradually weakened.

Complete victory.

Chapter 235: The Underground Fortress at the End

The battle ended so easily.

It was settled with a single charge.

Compared to the Ravenston Rangers and Rhodoks's sniper crossbowmen, it was clear that these heavy cavalry soldiers' combat methods were more direct and decisive in the battlefield.

Thus, they became the victors.

Although the demonized creatures were several times stronger than the wild beasts.

In the eyes of humans, they were just terrifying nightmares of the peasant and armed militia.

Ordinary knights with a little training of infantrymen could eliminate the demonized creatures that invaded the estate. From this, it could be seen that the combat strength of these demonized creatures was not much of a threat compared to the real combat troops.

Not to mention Kant's heavy cavalry troops. They could directly crush them in such a narrow space.

Moreover, they were all heavy cavalry units with knight-level strength.

These demonized creatures were as pitiful as innocent children. Before they could even retaliate, their bodies were pierced by lances, their spines were cut off by sharp swords, and they were trampled into a pile of mud by the heavy horse hooves.

For Kant, this battle was as easy as pie.

He was the victor in the ancient passage.

The only thing that could pose a threat and trouble to Kant and his troops was probably the savage demonized creatures that he had encountered on the mountaintop. This was the enemy that Kant was worried about.

After mastering extraordinary powers, even the demonized creatures were quite terrifying.

In terms of combat power, it was a qualitative improvement!

As for these ordinary demonized creatures, Kant reached out his hand with an expressionless face. He took out a linen cloth and carefully wiped it clean. His knight's sword was already stained with pitch-black blood.

His eyes were filled with deep disdain.

He did not take them seriously at all.

In this battle, not to mention his most commonly used [ intimidation ] , he did not use it.

Even the newfangled [ commanding power ] , which could increase morale, was still pinned on his waist.

Kant's two great war treasures would only be used when he encountered a difficult opponent.

These magical creatures could not even block the charge of the heavy cavalry with the status spell [ sharp golden blade ]. Kant did not need to do anything unnecessary and even used these two great war items to assist in battle.

Although it was easy to use, it was not necessary for Kant.

Thinking of the mage apprentices' spellcasting, Kant turned his head and looked at them. He was not stingy with his praise. "Well done. I need you to maintain this status."

"Yes, my Lord!"

The mage apprentices immediately responded, each of their faces filled with joy.

Kant, who belonged to the Supreme Liege, praised them. It was even more exciting than the king of the Enfath Empire praising them. This was a joy that came from the soul.

Kant's expression returned to calmness, and he reminded them, "Calm your heart, we should go."

"Understood." The mage apprentices nodded.

However, after the battle ended, the Swadian man-at-arms, who were originally arrogant and had a hint of arrogance, became much friendlier towards these mage apprentices. After all, in the battle just now.., their ability to unleash the destructive power of their charge was greatly related to the casting of spells by these mage apprentices.

It could make their charge more destructive, their lance sharper, easier to pierce through the enemy's body, and their longsword more powerful. It simply gave them an additional armor-piercing attribute.

If they did not encounter a magic creature, but an enemy, this was the guarantee of being able to break through armor!

Spells that made weapons sharper were really popular with them.

This was also one of the reasons why Kant considered bringing along these wizard apprentices.

They could sense the distance and number of enemies, and could cast spells to increase the passive ability of the troop class. These wizard apprentices were well-deserved to be the elite troop class of the Enfath Empire.

Although they were still young, they had already shown their important role.

"Let's go!"

Kant gently squeezed the horse's belly and continued to lead the team forward.

The rumbling iron cavalry continued to advance.

However, as they continued to go deeper into the ancient passage, the number of demonized creatures they encountered decreased by a lot.

Along the way, they started a fire and roasted their clothes that had already cooled down. At the same time, they boiled hot water and heated the food that they had prepared. They barely managed to make ends meet.

They had already entered the ancient passage for close to 10 hours.

It had been close to half a day.

But as Kant and the others advanced, they still did not find the end of the road.

They just walked straight ahead aimlessly.

It was still the same 20-meter-wide subterranean river on the side and the relief sculptures of warriors on the stone walls. Other than the marks on the top of their heads, it was almost indistinguishable from the entrance road.

It was exactly the same.

Kant was solemn, and the movement of his horse slowly slowed down.

He held a torch in one hand.

He looked at the eternal darkness in front of him, and his face was somewhat depressed.

Ten hours of horse riding was enough to cover half the distance from Oasis Lookout to the desert posthouse, but there was still no change on this road, which made him somewhat uncertain, did he encounter some trick from the ancient gods and lost his way? Was it some kind of spell like ghost beating the wall?

Otherwise, how could he not encounter any buildings after such a long distance? Even if it was a huge karst cave or signs of collapse, it would let him know that he was not spinning on the spot!

Out of the 30 torches he brought, there were still 20 left.

In the entire heavy cavalry unit, only the torch in his hand was used as a guide, and the last one was used as the end.

Otherwise, they would lose their light and be completely lost in the darkness.

The mage apprentices followed closely behind Kant.

Seeing that his Lord slowed down his horse's pace and tightly wrapped up the linen mage robe on his body, he was shivering from the cold on the horse's back. He could not even care about his numb legs and hurriedly asked with a trembling voice, "Lord... Lord, what's wrong... we...we didn't sense any enemies ahead."

"It's not because of that." Kant could not help but frown when he saw how miserable they were. "I'm wondering if we should go back. After all, we've already walked too far along this road."

"Go... back?" The mage apprentices looked at each other with trembling eyes.

They saw the joy and surprise in each other's eyes.

Not to mention them, even the Swadian heavy calvary behind them had a layer of frost on their eyebrows under their helmets. The chain armor on their bodies was extremely cold, and they could not withstand the cold underground.

They all wanted to go back.

But they did not dare to say it out loud.

Now that Kant brought it up, they all nodded subconsciously with a helpless look on their faces. They felt helpless towards this ancient road that led to an unknown place.

The environment here was so harsh that it was even colder than the night in the Nahrin Desert.

"In that case, let's go back."

Kant rubbed the space between his eyebrows.

He had already been in the ancient passage for so long, yet he was not mentally prepared.

Similarly, he did not have enough resources.

It was better to go back directly, prepare more resources, and then explore again.

But just as Kant was about to turn the horse around, the leading mage apprentice gulped, his voice trembling, he said with some surprise, "No... but... my Lord, it's far away in front of us...we feel that there seems to be... a very... very evil existence..."

"Very evil." Kant frowned.

"Yes... Yes." The mage apprentice was so frozen that he could not speak properly.

But he closed his eyes and carefully sensed for a moment before reporting to Kant again, "I can confirm that the very evil existence... is about a thousand meters away... but... but it seems that its vitality is very dim!"

"Dim?" Kant frowned even more.

The distance of a kilometer was very close.

It would not take more than ten minutes to get close by riding a horse.

He made a decision in his heart, he ordered the mage apprentices and heavy cavalry in a deep voice, "Get your spirits up, light a bonfire and replenish your strength. Later, we'll go over to take a look. If we don't find the evil existence that the mage apprentices said was already dim in vitality, we'll return quickly!"

"Yes!" Everyone responded. They barely got off their horses, but their movements became stiff. It was obvious that the long galloping of their horses and the cold environment made the blood in their legs not flow smoothly.

As they walked, they used firewood and charcoal to light the bonfire. Only when the temperature was high did the coldness in their bodies dissipate.

They placed the water sack that was already covered in frost next to the bonfire and heated it up.

Everyone quickly shared their food and fed the warhorse that accompanied them with grass and hot water. Finally, they were fully prepared and regained some energy before they got back on their horses and followed Kant's lead, they raised their torches and rushed a kilometer ahead. They were all planning to end the battle as soon as possible. If they did not notice the situation, they would immediately retreat.

However, their plan was clearly miscalculated. Even Kant did not expect that as they got closer, traces of white light would appear in front of them. Although it was weak, it still carried a perceptible light!

This made them, who had already adapted to the darkness, immediately sense it.

If there was light, it meant that there was an outside world!

They were finally about to leave this ancient passage and find a new exit.

"Wait!"

However, Kant raised his hand and signaled for everyone to stop moving forward.

The violent tremors of horses'hooves immediately disappeared.

Everyone reined in their horses and stopped moving forward. They stood at the same spot and looked solemnly at the small amount of light in front of them.

It was a five-meter-high and ten-meter-wide exit. It could be considered as one with this ancient passage. However, the so-called light was not real sunlight. Instead, it was tiny glowing moss and mushrooms that were growing in the huge cave at the end of the passage, they were densely packed together, forming a faint light that was similar to the moonlight at night.

And in the faint light, a magnificent fortress was standing there. From nearly a thousand meters away, Kant could clearly see that the fortress was built in the karst cave and the rock wall. There were arrow towers and towers everywhere.

It was a fortress that was not inferior to Drondheim's castle!

"What is this situation?"

Kant narrowed his eyes slightly.

He gradually adapted to the vision of the faint light in the distance, and his face was somewhat solemn. "I thought it was surprising enough that demons appeared. I didn't expect that there is even an underground city now?"

That's right, the fortress in front.

It was built underground, completely relying on the natural space of the karst cave and the mountains..

An underground city!

Chapter 236: The Shadow in the Dust

The underground city was a general term.

It was not an underground city in the literal sense, but in fact, it was more or less the same.

However, Kant looked at the fortress that looked like a castle in front of him and understood that this was the underground city.

There were many arrow towers and the city walls were wide and thick.

This underground city was built in the middle of the karst cave. It was opened up by the mountain. There were holes of all sizes or houses that were specially built in the entire mountain. It was indeed like a city. It could be lived in, but it could also be used to defend against enemies.

A large number of shimmering moss and shimmering mushrooms grew in all directions of the cave.

Even the city walls and arrow towers also had this type of shimmering vegetation.

However, the brightest light did not come from these shimmering moss and shimmering mushrooms. Instead, it came from the top of a tall triangular pyramid-like building inside the dungeon.

"Sun Disc."

Kant could not help but mutter to himself.

A warrior statue carved with stone was holding up a golden disc.

Even from a distance, he could still see the fine lines carved on the disc. It was mysterious and mysterious. As the surrounding shimmering light shone, it also released its own Golden Light.

The surrounding Swadian man-at-arms were also staring blankly at the underground city in front of them.

They held their lance tightly in their hands.

At the end of the ancient passage, there was actually a city built in a huge karst cave. It was an underground city built with the entire mountain and karst cave. It was a military fortress, and their eyes were filled with shock.

This was beyond common sense, and the people from the continent of Caradia could not imagine it.

In fact, even the mage apprentices were extremely surprised.

They had never seen it before.

Although they had heard in books that the kingdoms of the undead, demons, and dark elves outside the Emfath Empire had the habit of building underground tombs with complicated environments or hidden cities, they did not expect that in this miracle land, in an unfamiliar world, humans had actually built such a large-scale underground city.

One had to know that the physical qualities of humans were clearly incomparable to demons and dark elves. Although they were slightly stronger than the undead, they were far inferior when it came to the undead who did not sleep, eat, or drink. They could work all the time.

"It's really a miracle."

Everyone's hearts were filled with shock towards this underground city.

Kant's heart was equally shocked.

When it came to the size of this underground city, it was almost beyond his understanding.

At the foot of the mountain outside the Senwaya Range, at the ruins of the temple inside the mountain, in terms of the size of this underground city, it was equivalent to the difference between the Glorious Palace and the chain hotel.

There was no comparison at all!

This was a karst cave that occupied at least tens of thousands of acres.

And a well-built underground city that even had buildings inside the walls of the karst cave!

How could there be any comparison.

"AO --"

However, just as everyone was immersed in their shock, a long howl suddenly came from the underground city. The sound was mournful and brutal, as if it was a demon from the deepest part of Hell, venting all the evil in the world.

"Awooooo --"

The long howl suddenly appeared one after another.

It was not a simple howl of a wolf, there were also howls formed by various beast howls.

It was the enemy!

The howl of a demonized creature!

Kant's expression was grim. He could also hear the howl this time. It was different from the howls of the demonized creatures from before. It seemed to have become...much more brutal.

"Prepare for battle!"

Kant pulled out the slender knight's sword from the scabbard on his waist.

Behind him, the Swadian man-at-arms also regrouped with their lance in hand.

They did not need Kant's orders.

Having been on the battlefield for a long time, they quickly reacted and slowly moved forward, leaving the area of the ancient passage. They quickly entered the cave outside the passage and faced the howling underground city formation.

The torches had been thrown away, and the shimmering moss and fluorescent mushrooms in the cave shone like the moonlight.

This cave was enough to see.

The heavy cavalry held their shields and spears, forming a dense formation shoulder to shoulder, forming the heavy cavalry's charge formation.

Kant was at the center of the front.

The mage apprentices who were lacking in close combat skills were at the back of the heavy cavalry's formation. They carefully held their magic staffs and lightly kicked the abdomen of the traveling horse beneath them, adjusting their positions so that they would not engage in fierce close combat during the next charge, they would be affected by the enemy's attacks.

However, looking at the dense heavy cavalry formation in front of them, 188 heavy cavalry soldiers lined up in three layers. Even if there were enemies that were close to them, they would still be a puddle of mud under the horses' hooves.

Kant's expression was very calm.

He already understood that the completion of the special quest and the temporary side quest was in this dungeon.

This... seemingly glorious, but in fact, decaying buried city.

That's right, it was decaying.

Or it could be said that this buried city was similar to the ruins from before, similar to the status of the ruins. Even if the buildings were complete, there were still complete city walls, arrow towers, tower gates, and so on.

It still could not conceal the essence of decaying.

If one looked carefully.

One would be able to see the cracks on the city walls and tower, as well as the arrow towers that were somewhat collapsed at the top!

It was obvious that this was a building from the era of the gods. After thousands of years of destruction, it was still intact here. Perhaps it was because of the material of the building itself, or perhaps it was because it was protected by a mysterious force!

Kant raised his head and looked at the stone statue at the top of the underground city.

It was still a stone statue of a warrior.

He raised his hands high and held up the Sun Disk.

Kant even discovered that at the top of the disk, there seemed to be a corresponding hole in the stone wall. A tiny ray of sunlight shone through the hole and imprinted itself on the Golden Disk, emitting a faint golden light, it carried the power of the sun god and the mysterious feeling from the mythological era.

Kant was not surprised by this. Even the buildings on the top of the mountain, which had been built for thousands of years, were maintained well. It was impossible without the protection of the mysterious power.

"Let me see the secret of this underground city."

Taking a deep breath, Kant felt a chill in his organs from his nose to his chest.

The temperature in the cave was still cold.

A golden lion with a red bottom was floating in the air.

The strange item [ intimidation of the enemy ] had been activated, and all the heavy cavalry looked more and more seriously, with the flag in the hands of the cavalry beside Kant, everyone understood that they had to fight with all their might.

Not only that.

Kant's left hand was also placed on the horn.

It was the strange item [ commanding power ] !

Facing this unknown underground city, Kant did not plan to hide his strength like he did in the ancient passageway. He planned to use his full strength and his strongest charge to directly deal with any enemies that dared to appear in front of him, right in front of the underground city, on the spacious and flat stone square!

That's right, the ground of the karst cave outside the ancient passageway was paved with stone slabs all the way to the entire underground city walls and city gates. It was a flat square that spanned over a thousand acres. It was the perfect terrain for the heavy cavalry to charge!

"Hong --"

A loud crashing sound suddenly appeared.

It was dull and long, as if the city walls were being heavily rammed by siege cones.

However, the faces of the heavy cavalry of Swadia changed drastically.

They all spurred their horses forward, their brows filled with disbelief. This was because they had been on the battlefield for a long time, so of course they could hear the level up. There was really the sound of siege weapons like a siege hammer ramming against the city wall.

However, there was only one city wall.

And this city wall was occupied by a strange enemy!

"My Lord."

The captain of the heavy cavalry who held the flag turned his head to Kant and said solemnly, "The defending army inside the city wall did not go up the city wall, nor did they send troops to intercept them. Instead, they attacked the city wall themselves. The situation now is very strange!"

"It is indeed strange," Kant said calmly.

He also noticed this.

The city wall in front of him had already started to crack due to the passage of time.

As the sound of the collision continued, the cracks started to open up.

"Rumble, rumble, rumble..."

Just as Kant's voice fell, the entire wall collapsed with a rumble, even dragging down the arrow tower at the side. Neat rocks collapsed, and a large amount of dust was sent flying by the air blast!

However, the eyes of the heavy cavalry beside Kant narrowed.

Kant also tightened his grip on the Knight's sword in his hand.

In the middle of the dust that slowly formed into a smoke screen, the moss and fluorescent mushrooms on the growing city wall shone on a nearly six-meter-tall body that was indistinctly visible, however, in the eyes of Kant and the others, they could clearly distinguish that it was a humanoid creature!

"Howl --"

A crazy Howl appeared, but it was still the same brutal, crazy, and a little weak.

The dust was torn apart by the black shadows.

Demonized wolves, demonized black bears, and demonized lions appeared in an instant. With low howls, they charged towards the hole in the city wall, their eyes bloodshot as they charged out in a frenzy.

There were so many of them that it could be seen that there were more than 500!

"Charge!"

Kant did not need to say much, as the captain of the cavalry had already given the order.

The armored warhorse of the many cavalrymen stepped forward.

The chain mail made a slight sound, and the sound of clattering could be heard. However, it was immediately covered by the heavy pounding of the horseshoes on the stone slab, forming a flood-like roar, as well as the shouts of the Swadian heavy calvary that erupted from the battle!

"For Swadia!"

"For Lord Kant!"

Fearless shouts appeared in the sound waves.

The red-bottomed Golden Lion instantly fluttered, and the entire flag fluttered as if it was in the midst of a violent wind.

And a long bugle call immediately sounded.

"Awoooo --"

Kant blew his [ commanding power ] , and the eyes of the heavy cavalry who were enveloped by the bugle call were filled with fanaticism. The fanaticism towards war stimulated their fearless hearts, and they clenched the lance in their hands, they shouted even more crazily as they charged towards the demonized creatures that were charging towards them!

Before they intersected with each other, golden light flashed. The wizard apprentices at the back also raised their staffs. The status spell [ sharp golden blade ] from the Ainfas Empire instantly attached to the lance and Longsword!

The heavy cavalry of Swadian heavy calvary and the tide of demonized creatures were like two torrents colliding!

Chapter 237: Trapped Demons of Hell

In the blink of an eye, the front row of the two sides had already come into contact.

The sharp tip of the spear had a faint golden glow. It was still like a hot knife cutting into cold butter. It was effortless. Black blood splattered everywhere, piercing through the chest and skull of the demonized creature.

The heavy cavalry of Swadia held their lance tightly with one hand, clenching their teeth as they endured the force of the charge.

The horseshoes knocked heavily against the stone floor.

The rumbling sound of the group charge slowly decreased as the two clashed.

The charge ended.

Right behind the group of heavy cavalry of Swadia, corpses lay on the stone floor like minced meat. They were demonized creatures that had been trampled by the horseshoes and were badly mutilated.

Facing the charge of the heavy cavalry, these demonized creatures were slaughtered!

"Stop moving forward!"

Kant tightened the reins and controlled the warhorse under him to slow down.

At the same time, he turned the horse around and led the heavy cavalry behind him to draw a beautiful arc. The warhorse trotted and changed the direction of the charge. It continued to aim at the remaining 200 demonized creatures and charged again!

They were well-trained heavy cavalry.

When a wave of charge could not defeat the enemy, they could organize a second charge.

They could launch a charge that would completely destroy the enemy again and again!

For example, the next charge.

The remaining demonized creatures continued to be slaughtered easily. The heavy cavalry of Swadia stepped over the corpses of the demonized creatures. The rumbling sound of horse hooves shook. Even the black negative energy gemstone in the heart was trampled out, along with the fluorescent mushrooms and faint moss that were emitting a little light, the black gemstone still had some strange light on it.

However, Kant didn't care about these negative energy gemstones, or even the demonized creatures he killed in the ancient passage, because these gemstones would be his sooner or later.

Now, he had to face that guy in the city wall.

The smoke-like dust slowly fell.

The originally huge body finally appeared in front of everyone.

The six-meter-tall body displayed the strength contained within its body. Its dark red skin was filled with muscles, and pitch-black scales were embedded in its chest, arms, and thighs. However, on its ferocious head, the two long horns that were coiled up like a goat were even more eye-catching, including the scarlet light in its eyes that carried the deepest madness and cruelty.

This was not a human at all, or rather, it had nothing to do with humans at all. When Kant saw this terrifying monster, his pupils constricted slightly, and he did not even give any orders.

However, the heavy cavalry behind him still lined up neatly according to their usual training.

"Harrumph..."

The warhorse beneath them snorted uneasily, and its hooves were also scratching the ground.

But the riders were feeling uneasy.

In the eyes under the helmet, the confidence that they had gained from easily slaughtering the demonized creatures had dissipated at this moment. They did not even dare to breathe aloud. They quietly got into formation and looked at the monster on the city wall.

A monster that had never appeared in the continent of Caradia!

But the mage apprentices recognized it.

They panted slightly.

The hands of the seven mage apprentices holding the reins and staffs were trembling.

Obviously, they were greatly shocked in their hearts.

"Hell Demon." The leading mage apprentice said softly. Fortunately, his mind was still rational and allowed him to come to Kant's side, he reported in a trembling voice, "My Lord, that is the strongest hell demon among the forces of hell! It is far from... far from something that we can oppose!"

"I know."

Kant nodded. Although his tone was calm, there were still some fluctuations in his tone.

His heart was not as calm as his expressionless face.

This was indeed a Hell Demon.

That huge body, sharp teeth, violent emotions, and chaotic fluctuations all proved this point.

Not to mention that there were even more conspicuous goat horns, bat-like wings on his back, and as that huge mouth breathed, a faint dark red flame spewed out from his nostrils. A faint smell of sulfur filled the air along with the strong smell of blood.

Kant slowly raised his right hand, signaling for the heavy cavalry behind him to be quiet. At the same time, he looked at the gigantic body that had yet to step out from within the city walls and ordered softly, "Prepare to retreat."

"Understood," the heavy cavalry replied. However, their voices were not loud, because they did not have enough confidence.

They, who were good at regular combat, did not have the experience of dealing with such a terrifying demon.

Now, even if they were trapped in the most complicated area of the Rhodoks Mountains, engaging in brutal physical combat with the endless Rhodoks soldiers, they were not willing to continue standing there, just like a fool confronting the Hell Demon.

This made them feel an absurd madness in their hearts.

There were no such creatures as demons on the continent of Caradia, but there were similar legends.

But now, they were really confronting the legends.

In fact, even Kant, who had experienced the bombardment of movies and TV shows in his previous life, and the mage apprentices who had studied hell in detail in the Emfath Empire, were also facing this kind of Hell Demon for the first time.

It should be known that the female succubus Kant met last time was a demon of the same species.

But she was more like a hot beauty with a curious appearance.

Unlike this gigantic Hell Demon, one could even vaguely see that she was standing among the ruins of the city wall, holding a huge broken sword with countless strange runes in her hand. She looked like she could rush up at any time and brutally chop them into pieces, she drank their blood and tasted their terrifying appearance!

However, these heavy cavalry soldiers retreated decisively. The mage apprentices also softly reminded this group of heavy cavalry soldiers to leave quickly. When they thought of the strength of the hell demon in their impression, their hearts trembled even more.

High-level hell demons were completely unafraid of low-level spells.

The technical term was --

Magic Immunity!

Therefore, these Hell Demons were natural enemies of mages. If it weren't for the Emfath Empire and the religious inquisition, where those crazy and devout monks could use the holy light to suppress the demons, this powerful human empire would probably have been destroyed long ago, when the hell demons invaded.

But even now, the mages in the Mage Tower still deeply detested the Hell Demons. Therefore, not only did the mages and archmages use powerful destructive spells, they also learned summoning spells.

The purpose was to solve the innate immunity of these demons to magic.

The activated weapons and natural elements that were summoned could at least resist these cruel hell demons, so that these mages would not appear to be useless when facing the forces of hell.

But just as Kant was about to leave and did not intend to touch the city wall directly...

The Hell Demon at the ruins of the city wall turned its gaze to Kant.

As if it knew that he was the leader, its mouth full of sharp teeth opened and closed. It was somewhat unfamiliar, but the human language was absolutely clear. "Hey, human noble over there, are you planning to leave just like that?"

Kant suddenly turned his head.

And the Hell Demon at the ruins of the city wall seemed to have sensed his horror.

Sulfur with sparks sprayed out of its nostrils.

The brutality in its eyes faded a little, but what appeared was a little cunning.

It slowly opened its mouth, the mouth full of sharp teeth spoke in the human language that anyone could understand. "The glory of the gods has dissipated, and darkness is about to engulf the world. Do you want to submit to me? I will grant you the supreme power of a demon, free from the short lifespan of a hundred years, grasp the magic that can corrode rock layers, and obtain a new life."

The voice reverberated in the large cavern space, rolling like thunder, but it was not ear-piercing. Instead, it carried a scent that could bewitch people's hearts. It seeped into Kant's ears as if it was a lure.

"My Lord."

But the mage apprentices came to Kant's side and warned him in a stern voice, "Demons are cunning. You can't trust them!"

"Yes, I know." Kant nodded.

Even without the mage apprentice's reminder, Kant would not have been fooled.

After all, he had received the education from his previous life. The secret fights with the noble families in this life had also trained his psychological quality and skills. Rather than believing in the so-called wishes of the demons, he would rather believe in the promises of the human noble families.

At least the human noble families could leave his corpse intact.

"Let's go."

Kant turned the horse's head, and without any hesitation, he lightly knocked the horse's belly and prepared to leave.

But a voice came from the ruins of the city wall, it made him pause slightly. "Hey, human, I know that this is no longer the era of the past. The gods are no longer able to make you grovel on the ground and beg for forgiveness and grace. Now, we can work together because I have just been resurrected in this era and need supplies and help. If you are willing to help me, I can pay for it. For example, gold, which you humans have always loved."

"I heard something." Kant pulled the reins slightly. His expression was calm, but he turned his head to look at the gigantic Hell Fiend. He couldn't help but snicker in a low voice, "And gold?"

Even though they were far away, the Hell Fiend heard Kant snickering in a low voice.

"That's right. Gold, yellow and orange cutie. I used to have many gold mines."

The Hell Fiend at the ruins of the city wall also laughed in a low voice. It was rough and terrifying, however, its voice was even more alluring. "Noble of the human race, do you see that round plate on the pyramid? As long as you get someone to pluck it or destroy it, I can give you 100 bags of gold. They are all gold coins of the highest purity."

"My Lord." Seeing that their lord had actually stopped retreating and was even planning to make a deal with the demon, the mage apprentices could not help but urge, "We should go." The voice was somewhat hurried.

"But I think this is an opportunity for cooperation."

Kant turned his horse's head and looked at the infernal demon in the ruins.

After a slight pause, he asked, "It seems that you are unable to personally walk out of this underground city, nor are you able to personally touch the disc on the pyramid?"

"Although this is very awkward, it is indeed so." The infernal demon did not hide it. "Now is the age of Chaos, and my power has already declined. I need to accumulate power in order to recover to my peak. Otherwise, this temple of the sun and this underground city with the sacred sun pattern engraved on it would not be able to trap me."

"I see."Kant nodded. "This means that you can't come out now."

The infernal demon seemed to have sensed that something was wrong.

He narrowed his scarlet eyes slightly, and a violent power instantly swept out, turning into a light wind that carried the smell of sulfur as it blew past Kant's side, the hair at his temples fluttered. "But even if I can't go out now, once I've accumulated enough power, this small underground city won't be able to stop me."

"Oh, that's great."

Kant chuckled, pulled the reins to the side, turned the horse around, and left. "We'll meet again."

Chapter 238: The Plan to the Fight the Demon

Kant left without hesitation.

The heavy cavalry that were covered in black blood immediately followed behind him.

As for the mage apprentices, they did not even dare to look back. They urged their horses and quickly followed Kant's back. It was obvious that they understood how powerful the hell demons were. They were extremely fearful of them.

In the underground city, the huge Hell Demon was still looking at Kant and the others coldly.

A strong smell of sulfur mixed with sparks was emitted from its nose.

Its mood became worse.

"Boom."

The broken rune sword in its right hand, which was three meters wide and four meters long, slashed heavily on the city wall.

The huge force caused the city wall to continue collapsing.

It was extremely angry. No human had dared to tease it like this since the age of the gods. However, in this era, after ten thousand years, the human who had forgotten the fear of the past could actually pretend to ignore it and turn around to leave.

This made the anger in its chest even more stifled. It directly let out a long howl that sounded like a roar. "Roar --"

A strong wind that carried the smell of sulfur surged out from its throat.

The entire karst cave seemed to be shaking like the earth and mountains.

"Human! You, how DARE YOU IGNORE MY EXISTENCE! Ignore the supreme lord of the Hell Demons, the King of Evil, the ruler of the flames, and the authority of Ameng Qieke!"

The eyes of the hell devil were filled with brutality and cruelty, and absolute madness filled his eyes. He let out an even more violent roar. When his body wanted to crash into the ruins of the city wall, he found that on the stone floor outside, near the city wall, circles of golden sacred patterns could always light up, just enough to trap him inside.

This was the divine power that originated from the gods. After ten thousand years, although it had declined several times, it was still effective against the weakened Hell Devil.

However, it was not certain how long it could last.

Kant led the team and quickly left the cave.

It looked light, but in fact, it was as if they had fled in defeat. The formation was a little chaotic. They only relied on strict training and life-and-death battles on the battlefield to barely maintain a relatively complete formation.

The last mage apprentice was completely defeated and fled.

Riding on their own traveling horse, they hugged the horse's neck with both hands and panted heavily. There was still fear and joy in their eyes.

"We actually escaped in the hands of Hell Demons, at least lord-level demons!"

These mage-apprentices secretly rejoiced.

On the other hand, the surrounding Swadian heavy calvary were ashamed and humiliated because they had encountered such a terrifying enemy that they did not have many means to fight back. It was clear that they had fled without fighting, it was not in line with the Kingdom of Swadia's martial spirit, and it made the heavy cavalry feel extremely humiliated.

The mage apprentices felt weird about this. They did not understand the power of the Hell Devils, especially the upper-level devils. They would never understand how terrifying they were.

Those who did not know were fearless.

It was precisely because they did not know that they were fearless.

This sentence could also be summarized as "stupid".

As a transmigrator, Kant's movies and literary works in his previous life had clearly told him that the terror of Hell Demons was definitely not something that these regular heavy cavalry and a small number of low-level mage apprentices could fight against.

At the very least, it could be guessed based on their size.

Kant had once encountered a ferocious demonic lion on the mountaintop where the village "Aaron" was located.

It had a huge body that was close to five meters tall.

Considering the overall length of its tail, it was close to 20 meters.

The huge body brought with it an extremely terrifying fighting strength. Even if it did not have any rationality or intelligence, it still caused a huge loss to Kant and the others.

After careful calculation, it was not a loss, but a tragic loss!

Just this vicious demonic lion alone had caused more than 30 of his sarrandian horseman riders, who had shone brilliantly at the stone pass, to be almost completely wiped out. In the end, only seven of them survived. If it was not for Kant and their good luck, in addition to fighting with all their might, there would not even be a tragic loss. It was a complete defeat.

Now, they had encountered a hell demon that was six meters tall. Its body weight was estimated to be several tons. Just its strength alone was not something that any human could compare to.

Moreover, this hell demon had its own weapon.

The rune broadsword that was carved with strange runes and was flickering with a pale green light was completely cut off from the middle!

With such a huge body, terrifying strength, and strange weapons, it was estimated that even the ferocious demonic lion would not be a match for it. This was because although both sides were similar in size, they were not on the same level.

Just like a well-trained heavy footman and an unintelligent beast.

Both sides were not on the same level at all!

Most importantly, this Hell Demon was intelligent. It even knew how to speak the human language, baiting Kant and making wishes. It was as cunning as those old tricks of the noble families.

If Kant was not extremely vigilant.

Facing the hundreds of bags of gold, as well as his desire for history, he might really have to listen carefully to what this hell demon wanted to say.

But if he stayed for too long and fell into the demon's whisper, the consequences would be unimaginable.

It was obvious.

That Hell Demon wanted Kant to stay and listen to him.

Kant naturally refused.

They quickly rode their horses along the ancient passage and left.

It was still a straight stone road. They picked up the torches that they had thrown away earlier. With a slight shake, the sparks instantly reignited. After igniting the other torches, everyone held up their torches and used the light to quickly run in the direction they came from.

The water of the subterranean river was still flowing.

However, everyone's expressions were unsightly.

Especially Kant.

He spurred his horse and galloped forward at high speed. A deep haze was imprinted into the depths of his eyes.

He had racked his brains and never expected that there would be such a terrifying hell demon at the end of the ancient road. Compared to the female succubi he had encountered previously, the two were completely incomparable. It was truly like the difference between a woman and a heavy-armored elite warrior, if he were to organize all the troops currently in the village "Aaron", it would probably be difficult to deal with them.

Thinking of the terrifying power in the underground city of the karst cave that could even destroy the city walls, his heart was beating faster, and his heart was also palpitating.

The future enemies would probably be these hell demons.

At the moment, he needed to make preparations.

The people who had once built the Golden Sacred City with the bloodline of the Sun God, which was also the era of the gods, undoubtedly used the Sun Temple and the underground city to completely trap this hell demon.

It was like a seal.

But after thousands of years, tens of thousands of years, the current seal was probably ineffective.

Even the hell demon could destroy the city wall. It could be seen that as time passed, the effect of the seal where this underground city was located would also decrease rapidly. Eventually, it would completely break the seal and come out. When that time came, there would be an ancient passage.., this infernal demon could definitely come directly below Aaron's village, or even appear in the nearby senwaya range.

This was the only passageway. At the very least, Kant did not discover whether there was a passageway leading to the outside world in the karst cave where the buried city was located. Even if there was, he did not think that the infernal demon would let him off.

This was the fundamental conflict between races.

Reconciliation was impossible.

Kant could not imagine what it would be like for the demons who were in the evil camp to reconcile with the humans.

"Ha, where are the demons?"

Shaking the reins, Kant spurred his horse even faster.

After a period of running.

Soon, they saw the light in the passage ahead again. It was a few bonfires, and there were shadows of people. It was the soldiers of Rhodoks who had stayed behind. When they heard the hurried sounds of horse hooves, they stood up in a dense formation to ensure their safety, they were careful to guard against any enemies that might appear.

There was nothing wrong with being careful.

When they found out that it was Kant and the heavy cavalry that had returned, they all scattered under Bandake's orders.

However, there were also people who brought out iron pots. The inside was steaming hot, filled with hot porridge and food. It was obvious that during this period of time, they had all prepared to camp for a long period of time. There was naturally no lack of hot food that could alleviate the cold.

Kant got off his horse.

Rhodoks's soldiers came over to lead his horse.

"Lord Kant." Bandake brought over a bowl of hot porridge with honey cubes. "It's very cold here. Have a bowl of sweet and hot porridge to warm your body first."

"Okay." Kant nodded. He took the hot porridge and took a sip. The temperature was just right, so he gulped down a few mouthfuls.

As the warm sweet porridge entered his stomach, his entire body suddenly became hot.

"Bring some to the brothers behind."

Bandake commanded the soldiers and hurriedly took out the hot porridge from the iron pot. He gave a bowl to each of the Swadian heavy calvary and mage-apprentices. The arrangement was very orderly and reasonable.

After he was done, Bandake came to Kant's side.

Seeing his Lord's ugly expression, he could not help but ask solemnly, "Lord Kant, you don't look well. Could it be that you encountered some unusual situation in the deep passage this time?"

"Yes, we discovered the underground city."

Kant nodded and said to ban dake, "There are hell demons inside."

"Ah?" Bandake was stunned.

As a native who came from the continent of Caradia, he did not believe in the legends of demons and gods.

In his opinion, they were just legends.

If there really were such demons and gods, why not destroy the world or end the cruel chaos of the continent of Caradia?

"What I said is true."Kant frowned.

"It's true..." The shock on Bandake's face had not faded. He looked at the stern faces of the Swadian heavy calvary, as well as the mage apprentices who knew spells, he could not help but ask Kant, "There really is a demon. I thought what Manide and the others said was a joke. This really makes me feel... surprised."

"I'm also surprised." Kant snorted. "Let's evacuate this ancient passage."

After a pause, he continued in a deep voice, "Next, we have to think about how to kill that Hell Demon. Now, it seems that the source of the demonized creatures in the ancient passage may be this Hell Demon."

As long as this demon did not die, the demonized creatures would be endless.

Kant could not accept that there was such a hidden danger under his own village.

Chapter 239: Dispute between the Mage Apprentices

The threat of the Hell Demons was especially serious.

In Kant's opinion, the endless stream of demonized creatures that appeared in batches in the ancient passage were the biological weapons created by the terrifying demons that originated from hell.

He had to deal with the hell demons as soon as possible. Otherwise, when it broke out of the underground city's seal, it would bring a huge wave of demonized creatures and rush out of the ruins and passage along the ancient passage. Then, the village "Aaron" at the peak of the mountain would suffer the most direct impact, and the danger factor would multiply!

Bandake could also think of this point.

Although he had never seen a hell demon before, he had heard of it in the legends of the Caradia Empire.

It was said that the collapse of the Caradia Empire was caused by the Hell Demon. The kings and the lords were lured and attacked each other, causing the entire empire to be unable to maintain its unity and be invaded and divided by foreign tribes.

Of course, this was just the nonsense of the theologians. Any empire's collapse had its own reasons.

The internal conflicts of the noble families in the Caradia Empire could not be alleviated, resulting in the final division.

This had nothing to do with the demons of hell.

However, the alarmist theologians could always describe the demons of hell vividly, as if they were adding all the evil in the world to these creatures, adding to the terrifying reputation of the demons of hell, in the literary works of the continent of Caradia, their reputation was in tatters.

"My Lord, my Lord Bandake, everything has been cleaned up. We can leave this place at any time!"

Many soldiers moved quickly.

Everything was quickly cleaned up.

"Very good." Bandake turned his head and said solemnly to Kant, "My Lord, let's leave now. When we return, we will gather our troops. We must definitely kill the demons of hell!"

"Mm." Kant nodded solemnly as well.

Just as they were about to retreat and set off, they saw the seven mage apprentices beside them mumbling something.

They seemed to be discussing fervently.

Kant frowned slightly.

This was not in line with the steady character of the mages. He had never seen these mage apprentices so excited. He could not help but feel his heart tighten. He thought of the Hell Fiend's methods of secretly bewitching people and changing their character. Subconsciously, he put his right hand on the hilt of his sword and berated in a deep voice, "Quiet!"

Kant's berating echoed in the ancient passage, and the surrounding soldiers subconsciously stood solemnly. They stopped what they were doing and looked at Kant and the mage apprentices who were being reprimanded.

Even bandark also frowned and subconsciously put his hand on the hilt of the Germanic sword on his waist, Spatha.

"What's going on?"

Kant reprimanded, "You're still making a ruckus at a time like this. You look a little agitated."

The mage apprentices were silent.

They looked at each other and saw the worry in each other's eyes.

"Answer me." Kant frowned and raised his head. He pointed his chin at the leading Mage Apprentice and asked in a deep voice, "What exactly happened? Now, you will report to me!"

"My Lord... yes... Yes..."

The leading apprentice's eyes were filled with a bit of hesitation.

They also stuttered, struggling to finish their sentences.

Bandake frowned, and his tone carried a bit of anger. He directly reprimanded in Kant's place, "Stop stuttering! Saying what you have to say. Do you need Lord Kant to personally ask you to answer the question?"

He had a calm personality, after all, he was a middle-aged man who had been on the battlefield for a long time.

But it was precisely because of this that he was somewhat displeased with the student-like appearance of these mage apprentices who were more than 20 years younger.

"Speak."

Kant also spoke, but some of them had already tightened their grip on the hilt of their swords.

These seven people had their heads lowered, and they did not answer. They even looked at each other. Something was really wrong.

But he still wanted to confirm it.

His thoughts directly communicated with the system. The interface of the troop class appeared.

Although there was no level up, it meant that the seven wizard apprentices were still under his command. The constant loyalty from the system did not make any mistakes. Judging from their actions, they also did not have any intention of resisting.

Kant's gaze was much gentler. He asked in a deep voice, "What exactly happened?"

"It... it's like this."

The leading mage apprentice also spoke as if he had been appointed.

He organized his words a little, he immediately reported to Kant, "We sensed that the powerful and weak source of negative energy is that Hell Demon. So we guessed that after tens of thousands of years of sealing, even if that Hell Demon is alive now, it's actually a fierce-looking but indecisive person. Its combat strength is not even one-thousandth of its peak!"

"That's right, we think that Hell Demon is just a show. As long as our troops go up and use the positive energy seal formed by the temple of the Sun and the sacred sun pattern, we will be able to kill it!"

The other two mage apprentices also spoke, their tone was very determined.

Obviously, this was the opinion of the three of them.

However, the other four mage apprentices frowned, they immediately tried to dissuade him. "No, we don't agree. The power of the hell demons is obviously beyond our expectations. Even our instructors and mages wouldn't be able to resist these hell demons. Even if they are sealed, they still have their own innate power to use. We mustn't let our guard down!"

"You're arguing over this?" Bandake was stunned. He couldn't help but look at Kant, shook his head, and snorted. "These guys are really a group of pure students."

They said what they had to say.

The military didn't pay attention to debate. They only paid attention to the facts.

Upon hearing their views, Bandake suddenly thought of something. He asked Kant, "My Lord, when you came into contact with the Infernal Demon, did you engage in a battle with it?"

"No." Kant frowned. He seemed to be deep in thought. "Due to that threat, I directly gave the order to retreat."

"Perhaps we should test them a little," Bandake said.

"Indeed." Kant understood at this time.

Thinking that he did not even test them and directly ordered the entire army to retreat, he could not help but frown, he said in a deep voice, "This is my mistake. What these mage apprentices said is indeed reasonable. If I test them, perhaps there would not be such a dispute."

"My Lord, according to our senses, that Hell Demon is very weak."

The leading mage apprentice said, "I think that the Rangers and Patrollers of Ravenston might be able to help us test it out. After all, there is still the temple of the Sun and the sacred sun pattern in the early stages. These positive energy seals make it impossible for that Hell Demon to leave the underground city, so it can only be in a passive defensive status. We can test it out at any time!"

Kant made up his mind. "Okay, that's it!"

He turned his head to look at Rhodoks's infantrymen and the Archers of Ravenston. He waved his hand and said, "Everyone, continue to follow me."After a pause, he said softly, "Perhaps I really have been deceived."

At that time, Kant had met the Saintess of the Sun God's bloodline in the ruins.

He had also met the female succubus who had also been sealed.

However, in the age of gods, the magic, divine spell, and magic that were so powerful that they could ignore the number of ordinary people were all not used. They were so easily destroyed by Kant's team.

Chapter 240: An Army of Abyss Demons

The fully prepared army immediately advanced.

However, this time, they did not retreat. Instead, they continued to follow the ancient passage and marched towards the underground city of the karst cave at a uniform speed.

Although they had stayed in the gloomy and cold ancient passage for close to 12 hours, the soldiers did not complain at all. They maintained their high morale and followed the advancing Swadian heavy calvary.

From the temporary camp they were in to the underground city's karst cave, there was still a 6-hour journey.

This was the time the cavalry needed to ride their horses and run.

If they were to walk, it would take them 18 hours if they multiplied it by three times.

In other words, from the temple ruins at the foot of the mountain to the karst underground city that Kant found, even if there was a neat road that was almost entirely paved with stone slabs that could support the rapid march, it would take them a full 24 hours to walk, it was a whole day's time, and the journey was extremely long!

It was almost comparable to the distance from the oasis lookout to the Stone Pass.

After all, the environment of the Nahrin Desert was cruel.

It was very hot at noon, so they could not go out, and they could not move forward in the cold of the night.

The soft layer of the outer layer of the desert had indirectly slowed down the speed of the march. Therefore, from the oasis lookout to the Stone Pass, even riding a horse would take three days and four nights, and even if they sped up the chase, it would take about three days.

Kant rode his horse in front of them, looking very grim.

The worry about the journey was secondary.

It was mainly the Hell Demons.

They were about to enter the area where the underground city of the Karst Cave was located. He could arrange for his troops to rest temporarily.

However, the next attack on the Hell Demons would require a strict battle plan.

After all, Kant and his troops had never had any real communication with such mythical creatures. They did not even know the hell demons of this world at all.

Only by knowing yourself and your enemy can you win every battle.

Kant and the others did not know the fighting method and style of the Hell Demons.

How could they ensure victory?

The enemies they had met before, the Advanced Jackalan of the Kingdom of Grey Mane, could be used as super heavy human rapid reaction infantry. Although the name was a bit awkward, they could still be treated according to the conventional fighting style, even if it was to arrange tactics, they could think through the enhanced version of humans and make targeted arrangements.

It was even simpler for demonized creatures. Whether it was the inferior version, the ordinary species, or the terrifying savage species, they could be treated as the enhanced version of beasts, and they could still be dealt with using the conventional battle methods.

However, Hell Demons were different.

The six-meter-tall dark-red body seemed to contain the flames of hell. There were also countless scars on its huge and sturdy chest, forming a war badge that represented honor.

As it roared, a strong wind with the smell of sulfur appeared out of nowhere.

A terrifying power spread.

Even though it had been sealed for thousands of years and was extremely weak, it still had this power. It was completely in line with the image of the Devil Kant had obtained from movies and literature in his previous life.

A devil from hell that was so terrifying that it was difficult for ordinary people to describe!

Now that he thought about it.

Kant's heart was still beating rapidly.

His heart was pumping to supply his blood to his entire body, and his hormones were being secreted rapidly.

A normal battle strategy would not be suffice in a fight with a devil from hell.

This was what he thought. He turned his head and looked behind him. Rhodoks's infantrymen and the Ravenston Archers, who had a determined and high morale, actually sighed in their hearts.

He did not know whether it was right or wrong for him to lead his team to the Underground City of the karst cave to attack that Hell Demon.

But since he had already made up his mind.

Then Kant would no longer regret it, because regret was useless!

"We can only go all out!"

Kant muttered softly.

In the dark tunnel, only two torches were lit in front and behind.

The troops were marching, and the soldiers walked out in a neat formation. Clanging sounds echoed in the tunnel.

Under the leadership of Lord Kant, no one was afraid.

Dying on the battlefield was also an honor.

After nearly 30 hours of trekking and a short break in the middle, they finally arrived at the location of the karst cave after defeating several groups of Dauntless magic creatures.

The faint moss and fluorescent mushrooms brought a veil-like light.

The buried city was faintly visible.

The troops stopped moving forward and camped in the ancient passage. As the bonfire was lit and the food and water were heated, they needed to take a short rest to replenish their strength so that they would not be too tired from the long journey and would not be able to continue fighting, this would lead to the collapse of the battle situation.

This was a fact. Any troops that had traveled a long distance would hide themselves for a short rest before launching a surprise attack or a charge. After relieving the tiredness of the long journey, they would have sufficient strength to deal with the following battle.

History had also left behind many similar results.

However, it was not a victory.

The troops that had traveled a long distance had completely exhausted their strength because they were directly thrown into battle. This led to the collapse of the front lines, the collapse of the troops, and the loss of the crucial battle.

Examples were everywhere.

Kant would not make such a low-level mistake.

At the same time, Bandake, who was an experienced captain, would not make such a mistake.

The warm porridge was drunk into the soldiers' stomachs.

In addition, the soft and crisp toast and the savory and delicious air-dried meat were good helpers to replenish their strength.

Of course, there were also date palm candies.

After eating and drinking their fill, many soldiers stood up and did some exercise. Their originally cold bodies gradually warmed up. After half an hour of digestion and rest, they were all ready and quietly waited for Kant's order.

Bandake held the siege crossbow and looked at Kant with a similarly solemn expression.

"Let's go."

Kant spoke in a low voice and urged his horse to lead the way forward.

The troops behind immediately followed. The sound of footsteps and the sound of hooves hitting the ground continued to appear. With the increasingly bright glimmer, they officially entered the karst cave and came to a flat square paved with stone slabs. A kilometer ahead was the towering underground city, and the city wall that had been destroyed by the hell demons.

The subterranean river by the side was in the shape of a circular arc. Based on the initial flow direction to the west, it then flowed to the southwest. It just happened to bypass the square by the side and go deep into the mountain rocks of the karst cave.

At that time, Kant had not looked carefully.

Only now did he realize that there was still an ancient passage beside the subterranean river.

It was as if this karst cave and the underground city were only the nodes between the subterranean river and the passage. In the deepest south of the mountain range, there were even deeper regions, or even more underground cities.

However, Kant frowned slightly.

To the south of the Senwaya range was the Dukedom of Leo.

According to the village "Aaron" on the west side of the Stone Pass, going straight west for a day and a night, it just happened to be within the range of the eastern prefectural territory. If they really continued to move south, for example, now, according to the infantry marching on the flat passage for a day and a night, they would probably be able to reach the territory of the eastern county. They might even be able to cross the Senwaya Range and reach the eastern county directly. It might even be possible.

Now was not the time to think about this. Kant waved his hand, and all the troops immediately formed up and pushed forward through the gap in the city wall. They only stopped when they were close to 800 meters away.

Because of the gap, the six-meter-tall hell demon reappeared.

"Human."

It slowly opened its mouth, and from its nose-like nostrils, it spewed out sparks of anger. A violent and crazy power spread throughout the entire karst cave, as well as its suppressed anger. "You led your troops here, it really makes me curious. Do you want to..." It said, its eyes opened in anger, filled with brutality. "Take revenge on me?"

"Huff, huff, huff --" A violent wind instantly appeared, and a thick smell of sulfur spread throughout the entire karst cave. The numerous infantry and cavalry soldiers who were still in formation immediately became restless, and some even took half a step or two back.

However, it was this retreating step that completely messed up the formation of the entire formation, making it look chaotic.

"Damn it!"

Kant gritted his teeth. He was also slightly frightened when facing the strong wind that was filled with the smell of sulfur.

It was a fear that suddenly appeared from the bottom of his heart!

Even the Swadian heavy calvary, as well as Kant's Warhorse that was still standing, actually let out a slight neigh after experiencing the strong wind that was filled with fear. Their limbs swayed, and they almost wanted to collapse to the ground, it was as if they had been frightened by a terrifying beast!

Just a roar that was close to scolding actually stirred up a gust of wind, scaring many of the soldiers. Even the warhorse became weak and could not stand steadily on its four hooves, swaying as it let out a mournful cry.

However, in an instant.

As if feeling that the morale of the troops was instantly reduced, the red-bottomed golden lion directly fluttered in the wind.

[ intimidation ] was immediately activated.

The flag fluttered even though there was no wind.

The Golden Lion on the flag started to flutter as if it was communicating with the color of the flag of the red-bottomed Golden Lion on the linen robes of the soldiers and the paint of the red-bottomed golden lion on the shield, the golden color became brighter and brighter.

"Hu Hu hu --"

The red-bottomed Golden Lion was fluttering!

The soldiers, who had retreated out of fear, regained their senses. The armored warhorse, which had been frightened to the point that its legs had gone limp, also became excited. All of them stood up and returned to their original appearance.

"Oh, it actually recovered so quickly under my pressure."

The Hell Fiend laughed sinisterly in a low voice.

However, the brutality and madness in its eyes contained a hint of fear. "But what can you do even if you recover? For thousands of years, the power I released has already eroded a large number of seals. The entire underground city has long become my demon incubator. Now, I'll let you humans experience the demon army that once fought against the gods!"

"Roar --"

A roar sounded out as dark red figures appeared behind the 10-meter tall city wall. They walked out of the ruins of the city wall and lined up in the square outside.

"An army of Hell Demons?"

Kant's eyes were filled with shock, but he was stunned when he saw the troop class.

He felt that the troop class looked familiar and quickly brought them into a game in his previous life. He could not help but whisper, "Devil Child, Long Horned Demon, that huge Hell Demon, could it be... an Abyss Demon? !"

Chapter 241: Numbers at a Disadvantage

That's right, Kant had some impression.

Look at those demon troops behind the city walls, strangling the game Kant was once familiar with.

"Invincible hero"

The dark red demon was nearly half a meter tall and looked like a sturdy dwarf. It was flapping the small wings on its back and was rapidly jumping forward. It was holding a black cast iron short fork, and its eyes were full of cunning and cruelty.

In Kant's eyes, it was really like the most basic troop class of Hell in the game, the demon infant!

There was a slight commotion among the troops that were recruited by the system.

This was not an ordinary enemy.

They had never encountered such a demon troop before, let alone start a war.

Although the 188 Swadian heavy calvary had a similar experience.

It was a war against the expedition army of the Kingdom of Gray Mane. However, the Jackalan were different from the demons. For example, the demons that were currently appearing on the ruins of the city walls, their strange appearances, and the evil aura that they were emitting, they looked like they were having a heart attack!

Although they did not fear death, many of the soldiers were still nervous.

This was the fear towards the legendary creatures.

The mage apprentices were students to begin with. They were still in the internship period and could not be considered real mages.

Hence, their morale and psychological quality were low.

Standing behind Kant, the seven mage apprentices reminded him in a panic, "That's... that's the imp. It's the most typical troop class of cannon fodder in the forces of Hell. Although it looks weak, its strength, speed, and agility are far stronger than the average human peasant. Even the militia would not be able to fight against these imps."

"Yes, I understand." Kant nodded calmly.

One could tell just by looking at the Imps' bodies.

Although they were short, they were as strong as tree stumps. Their thighs and arms, as well as the skin under their chests, were filled with muscles.

The two wings on their backs were not decorative.

When the wings flapped vigorously, they could even bring in a gust of wind. As the infantile imps hopped on their hind legs like antelopes, they provided additional support. They could even provide a short gliding ability, allowing them to fly seven meters away.

It was indeed as the mage apprentices had said, their agility and speed were very strong.

But what made Kant even more worried was behind them.

The long-horned demon.

Although its body was bent, it was nearly three meters tall, and the muscles all over its body were protruding clearly.

Its thick arms hung on the ground, and a number of sharp spikes grew on its broad back, from its neck to its spine. Its front hands were like beast claws, much thicker than its hind legs, and also had a dark metallic luster. As it roared, it spewed out a little black smoke, looking ferocious and terrifying, his eyes were as violent and crazy as a demon's.

It was obvious that the long-horned demons, who did not have any weapons, relied on brute force and brutal emotions to fight.

"This is not an optimistic battle."

Kant spoke slowly.

Although these demons from hell were in a messy formation, or rather, there was no so-called formation at all, they were still the number one enemy by relying on their brutal and crazy fearlessness.

It was comparable to the Jackalan Expeditionary Army that Drondheim had encountered when he was still a fortress.

The only exception.

Perhaps it was because the number of demons from hell was relatively small.

"Yes, it's not optimistic."

Bandake nodded and said calmly, "We will do our best."

"Very good." Kant chuckled.

That was enough.

He turned his head to look behind him with a grim expression. There was a determination to sacrifice in his gloomy eyes. He took a deep breath, he said in a deep voice, "In this battle, we can only choose to win because behind us is Aaron and Drondheim. There is no way out. It is impossible for us to choose to compromise."

With his legs tightly clamped on his warhorse, Kant pointed the knight's sword in his right hand to the front while his left hand held the horn tightly. He shouted in a deep voice, "There is no excuse to escape. We are all for victory!"

"For victory!"

The many soldiers behind him let out a furious roar as if they were venting their anger.

And then, the battle began.

The golden lion on the red bottom began to flutter in the air. The flag fluttered even though there was no wind, as if it was being blown by a strong wind!

The troops that were already in formation began to push forward.

The archers were in the front while the infantrymen were at the back. The cavalry occupied the two wings. It was a conventional battle formation.

It was close to a range of 200 meters.

At the very front, the Archers of Ravenston were the first to draw their bows and shoot arrows. There were a total of 87 Rangers and Patrollers. Among them, there were 47 Rangers of Raveston who were archery masters and had excellent archery skills!

"Whoosh Whoosh Whoosh --"

In an instant, a rain of arrows formed by conical arrows rained down continuously.

They were the first to attack!

Kant and the others would not pay attention to their manners with the Hell Demons.

What they wanted was for them to use the rain of arrows to continuously attack the enemies before they formed a formation when they left the city wall. This would weaken the enemy's morale at the same time!

According to Kant's understanding, although the demons were violent and crazy, they also had brains to think.

This meant that they also had morale!

The mage apprentices from the Emfath Empire had already reported this point.

The rain of arrows that fell on them instantly caused many of the little demons that were jumping at the front to collapse. They let out strange cries and occasionally, there would be arrows that hit the salt mines directly. The Arrows went straight into their brains, making these little demons seem vicious and cunning as well, the Imps who were like brutal terrorists were instantly fatal.

It seemed that even the imps were like flesh and blood, with fatal points!

This was good news.

Kant raised his eyebrows slightly and smiled, but his face was still calm. He pointed the Knight's sword in his right hand forward and ordered in a deep voice, "Bandake, lead the crossbowmen and shoot freely!"

"Understood!"

Bandake answered in a low voice.

Raising the siege crossbow in his hand, the 20 Rhodoks sniper crossbowmen beside him also raised their own siege crossbows.

The steel bolts that were meticulously forged by Luo duoke were all made of steel. They were already stuck in the firing slot of the siege crossbow. As they aimed at the wall where the imp and the long-horned demon came out, they pulled the trigger heavily.

"Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang --"

The fine and powerful bowstring vibrated violently.

Between the slightly parabolic trajectory of the cone arrow, the straight silver light instantly tore through the void and appeared in front of the IMP who was still jumping!

It was a steel bolt shot by the siege crossbow.

After being shot by the siege crossbow, this kind of steel bolt was extremely powerful and had an extremely strong aftershock.

Even the head of the Imp in the front row could not withstand the steel crossbow that came in an instant. It was pierced through and crushed the brain matter in the head. From the inside out, the back of the head was sent flying, bringing along the white brain matter and bright red blood, it splashed all over the bodies of the surrounding demons.

The power of the steel crossbow actually killed the imp instantly!

"Continue shooting!"

Kant, however, still gave the order in a deep voice.

Now was not the time to be excited. Although they knew that the demon army still had flesh and blood, and were creatures that could be killed by ordinary means, their numbers were simply too many!

So many that Kant could not even imagine!

At the ruins of the city wall, the enormous abyss demon had already left, seemingly uninterested in the following battle.

However, a large number of demon troops appeared in the square.

They were howling and roaring in a simple and strange demon language. They began to push forward in Kant's direction. Less than 200 meters away, the dark mass of red and black demons was almost like a tide. There were also many demonized creatures mixed within, the wanton roars were obviously driven by these demons.

According to Kant's estimation, the number of imps was close to 500, the number of long-horned demons was close to 200, and the number of demonic creatures mixed with them was also close to 500.

Overall, Kant's army was at a disadvantage in terms of numbers!

Even if the rain of arrows poured down, the bolts were extremely fast, and a large number of imps and demonic creatures fell.

However, the entire demon army that was pressing down on them had yet to suffer a severe blow.

After all, there were more than a thousand of them. The ones at the front were the low-level imps and the beast-like demonized creatures. Clearly, the long-horned demons that were the main force of the war had yet to be injured.

Even if they were hit by the AWL arrows, if they were not vital parts, they would casually wave their hands and pull them out. The muscles on the bodies of these long-horned demons were the best armor. They did not care at all!

The distance of 200 meters was not far to begin with.

Under the rain of arrows and bolts, more and more imps and demonized creatures were approaching the 50-meter area.

The long-horned demons, who were good at close combat, shrank back.

The battle mentality of this group of demons was very clear.

It was to follow the imps and demonized creatures as cannon fodder and let the long-horned demons get close to the enemy's front line. Then, they would use their burly and strong bodies to wreak havoc among the enemy, completely destroying the enemy's line of defense, crushing the enemy's will to resist, and gaining the initiative on the battlefield, thus, they would win!

To the demons, the imps with low combat power were cannon fodder.

As for the demonized creatures that were nurtured with demon blood and wild beasts, they were not even cannon fodder.

If it was not for the fact that the Lord of the Great Abyss had just broken the seal and awakened, and all the power that had dissipated was in this underground city and could not be recovered, they could only use this power to transform wild beasts into the lowest-level demon servants and beasts to make up for the current lack of military strength!

If it was thousands of years ago, when Hell was at war with the gods, even the long-horned demons were cannon fodder, and the Lord of the Abyss was an existence that could be sacrificed. The battle situation was so tragic that it was close to genocide.

Now, it was just a small fight.

As the supreme lord of the demons of hell, the King of Evil, and the ruler of the flames,.

Ameng Qieke disdained to watch such a battle.

Humans, in his eyes, were once the servant race of the gods. No, it should be said that they were a slave race, born weak humans. On the battlefield, facing the Devils, the troops almost collapsed at the touch. Only the troops formed by the blood descendants of the Gods could resist the attacks of the Devils.

Correspondingly, if an army formed by humans launched an attack, the demons would not even care about it. They would just casually send out the lowest-level demon army to deal with it.

From ancient times until now, it was the upper-level demons and blood descendants of the gods that were the true main force of the battlefield!

Chapter 242: The Charge That Would Determine the Battle Outcome

The Imps, who were in greater numbers, flapped their wings and leaped up.

Their dwarf-like bodies were like agile springboks. They began to glide with the help of the wings on their backs. Their hands gripped tightly onto the short iron pitchforks. When they were about to come into contact with Kant's troops, they actually burst out with extremely fast speed.

They ran at high speed. When they were about to approach the enemy's formation, they would jump and glide, using inertia to charge at the enemy's troops.

This was the tactic that the imps were used to!

If the ordinary human troops, such as the enlisted peasant and armed militia, did not have enough training and had low morale, it was estimated that the imps would not be able to hold on for long as they glided and charged like flying. Their morale would plummet due to the continuous casualties on their side, in the end, they would flee until the entire line line line collapsed under the impact.

Such a tactic was similar to cavalry charging, but it was also similar to the long lance soldiers standing side by side. The aim was to eliminate the enemy line and cause chaos to the entire army.

One had to know that the long horned demons at the rear were the main force of the battle. The strength of their two arms was enough to tear apart the human body!

They were caught in close combat and chaotic battle.

The human troops were never the ones who had the advantage.

It was the demons who had extremely strong physical attributes, high combat strength, cruel and violent personalities, and were almost crazy!

Although the long-horned demons were inferior demons, their physical attributes were very high.

It was enough to be compared to the Jackalan.

It was not the low-level Jackalan who lacked food and clothing and drank raw meat and blood, but the high-level Jackalan who lived on the Mannheim coast and had sufficient food and nutrition. They had undergone strict military training!

In terms of physique and figure, the long-horned demon was not at a disadvantage!

"Prepare for battle!"

Bandake pulled out the Teutonic sword behind his back, his expression grim.

As the imp and the demonized creature rapidly approached, Rhodoks's sniper crossbowmen, the Ravenston Rangers, and the Ravenston Patrollers all began to retreat to the sides.

At the same time, 40 Rhodoks sergeants had brought 200 Rhodoks proficient spear-wielders in front of them.

240 people formed a phalanx of spears.

Rhodoks's proficient spear-wielding soldiers bowed slightly. In front of the three rows were dense and sharpened spearheads. The three-meter-long spear was raised diagonally, just in time to aim at the approaching imp who was flapping its wings and gliding towards them at high speed.

"For Lord Kant!"

The uniform movements of the spears instantly thrust out.

Countless sharp spears stabbed out at an extremely fast speed in a small area.

"Ga ga ga..."

The Imp at the front let out a sorrowful cry. The cunning and cruelty in its eyes turned into fear and uneasiness along with the rapidly approaching spear. It flapped its wings and wanted to fly to the side, but the three rows of spears in front of it were like chopping boards, giving them nowhere to run!

Even the demonized creatures that were running parallel to each other and roaring as they pounced over, similarly received the three rows of spear heads that were raised horizontally and diagonally. In a very small area, there was nowhere to run and they could only receive the stab of the spear.

"Puff Puff Puff Puff Puff Puff --"

The tip of the spear pierced deeply into the Imps' body.

The thick and long spear did not allow the gliding imps to appear in front of them at all. Relying on the inertia of the gliding imps, as well as the force of the sudden thrust, they were instantly pierced into meat skewers.

"Ga ga ga..."

Unpleasant howls continued to be heard.

The vitality of these imps was tenacious. Many of them struggled and flapped their wings even though their chests and abdomens were pierced, twisting their bodies back and forth on the raised spear, hoping to pull themselves off the spear.

However, the final result was that a large amount of dark red blood splattered all over the stone floor beneath their feet, dyeing it with fluorescent moss that could be seen everywhere. It was blood-red and very terrifying!

"Prepare close-range weapons!"

Bandake's orders continued to appear. His voice was clear and calm.

"Understood!" Rhodoks's infantrymen, who had yet to suffer any casualties, responded. They immediately gave up on the spear that had already pierced through countless imps and demonized creatures. With a flip of their hands, they placed the wide shield and wide shield on their backs on their left arms. At the same time, their right hands had already pulled out their spiked warhammers and held them tightly. They coldly looked at the long-horned demons that were crowding over and shouted, "Kill!"

They did not raise their weapons high and take a step forward. Instead, their left arm moved forward, allowing the wide shield and wide shield that were made of wood and leather nails to stand in front of them like a small door.

They placed their shoulders behind the door and arranged themselves into the shape of a city wall. They gritted their teeth and let out angry roars. As the long-horned demons crashed heavily into them, they used all their strength to push forward.

"Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang --"

Muffled sounds reverberated, and the long-horned demons rammed fiercely.

Rhodoks soldiers were in the middle, and on both sides were Rhodoks's skilled spear-wielders. They could use broad shields and broad shields to form a seemingly indestructible shield wall, but under the frenzied ramming of the long-horned demons.., it was still as if he had been charged by the Swadian heavy calvary, and they were forced to retreat in an instant.

The entire defensive shield wall was in disarray, and at the front row, Rhodoks's most refined broad shield even had a few cracks and dents. His left arm was trembling, and he was temporarily powerless.

The long-horned demon's charge was simply too strong!

Rhodoks soldiers and the proficient spear-wielder had looks of shock on their faces. Only by coming into contact with it did they truly understand the power of the demon.

Ordinary humans were truly unable to resist it.

Just by looking at the current close combat situation, their hearts had fallen into an abyss!

The long-horned demon's close combat was simply too strong. Its metallic lustrous arms waved like two of the heaviest heavy hammers, whizzing down. If they were unable to dodge in time or did not use their shields to block it, even the Rhodoks's face was flushed red as he was sent flying to the side, spitting out large mouthfuls of blood.

It was even mixed with fresh blood, and it looked like he was going to die!

Blunt force was not something that could only stun people in the game. In reality, it was a powerful attack that was comparable to stabbing and slashing. Once a heavy weapon was used to blunt force, the powerful force would be transmitted to the weak body, and it was enough to shatter the internal organs.

The two sets of heavy mail armor on the soldier, plus the light leather armor and linen coat, were still unable to block the long horned demon's blunt force!

Not to mention those skilled spear-wielding soldiers who only wore mail armor and leather coats.

The long-horned demons were cheering.

In just a short moment, nearly 30 human infantrymen were smashed to the ground, and even more infantrymen were injured in varying degrees.

The imps and demonized creatures had already charged in.

Relying on the might of the long-horned demons, Kant's entire infantrymen formation was in a mess.Rhodoks's infantrymen, who were already at a disadvantage in numbers, even began to become unstable with the attacks of the demon troops.

The battle situation was extremely dangerous.

"Wooo --"

The dull sound of a horn suddenly sounded behind them.

With some length, the sound of the horn entered the ears of the many Rhodoks infantry soldiers.

Kant blew the [ commanding power ] !

Mysterious system rules instantly spread out, directly appearing in the bodies of the many infantry soldiers, stabilizing their morale and at the same time rousing their emotions.

Their Hearts were beating rapidly, and Rhodoks's infantrymen, who had been knocked into a mess, and who had been forced to raise their shields in vain, and who had been forced to retreat by the long-horned demons with their claws, actually steadied their steps, bending forward to hold on, with their high morale, they maintained the crumbling line!

"For victory, for Lord Kant, Let's fight with blood!"

Bandake took the opportunity to shout.

"Let's fight with blood!"

Rhodoks's infantrymen responded at the same time. They roared and withstood the onslaught. Like giant hammers, they pulled out their own Warhammer at the same time and fiercely hammered at their waists.

Warhammer was the evolution of the pickaxe. It was the most popular close-range weapon used by the Kingdom of Rhodoks and the Kingdom of Swadia.

It was small and easy to carry.

It moved quickly, and the tip of the crane's beak had the ability to pierce through armor.

Now, as the Rhodoks infantrymen continued to wave at the chest and abdomen of the long-horned demon with the dark red tough skin, the sharp crane's beak immediately pierced through the tough skin and tore with all its might, the sharpened and sharp blade directly cut through the skin from the inside out. It pulled down fiercely, directly cutting out terrifying wounds.

Dark red blood immediately spilled out, mixed with intestines and other internal organs that flowed out. They were immediately crushed by other demons or Rhodoks's infantrymen. The stench of blood filled the ground, reflecting the increasingly tragic scene of the battlefield.

"Sharp Golden Blade!"

The mage apprentices raised their magic staffs from behind. After a few incantations, they quickly cast spells that they knew.

Status spells were especially important for the infantrymen who were engaged in melee combat.

A faint golden light appeared on the spiked Warhammer and pickaxe, allowing Rhodoks's infantrymen to wield their weapons and Pierce through the tough skin of the long-horned demons more easily.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh --"

The continuous rain of arrows continued to appear.

Luo duoke's sniper crossbowmen who had already spread out to the two wings, as well as the Rangers and rangers from Riverston, began to cover the battlefield with continuous rain of arrows. They aimed at the demon troops that were still charging at Luo duoke's infantrymen and were entangled in the melee combat, the unbridled pouring of arrows and the use of super long-range attacks forcefully interrupted the long-horned demons that were still trying to continue charging.

The siege crossbows, coupled with steel crossbows, could easily pierce through the long-horned demons'skulls. After all, the distance between the two sides was less than 50 meters, and it was even easier to pierce through their skin.

The heavy bows of the Rangers and Patrollers of Raventon were the same.

When paired with Awl Arrows, they were like semi-automatic rifles. With a slight aim, one arrow after another was shot out.

The damage to the long-horned demons and imps was even more than the damage caused by the Rhodoks infantrymen. In particular, the left and right sides formed a crossfire. One could clearly see that the demons that were being entangled by the Rhodoks infantrymen were shot from the sides and behind, the neck and the back of the head were the main targets of the archery masters!

After the sound of the [ commanding power ] , which stabilized the soldiers' formation, the demons' offensive suddenly weakened. After being caught in close combat between the infantry formations, the demons' wild and violent fighting talent could no longer be used.

Although Kant's troops were still at a disadvantage, and there were still Rhodoks's infantrymen falling everywhere.

But now, it seemed to be enough.

Rhodoks's square formation, which was used as a chopping board, firmly trapped the demon army. Next, it meant that the Swadian heavy calvary, who had the sharpest kitchen knives, were about to launch the final attack that could affect the battle situation.

Among Kant's battle sequences, the strongest were, of course, his heavy cavalry troops!

Chapter 243: The End of the Eradication

"Woo --"

The horn sounded again. Kant used all his strength to blow the long horn.

The morale on the battlefield was high.

Even if the losses of Rhodoks's infantrymen were increasing, with the help of the horn and flag, they were still gritting their teeth and resisting with high spirits. Even if the casualties were increasing and groups of Rhodoks's skilled spear-wielders began to fall, the demons were still being dragged along, the Archers on both sides of the attack were having a hard time.

This was an opportunity that Rhodoks's infantrymen had used their lives to create for the heavy cavalry!

Kant would not allow this opportunity to fly away.

As the horn sounded.

The heavy cavalry of Swadia behind them, who could no longer hold themselves back, immediately tapped their horses' bellies with their legs and urged their horses to slowly run forward and speed up. They bypassed the curved path and directly arrived at the rear of the demon army.

However, a battle of 2,000 people was not as meticulous as a battle of tens of thousands of soldiers.

All kinds of front, rear, left and right wings were equipped with armies.

Moreover, these demons, who were known for their brutality and madness, did not have any so-called tactics or strategies.

Before the start of the battle, they would let the imps and demonized creatures charge forward as cannon fodder, and then the long-horned demons, who were the main force, would enter the battlefield. As for those who stayed behind to guard, other than the superior demons, whose intelligence was not weaker than that of humans, and who were even slightly superior, they could think of these inferior demons did not understand at all, much less know, and felt that it was unnecessary!

From the memories in their bloodlines, inferior humans were simply no match for the demons. This concept was very deep, and as it echoed in the minds of these demons, they could not help but feel a sense of contempt and arrogance.

The current battlefield also proved this point.

Even if the demon army also suffered a large number of losses.

However, the losses were all imps and demonized creatures. The true main force, the long-horned demons, had only lost less than 20 of them.

At this time, almost half of the human army had died. Close to 100 people had fallen to the ground. The originally thin spear formation was now completely distorted, and they were only relying on their hot blood to resist.

It was estimated that it would not be long before the formation was completely destroyed, and they would all be annihilated here!

"Rumble, Rumble, Rumble, Rumble..."

However, the heavy and rapid sound of horse hooves could be heard.

The entire karst cave was faintly reverberating with the sound of a flood. Even the sound of the subterranean river was covered, and the howls and howls of the demons were also covered.

The 188 Swadian heavy calvary appeared behind the demons like a flood.

They were fully armored, including their horses and men.

The thick and long lance was put down, parallel to the head of the Warhorse.

The awe-inspiring tip of the lance was aimed at the demons who had yet to react. Their faces were still filled with a ferocious smile due to the advantage of the battle. They charged forward fiercely!

The flood was unstoppable.

The charge of the heavy cavalry was equally unstoppable!

Even the Jackalan warriors who had once donned mail armor and wielded two-handed battle axes were completely annihilated outside the walls of Drondheim. Those who were charged by the heavy cavalry had lost the morale to continue fighting, the complete destruction of their physical and mental strength was enough to prove the terror of the charge of the heavy cavalry.

Now, the inferior demons created by the Abyss Demons had also witnessed the terrifying might of the heavy cavalry. All of them widened their eyes in disbelief and fear as they looked at the heavy cavalry that was getting closer and closer behind them.

"Woo --"

The sound of the horn appeared once again.

The long sound of the horn carried the momentum of charging forward bravely, inspiring the soldiers who heard the sound of the horn. In the depths of their souls, they extracted the desire for life, the desire for victory, and the desire for glory, turning into an incomparable morale!

"For Lord Kant!"

Bandake held the Teutonic sword in his hand, his entire body stained with dark red blood spatha.

The surrounding Rhodoks infantrymen charged forward bravely, recklessly using the wide shield and wide shield on their left arm to press down on the figures of the demons who wanted to scatter, using their own lives to firmly lock them in this space, they were just right for the Swadian heavy calvary, and were on a straight line of charge!

"For Lord Kant!"

The Swadian heavy calvary roared in rage as well.

The well-equipped warhorse galloped at high speed, increasing its own speed.

The horse armor and the heavy armor of the riders and riders transformed into inertia that could destroy everything in front of their speed, and it was augmented with the lance in their hands.

They charged into the demons!

"Puff Puff Puff Puff Puff Puff Puff Puff --"

The lance pierced into the flesh.

With the support of the Warhorse's charge, even the skin and muscles of the demons could not withstand it.

Moreover, on the tip of the Lance, a faint golden light flickered,
the mage apprentices at the back had already grasped the distance and timing, and directly released the "Sharp Golden Blade"that could increase the sharpness of their weapons. It had even increased the destructive power of the Lance's Charge!

The 188 Swadian heavy calvary were directly divided into two rows, whistling as they charged in.

The lance easily pierced through the body of the demon.

Whether it was the long-horned demon, the imp, or the demonized creature, as long as they dared to be in the charge path of the heavy cavalry, they would be directly pierced through by the lance, like skewers of meat, one after another, compared to the square formation of the lance from before, it had a defensive type of passive stabbing attack, and the number of demons that were pierced through was even more!

The instant charge had pierced through an extremely large number of demons, and even through charging and crashing, the armored warhorse relied on the inertia of its charge to not stop, and similarly trampled many imps and demonized creatures to death.

Piles and piles of demons were washed away.

However, the long-horned demons were still ferocious. Even if they suffered huge losses in an instant, they still retaliated violently.

The heavy cavalry in the front row who had drawn their swords were all pulled off their horses by the three-meter-tall long-horned demons with their huge claws. Their arms and legs were torn off, and their mouths were full of sharp teeth that were aimed at their heads. Even their necks were torn off.

Although the effect of the charge was very strong, the heavy cavalry still did not have the advantage in close combat.

"Follow me!"

Kant used his knight's sword to cut off two of the long-horned demons'fingers.

Seeing that there were actually heavy cavalry around them that had been pulled off their horses and tragically turned into corpses under the long-horned demons'rampage, Kant could not help but grit his teeth and roar, "Regroup and continue to organize the charge!"

"Understood!" The heavy cavalry fought back with all their might. The kite-shaped shields in their hands blocked the charge, and their hands and swords slashed out, creating a bloody path.

However, although those long-horned demons and imps were brutal, they were not stupid and bloodthirsty fools.

They could already see the power of the Kant heavy cavalry's charge.

In this wave of charge, close to 80 long-horned demons were killed, and more than 200 imps were destroyed. As for those demonized creatures, they had long been consumed in the battle against the infantrymen. There were only a dozen of them left, and they were completely useless.

If the heavy cavalry were to charge once more...

They would be finished!

The crazed eyes of the remaining long-horned demons also revealed their cunning and rationality. They came from the Abyss Hell, and they were all flesh and blood. They were not completely elemental like elemental creatures, and they had brains.

Therefore, they risked their lives to entangle the retreating bodies of the heavy cavalry.

As long as they fought in close combat, even these heavy cavalry would not be a match for the agile and terrifyingly strong long horned demons.

Not to mention those imps that held short iron pitchforks.

Flapping their wings, the pitchforks stabbed heavily into the bodies of the heavy cavalry or warhorse. Although due to their lack of strength, the weapons in their hands were also inferior cast iron and were unable to cause fatal injuries, the repeated strikes and stabs, they were always able to cause a small number of casualties, causing the heavy cavalry to be extremely annoyed and leave even more slowly.

"Bandake, stop these demons!"

Kant was similarly entangled. He repeatedly slashed out with his knight's sword, forcing back a few restless imps. He could not help but shout angrily, "All cavalry, retreat immediately. This is a mandatory order!"

If this continued, even more heavy cavalry would be killed by those long horned demons.

It was better to be quick than to be in pain.

Quickly retreating and reorganizing the charge to completely destroy these demon troops was the result Kant wanted. Even if they lost part of the heavy cavalry, they had to complete it.

His orders received a perfect response.

Bandake gritted his teeth. Using the Teutonic Sword and round shield, he led Rhodoks's infantrymen to tangle with the demons.

In addition to the crossbowmen and archers on both sides shooting accurately from time to time, the heavy cavalry finally left. They stood still on the square 50 meters away and quickly formed a charging formation.

However, at this time, there were only 126 heavy cavalry left.

A round of charging.

In a short moment.

Those long horned demons turned 62 valiant swadian heavy calvary into corpses.

These were all level-4 cavalry, the heavy cavalry with the best defense!

If the Sarrandian Horseman, Veruga Horseman, and Kujit Horseman were to come here, they would probably fall into close combat with the demons, and the final outcome would be even more tragic. After all, their warhorses did not have armor, and those long-horned demons and imps, as long as they took care of the warhorse without armor, they would be able to take care of these horsemen.

Without the warhorse, how could they be called cavalry? How could they launch the most powerful charge?

The answer was, of course, impossible.

But what Kant had was these swadian man-at-arms who were fully armored!

"Rumble, Rumble, Rumble, Rumble..."

The flood continued to appear.

The might of the charge swept through everything, once again crashing into the formation of the demons.

But this time, the charge directly pierced through the ranks of the demons, completely killing the long-horned demons that did not have much left. Stepping on the corpses that littered the ground, they formed a rumbling formation at the rear.

In the following battle, Rhodoks's infantrymen, who numbered less than a hundred, would take care of it.

The remaining long-horned demons and imps were no longer a threat.

There were even demons running away.

The red-bottomed Golden Lion was releasing waves of invisible waves.

Faced with an unwinnable situation, the demons would not fight to the death after confirming their complete defeat. It was precisely because they had brains and thought that they would run away, afraid that their lives would be harvested in vain.

Moreover, their fear was magnified, and their morale was weakened to the extreme.

They did not even dare to retaliate.

The swishing sound continued to be heard.

The Ravenston Rangers and rangers with the least casualties, as well as Rhodoks's snipers and crossbowmen, were still drawing their bows and shooting arrows, calling out the demons who had fled far away.

They were still trying to eradicate the root of the problem.

Chapter 244: Leveling Up of Mage Apprentices

On the battlefield, many demons had already fallen to the ground and turned into corpses.

Dark red blood flowed freely.

The rich smell of blood was mixed with the unique sulfur smell of demons. Coupled with the dark black blood of the demonized creatures and the rotten smell, it was also pungent and unpleasant, just like a slaughterhouse that had failed the hygiene test.

Now the battle was set.

Most of the demons were annihilated in the square.

Only a few agile imps and a few lucky long-horned demons managed to escape Kant's army's pursuit and escaped into the city wall of the underground city. They were lucky enough to survive.

The remaining demons were less than 30 in total, so they were no longer a threat to Kant.

Bandake led his troops and gathered again.

Everyone was injured, and many of them were limping. It was obvious that they were seriously injured.

From the chain mail and shields on their bodies, it could be seen that their original refined appearance had become tattered. It was obvious that after this battle, they had to be repaired or replaced through the system.

There was also the treatment of their injuries. Kant had James, a specialist physician, so he did not have to worry.

"Lord Kant."

Bandake's tone was filled with relief, "We won this battle."

"That's right," Kant said.

This battle wasn't easy. Even if they won, it was close to a pyrrhic victory.

Turning to look at his soldiers, not only were they all injured, their equipment was damaged, and there were many casualties. The brave soldiers that remained on the battlefield made Kant's heart ache.

These soldiers were all his elite infantry troops.

The top-notch Rhodoks soldiers had combat strength comparable to the peak of knight-level. Seventeen of them died in battle, leaving 23.

133 of Rhodoks's skilled spear-wielders had died, leaving 87.

As for the mage apprentices, they were protected by Rhodoks's sniper crossbowmen, who held a wide shield and a spiked warhammer, as well as the Ravenston Rangers and Patrollers, who held two-handed greatswords. None of them died in battle, and they only suffered minor injuries.

As for the Swadian heavy calvary, they suffered heavy losses.

Of the 188 heavy cavalry soldiers who came, there were only 103 left, and the number of casualties was 85.

The 103 who survived all suffered minor injuries.

"It's really a pyrrhic victory."

Kant frowned. The results of the statistics made him feel extremely depressed.

Ever since the expedition army of the Kingdom of Gray Mane attacked the city, the entire Drondheim had won such a pyrrhic victory because it was still considered a fortress at that time, and there were fewer troop class. It had been a long time since Kant had lost so many troops in battle.

More than half of the 500 troops brought from Aaron's village had suffered casualties.

"However, it's good that we've won."

Kant's expression returned to calmness.

A dialog box instantly popped up in the mind communication system's eyes.

System's troop class interface.

Right behind the troops that Kant was currently leading, there were indeed symbols that represented level up.

From the moment they entered the ancient passage to the outside of this underground city, Kant had led his troops to deal with nearly a dozen waves of demonized creatures. They had killed the ancient passage, and there were still the remains of demonized creatures left in the ancient passage, they did not even have the time to dig out the negative energy gemstones in the heart. They could only wait for the follow-up troops to follow up before they had the time to collect these gemstones.

However, the experience points obtained in the ancient passage were enough for some of the level 3 and Level 4 troop class to level up.

Now, they had completely annihilated this demonic troop in the square of the karst cave.

The experience points instantly filled up.

The entire troop class 3 could even level up continuously!

Obviously, the experience points gained from wiping out this demon army was much higher than the demonized creatures that were killed in the ancient passage. It was at least several times higher!

It was no wonder.

Although the demon army was a strange creature, it could also be considered as a regular army.

Demonized creatures were all transformed from wild beasts. They were basically inferior troops. Naturally, their experience points were lower.

It was enough to let all the troops level up.

Kant was currently lacking troops to continue attacking the dungeon!

"System, level up!"

Kant's thought communication system immediately gave an order.

The dialog box on the retina changed.

[ ding... system prompt ]

[ all members level up, a total of 24,540 denar. ]

[ yes/no, choose level up? ]

This was a notification and confirmation from the system.

It was another expenditure of nearly 25,000 denar, but Kant did not feel any heartache at all. He said in a deep voice, "Level up confirmed!"

Instantly, the crisp sound of denar colliding rang in his ears.

Data spread.

The entire body of the troop class that could level up was suffused with data.

The great power from the system descended and instilled into these troop class. The combat experience, weapons, and equipment that should appear, as well as the body that had become stronger and stronger after growing in age and training!

Rhodoks appeared.

The Ravenston Ranger appeared.

And the strongest cavalry, the Swadian Knight appeared!

The entire troop class led by Kant was upgraded to A Level 5 troop class.

After regrouping, there were a total of 110 Rhodoks sergeants, 20 Rhodoks sniper crossbowmen, 87 Ravenston Rangers, and 85 Swadian Knight.

There were only 302 troops left.

However, after the level up of the troop class, their combat strength had increased by several times!

Rhhodoks soldiers, who were as strong as a fortress, the Rhodoks sniper crossbowmen, the Ravensdon Rangers who shot accurately and rapidly, and the Swadian knight who could topple mountains and overturn seas.

Bandake looked at these elite soldiers, his face full of joy.

There wasn't a general who didn't like these elite troop class.

"Very good."

Kant nodded to himself, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

"I salute you, my Lord!"

The newly appeared top troop class respectfully bowed to Kant.

Their attitude was extremely good.

And right behind Kant, there was also a greeting to him, with a bit of calmness, and even a hint of elegance that belonged to a noble. "I salute you, my Lord."

Kant seemed to have thought of something.

He turned around abruptly.

The seven mage apprentices were behind him.

But when he turned his head, he saw seven middle-aged mages wearing blue-black mage robes, holding purple-robed staffs with jewels inlaid on top, and blue-black mage hats on their heads.

Their appearances could still be vaguely seen. They were the seven mage apprentices Kant had recruited at that time.

But now, they were middle-aged, in their thirties.

"You have become official wizards?"

Kant's breathing was a little rough, and his eyes lit up slightly. Apparently, he had already guessed the reason.

"That's right."The seven wizards bowed slightly, and their movements were no longer as frivolous as before, they bowed to Kant in a very calm and respectful manner. "We have gone through magical learning and training to obtain the quota that you have given us. From there, we obtained the power that we have now, and became official wizards."

"That's great." Kant nodded. A bright smile appeared on his calm face.

This was indeed something to be happy about.

These mage apprentices did not level up after experiencing several battles with magic creatures.

Unexpectedly, after wiping out the demon army, these mage apprentices'experience points were maxed out. They were able to level up and become seven official mages who had mastered official spells!

Wizard apprentices were equal to a troop class of level 4 from the moment they were recruited,
as an upgraded version of the wizard apprentices, the mentor of the Enfath Empire who was responsible for teaching the wizard apprentices was level up to level 5. Due to the mysterious aoe elemental spells, AOE buffing spells, and the power of spells to summon natural elements, their combat ability was almost impossible to measure with the troop class.

This was the reason why Kant had a smile on his calm face.

It meant that he had obtained a new army!

"Mysterious Wizard."

Bandake maintained the army and walked over with respect, he said to Kant with great emotion, "They played a great role when they were apprentices. Now that they have become official wizards, it's really exciting. How will their strength increase, but they will definitely be stronger."

"It's like this, my Lord, my Lord Bandake."

The leading wizard smiled and explained, "The spells we learned went from three to seven."

"Seven spells." Kant nodded, and the number of spells increased by four.

"Yes." The wizard continued to explain, "Our initial magic bullet spell, Fireball spell, and sharp golden blade have a stronger power and greater destructive power. In terms of overall effect, it should be three times more than when we were apprentices."

"Yes." Kant nodded. "What about the newly learned spells?"

"The newly learned spells are summoning lightning, fatal deep freeze, nature summoning, and group acceleration."

The mage explained in detail, "Summoning lightning is a single-target attack, Fatal Deep Freeze is a group attack, and nature summoning is just like its name. We can summon golems that are based on earth elements."

"There's also group acceleration," Kant said.

"Yes, this is a status spell," the mage said. "Using this spell can provide the soldiers with faster movement speed. Based on our current strength, we estimate that it should increase their movement speed by 30% for 30 minutes, the same duration as the current sharp golden blades."

"30% movement speed."Kant raised his eyebrows slightly.

"That's right, I'm very sure."The leader of the Wizards nodded.

"No, I don't doubt it."

Kant chuckled and looked at ban dake who was also shocked. He smiled and said, "Just like Bandake, when I heard that it can provide an additional 30% movement speed, I was very surprised."

"That's right." Banake nodded and said solemnly, "30% movement speed is very important."

30% movement speed was not to be underestimated.

With the infantry, they could quickly fill up the gap in the battle and stabilize the formation.

With the archers, they could advance and retreat faster, and the support to the Allies would be more timely and accurate.

With the cavalry having 30% movement speed, it was even more shocking!

The cavalry's speed was already fast. The faster the speed, the stronger the impact, and the more damage they would cause. If it was a top-tier heavy cavalry like the Swadian Knight, combined with the [ Lion Knight Order Medal ] that Kant had previously obtained, shortening the cavalry's charging distance by 30% , speeding up the charging stage, it was enough to destroy the enemy's front line with a wave of charge!

Therefore, why would kant be suspicious? He could not be happier!

"Very good, this is very good!" Kant nodded and praised the mages. "Now, all of you can be considered as battle mages, and can join any army's combat sequence!"

Chapter 245: Lord of the Abyss Demons

The mages who had already passed the middle age were more composed.

Thus, they praised Kant to the point where they could not show their emotions. They only bowed slightly and continued to salute to express the excitement and joy in their hearts.

They were real mages, the real battle mages in the battle sequence of the Enfath Empire!

"That's right."

Kant said seriously, "What is your daily spell slot now?"

In the world of warwinds, there was a limit to the number of spells or divine spell.

For example, during the mage apprentice period, there were five magic bullets, three fireballs, and two sharp golden blades a day. The overall spell limit was ten times a day. Unless a special skill was used to increase or supplement, after these spells were cast, they could only watch and use the wooden staff as a wooden stick.

It could be said that a mage who did not have a spell slot was not even as strong as a peasant in close combat. If they encountered a slightly trained militia, they would have to surrender.

It was the same for mages. There was also a spell slot limit.

"Our daily spell slots have been greatly improved."

The mage in the lead introduced, "The Magic Bullet spell is 20 times a day, the fireball spell is 10 times, and the sharp golden blade is 10 times a day."He paused for a moment, his tone was slightly raised, "The summoning of lightning is five times a day, the fatal deep freeze is three times a day, the natural summoning is two times a day, and the group acceleration is five times a day."

"There is a total of 55 spell slots that are restricted,"Kant muttered.

"That's right." The mage nodded.

This was already a sufficient improvement.

One had to know that when a mage was an apprentice, there were only 10 spell slots.

That was the most miserable time.

Especially when dealing with demonic troops, creatures that clearly had magic resistance. There was no need for magic bullets or fireballs at all, so they could only cast status-enhancing spells, sharp golden blades.

Fortunately, the weapons that were buffed by the sharp golden blades were indeed sharp and very effective.

Otherwise, they would really have no choice but to watch.

However, it was obviously different at the moment. Each person had a total of 55 spell slots and more than 40 offensive spells. It was almost equivalent to the number of arrows in the quiver of an archer!

Considering that the power of spells was stronger than arrows that were purely physical, nature mages were more useful.

Moreover, after leveling up to a mage, AOE destructive spells and summoning spells had finally appeared.

Fatal Deep Freeze and Nature Summoning.

After Kant and the mages had a detailed discussion, they finally understood the details of these two spells.

Fatal Deep Freeze was to release a cold stream ray with a range of 100 meters. Upon contact with the enemy, it would explode and turn the area of 50 meters × 50 meters into a low temperature of-50 °. It would cause ice damage to the enemy and damage the weapons and armor. If one was lucky, it could also directly freeze the enemy to death.

Nature's Summoning was to communicate with the Earth Elemental Plane of this world and summon golems.

The golems were constructed entirely out of stone and was made by the golems of the Mage Tower, not the natural earth elemental giants.

Therefore, the activity required magic patterns and gemstones that were carved and inlaid on the surface to maintain it. However, it was still an elemental body. It did not have any vital parts of flesh and blood, nor did it have any restrictions on morale and intelligence. It only listened to the commands of the mages and was extremely valiant on the battlefield, it could withstand several times the flesh and blood creatures.

Of course, with the current ability of the mages, one natural summon could only summon five golems.

There was also the Summoning of Lightning.

This was a single-target damage spell. Although it required prediction, its power was really great.

The range of the spell was 200 meters, and it could directly summon lightning in the void. Its lethality was shocking. Even the demons in the world of warlords would be seriously injured or killed if they were hit by this lightning, the superior demons with magic immunity would also be slightly affected.

After all, it was the damage caused by lightning, so it was naturally destructive.

Kant was slightly more confident.

Although the abyss demon in the underground city was extremely terrifying, with so many top troop class and official mages who could use powerful spells, it was impossible for them not to have the ability to fight back.

If the demon army of the previous scale continued to appear, Kant's army would even be able to easily defeat it.

Troop class 5.

It was really a bird-gun-for-cannon exchange. Their combat strength was not on the same level at all!

Sensing Kant's gaze on the underground city, the mages also turned their heads to look.

The mage in the lead said with a more serious expression, "It's really rich negative energy. It's full of violent and crazy demon aura. Although there's a little positive energy gathering outside the city walls to form a seal on the negative energy, it looks like it's in danger. It's already very difficult to seal the demons in this city."

"Is that so?" Kant nodded. His expression was calm. It was obvious that he had already expected this.

The Abyss Demon had said that.

This seal could not trap it for too long. Kant did not treat it as a lie.

With the strength of that demon, there was no need to lie to him. Moreover, in the temple ruins in the cave of Aaron's village, there were also female succubi that had been sealed and had broken the seal and resurrected.

This Abyss Demon was a lord-level Hell Demon.

Its status in hell was almost equal to a superior, and it was a born superior demon!

The leading mage spoke solemnly, he suggested, "My Lord, we must not let this demon recover its strength. If we wait for it to break the seal and leave this underground city, then we will have to pay a huge price to destroy it. If we wait for its strength to completely recover, even our teacher leaders and the seniors who are great mages might not be able to deal with that Abyss Demon."

"I understand." Kant nodded. His eyes narrowed slightly, and there was a haze in his eyes.

How could he not understand? But looking at the troops behind him, Kant asked the mages in a deep voice, "With our current strength, can we kill that Abyss Demon?"

"Yes!"

The mages did not hesitate and nodded solemnly.

"So sure?" Kant frowned.

"Very sure."

The mages answered solemnly and explained, "In our perception, that Abyss Demon is extremely weak. After thousands of years of being sealed, it definitely does not have much power now."

"I will make a decision." Kant nodded.

He had led the troops here to deal with the abyssal demon in the first place.

It was impossible for the two to reconcile.

Then, he would take advantage of the fact that the other party had yet to recover and kill him.

"There's more."

Kant turned his head, he looked at the mages. "Is there anyone else worth paying attention to in this underground city, such as this Abyss Demon? I don't want our troops to be ambushed and defeated after launching an attack. I absolutely can not accept such an outcome."

"Understood. We will continue to sense now." The mages nodded and joined forces. They closed their eyes and scanned the underground city with their mind power, carefully exploring.

But just as they closed their eyes to explore, a surge of power instantly spread out from the city.

It was almost locked onto the seven mages.

Kant, who was standing next to them, sensed a fear that came from the bottom of his heart. Although it was dispelled by the red-bottomed Golden Lion, the fear could not be mistaken.

Kant raised his head and looked at the ruins of the city wall. He gritted his teeth and said, "The Abyss Demon!"

"Cough cough... it's it..."

The mages let out a violent dry cough. There was shock in their eyes.

If it was not for the flag [ intimidation of the enemy ] spreading quickly, their mind power would definitely suffer a backlash.

The leader of the mages said in shock, "The power of this abyss demon is really strong. The mind power of the seven of us can only resist it for a short while."

"Is something wrong?" Kant frowned.

Did they mean that they could not deal with this Abyss Demon?

"No, the situation is very good!"

The mage reported quickly, "It is because of the direct contact of mind power that we discovered that this abyss demon is really too weak. Its power is not as strong as it was at its peak. We can feel the emptiness and..." He paused and said in a deep voice, "Weakness!"

"Boom --"

The ten-meter-high city wall was instantly destroyed, and large amounts of rubble flew out.

The soldiers of Rhodoks and the Swadian Knight who were on the outside immediately moved forward. They raised the broad shield and the kite-shaped shield in their hands to block the flying stones, and the crackling sounds instantly echoed without end.

"Human, are you talking about me?"

The Abyss Demon drew its broken rune sword down from the city wall.

Its eyes that were filled with violence were filled with actual flames of hell. Sparks were spewing from its nostrils as it roared in a deep voice, "Talking about the supreme lord of the Hell Demon, the King of Evil, the ruler of the flames, Ameng Qieke!"

"That's right, its strength is extremely weak!"

The mages flashed out from behind the broad shields and said to Kant with certainty, "It's bluffing!"

"You lowly ant, shut your mouth!" The Flames of Hell in the Abyss Demon's eyes burned even more fiercely, and its voice was no longer as calm as before, instead, it became even more violent and crazy. "The gods are going to cry under my sword. You, wizards who have mastered a few arcane spells, have no right to order me around!"

It roared angrily, and the strong wind whistled. The strong smell of sulfur was almost pungent, but behind Kant and the others, the red-bottomed Golden Lion fluttered in the wind, unmoved.

"This is no longer your era."

Kant snorted coldly, looking at the huge abyss demon, and said in a deep voice, "This is our era!"

"What a joke! With just you, these slaves of the gods? !"

The Abyss Demon stared with its scarlet eyes that were filled with raging flames. Its large hands clung onto the ruins of the city walls, wanting to charge out directly.

A terrifying might was spreading wantonly.

Kant and the others were the first to bear the brunt. Even though the flag was fluttering, their hearts still throbbed a little.

"Bang --"

However, outside the city wall, the golden light instantly appeared. With a sizzling sound, it bounced back the abyss demon, Ameng Qieke, who came from hell and had many titles. He used to be extremely terrifying!

Although the seal set up by the Sun God's descendant was on the verge of collapse, it was still effective.

This made the Abyss Demon Ameng Qieke even angrier.

"If I break the seal and leave this city, I will let you and your estate know how terrifying the demons from Hell will be!" Ameng Qieke let out an angry roar.

"Is that so? I'm afraid you won't be able to wait until then." Kant snorted coldly.

Chapter 246: Temptation of Aamon Qieke

Kant came back here was not to listen to this abyssal demon brag about its past glory.

It was to take its life!

The soldiers had already taken action.

The Ravenstern rangers and Rhodok crossbowmen were the first to move forward. They raised their heavy bows and siege crossbows at the same time, aiming their awl arrows and steel bolts directly at the enormous abyss demon at the relics of the city wall.

They had already taken aim and were waiting for orders.

"Arrogant humans!"

The abyssal demon Aamon Qieke was burning with rage.

The race that it had once looked down upon the most was dared to challenge it in such an arrogant manner after ten thousand years. It was like an ant challenging a giant. It was an absolute overestimation of oneself and a challenge to its dignity!

Moreover, the abyssal demon Aamon Qieke was in his weakest status.

Just like what the human mage had said.

This stirred up the matter in its heart that it was most furious about and was unwilling to bring up.

It was true that it did not have a good solution to these humans, or even a solution at all!

It was unable to break out of the seal that set up by the Sun God's descendant. It was unable to personally deal with these humans. Even if it sent the inferior demons that it had accumulated and created, it was still unable to fight with these humans.

The inferior demons' troops were almost completely annihilated, and only a few managed to escape.

Now, these humans still dared to point their bows and crossbows at it.

Aamon Qieke felt that its dignity had been seriously challenged!

However, there was nothing it could do. The fury in its eyes suddenly dissipated a little when it faced those Ravenstern rangers and Rhodok crossbowmen, only a certain kind of suppressed anger was gathering. Surprisingly, its big mouth gave a warning-like advice. "Human noble, I can give you gold that is as tall as a mountain, and I can also give you power that is comparable to the gods. Why did you choose to become my enemy at this time instead of cooperating with me? I, the Lord of Hell, swear to the abyss of hell in my name, Aamon Qieke. When you help me break the seal, you will get everything you want!"

"Everything?"

Kant smiled and lowered his head as if he was deep in thought.

However, the soldiers behind him did not put down the weapons in their hands. They continued to aim at the relics of the city wall 200 meters away, at the huge abyssal demon Aamon Qieke.

This was because they understood their lord.

Kant would not cooperate.

How could humans cooperate with the demons? This was tantamount to asking for the skin from a tiger!

"How is it, noble human? The era of the gods has passed. You were once the lowliest slaves of the gods. We can cooperate, we can overthrow the high and mighty gods together."

Aamon Qieke whispered softly.

But his voice seemed to be imprinted in Kant's ears, it aroused the desire in the bottom of his heart.

Strength, wealth, beautiful women.

Power and eternal life!

"Hmm, what a tempting suggestion. I think what you said makes sense."

Kant raised his head and laughed lightly.

"That's right. Whatever you want, I will bestow upon you the noble of mankind.". Aamon Qieke's eyes carried a hint of mischief. However, deep in its eyes, there was a brutality and madness.

"Your life.", Kant said softly.

"This is very simple. I...", Aamon Qieke laughed softly. The moment he opened his mouth, his expression instantly stiffened. A stunned expression appeared on his ferocious face. He subconsciously asked, "What?"

"Your life,", Kant repeated.

He raised his head to look at the gigantic abyssal demon, Aamon Qieke, and slowly said, "To be more precise, I want you to die."

"Human! How dare you tease me!"

The flames of hell in Aamon Qieke's eyes instantly rose.

It crazily slashed inner wall of the city with its broken rune sword, causing large pieces of stone and bricks to shatter. The strong wind that was filled with anger and a strong smell of sulfur blast past Kant and the others.

"Release the arrows!"

However, Kant was unmoved. He let his hair flutter in the wind, but his voice was unusually calm. "Shoot freely!"

Kant said that he wanted his life.

He was really going for it!

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh --"

The Ravenstern rangers and Rhodok crossbowmen were already prepared.

As Kant's voice fell, a rain of arrows instantly poured out. The awl arrow and the steel crossbow arrow flew side by side. However, the distance of 200 meters was within the range of these level 5 top-notch shooters!

"Roar --"

Aamon Qieke let out a wild and violent roar was emitted its mouth.

A faint dark red light appeared in the depths of his throat. The smell of sulfur was even denser, and the temperature in the air seemed to rise. A wave of hellfire surged out of his throat.

"Huff Huff Huff --"

The flames were rolling on the ground 30 meters in front of Aamon Qieke.

It was like an evil dragon spitting fire.

It was more like a fire-breathing tank that Kant had seen in his previous life.

It carried surging air currents and raging flames as it rolled in the air. The high temperature instantly burned the tail of the arrow. The arrow lost its ability to control its direction, causing the entire arrow to burn with flames. It lost the momentum and fell to the edge of the city wall, it was completely unable to cause any damage to Aamon Qieke in the relics!

However, in the the flames, 20 silver beams pierced through the wall of fire and shot directly at Aaron Qieke's head. The sharp bolts were stained red as they pierced through its skin!

"Roar --"

The hellfire in its mouth stpped.

Aamon Qieke covered his face with his hand and pulled the steel bolts off his face.

For a head that was close to three meters long, a steel bolt that was only 30 centimeters long could not cause any fatal damage. It was like a human being pricked by a needle. Although it was painful, it could not cause any damage.

A huge body not only had terrifying strength, but it also had extremely strong defense!

One had to attack the weak points!

The archers obviously also noticed this.

As the captain of the crossbowmen, and also the current footmen general, Bunduk ordered in a deep voice, "Everyone, shoot the demon's eyes, chest, arms, and legs!"

"Yes!"

The Ravenstern rangers and Rhodok crossbowmen responded to his order.

The rain of arrows continued.

They were not disheartened by the defeat just now.

They had the advantage. They could shoot at ease because the terrifying abyss demon Aamon Qieke could not leave the seal of the buried city at all. It could only passively defend.

To the archers.

Even their attacks were just like some scratches, but they could still scratch this abyssal demon to death!

The rain of arrows shot by the group of top-tier archers finally worked.

The abyssal demon Aamon Qieke howled in anger. The brutal and crazy aura followed the gusts of wind that filled with the power of the demons and almost covered the entire interior of the karst cave.

The echo shook their eardrums faintly.

The anxiety in the bottom of the soldiers' hearts, however, began to stabilize as the battle continued.

The golden lion on the red bottom was fluttering in the wind.

Kant raised and blew his horn, and the steady and long horn sound suppressed the howl.

The archers' morale was extremely high.

Occasionally, the mages would also cast magic balls and fireballs, but because the magic resistance of the superior demons was too high, such low-level spells could not pose an effective threat at all.

Chapter 247: Entanglement of Golems

Mages wanted to use high-level spells.

It was the most powerful single-target damage spell they could master -- Lightning Summon!

Extremely powerful lightning would fall from the sky. Even the abyssal demons with extremely high magic resistance would be slightly disturbed. It was much, much stronger than low-level damage spells, magic bullet spells, and fireball spells!

Moreover, this world was not really a world where heroes were invincible.

It was just similar to a fantasy world.

"Wait!"

Kant rejected the mages' requests.

Such a critical destructive spell could not be used casually.

For the current abyssal demon Aamon Qieke, even if it was struck multiple times by the summoned thunderbolts, the terrifying damage would probably not pose much of a threat to him, who was immune to magic.

On the contrary, it would be a waste of the mages' precious spell slots!

"Continue shooting!"

Next to him, Bunduk pulled the trigger and fired the steel crossbow bolt.

However, the steel crossbow bolt pierced the surface of the abyssal demon AamonQieke's skin and could not cause any fatal damage.

It was the same with the shooting of the Ravenstern rangers and the Rhodok crossbowmen. Even if the rain of arrows poured down, Aamon Qieke was still howling in anger at the relics of the stone wall.

He was using his body to slam heavily against the seal outside the city wall. His red eyes proved that he had entered the stage of madness, even if the collision caused the countless hidden sacred sun pattern on the ground to light up, the positive energy that sent it flying or stimulated the demon power was mixed with the sizzling negative energy. Black smoke came out from its body but it was still going mad.

Demons were not a race that knew how to think. Even if they were intelligent superior demons, after experiencing such humiliation, being trapped by seals, and being humiliated by lowly and weak humans, they were furious beyond words!

"Lowly and arrogant humans, you will pay the price in the end!"

Aamon Qieke let out a furious roar.

It used its broken rune sword to slash heavily at the void in front of it.

However, every time, a golden light would appear. The broken sword that heavily slashed at the void making a crisp sound like metal crisscrossing with metal. The seal from ten thousand years ago still had a powerful effect.

"Release the arrows!"

Kant did not care at all.

He extended his hand forward and the rangers and sniper crossbowmen steadily fired. The awl arrows and steel crossbows almost covered the entire space.

Aamon Qieke was shot like a hedgehog.

The densely packed small arrows were nailed on its face and body.

87 Ravenstern rangers and 20 Rhodok crossbowmen, the number of arrows they shot was more than 6,000. It was definitely enough to finish this battle. If they ignored the tiredness of their arms, they could have shot all the arrows in the shortest time!

Grinding this abyssal demon to death was Kant's plan.

"Roar --"

Aamon Qieke's face was a bloody mess.

There were even many steel crossbows and cone arrows on his eyelids because the rain of arrows was too dense.

These were all superficial wounds.

But it was still unacceptable to it. After spitting out hell flames several times, the battle was still in a stalemate. It was trapped in the seal and unable to rush out to kill the ants that made it extremely angry.

It could only choose to retreat.

It regained its rationality, and a little of its brutality and madness faded away.

If the stalemate continued, it would only be at a disadvantage.

With heavy footsteps, the gigantic abyssal demon retreated into the inner walls of the city. Although the seal had limited its range of movement, the other seals within the underground city had long been destroyed by it. It was able to stay in the complicated city, engaging in battle with these humans while avoiding the rain of arrows that caused it pain.

"Mage, summon the golem and tie it down!"

At this moment, Kant waved his hand, signaling the mage to start preparing spells.

He would not allow the abyssal demon to retreat back into the underground city.

The complicated city environment was the battlefield of the abyssal demon. Its gigantic body could easily crush any house that obstructed it. At the same time, it could cause Kant's troops to be hindered in their advance. They would then be trapped in house after house and ruins, unable to move. Even if they were split into small groups, they could only be beaten by the demons one by one!

The mages instantly raised their magic staffs inlaid with white gems. As they rapidly chanted the spells, seven rays of light instantly appeared at the relics of the city walls. The spatial fluctuations were spreading.

"Roar --"

The abyssal demon Aamon Qieke, who was still retreating, instantly turned around.

Looking at the 35 golems that appeared in the void fluctuations, their bodies were made of stone and covered in fine golden patterns. They held two-handed hammers in their hands. Aamon Qieke's scarlet eyes were filled with furious rage, it roared, "Golems of the gods? Humans, you are still the slaves of the gods!"

Obviously, it knew these golems, and it knew more about the other similar golems!

However, Kant had no intention of explaining.

Waving their hands forward, the mages immediately controlled the golems, raised the two-handed hammers in their hands, and slowly walked toward the huge abyssal demon.

The 2.5-meter-tall golems looked very sturdy and strong.

But in front of the 6-meter-tall and huge abyssal demon, they looked like deformed and pitiful creatures!

"Just these inferior golems?"

Aamon Qieke laughed wildly, and the brutality in its eyes became more and more intense. It slashed down heavily by his broken rune sword, directly sending more than surrounding ten golems flying. They landed heavily on the nearby city wall and were smashed until the rocks of their bodies cracked, even the rocks on their hands and feet were broken!

Although the golems were stronger than ordinary flesh and blood creatures, they did not know how to dodge and were no match for the abyssal demons. They could not even get close to them and were easily smashed away one by one!

And at this time.

Kant had already led the archers and approached the relics of the city wall.

The rain of arrows continued.

The mages pointed their staffs forward, and another 35 golems appeared in the void. Right beside the legs of the abyssal demon, they raised their war hammers and smashed them down heavily.

"Roar --"

Aamon Qieke let out a furious roar.

He slashed repeatedly using the broken rune sword in his hand.

But because the golems were too close to them, it was unable to destroy the group of golems in once.

Even the golems that were sent flying earlier had recovered. Their limbs were broken and their bodies were shattered. As long as they could move, they would crawl over and raise their war hammers to fight with it.

The golems were not afraid of death!

For a time, the abyssal demon Aamon Qieke was actually held back by the golems behind the city wall.

Arrows rained down.

The rangers and crossbowmen were less than 100 meters away.

They were practically standing on the outermost seal, drawing their bows and shooting arrows. They quickly shot their own awl arrows and steel crossbows, pinning arrows all over the body of the entangled abyssal demon.

It was truly like hedgehogs.

This group of top-notch archers not only had extraordinary archery skills, but they were also sly!

Since they could not heavily injure the main body of this demon, they aimed at the joints, especially the ligaments on their legs. As long as it was a living creature, losing the ligaments on their thighs and calves was equivalent to losing the ability to move.

And the sharp arrowheads and crossbows really pierced through the ligaments bit by bit!

Chapter 248: The Terror of Summoning Lightning

"Roar --"

A painful howl appeared.

Aamon Qieke's two legs fell heavily to the ground.

Its heels were dripping with blood, and the tendons and ligaments of its feet had been completely torn apart!

"An opportunity!"

Bunduk was excited from behind as he took a step forward. The siege crossbow in his hand was pulled, and he shot with his fully loaded steel crossbow. At the same time, he quickly said to Kant, "Lord, you can attack now!"

Without the ability to move, even the abyssal demon was like fish on a chopping board.

"Wait."

Kant's expression was solemn. He raised his hand to indicate that they should not act rashly.

He turned to look at the mages and ordered in a low voice, "Use the summoning lightning. The target...", he looked at the two bloody heels and said in a heavy voice, "I want you to completely shatter its two feet!"

"Understood.", the mages nodded.

This was very simple for them.

They raised their staffs and chanted a mysterious spell to communicate with the rules of this world.

The space at the top of the cave began to fluctuate.

"Roar --"

Aamon Qieke raised his head.

Having experienced the battle of the gods, it naturally knew that this was the power of a spell.

It might have been able to ignore this spell in the past, but now, he was already weak and had broken the seals one after another. He had used up more than half of the power he had. Now, he was still heavily injured and could not resist at all!

The magic resistance of a superior demon was extremely high, it was almost immune to magic.

But it also depended on the situation.

Losing power was the same as losing magic resistance.

Now, Aamon Qieke could only clench its teeth and rely on its powerful demon body to forcefully resist the seven thick thunderbolts that were fiercely slashing down from the void!

"Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom, boom..."

The seven thunderbolts seemed to appear from the void of lightning realm.

Carrying the absolute brutal strength and scorching heat that far surpassed the flames, the thunderbolts struck heavily at the bottom of Aamon Qieke's legs. They struck on its feet which were already dripping with blood and it was in great pain due to the torn ligaments and tendons. Its useless heels and its flesh were roasted and scorched in an extremely short period of time!

"Aooo ——"

A shrill howl once again shouted from Aamon Qieke's mouth.

His eyes suddenly widened.

Red blood vessels covered its pupils, as if the pain had engraved on its soul and was unbearable!

"What a powerful destructive power."

Bunduk's pupils instantly shrank.

Not only him, even the soldiers behind him, Rhodok sergeants, the Swadian knights, Rhodok crossbowmen, as well as those Ravenstern rangers, were all dumbstruck as they watched the seven thunderbolts appear from the void and struck in the blink of an eye, they heavily struck Aamon Qieke's heels.

The terrifying power of the lightning could completely represent the might of the heavens. The waves of thunderbolts that struck down were like the raging thunder of a stormy night, and the sound of the explosion made everyone scared.

Everyone was fear of such a terrifying sound.

However, Kant was extremely calm. Even he was shocked when he saw the lightning for the first time.

"Continue!"

Kant's voice was very calm.

The mages behind him had a tacit understanding. They raised their staffs again.

"Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom --"

Another seven thunderbolts appeared.

They streaked across the void, bringing with them the pure destructive power. In an instant, they descended on the charred and blackened heels.

Bright lightning flashed and thunder rumbled.

When the lightning dissipated, traces of electricity were still left on the two calves of Aamon Qieke.

Meanwhile, the white bones pierced through the skin and flesh of its blackened and charred heels. Its entire calves were already dripping with blood. The brutal destructive power of the lightning severely injured its lower legs and even extended to his thighs.

Aamon Qieke's miserable howl had already disappeared.

Its entire body was lying on the ground.

Its slightly trembling body was still suffused with a faint black smoke.

"Don't stop, Continue!"

Kant's eyes did not have the slightest bit of pity.

He turned his head to look at the mages who had already stopped and berated in a deep voice, "Use all of your summoning lightning. My order is to pour all of it onto this abyssal demon's body!"

"Yes!", the mages responded and continued to raise their staffs.

Bolts of lightning as thick as a human's thigh struck down.

The lightning flashed and rumbled.

When the lightning struck together, they even formed a plasma-liked lightning ball swimming around.

Aamon Qieke's entire heel was completely broken. Its white bones had been charred black by the temperature of the lightning, and even the black smoke on its lower body was pervading the air. The demon's aura was getting weaker and weaker, it was as if the thunderbolts had struck its body and completely depleted its remaining demonic power!

As battle mages of the Enfath Empire, they did not need to learn too many spells. They only needed to learn a few, the most typical and most useful spells on the battlefield, and that would be enough!

For example, summoning lightning.

Under the terrifying power of lightning, no enemy could be unharmed!

A mage's summoning lightning was limited to five spell slots per day.

Seven people meant 35 times.

There was a total of 35 thunderbolts striking down. The power generated was enough to break the foot of Aamon Qieke, the abyssal demon. After all, even abyssal demons had their own weaknesses.

For example, the eyes and brain, the throat and heart, and the weak knee joints, all these weaknesses were similar to an ordinary person.

As well as the ligaments of the limbs and tendons of the hands and feet!

"Is it dead? Is It dead?"

The soldiers behind widened their eyes in shock as they looked at Aamon Qieke, who was lying motionless on the ground. The nearly six-meter-long body of the abyssal demon was still gave a visual shock.

Even though it was lying on the ground in such a messy state.

The demon was still a demon.

"How is it?"

Kant turned his head and asked the mages in a deep voice, "How is the status of the abyssal demon?"

"Extremely weak.", the mage replied. "We can send footman over to take a look."

"Yes.", Kant nodded.

There was a hint of pity in his eyes. The natural summoning spell had been used up completely.

The golem statues were all killed by the abyssal demon Aamon Qieke. They were shattered into the most ordinary stones and could no longer be controlled and commanded. He could only arrange the footmen for the investigation mission.

However, the battlefield could be very cruel sometimes.

Not only to the enemy, but also to his own soldiers.

Kant pointed to the five Rhodok sergeants in the front row and ordered them expressionlessly, "Go and take a look at that demon. I want to know the most accurate information."

"Understood."

The five Rhodok sergeants nodded and walked forward quickly without any hesitation.

They obeyed the order.

Stepping on the broken stones all over the ground, they entered the underground city from the relics of the city wall.

The abyssal demon, Aamon Qieke, seemed to have really fainted.

No matter how close the sergeants came to its side, it did not move at all.

"Safe!"

The sergeants reported to the back.

"Very good.", Kant nodded and walked forward.

However, just as he almost stepped into the sacred sun pattern, he stopped and turned his head to give a signal to Bunduk behind him. He mouthed, "Cut its throat."

Bunduk was stunned for a moment before he understood. He nodded and walked forward.

He gripped the spatha tightly.

He came to the side of Aamon Qieke's huge head that was buried in the relics. He held the spatha with both hands and stabbed it into the trachea of the neck. Dark red blood spurted out, there was even a burning feel that sprayed all over Bunduk's body.

Chapter 249: Ranger’s First Aid Methods

The dark red devil's blood seemed to be corrosive. Scorching white smoke instantly appeared on Bunduk's body. Even if he wore chain armor, it was useless. It corroded the linen robe on the outside and followed the gaps of the chain armor, it also corroded the linen underwear on the inside. When it came into contact with his flesh, it sizzled like roasted meat.

"Ahhhh --"

Bunduk instantly let out a muffled groan. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead and cheeks.

The veins on his entire face popped up, and his face began to turn abnormally red. More than half of his body was splattered with demon blood. White smoke sizzled out, and it was as if his entire body was about to corrode.

As for the spatha in his hand, he could not hold it in his hands and it fell to the ground.

The sword that had been stabbed into his throat and stained with dark red blood was also emitting white smoke.

It was obvious that even the fine iron weapons were corroded by the demon blood!

"Save him!"

Kant's face was solemn, but he was not afraid of the danger in the front. He quickly ordered his soldiers behind him in a deep voice, "Go to the subterranean river and fetch water. Tear off Bunduk's clothes and quickly wash his wounds with clean water!"

Using clean water to wash and dilute the corrosive liquid was the stupidest way to deal with such matters.

But Kant had no choice.

The soldiers behind him quickly moved forward.

They carried the struggling Bunduk together with the other soldiers who went in first and carried him back.

White smoke was still rising from his body. The smell of burnt flesh mixed with the smell of blood. In just a short while, Bunduk's body was covered in blood. His entire body was curled up and twitching. His face and lips were pale.

There were also blue veins protruding from his forehead and neck.

His face was ferocious!

"Take off all your clothes and chain mail. Hurry up!"

Kant ordered.

The Ravenstern ranger took out the dagger on his boots and directly cut open the corroded and damaged linen robe. The slightly darker color of the chain mail actually turned black along with the dark red devil's blood. Tiny bubbles were popping up as he forcefully tore it off, the entire chain armor was torn off, revealing the bloody body inside.

Fresh blood was flowing, but the dark red blood formed some kind of pattern and directly seeped into the body. The skin of the entire abdomen was corroded. Even as he twitched, one could see the corroded intestines!

"Damn it!", Kant gritted his teeth.

"The evil energy is really dense. We must first cleanse it!"

The Ravenstern ranger turned to Kant and said solemnly, "Lord Bunduk's injuries are very serious. We must be mentally prepared... for him to leave us."

"First rescue, you guys come!"

Kant's breathing was rapid as he ordered these rangers in a deep voice.

"Yes.", the rangers nodded solemnly.

Bunduk was one of Kant's few generals.

Although he was the captain of the crossbowmen, they had a perfect cooperation with the fraction of Kingdom of Rhodoks through him!

Kant absolutely did not want to see his general leave him.

And after spending a few days together, the relationship between the Ravenstern rangers and Bunduk had also greatly increased. After all, he was a famous gentleman in the Continent of Caradia. He was also kind and loving to the commoners, and he had attractive personal charm. These rangers, who also had the responsibility of protecting their homes and commoners, were very happy to be friend with him.

Thus, the Ravenstern rangers were also not willing to see Bunduk die.

As the most dangerous location in the Pendor continent, the top archers of the Kingdom of Ravenstern, who defended against the barbarians in the Misty Mountains, had their own unique understanding of minor injuries. At the very least, they could treat and handle the wounds by themselves.

After all, the barbarian shaman in the Misty Mountains also had a small amount of magic power left over from the ancient times.

Although it was weak magic power, it could still pose a threat.

Therefore, the Ravenstern rangers were very experienced in treating similar injuries.

Therefore, at this time, the elite soldiers who fought on the front lines were stronger than the mages who only knew spells and fight. At least, the mages did not know anything about surgery, let alone healing spells.

"The water is here!"

The Swadian knights quickly came over with more than ten buckets of water.

"Very good.", the three rangers who were in charge of treating the injuries nodded. They took the linen cloth and wet it, quickly wiping and cleaning the wound that was still emitting white smoke.

The linen cloth was quickly dyed red, and it was also stained with demon blood. It was corroded and destroyed.

The ranger threw the linen to the side.

The linen was quickly corroded until it was soft and broken. The devil's blood was as terrifying as strong sulfuric acid!

The linen was stained with water and could only be wiped for only a few times because it was corroded by the devil's blood and could only be replaced. However, the effect was still there. After being diluted by water, a large part of the abdomen was still badly mutilated, but the demon's blood no longer corroded the flesh and internal organs. The sizzling white smoke disappeared.

As for Bunduk, his face was already pale and he fainted with a head full of cold sweat!

The pain was almost like scraping the bones to heal the wounds.

Even he could not bear the pain!

However, the mage nodded at the side and said with a calm expression, "It's effective. The negative energy corroding the flesh is rapidly decreasing. Although there is still a little bit left, it will not continue to corrode the flesh!"

"Very good."

Kant reached out his hand and touched Bunduk's nose.

There was still a weak breath.

Kant's expression was slightly calm. He nodded and praised the rangers who were still using daggers and linen to clean the wounds. "It's all thanks to you guys. If it weren't for you guys, I would definitely have lost an important general!"

"We are only doing our best.", the rangers replied modestly.

After cleaning the wounds, Bunduk 's abdomen was no longer filled with the previous corrosive wound.

However, the rangers still suggested to Kant, "In our opinion, it's best to send Lord Bunduk back to the village as soon as possible and let Lord James carry out surgery and professional recuperation. Otherwise, just by cleaning the wounds alone, it's impossible to completely heal Lord Bunduk injuries. If we delay too long, there might still be wound infections and even complications that can still lead to unpredictable outcomes."

"Then immediately send someone to transport Bunduk back!"

Kant nodded.

The rangers' suggestion was correct.

Turning his head to look at the few docile packhorses that followed behind to transport supplies, he instructed the seven Swadian knights, "All of you, immediately bring the packhorses and transport Bunduk back for treatment!"

"Understood!", the Swadian knights nodded. They carefully placed Bunduk, who had temporarily bandaged his wounds, on the stretcher that was on the two packhorses. They led the team towards the ancient passageway without the slightest hesitation. This was a critical moment to begin with, everyone understood that time was critical, and they needed to act as soon as possible!

"Demon blood."

Kant turned his head to look at the spatha that had fallen between the rocks.

This was Bunduk's weapon.

But now, it had been corroded until it turned black. The entire wooden sword hilt had been corroded until it was rotten and fell off.

"The demon blood contains their power. It's brutal, crazy, and chaotic. We humans are simply unable to come into contact with the power of such a demon, including the demon blood."

The mages explained with grim expressions.

Chapter 250: Hint of System Quest

Kant already had some understanding of the demon's blood.

Although there was no specific explanation given to this world, but it was most likely similar to the various movies and videos that he had seen in his previous life. Perhaps the most famous was that the orcs were bewitched by Gul 'Dan and drank the demon's blood, turning into the evil orcs.

However, Kant turned his head and looked at the abyssal demon that could even corrode iron, and his brows relaxed slightly.

This was not "War of Warcraft"

The blood of demons had a strong corrosive nature, but it was unable to lure others into depravity.

Kant was still more concerned about Bunduk's safety.

His expression was somewhat solemn as he slowly stood up. He turned his head and said in a low voice to the Rhodok sergeants behind him, "Everyone, enter the inner part of the city wall. If that demon still has any signs of life...", he paused, Kant's voice was unusually solemn. "Then kill it completely!"

"Understood.", Rhodok sergeants nodded. They hung the warhammer back on their waist. With the broad shield on their back, he picked up the heavy glaives and strode into the city wall.

"My lord, we will listen to your arrangements."

The Swadian knights led their armored warhorses and lined up neatly.

Holding the heavy lance tightly in their hands, their faces were solemn. As knights, they were also eager to prove themselves in battle and obtain the honor that everyone respected.

"Wait here!"

However, Kant did not agree with their desire to participate in the battle.

Kant held his knife sword tightly, he stepped forward and ordered in a low voice, "All archers, line up. If you encounter any unusual circumstances, you are allowed to shoot on your own!"

"Understood!", the Ravenstern rangers and Rhodok crossbowmen immediately responded.

Kant considered it carefully.

With the extremely strong defense and close combat strength of Rhodok sergeants, entering the buried city to investigate first was undoubtedly the best choice. If they encountered any unusual situations, such as demons that had broken the seal, then these top-level archers who were on guard at the outside could provide the necessary support.

As for the Swadian knights, they could also attack and retreat. Whether they entered the buried city to support Kant, or Kant and the others had to retreat immediately, they were the final guarantee.

After all, this place had been occupied by the abyssal demons for tens of thousands of years.

If they were not careful and encountered some terrible situations, the one who would regret it would be Kant himself!

That's right.

He planned to enter the inner part of the city wall personally and take a good look at this dungeon.

Special quest and side quest from the system both indicated that this dungeon was the key to completing the quest. As the only candidate related to the system, Kant had to enter this dungeon!

He was determined to get the rewards after completing these two quests!

With 110 Rhodok sergeants protecting him and seven official mages accompanying him, there was no room for mistake.

Kant took a step forward and ordered in a deep voice, "Let's go."

The mages behind him immediately followed.

Inside the city wall, the sergeants had already spread out and lined up on the ground. The demon's body was emitting a little black smoke and both of its feet had been broken by lightning. There were also many houses that had collapsed in the dungeon, one could only vaguely see the ruins of the central main road.

The burning flames, the slashing of the heavy sword, and the house that had collapsed caused by the kicks were all done by this abyssal demon, who was angry and furious because of being sealed. It had turned many houses in the entire underground city into ruins.

Kant moved forward and walked past the sacred sun pattern that seemed to be engraved on the stone slab outside the city wall.

Finally, he walked past the ruins of the city wall and arrived at the inner part of the underground city.

A dialog box immediately popped up on his retina.

......

[ After your tireless efforts, the special quest has been completed ]

[ Special quest: Bear the consequences ]

[ Reward: 10,000 denars, 1,000 reputation, 10 honor ]

[ Introduction: You have successfully arrived at the ruins under "Aaron" and discovered the ancient passage. You think that the source of everything might be the place where the ancient passage leads to. When you came to the karst cave and found those demons, you thought that this might be the source of the abnormality. ]

.........

[ After your tireless efforts, the temporary quest has been completed. ]

[ Temporary quest: Explore the secrets of the ancient passage. ]

[ Reward: Level up (village)]

[ Introduction: When you arrive at the end of the ancient passage, the air is filled with mysterious power. After observing, you found that this was an extraordinary power that originated from the ancient times. Perhaps this ancient extraordinary power could bring about new changes. However, from the looks of it, the underground city that you found was already in ruins and was occupied by demons. ]

......

The data frame disappeared.

However, the new data frame suddenly reappeared in front of him.

[ Main quest: Kill the abyssal demon ]

[ Reward: Random Village ]

[ Introduction: you have discovered that terrifying abyssal demon. You have made an estimation in your heart. This is the strongest creature that you have ever seen in this world. Therefore, based on the principle that wealth brings sin, you intend to kill it. Moreover, there is nothing that can be pitied about a chaotic creature like a demon. Even if it appears to be heavily injured and has lost its ability to resist, who can say if it is pretending to want to take the opportunity to counterattack? Don't believe the demon! ]

Kant's originally calm expression instantly changed.

His pupils contracted.

He looked at the abyssal demon that was still lying on the ground. The originally dense black smoke had already dissipated into the air. Rhodok sergeant was standing by the side. He swept his gaze over the neck that had been cut open and was still bleeding like a trickle. Although he still tried to maintain his poker face, his face had clearly become much more relaxed.

Its neck had been cut wide open. Ordinary creatures would not be able to survive. At the very least, in the eyes of the Caradia people, cutting the windpipe in the neck was equivalent to dying in battle.

However, this was not Caradia.

It was also not a creature that ordinary people could understand.

This was an abyssal demon!

A superior who came from a plane of negative energy like hell and the abyss.

It was already impossible to compare them with ordinary creatures. Even if they cut open its necks and windpipes, could they relax?

However, Kant remained expressionless. The system had already reminded him that the seemingly heavily injured and dying abyssal demon was actually waiting for him to approach it, walking right into its trap, and then annihilating all of his relaxed troops here.

Only waiting for him to approach.

However, not only would Kant not approach, but he would also take the opportunity to completely kill this demon!

He gave a signal behind him.

The mages were slightly stunned, but they immediately understood.

The surrounding Rhodok sergeants also noticed Kant's signal, and their expressions became slightly solemn.

This included the archers and knights outside the city walls.

Everyone was prepared to completely surround and kill this abyssal demon.

"Begin."

Kant waved his hand and ordered softly.

The mages raised their magic staffs. Magic balls and fireballs were being prepared. They might not pose much of a threat to this high-level demon, but with the archers and the surprise attacks of Rhodok sergeants, they would also have a miraculous effect.

The rules of magic were eternal. Even if one could be immune to low-level magic, one needed to have the corresponding strength.

And this abyssal demon, Aamon Qieke, was indeed in a seriously injured status.

Could it block it?

Maybe not.

Chapter 251: A Demon That Was Completely Annihilated

However, Kant would not test whether Aamon Qieke could withstand it or not.

Since they had already decided, then they would completely press forward and use the most vicious attacks to completely crush this abyssal demon's counterattack, completely turning its body into a useless pile of minced meat!

Kant did not have the ability to destroy the enemy's soul, so it was also possible to destroy the enemy's body.

"Kill --"

The Rhodok sergeants suddenly arose.

Although the heavy glaives in their hands were slashing weapon, the front end of the glaives still had a spear tip.

This kind of weapon was more like the traditional western poleaxe!

They aimed at the fallen abyssal demon Aamon Qieke and stabbed it with the tip of the spear in their hands. Its weak neck, the thin ribs, and the knees and arms were all the attack points that they had already marked out!

Of course, there were also its tightly shut eyes, its nasal cavity, and its similarly weak ear holes.

"Golden sharp blades!"

The mages raised their staffs, and a golden light flashed.

After a few short incantations, the poleaxes of the Rhodok sergeants emitted a golden light.

This was the reflection of the sharp metal.

As the soldiers stabbed at it, dark red blood instantly splattered. Even the tough skin could not stop the weapon that had been strengthened by magic. The spearhead easily pierced through the skin and muscles, and it even directly stabbed into the eye socket of Aamon Qieke, who was pretending to be unconscious but actually wanted to fight back!

"Aooooooo --"

Aamon Qieke howled in pain.

Its eye socket, temple, and earholes were heavily injured. It could not continue to pretend.

"Weng --"

It held the broken rune sword in its left hand and fiercely swung it.

Its powerful arms struck a terrifying hit and speed.

The three Rhodok sergeants could not dodge in time. They could only slightly turn their bodies, using the thick and heavy shield on their backs to block the broken rune sword that was swinging towards them. Then, they were instantly sent flying!

A green light flashed on the broken rune sword.

The thick and heavy shield immediately shattered.

Even for the three Rhodok sergeants, their entire spine was bended into bizarre angle.

Kant did not look at the fallen Rhodok sergeants because Aamon Qieke had already climbed back up. Although its legs were broken, its joints were damaged, and even its eye sockets were pierced by two heavy glaives, this abyssal demon still had terrifying power and so strong that no one dared to approach it!

"I, Aamon Qieke, the supreme lord of hell and the controller of flames, swear in the name of the abyss that even if I lose my mind, I will crush you, extract your soul, and burn it on the flames of hell!"

Aamon Qieke raised its head and roared angrily.

The wound on its neck was still bleeding along with its movements.

Sizzling white smoke rose up along with the dripping dark red blood, the stone slabs were corroded. But even so, Aamon Qieke, who had lost its ability to move quickly and even its vision was damaged, was not enough to scare Kant, the follow-up attacks continued.

A monosyllabic spell was activated along with the magic staff. Magic balls the size of basketballs appeared in the hands of the mages. It blast towards Aamon Qieke like a heavy punch, causing its head to sway left and right.

Magic balls were a low-level spell. For the mages, they did not need to prepare for long.

It was almost in an instant!

They were now experienced official mages.

Each person could only use magic ball 20 times per day. It was quite comparable to the normal amount of arrows that an ordinary crossbowman would have!

Moreover, they also had the power of spells to supplement it.

When they were mage apprentices, the magic balls they released were only the size of a fist, but the power was already as fierce as a heavy hammer.

And now, the magic balls were almost like basketballs!

Their power was even more extraordinary.

These magic balls were more like polished boulders than heavy hammers. If they were thrown out by catapults, they would probably be able to shatter the city walls.

These were the real battlefield spells that exclusive to war mages!

This was also why Kant was so confident.

Mage apprentices were only doing odd jobs on the battlefield, as students to be trained on the actual combat.

When they became official mages, they would be powerful.

Not counting summoning lightning, fatal frost, group acceleration, and so on, even ordinary magic balls and fireballs could burst with terrifying power. These mages were completely adapted to the battlefield and were the most terrifying humanoid war machines for any enemy!

The Enfath Empire was a powerful country in the world of " Wind of the War".

To be able to survive in this high magic world, how could it be possible without a good magic foundation!

Now, Aamon Qieke had tasted this. It knew the terror of these battle mages who only studied a few kinds of spells and utilized it in wars, destroying the enemy and obliterating the enemy's strongest troop!

Tons of magic balls was mixed with fireballs attack.

The raging flames that exploded with a bang even made this abyssal demons who were used to the environment of the flames feel burning.

The Rhodok sergeants shouted and charged forward.

The mages raised their magic staffs, and new spells were also being prepared to be used!

"Group acceleration!"

The wild wind whistled.

A subtle but extremely fast whirlwind was wrapped in between the legs of the Rhodok sergeants, .

It made them faster, and their movements more agile!

"Kill!"

They ran quickly with the whirlwind under their feet. Although the weapon in their hands was called glaive, it was actually a heavy halberd weapon. It flickered with a faint golden light and directly pierced through the demon's skin and muscles!

While dodging the slashes of the broken rune sword and the whipping of its thick and heavy tail, the sergeants still could raise their weapons and slash down heavily, leaving deep gashes on its skin, causing the precious blood filled with power of the devil to gush out, leaving a large number of potholes and corrosion marks on the ground.

"Ahhhhh -- I'm going to kill you! I'm going to kill you!"

Aamon Qieke's furious roar reverberated throughout the entire karst cave.

However, no matter how one heard it, there was a hint of despair and madness in its voice. As it spoke, violent hellfire spewed out from its mouth, sweeping through the surrounding underground city's house and streets, destroying the old and simple houses. It destroyed the entire underground city into ruins.

However, this did not matter to Kant at all. After severely injuring the eyes of the abyssal demon Aamon Qieke, it was unable to sense the specific location of the surrounding soldiers.

Even if it spewed out that terrifying hellfire, it still did not cause many casualties.

Instead, a flaw appeared in its own body.

"Whoosh Whoosh Whoosh Whoosh --"

A rain of arrows appeared in an instant, shooting straight into Aamon Qieke's mouth.

Blood flowed out from his mouth.

And in the hands of the mages behind him, even more terrifying magic waves appeared, and a faint crystalline blue light shot out like a javelin directly from the magic staff's gem, entering Aamon Qieke's mouth.

Right at this moment, a bone-piercing chill suddenly erupted!

It was the fatal frost!

Chapter 252: Questions From Kant

Fatal frost was a group attack spell.

Unlike the lightning summoning spell, which was used specifically for high-value individual targets, this was a spell that targeted the troops. The range was 50 meters by 50 meters, and the terrifying deep frost would bloom from the center like a flower.

If it was cast properly, it could cost an entire elite team at one time.

This was one of the most important spells of battle mages.

However, when this kind of group attack spell exploded in a small space, such as the throat of an abyssal demon, the harsh cold current that erupted crazily from the inside out was as fitting as its name.

Fatal frost!

At least -30 ° low temperature cold current erupted violently.

Like gunpowder that had been ignited, it spread wildly in all directions.

However, the narrow mouth could not allow the cold current to spread. When some of the cold current shot out of the mouth, even more cold current rushed straight into the depths of the throat, squeezing the muscles of the throat without the slightest obstruction. As long as there were any openings that could be passed through, it would drill in with an unstoppable force.

Including the windpipe, stomach, intestines, and even the various unique tracheas in the demon's body, they were all forcefully drilled into by the cold current to wreak havoc. Even the "opening" under the tail spewed out a foul-smelling green cold current!

"Argh --"

Aamon Qieke's despairing howl suddenly ended.

It was already unable to make any more sounds. Even the life in its eyes had faded.

Its throat was frozen, its vocal cords were frozen, and its windpipe was frozen. Its entire lungs were frozen, including its heart and stomach, all the way to its intestines and the butt. They were all frozen into ice as the terrifying cold current spread.

However, the flames of hell were still burning in its eyes.

As a superior demon, its cells and body contained a little of the aura of the flames of hell.

That was why Aamon Qieke had not died.

However, even if it did not die, it still had to kneel on the ground and fall heavily into the ruins of the underground city. It became a fish on the chopping board and completely lost the qualification to compete with Kant.

That's right, it lost the battle.

When the cold current spread, the result was already destined.

Kant calmly waved his hand forward.

The Rhodok sergeants who were scattered around understood his meaning.

The glaives in their hands were emitted a sizzling corrosive sound because they were stained with demon blood. This meant that the weapons in their hands needed to be reforged.

However, there were still some people whose weapons were not affected.

They quickly walked forward and arrived in front of Aamon Qieke, who was breathing weakly. They raised their heavy halberds high up.

"Ka --"

The halberds swung down, and a slight sound of metal clashing could be heard.

The area around its neck was heavily affected by the cold current.

Seven mages shot 14 waves of fatal frost towards Aamon Qieke's mouth and throat. The cold that exploded almost instantly turned his neck into a hard block of ice.

As the sergeants slashed with their axes and halberds, cracks appeared on its neck along with the sound of metal clashing.

"Crack Crack Crack Crack --"

The cracks grew bigger and bigger.

The dark red blood, along with the muscles and vertebrae, completely turned into pieces. This made Aamon Qieke, a terrifying upper-level demon who once had a glorious history, beheaded on the spot.

There was no blood spurting out because the cold current had already frozen his body.

"It's over,", Kant said.

His voice was very calm.

Because on his retina, the system interface refreshed once again.

[ Ding... After your tireless efforts, the main quest has been completed ]

[ Main Quest: Kill the abyssal demon ]

[ Reward: Random village ]

[ Introduction: You have used your wisdom to deal with this cunning and violent abyssal demon. Standing in the ruins of this ancient underground city, you can vaguely see how glorious the civilization used to be, but now there are only ruins and relics left. Time can change everything. You have a lot of emotions about this. ]

The system gave a notification box.

Kant's heart returned to calmness. This proved that the abyssal demon whose neck was cut off had completely died.

But looking at the ruins in front of him and the broken corpses.

"Calculate the casualties."

Kant waved his hand.

He slowly walked forward. In reality, the casualties were not heavy.

The powerful spells of the mages played a huge role. In addition, the abyssal demon Aamon Qieke had not recovered his peak combat strength, so he was humiliated and tortured to death by the ordinary soldiers.

This was the victory of the conventional troop class.

Perhaps the mages were not conventional, but they did count in the battle sequence of the Enfath Empire.

If an unconventional troop of the Enfath Empire appeared.

Perhaps it would be the Storm Titan army that was more than ten meters tall, could throw terrifying thunder spears, could attack the enemy from an extremely long distance, and was also strong in close combat!

The Storm Titan was not weaker than the powerful existence of the abyssal demons at their peak.

"My Lord."

The captain of Rhodok sergeants walked over. "The results are out."

"Speak."Kant said.

"In this battle, exactly ten people died in battle. No one was injured,", the captain said solemnly.

"Ten people. The casualties are not bad."

Kant nodded. These casualties were really nothing.

When he had ordered the attack on this abyss demon, he had expected that more than half of the soldiers would die in battle, and even the entire army would be wiped out.

After all, he had already witnessed the terror of an abyssal demon.

Turning his head, Kant looked at the mages.

These seven middle-aged mages had a calm expression.

"Very good."

Kant nodded his head in praise.

It was precisely because they had played a huge role that the casualties of their own troops were reduced.

The mages smiled and bowed.

Kant turned his head to look at the underground city. Although part of the city had been reduced to ruins, but from a rough look, the streets and houses were barely intact. The surrounding city walls and the Mayan pyramid-shaped temple in the distance were basically undamaged, one could vaguely see the grandeur and greatness of the underground city.

At the end, there were buildings built directly on the rock mass, including the excavation of bunkers and the excavation of various pits. It looked like a tunnel and a dark hole led to the living environment. Everything was in place.

Obviously, this underground city used to be very prosperous. Otherwise, there wouldn't be such a complete set of facilities.

"Could this be a trade transit station?"

Kant thought.

The underground river was 20 meters wide and nearly 4 meters deep. Although the current was rapid, the surface of the water was quite smooth. It was the best transportation river. Moreover, when entering the karst cave, he did find traces of the dock on the stone platform, the deliberately widened river channel and the slightly protruding stone pillars on both sides of the river channel were all evidence.

But what puzzled Kant was why the race that had been wiped out in history would build such an ancient passage between the subterranean river and its banks, as well as a huge underground city and a temple formed from hollowed-out mountains?

These were all the doubts and questions in his heart.

Chapter 253: The Old Man In the Temple

After all, Kant had learned a lot.

In the Academy of the Castle of Leo, after studying the subjects of the system, he would choose to read some other books.

For example, historical biographies, regional travelogues, and so on.

These were Kant's favorites.

As a transported one, he first had to understand the history and civilization of this world, so that he could roughly understand it in his mind. Then, he would make corresponding measures to quickly improve his strength and reputation.

Of course, even if he had read many books, there were still questions.

This was because the information was insufficient.

Tens of thousands of years ago, the historical materials of the god's eras were so scarce that most of them were just the inventions of imagination.

There was no other way.

Even on Earth, only fragmented myths and legend could be passed down after tens of thousands of years. Even if relics and a few pieces of antiques were discovered, one could come to some conclusions only through some guesswork.

Not to mention this feudal era, which was still in the period of cold weapons.

Without systematic archaeology, it was impossible to connect the results obtained from archaeology. Similarly, it was also impossible to excavate the history hidden in time. This was undoubtedly a tragedy in archaeology and historiography.

It was something that any scholar lamented.

Just like Kant's teacher, Scholar Hank, was like this.

He had used decades, which could be called a lifetime, just to find the lost city.

And it was precisely this legend that only appeared in one or two sentences in the historical materials and myths that actually existed. But it was the truth that was hidden in the dust of history, a remnant of history that could not be found.

Kant could now prove that it was true.

Because the underground city in the karst cave that he was currently in might have a great connection with the lost city.

But these were secondary.

Kant's most important task now was to deal with the follow-up matters.

This magnificent underground city built in the karst cave was already under his control.

He would explore everything in the city, search for anything of value, and plunder treasures that might have been left behind since ancient times. If Kant was willing to, he could also choose to occupy this underground city permanently.

After all, according to Kant's observation, they could live here.

There was a continuous flow of the subterranean river that contained fresh water.

Living materials could be transported through the river and the embankment roads along the river.

And most importantly, it was the perfect house and buildings in the city. According to Kant's current estimation, with the size of the underground city, even if there were more than 5,000 people living here, there would be no problem at all.

This was indeed a small city in the feudal era.

After all, at the beginning of the Middle Ages, the population of the British capital, London, was only about 20,000 +.

But the shortcomings of this place were also very obvious.

Kant raised his head and looked at the rock layer above his head. There were a lot of shimmering moss and fluorescent mushrooms growing on it.

The sparkling light was as gentle as gauze, emitting soft light. It bathed the entire karst cave in the soft moonlight. It was so beautiful and fascinating. It seemed to be able to comfort the soul.

This was like a world of moonlight.

But this was the flaw, causing Kant to hesitate.

Without sunlight, it meant that the ground couldn't be planted. It couldn't even be cultivated. Other than relying on rivers to develop fisheries or transportation, it had no future. It could be said that Kant didn't have the foundation to develop this underground city of the cave, they couldn't even occupy it permanently. It could only be used as a refuge in times of crisis.

But even if it was used as a refuge, it could be done in "Aaron" Village at the periphery of the Senwaya Range as well. After all, Kant's "Drondheim" Castle was extremely stable.

Moreover, "Aaron" would soon be able to level up from village to a town.

If there were enemies that were capable to break through "Drondheim" Castle and then take over Aaron Town.

Then, what was the point if they escaped into this karst cave?

They would still be hunted down and continue to resist Kant's counterattacks to easily break through the defense of this dungeon. Even if they couldn't take it down, the dungeon that didn't have a large amount of resource reserves, the siege could still encircle Kant and the others until they died. They didn't have the slightest ability to resist!

With a slight sigh, Kant gave up on the idea of occupying this place. After all, it really did not have the ability to develop this unproductive underground city that had no future.

"My lord, there are no abnormalities in the surroundings."

The Ravenstern rangers who had spread out to check the surrounding streets and houses returned.

With a relaxed expression, they reported to Kant, "The house is empty. It looks like this underground city has long been abandoned by the former residents."

"Yes, I understand.", Kant nodded.

The underground city was sealed with demons, so it was natural to evacuate the residents.

Kant had already thought of this.

Meanwhile, the ranger captain looked at the Mayan pyramid-like temple located on the mountain, he frowned and guessed, "Maybe we can find something valuable there. For some reason, in our hearts, we are all a little excited about the temple over there. This strange feeling reminds us of the snake worshiping cult in the Empire."

"Do you also feel strange?"

The mages who walked over spoke and nodded to Kant. "At that temple, the positive and negative energies are very dense. They are fighting against each other. Maybe we should go over and take a look."

"Is there any danger?", Kant frowned and asked.

"No,", the mages replied. "We don't sense any signs of life."

"That's good."

Kant waved his hand, signaling for the surrounding soldiers to gather.

As for the Swadian knights, they also dismounted and walked towards the end of the underground city. They gathered in formation and walked quickly to the Mayan pyramid-like temple, which was built against the mountain.

They were extremely vigilant, but they did not notice anything unusual.

The central avenue was 30 meters wide. On both sides of the house, one could still vaguely see the beautiful carvings.

They were all the sacred sun pattern that Kant was familiar with.

However, if one looked carefully, they would see that the sacred sun pattern had already cracked.

And just before the entrance of the pyramid temple, a huge pit had appeared on the underground. A huge stone coffin had been opened, and there were many black flesh-like eggs around it.

However, the flesh eggs had already withered, and they were as terrifying as dead mummies.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh

The arrows whistled, and the Ravenstern rangers raised their bows solemnly.

The sound of people falling to the ground could be heard in the shadows of the nearby house.

"There's a situation."

The ranger spoke with a calm tone, "But it's all settled."

The Rhodok sergeants quickly walked towards the source of the sound. They entered the house, which was already wide open, and pulled out a few imps and long-horned demons with arrows in their eyes. They reported in a solemn voice, "It's those demon soldiers who escaped!"

Kant glanced at them and said, "Indeed, they can't be considered a threat."

They were just a bunch of low-level demons.

Even if they appeared twice as large as before, they would still be torn to shreds by his current level 5 troop class.

It could be said that.

A level 5 troop class would become the peak of humanity's conventional combat strength.

If they wanted to rise again, perhaps they would have to consider that to use mysterious extraordinary power.

At that time, the upgraded troop class could no longer be called a level 5 troop class. Perhaps their levels would be even higher, such as the other level 6 troop class, level 7 troop class, or even level 8 ace troop class!

As long as they complied with the rules of this world, the system MOD could appear in this world.

After dealing with the remaining inferior demons.

Kant led the team and continued to move towards the Mayan pyramid.

The building was built of huge stones, and there was a nearly five meters tall human-shaped statue at the top. It was also holding the sun disk made of gold high up, facing the small light at the top of the mountain, flickering with a faint halo.

This was the power of the Sun God that came from the era of the gods.

The mages all became solemn.

Standing behind Kant, they held the staff in their hands tightly, they reminded him in a soft voice, "A powerful god once came here. We can sense that the tiny divine power is still left in this temple. Although it is faint, as the place where the god came, some rules have been changed permanently."

"Is it dangerous?", Kant frowned. He did not have a good impression of gods.

"Don't worry, my Lord. There is no danger here."

The mages continued, "The gods have been gone for a long time. The rules that have been changed are almost wiped out by time."

Kant nodded. "That's good."

This time, he did not lead the team to the temple to check on safety.

If there were anything, such as strange items, divine artifacts, gold, and the like, he would not be polite. He could pack them all up and take them away in a minute. If he had more time, he would be willing to use a dagger to scrape off the gemstones embedded in stones or gilded walls and took them away.

The underground city that had been ownerless for thousands of years had been occupied by the abyssal demon. After that, the underground city that he had seized had rightfully become his territory. Everything inside was his war trophies.

Kant did not have any psychological burden to take away his own war trophies.

Not at all.

In a world where strength was paramount, the glory of the gods had long since faded. Now, whoever had the biggest fist would be the truth.

Of course, judging from the current situation, Kant's fist was undoubtedly bigger.

Even the abyssal demons had fallen in front of his troops.

"Safe!"

The Rhodok sergeants, who were scouting ahead, waved their hands.

"Let's go.", Kant turned his head to look at the houses on both sides that had been destroyed by the demons. He also said in a deep voice, "Everyone, be alert. When encountering unusual situations, you are not allowed to attack without any hostility or lethal attack.". He paused and added, "Except for the demons."

"Understood!", the Ravenstern rangers behind him nodded in response.

This sentence was actually meant for them.

The Rhodok sergeants at the front and the Swadian knights at the back were all close-combat warriors.

They mainly focused on defense.

After discovering the enemy, the first troop to launch an attack were these top-notch archers.

The accuracy of an arrow without missing a target was fatal.

If they encountered an unknown but powerful enemy and launched an attack first to cause unnecessary misunderstandings, then they would really be wronged. At the very least, Kant's troops could not bear too many losses. After all, Kant had too many elite troops, he preferred to destroy the enemy's forces as easily as breaking rotten wood, it was not to provoke a powerful enemy and cause themselves to be targeted as easily as breaking rotten wood.

But as long as they were careful, the enemy that could threaten Kant, who had more than 300 people, would be nothing but piece of cake unless the enemies were as powerful as Aamon Qieke, the abyssal demon.

Soon, they arrived at the bottom of the front of the pyramid.

In front of them were stairs that went all the way up, about 80 meters, straight to the top of the pyramid.

They raised their heads slightly.

Kant looked up at the black door at the top.

The main body of the temple was at the bottom of the stone statue. From the bottom up, he could see the stone statue holding the sun disk in both hands, looking down as if looking at Kant and the others.

Kant's heart was beating fast slightly, and he felt very uncomfortable.

But at this moment.

A dialog box popped up on his retina.

[ Ding... Side quest issued ]

[ Side quest: search the temple ]

[ Reward: Double recruitment (permanent)]

[ Introduction: You have arrived at the foot of the temple and found a mysterious supernatural wave faintly emitting. You think that you might be able to find some treasures that originated from the ancient times and decided to enter the temple to search. ]

Side quest from the system.

Kant frowned slightly.

The current system was no longer as simple as it was in the beginning. There were hints in it.

Since it was searching for the temple.

Then according to Kant's understanding of the system, there was definitely something in the temple!

After all, it was an indirect hint given by the system.

He turned his head and gave a signal to Rhodok sergeants, who were waiting on both sides. Kant raised his chin and said, "Go up and open the stone door. After confirming that there is no danger, report the situation."

"Understood.", the ten Rhodok sergeants nodded and quickly walked up the stairs with their broad shields.

At the top of the stairs.

At the bottom of the two feet of the stone statue was the entrance of the temple that was blocked by the heavy stone door.

At this time, Kant raised his head and looked at the nearly five meters tall stone statue.

Compared to the hundred meters tall statue that was directly carved on the mountain from the temple in the relics of the mountain, this statue had the exact same face. Other than the different movements, the ancient armor on its body and its clothes were very similar.

Perhaps this was the god that the descendants of the lost city believed in, the Sun God!

The face was about 25 years younger.

The whole face was carved lifelike.

This technology was incomparable to the current human era. In Kant's impression, even the best dwarf could not be compared to them. In terms of creating art, perhaps only the mysterious and unfamiliar elves of the Mannheim Coast could be compared to it. However, Kant also did not believe that the elves could carve such lifelike stone statues.

The statue looked exactly like a real living creature, as if it would come to life and break out of the rock shell anytime and anywhere.

"This doesn't feel good."

Kant frowned.

This kind of condescending gaze made him feel a little uncomfortable.

Especially when he swept his gaze across the stone statue's indifferent eyes, it was like he was stared at by the gods.

However, the soldiers beside him did not have this kind of feeling. They stood in formation and carefully guarded the surrounding intersections, especially the areas that they had not explored yet. They held their weapons and shields tightly and watched vigilantly, any unusual situation would attract their attention, as well as the rangers with keen eyes and ready to shoot.

Kant's order was simple, but to them, if they really encountered an irresistible enemy, then taking the initiative to attack and ensuring their lord's safety was equally important!

"Ka Ka Ka..."

Above their heads, the sound of rocks rubbing against each other could be heard.

The thick and heavy stone door was pushed open.

Rhodok sergeants had solemn expressions as they looked at the pitch-black entrance. They looked at each other, took out their torches, and ignited them with ignition tools such as flame chargers. They held them up and entered the tunnel.

The torches burned merrily.

The smoky black smoke from the burning oil quickly covered the top floor of the tunnel.

However, Rhodok sergeants did not go too far.

In less than five meters, they reached the wooden door at the end of the tunnel. It was carved with exquisite patterns. There were precious gold and gemstones on the door handle. Under the flickering light of the fire, it looked extremely beautiful.

Reaching out to hold the door handle, Rhodok sergeants slowly opened the wooden door.

"Wuuuuuu --"

A cold breeze instantly gushed out from the gap of the door.

The fires were violently swayed by this cold breeze. For a moment, the fire in the alley was suppressed, and the temperature dropped several degrees without any traces. Even the light became dim.

The cold breeze blew outwards, and even spun a few times around the burly bodies of the soldiers.

Then, along with the whimpering sound of the breeze being compressed in the narrow space, it blew up the sideburns of the ten Rhodok sergeants outside their helmets. The breeze rushed out of the tunnel and turned into a gentle wind before disappearing.

The Rhodok sergeant at the front put down his broad shield.

They looked confused.

They looked at each other. They did not notice anything unusual, but they were fearful of this cold wind in their hearts.

After coming into contact with the fantasy-like combat skills, they were no longer limited to the traditional combat skills of Caradia.

They did not notice the strangeness.

But at the bottom of the pyramid temple, the faces of the mages changed slightly.

They raised their heads directly. A subtle wind rushed out of the alley, making their faces change even more. They frowned slightly and reported to Kant in a solemn voice, "Something's wrong, Lord!"

"What's wrong?", Kant raised his head, but he could not see the wind that had already dissipated.

"Very dense negative energy."

The leading mage raised his head, his eyes were filled with shock. "Even after thousands of years of weakening, we can still sense the density of that negative energy. If the negative energy reaches the peak, we would have been swept away by the storm formed by that negative energy and our minds would have been destroyed on the spot, turning into ignorant fools!"

Kant frowned. Looking at the solemn expressions of the mages beside him, as well as the Ravenstern rangers who came from Pander World and were also aware of the mysterious power, he could not help but ask, "What have you discovered?"

"Negative energy, rich negative energy."

The mage gulped and calmed his mind, he said, "Just now, a gust of wind formed by the gathering of negative energy surged out of the entrance of the temple, caught us off guard. But fortunately, after tens of thousands of years of weakening, it did not have any lethality."

"Yes.", Kant nodded. He just needed to confirm that there was no danger.

But the mage frowned. "Something's wrong."

"What?", Kant asked.

"Yes, Something's wrong."

The mage closed his eyes slightly and then opened them. He repeated, "Something's really wrong!"

"That's right, I sensed it too!", the other mages also nodded.

They looked at each other and saw the surprise in each other's eyes.

"What's going on?", Kant's tone was slightly solemn.

These wizards obviously sensed that something was not right. He had to know the details. He could not help but ask in a serious voice, "Tell me immediately, is there anything else that is not right in this temple?"

"Yes... Yes."

The mage answered hesitantly.

"Speak,", Kant said in a deep voice.

"It's like this, my lord. In the wind formed by this negative energy, we found a cold aura that only belongs to the dead. And this, in our perception, is the most prominent characteristic of the undead!"

The leading mage frowned and explained, "It's in this temple!"

"Yes, it's in the temple!", the other mages chimed in.

"Undead.", Kant's expression was serious.

Behind him, Rhodok sergeants and the Swadian knights were equally serious, including the Ravenstern rangers. It was clear that they had some understanding of the undead. After all, they were corpses that had been resurrected from the dead. As long as there was a war, some writers could always describe the terrifying scene through these fragmented corpses.

However, no matter how they described it, these undead that had risen from the dead, these corpses that should have been in eternal slumber, should never have appeared in this world. This indicated that the most basic rule -- the boundary between life and death had been broken!

Kant knew more about the undead.

After all, in the movies and videos of his previous life, the undead, this special race, was no weaker than the demons.

Moreover, the world of "Wind of War" where the mages lived had the existence of the undead race.

Moreover, they were divided into the vampire race and the bone race, each of which established their own country!

As one of the strongest human countries, the Enfath Empire naturally had fierce conflicts with these evil creatures. Even the local court of justice, which was owned by the country, was existed to deal with those evil and filthy demons and the undead!

The mages' faces were grave.

They turned to Kant and suggested, "My lord, the temple... may not be optimistic."

Kant narrowed his eyes and said, "Tell me more details."

"Perhaps there will be undead creatures."

The mage spoke, his tone was a little hesitant. "Undead creatures do not have a time limit, but their bones and physical bodies will decay. Of course, if they are powerful undead, even time will not be able to stop them. In other words, the soul fire is their source of power. As long as it is not extinguished, it is equivalent to eternal life."

"Then, what is the situation inside the temple?", Kant asked.

"We need to go there and take a look.", the mages did not dare to boast and said cautiously, "But in our senses, there is still a faint presence of the undead, because we already detected the cold characteristics of the undead in the negative energy."

At this moment, at the main entrance of the temple.

Rhodok sergeants pressed down the golden doorknob and pushed open the exquisite wooden door.

With a long creaking sound, the bronze doorknob was slowly pushed, allowing the entire interior space of the temple to appear in front of them. It was dark and deep.

The torch was raised, and a light that had not been seen for a long time appeared in the main hall of the temple.

It was a hall that was close to 2,000 square meters.

However, Rhodok sergeants widened their eyes, and the two people at the front even took two steps back!

Bones and skeletons all over the floor!

There was also an old man sitting on a golden chair with a scepter in front of the statue at the center of the main hall!

Chapter 254: Resurrected Divine Lich

The breathings of Rhodok sergeants quickened.

However, they did not make any decisions on their own. Instead, they slowly retreated from the door that was pushed open.

Although the light from the torches could only illuminate a dozen meters around them, the walls of the hall were decorated with gold and glass ornaments. Therefore, when the torches flickered, they almost illuminated the entire hall of the temple.

Similarly, the floor was filled with skeletons and bones.

The entire room was filled with skeletons.

Layers upon layers.

The skeletons were pressed on top of the skeletons. The skeletons were ghastly white, and there some linen or velvet cloth on them. However, they were all tattered, which made them look even more ghastly and terrifying.

The Rhodok sergeant looked at each other and completely retreated out of the hall.

They retreated into the alley.

The last soldier turned around and left. He needed to report this situation to Kant.

However, he hadn't left the alley yet.

A new torch appeared at the stone door outside, and more Rhodok sergeants walked in.

At the same time, Kant, who was surrounded and protected, also came in.

"Calm down."

Kant frowned. Seeing the abnormal anxious look of this Rhodok sergeant, he could not help but clench his heart. He asked him in a low voice, "What happened? What did you find in the temple?"

"My lord, there are skeletons everywhere!", the sergeant quickly reported.

"Skeletons?"

Kant's pupils instantly shrank.

The low-level skeleton footman of the undead race appeared in his mind.

They were wearing broken armors and holding weapons made of ribs or thigh bones. Some of the better ones might have rusty or broken iron weapons. The blue soul fire flashed in the eye sockets of these skeleton soldiers. They were once the ancient warriors and only their bones were left in the tombs. However, they were manipulated and then resurrected by the evil, desecrated by the wicked undead.

Although these skeleton soldiers with only their bones left had very low combat power, the undead was capable to control a large number of skeleton soldiers and drowned the enemy with the wave attacks. Otherwise, the famous undead disaster would not have existed!

"Stay alert!"

Kant ordered in a deep voice.

The soldiers who had swarmed in behind quickly retreated and spread their vigilance around the pyramid.

In such a narrow area, so many soldiers could only be a burden.

As elite troops, they naturally knew that fewer people meant more. Thus, the Rhodok sergeants, who were good at fighting and protecting on foot, came in separately and held their broad shields in front of Kant.

They walked quickly in the alley and pushed open the golden wooden door with exquisite patterns.

Kant's pupils instantly contracted.

"This..."

His words could not describe the terrifying scene he had seen so far.

It was really flooded with skeleton!

He felt the shock of that Rhodok sergeant.

The floor was covered in layers of skeletons. In the hall that was close to 2,000 square meters, there were broken bones everywhere.

Kant could even vaguely see that there should be more than ten rows of seats in the hall, but they were all submerged by these bones. The highest point was at the high platform at the end of the hall, where the skeletons were stacked up to nearly half a meter.

According to the estimation of these many skeletons, at least five thousand people died here to form this skeleton flood.

"This is a massacre."

The mages opened their mouths slightly and said slowly, "The aura here is the cold remnants of the dead, with resentment and a curse on the living. Although it has been thousands or even tens of thousands of years, it still exists."

"It's really terrifying.", Rhodok sergeants also whispered.

Nearly five thousand people were massacred in this hall. How could it not be terrifying?

They came from the Continent of Caradia.

Although the war was chaotic, there was definitely no massacre with such scale.

This was equivalent to a massacre of an entire city. It was a massacre on the level of genocide. This was a massacre that had rarely happened in the recorded history of Caradia.

Even in the world of "Wind of the War" where the Enfath Empire was located, a single massacre of 5,000 people could be said to be horrifying.

Now, the scene appeared in front of Kant.

He narrowed his eyes slightly and his expression calmed down.

It was not like he had never heard of the massacres of hundreds of thousands of people in his previous life.

Compared to the troop class that the system recruited, Kant, who had come from the real world, was undoubtedly more knowledgeable. It was just that when he suddenly saw a massacre of nearly 5,000 people, he felt a little uneasy. As he adjusted his mood, he quickly recovered.

"But it doesn't matter."

The mages opened their mouths and said calmly, "These skeletons have lost their souls, so there is no possibility of them becoming undead."

Kant nodded, but his eyes looked forward.

"What is that, an... Old man?"

He looked straight at the end of the hall.

It was a stone platform half a meter tall, with a small idol placed there.

Linen and velvet pendants could be vaguely seen around it. As it had not been touched for thousands of years, although it was badly damaged, the mysterious divine patterns of the sun could still be seen on it.

In front of the statue was an old man sitting on a golden chair.

He was wearing a divine robe woven with golden threads. The patterns were more complicated than the woman in golden coffin in the relics. At the same time, a scepter made of gold was lying in his arms, and on his head was a golden crown.

There was no doubt that he was a superior.

"There is negative energy contained in it."

The mage reminded, "Perhaps there is a little danger."

"A little danger?", Kant was satisfied with this word. "So there is no danger?"

"It is best to be careful.", the mage said.

Kant looked at the old man with white eyebrows and beard, his face still calm.

Since there was a little danger, it meant that there was not much danger. Kant naturally would not be too nervous, but he would not let down his guard either. He turned to the Rhodok sergeants and said, "I need someone to investigate."

"I'll go!"

Without any hesitation, two Rhodok sergeants stood out and strode forward with wide shields that looked like tortoise shells on their backs.

They held their two-handed glaives and raised their arms parallel to each other. They aimed the pointed spear at the old man who was sitting on the golden chair and holding a golden scepter. They stepped on the layers of bones, accompanied by the cracking sound of the crushing bones, they slowly walked over.

Behind them, the other Rhodok sergeants raised their shields and carefully blocked Kant's sides. Only the sturdy broad shields in their hands were the source of their peace of mind.

Another four Ravenstern rangers came in.

With serious expressions, they raised the heavy bows in their hands, nocked the arrows, and faintly aimed at the sitting old man.

They also felt uneasy.

The mages raised their staffs, and the few remaining magic balls were ready.

The two Rhodok sergeants slowly walked forward.

The sound of bones breaking could be heard continuously, and even under their feet, there was a faint blue light flickering among the skeletons. As they stepped on them, it slowly extinguished like a will-o'-the-wisp.

Thousands of years was really too long.

It was so long that even the undead would be annihilated.

However, when the two Rhodok sergeants were about to approach the stone platform, the heavy long glaives in their hands were less than two meters away from the old man's corpse. Then, a cold golden light slowly appeared on the top of the stone platform.

It was like a willow catkin that was slowly falling, appearing above the old man's head.

"Retreat! That's a soul series spell!"

The mages beside Kant suddenly shouted.

And right at the stone platform, the Rhodok sergeants did not hesitate at all, they immediately turned around and ran back.

Although the broad shields on their backs were as troublesome as a turtle shell, they could completely block the enemy's attack. Thus, these Rhodok sergeants dared to point their backs at the enemy. In fact, if they were to fight with their weapons in their hands, their backs were the area with the strongest defense!

Sometimes, when they were injured, in order to prevent their formation from being destroyed, they would turn their backs and use the broad shields on their backs as low walls to block the enemy's attacks. The effect was very good.

However, the expected soul attack did not come.

The seven mages still had solemn expressions, as if they were facing a great enemy.

Kant looked at the stone platform.

The golden willow catkins fluttered in the wind, and the old man with white hair and beard made a slight movement.

The scepter made of gold was originally leaning against the old man's chest. Now, it moved slowly along with his movements, as if it was trying to slip away and fall to the ground. The situation was urgent.

But just as it fell, an old hand full of wrinkles grabbed it.

"Human."

The old man slowly raised his head, his tone was unfamiliar and indifferent.

He did not continue speaking after he spoke. Instead, he quietly pondered for three to five seconds before he raised his head again and looked at Kant, who was protected in the middle. "Human noble."

"I am.", Kant took a step forward, held his knight sword and asked, "How should I address you?"

"Lowly slave."

However, the old man seemed to be enraged. His eyes turned gray, and his entire pale and wrinkled old face was filled with anger and rage. "Kneel down and salute me. Who allow you to look directly at me while standing? Look directly at the respected pope of the Sun God Sect!"

His anger seemed to communicate with the rules of the surroundings. The temperature rose slightly, and the dust on the walls in the surroundings kept falling down. The gold foil gave off a faint golden light, like a dazzling light, completely illuminating the hall.

However, a sinister wind blew through. With resentment and a vicious curse, it quickly circled the room.

Kant and the others could clearly feel that the temperature had fallen again after the rise. A faint wind blew past them, but more wind rushed toward the old man who called himself the pope, whistling and blowing up the clothes made of gold threads on his body.

At the same time, the grayness in the old man's eyes became more and more obvious. He sat on the golden chair, he fell into a daze as if he was recalling something. "This is... Oh, it's you... why did you... No... I remember... the final battle... The sanctuary was ambushed... the betrayal of mankind... the end of the entire era of the gods!"

He muttered slowly, and the grayness in his eyes became more and more obvious.

In the end, the golden light in his eyes completely disappeared.

The divine pattern of the sun between his brows turned from golden to blood-red, reflecting the dense blood vessels in his eyes. He looked at Kant and the others, his eyes filled with hatred. "Humans, traitors of the gods!"

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh --"

A scorching gale instantly surged.

The terrifying force instantly blew up a large number of skeletons in the hall.

Chapter 255: The Pope’s Appointment

"Protect our lord!"

Rhodok sergeants raised their shields to block Kant.

The blowing skeletons were everywhere in the hall, but it did not last long. In a short while, the sound of coughing went down.

The hot wind disappeared.

On the stone platform, the old man wearing a golden robe and holding a scepter stood up.

But now, he bent down and coughed heavily.

The sound was extremely mournful.

It took a while before it stopped, and the golden crown on his head fell to the ground, he muttered to himself in despair, "After the fall of the gods, is it already the end of the age of magic? Could it be that the Divine Lich I transformed into has lost its effect? No, I sacrificed so many god's descendants, but the transformation failed... this is impossible..."

"Whoosh --"

The shrill sound of bodkin arrows whistling could be heard in the hall.

The bodkin arrow brushed past the hair of the old man and shot heavily onto the statue behind him.

The sound of metal clashing could be heard.

The waist of the statue was completely penetrated by the bodkinarrow that was shot out from the full bow.

Only then did they realize that the statue was actually made of gold. It was just that there were some strange things on it, and as time passed, it was stained with a large amount of dust, making it look like a stone.

"Old man, I think you should calm down."

The Ravenstern ranger who shot the bodkinarrow slowly said, "Or rather, an evil undead."

The mages had already confirmed that the old man was an undead.

From the rich negative energy contained in his body, they could tell that it still contained a portion of positive energy. Although the two energies had an extreme conflict, they could still maintain a certain fragile balance.

That was why the mages did not let Kant give the order to directly kill the old man.

"But will he listen to our opinion?"

Kant smiled faintly.

Looking at the old man, he said, "If he even called out the lowly slave, then this matter will definitely not be dealt in peace. Even if I wanted to, he would not do so."

In the era of the gods, humans were slaves.

Kant had once understood this.

If he was a former slave owner who lost power, but found that his slaves had occupied his home and obtained new rights, how could he relax and shake hands with his former slaves to make peace?

Or should he know that he did not even have the right to shake hands and make peace, and instead, he had to become a slave?

Peace would not come.

The old man who called himself the pope turned his head to look at the destroyed statue. His old face was expressionless, and only his grayish-white eyes filled with blood vessels, there was a hint of anger like he had been insulted. "Lowly human slaves, you have betrayed the gods. If it were not for you, I would not have stolen the fallen Godhead and tried to use the Godhead and the bodies of the undead to protect the dying Holy City of Sun!"

He said slowly, his was voice extremely hoarse, "Even if this is the end of the magic era, I can still use the power I obtained from the Godhead. This is the power of the gods, a power that you humans absolutely cannot yearn!"

The golden scepter lit up.

But with another sharp whistle, an arrow arrived in an instant and shot directly at the golden scepter in his hand. He couldn't hold it with one hand and was instantly sent flying with the arrow, smashing into the pile of skeletons.

"Perhaps you don't understand."

Kant said slowly, "Now is the era of humans."

After a pause, Kant looked at the old man who had yet to react and said indifferently, "If you want to die, I can fulfill your wish. Even if you are an undead, I can completely destroy your body."

However, what responded to him was the temperature that fluctuated between hot and cold.

As well as the hatred from the bottom of the heart of the old man who called himself the Pope and stared fiercely at Kant!

"Then there's nothing to talk about."

Kant spoke with a calm tone.

He turned his head to look at the four Ravenstern rangers beside him and said, "Kill him."

"Whoosh --"

A shrill whistle instantly appeared.

Four bodkin arrows directly tore through the obstacles in the void and nailed into the old man's eye socket, glabella, and mouth.

The immense force instantly caused the old man, who was between life and death, to fall backward. Black and golden liquids that were not mixed with each other flew out, causing him to fall onto his golden chair.

"It's not over yet."

The mages reminded him.

On the stone platform in front, the old man, who had fallen onto the golden chair, slowly raised his head.

His face had already been destroyed by the four arrows.

Even his mouth had been completely torn apart, and the sharp bodkin arrows had pierced through the back of his head. Even the arrowheads between his eyebrows and his eye sockets were stained with pitch-black and golden liquid, dripping onto the ground.

But this old man was still not dead.

"This is the constitution of the undead. There are no weak points or weaknesses of a body of flesh and blood."

The mages immediately explained, "The best way is to completely destroy their physical bodies, or directly crush them at the soul level.". They paused, their tone was a little regretful. "If there was a priest from the Inquisition here, we reckon that as long as the priest cast a dispelling spell, this undead old fellow, would be completely burned to death."

Kant said faintly, "It's a pity that I don't have a priest from the Inquisition, but I think it's not a problem to destroy this fellow's physical body."

He waved his hand forward.

The Ravenstern rangers continued to shoot.

The whooshing sound was incessant, and one after another, bodkin arrows arrived in an instant.

The throat, heart, arms, knees, lower abdomen, and other parts of the body were all nailed with bodkin arrows.

The force brought by the shooting even made this undead covered with bodkin arrows fell onto the golden chair. His entire body trembled, but he could not stand up no matter how hard he tried, even if he wanted to make an angry sound, because the bodkin arrows pierced through his body directly from his mouth and throat, he could only make a loud sound.

Even the abyssal demon with terrifying defense, had its defenses slightly broken by the bodkin arrows. A lich with undead body was still shot into hedgehog by these top-tier archers with bodkin arrows that could pierce through armor!

Moreover, there was also Rhodok sergeants.

Their faces were cold as they strode forward.

They gripped the glaives tightly. As they took large strides forward, they aimed directly at the old man's chest. Their goal was to kill this old fellow!

Behind them was their companion.

However, their left hands were covered with a broad shield, while their right hands were holding a crane-like warhammer.

As they approached, the halberd and spear pierced into the old man. At the same time, the warhammer was also aimed at the back of his head and his fragile body.

With a muffled sound, a golden light spread out like willow catkins.

There was also black smoke the old man.

The old man's body was dismembered, and dark black and golden liquid flowed out.

The hall was filled with a cold wind and rising temperature.

"It's settled."

The mages spoke in a way that the luck was on their sides.

Looking at the corpse that was completely motionless and had been chopped into minced meat, Kant said calmly, "This lich is not sealed. It has been sitting here motionless for thousands of years. Its former ability has long dissipated with time, leaving behind only an empty shell."

"That's good.", Kant nodded and raised his hand to signal for it to stop.

If it was a lich at its peak, it would probably be able to fight against that terrifying abyssal demon at its peak.

The high-end combat strength of the undead race was not inferior to that of other races.

And if one wanted to become a lich, they would at least be knowledgeable and powerful mages.

For example, this old man who wore a golden silk robe, wore a golden crown on his head, and held a golden scepter in his hand. He claimed to be the pope of the Sun God Sect, but he was easily killed by Kant's troops like an old man.

The history he experienced could definitely reveal the secrets of the era that Kant did not understand.

The true history of the era of the gods.

Although Kant was puzzled, he was not curious about history.

Kant could choose to know, and he could also choose to kill this lich, letting him understand who was the main character now.

Strength was everything.

Since this old lich who had just woken up dared to treat humans as slaves in the era of the gods, Kant also did not need to be polite to him.

If he did not choose peace, then let him return to his era and accompany the dead corpses!

"There are soul fluctuations!"

At this moment, the mages instantly raised their staffs, their faces solemn.

The Rhodok sergeants on the stone platform quickly retreated.

At the spot where the corpse had been chopped into minced meat, faint black smoke kept rising, condensing into the shape of a human body. It looked just like that pope lich, with his eyes closed, the black smoke all over its body thickened, it also brought a faint chilly wind and added a bit of terror.

It was just like a ghost from the underworld. It was a remnant spirit from the era of the gods. With hatred for the living, it wanted to completely destroy this world.

However, when it opened its eyes.

It was a faint golden light.

The appearance of the spirit was very eye-catching, but the golden light gradually occupied the main veins of its four limbs along with the body formed by the black smoke. It also gathered at the heart and formed a golden ball.

"I... Failed..."

His lips opened, but his voice seemed to appear out of nowhere.

His eyes swept across the hall filled with skeletons and bones, he appeared in the hall like a regret and self-reproach living person. "I sacrificed all the divine descendants to the undead plane... using the fallen Godhead of the Sun God, I finally transformed into a divine lich... but I lost my will and became a puppet that was manipulated..."

The spirit with golden light looked at Kant, and their eyes met, he seemed to understand something. "Human... you betrayed the gods... you also betrayed the demons... I really didn't expect that after the gods died... after the demons died... it was you who took over the mainstream of this world... but it doesn't matter... as long as the demons don't control this world..."

"Who are you?", Kant frowned slightly.

The mages beside him held their magic staffs, and the soldiers also watched vigilantly.

This was the first time they had seen such a ghost that clearly did not have a physical body!

The ghost that gradually revealed an old face. It was the same face as the old man from before, but it had more human-liked expression, but its voice was getting weaker and weaker. It seemed like it could disappear at any time. "Me? "I am... a poor puppet... a poor fellow who tries to use other powers to protect his home and race... But I am going to disappear now. Before that... human noble... go to the sacred sun city in the north... Save the daughter of god from the coffin of eternity... take my scepter... you will be... the new... Pope of the Sun God Sect..."

Chapter 256: A Large Amount of Gold

Kant looked at the gradually dissipating spirit body and could not help but frown.

The mages around him looked like they were facing a great enemy. They scanned their surroundings vigilantly. Their spiritual perception abilities had reached its limit. It was clear that they had sensed that this dissipating spirit body actually contained the essence of some kind of rule.

However, nothing unexpected happened.

Even the Rhodok sergeants, who had used their weapons to chop the old lich into minced meat, did not sense any abnormalities.

A slightly warm breeze blew past.

It circled the entire hall, rushed out of the alley, and disappeared into the karst cave.

As for the stone platform, the black smoke and golden light that appeared from the old lich's body completely disappeared. It was just like the breeze that blew past just now dispersed the old lich's spirit body.

Everything was normal.

There was no danger.

Kant turned his head and looked at the mages who had regained their calmness.

Noticing Kant's gaze, they also nodded and said, "We're safe now."

"How strange."

Kant retracted his gaze and looked at the hall full of skeletons.

On the stone platform, the chopped corpse was still thrown there and stained the golden chair. It looked quite dirty, but Kant did not care. He waved his hand and ordered Rhodok sergeants, "Seize those gold items immediately!"

"Understood.", Rhodok sergeants nodded and immediately stepped forward.

Many gold items were taken by them.

Especially the golden chair, the golden scepter, and the tattered golden silk clothes.

Even the golden statue on the wall behind them, which was about half a meter long and had an arrow at its waist, was taken down by the Rhodok sergeants.

The hall of the temple had a lot of gold items.

"Hurry up!"

The captain of the Rhodok sergeants urged.

There were a lot of heavy gold items, and the skeletons under their feet were crispy. If one stepped on them, they would sink a few centimeters into the skeletons.

After all, after tens of thousands of years, even with the protection of the mysterious power, these bones were no longer as strong as before. When they were stepped on, the half-meter-deep layer of bones immediately made a cracking sound, it was obvious that the layer of bones at the bottom could not withstand the force, and the bones began to crack.

The small bone fragments mixed with dust began to spread into the air along with their movements. The entire hall was quite suffocating. As a lord with high status, Kant naturally did not need to stay here personally.

Standing at the top of the pyramid outside, he looked down at the underground city.

The design was as neat as a chessboard.

Even the city walls were square, just enough to wrap the underground city inside.

The central avenue led from the main entrance to the pyramid temple below. Although the houses on both sides were in ruins, the once luxurious appearance of the remaining walls and scattered houses could be vaguely seen. It was obviously the residence of a noble.

Among the many houses on both sides, there were also markets and other facilities.

This included public bathhouses and public toilets for hygiene purpose.

"This is a high level civilization."

Kant secretly admired the city and looked down from above. Just based on the planning and design of the city, he could not help but praise it. As expected of the developed era of the gods. Not to mention the buildings, even the entire city was better than the most brilliant and bustling Leoheart City in Kant's opinion, and it was even cleaner and tidier, fully reflecting the appearance of a high-level civilized city.

Just inside the city wall, he also saw the training ground, which was used as a military camp. There were many warrior statues on it, just like the warrior statues carved out of rocks in the ruins of the temple at the top of the mountain.

If he wanted to, this underground city would immediately be an ideal base for transferring residents.

However, the shortcomings were too big.

Kant raised his head and looked at the glowing rock wall.

He shook his head and threw this idea out. He sighed slightly and said, "There is no production here. Even if we occupy it, it will not bring any benefits. Occupying it now will only be a waste of resources."

This place was not even considered a military important place.

Even if Kant chose to give up, it would be fine to just guard the ruins on the mountain peak.

Even if there were unknown enemies here, such as these demons, he could just send troops to attack from time to time. They would let the enemies appear from the dark, making this underground city the enemy's stronghold, it would also become Kant's training area. As long as the enemy did not take over the entire ancient passage, there would be no danger.

That was why Kant said it was a pity.

If there were enemies here, it would be good if it became a long-term training ground.

Then Kant would have a reason to occupy this place.

It was a pity that there were no enemies.

There was only a subterranean river that originated from the "Aaron" Village. It flowed slowly and turned into the east at an angle of more than 90 degrees. According to Kant's map concept, it should have entered the territory of the Dukedom of Leo's East County.

The ancient passage was also built. Just like a partner, it was built parallel to the subterranean river and headed to the east.

"I'll explore it again in the future."

Kant's heart was calm.

He had just finished dealing with this underground city. He did not have the experience to continue exploring the unknown region.

When the old lich's spirit dissipated, he gave Kant a quest.

Or rather, it was a side quest that the system took the opportunity to form.

[ Ding... Side quest issued ]

[ Side quest: Last wish ]

[ Reward: Spring eye X 1]

[ Introduction: You found this spirit in the temple. It originated from the ancient survivors from thousands of years ago. He told you his last wish. You plan to follow this wish and go to the depths of the desert in the north. After all, the sandstorm that appeared in the depths of the desert is now shrouding your heart. ]

This was what the system's mission interface explained.

Kant naturally didn't have a choice.

It was just shifting the exploration area from the buried city to the depths of the desert.

The mission reward was a spring eye.

It was also what Kant wanted.

"Drondheim" Castle had max out the level.

However, the construction of the estate was incomplete. For example, the fresh water that nourished the desert, as well as the livestock industry and agriculture that the castle currently had, all required a large amount of fresh water. Even the cultivation of sand-proof forests, such as those date palm trees, required a large amount of water resources. Otherwise, there was nothing much to talk about the desert.

Water was the source of all living things. This saying was absolutely true.

While he was thinking, footsteps could be heard coming from the passageway beside the stone door.

Rhodok sergeants carefully carried the heavy golden chair. Although it could only fit one person, this chair had a base. Just by looking at the exquisite carvings on it, one could tell that an ordinary person was not allowed to sit on it.

This chair was obviously similar to a throne. It was definitely an item that only a top-tier superior could use.

Kant was definitely qualified to use it.

Reaching out his hand to hold this exquisite and priceless golden chair, he frowned slightly.

The system did not give a hint that it could be absorbed.

Obviously, this was not a strange item.

However, Kant raised his head and asked the sergeants, "I remember that the old man had a golden scepter in his hand. It was even shot out by a ranger's arrow. Did you find it?"

"Yes."

The soldier replied, "Lord, it's at the back."

In the alley, the soldiers carrying the statue also walked out.

One of them was holding the golden scepter in his hand.

Kant's heart palpitated slightly. At such a close distance, looking at the scepter engraved with countless minute scared sun patterns, and the diamond-shaped crystal that have been cut into 32 sides, it showed its extraordinary value.

Among the patterns engraved on it, golden light would flash within it frequently.

Kant raised his eyebrows.

Although he had not touched it yet, he was sure that this was a strange object!

A magic item from this world!

Reaching out to hold it, a dialog box immediately popped up on his retina.

[ Ding... unknown strange object discovered ]

[ You can let the system absorbs it and obtain honor points, or sell it to a merchant in exchange for denar. ]

The system gave a hint.

Kant was curious.

At that time, when the system encountered these strange items, it would immediately give out special quest.

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ Currently, the system has obtained the rules of this world. It has completed a part of the analysis, so it doesn't need too many strange items. The host is advised to keep them and use them after the system appraises them. The appraisal method is to absorb them, and you can get them again through the system mall's lucky draw. ]

The system noticed Kant's confusion and then popped up the dialog box.

However, Kant shook his head.

He had already understood it.

For example, the two pages of rare items and the sun disk were obtained through a lucky draw after the system had absorbed them.

However, those were all special circumstances.

Now that they were easily absorbed by the system, it was estimated that if Kant entered the system mall for a lucky draw, it would be hard to say if he would be able to obtain them. It would be better to keep them. If they were to encounter difficulties in the future, Kant could exchange it for honor points and denars at any time to alleviate the crisis they were facing.

Kant and the others moved quickly.

The entire temple was basically emptied.

They even found hidden storeroom at the back doors of the temple. There were many gold utensils inside.

They were all bowls and cups made of gold, and some were even candlesticks.

It seemed like they were used by the higher-ups. There were mysterious sacred sun patterns carved on them. They were very well-made, but they were generally thin and small. Therefore, the total weight of all the gold items they obtained could not even compare to that magic staff, it could only be considered as a consolation prize.

Of course, as long as it was gold, it was fine. Kant was not picky about food. He was now equivalent to a teenager, and he urgently needed a large amount of nutrition to replenish his body. Moreover, he still owed the system 120,000 denars. This was the amount of the loan that he needed to repay!

The Rhodok sergeants had properly packed the seized items.

The agile Ravenstern rangers were also sent to do a little search in the entire buried city.

Unfortunately, they did not find any valuable items.

If they searched carefully, they might be able to find hidden valuable items in the hidden areas of the house. However, Kant obviously did not have the time. After knowing that the search was fruitless, he gave the order to leave.

They had already stayed in this karst cave for nearly four days.

It even took Kant a whole week to come from "Drondheim" Castle.

It would take another day and night to go back to "Aaron" through the ancient passage.

Time waits for no man.

Development is the most important principle.

"Let's go.", Kant rode his horse in front and led his troops back.

However, he still looked at the cave full of shimmering moss and fluorescent mushrooms with some nostalgia. The scenery was very beautiful. If he waited for his development to stabilize, he would come back to see where the other ancient passage connected to this cave led to, would there be new demons appearing.

Kant was not afraid of a situation like this!

Chapter 257: The Arrangement of the War Trophies

The matters in the underground city of the karst cave were settled.

Kant led the team back.

But before they left completely, they also cleaned up the entire battlefield in the underground city.

For example, the abyssal demons, the imps and long-horned demons that were killed, as well as the demonized creatures. They kept all the corpses and placed them together, waiting for further processing.

No matter what, the corpses of these demons were all valuable.

The mages had a unique understanding of this.

The broken rune sword used by the strongest abyssal demon. Although it was broken, it was still a powerful killing weapon, and it was a magic weapon.

After Kant came into contact with it, he confirmed the mages' guess that it was indeed a magic weapon.

[Ding... unknown strange object found. ]

[ You can choose to let the system to absorb it and obtain the honor point, or sell it to a merchant in exchange for denar. ]

The system gave a hint.

Kant pondered for a moment, but still chose to let the system to absorb it.

Compared to denar, he was still fond of the honor points of being able to draw a lottery.

After all, in the system's lucky draw, one could draw a large amount of denar as a gift package.

However, a system currency like denar could not be exchanged for honor point. Comparing the two, the value of honor point was obviously higher. Even if Kant did not have enough denar to use, he wouldn't want to exchange it for money.

If he could get better resources in the lottery, Kant would not foolishly exchange the honor point for denar.

"Give it to the system to absorb!"

Kant made his choice without hesitation.

Following his confirmation, the data stream instantly spread out and appeared in his palm, directly wrapping around the broken rune sword. The entire broken sword was 4 meters long and 3 meters wide, as thick as a human leg. It was completely devoured by the system's data stream.

In a short moment, it disappeared in front of Kant.

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ You have received 10 honor points for absorbing this strange item. ]

The system's introduction stunned Kant.

"10 honor points."

This was a pleasant surprise.

In Kant's expectations, this broken rune sword was an unknown strange item. It was enough for him to sell it for 2 or 3 honor points. He did not expect it to be so much!

A full 10 honor points represented the 11 lucky draws in the system mall.

"It is indeed a surprise.", Kant smiled.

The mages behind him also suggested, "My lord, the organs, skin, hair, bones, and muscles of these demons are all excellent magic materials. If we can bring them back to the Enfath Empire, then the corpses of these demons can definitely be converted into expensive denar."

"Oh.", Kant nodded. "This is indeed very useful.", he turned to look at the corpses of the demons, especially the huge abyssal demon. He stroked his chin and said, "They can be recycled."

"To us spellcaster, these are all very valuable items."

The mages shrugged.

These demons absorbed the negative energy of hell or the abyss all year round, so the negative energy contained in their bodies was very rich. The negative energy contained in the organs and some parts of their bodies was even more pure.

It could be said that it was an essential material for the mages to carry out some negative energy magic experiments.

Kant had obviously expected this.

Because this world seemed to have studied the bodies of creatures like demons.

It was recorded in some historical ancient books that mages had once collected a large number of demon corpses in order to study magic. However, demons were also legends in this world.

Although there was news of demons spreading all over the country, it was extremely rare.

Hence, the mage tower turned to purchase common demonized creatures.

In particular, black gemstones condensed from negative energy were the more important resources to purchase.

Just like the Stone Pass located at the Senwaya Range. Although agriculture and animal husbandry were not very good, because there were so many demonized creatures, it became one of the means for Baron Dylan and the villagers to earn silver coins.

Sometimes, the mage tower needed a huge amount of resources.

The villagers and residents would even hire mercenaries to help kill the demonized creatures.

However, Kant thought about this and pondered.

He turned to the mages and asked with a frown, "The Enfath Empire buys the bodies of these demons, but will other continents, such as the Continent of Caradia and the Continent of Pendor, buy these things?"

"Uh...", the mages were slightly stunned.

"My lord, they won't."

A Rhodok sergeant glanced at the corpses of the demons and shook his head. "At least Caradia won't. These things don't have much value.". After a pause, he looked at the cast gold chairs and cutlery that were about to be unpacked, he shrugged and said, "But that gold can be exchanged for a lot of denars. It's a little cutie that everyone needs."

"The Pendor Continent also needs gold. It won't be welcomed for these filthy evil things.", the Ravenstern rangers also shook their heads. "Even those evil charlatans of the Snake Worship Sect can't accept these things."

Kant shook his head, "As expected."

The bodies of these creatures that originated from the high-level magic world were not welcome in the low-level magic world.

Caradia was the original version and did not have any magic at all.

Pendor was in the end of the magic era. The so-called magic had been lost for tens of thousands of years. It was more like a magic trick.

It should be known that even the special race, the Nord Elves, were struggling to survive in the jungle. The powerful demons in the underworld could only infiltrate the continent in small groups like thieves.

Although the humans were weak, the humans were the overlords of the entire continent in the world of Pendor!

These fallen races could only struggle to survive and hand over the hegemony of the continent to the humans.

"If it's a fantasy MOD like the "The Lord of the Rings", it might be useful."

Kant frowned slightly.

But the most important thing was that he did not have the conditions to sell it to outsiders.

For example, the elemental gemstones.

They could be sold as pure and beautiful luxury gemstones to the historical MOD.

However, these corpses were different. Only those nobles who were so bored would buy the remains of these demons. Although some nobles would buy some ferocious demon heads as ornaments to show off their strength.

However, no noble would buy demon eyeballs, arms, hearts, and the like.

Hence, the market was very narrow.

If one wanted to have a market, one had to open up trade routes in other fantasy MOD worlds.

Fortunately, Kant had a trade caravan.

And there were two of them. They could randomly cross into an unfamiliar MOD world and form a trade route with the city of that world.

As long as one of the trade caravan entered the fantasy MOD world, they could sell the corpses of these demons and obtain a large amount of denars for Kant. They could even form a long-term supply. After all, there were many demonized creatures in the Senwaya Range, no matter how one searched for them, there would always be some. It was just like the slave trade that had yet to begin and was still in the preparatory stage!

Sending Bunduk to the "Aaron" Village wasn't just to organize its defense. It was also to send troops into the Senwaya Range to search for the Jackalan tribe. After that, they would be captured as slaves and sold to the snowfield mine of the Kingdom of Vaegirs!

It was the slave trading plan that Kant was currently implementing.

The system's loan of 120,000 denars weighed heavily on Kant's heart.

After packing up everything, he was truly preparing to return.

The troops advanced.

The stone road of the ancient passage was still flat.

However, compared to the 555-men army, after the bitter battle, there were only 317 people left.

100 Rhodok sergeants, 20 Rhodok crossbowmen, 87 Ravenstern rangers, 103 Swadian knights, and 7 mages from the Enfath Empire.

The casualties reached one-third of the total army.

In Kant's opinion, it was very worth it.

Because the main casualties of the troop class were the level 3 Rhodok trained spearmen.

And the gains were all the troops formed by the level 5 troop class.

Their combat strength had increased by several times!

It was incomparable.

Kant spurred his horse forward, only leading all the Swadian knights forward quickly.

There were footmen left behind in the ancient passage to escort the war trophies back slowly. After all, these footmen were all elites. In such a narrow space, even if they were to encounter a savage demonized creature or that terrifying abyssal demon, with the help of the mages, they would have the strength to fight!

Therefore, Kant was very relieved. He was anxious to leave this place as soon as possible and return to his own village as soon as possible.

Bunduk's injuries were also on Kant's mind.

His body was drenched in the demon's blood, and his skin had been corroded by the demon's blood.

If he hadn't washed it with clean water immediately, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

But even so, Kant intended to return to the village as soon as possible to see if Bunduk's injuries had been healed. James was a professional doctor in the history MOD, so it was still unknown whether he could deal with this kind of fantastic injuries.

Cavalry troops sped through the passage.

Very fast.

After nearly six hours of travel, they finally saw a faint light in front of them.

It was the bonfire that rose at the entrance of the ancient passage.

Five desert bandits were carrying scimitars and holding spears to guard. When they heard the roar of the warhorses, the echo of the ancient passage seemed to blot out the sky and the sun, and their faces were somewhat pale.

However, they also knew that Kant had returned with the heavy cavalry.

The Swadian knights were very conspicuous.

Turning over to dismount, Kant threw the horsewhip to the desert bandits in front of him and asked, "Is Bunduk back?"

"He's back. He's being treated by Lord James."

The desert bandits hurriedly replied.

"How's the situation?", Kant frowned.

"A little...", the desert bandit stuttered. "We just came back, but we saw that the wound was very terrifying. Even if Lord James is very skilled in medicine, we still have to be mentally prepared."

"Damn it.", Kant gritted his teeth.

He did not continue asking questions and quickly walked out of the ruins.

The knights behind him also shook their heads and sighed.

His internal organs had been corroded, so it was really difficult to save him unless they had mysterious extraordinary powers. However, the mages had also said that they were not priests who knew healing spells.

Chapter 258: The Importance of Healing Spells

When Kant walked out of the cave, he came to the Senwaya Range.

The stars had already covered the sky.

It was late at night, and Rhodok peasants were patrolling with torches. At the same time, on the watchtower, the newly recruited Ravenstern rangers also drew their bows and arrows, aiming at Kant and the others who had suddenly appeared on the hillside.

There was a large number of Swadian knights.

But they quickly put away their alertness.

The peasants carried torches and went over. They had already confirmed that it was Kant and the Swadian knights accompanying him.

The danger was immediately lifted.

Kant, however, quickly walked up the slope and headed towards the council hall.

After receiving the news that Bunduk's situation was not optimistic, his mood was certainly heavy.

"My lord."

The ranger in charge of sentry duty immediately straightened his chest.

"Mm.", Kant nodded.

He quickly entered the council hall, and coincidentally, someone walked out from the room next to him.

It was James.

He used a heated towel to wipe his hands stained with red blood. When he saw Kant return, he was also stunned. He hurriedly wiped his hands, put down the towel, and bowed respectfully. "Lord Kant, welcome back in triumph."

"You're welcome."

Kant shook his head and asked him in a deep voice, "How's Bunduk's situation?"

James hesitated. "It's hard to say."

When he heard James' words, Kant frowned even more.

The atmosphere froze slightly. He frowned and said, "It's hard to say what the situation is.". After a pause, Kant looked at James and said, "Tell me the truth. I'm mentally prepared."

"Lord Kant, I just finished the surgery for Bunduk."

James said in a serious voice, "The corrosion he suffered was very severe, like the sulfuric acid with the strongest concentration. Fortunately, his wounds were washed with clean water in the shortest amount of time, reducing the concentration of the corrosive liquid. Moreover, he was bandaged until he reached me. If he's lucky, he can barely survive."

"Yes.", Kant nodded. "I trust your medical skills."

Hearing that Bunduk could be saved and could survive, Kant's expression finally relaxed a little.

However, James still frowned. "Bunduk's internal organs were corroded. To survive without infection or sequelae, it really requires luck."

"I'll think of a way to solve the problem of infection.", Kant nodded. He still remembered the medical trials in his previous life.

James shook his head and said, "The problem of preventing infection is easy to solve, but the sequelae caused by injuries are not.". He paused and looked at Kant, in a deep voice, he said, "Even if he survives, because of the serious sequelae, it's still uncertain whether Bunduk will be able to resume his life. I can't guarantee that."

"What do you mean?"

Kant's brows furrowed tightly.

James said in a deep voice, "Bunduk may not be able to continue serving you."

Kant clenched his fists slightly and fell silent.

Although he had not spent much time with Bunduk, he definitely had feelings for him.

This was because he was a natural-born general from the system. He was able to lead a team to share his worries, and he was a talent that could be nurtured into an outstanding general. Yet, he was cut off like a broken sword in this investigation.

Kant could not accept this at all!

"There will be a way, won't there?", he looked at James.

But James shook his head slowly and apologetically at him. "Currently, the medical skills I have learned are unable to do this, because this kind of severe corrosion..."

Kant did not wait for him to finish speaking before asking, "Then what about healing spells?"

"Spells..."

James frowned slightly. "I have not comment on this."

He did not understand spells. After all, he came from the original version, which belonged to the world of historical MOD.

But Kant did.

"The mages in the mage tower and the priests in the temple might have a way."

Kant pondered.

There were spells in this world, and the mages who lived in seclusion in the mage tower were proof of that.

Divine spell also existed in the temple.

Although the Dukedom of Leo believed in the God of War, Edmund, and the priests mainly used augmentation spells to enhance the combat ability of the troops, they also had divine spell to heal wounds after a battle.

Kant had even read in books that the divine spell of the Holy Curia in the Silver Platter Kingdom was even stronger.

"But I can't go back now."

Kant frowned even more. He understood his situation.

He had already been exiled and had found a salt mine in the Nahrin Desert. If he went back, it would be equivalent to walking into a trap. He would be devoured by those greedy noble families. Even if he didn't go back himself, Bunduk would become a hostage, for some unknown reason, he would be imprisoned and become one of the means to restrain Kant.

Of course, those nobles would do that. The profits of the entire salt mine could arouse the greed of anyone. Kant understood them very well, just like those nobles who thought they knew Kant.

If Kant sent Bunduk into the Dukedom of Leo, the best outcome was probably that he would be imprisoned and used.

If the outcome was not good, they would probably kill him.

Kant would not give up his own foundation just because of Bunduk.

The entire "Drondheim" Castle was the only castle that Kant could own at the moment. It did not matter if it was discovered by the nobles, but if it was occupied by extortion, Kant would definitely not accept it.

Even if he had to sacrifice Bunduk!

Kant had understood the saying that "benevolence did not control the army" in his previous life. In this life, he understood the saying even more because there was no friendship among the nobles.

"Lord Kant."

James opened his mouth and suggested, "Perhaps we can ask the mages from the Enfath Empire."

"I've asked.", Kant shook his head. "They don't know how to heal."

James looked regretful. "If it's possible, I also want to learn some healing spells. Especially when I know that there are still magical extraordinary powers in the world, it might be of great help to my medicine."

"Definitely.", Kant nodded.

In the World of Warcraft, there was a troop class that could heal.

For example, the priests in the Inquisition could cast group healing spells.

The Enfath Empire was a military-centralized country. In the military, mages used destructive spells and summoning spells to destroy the enemy's formation, while the priests in the Inquisition could provide more buffs and healing spells, to recover the casualties of their own troops. They were partners that complemented each other.

This was the help that the system could provide.

For example, these fantasy MOD had many healing spells and divine equipment. Even some historical MOD would also have healing tools that only fantasy world had, or even the special troop classes.

If Kant could draw on of these MOD from the system's lottery, it would be perfect to save Bunduk's life!

He now had 20 honor points.

It could be converted into 22 system lucky draws.

"Wait for me for a moment."

Kant turned to James and arranged, "Take good care of Bunduk. Perhaps when I come out of the room later, there will be a way to save him."

"I will do my best.", James nodded solemnly.

Chapter 259: The Sword of the King

If he wanted to save Bunduk, the system mall's lucky draw was Kant's only choice.

Looking at the 20 honor points displayed in his mind.

Kant took a deep breath and ordered the system in a deep voice, "Start the lucky draw, 10 consecutive lucky draws!"

The dialog box on his retina immediately popped up.

[ Ding... Lucky draw begins ]

The colorful treasure box slowly opened.

On the dialog box, notifications about the lucky draw gift pack kept appearing.

[ You have received a construction pack: Posthouse X 2]

[ You have received a construction pack: Sheep farm X 5]

[ You have received a construction pack: Wool workshop X 5]

[ You have received a construction pack: Tanning workshop X 5]

[ You have received a construction pack: Artisans guild ]

[ You have received an item pack: Sheep × 500]

[ You have received an item pack: Refugee tide × 200 people (male)]

[ You have received an item pack: Refugee tide × 200 people (female)]

[ You have received a special item pack: Terrain modification (River)]

[ You have received a special item pack: Terrain modification (Tributary)]

The notification bar finally ended.

This was the result of 10 consecutive lucky draws.

However, the system did not end the notification bar. There was an additional reward.

[ You have received a construction pack: Water bandits' lair ]

The lucky draw was announced to be over.

Kant's face was calm, but there was a hint of unwillingness in his eyes.

The lucky draw this time could be considered generous, especially the construction pack that was drawn. It was a complete set of handicrafts related construction. By combining the sheep raising industry and the textile industry, one could obtain the output in the shortest amount of time.

The wool could be directly woven into blankets or woolen clothes. After being worsted, it became better than the linen.

What Kant obtained was sheep.

In terms of the amount of wool, it was far from what the sand gazelles in the Senwaya Range could produce.

And the tanning workshop that appeared again had already appeared in "Drondheim" Castle. They could tan many fine leather robes by relying on the sand gazelles. It was quite effective in providing the soldiers on night duty with protection against the cold at night.

Even Manid had the intention of exporting the leather robes when he went to the Stone Pass this time.

Kant could not possibly be in seclusion.

Although he restricted the communication between the Nahrin Desert and the outside world, it was not strictly prohibited.

Kant only prohibited the outside forces from coming into contact with his core castle and discovering it. He would engage in economic exchanges with the other party. He would definitely not object to start a trade. He sent back the captured poor merchant, Borg back to East County for the sake of trade.

At the same time, he developed a secret trading line in the Dukedom of Leo.

Sugar cubes, which were expensive and comparable to spices and table salt, were naturally the mainstream commodities.

But as long as the trade started, the subsequent commodities would still follow.

For example, the linen, leather products, fur products, wool products that Kant could now produce, and even the rich dried meat, smoked meat, and other stored food were all commodities that could be exported.

Although it was impossible to produce too many in a short time, but the future development was promising. It would expand the current agriculture, aquaculture, textile, handicraft, and so on, forming a source of trade that could produce all kinds of goods. With the advantage of Kant's golden finger, they would destroy the original economic products of the Dukedom of Leo, caused monopoly and dumping of resources.

In the feudal era of cold weapons, there was not so much research on commercial activities.

Even if they were to start dumping, they could use silver coins to open a path without any obstruction.

"Not bad."

Kant made a comment on this lucky draw.

However, he turned to look at the room next to him and frowned slightly.

Bunduk's injuries were serious. James' healing techniques and the medical standards of the regular historical MOD weren't able to reach the level of the fantasy MOD could use magic to heal any injuries.

What Kant wanted to obtain in the system lottery was a rare item or troop class that had healing spells.

This was the hope to heal Bunduk.

"There's still a chance to draw again."

Kant frowned and continued to communicate with the system in his mind. He gave the order, "Start the lucky draw."

The dialog box on his retina immediately refreshed.

[ Ding... Lucky draw begins ]

The system gave a prompt.

The prompt bar on the dialog box was refreshing rapidly.

[ You have received an item pack: Wheat field terrace × 100 arcs ]

[ You have received an item pack: Chickpea field × 10 arcs ]

[ You have received an item pack: Henna field × 50 arcs ]

[ You have received a construction pack: Rhodok house × 50 houses ]

[ You have received a construction pack: Stone canal ]

[ You have received a construction pack: Stone walls ]

[ You have received a troop class pack: Rhodok trained spearman x 100 men ]

[ You have received a troop class pack: Rhodok trained crossbowmen × 100 men ]

[ You have received a special pack: Terrain modification (River)]

[ You have received a special pack: Terrain modification (Lake)]

The 10 consecutive draws of this round had ended.

The system once again popped up a notification, and there was an additional reward.

[ You have received an item pack: Sword of the King ]

The draw this time had ended.

Kant glanced at the gift pack that he had received, and his face was slightly gloomy.

Among the 11 gift packs that he had received in the draw this time, there were also no items or troop class that were related to healing spells.

He had placed all his hopes on the system, but in the end, the result was like this. How could Kant's face look happy, how could he be in a good mood?

Of course not!

He sat on the chair dejectedly.

Kant rubbed his head and felt that his temples were a little swollen.

In other words, he was not mentally prepared for the departure of his loyal subordinate, the captain of the crossbowmen, Bunduk. This was the first time since he established his force in the Nahrin Desert.

Even during the attacks of those high-level Jackalans from the Kingdom of Grey Mane, he did not suffer any losses.

Now, just because of one order from him, Bunduk was about to die.

Kant's mood was very frustrating!

He sat on the chair for a long time before he recovered his mood.

His thoughts moved slightly, and a stream of data appeared in his palm. In the blink of an eye, a western-style longsword appeared in his hand. The hilt of the sword was decorated with gold patterns. Although the overall design was simple, it exuded a vigorous appearance, in addition to the gold patterns on the scabbard, just looking at it gave off a feeling of nobility.

This was the item pack that Kant had drawn, the sword of the King.

The only item that he had obtained from the two draws.

[ Sword of the King: This is a weapon once held by a legendary hero. It was forged by the lake elves using divine power and represents the sovereign's authority. Only a true king with a bright heart can use it. It is also a supreme holy item that is conferred the title of knight. Special effect 1: Justice. This sword contains the power of justice. When you join the battle against the evil faction, your direct troops will receive a 200% increase in power. 2: Accolade. This sword can confer a knight title to someone. It can draw divine power from the lake elves and bestow a knight with new power. ]

On his retina, the dialog box was filled with a dense introduction of the longsword's attributes.

Kant's expression was slightly stunned.

However, he immediately gripped the longsword's hilt tightly. His bad mood from not being able to extract a healing item seemed to have recovered a little at this moment.

"The Sword of the King.", Kant frowned.

He glanced at the introduction on the dialog box.

What was said above, that only a true king could use it, were all empty words to him.

He looked directly at the special effect pane.

[ Special effect 1, Justice: This sword contains the power of justice. When joining the battle against the evil faction, the troops directly under it will receive a 200% increase. ]

[ Special effect 2, Accolade: This sword can confer the title of knight. It can draw upon the divine power instilled in the lake elves and bestow a knight with new power. ]

Kant's pupils instantly constricted.

Then, he clenched his fists and looked down at the gold-gilded longsword. He could not help but mutter, "It really is the Sword of the King!"

Special effect 1 was a targeted special effect, Justice, used it against evil creatures, and received a 200% buff.

In other words, if Kant fought against the demons in the underground city in the karst cave the next time, as long as Kant brought the Sword of the King to personally command the troops, then the troops under him would receive an additional 200% buff. Whether it was in terms of strength, speed, stamina, and agility were all qualitative improvements.

For example, the most common level-3 footmen of Kant, Rhodok trained spearmen, after being buffed by the Sword of the King, might be able to fight against the same number of long-horned demons in formation.

In terms of combat strength, the long-horned demons were slightly higher than the Level-4 strongest footmen, Rhodok veteran spearmen!

They could even fight against a level-5 footmen, Rhodok sergeants.

Now, the level-3 footmen Rhodok trained spearmen could fight against the long-horned demons. It had to be said that it was very helpful for Kant to conquer the Senwaya Range.

After all, Kant did not know how many demons were hidden in the Senwaya Range.

It could be seen from the number of demonized creatures everywhere, there were definitely a lot of demons!

However, what relieved Kant's pressure was the special effect 2, Accolade.

The introduction clearly stated that a knight could be conferred. However, Kant was puzzled about this point. After all, in the Kingdom of Swadia's forces, a Swadian knight could only be obtained through level up.

To confer a knight, it was too much.

Kant did not lack experience.

The advantage of having so many enemies was that they could lead their troops to attack at any time. While clearing the enemies, they could also train their troops and level up the low-level troop class. This would allow their troops to quickly become elites in the process of battle.

The power of the golden finger was undoubtedly revealed. It could cheat the battles for a short period of time and quickly increase their military strength.

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ This rare item is a king's item and has the power of a king. It can be used to upgrade a troop class of knights. ]

[ Current troop class that can be upgraded is: Swadian knight. ]

[100 reputation points can be used to confer the Swadian knight as a Swadian royal knight. After the conferment is completed, the knight will be promoted to a royal knight and receive a portion of the king's power contained in the king's sword. ]

[ Remark: A rare item [ Order of the Lion Medal ] has been detected. Combined with the Sword of the King, this medal can be used as a foundation. Consume 10,000 reputation points and 100,000 denars to officially establish the Sarleon Order of Lion. ]. Please continue to check for the specific introduction after the official establishment of the knight order. ]

It seemed to have noticed Kant's confusion.

The system immediately popped up a dialog box.

Chapter 260: Energy Neutralization Therapy

Kant was stunned.

He was truly stunned. He had never thought that special effect 2 would be so powerful!

It was able to raise the level up of the currently level 5 cavalry troop class, which could be considered top-tier troop class and could not be upgraded any longer, to a stronger and higher-level royal knight.

It came from the light and darkness, the Kingdom of Swadia's top troop class.

The Swadian royal knight!

A level 6 cavalry, equipped with a full set of plate armor, a powerful troop class that wielded a knight sword and a conical lance. They could be said to be the pinnacle of the age of cold weapons. Even among the magical fantasy MOD, they could be considered to be the backbone of the combat sequence.

It broken Kant's embarrassing situation which the current level 5 troop class was already the highest level troop class.

And according to the system's introduction.

This royal knight conferred by the Sword of the King would have the power of the king.

Although Kant did not understand, based on the system's introduction, he definitely believed that this so-called power of the king was extraordinary power. Otherwise, the system would not have highlighted it in the introduction.

As for the cost of 100 reputation points, it was extremely simple for Kant.

He currently had 32,000 + reputation points.

This meant that if Kant wanted to, he could easily upgrade 320 maxed out level Swadian knights to the Swadian royal knights who possessed extraordinary power and was known as the king's power.

They would be equipped with full plate armors, including horses and men.

They would be able to truly be the strongest trump card army that Kant currently possessed!

Even the Dukedom of Leo, which was founded on martial arts and had the God of War, Edmund, attached great importance to martial arts. However, in Kant's impression, they did not have the strength to form a cavalry force consisting of grand knights who possessed extraordinary power.

They didn't have a proper troop with dozens of grand knights.

It was estimated that there would not be more than 50 grand knights in the entire Dukedom of Leo.

As for Kant...

He was able to control 320 Swadian royal knight who possessed extraordinary power, countless exquisite killing techniques, and had fought on the battlefield for more than ten years!

This was simply a miracle, the shock from the system's strength!

Thinking of this, Kant slowly let out a breath, and the shadow of Bunduk's casualty slowly dissipated.

The lottery this time made up for the loss of a general.

"Knock, knock, knock."

At this moment, there was a knock on the door.

At the same time, someone outside said, "My lord, are you inside?"

"I am."

Kant frowned slightly, and judging from the voice, it should be the mages of the Enfath Empire, so he said, "Come in and talk."

The door was gently pushed open.

As expected, it was the mages wearing dark mage robes and dark mage hats.

The seven of them bowed respectfully. "My lord."

"Yes.", Kant nodded.

However, he still frowned slightly and asked them, "I remember that you should have come back with the footmen. Why did you leave the army and act on your own? I don't like this kind of behavior."

Marching in the army required rules.

It was the same even for the troops that were recruited from the system.

Kant's voice was not a question, but more like a rebuke. After all, these seven mages had left the army and returned on their own. It was equivalent to an unorganized and undisciplined behavior. If they were placed in a strict troop, they might even be punished!

The mages obviously also realized that their actions were inappropriate.

"No, we didn't encounter any trouble.", the leading mage quickly replied, "My lord, I'm very sorry to have troubled you, but we rushed back for a reason."

Kant frowned and said, "Give me a reason not to punish you."

Military discipline was serious.

Even if they rushed back, if there was no convincing reason, Kant would still punish them.

Otherwise, the next time other soldiers left the troops with similar excuses, if there was a follow-up reaction, or even a decline in military discipline, who would be responsible?

Kant would not give such an excuse to allow the discipline of the troops to decline!

"I'm sorry."

The mage lowered his head and said, "We have thought of a way to treat Lord Bunduk."

"What way?", Kant was slightly stunned, and then he said in a deep voice, "If this is the reason, then I will think that you did not make a mistake. Now tell me, what kind of treatment method have you thought of?"

"It's the energy neutralization method.", the mage quickly answered.

"Tell me more details.", Kant said with a frown.

The mage immediately said seriously, "It means that Lord Bunduk's injury was caused by the corrosive effect of the negative energy contained in the demon's blood. We discussed this kind of external injury on the way and thought that it could be treated as the magic damage caused by the negative energy corrosion. The treatment method is to neutralize the negative energy through some kind of gentle positive energy, reducing the corrosive effect of the negative energy, and then use the traditional surgery and first aid, as well as the follow-up recuperation, to allow Lord Bunduk recover from it."

Kant lowered his head and muttered, "This is the energy neutralization method."

"That's right.", the mages nodded. At the same time, they said solemnly, "As long as the negative energy loses its corrosiveness, there won't be too much of a threat. After all, the positive energy is very gentle. If we control the strength of both sides well, the possibility of healing is extremely high!"

"If we're talking about the positive energy."

Kant thought for a moment, then raised his head and said to the mages, "I remember that you said that the energy contained in the sun disk is the positive energy. Can it be used to treat Bunduk?"

"This...", the mages were a little embarrassed.

"What's wrong? Can't it be done?", seeing their embarrassed looks, Kant frowned and asked.

"Not yet...", the mages nodded awkwardly. "We weren't mage apprentices anymore. Now that I think about it, we weren't afraid of the experiment back then, which was why the experiment failed.". After a pause, they looked at Kant, the tone of their voice was slightly lower. "However, we have also come to a conclusion. Although the positive energy in the sun disk is sufficient, it is too violent. It is similar to the scorching positive energy that the priests in the Inquisition possess. It can perfectly attack evil creatures. However, with our methods, we are still unable to compare with the priests who have painstakingly researched this kind of power."

"Damn it.", Kant slammed the table heavily, and his eagerness instantly turned cold. He was still a little frustrated about Bunduk's injury. This was a general who could lead the troops in the future!

"My lord, please don't be agitated."

The mages whispered, "The sun disk cannot be used to neutralize the energy, but when we just entered the council hall, we felt another, brand new, gentler, and controllable source of positive energy."

Kant raised his eyebrows, and his quiet mood suddenly rose again. "What is it?"

However, before he could finish his words, he reacted. He saw the mages looking at the Sword of the King that he had placed beside the table. He directly picked it up and placed it on the table, looking at the gilded hilt and scabbard, he asked in a deep voice, "The source of positive energy that you mentioned, could it be this, the Sword of the King?"

"Yes, that's right.", the mages immediately nodded.

Kant smiled. "I didn't expect this sword to have such an effect!"

"This is called the Sword of the King."

The mages said in a relief tone, "No wonder. In our perception, although this longsword contains positive energy, it's actually not gentle. Instead, it has a bit of sharpness, but it can't reach the level of the sun disk that can burn people and raise fire elements out of thin air. It's like an emperor that rule over positive energy."

Kant chuckled, his expression relaxed. "As long as we can save Bunduk's life, that's fine. After all, I was the one who sent him to the city walls to deal with that abyssal demon. I have a responsibility to take care of his injuries."

"My Lord, you are the most benevolent.", the mages saluted respectfully.

"Let's begin the treatment."

Kant stood up. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

The mages said, "Yes, my lord. This Sword of the King has acknowledged you as its master. I reckon that we don't even have the right to touch it. When we neutralize the energy, you must be present personally."

"Acknowledge me as its master?", Kant was curious.

"That's right. In our perception, this sword can only be used by a true king."

The mages saluted Kant respectfully. "And the facts have already proven, my lord, that you are the true king, a born noble emperor. Even if the emperor of the Enfath Empire sees you, he still has to give his respect."

"Is that so.", Kant nodded, thinking of the introduction of this longsword.

But Kant did not care about this problem.

He quickly led the mages out of the room, and James was waiting outside.

Seeing Kant come out with a faint smile on his face, his originally nervous heart also relaxed. He smiled at Kant and said, "Lord Kant, looking at your smile, have you found a way to cure Mr. Bunduk?"

"Yes, thanks to these mages.", Kant smiled and nodded.

"Thank you all so much!", James nodded in gratitude. "I really don't want to lose my old friend, and I don't want to see my old friend live like a cripple with his lower body. I really have to thank you all!"

Bunduk was an NPC from the good camp, so his relationship with James was very good.

Most of them were friends.

"You flatter us.", the mages said humbly, "This is what we should do."

"Alright, let's begin."

Kant urged.

"Understood.", James nodded.

They entered the room where Bunduk was.

Amid the thick smell of blood, Bunduk's chest and abdomen were wrapped with clean linen, he was still unconscious on the bed. Beside him, there was an attentive Rhodok woman waiting on him. When she saw Kant and the others enter, she quickly bowed respectfully.

"There's no need to be so polite. You can leave first."

Kant waved at her.

"Yes.", the Rhodok woman nodded and left silently.

The mages came to Bunduk's side and raised the magic staffs in their hands, they said respectfully to Kant, "My lord, please stand beside us and raise your sword. Next, we will draw the power from the sword. We hope that you will allow us to borrow your authority. This is not an offense."

Chapter 261: The Awaked Bunduk

"Yes, I allow it."

Kant nodded, even though he didn't quite understand it.

"Thank you for your authorization, my Lord.", the mages lowered their heads to express their gratitude.

As they spoke softly, they chanted the magic incantation of the Enfath Empire. Within the gemstones inlaid with silver and precious materials, a faint wave of ripples appeared and gradually lit up.

The King's sword in Kant's hand let out an intimidating cry.

A faint golden light streaked across the gilded pattern.

An epiphany appeared in Kant's mind. The incantation and staff from the mages beside him released a wave of mind power that wrapped around the King's sword, it was like the sword was welcoming the enchanting as well. The spell invited the elven divine power contained in the sword to heal the Bunduk, who was lying on the bed in front of him, his face was pale and was heavily injured.

In Kant's heart, if he wanted to, he could cut off this connection at any time. Moreover, he could borrow the elven divine power on the King's sword to intimidate the mind power that came to communicate with him. He could even cut it off directly.

This was equivalent to a psychic attack, or it could be called a soul attack.

Thus, the mages would carefully ask Kant for permission to come into contact with these elven divine powers first.

This was because Kant had to be focused and cleared his mind. Otherwise, if the King's sword sensed something wrong, it would instantly explode with terrifying power.

As mages who used their spiritual power to directly come into contact with the elven divine power, they would probably be destroyed by this power on the spot. They might even find their souls directly along the spiritual power. The consequences would be terrible!

If they were lucky, their spiritual power would be weakened and become an ordinary person.

If they were unlucky, they might even become an idiot with only three years old intelligence!

Thinking of this, the mages became even more cautious.

The spiritual power of the elves had already been drawn out.

It carried with it the glorious might of a sovereign king.

Golden light flickered on the gold-plated scabbard and hilt. Even on the body of the sword scabbard, the gold-plated part was also releasing a gentle and inviolable power.

The grace of the emperor was like the sea, and the might of the emperor was like the abyss.

As the emperor, the grace could nourish all things, and the anger could also burn the world.

However, what was displayed now was the grace from Kant.

Under the guidance of the mages, this gentle elven divine power slowly came into contact with Bunduk's bandaged abdomen. Ignoring the physical barrier, the golden light slowly descended.

"Zi Zi Zi --"

A slight sound, like a ladle of oil meets cold water.

Curling black smoke instantly spread out in the golden light.

"Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh..."

Bunduk's already pale face suddenly appeared a few abnormal red.

He was still in a daze and let out a few unconscious moans, as if he was in great pain. His face was full with cold sweat, suddenly wet the surrounding pillows and sheets.

"The energy is neutralized."

The mages opened their mouths and explained in a grave tone, "It's a normal phenomenon."

"Alright.", Kant nodded.

The golden light finally entered Bunduk's chest and abdomen.

The sizzling sound that was originally like frying meat disappeared, and even the black smoke became fainter and fainter.

Bunduk's face regained its calmness.

However, his face was still pale. In a short moment, the cold sweat on his head had soaked through the surface of the bedsheets and pillows. Clearly, when the positive and negative energy was neutralized, the conflict between the two powers was still intense.

"Treatment is over."

The mages let out a sigh of relief.

The mages withdrew their spiritual power, and the King's sword in Kant's hand also ended with a light hum.

The golden light on the gilded pattern also disappeared.

Regarding this, the mages turned their heads and said to James, "Lord James, the corrosive nature of the negative energy has already been suppressed and neutralized by the gentle positive energy. Next, it is up to your medical skills to complete it. You can save lord Bunduk's life through surgery and follow-up recuperation, allowing him to completely recover."

"Thank you very much.", James nodded his head sincerely.

"Well done."

Kant also praised them.

These mages from the Enfath Empire were indeed much stronger than when they were mage apprentices. Whether it was their performance in the battle or their use of magic knowledge in daily life, they were beyond compared to their apprentices-selves.

No matter how good the apprentices were, they still could not compare to the mages who were in combat status every day.

"Do your best."

The mages lowered their heads and responded humbly.

At this moment, Bunduk, who was still lying on the bed, opened his eyes slightly. His pale face turned a little red as he said weakly, "Water..."

"Bunduk is awake!"

James was pleasantly surprised. "As expected of magic, it's remarkably effective!"

He quickly picked up the wooden bowl of warm water beside him, he walked over and handed it to Bunduk. "Mr. Bunduk, the water is here. Drink it quickly. However, don't drink too much water because you lose too much blood. I will arrange the most appropraite recuperation later so that you can recover quickly and return to your previous health."

"Oh, it's Mr. James."

Bunduk blinked and glanced weakly at Kant and the mages beside him.

Suddenly, his dizzy head regained its clarity. He struggled to sit up. "I'm sorry, Lord Kant. I seem to have been injured and did not complete the mission you gave me."

"Don't be too polite.", Kant saw that he had regained consciousness and smiled. "Rest well. Your mission has been completed. That abyssal demon has been completely killed.". He paused and then comforted Bunduk. "This village still needs you to protect it. Get well as soon as possible. Your mission is still very important."

"I will. I will get well as soon as possible."

Bunduk nodded solemnly.

"Alright, James. You will treat Bunduk. If there is no emergency situation in this room, do not let outsiders in. Otherwise, the infection will cause his illness to worsen."

The matter was basically settled, and Kant also advised considerately, "James, in the next few months, the village will have to rely on you to maintain it. Please be careful. If anything happens, I will arrange for Firentis or Rolf to come and help."

"Understood.", James nodded.

However, there was a hint of awkwardness on his face. "If it's Rolf, I don't think there's a need. Things in the village aren't busy at the moment, I can handle it by myself.". His tone was a little hesitant, "I think Mr. Bunduk doesn't want to see Rolf when he's recuperating."

"That's right. I feel like I'm recovering very quickly.", Bunduk also declined. "If Rolf comes over, it won't be enough to cause trouble for us."

"Then I'll respect your opinion."

Kant shrugged.

The relationship between the two NPC factions was quite complicated.

However, they basically never communicated with each other. Even in the tavern, it was considered a good relationship if they were indifferent to each other. If they were on bad terms, they would draw their swords and look for trouble after they drank too much.

However, they did not need to help each other. It was good that they could help each other.

Rolf's task at the posthouse was equally difficult.

More and more fine white salt from the Oasis Lookout appeared at the Stone Pass. After earning a large amount of silver coins, it also attracted more and more greedy gazes.

Those noble families would not let go of this huge sum of money easily.

Baron Dylan was indeed at the front.

But those greedy nobles would not be intimidated by a small baron like him.

It was probably while Kant was talking here, there might be many evil-minded trade caravan appeared at the posthouse.

Who knew how many spies wanted to escape Rolf and the desert bandits'patrol and go to the Oasis Lookout, but they were cut off by the desert bandits who were patrolling everywhere at all times with machetes and thrown into the desert as warning signs, they were told what would happen if they did not follow the rules.

Kant would not be merciful to those who were spying on his own estate.

Rolf's had very high authority in the posthouse.

He was even allowed to lead his troops to attack when he was faced with a possible enemy and did not need to report!

Kant walked out of Bunduk's recuperation room.

He still had many things to deal with.

For example, the current "Aaron" Village had reached the level up stage.

However, just before the level up, Kant still needed to plan the current terrain. After all, the Senwaya Range was located in a mountainous area, and the usable land was extremely small. It couldn't be compared to the flat land of the Nahrin Desert.

At the very least, the Nahrin Desert could be built at will without considering the terrain.

But the Senwaya Range was another case.

Although there were about 1,600 acres of flat land on the mountain peak, it couldn't be built arbitrarily.

Kant wanted not only villages, but also towns and cities.

What he wanted was a production base with agriculture, animal husbandry, breeding, and handicraft as its core, which could supply at least two city-level production bases for nearly 30,000 people, and a crucial backline for the entire force!

All the buildings that he had won in the lottery would be built here.

A mere 1,600 arcs of flat land on top of the mountain would not be able to meet his future arrangements.

Therefore, the planning had to be even more careful.

Especially in the deeper parts of the Senwaya Range, which was close to the size of a primitive forest, a good plan in advance would definitely allow a city that was well-built in the future to step into a glorious development.

Kant already had some plans in his mind.

He came to the outside of the council hall.

He looked at the flat area behind the council hall.

With a thought, the 50 traditional Rhodok houses immediately appeared.

The data flow was spreading. The houses made of wood were clearly layered, thick, and beautiful. They were indeed the traditional houses of the Rhodok people. The wooden houses built on the mountain had good resistance to damps, earthquakes, and floods.

After all, the Rhodok mountain area was not comparable to the Swadian Plain.

Even if there was a large amount of stone, in order to prevent earthquakes, floods, and other disasters, wooden buildings were used.

This was the wisdom of the Rhodok people.

At the same time, the 400 refugees from Kingdom of Rhodoks were selected by Kant.

As the golden light dispersed, groups of refugees came with groups at the foot of the mountain. They were full of joy as they looked at the river and hydraulic mill at the foot of the mountain, as well as the city wall and sentry tower at the top of the mountain. Their eyes were filled with respect for the future.

The Ravenstern rangers came down to arrange for them.

The 100 Rhodok peasants were still busy gathered to welcome the arrival of their new companions. They opened the gate and helped them carry their luggage, kept asking about their well-being.

The Rhodok people could be said to be the most united.

After all, being able to establish a country independently and resist the oppression of the Kingdom of Swadia was a symbol of unity.

And the backbone of the Kingdom of Rhodoks, the Rhodok's phalanx formation, required their compatriots to stand shoulder to shoulder and believe in their comrades by their side. Only by uniting together would they be able to bring out their greatest power.

Only by believing in their compatriots could they win the future.

The Rhodok people firmly believed in this.

Chapter 262: The Construction of "Aaron" Village

With the help of the peasant who came first, the new refugees from Kingdom of Rhodoks began to take off their dirty clothes and bathe in the nearby river. The bathing time of men and women was separated.

It was not only to prevent disease, but also to welcome the ceremony of a new life.

Wash away the old dust and welcome a new life!

The customs of the Rhodok people originated from the Swadian people, and they also believed in this.

And at the top of the mountain, new buildings began to appear from the void.

50 traditional Rhodok wooden houses were neatly arranged, and they were quickly built after the council hall. The stone foundation, the main body made of high-quality wood, including the thick wooden boards that acted as walls and the roof, were all very well-made. Just like how a high-quality architect planned, it was completed by the combined efforts of excellent carpenters and construction workers.

Including the thick wooden floors that were close to half a meter above the ground, it was not only moisture-proof but also able to prevent waterlogging. Even if there was a mountain flood or other disaster, the flood could flow along the floor that was supported by pillars to the low-lying area to avoid disaster.

Basically, all the buildings were like this.

The council hall was also built in the same way. This was the role of the steps.

It was very suitable for the current mountain environment of the Senwaya Range. It could be said to be very practical.

The following buildings were much more ordinary.

Five wool workshops and five tanning workshops were built side by side on the left. This was the handicrafts area planned to be developed on the mountain top in the future. It was responsible for weaving wool into blankets or wool fabrics and making use of the rich wildlife resources, tanning leather or soft fur became the center of the handicraft industry.

On the right side were chicken farms and beekeeping farms. The coo-coo grouse and buzzing bees almost treated this mountain area as a paradise. This was indeed the case.

Wild animals that could threaten the residents and livestock were all hunted cleanly.

The Ravenstern rangers did not care about killing animals.

In the icy world of the Kingdom of Ravenstern, they relied on the prey in the Misty Mountain for a living. Almost all rangers were top-notch hunters, and they were extremely experienced in hunting.

This also caused the carnivorous wild animals in the nearby mountains to become dried meat hanging in the storeroom.

Even the number of pheasants and hares had decreased by quite a bit.

Burning mountains to create farmland was more or less the same situation.

At the southernmost location, the originally lush forest had long been cut down. Black smoke was rising from the mud kiln, and a large number of charcoal was burned out to directly supply "Drondheim" Castle.

The salt workshop and sugar workshop at "Drondheim" Castle consumed a large amount of charcoal.

But it was not necessarily the case.

The trees around the village and a lot of well-structured and smooth wood were transported to the weapons workshop of "Drondheim Castle". Although they didn't have iron ore and couldn't make many excellent weapons, the arrow shafts that were commonly needed could be made with a large amount of feathers that they had obtained from hunting.

In addition, the iron ingots that were purchased from the merchants and the arrowheads that were hammered in the blacksmith's shop could be made into hundreds of ordinary arrows or crossbows every day. Although the quantity was small, it could still maintain the current consumption and save up a lot.

The Vaegirs archers and the Ravenstern rangers were the main force of the arrow consumption.

Especially in wartime.

It was common to consume tens of thousands of arrows every day.

Just like last time, when "Drondheim" was still a fortress, the expedition army of the Kingdom of Gray Mane was desperate to attack the city. In less than two hours, they had consumed close to tens of thousands of arrows.

If it were not for Kant's three "Ammunition recovery" spells, the city wall's defense line would have been broken through long ago.

At that time, he did not have as many archers as he had now.

Although the Swadian militia had hunting crossbow, they were very weak.

Even so, the number of arrows used up was very shocking. With the current 500 archers as an example, it was estimated that the tens of thousands of arrows used in the battle at that time would be emptied in ten minutes this time.

This group of archers had been strengthened by the system.

When the arm was pulled, it would often cause severe strain on the muscles. However, as a troop class of the system, they had sufficient endurance.

Hence, the rain of arrows was extremely high in density and frequency.

Kant had originally considered negotiating with Baron Dylan at the Stone Pass to import some arrows and crossbow arrows for storage. However, they were naturally rejected because they were asking for military supplies.

Now that there was a village in the Senwaya Range, the problem of producing arrows and crossbows had been solved.

Although they were not as good as awl arrows or steel crossbows.

However, with the abilities of these top-level archers, they were able to kill any armored unit. Even if they encountered a top-level heavy armored unit, they still had advantage by relying on the city walls. After all, they could shoot from a high vantage point, at close range, the power was enough to injure the enemy in heavy armor.

Following Kant's plan, more buildings began to appear, including the craftsmen's guild. They were of the same type as the Oasis Lookout. It was a castle-level building, but it can be built at village level now.

With this building, a large number of civilians could be trained into talents in various industries.

Currently, there was also a sheep farm.

However, Kant did not want to build it on the top of the mountain.

Compared to a chicken farm and a beekeeping farm, a single sheep farm occupied an area of 50 acres.

Kant could currently build five sheep farms.

After all, raising medium-sized livestock required a little activity environment.

However, the sheep could not be raised free-range, because sheep needed to be kept in captive, similar to a camel farm, but the requirements were even higher. After all, this was a breed that produced wool. Every month, the wool had to be shaved to obtain wool, and there were strict rules in raising it.

If they were raised free-range, they would easily encounter danger.

For example, the grouse would flutter their wings in groups and return to the cliff or forest. If they encountered wild beasts, they could even fly to the trees to hide.

If these sheep encountered wild beasts, they would probably become delicious fresh mutton.

"Build it in the area near the road at the bottom of the mountain."

Kant made a decision in his heart.

As he communicated with the system in his mind, he once again entered god's view.

The sheep farm was built at the bottom of the mountain. On the left side of the road, although it was also a slope, with the appearance of the system's rules, the entire slope suddenly turned into a slightly flat area.

Although it was still a slope, there was at least no problem in raising sheep.

The small river that originated from the subterranean river flowed on the right side of the road, and it was quite convenient to draw water.

The 500 sheep that came from the sheep farm bleated and appeared in the sheep pen. The surrounding area was surrounded by a half-meter-high wooden fence, which acted as a barrier, separating the weeds and shrubs on the surrounding slope.

After hunting, the surrounding wild beasts became scarce.

This small hill that was close to the top of the village was also an area that Kant intended to develop.

The slope of this hill was relatively gentle.

The lush vegetation on it was all shrubs, but there were fewer trees.

It was a good place to build terraced fields.

Through Kant's God's view observation, this hill could cultivate thousands of acres of terraced fields, so there was absolutely no problem. Moreover, the road had to be taken step by step, and the terraced fields had to be opened up by mountain slopes.

As long as the weeds, shrubs and the woods were cleaned, the development of terraced fields were basically feasible.

Moreover, he still had buildings.

100 arcs of wheat terraced fields, 100 arcs of chickpea fields, and 50 arcs of scattered flower fields.

These could all be planted directly.

With his thoughts, just above the sheep farm, the originally barren land began to change. Rows of land began to appear, eventually forming arcs of good farmland. The land was even quite fertile, even more fertile than the soil on the original mountain, just like a completely reclaimed plain field.

250 acres of terraced fields were formed.

Next was a stone canal made of stones.

It was the same building Kant had obtained in the lottery. The canal made of stones was able to supply all the terraced fields. As for the source of the irrigation, he had already considered it.

"Spring's eye."

As far as Kant's eyes could see, it was a water flow that appeared in a depression at the top of the hill.

The spring was a water source that the system directly connected to the water elemental world. A large amount of fresh water gushed out of the void spring and gathered at the top of the stone canal.

The fresh water directly entered the canal, irrigated all the terraced fields, and finally flowed into a small river.

But Kant was not the only one who had this special gift pack.

The reward from the two lucky draws could be said to be bountiful. This was because Kant's special gift pack also had [River channel] , [Tributary] , [Stream] , and [Lake] .

And there was also a reward that could be obtained by exploring the depths of the desert, [Spring's eye] .

So Kant was not stingy when using it.

His mind moved slightly.

The effect of [River channel] was activated instantly. In Kant's god's view, a river channel construction plan appeared in his vision. He subconsciously began to spread from the river he chose at the foot of the mountain all the way to the mountain pass, there were five temporary camps set up by the desert bandits there, and all of them were covered.

However, this river channel was not a natural depression and underground, but a real, artificial river channel that was five meters wide and three meters deep!

There was a stone paved road next to it, and there were stone slabs at the bottom of the river channel that could be used to remove silt.

The river channel had been widened.

The stone road and the river accompanied each other, and they reached the mountain pass from the foot of the mountain.

The overall appearance of the river looked like an ancient passage.

However, compared to the subterranean river, which was at least four to five meters deep and thirty meters wide, this river was still very small. Because of the area of the river, the surface of the water instantly dropped to more than ten centimeters. Instead, it flowed like a small stream, at most, it could pass through a person's calves. It looked quite pitiful.

However, Kant's mind immediately chose the [Tributary]. This was a special topographical transformation.

The tributary could directly communicate with the surrounding water veins.

It could connect both sides.

Kant naturally chose the subterranean river at the bottom of the mountain. With the appearance of the tributary, the cracks on the wall suddenly expanded into a four to five meters cave. Large amounts of underground water surged out and filled the river, the level of the water that was originally falling rapidly increased until it was slightly lower than the dam before it finally calmed down.

The small river flowed slowly. It was neither too fast nor too slow. Five meters wide was enough for ships to travel. The bulk of the goods really did not need to pass through the stone pavement on the side. They could be directly transported to the mountain pass by small merchant ships.

Kant's wild desire to use the river to connect "Aaron" and "Drondheim" had never disappeared.

Chapter 263: Leveled-up Town

For example, the following [ River ] was the embodiment of Kant's ambition.

[ Terrain transformation (River): Contains the mysterious power of rule, it can communicate with the water elemental plane and transform the terrain at the level of rule. It can connect existing lakes, subterranean rivers, subterranean lakes, river channels, ancient river channels, and dried river channels. The water elemental plane can provide water to form a river. ]

Kant's breathing stopped slightly, and his face was filled with shock.

He hadn't expected that this seemingly ordinary lottery result, this seemingly ordinary special gift pack, would actually contain such a terrifying result. It could be said to be able to change the current situation.

That's right, it could change Kant's current layout in the Nahrin Desert!

He looked at the system's description.

It was able to directly connect existing lakes, subterranean rivers, subterranean lakes, rivers, ancient rivers, and dried-up rivers through the water elemental plane to form rivers.

This was why Kant was shocked, the shock that a miracle appeared before his eyes!

His idea could now become a reality.

Connecting the Oasis Lookout and the Senwaya Range with rivers was no longer a dream.

Transport ships could directly use the waterway to travel between the two places. The speed was fast, and the amount of goods transported was huge. It was completely different from the overland route. It beyond compared to just relying on camels or pack horses!

The ship's goods would quickly travel between the two places.

The elite troops could also use the waterway to travel between any area.

However, Kant frowned slightly.

After the shock just now, he suddenly found that he should keep calm.

"Something's wrong."

Kant muttered to himself.

His mind calmed down and he quickly regained his consciousness.

Now that he was thinking seriously, if he really chose to use this special gift pack, it would be equivalent to being stupid. Because the current Kant did not have enough strength to protect this waterway.

Strategically, he is still on the defensive.

Whether it is the Dukedom of Leo, or the distant Coast of Mannheim.

It was a threat to Kant.

He could build "Drondheim" Castle here, and ensure his hegemony in the Nahrin Desert. The water resources of this castle, as well as the strong walls and towers were the guarantee of his power.

This was his foundation.

If this river appeared, his two estates could certainly communicate.

But more enemies could use the water resources formed by this river to besiege "Drondheim" Castle for a long time, and even find "Aaron" along the river, his weak rear.

The gains didn't make up for the losses.

It was completely inconsistent with the current situation!

Kant needed the harsh environment of the Nahrin Desert as a natural moat.

Instead of foolishly turning this harsh environment and the area that was extremely short of water into an area where the enemy could boldly launch a military and gave them beneficial help on logistics and supplies!

After calming down, Kant could not help but smile bitterly. "I'm possessed."

He was now completely calm.

Looking at this special gift pack [ River ] , he shook his head because of his impulsive thought just now.

If he wanted to use it, he needed more development.

At the very least, he needed to have the strength to defeat the enemy troops in the Nahrin Desert. Otherwise, this river would become the enemy's shortcut and backing, and not Kant's help.

However, Kant could not use this [ River ] , but he could use [ Lake ] .

"Materialize immediately."

In the thought communication system, a large amount of data-flow instantly appeared.

On the eastern side of the mountain peak, the terrain that was originally a cliff began to change along with the data flow. The area that was originally a complex low-lying area and a mountain valley began to expand in a short period of time. At the same time, it sank. When the data flow was small, it finally formed into a lake.

It was more than 300 meters long and more than 200 meters wide, and its depth seemed to be about four meters.

Next to it was a cave where water gushed out from underground.

The water from the river flowed into the lake continuously, but at the same time, the water from both of them also flowed into the river channel, speeding up the flow of the river channel outside the Senwaya Range.

"Build the city wall!"

Kant materialized the building that he won in the last lottery.

The five meters high and two meters wide stone city wall immediately appeared, but the direction of the construction was not at the top of the mountain, but around the mountain, completely separating the mountain from the Senwaya Range in the outside world.

In this way, those wild beasts or demonized creatures would be completely locked in the outside world.

The city wall was the isolation circle.

Even the enemy could not climb over this city wall.

After all, it was built according to the terrain of the mountain. Although it was at the foot of the mountain, coupled with the other low-lying areas and the intersection of the two mountains, the difference of the elevation between the wall and low-lying areas could reach more than three meters, which meant that the height of the city wall was increased.

Especially the city gate.

The only city gate that Kant had reserved was the one under the gentle slope in the south.

As long as there was an enemy invasion, the busy peasants in the agricultural area and the livestock in the livestock area could quickly use this city gate to move in and defend this mountain. If they could not defend the city wall, they could also use the caves inside the city wall to escape into the relics of the temple, or they could go to the underground city of the karst cave where the ancient passage was located.

Kant's current plan could be said to be extremely safe and secure. After all, with the development of "Aaron", he would eventually be exposed to the world, and the pressure he would face would definitely increase dramatically.

This was because "Aaron" was very close to the Stone Pass, much closer than "Drondheim".

Some enemies who harbored malicious intentions or were frustrated in the Oasis Lookout would definitely come over to investigate, or even launch an attack to vent their hatred, as long as they knew that Kant's hidden forces were still here.

Therefore, safety was the most important thing.

However, to be able to break through a city or castle guarded by the Rhodok people was a bit of a joke.

Kant also had confidence in these Rhodok people.

Rhodok's broad shield, the siege crossbow of the Rhodok sergeant, and the deadly heavy bow of the Ravenstern ranger. If they wanted to break through this city wall, they had to at least leave behind several times of the corpses than the wall defenders!

Moreover, Kant was going to level up 'Aaron' Village!

His thoughts moved slightly.

On his vision, a dialog box immediately popped up.

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ Currently, the equipment of 'Aaron' Village is complete. Level up is allowed. ]

[ Yes/No level up. ]

The system gave him a choice.

But Kant did not hesitate at this time. He said with certainty, "Level up!"

He was extremely certain.

"Aaron" had been a village for too long. He needed more villages to level up to a higher level of the territory's central hub, to ensure that his development in the future would become more stable and faster!

With his affirmation, the data stream instantly exploded.

The council hall was wrapped in data.

Large amounts of data streams began to entangle, bringing mysterious and bizarre rules to this world.

As if he had broken some crystal wall and connected the rules of the two worlds, the council hall in front of Kant began to change. This was the most direct change after the rules merged.

At the same time, the system continued to pop up the dialog box on his retina.

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ The village has reached the level up standard. There are two modes for this level up. ]

[1 fortress (military)/2 town (economy)]

[ Please make a reasonable choice based on the current situation. Once confirmed, there will be no changes afterward. ]

Kant muttered to himself.

After scanning through this option, a smile appeared on his face. "Town!"

This was a completely different choice from when he chose "Drondheim" as the fortress.

It also represented a completely different development!

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ The mode confirmed as town. Level up of village. ]

The data stream continued to spread.

It seemed to last for a long time, but it only lasted for a few seconds.

The data stream that completely covered the council hall was ferocious when it came, but it disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Kant had also exited God's view.

He stood next to the council hall again and turned his head to look. The council hall, which was originally just an ordinary two-story wooden house, was still two stories tall, but the area it occupied was several times larger.

Even the rooms had changed from six to a total of 24.

At the same time, there was a complete Lord's hall, as well as offices on both sides, a living room, a kitchen, and a storeroom. The bedroom on the second floor and the additional storeroom were wrapped up.

There were also many decorations that were in Rhodok's style.

For example, the wall decorations made from the head of a wild beast.

There were also many artefacts carved from trees, inlaid with silver and gemstones. They looked very exquisite.

Including the animal skin on the floor.

Only now did Kant think that the term council hall was very appropriate.

Council hall in a fortress or castle was more like a military tower or small fortress. It was built to defend against the enemy. As for governing, there were not many designs.

The current council hall was very suitable.

The office next to it could accommodate government employees and maintain the commercial, handicraft, and agricultural arrangements of the town.

As well as the most important tax revenue in the town.

Starting from the town, Kant needed to recruit government employees to help the generals with office work. Especially after the town grew larger and more advanced, the number of government employees would increase. After all, with only one or two generals, it was difficult to maintain the operation of a huge city. He needed many subordinates to help him.

Of course, Kant did not need to think too much for the time being. The town that had just appeared had not been built yet. All the buildings that belonged to the town still needed to be added.

"Open the town interface.", Kant gave the order.

...

[ Aaron ]

[ Lord: Kant ]

[ Balance: 135,630 denar ]

[ Reputation: 32,800]

[ Honor: 0]

[ General: James, Bunduk ]

[ Type: Rhodok town ]

[ Current population: 500]

[ Current troops: 517]

[ Building: Council hall (town-level), house (70), fence, mill, watch tower (4) , well, ranger camp, stone city wall, chicken farm (5), bee farm (5) , sheep farm (5) , wool workshop (5) , tanning workshop (5) ]

[ Constructions available: House, grocery store, wheat field, pumpkin field, flax field, hunter's hut, blacksmith shop, barracks, stone walls, stone gates, arrow towers, weapons workshop, jail ]

[ Agricultural resources: Wheat field (100 arcs) , chickpea field (100 arcs) , scattered flower field (50 arcs) ]

[ Animal husbandry: Sand grouse (500) , bees (50 beehives) , sheep (1000) ]

[ Fighting force summary: 200 footmen, 217 archers ]

[ Current troops: Rhodok sergent (100) , Rhodok trained spearman (100) , Ravenstern ranger (87) , Ravenstern warden (20) , Rhodok crossbowman (20) , Rhodok trained crossbowman (100) ]

[ Recruitable: Rhodok people (council hall) , Ravenstern rangers (Ranger camp)]

[ Comment: The brand new "Aaron" Town has just been established, and it seems to be in good condition. There were hundreds of acres of fields on the hillside, and sheep were moving leisurely in the fence. The residents were busy in the fields with hope, and the troops were patrolling the city walls, preparing to welcome the future in high spirits

Remark: Non-system items are not included in the statistics

Chapter 264: The Ever-changing Mountains

The system interface was clearly marked.

Kant muttered to himself. The town level was indeed different from the fortress level buildings.

Most of the buildings were ordinary civilian buildings. As for military buildings, there were very few of them. Other than the city walls, there were also the city gates. Even if there were buildings to defend against the enemy, they were just arrow towers.

Compared to the fortress-level buildings with all sorts of military facilities, it was undoubtedly less safe.

However, the town was primarily for the people.

Kant had already expected this.

As long as the council hall could recruit basic troop class soldiers and the ranger camp could recruit strong level 4 archers, then the town would have enough self-protection ability.

After all, if one wanted to take down a town with city walls and defensive troops, it would be quite difficult if they did not have larger troops than the defending troops. Moreover, this was a mountainous area with a complicated environment. With the city walls and towns built by relying on the terrain of the mountains, with the current defensive force, the town would not have a problem to defend against 3,000 enemy troops with siege weapons.

Although Kant had paved roads that opened up the complicated Senwaya Range.

However, outside the mountain pass was the Nahrin Desert.

The cruel environment also weakened any enemy supply lines. Even if there were paved roads as a path to enter the mountain pass, the steep terrain also increased the difficulty of attacking the city.

The stone walls that looked like five meters, with the mountain base at the bottom with three to five meters in height, the stone walls were actually eight to ten meters or even higher!

This town was quite stable.

At least in terms of defense, it was not inferior to the Oasis Lookout.

Kant nodded in satisfaction and retreated from the god's view.

The originally sparse mountain peak now had many new buildings. Many Rhodok people were walking out happily. It seemed that they were also very satisfied with the new house.

The newly joined refugees had finished bathing in the river and changed into clean clothes. They came to the street formed by houses together. The peasant arranged the rooms for them. At the same time, they gave a general introduction of the surrounding environment and the current situation. They were also assigned the following tasks, so that they could familiarize themselves with and join the town that had just appeared as soon as possible.

When Kant returned to the council hall, James was still examining Bunduk's injuries. His face was somewhat relaxed. It was obvious that after the mages' magic experiments, Bunduk's injuries had completely recovered.

Moreover, due to the effect of the positive energy, it stimulated his own recovery ability, allowing his wounds to recover very quickly.

"Looks like he's recovering well."

Kant smiled.

Bunduk nodded gratefully. "It's all thanks to your concern, as well as James and the mages' treatment."

"It's mainly because of Lord Kant and the mages."

James sighed. "Magic is really a magical power. Originally, according to my prediction, it would take at least half a year to recover from the injury. Now, it seems that it would take about a month to recover, and three months to completely recover."

"This is really good.", Kant nodded in satisfaction.

"I'm very grateful."

Bunduk also nodded in gratitude.

He had lost consciousness in the underground city of the karst cave for a short while.

At that time, he was already prepared to die in battle. After all, he had already seen through life and death during his travels in the continent of Caradia. Moreover, it was a symbol of honor for him to sacrifice himself for Kant.

He did not expect that he would finally come back to life.

Moreover, he would be able to recover in a short period of time. It was an unexpected surprise.

"Rest well."

Kant comforted Bunduk, "When you recover, you still have more work to deal with."

"Understood.", Bunduk nodded firmly.

"You should rest well in the room and recuperate.", Kant smiled and turned his head to James beside him. "James, come out with me. I have some current government affairs to hand over to you to handle."

"Yes, Lord Kant.", James followed Kant out of the room.

"I plan to return to Oasis Lookout."

Kant pondered for a moment and reminded James, "This town will be fully handed over to you to arrange."

"Understood.", James nodded.

"I mean, fully handed over to you to take charge.", Kant saw him nod, but still reminded him. "Including recruiting troops, patrolling the territory, building towns, and developing agriculture and animal husbandry."

"Lord Kant, you're giving me all the authority?", James sensed that something was wrong and was a little stunned.

"That's right.", Kant nodded.

This made James stunned, he immediately nodded and declined, "Lord Kant, I can't be granted with so much authority. If Mr. Bunduk was still here, he might be able to share the burden with me. But right now, I'm the only one. I'm afraid that if I don't handle it well, some mistakes will affect the development of the town."

"There's no other way. Right now, only you can take on this burden."

Kant frowned slightly.

He was also helpless. He was lacking various generals, so he could only give full authority of the military and civilian mixed town to James, a senior doctor. It was indeed not a good idea.

But other than James, Kant could not find any other generals to deploy here.

Firentis needed to guard "Drondheim" Castle.

Manid was an important person in Kant's communication with the outside world and trade with the Stone Pass.

Even Rolf was the commander of patrolling at the posthouse to prevent outsiders from getting close to the Oasis Lookout.

This hilltop town of "Aaron" could only be entrusted to James. Fortunately, Bunduk's injuries healed very quickly, and he could slowly play his role in the subsequent work. Although he was still unable to take up an important position, it was not a problem for him to handle some light government affairs.

At least they had all gone through tempering in the continent of Caradia. Just based on their knowledge and planning ability, they could not be compared to these ordinary peasant. Kant could rest assured even if they were handed over to him.

After a deep conversation with James.

The temporary development of the town could be considered to have been confirmed. James would be the main commander, and Bunduk would assist him.

Especially in the construction of the town.

Kant handed over all the authority to James.

Now, James was practically a lord that Kant had conferred upon. In terms of authority, he was higher and more powerful than ordinary village chiefs, town chiefs, or even mayors. He was equivalent to a lord without a title.

This was a change in the system's rules after "Aaron" had upgraded from a village to a town.

It was originally not possible.

In terms of construction, Kant could only choose and build it himself.

However, after the upgrade, he could give full authority to James, who was equivalent to a high-level up mayor. He was Kant's senior butler in "Aaron" town, so of course, he could carry out the construction work.

Kant made a plan for the town in advance.

Then, James could build and perfect the town according to this plan.

It was reasonable and perfect.

In fact, there weren't many plans for the current "Aaron" town. Only the main building was built on the peak of the mountain, and the slopes on both sides of the mountain and river were cultivated into terraces. The plan was very simple.

The specific details needed to be made by James himself.

Although he was a doctor, he had traveled in the continent of Caradia for so many years, and his knowledge was definitely quite rich.

"Let's stop here."

Kant finished his own plan and said with a slight pause, "Now I need to return to the Oasis Lookout as soon as possible. I'll leave this town to you.". Looking at James, Kant said in a deep voice, "The task is quite heavy now. I hope you can worry more. When Bunduk recovers, it will be easier."

"I will do my best,", James replied solemnly.

"Okay.", Kant nodded.

Turning his head, he saw that the troops had already assembled.

103 Swadian knights in heavy chain armors were neatly lined up with their spears raised in one hand.

The Swadian warhorses were also wearing chain armors and linen robes, they were bored to death as they used its hooves to dig at the ground under the feet. They were breathing heavily, and they looked like they wanted to gallop to their heart's content.

In front, there was a knight leading Kant's warhorse.

He walked over and quickly got on the horse. He said to James, "You and Bunduk can worry about the rest."

"Yes.", James nodded. "Don't you want to stay longer?"

"I plan to go to the posthouse to patrol, including the current situation of the Oasis Lookout. I need to go back and take a look."

Kant gently knocked on the horse's belly and led the team away.

The rumbling of horse hooves continued.

The archers, footmen, and civilians all bowed to Kant.

This was respect for the lord.

Even Bunduk, who was in the room, seemed to be deep in thought when he heard the dense sounds of horse hooves. He struggled to sit up and watched Kant and the knights leave.

The road was smooth.

The wide river by the side trickled with clear water.

Occasionally, palm-sized fish from the subterranean river appeared in the river. They seemed to be swimming out of the tributaries of the stone wall. They were curiously looking out of the river to enjoy the sunny world, causing a few splashes on the surface of the water.

However, there were more fish in the lake at the foot of the mountain.

They were all from the subterranean river. Soon, they occupied the lake and happily crawled among the aquatic plants.

If Kant still had a fishing ground that could be established here, the fishing industry would probably be even more efficient than the Oasis Lookout. After all, the temperature in the desert was much higher, so it was not as suitable for the fish to breed here.

They rode their horses and quickly arrived at the mountain pass.

Behind a hill, a temporary tent was set up, and five desert bandits were riding their horses to welcome them.

This was the outermost outpost of "Aaron" Town.

"My Lord."

The desert bandits dismounted and bowed respectfully at the edge of the road.

"There's no need to be so polite.", Kant raised his hand.

The hundred Swadian knights behind him were given order to stop. They quickly reined in their horses and slowly stopped the galloping sounds.

Looking at the sparse vegetation on the hill and the many grains of sand on the surrounding hills, Kant understood in his heart that in front of these hills was the vast Nahrin Desert, the true forbidden area of civilization, and the hell of the race.

That desert was his nominal estate.

Chapter 265: Trouble At the Posthouse

This was Kant's estate.

It was nominally, but he was gradually taking control of it.

Slowly walking forward, Kant came to the top of the hill. In front of him was a vast sea of sand. The continuous dune echoed with the hill under his feet in the distance, but the hot breath from the desert came with the breeze.

The gentle breeze contained a cruel warning to civilization.

No civilization could conquer this desert.

Even the naturally tolerant Jackalan, a stray dog that had been driven into the desert by humans, could not return to the relatively prosperous northern county. Even if they took advantage of the war between the Dukedom of Leo and the Silver Platter Kingdom, they could not make it. As a result, the large-scale migration and invasion of the northern county resulted in a massacre.

The brutal massacre ten years ago had spread from the North County of the Dukedom of Leo all the way to the Oasis Lookout in the Nahrin Desert. Hundreds of low-level Jackalan tribes had been wiped out, and the remaining ones had been killed to the point of fear.

It could be seen from Kant's arrival.

The low-level Jackalan tribe had been completely scattered in the desert.

If it was the same as before...

There would be hundreds of Jackalan tribes with close to tens of thousands of them.

Even if Kant was appointed as Baron of the Oasis Lookout and ruled the Nahrin Desert, he wouldn't dare to take up the post easily. After all, when the human wave tactic was exhausted, even if he had the advantage in quality, it wouldn't work!

Moreover, when he first came to the Nahrin Desert, quality did not have an advantage either.

"What a sigh."

Kant sighed lightly because it was different now.

He already had some control of the Nahrin Desert, and had already established his own foundation here.

Not only did he have a large number of elite soldiers that were among the best quality, but he also built a tall and sturdy military castle on the Oasis Lookout, the only large-scale water source in the southern part of the Nahrin Desert.

If the enemies wanted to destroy it, they would have to pay a cruel price!

He pondered for a moment on the mountain top.

Kant turned his head, and the five desert bandits behind him were still standing respectfully.

On the stone path at the foot of the hill, the 103 top-notch Swadian knights were holding their spears in a formation ready to set off at any time and quietly waiting for Kant.

Indeed, he would not wait here for too long.

This mountain pass was very important.

Kant also wanted to make some arrangements here.

After muttering to himself for a while, Kant's thought communication system.

A card that was originally floating in his mind immediately shattered.

At the top of the hill beside him, void ripples spread out. A two-story small building made of neat stone and wood immediately appeared on it. The foundation was firm, and the walls and wood were patched together solidly.

Even the roof on the top floor had a vent that could be closed at any time.

This building was a posthouse.

The desert bandits behind them widened their eyes in shock.

"This is for you."

Kant turned his head and said to them, "You can stay in this inn in the future. It's much better than a temporary tent.". After a pause, Kant warned them, "However, you must not relax in the task of guarding the mountain pass. You must remain vigilant."

"Understood. Thank you for your kindness, my lord!"

The desert bandits immediately bowed respectfully.

Compared to a temporary tent made of linen, it was obviously more comfortable to use a posthouse as a sleeping place.

Similar to Kant's posthouse at the top of the underground lake, the top of this posthouse also had a watchtower that was more than five meters tall. It allowed people to climb up and observe the situation around them. Facing the open sea of sand on the outside, the view was better, an abnormal target could be seen from more than a thousand meters away.

It could be considered as the most important building of these desert bandits when they were stationed at this mountain pass. It was a combination of guarding, monitoring, scouting, or providing support.

If Kant had enough troops in the future...

He could also form a transportation network between this posthouse and the central posthouse, which was not inferior to the convenient waterway.

"Let's do it this way."

Kant walked into the posthouse to check.

The house was fully furnished, and there were many grains and cured meat piled in the storeroom.

It seemed that it would definitely be able to accommodate about 20 people.

As for more, it would need to be the same as the central posthouse. The troops would need to set up tents around the posthouse. Otherwise, it would be impossible for too many people to live in this two-story wooden building.

However, this mountain pass posthouse did not need too many people to guard it.

The most important function of this mountain pass posthouse was to serve as the outpost of "Aaron" Town.

Naturally, there would be supplies from the town during normal times.

As for drinking water, it was even simpler.

Kant walked down the hill and arrived at the desert area outside the hill.

The stone path that was originally paved with stone and slate was at the mountain pass beside the hill. Even the river path that Kant built was the same. The river path that was about five meters wide was cut off at the inner side of the mountain pass. It was parallel to the stone path, the flowing river water overflowed, forming a natural stream that flowed into the sand layer outside the mountain pass.

A few days ago, the original river had already used an indirect source of water to wash away the edge of the desert, forming a seven to eight meters long and eight meters wide pit that was half a meter deep. The shimmering water had turned into a small lake.

The erosion of the river had even brought along the soil that originated from the Senwaya Range.

In just a few days, heat-resistant shrubs appeared outside the water source.

As long as there was water, the vegetation in the desert would grow quickly. Looking at the emerald green field, it wouldn't take more than a few months for another small oasis to form at the mouth of the mountain.

It could be considered a man-made small oasis.

Kant saw the greenery, and he liked it more.

He turned his head and told the five desert bandits who were stationed here, "If you have nothing to do on a normal day, go to the mountains and dig some soil to cover the surroundings of the puddle. This will also allow these plants to grow more luxuriantly."

"Understood.", the desert bandits nodded.

This was not a big deal in the first place.

Moreover, it was Kant's order, so they naturally had to do it diligently.

"Let's go."

When Kant saw that there was nothing to do here, he got back on his horse.

The 103 Swadian knights behind him immediately surrounded him. Kant lightly knocked on the horse's belly and shook the reins with all his strength. He took the lead and galloped ahead. The originally hard stone pavement beneath his feet immediately turned into a relatively soft layer of sand.

The rumbling sound of the warhorse's galloping disappeared. However, there was the dull sound of horse hooves heavily trampling on the sand layer. This included the dust that rose up behind the horse. For a moment, it was not clear. It was as if hundreds of heavy cavalry troops were galloping in the desert, the imposing manner was powerful and majestic, making people tremble in fear.

Facing the galloping of the cavalry, no army could maintain a balanced mentality.

But currently, no one could see it.

The path Kant chose was to move behind the hidden dune.

This was to avoid coming into contact with the spy trade caravan that appeared at the Stone Pass. Although it was a long detour, it could prevent people from coming into contact with the town in the Senwaya Range.

This was Kant's trump card and secret.

If it was known so easily, then the situation would not be optimistic.

Of course, the trade caravan usually headed north towards the Oasis Lookout. No one would have thought that Kant had established another town in the deep mountains of the Senwaya Range in the southwest/ Moreover, it could produce a large number of urgently needed resources in the Nahrin Desert. If it was developed successfully, there might not be a need to trade with Stone Pass and the Dukedom of Leo.

This was Kant's way of getting rid of the noble families in the Dukedom of Leo. It was a means of blockade and restriction of resources. It would definitely make the noble families who thought they could control Kant's lifeline gnash their teeth in anger.

In the traditional impression, the Nahrin Desert was a desolate and uninhabited forbidden area of civilization.

That was indeed the case.

However, it was different after Kant arrived.

After discovering the salt mine, it was even more different.

The profits of salt could make the noble suffer terrible losses. They would send mercenaries and slaves to mine table salt, and after they were transported out, they would turn into the best table salt and sell it to the countries of the entire continent.

Although the price was high, it was indeed worth the price!

The salt bought from the distant dwarf was also expensive, but there were still countless merchants who endured the long journey and the dangerous bandits along the way to transport the shimmering table salt.

It was all because of the expensive salt and the shinny silver coins, which attracted the greed!

Now, in the depths of the desert, a salt mine had been discovered.

So what if they lost some slaves and mercenaries?

To those noble families, what they lacked the least was people. What they lacked the most was people who were willing to sacrifice their lives for the silver coins in their hands.

And sitting high on the top, they were making a fortune by eating human blood buns.

Of course, there was only one difference.

In the hands of these noble families, there was no blood, only employment documents.

Some were desperate desperadoes, or greedy mercenaries, merchants who wanted to take advantage of the situation and become the partners of these employment partnership. They would use their lives to pave a bloody path for the noble families, even if it meant sacrificing their own lives, because the attraction of silver coins was deadly!

After half a day's journey, Kant arrived at the central posthouse at dusk. However, facing the light of the evening, Kant narrowed his eyes slightly because he found an unusual scene.

Beside the posthouse, a large number of merchants and carriages were gathered, and they seemed to be a riot.

And in the posthouse, ten Swadian militiamen were standing at the top with crossbows.

Outside the posthouse, 120 Sarrandian horsemen were standing in formation. Rolf was standing at the front, and behind him were 220 desert bandits. They were holding spears and scimitars in agitation, their expressions ferocious.

The voices of the people were boisterous. It seemed that a conflict was about to break out between the two sides.

"Let's go and take a look."

Kant frowned and led his troops to charge down the dune.

A dull sound spread across the flat desert plains, startling the two troops that were still in a standoff in the distance.

Compared to Rolf and the others' pleasant surprise, the group of merchants were much more flustered, especially the guards of the trade caravan who were holding weapons in their hands. They all revealed their anxieties and fearful gazes.

This was because the newcomers were over a hundred heavy cavalry soldiers!

Chapter 266: The Panic of the Merchants

Kant led his team and rode closer.

The horseshoes struck the sand with a dull sound. It was like the muffled thunder of winter. The group of people from the trade caravan kept retreating. Even the guards of the trade caravan, who were holding their weapons, subconsciously lowered their weapons.

Facing over a hundred heavy cavalry soldiers with horses and heavy armors, no one dared to provoke them.

Not to mention that they were right in front of them.

120 Sarrandian horsemen and 240 desert bandits were not to be trifled with!

The heads of the merchants who had led the trouble were drenched in cold sweat. They looked at each other, wanting the others to go up and explain to Kant. However, there was more fear in their eyes and an uncontrollable panic on their faces.

No one would have thought that the plan that could have been discussed and negotiated would suddenly change.

As a lord.

Kant, who had the identity of a baron, showed up.

He also brought 103 heavy cavalry soldiers who were fully armored.

He broke the balance between the two sides that still contend against each other. This caused the merchants who had ulterior motives to ally together not only become the weaker party, but also began to have the possibility of splitting up.

The principle of self-preservation was quite common in the circle of merchants.

But Kant did not care at all.

He indeed had the advantage, so he could ignore these merchants who were covered in cold sweat and even gave them a flattering smile.

Riding his horse in front, he came to Rolf's side and asked with a frown, "What's going on? This is my estate. You are my cavalry. Why are you confronting these merchants of unknown origin?"

Before Kant could finish his words, cold sweat broke out on the heads of those merchants.

Unknown origin.

This word had already proved Kant's meaning.

The hearts of all the merchants jumped. They knew that if they did not explain clearly today, they would probably have to stay here.

Staying here was not a good idea.

Perhaps it also meant that they would die here!

"They have been in collusion since yesterday. It seems that they have a problem with the decree you issued."

Rolf glanced at the terrified merchants.

A smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, but it was a ferocious smile. "Then, I recalled all the cavalries and found that these merchants have also joined forces and want to have a showdown with me."

"Oh? Interesting.", Kant chuckled and turned his head to look at the merchants. "A showdown? What showdown?"

The merchants subconsciously took half a step back.

Many of the merchants at the back, who were originally speculators, had their eyes wandering.

It was obvious that they were not on the same page. In the face of the current situation, they realized that the danger factor had increased. They began to retreat continuously. They even urged their close companions to immediately run to the edge and surrender if Kant made any move. Then, they would just have to identify the person who organized the riot at the front!

The merchants were not stupid. They had sharp brains. Otherwise, they would not have been able to muddle along like a fish in water in this feudal era where the business environment was harsh. They even had their own trade caravan.

Even if they were actually acting as agents, there were nobles behind them and controlling them.

However, that did not mean that they had no brains.

Even the three merchants at the front who had instigated all the merchants to unite and confront Rolf had become estranged from each other. They didn't want to escape or resist. Instead, they wanted to push the other two out so that they could survive.

It was enough for them to die.

"The reason for the showdown is, of course, that they want to enter the deeper part of the Nahrin Desert."

Rolf spoke with a calm tone, "Or rather, they want to defy your order and go deeper into the desert to search for something. After all, before this, I have always been on the defensive, forbidding anyone from entering the depths of the desert."

"Oh, interesting, really interesting.", Kant nodded. There was not a hint of emotion on his face.

But the cold sweat on the faces of the merchants grew more and more.

Because they saw that right behind Kant, the Swadian knights, Sarrandian horsemen, and the desert bandits all drew their scimitars from their waists, raised their lance, and stared at them viciously, just like a fierce wolf discovering a fat lamb!

Although there were many merchants, adding up to more than 500 people, it was completely useless.

Most of them were ordinary merchants and servants.

Only a small number of them were trade caravan guards.

But even if they were trade caravan guards, to be honest, they only knew how to ride horses and simply fight with knives and axes.

If they were to fight against the regular army, especially the elite heavy cavalry led by Kant, it would be as laughable as hitting a rock with an egg. That scene was too funny to imagine!

When they had gathered earlier, they still had some confidence.

Rolf and the 120 Sarrandian horsemen were indeed part of the regular army. It was terrifying.

The desert bandits were also unruly. They looked like bandits, but their equipment was slightly inferior.

The source of the merchants' confidence was the noble behind them.

They were sure that as long as they charged through this posthouse and gathered together, they could use the power of the noble behind everyone to pressure that young and immature Baron Kant, who probably did not understand what a political struggle was. Then they would successfully break through the posthouse, they went to the Oasis Lookout and even found the specific location of the salt mine.

But now they realized that they were wrong. The young and immature Baron Kant was just like an old noble who maintained his prestige and did not speak to them, but that imposing manner made their hearts tremble.

This was the calmness that only a true noble had.

After staying with the noble for a long time, they could understand more clearly the unmerciful hidden under this calmness.

The difference was whether Kant's hands were willing to be stained with blood or not!

Kant did not have any objection to having his hands stained with blood.

Or rather, he did not care about it.

He just raised his head and looked at these merchants calmly. He said indifferently, "Can anyone give me an explanation?"

"Uh..."

Instead, the response was the blank gazes of these merchants.

Including the three instigators in front, they all had blank eyes, as if they were little white sheep who did not know anything.

"Hehe, it seems like you don't want to give an explanation?"

Kant chuckled.

However, his smile immediately disappeared, and he said to Rolf in a deep voice, "Then let them know the consequences of daring to violate my laws in my estate!"

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh

The sound of swords being unsheathed could be heard continuously.

The already nervous guards of the trade caravan all drew their weapons.

However, the experienced merchants and guards of the trade caravan at the front looked even more embarrassed.

This was because Kant had yet to say what the consequences would be. This group of rookies had stupidly pulled out their weapons. This was basically giving Kant something to use against them and make themselves looked like they were against a noble!

Ordinary people who loved "peace" would not aim their weapons at the noble.

Even a down-and-out noble baron.

In the court of the nobles of the Dukedom of Leo, it was still an existence that commoners like them could not offend a noble!

Because this was the dignity of the noble class!

"Heh.", Kant saw the uncertain faces of the trade caravan's guards, as well as the panic in their eyes. How could he not notice that the other party was extremely scared?

There were also the rookies of the trade caravan's guards at the back. They were so nervous that they were covered in sweat. They could not even hold their short swords or scimitars firmly. It was estimated that once Kant's cavalries charged, this group of trade caravan's guards would be instantly killed until they broke down and fled, they did not pose any threat at all!

Even so, the Sarrandian horsemen still raised their spears at these merchants. The desert bandits all raised their scimitars, allowing the dusk light to reflect the awe-inspiring sword light.

Even the Swadian knights stared at the group of guards and raised the lance in their hands.

They were all prepared to charge forward.

In a short distance of less than 10 meters, they could still launch the initial charge.

When the sharp lance pierced through the enemies in the front row, the enemies in the back row would flee. In the end, they would completely annihilate the enemy's troops in the pursuit, allowing the desert bandits to pass through the enemy's fleeing troops, using the scimitars to chop down the pitiful creatures that had lost their will to resist, the bandits were quite skilled at this.

They were only waiting for Kant's order to charge!

But the merchants felt that something was wrong.

They panted heavily, looking at the cavalries' gazes at them in panic, becoming more and more malevolent.

Just like those real bandits.

"No... Baron Kant..."

Finally, the merchants in the front row waved their hands and shouted in fear, "This is a misunderstanding! This is a misunderstanding! We... we didn't want to riot, we didn't want to go to the depths of the desert! This is a misunderstanding! A misunderstanding!"

"That's right! This is a misunderstanding! Baron Kant! Baron Kant! This is a misunderstanding!"

"Spare us! Lord Kant! We didn't dare to go to the depths of the desert! It was the three people in the front who gathered us! We didn't want to cause trouble! We didn't want to show our cards!"

"It was the three merchants at the front! That's right! They instigated us!"

"You damned fellows, the three of us were obviously coerced by you and pushed to the front!"

"Don't spout nonsense. Lord Kant can prove our innocence here. How could the three of us dare to touch Baron Kant's authority? It was you who coerced us. That's right, you coerced us!"

The merchants shouted in panic.

Everyone was scrambling to point at others, saying that they were the bad guys with ulterior motives.

The scene was chaotic.

However, Kant's expression was calm. He only looked at them coldly. He turned to Rolf and said, "I'm very disappointed that you didn't manage to clean up these guys."

"No, Lord Kant, you misunderstood."

Rolf Shrugged. "I want to wait for them to finish gathering before I kill them all.". As he said that, he revealed a sinister smile. "Killing them in one go can solve a lot of problems. It can also get rid of those merchants in the later stages so that they don't dare to come over. However, since Lord Kant has appeared, I've chosen to wait."

"Oh.", Kant turned his head and looked at the cavalries who were already prepared to charge. He nodded and said, "That's right. It seems that I've really disturbed you this time."

"No, Lord Kant. They are just a bunch of mobs."

Rolf swept his gaze over the merchants who were quarrelling and criticizing each other. He laughed sinisterly and said, "Just this group of happy people is not enough to become my enemies. Even the weakest trade caravan in Caradia can at least resist a little."

Chapter 267: Lord Kant's Pressure

The trade caravan of the continent of Caradia were all top-class retired soldiers. They led trained caravan guards and sentinels to conduct business. Even a few bandits and marauder were no match for them.

Only a large-scale bandit group could take down these trade caravans.

That was why Rolf looked down on these merchants. There were more than 500 of them, but in reality, they were a mess. These merchants were still blaming each other for internal strife when the enemy approached, so he was full of contempt in his heart.

But he would never hate them.

Because as a professional scoundrel and a part-time outstanding bandit leader, Rolf's favorite thing was this group of cute little lambs that came to him ready to be slaughtered!

"Lord Kant, do you want to deal with them next?", Rolf looked at Kant.

"This.", Kant muttered. He understood Rolf's meaning.

He wanted to completely eliminate these merchants and plunder their goods!

However, Kant saw that these merchants were already retreating. They didn't even want the carriage that carried their goods. He couldn't help but shake his head and said to Rolf, "I'll deal with it personally."

"I'll follow your orders.", Rolf shrugged and slightly urged his horse to take half a step back.

Kant walked forward.

The merchants were so scared that they begged for mercy.

Even the three leaders at the front, who had nowhere to retreat, were sweating profusely.

"Let's have a chat."

Kant gently knocked on the horse's belly, indicating for his horse to stop moving forward.

Looking at these merchants and the irritating noise in his ears, he couldn't help but frown and say, "Be quiet, gentlemen. The worst situation hasn't arrived yet. If you continue to argue, I don't think the final result will be too good."

The scene quickly became quiet.

All the merchants looked at Kant in panic.

The guards of the trade caravan were infected by the panic in the surroundings. They all felt strangely guilty.

They even put their weapons back into their sheaths, afraid that Kant would misunderstand them.

"Very good."

Kant looked at the merchants who had calmed down in front of him, he nodded in satisfaction. "I am very clear about why you came here, but I think you need to know my rules again. That is, I will only sell table salt in the salt mine to Baron Dylan at the Stone Pass. As for this posthouse here..."

Kant pointed to the posthouse next to him, which was guarded by ten Swadian militiamen. He said calmly, "The south is a trade route that can be traveled freely. It is the place that I allow to communicate with the outside world."

The merchants listened quietly.

Kant pointed to the north, he said calmly, "But to the north of this posthouse, it is a forbidden area that I forbid anyone to enter. It is the law of my territory. As long as I still exist in the Nahrin Desert and I still possess my baron title, this law will take effect. You cannot go against it!"

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes! Baron Kant, we understand!"

"That's right, your Lordship Kant. We all know that it's a forbidden area!"

"That's right, that's right! We understand that it's a forbidden area!"

The merchants immediately spoke, their eyes filled with relief. It seemed that Baron Kant's words meant that they were safe. After all, when they were in the Dukedom of Leo, they had not only heard of Baron Kant's kindness.

Of course, at that time, the reputation of kindness was mostly based on cowardice.

But now, they had come to face Kant's benevolent personality with deep respect.

If they were disrespectful, if Kant did not have a benevolent personality, they would probably be strewn with corpses by now!

Respect often came from fear. Whether it was fear of the other party's financial resources or fear of power, they would all have the same fear towards him.

That was why there was respect.

It was just that Kant did not have the slightest interest in this kind of respect.

Fake respect could not be compared to the respect from the hearts of the recruited civilians and soldiers. Only these people were the ones Kant truly chose to believe in, and not these merchants.

Raising his hand, Kant touched his chin. "You all seem to understand."

"Understood, understood!"

These merchants kept nodding.

Kant chuckled. "Then can you tell me who instigated this rebellion against me?"

The scene instantly fell silent.

Rebellion?

What rebellion?

These merchants were stunned. They still did not understand why Kant said the word rebellion.

It was not wrong to say that they had ulterior motives and were spies from the noble families.

But how could they possibly rebel!

"Aren't you going to say it?"

Kant's smile disappeared, and he turned to look at Rolf. "Isn't there someone who started a rebellion and wants to occupy my estate and obtain my wealth?"

"That's right, Lord Kant, that's indeed the case.", Rolf nodded in agreement.

"No! That's absolutely not the case!"

The merchants cried out in despair.

"How could this be a rebellion? We have absolutely no intention of overthrowing you!"

"Absolutely not, Lord Kant! No!"

The commoners overthrowing the the noble and starting a huge rebellion. This was a felony!

And this was the on of the highest felonies!

It was a felony that the noble could not tolerate the most!

Even if the opposing noble was overthrown, the noble here happily held a celebration party and secretly praised the civilian uprising army that overthrew their opposing noble. However, they would still enlist all the troops, for the sake of their noble identity, for the sake of the noble's class, kill all the civilians, and at the same time receive the spoils of war from the enemy's noble.

The authority of the noble class could not be moved. Even if the noble wanted to change it, or if those mysterious mages wanted to change it, they could not. Or rather, they could not allow it at all!

As for Kant, he also did not allow it. These merchants dared to test his bottom line.

That's right.

These merchants had gathered because of the instigation.

But in reality, they were all in sync. They wanted to test Kant or Rolf's bottom line.

However, they did not expect Rolf to have no bottom line at all. Once they dared to act out of line, what they would face next was not a negotiation, but a bloody massacre by the desert bandits and Sarrandian horseman!

As a noble, but became a bandit leader instead, did Rolf has a bottom line?

What a joke!

If Kant had not come, they would probably have been slaughtered in the evening!

And even if Kant arrived, he wouldn't let them off either.

And he wouldn't let go of the leader who had incited these merchants to test his bottom line!

"It's them!"

"That's right! It's them!"

Soon, the three people in the lead were pushed out.

At the same time, many of the guards in the trade caravan were also separated.

These people had expressions of despair and hatred on their faces. It was obvious that these guards and merchants were the subordinates of those three people. Now that they were pushed out, how could they not feel hatred towards their 'companions'?

Chapter 268: The Frightened Quails

"No! Baron Kant, this is all a misunderstanding!"

One of the merchants instantly jumped off his horse and quickly walked forward.

However, this action aroused the vigilance of the Swadian knight who was protecting Kant. He raised his lance and pointed it at him. He fiercely reprimanded, "Stop! You lowly b*stard!"

"My Lord Kant! It's like this!"

The merchant did not mind at all. He said in a low voice, "I am the trade caravan of Viscount Wayne, the lord of the North County. Perhaps there is some misunderstanding. We absolutely have no intention of starting a rebellion or overthrowing your rule.". He looked at Kant, his tone carried a hint of pride, "It's like this. Viscount Wayne sent me to bring his personal letter, hoping to start a business cooperation with you. However, I haven't seen your people, so I want to personally go to your Oasis Lookout to take a look."

"Viscount Wayne?", Kant narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Yes.", the merchant wiped the cold sweat off his face and quickly took out the letter from his bosom. "This is it. It's a letter personally written by Viscount Wayne!"

Kant took it. On it were traditional noble decorations.

From the looks of it, it was indeed the decorations of Viscount Wayne. He used high-grade beeswax to seal the letter.

"Interesting, isn't it?"

Kant chuckled, "Viscount Wayne, the lord of the North County territory, the strongest viscount, asked you to deliver the letter to me.". Kant's face drooped, "Do you think I would believe it? "You are the most humble merchant, but you lied in the name of Viscount Wayne, trying to cheat me and avoid the punishment!"

The merchant was stunned and wanted to say something. "It's... It's true..."

However, Kant said in a deep voice, "This swindler who dares to use the name of Viscount Wayne to start a rebellion must be sentenced to death immediately!"

In the end, Kant turned his head and said to the Swadian knight behind him.

"Puff --"

The lance that was originally raised diagonally was instantly put down.

The Swadian warhorse beneath him continued to charge forward within a short half a meter, bringing along the lance in the knight's hand and easily piercing through the merchant's chest.

"He he... No... he..."

The Merchant's eyes widened as he wanted to say something, but his windpipe was blocked by the blood gushing out from his torn lungs. He could not say anything and fell to the ground.

The merchants and the guards of the trade caravan behind him had their eyes wide open.

A massacre was about to happen.

The two merchants who had instigated the guards to attack the posthouse immediately rode their horses and galloped away.

Their faces were filled with despair.

They knew that the merchant who had just been stabbed to death was indeed Viscount Wayne's merchant.

In the circle of merchants, everybody knew each other.

But even so, Kant had given the order to kill him.

Even if the two of them revealed the backer behind them, they would probably end up miserably too, because they knew that when Kant came here, he didn't have any intention of letting the three instigators live!

It was indeed the truth!

Kant waved his hand. "Kill them and bring back the corpses."

"Understood!"

Rolf nodded and signaled to the desert bandits behind him.

Twenty desert bandits attacked.

These bandits with excellent riding skills quickly caught up with the two merchants who were living in luxury.

They threw the short javelins in their hands.

The short javelins directly pierced through the two merchants' lungs and chests. The two corpses fell off their horses. The corpses were stuck and pulled their desert horses. The horses spun around and rushed back, throwing the corpses heavily on the ground.

"Alright, our problem is solved."

Kant chuckled.

Looking at the restless guards belonging to the three merchants, he said calmly, "I spare you guys. I know you must have been bewitched by these merchants. You won't die."

"Thank you, Lord Kant!"

The desperate hope made the guards, who were already trembling and did not dare to move, burst into tears.

"Then it's our turn."

Kant smiled and looked at the other merchants.

Although the three people in the lead were all killed, Kant didn't intend to let these guys off so easily.

If they dared to charge into the posthouse, go deep into the desert, and not follow his rules, then there would be corresponding consequences. Kant said indifferently, "Do you think that you can leave so easily without paying any price?"

"We are willing, willing to pay a ransom!"

These merchants did not have any intention of resisting.

The massacre just now had already made them understand Kant's authority in this desert.

Even Viscount Wayne's merchants were killed as he wished. Kant also did not show any mercy to the merchants from other noble families. This kind of terrifying killing decisiveness made these merchants feel that this Baron Kant was not as flattering as the nobles had always been, he had a very popular "Gentlemanly demeanor.".

Kant naturally knew what this "Gentlemanly demeanor" of the noble families was. It was something that differentiated between ordinary people and noble identities. It was just a rule that a group of noble families were bored enough to make.

As the lord of the Nahrin Desert and a baron, Kant did not need to follow the rules.

Because the Nahrin Desert was his territory!

Why would Kant follow the rules in his own territory?

Now that Kant had grown stronger and his power was no longer what it was in the past, he did not need to completely follow the rules of the Dukedom of Leo like he used to do. He could cross the line and even rewrite this part of the rules!

This was the benefit of strength.

"Rolf."

Kant turned his head and instructed, "You will solve the ransom issue."

"No problem!", Rolf grinned hideously. "I like this job."

The merchants could not help but shiver. They looked at Rolf, and each of them was as honest as a quail. They were constrained by the brazen act of killing just now. The corpses of the three merchants were beside them. How could these merchants dare to refute Rolf? They agreed to whatever conditions were put forward.

In the end, a total of more than 30 trade caravans signed a debt of 8,000 great silver coins. As for the goods they brought, which were disguised as goods they wanted to trade, they were confiscated and turned into Kant's spoils of war.

They were all ordinary food and daily necessities, and very few iron products.

How could the merchants who came to test the waters have the ability to support the enemy?

However, according to their speculations, what the Oasis Lookout lacked was food and weapons. Since weapons were not allowed to be sold, then food was definitely the most important thing!

Even if they wanted to sell weapons, they were also prohibited from selling these iron products during the inspection of the Stone Pass. After all, after being forged, iron products could also become weapons. It was a material that was prohibited from crossing the border, or rather, it was prohibited to be transported to the Nahrin Desert!

Baron Dylan's ambition was also very big.

Kant's Oasis Lookout and salt mine had probably long become his exclusive property!

Chapter 269: Cards Currently In Possession

Sitting in the main seat of the posthouse hall.

Kant sipped the date palm powder that had been boiled with hot water. It was a little too sweet.

However, this was a sufficient amount of sugar, which could be quickly converted into the energy that the human body needed to replenish its exhausted strength. It was very suitable for these travelers who had come here after a long journey through the desert.

The militiamen also prepared porridge that was cooked to a pulp. They added minced fish and dates sugar in it.

The food was not considered rich, but it was suitable for the human body's current needs.

The accompanying Swadian knights had already dismounted, they sat on both sides of the long table. There was also a big bowl of porridge in front of them. They had added sugar cubes and minced fish so that they could relieve the fatigue on the road.

There was nothing more satisfying than the sweet porridge with fish that was cooked to a pulp, easily digesting, and still warm.

There was also a bath water, but it was prepared for Kant alone.

A militia came over and reported the bath water that had already been prepared in the room.

"Mm.", Kant nodded and praised, "It's very thoughtful of you to prepare it.". However, as if he had thought of something, he turned his head and smiled. "I remember that I promised to transfer you away at that time?"

"Yes.", the militiamen lowered their heads and suddenly felt a little awkward. "There's no need for that now."

"Why?", Kant asked.

"My lord, at that time, there were only ten of us in this posthouse, and this place was very gloomy, so we applied for a transfer.". The militia explained, "Now that there are more people, it's also lively. It doesn't matter if we're transferred or not."

Kant understood and nodded. "I see."

However, he still reminded them, "At that time, I did consider transferring you guys, but because things suddenly got busy, the situation at the central posthouse is also a little dangerous, so I can't transfer you guys away at the moment. I hope you guys can stay here and work hard here, and keep your vigilance."

"Understood, my lord!"

The militiamen puffed out their chests and raised their heads, looking very energetic.

They were not afraid of the battlefield.

They just hated that there was no mission that could keep them busy. They just waited in the posthouse all day long. Even when they patrolled, they could not monitor the surrounding environment even if they wanted to. This is because they were footmen, and their foot ranges were very limited.

Those guys with ulterior motives, as long as they went around this desert plain and walked between the sand dune on both sides, they would be able to make the militiamen who were monitoring the surrounding terrain blind. After all, they were not desert bandits, who could ride desert horses and could pass through the sand dune and patrol freely. The desert bandits also had excellent talent in desert survival and reconnaissance.

Now, these militiamen from the Kingdom of Swadia only needed to help make food and ensure that breakfast, lunch, and supper were ready. The tasks were neither light nor heavy, and the posthouse was still very lively.

Therefore, they did not want to leave this posthouse and their current posts.

Since that was the case, Kant did not force them.

Currently, there were not many posts that could accommodate these ten militiamen.

Thinking of this, Kant's eyes flickered slightly, and a dialog box appeared on his retina. In the interface of the troop class, the ten Swadian militia had indeed reached the standard of level up.

"Since that's the case."

Kant turned his head, and the ten militiamen were all busy in the room of the posthouse.

The merchants outside were still flattering Rhodok people and did not care about the situation in the room. With a thought, he ordered the system in a deep voice, "Level up 10 militiamen to Swadian footman."

[ Ding... level up completed ]

The system gave a notification.

A crisp sound rang out, and a small amount of denars was spent.

And in the room, the ten Swadian militiamen had removed their iron-scale armors. Instead, within their linen coats, a precise mail armor appeared. Their weapons had also become fan-shaped shields and spatha.

Although they had lost their hunting crossbow and spear, their combat strength had improved significantly!

This included their physical fitness.

There were still 10 of them, but it was no problem for them to defend the posthouse.

As for the troop class interface, there were more than 50 desert bandits could already level up to elite desert bandits.

However, Kant did not choose to level up them.

After all, from the current situation, the combat strength of these desert bandits was sufficient. If they spread out, they would be like scouting lone wolves. If they gathered together and cooperated with the Sarrandian horsemen, they would be like a pack of ferocious wolves baring their fangs.

Not to mention the guards of the trade caravan, even the regular army would have a headache if they encountered them.

The bandits that were nurtured by the Sarrandian Desert and they could traveled in the Nahrin Desert like fishes in water!

In the posthouse hall.

The Swadian knights had already finished eating.

The light footmen were still busy in the kitchen, cooking more food. After all, the desert bandits and Sarrandian horsemen who were still patrolling outside had not had the time to eat.

In fact, the dinner that Kant and the horseman ate should have been theirs.

But they did not mind it.

The cooking in the kitchen was also very fast. The new porridge, freshly baked bread, and dried meat were all ready.

Batches of Sarrandian horsemen and desert bandits came in to eat in turn.

Outside, Rolf was still bargaining with the merchants in a carefree manner. It was unknown what he wanted to extort for Kant but looking at the pitiful looks of the merchants outside, one could tell that they were probably in Rolf's hands and would have to shed a layer of skin before they could leave.

Who asked them to be in a weak position and still want to contend with Kant? Even if Kant was generous and merciful, Rolf had no intention of letting them go.

Great silver coins needed to be paid.

All the goods brought with them needed to be confiscated.

Even the next qualification to trade also required negotiation and bribery.

As a scoundrel noble, Rolf was very qualified for this. Not to mention extortion at the max level, even threats, verbal threats, and physical threats were top-notch.

Kant did not pay too much attention to it. He was also very relieved to hand it over to Rolf.

Different people had their own specialties.

Thinking of this, Kant began to miss the mages who had previously stayed in "Aaron" Town.

If they were here, perhaps their deterrence would be even greater.

However, this was just a thought.

The situation below the Senwaya Range was even more complicated. The mages had long come to the conclusion that there were probably a large number of demons from hell or the abyss that were sealed underground, which was why there was negative energy that appeared from underground, in contrast to the positive energy sprinkled down from the sky, the Senwaya Range was a very cool and special environment despite being at the edge of the desert.

And this environment was not bad in Kant's opinion. At least the large amount of vegetation growing in the mountain range was very good. It could be said that it was lush and lively, feeding more wild animals.

Of course, there were also many demonized creatures.

As well as the dangerous demons underground.

Letting the mages stay in the Senwaya Range was also a guarantee for "Aaron" Town.

"Wait."

Kant was slightly stunned. He slowly walked in the desert near the posthouse, and his footsteps also stopped slightly.

He thought of the reward he had obtained from the mission to eliminate the abyssal demon. Moreover, he obtained quite a lot of rewards from heading to the ancient passage. He actually forgot about it for a moment.

Dialog box instantly popped up on the retina of his mind communication system.

——

Posthouse X 1

Water bandits' lair x 1

Ammunition replenishment x 2 times

Random village X 1 times

Recruitment doubled x 1 times

Terrain transformation (river) x 1 times

——

These were the system cards Kant currently possessed.

As long as Kant wanted to, then he could build or use it at any time.

However, after planning for the future, Kant was somewhat conflicted. Although these six cards were extremely valuable, the cost-benefit ratio was not too high for Kant at the moment.

Naturally, the river needed to be stored and could not be used.

The ammunition replenishment skill also needed to be used at the crucial moment of the battle.

These two cards needed to be temporarily sealed.

However, Kant had already had an idea for the posthouse, which was to be built at the salt mine and specially arrange for a small team of desert bandits and a small number of peasants to be stationed there. Not only would they be able to collect coarse salt at any time and allow the camel caravan to transport it quickly, but they could also act as the eyes and ears of "Drondheim" Castle in the north. If anything unusual happened, they would be able to report it at any time.

It could be considered as killing two birds with one stone. As long as they provided good food and water, the posthouse built at the salt mine could even become the center of the salt mining industry. When the salt-making workshop in "Drondheim" castle expanded, its role would be even more apparent.

As for doubling the recruitment, Kant planned to use it in the apprentice dormitory.

This was the recruitment place for his only troop class with extraordinary strength.

In the ancient passage and underground cave, he had already seen how powerful the magic power produced by a mage apprentice after they had leveled up to a mage. It could be considered as more than enough to form a single army!

The terrifying single-target thunder, the group damage ice attack, and the summoning of golems, the AOE acceleration and sharp golden blades enhancement.

In addition, there were continuous magic bullets and fireballs like a rain of arrows.

Their combat power was abnormally high!

They were worthy of the title of battle mages of the Enfath Empire!

However, the weekly recruitment of apprentices was limited to one person. With the doubling of recruitment, they could become two people. Although the number was still very small, the power of the troop class was extremely high.

Two mages could summon 60 golems.

Ten mages could summon 300 golems.

If there were 50 people, then they could directly summon 1500 golems!

In addition to all kinds of single-target groups and continuous amplification spells, it was not just a matter of one-man army, but reality. It could completely crush the psychological defense line of the enemy. It was an extremely shocking reality!

For example, in a normal battle.

50 mages suddenly summoned 1,500 golems that were not afraid of death and did not have any vital points among the enemy. They held heavy hammers in their hands and started killing. The effect they produced was even more terrifying than the charge of 1,500 heavy cavalries.

After all, no one could imagine why these golems would appear right beside them!

But the random villages and the Water bandits' lair.

Kant was having a headache.

At the moment, Kant did not know where else he could set up a village.

He already had the Oasis Lookout's "Drondheim" Castle and the Senwaya Range's "Aaron" Town. If he wanted to set up another village, he needed to be even more cautious, extra cautious.

Chapter 270: Careful Planning for the Future (2nd update)

Although the random villages would allow Kant to have an additional village again, it did not make sense in the current situation. After all, Kant needed to rest and digest the fruits of the recent rapid development.

The analysis would lead to a conclusion.

The environment of the Nahrin Desert was harsh. The southern region was not enough to support the two developed villages.

The environment in the Senwaya Range was also complicated.

According to Kant's analysis, it was even more impossible to provide for the development of the two villages.

After all, the current "Aaron" Town still relied on the "Drondheim" Castle to provide supplies, especially when the population had exploded to 500 people, the garrison was 500 people, and the size of the town was close to 1,000 people. Even if there were abundant prey resources in the Senwaya Range, it was still too difficult to be self-sufficient in a short period of time.

Therefore, Kant believed that the current situation needed to move forward steadily. The steps that could not be taken were too big, especially when it came to the building of forces and the development of villages.

After all, what he needed was win-win cooperation.

For example, "Drondheim" Castle and "Aaron" Town.

In the early stage, "Drondheim" would fully supply "the development of "Aaron". When the town was completed, it could produce all kinds of crops and handicrafts independently. "Drondheim" would completely turn into a political and military center, "Aaron" would be responsible for logistics and business communication.

The "Drondheim" Castle needed to build a better and stronger city defense system.

The "Aaron" Town needed to let farmers, herdsmen, and hunters quickly take shape and feed "Drondheim" in the desert as soon as possible.

Now, if a new village was being built, it could mess up Kant's layout and affected the development of the both castle and the town.

Therefore, he decided to temporarily seal this village as well.

As for the lair of the water bandits.

Kant couldn't help but twitch the corners of his eyes. Of course, he knew about these troop class.

Water bandits, the bandits that were active in the Kingdom of Swadia, the Kingdom of Vaegirs, and the intersection of the rivers of the Kingdom of Nords. They could be considered as the most basic wild monsters. Their level was slightly higher than the bandit, but it wasn't much higher.

In reality, these water bandits were a group of bandits formed by the Nords, the Swadian, and the Vaegir people.

They were once the secret agents of the Nords' invasion.

At their most glorious times, they had assisted the main forces of the Nords and destroyed the Continent of Caradia, the famous neutral city of Zendar. However, after the destruction, they were immediately betrayed by the Nords. They were forcibly disbanded by the Nords and eventually became the bandits on both sides of the river. They harassed the kingdoms on both sides of the river, and even its former employer, the Kingdom of Nords, had suffered greatly from it.

Furthermore, due to their inextricable ties with the Nords, these water bandits were able to connect with the sea bandits. Therefore, the fact that both sides were able to work together without any gaps added to the threat.

The trade caravan and civilians traveling between the three countries had suffered enough.

If they encountered a small group of water bandits, they might not necessarily lose.

However, if they encountered water bandits with the help of the sea bandits, it would be better for the civilians to surrender as the sea bandits' combat strength was comparable to Nords level 3 footmen, to the civilians. There wouldn't be any unnecessary casualties.

Fortunately, the sea bandits usually wouldn't go deep into the mainland and would only move along the coast. Although there were many water bandits along the river, their combat strength wasn't strong. As long as the regular armies of the three countries swept a few rounds from time to time, the river would be safe and sound for a period of time. There would only be minor casualties.

However, it was because of the frequent wars between the three kingdoms and the chaos in the entire Continent of Caradia that these bandits ran amok. There was cause and effect, so it could be considered a helpless situation.

Kant was also helpless now.

The construction requirements for this lair of water bandits needed to be built on the banks of the river.

There was no river in the entire Oasis Lookout. As for the mountain pass of the Senwaya Range, there was one. However, just based on that small river and the unknown subterranean river, Kant had no intention of building it.

Moreover, these water bandits also conflicted with Kant's current combat system.

They were all footmen.

They couldn't be compared to the desert bandits of the light cavalry, who were also bandits.

In the "Drondheim" Castle, these light footman could only be cannon fodder, they were useless. Even in the "Aaron" Town, there were the infantrymen of the Kingdom of Rhodoks, so there was no need for them.

They did not have the stamina to cross mountains and ridges.

They did not have the endurance and ferocity of the desert bandits.

Perhaps they could only raid enemy villages on warships and kidnap civilians.

However, Kant was not involved with the outside world. Even if he was, he was located at the natural border between the Dukedom of Leo and the Silver Platter Kingdom. It was known as the most important supply river in the Dukedom of Leo. There was already a group of water bandits on the river, there was no room for this group of unfamiliar water bandits.

If they went, both sides would start a fire because of their territory.

Furthermore, Lionheart City was building a river patrol team. If they went to the river to develop the water bandits through the east and north counties, Kant would not do such a stupid thing.

Perhaps if he developed step by step, Kant would only consider building a half-water army like the water bandits when they were needed.

As for the current situation.

It was still better to seal it up temporarily.

After all, Kant did not have many cards that could be used.

Only the construction-type posthouse needed to be placed in the salt mines, and the recruitment doubled was going to use for the apprentice dormitory.

Other things, such as ammunition replenishment, random villages, changing the terrain, and the water bandits' lair, all needed to be temporarily sealed up. If Kant needed it in the future, he would decide to use it again.

He would make the best use of everything, but it was not the time to use them yet.

He was taking a stroll and thinking.

The sound of hurried footsteps appeared behind him. Kant turned his head to look. It was the cheerful Rolf.

"Lord Kant!"

Rolf bared his yellow teeth and smiled brightly. "Those merchants are really generous."

"Why?", Kant asked.

"We received a ransom of 8,000 great silver coins and a bribe of 2,000 great silver coins. Well, it should be considered a rebate. I promised them the right to trade in the future. As long as they can come to the posthouse, they can purchase any materials we produce. Of course, they also have to bring materials that they trade with each other."

Rolf revealed a sly smile. "Of course. As for whether it's possible or not, it's still up to you, Lord Kant."

Although Rolf was a general in charge of the posthouse, the actual authority was still in Kant's hands, including the right to trade.

As long as Kant refused, Rolf would be able to directly take the blame. To him, taking kickbacks and bribes, while at the same time eating the other party until there was nothing left, he could be considered a qualified bandit.

In fact, he did not care about any moral values.

Kant also understood.

However, the corners of his mouth curled up into a smile. He nodded and said, "Why not? I think it's quite good."

"Then do we really choose to trade?". Rolf was stunned, and he lowered his head slightly, he was rough, but he was meticulous. "Baron Dylan at the Stone Pass will be impacted by the benefits. I'm afraid that if we really choose to trade, the other party will take revenge. Especially for us, the Stone Pass is the only way to the Dukedom of Leo."

"Revenge? Then let them come.", Kant smiled. "It's not the only way. There are many small roads that can bypass the Stone Pass. After all, the Senwaya Range is very big."

"I'll listen to your orders."

Rolf nodded. He did not know much about business.

But he understood that as long as there were unfamiliar troops that dared to appear near the posthouse, he would lead the light and heavy cavalries to face the enemy. He would let them know why Lord Kant could stand tall in the desert and become the overlord!

He was a staunch and fool loyalist for Kant.

In fact, everyone was.

After dealing with the matters regarding the posthouse, the group of merchants gradually dispersed.

Although they had been extorted of a considerable amount of great silver coins, but after sharing it, each person had only paid less than 300 great silver coins. Although it seemed to be a lot, to these merchants, it could not compare to the gains from the posthouse this time, the profits from establishing the trade route with Baron Kant!

As long as they had the right to trade and the trade route, an endless supply of fine white salt would appear among the trade caravan, earning them bags of great silver coins.

They were willing to pay a mere 300 great silver coins!

Because the subsequent profits were enough to wipe out the current expenses, it could be considered as an initial investment.

The posthouse returned to silence.

The merchants had joyful expressions on their faces as they led the guards back.

They all needed to report this information to the noble behind them in the shortest amount of time. As long as they received permission, they could start operating in sequence. They could use the table salt trade to earn large amounts of silver coins.

As for Baron Dylan, who currently monopolized the table salt trade.

Heh, who cares about him.

He was just a puny warrior noble, a baron, and queen follower who was ostracized by the mainstream noble circle.

Even if they knew that they had started the table salt trade, what could he do?

Behind them stood a large number of nobles. As long as they joined forces, even the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, would have to express peace on this matter. A puny little baron, if he was not convinced and still wanted to cause trouble, then someone could easily crush him, it was very easy. There was no need to pay attention to him at all.

Moreover, after crushing him, it would be convenient for all the noble's trade caravan to enter and exit. After all, the Stone Pass could be considered an important land. It was just enough to connect to the Oasis Lookout. As long as they could take it down, it would not be difficult to take down Baron Kant, the exiled young duke!

The unknown salt mine in the desert would sooner or later become the private property of these great noble families!

The people dispersed, and the posthouse was quiet.

But the pressure Rolf would face next would be even greater.

Kant instructed him, "If you encounter danger, you can lead your troops to avoid it. You don't have to fight head-on. After all, the Sarrandan desert bandits can also create opportunities to defeat the enemy through constant harassment, just like the Kujit people. I hope you'll notice this."

"Understood.", Rolf nodded solemnly.

Both sides had expected that when these merchants returned, the noble would extend their tentacles to the posthouse.

Because Kant had allowed it.

And when the tentacles spread over, all kinds of dangers would follow.

Including the bandits who were greedy for the table salt trade, as well as the nobles who were unwilling and wanted to destroy the table salt trade of other noble families. They sent professional bandit groups that could rival regular armies.

If they wanted something that they couldn't get, no one else could!

Chapter 271: A Reminder From the Desert Bandits

As night fell, the stars in the sky shone brightly.

The scorching temperature during the day had already dropped. Now that the temperature had suddenly dropped, it was a good time for them to trudge through the desert. As long as they could set up their tents and raise bonfires before the cold night arrived, they would be safe.

That was one of the reasons why the trade caravan left in a hurry and reported the situation as soon as possible.

But there were more reasons.

It was because they were afraid that Rolf would go back on his words and lead a group to rob them.

Just a few days ago, there was a rumor that the trade caravan that offended Rolf was attacked by bandits after leaving the posthouse. They died in the desert where it was half a day away from the posthouse and the Stone Pass.

As night fell, the stars in the sky shone brightly.

The scorching temperature during the day had already dropped. Now that the temperature had suddenly dropped, it was a good time for them to trudge through the desert. As long as they could set up their tents and raise bonfires before the cold night arrived, they would be safe.

That was one of the reasons why the trade caravan left in a hurry and reported the situation as soon as possible.

But there were more reasons.

It was because they were afraid that Rolf would go back on his words and lead a group to rob them.

Just a few days ago, there was a rumor that the trade caravan that offended Rolf was attacked by bandits after leaving the posthouse. They died in the desert where it was half a day away from the posthouse and the Stone Pass.

Everyone's throats were cut to death. The head of the merchant who offended Rolf was stuck in a spear.

Although no one could prove that Rolf was the one who did it.

But everyone understood that it was this bandit-like guy who planned the attack in the dark.

Rolf could do it.

He had a bad reputation in the Continent of Caradia. He was different from the NPCs of the good faction like Firentis, Bunduk, James, and Manid. He was a complete scoundrel and a scumbag. There was nothing that he wouldn't do.

The bottom line for him was a layer of membrane that he could break through at any time.

Just like a woman.

However, Rolf was extremely loyal to Kant.

In other words, the NPCs of the evil faction were all blindly loyal to Kant and unconditionally supported him.

They did not oppose Kant's good deeds and welcomed Kant's evil deeds more. They had no objections to this. Compared to the good faction like Bunduk and Firentis, the evil faction was undoubtedly more suitable for the development during the initial expansion. After all, the process of accumulating the initial funds was all about bloody slaughter, and good people could only be oppressed.

This was the truth of the world. When one did not obtain the corresponding strength, the so-called good could only be swallowed up by other fierce competitors. It was like fish and shrimp in a lake, devouring each other's growth and plundering each other's resources.

Therefore, Kant trusted Rolf very much, and similarly gave him great power.

Just in terms of military power.

Other than Firentis, who was in charge of "Drondheim" Castle, Rolf's military power was the most important.

Kant believed that Rolf could solve the problem for him.

Rolf was very good at this kind of dirty work with blood on his hands.

Not only could he suppress the restless situation that the posthouse was facing, but he could also use the scimitar in his hands and the spears of the cavalries behind him to deal with it perfectly.

Everyone would be afraid.

Anyone would maintain their flattery in front of a butcher's knife and learn to bend down and flatter.

Those merchants from the Dukedom of Leo, who had ulterior motives and each had a noble background, would also learn how to offer their humbleness to Rolf. They would pay a lot of great silver coins, which was just happened to be on their bottom line, in exchange for permission to access here safely.

Even if some people were unwilling to give up and bring a bandit gang, causing a riot, for Rolf who was already on guard, as long as he was careful, it would be an easy counter-ambush.

At night, Kant and Rolf had a deep discussion about the future garrison issues.

The focus was on any dangers they might encounter in the future, as well as the reactions of the noble families.

Rolf needed to remain vigilant.

They chatted until late into the night.

If Kant did not have to set off for the Oasis Lookout the next morning, they would probably have to continue chatting.

After all, this central posthouse, which was located at the Oasis Lookout, the Stone Pass, and even the mountain pass of the Senwaya Range, was Kant's only window to communicate with the outside world.

The various problems and pressures he faced immediately came upon.

Rolf's burden was very heavy.

But because of this, Kant chose to believe in him.

Rolf, who came from the Continent of Caradia and had gone through training, he naturally had outstanding abilities.

The night deepened.

Bright starlight filled the sky.

The merchants had all replenished their water and food, and left in the direction of the Stone Pass.

Kant and Rolf's discussion ended.

The accompanying Swadian knights also entered their rooms to rest.

After all, they had to set off at dawn tomorrow. It was estimated that there was still a day and a night's journey before they could return to Oasis Lookout. It was a long journey, and in the harsh environment of the Nahrin Desert, it was indeed a tiring journey.

Because of this, the posthouse soldiers gave their rooms to Kant and the others to sleep in.

The night passed without a word.

The chill descended on the desert.

However, bonfires were lit inside and outside the posthouse.

The warmth dispelled the coldness, allowing the knights in the room and the cavalries in the tents outside to sleep peacefully.

The desert bandits who patrolled the night, they wore thick leather robes made from the fur of the sand gazelle, which kept them very warm.

As the stars shone brightly in the sky, the faint chill became more and more intense.

Late night arrived.

The night-duty cavalries changed their shifts a few times.

The dazzling starlight and the bright moonlight shone on the ground as if it was covered with layers of muslin.

Behind the surrounding dune, where even the patrolling desert bandits could not reach, a team of cavalry appeared. There were about 10 of them, and they were also wearing leather robes. Their entire bodies were wrapped inside, only exposing their nostrils and eyes, as they breathed, white mist with hot air spewed out, and their eyes were cold.

They did not say much. They were still extremely unaccustomed to the harsh environment of the Nahrin Desert. They turned their horses around and galloped. The horses, who were already exhausted, stepped on the dune, snorted, and ran deeper into the dune.

...

The night was silent.

The light of dawn pierced through the darkness, and the twilight at the end of the horizon proved that the day had arrived.

However, the dawn of the Nahrin Desert was still cold.

A slight breeze from the north blew past his face, and he could still feel the freezing chill.

The temperature of the desert varied greatly between day and night.

The high temperature during the day could boil water, and the low temperature at night could freeze it.

This was the reason why the Nahrin Desert was called a forbidden area for humans. No one wanted to live here. Even Kant felt a sense of helplessness towards this desert.

If one could live on a fertile plain, no one would willing to survive in such a harsh environment.

At the well next to the posthouse.

The clear and cool water from the underground lake had been lifted up by a wooden bucket.

Fortunately, a fish from the underground lake was caught in the wooden bucket. The carp, which was as wide as a palm and as long as a forearm, was sent directly to the kitchen and became part of the breakfast.

There were fish living in the underground lake that was connected to the well. Although there were not many of them, there were still quite a number of them.

But now was not the time to care about this.

The clear and cool lake water had filled up everyone's water sack.

The high-quality feed that was sent from the Oasis Lookout was used to feed the Swadian knights' warhorses.

Everything was well prepared.

In the kitchen, the breakfast was also finished.

In front of Kant was oatmeal, toast, dried meat, fried fish and eggs, and a small cup of malt wine as appetizer. Although it seemed simple, it was a sumptuous meal in the posthouse.

The others only ate oatmeal, toast, and dried meat.

Everyone swallowed down their food.

They had to wait for the sky to turn bright, and they had to take advantage of the fact that the temperature was not completely scorching right now. If they waited for the scorching sun at noon, it would be much more difficult for them to continue trekking in the desert.

After breakfast, Kant gave Rolf a few instructions and left with his team.

The 103 Swadian knights followed closely.

The tracks left by the camel caravans when they were transporting supplies were the roads.

Although they had been through a sandstorm, there were still camel caravans that had brought supplies to the posthouse recently. The tracks could be seen clearly. However, traces of horse hooves and ruts could occasionally be found.

Kant raised his head and looked at the dune on both sides.

There were some broken carriages left there, and there were also scattered corpses.

There were even some whose heads had been chopped off and inserted into the spear. They were raised diagonally, like primitive and ancient totem pillars, intimidating the travelers who dared to set foot on this road.

This was indeed a threat.

It came from Rolf's unscrupulous killing.

Kant recognized that the carriage and the corpses were all merchants from the Dukedom of Leo.

They had been killed only a few days ago.

It should have been after the sandstorm.

It seemed that these merchants were trying to take advantage of the chaos after the sandstorm to enter the Oasis Lookout.

However, they were discovered by the desert bandits. Rolf directly killed them, slaughtering the group of people who dared to violate the rules between the dune. Even their heads were hung on the spear, intimidating those who came later.

But obviously, this deterrence was not effective.

On both sides of the dune, there were scattered corpses.

They were either dressed as merchants or adventurers.

But without exception, they were all found by the patrolling desert bandits. They chopped off their heads and stuck their longsword or spear into the top of the dune. They looked at the road in a miserable manner, still intimidating those who came later.

The desert bandits had no objection to this.

It was just killing a few people.

When they were in the Sarrand desert, they had done all kinds of evil.

Otherwise, they wouldn't be called desert bandits!

Kant led the knights and sped forward, and the number of corpses between the dune on both sides gradually decreased.

It could be seen that there were too few people who could resist the threat of death and still wanted to enter the depths of the Nahrin Desert. Especially with so many corpses on both sides, it completely showed the ruthlessness of the cavalry.

To lose their lives for the sake of intelligence, this transaction was not worthy at the moment.

Kant and the others were galloping.

But behind them, there were five desert bandits who quickly rode their horses over.

"Slow down.", Kant raised his hand to signal.

The advancing speed of the team immediately slowed down, allowing the small team of desert bandits to follow.

The leading desert bandits were panting, obviously galloping all the way. When they saw Kant and the others stop, they immediately rode their horses to Kant's side, they quickly reported, "My Lord, our patrol team has discovered abnormal footprints on the dune. There may be spies deep in the desert. Rolf told me to inform you to pay attention to your safety!"

"Yes, I understand.", Kant nodded, his eyes calm.

It was very easy to find abnormal footprints in the desert.

After all, if there was no wind and no sandstorms, the footprints between the layers of sand could be clearly seen within a few weeks.

It was because of this that Rolf was able to lead the desert bandits and Sarrandian horsemen to easily discover whether there were any spies or merchants who violated the prohibition and entered the depths of the desert.

Capturing them was also simple.

As long as they followed the footprints, they could capture these little mice.

"How many are there?", Kant asked.

Chapter 272: The Title of Royal Knight

"According to the traces, there are 10 horses."

Desert bandits replied, "But the exact number of people is unknown. It is estimated that there are no more than 10 people."

Kant said, "That might be 10 horses and 10 riders."

"Yes.", desert bandits nodded, they still reminded him, "We did not find any traces of a bonfire. It is estimated that it was a long journey. However, it is worth noting that there are no traces of a bonfire or a campsite at all. Therefore, Lord Rolf plans to personally lead a team to chase after them later. He specially sent me to remind Lord Kant to be more vigilant so as to avoid danger."

"If that's the case...", Kant narrowed his eyes. He did not find any traces of bonfires or camping sites, and it was a long journey. If they were the natives without the support of the system, he really needed to pay attention to it.

No wonder Rolf had specially sent the desert bandits to warn him.

It was indeed strange.

However, Kant's expression was calm.

With 103 top-tier Swadian knights by his side, any danger could be resisted.

"Then we'll leave."

After passing on the information, the desert bandits turned their horses around and left. "My Lord, please be careful."

"Mm.", Kant nodded.

Lightly knocking on the horse's abdomen, the military horse under him moved forward. He led the team forward.

However, he suddenly felt a little uneasy.

How could an ordinary spy or rider defend against 103 top-tier, peak knight-level Swadian knights? This was simply impossible. Even if it was a terrifying savage demonized creature, it would probably die on the spot, after all, these knights' combat skills and battle experience were real.

Kant had some doubts about his own uneasiness. The source was very simple. According to the desert bandits, there were no signs of bonfires or camping sites. It seemed that they were rushing all the way without rest.

"An ordinary person can't do this."

Kant couldn't help but mutter to himself. Even his troops couldn't do this.

Although he had the support of the system, he still needed to rest and avoid the scorching sun and the freezing cold.

After all, they were flesh and blood, and the warhorses under them were the same. If that unknown group was really trekking day and night without the fear of the cold and the heat, it would be too terrifying, and he could not help but be vigilant.

Subconsciously, he held the hilt of the sword by his waist, and the Sword of the King released a power that made him feel at ease.

However, a dialog box suddenly popped up on his retina.

[ Ding... side quest issued ]

[ Side quest: Terrifying attacker ]

[ Reward: 5000 reputation ]

[ Introduction: You are facing terrifying attackers, who were lurking on the road you must pass. After receiving the information, you plan to play along and annihilate the attacker in this desert. However, due to the terrifying strength of the attackers, you might need a royal knight with extraordinary strength. It would be more appropriate. ]

The system notification box appeared.

Kant narrowed his eyes slightly. This notification had exceeded his expectations.

He exhaled slightly. Looking at the undulating dune, he immediately understood that his uneasiness was real. "I actually need to level up to a royal knight in order to deal with this group of attackers?"

This meant that the attackers were enemies with extraordinary strengths.

Even the system had to warn them as soon as possible.

Kant gripped the Sword of the King in his hand tightly and said in a deep voice, "Stop moving forward!"

"Stop moving forward!"

The captain of the knights spoke one after another to convey Kant's orders.

All the Swadian knights immediately reined in their reins and stopped moving forward.

"I need 33 people."

Kant ordered them in a low voice, "Those with outstanding battle achievements, who thinks that they are qualified? Then get off your horses and step out. I will confer him the title of royal knight!"

The situation was urgent. Kant did not intend to deal with it in a complicated manner.

There was a slight commotion among the knights.

As they conversed with each other, they had their own candidates in their hearts.

Soon, the 33 Swadian knights with outstanding battle achievements, who had received everyone's approval, got off their horses and walked out quickly. They stood in a straight line and looked at Kant with a determined expression. Their eyes were filled with excitement and fanaticism.

If becoming a knight was the dream of any Swadian heavy cavalry, then becoming a royal knight was the dream of any knight!

The title had the word 'royal' added.

However, their status, status, and honor were all different. They were all symbols of higher honor!

This was the highest honor that the Kingdom of Swadia on the Continent of Caradia had never had before. It made these knights' emotions surge. Even those knights behind them who did not have outstanding battle achievements were also looking at Kant with eager eyes, their eyes were filled with incomparable fanaticism as they became more and more excited about the future.

This was an affirmation for them. As long as they worked hard under Lord Kant, they would obtain the highest honor. Becoming this respectable royal knight would no longer be a dream!

Kant dismounted his horse and came in front of the 33 Swadian knights.

He slowly walked past them.

"You have outstanding battle achievements. You are the outstanding ones that everyone recognizes."

Kant looked at them and placed his right hand on the hilt of the Sword of the King. He said in a deep voice, "Now, do all of you choose to take on more responsibilities and fight for me on this land?"

"We are willing to!"

The 33 Swadian knights replied in unison.

Everyone knelt down on one knee at the same time.

They lowered their heads towards Kant and said with incomparable devotion, "We will give everything and honor to you. We will fight for you and swear on this land that you belong to."

"Very good."

Kant stretched out his hand and pulled out the Sword of the King.

The body of the sword was also decorated with simple yet imposing gold patterns.

According to the system's notification, he placed the tip of the sword on the shoulders of the 33 Swadian knights and announced in a deep voice, "Now, I will bestow you with the title of Swadian royal knight!"

"Hum --"

The gold patterns on the body of the sword instantly lit up.

A gentle yet inviolable aura instantly erupted.

The 33 Swadian knights' bodies also erupted with golden light.

A dense stream of data simultaneously appeared in front of Kant, enveloping all of the Swadian knights. A heart-palpitating fluctuation spread out through the stream of data.

This included the military horses owned by the 33 Swadian knights not far away.

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ You have conferred 33 knights as royal knights ]

[ A total of 3,300 reputation points have been consumed ]

The system dialog box popped up on his retina.

The data stream immediately dispersed.

Amidst the dazzling golden light, the figures of the 33 knights appeared.

Fully clad plate armor was worn on their body, and it was polished until it was smooth and translucent. Even though it was covered in a linen coat, it was still shining silver under the sunlight, and there were exquisite patterns carved on it. It was so beautiful that it was like they were not the knights who had been on the battlefield for a long time, instead, it was a work of art meticulously crafted by the artist. It was the most perfect war art!

The three meters long heavy armor-piercing lance was held in one arm. The kite shield on the left arm was inlaid with fine steel. Behind the fluttering light blue cloak, the gilded knight sword was pinned on the left waist. There was also a slender spiked warhammer hanging on the right side.

At the top of the heavy armor-piercing lance, a small triangular flag was fluttering.

It was the red-bottomed golden lion that symbolized Kant!

In the crowd, 33 Swadian warhorses that were also clad in plate armor came over. They were also clad in linen robes. The exquisite patterns on the stirrups and saddles were extremely delicate.

It was like they had took a big leap.

The Swadian knights that was once clad in double-layered heavy chain armor was powerful enough. But now, when they faced with the full-body plate armor of the Swadian royal knights, they were like country bumpkins in the countryside. There was no comparison at all!

Especially the imposing manner of these royal knights, it was even more shocking.

"Greetings, Lord Kant!"

Even the warhorses beside them lowered its head slightly, as if they were very intelligent.

"Very good."

Kant revealed a smile, raising his hand and saying, "Get up."

"Thank you, Lord Kant!", the 33 royal knights nodded and stood up again.

Their trump card-auras were like the wind, blowing towards them!

They were indeed Kant's true trump card troops.

Kant had never thought that after being promoted to a royal knight and becoming a level 6 troop class, there would actually be an earth-shattering change. As for the extraordinary strength that Kant had speculated, these royal knights had indeed grasped it.

And they had mastered it very comprehensively!

[ Swadian royal knights (level 6 heavy cavalry) : Knights who have been cleansed by the power of a king, the royal knights who are invincible on the battlefield, are the nightmares of any enemy. ]

[ Talent: 1) King's Power: they have a special power that can increase their physical attributes by 200%. 2) King's Intimidate: the power they control can be externally, causing a spiritual pressure on the enemy. 3) King's Courageous: they can enter the fearless state. 500% buff of all physical attributes can be unleashed. During the stage, they can be completely immune to low morale. ]

The system had already given out the interface of the troop class.

There was only an introduction of the Swadian knights, as for talents and the like, there was none at all.

As for the royal knights, the three talents that appeared seemed to be the manifestation of magical strength, more like those grand knights who truly possessed magical strength, the strength that could easily defeat the strength of an ordinary troop class!

Just by relying on the 33 Swadian royal knights, Kant could not help but feel his emotions fluctuate after comparing them with the ordinary knights.

Ordinary knights would not be able to shake these royal knights at all.

If one royal knight wanted to, it would definitely be no problem for him to defeat 10 ordinary knights. It was just like how a grand knight could crush an ordinary knight. This was because he had grasped the magical strength, the talents in the attribute interface of these royal knights, it was the same as having the strength to stand on the rules of the world.

They could unleash their full strength at any time, recover at any time, and beat ordinary knights to the ground at any time. Even the peak knight-level could not compare to a grand knight who had just grasped magical strength!

The reason was clear!

Kant slightly clenched his fist, and his gaze towards these royal knights became even more fervent.

No wonder grand knights were the trump cards of the battlefield.

There were 33 grand knight-level royal knights appearing on the battlefield. They were wearing full-body plate armor that was at the peak of the era of cold weapons. Even their warhorses were also wearing full-body plate armor. What troop could be their opponent?

It was estimated that at the moment of the fighting, the other troops would be scattered into pieces!

"Ten extraordinary strength attackers."

Kant looked ahead and revealed a mocking smile. "Then what can you do with the counter-ambush of 33 royal knights with extraordinary strength and 70 knights at the peak of knight-level?"

Chapter 273: The Infighting Intruders

In the middle of the rolling dune, ten mysterious men who were completely covered in leather robes and hoods were waiting quietly. The ten horses behind them stood like puppets, their eyes were lifeless and extremely tired.

Finally, a mysterious man with a hood on his head spoke, his tone was a little anxious. "The spell won't last long. If we can't finish Kant in the next 12 hours, I suggest we retreat immediately. Otherwise, we'll have to walk out of this damn desert on two legs."

"That's your problem.", the leading the mysterious man said in an indifferent tone. "You're in charge of the horse. If there's a problem, it's naturally your responsibility. I hope you can be mentally prepared."

"Oh, damn it!"

The mysterious man at the back was enraged and raised the staff in his hand, "Don't think that I'm afraid of you.", he said in an angry voice. "You have to know that if it weren't for someone paying a high price, with my status, I would be drinking the best black tea in the Mage Tower and enjoying delicious desserts!"

"This is the rule of your life. There's no need to say more.". The leading mysterious men was not afraid at all. His tone was still indifferent as he said calmly, "But if something goes wrong, you will also pay the price."

"You are threatening me.", the man narrowed his eyes and raised the magic staff inlaid with gemstones.

"Threatening? No, you have misunderstood. I am just telling the truth."

The leading mysterious man did not seem to have noticed the elemental power in the air, he spoke indifferently, "There are many mages in the Mage Tower. My master has paid a price to invite you, so you have to show your corresponding value.". He paused and slowly turned his head, he looked at the mysterious man at the back indifferently. "Also, shut your whining mouth, or you won't be able to return to your Mage Tower alive."

"You...", the mysterious man at the back gritted his teeth. At the tip of the magic staff in his hand, a dark red light was illuminated within the gem. It was like a raging flame contained within it, ready to explode with a terrifying blazing flame at any time.

But in the end, he did not release it.

He snorted coldly and lowered his magic staff in extreme indignation. He stood at the back with a cold face and did not say anything else.

However, the atmosphere in the team had calmed down.

The leading mysterious man looked calm, but there was a hint of mockery in his eyes.

In the Mage Tower, the mages who lived a good life and liked to study magic, who fought on the battlefield and trained hard in the training ground day and night to obtain an excellent physique, were even stronger in close combat.

That's right, he was the grand knight who had mastered the mysterious magical strength.

Within a range of less than three meters.

Even if this mysterious fire mage was the first to cast a spell at him, he could still survive.

Because he could move in an instant in such a short distant. He could draw his sword and easily killed this mage who overestimated himself and looked down on everything. It was very easy for him.

However, he still needed the help of this mage to take care of the next mission.

Including the other eight mysterious people behind him, they were all desperadoes and powerhouses that were recruited by their master with a huge amount of money and cost, all for the purpose of killing Baron Kant, who was about to pass by this road and was protected by many elite cavalries. It was a mission that only allowed success, not failure!

If not for this reason, he would have easily killed this mage. After all, in close combat, even a high-level mage would not be a match for an ordinary grand knight like him.

The others looked on coldly.

They were gathered together because of benefits.

To be honest, even for this mission, they felt that they were overqualified and could easily complete it.

It was just killing a small noble.

And it was the least favorite son of the Duke, who was exiled in the desert and was known well throughout the country.

Baron Kant.

If they killed this baron and acted carefully, they would probably not be wanted. Perhaps burying his body in the desert would make it hard for others to figure out whether this baron was hiding his identity and escaping from the cruel environment of the Nahrin Desert, or was he really killed by someone.

Right now, the public opinion of the Dukedom of Leo was all about this Baron Kant, when he died in the Nahrin Desert and when he escaped from the Nahrin Desert. As for the so-called development in the desert, it was really laughable joke.

Could the Nahrin Desert, this damned place, still be developed?

Oh, a salt mine was discovered.

But even if this salt mine existed, it was not something that the exiled Baron could set foot in!

Therefore, they all stood there quietly and waited. They looked at the path that the camel's footprints had made outside the dune. They understood that Kant's team was about to arrive.

They felt relaxed about this. There were also people who turned their heads to look at the barren desert in boredom. They felt that the temperature was getting hotter as the sun appeared. When they felt the temperature was rising as compared to the cold winter at night, they felt even more relieved that they did not fall into this environment to survive. Just like what the people described about the Nahrin Desert, it was truly as terrifying as hell.

The mysterious person in the lead also sighed in his heart. It was such a place that actually had salt mines. The fine white salt produced there was no less than the high-quality white salt purchased from the Dwarf Kingdom.

The profits was tempting, and greed rose in his heart.

That was why the master behind him made this choice.

He commanded them remotely to kill Kant, who was with a title of lord. When that time came, the chaotic situation would be beneficial for the lord behind him to enter this desert and seize that salt mine!

Narrowing his eyes slightly, the mysterious grand knight raised his head. On the dune in the distance, groups of black dots appeared. They were galloping on the undulating dune under the sunlight. Occasionally, there were a few pieces of shiny colors flashing over, it seemed that the polished armor was reflecting the sunlight.

"They're here.", he said in a deep voice. His hand was already reached deep into his linen robe. He held the longsword that he carried with him. "Everyone, I think you all understand your mission."

"Of course."

A reply came from behind, including the cold snort of the mysterious mage at the back.

But no one cared about that now.

They slowly moved back and rode on the back of the horses with dull eyes full of bloodshot, and looked extremely tired, but still full of energy. They circled around the dune and laid in ambush, ready to launch a sudden attack.

Their plan was very perfect. In fact, if it were anyone else, they would have stepped into this trap.

Kant was different.

He had already received the warning from the system.

Along the way, not only him, but even the 33 Swadian royal knights behind him and the remaining 70 Swadian knights were all alert as they observed the front, the two wings, and the rear with extreme vigilance.

When they crossed the dune under their feet and officially entered the dune area with a more complicated and continuous environment, the royal knights who had enhanced their eyesight and could see very far instantly discovered that the 10 mysterious men were riding on horses and planned to move behind the dune. They immediately reported.

"Lord Kant, if my guess is correct, those people are the attackers."

The captain of the royal knights spoke.

In a short period of time, they had been divided into three standard combat teams of 11 people in each team. This formation was convenient for commanding.

At the same time, when they faced the enemy, they could attack separately and break through in a concentrated manner. This could be considered the traditional routine of the heavy cavalry.

As experienced and top-tier heavy cavalry, these royal knights naturally had excellent combat skills. For example, they formed their own teams and protected Lord Kant during wartime. These were all actions that needed to be taken.

"Alright.", Kant nodded.

He also saw the black shadow that disappeared from the dune in the distance.

However, with his knight body, he could still see them vaguely from afar. It was only because he was on high alert and focused on the terrain in front of him that he was able to notice them. Otherwise, he would definitely not be able to notice them if he looked at it casually.

Since he noticed them now, he could react now. The heavy cavalries that Kant was leading were all elites!

The royal knights were the elites of the elites!

The possessors of magical strength!

Three teams of royal knights each brought two teams of knights and slowly dispersed in the desert.

The hooves of the warhorse heavily trampled on the sand layer. However, due to the softness of the sand layer and the support of the system, it would not completely sink into the hooves of the warhorse. Therefore, the sound of the warhorse galloping was very soft.

Although it could not take advantage of the speed advantage of the plains and the stone roads.

However, the concealment ability was greatly increased.

If it was the plains or the stone roads, the booming sounds would have long shook the eardrums and resounded throughout the sky.

Kant personally led 10 knights forward.

Their speed remained unchanged, they were still not being noticed by the attackers. However, outside the two sides of the dune, the speed of the royal knights and knights who surrounded them in the long dragon formation was even faster.

The 33 royal knights were like long lances, easily riding their horses to attack the dune. The military horses under them seemed to possess a mysterious power, and they were extremely fast when they stepped on the sand, they were a distance away from the ordinary knights, and reached the predetermined encirclement in the shortest time possible.

Kant and the others had only traveled half the distance.

The distance between two sides was getting closer.

The royal knights and knights who had entered the anti-ambush location also began to move forward quietly in the dune.

Everyone was making preparations.

Including the mysterious attackers behind the dune.

They were very sure that the cavalries that they had seen and the intelligence they had received should have a large number of cavalries protecting Kant. It was definitely different from the current 11 people. The number was pitifully small.

Some astonishment appeared in everyone's hearts.

But as Kant approached, they suppressed the astonishment in their hearts.

They were just ordinary heavy cavalries. Perhaps they were at the level of knights, but with just the ten people here who possessed the magical strength, as long as they were careful, they would be able to exterminate this group of cavalries in a minute!

This was not arrogance, but the confidence of their strength!

However.

At the end, the mysterious mage holding a magic staff in his hand had hatred in his eyes under the mask.

As he swept his gaze across the group of cavalries in front of him, he felt even more humiliated in his heart.

He suddenly had a method that could perfectly complete the mission and also secretly solve his own trouble!

Fire elements jumped around at his fingertips.

The expert-level fire arrow was ready.

If the opportunity allowed, he would pretend to make a careless mistake and shot the spell that could pierce through armor and explode the human body towards the behind of the magical knight in the lead.

If he offended a noble mage, he would receive the punishment he deserved!

Chapter 274: The Jaw-dropping Shock

Kant led the team forward.

The hooves of the horses hit the sand layer, making a slight "poof poof" sound.

Everyone moved forward at a constant speed, getting closer and closer to the dune in front of the attackers. However, as if they had not sensed any danger, they still let their warhorse gallop forward, as if they were traveling on their usual journey.

Kant, who was leading the team in front, looked calm.

As for the 10 Swadian knights' helmets behind them, they were full helmets.

Their helmets looked like buckets and their heads were buckled inside. Only a narrow eyehole revealed their eyes, and there was a fine mesh of holes between their noses and mouths that allowed them to breathe.

It was impossible to observe their facial expressions.

Therefore, they could remain vigilant at all times and observe the enemies in front of them through the eyehole.

Although the eyehole's vision was limited, it was not a problem for them to focus on a certain area and observe it carefully. For example, at the back of the dune in front of them, they held the lances in their hands tightly as they got closer and were ready to charge at any time, or they could pull out the warhammer at their waists and engage in close combat!

They had to make sure that Lord Kant would not be threatened. Even if they were to be in danger or even die in battle, they had to ensure the safety of their lord, the supreme Kant!

For example, they had already seen a flash of red light that suddenly appeared in front of them.

"Danger!"

The Swadian knights immediately spread out to both sides.

The knights on both sides of Kant immediately raised their kite shields and urged their horses to block between the red light and Kant. Their faces under the huge helmets were resolute and did not show the slightest fear.

"Protect Lord Kant!"

They all let out furious roars. The others also ran around Kant.

They were afraid that other than the red light that was shooting at them at an extremely fast speed, there would be other abnormal situations.

Fortunately, there weren't any.

"Hum --"

The red light instantly touched the ground. The scorching aura was like a storm, whistling and raising raging flames. Within a range of 5 × 20 meters, a wall of raging flames that obstructed their advance instantly surged up!

Kant stopped his warhorse and faced the incoming heat wave, gritting his teeth slightly.

It was an extraordinary spell!

The raging flames rose up, burning up to a height of more than three meters.

The heat wave spread around the 20-meter-long wall of flames. Kant and the others, who were 10 meters away, felt as if their entire bodies were in a furnace. Even the warhorses beneath them could not stop neighing. Obviously, when the warhorses faced the temperature and the burning flames, even these tamed wild beasts could not remain calm.

However, Kant and the knights' riding skills were superb. After a long period of training, these warhorses were still in sync with the riders. Although they kept retreating, they did not panic.

"Enemy attack! Spread out!"

The knights also cried out and surrounded Kant, they wanted to turn their horses around and leave.

However, the attackers would definitely not let them off.

"Whoosh Whoosh --"

Suddenly, a shrill whistle could be heard from the dune.

It approached from afar.

The shrill whistle became even more ear-splitting, and its speed was extremely fast!

Kant could not help but frown.

Even the Swadian knights behind him gritted their teeth.

"Raise your shield!"

The last two Swadian knights behind him instantly raised the kite shield on their left arm.

Their movements were well-practiced, just like the textbook. In an instant, they rode behind Kant and raised the kite shields, blocking the sharp whistle!

The sharp whistle came!

"Dang! Dang!"

A dull sound appeared on the kite shield.

The Swadian knights with the shield on their left arms did not shake at all. They continued to ride their warhorse steadily. However, on the kite shield that was still painted with a golden lion on a red background, two white arrows had already pierced into the surface of the shield. The arrowheads penetrated through the iron sheet that was wrapped around the surface. The inertia carried by the arrowheads shook the tail feathers continuously.

This was an extremely accurate shot. Similarly, this special white arrow was different from the traditional arrows of the Dukedom of Leo. It was more like the white arrow that was popular in the Silver Platter Kingdom and was famous for its great power!

Similarly, the two archers were also very skilled in archery.

In Kant and the others' eyes, they already had superb archery skills comparable to that of the Ravenstern wardens.

This was definitely not a defame.

It was a praise to those archers!

The Ravenstern wardens were archers who had been trained in archery for more than 20 years. They were masters of archery that had been trained in the misty forest. They were second only to the elusive Ravenstern rangers.

Kant's expression was cold as he slowly turned his head to look.

On the dune not far away, two archers in hoods and leather robes had already appeared at the top of the dune. They pulled out a new white feather heavy arrow from the quiver on their back and continued to place it on their battle bows.

They pull their bows into full moon and elegantly released their fingers. In an instant, the arrows whistled that ear-piercing screech again.

Their target was straight for Kant's face!

"Dang! Dang!"

The knights raised the kite shield, and the thick and well-made shield that was wrapped in iron sheet once again withstood two arrows that were heavier and thicker.

And in just a short moment.

The Swadian knights had already escorted Kant more than a hundred meters away.

With the protection of the kite shields, even the two archers on the dune were unable to continue shooting and pose too much of a threat to Kant. Moreover, under Kant's linen robe, there was also a close-fitting fine chain armor.

"My lord, please remain vigilant!"

The Swadian knights protected Kant in the middle.

Beside him, the captain of the knights reported to Kant, "We have already discovered the enemy's position. Are we allowed to charge and defeat the enemy as soon as possible?"

"No, wait."

Kant narrowed his eyes and rejected his suggestion.

Looking at the two archers who had put away their bows on the dune, Kant said in a deep voice, "The good show is still to come."

The flames swept across the land and formed a wall of fire. At the dune, the mysterious mage, who was also wearing a hood with leather robe and holding a magic staff, finally appeared again. He raised his magic staff and chanted a mysterious spell, shooting out a blazing ray of light between the gemstones, it instantly covered the path of Kant's retreat.

The flames were also burning fiercely. The violent flames rose and formed a terrifying wall of flames five meters wide, around 20 meters long, blocking Kant's path of retreat.

And on both sides, not only had seven mysterious people who were also wearing hoods and leather robes appeared, but they were also holding steel longsword.

It seemed like they were the attackers going to get close and kill Kant.

"Stop! Stranger!"

A Swadian knight angrily reprimanded, "This is the young son of Grand Duke Cameron, the Baron of the Dukedom of Leo, the ruler of Nahrin Desert, the lord of Oasis Lookout, Lord Kant!"

He spoke righteously and looked at the seven attackers on his left and right. His tone did not tremble at all, there was not a hint of fear in his heart. "Do you know that what you have done now has already violated the laws of the noble. You will be hanged. Even if you die, you will be punished by the God of War, Edmund. You will be banished to the war god's arcane realm to accept the endless cruel war!"

"Ha...", the seven attackers who were holding steel longsword were not moved by the knight's reprimand. On the contrary, some of them even laughed softly as if they had heard a funny joke.

Of course they were laughing at the line of the knight that was authorized by Kant.

They laughed out loud mockingly.

Looking at the appearance of these seven attackers, Kant knew that they were indeed people from the Dukedom of Leo.

After all, other than the nobles and commoners of the Dukedom of Leo, who knew the truth about him as a baron, the nobles and commoners of the other kingdoms would not care about this poor exiled worm.

Of course, this was the beginning of a good show.

Kant did not need to retreat.

He calmly looked at the seven attackers who were getting closer and closer to him.

The Sword of the King in the scabbard on his waist was faintly vibrating, reminding Kant that there was someone among them who posed a high threat to him and that he needed to be cautious and careful.

Beside him, the Swadian knights raised their lances, their faces solemn under their huge helmets.

The warhorses uneasily dug through the sand beneath their feet.

"I'll take care of it. You guys can eat the dust from behind."

An attacker in front of them chuckled.

Towards Kant and those knights, his eyes under the hood were filled with disdain and ridicule.

"Die!"

Almost in an instant, one of the attackers drew his longsword and moved forward.

A fiery red light burst forth from his entire body like a raging flame. His speed soared. Even if the knights spurred their horses forward and raised their lances, they were easily dodged by him.

On the contrary, he was getting closer and closer to Kant.

His idea was simple. To catch a thief gang, first catch the leader. To kill a person, first kill Kant!

"So fast."

Kant drew his sword, his eyes filled with shock.

The attacker's speed was extremely fast. He was a genuine grand knight!

The scorching aura was the same.

Even if Kant had the body of a knight, he was still unable to turn his body to dodge this rapidly splitting sword. He could only subconsciously grip the hilt of his sword, making the the Sword of the King at his waist instantly draw out from the bottom to swing upwards, wanting to use his own weapon to barely block the fine steel longsword that was slashing towards him!

"Dang --"

The two swords intersected, but the eyes of the attacker revealed extreme shock.

He could not hold the fine steel longsword in his hand.

As for the Sword of the King in Kant's hand, it easily sliced through his fine steel longsword like it was cutting butter. Following the inertia of the attacker, it sliced through half of his body, from the left lower ribs to the right neck, a rain of blood splashed out.

In the rain of blood, the internal organs that had also been cut into two flew over Kant's head and crashed into the sand, rolling into the raging flames, twitching and struggling to turn into a pile of charcoal.

"Damn it!"

A cry of alarm came from behind.

The faces of the rest of the attackers who had been watching the scene from behind, waiting for this guy to finish off Kant, were filled with disbelief and shock.

There were also the two archers and the mysterious mage at the top of the dune.

All of them widened their eyes.

Looking at Kant riding his horse and raising the golden longsword, their initial shock turned into greed.

"It's that sword! It's mine!"

The greed in the eyes of the leading grand knight grew even more. He was sure that the longsword in Kant's hand was a precious magic longsword. It could even cut off a grand knight in one strike, and it could even reach the legendary divine weapon level!

But just as they were about to group up...

Their bodies suddenly stiffened.

At some point in time, knights with golden light all over their bodies appeared at the surrounding fire walls.

And at the dune, there were similar knights standing at their sides.

Chapter 275: The Mighty Golden Aura Flame

The atmosphere instantly turned stiff.

There were three mysterious attackers on each side, but they were standing still and did not dare to move.

They glanced at the knights who had appeared beside them at an unknown time. The golden light was like the sun above their heads, and waves of spiritual pressure were still spreading out.

They were all grand knights who had already grasped extraordinary strengths and seemed to be extremely familiar with them!

Cold sweat flowed down their foreheads.

The scene was very stiff.

No one spoke. Kant also quietly looked at them as if he was looking at a ferocious beast in a cage. His eyes were filled with some playfulness, but it made the hearts of the six attackers who were extremely close to them beat faster.

Panic! Panic! Fear!

That power seemed to be able to shock their souls, and even made them feel guilty as if they had a guilty conscience.

It was like they were now the heinous criminals.

They were indeed.

Since they dared to assassinate a noble, then in the court of the noble, there was no regulation that would forgive them. The final result was that they had to be sentenced to death. Whether it was hanging or beheading, their crimes had to be fatal!

This was the bottom line of the noble, a bottom line that could not be crossed!

The threatening pressure from the Sword of the King.

There was also the talent No.2, King's Intimidate of the royal knights gathered together!

"What... What kind of joke is this!"

Among the attackers, someone gritted his teeth and forcefully broke away from the terrifying pressure that came from the heart.

Looking at the 33 grand knights who were riding on warhorses and the 70 ordinary knights who had surrounded them and trapped them firmly in the dune. A resolute look appeared in their eyes, they charged at Kant with a burst of red light. To catch a thief gang, one must first catch the leader!

His idea was very good, but in front of the royal knights who were quietly watching them, this kind of action was more like a pathetic joke. The final resort of a desperate cornered beast!

"The king is fearless!"

A deep and muffled shout appeared in the mouth of the nearest royal knight.

His two powerful legs tightened the horse's back.

"Hiss --"

The warhorse that was wearing plate armor under its legs let out a roar as it rushed forward.

Golden light also exploded on the body of this warhorses. Together with the royal knight on horseback, he raised the three meters long heavy armor-piercing lance. He charged forward in an instant.

The regular 200% buff and the 500% increase in fearless status gave him a full seven times of his strength!

"Pu --"

The heavy armor-piercing spearhead had already pierced through the attacker who was still charging forward.

"No!", his eyes were filled with despair.

The spearhead pierced through.

Its speed was so fast that the attacker was unable to dodge.

The heavy spearhead, which was as thick as a fist, pierced through the body in the leather robe and stabbed out from the back, dripping with blood.

Even if the attacker struggled to let his fiery-red aura burst out that was rolled like a raging flame, creating layers of scorching air waves, it was still unable to stop himself from being completely pierced through.

Not to mention, the fist-sized heavy armor-piercing spearhead was shining with golden light. It was not the threatened by this fiery red heat wave at all. Instead, it was like an incomparably sharp divine artifact. After piercing through the body, he held the lance with one hand, it directly lifted the attacker who was not completely dead in the air, as if he was showing off his arrogance.

The Swadian royal knight naturally had the right to be arrogant!

In a short moment.

It did not take more than two minutes.

This grand knight level attacker was stabbed to death on the spot by any one of them.

Even his corpse was lifted by a lance, becoming a symbol of showing off his strength!

The remaining attackers did not even dare to act rashly. They all stood on the spot, looking at the huge number of royal knights and knights around them with their backs to each other. The greed and killing intent in their eyes disappeared completely.

Only despair appeared in the face of death.

There was also disbelief.

The baron, who was supposed to be down and out, exiled to the desert by the center of power, why were there so many grand knights and elite knights around him? They were puzzled from the bottom of their hearts, as well as disbelief that came from the depths of their souls!

They were unwilling to believe all of this, and they were also unwilling to believe the fact that they were going to die!

The leader of the attackers raised his head.

Looking at Kant's calm expression, he tried his best to speak in a calm voice, "Baron Kant, if I say that this is a misunderstanding, I don't know if you can understand."

"What do you think?", Kant asked back, but the mocking smile at the corner of his mouth could not be hidden.

"We are all grand knights who possess extraordinary powers."

The leader of the attackers gritted his teeth. "If we fight with all our might, even you and your troops will suffer losses.". His tone softened. "But if you are willing to let us go with kindness, we are willing to do anything for you, unconditionally, and promise not to reveal what happened today."

The other attackers nodded. At this time, other than responding, they did not have any excuses. This was because under the pressure of absolute power, they actually did not have the ability to bargain.

"Work for me."

Kant opened his mouth and said in an unusually calm tone, "You can exchange for a chance to live. This plan is not bad."

However, the leader of the attackers had a gloomy expression. His initial calm expression disappeared. He looked coldly at Kant. He clenched the steel in his hand tightly, he said in a deep voice, "We are all grand knights. There are also top-notch archers and mages in the Mage Tower who control the power of elements!"

"Oh.", Kant nodded. He looked quietly at the attacker who spoke and said indifferently, "So what?"

So what.

Kant did not care at all.

He did not care about them at all!

He turned his head and looked at the 33 shimmering Swadian royal knights around him. Kant laughed softly and said to him, "You may not understand what I mean.". His tone paused, he helplessly spread his hands, "When you choose to be my enemy, you are destined to fail, and the result of failure is death. Simple logic."

"Then you can go to hell!", the 6 attackers were enraged, instantly bursting out with their extraordinary powers. Some were scorching red, while others were deep blue, and their target was Kant.

In that terrifying explosion, their figures even left long shadows.

But so what!

The horses neighed in the midst of the golden light.

"King's Courageous!"

After a deep shout, rays of golden light pierced through the darkness like the dawn.

Kant stood still.

He expressionlessly looked at the rapidly approaching attackers.

He tightly clenched his Sword of the King, and the gilded patterns on the sword were emitting waves of aura.

However, as the golden lights on both sides intersected, six fist-sized heavy armor-piercing lances pierced through the six fast-moving shadows, bringing with them an incomparably sharp and terrifying force, relieving Kant's pressure.

In the fearless status, the Swadian royal knights' golden flames grew higher and higher. Their entire bodies, along with the warhorses beneath them, was mixed with the golden flames, as well as the exquisite gilded patterns on the fully-covered plate armors their bodies seemed to be covered with a golden flame of armor, as mighty as the knights of the gods.

Their mighty appearance did not look like the human soldier!

A total of 700% status increase, is a comprehensive increase, including this has extraordinary power of the flame.

In the midst of the golden light.

The tips of that three meters heavy armor-piercing lances.

Six bodies were propped up on their arms, blood dripping from the holes in their chests.

Their internal organs had been stabbed to pieces. Their entire organs had been cooked by the golden light. It was impossible for them to survive. Even if they were still breathing faintly, it was very appropriate to call them corpses.

They had died so easily.

The eyes of the leader of the attackers had completely dimmed.

A grand knight at the peak level.

They had completely mastered the use of extraordinary power.

They had unparalleled battle experience and battlefield literacy.

How could these private soldiers, who were raised and secretly trained by the noble families, fight against these terrifying royal knights, who were trained on the battlefield!

It was impossible.

Therefore, they were defeated, dead, and had no life left.

Including the two high-level archers at the top of the dune. The royal knights, who were guarding the archers, used their swords to cut off their heads. Their eyes, which were filled with regret, dimmed as they looked at the world that had nothing to do with them.

However, the mysterious fire mage survived.

This was arranged by Kant.

Kant took the magic staff in his hand, which was embedded with gemstones, and was escorted to Kant by the two royal knights.

The wall of fire between the dune had already been extinguished.

The attackers who had been stabbed to death were also restrained.

The masks on their faces were all removed. They were all unfamiliar faces. Even Kant had never seen such faces in the mainstream area of the Dukedom of Leo. They were all unfamiliar grand knights.

They should belong to some noble families that had secretly trained grand knights.

This was considered an unspoken rule in the Dukedom of Leo.

The trained grand knights would not show themselves unless there was a crisis.

It was equivalent to the family's foundation. These grand knights would help those noble families solve some problems, problems that could not be stained with the fingerprints of the noble families. Therefore, these knights or grand knights were groomed in the dark, they were not registered on the list of grand knights in the Dukedom of Leo, so it was the best choice to send them over.

The mage was escorted over. The mask on his face and hood had been removed. He looked like a middle-aged man in his thirties. He was very scholarly, but there was also a hint of cunningness in his frightened and uneasy eyes.

It seemed that he was a formal mage who liked to take on private jobs.

According to his level.

He was comparable to a level- 5 mage in the Enfath Empire.

However, Kant understood that the native mages of this world could learn more spells. Hence, they could arrange all kinds of spells in their spell slots. For example, the fire wall that he had just cast was definitely one of the spells.

However, before he could cast any spells, he was approached by the royal knights.

The result was naturally the same as now.

When the mages lost their advantage in distance, they were not even as good as archers!

In the face of the grand knights, who were terrifying in close combat and had no chance of resisting at all, they chose to surrender together, especially when they were surrounded by 11 grand knights and 20 peak Knights. They had no intention of resisting at all, they could only accept their fate in vain.

Chapter 276: The mage’s leeway

The mage stood in front of Kant with extreme respect.

With so many grand knights watching from the side, his so-called pride and self-respect as a mage had actually flown to god knows where with his dead companions.

It was just groveling, as long as he could live.

Thus, he planned to tell Kant everything he knew.

He was very cooperative.

Kant nodded in satisfaction.

He rode on his warhorse, the Sword of the King was sheathed again.

However, the aura of a superior and the power of victory made the mage break out in cold sweat. It was obvious that he was extremely afraid of Kant and the grand knights around him.

Mages were weaker than grand knights in close combat.

The battlefield was cleared.

The Swadian knights had already placed the corpses together.

Including the charred corpses in half, the thick smell of blood mixed with the charred smell filled the air. It was very unpleasant to smell.

The mage scanned the corpses. They were all familiar figures. Although they had only known each other for a week and there were even some frictions and grudges, these people had turned into corpses just like that and were slaughtered like lambs, it still made his heart jumped in fear. He turned his head to look to the side.

Kant's lips curled into a smile when he saw that he could not bear to look directly at them. He reached into his arms and took out a handkerchief. He covered his mouth and nose to avoid the stench of corpses and asked in a muffled voice, "Who are they?"

"They... they..."

The mage opened his mouth and wanted to answer, but his lips trembled and he did not know what to say.

He had just joined the team.

And he had only joined the assassination team temporarily for the sake of profit.

As for the seven grand knight-level attackers and the two top-level archers, he actually did not know them at all. However, the mage raised his head and saw Kant and the surrounding grand knights staring at him like tigers watching their prey. His heart trembled, he could not say the word "Don't know" no matter how hard he tried.

Kant was not surprised that he could not say it.

From the looks of it, he knew that they were not a long-term team. Instead, they were more like a team that was put together in a short period of time.

"Don't know them?"

Kant still covered his mouth and nose and asked.

"Yes.", the mage swallowed his saliva, his tone trembling.

He did not get angry like Kant expect.

Kant looked at him and continued to ask, "I used to study in the academy not far from the Mage Tower of Leo. I know many faces of mages, but you seem very unfamiliar. My memory is very good. I can confirm that you have never appeared in the Mage Tower of Leo, and you do not seem to be a mage in the Mage Tower. This makes me very confused."

"I'm a wandering mage from the Silver Platter Kingdom."

The mage quickly replied, "The holy church of the Silver Platter Kingdom has started to expel all mage forces this year. The Mage Tower we're in can't be maintained, so we can only choose to leave.". After hesitating for a moment, he continued, "I'm just an expelled mage, and I don't belong to the Mage Tower's inheritance mage. Thus, when I leave, I could only be abandoned. I came to the Dukedom of Leo in order to earn a living, and I wanted to find a place to settle down."

"Oh, is that so.", Kant nodded. He had some understanding of the Silver Platter Kingdom. The Holy Church, which believed in the God of Holy Light, was indeed expelling non-Holy Church forces.

For example, the Mage Tower, which also had magical powers, was within the range of expulsion.

This was caused by the history of the Silver Platter Kingdom.

After all, when this country was founded, it was supported and established by the Holy Church. Therefore, the power of the pope was comparable to that of a king. It was a country with a system of combining politics and religion. It also had its own court-protecting knights, which belonged to the top religious armed forces.

There was a saying in the Silver Platter Kingdom.

The body belonged to the king, and the soul belonged to the Holy Light.

The meaning was very clear. The king and his noble forces had the right to rule over the kingdom and the people, while the Holy Church was the pillar of faith for the people and even the noble. There were occasional unpleasant between the two sides, but there was no conflict.

However, where there were people, there were fights.

The noble forces were not willing to share their power with the Holy Church.

The mage forces were the target of the noble forces. After all, a mage who had the power of the elements was much stronger than a priest who had the divine spell of healing and some weak attack spells.

Both sides colluded to suppress the position of the Holy Church.

However, from the looks of it.

The Holy Church had obtained the final victory and expelled all the mages in the whole country.

This had even obtained the king's permission.

Perhaps there was also a compromise.

The matters of the Silver Platter Kingdom naturally had nothing to do with Kant. On the contrary, he had a good impression of this mage who spoke everything he knew. He nodded his head in satisfaction and asked the final question.

"Do you know your employer?", Kant asked.

"Employer..."

Mages clearly did not have the professional ethics of assassins.

He was not an assassin either.

After hesitating for a moment, he said to Kant, "My employer seems to be from the Dukedom of Leo, the East County. The one who interacted with me was just an ordinary gentleman, but I think the real employer must be hiding behind the scenes."

"The East County.", Kant narrowed his eyes. "This is really unexpected."

He had thought that it would be the South County, or not the North County.

He really did not expect the employer of the mage was from East County.

After all, compared to the South County noble who had enemies all over the place, the North County noble who was currently greedy for salt mines, the East County, which had been closed for ten years and did not have much communication with the outside world, was still in a neutral status with Kant.

There was no enmity, no goodwill, and there was also no connection.

"Your lordship, Baron Kant."

The mage gulped, he said hesitantly, "That's all I know. Can you let me go? I'm just an ordinary wandering mage, and I even had a conflict with these teammates. When I cast the firewall, I didn't cast it directly at your team, but only blocked your path. So you and I should have some leeway."

"Yes, I'm very clear.", Kant nodded. He was telling the truth, so he said, "I won't kill you."

"I'm very grateful for your mercy!"

The mage immediately bowed in excitement.

But before he could raise his head, a golden light shone, and warhammer instantly hit the back of his head. His entire head was like an exploding watermelon, red and white splashed on the ground, and his body fell heavily to the ground.

"But someone will kill you."

Kant's voice trailed off, and he said calmly, "You know too much."

The royal knight who had swung the warhammer dismounted and threw the mage's body, whose head had exploded into pieces, to the side. At the same time, the knight dismounted and quickly searched for any valuable items on the bodies.

Kant rode his horse to the side.

The stench of the corpse and the smell of blood mixed together. It was very strong and made him somewhat disgusted.

It was his decision to kill this mage.

Although he was an elite, Kant did not intend to let his power be known to outsiders before he had fully digested the fruits of his victory and developed into a colossus.

A slight flexing of muscle was enough to arouse the vigilance of those with ulterior motives.

But to display absolute force.

What greeted him was not submission, but hostility.

Kant was not ready to completely fall out with the noble families of the Dukedom of Leo.

At present, he had no more than 2,000 soldiers.

Even if he could break through the Stone Pass and successfully enter the Dukedom of Leo, or even take over the barren North County, he could still attack the East and South Counties. However, the ruling of the estates would be especially ineffective afterward.

A mere 2,000 people, after he fully prepared, there would be a force of 5,000 people.

Could they completely rule the entire Dukedom of Leo?

That was impossible.

This was even more unrealistic!

If Kant did not have 5,000 people of regular army and 30,000 civilians, he would not start a war that could destroy the country.

Currently, his troops were mainly focused on strategic defense and tactical attack.

Defending the Nahrin Desert was not a problem.

Secretly plotting against the Dukedom of Leo was just like how he had let Manid infiltrate the Stone Pass and let the bankrupt businessman Borg return to the East County to develop secretly. He was like boiled the frog in warm water and slowly took control of the Dukedom of Leo in his hands.

With the help of the system, Kant could do it easily.

The knights finished searching the bodies.

They came to Kant's back, they reported, "My lord, we have obtained a magic staff, two parchment scrolls with incantations, and 300 great silver coins. As for the warhorse they were riding, they seem to have exhausted their energy and died behind the dune. They are of no value."

"Yes, I understand.", Kant nodded.

These were all his spoils of war. Naturally, he had to plunder them.

Just as he was about to continue leading the team away, a large number of cavalries appeared at the dune in the south.

It should be a large-scale cavalry team advancing. Although the sound had yet to be heard, there was a lot of wind and dust behind them. They rode their horses at high speed, and yellow fine sand and dust filled the air.

The knights immediately gathered next to Kant.

But the alert was quickly lifted.

The cavalry team that came from afar were the desert bandits and Sarrandian horsemen.

Rolf was leading the team and riding in front.

When he saw the corpses under Kant and the knights' feet, he looked a little embarrassed. He whipped the warhorse under his horse and rushed over at high speed. He asked Kant urgently, "Lord Kant, are you hurt? we are late!"

"It's alright."

Kant nodded and did not blame Rolf.

Most of these attackers had magical powers. Even if Rolf caught up and rushed over, he probably would not be able to deal with these attackers. Instead, he would definitely suffer heavy casualties. If he won, it would probably be a pyrrhic victory!

This was the suppression of the troop class.

After exchanging a few words, Rolf heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that no one was injured.

However, when he turned his head to look at the corpses, he felt some fear towards the grand knight's combat strength.

He could not help but say to Kant, "This world actually possesses such strength. I dare not imagine what kind of danger my cavalry will face if they encounter these 10 fellows."

"In the future, if we encounter them and do not have an advantage, we will immediately retreat.". Kant said calmly, "Save the strength first."

"Yes.", Rolf sighed lightly, and a rarely seen desolate expression appeared on his face.

After all, such terrifying combat strength was indeed something that he, who had come from the original world of history, could not accept.

"Right.", Kant said, "Since you're here, then I'll give you three Swadian royal knights. They are all top-tier knights comparable to these grand knights and possess great power. Even if we encounter these grand knights again, I think we can temporarily alleviate the plight of the central posthouse."

"Thank you for your help.", Rolf was instantly overjoyed.

Chapter 277: Return to Oasis Lookout

Kant did not stay here for long.

These corpses would be handled by Rolf and his cavalry.

Of course, the corpses would be buried. After all, these unfamiliar extraordinary people could not die in the Nahrin Desert, even if the employer behind them definitely knew that Kant had done something to them.

But this news could not be spread.

The dead could not speak, and the buried dead could not speak either.

The two sides separated.

Three Swadian royal knights joined Rolf's team.

From now on, the three of them would be the high-end combat strength of the central posthouse. If they encountered a similar situation again, Rolf's troops would not be unable to resist. At the very least, they would be able to intimidate the other party.

A royal knight at the peak of grand knight-level would naturally be able to intimidate the other party!

Kant led the team and left.

There was a hint of regret in his eyes.

In reality, that mage would not be able to smash his head into pieces with a single blow.

If Kant directly sold this mage who had no intention of resisting to the merchants from Reyvadin, he might earn even more denars. After all, he was an extraordinary person who had mastered elemental spells. His value was definitely higher than ordinary humans and Jackalans.

Most importantly, he could also prevent the leak of information, which was more useful than becoming a corpse!

But Kant had no choice but to kill him.

Although it was a pity, there was nothing he could do.

Kant cleared up his mind and continued to trek with 100 cavalries.

The sun was burning above his head.

The sandy sea in front of him was becoming more and more spectacular.

The continuous dune was like the rolling waves of the sea, connecting the horizon and forming this cruel environment with the endless sand grains. Looking from the top of the dune, everywhere was yellow and orange, with the desolate feeling of extreme desolation that belonged to nature, there was no longer any beautiful color.

Perhaps in the dark part of the dune in the low-lying area, one could find some greenery, but it was also very scarce.

The surface of the Nahrin Desert was extremely short of water.

Its environment was harsh, even more brutal than the Sahara Desert on Earth.

Except for the low areas where the subterranean river flowed, there might be a few puddles. Digging the sand layer could obtain a small amount of drinking water, but there were very few oases that could form a fragile ecological chain and could sustain life and reproduction.

Currently, only the Oasis Lookout was found in the southern part of the desert.

It had already been occupied by Kant.

It was now the center of his estate and the overlord-type castle in this desert region.

Two days later.

Early in the morning, Kant rode his horse forward.

The knights behind him followed closely. A hundred people were like a long dragon. After a long journey, they were still in a neat formation.

This was the discipline of the elite troops.

However, most of them removed the visor of their helmets, or carried their huge helmets to the back of their necks, revealing their tired faces. In the end, they utilized the relatively cool temperature in the early morning to wake themselves up as soon as possible.

They had set off from dawn, and it had already been two hours' journey.

According to the time, they would arrive at the destination soon.

They all knew in their hearts.

They spurred their horses over the dune, and a black figure that looked like a needle tip appeared on the horizon.

When a knight noticed it, his face immediately lit up with joy. He reminded his comrades in a low voice. After careful observation, they all beamed with joy. Even the speed of the warhorse under him had increased significantly. Apparently, it was also because of the sudden fervent atmosphere, he sensed the joy of arriving at the destination.

The needle-like black shadow was the high-level watchtower of "Drondheim" Castle, which was 40 meters tall. It was as tall as a 14-story building. It would take more than 10 minutes to climb from the bottom to the top at a constant speed.

However, the advantage of height was that it could detect the abnormal situation in the surroundings as soon as possible.

For example, Kant and the others.

Although the dune in the Nahrin Desert was undulating, it was not as complicated as the mountains.

From the top of the watchtower, one could see the surroundings clearly.

The team of 100 knights was soon discovered.

The newly recruited 40 desert bandits ran out of the city gate and spread out into a scout formation. With their light armors and mobility, they quickly approached Kant and the others. They were the first to identify the enemy before making any plans.

This could be considered Kant's core area of influence. Basically, coming here meant that the blockade line formed by the central posthouse had been broken through. The troops stationed in the castle would move out, and Firentis would decide whether to go out and fight to defeat the enemy, or they could defend the city walls and wait for reinforcements, waiting to be exhausted and defend and counterattack.

These desert bandits were just testing the waters.

If the enemy was too strong, then they would defend the city walls and rely on the excellent city defenses to defend to the death. This would allow the cruel environment of the Nahrin Desert to indirectly weaken the enemy and give them an opportunity to take advantage of it.

As for the enemy being too weak, then naturally, there was no need to say anything more. It would be a whirlwind-like attack!

Oasis Lookout had quite a number of elite troops.

Although Kant had taken away the 188 Swadian Swadian heavy cavalries when he left, there were still 97 Swadian knight, 45 mamlukes, and 103 Vaegir marksman stationed in the castle.

In addition, they had recruited 80 desert bandits and 20 Vaegir archers in the past two weeks.

Although there weren't many of them.

But with their elite strength, they could definitely deal with the ordinary troops!

Soon, the 40 desert bandits arrived at Kant.

When the two met, the desert bandits immediately became excited and stopped their horses. They quickly got off their horses and greeted respectfully, "My lord, I didn't expect to meet you in the morning. You're finally back!"

"Yes, I'm back.", Kant nodded. He did not get off his horse. He stretched out his hand and said, "There's no need to be so polite."

"Understood!", the desert bandits stood up.

They were still respectful as they looked at the 70 Swadian knights behind them. Their eyes revealed a look of envy.

However, when they turned their heads to look at the 30 Swadian royal knights, their eyes revealed a look of shock. Thanks to their long career as bandits, they actually did not dare to act rashly towards the royal knights. It was a fear that came from the bottom of their hearts.

It was the fear like a small group of desert bandits less than 10 people encountered hundreds of mamlukes!

And now.

It was just the pressure that a mere 30 people gave them!

"Alright, let's go back."

Kant took off the hood on his head, his face also showing a hint of fatigue.

Seeing that this group of desert bandits had sensed the strength of the royal knights, he did not explain too much. He only instructed, "Let's go back and arrange breakfast and accommodation. This time, we all need sufficient rest."

"Understood!", the desert bandits nodded. Immediately, ten of them rode their horses back.

Kant and the others followed.

After passing through a few dune, the watchtower became clearer and clearer.

The 20-meter tall tower gradually appeared in front of them.

There were also 10-meter tall city walls and layers of arrow towers. The entire castle was exposed in front of them. There were also lush date palm tree trees, cultivated fields, sparkling lakes, and busy peasants with tools, there were camel caravans returning with coarse salt, as well as the smoke rising from the top.

This was the south gate of the "Drondheim" Castle.

It was beginning to look prosperous.

Firentis was leading 10 Swadian knights to welcome them.

Seeing them come over, he quickly walked over and personally pulled Kant's horse's head reins. He bowed respectfully and said, "Lord Kant, I haven't seen you for two weeks. I really miss you."

"Indeed, it has been two weeks.", Kant sighed and nodded.

From the time he left until now, he had returned.

Two weeks, half a month had passed.

When he returned to the city gate, the leader of the trade caravan, Joslin, was standing there. When he saw Kant return, he also bowed respectfully and greeted him. "My lord, it has been a long time. As promised, I have come to join your team."

"You are very welcome!"

Kant smiled and nodded.

At the same time, he dismounted from his horse and said to Firentis, "These 30 royal knights are the guards of the council hall alone. If they encounter any enemies with extraordinary strength, report to me as soon as possible. I will arrange for them to deal with them."

"Could it be that they are also...", Firentis raised his eyebrows slightly and then nodded. "Understood!"

There was no need to explain.

This was the foundation that would be garrisoned in the castle in the future.

Firentis, who had some understanding of the Dukedom of Leo, understood in his heart that even the neighboring country would find it difficult to gather 30 grand knights with extraordinary strength to garrison in a castle alone for defense.

Now, "Drondheim" had it, and it could be said to be a big deal!

It had even solved the current predicament of Kant's forces, which lacked extraordinary combat strength.

Everyone entered the castle.

The fragrance had already spread out from the council hall.

It was already early in the morning. Although the soldiers in the castle had already finished eating, the chef was still busy preparing more exquisite food for Kant and the returning knights.

After a few days of trekking, he finally returned to the castle to have a good rest.

Kant sat in the main seat of the council hall.

Firentis and Joslin accompanied him and chatted with each other in a relaxed manner. At the same time, they reported on the administrative affairs of the castle after they left.

It hadn't changed much. It was all arranged by Kant before he left.

Joslin had returned less than two days ago, and had already handed over the trade caravan of Reyvadin to his nephew.

At the same time, he also brought back good news, he reported to Kant, "My lord, King Yarogelk of the Kingdom of Vaegirs has heard that you are short of funds and have taken out a loan of 100,000 denars. This is due to the friendship between the two countries. You only need to repay the principal. King Yarogelk has said that there is no need to pay the interest of 20,000 denars."

"It's like this. If there's a chance, please thank King Yarogelk for me."

Kant nodded. This was really an additional pleasant surprise.

20,000 denars was not a small amount. To be able to avoid paying this amount of interest, it could be considered as alleviating the financial pressure.

At the same time, Kant thought of the spoils of war that he had captured in the underground city of the karst cave. He turned to the servant waiting beside him and instructed, "Go and inform my knights to transport all the spoils of war that I have captured this time over."

"Understood.", the servant nodded and left quickly.

Kant said to Jocelyn, "We have captured a considerable amount of gold this time. Help me estimate the price."

Jocelyn replied, "I'm willing to help."

Gold could be exchanged for denar since it was still a village.

It could be considered a hard currency.

Chapter 278: Fangorn Forest of the Lord of the Rings

Soon, the spoils of war were carried over by the six knights.

There were six sacks in total, and they seemed to be quite heavy. They were carefully placed on the long table in the council hall.

These were the spoils of war that Kant had obtained from his journey this time.

After sweeping through the sacks and making sure that he had not missed anything, Kant nodded at the six Swadian knights and said, "You've worked hard. Go back and eat first. Rest well today. I will arrange for a two-day holiday for all of you."

"Understood.", the knights were delighted. They bowed respectfully and left the council hall.

After the journey, they needed to have a good rest.

In the "Drondheim" Castle, they could enjoy the comfortable life brought about by the holiday.

This was the benefit of increasing their strength.

Kant did not care. In fact, after he rested for the night, he had to continue his busy administrative work the next day. After all, after leaving for two weeks, the current "Drondheim" Castle still needed to be adjusted slightly, for example, he could only personally handle the various trivial matters in the system.

But now, it was better to deal with these spoils of war as soon as possible. The feeling of being in debt was very uncomfortable, not to mention that it was a loan to the Kingdom of Vaegirs. Kant waved his hand and said, "These are the things."

"Please allow me to look through them.", Joslin replied.

"As you wish.", Kant said.

Joslin stood up and went to the six bulging sacks.

He reached out and opened them. Golden yellow appeared in front of his eyes. They were all strips of gold with exquisite and mysterious engravings on them. He opened the sacks one by one and found that they were all made of this kind of gold.

The circular candlestick above his head emitted a light that illuminated the gold in the sacks below.

"The purity of this gold is truly astonishing!"

Joslin was the leader of the trade caravan, so his experiences were quite rich.

Moreover, before he started trading, he was still an elite Vaegir horseman. If it was not for his bad luck and the fact that he did not have enough achievements, he would have long become the envy of everyone, a Vaegir knight.

However, during his trading and military career, Joslin had a very deep understanding of gold.

After pondering for a moment, he raised his head and said to Kant, "I think that each bag of gold here is worth 50,000 denars. If it was during wartime, such pure gold could be sold for 55,000 to 60,000 denars."

"50,000 denars."

Kant's eyes lit up. This was the information he wanted to get.

Two bags of gold could make up for the amount of the loan.

There were six bags of gold here. If that was the case, it would be a huge sum of 300,000 denars!

"Yes."

Joslin nodded and continued, "Gold is already a top currency in Caradia. The Nords are especially obsessed with gold. However, the denar is still made of silver, so it is more widely circulated."

"I need to exchange i.,", Kant said to Joslin. "When the trade caravan arrives, use this gold to make up for the loan and exchange it all for the denar. You will be responsible for it."

"Understood.", Joslin nodded.

However, as he said this, he looked a little hesitant, as if he wanted to say something.

Kant naturally saw his hesitation. He frowned and asked, "Joslin, you seem to have some suggestions?"

"This..."

Joslin's expression was even more hesitant.

However, looking at Kant, he still made a decision and sighed at him, "Although it's not good to say this, I still suggest not to trade these gold with the trade caravan of Reyvadin. It would be a huge loss."

Kant was slightly stunned, he frowned and asked, "Tell me your reason."

Joslin naturally would not lie to him.

The current leader of the trade caravan was already listed in the system's troop class.

It meant that he was Kant's loyal troop class.

"It's like this. To be honest, this story is a little strange. If it wasn't for you, I think I would never have told this secret."

Joslin organized his words, he solemnly reported to Kant, "My family originated from the outer seas of Caradia. On a continent called Pendor, we were once a noble. However, my cousin was stripped of his noble title because he betrayed a powerful knight group. Our family members who came from the same clan were also implicated. We could only escape from Pendor and came to Caradia to avoid pursuit. Therefore, I have some understanding of Pendor."

"Pendor Continent.", Kant narrowed his eyes slightly. According to Joslin's words, a traitor noble from Pendor who was also named Joslin immediately appeared in his mind. "You mean, the Joslin
who betrayed the Twilight Knight?"

"Lord Kant, you really know everything."

Joslin nodded and said dejectedly, "That's my cousin."

"Ha.", Kant snorted helplessly.

Thinking about the various continents in the MOD, Caradia was actually connected to Pendor.

This indeed made him feel a little funny.

However, since Joslin had told this story, Kant, who had the system as a cheat, did not refute it. He only said in a deep voice, "I won't mind your past, just as I appreciate your talent!"

"Thank you for your trust!", Joslin was very touched.

Kant asked calmly, "Then, what does this story have to do with gold?"

"You still have two empty trading caravans."

Joslin replied, "When the people of Ravenstern appeared in your castle, I knew that this miracle land was actually connected to the Pendor Continent. The Pendor Continent is more prosperous than the continent of Caradia, so the demand for gold is also very high. Therefore, the price of gold can basically rise a lot."

"It's a trade caravan.", Kant suddenly realized that there were indeed two empty trade caravans in his hands, so he asked, "Then can you be sure that the trade caravan will enter the Pendor Continent?"

The system's introduction said that the destination of the trade caravan was random.

However, Joslin said firmly, "Yes!"

"Very well, in that case."

Kant nodded and directly made arrangements for him. "Then you will be in charge of a single trade caravan. As long as you can open up the trade of the Pendor Continent, then I will remember your meritorious service!"

"I will do my best!", Joslin said solemnly. "After coming to the land of miracles, I can freely pass through the passage between Caradia and here. However, I still have a kind of palpitation towards the Pendor Continent in my heart. If I want to, I may be able to pass through it at any time. No, I should be able to pass through it and return."

"Yes.", Kant nodded.

A plan had already appeared in his heart.

If the Pendor Continent could travel back, then all kinds of resources that originated from the Pendor Continent could be purchased wantonly. After all, compared to Caradia, the Pendor Continent had more resources!

And at this moment, a dialog box popped up on his retina.

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ The leader of the trade caravan (Joslin) can enter the Pendor Continent through the space-time crystal wall. ]

[ Currently, there is an empty trade caravan that can be bound. ]

[ Yes/No? ]

This was a prompt from the system.

Kant did not hesitate at all and immediately chose in silence, "Bound!"

The dialog box refreshed.

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ Currently, the trade caravan is bound to the Pendor Continent. ]

The system had already noted that there was a blank trade caravan bound to Pendor Continent and could travel there at any time.

"Very good."

Kant nodded lightly. He had gained another trade route.

After all, Reyvadin's trade caravan would only arrive in the first week of every month. Some things were more difficult to deal with. Now that there were more trade routes, it was easier to deal with them. There could be trade caravans coming and going every three weeks of every month.

Most importantly, the new Pendor trade caravan was the caravan that would make money for him!

Kant also had a blank trade caravan.

Similarly, he could randomly choose a city in a certain world and open up a trade route through the space-time crystal wall.

Since Joslin was still here, Kant did not hesitate. He directly communicated with the system in his mind and issued the order to use this trade route to randomly select a world and a city.

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ Trade caravan binding, random drawing... ]

On the retina, the dialog box instantly listed out a huge round plate, similar to the time when the village was drawn.

Kingdom of Swadia, Kingdom of Rhodoks, Kingdom of Nords, Kingdom of Vaegirs, Kingdom of Sarrand Sultanate. Kingdom of Sarleon, Kingdom of Raventern, Kingdom of Fierzvi, Dasha tribe, Imperial Expeditionary Force, Kato tribe, and Nordo Elf Force. Even the Great Ming Empire, Manchurian Nuzhen, the Mongolian golden family, the Great Han Empire, the Hun Empire, Oda Nobunaga, Nagao Kagetora, the countries of southern Europe, the countries of Northern Europe, Eastern Europe, and even the countries of the Middle East, and so on.

All ages, all regions, all kinds of formal history or history, or fantasy world.

All exist on this disc.

This was the power contained in all of the MOD's in "Mount and blade"!

The disc finally stopped.

The name of the power finally appeared.

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ Your trade caravan has communicated with the Middle-earth continent, Fangorn Forest. ]

[ Fangorn Forest trade caravan has begun binding... ]

A rule appeared on his retina.

Kant was slightly stunned. Looking at the name of the fraction on it, it instantly appeared in his mind. Those seemingly lush ancient trees, but in fact, they were between life and plants, the ents.

They could indeed be considered as life, and they were even older than humans in the Middle-earth.

And the Fangorn forest originated from the oldest ent, and it was also the leader of all ents -- Fangorn, which Kant understood from the information from "The lord of the Rings", "Treebeard.".

Back then, he was the one who had promised the Hobbit to lead his troops to defeat Isengard's Saruman army.

In the MOD, the last day of the Lord of the rings, there was also such a force.

And it was a hidden force.

Who would have thought that after a random selection, Kant would actually choose the Fangorn Forest.

With the blessing of the system, it meant that Kant's trade caravans were allowed to enter the Fangorn Forest, which was originally a place where strangers could not trespass. They could go there to do business and engage in economic exchanges with the ents.

Although the ents did not have so-called businesses or handicrafts, the Fangorn Forest had all kinds of mystical items.

For example, the natural spring water that could speed up the growth of vegetation.

If they were lucky, they could bring back the ents that were 6.7 meters tall. This would undoubtedly increase the number of ace troop class in Kant's troop class. They could enter the Senwaya Range or take root in the Oasis Lookout and pretend to be big trees. However, at the crucial moment, they would engage in fight, it was enough to shake the enemy's morale!

Chapter 279: Future Arrangements

Kant's lips curled into a smile.

It had to be said that the Pendor caravan and the Fangorn Forest caravan were truly a pleasant surprise.

With Joslin as the leader of the trade caravan, the Pendor caravan was like a fish in water. Whether it was exchanging gold for denar or using denar to purchase some of the Pendor continent's resources, they were all very suitable.

As for the Fangorn Forest, it belonged to the intermediate magic world and was located in the Middle-earth of "The Lord of the Rings". Naturally, there were many precious resources.

They were all trade routes worth developing!

Kant was very satisfied.

After pondering for a moment, he instructed Joslin, "When Manid returns to the castle, you two will meet to discuss how to distribute the following trade routes and ensure that we obtain the maximum profit."

"Understood, Lord Kant. Don't worry."

Joslin nodded solemnly.

He was not yet a hero-level NPC, but a subordinate of Kant.

Strictly speaking, he was only a slightly special troop class. He was the leader of the trade caravan who had the potential to become a hero-level NPC. That was why he was able to gain Kant's trust and was given the command to lead the trade caravan alone.

It was enough for him to cooperate with Manid.

Once the power was newly established, everything would be simplified.

As for the castle, there was no need to worry about it.

When Kant left, "Drondheim" was already on the right track.

For example, Firentis, Kant's most trusted knight, was entrusted with the management of the castle. It could be said that he held an important position, but in reality, his main focus should be on the military aspect first. He was vigilant of the surrounding environment and set up various layers of alert networks, and prevent any mistakes or encounters with unfamiliar enemy troops during the lord's absence.

In other words, it was basically to maintain stability around the castle.

This was also what Kant had entrusted to Firentis before he left.

After all, the depths of the desert were unknown. According to the intelligence gathered by the captives of the Kingdom of Gray Mane, there was an extremely hot devil zone in the deepest part of the desert. Even the well-prepared Jackalans, who were gifted with great endurance, did not dare to set foot in it.

Even the expeditionary army organized by the Kingdom of Gray Mane in an attempt to conquer the human countries would rather endure the cruel environment of the desert and walk around the devil land for another 30 days, rather than spend 10 days to cross the terrifying devil land. There was only endless deathly stillness in the death zone, as if it was a forbidden zone for life!

When that sandstorm suddenly appeared in the depths of the desert, Kant became slightly vigilant.

This sandstorm might have something to do with the devil land.

Moreover, Kant led his troops to the ancient passage and found the underground city of the karst cave. The Pope, who had already turned into a lich, actually asked him to go to the depths of the desert.

Although he didn't mention that it was the devil land, Kant suspected that it was there.

The system had given him a temporary side quest to confirm that.

This needed to be taken seriously.

Kant's vigilance towards the depths of the desert had reached an even higher level.

Firentis noticed Kant's solemn expression and reported, "Lord Kant, during the time you left the castle, everything was as usual. The salt camel caravan that went to the depths of the desert also did not find anything unusual."

"Okay.", Kant nodded, but his eyes narrowed slightly. "But this is not normal."

If there was no abnormality, then it was the biggest abnormality!

The system gave a hint.

The undead lich pope pointed directly to the depths of the desert.

Moreover, using the words of the high-level Jackalan, translated into human language, it happened to be the devil land. When Kant recalled it in his mind, he felt that it was strange.

Especially in the karst cave, he really saw the devil creature!

Most importantly.

Kant had come to a conclusion from the fragmented information.

The end of the era of the ancient gods was caused by the war between the gods and the devils.

Now, these ancient races had all appeared in the hidden places. The pope even gave him a mission, asking him to go to the depths of the desert and save the daughter of the god in the eternal coffin in the so-called Holy City of Sun!

Kant did not care whether he saved her or not, but the reward of the temporary side quest given by the system was the spring eye.

This was something Kant needed to get!

The potential of the Oasis Lookout was not only like this. With the help of the system, there was still room for development.

Although the initial stage was a little difficult, as long as the area of the oasis was expanded to the point where it could form an excellent self-circulation, nourishing the surrounding desert, and nourishing the various shrubs that could not grow due to the lack of water. After taking shape, the value of this oasis would definitely not be inferior to the Senwaya Range. It would be a green ocean in this barren desert!

At that time, even if there was no fertile soil, it would be able to ensure the agricultural development of the entire castle. Even if the connection between the Oasis Lookout and the Senwaya Range was blocked, it would also be able to obtain sufficient supplies.

The oasis in the vast desert sea would be as dazzling as a pearl.

Most importantly.

It could also be used as an outpost, a transit station, and an important logistics base!

Kant had always thought of going to the other side of the desert to take a look.

That was the Mannheim Coast.

It was said that it was made up by Kingdom of Gray Mane formed by high-level Jackalan, Kingdom of Lizardmen, and a coastal colony formed by the Elven Parliament sent by the Elven Republic.

It was different from the new world dominated by human countries and occupied by other races!

It was really fascinating.

If Kant did not need to develop, he would not have the time and energy to worry.

If he had sufficient military strength and savings, as well as the energy to fully control the overall situation, he would have long sent troops to the opposite side of the Nahrin Desert on camels that could cross the desert!

Even Jackalan could come on foot, so how could the camels, who were naturally more tolerant with the desert environment, not be able to cross?

If there was a chance, Kant would definitely go to the Mannheim Coast to take a look.

But tiredness struck him.

The sequela of the long journey was that he felt a little sleepy.

The breakfast was not finished yet, but Kant was not too hungry. He drank the sugar water in one gulp and stood up to say to Firentis and Joslin, "I'll leave this to you first. I'll go back to my room to rest."

"Understood."

Firentis and Joslin immediately stood up to send them off.

They were trustworthy talents.

Their individual abilities could help Kant handle the current situation.

"I'll leave it to you."

Kant nodded in relief as well. Under the guidance of the pretty maid, he walked towards the stairs.

He was getting more and more tired.

Behind him, the kitchen servant asked, "My lord, your breakfast won't take long to be finished. Should I send it to your room later?"

"No need."

Kant replied, "When I wake up, I will arrange for you to heat it up and send it up."

"Yes, my lord.", the servants replied.

They had already eaten breakfast.

They used the bread and dried meat that they had roasted over the campfire last night and mixed it with the hot water to swallow it down to their stomachs. Although it was a simple dish, it was enough to fill their stomachs and ensure that their basic needs were satisfied.

Back in the room, the maid behind him also brought dessert. It was fried bread wrapped in honey, with jam made from wild berries found in the Senwaya Range. The whole color was bright purple and red, and the taste was sour and sweet. Kant ate a few pieces at random, his throat had a sweet feeling.

But it was no problem to quench his hunger. It also made him more tired.

The maids wanted to help Kant undress.

They were all young girls from wealthy families who were specially selected to serve Kant. They were 14 to 18 years old. They were young and lively. They wore clean and tidy maid clothes. Their small faces were cute and pretty, their looks were above average. They could be considered young apples that had just matured.

Many noble families liked this taste. It was naturally the same for the Continent of Caradia in the feudal era of cold weapons. However, for Kant, the weariness made him wave his hand, indicating that they could leave.

"My lord, if there's anything you need, please call us."

The little apples' expressions were gloomy as they pouted and slowly retreated.

Their big black and white eyes were filled with resentment towards Kant, as well as their somewhat rusty seduction.

Being able to marry a noble was their dream.

Of course, this dream was unrealistic to them. Kant, who was a noble and even a king had to treat him with respect, was a woman's honor to have sex with him.

This was an act that could make the families behind them feel honor.

Kant also understood the reason.

But as a supreme lord, he didn't need to care at all.

He took off his clothes and fell into a deep sleep.

The long journey in the desert was exhausting, and so was riding a warhorse.

After he fell asleep, he had frequent dreams.

The ruins of the peak of the mountain, the ruins of the temple in the mountain, the ancient passage and the underground city of the karst cave, as well as the demons, undead liches, and even the experiences he had encountered, all of these made Kant's dreams even stranger.

He even dreamed of the goddess and the witch that he had shot to death.

He dreamed of the fall of the gods and demons in the ancient times.

He also dreamed of the experiences he had when he was young.

His father, Cameron, his brother who always had a cold face, his biological mother who he had no impression of, the noble who had malice toward him, and his aunt whom he had only met once.

Perhaps it was because he was too tired, Kant dreamed a lot of things.

But in the end, he dreamed of the sandstorm in the depths of the desert.

Kant seemed to have returned to that day.

The apprentices carried out the experiment without knowing their own strength, but they let go of a golden light.

The sandstorm immediately appeared, and the terrifying weather that blotted out the sky and covered the sun with sand and stones instantly appeared in the desert. It brought with it the terrifying power of nature, as well as some doubts that came from the depths of the desert, which was known as the devil land.

No one knew what exactly happened there.

Kant also did not know what was the golden light that he had inadvertently let go.

But his heart was throbbing heavily.

"Uh..."

Opening his eyes, Kant's dream ended, and he slowly woke up.

It was still his luxurious room.

He turned his head slightly. The blue sky and white clouds outside the window, as well as the orange and yellow sea of sand in the distance.

Only then did he react and slightly twisted his neck, but he felt that his entire body was rather stiff. He said, "Someone, get me a glass of water.". His stomach rumbled, and at the same time, he shouted, "And my breakfast!"

Now he was thirsty and hungry,
he remembered that he had arranged this before he went upstairs to his room.

Soon, when a maid heard Kant's call, she came in with a tray and bowed very respectfully, "Good Morning, my lord!"

Chapter 280: The Returning Caravan

Hearing the maid's greeting, Kant was slightly stunned. "Good morning?"

He turned his head to look out of the window.

The sky was bright, but it was not as bright as noon or afternoon.

"Clang -- Clang -- Clang -- Clang..."

A dull bell rang.

It was the bronze bell ringing.

After ringing about it eight times, it meant that it was eight o'clock in the morning. It was not dawn but morning already.

"This...", Kant was a little stunned.

This seemed to be no different from the time when he had just come to the room to sleep.

Could it be that he had only slept for a short period of time?

Kant was puzzled.

The pretty maid pursed her lips and smiled lightly. She explained to Kant, "My lord, you slept for a day and a night. It is now the morning of the second day. I think you must be famished. You should fill your stomach with these desserts first."

On the tray, there were desserts that were similar to yesterday's.

However, they were steaming hot. It was obvious that they had just been made. They were sprinkled with dried dates and looked very tempting.

"A day and a night."

Kant rubbed his hungry stomach and got out of bed.

His entire body was stiff from sleeping for a long time. He twisted his neck and sat on the chair in his pajamas. He instructed the pretty maids, "Tell the kitchen to prepare breakfast. I'm very hungry now."

"Yes.", a maid immediately turned around to pass on the message.

There were desserts on the table. Kant stuffed a few pieces.

It was really to satisfy his hunger. He did not like to eat sweets as his main meal, even though the price of this food was slightly higher.

This was a habit he had developed over a long period of time.

In the Dukedom of Leo, the food was mostly salty meat products.

Although there were desserts, most of them were honey. Things like white sugar, brown sugar, and other things had never appeared before. After all, to obtain this kind of sugar, one needed sugarcane, a plant that produced a very high amount of sugar.

However, the Dukedom of Leo did not have sugarcane.

In Kant's impression, things like sugarcane had also never appeared before.

It was just like how livestock like camels had never left any records in the human countries of this world.

For example, when Kant and Manid led the camel caravan to the Stone Pass, they attracted many curious gazes. However, most of them treated the camels as a different type of large workhorse. Their movement speed was not fast, and they did not have the high explosive power of warhorses, therefore, they quickly turned their curiosity into indifference.

Among the horse breeds, the most precious was naturally the warhorse. As long as a country had a large number of warhorses, they could build a large and powerful cavalry force. They were the trump card on the battlefield and could easily decide the situation on the battlefield.

As for the horse breeds that were beneficial to the people's livelihood and could only carry goods, they were not considered important at all.

This was the difference between the two worlds.

After all, even the crystal wall system was not the same. Even the basic laws were fundamentally different.

At least in this world, there were no camels and sugarcane. In comparison, there were no demons, spells, gods, and other things on Earth. Obviously, they were not the same and comparison was not relevant.

Soon, the pretty maids brought breakfast.

Fried steak, fried eggs, fried fish, and unknown tender wild vegetables, small skewers of edible berries.

There was also oatmeal, toast, and date palm.

The food was very rich.

From this, it could be seen that the Senwaya Range was on the right track
and began to provide some supplies to the Oasis Lookout. For example, these tender wild vegetables and berries were all brought back by the camel caravan.

They were uprooted and temporarily transplanted into a wooden basin. After watering them, they would be transported back. This could guarantee its half a month's worth of vitality.

If they were lucky, they could even survive under the shade of the date palm tree.

The shade of the trees could block the sunlight. The running water in the canal could nourish these edible wild vegetables and berry shrubs. Due to the camel caravan's carrying capacity, although the amount transplanted was not much, it could provide for the Lord Kant to enjoy three meals a day with the hard-earned delicate wild vegetables and fresh berries.

Just like Kant was enjoying the delicious food now.

The lamb chops with a fresh and tender taste, the whole fish that was fried perfectly, as well as the berries and wild vegetables that were used as side dishes.

The taste was excellent.

Kant was stunned. This was even more delicious than before he left.

After taking a bite of the soft and crisp bread mixed with the fried eggs and swallowing it, Kant turned his head and asked the maid who was waiting beside him, "Are all the kitchens nowadays managed by professional chefs?"

"You are right, my lord."

The maid next to him smiled sweetly and answered Kant respectfully, "The three chefs and seven helpers in the council hall are all professional chefs learned by the artisan guild."

"Well, this is very good.", Kant nodded.

The maid added, "Even the chefs in the tavern and the chefs in the military camp are all professional chefs trained in the artisan guild. The quality of the food in the castle has improved a lot. Compared to the food cooked by our aunties, it is much more delicious."

"I see.", Kant chuckled. It seemed that after leaving, Firentis had recruited and trained full-time staff.

The artisan guild could train all kinds of talents.

Especially the crating talents. Whether they were blacksmiths, tailors, chefs, salt-makers, or tanners, they could all be trained. Ordinary civilians who did not have any skills became the pillars of jobs that were urgently needed in all walks of life.

Chefs were like this.

However, most of them were talents in weapons workshops, blacksmith shops, salt workshops, and sugar workshops.

The amount of salt produced in the current "Drondheim" Castle had increased from 200 bags to 500 bags. The profits they could earn each month reached 25,000 great silver coins.

Thanks to the purchase of more one-humped camels to form the camel caravan, they could transport more coarse salt back.

However, they had to thank the excellent salt workers for replenishing their losses.

25,000 great silver coins per month was a terrifying number in Kant's eyes. If it could be exchanged for denar, he would laugh his head off!

Unfortunately, money could not be exchanged.

The denar could only be exchanged with the gold.

Therefore, Kant sent Manid to the Stone Pass to inquire about the price of gold, a precious metal.

Now, he had accumulated close to 100,000 great silver coins. If it was converted into gold, according to Kant's rough understanding of the price, there should be 1,000 gold eagles, this kind of country-to-country currency.

It was similar to a check, which was not circulated to the outside world. Only high-ranking noble families and countries would circulate it.

However, as long as there was money, it could still be bought.

Kant only sent Manid to probe in secret.

If he could get a gold eagle, he would know the price of the gold and how much denar it could be converted into. This would give Kant a clear idea of how to make money quickly in the future and how to exchange for a large amount of denar conveniently.

Soon after breakfast, the hunger in his stomach disappeared, bringing a sense of satisfaction.

The pretty maid quickly tidied up the table.

Kant walked to the top floor.

`

The council hall had six floors. The scenery at the top was very good and could overlook the entire castle.

If he wanted to overlook his Oasis Lookout and Nahrin Desert, he could also go to the 40-meter-high watchtower to look at the surrounding scenery. It was even more magnificent and spectacular.

However, Kant was not going to enjoy the scenery.

He was going to the apprentice dormitory.

This was the basic building of the Mage Tower in the Enfath Empire. It was where the apprentices lived and rested.

Since Kant had selected this building, it had been combined with the council hall. At a cost of 50 denars per week, he was allowed to recruit one mage apprentice who had mastered a basic spell.

Kant came to the apprentice dormitory. The exquisite patterns were mysterious and graceful like the Enfath Empire.

His mind communicated with a certain golden card in his mind.

"System, use the rule card!"

Kant ordered in a deep voice.

A dialog box instantly popped up on his retina.

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ Double recruitment (constant) used. ]

[ Apprentice dormitory: The weekly recruitment has increased to 2 people. ]

The golden card instantly shattered into pieces. Data streams gathered in the apprentice dormitory in front of him. The rules of the building had been changed. Although it was not much, it had a qualitative improvement.

This was the level up that Kant had planned.

After solving this problem, he came to the edge of the top floor of the council hall.

Vaegir marksmen were standing guard.

When they saw Kant coming over, they all bowed respectfully, "My lord."

"Yes."

Kant nodded.

The castle in front of him was well-planned. The roads and buildings were like a chessboard. They were clear and looked very pleasing to the eye. The military district, residential area, and crafts area were distributed reasonably, with a sense of symmetrical beauty.

This was his castle.

He turned to the Vaegir marksman on guard and asked, "Did you find anything unusual?"

"No, the castle is very peaceful!"

The other Vaegir marksmen quickly replied, "Everything is clear!"

"Very good."

Kant smiled. "Stay alert."

"Yes!", the marksmen answered firmly.

Just as Kant continued to look at the other areas, a camel caravan made up of 20 camels came in from the east gate. The people around them moved aside and looked down from above. It was very eye-catching.

"Manid is back."

Kant understood and turned to walk towards the stairs.

This time, Manid should be able to bring back a lot of good news, oh, or bad news.

After all, Kant had agreed to open up the trade caravan at the central posthouse. Any trade caravan could enter the posthouse to trade. There would definitely be a lot of noble families and merchants who would receive the news, as well as that Baron Dylan.

Baron Dylan at the Stone Pass regarded Kant's Oasis Lookout and salt mine as his exclusive property.

Now that the posthouse trade was open.

Everyone could go and buy table salt. This would violate his profits!

If he didn't make a move, Kant would never believe it, and Manid, who was trading and gathering information at the Stone Pass, would definitely bear the brunt. After all, everyone knew that this young man was actually Kant's business spokesman.

He returned to the first floor of the council hall and sat in his lord's hall.

Manid quickly walked in after arranging the camel caravan.

"Thank you for your hard work."

Kant was the first to speak. He smiled and welcomed him, "I'm very happy to see you back."

"Thank you for your concern, Lord Kant."

Manid stood still and bowed respectfully to Kant.

"Alright."

However, Kant chuckled. He looked at the fatigue on Manid's face and said, "It seems that you must have encountered some difficulties at the Stone Pass. Normally, you wouldn't be so serious."

Chapter 281: The pressure he was about to bear (first update)

Kant and Ma Nide had been together for quite some time. He could sense that under the fatigue expression of this genius merchant, there was some anxiety regarding the future.

It was obvious that this trip to the Stone pass had suffered a setback.

After all, Ma Nide was not only responsible for trade cooperation but also for gathering intelligence.

Although he had left the dukedom of Leo, Kant still needed to have a way to understand certain domestic intelligence, and the Stone pass was a good window. Every time Ma Nide would send people to inquire about it.

It was definitely not normal for him to be so anxious now.

That was indeed the truth.

Ma Nide made no concealment when he reported to Kant, "At first, Baron Dylan was rather polite, but just before I left, you announced the news of foreign trade at the central posthouse, this made my situation very awkward. The farewell dinner that would usually be held had been cancelled as well."

"Yes, it's predictable." Kant nodded and rubbed the area between his eyebrows. "But this Uncle Dillard is really narrow-minded. After learning so many years of noble manners, he still acts like a warrior."

"I won't comment on this."

Ma Nide said, "Lord Kant, my proposal for Baron Dylan to purchase arrows, crossbows, and military supplies has been rejected. At the same time, before I left, I received news that the trade of iron and grain in the Stone Pass has also been suspended by the noble's official residence. Perhaps it's also aimed at us."

Kant snorted. "It should be aimed at us. I didn't know that other than the large-scale iron and grain purchases, the noble families and merchants of the northern county would be willing to fork out more money to purchase these things at the Stone Pass."

The northern county's territory was remote. In terms of prosperity, they were not comparable to the southern county and the eastern county.

Even their production of materials and assets were quite scarce.

If a noble wanted to purchase materials on a large scale, they would send people to the southern county to purchase, including all kinds of ironware that were indispensable in daily necessities and some food to keep them survive.

As for the scattered commodities, they were bought in by the civilians of the villages and small towns.

The prices were naturally high.

But there was no other way. This was also the way for the noble of the northern county to earn money.

It was rare to see someone like Kant purchasing iron weapons on such a large scale. After all, these resources in the northern county were more than twice as valuable as in the southern county. It was definitely not worth it.

There were many ways to trade, and the unspoken rules were even more complicated.

Not to mention ordinary civilians, for newly promoted nobles if they don't get a noble to lead their way, instead, they form a trade caravan to join the dukedom of Leo's business by themselves, they probably would not have a good ending.

They would definitely encounter robbers and end up with their trade caravan being destroyed, or their trade payment would be scammed.

There had been such cases before.

Even Baron Dylan had encountered this.

The unspoken rules formed by the nobles had controlled everything in the dukedom of Leo. If outsiders and newly promoted nobles wanted to enter this market, it would be equivalent to snatching their jobs, this would definitely cause a conflict of interest.

Baron Dylan had suffered a heavy loss in the early stages.

It was only after he married the daughter of a merchant, by her family relationship his situation became much more stable.

Kant pondered for a moment.

Thinking of Baron Dylan's current dependence on the table salt trade, he could guess how furious he would be when he announced the central posthouse could trade with foreign countries.

However, in just three months, Baron Dylan had already earned a huge profit.

If he wanted to give up.

It was a little difficult.

No, it should be said that it was very difficult!

It was easy to go from frugality to extravagance and difficult to go from extravagance to frugality.

Baron Dylan had the wonderful feeling of being able to harvest thousands of great silver coins every month. It was simply a huge difference between heaven and earth, thinking about how his previous estate only produced less than 1,000 great silver coins every year!

It was impossible for him to give up on the table salt trade!

This was also the reason why Baron Dylan, like a noble warrior, gritted his teeth and willing to withstand the pressure from the dukedom of Leo and hold the frontline fire for Kant.

But now.

Kant's opening of the trade was equivalent to giving up the foundation of their relationship.

It also violated the fundamental interest of Baron Dylan!

The Stone pass had been changing day by day since the opening of the table salt trade. It relied on the fine white salt produced in the depths of the Nahrin desert. They had been sold and resold, earning a huge profit margin with Baron Dylan as a hub.

Therefore, they obtained this crucial opportunity that was once unimaginable!

The conflict between both sides had become more and more intense under the ripping of their interests.

The final result would definitely not be too great.

Ma Nide understood this.

Kant was clear about this either.

When he decided to open the table salt trade and set the rules at the central posthouse, he had taken this into consideration.

Following this, both of them had to face increasing pressure. The greed and probing of the noble towards table salt, and even the secret revenge of Baron Dylan, who was originally tyrannical and narrow-minded!

Kant pondered for a moment.

He looked up at Ma Nide and said, "Next, I will discuss the strategic and tactical plans with Firentiss."

"As it should be."Ma Nide nodded.

The business was dirty.

Just like politics, they all had their own ulterior motives. They were all deceitful and dirty.

All these words could be used to describe a business.

After all, businessmen were mainly making money, they were capitalists. In their minds, they were thinking about benefits. The so-called morality was just a yardstick for them to measure how much money they could earn.

There was once a quote from a great man on Earth.

If capital had 50% profit, it would take risks. If it had 100% profit, it would dare to violate all the laws of the world. If it had 300% profit, it would dare to commit any crime, even if it has the risk of being hanged!

This was the truth, even in this fantasy world.

Cutting off people's money was like killing their parents.

Kant had to brace himself to face the pressure from all sides, especially the bandit groups that were about to appear. They were like cats and dogs that smelled blood, constantly running over to bite him.

Fortunately, Kant's power was no longer as it was in the past!

If they wanted to bite him.

They had to be prepared to break their teeth!

Kant and Ma Nide had a long discussion, they made tons of suggestions for the next central posthouse.

Most of them were about the economic exchange.

With Rolf, the scoundrel noble, suppressing the local, and three Swadian royal knights who were at the peak of the Grand Knight, there would probably be no big trouble, perhaps some minor disturbances.

In the early stages, even if there were probes or revenge from the nobles, at most they were some ordinary bandit groups.

It was still uncertain about their combat strength.

"In that case."

Kant finally made a decision.

He turned his head and instructed Ma Nide, "Since the Stone pass is not acting naturally, there is no need for us to show our excessive passion to them. Since the salt mine is in our hands, we have the initiative."

"But if that's the case..."Ma Nide was slightly stunned and frowned. "It will break our relationship."

"If it's broken, then it's broken."

The corner of Kant's mouth curled up slightly. "Politics is not business. There are not so many amicable ways to make money. There are only interests involved and interests broken. Moreover, when did my Uncle Dillard have a close relationship with us?"

Ma Nide still had a businessman's mentality.

He was paying attention to build a good relationship, but he did not see the compromise between the two parties at the deepest level.

In the beginning, when Kant was weak, Baron Dylan was unable to enter the Nahrin Desert.

Following their mutualism phase, Kant grew stronger and stronger. Baron Dylan was building new things day by day as well and he had the confidence to enter the desert. Perhaps in the near future, or even this year, he would be able to organize an army to go deep into the Oasis Lookout, to protect Kant's estate and solve the threat from the surrounding Jackalan.

Perhaps in one of the battles, Kant, the lord of the Nahrin desert will take the lead and assault the group of the Jackalan. His heroic and tragic death was worthy of the bloodline of the Lion Archduke, Cameron.

This was a palace drama that could easily be understood by just thinking about it.

"I understand."

Ma Nide sighed softly. He understood deeply the struggles of the noble.

However, Kant had made an arrangement for him, "I opened up a secret trade caravan recently, it is heading to a place called the Fangorn forest to conduct trade with a group of Shu Ren. I think you can be the first leader of the trade caravan and lead a team to explore the way. This will provide a perfect start for our future business exchanges."

"Shu Ren... of the Fangorn Forest?"

Ma Nide was slightly stunned as he looked at Kant.

Obviously, he could not understand this kind of fantasy race.

Kant simply explained, "It's just a group of ancient trees that have souls, they can think and move. They are no different from the wisdom of ordinary people. Some of the ancient trees even have the wisdom of the wise among humans."

"Uh..."Ma Nide nodded and accepted this explanation in his heart.

After all, this was a land of miracles.

This explanation was sufficient.

He could encounter anything. Even the wolves in the wilderness could transform into human-like forms.

Now that this group of ancient trees had gained intelligence, they could also accept human-like activities. Moreover, even rocks and water could transform into human-like forms. They could summon the so-called water and earth elemental warriors from thin paper and rampage on the battlefield. It was not surprising at all with Shu Ren.

Two of them chatted for a short while before Kant asked Ma Nide to have a rest after finishing his breakfast. After all, this young merchant was extremely tired after a long journey.

After the conversation ended, Kant went to the city wall for inspection.

The construction of the Drondheim castle was almost complete, but this was not the end.

Currently, in the system, the level of the castle has reached its limit.

But in terms of construction, it was still a small castle.

Kant could still build walls, towers, and arrow towers to strengthen the castle's defence as Drondheim which stood in the Oasis Lookout, was the most eye-catching location in the desert. It was also equivalent to being the target of public criticism.

That was indeed the truth. The current Oasis Lookout really became the target of public criticism.

The news had already spread.

The noble families behind the merchants all began to size up the desert with their thoughts.

There was hostility, greed, and evil intentions.

At the same time, there was also hatred that would devour them.

For example, the Stone Pass.

Baron Dylan who had a bad temper was so mad and irritable.

Chapter 282: Baron Dylan’s Anger (Chapter 2)

In the administrative building at the Stone Pass.

The atmosphere was extremely tense.

Baron Dylan sat on the main seat of his study. He looked at the merchant in front of him with a gloomy expression and said through gritted teeth, "That damned little thing is really vicious."

However, the merchant standing in front of him did not dare to reply.

His identity was here.

However, the two vassal knights in the room, who were trusted by Dylan, advised from the side, "Lord Dylan, there's no need to be so angry. Perhaps the forces behind Baron Kant want to push him out so that he doesn't have to be completely controlled by you. After all, if you're in control of the key roads, you are literally strangling their throats."

What the vassal knights were referring to was naturally the natural dividing line between the Nahrin Desert and the Dukedom of Leo. It was also the only gap in the magnificent Senwaya Range, the Stone Pass.

It was the place they were currently in, the place they were firmly in control of!

"Hmph."

Baron Dylan's expression was still gloomy. He snorted coldly, but his expression softened slightly.

His vassal knight was right.

He had the geographical advantage.

Especially the Stone Pass, which was the only passage to the two sides of the Senwaya Range. Even if there were some small rural roads and some beast roads that could bypass this pass, as long as they were strictly investigated, these roads would always be discovered and blocked.

Moreover, entering the Nahrin Desert required a large number of supplies, especially fresh water, which was the most important.

There would definitely be a lot of people in the trade caravan.

Even if they traveled light, they wouldn't be able to transport much table salt.

Thus, they had to replenish their supplies at the Stone Pass in order to ensure their safety after entering the Nahrin Desert. If they wanted to take the risk of going around the pass to enter the desert, it was undoubtedly risking their live to enter the desert. Whether they could open up a trade in the end was another matter, but whether they would die in the desert was the most important thing.

In the past, the trade caravan would only enter the Nahrin Desert after replenishing their supplies at the Stone Pass. Although they seemed to be heading south, in reality, they would only enter the Nahrin Desert after going around the pass carefully.

As the local lord, Baron Dylan was well aware of this.

When the time came, they would seal off a few small roads.

They would even hire bandit groups to enter the small roads and the desert to plunder. With the weak guards of the merchants, it was impossible for them to stop the hired professional bandits.

After all, the bandits of this era were no different from mercenaries.

Baron Dylan, who had already developed, naturally had the ability to hire them!

Thinking of this, his face looked much better. He waved his hand at the merchant and said, "Alright, you can leave now. Don't pretend to be nosy. Just pretend that you don't know anything. Just wait for my arrangements for the rest."

"Yes, Lord Dylan."

The merchant wiped the cold sweat off his forehead and quickly left the room.

The other two vassal knights in the room looked at Dylan. They had been together for a long time. It was obvious that they understood the arrangements for their Lord Baron.

As expected, Baron Dylan asked, "How many soldiers do we have now?"

"38 knights, 150 knight attendants, 500 lance soldiers and 100 archers."

The vassal knight who was responsible for the management of the army replied, "If we expand the army, we can form 1,000 armed militia, 2,000 peasant conscripts, and 500 archers made up of hunters."

"Yes, these are our own troops.", Baron Dylan narrowed his eyes.

These soldiers were all his original troops.

He gritted his teeth and used up all resources in Stone Pass to assemble this troop. This included those peasant conscripts who only used sharp pitchforks.

In the past, this could be considered as the confidence that Baron Dylan had to protect himself. However, in the past three months, he had used the table salt trade and great silver coins to clear the way. The overall level of the troops had risen rapidly. This confidence that he had in the past was no longer in his eyes.

Baron Dylan continued to ask, "How are the mercenaries?"

"Now, we have recruited all kinds of marauders and bandit groups as mercenaries. There are a total of 1,600 people."

The vassal knight replied, "If we give them standard weapons, they can go to the battlefield. Their combat strength is not bad.". He paused and solemnly reported, "But the most important thing is still the gale mercenary group that we hired. There are a total of 600 light cavalries. They are the strongest group of mercenaries that we recruited this time."

"That sounds very good.", Baron Dylan nodded slightly, but his eyes were a little gloomy. "But the problem is, can we guarantee the reliability of these guys?"

"Ordinary mercenaries, 30 small silver coins per person per month."

The vassal knight immediately replied, "But those 600 brigands mercenaries need 80 small silver coins per month. If they are in war, they need an additional 20 small silver coins."

"That is one great silver coin.", Baron Dylan snorted. "I can still afford this money."

"This way, it is reliable."

The vassal knight also had a disdainful look on his face. "These mercenaries are greedy people who are greedy for money. At the very least, none of the surrounding noble families can hire them for a long time. Therefore, we are the only ones. It is not a problem to use silver coins to nurture their loyalty. At least, they will not betray us on the battlefield."

"No, that's not what you said.", Baron Dylan curled up the corner of his mouth and smiled, but there was no hint of a smile in his eyes. "There was no reason to betray us on the battlefield, if their payment is enough."

The two vassal knights were silent. There was no way to refute his words.

However, Baron Dylan did not delve into this question. He sat on the chair and gently tapped the table with his hand. "Next, there will definitely be many trade caravans and spies in my pass. This is the most troublesome."

"Please give us your orders, Lord Dylan."

The two vassal knights spoke.

"Yes, I do need you two to be busy."

Baron Dylan nodded, he tapped on the table and said, "Let our rats be active. It is best to place them in any corner of the entire pass. I do not want my own estate to become a sieve that anyone can enter. At that time, I will really lose face. I think both of you understand this."

"We will do our best!", the two vassal knights answered in fear.

"This is the attitude I need."

Baron Dylan smiled. "But don't worry. When this storm passes, I will remember your loyalty.". He paused, he looked at the two of them and said seriously, "When the time comes, I will arrange an actual fiefdom for you and 2,000 great silver coins as a reward. You will definitely not be disappointed."

The two vassal knights were already showing joy on their faces. When they heard Baron Dylan's words, they immediately knelt down on one knee and bowed with great respect. "Lord, we will do our best to complete the mission that you gave us!"

"Very good!"

Baron Dylan nodded with a smile and waved his hand at the same time. "You can leave now. When tomorrow comes, get your spirits up and let our rats smell properly. Where exactly are those dirty bedbugs?"

"Yes!", the two of them continued to bow before leaving the room with gratitude.

However, when the two of them left...

Baron Dylan's face suddenly turned gloomy.

"Hehe, you can't sit still anymore. Have you started to look for a way out?"

His hand gripped the handle of the chair tightly, he had a unpleasant look. "Both of you have started to have disloyal intentions towards me. Do you really think that I haven't noticed it? Your extraordinary powers were all given by me. Now, even both of you have started to betray me. I really didn't expect it. I really didn't expect it!"

"Both of them are former veterans. You have become a baron, and they are your vassal knights who can't make a name for themselves. How could they be willing?"

In the room, a calm voice appeared in the darkness.

Baron Dylan didn't panic. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and said, "But don't they know how to be grateful? Ha, grateful. Well, it's funny that this word came out of my mouth."

"That's right, it's really funny.", the calm voice chuckled. "Just like how you betrayed Princess Sofia and the Silver Platter Kingdom on the battlefield. Only then did you become a noble and truly step into this class, right? You also treated them as stepping stones."

"You know so much.", Baron Dylan seemed to not hear the ridicule and ridicule in this person's words.

"Of course."

The man in the shadow finally walked out.

He limped to the chair beside the study and sat down, he chuckled. "How is it? You told me right, right? Baron Dylan, the people around you are starting to betray you. If you do not consider your own path of retreat, I think that if you continue to hold on in vain, the end result will definitely be very tragic."

"You are threatening me.", Baron Dylan's face was murky. It was a rare sight that he did not fly into a rage.

"I am only speaking the truth."

This person raised his head. It was the leader of the spies under the house at the pass.

He understood Baron Dylan's personality deeply. He did not force him too much, instead, he changed his tone. "Sometimes, if you can rely on others, you will be placed in an important position. This is especially so at this critical moment. If you rely on others, you will obtain unimaginable benefits, such as the increase in power, the promotion of the title of nobility...", he raised his head and looked at Baron Dylan. "You will also obtain the qualifications to become a hereditary noble and become a high-class noble!"

"This condition is very generous and also very reasonable.", Baron Dylan gritted his teeth and clenched his fists as if he had made up his mind. "Alright, please answer Countess Agatha. I am willing to become his most loyal baron."

"No, no, no.", the leader of the spies smiled. "You are the most loyal viscount."

Baron Dylan also smiled. "Thank Countess Agatha."

"She is the kindest.", the leader of the spies nodded. "However, you need to pay a certain amount of loyalty now. For example, sending troops into the Nahrin Desert to recover the salt mines outside the dukedom."

"This is a little difficult. You know that my troops do not have the ability to enter the desert to fight."

Baron Dylan narrowed his eyes and answered, "This is really difficult."

"No, you have misunderstood."

The leader of the spies chuckled. "You have troops that can enter the desert. For example, a 600-man mercenary cavalry. They are well-equipped, have strong combat strength, and have sufficient logistical supplies."

"I do not understand.", Baron Dylan frowned.

"This gale mercenary group was once very popular with Countess Agatha."

The leader of the spies smiled and said, "Don't let down the reputation of this elite cavalry."

"I won't.", Baron Dylan looked at the smile of the leader of the spies, but he felt a chill in his heart. He had originally suspected that he could recruit such an elite cavalry team, but now he was right.

This 600-person squall mercenary group was the secret force that belonged the Countess of East County, Agatha!

Chapter 283: The Exchange Value of the Golden Eagle

The current situation seemed peaceful, but it was extremely dangerous.

This was like the surface of the sea full of torrential currents and dark tides. It was the calm before the storm. Any careless person who made a mistake would fall into this boundless sea of terror in the abyss and be torn into pieces.

In the Dukedom of Leo, the top-tier noble began to sharpen their knives, ready to enjoy a delicious meal.

The lesser noble families also showed their fangs and claws, trying to get a piece of the pie.

The profit was too big.

It was so big that even the top noble families could not enjoy the delicious food alone. They could only compromise and cooperate with each other in order to enjoy the delicious food in front of them.

Everyone was satisfied.

Including those businessmen who were just errands, they could eat big mouthfuls of delicious food according to their size.

But Kant wasn't included.

He was the one who would suffer the direct loss of benefits.

Everyone was staring at him fiercely, ready to pounce on him at any moment.

Kant also had a premonition that this time was about to arrive.

The entire "Drondheim" Castle had already entered a level two alert status. Surrounding the dune, there were desert bandits who rode their horses around at all times, patrolling 24 hours a day.

Vaegir archers had all entered the city wall and were no longer resting in the barracks.

There were also knights who were ready to attack at any time.

In order to deal with the danger that would come at any time, they were always on standby.

Firentis and Kant had already had a deep conversation. Regarding the danger that they would face in the future, they would deal with it cautiously. If they encountered an enemy, they would take the initiative to attack. They would use the desert to drag down the enemy, and then they would use the excellent city defense to make the enemy's troops sink into despair, they could only retreat.

After all, the current Oasis Lookout was still locked down. The noble families of the Dukedom of Leo would never have thought that such a strong and magnificent castle would appear on the oasis. The city defense system was perfect and strict.

Without siege weapons, they would be destined to be futile. There was no way to forcefully attack!

Furthermore, according to Kant's memories, even if it was the Dukedom of Leo, they would still have to pay a huge price to take down such a city defense.

The current environment in the Nahrin Desert was cruel. There was a lack of water and supplies, and there were no siege weapons. It was impossible for them to withstand a long time. The only way was to retreat, unless they were stupid enough to waste their time and lead to the total annihilation of the army!

But the noble families with ulterior motives did not know that.

They were so naive that they knew nothing.

Kant had already perfectly hidden his fangs and claws, curled up like a kitten.

But when he fully unleashed them, everyone would be shocked.

He was like an adult lion appeared in front of them. With its well-proportioned body, sharp fangs and claws, it officially declared this once deserted Nahrin Desert was its estate now!

Real lions could only grow up in mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

They were Kant's stepping stones.

It was just that they had not yet discovered this cruel fact.

Kant did not choose to go deep into the desert at this critical moment. Instead, he stayed in the Oasis Lookout and inspected his estate. At the same time, he chose to build his castle better.

For example, more advanced houses were built in every corner and crevice.

They were almost close to the residential area, the crafts area, and the military area.

Another 200 houses were built.

All 300 high-class houses that looked like two-story houses filled the interior of the castle. There was no space for more buildings to be built, but the advantage was the large population!

The population of "Drondheim" Castle had exploded to 3,000 people.

A lot of food was consumed every day.

The output of the agricultural area alone was not enough. Now, it was all used up. They had to buy a large amount of grain from the caravan of Reyvadin to barely maintain the food and drinks of these thousands of people.

Don't forget, there were nearly 700 troops!

In order to ensure the food supply, Kant specially formed a camel caravan consisting of 20 camels.

It was dedicated to food transportation.

All the preys that were hunted crazily in the Senwaya Range and then made into smoked meat and dried meat. Then, the camel caravan transported it to the Oasis Lookout to increase the consumption of meat and reduce the consumption of grain.

Eating only bread made one hungry very quickly. Having meat not only strengthened the body, but also reduced the consumption of grain.

It is killing two birds with one stone.

But the food problem did not need to be too worried.

Kant has built a salt posthouse at the top of the dune in the salt mine. He has sent 50 peasants to collect coarse salt. Every two days, 50 camel caravans will be sent to transport it, the 600 bags of coarse salt collected in two days will be transported back to the castle. Then, in three days, it will be boiled into 400 bags of fine white salt.

In the end, a caravan of 50 camels was transported to the central posthouse to be sold. The first wave of harvest would be a large amount of silver coins, and Kant would collect all kinds of materials.

Iron tools, farm tools, grain, cloth, and everything, including precious spices, were also purchased.

There were also precious golden eagles!

Manid had already found out that 100 great silver coins could be exchanged for one golden eagle.

However, this price was only the normal price.

In the black market of the Dukedom of Leo, it had already been sold for 120 great silver coins to exchange for one golden eagle.

This was also due to the Dukedom of Leo's developed agriculture and handicraft industry. Hence, the economy was prosperous. If it was in those poor areas, the price of one golden eagle would usually be sold for 150 great silver coins or more.

For example, in the barren North County, the price of one golden eagle was 150 great silver coins.

If one wanted to exchange for it, one had to look at the connections.

Only Viscount Wayne, who ruled the entire North County, had the ability to exchange for it.

Golden eagles were really very precious.

It was said that the mysterious Mage Tower would collect golden eagles, and even the temples of the gods were no exception. From this, it could be seen that golden eagles were precious resources. Compared to silver coins of different sizes, these eagles were made of gold and looked like palm-sized, glittering eagles, their value was higher, and they had a wider circulation.

Of course, Manid also used his relationship with Baron Dylan at that time to exchange 200 great silver coins for a golden eagle. In Kant's system exchange, he actually received a price of 1000 denars.

This was a pleasant surprise!

Kant did not expect that the price of golden eagle that was made of gold to be so high.

It was much more valuable than simply selling gold.

After all, a bag of gold was only sold for 50,000 denars. If it was a golden eagle of the same weight, there would definitely be more than 50 of it in a bag. It was estimated to be at least 100 golden eagles could fill up the bag. This was equivalent to100,000 denars!

Just this week, Kant was preparing for the future.

He was prepared to personally go to the table salt trade this time.

After all, this was the first time that the central posthouse was open for trading!

Chapter 284: Trade Caravan At the Posthouse

The large-scale table salt trade involved a terrifying amount of great silver coins.

Kant sold 400 bags of fine white salt at a price of 100 great silver coins per bag. In other words, it was a total of 40,000 great silver coins. Those merchants would have to use rattan baskets and carts to transport the great silver coins.

If they used goods, they would not be able to match the profits of table salt.

Other than spices, military supplies, or sweet sugar cubes, the other things were not worth the profits of salt at all.

No matter how good the iron, cloth, and farm tools were, they were all dispensable goods to the fine white salt with stunning profits. Although Kant did need it, and the merchants would prepare some in order to please Kant, they definitely would not prepare too much. If they prepared too much, they would only be able to exchange a bag of refined white salt for a full cart of goods.

This kind of situation was not worth it. It was a big taboo in business, so those merchants definitely would not bring too much. Therefore, the golden eagle, which could be paid in large amounts and had a wide audience in the upper-class society, came in handy.

One week was enough to deliver the news and transport the golden eagle.

Although the roads in the Dukedom of Leo were not all paved roads, the main roads connecting the northern, southern and eastern counties were paved with stone slabs to facilitate transportation.

Therefore, it was very convenient to gather the necessary golden eagles.

There was also the most crucial point.

In the transaction, one golden eagle was not equal to 100 great silver coins, but 150 great silver coins in the black market of the North County. This was an additional profit for the merchants, and they could be considered as the beneficiaries of the most basic currency exchange.

But the ultimate beneficiary would definitely be Kant.

As long as there was a golden eagle that could be exchanged for denars, that would be enough!

The Continent of Caradia would be able to provide him with an endless supply of various materials, including the Pendor caravan that had already set off, led by Joslin, and the Fangorn Forest caravan that Manid personally led.

All three trade routes would give him rich returns and a wonderful prospect waiting for him.

For example, in the Pendor Continent, Kant had Joslin bring the most valuable gold.

This kind of precious metal was also something that the Pendor Continent fond of, and could be exchanged for a lot of denars. Of course, now that he thought about it, it was not very cost-effective. However, if it was converted into a golden eagle and sold to the Pendor Continent, the denar that was exchanged for was still more valuable than the Caradia!

The system's exchange was based on the exchange of the Continent of Caradia. The method of exchange was to exchange with Joslin's nephew, the new leader of the trade caravan. It was like trading gold with denar.

If the Continent of Pendor was cleared, then they would trade with the trade caravan over there.

The price was naturally different.

As for the Fangorn Forest trade caravan that Manid led, Kant did not know what the ents needed, so he asked Manid to bring some gold, as well as water element, earth element gemstones, and negative energy gemstones. These were fantasy items.

When these two trade caravans returned, everything would be revealed.

Kant would enter a new era of glory!

But at this time, Kant had already arranged the troops. They were led by 10 Swadian royal knights, 100 Swadian knights, and 40 newly recruited desert bandits this week to the central posthouse.

The camel caravan made up of 50 camels was ready and loaded with fine white salt.

"Lord Kant."

Firentis stood in front of the city gate and urged Kant. "Please be careful this time."

"I know.", Kant nodded.

Rolf, as the leader of the central posthouse, had already sent desert bandits to report the situation. He said that a large number of trade caravans had gathered in the direction of the posthouse and were waiting for trading.

At the same time, there were also unfamiliar troops like the guards of the trade caravan. It was possible that they had ulterior motives.

Kant, on the other hand, was quite relaxed.

He waved his hand and officially led the group forward.

40 desert bandits acted as scouts and spread out to scout the way.

10 Swadian royal knights were safely protecting Kant. Behind him were 100 Swadian knights. If they encountered enemies, they would probably be easily dealt with with with a charge.

The camel caravan made up of 50 camels walked slowly, but at a constant speed, they were not far behind Kant and the others.

It would take about a day and a half to get from Oasis Lookout to the central posthouse.

They would arrive just in time for the weekend morning.

There was time.

There was nothing to do.

After resting a few times to avoid the midday heat and the cold of the night, they soon arrived at the desert plain where the central posthouse was located. The posthouse in the middle was already visible.

The rising sun dispelled the chill of the night. It was just early in the morning.

Kant rode on his horse at the top of the Dune.

Looking at the posthouse in the distance, he could already see a group of trade caravan tents being set up on the south side not far away.

The bonfire was not extinguished yet.

Many trade caravans were still making breakfast.

Wisps of smoke appeared in the sky above the desert. It did not look like a desolate place without people. Instead, it was a gathering place where a groups of traveling trades caravan rested together. The scene was incompatible with the desolate environment of the Nahrin Desert.

Kant's arrival caused a commotion.

Especially the caravan full of sacks, which was urged by 10 civilians with whips, attracted the attention of the trade caravan.

Many merchants did not have time to eat breakfast. They started to move and crowded in the direction of the posthouse. Because the desert bandits were armed with spears, they did not dare to approach. Instead, they eagerly looked forward to Kant and the caravan's arrival.

To them, that represented denar and the expensive golden eagle!

The posthouse also discovered the arrival of Kant and the others.

Rolf led the three royal knights and ten Sarrandian horsemen to personally welcome them.

When they saw Kant, they quickly dismounted and bowed respectfully. "Lord Kant, why are you here in person? We might encounter danger here. I even warned Firentis about it."

"I requested to come."

Kant chuckled and stretched out his hand to support him. "Get up. Let's go to the posthouse and chat."

"Yes.", Rolf immediately got back on his horse and gently knocked on the horse's belly as he led the group.

The merchants were even more eager.

When they saw Kant coming over, they all waved their hands.

"Baron Kant, here. We are a trade caravan from the South County territory. We hope to talk to you!"

"Lord! Lord Kant! We are from the South County. The leader of our trade caravan wishes to establish a friendly relationship with you. If possible, can we speak with you alone?"

"Baron Kant, we are from the East County. We are also here with friendly intentions. We wish to speak with you!"

However, Kant did not care about them.

Instead, Rolf reined in his horse and rode over, he waved his horsewhip and rebuked, "All of you, shut up. Lord Kant's journey here has been very tiring. He needs to rest. If you continue to make noise, then you will be disqualified from this trade. If you are not satisfied, then all future trade will be cancelled. If you don't believe me, you can try!"

His words were very effective. Immediately, the shouts of the merchants weakened and became completely silent.

Chapter 285: Upcoming Negotiations

No one could go against money.

Moreover, the merchants who had come here were mainly probing.

The noble families behind them had asked them to come, in order to establish a relationship with Kant and establish friendly trade. Without exception, they all planned to spend money and asked to talk alone with Kant.

If they were to be disqualified from this trade, or even their future trading qualifications, they would be skinned alive by the noble families behind them if they went back with empty hands.

This was the early stage.

It was barely a matter of cooperation based on benefits.

As for after they understood Kant's actual situation, the hidden rules of the noble families would begin to devour Kant's industry. At that time, they would not have to worry too much and they would just have to eat in a less ugly manner.

But now, they still needed to maintain a certain degree of friendliness.

There was also competition among the nobles.

If there really was a mistake, they would also not mind setting their political enemies and dragged them down.

These merchants were all low-level errands, and in reality, they did not have much power, so each of them obediently chose to be quail. For a time, there was complete silence, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.

Moreover, Kant was no longer the same as before.

His character, which was so benevolent to the point of cowardice, was only used to hide the prying eyes of others.

Now, he had regained his strength.

There was no need for him to continue pretending!

Just like a week ago, those two merchants who dared to cross Kant's bottom line and incited many trade caravans to attempt to attack the posthouse, even if they had the backing of the Lord of the North County, Viscount Wayne, and the noble family of the South County, who had been there for a hundred years, were still killed as he wished.

These merchants saw that and were even more fearful.

Rolf was also not considered a good person.

The combination of the two was very effective in shutting them up.

When they returned to the central posthouse, the ten Swadian footmen immediately opened the door with their shields and greeted respectfully, "My lord, Welcome to the posthouse again."

"Mm.", Kant nodded and instructed, "Unload all the salt from the caravan."

"Understood."

The ten light footmen immediately nodded.

After gathering more than 50 desert bandits, they immediately began to unload the sacks filled with white salt.

The sacks looked like gray flesh worms, but as they were being unloaded and piled up, the merchants gathered at the southern side of the posthouse widened their eyes. Looking at those sacks, their eyes were filled with extreme shock, they could not help but swallow their saliva, their eyes filled with greed.

That was a total of 400 sacks of fine white salt. In terms of price, it was worth 80,000 great silver coins!

Not to mention small merchants like them.

Even the hundred-year-old noble families in the Dukedom of Leo's Southern County would breathe heavily when they saw the fine white salt that was worth so many great silver coins. Compared to the transportation and procurement costs, the profit was almost as much as 100% !

The trade of table salt was a huge profit!

Otherwise, the 100-year-old noble families would not have banded together to form a trade caravan to go to the Dwarf Kingdom to purchase table salt. Then, they would go through a lot of trouble to transport it back at the risk of being plundered.

After all, it was not easy to go to the Dwarf Kingdom.

There were not many human kingdoms were on the way.

There were also wilderness and wastelands, where many evil alien races lived.

Similar to Jackalan, they were bloody and barbaric, uncivilized, bloodthirsty and barbaric races!

As a result, the price of salt in the human countries was extremely high. Only noble families, landlords, and merchants could enjoy this seasoning. Ordinary civilians could only eat some salt occasionally, and ordinary poor people were not qualified to eat salt at all!

This could not be helped. In the feudal era, the average life expectancy of civilians and poor people was less than 35 years old.

No one cared whether they ate salt or not.

Even if they ate salt, it was just low-quality salt.

It was the sour and astringent rock salt produced in some small salt mines underground and in ravines. These rock salt only had very little salty taste.

As long as one had some status, they would not eat it. After all, there was no way to purify and remove impurities. Eating too much of this rock salt would cause irreversible damage to the kidneys. People would really die!

Of course, the poor did not care if they died or not.

In any case, very few of them could live past the age of 45.

Kant did not care about this. People were born, aged, sick, and died. If he cared so much, he could not control it either. It was enough as long as he took care of the civilians in his own estate.

After taking a short rest, Kant said, "Let those nobles enter the posthouse. I will talk to them personally."

"Understood."

Rolf nodded.

Kant had brought ten royal knights with him. Together with the three royal knights who had stayed at the posthouse beforehand, the security was absolutely tight. Moreover, there were his Sarrandian horsemen and the desert bandits outside. It was no problem to prevent these merchants from causing trouble.

It was estimated that even if the hundreds of merchants and trade caravan guards were added together, they would not be a match for these thirteen royal knights.

After all, these were the royal knights at the pinnacle of grand knights!

Following Kant's orders, the entire posthouse was tidied up.

After breakfast, the cavalries put away their tents, extinguished the bonfire, and urged their horses to slowly gallop around the surroundings. They gradually warmed up their warhorse, returning it to its peak status of being able to charge during the day.

The spears in their hands were tightly gripped, and the scimitars were at their waists. All of them were in high spirits.

The noble families were all very observant.

All of them were deep in thought.

Kant's background and the princess of the Silver Platter Kingdom, Sofia, were not some secret information. Although these information were sealed, people were all whispering to each other, which made the story even more exaggerated and more eye-catching.

At least the friction between the Silver Platter Kingdom and the Dukedom of Leo had always existed.

After waiting for a moment, Rolf walked out, his fierce face had a hint of malevolence. "Be quiet. Now, each trade caravan will send a representative to enter this posthouse to discuss the transaction with Baron Kant. No weapons or guards are allowed. At the same time, no rude actions are allowed. If we find out...", Rolf paused for a moment, but his tone became even more stern. "Then I will make you sleep forever in an unknown sandpit in the desert!"

The merchants all nodded in agreement, but they did not dare to say anything more, afraid that their tone would offend this scoundrel noble who had no bottom line. At that time, the losses would not be worth the gains.

Even the new trade caravan had been notified in advance and obediently followed the rules.

Although there were also many merchants of higher status inside.

However, looking at the scimitars and spears that flashed with a glaring light, the desert bandits and Sarrandian horsemen who were eyeing them like tigers watching their prey. They all understood in their hearts that if they wanted to make a fortune here, they had to first show their respect.

The posthouse was opened, and the group of merchants walked into the hall.

Kant was sitting at the main seat of the long table, and there were four royal knights in full plate armor on each side.

Their entire bodies were shining with silver light, and they were more dazzling than the ordinary knights in chain armors.

Their strength was naturally stronger!

Chapter 286: Advantages Brought By Monopoly

The merchants were trembling in fear and panic.

It was no wonder that anyone would find a row of Sarrandian horsemen in fine chain armor and holding scimitars standing by the wall at the edge of the hall. Their hearts could not help but tremble.

But they had no choice. No one wanted to give up on this table salt trade. They could only brace themselves and bow to Kant.

"It's a great pleasure to meet you, your Lordship!"

These merchants appeared extremely humble.

"Mm.", Kant nodded. He did not even move from his seat. He accepted their bow calmly and said lightly, "All of you, sit down. There are many people here. Those without seats, stand."

His established his identity.

As a baron, these humble merchants were not of the same noble class as him.

Even if they were not prepared and did not receive him, the group of merchants did not dare to say anything. Instead, they looked at each other and discussed in low voices, letting the merchants who had a high-ranking noble behind them sit down first.

The merchants were also classified also based on class and status.

As for the small merchants and ordinary merchants, they could only stand and watch with smiles on their faces.

However, there were only 30 people who could enter.

Apart from the 10 people who sat on both sides of the long table in the posthouse hall and smiled respectfully at Kant, the other 20 people stood at the end of the long table and listened quietly.

It was obvious that some people wanted to eat meat, while others wanted to drink soup. They had already discussed this when they entered the posthouse.

Kant saw this, but he didn't care.

As long as he could sell his salt, it would be fine. He didn't care who could buy it or sell it.

Rolf also stood behind the door.

Although he did not know much about business, he came to this hall to protect the Lord Kant's safety and to prevent anything unusual from happening outside the posthouse. When the time came, he could also be in the middle of the operation so that he would let the cavalries on warhorses to react quickly. These cavalries were riding in guard secretly and waiting for orders.

He was a noble and a vicious bandit leader, so he had a deep understanding of the cunning of the noble and the merchants, as well as the lives of the bandits.

Better to be safe than sorry!

However, in the hall, Kant was relaxed, discussing the table salt trade with these merchants with a normal expression.

There was no need to talk too much nonsense, Kant, who had already taken the initiative, said directly, "I have 400 bags of refined white salt, each bag is 100 great silver coins, and can be supplied every week. I guarantee that after a month, the weekly supply will reach 1000 bags, I don't know which one of you can eat it!"

"This...", the merchants looked at each other and stared at each other. None of them could answer. They just stared at Kant and the familiar companions around them in a daze, looking a little stunned.

How could he reveal his trump cards so simply and rudely in a business trade.

But Kant looked at them with a slightly mocking smile on his lips.

He knocked on the table and said indifferently, "If any of you feel that it is unacceptable, you can leave this desert. If any of you feel that you can cooperate, then set the rules. 100 great silver coins per bag of table salt, neither high nor low."

"Uh... this price..."

A businessman tentatively said, "If the production is too high, the Dukedom of Leo will not be able to digest it. Do you also want this price? I think maybe we can lower it..."

"Hehe.", Kant laughed and did not hide his ridicule.

He looked at him and said indifferently, "It is 100 great silver coins per bag. If you feel that it is too expensive, you can leave. I know better than you how the table salt trade is like. All the creatures in the human countries and the wild tribes like these white and flowery goods. Buy them if you want, but if you don't want it...", he stretched out his hand and made a gesture. "There is no need to waste your breath in this posthouse."

"This... this...", the merchants were even more stunned.

Kant, on the other hand, was at ease.

This was the advantage of a monopoly. As the monopoly party, the rules were set by him.

No matter how harsh the rules were or how stingy he was, the advantage of a monopoly was always in his hands.

These merchants wanted to make money?

Then they had to pinch their noses and choose to follow Kant's simple and overbearing rules!

However, Kant did give them a way out. In fact, the table salt trade of the human countries might be 200 great silver coins per bag, but if it was during the season of salt panic, 400 great silver coins would still be available.

After all, the trade caravan that transported salt to and from the Dwarf Kingdom also needed several months. The journey was not safe either.

If something unexpected happened and they were delayed for a month or two, the noble families and great merchants would have to spend a lot of money to purchase fine white salt if they wanted to hold a banquet. Especially the southern and eastern counties, which were prosperous due to trade, were generally extravagant and wasteful, every banquet would waste a whole sack of table salt, they were the big consumers of this type of table salt!

Currently, Kant only had 400 bags of table salt, which could at most be used by the Dukedom of Leo for less than half a month. After all, in order to kill time, the noble families held banquets every day.

In addition, there was the tradition of giving the elite troops table salt as an additional bonus, which increased the consumption of table salt.

Even 1,000 bags of table salt were nothing in the entire Dukedom of Leo.

If they were scattered in the human countries...

It would be even more pitifully scare!

Otherwise, there would not be endless trade caravans going to the Dwarf Kingdom, risking the dangers of the wilderness to carry out the table salt trade. It would be earned by a large amount of great silver coins!

Now, there was no need to risk their lives.

There was also no need to waste too much time, and they could easily obtain a large amount of refined white salt.

Hence, the monopoly of salt trade would bring Kant a huge profit!

"Your lordship! Our trade caravan is willing to cooperate! Willing to cooperate!"

"That's right, your lordship, our trade caravan is also willing to listen to your arrangements!"

The merchants immediately reacted.

One by one, they stood up and bowed respectfully to Kant, each of them extremely deferential.

"These 400 bags of white salt are the goods for this trade. You can share them.", Kant's expression was still a little mocking, and there was no sign of shyness, he was still sitting in his seat and said calmly, "If you can use the golden eagle to trade, then use the golden eagle to trade. I am a person who is afraid of trouble. If you use the golden eagle to trade, you can pay it according to the price of the black market."

"Thank you, your lordship, for your kindness!"

"Your lordship is really very kind!"

"Your lordship, your kindness has made us ashamed!"

The merchants were instantly overjoyed.

If they were to purchase table salt according to the price of the black market, the profit would be multiplied by several times!

They did not care what Kant wanted the golden eagle for. After all, it was a kind of currency. Although it was high-grade, they had brought quite a lot of it this time. Each trade caravan shared the expenses of the golden eagle, so they could completely swallow this batch of fine white salt!

However, while they were discussing, a desert bandit walked in quickly.

"Lord Kant, Lord Rolf."

He first bowed, then reported solemnly, "We found an unfamiliar cavalry troop in the south. There are about 600 people. It seems... they are not friendly!"

Chapter 287: Merchants’ Desperate Pleas

After hearing the report from the desert bandits, many merchants in the hall turned their heads to look at Kant.

It was an unfamiliar army with ill intentions.

They would not believe that the troop had nothing to do with the table salt trade. Perhaps some noble was dissatisfied with Kant obtaining the table salt and wanted to come here to show off their might!

This was often the old noble families' way of intimidating the new noble families.

It was also applicable now.

Think about the noble families who once operated the table salt for the dwarves. Because of the appearance of table salt in the desert, it affected their business. Both sides were basically competitors now, and they did not ease up at all. They were competitors with direct conflicts of profit!

However, Kant's table salt in the desert was more profitable.

It was closer to the human countries, and it was more convenient to transport. Furthermore, the taste was not bad, and the production was increasing day by day. It was destined to attack the conservative market where the old noble families controlled the table salt for the dwarf.

It would be strange if there was no reaction when their important way to make money that was used to maintain the family was cut off!

Now, these merchants looked at Kant.

At the same time, they were testing him.

They were merchants. The so-called honor and dignity were not as tempting as the profits. Therefore, they could humbly express their obedience to Kant because they did not understand Kant's true strength.

Now, they might be able to see it.

Someone came to provoke them, flaunting their strength, and used force to intimidate Kant, the baron who was about to rise up.

No matter how Kant responded, they would get the answer they wanted.

But if they were defeated, the final outcome would definitely not be friendly. These merchants would still maintain their obedience, but the next time they came, the trade caravan's guards would be more and more elite, at that time, these merchants would take back their previous subservience with interest and become even more arrogant than a noble!

But to Kant, his expression was calm, but his eyes flashed with ridicule.

He was not a baron who was about to rise up.

He was the lord of the Nahrin Desert who had already risen up!

Facing the probing gazes of these merchants, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. His disdain and ridicule were obvious. He did not explain too much. He only instructed faintly, "Rolf, you handle it."

"Understood!"

Rolf immediately nodded behind the door.

"Handle it beautifully.", Kant continued.

As if he had thought of something, he instructed Rolf, "Don't kill all of them. We still need to increase the production of our salt mines. We're very short of salt-digging slaves. Since they're here, let's stay and see if they're qualified for this job."

"Got it.", Rolf had a ferocious smile on his face. "They are very qualified for this job."

Kant nodded and waved his hand lightly. "Go."

"Everyone, follow me!"

Rolf bowed respectfully and issued an order in a muffled voice.

The 50 Sarrandian horsemen who were originally standing by the wall in the hall immediately rushed out, including the three Swadian royal knights beside Kant, as well as the cavalries that quickly gathered in the tent outside.

The entire central posthouse seemed to have become a military station for the deployment of troops, and this cavalry force was gathering.

120 Sarrandian horsemen.

220 desert bandits.

And the 3 royal knights personally led by Rolf!

The total number of troops was only 350, but their combat strength was considered to be at the elite level, especially the 3 royal knights who possessed extraordinary strength and belonged to the grand knight level. How could they be compared to the ordinary cavalry?

Even the 120 Sarrandian horsemen were qualified to be vassal knights to the ordinary noble!

But those merchants did not know.

They could not imagine how powerful these cavalries were.

After all, there were a total of 600-men unfamiliar troops. If they were to go crazy, it was not impossible to slaughter them all in this desert.

They merchants did have the trade caravan guards.

However, these trade caravan guards could at most disperse some ordinary marauders and bandits.

Fighting against these 600 absolutely ferocious cavalries were definitely courting death!

Hence, the merchants began to discuss animatedly.

They whispered to each other with a hint of anxiety in their tone. Their gazes towards Kant also became more direct. After all, Kant only needed 10 strange-looking knights and 10 ordinary sword-shield footmen to protect him.

They were talking about the Swadian royal knights and theSwadian footmen.

Kant's face was calm.

The disdainful smile at the corner of his mouth was still there.

Looking at them whispering to each other as if they were discussing something, he slowly picked up the silver cup that was prepared for him on the table and sipped the date palm sugar water in it, he said indifferently, "If you don't mind, I would like to invite everyone to the roof of the posthouse to enjoy a farce."

"This... But... those cavalries...", the merchants looked at each other, but they seemed unwilling and anxious to leave.

"Come with me."

Kant didn't give them a chance to choose.

He drank the sugar water in the silver cup in one gulp, stood up and walked towards the stairs of the posthouse.

"Whoosh Whoosh Whoosh Whoosh --"

The sound of a longsword being unsheathed rang out.

The actions of the 10 Swadian footmen were very rude. Their gazes were fixed on these merchants, and they were extremely unfriendly.

However, the royal knights were much more elegant. Each and every one of them lifted up the full plate armor on their faces. Looking at these merchants and stretching out their hands, they smiled and said in a tone that could not be rejected, "Gentlemen, please."

"This... this... this..."

The merchants were even more hesitant.

They were all frightened and looked at each other. They saw the hesitation in each other's eyes.

No one followed Kant's footsteps.

They were all afraid. If Kant took them hostage to negotiate with the unfamiliar troop , it would be terrible to them.

That 600 cavalries troop that belonged to unknown noble family was a problem. However, according to the internal rules of the Dukedom of Leo, the bandit groups that ran amok had the support of the noble forces behind them. If they were taken hostage, it would really make the familiar troop hesitate.

Although there were fights between the noble families, there were definitely alliances, such as alliances through marriages. Now that the cavalry troop had quickly arrived at this posthouse. If the unfamiliar troop belonged to the enemy noble families and wanted to destroy this trade, they would definitely slaughtered by the troop!

Regardless of whether they went up or not, these merchants felt their hearts tremble.

A sense of despair appeared in everyone's hearts.

"Gentlemen."

A royal knight opened his mouth and said with a grave tone, "Please don't let Baron Kant wait for too long, is that alright?"

The ten Swadian footmen also looked at these merchants with covetous eyes. The spatha swords in their hands flickered with a cold light. Coupled with those slightly unfriendly eyes, it was estimated that the moment they vetoed it, they would rush over to chop these merchants up!

"Yes... yes..."

The merchants nodded their heads in despair and walked towards the stairs.

Soon, they reached the top floor.

Kant was standing at a corner and looking towards the south.

The group of merchants were trembling as they walked over. They were also looking at the wind and sand in the south, as well as the cavalries riding on warhorses that were moving towards them at a constant speed amidst the yellow dust.

They were all wrapped in linen robes, and the warhorses were also covered in linen robes.

These were sun-proof breathable clothes.

However, one could still see the faintly discernible mail armor on the bodies of the riders. The mail armor that appeared along with the galloping of the warhorse, coupled with the longsword in their hands, and the long lance hanging by the side of the warhorse, were clearly elite-looking!

They were definitely at the level of knight attendants!

Their well-trained appearance made these merchants suck in a breath of cold air!

Knight attendants.

They were basically valiant horsemen who had received knight training.

From a young age, they had been trained in horsemanship, spear arts, swordsmanship, and close combat. They also had a part-time job to learn the etiquette of the noble.

Basically, the troops formed by these knight attendants were the basic strength of the knights that formed the Knight Corps. They were also the main force that the noble led the troops to battle. They were also the backbone of the battle sequence of the Dukedom of Leo!

Whether a country was strong or not depended on how many knights there were and how many knight attendants they could gather.

If a knight died in battle, then the knight attendants would be able to replace them.

As for those noble families that had lived for hundreds of years, their strength could also be measured by their knight attendants.

Powerful noble families would always be able to train a large number of excellent and elite knight attendants as their own strength. They would fight for themselves in all directions and achieve outstanding results in the Dukedom of Leo's battle sequence.

Together with their own knights and grand knights, they would form a complete cavalry unit!

The merchants were very knowledgeable.

Right now, their legs were trembling. They even felt the urge to pee between their legs. They were so scared that they were about to pee!

"This... This is... This is... an army formed by knight attendants!"

"Not good... those are knight attendants... They are the army of high-ranking noble..."

"Your lordship... you have offended... who have you offended..."

The merchants were all speaking with trembling voices.

Their eyes were wide open, and their eyes were filled with despair.

The 600 knights' attendants were fully armed as they charged towards this posthouse. That terrifying might was about to destroy their confidence. There were even quite a number of merchants from the small noble families who had already felt their entire bodies go limp. They had to support each other in order to stand still.

The despair in their eyes could not be erased. They really felt that they were going to die.

They guessed the conclusion.

This was clearly a high-ranking noble who wanted to destroy Kant's faction!

How could it be that they had come with ill intentions? Out of the 600 knight attendants, there would definitely be 30 knights. There might even be peak-level knights. As long as they were enlightened by the grand knight, they would be able to comprehend the existence of extraordinary powers.

How could this be an ill intention.

This was like the declaration of a war!

"Silence."

Kant had a smile on his face as he turned his head slightly to look at the terrified merchants behind him. The mockery on the corner of his mouth became even more intense. "Knight attendants? Oh, could it be that in your opinions, they are the strongest?"

The merchants were unable to answer. They were already breathing rapidly as they watched the troops formed by the knight attendants getting closer and closer.

Their expressions were also becoming more and more desperate.

Kant shook his head.

There was nothing much to say to this group of useless merchants.

Standing at the same spot, looking at Rolf leading the cavalry to welcome them, he took the silver cup handed over by the light footman beside him. He took a sip of the warm sugar water in it and said calmly, "The banquet has begun."

Beside him, the Swadian royal knight encouraged himself and blew the item that Kant had just handed to him.

A dull, long horn sounded.

"Woo --"

Chapter 288: Tactics of the Desert Bandits

The bugle horn was blown.

A dull and long sound was heard in the desert.

This was Kant's order. The cavalries, who had already lined up neatly, began to move along with the long bugle horn. Horse hooves came in waves as they charged into the flat desert.

Rolf personally led 120 Sarrandian horsemen, holding their scimitars tightly with solemn expressions.

The 220 lightly armored desert bandits had already pounced forward, like sparrows flying in the sky, or a wolf pack scattered in all directions, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

The Sarrandan people were familiar with the desert from the soul.

They were the race that lived in the desert to begin with.

They were the elites of the desert!

At the posthouse, the guards of the trade caravan were restless. Looking at the leader of the trade caravan who was at the top of the posthouse, they were all panicking, as if they had encountered a horse gang. They wanted to hide, but they did not dare to abandon the leader and leave.

Even when they saw Rolf leading the cavalries to resist, they still felt uneasy.

This included the merchants on the rooftops.

Everyone could see the fighting strength of both sides.

Rolf was indeed brutal, just like a bandit leader, but this did not represent his fighting strength!

The 600 fully armed, mail armor-clad, and well-trained elite knight attendants, along with the knights who led the team as commanders, they could easily wipe out the same number of horse gangs!

The regular army was an elite force that could crush the bandit groups.

On the contrary, Rolf's army was made up of a large number of desert bandits who were the pitiful light cavalry in leather armors.

In the Dukedom of Leo's combat sequence, only the poorest and most impoverished noble families would use these cavalries. Only the guards of the trade caravan would be equipped with such defensive equipment.

Although leather armor had a certain defensive effect, it was extremely limited.

Despite bandits and horse thieves with noble backgrounds would not have a set of mail armor each, but they still had two layers of mail armor. How could the the light cavalry unit led by Rolf compared to them? The defensive equipment of Rolf's troop was so pitiful that they could not bear to look at it.

Even if there were 120 Sarrandian horsemen, but it was still very few of them.

If they were to clash with the knight attendants, they would be crushed on the spot!

These merchants' hearts were beating rapidly.

Looking at Kant, who had his back to them and was still holding a silver cup, their gazes were very unfriendly.

They could already guess that these cavalries were Kant's capital. Perhaps in the Nahrin Desert, if they were careful, they could completely defend the Oasis Lookout and this posthouse. But if they were to fight against the strong opponents, they would definitely lose everything.

An army of 600 knight attendants could already be considered as the regular army of the Dukedom of Leo.

These merchants had different thoughts from Kant.

They looked at Kant with hatred in their eyes.

The previous groveling and the fear were all reasons for these merchants to hate Kant.

As long as Kant lost his army as a support, the noble families behind these merchants would extend their hands into this desert. For example, these merchants might be able to talk to those knight attendants because of the connection between the noble families.

If these knight attendants really killed them, then it would start a war between the noble families!

The salt mines in this desert could not be swallowed by a few noble families alone. it should only be a win-win situation.

But in this win-win situation, it definitely would not include Kant, the original lord of the Nahrin Desert.

The merchants looked at each other, and their breathing became heavier. They nodded to each other and understood the meaning in their eyes. Now that they were united, they realized that they were not afraid of these soldiers and Kant, instead, they had the confidence to unite and fight against Kant.

However, this was only their illusion. The royal knights and light footmen saw the merchants' small actions behind the scenes. They were expressionless, but their eyes were extremely vigilant.

If Kant gave the order, there would be a bloody storm on the roof.

They could do it.

However, Kant did not speak, nor did he give the order.

Shaking the red sugar water in the silver cup, the sweet feeling in his mouth had not dissipated. Looking at the dust and the horsemen in the distance, the smile on his lips remained.

Two cavalry units were approaching to each other.

The 600 cavalry units slowed down slowly, as if they had something to say.

However, the desert bandits, who were riding desert horses that were suitable for desert raids, continued to charge on the two wings and did not stop. They quickly flanked from both sides, bending their backs and holding the reins as they galloped.

Rolf led the Sarrandian horsemen to stop. The 120 people formed a three-line formation, holding a lance as they charged forward.

The tactics used by the two were different.

But they were closely linked!

This was the wolf pack tactic that the Sarrandian people learned when fighting against the Kujit people.

The scattered desert bandits were the wolf pack that lured and drove the enemy away. The Sarrandian horsemen who formed a charging formation was the wolf king that gave the final blow to the enemy and completely tore the enemy's throat apart!

There were not many of them, but their structure and their tactics were clear.

The centuries of conflict in the Continent of Caradia had long turned these people into war machines!

The 600 knight attendants slowed down.

They discovered the desert bandits that were charging and scattering on both sides.

However, they chose to ignore them because of their own strength. However, they still drew closer to each other and held their shields to guard their surroundings. They planned to continue forward and talk to the enemy cavalries that were standing still.

It was best to be able to deal with these enemies without bloodshed. They came here to intimidate others.

Countess Agatha's order was very clear.

Destroy Baron Kant's armed forces, control this young baron, and indirectly control the Nahrin desert.

As for the merchants who came here, if they dared to resist, then kill them all. If they didn't resist, then gather together with the surrendered Baron Kant's troops and bury them alive in the desert.

There was no need for them to appear in the Nahrin Desert as well as other forces.

The leaders were two grand knights.

The basic and middle-level commanders were 40 knights, while the rest were knight attendants.

This was the reliance of the gale mercenary group, which had once roamed the three counties of the Dukedom of Leo. They were usually quiet, but as long as there was a movement, they would appear and show their fangs.

The dark hands of the Countess of the East County, Agatha, had always been known for her bloody ruthlessness.

However, they had miscalculated.

Rolf had no intention of talking to them.

Nor did he have the intention to surrender because he was at a disadvantage.

Seeing that the other party had slowed down from 500 meters away, as if to show that they wanted to negotiate, the corners of Rolf's mouth curled up into a disdainful smile. The malevolence on his face became more and more intense, and the machete in his hand was raised high, spinning slightly.

This is an attack. Don't hold back!

An order to the desert bandits.

"Pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft, --"

The horseshoes struck the sand.

There was a lot of weird noise.

Desert bandits galloped on both flanks, circling the 600 horsemen, neither too close nor too far, as if they were wolves and vultures waiting for an opportunity.

However, their equipment made the knights disguised as gale mercenary group smile mockingly.

What could these cavalries in leather armors do?

In close combat, these cavalries would be chased and massacred by these knights!

Their gale mercenary group wasn't undeserving of their reputation. They had once occupied a small border town in the Silver Platter Kingdom. The armed cavalries of the town's self defense team wore leather armor, but they were forcefully cut off by them and easily slaughtered.

The advantage of equipment was sometimes so terrifying that it could control the situation on the battlefield.

Moreover, they were cavalries!

But things did not go well as they expected.

It was just like they had encountered the invincible Swadian heavy cavalries, the extremely mobile Kujit archers on the grassland or the extremely strong armor-piercing Sarradian cavalries in the desert.

Don't use your original mindset to measure your opponent. It will be fatal on the battlefield!

Today, the desert bandits would teach this group of arrogant knight attendants, what exactly a tragedy looked like!

They quickly rode around these knight attendants and attacked, surrounding these them in a circle. After the warm-up on their desert horses, these desert bandits pulled out their short javelins from their backs.

The circle that they rode their horses in gradually compressed inward.

When they They slowly approached from a range of more than 50 meters.

finally reached a range of about 10 meters, both sides could see each other's faces.

The knight attendants narrowed their eyes.

In their panic, the kite shields in their hands were instantly raised.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh --"

The sound of air being torn apart was incessant.

Numerous black shadows instantly flew out from the ring-shaped formation of the desert bandits who were galloping on their horses.

The shadows were the short javelins that they had been holding in their hands.

They were heavily nailed onto the kite shields of the knight attendants.

"Dang dang dang dang dang --"

The muffled sounds of heavy blows were incessant, and the entire shield was pierced through by the thick and sturdy short javelins.

There were even some of them who were slightly slow, the short javelins that was hurled over at high speed nailed onto their helmets. The sharp tips of the javelins instantly pierced through the helmet, breaking the skulls and directly killing the unlucky knight attendants in one strike!

The circular shooting formation that was inspired the Kujit people became a simplified version of the javelins in the hands of the desert bandits.

However, the effect was still the same.

The lethality of the javelins became even stronger because of the javelins being hurled!

Javelins could break through the armors.

At close range, within 20 meters, these desert bandits used the inertia of their high-speed attacks to throw short javelins. As long as they hit the body, it would be fatal, and they could instantly finish off the opponent's terrifying weapon!

220 desert bandits, 4 short javelins per person.

In an instant.

The javelins were like rain, splashing onto the group of knight attendants who were caught off guard.

People shouted and horses neighed, and blood splattered everywhere!

Chapter 289: Defeated In An Instant

Although the defense equipment of this group of desert bandits was ridiculously simple.

However, with the inertia brought about by the ring-shaped shooting formation, using the short javelin as the main means of attack, the lethality could be said to be extremely strong. If the enemies were arrogant and took it lightly, even the Swadian heavy cavalries would fall into their trap!

Not to mention these ordinary knight attendants.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh --"

The sound of air being torn apart continued.

The sturdy and sharp short javelins whizzed through the air along with the inertia.

The javelins were thrown as densely as the rain!

At the outermost periphery of the knight attendants, the knight attendants who were caught off guard kept falling off their horses in the dense shower of javelins. Even if someone reacted and subconsciously raised the kite shield, curling up on the horse's back, it was useless!

Those
who should be injured would still be injured, and those who should fall would still fall!

The javelins that were thrown in an instant stunned them.

They had once been invincible in the Dukedom of Leo. Even when they were besieged by the regular armies of other lords, they had never encountered such a strange but extremely lethal tactic in an instant. These rigid and dogmatic knight attendances had no way of reacting at all.

Even in the center, two grand knights were shouting them for defense and counterattack, but it was still ineffective.

These knight-level captain and knight attendants were all beaten up in the dense rain of javelins. They could not organize effective defense and counterattack at all. They could only raise their shields, curl up their bodies, and passively take the beating, hearing the miserable howls of their comrades around them and the neighing of the wounded warhorse, they gritted their teeth and endured the attacks.

Compared to the archers and crossbowmen's shooting, these short javelins were more lethal. Their bodies could withstand at least a dozen arrows or crossbows, but they definitely could not withstand two short javelins!

Moreover, the desert bandits were still running in circles around these knight attendants.

Some of the knights attendants made some strange movements.

One by one, the desert bandits threw the short pilum in their hands in an instant.

Relying on the inertia of the desert horse, the short javelin pierced through the wooden kite shield that was less than two centimeters at close range, leaving holes in it. It pierced through the mail armor and sank deep into the chest!

The short javelins had the effect of breaking armor. If thrown at close range, it could also break the shield!

This javelin storm lasted less than 3 minutes.

Each person had 4 short javelins. In a short 3 minutes, a total of 840 short javelins had been thrown out of the pilum.

"Wu --"

At the top of the posthouse in the distance, a dull and long horn sounded.

These desert bandits instantly turned from a pack of wolves into sparrows.

They immediately scattered their ring-shaped formation and shot out, fleeing in all directions without turning back. They were really like a flock of sparrows on a grain field. When they encountered danger, they would flee in all directions.

They would run after fighting, and retreat after taking advantage!

This was still a tactic that the Sarrandian people learned from the Kujit people.

And it was used by the desert bandits to carry forward and develop.

To be able to run rampant in the Sarrand Desert and rob the trade caravan, it was not only because of their brutal methods, but also because they were good at fighting wolf packs. They understood that when the enemy was tired, they would disturb them, and when the enemy advanced, they would retreat!

Just like now.

When it was time to retreat, to prevent the enemy from recovering and fighting back, they retreated very decisively!

They did not hesitate at all.

When the bandit groups were integrated into the regular army's combat sequence, they would play an even greater role as surprise troops.

Just like now, these knight attendants had finally recovered from the assault and lethality effects of the javelin rain. Subconsciously, they were still holding their broken kite-shaped shields, listening to the wailing sounds in their ears, and their eyes were blank.

They had not expected that in just three short minutes, they would encounter such an attack!

The outer circle was full of corpses.

The knight attendants, as well as their horses, all pierced through the javelins like hedgehogs.

The knight attendants who survived were also injured.

The unlucky ones were pierced through the chest and abdomen by the short javelins. Although they did not die, such serious injuries were enough to say goodbye to the world.

Even with the divine spell, there were very few who were fierce.

Not to mention that there were none.

600 knight attendants arrived in an aggressive manner. After wave after wave of javelins rained down, only 400 people were left on the spot. All of them were covered in dust and dirt as they listened to the gradually weakening wails. In the end, they looked around in a daze.

Looking at the desert bandits who gradually disappeared into the distance, hatred reappeared in their eyes.

Those were the enemies who had almost killed them!

"Kill!"

The two grand knights wore hoods and masks on their faces.

However, their eyes revealed an unconcealable killing intent!

In just a short moment, more than 200 knight attendants, including knights, had died in battle. It was the biggest loss in recent years and had left them with a lot of injuries. Even if they won this battle, they would still be considered as miserable survivors!

How could a bunch of trash in the desert compare to the knight attendants who had been trained for years!

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

The knight attendants urged their warhorses and charged forward with hatred.

They gripped their longsword tightly.

Their eyes were bloodshot, but before they had completely dispersed, the eyes of the knight attendants in the north suddenly showed shock and fear. For a moment, they actually restrained their warhorses and tried to defend on the spot!

It was Rolf, who was holding his scimitars high, leading 120 Sarrandian horseman to charge in front!

Their long lances were held straight and awe-inspiring, already aimed at the knights in front.

"Kill --"

Rolf shouted.

Behind him, the Sarrandian horsemen responded, and the three rows of charging formation were ready.

Under the gallop of the Sarrandian horses, the long lance under their armpits exceeded the horse's head by one meter. Following the strange soft sound of the horseshoe striking the sand, they were charging towards the enemy knights at an extremely fast speed.

The distance between the two sides was less than 50 meters in a short instant.

In fact, Rolf had already given the order to charge when the desert bandits had dispersed.

Now that the distance was less than 50 meters, no matter how the knight attendants urged the warhorses under them, they were unable to drive the warhorse to its fastest speed within this extremely short distance.

In other words, even if the two sides were to collide, they would be unable to do so.

They could only take the beating passively!

"Damn it!"

The two grand knights' bodies exploded with a red flame-like glow, and their extraordinary strength instantly erupted.

They rode their horses in front.

With the help of the seemingly solid extraordinary flames all over their bodies, they wanted to block the charge of Rolf and Sarrandian horsemen. After all, as grand knights, they could still resolve the crisis brought about by this charge even if they were injured.

They had to do this.

Otherwise, their cavalry that could not move would be charged by Rolf's cavalry unit.

The casualties would be a fatal blow that could not be reversed.

Perhaps they would all be wiped out!

However, their thoughts were very good, but reality did not allow them to react at all.

Right behind Rolf, three golden lights that also possessed extraordinary powers instantly exploded. They carried a gentle and lofty aura, just like the bloodline of the gods, carrying the might of the heavens.

The heavy armor-piercing lance that was close to five meters passed over Rolf.

Three Swadian royal knights appeared.

Their plate armor was covered with fine noble engravings.

However, these engravings, along with the golden light that covered their entire bodies, made them look awe-inspiring. They brought with them an imposing manner that made one's heart tremble. They instantly appeared in front of the two extraordinary grand knights. Before they could even react, they charged forward, the fist-sized lance had already missed the bodies of the two of them.

The golden light on the lance exploded, and the extraordinary power that was as red as blazing flames also erupted.

But the bodies of the two extraordinary grand knights had left the saddle beneath them.

Their entire faces were filled with shock and disbelief. They only felt a burning sensation in their chest and abdomen. Their entire bodies flew backwards swiftly. They lowered their heads to look at the fist-sized awl lance that was shimmering with golden light on their chests. Finally, their consciousness dissipated.

The golden light pervades, the entire person's abdomen and the head are swept by the searing heat, instant death!

"Kill -- !"

Rolf did not stop his charge.

He looked at the two most powerful enemies have been dealt with, eyes with the crazy love of war and killing, laughing and shouting: "Kill them all!"

"Kaboom, kaboom, kaboom, kaboom, kaboom, kaboom, kaboom, kaboom, kaboom --"

The sound of horse hooves suddenly became fierce.

Even the sand layer had been stepped on, causing the charge of the 120 Sarrandian horsemen to become even faster.

They pressed their lances forward.

The long lance carried inertia and pierced into the target's body in an instant.

As if having the pleasure of a thousand miles in one go, the group of Sarrandian horsemen hammered heavily onto the knights who were still helpless and had yet to react. They were still watching in horror as their two leaders were easily killed.

Then, the Sarrandian horsemen passed through the gaps. The lance in their hands pierced through three people and four people before he threw it down.

They pulled out their heavy scimitars and slashed wantonly.

But it was the current situation.

The battle situation was set!

Even the desert bandits who had already dispersed returned with their scimitars raised. They were also like a pack of wolves trying to resist, but they were unusually futile and had lost their command. They were like headless flies as they slaughtered wantonly.

The knights attendants, who had already been defeated, could not even retaliate. They only knew how to escape.

They had paid the price for their arrogance.

The price of blood!

"Wu --"

A dull horn sounded at the top of the posthouse not far away.

The massacre had finally stopped.

Corpses littered the ground, warhorse fleeing in all directions, as well as the knights attendants kneeling on the ground, begging for their lives.

With extraordinary powers, the two leaders, who were also the grand knights, were directly killed. The entire gale mercenary group was caught off guard and was directly defeated by a wave of charge. The remaining 300 or so people had completely lost their will to fight.

The creed that they had once taught with the honor of a noble had long been thrown to god knows where along with countless dark deeds.

They surrendered very cleanly.

When they had the upper hand, they could unleash their divine might and massacre.

But when they were at an absolute disadvantage and were massacred wantonly by the enemy, they could also choose to surrender without hesitation.

The remaining 300 or so people threw away their weapons.

Kneeling on the ground with their hands raised high, their dazed and terrified eyes were filled with the desire to live.

There were also doubts that came from the bottom of their hearts.

They really could not imagine why, in a short period of time, they, who had once roamed the Dukedom of Leo, were defeated by a group of simple and sparse enemies until they were completely annihilated. The remaining people did not even dare to escape and could only surrender, they could only surrender in a tragic manner.

They could not figure it out. They were just like the merchants at the top of the posthouse who were completely silent. They were staring with their mouths agape at the battle that had happened in a short span of ten minutes. It had ended so easily.

Chapter 290: Trade Caravan That Returned In Shock

That's right, these merchants really couldn't figure it out.

The main force formed by the fearless knight attendants was completely annihilated in front of their eyes, turning into corpses littered on the ground, as well as pitiful captives that were trampled on their dignity and miserably beaten.

They didn't know that this was the mature tactical system of the Continent of Caradia.

Cavalry formed by a group of knights attendants.

When they were in a dense traditional formation, they had the strongest attack effect!

For example, the Kingdom of Swadia had once suffered such a loss.

This was because the traditional battle tactics of the iron cavalry of Swadia were like this. Once on the plains, they worked together with footmen and crossbowmen and were almost invincible, destroying all the enemies.

But in the Kujit grassland, they suffered a great loss.

The light-armored Kujit bow cavalry was responsible for luring and attacking, causing the formation of the traditional cavalry to be scattered in the pursuit.

And just when the formation could not be restored and had completely scattered, the final attack arrived.

The Kujit cavalry responsible for close combat showed up.

The dense formation of the traditional charging formation easily defeated the cavalry that was already scattered in the formation. In this battle of pursuing and being pursued, the Kujit cavalry became the victor, killing the individual cavalry that could not resist.

Even if there were cavalry that could escape, they would not be able to escape from the archers and cavalry that were dressed in light clothes and had fast horses and sharp arrows.

Simply using the horizontal push mode of charging side by side was not completely suitable for such a vast area.

Moreover, these 600 knight attendants were arrogant.

They were destined to die!

"Boys, tie them all up and collect the spoils of war!"

Rolf shouted and got the desert bandits to jump off the desert horses. He used linen ropes to throw away the weapons and captured all the knights and servants who were holding their heads in their hands.

Countless weapons and armors were seized. Warhorses and dead bodies were gathered together.

Weapons, armors, and living warhorses could be kept and sold.

As for the dead bodies of warhorses, they could be used as food for the captives. They could also be smeared with table salt and made into dried meat in the shade. They could be used as food.

Actually, eating the horse meat was not a huge psychological burden for them.

They could eat anything they could live on.

The cruel war situation on the Continent of Caradia had trained these soldiers to be as terrifying as butchers.

This included those corpses that had been turned into hedgehogs by the short javelins and skewered into candied haws by the long lances. Their bodies were covered in blood and the smell of blood was extremely strong. They did not feel uncomfortable at all and casually arranged themselves into long rows and threw them to the side.

As for their own short javelins, this was a standard weapon that could not be given up.

As long as they looked intact, they would pull them out from the corpses and casually wipe them with a linen cloth before putting them back into their backpacks.

As for the dirty blood and the like, they did not really care.

At worst, they could go back and wash up properly.

Seeing that the battle situation had calmed down, the job of cleaning up the battlefield was also taken care of by the desert bandits. After Rolf had finished making the arrangements, he brought the Sarrandian horsemen back with him. All of them were in high spirits, and they looked as if they had returned triumphantly.

They were indeed the victors. There was no way to refute this.

The entire posthouse was completely silent.

It was as if if Rolf and the others had been disturbed, they would be severely punished.

The guards and helpers of the trade caravan who had been watching the battle in a panic, ready to escape at any time, now subconsciously stopped what they were doing. They stared blankly at Rolf and the others returning triumphantly, their eyes filled with fear.

This was a fear that did not exist in the past.

Originally, they only had fear of Rolf daring to kill. They absolutely did not have the respect out of the fear!

The glory brought by the victor.

Even on the top of the posthouse, the eyes of the merchants, who were staring blankly at all of this, were filled with respect and shock, especially when they looked at Kant. Each and every one of them recalled the information they had heard before, and they were all deep in thought.

They could see everything from the top of the posthouse.

They could clearly see how to win and how to defeat the enemy.

At the same time, they subconsciously looked at the remaining 10 Swadian royal knights by Kant's side.

Then, they turned their heads to look at the stairwell. The three royal knights who were covered in blood who were following Rolf up quickly gulped and immediately wore a humble and subservient smile.

These people might be grand knights who had grasped extraordinary powers.

Although they guessed that it was impossible for all of them to grasp it, they were certain that the three of them had grasped the extraordinary power!

They were just a group of merchants.

They were the first ones to scout the way and were considered abandoned merchants.

The reason why they could come here now was because they were close and could react quickly. That was why they were sent by the various noble families to deal with Kant. Even if there were any accidents, they would not feel distressed.

That was why they understood that their so-called backers were not that reliable.

To Kant, to Rolf, and to these three extraordinary grand knights, it was right to maintain the deepest deference.

This was their survival principle.

However, these merchants could not imagine that the 13 Swadian royal knights in front of them were really grand knights who had grasped extraordinary powers. Moreover, they were at the peak of grand knights. If Kant wanted to, he could even confer more royal knights. Then, the number of Kant's grand knight would be more than the entire Dukedom of Leo and the entire Silver Plate Kingdom combined!

Perhaps these merchants had already made some guesses in their hearts when they saw that the equipment of these royal knights were all plate armor. However, they would not take such guesses seriously. They would just give up after thinking about it once.

After all, 13 extraordinary grand knights were enough to influence the political situation of the Dukedom of Leo.

If this Baron Kant really had them...

Why would he be exiled to the Nahrin Desert, which had such a tragic environment? After all, they did not discover any salt mines at that time!

They had a myriad of thoughts.

However, the humbleness on their faces was even more intense.

Kant shook the sugar water in his silver cup. His back was still facing them as he said calmly, "It's over."

"Yes, it's over."

Rolf was the first to report, "The enemy has lost 284 people and captured 316 people."

"Very good. What about our losses?", Kant asked.

"We have no casualties. Only a few people are seriously injured. They will recover after treatment.", Rolf replied.

"Mm.", Kant nodded.

The conversation ended. It was just a simple report of the results of the battle.

However, the merchants behind them subconsciously swallowed their saliva and looked at each other. Their eyes were filled with shock.

Seeing was one thing, but hearing it was another.

They saw Rolf destroy those knight attendants with ease, but they did not expect that they did not even have a cavalry that died in battle. They easily obtained such a victory. It was a huge victory, an epic-level victory!

It did not conform to their original views at all.

But this happened.

An epic-level victory was not enough. It could only be considered a huge victory.

If it really was an epic victory, Kant would have already obtained the glory and reputation he deserved.

After all, with Kant's development, it would become increasingly difficult to obtain an epic victory with more victories and fewer victories. Unless there were tens of thousands of people, hundreds of thousands of large-scale battle groups, and millions of large-scale battle groups. Only then, one might obtain an epic victory comment.

But at the moment, it was still a little difficult.

Of course, Kant did not care. As long as they won, it was the right thing to do. This was already a very good result.

He turned around slightly.

Kant finally turned around to look at these merchants who had different expressions, but were all bowing respectfully.

The corners of his mouth revealed a mocking smile. "Everyone, what do you all think of this banquet?"

The merchants looked at each other.

However, they quickly reacted.

"Your lordship, you are truly powerful. How could those mounted bandits be your match!"

"This is an excellent banquet, your lordship. You have earned our respect!"

The merchants all bent down and praised him.

However, Kant sneered. He did not have the slightest interest in such flattery. Instead, he looked at these merchants and said indifferently, "Then, shall we continue to set the rules for the future trade of table salt?"

"No need! No need! Your lordship! This is not necessary! It's all up to you!"

"Your lordship, it's up to you. We're just waiting for the distribution!"

The merchants broke out in cold sweat.

Their faces and backs were drenched. They trembled as they bowed to Kant.

Obviously, they also realized that their objection at that time was now extremely laughable. Especially Rolf, who had returned with the power of victory. He was holding his scimitar and looking at them coldly. He was even more timid.

"Ha.", Kant laughed lightly, his face full of mockery.

But he didn't say anything more, he waved his hand to Rolf and arranged, "Each bag of fine white salt costs 100 great silver coins. If you want to use the golden eagle to pay, then according to the black market price, 150 great silver coins can be exchanged for one golden eagle. I don't want these merchants to think that I'm a stingy miser."

"Understood. Who would think that Lord Kant would be a stingy miser?", Rolf nodded. At the same time, he looked at these merchants coldly and revealed a ferocious smile. "Is that right, everyone?"

"Yes, yes! Your lordship is absolutely benevolent!"

The merchants bowed their heads one after another, cold sweat dripping down their faces.

They were in a passive position, so they had no right to refute.

Neither did they dare to.

"I'll leave it to you, Rolf."

Kant directly led the royal knights down the stairs and returned to his room on the second floor.

After he left, these merchants went downstairs to prepare the golden eagle and the great silver coins.

Rolf sat at the long table in the hall on the first floor and watched as these merchants dragged sacks of great silver coins and the golden eagle over. More than 30 merchants easily divided up the 400 sacks of fine silvery salt.

In order to show their obedience, they even gave Kant a few carts of supplies that they brought.

They were all small things.

Iron tools, farm tools, furs, and the like were not worth much.

Profits were useless compared to table salt!

In fact, it was also because these merchants did not dare to stay for long. After all, they had just experienced a cruel battle. These merchants were already scared out of their wits. They had to return to their own territory as soon as possible. Only when they saw their backers could they live comfortably.

Otherwise, if they encountered another group of horse bandits or bandit groups raised by the enemy noble, their lives would be in danger.

It was the nature of merchants to seek benefits and avoid harm.

Soon, the central posthouse regained its peace.

The merchants all left, leaving behind only the desert bandits who had finished cleaning up the battlefield. After a short rest, they continued to spread out into small teams of cavalry patrols, patrolling the surrounding desert area.

However, the noble families behind the merchants were destined to be unable to remain calm.

Kant had such power.

But it was completely out of their expectations!

Chapter 291: An Inflated Confidence

The merchants from the Dukedom of Leo left one by one.

The central posthouse returned to its usual tranquility, but the desert bandits remained vigilant. A large number of teams spread out and patrolled the surrounding dune to ensure that there were no spies with ulterior motives. They continued to explore the desert.

Showing weakness to the enemy first, then bared their sharp fangs and teeth at the crucial moment and swallowing the enemy whole.

This was the cruel law passed down in the Sarrand Desert.

In a poor and harsh environment, the loser would be permanently eliminated, and only the winner could survive.

Now, Kant was undoubtedly the winner.

He could get everything!

Rolf came in and put the bulging linen bag on the table. At the same time, he reported to Kant, "Lord Kant, these are the golden eagles obtained in this trade, a total of 268."

"Yes, well done.", Kant nodded.

"It's still a slight loss."

Rolf's tone was a little regretful. "Those merchants didn't spend all their capital."

"That's enough.", Kant curled up the corner of his mouth. "Enough."

He understood Rolf's subtext.

If Kant gave the order, then this scoundrel noble would immediately lead the desert bandits to chase after them and talk to those merchants cordially. In the end, they would be able to perfectly fake the scene of the bandit gang's attack.

He did the same thing many times in Caradia.

However, Kant did not agree.

Instead, he stopped Rolf. He told Rolf to behave himself and guard this posthouse.

It was not advisable to fish in a dry pond.

Kant needed a complete trade caravan, not a broken caravan.

Only countless caravans could form a prosperous trading line. Only by cultivating basic trust with each other and forming a good relationship of interest and cooperation could it become a qualified trade caravan. It could continuously carry out business activities and earn a lot of money for Kant.

Moreover, Kant himself was a monopolist and the one who made the rules.

This was based on long-term considerations.

If he allowed Rolf to plunder the trade caravan, it would be really simple. They could indeed earn a lot of money in a short period of time.

But in the future, the trade caravan would have to weigh the pros and cons of the trading with Kant.

Was it worth to risk their lives to come to the Nahrin Desert for trade, or to travel a long distance to the Dwarf Kingdom for trade.

Even when Kant chose to face it with violence and allowed Rolf to plunder the trade caravan mercilessly, it would sooner or later arouse the hatred of the noble families of the Dukedom of Leo. Once they joined forces to attack the Nahrin Desert, the consequences would not be good.

Although he was not afraid of war, he did not like such a worthless war that should not have happened!

"Trade is the best choice."

Kant reached out his hand and picked up a golden eagle. The patterns were extremely exquisite.

These golden eagles were made of gold, and their purity was extremely high. In addition, they were carved and engraved by craftsmen. The entire eagle looked lifelike. As the light shone outside the window, one could vaguely see a small amount of golden light shimmering the patterns.

This was Kant's favorite, the world's top currency.

The golden eagles!

According to the system's rules.

For example, in the basic continent like Caradia, one golden eagle could be exchanged for 1000 denars.

And for the more prosperous Pendor, one golden eagle could be exchanged for 1200 + denars or even more!

Kant now had 268 golden eagles. As long as he waited for the arrival of Reyvadin's trade caravan, or Joslin's trade caravan to Pendor, they could bring Kant at least 268,000 denars of huge profit.

If he rounded it up, it would be a total of 300,000 denars. Such a terrifying profit!

And this was only seven days of production.

Moreover, Kant was only at the initial stage of mining the salt mines and making the refined salt. He could also increase the output by many times.

For example, the current output of 400 bags of table salt per week was just 50 civilians collecting coarse salt, 50 camels forming a caravan to transport it, a salt workshop, and the cooperation of 30 salt-making workers.

As long as they increased the number of workers and built additional salt workshops, the output would naturally double.

And according to Manid's estimation.

After these workers had gone through the adjustment period and increased their manpower, they would be able to reach the production of 1,000 bags per week next month!

After calculation, there would probably be around 700 gold eagles earned per week. And if converted it into denar, it would be whopping 700,000 denars earned per week, almost comparable to the later stages of the game, every city in the entire continent had opened the most valuable velvet cloth factory. This was a huge amount of profit that could only be obtained every week!

This was a terrifying amount of profit that even the entire Continent of Caradia would drool over.

700,000 denars per week.

One had to know that the cost of maintaining the Swadian Knights was only 50 denars.

Currently, Kant could support 14,000 heavy armored knights. They were fully armed and wore double layers of heavy chain armors. When they galloped on the battlefield, they would destroy everything like a flood.

No one in the field would be his match.

Even if they needed to dismount and battle, all of them as strong as a troop of fearsome heavy footmen!

With just this group of level 5 elite knights, defeating an ordinary army of 100,000 people would definitely not be a problem. Even if there was an army of a million in front of them, they would still blow the bugle horn bravely and directly push forward like a flood!

In the battlefield, this heavy cavalry group of 14,000 Swadian Knights would be invincible!

Kant's breathing could not help but become rapid.

Just thinking of this scene, his heart could not help but throb.

Too strong.

This was truly unreasonable strength!

As long as there were no extraordinary troop class, extraordinary attack methods, no matter how many hundreds of extraordinary grand knights there were, they would not be able to block the attack of these 14,000 Swadian Knights.

Extraordinary strength was not unlimited, it could be exhausted.

Waves upon waves of heavy cavalry attacks.

The extraordinary strength would be exhausted sooner or later.

However, according to Kant's understanding of this world, such as the Dukedom of Leo, even if Grand Duke Cameron gathered all the noble and civilian armed forces, he probably would not be able to gather hundreds of extraordinary grand knights, let alone an army of a million!

He would not even be able to gather a large number of heavy cavalries.

In the war between countries in the past, the Dukedom of Leo and the Silver Platter Kingdom were at war on the south bank of the river.

Both sides had only invested 50,000 soldiers, of which 20,000 were from the Dukedom of Leo and 30,000 were from the Silver Platter Kingdom. Moreover, these troops were not worth mentioning, and there were many mercenaries involved.

In the feudal era, a country war similar to that in Europe, it was the most number of soldiers that both sides could gather.

The population of the Dukedom of Leo was only over 300,000.

If 100,000 people were dragged out to start a war, even if they won, the entire country would probably fall into a state of stagnation. It would take several years of recovery before it could fully recover. It was no different from losing a war.

"Wait."

Kant reached out his hand slightly and rubbed the space between his eyebrows.

His heart quickly regained its calm.

Right now, he was immersed in a kind of longing for the future. It was very unrealistic, like a flower in a mirror. Other than interfering with his normal judgment and rationality, it did not have any effect.

"I don't have such powerful strength right now."

Kant calmed himself down.

But when he thought of his inflated confidence just now, he could not help but smile bitterly. "I'm thinking too much."

He put down the golden eagle in his hand.

Kant instructed Rolf, who was in front of him, "Tie up those captives. I will bring them all back to the castle. You continue to be on guard here. If possible, I will arrange more desert bandits to help you in the near future."

"Understood.", Rolf nodded solemnly.

Kant needed to go back after he was done here.

The huge profits from the table salt trade made him extremely tempted, and he was even more determined to develop the business line.

He was now like the spokesperson of "Mount & Blade".

He was using all kinds of methods to plunder this world's precious resources.

For example, gold.

This description was very correct. Kant didn't care about such arrangements like invaders and plunderers. As long as he could obtain the final right to survive and walk to the peak of this world, so what?

The Cheat of the system belonged to Kant and was connected to him.

He knew from the beginning.

As long as Kant, the host, died, then the system would be directly exposed to the rules of this world. The relationship between the system and the rules of this world was like cold water and hot oil. The two completely different rules would directly collide. The system with smaller power, which was originated from the Earth's technological world and combined with part of the rules of the game, was destroyed to the point that not even a speck of dust remained.

Otherwise, why would the system give all kinds of hints and indicate that it would use its own energy to help Kant?

Because both parties were already on the same rope!

"You can go down first."

Kant waved his hand, indicating Rolf to leave first.

"Yes.", Rolf bowed and left the room.

There were no more important things to do.

The central posthouse returned to its usual peaceful state. As long as it continued to strictly guard and forbade outsiders from entering the desert, it would be fine.

This place had once again become the beginning of the forbidden area of the desert.

Only when a new trade caravan arrived at the beginning of the next week would it be reopened.

However, when the next trade caravan was opened, Kant could imagine that there would be more and more authoritative, and larger-scale trade caravans arriving. They would disperse the trade caravans that did not have the capital or the backing of the noble families and occupy more of the table salt.

Moreover, there would be more noble families that were unwilling to accept this, and they would take the action angrily.

For example, the 600-man cavalry that they defeated today.

They were all well-trained knight attendants.

It would be impossible without the support of the high-ranking noble families. After all, large-scale training of knight attendants was not just a matter of money. There was also time and knight instructors who could impart various kinds of experience. Ordinary small noble families did not have such a foundation.

Just like Baron Dylan. Although he was a baron, he could not afford to train these knight attendants even if he went bankrupt.

"But who exactly is it?"

Kant frowned.

Subconsciously, he excluded this "Uncle Dylan" of his.

He knew that even after a period of development, this "Uncle Dylan" of his had obtained a lot of valuable silver coins. His influence had grown a lot, but it was definitely not to the point of being able to afford 600 knight attendants.

If it was an ordinary 600 light cavalry, then Baron Dylan might have the ability to afford them.

And this was what Kant was puzzled about.

But it was only a doubt. In the Nahrin Desert, as long as the top noble did not use their trump cards to attack him, the final result would still be that he, who had the system and Caradia as his backing, would obtain victory!

Chapter 292: Information From the Captives

TThe midday sun was blazing hot.

The temperature of the Nahrin Desert suddenly rose to a terrifying degree, like an oven.

Walking in such a scorching hot sun would cause one to fall into heat stroke and dehydration in just a dozen minutes. If one did not want to die, it was best to find a tent on the back of a dune to hide from the high noon temperature.

Kant didn't leave yet. He enjoyed the comfortable lunch he deserved in the posthouse.

He had just received a large sum of money from the golden eagles in the morning.

When he returned to the "Drondheim" Castle, he could exchange it for 268,000 denars at any time.

After paying off the loan of King Yarogelk, he still had more than half of it as surplus.

Plundering the gold of this world as a resource was much faster than the slave trade and production trade. If Kant had discovered this way to earn denar earlier, he would use up all his effort to open up a commercial route to the Dukedom of Leo.

However, it was not a success now.

A trade was created, and it needed to be maintained carefully in order to obtain the greatest return.

The merchants of the Dukedom of Leo needed Kant's table salt, while Kant needed the golden eagle of the Dukedom of Leo. Even if he had to exchange 150 great silver coins on the black market for one golden eagle, he would accept it and take the initiative to give away the profits.

This was to ensure that the following trade would be settled with the golden eagle.

After all, Kant's system only needed gold.

For example, the demand for materials like silver was actually not high, or it could be said that they were not accepted at all.

As long as Kant could obtain a large number of golden eagles, it would be the same as obtaining a large number of denar. He would obtain an opportunity for development and safeguard a strong future. There would be benefits but no disadvantages.

With the system and with the denar, his development would be blazing fast every day!

This was only the beginning.

He ate lunch to avoid the scorching sun.

Kant took this opportunity to take a break.

The 100 Swadian Knights were still on alert. They had not participated in the previous battle, so they still had some strength left.

After all, although the merchants were forced to the top floor of the posthouse, the guards and servants of the trade caravan were still there. If they really caused a ruckus, it would be quite troublesome. He needed these knights to keep a close watch on them.

Who knew if there were any troops lying in ambush inside the posthouse, or if they had ulterior motives?

Fortunately, there was no trouble.

Rolf also led the Sarrandian to easily defeat the enemy and win the victory.

Furthermore, 120 Sarrandian Horsemen and 220 desert bandits obtained all the experience points for this victory, especially they crushed the enemy so easily. It was enough for the desert bandits to level up.

The cost of level up for the desert bandits was 20 denars, which was a total of 4,400 denars.

Kant naturally would not be stingy.

With the confirmation, the 220 desert bandits had all leveled up to elite desert bandit.

They were wearing better-quality iron-scale armors, and the number of short javelins on their backs had also increased to six. The heavy ones were also more lethal.

The current elite desert bandit could indeed be called elite. They were fully qualified to cooperate with the Sarrandian Horsemen to launch an assault. It was estimated that the 600 knight attendants would attack again, and the consequences would be even more tragic.

After the javelin rain, the desert bandits would no longer executed the tactic of hit and run.

Instead, the elite desert bandit would support the Sarrandian Horsemen's charge, raised their spears and scimitars on both sides, and charged in as they turned back, slashing the enemy mercilessly!

However, thinking of these knight attendants, Kant could not help but squint his eyes.

He walked out of the room again.

When he came to the hall on the first floor, he found Rolf sitting on a chair.

Beside him were 30 Sarrandian Horsemen. They were holding onto their long lance and hilts in an awe-inspiring manner. They looked coldly at the 10 captives kneeling in front of them. Each of them was silent, but they were full of vigor.

Looking at the awful looks of the 10 captives, with blood at the corners of their mouths, one could tell that this was an interrogation.

And it was already over.

After obtaining the information he wanted, Rolf waved his hand. "Bring them back!"

"Yes!"

Sarrandian Horsemen nodded, walked over, picked up the ten captives, and walked out of the posthouse.

There were many tents outside for these captives, and next to them were the tents of the Swadian Knights. Their weapons and armors had already been withdrawn. But if they still dared to make the slightest movement,
they would probably be instantly massacred.

These captives had also been appointed, and they did not dare to resist in the slightest.

The attack from Rolf had directly killed these knight attendants, making them tremble in fear!

Kant did not care about these captives.

Sitting in his seat, he asked Rolf, "Where did these guys come from?"

"Oh."

Rolf's tone paused slightly.

"Speak.", Kant frowned and said, "Don't tell me you still have some hesitation?"

"Indeed.", Rolf smiled bitterly and shrugged at Kant. "These guys are called the Gale Mercenary Group. They run amok in the North and South Counties of the Dukedom of Leo. Occasionally, they even go deep into the East County. I heard that they are quite famous."

"That's right. They are indeed very famous."

Kant nodded.

This mercenary group had suddenly appeared in the past few years and had done a few big cases.

For example, they had helped some nobles kill some enemies, or they had invaded some small noble families and massacred them. Although they were not wanted by the noble court, everyone in the Dukedom of Leo knew that these horrible incidents were done by this Gale Mercenary Group.

However, anyone in the Dukedom of Leo knew that this Gale Mercenary Group was originally a group of wandering mercenaries raised by a noble.

That was why they weren't wanted by the noble court.

If it was used to be an ordinary bandit group, whether they could take over a small noble's family was another matter. Back then, if they did something that touched the bottom line of a noble, they would probably be wanted by the noble court long ago. As for the big and small nobles, even if they gritted their teeth, they would have to transfer their manpower they would still have to fight this uncontrollable bandit group.

Now, how could any noble families still want to fight this infamous mercenary group? They could be considered as the loyal dogs of the noble families, as well as the executioners for those small nobles who were trembling in fear after offending the higher noble families.

However, Kant frowned. "Looks like these guys are the Gale Mercenary Group."

"Mm hmm."

Rolf shrugged. There was no need to say more about the situation.

Kant understood.

This meant that a noble had started to target him!

The reputation of the Gale Mercenary Group was very well-known. Basically, any small nobles that they dealt with were mostly ended up in graves. In addition, they had never been captured. Therefore, their reputation alone was enough to scare a lot of people.

Now, they had appeared in Kant's Nahrin Desert with the purpose of slaughtering the Oasis Lookout.

He wanted to kill Kant!

Kant gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes. "Do you know who the mastermind is?"

"They are very stubborn."

Rolf Shrugged.

"You didn't get it?", Kant frowned.

"No, I got it.", Rolf shrugged and said in a normal tone, "I picked 30 people and killed 20 of them. The remaining 10 guys told me everything they knew."

"Well done.", Kant nodded.

Rolf continued, "It's Baron Dylan."

Kant was stunned.

He was stunned for a moment, then turned his head and smiled in disbelief. "Are you talking about Baron Dylan at the Stone Pass?"

"That's right.", Rolf nodded.

"Then I really don't believe it."

Kant smiled and shook his head, but there was no smile in his eyes. "Those captives didn't tell you the truth."

He was very clear about Baron Dylan's background.

Although Uncle Dylan and he had to compromise due to the need to disguise themselves.

In fact, this baron of Stone Pass was equivalent to a dispensable warrior noble in the Dukedom of Leo. He was a marginalized guy. It could be seen from the fact that he had married the daughter of a businessman that he was not accepted by the mainstream noble circle.

As long as one had the ability and had some background, the wife they married would definitely be the daughter of a noble family.

The merchant's class was only slightly higher than that of the commoners!

But in the eyes of the noble, merchants and landlords, although they had the titles of gentries, were no different from commoners.

And marrying the daughter of a non-noble was a sign of self-degradation.

If Baron Dylan had the ability to train 600 knight attendants, why would he be so resentful, ostracized by the mainstream noble circle, and become a miserable marginal noble?

This was obviously impossible. Just by thinking about it, he knew that there was definitely something fishy going on!

"Something is indeed wrong."

Rolf nodded, and his tone was a little strange. "So, I used the scabbard to slap the cheeks of these captives."

"I saw it.", Kant nodded.

When he had just come down the stairs, the faces of these captives were bruised and swollen, and there was blood at the corner of their mouths.

Although their faces could be seen in front of them, they had definitely been hit by a heavy object.

Kant frowned and said, "Who the hell is that!"

He was dissatisfied with Rolf's sloppy and somewhat delaying actions.

"It's..."

Rolf had a strange expression on his face. He thought for a moment, he then said to Kant, "After interrogation, these people's backers are Countess Agatha from the Eastern County. Uh, Lord Kant, I think you should know about this countess who is famous for her cruelty and violence, because she... uh..."

"That's right, she is my aunt, the closest aunt in blood.", Kant narrowed his eyes and took over what Rolf did not say, but his tone was cold. "Ha, aunt."

The royal family had no family, so how could there be an aunt.

Moreover, Kant had not had a good relationship with this aunt since he was young.

The most important thing was that this aunt had fallen out with his father, the Grand Duke of Leo Cameron, ten years ago. Because of this, she had even changed the name of Winter County to the East County, in order to be angry with the names of the South and North Counties.

Even the communication between the two sides, such as the communication between the top-level noble, had almost stopped.

At least, before Kant came to the Nahrin Desert, he didn't know that there were any signs of reconciliation between the two sides.

"But..."

Kant narrowed his eyes, and there was a serious look in his eyes. "Why would she send troops here?"

"I don't know.", Rolf shook his head.

If it was business, then it would be good to send a trade caravan.

Directly sending troops, and even the notorious and disreputable Gale Mercenary Group, wouldn't mean that they did not have any intention of reconciling. Instead, it would be a naked renunciation of cordiality, using the most direct way of the noble's war to resolve their grudges!

Kant did not think that he and Aunt Agatha, who was the countess, had reached such a point where they would fight each other until one of them was dead.

But no matter what, the war had indeed begun.

Since the East County had sent troops, Kant would certainly not lick his face and accept the so-called favor.

His strength was enough to protect himself!

Chapter 293: The Garrison of the Lion Knights

Kant did not hesitate for long. When the sun had slightly subsided at noon, he led the team and set off.

The camel caravan made up of 50 single-humped camels was different from when they came. It was full of all kinds of goods left behind by the merchants, such as iron tools, farm tools, and grain. Currently, the "Drondheim" Castle was in urgent need of supplies.

And just behind the camel caravan, there were long hemp ropes stretching out, and more than 300 captives with their heads lowered were tied in ropes.

These captives would become the best labor force.

Kant was telling the truth when he said that he would transport all these captives to the salt mines and make them slaves to shovel salt.

In that desolate area, no civilians were willing to go there. Even if they loved labor, they still had to rotate every month. Otherwise, the cruel and desolate salt and alkali soil would drive them crazy.

Since they were captives, there was no human rights for them.

They could not understand it.

As long as they sent a few footmen as guards, they could make these captives into obedient slaves.

Oh, perhaps it was a little different.

It should be said that if they let these captives see the depths of the Nahrin Desert, the endless saline-alkali beaches and sand seas, they would understand that without Kant's supplies, they would not be able to survive.

The cruel Nahrin Desert could obliterate the strongest humans in the endless sand sea.

The day was as hot as a steamer.

The night was as cold as an ice cellar.

There was no food, no water, no shelter, no camels.

Moreover, they had no experience of surviving in the desert.

If they fell into the Nahrin Desert, even if they escaped Kant's control and obtained their so-called freedom, it was only a shortcut to death. There was no other way.

If they wanted to live, they could only obediently choose to follow orders.

Therefore, Kant was very assured of them.

Even the surrounding Swadian Knights were scattered all around. They did not pay any attention to these captives who had their hands behind their backs as they trudged along with the camel caravan in the desert.

Just by relying on these captives who were unarmed, hungry, and extremely tired. it was not enough to start an insurrection that could not be resolved.

Moreover.

Kant did not mind killing some of the disobedient captives.

The march was not too slow.

Soon, just before the end of the new Monday, Kant and his knights returned to the Oasis Lookout with a caravan full of goods and exhausted captives in the twilight.

In the early morning, nearly 70,000 denars had been deducted for the maintenance of the army.

Kant's savings had been cut by more than half.

But when he returned to the Oasis Lookout, he received good news.

Joslin had personally led the trade caravan to Pendor, which had just returned this morning. Not only was it full of goods, but it had also brought Kant a profit of 300,000 denars.

Five whole bags of gold had been sold out in the capital of the Kingdom of Sarleon.

This was really good news.

After getting Firentis to arrange the captives and the trade caravan, Kant quickly returned to the council hall.

Joslin was waiting in the hall.

When he saw Kant enter, he immediately smiled and placed his hand on his chest. "Lord Kant, this trade did not disappoint you. On Pendor Continent, the Kingdom of Sarleon alone had bought all of the gold. Moreover, the king of Sarleon, King Ulric, expressed his heartfelt respect for opening the trade route. He even entrusted me to pass you a gift to show his respect for you."

As he spoke, Joslin took out a letter and respectfully handed it to Kant with both hands. At the same time, he lamented, "It's all thanks to you, Lord Kant. You've restored our Joslin family's reputation and restored our noble status."

"Mm, congratulations, Joslin."

Kant was slightly stunned.

Although he still did not understand what had happened, he still took the letter and sat back in his seat. He calmly said, "This trip to Pendor has yielded a lot, hasn't it?"

"Of course, it was all thanks to your wise decision.", Joslin sighed from the bottom of his heart.

"Yes."

Kant nodded and opened the envelope.

There were exquisite patterns on it. It was the traditional lion emblem from the Kingdom of Sarleon.

It was similar to the Kingdom of Swadia, but because Sarleon was stronger, the patterns were more exquisite, and the patterns were clearer. Even the texture of the paper felt delicate. The ink used for writing even had the smell of perfume.

Kant couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.

The original kingdom was indeed very different from these MOD kingdoms.

The strength of the country could be reflected by these letters.

Caradia was similar to the middle of the Middle Ages on Earth, while Pendor was more like the later period. If it was the "Wind of War", it was more like the modern era with fantasy magic, so the strength of each country was different.

This also caused the MOD to bring different help to Kant.

This time, the letter of King Ulric from Sarleon.

It was filled with respect for Kant. Although it was useless nonsense, at the end, there was also a gift from the Kingdom of Sarleon, a promise from the lord.

Kant would be the honorary lord of the Kingdom of Sarleon.

He could exercise all the laws of the Kingdom of Sarleon and enjoy all the glory of the Kingdom of Sarleon.

Including the establishment of the Order of Lion.

On his retina, the system dialog box suddenly popped up.

[ Ding... System Prompt ]

[ You have obtained the promise of the Kingdom of Sarleon. With the identity of the Lord of Sarleon, you can officially establish a knight order, Order of Lion in the estate. And because of your identity as an honorary lord, the Kingdom of Sarleon will recognize knights from other kingdoms. You can also promote them to be a member of the Order of Lion. ]

[ Remark: A rare item [ Order of Lion Medal ] and a rare item [ Sword of the King ] have been detected. With this medal as the foundation, you can use 10,000 reputation points and 100,000 denars to officially build the Order of Lion Garrison. In this garrison, other knights can also join the Order of Lion for systematic learning. ]

Kant glanced at the system prompt.

Compared to when he first obtained [ Sword of the King ] , there were already completely different changes.

Just like the remark at that time did not mention that other knights could also join the Order of Lion and become members. They would undergo systematic training and be promoted to a stronger troop class.

Obviously, now, after the recognition of the Kingdom of Sarleon, Kant's authority had been greatly opened up.

For example, the official construction of the [ Order of Lion Garrison ] , this key building!

"A new level 6 extraordinary knight."

Kant narrowed his eyes slightly.

Based on his experience from his previous life, he naturally understood the Order of Lion very well. They were completely different from the Swadian Royal Knights. They were equivalent to a new level 6 extraordinary knight. They belonged to the Pendor Continent, the top troop class of the Kingdom of Sarleon!

They were level 6 extraordinary knights that were even higher than the Sarleon Knights!

They were on the same level as the Swadian Royal Knights.

However, even though they were both level 6 cavalries, the combat styles and tactics of both sides were completely different.

This was the limitation of national strength.

Take the Kingdom of Swadia for example. It was the number one powerful cavalry country in the Continent of Caradia. Its heavy cavalry was invincible. If both armies were to fight head-on in a flat area, no other kingdom would be a match for it.

Even the Khergit Khanate and Sarrand Sultanate, the two cavalry countries, did not dare to face them head-on.

Hence, the cavalry of the Kingdom of Swadia could charge forward without fear.

However, the Order of Lion was different.

In the Pendor Continent, the Kingdom of Sarleon was not the strongest.

Although it had inherited most of the inheritance of the Pendor Empire, this kingdom was still a rising kingdom. There were also the Kingdom of Ravenstern, the Fierdsvain, the D'Shar Principalities, and the Jatu tribe around it, there was also the Bacchus Empire, which had almost annexed the entire Pendor Continent and came from the other continents in the outer seas!

Although the Kingdom of Sarleon had a strong military force and also used the heavy cavalry as the core of their offense, when facing other strong enemies, these cavalries had to rely heavily on the cooperation of the heavy footman and the archers in order to display their greatest effectiveness.

This also resulted in the heavy cavalry of the Kingdom of Sarleon not actually launching a sudden assault to tear apart the enemy's formation.

Instead, it was a mobile heavy tank that charged into the enemy's formation and slaughtered wantonly.

It had the tactical effect of a close combat trap!

This difference was similar to the difference between Kant's two top archers, like the Vaegoir marksman who was good at shooting in groups and killing the enemy with a rain of arrows, and the Ravenstern Ranger who shot rapidly and killed the enemy with a continuous wave of arrows, it was a fundamental difference.

If the cavalry of the Kingdom of Sarleon charged into the enemy's army as recklessly as the cavalry of the Kingdom of Swadia, it was probably not because the enemy's army had collapsed, it was because their ace cavalry had suffered inevitable losses in the charge.

The archers on the Continent of Pendor were much stronger than those on the Continent of Caradia.

For example, the Ravensterm Rangers.

On the continent of Caradia, they were comparable to the strongest Vaegir Marksman.

However, on the Continent of Pendor, they were only the most cost-effective civilian archers. They were the best archers who defended the Misty Mountains and did not have much armor. They were equivalent to the uncivilized barbarians.

If the troop class was evaluated in terms of long-range troops, the advantage of the Ravenstern Rangers was they could be mass recruited.

In terms of long-range firepower.

Whether it was the Silvermist Ranger, Barclay Sapper, Ebony Gauntlet, D'Shar Djaha Archer, or the Crossbow of Order, they were all extremely terrifying existences. When their numbers reached a certain point, they could easily destroy the enemy army in front of them.

Not to mention the invincible long-range archers Noldor Elves.

There was a saying that went like this.

The Noldor Ranger's firepower could only last for five minutes, but he could shatter your steel shield from half the map in five seconds!

The problem of troop class had always been the unique highlight of each MOD, and it was even more difficult to understand.

The current Kant was unable to figure it out.

"However, I don't need to think too much about it."

Rubbing the space between his eyebrows, Kant's expression was calm.

The Swadian Royal Knights were responsible for charging and destroying the enemy.

The Lion Knights were responsible for charging into the enemy's formation and killing at will, speeding up the process of the enemy's collapse.

Such a combination was extremely perfect!

"Build."

Kant's eyes flickered as he thought about the communication system.

10,000 reputation points and 100,000 denars immediately disappeared. However, in the eastern military area of "Drondheim" Castle, on an empty space close to the military camp and the training ground, brand new buildings began to appear. They had the distinct characteristics of the Kingdom of Sarleon.

At the same time, at the top of the buildings, a golden lion with a red bottom was fluttering in the wind.

The building that could upgrade a knight to a Lion Knight was completed!

Chapter 294: The Formation of the Cavalry System

This building meant that "Drondheim" Castle would welcome a new troop class.

Combined with the rules of this world.

A level 6 troop class with extraordinary power -- the Sarleon Lion Knight!

And this transformation was very simple.

Similar to Kant's royal knight, it only required 100 reputation points.

However, during the transformation process, it was not like the Sword of King that could be converted anytime, anywhere. As long as there was a coronation ceremony, one could be converted to a royal knight. Instead, it could only be done in the designated building, the Lion Knight Garrison.

With their own honor, they swore to the flag of the Order of the Lion.

This was an oath of honor.

It was similar to the royal knights' loyalty to Kant.

The Lion Knights were not only loyal to Kant, but they also had to protect the honor of the Order of the Lion. Since they had joined the order, they became the members and represented the honor of the Order of the Lion!

Pendor Continent's strongest national knight order, the Order of the Lion!

Kant replied with a positive attitude.

In order to meet the Lion Knight, Kant chose 20 Swadian Knights to enter the garrison.

He paid 2,000 reputation points.

The bell in the Lion Knight Garrison rang.

Almost in a short moment, 20 Swadian Knights walked out once again.

However, they did not look like they used to wear two layers of chain armors. Instead, they were all equipped with the best defensive equipment in the era of cold weapons -- full plate armor.

They looked similar to the Swadian Royal Knights.

However, the plate armor on these Sarleon Lion Knights was even thicker and heavier.

The patterns on them were not exquisite decorations that symbolized the majesty of the royal family. Instead, they were mostly male lions. From the overall look, one could tell that these lion knights were all heavy armored warriors who were good at setting up traps. This was an expensive chest armors with lion patterns.

Even the warhorses beneath them were covered in thicker plate armor and a red and yellow linen robe.

Awe-inspiring!

As expected of the strongest national knight order, the name of the mighty wanton knights!

They were equipped with the Garter Medal Lion Kite Shield on their backs, and a heavy armor-piercing spear hung on their sides. At their waists, they held two weapons, the silver greatsword and the warhammer.

This represented the valor of these Lion Knights.

Charging into the enemy formation with an invincible might, using a strong melee battle tactic to crush the enemy's mental strength.

This was equivalent to a heavy tank that was good at melee combat and had mobility!

"Very good."

Kant nodded slightly, giving a positive attitude to these Lion Knights who were wearing Sarleon feather helmets.

The feathery helmet was like a royal guard.

The red feathers on the top of their heads were raised up. As they walked and rode on their horses, they swayed with the wind. The group of them looked like a burning lion's mane, which made them even more imposing.

A sharp light flashed in his eyes, and the attribute interface of the troop class appeared.

[ Sarleon Lion Knights (level 6 heavy cavalry): Fearless knights inherited from the Order of Lion. They are the national knights of the Kingdom of Sarleon. They are the ultimate knights who decide victory on the battlefield. ]

[ Talent: 1) Lion Physique: They possess special powers. They can increase their physical attributes by 250%. 2) Belief in Honor: they will fight like a lion in a chaotic battle. They will increase their physical attributes by 50% to 300% as time passes. 3）Battle With Blood: they can plunder the enemy's essence, energy, and spirit to replenish themselves during battle in order to extend their battle time. ]

Kant glanced at the attribute interface, his eyes slightly stunned.

After looking at it carefully, he finally let out a breath. "As expected of the Lion Knights, as expected of the title of the strongest national knights!"

They were really strong!

They were ridiculously strong!

They were so strong to the point that Kant was delighted!

If the royal knights were like the flood that directly broken through the dikes and rushed out of it, then the Lion Knights were the raging flood that completely destroyed the enemy's defensive line wave after wave!

Kant's cavalry combat system was about to take shape.

And that was not all.

[ Order of Lion Garrison: The national knights of the Kingdom of Sarleon, the base of the Lion Knights. Use reputation points and denars to train the members of the Order of the Lion. 1) Lion Knight: Spend 100 reputation points to level up an ordinary knight to a Lion Knight. 2) Lion Squire: Spend 150 denar to level up a level-4 cavalry to a Lion Squire. ]

In the Order of the Lion, there were not only level-6 Lion Knights who were extremely strong.

There were also level-5 Lion Squires.

They were also cavalry and were heavy armored knights. They wore chain plate armor and a light red feathered helmet. They were equipped with a spiked warhammer, a heavy lance, a silver greatsword, a thick kite shield, and a red armored warhorse.

These level-5 Lion Squires were the squires of the Lion Knight.

The hierarchy of the Knights was strict.

It was even stricter than the relationship between the royal knights and the ordinary knights.

Usually, the Lion Knights were in charge of training the Lion Squires. During wartime, the Lion Squires would fight closely with the Lion Knights.

And when the Lion Squires experienced a series of battles and developed Lion's Physique and other talents, these squires would have the qualifications to be crowned in the Lion Knight Garrison and become the Lion Knights!

It could be said that.

Kant could train all the ordinary Level 4 cavalry to become level 5 Lion Squires.

Then, with the help of the level 5 Lion Squires, he could gain full experience points and level up to a level 6 Lion Knight!

It was even easier than a knight leveling up to a royal knight.

Even if Kant was not around and there was not the Sword of King, as long as there were level 4 cavalry and the Lion Knight Garrison, the castle or town that this building was located in would be able to maintain a steady recruitment of level 5 cavalry and level 6 extraordinary cavalry!

This was because the Lion Knights were the national knight order, facing the entire Kingdom of Sarleon.

Kant had already obtained the recognition of the Kingdom of Sarleon.

Then, this garrison could also form a complete Order of the Lion!

"System!"

Kant nodded secretly.

Currently, within his power, the cavalry system had already taken shape.

With the Swadian Cavalry that was good at charging as the sharp edge, and Mamluke who was good at using his two-handed iron staff to heavily attack the enemy, he would act as the support of the two wings. In addition, the Sarleon Lion Knights who were good at melee combat and expanding the results of the battle would act as the backbone.

As long as these three powerful troop classes followed up, a wave of attacks would destroy the enemy's formation.

The strong cavalry countries were good at field combat.

The current Kant, after the formation of the cavalry system, was almost invincible in field combat!

According to his calculations, with just a small number of elite soldiers, if they met the Dukedom of Leo's 2000 heavy cavalry troops, they would have a chance of killing them in a head-on confrontation. If they used ambush or surprise attack tactics, the chances of victory would be even higher!

Kant followed the elite soldier policy, and his troops were already extremely strong.

Furthermore, his cavalry was the best of the best.

There were already two types of level 6 cavalries.

If it was not for the fact that the scale of his troops was still too small, and there were no servants or allies in the Dukedom of Leo to support them, he would have brought his troops to kill their way through the Stone Pass and enter the North County to wreak havoc.

His current elite troops were enough to invade the Dukedom of Leo, and they could even teleport around in a short period of time, making them invincible.

However, what was missing was the size of his army.

It was easy to conquer territory.

However, if he didn't guard the territory that he conquered, then he would only be giving it to others for free!

Therefore, Kant wasn't in a hurry. He was only 16 years old. Even if he used 10 years to slowly infiltrate the Dukedom of Leo with the help of the endless trade caravan of table salt, it wouldn't be a problem for him to cultivate his own forces and potential allies.

This was a long-term plan, not a short-term gain or loss.

"In that case."

Kant thought of the mission he had received from the pope.

After a moment of silence, he turned his head to look in the direction of the northern desert and said slowly, "Then let's set off tomorrow."

He did not intend to delay any longer.

The reward from the system was a spring eye.

It was just enough to match the lake outside the "Drondheim" Castle, making the greenery in this oasis bigger.

After all, there was already a spring in the Oasis Lookout. Although it could supply the land of the entire oasis and maintain the lake and the canal system in the castle, it was already a little strenuous.

After all, there were a lot of water towers and canals in the "Drondheim" Castle.

The daily water consumption was also extremely high.

In addition to irrigating hundreds of acres of land, it was still acceptable to be unable to do so.

The desert environment had a high rate of evaporation. It was not a plain or mountainous area. Even if the evaporation were limited, if they could not find another spring water source as soon as possible, it was estimated that this Oasis Lookout might went through desertification again.

In other words, the desert would erode the Oasis Lookout and turn the cultivated land back into a desert.

Kant made a decision in his heart.

After arranging for Joslin to continue his work, he decided to communicate with Pendor Continent on his own.

After thinking for a while, he still arranged for someone to call for Firentis.

Soon, Firentis, who was wearing heavy chain armor and holding a sword and shield in his hands, quickly walked to the council hall. It seemed that he had just been patrolling on the city wall. He bowed respectfully and said, "Lord Kant, I await your orders."

"Yes, I have something to talk to you about."

Kant nodded and said directly, "Do you have any suggestions for the current city defense?"

"The city defense?", Firentis was slightly stunned.

"That's right."

Kant reached out his hand and said gently, "Sit down and talk. I plan to set off for the depths of the Nahrin Desert tomorrow, but I'm always worried about my castle. I want to ask you, is there anything else that can be improved?"

Firentis was a noble from the Kingdom of Swadia.

He was a noble knight of Aaron City. Since childhood, he had learned all kinds of military-related knowledge, including the construction and layout of the city defense.

Most importantly, he had once traveled through Caradia.

His knowledge and experience were both rich.

Firentis did not disappoint Kant either. He hesitated for a moment and nodded after thinking for a while. "That's right, Lord Kant. I think what you said makes sense. Our city defense indeed needs to be supplemented!"

"Tell me.", Kant frowned.

"It's very simple. Our city defense only has a thin city wall system."

Firentis did not hold back, he said straightforwardly, "Although there are arrow towers and towers on the city wall that could provide powerful crossbow attacks, if the enemy forcefully withstood the crossbowmen's attacks and broke through our city wall, then our castle can be said to have fallen. Other than defending the council hall, we basically lost the ability to resist."

"Very well, let's continue.", Kant frowned. He was not angry at all because this was the truth.

Firentis said, "My suggestion is to build another city wall that can cover the entire Oasis Lookout.". He paused, then said to Kant, "Perhaps the wall does not need to be built at the agricultural area, but the east gate and the south gate, these two key gates, need to be protected by extra city walls and city gates. Otherwise, if the enemy breaks through the city gates, it will be difficult for us to defend."

"You mean, the barbican? ", Kant quickly thought of a noun and explained the meaning of this term.

Firentis was slightly stunned, then he nodded and said, "Lord Kant, this is really a genius idea!"

"It's the wisdom of the ancient people."

Kant shrugged and did not hang it on his body.

After all, this was the warfare wisdom of an ancient dynasty. The construction of the barbican was indeed very good for defense.

Especially with the western ancient times, the city walls were mostly made up of arrow towers and towers. The construction of the barbican could even form a crossfire attack similar to that of a prism fortress, causing the attackers to be attacked from multiple angles.

Chapter 295: Mage Apprentice’s Senses

The barbican was the fruit yielded from the wisdom of castle defense.

It was no problem for Kant to use it to build his own castle.

Only an indestructible castle could firmly occupy this desert. For example, the barbican and other fortifications with excellent defense thought could be built as much as possible.

The good defense system of the castle meant that the castle was safe, and the lord still had the right to control this place.

If it wasn't for the fact that the bastion was completely used for military purposes and couldn't take care of civilian life and regional development, Kant would have already built the walls of "Drondheim" Castle into the shape of a bastion.

After all, a bastion with all kinds of crossfire had a strong side even in the era of cold weapons.

It also had a good defensive effect against siege towers and other weapons.

But there was no other way.

The bastion was a complete fortress, a regular defensive fortification that evolved from modern artillery tactics.

No civilians could live in it, and it was even more impossible to build a house. Apart from barracks, there were tunnels, and all kinds of ammunition depots and firing points. Even barracks were built close to the city walls, so that the function of the entire bastion could be maximized!

From the looks of it, building two barbicans were enough.

"What a pity."

Kant felt a little regretful.

In reality, his strength was still a little lacking.

The construction of the castle consumed too much of his resources. Moreover, after the construction, a large number of soldiers were needed to defend it.

Just like the current "Drondheim" Castle. Although there were many archers, they could only focus on defending one city gate. If the enemy attacked two city gates at the same time, they would have to dismount the cavalry unit and help defend the city gate.

The gate was the key.

Without high-level siege weapons, a 10 meters high city wall was like an indestructible barrier.

No general would make such a stupid mistake.

In comparison, the gate, which was made of iron and wood, could be broken through by low-level siege weapons. For example, a siege hammer, a battering ram, or a simpler sword and axe could cause damage to the gate.

Therefore, the key to defending the city was actually the defense of the city gates.

For example, the archers on the towers and arrow towers on both sides.

For example, the reinforced iron city gates and the defensive footmen guarded behind the city gates.

Now that they were considering the construction of the barbican to strengthen the defensive ability of the city gates, it was obvious that the defense level of the entire castle had improved in quality. Moreover, with Kant's invincible cavalry as a threat, it was obviously impossible to attack the city in one go!

"Firentis, you will be responsible for the construction of the two barbicans at both south and north city gates."

Kant instructed Firentis.

"Ye.", Firentis answered.

"Be careful."

Kant frowned slightly, his heart still palpitating slightly.

Looking to the north, in the depths of the Nahrin Desert, he subconsciously touched his heart. "I keep feeling that there seems to be something bad waiting over there...", pausing for a moment, he sighed softly. "I hope it's an illusion."

But even if it was an illusion, Kant was still wary of the depths of the Nahrin Desert.

The Lost City of the age of gods was over there.

The bloodline of the Sun God, the Golden Holy City forged in the depths of the desert!

Even in the underground cave of the ancient passage, there were remnants of the Sun God, and even the demons, undead, and descendants of the ancient gods.

If there was nothing in the Golden Holy City, it would be impossible!

Not to mention the so-called saintess.

"I remember that I once killed a certain woman in the temple on the mountain peak."

Kant pondered.

That was the descendant of the god who had also appeared in the golden coffin.

However, the underground water was surging around the platform and the current was rapid, and because he did not have the technology to build a ship, he had not taken out the golden coffin, nor did he check the descendant of the god who had been killed by him.

There was also the succubus that had been killed by him.

This meant that the war between the gods and demons had long been in wars, where they fought each other to the death.

Otherwise, there would not be any god's descendant, followed the existence of the demons.

"I need to bring more elite troop class."

Kant made up his mind.

The Royal Knights and Lion Knights that he currently had were the best helpers to ensure his safety.

As for the ordinary top-tier cavalry, he did not plan to bring too many of them. After all, it was not as convenient as having a few elites. Moreover, they were heading to the unknown desert, where the Golden Holy City might be located.

30 Swadian Knights and 20 Lion Knights would be enough.

He was slightly stunned.

Kant decided in his heart, "There are still mage apprentices!"

Although the seven mages had all stayed in "Aaron" Town, the current number of mage apprentices in "Drondheim" Castle had increased to five with the recent recruitment.

Although they were not very useful, they were at least mages who had come into contact with mysterious magic.

If they encountered something related to magic elements, they could first give Kant a warning or give him a suggestion.

Since he had decided.

"Alright, that's it."

Kant said, "Firentis, arrange the supplies for this trip."

"Yes.", Firentis nodded.

Soon, the supplies were all prepared.

Each person carried five days' worth of fresh water and food, as well as necessary kindling items and combustible charcoal, as well as leather clothing to keep out the cold and tents to shield them from the scorching sun. They were well prepared.

After all, they were all extraordinary knights. The warhorses they rode were also quite magnificent and could not be regarded as ordinary warhorses.

Their load capacity became extremely high.

Just like how knights possessed extraordinary power, these warhorses were probably contaminated with this mysterious and powerful extraordinary power.

If these horses were in the Senwaya Range, perhaps even some would mistake them as demonized creatures. After all, ordinary warhorses would definitely not be able to run at such a fast speed with fully armed knights moving at the blazing speed.

For example, an ordinary Swadian Knight charging at top speed. In fact, it was a very difficult choice to keep up with the Royal Knights' ordinary marching speed.

After noon, the scorching sun slightly eased.

The time was around 2pm.

"Lord Kant, please take care of your health and safety."

Firentis stood in front of the city gate and said with great concern, "Only your existence can prove the value of our existence."

The many knights and sharpshooters behind him looked at Kant eagerly.

If their lord needed them, they were willing to step forward and join the mission to enter the unknown desert region. They would protect Lord Kant, even if they had to die in battle!

But Kant did not need too many people.

This exploration could be considered to be light travel. It was mainly for exploration.

After passing through the alkali soil, they arrived at the unfamiliar central area of the Nahrin Desert. If they continued, they would arrive at the Devil's Land that the high-level Jackalan of the Kingdom of Gray Mane had mentioned. Perhaps that was the cause of the sandstorm a month ago.

That was where Kant intended to go and explore.

"There won't be any problems."

Kant nodded.

His two legs knocked lightly on the horse's abdomen. He held the Sword of King by his waist and said in a deep voice, "Let's go!"

The Royal Knights and the Lion Knights behind him immediately followed.

At the same time, the five mage apprentices were also riding on five sturdy pack horses. They moved at a constant speed beside Kant and advanced toward the depths of the desert. Soon, the entire team had left the range of Oasis Lookout.

With the slightly lower temperature, the journey was not considered a torture.

The journey was safe and sound.

On both sides of the road, there were a few Jackalan corpses.

They were all dirty low-level Jackalans. Their skinny appearance had been dried up by the sun.

Kant's eyes swept over them.

There was not the slightest hint of pity.

If he had not looted these Jackalans back then and directly risked destroying their camps and wells, or even failed to defend against the attacks of their cousins, the high-level Jackalans, then Kant and his troops should be the ones who had become dried up now.

No, it should be said that they would turn into a pile of useless, unobservable, Jackalan feces!

Humans were a kind of delicious and tender meat in the Jackalan diet!

The strong preyed on the weak!

This was the Nahrin Desert, it had crueler law than the jungle.

The resources in the desert couldn't sustain two forces, or even one force. It was impossible for the low-level Jackalans and Kant's castle to coexist peacefully!

There was an inevitable conflict between the two sides.

The right to survive!

Whoever wanted to survive had to occupy all the resources in the Nahrin Desert.

Just like Kant who had already obtained victory and control of the Nahrin Desert, Kant who had already developed, had obtained the final right to survive and could become a victor of a higher level.

This was the law of the jungle.

Jackalan were the weak, so they could only be eaten by Kant.

Only by eating this meat could Kant obtain a stronger body and eat the meat of other weak people.

The weak could only fail and turn into remains to show their sorrow.

But what could they do?

The strong never cared about the weak's defeat!

They traveled all the way to the camp of the once low-level Jackalans occupied. From afar, more than a dozen low-level Jackalans were fleeing, as if they had already discovered them.

However, Kant did not give the order to attack.

The current him no longer cared about these scattered low-level Jackalans.

Or rather, this group of former opponents had already lost the ability to threaten him, and could not even be considered stepping stones!

"My Lord."

Behind him, the mage apprentices pointed to the front and said, "Right there, we sensed a small amount of water elements gathering."

They were pointing in the direction of the camp.

There was a huge sand pit, which seemed to have been dug out by these low-level Jackalan.

Kant nodded. "That's right, there used to be a well there."

"Let's go and take a look."

Kant gently knocked on the horse's belly.

He led the team over. After all, this was also the place where he had fought bloody battles.

The knights behind him immediately followed.

Soon, they arrived at the former camp. The sandstorm had already blown away all the blackish ashes left by the fire. There was only a messy puddle, messy footsteps around, and the remains of bones that had been eaten.

There were sand gazelle and Jackalans.

It looked very tragic.

But Kant did not care. He stuck his head out and looked into the puddle.

There were all kinds of stones scattered at the bottom of the four to five-meter-deep puddle, but the bottom was still blocked by a large amount of sand. Only water emerged from the ground. It was a small half-meter puddle that was extremely muddy.

If Kant wanted to drink, he had to filter it.

This was the well that he had destroyed directly.

"Well, at the bottom of this puddle..."

The mage apprentices closed their eyes slightly, after sensing it, they said to Kant, "There seems to be an underground river. We sensed a very dense water element. Although we are blocked from the sand layer, we can still feel that the water is very abundant. That's why the water could seep upward and form this small puddle."

Chapter 296: Arrangements for the Salt Mine Posthouse (second update)

"As expected."

Kant nodded, deep in thought.

This well used to be the center of that low-level Jackalan tribe.

The Jackalan Shaman was in charge of distributing the freshwater resources. With this well alone, the entire tribe population of over 2,000 Jackalans could drink fresh water on a daily basis and ensure the reproduction of the entire tribe.

Based on the amount of water used by so many Jackalans, even the original Oasis Lookout wouldn't be able to satisfy them.

After all, the water resources of the Oasis Lookout were at most a pond.

It wasn't even a big pond!

If there were so many Jackalans, no, even if it was 1,000 Jackalans, they could completely dry up the original Oasis Lookout in less than seven days. After all, the amount of daily drinking water of over a thousand people was humongous.

Not to mention that it was a Jackalan tribe of over 2000 population!

If this well could not connect to the underground river or the underground lake, it would be impossible to have so much water.

At that time, Kant had guessed this.

And now.

Without a doubt, the mage apprentices had solved this doubt!

"Since this is the underground river."

Kant muttered to himself.

His eyes flickered, and the system dialog box opened. Seeing the buildings inside, he was enlightened. "It really can be done."

Well.

But it was just the system's well.

As long as there was an underground water source, Kant could build the system well at any time.

Just like when he was at the central posthouse, the direction the system gave him was above the underground lake. That was why he was able to build the well and then build the central posthouse.

In the Nahrin Desert, water resources were the most precious wealth.

Occupying the water resources was equivalent to occupying the gold mine!

In fact, even if there was a gold mine in the depths of the desert, and there was no well or oasis around it. Then this gold mine was equivalent to useless waste. If it couldn't even be mined, what else could it be?

The miners who were mining had to drink water!

"Since there is an underground river here.", Kant turned his head to the north.

There had to be a vein in this underground river. If this underground river happened to be located not far from the salt mine, it could indeed solve a lot of problems. For example, the fresh water that had to be transported every week could be lifted. They could go and fetch water for themselves.

It would also take a day to go from the Oasis Lookout to the salt mine.

It was already dusk.

Kant intended to reach the salt mine posthouse before midnight.

There were already civilians working and living there. At the same time, there were 20 desert bandits responsible for protecting the safety of the place. They were to ensure that the hungry low-level Jackalans would not appear and attack the civilians who had worked hard all day.

"Let's go!"

Kant turned around and got back on his horse.

This place had already been abandoned, and there was not much future for development.

Perhaps when Kant's oasis became bigger in the future, this place would become a very good spreading area. After all, there was an underground river. As long as a few wells were built, the oasis could be irrigated.

However, this would take a very, very long time.

After all, it was not realistic for the Oasis Lookout to become an oasis group that spanned more than ten kilometers.

Only by completely opening up an above-ground river and using the river's powerful irrigation ability to improve the environment on both sides of the river could a large-scale oasis to be established in the desert. Otherwise, it would still be like flowers in a mirror and the moon in the water; an illusion. It would be burned up by the scorching sun in the sky, it would turn into a dry sandbar and eventually disappear.

Just like on Earth, the desert oasis group that disappeared in various eras was caused by the disappearance of the underground river and the drying up of the above-ground river.

If one wanted to obtain an oasis like a fertile plain, one needed river.

Kant had a plan for this.

However, in the current situation, it was better to develop his oasis lookout more luxuriously.

The Oasis Lookout that carried the "Drondheim" Castle was Kant's foundation!

Time passed.

Night covered the sky.

Kant and his troops moved forward and looked up at the top of the dune in front of them. As the starlight shone, there was a faint flame flickering. That was the salt mine posthouse, a place where he and his troops could temporarily rest.

At least, it was much better than setting up tents in the desert.

The moonlight was like a soft veil.

Soon, Kant and the others were also found at the salt mine posthouse.

Ten desert bandits directly galloped over on their horses, while another ten desert bandits spread out in the surroundings. They rode on their horses and stood on the dune to observe the situation here. Each of them was extremely cautious, afraid that they would run into unfamiliar cavalry troops. If they were defeated, they could still spread out and escape, and be the first to report to the direction of the castle.

However, their vigilance was quickly lifted. The leading desert bandits saluted Kant very respectfully. "My lord, I didn't expect to see you so late. It's really an honor!"

"Mm, I just arrived too."

Kant nodded and instructed him, "Don't be nervous. Send people back."

"Yes!", the desert bandit nodded.

As the rhythmic whistles sounded, the desert bandits who were waiting for the results on the surrounding dune immediately galloped over. They all looked at Kant, their eyes filled with honor and excitement.

To them, seeing Kant was no different from seeing their own king!

They crowded into the posthouse.

Thirty peasants in linen clothes were also standing respectfully at the entrance of the posthouse to welcome Kant.

They were salt miners.

Their daily work was to pack coarse salt, which could be seen everywhere on the alkali soil outside the posthouse, into sacks and wait for the camel caravan to arrive, to carry it on the camel's back, so that the camels could quickly return and bring back the raw materials for making salt.

This work could be said to be hard work, which was why Kant had taken in more than 300 captives.

There were many slave miners needed in the salt and alkali soil beach.

Especially when the salt workshop expanded the scale of production, the production of coarse salt here had to be increased.

However, having so many slave miners could obviously relieve a lot of pressure. At least for the slaves who were captured, Kant didn't need to care too much about human rights. Even if he had to let them starve every day, they were all consumables anyway.

Since they had become slaves, they could not be treated as friends!

When the next camel caravan that delivered supplies arrived, these captive slaves would also be transported over.

Kant had made perfect arrangements.

At the same time, he looked at the 20 desert bandits and 30 Swadian peasants in front of him. There was a hint of shock in his eyes. He could not help but ask, "How many wars have you experienced?"

"Wars? No, not yet."

These people were also puzzled and shook their heads in denial. "We have not experienced wars."

Kant frowned and said, "Looking at you, you seem to have experienced battles?"

"Uh, when we came here, we once killed some low-level Jackalans. There were about 200 of them scattered here and there. They were extremely hungry and came to attack us, but they were very weak."

The desert bandits and peasants finally remembered.

After all, when they first arrived at the salt posthouse, Jackalans were still scattered around.

They were all struggling survivors in the Nahrin Desert. When Kant defeated the entire camp of Jackalan, there were quite a number of them scattered outside, even though most of them were dead. However, there were still many Jackalan who relied on a little water and food to survive, becoming walking corpses that wandered in the desert.

That's right, it didn't matter if they were walking dead, because these Jackalans didn't have a fixed source of food, nor did they have enough water. They relied on their innate endurance to survive, and when they couldn't, they would die.

Or they would be killed by the desert bandits and the peasants.

To them, these Jackalan who came to attack them were pitiful like beggars.

Even if they were peasants, they could defeat a few with the tools in their hands. The starving Jackalans were no threat to them.

Not to mention the 20 desert bandits that were specially stationed here.

After two weeks of defense, they had killed quite a few Jackalans, almost turning the surrounding Jackalans into corpses. This gave them enough experience points and allowed them to level up.

Kant didn't hesitate and directly chose the level up option.

30 Swadian militiamen.

20 elite desert bandits.

After level up, although they were still low-level soldiers, it was easier to guard this area.

Moreover, there were more than 300 captives coming over as slave miners. With these 50 guards, they could handle it. Even if they couldn't handle it, they could starve these slaves for a few days and treat them like dogs.

How could the weak slaves resist?

They slept late at night.

Tomorrow morning, Kant continued to lead the team.

There was still a long way to go to the depths of the Nahrin Desert.

According to the route reported by the captives of the Kingdom of Gray Mane, it would take three days just to get pass this alkaline soil beach, and after another five days, they would be able to see the Devil's Land.

However, the Devil's Land was extremely hot, and no one could pass through it.

The expedition army of the Kingdom of Gray Mane chose to use ten days to bypass the Devil's Land.

However, Kant went in there directly.

His mission was to enter the Devil's Land to investigate, and the so-called saintess of the Sun God sect might be in the Devil's Land. After all, the Sun also associated with high temperature, and the Devil's Land was extremely hot, both things might have a great connection!

He replenished his food and water at the posthouse and continued his journey.

Along the way, he went deeper and deeper into the Nahrin Desert, and the vast sea of sand occupied his field of vision.

The next day was filled with deserts.

The deeper he went, the smoother the desert terrain became.

More and more sand appeared in front of them, and the higher the temperature, the more Kant and the others were drenched in sweat.

Even knights with extraordinary powers and mage apprentices with elemental powers were beginning to feel a little powerless against the Nahrin Desert. All of them had fatigued expressions on their faces, and they were all enduring with difficulty.

Kant was also enduring.

"Is this the depths of the Nahrin Desert?"

He gulped.

His dry lips were no longer moistened by saliva. Even the saliva that he had managed to gulp down with great difficulty was like a knife cutting through his dry throat.

The cruelty of the Nahrin Desert became more and more obvious as they went deeper.

The forbidden zone of civilization.

The desert of the race.

At this moment, it was obvious!

With his hands under the awning, Kant looked ahead. It was still an endless sea of sand.

He could not help but take out a water sack from his pocket. He opened the stopper and took a small sip, allowing his mouth and throat to be slightly moistened. However, when the thirst in his throat became more and more intense, Kant closed the lid again.

Now was not the time to gulp down fresh water. He had to make sure he had enough water.

Chapter 297: Anomaly At the End of the Horizon (third update)

"My Lord."

The mage apprentices behind him urged their horses over.

The weaker ones were even more exhausted. They could not help but advise, "Let's rest first. The environment here is really harsh. We really can't continue trekking."

"Then let's rest.", Kant sighed softly and waved his hand. "Set up the temporary camp!"

"Yes!"

The knights immediately replied in a deep voice.

These extraordinary knights had stronger physiques than Kant. After all, they had been infused with elemental energy and acquired extraordinary strength. It could be said that they could not be judged by common sense.

If they continued to walk, the mage apprentices would definitely not be able to hold on.

After all, they were flesh and blood in the real world.

The temporary camp was quickly set up. Tents rose one after another, casting a rare shadow on the sand that had been scorched by the scorching sun for a long time.

It was a shade that could allow them to have a good rest after a long journey of several days.

A handful of sand was thrown out.

A half-meter-long sand pit was dug out of the tent and covered with a thin linen blanket.

After the layer of sand on the surface was dug out, this sand pit could bring a more pleasant and cool feeling. At least after Kant laid down in it, the fatigue from the long journey immediately dissipated. After pouring himself two mouthfuls of fresh water, he could not help but squint his eyes, he wanted to lie down in this sand pit and have a good sleep.

There was no other way. They had already been in the depths of the Nahrin Desert for many days. After leaving the posthouse, they had barely had a good rest. Their minds and bodies had long been tense, and they were about to reach their limits.

This was also the reason why the mage apprentices would suggest to rest.

They were too tired.

In fact, everyone wanted to rest a little.

Even Kant had the same idea.

However, Kant still stood up with his hands on his body and went outside. The knights were building a tent for their warhorse while feeding them fresh water. They were considerate and caring towards their own work.

"Rest until dusk."

Kant announced.

At the same time, he instructed the knights, "When you are resting, get your spirits up and make arrangements for the sentries!"

"Understood!", the knights replied.

After that, Kant went back to his tent.

The knights did a good job.

They fell into a deep sleep.

After a while, the temperature became hot. Kant woke up with sweat all over his body.

There was some noise outside.

"Dang dang dang."

It was the sound of a wooden spoon hitting the wooden barrel.

It seemed that the lunch had been prepared and food was being distributed according to the usual practice.

"It's really hot."

Kant sat up in the sand pit and stretched out his hand to pull off the linen robe outside.

Although he was wearing thin clothes inside, he still felt his whole body heating up when he slept. It was as if his entire body had sunk into a sauna, and it was unbearable as if he had been steamed.

Now, he even missed the cool room in "Drondheim" Castle.

Unfortunately, he had yet to find the destination of the system quest. It was obviously unrealistic to go back just like that.

Kant was a bit upset.

...

[ Ding... Side Quest issued ]

[ Side Quest: Last Wish ]

[ Reward: Spring eye X1]

[ Introduction: you found this spirit body in the temple. It originated from the ancient survivors from thousands of years ago. He told you his last wish. You plan to go to the depths of the desert in the north according to his last wish. After all, the sandstorm that appeared in the depths of the desert is now shrouding your heart. ]

...

This was a temporary side quest.

However, Kant was still exhausted. He had been in the desert for a few days. He did not know what the so-called depths of the desert was. Could it be that he had to enter the true Demon's Land?

Kant smiled bitterly.

According to the system's nature, it was really possible.

Just like the temporary side quest to explore the ancient passage, the final completion was to enter the underground city wall in the karst cave. Only then could it be considered complete, and he had even killed that terrifying abyssal demon.

This time's mission, he definitely would not be able to escape into the Devil's Land.

Fortunately, he had brought a lot of supplies.

However, if the Devil's Land still had those terrifying abyssal demons, or even an army of demons formed by abyssal demon, it would be a little troublesome to fight the enemy with only 56 of them.

To be precise, there were 50 knights in charge of the battle, one commander, and five mages who increased their status buffs.

"What a headache."

Kant rubbed his temples.

This time, they were only exploring the depths of the desert. If they encountered an irresistible force, they would just retreat.

At the very least, these extraordinary knights and mage apprentices were unable to fight against too many enemies. However, there was absolutely no problem for them to escort him away. Even if they were surrounded, they would just kill their way out!

In order to protect Kant, as the knights of the supreme lord, they were willing to sacrifice themselves!

Just as he was thinking.

The noise outside eased.

At the same time, footsteps came from outside the tent. They said, "My Lord, lunch is ready. Should I bring it in for you? You can have your meal first."

"Yes, bring it in.", Kant nodded.

The tent was opened, and the royal knight walked in with a wooden tray in one hand.

There was roast meat and toast on it. The rich aroma was appetizing. In front of Kant, there was also a bowl of porridge. It was mixed with wild vegetables and date palm, and it was stewed until it was mushy.

"You don't have to prepare oatmeal for me in the future."

Kant looked at the slightly red oatmeal in the wooden bowl and sighed. "You have to conserve your water."

"This is the treatment you should enjoy.", the royal knight comforted him. "To us, my Lord, if you can obtain a certain level of material protection, it's not a big deal even if we suffer a little."

He had a deep sense of class.

As the supreme lord, it was only right for Kant to live a luxurious life.

Even in such a situation where he had to live frugally, he had to consider the minimum amount of ostentation. He had to live up to Kant's status. It wasn't just this royal knight. Everyone outside thought the same.

At the very least, there was still plenty of food and water.

"I said cancel."

Kant waved his hand.

He took the tray and instructed the royal knight, "We don't know how many roads are ahead. We might enter the legendary Devil's Land. If you can save some water, save some."

"Yes.", seeing Kant's insistence, the royal knight could only nod his head.

He waved his hand and let Kant leave.

Kant ate the food quickly. It was not considered exquisite, but he swallowed it reluctantly.

It was standard military food.

He had been living like this for the past few days, so he was already used to it.

After eating lunch, Kant walked out with a tray. Many knights were eating lunch in their respective tents. When they saw Kant coming out, they all wanted to stand up and greet him.

"No need to be so polite.", Kant shook his head.

These guys were good at everything, but they paid more attention to etiquette.

Putting down the tray that served as the kitchen, Kant turned his head to look at the desert around him. The horizon was still looked yellow. Other than the light blue in the sky, there were very few clouds.

Clouds were formed from water vapor. With the terrifying temperature of the Nahrin Desert, it would be very difficult to form white clouds. Even if they were formed, they would be vaporized by the terrifying temperature in the blink of an eye, let alone rain, it was impossible to appreciate the appearance of the clouds even in the daytime.

Kant looked at the horizon in the north and could not help but narrow his eyes slightly.

The scorching temperature made the entire horizon seem to shake. This was the effect of the evaporation of water on the surface of the Earth.

However, he strangely discovered a little difference.

"Look ahead."

He took a few steps back and greeted the royal knight who was standing guard behind him. He pointed at the horizon and asked, "It's at the end of the horizon. Look, there it is. Is there something there?"

"What?", the royal knight was slightly stunned. He looked carefully but did not find anything unusual.

"You didn't find anything?", Kant frowned.

When he looked at the horizon, he felt that something seemed to be hidden in the shaking image.

It was like a cheetah hiding in a dense grassland, waiting for its prey to fall into its trap. As long as it entered the ambush range, it would be a fierce battle.

"I feel... that something is wrong."

Kant touched his chest.

His heart was beating slightly, and he couldn't help but take a deep breath. "It's better to be cautious."

Everyone rested.

At dusk, they continued to set off.

However, Kant gave an order to maintain vigilance.

Especially as they were getting closer to the depths of the Nahrin Desert, he ordered everyone to be careful. They had to report any unusual situation, even if it was just a slight movement of grass.

This was the Nahrin Desert, a vast expanse of yellow sand. Where did the wind come from, and where did the grass come from!

Being cautious would not make a big mistake.

After tidying up all the tents and checking the supplies, they could still maintain drinking water and food for ten days. They had to be careful, even if it was only for fifteen days. This was thanks to the increased load capacity of the extraordinary warhorses.

Everyone continued to move forward.

Even the mage apprentices held their magic staffs tightly in their hands. They looked around nervously while riding on their workhorses.

As spellcaster, their mind power was extremely high. Moreover, the perception that they possessed also allowed them to notice the abnormality. They could not help but remind, "My Lord, the elemental power here... is somewhat chaotic!"

"That's right. We also feel that there's a chaotic burning sensation here."

The knights also spoke.

Although they were not spellcaster, as extraordinary knights, they also had extraordinary senses.

Kant nodded and said in a deep voice, "Everyone, be careful."

The entire army continued to march forward.

The dusk quickly faded.

The dark starry sky began to cover the land.

The moonlight was like soft gauze that covered the entire world, bringing with it a pure white soft light.

In a short moment, the temperature in the desert plummeted.

Everyone changed into leather clothes.

Even the warhorse beneath them wore a fur cloak to keep them warm.

The desert in front of them was a plain as far as the eye could see. If they moved a little faster, the movement would also increase the body temperature. Especially the warhorses beneath them, they no longer looked like they were exhausted by the sun.

But Kant and the others were even more cautious.

Because right in front of them, on the horizon under the moonlight, there was a group of figures marching in formation.

Chapter 298: The Appearance of the Undead Skeletons

The sky was cloudless.

The moonlight shone on the earth like a veil.

From the visual angle, it was no less than the early morning. If they used the color difference, they could see even further!

Thus, Kant and the rest discovered that on the horizon far away, a group of figures were moving forward in a long line. Although they could not see clearly, they could vaguely make out that they were a marching group.

Moreover, according to their identification, they did not look like tall creatures like Jackalans.

Instead, they looked like…

Humans!

How could there be humans in the depths of the Nahrin Desert.

Kant was puzzled by this.

However, thinking about the so-called Golden Holy City, the so-called ancient survivors, and the so-called descendants of the gods, Kant felt slightly relieved. After all, even the abyssal demons could survive for ten thousand years, it was not impossible for the descendants of the gods to survive.

The power of the gods was omnipotent in the myths. They could even turn the world upside down. They were powerful creatures that controlled the laws of time. They could even create the Earth and the environment. Their power was extremely terrifying.

This was unimaginable in the age of chaos.

But they still needed to be cautious.

Who knew if the gods who survived after ten thousand years were friends or enemies?

Just by looking at the abyssal demons and the descendants of the gods who didn't seem to put humans in their eyes, even if they were friends, they wouldn't be any better.

Would the former rich man be friends with the slave who cleaned the toilet in his villa?

What a joke!

"Get ready for battle."

Kant took a deep breath and ordered in a low voice, "Let's go and take a look first. It would be best if we can communicate with them. If we can't, then kill them!", a fierce light appeared in his eyes

"Yes!", the knights answered.

"Let's go!"

Kant gently knocked the horse's belly and urged it forward.

So what if they were the gods in the past? This was not the era of the gods in the past.

Since they had already fallen and could be killed by conventional weapons, they better to give up humbly. Otherwise, Kant would not mind a massacre to maintain his rule. He would let these so-called gods see who the master of this era was.

At the very least, Nahrin Desert belonged to Kant!

"Something's not right."

The mage apprentices reminded him, "I keep feeling that there's a bit of coldness in this chaotic element...", after a pause, they wrapped themselves in leather clothes, they shook their heads and added, "Perhaps it's because we're too cold, but I think it's best to be careful."

"Of course, we have to be careful.", Kant frowned and waved his hand forward.

Thirty Swadian Royal Knights were in front, and twenty Sarleon Lion Knights were at the back.

They surrounded Kant and the five mage apprentices and sped up the pace of the warhorse they were riding towards the horizon. They also tried their best to slow down the sound of their warhorse's hooves and reduce the noise.

However, just the hooves of these warhorse's hooves stepping heavily on the sand layer, the sound was not too soft.

The plains could not hide their figures.

This was Kant's way of expressing goodwill.

At least compared to more than 50 heavy-armored cavalries charging over aggressively, it was as terrifying as a flood. This kind of gentle approach was more reassuring and more trustworthy.

At the same time, it could show off one's martial prowess.

The distance was getting closer.

Kant's expression was slightly solemn.

On the horizon, the group of figures moving forward seemed as if they did not see them and did not hear any sound. They were still moving forward. From afar, one could vaguely see the pale-yellow robe and hood on their heads, it was extremely eye-catching under the moonlight, adding a bit of strangeness to it!

The galloping sound of 55 warhorses was definitely not quiet at all.

Ordinary people could have heard it long ago.

They might be able to ignore it, but at the very least, they had to turn their heads to look at the source of the sound. However, not only did the figures in the formation in front not look back, but they were also still walking forward, towards the depths of the desert.

It was like a group of people worshipping, yearning for the sacredness in their hearts.

"Something's wrong!"

The mage apprentice beside Kant suddenly spoke.

Looking at the group of people getting closer and closer, he gulped, his voice trembling. "No, no, this feeling is extremely cold. It's coming from them, it's them!"

"What is it?", Kant frowned and berated in a deep voice. "Be careful!"

"Undead!"

The mage apprentices only had time to shout out this word.

And in front of them, the royal knights were getting closer and closer to that group of people.

A strange cold aura was immediately transmitted, but the royal knights at the front seemed to have noticed something. They were especially shocked and pulled the reins, shouting loudly, "Stop moving forward! The opponent is not human!"

"Hu --"

The warning of pulling the reins and making the warhorses under them stop advancing was immediately transmitted over.

However, it was right in front of them.

The long row of undead that were originally densely packed in an orderly formation seemed to have been disturbed. All of them suddenly stopped advancing. Their pale-yellow hoods and robes swayed slightly. Hundreds of people stood still on the spot.

Then, they turned around. Flickering faint blue flames flickered in their eyes.

With a hatred for the living, they opened their chins, which were only left with the bones, and let out a silent roar!

"Undead!"

Kant also gritted his teeth.

His eyes widened, and everyone's eyes widened.

There was also the mage apprentice, who couldn't help but say, "Those are the undead! They're already dead, and their obsession made them repeat what they did when they died. Now that they're resurrected, they can't be treated as living creatures at all. They're no longer human!"

His words were almost incomplete, and his vocabulary was full of flaws.

He spoke without thinking!

However, everyone understood what the mage apprentice meant.

The enemy in front of them was not a human!

That pale yellow hood and robe were clearly golden clothes that had been broken as the time flowed. In the cracks on the edges, one could still see the pale skeleton inside.

There was also a blue ghostly flame dancing in the eye sockets.

The entire skull looked extremely terrifying.

It really looked like the skeleton had been resurrected and was staring at Kant and the others in a daze. The blue soul flame in the eye sockets began to burn more and more intensely, as if the emotions were becoming more and more intense, with hatred towards the living. They began to slowly step forward, reaching out their hands and pouncing over!

There were more than a hundred of them. More than a hundred skeletons were stretching out their hands towards Kant and the others. Under the moonlight, they moved their skeleton legs slowly. It was as if they wanted to swallow any living thing alive!

This was the most basic hatred of the undead towards the living!

"Finish them!"

Kant directly pulled out the Sword of King from the sheath on his waist.

Golden light immediately burst out from the gilded gold ornaments. The aura of a king instantly flowed, causing the surrounding coldness to dissipate. It shocked the group of white skeletons, causing them to suddenly stop in their tracks.

"The positive energy has a dispelling effect on the negative energy!"

The mage apprentices explained loudly.

Kant raised the corner of his mouth. "So they are afraid of this?"

Looking at the undead skeletons in front of him cowering and not daring to go forward, it was obvious that they were afraid of the golden light from the Sword of King in his hand. Kant's expression instantly became solemn as he ordered in a deep voice, "Kill!"

"Kill --"

The royal knights also let out furious roars.

Their entire bodies exploded with flames that were exactly the same as the Sword of King. Together with their warhorses, they charged forward with a roar!

The royal knights who had been conferred the title from the Sword of King had the innate talent and extraordinary power that belonged to the king's power. They were also variants of positive energy. With the might of a brilliant emperor, they instantly charged into the group of hundreds of skeletons.

It was equivalent to a rampage!

"Crash..."

The skeletons were constantly sent flying by the lances, and then they were chopped into pieces by the longswords.

The golden light on the side of the warhorses was even denser. The skeletons seemed to have received a great impact. The blue soul fire in their eyes could not be maintained, and their entire bodies were scattered.

The blue soul fire also began to dissipate in the eye sockets.

They were like rotten weeds!

Just the 30 Swadian Royal Knights alone could easily slaughter hundreds of undead skeletons!

Meanwhile, the 20 Sarleon Lion Knights clustered around Kant and the mage apprentices. Balls of blood-red lion-shaped flames formed around them. Each of them had a cold look on their faces. They held the silver greatsword in their hands and carefully guarded their surroundings.

Some of the undead skeleton that were close to them were easily turned into piles of bone by the blood-red light.

"So weak."

Kant spoke with a calm tone.

The battle had been declared over in a short period of time.

All the skeletons had turned into pale bones, as if they had been scattered for tens of thousands of years. Their color even began to darken, turning into a pale gray appearance.

"Your knights are too strong."

The mage apprentices complimented, "These are just low-level undead skeletons."

"Too strong? That's right."

Kant nodded. This was also the truth.

Whether it was movies or games in his previous life, only the undead that looked like skeletons were the lowest level existences. They were simply not a match for the strongest level 6 knights who had grasped extraordinary powers.

In fact, according to his perception, even an ordinary peasant could kill a few skeletons with a long scythe.

They were very weak indeed.

They were so weak that even if they formed an advantage in numbers, they could not pose a threat.

"Continue to move forward."

Kant raised his head to look at the stars and the moonlight in the sky. He said in a deep voice, "Let's go!"

The horseshoes behind him started to form and the knights immediately followed.

The appearance of these undead skeletons had already turned the bad feeling in Kant's heart into reality. If there were no problems in the depths of the desert, then these undead skeletons would definitely not have appeared.

After all, a few months ago, the expedition army of the Kingdom of Gray Mane had never discovered these skeletons!

"That sandstorm."

Kant gritted his teeth.

In his heart, he had already guessed the truth of the matter.

Just after that sandstorm, demons appeared in the ancient passage, and undead appeared in the depths of the Nahrin Desert. If there was no connection between them, he would definitely not believe it!

Taking a deep breath, Kant's heart was somewhat solemn.

However, so what if they were undead.

At the very least, the 55 elites he brought along this time, even when they faced thousands of similar undead skeletons, they would still be able to charge through the sea of skeletons and open up a bloody path. This was the confidence of the elite troops!

However, Kant still felt slightly uneasy.

Looking at the depths of the desert in front of him, he subconsciously tightened his grip on the reins. "What exactly is there?"

Chapter 299: The Slowly Rising Fog

What was in front of him.

Kant did not know, but the appearance of the undead skeletons had obviously shattered some of his thoughts.

Reality was undoubtedly cruel.

There was definitely something wrong in the depths of the Nahrin Desert!

It was not a small problem.

If even the undead skeletons had appeared, no one knew if there would be even more terrifying undead creatures.

For example, in the temple in the underground city of the karst cave, the Divine Lich that claimed to be the Pope that was afraid by the mages from the Mage Tower of the Enfath Empire that had been tested on the battlefield for a long time. This kind of strong opponent might even exist in the depths of Nahrin Desert!

"If it really appears, then it will be troublesome."

Kant could not help but mutter to himself.

The bones scattered all over the ground made him frown, but he still ordered in a low voice, "Continue moving forward."

The knights looked at each other and restrained the extraordinary aura on their bodies. They returned to their normal state and surrounded Kant. They slowly rode their horses forward, but there was a grave expression on their faces.

No matter what they encountered, they were always slightly shocked by such an inhuman enemy.

But they were still fearless.

Even if the dead were resurrected, they were still lambs waiting to be slaughtered under the horses' hooves and longsword.

So what if they were undead? They were just a pile of useless broken bones. These knights were still quite confident in their own martial strength. After all, they had completely grasped extraordinary power. They believed that they were the strongest!

These skeletons, which could even kill a few with a long scythe in the hands of a peasant, posed no threat at all!

It was even enough to be fatal just by getting close.

The positive energy flames that erupted from the royal knights' bodies were almost the natural enemies of these undead.

Not to mention that they did not use any extraordinary power, even if they relied solely on their physical attributes and armor's defense, it was enough to sweep away these undead skeletons that did not have any weapons.

The combat strength of both sides was not on the same level.

The difference was like heaven and earth!

They continued to go deeper.

Under the starry sky, the temperature suddenly dropped, and even the moonlight carried a chill.

Kant wrapped himself in his leather coat, but he still felt the coldness around his body. He could not help but pull the reins and let the white mist-spewing warhorse under his legs run slower.

Warhorse could move, and its whole body was hot.

But Kant, who was riding on his back, was undoubtedly uncomfortable with the cold.

Moreover, when he turned his head to look around, he saw that there was a white mist in the distance. Kant could not help but lower his head and say, "It's foggy."

"Yes, fog."

The mage apprentices also nodded.

They shivered and curled up on their horses, but they still held their staffs tightly in their hands. In a deep voice, they reminded Kant, "Actually, there is fog around us, and there is frost on the ground."

Kant looked down and narrowed his eyes slightly. "Yes."

As expected.

On the sand layer on the ground, faint white marks were spreading.

If one looked carefully, it was indeed frost. It was connected to the surrounding white fog. Although there was no wind, the chill was very deep.

It was the kind of the deep chill from the one that hated the living!

"The aura of negative energy is very strong."

The mage apprentice reminded.

"Yes.", Kant nodded.

Although the surrounding white fog was very weak at the beginning and could not even block out the gentle moonlight, as they went deeper into the Nahrin Desert, it unknowingly became thicker and thicker. In the end, they could not even see clearly from a hundred meters away.

Occasionally, there would be the sound of bones cracking in the surroundings.

It was as if there were undead skeletons walking around.

The sand on the ground had already turned into frost, and there was even a slight melting of the ice surface.

The horseshoes hit the sand layer heavily, leaving behind not only splashing pits but orderly footprints. The sound that appeared also changed from a simple "Pu Pu" sound to a roar that was no different from normal.

"The situation is not right."

Kant muttered.

He was not referring to the surrounding white fog and frost, nor were he referring to the undead skeletons. He was referring to the environment.

According to the description of the captives from the expedition army of the Kingdom of Gray Mane, the deeper they went into the Nahrin Desert, the less cold they would feel even at night, especially near the Devil's Land. It was almost as hot as daytime.

This was also the reason why they did not dare to walk there. Even if they brought sunshade items, they would be dehydrated from the sun until they fainted due to heat exhaustion, turning into a pile of useless mummies!

But something was not right now.

Kant thought that he should be close to the Devil's Land.

But it was still very cold in the night. It really made him feel strange and scare.

He had not noticed it before. After all, he had not thought about it for a moment. Now that he thought about it, he was clearly close to the Devil's Land. Even the sunlight during the day was getting more intense, but the night was even colder.

Even the ground was starting to freeze.

"Something's really wrong!"

Kant muttered to himself.

He looked up and saw that the fog around him had become very thick.

The white fog was like a pale white skeleton, with faint cracking sounds coming from within.

His vision was limited to a range of a hundred meters, but fortunately, the moonlight in the sky didn't seem to be blocked by much. Instead, it continued to pour into the thick fog, illuminating Kant and the others.

The mage apprentices had an explanation for this.

"These thick fog and frost are the products of the accumulation of negative energy."

The mage apprentice said, "Especially at night, when the water element at the bottom of the sand layer rises and is mixed with negative energy, it is easy to form these thick fog and frost. If it were in a swamp area, the thick fog and frost would be even more severe. At that time, even the moonlight containing negative energy would not be able to shine down."

"The Sky Veil of Death?", Kant instantly recalled the famous group amplification status and weather change form of the undead in literature. It could be said to be a signature level spell.

"Hmm... similar."

The apprentice was somewhat hesitant.

They came from the world of "Wind of War. There were also undead in their world, and they were the archenemies of the Enfath Empire.

However, looking at the thick fog around them. the mage apprentices hesitated and said, "This thick fog doesn't seem like the resentment of the creatures that were massacred with pure negative energy. Instead, it's like the super-large poisonous cloud spell cast by the cult warlocks or magic eyes. However, it's not poisonous. It's just coldness."

This indeed made the mage apprentices confused.

Kant was equally confused.

Shaking his head, his eyes stared straight ahead. Teams of black shadows appeared in the thick fog.

"Prepare for battle!"

The knight's captain issued a warning.

The teams of shadows in front had already stopped moving forward. They slowly turned their heads to look over. Even in the thick fog, one could see the blue soul fire burning and jumping. It carried the hatred of the living as it looked at Kant and the others.

It was as if in this thick fog, the perception and movements of these undead skeletons had become stronger!

"Kill!"

Kant ordered in a deep voice.

The sound of horse hooves rang out, and the layer of sand that had been frozen by frost was directly crushed.

The royal knights burst out with golden light all over their bodies. The power of the king was revealed as flames, and they directly swept across the undead skeletons in front of them. The horse hooves trampled on the broken bones, and with a single charge, they destroyed the small group of hundreds of undead skeletons.

Even if there were a few of them left, they were still approaching Kant. However, they were easily chopped into pieces by the Lion Knights.

"They are so weak."

The Sarleon Lion Knights looked relaxed.

In this mist that was filled with pure negative energy, the Lion Knights, who also had the power of blood-colored negative energy, felt that they were alright. Even if they did not burst out with extraordinary power, they still felt that they had been strengthened.

Negative energy did not represent evil.

The most typical example was moonlight, which was the most literal embodiment of negative energy.

And positive energy also did not represent justice. The scorching sun could also cause people to die from heatstroke.

Just like the Holy See of the Silver Platter Kingdom.

They did not think that the positive energy of the sun and the negative energy of the moon represented justice and death. Instead, they called the beneficial parts of the sunlight and the beneficial parts of the moonlight -- Holy Light!

This was true justice.

However, it was not the time to delve into this.

"Continue moving forward!"

Kant hesitated for a moment, but he still made up his mind.

He had to complete the system quest. At the same time, he wanted to see what was going on in this place!

The knights moved forward.

The mage apprentices also turned their senses to the maximum.

As they went deeper, the temperature dropped sharply. Thick fog and frost filled the air, and even the sand layer had frozen. It was like the surface of ice, causing the knights to release a little supernatural power to dispel the chill.

On Kant's waist, the Sword of King also released a golden light.

It covered his entire body, dispelling the chill from the negative energy in the outside world. It was considered warm in front of him.

The mage apprentices also rode on the horses. They used the elemental power they had mastered and began to spread around their bodies. They especially relied on the positive energy emitted from the knights and Kant's bodies to maintain their energy and warmth, they would not be dragged down by the long journey.

But even so, a little frost appeared between their brows that were exposed.

White mist spurted out from the warhorses beneath them.

The entire environment was so cruel that it was as if it had sunk into a land of ice.

"Rumble --"

The horseshoes heavily struck the layer of sand that had solidified, only leaving a small mark of two centimeters.

They did not rest in the middle of the night. Instead, they continued forward in the face of the cold, relying on their supernatural powers to forcefully march forward.

Fortunately, everyone had rested for the entire day and had recovered their stamina. Otherwise, even if they possessed supernatural powers, forcefully marching forward would cause them to become increasingly exhausted and tired. This would not make up for the losses.

In the successive forced marching, they encountered two groups of undead skeletons.

It was still a group of hundreds of skeletons.

They were wearing tattered light-yellow hoods and robes with a few ancient patterns.

They looked like they were on a pilgrimage, walking towards the depths of the Nahrin Desert. It seemed like they would never get tired, and that was indeed the case. The undead did not get tired. As long as their bones and bodies were not damaged, they would move like perpetual motion machines.

But soon, they also rested.

The knights destroyed every undead skeleton they saw.

Even if they wanted to go around them, these skeletons would carry a hatred for the living and launch a slow and ridiculous attack on them. It was better to strike first.

They moved forward without resting even at night.

All the way to the depths of the desert.

Just before dawn, Kant saw an unusual scene in front of him.

The thick fog was dispelled and replaced by a grayish-black fog.

Thick black clouds appeared in the sky, blotting out the sun.

The slight cold wind was still blowing.

Faintly, a tragic wail sounded in his ears. It was as if something was begging for mercy before it died, as well as cursing at everything!

Chapter 300: The Expanding Sky Veil of Death

Kant reined in his horse and extended his hand to signal for them to stop moving forward.

The knights' faces were filled with shock.

The thick fog in front of them was rolling. Its grayish-black appearance was just like the black smoke coming out of a factory's chimney.

In the sky, the dark clouds blocked out the sky and the sun. A faint breeze blew, and the entire cloud layer moved slowly. Along with the faint screams that appeared from time to time, it really gave people the feeling of... The Underworld's ghost realm!

It was as if a bone-piercing chill came along with the wind, and the ground had already frozen solid like a frozen lake in winter.

The warhorses dug the ground beneath it.

However, the steel horseshoes, could only dig out layers of white marks.

"The Sky Veil of Death..."

The mage apprentices opened their mouths, and there was an unconcealable trembling in their voices.

At that time, the thick fog was just a small matter. Now, the black fog and the dark clouds were the real Sky Veil of Death. It was made for the undead, and it could cause diseases and all sorts of negative buffs for ordinary people with a terrifying AoE status!

They had just discussed such a terrifying undead spell.

But now, they encountered it.

Kant tightened his grip on the reins. "The world is really unpredictable."

"The negative energy inside is very dense. It has the hatred of the undead towards the living. There are even all kinds of plague toxins. If we don't have the power to resist, we will be infected with all kinds of diseases in a short period of time."

The mage apprentice warned, "Perhaps the spirit will also be infected by the Sky Veil of Death, turning into undead zombies or skeletons."

"Hmph.", the knights' faces were cold. "They have tarnished Lord Kant's estate."

Nahrin Desert was Kant's estate.

Now that an evil undead had appeared, it was an invasion, a tarnishing!

Clenching the weapons in their hands, all the knights were eager to give it a try. Even though they knew that the evil in front would be a terror that could cause death, they were still fearless. This was the embodiment of the knight's spirit.

But they were definitely not reckless.

Turning to look at Kant, the knights were all waiting.

But Kant was also waiting.

"Set up camp on the spot."

Kant raised his hand and signaled the knights around him to dismount. "We'll wait for daybreak!"

"Yes!", the knights replied.

This was the best way.

Who knew what they would encounter if they rushed into the Sky Veil of Death rashly?

Rather than entering forcefully, it was better to wait until daybreak. The sunlight would disperse the thick fog and dark clouds.

The knights quickly set up their tents.

They formed a circle around Kant's tent and guarded it in the middle.

However, even if it was an encampment, it was actually just a simple rest and food. They raised a small bonfire and boiled the water in the iron pot, allowing everyone to drink some hot water to warm their bodies. This was to prevent the cold air from going too far and freezing their limbs.

Even the warhorses needed to drink some hot water to alleviate the cold.

It was really very cold here!

Just by looking at the layer of sand below them that had already frozen, it was clear that the entire area was as solid as a plate. If they did not have extraordinary powers to protect their bodies, just by relying on the bodies of ordinary people, they would have long suffered serious injuries from the cold air eroding their insides.

The elderly and children would probably be frozen to death by the roadside after walking for a few hours!

"Damn it."

Kant exhaled white mist, his eyes filled with solemnity.

Their sleep was very simple. They would be roasted on the ground with a bonfire and then sleep around the bonfire on leather mats. Everyone would be woken up by the cold halfway through their sleep. Only by circulating the extraordinary power in their bodies could they feel warmth.

Even Kant was the same.

Holding the Sword of King in his arms, he could not sleep well. He only closed his eyes in a daze to rest.

"My Lord."

But right beside him, someone gently pushed him.

Kant immediately woke up.

Beside him was a mage apprentice. His young face had turned green from the cold. He said to Kant with a trembling voice, "It's... It's dawn now, but there's a problem..."

"What?", Kant frowned.

"The Sky Veil of Death has expanded...", the mage apprentice still said with a trembling voice.

"What expansion?"

Kant's mind had yet to react.

But in the blink of an eye, his drowsy head suddenly became clear. He turned his head and lifted the curtain of the tent. It was pitch-black outside. The gray fog and the thick dark clouds in the sky made his expression ugly.

"The Sky Veil of Death!", Kant gritted his teeth.

"Yes, the Sky Veil of Death has expanded. It has now become very big."

The mage apprentice said helplessly, "Just at dawn, the Sky Veil of Death began to expand and swallow us up.". He paused, his tone was also filled with relief. "Thanks to the extraordinary power of you and the knights, it can protect our surroundings and not be affected by the negative energy and negative effect of the Sky Veil of Death."

Kant turned his head and realized that his Sword of King and the royal knights around him were emitting golden light. They just happened to form a defensive shield around the camp, causing the thick gray-black fog to be repelled to the side.

The knights were already holding onto their swords to protect them. A few bonfires were emitting some slight heat.

Kant's face was gloomy.

"The situation is a little urgent."

He said in a deep voice.

"Yes.", the mage apprentices nodded, their expressions impressively.

The thick Sky Veil of Death around them was no longer something they could comment on.

Even if mages were here, they could only barely protect themselves. Only great mages who were proficient in spells could have a slight surplus in such a terrifying Sky Veil of Death because they all knew what it meant.

In the world of "Wind of War", such a large-scale Sky Veil of Death would usually have several liches and even more terrifying undead creatures.

There was also a large number of low-level skeleton soldiers.

The undead race had always won by using the tactic of having a large number of troops.

Any living person would be declared dead in vain in front of the seemingly endless sea of undead.

With such a Sky Veil of Death, no one knew how many undead skeletons they would encounter, let alone how powerful the undead creatures would be. But just from the previous encounter, the hundreds of undead skeletons were a team, so there was definitely a lot of them!

If they were entangled and allowed stronger undead creatures to come, it would be really troublesome.

"Let's go!"

Kant immediately gave the order without saying a word.

The camp was quickly put away.

The knights moved very quickly.

However, just when the tents were all put away and they were ready to leave at any time, the thick fog rolled and spread outwards like dark clouds. Even the golden light around Kant, which was suppressed, shrank a lot inward.

Everyone gathered together and barely resisted the increasingly thick black-gray fog!

"There's a sound!"

The knights reminded in a deep voice.

"Be careful!", the knights in the north said, "The speed isn't fast. It seems that a group of undead footmen are approaching us!"

They all had rich experience on the battlefield.

It was even easier to distinguish the location by listening to the sound, even if the wind was accompanied by faint screams.

Kant narrowed his eyes.

In the thick fog in the north, he could roughly see an area of 30 meters.

"Ka Ka" sounds appeared.

One by one, black shadows broke through the thick fog with the sound of footsteps.

They seemed to be holding long halberds and wearing light yellow armors. They walked step by step in an orderly and rhythmic manner. It was as if everyone's footsteps were the same. No, their steps were exactly at the same pace.

"Elite troops.", this thought appeared in Kant's mind.

In the era of cold weapons, those who could walk in such orderly steps could be called elites.

This represented discipline.

It represented teamwork.

In fact, even the troop class of Caradia were unable to form such orderly steps.

Other than the level 5 Swadian Rhodok Sergeant, these kingdoms that paid attention to discipline were specially trained. As for the powerful footman kingdom, Kingdom of Nords, even the level 6 Royal Guards of Nords were unable to form such orderly steps.

Although it did not represent combat strength, it could represent the discipline and tenacity of the troops.

This was an elite force that could withstand the enemy's attack!

"Enemy!"

However, the mage apprentices cried out in alarm.

Their voices were hurried as they loudly reminded Kant and the Royal Knights and Lion Knights beside him, "It's the skeleton warriors, the basic combat units of the undead!"

Kant frowned. All the knights looked at the army that had broken through the thick fog in front of them.

The pale yellow armor seemed to be made of chain armor mixed with gold.

The long halberds in their hands were all gilded with gold. The sharp halberds were the terrifying weapons made of fine steel.

However, that was not the case.

The chain armor made of gold had long been tattered. It was like a rag that was draped over the body of the skeleton that was left. Under the rusted pointed helmet, the blue soul fire in the white bones' eye sockets burned with hatred for the living.

The long halberd that looked like a work of art was also rusted and cracked.

Even the front end of some of the halberds had been shattered, leaving only half of the long rod.

"Skeleton warriors?"

Kant snorted slightly.

He turned his head to look at the knights who had gathered around him and were all ready. he shouted, "Get rid of them!"

"Kill!"

The knights shouted.

The warhorses under them instantly sped up.

Their bodies were shining with golden light. The 30 Swadian Royal Knights charged fearlessly towards the skeleton warriors in the thick gray-black fog. They were still as easily destroyed as before. Rays of golden light flashed, and pieces of the skeletons were shattered.

Dozens of skeleton warriors holding long halberds were instantly annihilated.

However, Kant and the others had yet to relax.

In the thick gray-black fog, the "Ka Ka" sounds became more and more frequent.

Everyone's expressions became tense again. They held their weapons tightly and looked at each other. Then, they stared at the darkness in front of them because more enemies had appeared there!

And the number of enemies was increasing!

"Prepare to retreat!"

Kant gritted his teeth, but he did not plan to go any deeper.

If he continued to go deeper, who knew how many terrifying skeletons of the undead race he would encounter.

He wasn't afraid of these skeletons, but he definitely couldn't ignore the unknown number of skeletons. He knew nothing about the actual strength of the enemy.

Only by knowing yourself and the enemy could you win a hundred battles.

"Hum --"

But just as Kant was about to retreat, a ray of golden light suddenly appeared in the sky.

The dark clouds in the sky dispersed as if they were breaking through ice. The grayish-black fog also kept retreating and shrinking. Even the terrifying "Ka-ka" sound began to disappear in the retreating and shrinking fog.

In less than half an hour, the dark clouds and thick fog dispersed.

Kant raised his head in shock.

In the middle of his head, the scorching sun was releasing a terrifying temperature.

It was noon.

Chapter 301: The Evil Under the Sand Layer

The sun was blazing, but it was already noon.

The frozen sand layer evaporated under the heat, turning into curling mist that rose like a gentle mist. It made the surrounding desert faintly distort, but it was quickly evaporated into nothing by the suppressed heat.

At noon, the Nahrin Desert was at its hottest, which was also the time when the positive energy was at its hottest.

The dark clouds and thick fog formed by the negative energy were unable to stop it.

The ice melted.

The undead retreated without a trace.

Kant rode his horse and stood where he was. In less than half an hour, it was as if a long time had passed.

He turned his head slightly and saw that the traces of the campsite were still there. The bonfire had not even been completely extinguished. Smoke was released from the layers of sand, bringing a different color to the space.

Looking up ahead, the endless sea of sand was still the same yellow and desolate appearance.

It looked the same as before.

But Kant knew that he could no longer return to the past.

The sand around him was full of broken bones, scattered all over the ground. There were also tattered halberds and chain armor, as well as the torn linen cloth that was slowly moving in the gentle breeze between the layers of sand.

Those were the legacies left behind by the undead skeletons!

"My Lord."

The mage apprentice opened his mouth and reported in a deep voice, "The negative energy belonging to the undead has dissipated."

"Very good.", Kant nodded.

However, his tone was slightly hesitant. He raised his head and looked forward, saying in a deep voice, "Continue to move forward!"

"Yes!"

The knights behind immediately responded.

The warhorse stepped forward. Its hooves stepped on the broken bones on the ground, sinking into the sand and leaving a mark.

Danger ahead.

However, Kant still did not want to stop moving forward. Now, it was not as simple as completing the system quest. At the same time, he also wanted to investigate what was in the depths of the desert and how many terrifying undead were there!

This was the depths of the Nahrin Desert.

The location was four days away from the salt mine and seven days away from the salt mine posthouse.

It was also eight days away from the Oasis Lookout.

If the undead here began to expand, then the "Drondheim" Castle located in the Oasis Lookout was also located on the route of the undead's expansion. Or rather, directly facing the expansion of the undead!

The Sky Veil of Death that seemed to cover the sky would spread.

Just like last night.

When Kant was camping, he was at the edge of the Sky Veil of Death.

But when he woke up this morning, he found that he was already in the Sky Veil of Death, and he didn't know where he was!

Only at noon, when the sun was at its brightest, did the positive energy gather its terrifying power and disperse the Sky Veil of Death, allowing Kant and the others to regain their light.

If this terrifying Sky Veil of Death showed up at the Oasis Lookout.

Kant wasn't sure what kind of danger his 'Drondheim' Castle would face?!

Even if it spread to the salt mines, the losses it would bring would be huge.

The salt mines that controlled by Kant would be gone. The golden eagles that were plundered every week due to the table salt trade would be cut off from their source, and there would even be a chain reaction, causing his 'Drondheim' Castle to fall into a death cycle.

If he could not resolve the Sky Veil of Death, he would not be able to obtain the golden eagles to exchange for denar, and he would not be able to maintain his army.

And if he could not maintain his army, he would not be able to get rid the Sky Veil of Death!

Back and forth.

The death loop made Kant feel like he was being strangled by the death loop!

He absolutely could not allow his development to be directly interrupted by the sudden arrival of the undead, and he could not allow his castle to become a bridgehead that would be in vain to resist the invasion of the undead. Furthermore, the human noble behind him would secretly dig a hole and bury him!

The nobles of the Dukedom of Leo, who only cared about the interests at hand, really dared to do such a thing.

Kant was certain!

As long as Kant was killed, then the desert salt mine would fall into the hands of the noble of the Dukedom of Leo. As for the undead? This group of noble, who cared nothing about the big picture, did not think that they would not be able to resist the undead.

After all, these undead once existed in some deep and ancient tombs on this road.

The noble families were not unfamiliar with undead.

Especially in the North County, tombs that could breed undead could be seen everywhere. Almost every knight's territory or noble's land would have a few places where undead could be found.

Even if it was not an ancient tomb, in a cemetery that had been around for decades, there might still be undead.

After all, negative energy converged with the resentment of the undead, so it was normal for undead to appear.

However, the number of the undead was not many. The peasants could form an organization to recruit volunteer and armed militia, and then sent a team of long lance footmen would be enough to deal with the undead. The level of danger was almost as weak as the demonized creatures in the Senwaya Range.

How could it be compared to the undead army in this Sky Veil of Death just now?

These undead had already formed a terrifying Sky Veil of Death.

Other than the knights who possessed extraordinary powers that could be ignored the effect of the veil, but the normal elites who entered the veil would have their combat strength weakened.

If it was an ordinary person or a thin peasant, it was estimated that it would not be long before the negative energy mixed with the resentment would corrode their minds and bodies, causing them to die in sickness and panic. Their corpses would even be corroded by the negative energy of the veil and become undead once again, with extreme fear and resentment, as well as hatred towards the living, they would turn into undead zombies!

This point was also recorded in some ancient books in this world. In the books in the academy, there were even examples of large-scale undead moving out, gathering negative energy, and turning the entire village's residents into zombies with resentment.

However, such examples had been around for a long time.

But in front of such examples, it still showed how terrifying the undead were!

Kant himself might be able to resist the invasion of the undead, but he definitely could not take care of the Dukedom of Leo's secret assault at the same time!

"I have to deal with one first."

Grinding his teeth slightly, Kant had already decided in his heart.

First, he had to scout the undead, first suppress their desire to expand, ensure the safety of the salt mines, quickly develop his own forces in a short period of time, and then suppress the noble families of the Dukedom of Leo. This was the best plan.

There was definitely a reason for the appearance of the undead.

At that time, in the Underground City of the karst cave at the end of the ancient passage, the Old Lich had predicted this.

"I'm so stupid."

Kant grinded his teeth and steered his horse forward with a gloomy expression.

Since everyone knew that even the Pope of the so-called Sun God Sect had become a Lich, how could the lost city, which had suffered a great disaster, which was also the Golden Holy City where the Sun God's descendants lived, did not have accidents happen?

According to the bits and pieces of information given by the demons and god's descendants, the gods and demons had fought until they were at the end of their rope.

It was just like the Third World War between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

Both sides threw nuclear warheads at each other.

In the end, both sides suffered irreparable losses in the war.

In order to win the final victory, gods and demons used whatever means they could. Now, it seemed that they had even used the means of the undead. They did not care at all, just to kill each other.

It was a war of genocide.

But in the end, both sides suffered heavy losses. The remaining power still had an impact.

While Kant's mind was running wild, the mage apprentices next to him became more and more serious. They spurred their horses forward, stepping on the sand layer and facing the scorching sun as they continued to approach the depths of the Nahrin Desert. Finally, they seemed to have discovered something.

"My Lord!"

The mage apprentices suddenly opened their mouths.

Kant instantly came back to his senses and turned his head. "What's wrong?"

Although the apprentice mages from the Enfath Empire did not master powerful spells, they could still bring a lot of beneficial effects in terms of sensing spiritual power and magic knowledge.

For example, sensing and analyzing various energy elements were very useful.

"We know where the undead have gone."

The mage apprentices opened their mouths, and their expressions became even more serious. "There are also the dark clouds and thick fog that form the Sky Veil of Death."

"Where?", Kant frowned.

"It's... under the sand layer, under our feet!", the mage apprentice said in a deep voice.

He paused slightly.

The knights at the side subconsciously slowed down the galloping speed of their warhorse.

They all turned their heads to look at Kant and the mage apprentices.

Their expressions were solemn.

"This is not good news."

Kant could not help but mutter to himself.

His brows were already tightly furrowed. He turned to look at the mage apprentice. "Are you sure about this news?"

"Yes!"

The mage apprentice nodded. "Very sure!"

At the same time, they gave their own guess. "We went deep into the Nahrin Desert. Although the temperature of the scorching sun above our heads was still unbearable, there was a chill coming from below us. It was different from usual. This chill was neutralized by the temperature of the scorching sun. It just so happened that we could barely march at noon so that we would not suffer from heat stroke."

"That's true.", Kant nodded.

The knights beside him also noticed this subtle difference.

Because of the Sky Veil of Death, they didn't think about how they could still run under the scorching sun at noon. If it was before, they would have set up camp and hide in tents to rest.

However, this time was different. They were still marching, and there was not much heat.

There was definitely a problem!

The mage apprentices continued, "The problem is very serious! We carefully sensed the bottom of the sand layer and found that there were many ancient river channels under the sand layer. At the same time, there were also many underground rivers. It was these underground rivers that absorbed the dark clouds and thick fog, and even absorbed all the negative energy."

After a pause, Kant continued, "Including the undead skeletons. The soft sand layer can form quicksand, causing the undead to sink into the sand. When the Sky Veil of Death appears again, they will be able to push away the quicksand and enter the world."

"Ha.", Kant laughed softly, but his eyes were solemn.

This problem.

Was really troublesome!

It even gave Kant the feeling that these undead were intentionally avoiding the scorching sun.

Or rather, someone was controlling all of this from behind!

At this moment, a dialog box popped up on Kant's retina, listing a series of data.

[ Ding... After your tireless efforts, the temporary side quest has been completed. ]

[ Temporary Side Quest: 'Last Wish' completed. ]

[ Reward: Spring Eye X 1]

[ Introduction: You followed the spirit's guidance to the depths of the Nahrin Desert, only to discover that this place had long since fallen into the world of the undead. The glory of the past was no longer there. Time had wiped out everything, leaving behind only the evil that appeared due to obsession. ]

Side Quest completed.

However, a new quest appeared on his retina.

It was a very special selective quest.

[ Ding... Special Quest released... ]

Chapter 302: Kant’s Choice to Retreat

The system popped up a dialog box on Kant's retina.

[ Ding... Special Quest issued ]

[ Special Quest: Choice ]

[ Mission Choice: Advance/retreat ]

[ Mission introduction: You can choose to advance and go deep into the desert to investigate detailed information. You may encounter danger, or you may also get an opportunity. You can also choose to retreat and return to your castle to prepare for yourself. You can be cautious to ensure your own safety and seek more benefits in the future. The choice of all these is in your hands. ]

The system was very clear.

However, this special quest from the system made Kant personally make a decision, which was still out of his expectations.

"Choice."

Kant muttered to himself.

His eyes swept across the dialog box on his retina, carefully scanning through the words in the introduction.

Unfortunately, he could not find the system's metaphorical expression. He had given the choice to Kant, allowing him to personally choose whether to advance or retreat, and then make a completely different outcome.

It was entirely his choice.

Kant pondered.

He looked up at the vast sea of sand in front of him, and finally made a choice. "Retreat!"

That was the retreat option in the system's choice.

[ Ding... You have made your choice ]

[ You have decided to retreat. Facing unknown dangers, you need to be cautious. This is undoubtedly a wise choice. Only by knowing yourself and your enemy can you be undefeated in a hundred battles. You have decided to return to your own estate first before you consider it. However, you know very well that it is wise to focus on nurturing your own forces to resist future threats. ]

The system instantly popped up a dialog box.

However, it was not the dialog box for completing the mission.

"Let's go!"

Kant understood what the system meant.

He turned the horse's head, shook the reins, and let the warhorse gallop across the desert.

The knights behind him immediately followed, their faces solemn.

This was the supreme lord's choice.

However, for the mage apprentices, they heaved a sigh of relief. Because for them, entering the depths of the Nahrin Desert directly, especially sensing the negative energy and evil at the bottom, made them even more scared.

The road ahead was really difficult, to the point that even these apprentices from the Enfath Empire were afraid!

Kant's choice was really wise.

Although they knew that they might encounter more opportunities if they continued to move forward.

But fighting the strong opponent with their current strength, the dangers ahead would be more and more terrifying!

"It's good to go back."

The mage apprentices let out a sigh of relief. They shook the reins and urged their horses to follow immediately.

Under the protection of these extraordinary knights, they felt particularly at ease. However, what made them feel more at ease was that they were still in the castle. Therefore, they suggested to Kant, "Perhaps we can study the sun disk and find a way to use positive energy."

Kant frowned. The mage apprentices had also delved into the sun disk before.

"Uh... That's right, the sun disk."

As if sensing Kant's suspicion, the mage apprentices were also embarrassed.

Their tone paused for a moment, but they still explained, "We found part of the research on the sun disk in senior's notebook. It might be able to solve the current predicament we're in. After all, the positive energy gathered by the sun disk has an extremely high ability to expel and dissolve the negative energy of demons and undead."

"Can you solve it?", Kant wasn't questioning their theory, but their practical ability.

They had a criminal record.

Of course, the mage apprentices were even more embarrassed. "The seven senior mages before us might be able to solve it."

"That's good.", Kant nodded.

If that was the case, there wouldn't be a problem. As long as the seven official mages who were still in the "Aaron" Town were quickly recalled, it would be fine. After all, the crisis of "Drondheim" Castle was the most important.

Because how to deal with the coming Sky Veil of Death was very important in Kant's eyes!

This was a higher level spell.

A super large scale spell that increased the BUFF of allies and weakened the enemy's status BUFF.

Even the combination of [ Commanding power ] and [ Intimidation ] that he currently had was only so-so!

"If I can research the positive energy in the sun disk, perhaps I can really solve the Sky Veil of Death here. But the most important thing is to reorganize the troops and continue to attack."

Kant felt a little depressed.

The threat he had seen during his trip this time made his heart palpitate.

If those unknown undead began to spread towards the south from the depths of the Nahrin Desert, Kant would be the first to bear the brunt of the invasion. He would face the invasion of these undead, and an intense conflict would break out between the two sides.

This disrupted his plans.

Originally, Kant had planned to use the trade route to gradually infiltrate the Dukedom of Leo and gain power or turn it into a colony. He would even spread his influence on other kingdoms and use the high-priced table salt trade to turn them into dumping grounds.

His goal was to earn a large number of golden eagles!

Then, he would expand his influence to the point where he could annex kingdoms, devouring the influence he had.

One step at a time, safe and secure.

But now was not the time.

Before he could successfully carry out this plan, a sudden change had come.

The appearance of the undead had disrupted his plans, and he had to reconsider.

In fact, based on Kant's current situation, he was still facing the danger of a two-pronged battle. After all, the salt mines were Kant's bottom line, and he had to send troops to protect them.

However, the table salt trade of the Dukedom of Leo would also attract a large number of armed forces with ulterior motives.

Even various bandit groups would come.

"Violent soldiers!"

Kant gritted his teeth and gripped the reins in his hands tightly.

He had to put all of his resources into the construction of the troops.

He spurred his horse and galloped wildly.

Kant turned his head and had some thoughts in his mind.

The elite troops policy was temporarily ineffective due to the possibility of a two-pronged battle. If Kant did not have enough troops, he would not be able to form a defensive line. In particular, he needed troops to establish two defensive lines for the posthouse of the salt mines and the central posthouse.

In reality, "Drondheim" Castle did not face much pressure at the beginning.

If the enemy really attacked the city wall, it meant that Kant's field troops would be completely annihilated.

At that time, this would be the last line of defense!

However, "Drondheim" Castle had a complete training camp, such as the footmen, crossbowmen, and cavalry training camps. They had all been built. It was completely possible to recruit civilians in the castle and begin large-scale training.

It wouldn't take too long for Kant to produce an army that could be put to good use.

"Let's go back first."

Kant exhaled.

He spurred his horse forward.

The scorching sun at noon was hot, but the coldness from underground dispersed the heat.

Marching was still not a problem.

It was just that this phenomenon made them, who already knew the inside story, even more fearful.

Compared to being able to march and endure noon, Kant and the others were more willing to return to their old days. They had to hide in tents under the scorching noon sun. It was easier this way!

After several days of trekking, the saline-alkali soil that covered the mountains and plains in the desert pits finally appeared.

This was once a lake.

One could still see the remnants of the ancient river course.

However, it had already dried up, and even the lake had evaporated, leaving behind large areas of saline-alkali soil. Looking from the shore, from the bottom of the foot to the end of the horizon, where one could not see the horizon, there were patches of white-colored alkali soil.

An incalculable amount of coarse salt was sprinkled in this desert, mixed with sand grains, forming a system of its own.

Even the sandstorm could not cover it up.

Even in the industrial era, with large-scale equipment and modern fluid mining, the coarse salt here could be mined for hundreds of years, let alone in the feudal era of cold weapons, which could only be mined by humans.

Just the salt beach on the periphery, not to mention the salt lake in the inner part, would probably be mined for thousands of years!

Kant would never give up his wealth.

Along the dunes that were full of salt and alkali soil, it would take another three days to reach the posthouse.

There was no rest along the way.

It was a long journey.

The occasional simple rest was mainly on the road.

Finally, they arrived at the salt mine posthouse.

Twenty desert bandits were still on alert, patrolling with scimitars in their hands.

In the salt and alkali soil under the sand dune of the posthouse, 300 ragged slave miners were working hard to dig coarse salt. There were also more than 30 well-dressed men with horsewhips in their hands.

On the edge of the alkali soil were 30 Swadian militia armed with hunting crossbow and clad in iron-plated armor.

It was often better to let the slaves manage the slaves than to let them manage the slaves themselves.

This was the way to draw and suppress the slaves.

This time, a caravan of 50 camels arrived and was transporting bags of coarse salt that had already been piled up.

When they saw Kant, the peasants, militia, and desert bandits came over to salute him. Even the slave miners in the distance, under the whips of their comrades-in-arms, kneeled on the ground in a daze and saluted him.

After cruel training, these captives had become qualified slaves.

Of course, those who were not qualified were naturally "disposed".

"My Lord."

The desert bandits, militia, and peasants all came over to salute him.

"Yes."

Kant didn't have any intention of stopping on his warhorse. "There is an anomaly in the depths of the desert. If you meet the undead, you will deal with them if you can. If you can't, then retreat to the castle!"

"Yes!", the desert bandits and the militia looked at each other and discovered the shock in their eyes.

This news was indeed shocking.

Kant also understood that it was sudden.

However, he didn't explain too much and only said in a deep voice, "Remember my words, don't slack off in the slightest!"

"We'll remain vigilant!"

The desert bandits and the militia hurriedly nodded.

The 20 peasants who had followed the camel caravan here asked Kant worriedly, "My lord, if there are undead in the depths of the desert, will it destroy our table salt trade?"

"Don't worry, I will handle it."

Kant said in a deep voice.

This was indeed the truth. If he couldn't handle it, not only would these peasants lose their jobs, but he would also lose an important boost to his development.

After all, the large-scale exchange of denars was all thanks to the gold currency, the golden eagle.

If he lost the table salt trade, Kant would lose the source of the denar.

The output and slave trade alone couldn't satisfy the expanding development. Especially the development and construction of the "Aaron" town, which needed a large amount of denars to support.

The development of agriculture and handicraft industries also cost a lot in the beginning!

Chapter 303: A New Strategy

The situation was urgent, and Kant did not stay at the salt mine posthouse for long.

They continued trekking towards the Oasis Lookout.

It took him two weeks to get back to "Drondheim" Castle, but it was also the last week of the month. Kant did not have much time left, and it was very urgent.

On his return journey from the depths of the Nahrin Desert, he could clearly understand the advance range of the Sky Veil of Death.

He estimated that it would reach the north side of the salt mine in two months.

In four months, it could cover the entire south side of the salt mine posthouse.

In five months, it would be enough to expand to the Oasis Lookout and directly swallow the castle that stood there!

If he did not want to face a catastrophe, he had to make preparations. For example, as the mage apprentices said, one of the methods was to specifically study the sun disk, which could gather positive energy and weaken negative energy.

However, Kant would not place all his hopes on the research of these mages.

There were still three holes for a crafty rabbit.

Not to mention Kant!

He quickly returned to the council hall and did not have time to rest. He waved his hand and ordered, "Summon Firentis to meet me at the council hall immediately. At the same time, send desert bandits to Aaron to inform the seven mages temporarily stationed there to return immediately."

"Yes!", the Swadian Knight standing guard at the door immediately nodded. After receiving the order, he immediately went to do it.

Swift and decisive.

Everyone could feel the suppressed emotions in Kant's heart.

Everyone was afraid to make a mistake at this time.

Very soon, Firentis, who was patrolling the city walls to ensure the city's defense, returned.

He had originally been urging the construction team to build the urn city. Now that the plan had just been completed and a few foundations had been built, he did not expect Kant to return so quickly. Kant came to the council hall without greeting to him.

It was clear that the results of his investigation this time were not optimistic.

"Lord Kant."

Firentis lowered his head and bowed with a solemn expression.

"There's no need to be so polite.", Kant waved his hand and let Firentis sit down. He asked directly, "During the time I was away, did anything unusual happen in the castle and the posthouse?"

"No.", Firentis replied.

"That's good.", Kant took a deep breath and nodded calmly. "We have to be careful in the future. We are now facing an evil invasion. If we are not careful, we might be destroyed."

Firentis frowned. "I don't understand what you mean."

"Ha.", Kant chuckled, slightly bitter.

Kant pointed to the north and said, "It's in the depths of the Nahrin Desert. That's right. It's the Devil's Land that those Jackalans mentioned. In fact, it has really become a Devil's Land. However, what appears is not the unbearable heat, but the cold, bone-piercing undead!"

"Undead?", Firentis was even more stunned. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I once read a similar novel. It's a group of... Undead who rose from the dead?"

"That's right, it's this kind of thing."

Kant nodded and rubbed his temples with his hands. "This is really troublesome."

Not only was it troublesome.

It was also a big trouble that could kill!

If it was just those undead that did not know how to get tired and only had skeletons left, it would not be enough to attract Kant's attention. However, with the expanding Sky Veil of Death, it would be even more important!

The Sky Veil of Death was obviously corrosive and viral. It was also a large-scale negative status buff.

The Swadian Royal Knights who had positive energy could ignore it.

However, the Sarion Lion Knights who could use negative energy and had a recovery effect could only barely resist it!

Clearly, this was the source of the trouble.

If it was a normal army without the support of positive energy, when they faced the Sky Veil of Death, which was the negative energy cluster of the undead, would not only weaken their own combat strength significantly, it would also cause the entire battle situation to collapse.

The combat strength of the skeleton warriors was at most comparable to the Swadian Militia, and they still had the advantage of being tireless.

If it was a battle battle.

In other words, if both sides were to fight on the same scale, the Swadian Militia would be able to defeat these undead skeleton warriors who were armed with tattered weapons and wearing rusty armor, and they would obliterate the undead and win.

After all, a body of flesh and blood with muscles and blood was still relatively strong in a short period of time.

However, the undead had the Sky Veil of Death.

They did not know how to tire.

They could completely make use of the dark clouds and fog to attack the human troops tirelessly.

Moreover, the undead had always won in terms of numbers. The sea of skeletons that could fill the mountains and plains was like a never-ending wave that insisted on devouring any creatures that were in their way.

When the two were added together, it was equivalent to having an advantage over each other.

Kant described the information he knew in detail to Firentis.

This made Firentis, a noble born in an fictional historical world, a little dumbfounded. Fortunately, he quickly came back to his senses and accepted the current setting.

After all, he had even seen the Jackalans, so it was not difficult for the undead to accept it.

"I just feel that it's a little unbelievable."

Firentis smiled bitterly.

He reached out and rubbed the space between his eyebrows, he looked at Kant and said, "According to what you said, as humans, we are in a severely disadvantaged group. If the undead were to attack us, in fact, even if we had the advantage in the city defense, it would mean that we would have no advantage at all. In the end, we would still be defeated?"

"Perhaps, the possibility is very high.", Kant nodded. This was a conclusion based on the information he had so far, and it was not an alarmist. However, he still sighed and said, "Of course, this is the worst case scenario."

"It's really bad."

Firentis nodded and said hesitantly, "If the undead appear in our salt mine, perhaps even if we send troops over, our troops would not be able to solve the predicament of being pressed by the undead step by step."

"But without troops, we can only surrender.", Kant frowned.

"Is there no solution?", Firentis also frowned.

"Not yet... No, there is a solution."

Kant was about to deny it, but he thought of what the mage apprentices said and immediately changed his words. "There is a solution. The mage apprentices claimed that they might be able to study the positive energy in the sun disk."

"Sun disk?"

Firentis was slightly stunned and subconsciously turned his head. "You mean the golden creation placed on the top of the bell tower?"

"That's right.", Kant nodded.

The sun disk had always been installed on the top of the bell tower.

The temperature that was absorbed and released every day could balance the temperature of the entire council hall. It gave people a comfortable feeling, just like a central air conditioner that could mediate the difference in temperature.

However, most people did not mind this.

It could only mediate the difference in temperature. In fact, the effect of this sun disk was not as good as other strange objects.

For example, the pages that could summon elements, the flags that could slow down the enemy's morale, and the horns that could increase the morale of their own side.

These strange objects were more useful.

The elemental gemstones that were obtained every week were an additional source of denar.

When Kant was short of denar, he used the elemental gemstones he obtained from killing the elemental giant to exchange for a lot of denars. He endured many difficult weeks before he obtained more.

The awkward thing was that the current [ Page of fertile soil ] and [ Page of clear spring ] had a lower effect.

Although he could obtain a small amount of soil and fresh water.

But compared to the land and spring vein that the system gave him, it was practically useless.

The land that the system had given him was measured in acres. Moreover, the sand layer underground had also been changed. It was about three meters of soil instead of sand, which was why it was able to form an effective irrigation system.

Even the spring veins were connected to the water elemental plane. Fresh water was constantly flowing out.

Just a few hundred pounds of soil and a few gallons of fresh water were not of much use to Kant at the moment. Even if he had already killed the elemental giant, he was too lazy to recover the soil.

He looked outside the city walls. There was already a thin layer of soil covering the sand layer.

"Wait."

Kant suddenly froze when he thought of this.

If those mages could study the sun disk, then they could definitely study these two pages of strange objects!

After all, these two pages of strange objects had been salvaged together with the sun disk at the bottom of the well. Moreover, judging from the level of the strange objects, perhaps these two pages of strange objects could not be compared to the sun disk.

After all, the function of the pages was only to summon elemental giants.

If the mages could figure out a deeper function, it might be helpful for the upcoming battle.

It was like the mages' nature summoning.

Each time, they could summon five golems with iron hammers. If they could increase the number of summoned golems or increase the combat strength of the golems, they could make up for the current predicament Kant was in.

After all, golems were magic creations, not flesh and blood.

That was why the Sky Veil of Death had no effect on them!

This way, if he could not resolve the veil during a war, he could send these golems to the battlefield first. Even if he could not defeat the undead, he could at least slow down the speed of the advance.

Five months seemed to be a long time, but in fact, it was enough to severely injure Kant when he arrived at the salt mine posthouse in the fourth month.

After all, the current table salt trade was Kant's main source of denar!

As they communicated, Firentis also understood the seriousness of the matter.

This was indeed very serious.

He solemnly reported to Kant, "Manid led the trade caravan to Fangorn Forest and returned. They just arrived at the castle yesterday evening. The members of the trade caravan should have finished their rest by now."

"Okay, let Manid come over.", Kant nodded.

Fangorn Forest was the area of the "Lord of the Rings" MOD. It was a magical fantasy world.

A guard went to the third floor to summon Manid.

While Kant waited, he could not help but sigh, "I hope that we can bring some surprises in Fangorn Forest."

In terms of magic, the "Lord of the Rings MOD" was not a low-magic world. It looked like a low-magic world, but in fact, it belonged to a high-magic world. After all, the high gods and legendary races were not comparable to the low-magic world.

Even the magic that could create new races and destroy the world existed in the 'Lord of the Rings MOD'.

For example, the Uruk-hai created by Saruman.

There was also Sauron who could change the terrain. He had the identity of a world destroyer.

Soon.

Manid walked out of the room.

His sleepy eyes were still a little loose, but he was full of energy.

"Lord Kant!", He bowed respectfully and reported happily, "I led the trade caravan to a new world, a world different from the land of miracles and Caradia!"

Chapter 304: The Spring of Nature of Ent

Manid's spirits were extremely high.

It was clear that this trip to Fangorn Forest's trade caravan had given him a fruitful harvest.

And that was indeed the case.

Before he could finish his sentence, Manid hurried reported to Kant, "In Fangorn Forest, the legendary Ent called Treebeard received us very warmly. He also expressed his heartfelt respect for you, Lord Kant, who walked in the Land of Miracles."

"Yes, I understand.", Kant nodded. This was a constant rule of the system. As long as anyone came from any MOD world, they would respect him from the bottom of their hearts. It was like they were extremely good family and would never betray the supreme.

This was undoubtedly very beneficial to Kant.

This meant that his trade caravan could be treated with respect in any world.

After all, trade caravan mainly made money.

If he went to a certain world and entered a certain kingdom or faction, not only did he not establish a good trading environment, but he was also robbed and lost the trade caravan for nothing. That would be very unlucky and depressing.

It was also a considerable loss. So far, Kant only had three trade caravans.

"Right."

Manid seemed to have thought of something.

He turned his head and took out a brown water sack from his bosom. He placed it on the table and said respectfully to Kant, "This is a gift from the legendary Ent, Treebeard."

"Huh?", Kant frowned in confusion.

The water sack on the table was indeed an ordinary water sack.

It was so ordinary that it was not even comparable to the water sack that he personally owned and had a silver edge on it!

Beside him, Firentis was also slightly stunned. He looked at the ordinary water sack made of leather and slightly shrugged. He asked Manid, "Hey, Mr. Manid, I think you have made a mistake?"

"No, no, this is indeed a gift from Mr. Treebeard."

Manid just happened to nod.

Kant, on the other hand, frowned. He looked at the water sack and said thoughtfully, "Bring it over for me."

The maid behind him immediately went to bring the water sack to Kant.

As expected.

This was an ordinary water sack, but it was bulging. There seemed to be something in it that was holding it. It felt soft to the touch, and as Kant shook it, there was a "gurgle" sound of liquid colliding.

It was like the kumis that was held in the water sack.

"Is it liquid?"

Kant understood, but he still looked at Manid and asked specifically, "What kind of liquid is inside?"

Manid smiled bitterly and shook his head. "Mr. Treebeard didn't say it explicitly."

"Treebeard is the leader of the forest Ents and the wise among the Ents. The gift he gave me definitely has a special meaning, but you have to guess for yourself. It really is the temper style of this old kid Treebeard."

Kant shook his head helplessly.

However, there was a hint of light between his brows.

Compared to before, his face, which was solemn due to the threat of the undead and tired due to the long journey, was much more relaxed now. His entire state of mind seemed to have relaxed.

It was as if the burden in his heart had eased a little. He let out a sigh of relief.

"Pop --"

Kant opened the cork, and a soft sound was heard.

However, as the water sack was opened, a light fragrance was instantly emitted, just like the fragrance of the morning after the rain. Everything was revived, welcoming the sunlight after the rain, that delightful fragrance.

"This smell... is just like being in the dense forest of the Kingdom of Rhodoks..."

Firentis could not help but mutter softly.

"It really smells good...", Manid nodded in agreement.

"This fragrance."

Kant was attracted by it, as if he was tasting the most beautiful perfume in the world.

After sniffing it slightly, he stuffed the stopper back on and couldn't help but shake his head. "Even I haven't smelled such a fragrance. It's elegant yet fresh. It's even more pleasing than the rain forest and the grassland after the rain."

"That's right.", Firentis and Manid nodded with emotion.

The fragrance even filled the council hall.

Even after opening the cork for a short while, the entire council hall was filled with such a fragrance.

The guards all looked over.

Even the maids beside them couldn't help but bite their lower lips. Their big, watery eyes seemed to be flowing.

If this kind of fragrance was perfume, no lady could resist it.

"This is... the Spring of Nature?"

Suddenly, a voice came.

Kant and the others turned their heads. At the staircase, Joslin also came down and smelled the fragrance in the council hall, he said in surprise, "I once wanted to find those hidden Noldor Elves in the Pendor Continent and get the Spring of Nature for Lord Kant. I didn't expect Mr. Manid to bring it back!"

"The Spring of Nature?", Firentis and Manid frowned. This was the first time they had heard of such a thing.

But Kant was slightly stunned.

He quickly reacted and asked in a deep voice, "The Spring of Nature?"

"Yes!"

Joslin nodded. "The last thing the Noldor Elves rely on to survive. It's a pity that I didn't find them. Otherwise, with your name, Kant, I would have been able to get some from them."

After a pause, Joslin rubbed his nose awkwardly. "But even if we were to able to find it, there wouldn't be so much of it."

Kant's water sack was filled to the brim.

If an ordinary person drank it like water, it wouldn't be a problem for them to drink it for a day.

In an instant.

The system's dialog box popped up on his retina.

[ Spring of Nature (consumable) : The Spring of Nature is a legendary holy spring that flows in many worlds. Only those who love nature can have it. Effect: can accelerate the growth of vegetation. After diluted, ordinary people can obtain the divine power of nature and the energy to dispel evil and disease. The duration is related to the amount of drinking. ]

The system gave a detailed introduction of the item.

Kant held the seemingly ordinary water sack in his hand, and his breathing was a little hurried. "Accelerate the growth of vegetation, and obtain... the divine power of nature to dispel evil and disease?"

That's right, the system's introduction had indeed stated that.

But as Kant's heart beat, he suddenly felt a surge of excitement!

"I have an idea!"

He slightly clenched the water sack, and the corners of his mouth curled into a smile.

As long as he had this water sack that contained the Spring of Nature, Kant would be able to ignore the undead's Sky Veil of Death. This was the method he instantly thought of, because the current Kant was facing the threat of the undead in the depths of the desert!

After dealing with the Sky Veil of Death that could cast negative status on ordinary troop class, he would be in an undefeatable position!

"Oh, I remember now."

Manid suddenly opened his mouth and patted his own head, he said helplessly, "I was in a daze. Mr. Treebeard once said that this Spring of Nature can accelerate the growth of the vegetation. It has a very good effect in agriculture and animal husbandry. If it is used by the Ents, it can completely accelerate the growth of the ancient vegetation trees and enlighten the new Ents!"

Joslin also nodded and said, "That's right. In the legend of the Noldor Elves, there was also the assistance of the Ents. Unfortunately, the Noldor Elves lost the source of theSpring of Nature and also lost the mysterious race of the Ents."

"This is really amazing."

Firentis could not get a word in edgewise.

Although he was noble, what they were talking about had already exceeded his usual understanding.

In other words, Kant's influence could no longer be limited to the traditional historical MOD world. It should move towards a higher level of fantasy MOD world.

It could be seen from the current troop class.

The original level 5 troop class of the Continent of Caradia could no longer support the main beam.

Fortunately, with the help of the level 6 troop class from fantasy MOD world', "Light & Darkness", Kant could maintain his current strength and not be defeated by the fantasy power of the local world.

If they were to really compare, the historical MOD world was indeed innately inadequate.

The world Kant had transmigrated to was, after all, the Earth Demon World, but it was also a fantasy world!

"We will understand more in the future."

Kant sighed.

In his mind, he thought of Bunduk, who was still recuperating in Aaron Town. He had been corroded into a bloody person by the demon's blood. If it wasn't for the Sword of King and the seven official mages, the consequences might have been unimaginable.

This was the direct loss caused by the supernatural power of this world.

He would really encounter more in the future.

However, Kant raised the water sack in his hand. Inside was a bulging Spring of Nature. After diluting it, it would be no problem for everyone to take a sip and obtain the divine power of nature for a short period of time.

This would ensure that all troop classes would temporarily become supernatural troop classes.

"There's also the growth of Ents..."

Kant turned his head slightly and looked at Manid and Joslin. "Could it be that this spring water can really transform ordinary trees into natural species like the Ents?"

The introduction did not explain this point.

However, the system's introduction also did not point out too many details.

Jocelyn and Manid looked at each other and nodded affirmatively. "That's right, Lord Kant. The information we received can indeed transform ordinary ancient trees into Ents."

However, Manid still added, "But we need Ents to hold the wisdom enlightenment ceremony."

"It really can."

Kant lowered his head and looked at the water sack.

At the same time, he turned his head and asked Manid, "Did Mr. Treebeard you explain how to carry out the wisdom enlightenment ceremony?", Kant's tone was a little excited. "Or how can we obtain a race like Ents?"

"He didn't say it clearly.", Manid shook his head.

"What a pity."

Kant sighed softly.

If he could really obtain a troop class like the Ents, which could be considered as a strategic class, then it would be of great help to him!

After all, Ents wereno different from an ordinary big tree when he was hidden. Moreover, they were born to be able to move quickly in the forest and the mountain. This way, they would have the ability to attack strategically and hide tactically.

Opening up a path and leading regular troops to attack, they could indeed be considered as a strategic troop class!

They could be compared to the giant dragons and titans!

"When we go to Fangorn Forest next time, ask Mr. Treebeard if we can get his clansmen to accept the employment.". Kant still opened his mouth and instructed with some anticipation, "No matter what the price, I want to invite these Ents to come to this world."

"I will tell Mr. Treebeard.", Manid also nodded solemnly.

Chapter 305: Baron Dylan's Attack

For Kant, obtaining the help of the Ents was extremely useful!

After all, this fantasy race had already surpassed the concept of ordinary creatures. Even if they were not used for war, even if they were stationed in the castle, they were the existence that made him feel at ease.

And this sack of Spring of Nature was also an unexpected surprise.

But there were also regrets.

Through a detailed communication with Manid, Kant actually learned that in the Fangorn Forest, the peace-loving ancient Ents did not accept denar or gold as currency. Even ordinary goods were not accepted.

Or rather, there was no concept of trade at all!

They originated from plants.

It was a natural evolution and belonged to the fantasy race.

Therefore, they did not need to eat and drink like flesh and blood. Their roots would absorb the nutrients and water in the soil. Their branches and leaves could photosynthesize with the sunlight. Other than having intelligence, they were basically ancient trees.

Just like their appearance, they could be treated as ancient trees turning into spirits.

Gold also had no value to them.

In the end, gold and silver, these precious metals, were still minerals.

Just like how humans looked at stones, in the eyes of the Ents, these golds that were found in the ground and could often be seen were just a type of stone. They only had a shiny yellow appearance.

Indeed, they had no value to the Ents.

Manid had already communicated with them.

If it were trade, other than the Spring of Nature and some wondrous items with natural divine power, the Ents would not accept any trade because they only accepted barter or gifts from friends.

They were completely an ancient and simple natural race.

They were also old-fashioned.

If they did not have these needed resources, the Ents would not trade.

Even bartering was impossible.

Just like how humans could not use their own gold to trade with the stones in other people's hands, perhaps the other party thought that they had the high-value items, but if they were useless to the Ents, then it had no value to the Ents!

Kant temporarily put aside his thoughts about Fangorn Forest. After all, with this bag of Spring of Nature, it was enough to last for a long time.

It was much better than nothing.

"Next..."

Kant's finger lightly knocked on the table.

The three people in front of the table were all solemn, while Kant said in a deep voice, "Start recruiting civilians. I need to train a group of troops that can hold up the battle situation. The quality can be slowed down, but the quantity must be able to hold up."

"Understood!", as the military commander, Firentis immediately replied in a deep voice.

His fingers tapped on the table.

Kant turned his head and looked at Manid and Joslin. "The two of you should run to your respective trade points. Right now, we don't lack denar. Buy more food, arrows, tools, and other materials."

"Yes!", Manid and Joslin also immediately nodded.

Although they could not trade in the Fangorn Forest, they could in Pendor Continent.

Joslin was able to transport all kinds of supplies through the Pendor Continent. Sometimes, it was even more abundant than the Continent of Caradia. It was enough to satisfy the current "Drondheim" Castle and quickly accumulate supplies.

For example, there was no shortage of food in the castle. There were nearly 2,500 soldiers and civilians. It was enough to feed them for more than a month.

But it was still not enough.

The danger Kant and the others were facing might not be solved in a month.

And according to Kant's idea, whether it was the Continent of Pendor, the Continent of Caradia, or the local Dukedom of Leo, they would buy food crazily, even if they had to increase the price.

It was so that when the undead came in the future, they would have a basic guarantee!

"Continue to build the barbican."

Kant pondered for a moment.

After thinking for a moment, he continued to instruct, "Dig a moat outside the city wall. Later, I will make a spring and place it inside the moat to ensure the defensive ability of the castle."

"Lord Kant.", Firentis frowned and said, "It is very difficult to dig a moat outside the city wall. After all, it is a sand layer."

"Sand layer?"

Kant frowned even more. He had never thought of this.

The construction of the city wall and the city gate was actually built on a solid layer of soil, not a soft layer of sand. This was a change brought about by the system, just like how soil appeared out of thin air in farmland.

Therefore, the construction of the city wall and the city gate was completely built on the soil.

However, the outer layer was still covered in sand.

If they wanted to dig a tunnel and dig a moat, the soft sand would collapse, and it would bury all the dug tunnels. Even if they were supported by wooden planks, the sand would collapse when the spring water seeped into the surrounding sand.

"Then let's wait for the time being.", Kant sighed slightly and frowned. "There's no need to dig the moat."

"Understood.", Firentis nodded.

Actually, there was no problem if they did not excavate the moat.

Although this kind of defensive fortification was an excellent way to defend against the enemy's attack, in front of an enemy who lacked siege equipment, even a ten-meter-tall city wall could be considered a natural moat!

As for the undead skeletons that were already dead and resurrected, Firentis did not think that they would have siege weapons!

This was also the reason why Kant gave up on excavating the moat.

As long as they could withstand the death canopy, then they would be able to face the sea of skeletons, no matter how many there were. Defending the city wall was equivalent to defending the castle!

The four of them discussed in the council hall.

There were many difficulties that they would have to face, and they needed to be very careful in dealing with them.

They talked for a very long time.

Kant then let Firentis and the others disperse.

However, they had already discussed the details. The rest was just to implement them.

This was a crucial period of time, and the situation they were facing was very tense. At least in Kant's opinion, if they could not hold on this time, the consequences would be even more terrifying than when they were attacked by the Jackalan Expedition Army!

At least when they were attacked by the Jackalan Expedition Army, they could still escape.

Now...

They could not escape even if they wanted to!

The Sky Veil of Death would devour any living creature, and the skeletons would kill any living creature with hatred.

Once the "Drondheim" Castle was captured, the undead, who had been expanding without the slightest physical limitation or the slightest fluctuation in morale, or even the limitations of their minds, would definitely continue to head towards the "Aaron" Town.

The Senwaya Range was a natural chasm for ordinary creatures.

However, to the undead, it was just a bumpy road in the environment. Even if it took time, they would still be able to cross it.

Moreover.

Kant didn't want to escape either.

Why should he?

This was his foundation in the Nahrin Desert and in this world. He absolutely couldn't give up!

The river of time flowed.

Soon, seven days passed.

"Drondheim" Castle was still extremely busy, but everyone seemed to have sensed the arrival of a difficult situation. Everyone's pace of work was even faster, trying to finish all the preparations before the last moment arrived.

The barbican was being built, and the construction team from Aaron was in charge.

Half of the construction was done after seven days.

The thick and heavy stones were mainly in the shape of a semicircle, just enough to hold the original city gate.

Moreover, the two sides of the city walls of the barbican were each inlaid with four towers, which could allow soldiers to garrison. At the same time, they could shoot at the enemies on the inside and outside of the barbican, greatly increasing their firepower output.

If they wanted to attack the city gate, they had to first attack the barbican.

And even if they were to attack the barbican, the archery towers and towers of the main body of the city gate, together with the archery towers of the barbican itself, would be the deadly defense line!

The dense rain of arrows would cleanse the earth like a torrential rain!

There was also the stubborn resistance of the infantrymen.

During these seven days, almost all of the agriculture and animal husbandry in the entire "Drondheim" Castle were given to the military. 1,000 civilians put down their work and entered the training ground of the footmen to begin training.

At the end of this week, 1,000 Swadian Footmen appeared in the castle.

They were all level 3 footmen with excellent military skills.

They were the type that could go onto the battlefield and kill enemies in formation!

This was Kant's explosive force. The explosive force ability from the system allowed his troops to produce a batch of soldiers with decent equipment and rich combat experience in a short period of time.

As the war continued, if they were not completely wiped out, the troops would become more and more elite.

Trained the soldiers with wars.

The war did not bring about injuries, but experience.

As well as gaining experience points, they began to level up and transform into a higher level troop class!

As for the number of Vaegir Archers, they were few in number.

Their recruitment was 10 people per week, and it was a fixed recruitment. Even if Kant had enough denar, he could not recruit more. They could not be recruited by using more denars or recruited from the civilians like the castle, the footman training ground, the cavalry training ground, and the crossbowmen training ground.

The Vaegirs Shooting Range needed the Vaegir people.

And Kant's castle was full of Swadian people, so they had the advantage in recruiting the footman and cavalry.

In fact, that was indeed the case.

Kant indeed thought so.

1,000 Swadian Light Footman could completely form an independent army. After experiencing a few battles, they might be able to level up to the Swadian Heavy Cavalry. They did not even need to enter the cavalry's training ground.

After all, training the footman and cavalry would cost several times more than the cost of leveling up in an ordinary battle!

Kant might still be able to support a few dozens of them.

Once the number increased to a few hundred, it would cost hundreds of thousands of denars

Even Kant could not afford it now.

Even if the table salt trade was on the right track, it would still cost a lot to maintain the current military strength.

In addition, the expenditure on trade procurement, construction and building, as well as all kinds of losses, added up to hundreds of thousands of denars per week, could not be easily wasted.

1,000 Swadian Footmen was enough.

Level up to 1,000 Swadian Light Footman was also enough to form a heavy cavalry group.

Kant was ready.

However, on the last day of the month, the desert bandits from the central posthouse arrived quickly. They appeared in the council hall with a nervous expression and brought information.

The central posthouse discovered the arrival of troops from the Dukedom of Leo.

There were 1,000 of them.

And the leader was Baron Dylan from the Stone Pass!

After receiving the news, Firentis, Manid, and Joslin had already arrived at the council hall. As for Kant, he immediately made a decision. Holding his Sword of King, he ordered in a deep voice, "Firentis, come with me."

"Yes!", FIrentis immediately nodded.

Kant turned to Manid and Joslin and ordered, "You guys stay behind to watch the house. For this battle plan, I will bring the newly recruited 1,000 Swadian Footmen and all the knights in the castle."

Chapter 306: The Prelude to the March of the Troops

Kant had long expected the arrival of the troops at the Stone Pass.

He just did not expect it to be so sudden.

It had actually formed a pincer attack with the undead in the depths of the Nahrin Desert.

When Kant announced that the table salt trade would be carried out at the central posthouse and that he would silently cancel Baron Dylan's trade route, he had already made preparations to welcome the violent counterattack of this "Uncle" Dylan.

According to character as a warrior of this "Uncle", he would undoubtedly lead his troops to the expedition.

This was the most direct and effective way.

Seizing the Oasis Lookout and seizing the salt mine at the same time was the goal of this plan.

It had only been a month since then, and Baron Dylan had probably not even prepared all the resources for the expedition before brazenly taking action. It was obvious due to Kant had also secretly cancelled the trade route and he was furious.

In the past, he had resisted the pressure of the Dukedom of Leo for Kant's sake.

Now, he had actually ended up like this.

With Baron Dylan's hot temper, if he could endure for a month, he would probably explode in anger!

It was difficult to go from extravagance to frugality.

He enjoyed the white silver coins brought by the table salt trade.

Now, he could only continue to rely on the small amount of taxes and offerings in the estate. Baron Dylan felt that he was no different from a beggar. He simply did not satisfy with the income that was only worth a few hundred to a thousand great silver coins a year!

He wanted to regain the table salt trade.

Or, he could control the salt mine himself!

Even if he were to give most of the profits to the noble families of the Dukedom of Leo, it would not matter.

Anyway, the current Baron Dylan had his own backer.

Countess Agatha of the East County had expressed strong support behind him.

This countess was of the royal bloodline. If Grand Duke Cameron died and no heir was announced, then this countess, as his biological sister, even had the right to inherit his legacy. She could even compete with Kant's elder brother for the title of Grand Duke!

The inheritance law of the noble was very complicated and rigorous.

All the nobles were greedy and coveted Kant's salt mine.

Therefore, everyone was silently watching this moment.

If Kant really couldn't resist and didn't bring out enough strength, perhaps after Baron Dylan seized the Oasis Lookout, some orders from the high-ranking noble would make Kant disappear without a sound.

They could do it.

But...

They could not estimate Kant's true strength!

They could not estimate it either!

"Come."

Kant's expression was calm.

When he heard the news of Baron Dylan's invasion, he was not the slightest bit surprised, nor did he have the slightest fear.

Because he understood deeply that just this mere Baron Dylan, even if he had gone through high-level development, Baron Dylan was still not his opponent, let alone his enemy.

Even if he did not rely on the city walls to defend himself, this baron who came from the Stone Pass and seemed to have absolute strength would in fact be defeated easily.

Kant's army's strength was already guaranteed in terms of both quality and quantity!

At the southern gate of the barbican.

The army was marching out in neat steps.

Soon, under the command of their captain, the formation was completed.

Kant was riding on a warhorse.

Firentis and 11 mage apprentices were also riding their horses at their sides.

The 20 Sarleon Lion Knights had solemn faces and held swords and shields in their hands. They were riding their horses as personal guards.

In front of them, there were 30 Royal Knights leading 200 trained Swadian Knights. They formed two long rectangular charge formations and lined up neatly in the middle.

The Sarleon Lion Knights were better at close combat.

Hence, Kant made them the most suitable personal guards.

The main cavalry that was truly going to the battlefield was the Swadian cavalries that was more suitable for charging!

With the Royal Knights who possessed extraordinary powers as the awl and the ordinary knights as the backbone, the direction of the battlefield would be decided by Firentis who would wear the Order of the Lion Medal to personally charge.

The key to victory!

Kant had made great preparations for this expedition.

There were also the 1,000 newly recruited Swadian Footman who were carrying backpacks and holding swords and shields. They were lined up neatly on both sides of the heavy cavalry, with 500 people on each side.

Although they were just footmen, they could withstand the enemy's attack and were the main force of the resistance line!

On a regular battlefield, footmen could not be lacking.

This represented the degree of stability of one's own defensive line.

If one were to use a metaphor, then footmen were chopping boards, in order to let the enemy get close. Then, they would be pressed onto the chopping boards by the cavalry's sharp kitchen knives and chopped into minced meat!

But this was not the ultimate goal.

When these 1,000 Swadian Footman experienced battles and gained experience points, that was Kant's goal.

The system's rules could bring about new changes.

Let these level 3 light footmen directly advance to level 4 heavy cavalry and display the true strength of the Kingdom of Swadia, the powerful heavy cavalry country on the Continent of Caradia!

That terrifying...

Horrifying...

Simply unstoppable...

Group assault!

Hundreds of heavy cavalry soldiers were like a flood bursting out of a dam, bringing with it a deafening roar as they charged forward, swallowing everything in front of them, destroying everything in front of them!

Including the enemy, they would all be trampled under the hooves of the horses.

Unstoppable!

No one could face the violent charge of the heavy cavalry and remain unmoved.

Even if there were tens of thousands of elite footmen, they had to treat these hundreds of heavy cavalries with caution.

If they were to make a mistake...

This seemingly small number of heavy cavalries would tear a hole in the formation of the footmen. It was like a flood that had completely burst the dike. It would cut straight through and tear the troops into pieces!

In the field, the heavy cavalry was invincible!

These 1,000 Swadian Footmen were the seeds of Kant's heavy cavalry.

They had already formed up in front of them.

Firentis spurred his horse forward and reported to Kant in a soft voice, "Lord Kant, the troops have all been assembled."

"Mm."

Kant nodded.

Looking at the elite troops that had formed up in front of him, he said calmly, "Pass down the order, let's go!"

"Let's go!"

As the order was given, the commanders responded.

The troops began to move.

The 230 Swadian Knights were the first to follow behind Kant, shaking their reins to follow.

The 1,000 Swadian Footman took a step forward, forming a five-man line in an orderly manner. They followed in a long snake-like formation, stepping on the sand in front of them, which had been stabilized by the knights. They walked orderly and quickly.

They were on the expedition.

Their weapons were in the scabbard on their waists, and the shield with the gold lion with red bottom badge was hanging on their backs.

The well-made armor was covered by a linen robe, and even the helmet had the same white linen hood as protection. It was originally the preparation for the expedition to prevent the burning of the sun.

In the backpack on their backs, there was not only food and water for three days, but also leather clothing to keep them warm at night.

This war could only be won and not lost. This was Kant's firm rule.

It was related to the future.

Therefore, Manid, who was in charge of the preparation work, was very careful.

Not only were the supplies prepared in the soldiers' bags, but at the end of the march, the camel caravan formed by 150 single-humped camels was also full of all kinds of supplies.

Including tents for camping, charcoal and firewood for raising bonfires.

And even more food and water.

For Baron Dylan, who came from the Stone Pass, entering the Nahrin Desert was equivalent to an expedition.

In fact.

For Kant, who was defending Drondheim Castle, going to the central posthouse was also equivalent to an expedition.

The reason was very simple.

Neither side had the ability to travel long distances to fight.

Even if Kant was currently taking the elite troop route, a long-distance journey with a scale of more than a thousand people had never been seen before.

They were all recruiting soldiers from the local castles and towns around the Oasis Lookout or the Senwaya Range. As for large-scale military expeditions and confrontations with the enemy, that had never happened before.

For example, Kant had only experienced a long journey and a long-range attack once.

That was when he attacked the Jackalan tribe.

However, that time, there were less than 300 people. Kant, who had yet to develop, attacked with all his might.

At that time, there were no guards left in the village.

They relied on the construction team from the Continent of Caradia to help guard the house in the village.

However, things were different now.

Five Swadian Royal Knights with extraordinary power and 100 level 5 Sarrandian Mamluks were enough to guard the castle and the Oasis Lookout.

Moreover, there were 120 Vaegir Marksmen with top archery skills and 40 newly recruited Vaegir Archers.

It seemed that there were less than 300 people, but in fact, even if there were 1,000- or 2,000-men enemy troops, it was difficult for them to capture the outer walls of the castle, let alone completely capture the main council hall of the castle!

One had to know that there were 800 civilians in the current "Drondheim" Castle.

These were the civilians who maintained the daily operation of the castle.

Moreover, every day, about 50 refugees would arrive in the Continent of Caradia and join Kant's castle. They would become new civilians and continue to fill the gap in the current population.

Residential buildings had the attribute of attracting refugees.

Therefore, at the critical moment, if the bell tower was rung, at least 800 Swadian Militia would instantly appear in the castle.

A mere 2,000-men troops wanted to attack the city?

At least 20,000 soldiers would have to come to take down the castle, but they still had to pay the price of many blood!

Moreover.

When Kant heard that the castle was besieged, he would immediately return.

The elite heavy cavalry troops would move extremely fast.

If the situation was critical, they could even give up on the central posthouse and let Rolf lead all the Sarrandian Horsemen and elite desert bandit into the battle sequence. They would directly defeat Baron Dylan at the Stone Pass and return.

In the Nahrin Desert, Kant was the overlord!

Previously, Kant and Manid had gone to the Stone Pass several times, not just for trade, but also for reconnaissance.

Now.

Kant had long known the strength of Baron Dylan.

It was estimated that even if he was ruthless this time, he could only gather 1,000 soldiers with all his resources. Or rather, he could only go deep into the Nahrin Desert to "talk" with Kant after recruiting over 1,000 mercenaries.

If they relied solely on the strength of the Stone Pass, even if they were exhausted to death, they would not be able to gather enough soldiers to enter the desert.

Did you mean those ordinary armed militia and peasant recruits?

The troop class that lacked organization and discipline, there would probably be quite a number of people escaped as soon as they exited the Stone Pass. After spending a night in the desert, a large number of people would flee due to the cruel environment.

Even if they had godly willpower to persist to the central posthouse and come into contact with the battle formation, they would collapse at the first touch.

They were just a bunch of peasant soldiers.

How could they be considered qualified soldiers?

They did not have the help of the system!

Looking at Kant's troops, not only did they already have their own elite heavy cavalry troops, but they also had an intermediate thousand light footmen. If he wanted to, he could even recruit all the civilians in the castle and train them into more light footmen!

Even on the battlefield of the Dukedom of Leo, Kant's troops could be considered as the mainstay.

Moreover, in this remote North County, they were even more elite!

This would be a battle without suspense.

Chapter 307: Baron Dylan’s Cold Smile

In the central posthouse.

Rolf was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the bench. He had a silver toothpick in the corner of his mouth, and his expression was arrogant.

Three Royal Knights in plate armor stood behind the bench. The full plate armor did not allow one to see their faces, but the eyes in the holes were indifferent as if they were looking at a dead person.

These were the absolute elites, the elites of the elites!

In front of them.

Baron Dylan sat quietly.

The 30 knights behind him, who were wearing double-mail armor, did not dare to look at the Royal Knights. They pretended to be calm as they looked to the side, but their hearts were beating fast.

Obviously, they understood that the three knights in front of them were wearing luxurious armors that looked like works of art.

They were grand knights!

Knights who possessed extraordinary powers!

Moreover, there were seven mysterious people wearing dark robes behind these three grand knights.

They looked ordinary.

They were like travelers who had traveled a long distance.

However, the pointed hat and the cane that was inlaid with pure gemstones in their hands attracted more attention. This caused the knights who had less knowledge but heard more to have some speculations in their hearts.

They were the mysterious mages who came from the Mage Tower!

This was indeed the case.

This was the reason why Rolf dared to slam the table with Baron Dylan.

It was also the main reason why the central posthouse had not been taken down in the past three days!

Three grand knights with extraordinary divine powers, seven high-level mages who could clearly control elements, 220 elite desert bandit and 120 Sarrandian Horsemen were enough to be considered a deterrent!

Baron Dylan sat expressionlessly opposite Rolf.

He only slowly rubbed the gold ring on his thumb against this arrogant guy.

He was waiting.

He indeed had the advantage in the current situation.

The mercenary group that he had spent a huge amount of money to recruit was indeed powerful.

If the war really started, how could this posthouse stand against the attacks of his mercenary group? He was even confident that he could hold them off temporarily with just the three grand knights.

Baron Dylan turned his head.

Behind him, there were also two knights with unfamiliar faces standing there indifferently.

These were the knights from the East County.

However, according to his own senses, these two knights were actually grand knights who had already comprehended extraordinary power. Coupled with his remaining grand knights, it would not be a problem for them to hold off the high-end combat power of the posthouse.

In a decisive battle between grand knights on the battlefield, unless the gap was too big, it would be difficult to determine who would be the winner.

This was not a competition.

It was also not a martial competition or some show.

On the real battlefield, everyone was extremely cautious, including grand knights who understood the extent of the destruction of extraordinary power. When fighting with the corresponding opponents, they would be even more cautious. Everything would be focused on protecting themselves.

He was sure that his grand knights could hold off the grand knights of the other side.

But looking at the seven mages in front of him.

"Hmph."

Baron Dylan snorted coldly, and his eyes were filled with gloom.

He really did not expect that this second son of the Grand Duke, who had been exiled to the Nahrin Desert, would done such good job. Not to mention the grand knights, he even recruited mages, and there was a total of seven mages!

This number shocked him.

A real mage, on the battlefield, was equivalent to a ballista.

And it was a high-powered ballista!

On a normal battlefield, these mages not only had shocking lethality, but they even were also the severe blow to the morale of the enemy soldiers. This was also why Baron Dylan felt that he was in a dilemma, which was quite troublesome.

Rolf had also grasped the dilemma of this Baron Dylan.

He still crossed his legs.

However, his heels were placed on the table. He said casually, "Give our Baron Dylan some sweet water. Remember to put more sugar cubes in it so that we won't be said to be stingy."

"Ha, I've been here for two days. The sweet water tastes pretty good."

Baron Dylan was cunning. He stroked his beard and sneered, as if he was implying something. "I think adding salt might bring out the sweetness of the sweet water better. I like to drink it that way."

"That's good. We don't lack salt the most."

Rolf acted as if he couldn't hear it at all. He waved to the light footman who was serving beside him and said, "Put in two more spoons and send them to Baron Dylan. You must know that Lord Kant can respectfully address this baron in front of him as Uncle Dylan!"

"Okay."

The light footman nodded. He actually added three spoons of table salt into the water cup beside him.

It looked like a white flower.

It quickly melted into the sugar water in the cup.

The light footman who was serving Baron Dylan placed the cup in front of Baron Dylan. His tone was calm, but there was nothing wrong with his etiquette. He nodded softly and said, "Your Lordship, please enjoy."

"Heh.", Baron Dylan did not even look at the cup.

He took a deep breath.

Looking at the unruly and arrogant Rolf who had his legs crossed, he said calmly, "This is meaningless, Rolf. You know that I am not representing the Stone Pass, but the entire Dukedom of Leo.". He paused for a moment, and his eyes were calm, he unceremoniously pulled up the tiger skin. "If you want, you can obtain a territory that is comparable to the Stone Pass."

Enticement.

This was the most common method used by noble families.

Rolf also understood this because in the Continent of Caradia, he would also use this method to get rid of those officials. Hence, he was immune to this method.

Moreover, his loyalty was always loyal to Kant.

"Hehe."

Rolf sneered.

He turned his head as if he was recalling something and asked the Sarrandian Horseman beside him, "The Stone Pass. If I remember correctly, it seems to be the estate that runs through the pass next to the Senwaya Range?"

"That's right.", the horseman beside him nodded and said tacitly, "That very barren land."

"Oh? Barren?", Rolf did not seem to understand.

"According to my estimation, the annual output is not even a few hundred great silver coins."

Sarrandian Horseman shrugged and said helplessly, "Only poor people would go there to become a Lord. Oh god, could it be that someone did something wrong and actually wanted to go there to be conferred a title?"

"I don't want to go.", Rolf shrugged and looked very aggrieved.

"Bang!"

Baron Dylan's hand slammed heavily on the table, making a loud sound.

The 30 knights behind him looked grim as they stepped forward one by one. They looked coldly at Rolf, as well as the knights and mages behind him. They even placed their hands on the hilts of their swords.

Because right in front of them, those knights, horsemen, and mages all raised their longsword and staffs!

The atmosphere instantly became tense!

"Bang!"

But Rolf did not show any signs of weakness.

He instantly got up and slammed his hands heavily on the table. His expression was still arrogant, and he turned his head as if he was reprimanding, "What are you doing? How dare you be so rude. Don't you see where you are?"

The Royal Knights and mages put away the weapons in their hands.

As for the Sarrandian Horsemen and the Swadian Footmen, they also put away their ferocious faces.

Rolf was very calm.

He looked like a big shot who was suppressing others. He turned to look at Baron Dylan with a smile on his face, but his tone was quite casual. "These guys are really lawless. They dare to draw their swords without looking where they are."

"Yes."

Baron Dylan's face was gloomy as he slowly raised his right hand.

The knights behind him put away their weapons.

This was not the first time they had slammed the table, and it was not the first time that both sides were at each other's throats.

When they had just arrived, the two sides had almost erupted into a fierce conflict. This was also the reason why Rolf had secretly sent the elite desert bandit to quickly return to ask for help.

If they had really fought, he was not sure if he could defend this posthouse.

But now.

After being in a stalemate for two days, they all understood each other's strength and patience.

Especially Baron Baron.

It was even more uncomfortable for him.

He had already endured until now. No matter how much he tried, he would not be able to suppress them.

But when the battle really started, Baron Dylan was somewhat unwilling. Especially after knowing that the posthouse had a high-end military force, he did not want to make a big deal out of it.

Although he had a backer, Kant also had a backer.

Baron Dylan gritted his teeth, he said softly, "Princess Sofia left behind a lot of resources... but Rolf, you have to understand that Princess Sofia has already died for more than ten years. The current situation is no longer the same as when the Silver Platter Kingdom set foot in the Dukedom of Leo. She no longer has any influence."

He was naturally talking about the secrets between the two countries.

Because Baron Dylan had already guessed it.

Kant, the immature second son of the Grand Duke, wanted to develop to such a powerful level. Without the secrets left behind by Princess Sofia, it was impossible!

And Baron Dylan was also powerless.

No matter how he tried to probe or seduce, this Rolf ignored all of it and pretended not to understand.

He was naive and cute!

But in reality, Rolf really did not know.

He was not a native of this world!

How did he know?

Looking at Baron Dylan, Rolf was still arrogant. "I don't know what you are talking about, but I know that you should go home. After all, if you often go to other people's houses, something bad will happen."

"Is that so?", Baron Dylan was so angry that he laughed.

"That's right!"

Rolf arrogantly crossed his legs.

It seemed that he was not afraid of Baron Dylan, but in fact, it was also a method.

Sometimes.

Swagger was not arrogance.

It was a deterrence to the enemy, a strategy that made the enemy confused!

If one did not have confidence, how could one be arrogant?

This was Rolf's method!

Just as the two sides were still in a stalemate, a noise came from outside the window.

Exclamations and shouts continued.

In the hall of the posthouse, the situation suddenly became tense. Both sides were on high alert, but they were also puzzled.

At the top of the posthouse, the elite desert bandit on the watchtower carried a scimitar. With a happy expression, he quickly walked to Rolf's side and whispered into his ear, "Master Rolf, the Lord has brought reinforcements!"

Rolf's face was also filled with joy. He pretended to shout, "What? Lord Kant is here? Quickly go and welcome him!"

He stood up.

The smile on his face was extremely excited. He asked Baron Dylan, "Baron Dylan, Lord Kant is here to welcome you. What an admirable lord. When he heard that you are here as a guest, he also brought many people to welcome you!"

"Hehe.", Baron Dylan laughed dryly, but there was only a grim look on his face.

Chapter 308: Malevolent Intent from the Eyes

After marching for three days, Kant arrived at the central posthouse.

This was because the 1,000 Swadian Footmen had slowed down the speed of the march.

If they were to advance in cavalry-style, they would be able to reach the vicinity of the central posthouse in a day and a half. There was no need for them to forcefully suppress the speed of the march and advance together with the footmen.

Even so, their speed could still be considered fast.

The footmen trudged at a constant speed.

Apart from resting time, they were all marching.

After walking for three days on two legs, they finally arrived at the desert plains where the central posthouse was located.

At the center of the desert plains, beside the central posthouse, there was a group of troops camping there. Behind them, there were supply convoys coming and going, looking very lively.

Obviously, that was the troop at the Stone Pass.

"Get ready."

Kant said in a deep voice.

Behind him, the messengers passed the order to the troops.

However, the troops at the back did not advance directly. Instead, under the command of their respective captain, they quickly spread out from the long snake troop formation. They moved quickly, and the entire troop spread out horizontally.

This was their battle formation!

In the middle, the Swadian Heavy Cavalry troop was the main force.

On both sides, there were two armies formed by light footmen. There were 500 people in one unit. They formed three rows in a dense mass and slowly stood still.

The light footmen were indeed the main resistance line.

However, Kant did not need them to completely stabilize the front line.

Because right behind him, there were 50 extraordinary knights and 200 top-tier knights. When they launched a frontal assault, the troops formed by the group of mercenaries below could not withstand it at all!

Those mercenaries discovered Kant's headquarters at the top of the dune.

The scale of 1,000 people was shocking enough.

They had already occupied the entire top of the dune.

Especially those knights who were equipped with heavy armor and horses. As the sunlight shone on them, even if they were wearing linen burqas, they could still feel the oppressive aura.

Lances that were nearly five meters long were erected. They were the lance that was unique to the Kingdom of Swadia. They were as thick as a fist!

They were the lances that could pierce through the armor of several people!

Kant led his troops and stood at the top of the dune. The troops formed by the mercenaries below were already terrified. They rolled and crawled out of their tents. Even the formation they formed was very messy.

They were all veterans on the battlefield. They were all mercenaries by profession.

They could analyze the situation.

Or rather, they knew what kind of troops they should not provoke.

For example, at the top of the dune, Kant's troops with heavy cavalry as the center and footmen on both sides were the type that should not be provoked. They were the type that should not be provoked!

On the dune, there were a total of 200 + elite heavy cavalries. It was estimated that one round of attack would be enough to wipe them out!

These mercenaries did not have many cavalry soldiers.

Even if there were only 200 or so cavalry soldiers, they were all light cavalry soldiers wearing iron-scale armor. They were more or less used for scouting.

Confronting the heavy cavalry soldiers who wanted to fight head-on and charge straight at them?

Don't joke around!

Facing 200 heavy cavalry soldiers, unless there were 500 of the most elite lance footmen equipped with heavy armors who dared to sacrifice themselves could stand a chance. Even so, the terrifying inertia brought by charging of the heavy cavalries, it could smash into the depths of the crowd like a giant rock thrown by a trebuchet even if their warhorse died in battle. It was estimated that 50 heavy cavalry soldiers would be able to smash through the phalanx of lance soldiers.

Right now, these mercenaries did have lance soldiers, but they were not heavy armored, nor did they have elite footmen soldiers, nor did they have soldiers who dared to sacrifice themselves to block the charge of the heavy cavalry.

There were only a group of greedy mercenaries who were greedy for money!

They would even give up their lives for money.

However, in order to earn more money, they would not throw their lives on the battlefield of their employers!

In fact, in order to earn money, if the enemy offered a high enough price, they would turn against their employer on the battlefield!

Mercenaries were extremely infamous of their unethical behaviour!

This group of mercenaries had almost a hundred thoughts running through their minds. With the great silver coins that they had already obtained in their arms, the mail armor and iron-scale armor that were distributed at the Stone Pass, as well as the various weapons in their hands, they had already prepared to run away if the situation did not go well.

Even those mercenary group leaders who had been drinking and chatting with Baron Dylan and pretending to be heroic had this plan.

No one was a fool who wanted to die.

The situation had changed.

They were indeed did not like the Rolf who had threatened them at the posthouse.

But now, they found that Rolf, this guy even dared to slap the table in front of Baron Dylan. He was arrogant enough to say that he would at most start a war. He really had confidence.

Now, Rolf's confidence had come, but their confidence had disappeared.

Completely disappeared.

When Baron Dylan walked out of the posthouse, his breathing could not help but quicken.

At the top of the dune, there were hundreds of heavy cavalries, which was very intimidating. Moreover, the fully armed soldiers on the left and right sides, who were wearing nail-studded armor and holding spatha sword and heater shield, were the main force of the footmen.

Compared to the messy group of mercenaries below, both their equipment and discipline were completely destroyed!

"Hahahaha!"

Rolf's arrogant laughter could not be stopped.

He walked forward quickly. Next to him, the elite desert bandit brought his warhorse. Rolf jumped onto the warhorse nimbly. However, he asked Baron Dylan in a reserved manner, "Do you want to go and welcome Lord Kant together?"

"Heh, no need. I'll just wait here for Little Kant to come.", Baron Dylan replied coldly.

"Please wait a moment."

The answer was still Rolf's arrogant laughter.

"Humph!", Baron Dylan snorted.

Seeing Rolf leading his team to the dune to welcome them, his face became even more gloomy. He turned to look at the vassal knights behind him. After hesitating for a moment, he came to the side of the two unfamiliar knights, he asked in a low voice, "The situation is already very disadvantageous for us. If... No, we start a war with Kant, we will definitely be in a weak position. After all, their troops look very good."

"Yes, what you said makes sense.", the two unfamiliar knights nodded. They looked arrogant, but they did not put Baron Dylan in their eyes. They waved their hands like real generals. "You negotiate with him first and find out about Kant's situation."

"Yes.", Baron Dylan nodded. However, when he lowered his head, his eyes were filled with hatred.

He accepted the support from the forces of the East County.

It also represented the forces of East County began to infiltrate his forces.

Baron Dylan, who had already lost his ability to control himself, lost the ability to fight against the forces of the East County when one of his loyal grand knights was killed.

He raised his head and looked at Kant and the huge army that were approaching.

Baron Dylan's eyes sparkled.

The forces of the East County were huge. In fact, they did not need him to join them. It was just that the geographical location of the Stone Pass was too good. It happened to be at the mountain pass of the Senwaya Range and was located at the center of the table salt trade.

If the situation were set, he, the Baron of the Stone Pass, would probably be transferred away even if he was lucky.

If he were unlucky, he would probably mysteriously disappear.

Those high-ranking nobles who ate people without spitting out their bones had always played this way.

However, he still chose to endure it for now. He walked towards his mercenary corps with these two unfamiliar grand knights and his vassal knights.

Looking at those vassal knights licking their faces to flatter him, Baron Dylan felt disgusted.

"Lord Dylan."

Beside him, the vassal knight who had been with him for a long time said softly, "Now, these guys from the East County are crossing the line. I think it won't be long before Lord Dylan, your authority will..."

"Shut up!" Baron Dylan glared at him fiercely.

He turned his head, but no one noticed them, then, he reminded him softly again, "Now, we still have to rely on them. Don't make any mistakes. If we lose them, we probably won't be able to stay at the Stone Pass. If you don't want to be a wandering knight who need to work tons of labor like you used to be, then shut up properly."

This vassal knight was a good companion of Baron Dylan. Like the vassal knight who either died or was captured by 600 knight attendants, they were all elite cavalries brought by Princess Sofia in the Silver Platter Kingdom.

That was why the three of them were able to stand shoulder to shoulder, as close as brothers.

However, when Baron Dylan became the lord of the Stone Pass, they had more things to consider, and the distance between them also became much more distant.

The vassal knight shut his mouth.

However, his face still had a look of indignation.

Looking at those knights who licked their faces and flattered him, he gritted his teeth and cursed, "These damn fellows. When they were wandering knight, it was you, Lord Dylan, who took them in. Now, they just turned their heads and forgot about it!"

"I told you to shut your mouth."

Baron Dylan snorted coldly.

However, there was a hint of gloominess between his brows. His footsteps paused slightly. He turned his head to the most trusted vassal knight, and a hint of malevolence appeared in his eyes, but it quickly faded away. "I have a mission for you."

"Go ahead.", the vassal knight nodded.

"I need you to create some accidents... for example... like this...", Baron Dylan instructed him softly. A malevolence intent flashed in his eyes. "Do you understand?"

"But this... I will end up...", the vassal knight sucked in a breath of cold air.

"Don't worry."

Baron Dylan patted his shoulder. "I will protect you.". Baron Dylan paused for a moment and looked into his eyes, he said solemnly, "The three of us have come through the most difficult times. Now, only the two of us are left. If I cannot rely on you and cannot protect you, what friends do I have?"

The vassal knight hesitated, but looking at Baron Dylan's determined eyes, he nodded affirmatively. "I know!"

"Okay!"

Baron Dylan patted his shoulder.

Both of them looked at Kant, their eyes filled with malevolence and viciousness.

Chapter 309: Assassination of Vassal Knight

Kant rode the horse in front, and Rolf briefly reported the recent situation.

There was nothing to report.

Looking at the 100 meters south of the central posthouse, thousands of mercenaries had already gathered there. Each of them held their weapons tightly and looked aggressive, trying to resist. It was obvious that they were not friendly.

Good people would naturally not come to the barren Nahrin Desert!

"Let's go."

Kant nodded, and his tone was calm.

He gently knocked on the belly of his horse and urged it forward. He swept his gaze across the mercenary group in front of him and said calmly, "I'm going to meet my Uncle Dylan. Heh, what does this guy want to do?"

"He's probably here for a short trip.", the corner of Rolf's mouth curled up, his face slightly malevolent. "He just brought a little too many gifts."

"I like that word."

Kant turned his head to look at Rolf, the corner of his mouth curled up. "Gifts."

The warhorse beneath him quickened its pace.

The 20 Sarleon Lion Knights acted as personal guards, following closely behind Kant and Rolf. Each of them had a cold expression on their faces. Their eyes swept across the mercenary group like the eyes of a lion, fixing their eyes to the front. It was Baron Dylan and the three knights behind him.

In the perception of these Lion Knights, the threat of these four fellows was undoubtedly the greatest!

At their back, preparations were made.

30 Royal Knights led 200 knights into a charging formation.

1,000 Swadian Footmen crossed their left arms with a shield in front of their chests. Their right hands were tightly clenched with a spatha sword. They formed a four-line formation and advanced step by step with the heavy cavalries in front of them.

As they advanced, the desert was trampled firmly, and the sound of uniform footsteps could be heard.

Elite troops.

Those mercenaries who pretended to be arrogant were trembling in their hearts.

Mercenaries who pursued money, if they really started a war with the disciplined regular army, they might not have any problems for a short period of time. However, once the war became intense and their casualties were too great, their morale would definitely collapse faster than the regular army.

Protecting the country and making money were two completely different concepts!

Kant rode his horse and approached.

With 20 Sarleon Lion Knights as guards, he did not have much fear.

However, in front of him, there were still five Lion Knights riding their horses and holding their shields, blocking the space in front of them. It was the basic common sense to guard against the mercenaries who had crossbowmen secretly aimed at them.

A low-class footman with a crossbow could secretly attack and kill a noble knight.

Everyone was extremely careful.

Including Baron Dylan and the others in front.

Facing Kant and his guards who were slowly approaching, as well as the heavy cavalries and footmen who were pressing in from behind, everyone looked at each other with disbelief in their eyes.

It was enough for them to be surprised when the armors that looked like artifacts were worn on the knights.

There were also fully armed footmen at the rear!

Everyone was equipped with mail armor, a linen robe, an iron helmet, and a shield and sword. Their appearances were not inferior to the footmen that the noble families in the Dukedom of Leo's South County had trained for generations with the strength of their families!

Kant, the youngest son of Grand Duke who had been exiled, how could he have such power in such a short time?

"The foundation of Princess Sofia!"

Baron Dylan gritted his teeth.

Regarding how much hidden power the Silver Platter Kingdom still had in the Dukedom of Leo, he felt a chill in his heart. It had actually been more than ten years, and they had been strictly guarded year after year. In addition, the nobles had been purged, and now they still had such powerful strength, to be able to let a lowly little noble live peacefully in this barren desert.

He was envious and jealous. What Kant had now was what he longed for. If possible, he wanted to use the heritage left behind by Princess Sofia to obtain a new life!

For this, he shook the reins of his warhorse.

The horse trotted forward.

He forced a smile on his face and raised his right hand to indicate peace and greetings. "Little Kant, if I remember correctly, it has been a long time since we last met."

"Yes, Uncle Dylan. It's been a long time."

Kant smiled and nodded.

His attitude was very peaceful, just like in the past.

It was just that both sides were leading troops in battle, and the atmosphere was extremely strange.

Baron Dylan did not seem to be different. He stroked his beard and greeted with a smile. "You're still as handsome as ever. I wonder how you've been recently. How have you been?"

"Pretty good."

Kant shrugged. "I just ran into a little trouble."

"Oh, that's a pity.", Baron Dylan smiled. "I wonder if there's anything I can do to help?". Baron Dylan looked at Kant, he patted his chest. "If it's those Jackalan, I don't think you need to worry. I brought a lot of servants and troops this time just to help you get rid of those uncivilized bloody bandits!"

"Thank you very much.", Kant nodded again and paused for a moment. "It's just that the trouble I've encountered recently is not those Jackalan, but some other evil fellows."

Kant was obviously talking about the undead in the depths of the desert.

However, Baron Dylan's expression froze slightly.

He thought Kant was referring to himself.

He swept his gaze over the heavy cavalry and footman phalanxes behind Kant who were getting closer and closer, but he still suppressed the brutality in his heart. He coughed lightly and said, "Perhaps the trouble will be solved very soon. I believe in your ability, Little Kant."

"Of course, it can indeed be solved.", Kant smiled.

Kant was telling the truth.

The Baron Dylan and his mercenary group in front of him were really not a problem.

The real problem was the spreading undead.

However, after dealing with the Stone Pass in the south and using the cruelest methods to deter the noble families of the Dukedom of Leo, Kant could retract his forces and focus on dealing with the undead invasion in the north.

This was a strategic plan that had already been planned.

As for how to deal with Baron Dylan and his mercenary group, Kant did not take it to heart. He only looked at him and nodded faintly. "Uncle Dylan, I'm very touched that you brought so many servants and soldiers to help me directly."

"But it seems that I've overestimated myself."

Baron Dylan laughed dryly. "You may not need me now, but you can defend your estate."

"I can always defend it.", Kant smiled, instead, he said, "Since you're already here, then don't leave. In fact, there are many posts in my estate that need help. For example, digging table salt. There are a lot of miners that are lacking. I think your mercenaries are very suitable. Why don't you stay and follow me?"

"You...", Baron Dylan narrowed his eyes and swept his gaze across Kant's young face. He wanted to say something, but he could not speak for a moment. He only opened his mouth, but his heart was beating extremely fast.

Kant was still Kant.

It was just that the positions of both parties were already different.

Baron Dylan narrowed his eyes. He still had a smile on his face. "Little Kant, I... Don't understand what you mean. You know, our relationship..."

"Our relationship is very close!"

Kant interrupted him with a faint smile on his face. "So, you will help me, won't you?". As he spoke, he emphasized, "My dear, Uncle Dylan."

However, Baron Dylan's pupils suddenly shrank.

He swallowed his saliva slightly.

Cold sweat flowed out.

Looking at the young Kant in front of him, the arrogant but respectful Rolf beside him, as well as waves of heavy cavalries and footmen behind him, he suddenly realized that he seemed to have miscalculated something.

A very serious mistake!

That was…

The one in control of the overall situation seemed to be Kant, the fellow who he had thought should be a puppet!

No!

There was a hint of panic in Baron Dylan's eyes.

His rationality made him quickly return to his senses. He looked at Kant's calm face, and his heart trembled.

This was not right!

The one in control of the overall situation...

Was Kant!

This young second son of the Grand Duke was just like his father. During the empty period of the transfer of authority, he directly controlled all of the power within a short period of time!

Including the current command of these troops!

"I..."

Baron Dylan had obviously noticed this.

He opened his mouth and suddenly realized that his plan seemed to be completely laughable because of the unequal information!

Just as he was about to say something, a ball of fiery red light suddenly burst out behind him. The vassal knight actually took advantage of the moment when both sides were chatting to suddenly burst out. He pulled out the longsword at his waist and instantly pounced towards Kant with that scorching heat.

"Go to hell!"

The vassal knight's eyes suddenly opened wide, and his figure was extremely fast!

He burst out extremely suddenly!

"Whoosh --" "Whoosh --"

However, his movements were too sudden. Beside Kant, the blood-red aura exploded even more rapidly!

The two Sarleon Lion Knights were already on high alert. The knight's sword at their waists was unsheathed in an instant. They charged straight at the vassal knight and engaged in a melee.

"Clang --"

The blood-red aura turned into a ferocious lion.

With a crisp sound, the longsword in the vassal knight's hand was completely broken into two.

This vassal knight had also stopped his explosive assault. He stood on the spot, but there was a knight's sword flickering with blood-red flames around his neck, as well as the Lion Knight who was staring at him coldly.

"Explain!"

Rolf berated him coldly.

The other Lion Knights had already placed their hands on the hilt of their swords. The faint blood-red flames could erupt at any time.

Even the knights and footmen behind them had stopped in their tracks when they saw this happening. They looked over coldly, as if they were about to charge into the battle at any moment!

"I... I..."

The vassal knight's face was covered in cold sweat.

He had never expected that he, as a grand knight, would be easily subdued in such a short period of time!

Meanwhile, the two grand knights with unfamiliar faces were also covered in cold sweat. At the same time, their eyes were filled with gloom. They had never expected such an accident to happen!

They had never thought that Kant would have so many grand knights by his side!

There was a total of twenty grand knights!

This frightened the ordinary knights. For a moment, they stood behind Baron Dylan and stared at everything in front of them dumbfounded. Their legs felt weak.

"Explain..."

Baron Dylan was still beating the drum in his heart. In fact, cold sweat was dripping down his temples.

Looking at the pleading gaze of the vassal knight, their plan of assassination failed, Baron Dylan would be in charge of it, temporarily covering up this matter.

After all, at that time, they thought that they were at an advantage.

Even if they killed Kant, the puppet, not only would they be fine, but Baron Dylan might also even be able to replace him.

However, the world was unpredictable.

It was even more unpredictable!

The puppet that Baron Dylan had expected was not a puppet, but a real demon king. The terrifying demon hiding its strength behind the scenes had even trapped him.

He wanted to stop this plan, but it was already too late.

"This matter..."

Baron Dylan's hand was on the hilt of his sword by his waist.

Looking at Kant, he turned his head to look at the vassal knight. A malevolent look instantly appeared in his eyes. He unsheathed his sword and instantly cut the throat of his loyal grand knight friend.

Blood lines appeared.

The longsword cut the fragile throat.

Baron Dylan's face became solemn. He said solemnly, "Attempting to assassinate Baron Kant is a capital crime!"

Chapter 310: Betrayal

The incident happened so suddenly that even the vassal knight did not expect Baron Dylan to swing his longsword.

In front of Kant, the vassal knight who tried to assassinate him had his throat cut open. He looked at Baron Dylan in disbelief, but in the end, he could only kneel on the ground and convulse to death.

The strong smell of blood instantly filled the air.

Behind Baron Dylan, the knights were all dumbfounded as they watched everything.

Even the two grand knights with unfamiliar faces glanced at Baron Dylan's back. For a moment, they gripped the longsword in their hands tightly, but they were afraid that the Lion Knights would stare into their eyes, so they did not act rashly.

In fact, even Kant did not expect the show to end like this.

He lowered his head and looked at the vassal knight who had fallen on the sand.

The scene was silent.

"This is the punishment for attempting to assassinate the baron and the noble!"

However, Baron Dylan spoke slowly.

He put away his longsword and turned his head to glance at the knights. He said in a heavy voice, "Even if I don't kill him, the noble court will sentence this guy to death. They will hang him!"

The noble of the Dukedom of Leo was indeed so.

Even if a knight attempted to assassinate a noble, he would be sentenced to death by hanging. The only difference between him and a commoner was that he would be left with a whole corpse.

But death was certain.

Unless there was a high-level noble that the knight was loyal to, and he spent money and connections to make the assassinated noble forgive him, only then would he be able to survive and would not be hanged in humiliation.

"Clap Clap Clap."

Rolf clapped his hands gently at this time.

The crisp applause woke up everyone around and broke the deadlock.

Rolf still had that annoying arrogant smile on his face. He looked at Baron Dylan and said in a very admirable tone, "Wonderful, Baron Dylan. This is really wonderful to kill your family in the name of righteousness."

Everyone around looked at Baron Dylan.

However, Baron Dylan did not move. "He dared to assassinate Baron Kant. That is a capital crime!"

The eyes of the vassal knights behind him were cold.

All of their hearts were trembling.

Even the breathing of the two grand knights became faster.

They knew very well that the person who had been slit by Baron Dylan's throat was his loyal lackey at the Stone Pass. He could be said to be the most loyal vassal knight.

He was killed just like that...

Who among these knights did not feel a chill in their hearts?

"But, I once understood it."

Rolf, however, did not spare him.

He raised his head and looked at the side of Baron Dylan's face that avoided eye contact. He narrowed his eyes and said, "The assassin just now seems to have come from the Stone Pass. If I'm not mistaken, he is still your subordinate, Baron Dylan."

"That's right, he's my subordinate."

Baron Dylan nodded without hesitation. His face was slightly sorrowful. "I didn't expect him to do such a thing.". He looked at Rolf and then at Kant, who had a calm expression on his face. He looked at the young face that did not seem to be moved at all, his heart beat faster, but his confidence seemed to have sunk into a bottomless abyss.

He could not see through Kant!

Kant's face was still calm. He looked at him as usual, and there was not the slightest fluctuation in his eyes.

It was as if he was looking at a dead person!

Baron Dylan gritted his teeth.

His breathing was rapid, but he still did not dare to act rashly. He squeezed out a smile in front of him, but even the way he addressed him had changed. "Baron Kant, I hope this result... will satisfy you."

"Satisfied?", Kant smiled, but his tone was still indifferent. "Oh, it's okay."

Rolf opened his mouth and said in a cold tone, "Baron Dylan, something has happened to your vassal knight. Aren't you going to pay some price? After all, this is your knight. He is loyal to you and represents you!"

"No, he has never been loyal to me."

However, Baron Dylan simply walked away. "He and I were once comrades-in-arms of Princess Sofia. However, because he was jealous that I became a baron, he secretly became a spy planted by other noble families around me. I have always been vigilant, but I did not expect that such a thing would happen now. Damn it!"

The reason was very far-fetched, and it was impossible to probe further.

Kant did not intend to investigate further. He nodded and said, "That will be all."

"Thank you for your tolerance."

Baron Dylan used honorifics.

Including the knights, they all broke out in cold sweat and bowed their heads to Kant to express their gratitude.

They all understood that if Kant were to really investigate further, even they would have to take responsibility. They might even go to the court of the noble. Even if they were implicated, the lightest penalty would be a fine. If they were unlucky, they might even be demoted to a slave!

However, their gratitude was a little premature.

Kant looked at them indifferently, the corners of his mouth curling up into a smile. "You're welcome."

However, his words changed, instead, he continued to say to them, "I can pretend that this assassination did not happen. However, why did you come to my estate and lead your troops into the territories of other lords? In the court of the noble of the Dukedom of Leo, this is only second to the crime of treason!"

"Uh...", not only Baron Dylan, even the knights behind him raised their heads to look at Kant in shock. They did not react in time. Kant had actually made trouble on this issue!

He had clearly led his troops into Kant's estate and had already tacitly settled the matter.

But now, he brought it up again.

The situation was not right!

Baron Dylan lowered his head. The vassal knight that he was familiar with was still looking at him with his eyes wide open.

Behind him, the two grand knights from the East County had a look of fear on their faces. If anything were to happen to them, they would definitely be the first to flee from this place. They would not stay behind to fight alongside Baron Dylan.

And those greedy mercenaries, they would probably have the intention to flee when they were agitated!

Baron Dylan was silent.

Finally, his eyes looked at the eyes that had died with their eyes wide open.

Even though he had lost all hope and spirit.

However, Baron Dylan seemed to be able to see that this grand knight whom he had killed with his own hands, who had actually been on guard against all this time, had revealed a mocking smile on his face, as well as a deep hatred and curse.

"Yes, that's right. You have brought your troops to my estate. It seems that you have violated my rights."

Kant, who was riding on his warhorse, lowered his head slightly. He seemed to be very hesitant. "What rights?"

"Territorial rights?", Rolf answered from the side.

"Hmm."

Kant nodded. "It seems so."

As he spoke, the troops that were slowly pressing down from behind had finally finished their formation. They had neatly changed into battle status. All the soldiers' eyes were bright as they looked at Baron Dylan and the mercenary groups behind him.

They did not have the slightest fear of war. Instead, they were all eager to try!

The Continent of Caradia, which had been in chaos for a hundred years, made these soldiers yearn for peace, but they were not afraid of war.

Moreover, being located in the center, the Kingdom of Swadia, which was the most prosperous country, was the target of public criticism. They went back and forth, and almost every year, there would be war. These Swadian people had long been accustomed to a world where war was frequent.

Now, their lofty ideal was to fight for the Supreme Lord Kant.

They were willing!

The red-bottomed golden lion instantly soared in the wind.

The flag fluttered even though there was no wind. It fluttered as if it was fluttering in the wild wind.

The soldiers' fighting spirit was soaring.

Each and every one of them had their blood boiling as they looked at the group of mercenaries. Their gazes were filled with the fervour of fighting, to the extent that they were like scorching rays. Even the mercenaries did not dare to meet their gazes.

Just in terms of imposing manner, they were already at a disadvantage.

"Honorable Baron... Kant..."

Baron 's voice began to become hoarse.

"Hmm?"

Kant looked at him, his expression still calm. "Please speak."

Baron Dylan said slowly, "This matter has nothing to do with me. Will you believe it?"

He spoke respectfully.

He even lowered his head slightly, as if he was being polite to the king.

However, Kant did not show any sign of it. Or rather, he was riding on his warhorse. Surrounded by the Lion Knights, he accepted Baron Dylan's salute as a matter of course, even though the two of them had the same title.

This was the absolute status brought about by the difference in strength. It had nothing to do with the title or the power of both parties.

Now.

Kant had the initiative!

"It's none of your business."

Kant spoke.

Since he held the initiative, then he would now be in control of the overall situation.

His gaze swept past Baron Dylan, who had his head lowered, the pale-faced knight, the two gloomy grand knights, and the mercenaries who seemed to be in formation not far away, but in fact had already lost their morale.

Finally, the corners of his mouth curled up into a smile. "Then it's none of your business."

"Thank... Thank you for your generosity, Lord Kant!"

Baron Dylan clenched his fists, but the way he addressed him was even more respectful.

Baron Dylan, who had already lost the ability to resist and the ability to plot, was now no different from an ordinary person. He could only put away his fangs and claws and become a docile domestic dog. He was quite handy on changing his attitude as he had done this many times before.

"However, I think these mercenaries have something to do with them."

Kant raised his hand and pointed at those mercenaries.

Then he turned his head, he pointed at the two grand knights from the East County. "And these two grand knights, why would they appear in my estate? If you are inviting Baron Dylan and his knights as guests, these unfamiliar grand knights and mercenaries are not within the scope of the invitation."

Kant turned to look at Baron Dylan and asked faintly, "What do you think?"

Baron Dylan lowered his head and answered, "I don't know them."

As soon as he said this, the two grand knights behind him suddenly changed their expressions. Just as they were about to burst out with extraordinary aura and escape, the roads in all directions were blocked by the Lion Knights.

Twenty Lion Knights, even if there were ten of them, could easily block these two grand knights.

The advantage of numbers was here!

"Baron Kant, what... What do you mean by this?"

These two grand knights did not even glance at Baron Dylan. They understood that this once puppet of the East County had betrayed them and bit them back!

Kant did not answer. Instead, Rolf sneered. "What do you mean?"

He turned to look at Kant. The lord nodded at him, and with tacit approval, he pulled out his longsword and pointed it forward. he shouted, "Of course I mean to kill you!"

"Woo --"

The horn was blown by the Royal Knights.

The battle began.

Chapter 311: Defeated Mercenary Group

"Woo --"

The horn was blown, and the sound was dull and long.

The Swadian Knights and Footmen began to push forward. They, who had long been ready, were already yearning for this battle, this battle that would allow them to obtain a great victory and lead them to glory!

"Da Da Da..."

The Royal Knights led the knights and began to urge their warhorses to run.

Amongst these knights, Firentis, who had been watching coldly from the side, put away his horn. He raised the flag of the golden lion with a red background and gave his order, "Charge!"

"Charge!"

The knights replied in unison.

The badge on Fitentis' chest was also a lion. It was the Order of the Lion Medal.

However, when he charged, an invisible wave suddenly rose up and surrounded the surrounding knights who were running on their horses. It turned into a faint breeze and increased their speed.

[ Order of the Lion Medal ] Special Effect: shorten the distance to reach the peak of charging status!

It was less than 30 meters.

The sound of the horses' hooves sounded like a flood.

These 230 knights had all entered charging status. They stood side by side in two rows. They put down the armor-piercing lance in their hands and aimed at the formation of the mercenary groups 100 meters in front of them!

Facing the charge of the heavy cavalry, any brave footmen would feel their hearts palpitate.

Not to mention these mercenaries who only cared about money!

Blocking the front of the charge of the heavy cavalry meant that they would definitely die in battle. They would not survive at all. These mercenaries would not let their lives suffer any losses. This was because there would be great silver coins waiting for them in the future. How could they just die and left behind in this barren Nahrin Desert?!

Especially when they saw the heavy cavalries charge, the flag of a red gold lion fluttered and swayed like a real lion. Instantly, they felt a chill in their hearts.

[ Intimidation ] special effect: Take the lead to reduce the enemy's morale by one round!

And in the data.

In the hearts of this group of mercenaries, they were so scared like they were walking alone on the edge of a cliff. When the defeated soldiers met their pursuers, their legs trembled, and they almost lost the will to fight. They only had cowardly appearance on their faces and unable to defend anymore!

In fact, the morale of this group of mercenaries had already been declining for the past three days in this desert.

After one more round of reduction in morale, they reached the critical point of collapse!

"Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom --"

The hooves of the horses rushed over like a tidal wave.

30 Royal Swadian Knights burst out with layers of golden flames. They led 200 Swadian Knights and crashed heavily into the formation of the mercenaries who were dodging. Their faces were filled with fear and despair.

There was no resistance at all, and there was no obstruction at all. The violent charge was augmented with a terrifying inertia.

The lance pierced through the chests of the mercenaries.

The warhorses knocked the bodies of the mercenaries flying.

The hooves of the horses crushed the broken limbs of the mercenaries one by one.

It was as easy as crushing dried weeds!

On the battlefield of this desert, 30 extraordinary knights were at the front, killing a rain of blood. 200 knights were at the back, stirring up a bloody wind in the rain of blood.

The mercenary group of more than 1,000 people actually collapsed just like that. They were directly charged through by just 230 knights from the beginning to the end, killing their way through a bloody path, crossing a dead silence!

"Regroup."

Firentis pulled on the reins, controlling the warhorse beneath him to turn around.

Behind him, the 230 knights were also doing the same thing. Especially the 30 royal knights at the front, who were bursting out with resplendent golden flames. The extraordinary power that was as fearful as the might of a king spread in all directions, bringing about a spiritual pressure.

This made the mercenaries feel even more terrified!

Their morale had been weakened tremendously!

"It's over."

Rolf grinned hideously.

He did not charge with the heavy cavalry, because he was not the commander of the heavy cavalry to begin with.

As the commander of the central posthouse, Rolf led the Sarrandian Horsemen, as well as the Elite Desert Bandit, these cavalries from the Sarrand Desert were the vicious bandits!

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh --"

The short javelins whizzed past.

Some of the mercenaries tried to reorganize their formation and resist Kant to the death.

However, the javelin rain clearly interrupted their determination. One by one, the unlucky mercenaries were directly hit by the short javelins. Even if they raised their shields, it was useless. If they were hit by the sharp, sturdy, and heavy short javelins, they would either die or be crippled!

Elite Desert Bandit, as the elite of the bandits, their accuracy and lethality were even more powerful.

And they were even more cunning!

They would not charge into the group of mercenaries at all.

As light cavalry, they had already set their position as assisting the heavy cavalry in charging. Even the Sarrandian Horsemen had only formed a single charge formation, waiting for the distant Swadian Knight to charge.

The charge of the formation of over a thousand people was still tragic.

The reason why the Swadian Knight could charge and even make a bloody path was because of the 30 extraordinary knights at the front!

The iron lance relied entirely on the awl's sharpness!

The cavalry's charge was the same!

"Charge!"

Firentis ordered the Swadian Knights to charge once again. Not far away, on the side, the Sarrandian Horsemen also followed their charge and started charging from the side!

120 Sarrandian Horsemen also has the ability to charge.

What's more, there are 220 Elite Desert Bandit, also raise the spear, charge together!

"PFFT, PFFT, PFFT, PFFT, PFFT, PFFT, PFFT."

The 30 Royal Knights flew into a rage and ignored the resistance in front of them, easily killing all the enemies in front of them. They led the knights behind them to wantonly hack and kill in this army of over a thousand people. However, their fully armed armor could protect their safety, even if they were hit by the counterattack, they were unharmed under the protection of the double-layered mail armor or plate armor.

However, the mercenaries were not like this. The best of them were only wearing mail armor, and the worst of them even had leather armor. They were completely unable to block the charge of the knights. No one even wanted to stop them!

The mercenaries' formation was already in chaos!

As for the Sarrandian Horsemen and the Elite Desert Bandit, their subsequent charge immediately arrived!

"Puff Puff Puff Puff Puff Puff Puff Puff Puff Puff Puff --"

The spear easily pierced through the corner of the panicked and desperate line that was trying to escape.

The center was pierced through again.

The mercenaries on both sides could not maintain their calm at all. After the charge of the Sarrandian Horsemen, they suddenly collapsed. All the mercenaries began to flee to the back. The entire line was on the verge of collapse, and it was about to collapse!

No, in fact, they had already collapsed!

Even at the front, the mercenaries were retreating.

Because the footmen had arrived.

With a fan-shaped shield in hand, the Swadian Footmen raised their heater shields in a neat formation. They raised the shields and charged towards them!

"Run, run! We're going to die!"

"No! Help! I don't want to die here! Mom!"

The mercenaries cried out in grief.

But even so, the Swadian footmen had already ignored the cries of the weak.

The spatha sword slashed straight, the heater shield clapped, and the 1,000 Swadian Footmen were like waves crashing into a reef. Wave after wave, they began to break down the already shaky defenses of the mercenaries!

Moreover, at the back, the mage apprentices and mages also raised their staffs.

"Sharp Golden Blades!"

After a short chant, rays of golden light appeared on the weapons of the light footmen.

With the enhancement of the magic power, the weapons of these light footmen were sharper, and the damage they caused to the mercenaries was also greater. Even the direct thrust of the spatha sword could tear through leather armor, and the inlaid iron-scale armor could cause huge cracks!

The smell of blood was thick, and hundreds of mercenaries were falling.

But most of them were fleeing!

The mercenaries had lost their will to fight. They even abandoned their weapons and fled to the back.

The herd effect appeared.

More mercenaries retreated and fled.

Their entire shaky defense line collapsed just like that. They didn't even have the chance to resist. All of them began to flee. They had lost the will to resist, and there was only fear in their hearts.

They were a bunch of lambs waiting to be slaughtered!

"Kill!"

Rolf led the Sarrandian Horsemen and the Elite Desert Bandit to attack.

Next was their mission.

The entire mountain was filled with fleeing mercenaries, but they discovered in despair that they were surrounded by flat sand layers. Even if there were dune in the distance, there wasn't a single bit of vegetation that could cover them.

This was different from the experience they had when they were escaping.

There was also the scorching sun above their heads, making their mouths dry and their tongues dry.

Rolf led the Sarrandian Horsemen and the Elite Desert Bandits to watch from the side. Those who wanted to go too far out of range would draw their machetes to kill. As for the others, they allowed their two legs to wander aimlessly towards the south. Rolf and his men were all giggling, as if they were admiring a flock of sheep running.

If they ran in the desert, without food or water, they would die.

These mercenaries discovered this fact in despair.

Then, they would become captives.

The battle ended so easily. Kant had just arrived at the posthouse hall and sat down when the Elite Desert Bandit served as a messenger to report on the current battle results, as well as the enemy's collapse and victory.

"Got it.", Kant nodded with a calm expression.

As for the captured knights, their faces were ashen.

In fact, they were supposed to be the middle-level commanders of these mercenary groups. However, because of Baron Dylan's request, they clustered here. In the end, they were all captured by Kant.

The entire mercenary group was implicated and lost their specific commander until they collapsed.

Their hearts were filled with despair.

Even if someone was commanding them, they would still collapse.

The 50 extraordinary knights frightened everyone.

These knights were just ordinary knights. Some of them were wandering knights that Baron Dylan had recruited not long ago. Their true combat strength could not even defeat a Sarrandian Horseman. How could they fight against a level-5 Swadian Knight?

Baron Dylan and the two grand knights were also ashen-faced.

The results were out.

They were defeated.

Baron Dylan raised his head. His eyes were ashen as he looked at Kant. He could not help but smile bitterly. "Then, Lord Kant, how... will you deal with us?"

Fifty extraordinary knights had also shocked him to the core.

This was a terrifying number that even the Dukedom of Leo could not gather!

In fact, even Baron Dylan suspected that this was not the heritage left behind by Princess Sofia. This was because he knew that even the Silver Platter Kingdom would not be able to achieve such a magnificent cavalry troop of extraordinary knights with national level, if Princess Sofia had such a force back then, she would have long taken down the Dukedom of Leo. How would things be like this now?

Chapter 312: Baron Who Had Become A Puppet

Baron Dylan's heart was already dead.

He felt that he was facing a despair that he had never experienced before. It was a despair that came from the bottom of his heart. A despair that he could not fight against, and even more so, he could not get rid of it. It was a despair that could swallow up all his hopes!

50 knights with extraordinary powers.

18 mages who had mastered elemental magic.

This was a power that could cause fear and shock a country!

At this moment, the two grand knights of the East County who had been disarmed and locked up like captives were sitting on chairs in the corner with despair on their faces. They were dumbstruck as they watched the cavalry come in one after another and report the results of the battle, they listened with depressed faces as their mercenary group was completely defeated and scattered.

Although the mercenary group of more than a thousand people was recruited in the name of Baron Dylan, in reality, they were all secretly connected to the East County. The two of them were the true high-level commanders.

Now, the mercenary group had collapsed.

It could mean that the East County's attempt to enter the Nahrin Desert with the help of Baron Dylan was a complete failure

The two of them subconsciously looked at each other.

They saw the fear and uneasiness in each other's eyes.

There was also bitterness.

If they knew that the influence of the Lord of the Nahrin Desert, Kant, was so terrifying, they would not have attacked so rashly. They would not have fallen out with Kant so easily.

Now that they had fallen out, their relationship had become as tense as a confrontation.

It was impossible for both sides to shake hands and make peace.

Although there were no eternal friends, there were eternal enemies.

Especially when they were invaded and violated the other party, the hatred for such enemies would be even greater.

At least these two grand knights did not think that Kant, who had absolute high-end military power and a regular army with a high level of elite troops, would remain friendly with them when they had the advantage.

The strong and the weak could not become friends. This was the difference between class and level!

It was the same for between the countries and factions!

Looking at Baron Dylan beside him, the Lord of the Stone Pass, who had already abandoned his previous self-restraint and arrogance and was completely obedient, one could tell that he had chosen to submit.

He had abandoned the East County and turned to Kant.

Or he had been forced to do so.

The Stone Pass used to be a barren mountain pass. Not only did it not have much value for reclamation, but it was also directly threatened by the demonized creatures of the Senwaya Range, the Jackalan in the Nahrin Desert. With the presence of these creatures, Stone Pass was the most undeveloped estate.

Even a noble or knight with some connections would not choose this place.

But it was different now.

The Stone Pass happened to be the most important and the only way in and out of the Nahrin Desert.

If one wanted to engage in the highly profitable table salt trade, then the Stone Pass was the only passage that could not be avoided no matter how hard one tried. Even if one wanted to go around it, in fact, they would have to go around the mountain paths around the Stone Pass.

Normally, people did not purposely look for mountain paths, but if they tried to search for it, they would realize that was no way to go around the Stone Pass at all!

That was why the East County would rope in Baron Dylan.

Because only by controlling the Stone Pass could they control the Nahrin Desert and Oasis Lookout, control the table salt trade, and even use this pass to force Kant to surrender.

The idea was very good, and the plan was very thorough. If it succeeded, it would be perfect.

Unfortunately, it did not succeed.

In front of Kant's absolute power, everything was like a joke!

Everyone had surrendered.

Whether it was Baron Dylan or his vassal knights.

Or the two grand knights from the East County, as well as the numerous mercenaries.

All chose to surrender.

They did not have the faith to die.

They were even more unwilling to die in the barren desert in humiliation.

Surrender was the only choice.

Elite Desert Bandits and Sarrandian Horsemen brought back all the mercenaries who had fled, but there were still people who tried to resist and escape. They were turned into corpses by the scimitars and fell on the road.

It was like a road sign, but it looked extremely miserable.

The seriously injured ones couldn't be treated.

The Elite Desert Bandit didn't plan to treat them either.

They raised the spear in their hands, aimed it at their throat or chest, and stabbed it deeply. As blood spurted out, their bodies convulsed and ended this miserable and pitiful life.

The mercenaries were not worthy of sympathy, not to mention that they were invaders who attempted to invade the Oasis Lookout.

Piles of weapons and armor were thrown near the tent.

A large number of supplies were collected.

These mercenaries who had only changed into linen robes and were half-kneeling and half-squatting on the ground looked at the Elite Desert Bandit riding their horses in a daze. The bandits held scimitars and spears in their hands as they patrolled to intimidate the captured mercenaries.

After counting the remaining people, there were still 724 people left.

Less than one-third of them died in battle.

This was also due to the fact that they killed each other and were heavily injured while they were fleeing.

In fact, when nearly a hundred people died in the battle, the formation of these mercenaries began to collapse. As the number of casualties increased, even if there was no follow-up pursuit, they fled in fear because of the herd effect.

Rolf watched over them and shook his head mockingly at these captives.

A bunch of cowards.

Firentis returned to the hall of the posthouse and finally reported the results of the battle to Kant. "Lord, the battle has ended."

"Yes."

Kant nodded calmly.

The outcome of this battle was within his expectations.

However, he still looked up at Firentis and asked, "How are our casualties?"

"There are only dozens of light injuries.", Firentis replied. "No casualties."

"Very good.", Kant was satisfied.

Beside him, Baron Dylan, the 30 knights who had also surrendered, and the two grand knights suddenly looked up at Firentis and Kant, their faces filled with disbelief.

A battle with zero casualties, this result was simply unacceptable to them!

But the truth was just like that.

Firentis's lips curled up slightly, with a hint of disdain. "Our enemies are weaker than those Jackalans."

Baron Dylan lowered his head.

Those knights and grand knights also smiled bitterly in defeat.

The truth was just like that.

They were now the losers of the battle, and they were indeed the same as the Jackalan.

However, Kant understood that Firentis was talking about the high-level Jackalans in the Kingdom of Gray Mane. Even when they were at the end of their rope, they could still attack the city in a bloody manner. How could these mercenaries who only cared about money and had no professional ethics compare to them?

Firentis was absolutely right. These mercenaries were really weaker than those Jackalan!

However, they still had a certain effect.

Kant turned his head.

Beside him, Baron Dylan seemed to have sensed something. He quickly lowered his head and said respectfully, "Lord Kant, do you have any orders? I will completely obey your orders.". His attitude was extremely humble and submissive, no longer having the arrogance he had before.

Kant wanted this kind of effect because he wanted to go one step further.

For example...

To control the Stone Pass!

Kant spoke with a smile at the corner of his mouth. "Baron Dylan, I think it has been quite some time since you came to my estate as a guest. Are you considering returning?"

"I fully respect your wishes.", Baron Dylan stood up and bowed his head.

He only clenched his hands tightly.

He understood that Kant meant to make him a puppet.

"Alright."

Kant was very satisfied with his attitude. "Let's go back today."

"Yes.", Baron Dylan answered.

However, there was a hint of bitterness in his tone.

Originally, when he came to Oasis Lookout, he wanted Kant to become a puppet or to replace him. He did not expect that in the end, he would actually become the puppet. He was Kant's puppet now, whom he had always made fun of and had always looked down on!

This change made his heart tremble. A wave of resentment was stifled in his heart, but he did not dare to let it out.

He dared to be angry, but he did not dare to speak.

But even if he was angry, Kant would not give him this chance.

The weak must understand why they were weak. Since they had lost, they could be at ease as puppets.

"There might be danger on the way back."

Kant turned his head and looked at the Lion Knights beside him. He arranged, "I will send 10 grand knights to escort Baron Dylan back. To ensure his safety, I will also send 120 cavalry and 500 footmen."

"You are really... too considerate.", Baron Dylan raised his head. His eyes were filled with shock and despair, but he could not say anything. In the end, he could only lower his head dejectedly. He was in his forties, but he was like an old man in his sixties.

This was the garrison.

Kant directly extended his hand to control the stone pass.

10 grand knights, 120 cavalries, and 500 footmen. They were capable of destroying the Stone Pass. A mere control of this place was impossible for Baron Dylan, who had already lost his high-end combat strength and was only left with himself.

As for the so-called armed forces of the estate, with the help of the militia and the lance soldiers?

What a joke.

Even the mercenary group, which could hold the reputation of being a little elite, had been defeated so miserably. The so-called armed forces of the estate, a group of peasant and militia, and a small number of free civilians armed forces, were nothing but cannon fodder!

Kant did not explain to Baron Dylan, and there was no need for him to explain now.

He stood up and swept his gaze outside the window.

The troops had regrouped and were waiting for his next order.

Kant turned his head and made arrangements for Firentis. "That's it. You will temporarily follow to the Stone Pass and escort Baron Dylan. If possible, help to deal with some small problems at the Stone Pass. After all, it is a little chaotic now. There might not be any bandit groups that can appear near the pass. We need to defend it strictly."

"Yes.", Firentis nodded. With his ability, it would not be a problem for him to go to the pass and take charge.

Baron Dylan also bowed and said, "I respect your arrangements."

"That's it."

Kant nodded and stood up. "Firentis, take the troops and go back with our Baron Dylan. Remember, you must ensure the safety of Baron Dylan and the pass."

"Yes!", Firentis glanced at Baron Dylan beside him. Although his expression was calm, his eyes were filled with determination.

If there was a problem, he would not hold back.

"Okay.", Baron Dylan also bowed respectfully again.

The troops were soon ready.

Ten SarleonLion Knights, 100 Swadian Knights, and 500 Swadian Footmen who had been secretly upgraded by Kant from light footmen to a higher level. They were the level 4troop class, the Swadian Footmen!

Better weapons, better armor, better defensive equipment, and more elite combat ability.

These 611 people had no problem defending the Stone Pass.

Moreover, just those 10 Grand Knights with extraordinary powers were not something an ordinary troop could contend against!

This was Kant's first step in conquering the Dukedom of Leo.

Chapter 313: Kant’s War Trophies

The noble families of the Dukedom of Leo were greedily spying on Kant.

And wasn't Kant scheming against them?

The Nahrin Desert was really barren. Even with the system's help, Kant had to use military force to ensure his own strength and control of the area.

But even so, the development foundation of Nahrin Desert was here.

Even the development of the Senwaya Range was not very high.

In terms of environment, the barren desert and the complicated mountain land could never be compared to the fertile plains. This was the eternal truth, the advantages and disadvantages brought by the environment.

Now, Kant had taken the first step to conquer the Dukedom of Leo.

The North County was not rich.

It could be said that it was the poorest county in the Dukedom of Leo.

But it was still much better than the Nahrin Desert. Moreover, Kant's goal was to use the North County as a springboard to extend his power to the South County or East County.

As long as he obtained more troops, he could rule all of the country.

Strength was the truth.

Moreover, Kant had the bloodline of the Dukedom of Leo. In fact, he was the second-in-line heir of the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron!

It was just that due to the political factors of his ancestors, he was excluded.

If he wanted to fight for the Grand Duke's title.

Kant was completely qualified to do so!

With Firentis leading the team, 10 Lion Knights, 100 Swadian Knights, and 500 level-4 Swadian Footmen, they could completely take root in the Stone Pass. While ensuring their own safety, they could also firmly control the Stone Pass in their hands, they were not afraid of the backlogs of other forces.

After all, they were extraordinary knights who could run amok in the Dukedom of Leo and receive the courtesy of many noble families. Even if they met the royal family, they could still maintain their poise and receive the grand etiquette in front of Grand Duke Cameron.

This was the privilege of the strong.

And the prosperity of a country had a measurement of strength. It was also the number of these extraordinary knights!

Not to mention the Stone Pass.

Even in the entire North County, there were only 10 extraordinary knights recorded in the official records.

Now, there were 10 of them here, and they were all united. They were all grand knights who had unified extraordinary power. How could they not capable of intimidating this place and control Stone Pass?

Of course they could!

This was Kant's confidence!

Firentis led the team and left.

The central posthouse returned to its usual silence.

Sarrandian Horsemen were watching over the 724 captives. They were all gathered at the corner of the posthouse. They were squatting on the sand, they were ashen-faced. The panic and despair in their eyes could no longer be concealed.

They had all seen that Baron Dylan had been taken away by those elite knights.

As for their actual commander...

The two grand knights from the East County were left here alone, including the 30 vassal knights of Baron Dylan. None of them returned with the returning troops. They were all locked up in the posthouse.

If they could, they would rather leave this desert far away and never dare to set foot in it again.

But this was their wishful dream.

Kant would not let all of them leave. After all, these were his captives. They could mine a large amount of table salt for him in the salt mine, ensuring that the table salt trade would be smooth again.

Before the Sky Veil of Death arrived, Kant planned to accumulate a batch of coarse salt.

This was the confidence of the table salt trade in the future.

Only the continuous table salt trade could bring about a golden eagle that could be exchanged for denar. It could allow Kant to develop faster and expand his power. This was a crucial matter.

Once the table salt trade was interrupted, Kant would also fall into a situation where hid capital chain would collapse.

After all, the current situation was very disadvantageous to him.

Even if Kant had the ability to overthrow the Dukedom of Leo, the subsequent governing work would be absolutely difficult. It could even be said that it could not be carried out. After all, those nobles would definitely not allow Kant to suddenly enter their traditional sphere of influence.

Even if he destroyed a noble force, Kant would not be able to fill the gap of force.

He did not have enough troops.

Similarly, he did not have enough allies.

If any of the noble families in a county could support Kant, then he could directly swallow the Dukedom of Leo. At the very most, he could split the gaps of force and gift it to these allies.

This was also the benefit of the alliance between the noble families.

It was just a diplomatic mean.

Kant did not completely enter the Dukedom of Leo because of this reason.

If he really attacked the Dukedom of Leo and defeated a large number of enemies, he would only leave a large area of territories and give it to others for free. Kant naturally would not do such a thing.

If he had the ability, he would rather devour the world!

If he did not have the ability now, he would devour the world bit by bit!

These were all ways of strategizing.

After arranging the central posthouse, Kant needed to clean up the battlefield as soon as possible.

Baron Dylan sealed the Stone Pass, causing the trade caravan to be unable to enter. When they returned to the Stone Pass, the trading route would once again open up once Firentis took control of the area. At that time, the trade caravan would definitely continue to rush over.

At that time, the trade of table salt would probably be even larger.

Kant had already displayed his muscles.

He could be considered the overlord of this place. Even Baron Dylan was defeated, and the Stone Pass was controlled by his forces. It would be really difficult for the other noble families to enter the Nahrin Desert.

First, they had to conquer the Stone Pass.

Then, they had to pass through the desert to attack the central posthouse.

Finally, they had to face the Oasis Lookout. If they still had a bit of enthusiasm and morale when they faced the massive defensive walls of "Drondheim" Castle, it could be certain that they would choose to withdraw their troops at that time instead of forcing themselves to attack the city!

Back then, even the high level Jackalan of the Kingdom of Grey Mane who were so invincible at infantry battle sequence, when they attacked the fortress-level Drondheim, the five-meter-tall city wall and two-meter-tall attic were enough to wipe out their entire army, let alone the ordinary human troop.

Even though it was also because of those high-level Jackalan who were at the end of their rope.

However, Kant was so weak that he could only protect himself at that time. How could he have the current powerful army back then?

Now, he could be called the overlord!

"Rolf."

Kant made the arrangements and instructed him, "Clean up the battlefield. From next week, the table salt trade will be opened again. Continue to patrol and maintain order. Guard this place well."

"Understood.", Rolf immediately nodded solemnly.

"Then I'll return."

Kant frowned.

The undead in the depths of the desert were still threatening him. Although five months was not short, it was definitely not long!

After pondering for a moment, he turned his head to look at the mages who were talking to each other behind him.

Eleven mage apprentices and seven mages.

These mages from the Enfath Empire seemed to be having a good time talking about the sun disk. They were mumbling to each other. Their voices were not loud, but they were in a state of discussion like academics.

"Ahem."

Kant coughed lightly.

The 18 mages immediately reacted and came to Kant's side to bow. "Sorry, my Lord."

"It's fine."

Kant shook his head and asked, "From your conversation, it seems like you're discussing the sun disk."

"Yes, my Lord. Such a magical object like the sun disk is indeed the focus of our discussion. In view of the current predicament, we also agree that the sun disk that contains positive energy is indeed the best way for us to deal with it."

The leader of the mages, who was also the mage apprentice who suggested Kant to study the sun disk.

After discussion and the initial research, they had come to some conclusions.

However, they still said with some regret, "If we can get more information about the sun disk, we might be able to analyze more things. Perhaps we can get more detailed results from the analysis of the so-called Sun God Sect, which has disappeared in history."

"This...", Kant frowned. "I remember that there were sun disks in the ruins of the peak of the mountain and the ruins of the temple at the bottom of the mountain. Didn't you guys study them in Aaron?"

"Uh, that's true."

The mages looked at each other.

They looked at each other and were a little speechless. "We only helped to defend in Aaron and dealt with some demonized creatures. We didn't observe those mysterious objects that haven't been appraised in detail..."

"Haven't been appraised?", Kant frowned.

"It's those strange objects that we don't know their uses yet."

The mage answered, "For example, those strange objects in the castle, including the sun disk, have been appraised. When we touched them, we all understood the function of this thing in our hearts."

"I understand.", Kant nodded. It should be the function of the system.

The mage continued to explain, "However, we have studied the sun disk before, so we have the ability to recognize similar disks. We can easily identify them and figure out the power they contain. If we obtain more sun disks, we might really be able to develop special spells that gather positive energy. With the help of these strange objects that contain positive energy, we can fight against the undead race's Sky Veil of Death, which has extremely heavy negative energy."

"That's it. Let's go to Aaron!"

Kant made his decision.

Rolf frowned and suggested, "Lord Kant, what about these captives?"

"Let the cavalries bring them back!"

Kant waved his hand and ordered in a deep voice, "Let all the captives look to the south."

"Yes.", Rolf replied. This order was very strange, but he still chose to follow it.

He returned very quickly.

Rolf reported, "Everything has been arranged."

"Yes."

Kant nodded, but a dialog box appeared in his eyes.

As he confirmed, the data flow spread. The 500 Swadian Footmen who were waiting in line in the north were instantly surrounded by the data flow. After a few seconds, they suddenly stretched, as if there was a huge change.

After the data flow disappeared, the ones who appeared in the north were not those light footmen.

Instead, it was 500 cavalries who were equipped with horses and chain armor.

Swadian Heavy Cavalries!

This was the upgrade of the troop class, from level up from level 3 light footmen to level up to level 4 heavy cavalry. In the entire Continent of Caradia, the level 4 heavy cavalry had the best defense, the best equipment, and the strongest charging force!

And it was a total of 500 of them!

Chapter 314: Finishing the Matters in the Posthouse

The data stream disappeared, and the quality of the troops instantly skyrocketed.

The 500 Swadian Light Cavalries had all been transformed into the Swadian Heavy Cavalries that were equipped with heavy armor, including men and horses. Their swords, hammers, spears, and shields were fully armed, and could brazenly break through the formation of the footmen!

This victory had brought about a rich battle result.

This included the experience points needed to upgrade all the light footmen to level up and become an advanced troop class!

There were also the 11 mage apprentices.

They could also level up.

Following Kant's choice, the data stream appeared, the package was broken, and disappeared into the void. In the posthouse hall, the mage apprentices who were originally wearing white mage apprentice robes had completed their transformation and advancement.

They were wearing dark mage robes.

They were holding magic staffs with large gems embedded in them.

Their young faces had also turned into middle-aged men who had experienced the vicissitudes of life.

They were no longer apprentices who had just walked out of the Mage Tower and were still in the training stage. Instead, they had grasped high-level spells, various types of battlefield experience, and understood a large amount of elemental knowledge -- official mages!

"My Lord."

The mages bowed together.

They also bowed respectfully to the seven seniors from before, and their attitude was extremely good.

Kant also nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad."

These 18 official mages were stronger than the 30 mage apprentices. Whether it was large-scale AoE spells, single-target powerful spells, or all kinds of buffs, all of them had a qualitative improvement.

Previously, when they were dealing with those mercenaries who were demoralized, the mages did not cast any spells.

To these mages, they were just bunch of trash-like mercenaries. If they attacked, it was just wasting their precious spell slots.

Just the extraordinary knights, ordinary knights, and light footmen were enough to defeat those mercenaries. With the mage apprentices' small status spells, it was even easier to deal with them.

The real use of these mages was more effective in intense high-end battles.

They were not yet necessary in the small-scale military conflicts.

But now, there was still a time for them to come in handy.

Kant waved his hand and arranged, "All 18 of you, follow me to Aaron and study the sun disk that is temporarily stored there.". After a pause, Kant seemed to have thought of something, he said in a deep voice, "And study the mysterious items left behind by the Lost City!"

"As you command.", the mages nodded.

"Aaron" Town was located on the peak of the mountain.

The peak of the mountain seemed to be a temple on the surface of the earth in ancient times. It was protected by the mysterious power of a strange object. After tens of thousands of years, it still had not disappeared. It was still in good condition.

It had even become the nest of the savage demonized creatures.

However, the world was unpredictable.

When Kant took down the sun disk of the temple on the surface of the earth, the temple instantly turned into ashes and collapsed in front of Kant's eyes, as if it had already disappeared in the long river of time.

Therefore, Kant did not act rashly when facing the ruins of the temple underground.

There were many valuable items in there.

For example, there were three sun disks that released beams of light at the top of the ruins. After a clever refraction, the disks brought some dim light into the huge ruins of the temple so that it would not be completely dark.

Moreover, the most valuable thing was the golden coffin that was still placed on the stone platform!

It still stayed intact and did not has any damage despite thousands of years.

Ten thousand years ago, the bloodline of the gods had actually survived until now.

In fact, it had to be said that the coffin attracted Kant's curiosity more than the material of its own gold.

If one could analyze the secret of immortality, it would mean eternal life. As long as it was a living creature that would die, it would yearn for the eternal life!

"Royal Knight, lead the team back to the castle."

Kant immediately arranged, "Knights and heavy cavalry, watch over the captives on their return journey. After dispersing these captives, arrange them to the salt mine. Pay attention to sending troops to patrol the salt mine from time to time to ensure the safety of the place."

"Understood!", the captain of the Royal Knight from behind nodded.

This was a necessary order.

724 captives, the number was already too many.

Although they were under the watch of the royal knights and heavy cavalries, they could not cause much trouble.

However, in the salt mine, with only 30 light footmen and 40 desert bandits, in addition to the occasional camel caravans and civilians, they could not withstand the assault of nearly a thousand people. Furthermore, there were more than 300 captives in the area.

Even if the captives were to riot with bare hands, it would be enough to wipe out the salt mine posthouse!

Kant narrowed his eyes.

He naturally did not wish to see such an outcome.

After pondering for a moment, Kant added, "Send a Royal Knight to lead the 80 newly recruited desert bandits over the past two weeks to station at the salt mine posthouse to prevent a possible riot!"

"Yes!", the Royal Knight captain who was listening to the orders behind immediately replied.

Kant took a deep breath and said, "At the critical moment, we can directly suppress them with force!"

The Royal Knight captain also replied resolutely, "Understood!"

A captive riot was dangerous.

Moreover, they had just become slaves and had yet to fully accept their unfortunate fate. They had not gone through a period of long-term fatigue and torture. Once there was a riot, there would be the effect of a herd of sheep who were in the same boat. All of them would start a riot.

Even if the salt mine was near a desolate desert, there would still be a riot, fighting for that short-term freedom.

Although it would eventually be suppressed and pacified, it would cause a certain amount of trouble to Kant.

After everything was arranged, Kant stood up. The next thing he had to deal with was more important matters.

He waved his hand at Rolf and warned, "Watch this posthouse and ensure that there are no problems with the table salt trade in the future. If there are no accidents, I will pass by the posthouse at the end of the month. When the time comes, just let me bring back all the gold eagles that have exchanged for."

"Understood,", Rolf said solemnly. "I will do my best."

"Okay.", Kant nodded.

As a well-known villain noble of the Continent of Caradia, although Rolf's reputation was tarnished, his ability was certain. This was also the reason why Kant dared to let him manage the central posthouse and also deal with the trade caravan.

Kant was relieved that Rolf was in charge of this place!

Kant and the others are ready to move on.

However, the 30 Royal Knights, 100 knights and 500 heavy cavalry troops were escorting the 724 captured captives and trekking towards the "Drondheim" Castle.

They did not follow Kant.

There are only 10 Lion Knights and 18 mages although Kant goes to the "Aaron" Town.

They traveled light.

But these 28 men as guards, even a 500-men troop arrived, they will be easily defeated by these guards. The real combat strength cannot be measured by the number of people!

10 melee-fighting Lion Knights.

18 mages who master single, group, base stats, buff, and summoning spells.

How can they be weak?

They could only measure their combat strength based on the [ Nature Summon ] spell that the eighteen mages had mastered. Each of them could summon five golems, and they could cast it twice a day. In total, there were 180 golems.

Each golem was an elemental creature, and they had been treated with magic constructs.

They were 2.5 meters tall.

Their bodies were covered in solid stones and mysterious anti-magic runes.

In addition, they had a two-handed war hammer made of steel in their hands. It was enough for them to carve out a bloody path among the regular troops made of flesh and blood, and forcefully smash out a future!

This was also why the mages were the true main force of casting spells in the Enfath Empire's troops.

Not only did they have single-target offensive spells.

There were also group-damaging spells, group-enhancing spells, and various types of basic offensive spells.

This included the ability to summon golems in key battle positions and form an army alone!

If an army were defeated on a certain battlefield, or if the defense line was in danger due to the enemy's fierce attacks, these mages could summon golems as an emergency force to break through the enemy's defense and crush the enemy's fierce attacks, they could save the troops that were in a stalemate or predicament and form an advantage on the battlefield locally. From there, they could lead the way and form an overall advantage!

The world of warlike that the Enfath Empire was in was much stronger than the Continent of Caradia. Even the Pendor Continent could not compare to it!

Even the various battles that Kant had experienced were as laughable as a village chief's infighting.

That was the real graveyard of the empire.

The battle of life and death that came from the races!

All the way to the south.

Baron Dylan led the mercenary group and arrived. At the same time, they sealed off the Stone Pass. There were very few trade caravans in the desert.

Or rather, no trade caravan would dare to risk the danger of being massacred.

This was because all the noble families had already hinted to their trade caravan to temporarily stop the table salt trade. After all, they all believed that Baron Dylan, who had already obtained the support of the East County, could easily take over the Oasis Lookout.

At that time, it would be their time to make an appearance. It would be their time.

They could use all sorts of methods to coerce and bribe to obtain the ownership of part of the salt mine.

Or they could directly kill Baron Dylan and start a new table salt distribution. They could let all the great noble families eat their fill and unite together to chop off the claws of the East County that extended to the South County and North County.

When the noble families united, it could be said that it was equivalent to the power of the dukedom.

This was similar to the feudal era in Europe.

Noble families were equal to the country.

And the high-ranking noble families were the important pillars to form the country!

In fact, a small noble or the second son of the Grand Duke who had been exiled would disappear quietly under the compromise of the various noble families. There would not even be many things recorded in the history books.

This plan was very beautiful. It was to stop the attack with silence and strike after the attack.

However, things were not as simple as they had imagined.

Kant was more than second son of the Grand Duke who they had originally thought was weak and incompetent and only had a benevolent character and reputation. Kant was more than an exiled noble that had no power at all. Kant was not a coward noble that would give up the salt mine that he fought to the others!

It was completely different!

Kant.

The ruler of the Nahrin Desert.

The powerful overlord of the Dukedom of Leo.

How could he fall because of this small setback? He would simply turn the tables and let these noble families know who the overlord was, and who set the laws and rules in the Nahrin Desert!

It was only because of the threat from the deeper part of the desert that Kant could only choose peace for the time being.

Otherwise, the Dukedom of Leo had already entered a strategic phase.

But for now, it was fine.

Kant went to his town in the Senwaya Range, looking for a solution to the problem.

Chapter 315: Lush Aaron

Kant led the team. After a day of trekking, the Senwaya mountain pass was in sight.

At the top of the outer hill, there was a wooden building standing there. At the top of the six-meter-high watchtower, there were also sentries on guard. They had also discovered Kant and the others who were trekking in the desert.

That was the mountain pass posthouse, where 40 desert bandits were stationed.

They saw Kant and the others approaching.

The 30 desert bandits rode their horses and scattered. They carried their scimitars and spears and sped through the dune. They used the left and right sides of the roads as crossing points and surrounded them at an extremely fast speed.

The remaining 10 desert bandits were waiting for the results at the top of the hill.

If the situation was not right, they would immediately retreat and report to "Aaron" about any incidents.

They had already formulated a strategy.

However, before they even got close, they had already used their good eyesight to discover that it was their supreme lord.

The warhorses beneath them galloped.

The scattered troops gathered again. They put away their scimitars and spears and quickly came to Kant's side. They dismounted from their horses and kneeled respectfully on the ground. They placed their hands on their chests and saluted, "My Lord! It is an honor to meet you!"

"Well, get up."

Kant nodded and gestured for them to get up.

He glanced at the surrounding scenery. Everything was as usual. He asked, "It seems that nothing unusual happened around here while I was away."

"Everything is normal.", the desert bandits answered respectfully.

"Very good."

Kant nodded in satisfaction.

This was his secret base, his second home outside the Nahrin Desert.

It was also the future agricultural and handicraft base. It must not be known by outsiders. At least at this critical point, it could not be known by outsiders. It could be considered as one of his escape routes.

If there was a problem with the Oasis Lookout, then the towns in the Senwaya Range would be the temporary shelter for retreat.

But Kant tried his best to ensure that he wouldn't come to this point.

If he had to come here, that meant that his forces in the Oasis Lookout were almost destroyed.

Kant urged his horse forward.

The desert bandits quickly got back on their horses and led the way.

At the foot of the hill, a spring water appeared between the layers of sand. It was about 10 square meters. Some soil was scattered around it, forming a soil layer of about 30 square meters. With the nourishment of the spring water, many lush vegetation grew.

They were all desert plants that were easy to grow at the edge of the Senwaya Range and the Nahrin Desert.

As long as there was water, they could grow quickly.

Seeing Kant looking at the spring water and the vegetation growing with interest, the desert bandits took the initiative to report, "At that time, my Lord, you asked us to take care of this spring water. During our free time, we dug a spring pit and used a wooden bucket to pick up the soil in the mountain and sprinkle some grass seeds. Without much effort, this small oasis was formed."

"Well done, very well done."

Kant nodded in satisfaction.

With a smile on his face, he carefully looked at this small oasis. On the surface of the sand near the soil layer, he could see the claw marks of small rodents. It seemed that this place had formed a temporary and relatively fragile ecological chain.

After all, water was the most precious thing in the desert!

"This oasis will become even bigger in the future."

Kant spoke and turned to the north. That was the direction of the central posthouse and "Drondheim" Castle.

He once had an idea.

That was to directly form a long river that could lead to the depths of the desert by extending the river water that originated from "Aaron" Town. Especially Kant had that [ River ] card in his sleeve.

If he wanted to, a river that could sail boats would appear in the desert right now.

There was even soil and vegetation on both sides of the river.

It could be seen as an oasis. Whether it was to develop agriculture or animal husbandry, it would not be a problem to build some villages along both sides of the river. As long as it did not exceed the river's capacity, it would be able to accumulate over time, as the river nourished the banks, it would not be a problem to develop into a river that could nourish civilization by moving some soil manually!

For example, the Nile River in Egypt, the two river basins in the fertile crescent soil of the Middle East, and even the ancient Loulan kingdom in the Far East were all powerful forces that rose up with the help of the rivers and oases in the desert and desert regions.

Kant saw the Nahrin Desert as the foundation of his hegemony.

Naturally, he attached great importance to it.

If possible, he would certainly give this desert an unimaginable new life!

In fact, he was officially changing it.

Oasis Lookout had already doubled compared to its initial state. It could meet the water needs of everyone, in addition to the water needed for agriculture and animal husbandry. It could also fill up the groundwater with abundant water. This had increased the foundation of Oasis Lookout's development by dozens of times!

Moreover, Kant was still planning to open up a desert river.

Once it was opened up.

Oasis Lookout would be completely connected to the Senwaya Range.

It would be connected by lines.

Both sides of the river would be fully developed.

Especially when Kant obtained more and more extraordinary items and obtained more and more rewards regarding the rules, the Nahrin Desert would really become the legendary Jiangnan beyond the Great Wall in Kant's impression!

Kant could feel his entire body trembling just by thinking about it.

This was an extremely perfect strategic idea!

But there were a few setbacks.

"Maintain the greenery here. You guys did a good job."

Kant came back to his senses.

He turned his head to look at the desert bandits who were waiting respectfully beside him and praised, "If you have the ability, then let it all out. Let the spring water here become bigger and the vegetation become denser. You guys will receive the reward that you deserve!"

"Thank you for your praise, my Lord!"

The desert bandits were all delighted.

This was a compliment from the supreme lord. In their eyes, the value of glory was no less than winning a battle!

"Mm."

Kant nodded and continued to ride on his horse. "We don't have much time left. Let's go!"

Behind them, the Ten Lion Knights and the eighteen mages immediately rode on their horses and followed. Under the respectful gazes of the desert bandits, they stepped onto the road paved with green stone slabs and started to gallop faster than in the desert.

The stone slab was easy to walk on, not to mention that it was a road paved with stone. Under the system's rules, it was very smooth.

They followed the road and climbed over the mountains.

By the side of the road was a small river about five to six meters wide. It flowed along the mountain at a very gentle speed. Occasionally, one could see fish swimming along or against the current. It was very carefree.

These were fish that swam up from the underground river, and there were also fish that sneaked out from the fishing grounds.

The "Aaron" Town, which was located in the Senwaya Range, had already taken shape.

It didn't take long.

After climbing over a mountain, the relatively flat mountain peak appeared in front of them.

There were neatly planned buildings everywhere. From afar, one could see many people bustling around. Along with the spiraling smoke, the entire town gave people the feeling of a paradise.

At the foot of the mountain peak was a neat circle of city walls. The arrow tower had been completed and troops were stationed there.

Soldiers holding long halberds and lance could be seen patrolling on the city walls.

Outside the mountain peak, a large amount of farmland had been reclaimed on the eastern side of the mountain. Lush wheat grew in it. Looking from afar, one could feel that it was full of greenery. The scene was very pleasant.

Farmers carried farm tools and walked between the canals and the protective forest on the mountain peak.

Many peasant women could be seen.

They were driving sheep one after another, grazing on the surrounding mountains. They were bored to death and used tree branches to drive the lazy lambs, telling them to go to the slopes where the vegetation was more lush, to eat the tender leaves to grow faster.

It was truly a paradise.

Kant's second base, Aaron!

"Go."

Kant lightly knocked on the horse's belly and increased his speed.

The knights and mages behind also followed, everyone looking forward with curiosity.

In the distance, there were already Ravenstern Rangers with excellent eyesight. When they noticed the cavalry from outside the mountains, they immediately blew the bugles in a regular manner. Following a few short and orderly bugles, troops immediately appeared in the town.

50 Rhodok Sergeant, who were holding long-handled heavy knives and carrying broad shields on their backs, quickly walked out.

At the city gate, Rhodok Snipers were already prepared.

Including the arrow towers and towers on both sides, the Ravenstern Rangers and Wardens who were suitable for rapid shooting, were all looking into the distance, paying attention to who the team of horses was.

However, they did not make a big fuss and put up a tight defense.

Even the peasant who was outside did not hide in the town.

After all, this was a hidden town. They had arrived openly, and there were no desert bandits who had come to inform them in advance. Perhaps they were on the same side. After all, only the Oasis Lookout in the desert knew about this place.

As expected, when they saw that it was Kant who was approaching, the soldiers who had initially walked out of the city gate immediately bowed.

"My Lord!"

They cheered, their eyes filled with enthusiasm.

"There's no need to be so polite.", Kant stretched out his hand, but his eyes looked towards the two figures who were walking towards them. His eyes were filled with shock.

"Lord Kant!"

The two of them came before Kant and bowed respectfully.

It was James and Bunduk.

Kant's two NPC heroes.

"Yes."

Kant nodded. The shock in his eyes disappeared, but the doubt was still in his eyes.

James was still wearing mail armor. He was holding a spatha shortsword and round shield, and there was a medical device on his waist. It was not enough to make Kant stunned and confused.

Most importantly, it was Bunduk.

Kant got off the horse and asked, "Bunduk, you look pretty good."

"Yes."

Bundukl still looked handsome.

He was wearing mail armor and linen-woven clothes. He looked elegant. He walked over and took the initiative to hold the reins for Kant. He said gratefully, "Thanks to you and everyone's help, I was able to escape from the threat of death."

"It's nothing.", Kant shook his head, but he still asked, "You have recovered?"

"I have recovered."

Bunduk nodded.

This caused Kant to be even more puzzled. He turned to James and asked, "I remember that you said that Bunduk's injury needs at least half a year to recover a little. If he wants to recover, it will take at least two years."

"If he fully recovers, it will take five years."

James sighed and looked at Bunduk. "But in the past week, he has changed a lot every day. His body is actually recovering on its own, and even...", he paused. "It has changed a lot!"

Chapter 316: The Demonic Body

"An incredible change has happened!"

James's tone was filled with emotion and a hint of amazement.

As the most famous doctor in the Continent of Caradia, his medical skills were undoubtedly at the top level. However, he still had no clue about the changes that Bunduk had experienced.

Or rather, it had already surpassed the understanding of conventional medicine that he had learned before!

But behind him, a mage's surprised cry could be heard.

"This... This Is..."

They all looked at Bunduk, their faces filled with shock. It was obvious that they were surprised to see the changes of this general who had once been saved by them.

Kant frowned and asked in a serious tone, "What have you discovered?"

"What's happened to me?", even Bunduk stood on the spot.

Although his body had undergone a strange transformation, which could even be described as a perfect evolution, allowing him to transform from an ordinary body into a special physique that could quickly recover from injuries, he still wanted to know what had happened to him.

This concerned his life, and everyone wanted to know.

"That's right."

The mages looked at each other and saw the affirmation in each other's eyes.

The leader of mages took a deep breath and said slowly, "Demonic Body!"

"Demonic Body?"

James and Bunduk widened their eyes in surprise.

Even Kant frowned slightly and scanned Bunduk's forehead and skin. He looked no different from usual and did not find any features related to demon horns or demons.

"That's right, it's the Demonic Body!"

The mage leader continued to be certain and said in surprise, "Yes, the Demonic Body, it's really a miracle!"

"This...", Bunduk was a little stunned. "How did I... How did I become the Demonic Body..."

"That's right, it's impossible."

James, who was beside him, could not believe it, he said to the mages, "Bunduk is still a human, how did he become a demon? Even if his wounds have healed, they are still the same as usual. He looks completely human, how can he be called a demon?"

They were born in the world of Caradia, which was a fictional historical world. Although there were descriptions of the so-called demons, undead, and even gods, there were actually no real creatures like them in their world.

They were just the ideas and descriptions of the scholars or theologians in history.

Even if they came to this Land of Miracle

Coming to this world, which had demons, undead, and even gods, their original concepts still existed, and they did not suffer much impact. They were had doubts in these fantasy races.

But the mages from the world of "Wind of War", the Enfath Empire, could clearly understand this change.

Because they originally came from the fantasy-type magic world!

"Demonic Body."

The mage leader spoke slowly, explaining in a grave tone, "This is a special physique. It is a physique that can only be formed after being infected by demon-type negative energy and directly pouring demon blood into the body and fusing with one's own blood."

"It sounds very shocking.", Kant narrowed his eyes.

"That's right."

The leader sighed. "Even I'm shocked.". He looked at Bunduk, his tone was serious. "If this happened to an ordinary person, they would be directly injured by the negative energy and corrosive nature of the blood of demons. Moreover, the blood of demons and human blood are two completely different things. A serious repulsive reaction would produce a fatal effect."

"But... why did I survive?", Bunduk gulped. Although he did not understand the technical terms in the mage leader's words, he also understood that he had really survived.

"This is the problem."

The mage leader did not directly answer.

Looking at Bunduk, they looked at each other and came to a conclusion. "Perhaps it is because your physique is compatible with the demon's blood, and the negative energy was suppressed by Lord Kant's divine power, that's why he obtained the Demonic Body."

They paused for a moment, the mages still spoke. "But it doesn't matter. As long as you obtain a Demonic Body, you will be able to control part of the demon's power. Rapid recovery is only one of them. As time passes, the development of the demon's body will become deeper and deeper, and you will be able to obtain even more power. You can even benefit from the foundation of humans and become stronger than demons."

"So, it's a good thing?", Bunduk widened his eyes.

"Of course.", the mages nodded.

"This is... really crazy.", James was still lamenting. At the same time, he reached out his hand and subconsciously touched the medical tools behind him. He shook his head and said, "My medical skills may really not be of much help."

"No, I can recover too quickly. It's still inseparable from your recuperation and care."

Bunduk comforted him from the side.

They were old friends who had known each other for a long time. Bunduk also thanked him. "The medicinal herbs that you have used in the past few days are all herbs that you found in the nearby mountains. I feel that after using them, my body will be strengthened."

The mages added, "That's right. During the development process of the Demonic Body, a large amount of physical strength will be consumed. Using medicinal herbs will help to restore the body. At the same time, it will replenish a large amount of nutrients. It is also an important aid to the development of the Demonic Body. Perhaps when the Demonic Body is completely developed in the future, Master Bunduk, who has the power of the demon race, will be unexpectedly powerful."

"For Lord Kant, I'm willing to use all the power I have.", Bunduk looked at Kant and promptly expressed his loyalty.

"Mm.", Kant nodded. He was not a leader who was good at being jealous.

Most importantly.

The system had already stabilized everyone's loyalty.

Although this was the real world, these people were still flesh and blood.

However, after the system's changes and the changes in the rules, no one would betray Kant, just like how they couldn't betray their closest person, protect their deepest and most untouchable bottom line, they were stubborn and loyal!

To be able to obtain the Demonic Body was really out of Kant's expectations.

Bunduk's strength increased.

But for Kant, his strength also increased.

Because Bunduk was his subordinate general, he was able to lead a team into battle, or he was a key figure in a certain area. His own strength had increased, so naturally, it had increased Kant's strength as well!

"Continue to wait here, I need the day you fully recover."

Kant instructed Bunduk.

"Understood!", Bunduk was also very loyal.

"Quickly enter the town."

James also made a respectful gesture to Kant. "I just told the servants to arrange a sumptuous welcome banquet. I think you won't believe it. Now, this town can not only eat delicious pasta, but also all kinds of fresh vegetables, red meat, and fat fish."

"Very good, I'm looking forward to it.", Kant nodded and walked toward the city gate in front.

The people behind him quickly followed.

At the top of the city gate, the Ravenstern Rangers, Wardens, and Rhodok Snipers all bowed and greeted Kant. They all watched Kant walk past with passion, and the atmosphere was as lively as if the king had personally visited them.

The stone road extended all the way to the peak of the mountain.

On both sides of the road, there were already some decorations, and a lot of decorative wild flowers were planted.

It looked beautiful.

It gave a good first impression after entering the town.

At least when Kant left, the town was still very simple. After more than a month of construction, all kinds of buildings had been built, including more houses, which attracted more civilians.

The town was an important place for people to live in, not to mention that it was a base for agriculture and animal husbandry, which needed more civilians. If handicraft industries were to be moved here in the future, the amount of labor required would be even more shocking.

Of course, if the town's agricultural foundation was not well established, Kant would not have completely moved handicraft industries, such as sugar mills, wool mills, linen mills, and tanning mills to this place. Even if there were wool mills and tanning mills here, they would not expand the scale of handicraft industries too much.

The increase in population was a help to towns, but it was also a pressure.

The food problem was the most important factor.

As long as the town's agriculture developed and could ensure self-sufficiency, the handicraft industry would develop as well.

Moreover, the current handicraft industry did not have much of an effect on Kant. After all, the products of the handicraft industry would be used for trade. There was very little that could be used by themselves, and it could not be compared to the essential agriculture that consumed a lot of resources.

They entered the council hall.

It was still the same as before.

Kant sat on the main seat and asked Bunduk and James, "I remember that I once stored a sun disk made of gold here. You should have an impression of it."

"Oh, of course."

James nodded. "It's in the storeroom."

This kind of useless handicraft was equivalent to the most common gold without the system's determination.

After all, it did not release its own power and was only in its natural status. Even if it was known that it was a rare item of high value, it could not be used. Other than storing it, there was no other way.

Kant did not care, as long as it was safe here.

Looking at James, he continued to ask, "When I was away, I was at the bottom of the temple ruins, in the direction of the ancient passage. There should be no abnormalities, right?"

"No."

Bunduk answered, "I just went down to take a look today. It's very normal. There aren't any unusual movements."

"Okay.", Kant ordered, "Go prepare some wood and make a long ladder. I plan to go to the ruins of the temple ruins and take a look at the stone platform. If possible, I will also carry out the gold in the coffin."

"I will go prepare now.", James immediately got up and went to prepare.

The long ladder was very easy to make.

At present, in order to build a town, there was a lot of high-quality wood.

Moreover, even if they needed wood, they could go to the surrounding forest to cut it down. It would not take too long to mobilize the soldiers and civilians to cut down a lot of high-quality wood. Not to mention making a long ladder, they could even make a wooden bridge!

The Rhodok people also had a very high talent in making small wooden buildings.

After all, they lived in the mountains.

Wood was an important building material. Wooden houses, wooden bridges across cliffs, and even wooden boats by the sea all needed wood to be meticulously made. The carpentry skills of the Kingdom of Rhodoks were also famous in the mainland.

The chefs also brought over the sumptuous food prepared for Kant and the others.

They were chatting while enjoying the meals.

Soon, the civilians used tools to build four wooden ladders that were 10 meters long and 3 meters wide.

This was for safety reasons.

The gold was heavy, and below it was the turbulent subterranean river. If there was an accident and they fell into the subterranean river, the consequences would be unimaginable. They could only be careful.

Chapter 317: Ruins of the Underground Temple

Kant wiped his greasy mouth with a towel as he got up and left the council hall.

The food prepared for this banquet was indeed abundant. Although it was obvious that it was hastily prepared, the fresh ingredients were indeed the delicacies that they loved as they could only eat dried meat and bread during the journey.

In fact, even the" Drondheim" Castle, located in the Oasis Lookout, couldn't eat such fresh ingredients.

It was a rich gift from the Senwaya Range.

The mountains were rugged.

However, the richness of the natural resources was amazing.

The Rhodok people were originally residents of the mountains. They had a good adaptability to the Senwaya Range. Now, they had come to the Senwaya Range and established their new "Aaron" Town, the tenacity that the Rhodok people used to be proud of and their excellent survival ability in the mountains were fully utilized.

Whether it was the exploration of the surrounding mountains or the development of the nearby mountains, the Rhodok people were at ease. They even cleared the nearby threats with the help of the Ravenstern people, who were used to fight in the mountains.

For example, the carnivores, the more terrifying demonized creatures, including the Jackalan that lived in the Senwaya Range.

They had been cleared out.

Even if there were some of them escaped occasionally, they would not pose much of a threat.

Almost every few days, the hunting team formed by the Ravenstern Rangers and Rhodok Trained Crossbowmen would once again clear the surrounding mountains and ravines to ensure the safety of the civilians when they moved around here.

Relying on the five-meter-tall city wall built along the rock layers along the mountainside and the seven-meter-tall arrow tower, they moved very quickly. As the trees on the surrounding mountains were cut down, clearing the space inside and outside the city walls added a bit of security, as long as there was danger that the hunting team could not deal with, the footmen on guard on the city walls could come to support at any time.

Soldier that was wearing double-layer heavy chain armor, with iron-scale armor and linen robe on the outside. He wore a thick helmet and held a heavy machete that looked like a long halberd in both hands. On his back was a wide shield that looked like a small door, and on his waist was a Rhodok battle knife.

This was the tall and strong Rhodok Sergeant, who looked like a rock in the mountain area of Rhodoks.

He was a top-tier level 5 footman.

His defense was extremely strong. Even if he encountered the strongest level 6 footmen, the Nord Royal Guards would be able to fight him.

If they were to fight in the mountains, the throwing effect of the flying axes of the Nord Royal Guards would be weakened. These Rhodok Sergeants would form a long halberd formation to defend against the enemy. If they were to fight in close combat with broad shields and battle sabers, their combat strength would be able to suppress the Nord Royal Guards, they could be said to be a fortress on the battlefield!

With such a high defense, even a demonized creature would not be able to break through it. With their combined strength and excellent military formation, they were able to strangle the Nord Royal Guards in the cage.

Even the more powerful savaged demonized creatures, together with Rangers and snipers, died miserably!

In the cave on the side of the hill.

In order to prevent the appearance of demonized creatures and demons, James had specially arranged for 10 of the strongest Rhodok Sergeants to be stationed on the small platform outside.

Every day, there would be a patrol team with torches entering the ruins of the temple inside to patrol.

It was to ensure safety.

After all, this cave was connected to the ancient passage. Although Kant had already explored the underground city of the karst cave, his exploration was not completely effective. The area of the underground city, the subterranean river and the ancient passage, also led to a deeper place, a place that had not yet been explored was an unknown place!

Even if there were demons and demonized creatures, Kant would not be surprised. That was why before he left, he had instructed James to guard this place carefully to ensure that nothing unexpected would happen.

Of course, James guarded the place firmly and did not dare to relax.

If there was really danger...

Their town would suffer the most direct impact!

The construction of the city wall was slightly above the bottom of the mountain, just outside the cave. It could be said that if an enemy rushed out of the cave, they would come into contact with the inside of the town.

Although there was a circle of city wall at the top of the mountain, it was only half a meter high. Even with the help of the arrow tower, it was basically useless.

It was only to provide warning, lookout, and command purposes.

Of course, fortunately, they had not encountered any enemies that appeared in the ancient passage. Under strict defense, the underground ruins of the temple were very peaceful.

There was no abnormal situation.

Rhodok Sergeants held torches and took the lead to enter the cave, entering the ruins of the temple.

Behind them was Kant, who was leading the civilians who were carrying four long ladders. As the temperature dropped, a gloomy and cold aura circulated, and soon, the cave that extended downwards, passed through the stone doors, and entered the ruins of the temple.

"What a miracle."

The mages from the Enfath Empire exclaimed.

Even the experienced Lion Knights raised their heads in surprise, looking at the ruins in front of them with a look of amazement.

They had never been here before, and even the seven mages who had seen all of this still had emotional expressions on their faces. They had a heartfelt admiration for the glory of the era of the gods and the ancient era.

In terms of architecture alone, the descendants of the gods in the ancient era of the gods were not inferior to the Enfath Empire.

This was a glorious and praiseworthy achievement!

In the vast space, the huge statue was carved out of the entire rock stratum. Although it had become slightly blurry over time, one could still see the power of the past, which was enough to shock one's soul.

On the rock stratum above one's head, there were two dim yellow light pillars refracting the light, making the entire temple ruins dim at any time. However, one could still vaguely see things up close, just like the moonlight in the dark clouds.

At the bottom of the statue, there were two coffins placed on the platform.

Next to them were two corpses lying on the ground.

Vaguely, one could see the golden robes and the black robes. The two robes were parallel to each other, but also seemed to be opposite. Under the dim yellow light released by the sun disk, there was a hint of mystery.

Those were the goddess and the witch who had been killed by Kant.

And the inner coffin that was completely made of gold that was covered in the stone coffin.

"Be careful!"

Bunduk commanded from the side.

In front of them, the peasants were holding a wooden ladder that was 10 meters long and 3 meters wide. They carefully came to the side of the underground river. Along with the roaring current, they carefully leaned the ladder on the edge of the stone platform in front of them with the help of the hard stones on the shore.

The other peasant's ladder also leaned over and was easily placed in two sections, just enough to isolate the underground river.

The simple wooden bridge based on the wooden ladder was completed.

The peasant climbed up carefully. After making sure that the wooden ladder was stable, he walked to the stone platform and came back. Only then did he report to and the others with certainty, indicating that the construction was successful.

"Lord Kant, it's done."

Bunduk reported.

"Yes.", Kant nodded, but he turned to the back and ordered, "Let the rangers go up and take a look."

"Yes!"

The 10 Ravenstern Rangers immediately complied.

They held heavy bows in their hands and walked quickly to the side of the underground river. They stepped on the wooden ladder and walked to the stone platform nimbly. They cooperated with each other in an orderly manner. There were also people who pulled out the two-handed greatswords on their backs and quickly checked the stone platform.

There was once an abnormal situation there. It was the two women who had turned into corpses.

They had to be careful.

The mages were behind Kant and looked at the stone platform with solemn expressions.

The eighteen of them discussed with each other in low voices. Their expressions were uncertain towards the aura that was still lingering in the surroundings. Especially towards the two corpses, they broke out into a more intense discussion.

Their voices were so loud that they caught Kant's attention.

"What's going on?", Kant asked.

"We found something different."

The mages reported, "Those two corpses seem to be the product of pure positive energy bodies and negative energy bodies. How should I put it? Although they look like humans, they are more similar to Master Bunduk."

"I don't quite understand.", Kant frowned.

"Well, it can be understood as a natural extraordinary physique that doesn't require training."

The mages explained, "It's like Master Bunduk still needs to be developed, and those two corpses have already been developed. They are truly powerful existences. However, I can also feel that this pure energy has almost dissipated, and they have lost their lives. Only the last bit of pure elemental energy remains."

"Got it.", Kant shook his head. In fact, he still did not understand magic.

"It's safe!"

In front, ten Ravenstern Rangers finished searching the stone platform. After confirming that there was no danger, they waved their hands.

Kant turned to the mages and said, "Go and take a look." At the same time, he instructed the Lion Knights, "You guys follow closely. If you encounter any danger, protect these mages first."

"Yes!", the Lion Knights immediately responded.

The mages' physiques were very poor.

Their physiques were probably not even comparable to that of a level-3 footmen.

They could only be considered healthy adults. Compared to Kant, who had already been instilled with the Body of Knight, they were even more incomparable.

They were good at academic research and studying spells. They were not used to close combat. Therefore, the mages were better at casting spells from a long distance, and not close combat like the knights!

It was best to be careful. They stepped on the wooden ladder and stepped onto the stone platform on the opposite bank.

The stone platform beneath their feet was carved with circles of patterns.

It was mysterious and majestic.

It seemed to be a supreme decorative pattern passed down from the era of the ancient gods.

Kant had once seen all of this in books. After so many explorations, he now knew that this was the unique decorative pattern of the Sun God, a symbol of divine might.

But now, Kant was stepping on it.

He stepped forward.

The Lion Knights and mages surrounded him.

Outside was the Ravenstern Ranger, who held a heavy bow and two-handed greatsword.

If not for the limited load of the wooden ladder, the heavily armored, fortress-like would have come to protect him personally. After all, they were the footmen who were best at close combat, and were the best candidates to protect Kant.

However, with the extraordinary Lion Knights, this place would not be too much of a problem.

However, the mages narrowed their eyes.

Looking at the two corpses and then looking at the golden coffin inside the stone coffin, surprise appeared on their faces. They could not help but exclaim, "It's actually such a huge... strange object!"

Chapter 318: The Path of Golden Light

The mages had a strong sense of strange objects. When they came to the stone platform, the first thing they saw were the two sun disks embedded in the stone wall. However, what caught their attention was the coffin.

The outer part was cut by bluestone, but the inner part was made of gold!

"Strange object!"

They immediately came to a conclusion.

However, they couldn't suppress the shock in their eyes. "It's... Such a huge strange object!"

The 18 mages walked over quickly. The two-meter-tall coffin was obviously taller than them, but they still found some broken stones and tiptoed to observe the coffin. Their eyes were shining.

Kant also walked over. Seeing the mages discussing in low voices, he nodded and asked, "What did you find? Is this coffin also a strange object?"

"That's right, it's a strange object!"

The mages answered affirmatively, "The Golden Coffin inside is the biggest strange object we found!"

However, there was still a different voice among them, with a hint of shock, they said, "This coffin contains extremely powerful positive energy. Although it's dimmed due to the passage of time and cannot be replenished, the remaining positive energy is still several times denser than the sun disk that has been appraised!"

"This strange object... No, it can't simply be called a strange object. It's even possible that it's a divine artifact. We've sensed the rich positive energy in it. It's really too shocking. It's really a divine artifact!"

The mages discussed animatedly.

Kant raised his eyebrows slightly. The term 'divine artifact' was too shocking.

He gently held the hilt of the sword by his waist. This Sword of King could be called a divine artifact. In reality, it was a weapon that belonged to a king. Its symbolic meaning was more important than its actual meaning. The only powerful thing it had was to confer the title of a Royal Knight to a soldier.

Conferred the title of countless Royal Knights with extraordinary powers. This attribute could be called a divine artifact!

But the coffin in front of him.

Kant was puzzled and could not help but ask with a frown, "Why can it be called a divine artifact?"

"It contains powerful and pure positive energy. In our perception, it has already surpassed all the items in our impression. Even the Enfath Empire does not have anything that can compare to it. This coffin being called a divine artifact is completely reasonable!"

The mages finally confirmed and gave a conclusion. "It's a divine artifact!"

At this moment.

A dialog box appeared in Kant's vision.

[ Ding... Special Quest issued ]

[ Special Quest: The beginning of divine artifact ]

[ Reward: Extraordinary ]

[ Introduction: Your mages have sensed that this coffin is extraordinary. After careful study, they have come to the conclusion that this is a divine artifact that is covered in dust. You plan to try to study this coffin and perhaps obtain an extraordinary power. ]

[ Remark: Please come into contact with this coffin. The system will analyze it on its own. ]

On his retina, a dialog box popped up.

Special Quest from the system.

Kant was slightly stunned. Ever since he had obtained a powerful faction, the system had not given him a quest for a long time. At this moment, a special quest popped up, causing him to be slightly stunned. However, he still clenched his fists tightly.

This was an opportunity, an opportunity given by the system!

Extraordinary.

This was the reward given by the system for the mission.

Even though he did not know what this was, based on the words, it was definitely related to a higher level of power!

Moreover, the requirements for the mission were not high. Even the system had already given him a remark. As long as he touched the coffin, the system would automatically analyze it. It could be said that completing this mission was very simple!

"Guard the surroundings."

Kant turned his head and ordered the knights around him.

"Yes!", the Lion Knights immediately replied.

With the light sound of unsheathing his sword, Kant walked over and stood on the stone that was raised high. Looking at the golden coffin in the inner layer, he did not hesitate to reach out and press on the golden coffin in the inner layer.

A tiny stream of data spread in his palm.

A faint data chain began to spread.

In Kant's eyes, the golden coffin in front of him was instantly wrapped up by the stream of data that came out from his body. An invisible power rushed out and turned the stone wrapped outside into nothingness.

That's right, it was nothingness. There wasn't even any powder left. The stone coffin on the outermost layer seemed to have disappeared into thin air!

An extremely terrifying power was being displayed.

The Golden Coffin finally appeared before Kant's eyes.

It was about one meter tall, two meters wide, and four meters long. The entire coffin was carved with majestic patterns. The most obvious one was the lost city, or the sacred sun pattern that was unique to the sacred Golden Holy City!

And in the center, there was a blazing sun that looked like the sun at noon!

"Buzz --"

A scorching aura bloomed in the Golden Coffin.

It was as if something was awakening.

The mages outside could not help but take half a step back. They looked at the sudden appearance of the Golden Coffin in shock. Furthermore, under Lord Kant's touch, more and more positive energy was released!

However, no matter how much positive energy was released, it would not be able to break the seal formed by data.

Kant's palm was already completely placed on the golden coffin.

The scorching aura made his palm feel as hot as a teapot.

However, he did not dare to let go.

The Golden Coffin in front of him was already emitting streams of light in an attempt to break through the obstruction of the data flow. The scorching aura was really like the scorching sun at noon, making people sweat profusely.

Kant had a vague feeling that if he let go, the power contained in the coffin would immediately explode.

It was like the sun had swooped down.

It would instantly burn any enemy who dared to invade into ashes!

This was the Golden Coffin's countermeasure.

However, Kant had yet to completely adapt to this sudden heat. A mysterious coolness instantly appeared in his palm. The data flow spread even more rapidly, and the entire Golden Coffin was already wrapped inside, the data chain was tightly wrapped around the coffin, and it even seeped into the interior of the coffin.

The golden light circulating on the coffin seemed to be extremely unwilling, but the data flow was like boiling the frog in warm water. It slowly seeped into the coffin bit by bit, completely penetrating the coffin.

"Buzz, Buzz, Buzz, Buzz..."

But suddenly, the golden light struggled even more intensely.

As if sensing the impending doom, it began to struggle crazily, causing the data stream to lose its stability for a moment. It took the opportunity to rush out of a ball of golden light, entering the ancient passage at high speed in an attempt to escape.

The golden light was extremely fast.

But the data stream behind it was even faster!

With Kant's thoughts in mind, it caught up in an instant, entangling the ball of golden light in an attempt to pull it back.

However, because the golden light seemed to be desperate, it could not be pulled back!

As for Kant, his mind was filled with thoughts as the golden light struggled.

Just like the god's view that he had encountered when he was building buildings in his castle and town, his mind was filled with thoughts as the golden light burst out, until it followed the golden light and rushed forward!

But he could not see anything.

However, he could feel that a golden light appeared like a path that extended into the distance. Kant's expression was shocked.

"An ancient passage."

He could not help but mutter to himself.

Although he could not see it, he knew that he could feel that the path formed by the golden light was in fact an ancient passage. He had once walked through it and even discovered the path to the underground city of the karst cave!

The golden light was following the direction of the ancient passage, from the ruins of the divine temple where he was to the west.

Then it reached the underground city of the karst cave.

The golden light was even more dazzling.

It seemed to be looking for some help, but it found nothing. The data flow seeped even more fiercely, making the golden light more anxious. Then it continued to spread along the ancient passage.

In another ancient passage in the underground city of the karst cave, it started to spread from north to south.

It was like a 90-degree right angle.

The golden light was still struggling, and the restraint of the data flow became stronger and stronger.

Kant's thought was also spreading south along with the data flow that was restraining the golden light. Until the end, he seemed to be able to feel that the ancient passage had collapsed, but the golden light brought absolute power and broke through the mountain rocks with a bang, a huge hole was blasted out and it rushed out.

A dazzling white light appeared in Kant's mind. It was the sunlight. He was momentarily stunned. His mind could clearly feel that he was under the rock wall of a river.

He could even faintly sense ten things in the surroundings.

"Sarrandian Horsemen!"

Kant muttered to himself. They were his soldier, but he had suddenly appeared there.

But before he could think about it carefully.

In the end, the golden light seemed to have lost all its power and was pulled back by the data stream attached to it. In less than ten seconds, the golden light and Kant's thoughts returned together, whistling back into the coffin and his own body.

Kant opened his eyes, and his right hand was placed on the Golden Coffin.

The soldiers beside him were on alert.

The Ravenstern Rangers, the Sarleon Lion Knights, the mages of the Enfath Empire, and the Rhodok civilians were all waiting on the spot, as if they were waiting for Kant's orders.

Everything seemed to be normal.

On Kant's retina, a data box instantly popped up.

[ Ding... Through your tireless efforts, the special quest has been completed. ]

[ Special Quest: 'The beginning of the divine artifact' has been completed. ]

[ Reward: Extraordinary ]

[ Introduction: You have placed your hand on the coffin. A mysterious power is spreading within it. You are certain that this golden coffin is the coffin that hides the secrets of the gods. After the system's analysis, you have obtained a lot of useful information. ]

[ Remark: You have received 100 honor points, 10,000 reputation points, 100,000 denar. ]

The system dialog box disappeared.

The Golden Coffin also disappeared.

However, the soldiers were not surprised by the disappearance of the Golden Coffin. In their eyes, this was the supreme miracle performed by Kant, and it was completely acceptable.

On the contrary, the soldiers all turned their heads and looked in the direction of the ancient passage with surprised expressions.

Kant also turned his head over.

His pupils contracted.

In the interior of the ancient passage, specks of golden light appeared in the originally dark place. They were like street lamps that lit up the neat and smooth stone pavement, extending from the entrance of the cave to the depths of the invisible passage!

Chapter 319: Kant’s Extraordinary Power

It was the light that was formed by pairs of eyes.

Kant looked over. On the wall on the right, there was an ancient warrior carved in the rock layer. The two eyes that were originally inlaid with gemstones had a faint golden light, emitting a faint light that illuminated the path.

From the entrance of the cave, it extended all the way to the deepest part of the ancient passage. Perhaps it was even possible to reach the underground city of the karst cave.

Or even further, the river that Kant had explored in his sense!

"What a strange experience."

Kant muttered to himself.

He could clearly recall the scene where he was flying through the ancient passage along with the golden light and data flow.

He could also recall the underground city of the karst cave. The golden light struggled around the temple twice, and finally rushed out of another ancient passage, until it broke through the blocked mountain rocks and rushed to the sunny outside world.

It was a river. In the distance, there were flat plains and fertile fields.

There were also Sarrandian Horsemen.

When Kant thought of this, he instantly frowned. "Something is wrong!"

This was very wrong. How could he sense his soldiers in a strange place, and there were still ten Sarrandan Horseman? After all, in this world, other than the Sarrandians in "Drondheim" Castle, and the Sarrandian Horsmen that garrisoned at the central posthouse, there was no troop class from the Continent of Caradia in other places!

However, Kant was slightly stunned. A thought instantly appeared in his mind. This was the spy that he had placed earlier. Although Kant did not have many expectations on him, it could be considered as someone he had arranged.

"Borg, the young heir of the bankrupt merchant family in the East County!"

Kant instantly recalled.

His eyes widened as he looked at the ancient passage to the south. His heart was beating faster, but his thoughts were becoming clearer. "If I can see the Sarrandian Horsemen in other places, it must be them!"

That's right, it was Borg, the young man from the East County.

Borg, who had luckily escaped from the patrol route of the desert bandits at the central posthouse and was captured near the Oasis Lookout, was praised by Kant. Instead of dying, he had obtained a sum of investment!

Kant gave him 5,000 great silver coins.

He also had 10 Sarrandian Horsemen to protect him!

They were also meant to monitor him.

He did not expect that due to his busy schedule, Kant had no time to care about the spy he had set up.

Now that he had accidentally discovered the spy, they actually appeared in a place that should not have appeared. This really surprised Kant. At the same time, he was puzzled as to why the Sarrandian Horsemeen would appear there.

"They should be in the East County."

Kant was deep in thought.

However, he suddenly raised his head. "Could it be... could it be...", a conclusion appeared in Kant's mind, causing his breathing to become even more rapid. Finally, he highlighted the most famous geographical term in the dukedom of Leo: "The Resniston River!"

It was the Resniston River!

The important artery of the Dukedom of Leo, the long river that ran from east to west.

Sails were everywhere. Countless merchant ships and transport ships brought goods from other kingdoms. It carried away the Dukedom of Leo's grain, crafts, and all kinds of furs and goods. The river also nourished the fertile soil on both sides of the river, giving birth to fertile land and lush farmland.

It could be said that it was precisely because of the existence of this river that the Dukedom of Leo became more prosperous!

"That's right."

Kant had already confirmed his own conclusion.

It was the Resniston River. At that time, Borg, who had taken away Kant's 5,000 great silver coins as investments, was the young heir of the bankrupt family of the East County. It was very normal for him to appear near the Resniston River that flowed through the East County!

Perhaps the golden light had broken through the collapsed mountain rock barrier and was located at the mouth of the Resniston River.

This allowed Kant to sense his 10 Sarrandian Horsemen.

One had to know that the ancient passage from the temple ruins went from east to west. After reaching the underground city of the karst cave, the ancient passage turned from south to north at a right angle of 90 degrees.

If the direction was correct, it was indeed the river!

And the final destination of this ancient passage was the mouth of the Resninston River!

"Very good."

Kant took a deep breath and smiled.

It was perfect.

Originally, the only way to conquer the Dukedom of Leo was through the Stone Pass. Although Kant had already controlled it, this pass was located at the East County. The barren area was still controlled and sealed by the other noble families.

Kant had opened the door, and the path was still under the control of others. In reality, it was not free.

Now, this unexpected news was really perfect.

If this ancient passage could really lead to the East County territory and the river, then Kant would obtain a new route. Not only the Dukedom of Leo, but he would able to trade with the Silver Platter Kingdom and other kingdoms. After all, this river was an extremely important trading river that flowed through several human kingdoms!

As long as Kant had goods, soldiers, and power, he would be able to build a new estuary force on the river. Even if he built a new town, he would be able to obtain the hegemony he deserved!

Moreover, Kant also had two buildings, [ Village ] and [ Water bandit lair ] .

A village could randomly produce a village.

The water bandit lair was even more useful. It could directly allow Kant to produce the most useful water army in the early and middle stages!

"This is a new opportunity!"

Kant instantly came back to his senses.

The smile at the corner of his mouth could not be hidden. He turned his head to look at the coffin that had disappeared beside him. He took a deep breath and secretly rejoiced, "I really did not come here in vain!"

Not only did I not come in vain, I also gained a lot!

Not to mention the discovery of the new route.

Even the reward of honor, reputation, and denar from the system was extremely valuable.

100 honor points, 10,000 reputation points, and 100,000 denars!

This was a bountiful reward that had never been seen before. Just these 100 reputation points alone were enough for Kant to draw 110 times from the system mall. Even if there were trash items, the items obtained could be considered quite profitable for Kant!

As for the reputation points that could increase the speed of construction, recruitment, and training, as well as the crucial denars, they were considered as icing on the cake. They were not as attractive as these 100 reputation points.

Honor was the most popular reward!

All of this was already in his bag!

And at this moment, Kant's body began to throb.

It was not a sense of danger. Instead, it was a power that was about to engulf his entire body. It was spreading out from the depths of his soul. Before Kant could react, he felt like he was instantly engulfed by this power.

The Sword of King by his waist was emitting golden rays of light. The might of the king of glory was spreading out.

"What strong positive energy!"

The mages on the side spoke in astonishment.

A breeze with a faint heat wave appeared in the void, brushing past their faces like a breeze.

Everyone was suddenly startled awake.

They immediately knelt on the ground.

Including the Sarleon Lion Knights, the Rhodok civilians, as well as the Rhodok Sergeant, Crossbowmen, and Ravenstern Rangers and Wardens across the river, they all knelt on the ground with extreme respect.

Everyone seemed to be facing the most majestic king, not even daring to raise their heads.

[ Ding... Extraordinary loading... ]

[ You have received: King's Power (leader), Divine Power (light and darkness)]

[ Remark: Please check the details yourself. ]

A dialog box popped up on Kant's retina.

It was the real reward of this special quest, the so-called extraordinary that had evolved into extraordinary power!

[ King's Power: A power that can only be used by a natural king. It is the orthodox symbol of leading an entire country.1) King's Spirit: Any negative effects will be reduced by 50%. 2) King's Aura: Anyone who sees you will feel fear. 3) King's Power: Increases physical attributes by 200%. ]

[ Divine Power: a power of justice that can only be used by a natural king. It is the supreme incarnation of all holy justice.1) Holy Light: Can release Holy Light to heal injuries. 2) Divine Domain: Any injuries within the domain can be healed faster. 3) Divine Incarnation: As a divine being, your attacks will have additional holy damage. ]

Two kinds of extraordinary powers.

Kant took a deep breath, his expression extremely solemn.

After sweeping through the two kinds of extraordinary powers, although the introduction was simple, the effect of the explanation was extremely powerful!

Whether it was the King's Power that could directly go into battle or the Divine Power that could protect itself after dealing with the aftermath, they were both extremely terrifying extraordinary powers. They were practically tailor-made for Kant!

It could be used in advancing and fight on the battlefield.

It could be used while retreating to protect oneself.

Combining the two extraordinary powers of battle and healing, Kant's own strength soared even more!

This had already surpassed the power that could be obtained with his peak status of Body of Knight. If Kant wanted to, he could explode out the extraordinary power within and directly defeat any enemy.

With the help of the system, it was as if he had immersed himself in these two extraordinary powers for decades.

He could completely use them with ease!

He opened his eyes.

A faint golden light appeared in his eyes.

Kant looked at the people kneeling on the ground around him. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly. He slowly raised his hand and said, "All of you, stand up."

"Thank you for your kindness!"

Everyone responded respectfully before slowly standing up.

However, from their expressions, their respect for Kant deepened, as if they were fanatical worship!

Kant shook his head and was still not used to this. He arranged for the mages and civilians, "First, study these sun disks. It doesn't matter even if we remove them. It seems that the positive energy here has been partially replenished."

He raised his head and looked at the top of his head. A bright light had already appeared on the rock layer above him.

It was not simply refracted by the two sun disks.

It should be that when the golden light rushed out, it was like the faint golden light emitted by the eyes of the stone statue of warriors in the ancient passage. It activated some kind of ancient mechanism and was mysteriously replenished. Finally, it was able to carry out the lighting work.

Even though it was still very dark, it was more than just a little bit brighter than before.

"Yes!"

Everyone responded and started to get busy.

Chapter 320: The Most Important Arrangement

The two sun disks were dismantled by the civilians on the rock-carved chassis.

The ruins of the temple with a glorious history suddenly became a little dim. However, as the golden light shone on the rock layer above, the light in the entire temple ruins was dim, but it was still barely visible.

Moreover, the civilians and soldiers held torches high every few people, lighting up the surrounding environment.

Of course, there was nothing unusual in the ruins.

"No problem."

The mages nodded and felt relieved.

Looking at the intact buildings around them, they reported to Kant with joy, "My Lord, the golden light not only charged the ancient passage, but also the temple ruins."

"It's good that there's no problem.", Kant nodded. His face was calm, but his heart was relaxed.

There was nothing he could do.

This was indeed worthy of Kant's caution.

He knew the consequences of rashly removing the sun disk from these historical buildings.

Just like the temple ruins on the peak of the mountain, although most of it had collapsed, the faint divine power released by the sun disk had been preserved for thousands of years, and the overall structure was still intact.

However, after he got someone to remove the sun disk from the arms of the stone statue, everything was gone.

The originally solid stone seemed to have experienced the brilliance of ten thousand years in an instant.

It turned into ashes in a blink of an eye!

It really turned into dust. Even a gentle breeze could blow it away. In the blink of an eye, it dissipated on the entire mountain range and turned into soil again, returning to the earth. It could not be seen that it was part of the glorious temple.

The main reason why Kant agreed to dismantle the two sun disks was because the mages had given a safe conclusion. After confirming that the ruins of the temple had been charged by the golden light and had a special structure, even if the sun disks were dismantled, there would not be a large-scale destruction.

After coming to this conclusion, they arranged for the demolition with fear.

In reality.

Kant was currently standing at the stone door thousands of meters away from the stone platform.

Behind him was the cave corridor. He could quickly evacuate to the outside world at any time. Even if these ancient ruins were all turned into ashes, it wouldn't have much of an impact. After all, this mountain was incomparably huge.

Even if the interior collapsed, it would still be able to hold on for a short period of time. It was enough for Kant and the others to evacuate!

The main reason was Kant's evacuation.

He was the supreme lord, the ruler of everything.

Naturally, he could not die here vainly.

After the system's strengthening, Kant, who had mastered two extraordinary powers, had his physical fitness greatly improved. Although he had not completely reached the terrifying stage, it would not be a problem for him to run at top speed in a cave corridor that was just over a thousand meters away.

If he ran at full speed, he would be able to rush out of the cave in a minute!

However, he did not have the chance to use it.

It was safe here.

The civilians worked together and carefully stepped on the wooden ladder. They walked past the top of the surging underground river and finally arrived at the stone square that had yet to collapse. They all heaved a sigh of relief when they stepped on the hard and solid ground.

Even the Lion Knights, who were anxiously waiting by the side, also heaved a sigh of relief.

If something unexpected happened...

They were the last line of defense. With their strong physiques, they were able to catch the sun disk that had fallen into the underground river. If they could not catch it and fell into the turbulent underground river, they would not have a good way to salvage it for the time being.

Unless the underground river washed the sun disk into the river beside the ancient passage.

The water flow in the river was not considered fast.

This was all a preparatory plan.

It was naturally the best way to not use it now.

The mages behind Kant moved forward and looked at the two sun disks that had been transported over with a hint of eagerness in their eyes. For them, although researching war-related spells was their main job, researching other spells was also considered an interest. Moreover, the magic system of this world was obviously different from that of the Enfath Empire.

In the opinion of the mages, they had even concluded that the magic system of this world was different from that of the world of "Wind of War". Perhaps they could borrow the magic of this world and develop new spells!

This was not impossible.

The world of "Wind of War" was a completely chaotic world of war.

All races competed for hegemony.

Although the human race occupied the dominant position, they were still one of the contenders for hegemony. In fact, they were not invincible.

If it was purely based on the individual humans, their combat power was still at a relatively weak level. They were completely dependent on the quality of their troops, their numbers were higher, and they had the protection of high-level combat power. That was how they were able to barely maintain their position in the world of "Wind of War".

For example, the Enfath Empire relied on the race of the storm giants, the religious inquisition that spread throughout the human race, and the help of the war mages who specialized in destructive spells. That was how they were able to occupy the western side of the continent.

In particular, the war mages were the main force in the army that could deal lethal damage to the enemy.

Destructive spells were also studied by the war mages of past generations.

Whether it was the Magic Ball Spell, Fireball Spell, Sharp Golden Blade, or the Summoning of Lightning, Deadly Frost, Nature Summoning, and Group Acceleration, they were all prepared for war.

The Magic Ball Spell was similar to a sledgehammer and could destroy shields.

It also had a certain attacking effect on giant creatures with tenacious lives such as trolls, tree spirits, and giant dragons.

The Fireball Spell was even simpler. It was the killing power of an ordinary troop class, so the explosion of the fireball was naturally more powerful!

The Sharp Golden Blade was an enchantment spell that increased the sharpness of the weapon's status. This was to increase the lethality of the ordinary soldiers and obtain more battle results in the intense battlefield.

As for why they did not study defensive spells, it was also simple. After all, defensive spells wasted more magic power, and the effect produced was no different from having a shield. If a giant dragon-level creature stepped on them, they would still not be able to withstand it, and they would still die.

It was better to focus on destructive spells and attack-enhancing status spells.

In war, life was also at stake!

Troops were expendable items. Even if they were used up, they could finish off the enemy. In the eyes of the politicians and generals, their mission was complete!

As for the high-level spells, the principle was the same.

To fight the enemy was the most important reason for developing better spells!

"If that's the case."

Kant muttered.

Looking at the two corpses that were also carried out by the civilians, who might still have special powers, he did not look down for a moment. He then turned to the mages and arranged, "I don't mind you guys studying those two corpses."

"Understood. We really need those two corpses that have elemental physiques!"

The mages immediately bowed in gratitude.

This was an opportunity.

As a traditional human power, the Enfath Empire still prohibited corpse research on the surface. Even if they secretly supported some mages to study corpses and undead, they were still a minority.

One had to know that only the evil undead would study corpses. Only vampires and necromancers would control the souls of the dead, manipulate corpses, and blaspheme the honor that once belonged to the living. This was a taboo research!

They were the ones who were dealt with by the extremely cruel religious inquisition.

Not to mention the undead and demons.

Even those who came into contact with evil energy could be captured by the priest of the religious inquisition and burned to death on the stake. They did not care whether they were old people or children, or what their past was like.

Evil energy was an evil type of negative energy. It represented evil itself!

But sometimes, evil still represented strength.

Kant did not resist these mages studying evil spells.

In fact, the mages who had been instilled by the system as Kant's loyal followers would not betray him. Instead, they would be of greater help to Kant after obtaining stronger power!

This was a modification from the rules, stronger than the restriction on the soul alone!

"Let's leave."

Kant made the arrangements.

The place had been dealt with, including the wooden ladder on the stone platform.

The civilians carried two sun disks and two corpses, surrounded by soldiers holding torches, and left the ruins of the temple, returning to the town along the cave corridor.

The sun was setting.

In a short time, the sunlight that was already setting in the west had turned into the glow of the evening, hitting the mountains.

It was already evening, and the temperature dropped with the setting of the sun.

"Lord Kant."

James walked over quickly and bowed. "I have prepared a banquet and opened a barrel of malt wine. If you don't mind, please stay here and have a good rest tonight."

"Yes.", Kant nodded. "I won't be leaving in the next few days."

"That's great!", James looked happy.

The research needed time.

However, Kant was planning to stay here for a while.

The ancient passage attracted his attention. After all, this passage could lead to the Resniston River. If it was well developed, it could even speed up his development, especially since he had already set up spy.

Borg, the heir of the bankrupt merchant family in the East County, needed to be put in use.

"Alright."

Kant made a decision in his heart.

Manid and Joslin were in charge of guarding the Oasis Lookout. Although they were not military generals, it was not a big problem for them to guard the place and ensure the safety of the "Drondheim" Castle.

Moreover, the royal knights, knights, and heavy cavalry should have already returned.

Those captives alone would not be able to cause trouble.

The only thing Kant was worried about was the undead in the Nahrin Desert.

The spread of the Sky Veil of Death was still very fast. Five months was enough for it to spread to the vicinity of "Drondheim" Castle, and six months was enough for it to completely cover Kant's Oasis Lookout.

Therefore, he did not have much time.

It was just enough for these mages to temporarily study the sun disk and the two corpses.

As for Kant, he would first use the time he had temporarily to study how to pass through the ancient passage to obtain more opportunities for development. He would ensure that the exposed path that led to the Dukedom of Leo was completely in his hands, he would not let the other to seize it!

The ancient passage could travel by water, but it could also travel by land. It could also travel by boat and carriage. By connecting the Resniston River, which was the most important shipping river in the Dukedom of Leo, it was equivalent to connecting to a golden waterway!

It also meant that he could obtain piles of golden eagles!

Chapter 321: The New Sun Disc

The dinner was ready before evening.

The long table in the council hall was piled up with a variety of meats and wild forest fruits, crispy toasted bread, and condiments made from various spices used as dipping sauces.

Freshly roasted antelope meat, roasted wild boar ribs, roasted bison hind.

Fatty fried fish, stewed wild pigeon with cabbage, cooked fruit dessert wrapped in date palm sugar.

Boiled eggs, fried chicken, and fried crispy bee pupae.

Plus, a barrel of malt liquor that had been chilled in the underground river.

The feast was extremely sumptuous. The town spent all their efforts to make the food, in the hope that Kant, the supreme lord, would enjoy it.

The taste of the food was excellent, and Kant was extremely satisfied.

He did not skimp on his praises at the banquet.

The long period of dealing with all kinds of problems and the long journey to various places had made Kant a little exhausted. Although he took a rest midway, he merely had a short nap before getting busy again.

The matter was urgent, and Kant was unable to hold himself back from the busy pace. But it also represented the proper development and safety of his territories.

But it was different now.

The Stone Pass had been taken down, and the gate of the Dukedom of Leo had been opened. His troops could easily pass through the most important canyon in the Senwaya Range and enter the country that had once ostracized him.

They would attack as aggressively as fire and hold their position as steadily as a mountain.

This was how Kant's current situation could be described!

Under the attack of Kant's elite troops, no one in the North County would be able to withstand it.

Even if the nobles of the South County and the East County were to join forces, Kant would be fearless in a head-on battle with them. With an astonishing number of extraordinary knights leading the heavy cavalries, Kant had the power to defeat tens of thousands of troops.

Kant was definitely the one who lagged behind in terms of the number of heavy cavalries.

But in terms of the quality of the cavalry, and even in terms of the number of superior combat forces, it could be said that Kant was at the top of the entire dukedom of Leo!

Moreover, a new route had been found. He could even use a faster and more convenient waterway that led directly to the banks of the Resniston River in the East County, and it was the best place to attack the Dukedom of Leo.

That was the Resniston River, where trade was more prosperous, and the river carried gold eagles and silver coins.

Kant definitely would not give it up.

There was also a spy that he had prepared beforehand. However, he did not expect that the spy happened to be located in the local area.

If Kant used Borg, the heir of the bankrupt merchant family, his power would develop faster than that of the northern county. He would also obtain more profits!

One had to know that the North County was a poor and cold place, which resulted in the low strength of the noble families.

The prosperous lands of the Dukedom of Leo were located at North and South Counties.

As for Kant, he planned to control the East County.

His power spread out in the dark, and with the help of the military of the North County, when he had accumulated enough power, he could immediately take advantage of the situation and merge the southwest and southern territories, then attacked the South County and obtaining the final victory.

No one could have imagined that a poor little baron was trapped in the Nahrin Desert and unable to develop his strength, who was locked up in the North County and unable to spread out his force, would suddenly showed at the East County, and combined with the huge military strength of the northern county, he would directly break through the South County, and completely conquered the Dukedom of Leo!

Such a terrifying strategic plan!

As for the Sky Veil of Death...

Kant narrowed his eyes slightly. From the looks of it, with the Spring of Nature, he could at least withstand it.

However, consuming the precious Spring of Nature was not something he was happy to see.

This kind of spring water could speed up the growth of plants, and it was the most direct help to agriculture and animal husbandry. It could be said that Kant could use this batch of spring water in his hands could completely double the size of the Oasis Lookout if he wanted to!

It was twice the size of the entire area.

As long as they found the desert poplar tree, red willow, and other tree species that could live in the desert.

They could harvest its seeds or branches, bring in the spring water, and after simple soilless cultivation, sprinkle these springs of nature. A single drop of spring water could achieve a terrifying effect of accelerating the growth of cops for a day, and it could easily exchange for a small forest to grow.

Sprinkle some soil from the Senwaya Range, together with the shade of the trees and the water channels, let the vegetation grow.

The simplest oasis was formed in this way.

As long as it was strictly guarded, the oasis would form a good cycle in a few years. Under deliberate care and without destruction, it would become one with the Oasis Lookout and become a real oasis.

The Spring of Nature certainly played the greatest role.

It could not be easily consumed in the Sky Veil of Death!

This was Kant's idea.

He hoped that the mages could develop new spells and modification with their knowledge, forming a foundation that could resist the Sky Veil of Death in exchange for a space for Kant to develop.

At least, according to the mages' speculation, the research would not be too difficult.

The spells in this world were not difficult to understand.

It was just that with the end of the era of the ancient gods, the elemental energy tide was in a declining status, which was also the end of the magic era.

As a result, the effects of spells became worse.

However, as the natives of the "Wind of War" and outsiders of this world, the foundation of their spells was the result of thousands of years of research by the Enfath Empire. Naturally, the phenomenon of the decline of magic in this world did not affect their powers.

Although their spells were also weakened, they had richer knowledge.

At the very least, it was very difficult to become an official mage in the end of magic era

Kant now had 18 official mages!

The banquet ended. After a pleasant chat with James and Bunduk, they went to their room and rest in the night.

However, at the corner of the second floor of the council hall, there was golden light flashing in the night from time to time. It was like the sun releasing light, but it stopped, like a light bulb that was turned off from time to time.

The surrounding soldiers who acted as guards also looked over curiously.

No one went forward to disturb them.

Bunduk had already instructed that the mages were conducting experiments, and no one was allowed to disturb them.

However, the golden light that appeared from time to time at night was still very sensitive, and it even attracted many demonized creatures. However, before they could get close to the city wall, they were shot into hedgehogs by the heavily guarded Ravenstern Rangers and Wardens on the city wall.

With the help of the city defense, even the savaged demonized creatures would become corpses.

Unfortunately, the flesh of the demonized creatures could not be used as food.

This was the only shame.

When Kant woke up the next day, he pushed open the door and heard cheers and laughter coming from the room beside the corridor. He frowned slightly. He was just about to walk over when the door on the other side was opened, and the mages rushed out.

Each of them had dark circles under their eyes. They looked like they had not slept the whole night, but apparently they were extremely excited.

"Long live my lord! We've succeeded!"

"My lord! We've succeeded! We've succeeded! Long live my lord! Long live my lord!"

The mages immediately cheered when they saw Kant.

"Stop, gentlemen."

Kant reached out his hand to signal for silence.

Looking at the mages whose eyes were filled with thrill, Kant's heart moved slightly, and the corners of his mouth curled up. "It seems that a joyous event worthy of celebration has occurred. Who can explain the situation?"

"My lord, it's like this!"

The mages quieted down, and the leader of mages, said respectfully, "Our research has succeeded!"

"Just as expected." Kant's pupils contracted slightly.

And the mage captain continued to report, "We have already successfully analyzed the magic patterns within the two sun discs. We have to praise the ancient times, the ingenious ideas of those God's descendants. If it wasn't for the existence of the knowledge of the Enfath Empire, we probably wouldn't have been able to successfully analyze them!"

Kant nodded and asked in a slightly urgent tone, "You guys did a good job. What about the results of your analysis? Can you effectively resist the Sky Veil of Death of the undead?"

"No problem!"

The mage leader immediately nodded firmly. "Absolutely!"

Kant calmed his mind and said, "Let me see the results."

Seeing is believing.

Now, even though he believed what the mages said, he still wanted to see what kind of research results they had obtained after analyzing the sun disc. They dared to boast so confidently that they could resist the Sky Veil of Death of the undead!

"This is very simple!" the mage replied and gestured to the room at the same time.

"I'm looking forward to it."

Kant walked into the room where the mages had studied for the entire night.

However, just as he entered the room, he paused for a moment, and a look of astonishment appeared in his eyes.

"This..." Kant could not help but mutter.

"This is the result of our research, an effective way to Sky Veil of Death!"

The mages' voices were filled with pride and self-satisfaction as they looked at Kant's shocked expression, they puffed out their chests and raised their heads as they explained, "The power of the ancient gods has been deciphered by our knowledge from the Enfath Empire. Although what we are doing is actually a poor imitation, as time passes, it will gradually be perfected!"

"This is very good, very good."

Kant took a deep breath and nodded slowly. "You guys did a great job!"

Right in front of Kant, an even bigger sun disc was suspended half a meter above the floor.

That's right, it was floating and became even bigger.

The original diameter of the sun disc was about half a meter, but now it had grown to one meter.

And this golden sun disc was still emitting a faint golden light, just like two suns, slowly releasing rings of golden halos, as well as a sacred feeling that made people fear.

There was also an even purer golden stream of light flowing within the sacred inscriptions on the sun disc, bringing with it an even purer golden glow!

At this moment, a dialog box popped up on his retina.

[ Sun disc (under repair)]

[ This golden disc engraved with mysterious engravings faintly condenses the power of the sun. Although the mysterious engravings on it had become indistinct due to the passage of time, it had been repaired with special magic engravings and was barely repaired. It was able to display part of its former power. ]

[ Special effect 1 - Temperature control: absorb sunlight during the day, reduce the temperature within 5000 square meters. Release sunlight at night, raise the temperature of 5000 square meters. Constant maximum temperature is 30 degrees. Minimum temperature is 0 degrees. ]

[ Special effect 2 - Holy Light: Can release holy light within a 5,000 square meter area, shining like the sun on the Earth. Can resist all negative status buffs and allow wounded soldiers within the holy light area to heal.]

[ Special effect 3 - Evil Expulsion: Any evil troops will not be able to approach within a 5,000 square meter area. If they approach, they will be automatically attacked by holy light attacks until the evil troops are defeated, leaving no one alive. ]

[ Remark: 1) Can be placed under the sun to recharge itself. 2) Can be fused with other solar discs to strengthen its power. ]

Chapter 322: The final best plan

The sun disk was clearly visible.

However, Kant was slightly stunned. He glanced at the three special effects. Each of them could be considered powerful, but they could only affect an area of 5,000 square meters, which was only equivalent to the size of a mansion.

Compared to the Oasis Lookout, which occupied an area of one hectare, the area affected by the sun disk was too small.

Even if it was placed in the middle of the castle, it could only protect one-third of the area.

The area was too small!

This 5,000 square meter is not enough to protect the walls of Drondheim Castle!

Thinking about the Sky Veil of Death, which covered the sky, the area of protection is really too small. When the black fog and dark clouds of the Sky Veil of Death swept over, they have to give up part of the defensive fortifications to protect the area successfully!

As for the agriculture and animal husbandry areas in the outside world, they could not protect them at all.

We have to give up!

Kant would not be willing to do that!

The current Drondheim castle was dependent on the Oasis Lookout for protection.

Without the Oasis Lookout, this seemingly strong castle is merely a landmark that could be defended. Even if it could temporarily hold off the attacks of the Sky Veil of Death's undead, Kant would still give the order to retreat.

Oasis Lookout, which could no longer protect the castle, does not have much value in the Nahrin desert.

Moreover, by then, the salt mines would have already been conquered.

Without the Denar income from the table salt trade, even if this was Kant's first base, the best plan would be to retreat to the city in the Senwaya Range and defend it.

This is Kant's town, "Aaron"!

The ancient passage had waterways and land routes that lead directly to the hinterland of the Dukedom of Leo. It is extremely prosperous and provides access to several countries. It could be said to be the river of human trade, the Resniston River!

Even if the Sky Veil of Death spreads to this town, there will still be a way out.

At most, they could abandon the town.

They could all go to the temple ruins at the bottom of the mountain.

Even if the temple ruins could not be defended, they could still retreat along the ancient passage to the underground city of the Karst Cave.

The sun disc covers an area of 5,000 square meters, it was definitely enough to directly seal off the ancient passage. Moreover, Kant could also use the waterway to travel across the Risniston River and contact the spies he had set up.

Kant still does not see the eastern county as a threat.

His extraordinary ability was enough to dominate.

Moreover, if the Sky Veil of Death appeared in the Senwaya Range at that time, it would mean that the Stone Pass also produced this kind of undead strategic spell, which even the Dukedom of Leo had to pay attention to. The East County, Countess Agatha, and Kant's aunt also had to help out.

When the time comes, Kant would have a better chance to develop in the East County.

After all, the undead and the humans are mortal enemies.

Those skeletons and zombies are the enemies of all living beings.

There was no peace talks.

If the Dukedom of Leo could not resist the attacks, the entire North County would surrender to the undead. The rich South county and East County would then become the front-line fighters against the undead.

Even the Silver Platter Kingdom and the country that believed in the holy light would have to send troops to support them.

After the Dukedom of Leo crosses the river, they would arrive at the Silver Platter Kingdom!

These were all part of Kant's worst-case scenario.

Of course, all of these were based on the premise that Kant could not resist the undead, could not resist the Sky Veil of Death, and thus gave up on his own forces. He would retreat completely in order to develop further!

The price was too high.

Kant had also unintentionally blocked even more threats for the Dukedom of Leo.

Whether it was the ferocious and terrifying Jackalan expeditionary army or the undead disaster, Kant had become the human countries' shield. He could be said to have enjoyed the helpless situation, where he had used the Stone Pass as a shield.

The price of retreating is really too high.

The only way is to defend!

Kant clenched his fists and made up his mind.

However, looking at the sun disk in front of him, he had a lot of thoughts. He turned to the mages and said in a deep voice, "Although this kind of strange object can resist the Sky Veil of Death, the range is too small for us!"

The mages were unhurried, and replied, "Lord, the range can be increased!"

Kant frowned.

"I don't understand."

"We need more sun disks to absorb their sacred sun pattern, and gradually fuse them together to repair them."

The mages continued, "If there are no sun disks, then we need more sunlight to recharge them, and to increase the range of these sun disks. Of course, according to our calculations, absorbing an additional sun disk can increase the range by 5000 square meters, while absorbing a year's worth of sunlight can increase the range by 1000 square meters."

"The difference is really obvious." Kant scoffed and shook his head.

It shouldn't be said that the difference was obvious, the difference is in fact so big that it is equivalent to the distance between heaven and earth!

The solar disk could increase the range by an additional 5,000 square meters. It could be said that as long as Kant had an extra solar disk, he could directly make this so-called divine area disk, become more powerful and have a wider range!

As for absorbing sunlight to recharge, it was not a source of concern for Kant.

Although this is a slow process, compared to absorbing the additional solar disk, the increase in range is still lacking.

It only increased by 1,000 square meters every year, 5,000 square meters in 5 years, and 10,000 square meters in 10 years. For Kant, who was pressed for time, with less than half a year left, it was meaningless!

What Kant needs is time!

But what is worth celebrating is that he happens to have two additional sun disks!

Without communicating or waiting for the Supreme Lord's order, the mages and Kant dragged out the other sun disk, which is casted in gold, from a corner.

It was a strange object that originated from the era of the ancient gods!

But it was much smaller.

The half-meter-long disc-shaped object did not have the ability to float in the air, nor did it emit a faint golden light. It had the invisible power of a small sun. It was similar to when it was taken from the stone platform.

It also carried dust that had not been cleaned.

The sacred sun pattern carried a few threads of golden light, which were faintly discernible. This proves that the object was extraordinary.

When the sun disc approached the floating sun disc, both of them moved slightly. The golden light flowed rapidly within the sacred sun pattern. The sun disc that was suspended mid-air was emitting an even brighter light. It was as though it had met its partner and was overjoyed, wanting to bring it into its embrace.

This was a close connection between similar strange objects. After being modified using the magical knowledge of the Enfath Empire, it cannot be said to be the same as the previous sun disc. It can only be better!

"Begin the fusion." The mage Captain spoke.

Five mages stood out and raised their wands together. As the mysterious magic power was displayed, a ray of golden light appeared on the two sun disks. It slowly circulated and fused into one.

Chapter 323: Subsequent Arrangements

This was the phenomenon of the sun disc merging together.

In just a few seconds, the two sun discs had merged into one in front of Kant. Or rather, the floating sun disc emitted golden light and absorbed the unapprised sun disk.

[ Ding... the sun disk has been repaired ]

At this moment, a dialog box popped up on Kant's retina.

The golden light in front of him was dazzling.

After absorbing one sun disk, the sun disk that was originally floating in front of Kant became even larger. From a diameter of one meter, it increased to 2 meters in diameter. Its thickness also changed from half a finger to two fingers.

The entire disk became even larger and heavier. The sacred sun pattern on the body of the golden disk became even more obvious!

The golden light flowing within the pattern became even more dazzling!

"Very good!" Kant raised his eyebrows slightly and could not help but sigh.

In the description of the system's interface, the radiation range of this sun disk had really increased from 5,000 square meters to 10,000 square meters, which was double in coverage!

"My lord, we still have more sun disk to fuse with!" the mage leader smiled

At the same time, the mage next to him dragged a new solar disk in a corner.

These were found in the ruins of the underground temple. Now, these two solar disks were undoubtedly adding more nutrients to Kant's solar disk that was already under repair!

There was nothing wrong with this description.

It was nutrients!

Using the other sun disks as nutrients to nourish this sun disk that had been strengthened by the magic techniques of the Enfath Empire!

As the golden light circulated again, the sun disk floating in front of him became more and more brilliant. The golden light circulated within the sacred sun pattern as if it was corporeal. The overall diameter continued to expand, transforming into a huge golden disk that was three meters in diameter and five centimeters in thickness.

The golden light carried an unrivalled might.

It was really like the sun that hung high in the sky, descending into this room!

"This is the limit of what we can do at the moment." the mage leader's voice was slightly regretful.

He shook his head helplessly, he reported to Kant, "My lord, if we can have more sun disks, we might be able to make this sun disk stronger. Moreover, we speculate that the current power of this sun disk is not only that. When it absorbs enough of the same type of strange objects, it will develop even more power!"

"That's simple." Kant nodded. The smile on his face proved that he was happy.

After some thought, he said, "Oasis Lookout still has a sun disk, and if I remember correctly, we didn't search through the entire underground city in the karst cave. We haven't cleaned up the temple too."

Seven mages agreed. "That temple indeed seemed to have positive energy gathering."

Their senses were not bad.

At that time, these seven mages were the mage apprentices who had followed the army to the underground city.

For this, after experiencing a battle, they were successfully promoted to mages. With the powerful magic power of the Enfath Empire, along with the other elite troops, they were able to deal with the abyssal demon trapped within the underground city walls.

At that time, Kant's main force was still in Drondheim Castle. The troops also did not have high-level combat strength. Even mages were still mage apprentices at that time. Moreover, there was not extraordinary knights, who were very strong in melee combat, in Kant's troop at that time. They only appeared after defeating the demons.

That could be considered Kant's blessed land.

Now, there was also a passage that led to the Resniston River.

This deepened Kant's good impression of the ancient passage and the underground city of the karst cave.

Especially, in the underground city's temple ruins, there might still be some strange objects that was the same type as the sun disc. If these strange items were found, Kant could upgrade the current sun disc. Kant decided in his heart.

"Quickly prepare, we're heading to the underground city!" Kant ordered.

The mages said in astonishment, "My lord, we're heading there now?"

Kant nodded. "That's right."

The mages looked troubled. They had not rested well last night.

However, Kant added, "You don't need to follow. Stay here and continue to study extraordinary powers. I will lead the Lion Knights and Bunduk to the underground city of the karst cave with me."

"Understood!" the mages heaved a sigh of relief.

As spellcasters, their physical strength could not be compared to that of extraordinary knights.

In fact, their physiques were similar to that of ordinary people.

Although they had been nourished by magic elements and their physiques had been indirectly improved, they had spent years studying magic and working like a scholar. They did not deliberately train their bodies like knights and warriors. In fact, their physiques were equivalent to that of healthy adults.

It was obviously unrealistic for them to gone through painstaking physical training of knights and warriors.

Kant also understood this point.

Therefore, he did not intend to let them follow him on this mission.

In fact, there was no need for the mages to follow him. The danger in the underground city of the karst cave had already been resolved. Even if there were some demonized creatures or demons remained in the underground city, they would not be a match for the Sarrandian Horsemen who possessed extraordinary powers!

An ordinary level 4 Sarrandian Horseman would be able to take down more than ten imps. They would be able to work together with the powerful level 5 heavy cavalry, Mamluke, to deal with the strong and reckless long-horned demon. Morever, Kant already had level 6 extraordinary knights in his troop.

As long as they did not encounter that terrifying abyssal demon, which in Kant's eyes had the power of a level 8 troop class, they would be able to sweep through anything they encountered. Even if they encountered an undefeatable enemy, they would still be able to escort Kant away.

Ten Sarleon Lion Knights were enough to dominate the local area!

Before leaving, Kant had made some arrangements.

When they arrived at the council hall on the first floor, James and Bunduk were also rushed over there once they received the mission.

"Lord Kant." The two of them bowed respectfully.

"Yes." Kant nodded and very straightforwardly made arrangements for the two of them. "Bunduk, follow me to the underground city. I think you should be familiar with that place. After all, we have been there before."

"Understood!" Bunduk answered.

Kant looked at James. "I have a very important mission for you."

"Please speak." James stood solemnly.

"I plan to level up the town." Kant frowned slightly and spoke out the decision in his heart, "The town will be upgraded to a city. During this period of time, I want you to carry out the city construction. Try to fill this mountain peak with the buildings that we should have!"

"I will do my best!" James did not decline.

"Very good." Kant nodded.

The current situation continued to change.

The "Aaron" Town, which was originally as secret sanctuary of Kant and his people, was also no longer safe. After all, the ancient passage had been opened. The people from the outside world could enter the ancient passage at any time through the gap, thus discovering Kant's hidden forces.

Therefore, one of the goals was to seize the opportunity and head to the Underground City of the Karst Cave to search for the sun disk.

Moreover, an investigation at the gap in the Resniston River was also the goal!

Chapter 324: Level up of Aaron City

However, before completing these objectives, he had to deal with the current affairs of the local government.

For instance, the levelling up of a city.

Moreover, Kant had already stored enough honour points!

According to the rules of the system, 10 honour points enabled a village to become a stronghold or a town. With the addition of another 100 honour points, a stronghold could thereafter become a castle while a town would become a city.

Now that Kant had 100 honour points, it was enough for him to raise "Aaron" from a town into a city.

It was a must.

There were too many uncertainties in the lottery.

Even if there were a lot of good things he could draw from the lottery, Kant did not dare allow himself even a moment of reprieve. He was keenly aware that he was treading a fine line - one misstep and he would plunge into the abyss.

He truly was walking on thin ice.

Kant intended to speed up the development of "Aaron" and increase the level of safety in the future.

This was all part of a strategic plan of his.

In this world, Kant, who was alone, did not have any allies to speak of. He could only rely on himself, his efforts and his prudence, to ensure he would not make mistakes. Only then would he have sufficient clout to forge himself a path slowly but steadily.

Therefore, he chose to raise the level of his town.

[ Ding... System prompt ]

[ Aaron Town will consume 100 honour points to level up into a city. ]

[ Yes/No level up? ]

A dialogue box flicked into existence awaiting his choice.

"Level Up!"

Kant decided almost immediately. He chose to raise the level of his town.

Following his confirmation, a tremendous flux of data swirled around him. A mysterious power infused with the laws of the world descended from the sky and enveloped the mountain's peak. With Kant as the centre, a brilliant transformation enveloped the town.

Streams of data fell like the torrential rains and soon the entire mountain peak was bathed in its glow.

It was a spectacular scene.

However, only Kant himself could see it.

Such was the power of laws.

Not even the Lion Knight, James, Ban Dake or the mage standing by their side could detect it.

In their eyes, regardless of the changes that occurred to the town, it was but a matter of fact. It was simply another miracle performed by Supreme Lord Kant. As such, they were not surprised and only a certain admiration lingered in their hearts.

[ Ding... Level up complete ]

A system notification echoed in his mind.

The data streams that filled the mountains and plains gradually disappeared.

It was not long before the changes in the surroundings stabilized. When Kant turned his head to look around, the town-level council hall that was originally built from stone and wood had already undergone an obvious change.

Kant sized it up from the inside. The exquisite decor filling the interior was nothing short of luxurious and the sight of which made his eyebrows rise in amazement. "Not bad."

This was the governor's official residence.

Although it did not have the same defensive capabilities as a castle, it was certainly more comfortable to live in.

The city-level council hall was supposed to be an official residence. It was where the governor and his or her officials lived and worked. It was thoughts that living and working in the same environment would facilitate both the coordination and operation of the entire city; thereby ensuring excellence in the city's development.

Even military operations were decided from the governor's official residence.

Though, it was mostly for the purposes of self-defence.

A city is different from a castle. It is the foundation of any military.

It is a melting pot of culture, industry, agriculture, commerce, and many other industries; providing all kinds of resources and support to the forces they belonged to. It was the backbone of the blood-making machine of the entire force, the source of victory.

..

[ Aaron ]

[ Generals: James, Ban Dake ]

[ Type: Luo Duoke City ]

[ Current population: 1,500]

[ Current army: 517]

[ Comment: "Aaron" is a newly established city. Its situation appears rather precarious at the moment. The city is too simple. Not only is its agricultural development lacking but it also shows weakness in the fields of animal husbandry and fishing. It is a city that might have bright future prospects though the specifics of which would depend on its further development. ]

..

A brief report made by the system, of the city's current status, flashed across Kant's eyes.

Presently, not all of the buildings in the city had been completely constructed. Nonetheless, this would not impede the city's ability to upgrade itself. So long as he continued to raise the city's level, it would eventually reach a point where further upgrades would become possible.

As for whatever had been left unbuilt, Kant decided to leave it up to Denar.

There was no need for him to do the rest in person.

James had it all well in hand.

Kant placed great importance on this general who was a doctor by profession. As a general hailing from the continent of Caradia, James was a highly competent individual whose worth extended beyond the field of medicine. Having journeyed across the lands, he had accumulated a vast store of knowledge and honed his skills through all sorts of trials and tribulations - his strength was unquestionable.

"James."

After organizing his thoughts on the matter, Kant assigned, "You will be in charge of housing and infrastructure in the city."

"Yes."

James listened respectfully and solemnly.

"At the same time, you also have my permission to build and develop the industries of agriculture, animal husbandry, fishing and handicrafts. As long as you deem it feasible, you may develop the hills around the city in any manner you see fit such that it would give effect to this directive I am issuing you with."

Kant said this all in a deep voice, "But remember to be careful."

"I understand!"

James nodded in affirmation of the task he had been entrusted with, responding in a deep and solemn voice.

The city's construction could not be handled carelessly.

The thousands of acres of land on the mountaintop was the bedrock of the newly established city. Though it may have seemed vast, it was a finite resource that would quickly be exhausted if mishandled.

Residential housing was first and foremost on their agenda. There had to be enough living space for people to ensure that the city could accommodate a rapid increase in its population.

With the city's development geared towards agriculture and handicrafts, sufficient housing for a growing population was made all the more important.

Such labour-intensive industries relied on the support of the population.

Of course, with the backing of the continent of Caradia, Kant did not need to worry about the source of the city's population.

As long as there were sufficient houses, refugees who could not survive in the continent of Caradia would flock towards his city in an endless stream; bringing with them the skills and tools of the trade his city was in dire need of.

While Castle Drondheim would stand as the seat of military politics, Aaron City would shoulder the heavy responsibility of developing its industries in the fields of farming, animal husbandry, and handicraft making.

Kant believed that James could handle the expansion of these various industries well. After all, it is much easier to build a brand new city than it is to rebuild and refurbish an old city.

Even if James was incapable of transforming a city overnight, it would not be a problem for him to lead this new city into an era of prosperity.

"That's all."

Kant dismissed James upon finalizing his arrangements.

During this process, Ban Dake had already marshalled his troops. This time, he would be accompanying them to the ancient passage. As the general who would be accompanying him this time, Ban Dake had taken stock and prepared all the necessary provisions for their upcoming expedition.

These supplies included food and water, some firewood, a load of high-quality carbon, as well as a large number of torches.

Ahead of their departure, Ban Dake had deployed 10 desert bandits on reconnaissance.

They rode light, carrying just a week's worth of supplies. It was not a good idea to bring along too many troops - they would hinder more than help in the old tunnels winding into the depths of the ancient passage.

Besides, the distance between the ancient passageway and the city was negligible. They would not need much time to travel back and forth for their supplies.

Even if they were stationed there to search for the Sun Disk that might appear in the ruins, it would not take too much time. After all, the Lion Knights of Sarion possessed extraordinary powers. Although they did not completely understand what positive energy and negative energy were, it did not change the fact that, as an elite company of knights from the Pande continent's Age of Chaos, they still retained their spiritual perception.

In this way, the time needed to search for the Sun Disk was shortened. After all, their spiritual perception allowed them to sense the positive energy contained in the Sun Disk and thereby presenting them with the opportunity to excavate it post-haste. It was practically the equivalent of a positioning system.

Chapter 325: Black Fog

Kant led the team forward. They were light-armored and rode at an extremely fast speed.

The surface of the ancient passage was originally paved with large and neat stones. In addition to the statue of the ancient warrior on the stone wall, their eyes were emitting a faint golden light, barely illuminating the passage.

Although the light was still dim, they could still barely see in the passage.

In an environment where one could see, the warhorse galloped quickly.

They did not have much rest along the way.

After a short break and eating some bread and dried meat, it continued to make the best use of its time to travel.

After close to six hours, they arrived at the entrance of the underground city of the karst cave. With the faint light from the moss and fluorescent mushrooms, the light in the entire ancient passage became more abundant and brighter.

However, what was more remarkable was the golden light that appeared in the entire underground city of the karst cave.

Kant led his team into the underground city.

On the rock layer above their heads, the golden light rays pervaded the air.

Looking from the ground, the inside of the karst cave seemed to be at the intersection of day and night. The dim yellow sunlight and the gentle moonlight mixed together, making the inner part of the underground city of the karst cave seem more strangeness and mysterious.

"We're here." Kant gently knocked on the horse's belly and urged the horse forward. After passing through the ancient passage, he led the team into the karst cave.

It was still a spacious and flat stone square.

Faint light moss and fluorescent mushrooms grew in the gaps between the stones.

On the rock layer above their heads, a golden pillar of light was like the light of dusk. The entire pillar of light filled the rock wall like a mysterious array pattern, bringing a dim yellow light to the karst cave below.

The horses were running on the neat stone slabs.

The Desert Bandits pulled out their scimitars with a cautious expression. Even their breathing was a little hurried.

The environment here was harsh.

The word 'harsh' did not refer to the harsh natural conditions of the desert mountains. Instead, it referred to the psychological impact that the ghastly underground city brought to their vision.

It was especially harsh!

In fact, their cautiousness was not without reason.

The square was still littered with remains, which had already rotted to the point where only bones remained. One could vaguely see that those were the demons that had been killed before.

For example, the imps holding pitchforks and those huge long-horned demons had almost rotted to the point where they had turned into a disgusting pool of pus-like, blood-like objects, which looked even more terrifying.

It was not a corpse that could be formed by humans or normal creatures.

"It wasn't cleaned properly at that time." Bunduk frowned slightly. "We were too careless."

Supposedly, these demon corpses that had been killed should be piled up and burn them into ashes. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been good if they had allowed to rot naturally which may cause a plague and pollute the water source.

Kant frowned at this. "We left too quickly at that time and didn't have time to clean up the battlefield."

"We'll have to deal with it again after the mission is over," Bunduk said seriously, "If we plan to reopen this underground city."

"Mm, you're right." Kant nodded.

The reason why they hadn't cleaned up the battlefield at that time was also because the battle had ended. They had neglected this cleaning task with the thought that they wouldn't continue to come here. Now that they were back, they would definitely have to pay the price for their carelessness back then.

It was even more troublesome and disgusting to deal with these half-rotten corpses!

But they had to be dealt with.

Bunduk turned his head and waved at the Desert Bandits, ordering them directly, "I'll leave it to you guys to deal with it!"

"Yes." the Desert Bandits answered.

However, there was a helpless and bitter smile on their faces.

They were the only low-troop class. Whether it was in terms of combat strength or personal status, the desert bandits could not compare to the Sarleon Lion Knights next to them. They understood that their purpose of coming here was to deal with these matters, to do some chores, handle some difficult small problems, or scout the path.

As for the battle, that was the job of the Sarleon Lion Knights.

However, when they were close to the ruins of the city wall, the Lion Knights surrounding the guards slowly tightened the reins and controlled the warhorses under them to stop moving forward. Their eyes stared to the front through the eyeholes of the full plate helmet.

"Wait!" they noticed something unusual and raised their hands at the same time to signal for everyone to stop moving forward.

"What did you find?" Kant frowned.

In front of them, the ruins of the city wall still looked like it had been destroyed.

They could still see the magic effects caused by the Fatal Frost and the Summoning of Lightning, such as the frost that had not dispersed from the cracks in the stone, and the dark marks caused by the lightning that struck the city wall.

Kant was slightly stunned. Extraordinary power spread throughout his body and finally released a faint golden light.

"Negative energy!" Bunduk spoke at this time, "If I'm not wrong."

"Evil aura." the Lion Knights spoke. Their expressions became more solemn. They pulled out the knight swords at their waists and said in a serious voice, "My lord, please pay attention. I can feel the power of the Underworld!"

"Yes."

Kant nodded slowly. "I can feel it too."

As they approached the ruins of the city wall.

Wisps of soft mist fog that could not be detected without careful inspection appeared around them. They were even like little loaches, trying to seep into their mouth, nose, ears, and even their skin and pores.

"Evil!" the Sarleon Lion Knights snorted coldly.

They used their extraordinary powers, and blood-red flames burst forth from their bodies. The blood-red lion, which seemed to be baring its fangs and brandishing its claws, immediately shattered the black fog that was trying to approach them.

It was not just them.

The surrounding desert bandits were also attacked by the soft and gentle black fog.

However, faced with the black fog, these ordinary desert bandits did not have any means of resistance. Each of them was actually riding on their desert horses, shaking their heads, and their faces were red, as if they were drunk and about to lose their minds.

The situation was very strange. If the mages were here, they might be able to determine what was happening here.

However, they did not follow the team.

"Come to me." Kant tightened his grip on the Sword of the King by his waist and said in a deep voice, "By my side!"

As he said this, a majestic golden light spread out, and there was a milky white halo in it. It automatically formed a domain that covered an area of 50 square meters, expelling the soft and gentle black fog.

[ Divine Domain: Any injury within the domain can speed up its recovery. ]

At the same time, it had a hidden function.

Dispel Evil!

If Kant used his full power to activate his Divine Domain, it could cover 500 square meters of space.

But now, protecting these 10 Desert Bandits, who did not have extraordinary powers and were equivalent to ordinary people, was not a problem. Even the 10 Lion Knights and Bunduk at the edge of the area were covered.

"Wait..." the black fog was dispelled. Bunduk shook his head slightly and looked at the golden domain that was glowing with white light with some surprise. His face seemed to be a little embarrassed and awkward. "Here... I actually feel a little uncomfortable inside here."

Chapter 326: Apostle of the Underworld

"This is really uncomfortable." Bunduk had a painful expression on his face.

Kant, who was under the protection of the inner side, narrowed his eyes. He had already seen Bunduk's uneasiness. He could not help but frown and ask, "Bunduk, how is your situation?"

"It's a little uncomfortable." Bunduk frowned and said softly, "It's like being roasted in a blacksmith's shop."

Kant frowned. He looked at Bunduk's restless appearance as he bathed in the divine domain. With a thought, he withdrew the divine domain beside him, exposing him to the black fog that was spreading in the outside world.

However, Bunduk's entire body was wrapped in the black fog. There was no negative effect to him. Instead, it was like he was in a comfortable environment. He took a deep breath, causing the black fog to wrap around his entire body even more tightly, he shouted in a relaxed manner, "Lord Kant, I feel... very comfortable!"

"As expected."

Kant narrowed his eyes. The thought in his heart had already been confirmed.

Beside him, the Sarleon Lion Knights frowned. The faces under the masks were very shocked. Some of them even rode their horses to Kant's side, they reported softly, "My lord, the appearance of Bunduk seemed to be affected by the power of the underworld... perhaps he has fallen..."

"Fallen?" Kant stared at Bunduk, who was sitting on a horse in front of him, with his arms open as if he was bathing.

"Yes, if we don't deal with him in time, he will become a fallen knight."

The Lion Knights nodded.

As members of the strongest national knights in the Kingdom of Sarleon, they were naturally well-informed.

The Pendor Continent was not without danger.

The demons of the underworld always wanted to invade this world and plunder the souls of all living beings.

Some of the people with low moral character, corrupted morals, or tempted by evil forces would be corrupted into fallen knights and become the lackeys of the underworld. They would slaughter wantonly to welcome the invaders of the underworld and spread fear.

These Lion Knights had even dealt with similar people in the Kingdom of Sarleon.

Kant knew this very well.

After all, this was the setting of the game, and he knew the inside story very well.

"Wait." Kant shook his head and did not give any orders.

He could sense that Bunduk was still loyal to him. This was a loyalty that came from the soul, from the level of the rules.

Even if the black fog wrapped around Bunduk, causing a dangerous aura to appear all over his body, his loyalty to Kant could not be changed, this was because the power of the black fog was not enough to change the rules!

However, the Lion Knights held their knight swords tightly and rode their horses in front of Kant to protect him.

They looked at Bunduk solemnly.

Even the Desert Bandits felt that something was wrong. They all shrunk their heads and pulled out their scimitars and spears nervously. They gripped their reins tightly and rode their horses.

The thin black fog became thicker and thicker. It even extended out like long tentacles.

It coiled around Bunduk.

An evil aura filled the air, and Bunduk's voice was slightly hoarse. His breathing became extremely heavy, as if he had undergone a metamorphosis!

"This... powerful... power!" Bunduk roared.

His entire body was filled with black fog, and it surged into his body.

The evil aura circulated, and the warhorse under him was enveloped by the black fog as well. It also let out a beast-like roar, making the underground city walls of the karst cave become even stranger and more terrifying.

However, at this moment, a dialog box suddenly appeared in Kant's vision.

[ Ding... side quest issued ]

[ Side quest: Fallen ]

[ Reward: Oath of the Underworld ]

[ Introduction: Evil is circulating, evil is growing, his past character is declining, his pride and honor is fading. Choose the person who has been infused with the evil aura, and let him believe in the power of the Underworld! ]

Side quest from the system.

However, Kant's eyes flashed, and he directly chose Bunduk. "It's him!"

The data stream instantly appeared in the void.

Like a chain, it instantly restrained Bunduk who was roaring including the warhorse beneath him.

The roaring continued, and the black fog around Bunduk and the warhorse became denser, as if they had been stimulated even more intensely. Their entire bodies began to struggle, trying their best to get rid of the data chain all over their bodies.

However, from the level of rules, it could be seen as the system data was formed from the gathering of countless worlds. How could the individual strength of a mere Bunduk and the warhorse be able to shake it?

If it were the gods of this world, it would be more like it!

The data chain instantly engulfed the black fog and Bunduk, and a large amount of data streams instantly poured in.

In front of Kant, the Sarleon Lion Knights raised their kite-shaped shields. Each of them gritted their teeth and guarded in front. However, no matter how the black fog scattered in all directions and tried to attack or escape, it was unable to escape the encirclement of the layers of data streams.

Soon, the data streams and data chain had locked the black fog into the bodies of Bunduk and the warhorse.

[ Ding... After your tireless efforts, the temporary side quest has been completed. ]

[ Temporary side Quest: 'Fallen' completed. ]

[ Reward: Oath of the Underworld. ]

[ Introduction: Bunduk was lured by evil and obtained the power from the underworld. At this time, he is no longer the captain of the crossbowmen. Instead, he has transformed into an intruder of the underworld and become the spokesperson of the underworld in this world. ]

The data stream disappeared.

The black fog also disappeared.

Bunduk was riding on his warhorse. He lowered his head and seemed to be deep in thought.

The Lion Knights around him had a drastic change in expression. They gritted their teeth in anger and said, "My lord, he has completely fallen. He has become the lackey of the underworld. He is an intruder of the underworld against the Pendor Continent. He is an enemy!"

"No, I am the lackey of Lord Kant. I am an apostle sent by the Underworld to serve Lord Kant!"

However, a voice with objection appeared.

The voice was hoarse and deep. Bunduk slowly raised his head and turned his horse around. His ruby-like eyes were sparkling, he bowed respectfully to Kant and said, "No matter what, you are the supreme lord that I admire greatly and have chosen to serve!"

Following Bunduk's words, a dialog box popped up in Kant's eyes.

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ Congratulations, your General Bunduk has absorbed the power of the underworld and obtained a transformation. ]

[ The captain of the crossbowmen, Bunduk, has indeed transformed into... the Underworld Apostle Bunduk! ]

[ Bunduk (Underworld Apostle): Obtained the power of the underworld and has chosen to serve Kant as a loyal general. Special effect 1) the Gift of the Underworld: Increases physical fitness by 200% and ignores all negative buffs and diseases. Special effect 2) Plunder from the Underworld: Kill enemies and absorb their souls to replenish vitality and recover injuries. Special effect 3) Invasion from the Underworld: Open the Void Gate once a day and summon one team of underworld intruders. ]

An extremely detailed data appeared on the dialog box.

Kant slightly raised his eyebrows and looked at Bunduk who bowed his head respectfully. The corners of his mouth curled up. "Very good, Bunduk. Your strength is exactly what I need."

Chapter 327: The Conflict of Pendor Continent

Kant was extremely satisfied. The power of Bunduk could no longer be measured by ordinary generals.

Bunduk, who had already mastered the power of the underworld and had become an extraordinary general, was far stronger than his past self and Rolf in combat. He was also stronger than Manid and James as supporting generals.

It could be said that the current Bunduk was the number one general!

How could Kant not be satisfied!

The power itself did not represent either good or evil. Only what one did after yielding the power mattered.

Moreover, only children cared about right and wrong!

Kant, as a politician, as a ruler, as the overlord who was about to rise up, only cared about whether this power could be used by him, whether it could bring benefits to him, and bring about beneficial changes!

Kant reached out and patted the Sarleon Lion Knights who were surrounding Bunduk as if they were guarding against him, he said in a serious voice, "I don't care whether it's the power of the underworld or not, I only know that Bunduk is a general who has chosen to be loyal to me. Let your grudges be put aside for the time being in this world. I don't want any conflicts between both sides."

"Yes!" The Sarleon Lion Knights replied. However, the blood-red flames all over their bodies were still faintly waiting to be unleashed. They were like hidden lions, constantly on guard against Bunduk, whose body was emitting black smoke like he was possessed by a demon.

The people of the Pendor Continent hated the underworld, and they hated it even more.

The human world and the underworld had an irreconcilable conflict.

Other than those human traitors who willingly fell into the underworld and willingly became the underworld's lackeys, everyone else was deeply wary of these underworld demons that were hidden in various parts of the world or in the inner layer of the world.

It must be known that the fallen knights that appeared on the Pendor Continent and the heretic worshippers who believed in the underworld would carry out bloody sacrifices from time to time. They would kill innocent civilians, rob the noble families and merchants in order to open the gates of the underworld, letting the demons of the underworld invaded and ruled the Continent of Pendor!

"Ha, the Kingdom of Sarleon, a country built on the ruins of the Pendor Empire, a hypocritical ruler, a vicious leader, and a schemer of conspiracies and schemes."

The black fog around Bunduk's body disappeared, but his scarlet eyes were looking at the Lion Knights.

He came from the Continent of Caradia, but the power he accepted was the power of the demons from the underworld on the Continent of Pendor. His scarlet eyes were like the purest rubies, and his slightly pale face was even more bewitching and beautiful, he curled up a slightly mocking smile. "When it comes to real slaughter and conspiracy, what's the difference between the Kingdom of Sarleon and the Underworld?"

"Shut Up! Filthy degenerates!"

The Sarleon Lion Knights shouted angrily, and the knight swords in their hands were all aimed at Bunduk.

The atmosphere was very intense.

The conflict between the two had reached a point where it could not be resolved.

If Kant was not here, these valiant Sarleon Lion Knights would have launched a fearless charge. Even if they knew that they were no longer a match for Bunduk, they would not hesitate to sacrifice themselves and fight!

However, Kant slowly raised his hand and signaled them, "Quiet."

Both sides fell silent.

Kant's supreme authority was irreplaceable.

Bunduk said respectfully to Kant, "I am the symbol of the Underworld's loyalty to you. I will not betray you, I will not give up, I will follow you forever."

"I understand." Kant nodded.

But he still warned both parties, "I don't want to see you arguing again."

"Yes!" Both parties nodded.

Although the atmosphere was still stiff, at least it was not as tense as before.

The 10 Desert Bandits scratched their heads. Looking at the strange atmosphere, they consciously turned their heads to the side. To them, the current level of conflict was not something they could participate in.

Kant asked, "Bunduk, can you sense the things inside?"

"Yes." Bunduk immediately nodded respectfully.

The black fog around his body disappeared, and his scarlet eyes returned to normal. There was only a hint of red in them. "Inside is the corpse of the abyssal demon, but only its bones are left."

"Yes." Kant nodded. "Are there any other dangers?"

"No." Bunduk replied, "There are no living creatures left in this underground city, including the demons."

"Very good," Kant said. "The last time we came, we had sweep through the area, but I still felt a bit of divine power was left, and there's also the power of the undead. It's really amazing."

Bunduk said, "Now, these powers are almost on the verge of disappearing." He paused, then he frowned and said, "That's not right. That divine power hasn't completely disappeared. Recently, it seems to have received a power of the same origin to recharge, and it's still barely holding on. If I'm not wrong, it should be the sun disk that we're looking for!"

Kant immediately asked, "Very good, can you sense where it is?"

"There." Bunduk reached out his hand and pointed at the temple.

"Let's go!" Kant did not waste time and immediately got off his horse, leading the team forward.

The Sarleon Lion Knights immediately dismounted and followed on foot, but they also deliberately kept a distance from Bunduk, who was next to them. The eyes of both sides crossed, with vigilance, mutual distrust, and hidden deep hatred.

In response, Bunduk snorted coldly, waved his hand and said, "Desert Bandits stay behind to watch the horses. There is no use for you to go!"

"Yes... Yes!" the desert bandits quickly responded.

Although the Lion Knights could be hostile to Bunduk, the Desert Bandits were originally the bottom-level cavalry of the Continent of Caradia. They were also the cavalry directly under Bunduk's command. They had no reason to reject this general's orders.

Military orders were like mountains. Since they had become Kant's cavalries and were under Bunduk's command, they could only obey!

The black fog here had been completely absorbed by Bunduk.

There was no danger.

Kant was also at ease to let these Desert Bandits watch the horses here.

He only led Bunduk and the ten Sarleon Lion Knights into the ruins of the city wall with quick steps. Looking at the huge, eerie and terrifying demon skeleton, without a single bit of flesh and blood on its body, he felt a little emotional.

This terrifying abyssal demon had once caused Kant and the others to suffer a lot.

If it was not for the fact that the seal of this underground city was still there, Kant might have been completely annihilated at that time!

The huge body that was more than ten meters tall, the terrifying weight that weighed several tons, as well as the extraordinary spell, the broken rune sword that was broken but still fatal, were all powerful sources of combat strength that could destroy ordinary troops.

Those that could be compared to them might be the high-end combat power of the Enfath Empire, the Titans!

But it was safe now.

They passed through the skeleton-like corpse.

They walked along the once desolate and damaged central avenue and directly walked towards the center of the underground city, towards the temple.

A faint golden light appeared at the top of the temple.

Chapter 328: The Spirit That Still Existed

It was the sun disk.

It appeared at the top of the temple's eaves, revealing half of it, and emitting a sacred golden light!

Kant looked over. The sun disk at the top of the temple should have been supported by a stone statue, but for various reasons, the stone statue cracked and even the golden disk collapsed on the roof.

If they had not come back again, they would have missed this sun disk.

The group quickly approached the temple. The traces of their footsteps back then were still vivid in their minds.

Time had not passed that long.

Reaching the triangular temple was like the Mayan Pyramids. Other than the hall at the top, there were stone stairs at the bottom. They walked up the stairs and finally came to the stone door of the hall again.

It was still open, pitch-black, as if darkness was gathering in it.

However, it was not completely dark.

A faint golden light emerged from the depths.

Kant frowned slightly. In the alley ten meters away, the hall of the temple was full of bones. However, the half-closed door now had light glowing inside it. Moreover, it was very bright, as if hundreds of candlesticks were lit at the same time.

"There is a special energy fluctuation inside."

Bunduk reminded him, "It's a little strange, but it's already very weak. It can't pose a threat."

"Can you differentiate it clearly?" Kant frowned and asked.

"No." Bunduk hesitated for a moment, but after sensing it seriously, he still shook his head apologetically. "My perception can't compare to those mages. This is my weakness. I'm very sorry about this."

"It's okay. We'll know once we go in and take a look."

Kant wasn't angry.

This was the truth. Although the Pendor Continent belonged to the world with low magic, the magic in Pendor was declined even worse than this world.

But it was still able to give birth to grand knights with extraordinary powers, elves who were still struggling to survive in the dark, and the underworld, which could only invade the continent in small groups. This was enough to prove the Pendor Continent's past glory.

It was no worse than the world Kant had transmigrated to!

There was nothing to fear.

Holding the Sword of King in his hand, Kant took the lead and entered the alley.

The two Lion Knights on the side were even faster. They walked in front of Kant, held their shields and swords, and opened the door in front of them, completely releasing the light in the hall.

"Hualala --"

In the golden light, intense applause sounded.

The two Lion Knights, Kant, and the others entered the hall together. They saw that in the brightly lit hall, a man and woman dressed in bright clothes were enthusiastically turning their heads to look at them. They were clapping their hands with all their might, and there were bright smiles on their faces.

Noble, priests, soldiers, artisans, and all sorts of men, women, and children.

"Welcome back."

At the end of the hall, on the steps, an old man with white hair and a beard was standing on the spot.

He was dressed in luxurious clothes made of gold and platinum. He held a scepter made of gold and gemstones in his hand. He looked at Kant kindly and nodded gently. "My heir, have you completed my mission?"

Kant remained silent. He stood in front of the door and looked at the people in front of him.

He frowned.

The Lion Knights beside him had cold expressions on their faces. They had already pulled out a small part of their swords.

Even Bunduk's body was covered in black fog. A demonic shadow appeared behind him. It whistled through the air with a sinister and terrifying aura. It swept through the golden light in the surroundings. It was as if both sides were in a stalemate and were fighting against each other.

The situation was not right. This was already extremely strange. No one let their guard down.

"Oh."

Kant looked at the old man in front of him and said playfully, "Aren't you dead?" He looked at the people in front of him who were looking at him fervently. His tone was merciless. "Aren't all of you dead as well? Haven't you all turned into white bones?"

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, Whoosh --"

A gust of violent wind blew in the void.

The faces that were originally eager and smiling suddenly froze.

A strange expression appeared in everyone's eyes. A hatred and resentment toward the living instantly appeared, but what was even more vicious was the gradually hideous face, as well as the whimpering.

The temperature instantly dropped. The originally gorgeous and bright faces of the people were already distorted.

However, the resentment was not directed at Kant.

It was directed at the high platform, the old man who was leaning on the scepter, dressed in luxurious clothes, and had a golden crown on his head!

There was a faint mocking smile at the corner of Kant's mouth. He looked at the people on both sides who had tears of blood flowing out of their eyes. He shook his head and said, "It seems that their hatred towards you far exceeds their hatred towards the living."

"There's nothing I can do about it. This is my fault. After so long, they still can't forget it." the old man calmly raised his scepter.

As the golden light flashed, the originally well-dressed women and children in the hall were instantly shattered into piles of white bones. They fell onto the floor of the entire hall.

"Their obsession is very strong." Kant was expressionless. He did not feel uncomfortable with the bones that fell on the floor.

The entire hall immediately became quiet again.

There was a sacred golden light shining, but in front of him was only the old man at the end of the hall and Kant and the others at the door.

The scene was slightly quiet, but Kant walked forward. The two extraordinary powers in his body were already on guard. He looked straight at the old man and said calmly, "Your holiness, I didn't expect you to still exist."

"I didn't expect it either."

The old man nodded and said calmly, "It's just that previously, I felt the divine power of the Sun God."

"Oh." Kant nodded. "Interesting."

The old man was the one Kant had met back then. He had transformed from a lich into a spirit body. He was the pope of the Sun God Sect, who had already disappeared in history and only had a spirit body left!

The old pope did not care about Kant's rudeness. He already understood the cause and effect.

In fact, he was still alive, which was a blasphemy against the Sun God. He was the most serious traitor. If it were in the era of the ancient gods, he would be punished, and his soul would have been burned on the divine fire for a hundred years!

The old pope sighed slightly. Looking at Kant's calm appearance, he leaned on the scepter that he had transformed into with golden light, he asked, "Human, have you gone to the Holy City of Gold and found the Holy Maiden of the Sun in the Coffin of Eternity? She is the direct bloodline of the Sun God. If you find her, you can marry her and obtain the great power of the Sun God."

"Oh, the Holy Maiden of the Sun? I don't understand."

Kant said calmly, "I found a golden coffin in the passage outside. There is a woman inside and a sealed female succubus beside it."

The old pope was slightly stunned. "Is that so? She has also fallen." He nodded, he sighed. "In ancient times, the war between the gods and demons lasted until both sides were at the end of their lives. You humans and other races joined forces and began to attack us, the descendants of the gods. In the end, because the gods and demons did not trust each other, they were both exterminated."

"What does it matter?" Kant asked.

"Nothing." the old pope shook his head and smiled bitterly. "That was the backup item for the Coffin of Eternity that I prepared. I just let my daughter lie in it." After a pause, the old pope looked at Kant. "Is she okay?"

"She was killed by me, and that female succubus."

Kant said calmly, "She died very quickly. She did not feel any pain."

Chapter 329: Threats to the Old Pope

As soon as Kant finished speaking, the atmosphere instantly stiffened.

The golden light around the old pope's body trembled slightly. He rubbed the scepter in his hand and stared into Kant's eyes. His voice trembled slightly. "Is... is that so?"

"Yes, that's right," Kant said calmly. "I didn't know that she was your daughter. I'm sorry for that."

The old pope was speechless for a moment.

The atmosphere in the hall was even more strange.

However, Kant just stood there quietly and didn't say anything. The Lion Knights and Bunduk were also staring at the old pope in front of them. Any unusual situation would cause them to react.

In fact, in their perception, the old pope that had already become a spirit body was very weak.

Or it could be said that he was pitifully weak!

He was just a mere spiritual body.

A soul that was barely formed from the convergence of positive energy.

Although he was immune to conventional blades and swords, as long as there was any extraordinary power or elemental power struck at him, it would be able to severely injure this kind of spiritual body. He was nothing to Kant and the others!

Even Kant could attack the old pope's spiritual body as long as he activated the Divine Domain.

So, he didn't care about this old guy at all.

The glory of thousands of years ago could not make Kant fear now!

In this regard, the old pope also understood that he, who was once the greatest among the gods, had lost his former glory. Even the Sun God, who had given him power and authority, had fallen, so what could he do?

Looking at Kant, he could only lower his head dejectedly in the end. "We should have perished in the long river of history."

"That's right." Kant agreed.

The current era was no longer the time for these old antiques to live.

Especially the Nahrin Desert. Since it was occupied by Kant, it was equivalent to his territory. This dessert had not been claimed by anyone for thousands of years, and now these gods from the past wanted to claim it as their land again?

Kant was the first to disagree!

If he really gave up the hegemony of this place, then where would Kant go? Submit to the so-called gods?

What a joke!

That was truly living a life worse than death!

That was why he was so undisguised and extremely arrogant towards this old pope.

Kant had the confidence and the strength.

It also represented his attitude!

Kant looked at the old pope in front of him and said calmly, "I came here this time to obtain some sun discs. Oh, it's the golden disc above my head. It seems to be very precious."

"Sun disc..."

The old pope's expression was calm. "It's a sacred object of the Sun God Sect. It carries the will of the Sun God."

"Yes, that's what I'm talking about." Kant nodded.

Kant looked up at the old pope whose hair and beard were all white. He asked, "How many more are there in this underground city? If you don't mind, I need them all. You shouldn't mind."

"In ancient times, only the high-ranking clergy of the Sun God Sect had the right to touch the sun disc."

The old pope said calmly, "Unless you are a believer of my God. Otherwise, if you touch the sun disc, you will be directly turned into charcoal by the supreme power contained in it, and even your soul will be destroyed."

"I don't need your concern," Kant said, "I only need the sun disc."

"Okay..." the old pope lowered his head in silence.

There was a slight stalemate between the two sides.

Even the Lion Knights pulled out half of their knight swords and looked coldly at the old man.

The atmosphere was already filled with the quietness before a battle.

But in reality, it was Kant who was threatening the old pope.

And the old pope also understood that now that he had lost most of his power, it was impossible for him to contend against the human noble in front of him. He could not even resist and would be easily eliminated.

Now, the human noble's military advantage was even stronger.

The ten extraordinary knights could even be considered mid-to-upper-class warriors in the ancient times.

Not to mention the current age of chaos.

"This is blasphemy." the old Pope looked at Kant with a calm expression. "My faith in my God is incomparably sincere."

"But previously, you massacred the believers of your God and sacrificed their souls. There were old people, women, children, Innocents, and sincere believers."

Kant sneered. "Then you used the evil power to usurp your God's power and became the so-called Divine Lich. What do you mean by that?" Kant paused and shook his head. "Oh, I believe you are a sincere believer, but isn't this a blasphemy against your God, the most serious kind?"

"There is a reason for it." the old pope said with difficulty.

"Mm-hmm." Kant nodded. "And then?"

"And then..."

The old pope closed his eyes. In the hall, the malice contained in the bones seemed to have surge towards him.

The scepter in his hand released a faint golden light, dispelling the malice, in the end, the old pope closed his eyes and sighed as if he had been appointed. "There is a solar disc at the top of the temple, and there are also five solar discs at the altar built by the mountain to seal the demons. This is the only six solar discs left in this sanctuary."

"Thank you for your cooperation." Kant nodded and smiled. "Then I won't disturb you."

"Okay." the old pope said with his eyes closed.

Kant turned around and waved his hand. "Let's go."

The group of people intended to leave.

However, just as they were thinking of leaving, Kant seemed to have thought of something. He turned around and asked the old pope who had his eyes closed and seemed to be immersed in the memories of the past, "Oh, there is one more thing."

"What is it?" the old Pope asked.

"When will you disappear?" Kant shrugged and asked, "I'm very uneasy if you stay here."

"Perhaps not for long." the old pope's tone was calm. "In half a year."

Kant nodded.

There was no response. He just left with the Lion Knights and Bunduk.

All he needed was time.

Half a year was just right within his bottom line.

The solar disc was an extremely important wonder. He was more concerned about finding the solar disc that could be fused into the magic system of the Enfath Empire and modified.

If he could really fuse all six solar discs into it.

The area that could cover by the sun disc in "Drondheim" Castle.

20,000 + 30,000 square meters.

A total of 50,000 square meters of coverage!

This was the most ideal coverage area after absorbing 10 sun discs!

Three sun discs in "Aaron" Town, one sun disc in "Drondheim" Castle, and six sun discs obtained from this underground city.

As long as it was done, "Drondheim" Castle and a small area outside the city wall would be covered by the sun discs.

Although it was still unsure whether the merged sun disc could cover the entire Oasis Lookout, it was still much better than the current coverage!

They left the temple, then Kant led the team to the stone wall where the buried city was located.

The road was even more dilapidated.

The surrounding house was also damaged.

It could be predicted that when the abyssal demon broke out of the seal, it was furious with the buried city. It even used its remaining strength to destroy the empty buried city.

Chapter 330: Affected Thoughts

"What a pity."

Kant still sighed softly. "The damage was too severe."

"Indeed." Bunduk nodded in agreement.

The outer city walls and city districts of this underground city had already been destroyed by the abyssal demons like ruins. However, compared to the inner-city district, it appeared to be in relatively good condition. It wasn't that miserable.

The inner-city district had already been completely reduced to ruins. Be it the streets or residential areas, they had all been swept away.

A large number of buildings and debris were standing in ruin.

Countless craters that were caused by heavy blows were everywhere.

From this, one could foresee just how furious the abyssal demons that had broken out of the seal were. Even when they were faced with an abandoned city that was completely empty, they were also filled with resentment because they still had unsettled business with the gods back then. They had also wasted what little power they had left and tried their best to destroy it.

Demons would always seek for revenge, but it was rare to see such a wanton waste of their own strength.

As the saying, "A quarrel benefits only the third party". The gods fell from the kingdom of heaven, and the demons died in the abyss. Hence, the current world belonged to humans, at least in the Nahrin Desert and Senwaya Range.

The authority and dominance of these places belonged to Kant, and no one could change it. Even the surviving gods and demons could not change it.

The time had changed. The once weak humans had grasped high-end combat power.

They were the masters of this era.

Kant was the same.

Moreover, what he grasped was not only the hegemony of this world, but also the help from the various worlds.

Caradia, Pendor, the "Wind of War" MOD, the Lord of the Rings, Light and Darkness, the Custom Commander MOD, and so on. No matter which world it was, Kant could live comfortably in this world, not to mention that he had gathered all the MOD worlds!

How laughable it was to be enemies with so many worlds!

Kant had the upper hand in conquering this world, he understood it very well.

He was still striving upwards. In the process of development, even if the gods and demons returned, they would not be able to stop Kant's development, especially since he had already taken control of the Nahrin Desert and the Senwaya Range, and his force had taken shape.

This underground city located in the ancient passageway was even more icing on the cake!

This place could be used as a transit station.

A ready-made city would be able to accommodate people if it was slightly modified.

By repairing the city walls and garrisoning troops, they would be able to firmly control this city. They would also be able to control this ancient passage that led to the border between the Dukedom of Leo and the Silver Platter Kingdom, which might be located in the East County's territory, the Resniston River!

Most importantly, Kant did not need to waste his precious village quota.

Even today, Kant only has one village quota.

If he used this quota, who knew when he would get a new village quota next time!

At present, Kant only had Oasis Lookout's "Drondheim" Castle and the "Aaron" City on the north side of the Senwaya Range, these two points just separate Kant's current military and logistical requirements.

If Kant intended to use the existing village quota, then he must think carefully.

Military, agriculture and animal husbandry already existed.

Next, perhaps it was time to develop business!

The early layout and current opportunities showed that business was the crucial point.

Borg, the destitute heir from the East County, now led the 10 Sarrandian Horsemen in the rapid development of his original trade caravan. Although there had been no contact for nearly two months, at least it was estimated that it was still in the process of stabilizing and developing.

At least according to the plan that Borg had proposed to Kant before he left, it included stabilizing his own family.

For example, the fleets that were once on the river.

As long as he used Borg as a spy, Kant could easily infiltrate the East County's territory. With the help of the Borg family's fleets, he could quickly infiltrate the river and merge into this important trade river in a short period of time.

After all, the ancient river passage was connected to the mouth of the Resniston River.

Kant also had the [ Water bandit's lair ] .

If he wanted to, he could build a village at the mouth of the river and build the [ Water bandit's lair in the village. in a short period of time, he could recruit warships and various water bandits to form his own water forces!

At that time, Kant would have his own choice.

At least this was an armed force.

With 'Drondheim' and 'Aaron' as backing, the new village would take shape very quickly.

And the warships and water bandits recruited in the [ Water bandit's lair] would also become the fourth force that could expand at any time, in addition to the original three forces in the Resniston River!

1. The river patrol force of the Dukedom of Leo.

2. The water bandits force with the background of the Silver Platter Kingdom.

3. The loosely organized trade caravan force formed by merchants from various countries.

Kant's strategic plan was very perfect. It could be said that it was almost perfect. As long as he finished dealing with the threat of the undead, he could put it into action at any time and grow rapidly in a short period of time.

At that time, table salt and sugar from the Oasis Lookout would appear on the river.

This included Kant's sphere of influence.

No one would have thought that this river was actually an ancient passage from the era of the gods. It could cross the shield-like Senwaya Range, allowing Kant to escape from the blockade of the Nahrin Desert.

Even the many noble families of the Dukedom of Leo, who had once again set up a blockade around the North County, would lose their effectiveness.

He was in control of the Stone Pass.

The control of this crucial point was equivalent to automatically excluding the noble circle of the Dukedom of Leo from entering the Nahrin Desert.

Since they were still coveting the salt mines of Oasis Lookout and did not want Kant to return to the fertile South County, the North County, which happened to be in the middle of the two, was the best buffer.

Especially Viscount Wayne's Grothen Castleand Baron Kevin's Maas Castle, they were both defensive lines.

The most important thing was...

The North County was Viscount Wayne's direct territory. Since the founding of the Dukedom of Leo, it had been his family's territory. Kant was not allowed to interfere. Otherwise, it was equivalent to slapping Viscount Wayne in the face and taking away his family's authority!

As for Baron Kevin of Maas Castle, he was actually a spy planted in the North County by the many noble families in the South County.

Just looked at the location of this castle, it was located right in the middle of the Mountain Range of Leo and the Mountain of Death that separated the three counties from the north and south.

It was a strategic location!

In order to deal with Kant, even if they were at odds with each other, as long as the noble families of the South County were still hostile towards the Nahrin Desert, the two sides would join forces because they were still within the noble circle of the Dukedom of Leo and were allies!

As for the exiled Kant, in fact, he was already equivalent to someone outside of the circle.

If not for the bloodline of the Grand Duke of Leo still protecting him, he would have been killed by various schemes!

In fact, if Kant had not chosen the Nahrin Desert, this barren and dangerous wasteland as his territory, those noble families would probably not have tolerated him until now.

The right to inherit the kingdom and the story of the past were the source of the noble families' hatred towards Kant.

"I'm really helpless." Kant shook his head and put away his thoughts. These were the thoughts in his heart.

After all, his days in the Dukedom of Leo were not good. Even if he had walked all the way, it was full of challenges. Other than his own hard work, there was nothing to help him. It was really tragic.

However, at this moment, Bunduk suddenly opened his mouth and said, "Lord."

"Huh?" Kant answered with a frown.

"There is still quite a bit of demonic power left here. It might affect your mood."

Bunduk reminded, "You have to stabilize your mind."

"Affect my mood." Kant was slightly stunned. Unknowingly, they had already followed the damaged potholes and came to the stone wall of the inner city of the underground city. In front of them was a big hole, and the mysterious sacred sun pattern was carved on it.

An indiscernible black fog moved in the surrounding air as if it was real, and even floated around Kant and the others.

There was no danger.

However, it reminded Kant of bad memories.

This was the power left behind by demons. Although it was unknown, it could produce all kinds of negative emotions. In fact, the negative energy of the undead could also cause such negative emotions, causing people to give up on themselves and even die in all sorts of madness.

The reason why the reputation of the demons and the undead was so bad was also because of this.

Not to mention these evil creatures themselves, even if one were to come into contact with the items of the demons and the undead for a long time, they would become crazy and bloodthirsty. They would even become indifferent and hateful towards life, thus becoming dangerous people who were anti-human, anti-social, and anti-country.

No one was willing to become such a madman.

For example, the ten Lion Knights beside him had heavy breathing, and their eyes were bloodshot.

It was obvious that they were in a tense status.

"As expected, they are affected." Kant saw that they were about to draw their swords and attack each other at any moment, and he thought of something.

A divine power with royal authority spread in his body, and the supernatural power instantly dispelled the fluctuation of their emotion, as well as the undetectable black fog around him.

The divine domain appeared, and it enveloped the ten Lion Knights.

One had to be careful with one's emotions.

If one's emotions were not good and one's control was not strong enough, it could turn into a life-and-death battle if they disliked each other.

Kant understood this and treated it seriously.

The divine domain was effective.

The Lion Knights quickly regained their clarity and wore an ashamed face. "I'm sorry, my lord. We were affected just now and almost caused an irreparable result."

"It's alright." Kant was calm.

Bunduk consciously retreated to the periphery, deeply understanding the words of this group of Lion Knights.

They were enemies in the Pendor Continent.

Of course, this fine black fog didn't have much effect on him. Instead, he was absorbing the power contained within the black fog, gathering it into the faint shadow that appeared behind him, like an abyssal demon.

One could see tiny runes flickering within the abyssal demon behind Bunduk.

If one were to look closely, one would be shocked to discover that those runes were actually a data chain!

Or rather, it was the system's data chain that had locked the phantom image of the abyssal demon into his body, controlling this phantom image that possessed great power and turning it into the source of Bunduk's strength!

"Let's see what's in front of us."

Kant continued to move forward.

The black fog was spreading out from the cave in front of him. It gave him the feeling that it was even more exciting than the abyssal demon he had encountered before!

Chapter 331: Ban Dake’s advancement

That's right, it was a throbbing, an uneasiness that came from the heart, and a fear of the unknown.

The large hole in front of him was dark and deep, and a thick black fog gathered within. However, due to the large number of carved sacred sun pattern on the surrounding stone walls, it was barely sealed within the large hole and was unable to completely permeate out.

Only a small amount of tiny black fog could spread out.

"What a big move." Bunduk spoke with a serious tone.

The black fog wrapped around his body and was immediately absorbed by him. It solidified the phantom image of the abyssal demon behind him and made his inner power faintly stronger.

As an apostle of the Underworld, he was absorbing the power of the demons contained in the black fog!

These were all powers of the same origin.

However, Bunduk was still cautious about the stone wall in front of him.

A large number of sacred sun pattern were carved on the stone wall, and there was even gold poured into it. Threads of golden light circulated within the sacred pattern. Even around the 10-meter-tall hole in front of him, there was a mysterious formation formed by the sacred sun pattern that was nearly 50 meters wide!

However, the gold that was poured into it had already broken, because the entire stone wall had cracked.

It seemed to have been freed by a huge force.

From this, it could be imagined that the abyssal demon that had been sealed in the large hole had finally accumulated enough power to break free from the seal. After using all its strength, it had successfully escaped from this sealed place.

In order to vent its anger, it had also wantonly destroyed this abandoned underground city that had been lost for a long time.

This included the sacred sun pattern on the stone wall.

Standing in front of it, if one looked carefully, one could see all kinds of cleaving marks on the rock wall. They were very clear.

However, the means of the gods were still powerful. Even after ten thousand years, the array formed by these sacred patterns still played a faint role. Other than destroying the city and the stone wall, the abyssal demon could not cause much damage to the buildings and important places protected by the sacred sun pattern.

Perhaps with the flow of time, the power of the abyssal demon would gradually recover and eventually grow strong enough ignore the sacred sun pattern and easily crush the sealed land that had trapped it for ten thousand years.

However, all of this was interrupted by Kant.

He led his troops and walked on the land of the ancient passage, eliminating the demonized creatures that the demons had nurtured. At the same time, he killed the most powerful and most terrifying demon lord in the sealed land -- Ameng Qieke!

Kant was the ultimate victor!

Even the spirit body of the ancient god's descendant, the old man who was the pope of the Sun God Sect, could not kill it!

"Let's go in and take a look," Kant said.

As he spoke, he also took a step forward and activated his divine domain.

A faint golden light mixed with white light brought with it a holiness that no evil could approach. Ten Lion Knights protected the surroundings and entered the hole that had once sealed the demons with Kant.

The pitch-black fog seemed to have been stimulated and began to roll and sway.

A hiss of sorrow appeared.

The thick fog was still filled with emotional hatred and madness.

They even came into contact with the divine domain like moths flying into a flame. They rushed up and attached themselves to the outer domain. The positive energy that represented the divinity and justice exerted its powerful side, dispersing and purifying the unimaginable filth in the black fog.

The black fog was the power that the abyssal demon had dispersed. It had taken many years to take shape.

No, it was not just years.

It was tens of thousands of years!

After such a long time, brewing in this sealed space, this black fog that contained endless demonic energy would probably be able to give birth to another powerful abyssal demon in the Abyss. It would not be a problem at all!

Even Kant felt his heart palpitate faster.

As his heart beat racing, the outer area of the surrounding divine domain was emitting sizzling sounds like oil heating up!

"Whoosh, Whoosh --"

It was as if the sound of wind appeared from this thick black fog. In the large hole, it was more like there were countless living beings crying out in grief, with hatred towards the living, and with a twisted madness that belonged to the Abyss. It was extremely terrifying!

"Damn it!" Kant gritted his teeth. After entering the cave, the black fog had actually caused him to suffer!

Cold sweat appeared on his head. Now that he was standing at the edge of the cave, the divine domain around him had been suppressed to a range of five meters. It could only protect him, the ten Lion Knights who were anxious but still could not do anything!

All of this happened in a short period of time.

But Kant understood in his heart.

He turned his head with difficulty to look in the direction of the hole. Kant gritted his teeth. "That damn old guy!"

The predicament he was in now was definitely the trick of the old pope of the Sun God Sect!

There was indeed the sacred sun disc here, but in fact, after sealing the abyssal demon for tens of thousands of years, since it was able to escape, it meant that this sealed land had lost its effect. Even the sun disc was unable to work.

The old pope of the Sun God Sect had definitely guessed the changes in this place, but he didn't tell Kant.

He even deliberately let Kant come here and using someone else to kill Kant!

The old pope, who had already lost all his power and turned into an energy spirit body, had no intention of compromising at all.

Even if he really had less than half a year left to live, he would let Kant, the human noble who had killed his daughter and buried the glory of the Gods, die miserably!

And now, this old pope's plan had hit Kant's weakness.

He did not expect the negative energy contained in the big hole to be so strong.

So strong that he could not resolve it by himself!

However, Kant's eyes were still calm. There was no despair or fear in them. Instead, he shouted, "Bunduk, have you not finished dealing with the sacred sun pattern outside and come in?"

"It's a bit difficult. Half a minute!"

Banduk answered from outside.

At this moment, his entire body was covered in black fog. The phantom image of the abyssal demon had already appeared behind him as if it was corporeal. It bared its fangs and brandished its claws as if it was about to be resurrected. It was completely ferocious.

It was precisely because of this dense evil power that he was unable to enter the large hole of the sacred sun pattern's seal.

Although the seal had been broken, there was still a bit of strength left in it.

However, Bunduk didn't care at all. His forehead furrowed as he pushed his entire body towards the inner side with brute force. The entire seal formed by the sacred sun pattern had turned into a golden membrane, and it was also beginning to distort.

The two sides were in a stalemate for twenty to thirty seconds.

"Pop --" A faint sound appeared.

Bunduk had already broken through the seal and appeared in the large cave. He happened to be standing at the entrance of the cave where the two worlds intersected. He reported in a deep voice, "Lord Kant, I'm here!"

"Very good." Kant nodded. "I'll leave it to you!"

"Understood!" Bunduk quickly replied.

As he entered, the pressure Kant was facing suddenly decreased.

The layers of black fog within the large cave seemed to have found a vent, it instantly rushing towards the direction behind him, which was also Bunduk's direction. The thick fog was rolling, just like waves and waves!

"Whoosh, whoosh--"

The thick black fog in the large cave stirred, emitting the sound of real wind.

The phantom shadow of the abyssal demon behind Bunduk became more and more solid, but the chain formed by the data flow on his body was even more obvious. With the help of Bunduk's body, it firmly locked every part of the abyssal demon.

No matter how the phantom shadow swayed and struggled crazily, it did not have the slightest ability to escape.

This was the enhancement of the power of the entire Pendor world.

Bunduk was an apostle of the Underworld.

He had the demonic evil powers, but in terms of purity and level, it was far from what the abyssal demon could compare to. With the support of the system, not only did they trap the demonic power of this world, but they also absorbed and complemented each other, turning Bunduk into an apostle, he had become an even stronger existence!

For example, right now, the phantom shadow was gradually being pulled into Bunduk's figure by the data chain. The former captain of the crossbowmen had already been enveloped by the black fog, and his demonic appearance seemed to have taken shape!

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ Underworld Apostle Bunduk has absorbed additional powers, acquired new ability: Demonic Incarnation ]

[ Special effect 4) Demonic Incarnate: Release all devil power and fight as a devil of the underworld. All attributes + 500% and incarnates as a devil of the underworld. Attacks have the effect of 'Hellfire', causing an additional 300% continuous damage. ]

The system gave a prompt, which was clearly displayed on Kant's retina.

The black fog in the big hole disappeared.

Kant turned his head to look at Bunduk whose eyes were still closed, just like he was recalling the charm of the power that had entered his body just now. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly. "As expected, it's just as I thought."

When he first came into contact with the underground city wall, the black fog had been absorbed by Bunduk.

At that time, this Underworld Apostle had said that his power seemed to have increased by a little.

Kant had a guess from this.

That was why he dared to be so unbridled. On the surface, he even believed the old pope's words. He brought Bunduk and the others to this sealed land and successfully promoted Bunduk to a stronger level.

A full 700% buff was simply unimaginable!

A Lion Knight with a 250% buff could easily kick open a thick wooden door. With all the attributes added up, Bunduk already had 1000%. It was estimated that he could even kick open the steel vajra city gate!

"I can feel the power surging in my body." Bunduk opened his eyes, his eyes were scarlet red.

Cruelty and brutality appeared in his expression. As the data chain circulated, his expression also carried a sense of loyalty towards Kant. "Lord Kant, at your command, I can do a lot now!"

"Very good." Kant nodded lightly. "That old fellow will regret it."

"He must." Bunduk clenched his fingers and said, "I will let his spirit body feel the burning flames of hell!"

"Yes, he will be punished." Kant nodded, the corners of his mouth curling up.

No one could live leisurely without offending him. When he led the team back, the old pope would be buried by the river of history again.

However, at the moment, Kant looked at an altar deep in the cave and narrowed his eyes slightly. "Sun discs."

Six sun discs were placed around the altar.

However, at the top of the altar, there was an obsidian-like stone table. An item that looked like a western wine flask was placed in the middle. It was faintly releasing black fog, bringing about a strange feeling that came from the bottom of one's heart.

Chapter 332: The Pot of Greed

The wine pot was simple and unadorned. It had a big belly and a small opening. It was a classic Western style.

The black fog in the large cave had already been absorbed by Bunduk, However, around the wine pot on the obsidian table, there was still a faint black fog swirling.

This wine pot attracted everyone's attention, including Kant's.

He walked forward.

At the end of this huge cave, the altar made of stone and the obsidian table on it were both looked demonic. The wine pot also made Kant feel a sense of greed.

The Lion Knights beside him also moved and followed.

They raised the kite-shaped shield in their left hand and held the Knight sword tightly in their right hand, they looked like a guard. However, through the gaps in the visor, their eyes revealed greed that seemed to have been attracted to something. They moved their feet and subconsciously swallowed their saliva. If it were not for their loyalty to Kant, they would have rushed up and taken that demonic wine pot, held it tightly in arms, longing to occupy it alone!

Their thoughts began to become slow and blur. As Kant approached the wine pot with the Lion Knights, the divine domain around him, which was still eye-catching, had faded a little.

Kant had let down his guard.

But in an instant.

A dialog box popped up on his retina, waking Kant up.

[ Ding... Special Quest issued ]

[ Special quest: The pot of greed ]

[ Reward: 10 honor, 1,000 reputation, 10,000 denars ]

[ Introduction: When you came to this sealed cave, you realized that things were not that simple, especially the wine pot that seemed to be able to arouse your desire. It even carried a mysterious power. When you regained your consciousness and were upset over your loss of self-control just now, you also planned to take a good look at what that wine flask was. ]

A notification from the system.

Kant frowned slightly. Having regained his consciousness, he looked towards the altar in front of him. The wine pot on the obsidian table, he could not help but snort coldly, and the divine domain around his body became even denser.

The golden light of the King's divine might was mixed with the holy white light, and the divine domain enveloped the surroundings.

The Lion Knights were also startled awake.

Thinking of the greed and desire in their hearts just now, they gritted their teeth and felt even more ashamed.

As the mainstay of the Kingdom of Sarleon, the strongest national knights on the Pendor continent, they should have their own pride and honor, including restraint and strict control of their desires.

However, they definitely lost their composure just now.

No, not just now, but they had done the same thing before.

Their continuous mistakes made them feel incompetent and ashamed.

Kant, on the other hand, looked very indifferent. "It's not because of you." He looked at the wine pot in front of him and could not help but take a deep breath. "Even I could not resist the attraction of that strange wine pot!"

"That should be a sacred artifact of the demons." Bunduk walked over from behind.

The black fog and demonic phantoms all over his body had already disappeared. Other than his slightly reddened eyes, his entire person looked no different from before. Even after entering the divine domain, he was able to calmly wait.

"A sacred artifact of the demons?" Kant frowned and exclaimed.

"Yes." Bunduk nodded. After absorbing the demonic energy from the black fog, his power had skyrocketed, and his ability to sense things had nearly doubled. "A sacred artifact of the demons can stir up emotions of greed."

"Heh." Kant chuckled, the corners of his mouth curling up. "Emotions."

"That's right, emotions."

Bunduk answered affirmatively, "We need to be careful."

The abilities of the demon race were not completely brutal and crazy.

They, who came from the Abyss and Hell, were also masters of controlling emotions.

For example, greed, irascibility, excitement, lust, and so on. These were all the specialties of the demons. If they stimulated their emotions to the extreme, that would be madness, and that was also the reason why creatures who had come into contact with the demons for a long time would eventually go mad.

If they could not even control their emotions freely, wouldn't that be madness?

Kant was solemn.

The divine domain around him became even denser.

He took a step forward and walked up to the altar. Around him were the six dim sun discs.

On the floor paved with stone slabs, there were countless sacred sun pattern carvings within, but most of them were broken. Occasionally, gold could be seen pouring into it, but it could not take form because it was broken.

Back then, the Sun God Sect's seal on the abyssal demon was indeed very strong.

But when Kant walked up to the altar, the sacred sun pattern did not move at all.

Even the Lion Knights and Bunduk who were behind him walked up, but there was still nothing abnormal.

Obviously, the sacred sun pattern here had completely lost its effect, and the seal in the cave had been broken and was about to fade away. Only the sacred sun pattern at the temple of the Sun and the underground city wall was still barely keeping the seal in effect.

Just by looking at the six dim sun discs, one could tell that the river of time had long exhausted the divine power in it.

But that was not the main point.

Kant walked step by step to the top of the altar.

He was getting closer and closer to the obsidian table, and there was also that black wine pot. It carried a strange aura. As the black fog spread, it was trying to control the emotions of Kant and the others but it was blocked out by the dense divine domain.

However, even with the divine domain, Kant could still feel his emotions being stimulated.

Fortunately, he was prepared this time.

His left hand held the hilt of the Sword of King by his waist. As the King's Power of this divine artifact poured into his body, Kant took a deep breath and placed his right hand on the strange wine pot.

"Jeeeen --" A ringing sound rang in his ears.

Kant's thoughts instantly appeared as his hand touched the wine flask, and he couldn't control his thoughts at all.

All kinds of thoughts appeared in his mind, most of them were memories he had encountered in the past, but those thoughts controlled his emotions. In his heart, all the people and things that he had encountered all triggered his negative emotions.

This included dissatisfaction, hatred, jealousy, slander, suspicion, and so on!

But most of all, it was greed for everything!

Kant wanted to take everything, to have everything, even if he had to be smashed into pieces and never be able to recover!

"Hum --"

But immediately after, the Sword of King in his left hand trembled slightly.

A magnificent and majestic might of King instantly appeared in his body, washing away all kinds of negative emotions in his mind. Finally, Kant woke up in an instant and regained his consciousness.

The system also added some help at this time.

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ Unknown strange object found. It can be absorbed by the system to fill in the rules of this world. ]

[ Choose to let the system absorb? Yes/No ]

Kant naturally did not hesitate.

Looking at the strange wine flask in his right hand, he said with certainty, "Absorb!"

Data flow instantly appeared in his palm and directly wrapped around the wine pot, as if it caused some sort of struggle. Wisps of thin but abnormally pure black fog attempted to escape from the mouth of the pot but were pulled back by the data chain.

[ Ding... After your tireless efforts, mission completed. ]

[ Special quest: "Pot of greed" completed. ]

[ Reward: 10 honor, 1,000 reputation, 10,000 denars. ]

[ Introduction: you have obtained this mysterious wine pot that can control emotions. Just as its code name, pot of greed, who come into contact with this wine pot will cause endless negative emotions in the heart, as well as a feeling of greed towards all living things. Fortunately, you have resisted the erosion of this emotion, and are still in good condition and rational. ]

The system showed a dialog box.

Kant's hand was empty, but the small wine pot had already been absorbed by the system.

And when the wine pot disappeared, the gloomy and dark appearance in the cave instantly disappeared. Even in the surrounding six sun discs, there were faint flowing lights in the golden patterns.

It was obvious that the wine pot, which contained endless dark power, was actually suppressing the six sun discs.

"Put them all away," Kant turned his head and ordered.

He waved his hand to the Lion Knights behind him and said, "We've wasted enough time. Let's put away these sun discs. After we finish the old man in the temple, we should go back and finish off the undead a Nahrin Desert."

"Understood!" the Lion Knights nodded. They walked down the altar and carefully unloaded all the sun disks.

The danger in the cave had been eliminated.

Kant also put away the divine domain.

However, Bunduk was still a guard at the side. He carefully looked at the surrounding rock walls. There used to be murals on them, but most of them had been peeled off over the long period of time.

From a distance, he could vaguely see that it was the battle between the Sun God Sect and the abyssal demons.

It was so tragic that the sky turned dark.

Countless members had died on both sides.

There were even powerful divine sons and demon lords who had fallen.

But in the end, the Sun God Sect still won. But even if they won, they did not kill these demon lords who had deep connections with the Abyss. They could only seal these demons and use up their final strength. Similarly, they chose to seal themselves.

The specific details could not be seen completely because of the peeling of the mural.

There was also no information about humans and other races.

In short, the mural in the stone wall was to praise the greatness of the Sun God Sect, the sacrifice of the Sun God Sect, and the infinite worship to the Sun God. Just look at the high and mighty sun, one would know that during the era of the gods, the might of the Sun God covered the world, it was not something that an ordinary god could compare with.

Kant did not say much about this. Any brilliant religious civilization would exaggerate their god to an unimaginable extent. In fact, it was a matter of opinion.

At least Kant did not meet the so-called god.

And he had killed more than one of those god descendants.

At least in the temple, the old man with evil intentions was about to become a ghost under his sword, the kind that would never be reincarnated!

After wrapping the sun discs, Kant led the team out of the cave.

He walked along the road towards the temple again but stopped when he reached the temple.

At the top of the temple.

The old pope of the Sun God Sect was emitting a sparkling white light, holding a scepter and standing in front of the stone door.

It seemed that he was welcoming Kant's arrival.

However, Kant did not hold back at all. He stood at the bottom of the temple and held the hilt of his sword with his right hand. He said slowly, "Old man, give me an explanation. If you don't satisfy me this time, I think you will be completely destroyed."

Chapter 333: The Lingering Will of the Dead

Kant's question did not incite fear in the pope.

Perhaps he had no fear to begin with.

Standing quietly at the top of the temple, the pope only had indifference in his eyes. There was no sadness, no joy, and no fear, he only calmly replied, "The lowly humans stole the authority of the gods. They speak of their own power, slander the glory of the gods, and blaspheme the glory of the gods. Yet, they enjoy the peace and tranquility brought by the gods."

"Hehe." Kant chuckled. He lifted his head and looked at the old pope. With an indifferent gaze, he pulled out half of the king's sword from his waist. "I can give you one more chance to reorganize your words."

"Lowly and disgusting human noble."

The pope spoke indifferently, propping up his scepter. "I should have disappeared into the long river of history, but because of the power of my God, I have remained eternally. Now is the time to protect the glory of my God. I will not back down."

"Good, good, good." Kant nodded lightly. "Well said."

A Brilliant Golden Light appeared.

The extraordinary power in his body had already been activated.

Holding the sword of the king tightly, Kant walked towards the steps of the temple. Behind him, Bandake and the Lion Knights of Sarion also followed him. Their hands were already on the hilt of their swords, ready to pull out their weapons at any time.

"I am ready to die."

The pope did not move.

He looked at Kant, who was slowly walking over, and hatred appeared in his eyes. "You humans who have betrayed the glory of the gods will eventually die. At that time, you will be more desperate than me."

"Is that so?" Kant had a faint smile on his face. "Something is not right."

"I'm ready to sacrifice myself."

The Pope had a determined look on his face. "Come on."

"Wait, old man."

Kant smiled helplessly. "Why do you look like an old comrade who died heroically while I'm the executioner of the villain's regime? Do you think that's reasonable?"

But the old pope still held his scepter and looked at Kant quietly.

He did not understand this kind of joke.

And Kant did not need him to understand it.

Finally arriving in front of this spirit body that did not have the slightest ability to resist, Kant directly stabbed the king's sword into the old pope's abdomen and said calmly, "Compared to your daughter, you're easier to killr."

"I curse you..." the Pope's eyes finally fluctuated

However, he couldn't even finish his sentence.

Spiritual bodies did not have the slightest ability to fight. Their bodies, which were made up of souls and ordinary energy, had almost received the violent King's power from the King's sword. It was a type of scorching positive energy that instantly ignited the pope's spiritual body.

The Golden Flames instantly burned the pope's spiritual body to ashes.

"It's settled."

Kant put his sword back into its sheath and asked calmly, "What are you talking about?"

Kant was the one who had the upper hand now. He was the overlord of this situation. Even after all he said and cursed, in fact, to Kant, it was just a matter of one sword strike.

Looking at the white dots of light that were dissipating in the sky, Kant calmly commented, "You think too highly of yourself."

He had nothing to say to the charlatans and religious madmen.

"Wu Wu Wu --"

Just as the old pope's spiritual body was directly destroyed, a whimper suddenly appeared in the temple.

A gentle breeze appeared in the void.

It came from the temple hall.

It rushed out from the corridor, mixed with countless tiny blue specks of light, and directly pounced on the scattered spiritual bodies in the sky. Like insects surrounded by ants, it coiled up layer by layer.

There was also that seemingly venomous whimper, as well as deep hatred.

"The remnant obsessions of the dead."

Bandake said, "Feeling the death of that old fellow, all of them surged out. Even if their obsessions would completely disappear, they would still fight to the death with the remnant light spots of that old fellow."

"How cruel." The Lion Knights shook their heads. Looking at the scattered light spots in the sky, they only felt that they were like beautiful fireworks.

"When have they ever been innocent? How can that pope be considered a good person?"

After saying that, Kant did not comment much on this. Instead, he waved his hand and said, "Gather your emotions and unload the solar disk at the top of the temple. It's time for us to leave!"

"Yes!"

The Lion Knights immediately responded.

The other four lion knights who had not yet carried the solar disk jumped onto the top of the temple nimbly. Their physical fitness far exceeded that of ordinary knights. As extraordinary knights, the terrain could not restrict their movements at all.

They swiftly arrived at the top of the temple and deftly unloaded the sun disk.

This was what Kant needed the most.

It was settled smoothly.

Kant nodded and said, "Let's go."

They left the way they came. This exploration was very successful. Seven similar disks were enough to level up the sun disk in Aaron City, and the one in Drondheim Castle could cover an area of 50,000 square meters.

The main body of the castle had been declared safe.

And the soldiers in the main body of the castle could also guard the local area safely.

Even if the death shroud of the undead appeared, the endless skeletons and zombies would pounce on them. When they faced the towering city walls, they would still die on the spot. They couldn't do anything to Kant and the others at all!

The undead didn't have so-called siege weapons. In fact, they were the incarnations of obsession and remnant souls.

They were called the undead because of their uniqueness.

With the strength of the human race, without a strategic buff like the death canopy to the undead, even an ordinary peasant or armed militia would be able to deal with a large number of low-level skeletons and zombies.

After all, the undead only had bones or rotten flesh left.

Compared to the muscles of the human race, which could burst out in strength at any time, the individual zombies were nothing to worry about.

The only thing to be afraid of.

Was the undead's talent.

1. No morale: no increase in morale will affect combat strength, and no soldiers will collapse or escape due to the dire situation on the battlefield.

2. No consumption: no physical or logistical consumption, and long-term marching does not require supplies at all.

3. No casualties: the so-called casualties are only a concept to the undead. Wherever there are corpses, there will be countless undead armies.

An excellent race that nurtured their skills through battle.

If one wanted to deal with the undead, in any world or movie, they would be eliminated before they could grow and develop.

Once they took shape, the endless undead armies would take shape, even forming the most terrifying undead calamity in the legends. It would turn the entire world into a world of the undead, and the civilizations and countries would be in extreme danger.

That was a terrifying phenomenon that could destroy any civilization!

Kant used to be afraid of this.

Because the curtain of death that spread from the depths of the Nahrin Desert was almost endless.

Perhaps it was the undead calamity!

But now, with a method that he could finally restrain, he was at ease.

At the very least, if the sun disc couldn't hold on any longer, there was still the spring water from the spring of nature given by the treant in the lord of the rings. Drinking it would allow one to possess the divine power of nature and gain the ability to resist the curtain of death.

Most importantly, if Kant's divine domain was released at full force, it could also protect a radius of 100 meters around him.

If he couldn't hold on, he would be able to kill his way out!

Of course.

This was the worst outcome.

If one were to look at it optimistically, the sun disk and Royal Knights that Kant currently possessed were enough to resist the undead.

At the very least, back in the curtain of death, the Royal Knights and the King's sword at Kant's waist were able to resist the erosion of the curtain of death. Although it still made them feel a little overwhelmed, it was actually because they had thought too much into it.

"Perhaps I have thought too deeply."

Kant's brows relaxed slightly.

He brought the Lion Knights back to the gap of the city wall, where the desert bandits were waiting in boredom.

When they saw Kant and the others come out, they hurriedly came over and bowed. At the same time, they transferred all the sun disks that the Lion Knights carried onto their backs. This was a conscious attitude. In any case, they had come here to do chores.

On the square outside the city wall, a few bonfires had been lit, and the rotten demon corpses had been thrown in and burned to ashes.

The underground city was still peaceful.

The fluorescent mushrooms and the shimmering moss released a light that was as gentle as the moonlight.

The warhorse gently used their hooves to pull, and they were very curious about the glowing plants that grew out of the cracks in the stone.

Plants that could not be seen in the surface world.

However, the taste was ordinary and did not suit the taste of the warhorse. After chewing for a while, they spat it out. Each and every one of them shook their heads and hissed softly, as if they were complaining about the disgusting taste of these glowing plants.

"Everyone, get ready!"

Kant turned over and mounted his warhorse.

He shook the reins and looked at the underground city that was still shrouded by the dim yellow light behind him. He said in a deep voice, "We should go back!"

Behind him, the knights and cavalry had already gotten on their horses.

They quickly checked and packed their luggage. They quietly rode their horses and stood behind Kant.

The rewards from coming to the underground city this time could not be said to be small. Just Bandake alone had received an excellent promotion. If one were to look at the troop class, he could be considered a level 8 soldier. However, his individual attributes were still slightly inferior.

However, if he went all out, a 1000% increase in attributes was enough to be called a humanoid beast.

Kant was somewhat helpless about this.

Although the original Bandake was romantic, he definitely could not be considered evil.

Moreover, he had a love for the commoners. He would rather not have a noble identity and take up the position of a Civil Protection Officer, which was a more symbolic position. He could be considered as a general who truly loved the commoners, pitied the commoners, and acknowledged the commoners.

He was an outstanding person in the Justice Camp.

However, he was such an upright person, yet he ended up becoming an underworld apostle. Kant could not help but sigh.

But it did not matter.

In the end, he still chose to be loyal to him.

He shook the reins and lightly knocked on the warhorse beneath him. Kant spurred the horse forward to the ancient passage and officially led the team to leave.

According to the original plan, he still planned to head to the eastern county territory. It was through the other ancient passage in the dungeon that went from north to south. He would enter the Resniston River and investigate the current situation of the Dukedom of Leo.

After all, he had been away for too long. Kant had already lost his ability to control the intelligence of this Dukedom.

"I still need to wait."

Kant suppressed this plan in his heart.

The most important thing at the moment was, of course, to get rid of the undead's death curtain so that he would be in an invincible position!

Chapter 334: Proper City Planning

After nearly half a day of trekking, the Warhorse was already extremely exhausted.

What was gratifying was that a fire had already appeared in front of them. That was the location of the temple ruins. It was also the starting point of the ancient passage during the current trekking process.

They had already returned.

In front of them was the underground of Aaron City.

Kant's second base.

Perhaps it was because they heard the sound of horse hooves coming from the ancient passage, the 50 Rhodoks soldiers in charge of security were holding heavy swords that looked like halberds as they waited in formation.

Only Lord Kant and his troops were able to gallop in this passage.

This was an iron law, a death order.

If there were strangers, these elite level 5 infantrymen would not hesitate to step forward with their weapons to teach them a lesson!

If there were enemies.

Then they would die in front of them!

The Rhodoks were like rocks in the mountains, stubborn and unyielding.

They could do whatever they set their mind to.

They would carry out the orders they received seriously.

And since they had already pledged their loyalty to Kant to heed his orders, then this ancient passage could only be used by their supreme lord and his troops. Others would not be allowed to step foot!

Moreover, the most important thing was that outsiders could enter this ancient passage that might lead to an unknown region!

The sounds of horse hooves became more and more frequent.

In the ancient passage, Kant and his group finally arrived at the entrance.

Rhodoks soldiers held torches. Seeing that their Lord had arrived, they hurriedly put down their weapons and bowed respectfully. "Welcome back, my Lord!"

"Mm, very good." Kant nodded.

Riding the horse in front, he pulled the reins of his warhorse, and his speed gradually decreased.

Leading the team, he slowly walked out of the ancient passage. The warmth from the torches and bonfires immediately made him happy and relaxed. He took a deep breath of the smoke-filled air and ordered, "Everyone, help us transport our spoils of war!"

"Yes!" Rhodoks soldiers nodded in agreement.

On the back of the desert bandits, there were also those heavy sun disks.

Although there were desert horses that were good at carrying loads, the journey was bumpy. They only rested for a short period of time. When they arrived, the desert bandits and the desert horses under them were all exhausted.

Rhodoks soldiers took the sun disks off their backs and walked towards the passage together.

These were the spoils of war that needed to be transported to the surface.

The desert bandits were stroking the mane of their desert horses with their hands. The journey was no less tiring than a long ride in war. It was also hard on these animals.

Seeing the desert horses shaking their heads and breathing white mist, one could tell that they were very tired.

"When we go back, give them some high-quality fodder."

Bandake also led the horses over.

Looking at the fatigued appearance of the desert horses, he nodded his head in admiration and said, "As expected of the horse stud that was cultivated in the Salander desert. In terms of toughness, it is even stronger than the horse stud of the Swadian people."

"You flatter me." The desert bandits replied modestly, but there was also excitement on their faces.

"This is the truth." Bandake smiled.

When they arrived at the temple ruins, everyone relaxed.

Not only did the Rhodoks soldiers take care of all the supplies, there was also hot water prepared beforehand for drinking.

Stationed in the temple ruins, hot water was always boiling on the bonfire. After all, it was very cold here, the temperature was very low, and there was frost in the corner. There had to be warmth from the bonfire and hot water to replenish the heat.

After all, there was an underground river nearby. The river water had just surged out of the surface and absorbed the heat in the air.

Not to mention this.

It was the same even in the ancient passage.

There was no direct sunlight all year round, so they could only use leather jackets and leather clothes to keep out the cold.

Although it was not like the night in the Nahrin desert, where the temperature could be minus 20 to 30 degrees Celsius, the near-zero temperature still made them feel cold even when they were riding warhorse, even if they were wrapped in leather jackets.

Drinking the hot water handed over by Rhodoks soldiers, they felt warm all over.

Kant and the others did not stay in the temple ruins for too long.

Even Rhodoks soldiers gradually withdrew from this alert point as Kant and the others returned safely.

Soon after, there would be 10 people and 1 team of Rhodoks spear-wielding soldiers stationed there. These level 5 Rhodoks soldiers were still stationed at the city walls and city gates. Defending the city was more important.

Ever since the town upgraded to a city, it became completely different.

Kant walked out of the tunnel.

Having gotten used to the dimness, the bright sunlight made him squint.

"I'm back."

He couldn't help but sigh softly.

The underground world and the surface were entirely difference universes.

In the underground world, there were space restrictions in all directions. That kind of pressure on the soul couldn't be erased no matter how hard he tried. It couldn't be compared to the surface world, this vast world!

As they walked up the stone-paved stairs to the top of the mountain, the changes here were also very obvious.

Kant stared.

When he left, he arranged for James to start building this mountain peak.

Now, although the specific environment had not changed, a large number of construction workers had already appeared on this mountain peak. Moreover, in the various open spaces, they had already used white lime as a line to draw the outline of the building.

The entire peak of the mountain had already been planned, and it was densely packed with traces of the building.

Seeing Kant's return.

Many construction workers and Rhodoks commoners cheered and saluted.

"Good."

Kant nodded his head to indicate.

Very soon, James also walked over quickly.

He saluted in respect and said, "Lord Kant, you're back."

"Yes." Kant looked around at the huge number of construction workers around him, which probably numbered in the thousands, and asked, "Are the preparations for construction all finished?"

"Yes, they are all from Veruga's construction team."

James nodded. "The planning has been completed."

Kant said, "Give me a brief update."

Although he had given authority to James, he still needed to understand the detailed planning process. Now, he had to give a brief explanation. James would have to report the document to Kant later.

City planning was not a small matter. It was crucial to the future of the city!

James also understood.

Heading in the direction of the council hall, James said, "Lord Kant, please follow me."

The two of them walked forward.

Along the way, the construction workers and the civilians who helped them bowed one after another. Their faces were filled with happy smiles and a vision of their future lives. This was the city they were going to live in.

Kant was also satisfied with their spirit and energy.

This was his city and its residents.

"With the council hall as the main center of the city in the future, it will be the city hall that will manage the city."

James walked, while reporting, he said, "I have divided the 6,000 acres of land on the mountain into two parts. The front part is the residential area and the commercial area, while the back part is the industrial area. Whether it is handicraft or light industry, or the production of the military industry in the future, they will be placed in the back part."

Kant nodded. "Yes, the former residential area and the industrial area at the back have formed an effective complement. The planning isn't bad."

"Thank you for your praise."

James smiled and continued reporting, "Outside the city wall, such as the rivers and lakes at the city gate, is the breeding industry. If possible, I want to move all the chicken farms, apiary farms, and sheep farms from the mountain to the outside."

Kant delegated authority to this. "It's up to you."

The city level could be replanned.

As a city, it could already build chicken farms and sheep farms. It was on the list of buildings for agriculture and animal husbandry, including local fishing grounds. As long as there were lakes and rivers, it could be built.

Although the city lacked a lot of military buildings, there was no lack of civil buildings.

Agriculture, animal husbandry, handicraft industry, commerce, and so on were all available.

The list of buildings was many times more than the castle!

James had a lot of options, but if a city in the mountains wanted to be the best city, these agriculture and animal husbandry could not be placed in the city wall. All of them had to be moved out of the city wall.

James continued to report, "I plan to develop agriculture on the east side with this river as the center, and animal husbandry on the west side. Also, I plan to cut down the forests and develop the hills on the shore of the lake under the mountain rocks, and continue to develop agriculture and animal husbandry. Bit by bit, I plan to develop the terraced fields and suitable breeding grounds around the area where the mountain peak is located."

"It's a lot of work." Kant frowned slightly.

"Yes." James was sure, but he said in a low voice, "I plan to finish it in three years. After all, with the help of your miracle power, as long as it is built and reclaimed, a miracle will be born in the shortest time."

"Indeed." Kant nodded.

The miracle that James mentioned was actually the system construction.

Not only the buildings, but even the farmland could be built by the system. By changing the rules and topography of this world, it could be formed directly. There was no need to consider the so-called traditional slash-and-burn farming. It could be built directly into a good fertile farmland!

This could be reflected in the construction.

Just like the wheat fields and chickpea fields that Kant had built on the east side of the river, it was just like this.

The rules changed the landscape from barren and rugged mountains to well-cultivated terraced fields, just like the terraced fields formed after years of leveling the mountains!

James continued to report on the plan.

But everything else were just detail.

Kant listened carefully and made a lot of suggestions.

The city plan was perfect, and Kant was not stingy with his praise. Following the busy construction workers and the spending of nearly 200,000 denar, the city planning was decided.

The general plan didn't change.

As Veruga's construction team transported a large amount of materials, the construction began.

Kant didn't plan to use up important reputation points to speed up the development. If he really did, he estimated that he would need tens of thousands of reputation points. For Kant, he still had to use his reputation points carefully.

After all, "Aaron" city was built in a mountain range. No one knew about it, so there was no danger.

The reason why "Drondheim" castle was built directly with reputation points was because Kant was afraid of being disturbed by unfamiliar troops during the construction process. After all, they had just finished off the Jackalan Expeditionary Force and were still under the threat of the noble families of the Dukedom of Leo.

Unlike now, Kant had the advantage and the leading power!

Chapter 335: The Feud Between Noble Families

In the Senwaya Range, a new city was being built. People were eager to see this city completed as soon as possible and become their home in the future.

However, Kant didn't stay here for long.

Although he was the lord of this place.

But in the depths of the Nahrin Desert, the oasis lookout, where the "Drondheim" castle was, was still waiting for his return.

The purpose of coming here was to find the sun disc.

In the depths of the desert, the mysterious undead that had appeared, and the strategic level buff death canopy, were still waiting for him to crack.

Now that he had found a way to crack it and even found a divine artifact that could perfectly protect the local environment, Kant had to return as soon as possible to resolve this threat and restore peace to his own estate so that he could regain control of this place.

50,000 square meters, an area of five hectares.

This was Kant's reliance.

After enveloping Drondheim's castle, the curtain of death would no longer pose any threat.

Even the undead that entered the area covered by the sun disc would be turned into a ball of burning flames because the negative energy in their bodies could not fuse with the positive energy outside!

The positive energy was a lethal poison to the undead!

They set off again.

Kant led the team personally.

Ten Lion Knights carried the sun disk that was already wrapped up and followed.

However, there was one more person on their return trip this time.

That was Bandake.

As an apostle from the underworld, a hidden force from the world of Pande and the spokesperson of the underworld, he had already absorbed the power of the Abyss Demons in this world and underwent an absolute transformation. He could be considered the strongest person at the moment.

Among all the forces of Kant, he was the strongest person in terms of combat power!

Not to mention the 1,000% increase in attributes.

He could open the Void Gate once a day and summon a small team of underworld invaders. Although the number of people would definitely not exceed 10, it was precisely these 10 people who could be considered as elites!

If one were to count, they would all be at the level 7 troop class!

1 Demon Avenger, a long-range archer. Using multiple arrows, one person could be used as 10 sniper crossbowmen. Their shooting speed was extremely fast. The rain of arrows from the chain shots could even Pierce through steel shields!

2 Demon Berserker. Two-handed combat. They were even stronger than Lion Knights in close combat. What was even more terrifying was that this troop class could teleport. They could charge to their side at a distance of 1,000 meters. They raised their two-handed greatswords and slashed. They did not care about the terrain at all. Moreover, they could recover their HP when they killed, they could use the blood and lives of their enemies to make up for their own exhaustion and injuries.

3. Demonic Immortal Warriors. Assault Cavalry. Riding on a nightmare that was like a warhorse. Their mobility was extremely strong. Moreover, they could frighten the surrounding creatures. The path they walked would also be covered with the flames of hell. They would suffer the burning effect if they stepped on it, moreover, they could throw javelins when they were in close combat with their enemies. Similarly, they could throw multiple javelins. Their power was comparable to the siege crossbows that were fired from a bed crossbow. Even heavy-armored cavalry could be shot through!

These were the main members of the demon squad.

It was usually made up of four Demon Avengers, three Demon Berserkers, and two Demonic Immortal Warriors.

It was precisely these ten demon invader squads that were almost rampaging in the Pande continent. In the early days, when the Lord did not have a top-tier troop class, or when there were fewer top-tier troop classes, they would often meet a tragic end.

Terrifying attack power, terrifying firing speed, terrifying ammunition quantity, and terrifying speed.

It was enough to destroy any troop class formation!

Even if it was a top-tier troop class, they would have to form a numerical advantage before they could fight.

And after the reinforcement of this world, such as the addition of extraordinary power and elemental power, the demon invader squads that belonged to a level-7 troop class would be so powerful that even an ordinary level-6 extraordinary troop class would have to pay a heavy price dealing with them.

For example, the royal knights and Lion Knights that Kant had now were helpless against the demon invaders!

It was worth celebrating.

Kant's subordinate, Bandake, was the controller of the demon invaders.

Therefore, this was Kant's military power.

If the battle with the undead reached a stalemate, then the underworld invaders that Bandake summoned would have the effect of a surprise attack. They would enter the sky of death and pursue the undead to relieve the pressure on Kant.

Including the golems that the mages had summoned, they would be able to reduce the pressure on the defense.

However, the most crucial thing.

Was still the ability to defend themselves.

If Kant could fend against the attacks of the undead, then he would not need external help.

After all, what he could rely on now was still the troop class formed by ordinary soldiers. This was Kant's direct troop class, the key to leading them to sweep through this world!

They continued their return journey, leaving the Senwaya range and trekking through the Nahrin Desert.

The group advanced very quickly.

This was because of their extraordinary power.

They all had this power, so they could urge their warhorse to run faster. At the same time, they could nourish their warhorse and replenish their stamina, in exchange for the possibility of a long journey.

After a day of trekking, they arrived at the central posthouse.

"My Lord!"

The patrol team of desert bandits quickly discovered Kant and the others who were coming from the depths of the desert.

They crowded over and greeted them warmly.

"Yes." Kant nodded.

He rode his horse to the top of the dune and looked at the posthouse in the desert plains in the distance. There were many tents set up, and the trade caravan also came and went. He couldn't help but say with satisfaction, "It seems that everything is in order."

"Yes, my Lord. Ever since the last battle ended, the merchants who came have been very polite."

The desert bandits reported the latest information.

It was just as Kant had expected.

Fatis had personally led the team, along with 10 Sarion Lion Knights, 120 Swadian Knights, and 500 Swadian Infantry to garrison at the Stone Pass. It almost meant that he had complete control of the place.

How could the noble families not be shocked?

Even Baron Dylan had been taken care of, and the territory had been taken over. This meant that Kant's strength was astonishing.

Before they could gather effective intelligence and organize absolute force, the noble families would not be the first to show themselves. Even if they attacked, they would do so in secret. They would not have any conflict with Kant for a short period of time.

Although they understood that Kant was a thorn in their side.

However...

There were also conflicts between the noble families.

Especially those families that have existed for hundreds of years. How could they not have any history?

Even if there were none, they would definitely take advantage of another when one of them is in decline. They might even take over the other party's territory. That would be even more fruitful than obtaining a salt mine!

Therefore, the Nahrin Desert fell into a strange silence.

It was similar to a stalemate.

But for Kant, it was good news.

The longer it dragged on, the more advantageous it would be for Kant's development.

It would be even better if he could take advantage of this period of time to directly get rid of the death canopy in the depths of the Nahrin Desert!

"Let's go to the posthouse."

Kant lightly knocked his legs against the horse's belly and led the team down the dune.

After saluting, the desert bandits watched them leave. After all, as scouts and cavalry, these desert bandits had their own patrol mission. They could not let go of any spies who tried to sneak into the depths of the desert, especially those who were close to the Oasis Lookout!

Recently, they had already gotten rid of quite a number of these guys.

It was said that in the underground black market of the Dukedom of Leo, the information about the oasis lookout had already reached 100 great silver coins.

As long as they gave specific information, they would be able to get money.

Although there were some who tried to cheat their way through, most of them were mercenaries who wanted to take risks. They appeared in the desert like rats, bringing more than ten days' worth of dry food and water. They foolishly wanted to cross the desert and head to the Oasis Lookout.

Everyone had a copy of the route map from the Dukedom of Leo, but less than ten percent of them could make it to the Oasis Lookout alive.

The central posthouse didn't need captives.

Rolf wasn't a kind person to begin with.

Desert bandits. One could tell from their names that they wouldn't show the slightest bit of mercy.

A large number of scattered mercenaries appeared here with the mentality of getting lucky and making a fortune. They were then discovered by the patrolling desert bandits and slaughtered in the desert with machetes and spears.

Even if there were groups of twenty to thirty mercenaries that formed a small mercenary group and carriages that transported goods.

They would still be caught by the desert bandits with their short pilum from afar.

Then, they would gather more desert bandits and launch a surprise attack in the complex terrain of dune groups. They would easily take them away in one wave and slaughter them in the dune, turning them into miserable dried corpses in the desert or being eaten by the passing Jackalan as food.

As for those who were willing to surrender and be captured as captives, Rolf also had a troublesome idea to kill them all.

It was very easy to cut a throat with a knife.

The current Oasis Lookout had already taken in over a thousand captives. There was no shortage of slaves in the salt mine. After all, production was limited, and transporting supplies to these slaves was also a troublesome matter. After all, there were many people, and the supplies needed were also very large.

Moreover, in the salt mine posthouse, they still needed to ensure the daily lives of the slaves.

If a thousand people caused a ruckus, it would not be a small deal.

Entering the central posthouse.

Rolf stood at the door and bowed respectfully. "Welcome, Lord Kant!"

"Mm."

Kant nodded and praised, "Well done."

Looking at the tents not far away, many members and leaders of the trade caravan walked out and looked curiously at Kant and the others. The expressions of those who reacted quickly changed drastically, and they bowed respectfully on the spot. It was obvious that they had guessed the identity of the newcomers.

The news that Kant had massacred those knight attendants who had come to attack had long been spread back to the Dukedom of Leo. At the very least, the merchants who had arrived now did not dare to act rashly even if they had the support of the noble behind them.

At the moment, Kant's still stronger!

No one dared to offend him.

Entering the hall of the posthouse, the mages heard of Kant's arrival and walked down to the second floor one after another.

"How's the research going?"

Kant still regarded these 18 mages highly.

"It's going very smoothly." The mages did not let down their expectations and said with certainty, "The sun disk can be absorbed at any time, and the research on the two elemental bodies has also reached a certain conclusion. If we continue studying, we will definitely obtain useful results."

"Very good!" The corner of Kant's mouth curled up slightly.

Turning his head to look out of the window, he said with a sigh, "But what we need to deal with now is still the undead!"

Chapter 336: Mistakes at the Central Posthouse

The undead are Kant's most immediate threat.

At the very least, they had occupied the stone pass and displayed 10 royal knights, which was enough to intimidate the evil-minded noble. If they wanted to launch a threat of force, they had to at least get rid of these grand knights!

Well, if a well-trained knight is the foundation and backbone of an army...

Then the grand knight, the world's high-end combat power, is the measure of the real combat power of this army benchmark!

An army without an overseeing knight is nothing more than a garbage cannon fodder army made up of peasant and bandits. It has no effect on the real battlefield, only playing a small role in filling in the numbers, strengthening the momentum, and being the scapegoat in front, it was simply impossible to occupy them.

Such troops would not even appear in real battles. As long as a noble had a bit of status, they would personally nurture knights and their attendant to form an elite squad.

Peasant and armed militia would only be used in the barren northern county territory, the poorest stone pass.

There was no such troop class in the other noble's estate.

At most, in order to ensure that certain areas, such as farms and villages, would not be attacked, the peasant soldiers would be armed to defend themselves against the enemy and delay the bandits'attack, when the knight troops led by the noble families arrived, they would be the real combat troops, such as lance soldiers, archers, and cavalry.

The soldiers who wore double-layer iron-scale armor, after years of training, were naturally at the level of a profession soldier.

Even if there were no soldiers trained by the noble.

The noble would also hire those mercenaries as followers. At the very least, the mercenaries would be able to do something with their money. It was better than these trash-like peasant soldiers, who would run away after two or three people died in a tragic battle.

Before they were certain of Kant's true strength, no one would gather troops with great fanfare.

Moreover.

Even the Grand Duke of Lion, Cameron, who was still in his prime in the Lion Castle, had not made any statement on this matter. How could these nominal vassals make such an obvious decision?

No matter how dirty the noble families were behind the scenes, they still had to at least have some face.

For example, respect.

Kant was of royal blood after all.

He was the second son of Duke Cameron.

Although they could send people to assassinate him in the dark, but it didn't mean that they could gather the troops in the territory on the surface and directly charge into the stone pass to launch an attack on the estate.

Just as everyone was stalling or probing in the dark, Kant was undoubtedly given time to buffer.

Of course, these noble families did not know about the strange movements in the depths of the Nahrin desert.

They did not expect that Kant, who wished to die immediately, was now blocking the undead army for them and was trying his best to stop the spread of the curtain of death.

This made Kant somewhat depressed.

However, he wasn't' really blocking it.

Oasis Lookout was located on the route of the expansion of the curtain of death, and it happened to be blocking the way to the Dukedom of Leo.

In order to protect his own estate, Kant naturally had to fight back. He had to do everything in his power to block the mysterious and terrifying curtain of death in the depths of the Nahrin Desert!

Just like the current sun disc.

They arrived at the second floor of the posthouse.

In the room, the sun disc, which had already been enlarged, was wrapped in a linen cover. It was tightly covered to prevent it from being discovered by trade caravans or spies outside.

This was a strange object, an artifact-like item. Kant naturally could not let outsiders know about.

"My Lord."

The mages reported, "The sun disc can fuse with other strange objects of the same type at any time to strengthen itself."

Kant nodded, "Very good."

The mages continued to report, "According to our research, perhaps when a certain number of strange objects of the same type fuse together, it will produce a qualitative change, increasing new abilities and powers. Of course, this is impossible to predict. We can only let this sun disc fuse first so that we can continue our in-depth research."

"Mm, no matter what, it will be very good if we can solve the death curtain of the undead."

Kant's expression was calm.

This time, he brought back seven sun discs.

When they returned to the Oasis Lookout, there was still one sun disc waiting to be absorbed.

A total of ten strange objects of the same type fuse together, and perhaps the qualitative change that the mages spoke of would appear. Even if the qualitative change was not possible, Kant could still afford to wait. At most, he could continue to search for this sun disc in the Nahrin desert and the Senwaya range.

After all, he now understood that the Nahrin Desert was indeed buried with the remains of the ancient era of the gods!

The secrets of the Lost City were about to be unraveled by him!

"Lord, are we going to fuse now?"

The mages asked.

Kant frowned slightly. "No."

He rejected this proposal.

Coming to the window of the room, he could just see that not far away, there was a temporary camp made up of hundreds of tents set up by the trade caravan. Many people were looking over here, as if they were gathering intelligence.

When they saw Kant looking at them, they all pulled their heads back like quails.

"HMPH."

Kant snorted, "There are too many people and too many eyes. Let's talk about it when we get back."

"Yes!" The mages nodded.

When they went back, they naturally meant to return to the Oasis Lookout. That was their real home.

The central posthouse that they were at now was just a posthouse. Even if there were many cavalry and trade caravans gathered, which was equivalent to a small village, in reality, it was just a temporary trade point because of the table salt trade.

If there was no trade, the posthouse would return to its former tranquility.

"Right."

Kant retracted his gaze and turned his head to ask, "Where are the two corpses?"

"Uh..." the mages looked at each other, with some embarrassment, they said, "It's hard to believe. These two corpses are very compatible with the magic system of the Enfath Empire, just like silver cups and malt liquor. When we were conducting magic experiments, we opened the portal from the Enfath Empire and entered the Grand Magic Tower in the Empire's capital."

"Huh?" Kant frowned slightly and asked in surprise, "The Grand Magic Tower of the Enfath Empire?"

"Yes, we overestimated our own magic level."

The mages were even more embarrassed. "We wanted to summon them in reverse. We wanted to activate the remaining, almost pure elements in these two corpses, but we made some mistakes. We had no choice but to use the void gate to get the help of the grand mages in the Grand Magic Tower to summon them over to avoid losing them in the void."

"I understand." Kant nodded. His face was calm, without the slightest hint of anger.

"Please forgive us for our mistakes."

The mages were even more embarrassed.

This was not their first mistake. In fact, it was the seven mages who had leveled up from the mage apprentices. The sandstorm caused by the Oasis Lookout back then was one of the reasons for the current crisis.

Or rather, it was the main reason!

However, Kant still did not get angry. To be honest, he was already somewhat used to it.

"Be careful next time."

Looking at the embarrassed mages, Kant said calmly, "Then, what will happen to the two corpses that entered the Grand Magic Tower of the Enfath Empire? I don't think it will cause too many changes."

The mages quickly said, "It won't. It will be studied by our mentor, the existence of a great mage."

"That's good." Kant nodded.

A great mage was a troop class that was level up to level 3 after a mage leveled up.

It was an extremely profound knowledge of magic. It was an existence that had reached the pinnacle of human magic power. It could be said to be a ferocious beast in human form. As long as they were given a certain amount of time to cast their spells, even a titan or a dragon would have to dodge.

After all, they had studied magic for their entire lives and it was a war spell. Its lethality was extremely shocking!

"Let's go."

Kant did not waste any time.

Looking at the slightly slanted sunlight outside the window, it was already afternoon.

He instructed the mages, "Everyone, get on your horses and follow me." After a pause, he turned his head and instructed the Lion Knights guarding the door, "The two of you stay behind. When the camel caravan arrives, get those camels to transport this solar disk back."

"Yes!" The two Lion Knights at the door immediately responded.

The sun disk, which had been transformed by the magic of the Enfath Empire, was already very huge.

Although it could levitate.

It was actually very heavy.

If they wanted to move, they would need ten mages to cast spells to levitate, which was quite strenuous.

If they used regular manpower, they would need to use warhorse or camels to drag it. With the force of levitation, it would be like pulling a maglev train, slowly heading towards the Oasis Lookout. They were still very slow.

Therefore, Kant did not intend to stay here and wait for the sun disc.

"Lord Kant, there will be a camel caravan coming tonight."

Rolf walked up at this time.

After assigning the patrol task, he walked up to the second floor and happened to hear Kant's arrangement. He suggested, "Why don't we wait for the camel caravan to arrive at night, unload the table salt, and rest for the night. When we set off tomorrow at dawn, you can also rest."

Kant thought for a while and nodded. "Alright, that's it then."

"My lord, we'll communicate with our mentor through the spirit network and the Grand Mage Tower of the Enfath Empire at night. If we discover any secrets, we'll report immediately."

The mages also began to make up for their mistakes.

"Mm." Kant nodded.

Since things had come to this, this was the only way.

Towards these mages, he did not show much anger, nor did he have any intention of getting angry out of humiliation.

Those were only two corpses. To him, their value was not even as much as that coffin made of gold. Even if he didn't research anything, it did not matter. Of course, it would be even better if he could research it.

He still had a positive attitude towards great mages.

Those old mages who had been immersed in magic for almost seventy to eighty years were definitely experienced.

At the very least, they were much more reliable than apprentices and mages.

They were also the backbone of the Enfath Empire. In Kant's troop class, they could not even directly level up. They could only unlock it through the world of warwinds.

At least even if the mages had enough experience points, they would not be able to level up.

Perhaps it was because of the rules.

However, Kant still had some expectations for the archmages. If these top-tier mages really entered his command system, then their power on the battlefield would really be like an infantry battalion adding a 155-howitzer-like heavy cannon!

Chapter 337: Studying the System of Divine Spells

In the evening, the sun was setting in the west, about to fall below the horizon.

The dim yellow sunlight filled the entire desert, as if the posthouse had been dyed with a layer of gold. With dazzling cast gold armor, nightfall was right around the corner.

However, on the north side.

Between the dune communities, there was a long line passing through.

It was an orderly line of 50 strong one-humped camels that were leisurely strolling over.

Their wide hooves were able to fully step on the soft layer of sand. Their outstanding talent of being able to endure cold, heat, and trekking allowed these desert elves to shuttle between the sea of sand at a seemingly slow speed, like a light boat.

Riding on it, the Swadian peasant was half-sprawled and half-asleep in boredom, just as leisurely.

They were very comfortable.

Along the way, apart from the harsh environment, the so-called suffering of trekking was not unbearable.

The abundant food and supplies, as well as sufficient fresh water, allowed them to enjoy a wonderful time even when they had to set up camp. For the past two or three days, the traveling itself was like enjoying desert scenery.

They had already learned how to take care of themselves in the desert from the Sarrandian people.

It was just like learning how to tame camels.

Of course, their current comfort was also related to the 40 desert bandits beside them. They were carrying scimitars, short spears on their backs, and long spears. They were running back and forth on guard.

Recently, in the desert, they would occasionally encounter escaping slaves who had nowhere else to go or trade caravans that claimed to be lost.

However, these desert bandits were the ones who dealt with them.

If they dared to resist, they would take their lives with their spears or scimitars. Their bodies would be casually thrown in the desert and turned into dried corpses under the sun, becoming a ready-made deterrence sign.

Even if they didn't resist, the final result would depend on the mood of the desert bandits.

If they were in a good mood, they would be taken back as slaves.

If they were in a bad mood, there would be nothing to say. They would throw out sharp short javelins and kill them directly!

The so-called runaway slaves and lost trade caravan were in fact spies of the Dukedom of Leo. Rolf had long warned the passing caravans, as well as the desert bandits escorting the trade caravan, to be on high alert.

And they had the understanding that even killing the innocent is better than letting anyone go!

Kant silently approved of this.

Because he would do it too.

If he encountered any spies who attempted to infiltrate the Nahrin Desert, he would definitely choose to kill them without leaving any loose ends.

This was Kant's base, the headquarters, a place that absolutely could not be touched by outsiders. Even if they encountered a descendant of a bankrupt merchant like Borg back then, they would not be allowed to try their luck here in desperation.

He couldn't set up too many spies. That would become conspicuous.

At least for Kant.

What did the decline of other people's families have to do with him?

Kant only needed to take responsibility for himself!

At night, Rolf especially held a grand banquet for Kant's arrival. He took out all kinds of food and cooked it as delicately as possible, so as to make this banquet even more perfect.

Although there weren't any chefs trained by the artisan guild in Drondheim Castle or Aaron City.

But the commoners still knew how to fry and cook.

Everything still tasted exceptionally delicious.

Compared to the simple baked bread and dried meat, these fresh ingredients that were specially cooked were nice and juicy in the mouth. Coupled with the precious spices that were obtained through bribing by the merchants of the Dukedom of Leo, it was enough to support the level of luxury for this banquet.

Of course, those merchants who had finished trading table salt outside had long been driven away.

At present, only Kant's troops remained in the Nahrin desert.

A large number of desert bandits spread out in groups of two or three, whistling through the surrounding desert plains and dune. They rode their horses and patrolled, cautiously looking for any enemies that might be hidden.

There were many times when spies hid in the desert at night to avoid patrols.

However, the temperature in the Nahrin Desert was several tens of degrees below zero at night.

If they wanted to live, they had to build a bonfire the next day to be able to walk, which would expose their position.

As long as the desert bandits searched carefully, even if they were in the dark behind the dune and used their leather jackets to hide the light, they would still be able to sense that something was wrong. If they rode their horses closer, they would be able to find the rats that were trying to deceive them.

At that time, their companion would not be their achievements after the investigations.

Instead, it would be their sharp scimitars and spears!

In order to ensure that Kant, the supreme lord, could rest, even the Sarrandian Horseman had moved out.

Wearing Sarrandian chain armor, a leather jacket, leather pants, and a leather cloak, a group of people walked in a formation among the dune. Any difficult or troublesome enemy would attract their attention and be dealt with with with even more exquisite combat techniques.

Desert bandits were, after all, light cavalry and were not main forces.

Once the matters get serious.

They still had to look for the stronger Sarrandian Horseman!

As a few unlucky fellows were found, the sarrandian horseman and the desert bandits did not hold back. They directly shed blood. Using the machete in their hands, they let the heads of these unlucky fellows leave their necks. The night was filled with a tragic color of blood.

Kant slept extremely soundly.

This was because the sun disk had already been activated, allowing the surrounding temperature to become suitable.

The night passed without much incident.

The morning arrived very quickly.

Kant, who had already developed a good sleep schedule in the desert, also woke up with the appearance of the dawn.

He simply tidied up his clothes, wiped his body, washed his hands and face, and meticulously applied a layer of sunscreen made from oil and spices before walking out of the room.

Beside him was the room of the mages. It was a little noisy in the early morning.

Kant pushed the door open and walked in, only to find that the 18 mages were still surrounding the floating sun disk. They were still arguing and explaining intensely, as if they had some differences on the next route.

The situation was a little tense. Both sides were clearly divided into two groups, each with their own arguments.

It was obvious that both sides had their own theories.

"Cough."

Kant frowned slightly and coughed lightly to signal for him to come in.

At the same time, looking at these mages, he could not help but ask, "What's going on? Why are you starting the discussion so early? Did you guys come up with something?"

"My lord, Good morning." Only then did the mages react and quickly bowed to greet him.

"Mm." Kant nodded.

"It's like this, my Lord."

The captain of the mages shrugged slightly, his tone was also somewhat helpless. "Last night, the archmages of the Enfath Empire sent news. They successfully analyzed the Saintess who belonged to the Sun God's descendant and found a special and pure energy in her body. It wasn't completely positive...umm... positive energy."

"That's right. It's a type of positive energy that belongs to category of positive energies, but has a higher level. It's extremely special!" The surrounding mages nodded and agreed with the captain's point of view.

This was also their conclusion.

Kant frowned. "More colloquial."

"Um, although it's a little confusing, it's true. It's a higher level, a higher level of positive energy."

The mage captain pondered for a moment and answered in detail, "Just like the power of God!"

"The power of God?" Kant frowned even more.

There were no gods in the world of warwinds.

There were only higher-level creatures, such as angels, titans, dragons, and so on.

For example, in Pande's prophecy, in the world of light and darkness, although there was not much difference from the usual history, in fact, there were also gods.

For example, the leader and the magic ring showed the world-destroying Devil God as the final Boss.

Therefore, the mages in the world of Warwind did not have a deep impression of gods.

It was only after they came to this world and came into contact with the so-called power of the gods in this world that they had a rough idea of gods. However, when they studied the corpse of the Saintess of the Sun God's descendant, they found pure, high-level and special positive energy from it, it made them even more confused.

The captain of the mages said in a deep voice, "Where our conclusions differ is the definition of this positive energy. Is it a kind of positive energy or a completely transformed God power?"

"Oh, that's it?"

Kant chuckled.

"Yes." The mages nodded. Academic questions are always strict and rigorous.

However, Kant, who had the experience of his previous life, waved his hand and said, "Why don't you treat this power as the positive energy used by the gods?" Kant paused slightly and said, "For example, the divine spell system that is different from the magic system!"

"Divine spell system?" The mages were shocked, but then their eyes widened.

"That's right."

Kant nodded.

In this world, there used to be gods in the ancient times, so there were traces left behind in the temples.

Although in the age of chaos, the spells were not visible, but they were still beyond the imagination of ordinary people. For example, the spells of the mages and the divine spell of the priest were the extraordinary power of knights.

Divine spell was a power that was passed down from one temple to another.

It was similar to a normal spell.

But it was completely different.

Kant did not know much about it because in the human countries, knights, mages, and priests were almost equivalent to three fields. Although they were related, they were in fact completely different.

Knights were the noble class, the cornerstone of a country.

Mages were the scholars in the Mage Tower. Although they mastered spells, they rarely participated in politics and management.

As for priests, they were the forces of the Pantheon Temple. They accepted the worship of the country and provided faith to the commoners and the noble. Of course, most of them were for the commoners. It was still uncertain whether the so-called noble believed in God or not.

This was the age of chaos after the fall of the gods. Without a real god, there would naturally be no real faith.

The divine spell system proposed by Kant also came from this world.

"It might be useful."

The mages nodded, their faces showing a hint of understanding.

After discussing with each other, they said to Kant respectfully, "Lord Kant, if there's an opportunity, please find some information about divine spell for us. It might be useful for the many great mages of our Enfath Empire."

"Yes, it's very simple."

Kant nodded. The Dukedom of Leo had the war god's temple, which was established as the national religion.

As for the information about divine spell, there were even more in the silver platter kingdom. It was said that in the local divine temple of light, it had formed the holy church with the king and the noble. It had completely dispersed the power of the mages and formed a country where the church and the state were united.

There, they would have more information on divine spells.

After settling this matter, Kant opened his mouth and instructed, "Pack up. We are ready to set off."

Chapter 338: Spies Encountered At Night

With ample preparations, the group continued their journey.

Behind them was a camel caravan consisting of 50 single-humped camels, carrying loads of goods on their backs. They were all merchants from the Dukedom of Leo who had come for the table salt trade. They had brought the goods along with their wagons.

However, they were not good things either. They were just farm tools made from inferior iron and ordinary grain.

There were some more valuable spices.

As for iron products made of refined iron, including high-grade farm tools, were all unavailable.

Not to mention those weapons and armors that could arm civilians and enhance the combat strength of soldiers. These things were definitely not seen in these merchants' wagons. It was completely a tacit agreement among the merchants to not trade with high quality goods.

And even if there were weapons, they were mostly warrior longsword made of ordinary iron ingots used by the guards.

Even the armors they brought over were the lowest grade of leather armors.

This was the result of the noble families of the Dukedom of Leo after a discussion.

In their view, the Oasis Lookout in the Nahrin Desert had already been occupied by Kant. This baron, who should have been exiled to a remote desert to wait for his death, had regained the initiative with the help of some hidden forces, he had even discovered a salt mine that was of high value, which increased his wealth and force.

The value of salt was extremely high. The noble families of the Dukedom of Leo and the Silver Platter Kingdom were willing to send out a large army to wage war, even if it were by force, they would seize the salt mine that could produce high-grade table salt in their own hands.

It was just that it was still too short a time, and everyone had yet to react. For the sake of conservatism, they were only taking precautions first.

Or it could be called probing.

Without absolute certainty, they would not act.

Sealing off trade goods was one of the means.

Banning the sale of weapons and armors, banning the sale of iron ingots, banning the sale of military supplies, the goal was to seal off the Oasis Lookout, seal off the Nahrin Desert, and let Kant fall into the plight of shortage of supplies.

However, they did not know that Kant did not need their supplies.

In fact, it was also true for the grain that was gradually decreasing in trading.

The well-developed and self-recycling "Drondheim" Castle and "Aaron" City were completely self-sufficient, and even the urgently needed supplies could be traded in Caradia or Pendor.

This world didn't have much of a need for Kant.

Except for the golden eagle.

That shiny, gold-forged, extremely valuable currency that could be exchanged for a denar!

The people of this world could not realize that these golden eagles that seemed precious but were not of much use were denar that could be exchanged for everything to Kant.

Just like now, every time Kant traded table salt, he would receive two hundred thousand plus denars.

He had long gotten rid of the period of poverty.

He was on the way to prosperity!

The army had begun to be trained on a large scale with the establishment of castles and cities.

There would be more tragic battles in the following wars. Even if Kant had a higher-level extraordinary troop class, they would still be nothing more than meat lumps with bones when facing the extremely large-scale battlefield that was like a meat grinder.

The extraordinary troop class would also be injured and die.

Even high-level creatures such as titans, angels, dragons and so on would be the same.

Kant still could not relax.

Especially when he learned about the past glory of this world, he could not ignore the heritage that was still passed down.

At least Kant had not really attacked the human countries yet. He still did not have a clear understanding of the true high-end forces of the human countries, such as the coalition forces formed by the grand knights, mages, and priests.

The two sides only had a short contact.

Kant had only revealed his strength appropriately.

But in terms of the level of elite troops, Kant had the backing of countless riding worlds, he was definitely stronger than this world including the Dukedom of Leo!

The only thing Kant was afraid of now was the remnants from the era of the gods.

For example, those demons.

Those undead.

And those gods... who might still be alive!

It was true that it was the end of the magic era, but since even demons, undead, and god's descendants had appeared recently, was it possible that some gods were still alive until now?

Perhaps the gods that the human countries worshiped originated from the remaining gods.

Kant was cautious.

This was also the reason why he did not directly launch a forceful attack and expose his strength first.

Although defeating enemies was refreshing, there were more side effects.

Slowly invading was the way of the king.

Occupying step by step, spreading step by step, attacking step by step, forcing step by step.

Finally, he obtained an absolute advantage!

Whether it was the Stone Pass or the Resniston River in the East County, Kant planned to slowly develop and infiltrate. Even if he had to spend 10 or 20 years, he would slowly infiltrate the Dukedom of Leo until he could swallow it whole, there would be no violent reaction from the enemies!

This was the terror of encroachment. Although he could not swallow the entire dukedom in an instant and would need to use military means to forcefully unify the dukedom, dealing with the problem of bloating his stomach afterwards was also painful.

If he was careless and was instead picked by other forces, then he would regret it in the beginning.

The mantis stalks the cicada, the oriole is behind the mantis.

Although Kant was the oriole at the moment, but who knew if the ancient forces were hidden behind Kant, like a giant eagle ready to hunt the oriole?

Kant did not believe that all the gods were dead. Perhaps there were some of them still alive!

It was late in night.

The group of people continued to return with the caravan.

The temperature in the Nahrin Desert was very low at night, but they were all covered by leather jackets and pants. They could barely keep warm and not fall into a desperate situation because of the minus 30 degrees temperature.

The temperature between the day and night was very extreme.

And because there were no snowflakes, it was a temperature that could freeze people to death!

The name of the desert of civilization, the forbidden area of races was not a joke.

Even those low-level Jackalans who had the innate ability to endure and had fur like animals had to build a bonfire at night in the Nahrin Desert. If there was no bonfire, then they would dig through the layers of sand and squeeze into each other to keep warm.

Kant and the others were able to barely move forward thanks to the help of the system power in their bodies.

If it were a normal human or warhorse or camel, they would probably freeze to death.

"Clop, clop, clop --"

The hooves of the horses broke through the sand, making a special sound.

Kant turned his head to look.

A Desert Bandit who should have spread out to scout the path were quickly approaching on their horses.

"My lord, at the dune in front, we found an unfamiliar group of 10 people. They are now under our control and are not post any danger for the time being."

The Desert Bandit reported, "Should we get rid of them?" As he said that, he raised his hand into a palm and blurred it at his neck. "We can get rid of them very quickly. They are all damn spies, a bunch of trash-like rats!"

"Well, that's it."

Kant waved his hand casually. Indeed, he did not care.

Just like the Desert Bandit said, these spies were just a bunch of trash-like rats. A group of spies who wanted to investigate Kant's background. There were no so-called human rights for them.

Of course, there was no so-called humanitarian aid or merciful forgiveness.

"Understood!" the Desert Bandit nodded with a sinister smile.

Turning his horse around, he quickly left to pass on the order.

"Heh, there are more and more spies." Kant couldn't help but shake his head. He frowned slightly and said to Bunduk behind him, "I didn't expect that we would be able to discover these spies even though we are almost at the Oasis Lookout area."

"I really didn't expect that either." Bunduk nodded.

He had lived in the Oasis Lookout before, so he naturally understood the importance of the Oasis Lookout.

Especially Rolf, who had been frantically searching for spies at the central posthouse. He had killed nearly 300 rats recently, and even such a terrifying method had not stopped the spies from coming.

Only an even more brutal massacre could deter those greedy guys.

Kant and Rolf actually had the same idea.

This was also the reason why he tacitly allowed Rolf to start a massacre at the central posthouse.

But very soon, the Desert Bandit returned on horseback.

Kant couldn't help but frown and ask, "What happened?"

"There's a situation!"

The Desert Bandit didn't panic. It seemed that there wasn't a crisis that couldn't be dealt with.

Instead, he calmed his mind and quickly reported to Kant clearly, "The spies claimed themselves as the forces left behind in the Dukedom of Leo by your biological mother, Princess Sofia. They said they were here to contact you." He said in a serious tune, "My lord, we are unable to determine whether this is true or false."

"Yes." Kant's expression was calm. "I understand."

"You can go down. Keep an eye on them."

Bunduk waved his hand, indicating for the Desert Bandits to leave.

This kind of matter indeed needed to be reported.

Matters related to the lord's family were no longer something that soldiers like them could handle.

Even Bunduk was a little troublesome. Looking at his supreme lord beside him, who was slightly silent, he could not help but ask, "Lord Kant, do you want to... personally meet these spies?"

"Heh, interesting."

Kant snorted coldly, the corners of his mouth curling up into an inexplicable smile.

His eyes were cold.

He turned to the Lion Knight beside him and ordered, "Bring those ten spies over. I want to see what the forces left behind by my mother are."

"Yes!" One of the Lion Knights nodded and immediately spurred his horse forward, rushing towards the dune.

"Let's set up camp here."

Kant continued to instruct, "The night is very dark, and the temperature is getting colder." He paused, took a deep breath of the cold air, and said lightly, "I'm also a little tired."

"Understood!" the surrounding soldiers nodded.

Soon, the camp and the bonfire rose together.

In the dune far away, 20 desert bandits were carrying spears and scimitars. They were walking around 10 guys in hoods and cloaks. The Lion Knight was the first to report, "Lord, they're here."

"Got it." Kant nodded.

The 10 guys in black linen hood also came in front of him.

They looked at the Lion Knights and the mages in leather coats who were still holding their staffs. Their eyes were filled with shock, but they bowed respectfully, "Greetings, Prince Kant!"

"Prince?"

Kant smiled lightly.

Looking at these people who had taken off their hood, who were obviously middle-aged men, he said calmly, "You seem to have called me by the wrong title. In the Dukedom of Leo, I'm just a baron."

Chapter 339: The Princess’ Old Subordinates

The ten spies in front of them were terrified and respectful towards Kant. They did not dare to show their so-called rebelliousness in front of this young man who was now known for his cruel methods.

Therefore, they all knelt in front of Kant. The leader even put his right hand on his chest, he lowered his head and said respectfully, "That's right. Our title comes from the princess we are loyal to, which is the respected Princess Sofia of the Silver Platter Kingdom, your biological mother, Prince Kant."

"My mother, Princess Sofia." Kant's voice was calm.

Looking at the ten respectful fellows in front of him, he said calmly, "But even so, I am still a baron, even if my mother is indeed a princess, she was a princess belonging to the Silver Platter Kingdom."

The leader quickly explained, "But you have the right to inherit the Silver Platter Kingdom, Prince Kant!"

There was a slight silence.

The surrounding Sarleon Lion Knights and the mages of the Enfath Empire all turned their heads to look at this guy.

Even Kant narrowed his eyes and slowly said, "Speak clearly. Such words must not be taken as a joke. If I know that you are deceiving, then you will be executed."

"Definitely not a joke!"

That guy quickly explained, "His Majesty King Ulysses of the Silver Platter Kingdom only has one son left, but that prince has always been in poor health. According to the news from the palace, this prince, who is older than you but abnormally weak, will definitely not live past next year!"

"Ha, interesting. This news is very interesting." Kant narrowed his eyes, which were full of threatening aura.

"So... so..." the leader mustered up his courage and said, "We are here to look for you!"

The other spies also looked at Kant with eager eyes.

The surrounding Desert Bandits and Lion Knights had already unsheathed their scimitars and longsword. Their cruel eyes made these pitiful worms that had entered the Nahrin Desert have no intention of resisting at all.

They were all smart people.

They understood what the current situation was like.

If they dared to resist, they would probably be beheaded. After all, Kant, this young lord, had a reputation of being bloodthirsty and decisive in killing. He had completely lost his previously benevolent and cowardly appearance!

Perhaps there was an inside story, but everyone knew that if they dared to resist, they would have no choice but to die.

It would be better to explain why they came!

Therefore, the leader gulped and looked at Kant who seemed to be deep in thought, he said urgently, "Prince Kant, you are the only son of Princess Sofia, and the only grandson of King Ulysses of the Silver Platter Kingdom. If your sick prince uncle dies, you will be the only heir of the Silver Platter Kingdom, and the only descendant of the old king. Therefore, we have experienced countless hardships and came to seek refuge with you to help you obtain the throne that belongs to you!"

The scene remained silent, because Kant did not reply.

The surrounding knights and mages had unfriendly expressions.

They had come from a chaotic and dangerous world. They had their own views on the fight for the throne and the right to inherit. Of course, they also understood the dangers involved.

The throne that represented power, even though it seemed like Kant could reach out and touch it, but the dangers hidden in the shadows.

The dangers that were enough to kill him!

Kant's silence was also because of this matter. Fighting for the throne was not something that he could do with just the death of a prince. After all, the noble families of the Silver Platter Kingdom also represented traditional forces.

Only the royal bloodline that the noble families chose or compromised in support of could take that throne.

And Kant.

The second son of the Grand Duke of Leo Cameron. The little baron who had been exiled in the Nahrin Desert and was separated from the entire Dukedom of Leo could not extend his hand that long!

Moreover, how could Kant know that these guys were not liars? Were they here to deceive him, to beg for his life, or to use this matter as an excuse to secretly investigate the Oasis Lookout?

"You're lying!"

Bunduk and Kant could be said to have a tacit understanding.

Especially after being advanced by the power of the underworld, Bunduk 's senses became stonger. When they saw Kant's silent look, he immediately took half a step forward and pulled out half of the knight sword at his waist, with a indifferent expression, he berated, "You are from the Silver Platter Kingdom? B*stards, how dare you lie to Baron Kant. What are you? A bunch of lowly commoners, how can you casually talk about the inheritance of the royal family?"

"Clang, Clang, Clang, Clang --"

The clanging sound of metal suddenly appeared in the surroundings. It was the weapons that the Sarleon Lion Knights and the Desert Bandits had already unsheathed. Under the moonlight, they shone with a miserable cold light.

In contrast, the ten fellows were also scared to death.

If Kant gave the order, these knights and the desert bandits did not mind slicing them to death.

"No... No, Lord Kant, please listen to our explanation. We absolutely have no intention of deceiving you. After all, we were once loyal to Princess Sofia!"

The leader's face was filled with fear. He knelt on the ground and his entire body was trembling, especially when he thought of Kant's infamous name, he quickly said, "We were once knights brought by Princess Sofia to the Dukedom of Leo. However, due to the princess' death, we were implicated and could only conceal our identities. We hid in the Resniston River in between the Dukedom of Leo and the Silver Platter Kingdom. We are struggled to survive. Now, we have become pirates. We have no intention of deceiving you. We only hope that you can become the king and restore our reputation!"

"Ha." Kant showed slight contempt and disdain for their so-called loyalty to his mother.

Loyalty seemed official, but it was still fragile.

Baron Dylan at the Stone Pass had once been loyal to his Princess Sofia, but he still ignored Kant. After learning about the salt mine, he even wanted to secretly control Kant as a puppet.

Therefore, this so-called loyalty was especially laughable to Kant.

Their loyalty could not be compared to the people from the world "Mount & Blade!

However, Kant did not reveal too much.

He indifferently glanced at the ten terrified fellows, he said, "I have an impression of the pirates of the Resniston River. You are indeed very famous..." he paused for a moment. "But why did you choose to become pirates instead of living in the Dukedom of Leo or returning to the Silver Platter Kingdom? This is a little... strange!" His voice was solemn.

When the surrounding knights heard Kant's serious question, they all glared at these guys. The weapons in their hands were already tightly gripped. It seemed that if one of them was lying, they would be able to directly strike them!

"We, we can't go back!"

The leader had a sorrowful expression on his face. "When Princess Sofia marries Grand Duke Cameron, we followed princess and became the royal knights, the knights of the Dukedom of Leo."

The others also said sorrowfully, "There is definitely something fishy about Princess Sofia's death. Lord Kant, I think you also know that if we do not hide ourselves, we will definitely be strangled by the noble families of the Dukedom of Leo. Even if we return to the Silver Platter Kingdom, King Ulysses will not let us off!"

"So, you hid in the Resniston River." Kant asked.

"Yes, we... had no choice."

These people looked ashamed. "If we want to live, we can only give up our former honor. If we don't choose to become pirates, we will be like the knights who chose to stay in the Dukedom of Leo or return to the Silver Platter Kingdom. We will be forced by the noble families of those two countries to fight on the front lines to prove our loyalty. We will be consumed on the battlefield. Even if we survive, we will be pushed aside and never step into the circle of the mainstream noble families."

Kant narrowed his eyes. They were right. For example, Baron Dylan.

Kant understood this very well.

After his mother, Princess Sofia, died of illness, the Silver Platter Kingdom had always taken the opportunity to look for trouble. In the end, the two sides continued to have bad blood. They even directly sent troops to invade the Dukedom of Leo. Because of this, both sides started a war. In the end, even the old king of the Silver Platter Kingdom, Kant's grandfather, died on the battlefield.

The Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, succeeded the throne on the battlefield.

After the two sides went through a bitter battle, the Dukedom of Leo was left in a miserable state. Only then did the two sides start a peace negotiation.

The result of the peace negotiation was that a piece of land south of the East County, which was also the south bank of the Resniston River, along with a castle, Nazaire Castle, became the territory of the Silver Platter Kingdom.

This was also one of the main reasons why Countess Agatha and Grand Duke Cameron fell out.

Nazaire Castle was once the castle and land of the East County!

But there was no other way.

The Dukedom of Leo could not compare to the strength of Silver Platter Kingdom.

Moreover, the battle situation was still a pyrrhic victory.

After settling these matters and signing a contract with the Silver Platter Kingdom, Grand Duke Cameron led his troops back. At the same time, in order to resolve the dissatisfaction of the many noble families towards the peace talks, he chose to head directly to the Senwaya Range to deal with the invading low-level Jackalans, after invading the Nahrin Desert and temporarily seizing the Oasis Lookout, he used the new war to resolve the conflict.

All of this had happened only ten years ago.

Although Kant was still studying in the academy, he actually understood quite a bit of the inside story.

"This has nothing to do with me." Kant looked calm and shook his head.

The so-called throne of the Silver Platter Kingdom was a sweet poison to him. If he really wanted to inherit the throne, then he would have to first give up the forces in the Nahrin Desert, because there was a Dukedom of Leo in between the Nahrin Desert and Silver Platter Kingdom.

Although Kant could still command his forces remotely, he was unfamiliar with the Silver Platter Kingdom, so who could he rely on?

It was equivalent to putting all his life in the hands of the people of the Silver Platter Kingdom, and he was not as free as he was now!

And in terms of development potential, Kant thought that with the world of "Mount & Blade" as his backing, he would definitely be able to develop in the future without help. In the future, his forces would not be as powerful as a dukedom or a kingdom of the same status!

Kant was very confident in himself!

But looking at these ten people who were terrified and sorrowful, he realized that he might be able to recruit some spies.

Resniston River, it happened to be at the place where Kant was about to plan.

"Come in the tent, I have something to tell you." Kant turned around and walked into the tent that had already been set up, with the Lion Knights beside him as guards.

The ten guys looked at each other and lowered their heads to enter the tent.

Although they didn't have much ability, they were a group of pirates from the Resniston River after all. With the help of the forces that they had been brewing for more than ten years, Kant's forces could reach to the most prosperous river in the shortest time possible.

Perhaps he could set up another group of spies besides Borg!

Chapter 340: Subdued the Water Bandits Easily

In the tent, Kant officially issued new orders to these 10 old subordinates who had come to seek refuge.

Or rather, Kant chose to accept them. He even gave 1,000 great silver coins to these guys. He asked them to use them as the funds for the activities in the Resniston River to help Kant infiltrate.

Of course, Kant did not tell them about Borg.

One must be wary of others.

He did not know if this group of people who had fallen as water bandits could still choose to be loyal, or they were the double agents, whether their intention for coming here was to investigate the Oasis Lookout.

But Kant did not care.

1,000 great silver coins collided with a crisp sound in the bag.

Although this amount of money was nothing to Kant, who controlled the salt mines, but to the 10 people who had now fallen as water bandits, their eyes were blank. No matter what thoughts they had in their hearts, they were immediately washed away by this huge amount of money, their hearts were beating extremely fast, filled with the desire and greed for wealth.

Kant's lips curled up slightly as he looked at the ten of them who could no longer control themselves, he said faintly, "I don't care what method you use, just develop yourself in the Resniston River. Every half a year, come to the Oasis Lookout and I will give you 1,000 great silver coins as the campaign funds."

"Yes... Yes! Lord Kant!" the ten guys immediately reacted.

Without any hesitation, they immediately knelt on the ground and humbly bowed to Kant. This was the most respectful etiquette in the world, a form of respect that was expressed by humiliating themselves.

At the same time, it represented an incomparable submission.

"Yes." Kant sat in his seat calmly and accepted their submission.

Beside him were the Lion Knights and mages. They watched everything calmly. However, they were not ashamed of giving up their loyalty so easily to these ten guys.

"Get up."

Kant did not care.

He stretched out his hand and looked at the ten guys. "Oasis Lookout is my estate. You do not have the right to enter yet. If you develop well in the Resniston River, I will give you a sum of money." He paused, his voice was low, "If I sit on any throne, you will become my close noble."

"We will do our best to die for you!" the ten of them immediately kowtowed.

They understood what Kant meant.

That was correct.

They became water bandits in Resniston River without any honor left. Their former noble status was more like a thorn in their chest. They suffered day and night, unable to forget their former honor.

To be able to become a noble, who would be willing to become a water bandit, surrounded by bandits, scumbags and low-class people?

Not to mention having money.

A total of 1,000 shiny great silver coins!

This was a huge sum of money that they might not have earned for ten years when they were water bandits. If they encountered a patrol team or something unexpected happened, they would run out of money and live a difficult life, and they wouldn't even be able to afford black bread!

Water bandits were not a good profession. Even if they had the power of the Silver Platter Kingdom behind them, they were still low-class people.

They could not even compare to the status of mercenaries!

Looking at their shocked expressions, Kant's smile carried a hint of mockery.

He did not care what the purpose of this group of people was, but since they came here and took his great silver coins, it would be the same as saying that he had successfully set up a group of new spies in the Resniston River.

No one could give these water bandits 1,000 great silver coins directly, but Kant could!

He did not have any feelings for these silver coins.

If it was a golden eagle, he would definitely not give it out. As the silver coins that could not be exchanged for denar, Kant really didn't mind at all.

If he gave it to these guys, he would let them know how much benefits they would get if they followed him. That would be a safe way to bind a contract with them. In front of the shiny white silver coins, these group of people wouldn't resist the temptation of great benefits, they would give up their pride and followed Kant's order!

Since they had already taken Kant's money, it did not matter even if there was still a force behind them. Kant would not care because the key point was that no one else could directly give them 1,000 great silver coins as funds.

Kant would still give it to them once every six months.

One had to know.

Even the most prosperous Lion Heart City in the Dukedom of Leo would only earn over 20,000 great silver coins a year in tax revenue!

As for the merchants on the Resniston River, they probably only earned 1,000 great silver coins despite they traded throughout the year. And this was after all the hard work, plus all kinds of gross profits!

Great silver coins were really very valuable.

Kant didn't talk much with these guys.

What he needed was a verbal agreement to let these 10 former subordinates of his mother, as well as the forces behind them, return to his control and hide in the Resniston River.

"The river passage of the ancient passage will be used in the future." Kant thought for a while.

He quickly thought about it and had a little plan for the arrangements in the East County. "Since I have the water bandits now, it will be more convenient."

Kant would occupy the river mouth passage of Resniston River first, and he would build the village as well.

He would also establish the lair of the water bandits.

Before they were able to effectively control the area, these local water bandits in the Resniston River would be useful. At least they wouldn't harass them. Even if there were other water bandits coming to harass them, they would have someone to inform Kant beforehand, when dealing with the problem of the opposing water bandits, they would be able to handle it better.

As for what would happen to the water bandits who were once part of Princess Sofia's old troop, that had nothing to do with Kant. In fact, these people were just mercenaries who were working for him with his great silver coins.

Perhaps in the future, he would need fame and would not mind giving away some unimportant land so that they could continue to be a small noble.

An emperor used thousands of gold to buy horse bones, then his subordinates would offer the real horses.

As long as these natives were hired, more natives would be served under Kant.

Of course, the true upper echelons would always be those who came from the world of "Mount & Blade" MODs.

Just like a colony, layer by layer, the top and important management would always be from the same side, while those unimportant positions or the middle and lower management would be given to those natives who were loyal to them.

There was no need to subdivide this. Even in the Continent of Caradia, they had already made good use of this matter.

The Kingdom of Nords, which was good at land warfare and trade, did things in this way.

After all, they could be considered as intruders, outsiders from the Continent of Caradia. Their true homeland was still in the continent of Nords in the north. That was their homeland. The continent of Caradia could indeed be considered as a colony occupied by the Nords.

These was not what Kant concerned about at the moment.

"Let's stop here."

Coming back to his senses, Kant waved his hand and said, "Bunduk, you can settle the details with them."

"Understood." Bunduk nodded.

As one of the few generals in Kant, there was no need to doubt Bunduk's ability. After listening for a period of time, he could understand how the follow-up arrangements would be carried out.

In fact, there weren't too many complicated arrangements at the moment.

They just needed to lie low and develop a network for Kant that was different from Borg's.

They needed to do another infiltration line.

"We will do our best to solve any problems for you!"

At the same time, the ten people in front of them who were kneeling on the ground and looking at Kant with eager eyes also reacted and quickly kowtowed again, they thanked him excitedly, "The glory of Princess Sofia is blossoming on you, Lord Kant. Your kindness and talent have won us over."

Bunduk's eyes flashed red as he looked at the 10 guys. He stood up calmly and said to them, "Come with me. Lord Kant needs to rest."

"Yes, yes." the ten of them bowed and left the tent with Bunduk.

The tent fell silent.

Kant sat on his seat and rubbed his temples. "How interesting."

"A bunch of little rats with ulterior motives."

The mage beside him said, "They are lucky that we let them go just like that." He paused and looked at Kant, he said seriously, "My lord, when you were communicating with them, these guys were terrified. Obviously, they lied about something. We can sense it."

"I know." Kant nodded calmly and snorted. "It's okay."

He did not rely on these guys to do anything important for him.

Although he gave them 1,000 great silver coins directly, it was simply to buy their loyalty. He wanted to let these guys know that the benefits of following him would not be small. He wanted to use the great silver coins to exchange for their ability and loyalty.

If he wanted outsiders to becompletely loyal to him, he would have to take out even more great silver coins.

Kant did not believe that no one else would give even more great silver coins on to this group of low-level water bandits. The gains did not make up for the losses.

Only a lord who controlled salt mines and did not have much need for great silver coins could casually throw out 1,000 great silver coins like this with the entire world of "Mount & Blade" as his backing.

If the nobles of the Dukedom of Leo or the Silver Platter Kingdom wanted to spend more money to bribe these water bandits?

That would be a joke!

These coins were enough to arm a well-equipped and well-trained 50-man infantry squad!

Very soon, Bunduk returned.

He entered the tent and reported to Kant, "Lord, we had reached an agreement."

"Mm." Kant gestured for him to continue.

"They'll hide for the time being and use the funds to develop our forces. After we enter Resniston River, we'll take over everything." Bunduk reported, "Of course, I promised them that in the future, they would personally lead this force and receive the recognition they deserve, such as restoring their knighthood or even obtaining a higher rank."

"They believed it?" Kant's lips curled up slightly.

"They had no choice but to believe it."

Bunduk shrugged. "I also told them to pay attention to the Silver Platter Kingdom. After all, that old king is about to pass away. As a member of the royal family, you, Lord Kant, do indeed have the right to inherit the throne." Bunduk paused for a moment and suggested, "Lord Kant, perhaps you really should try and fight for it."

"We'll discuss it again." Kant shook his head. His expression was calm, without the slightest ripple. "Right now, we have to deal with the undead in the depths of the Nahrin Desert first. After we finish dealing with those evil races, then we can talk."

"Yes." Bunduk nodded.

"That's it." Kant waved his hand and said, "Let them leave at dawn. At the same time, write a note to them. In the future, we can directly contact Firentis at the Stone Pass."

The Stone Pass was already his territory. With Firentis personally overseeing it, he could solve these small problems.

Chapter 341: The Cautious Drondheim

In the early morning, the ten guys with the great silver coins left.

Just like how they were found out, they left in a hurry. They didn't communicate much with Kant at all. They only cared about the realistic benefits and promises for the future.

There was indeed not much to talk about between the two sides. They just needed to lie low and slowly infiltrate and develop.

Kant had no other requests.

If they really wanted to invade the Dukedom of Leo or the Silver Platter Kingdom, they definitely would not rely on these people who only yearned for profits.

Because since they could choose to be loyal to Kant for the great silver coins, then they could also betray Kant for the great silver coins as well!

The many generals and soldiers from the world of "Mount & Blade" were still trustworthy. At the very least, both sides were in a relationship where one would suffer and the other would prosper. If Kant died in this world, then the system would also collapse, and these characters from the system would also perish.

This was the true relationship between life and death!

"Time." Kant sighed lightly.

Walking out of the tent, he looked at the light of dawn seeped through the undulating dunes and stretched his back.

The temporary camp was already busy.

While the sky was still dark, the civilians got up early to feed the camels with grass and water while preparing breakfast. It seemed that they were planning to set off early and quickly return to the Oasis Lookout.

There was a reason for this. Their current location was not far from the Oasis Lookout.

They all had mounts, and based on estimation, they would probably arrive at dusk if they speed up.

They did not hesitate.

After breakfast, they rested and checked before setting off.

The fur coats from last night had all been taken off and stuffed into their bags. They wore cool linen robes and linen hood. They walked smoothly through the pre-planned route.

They traveled from early morning until noon. Then, they set up camp to avoid the scorching sun.

In the afternoon, they continued to set off.

Finally, before dusk, a slender tower appeared on the horizon, like a long needle that was about to pierce the sky.

It was the high-level watchtower of "Drondheim" Castle.

Soon, desert cavalry quickly arrived.

In the normal inspection procedure, especially before Kant left, Manid was specially ordered to pay attention to the surrounding situation. Therefore, the inspection of "Drondheim" Castle was even stricter.

Even though they had already noticed that it was their camel caravan, they still sent light cavalry to inspect it.

All of this was based on caution.

Kant was satisfied with this. What he needed was Manid's caution.

This son of a noble merchant family from the continent of Caradia was not cautious at the beginning. As a result, he was robbed of all the goods in the carriage by the bandit. In the end, he was reduced to a run-down merchant on the Continent of Caradia. In a short period of time, he did not even have the funds to go home. From this event, it could be seen that Manid had learnt his lessons the hard way

Now that he was in power and was in charge of the most important castle, Drondheim. Kant had also warned him to be cautious when he was not around. Manid would definitely do as he was told.

If something really went wrong, no one would be able to shoulder this responsibility!

"There's a huge change." Kant rode his horse closer to his castle.

There were already many construction workers busy at the south gate. At the same time, they piled up large pieces of stones, making it look like a new city wall was being built.

Bunduk nodded from behind. "It is indeed huge."

"Welcome back, Lord Kant. and... Bunduk?"

Manid was walking out quickly.

When he bowed respectfully, his gaze was slightly shocked, especially when he looked at Bunduk, who was riding on a black horse. After some hesitation, he laughed dryly and said, "Hey, you change... change a lot. I almost thought it was someone else."

Bunduk nodded calmly. "Time can change everything."

His had a drastic change and became an underworld apostle.

This was different from the previous captain of the crossbowmen or being conferred as a noble and automatically becoming a civil protection officer after being conferred the estate. It was a complete transformation.

From the appearance of Bunduk to his personality, and even the power he possessed.

It was a complete transformation!

Back when they were partners of the justice side, their relationship was very close. They met each other in a tavern on the Continent of Caradia. They could even have a few drinks to chat about life. They were friends that could not be more familiar.

However, things had changed when they met again.

A sense of strangeness appeared out of nowhere.

If it was not for the fact that Bunduk's appearance had not changed much, Manid would almost think that he was someone else.

After all, after becoming an apostle of the underworld, Banduk's originally righteous and humorous temperament, as well as his perseverance, suddenly changed into a gloomy, oppressive, dark and hidden temperament that was related to the underworld.

If he used the power of the underworld, it would add even more sinister and terrifying, extremely evil and terrifying aura!

"Bunduk had gone through a fortuitous encounter."

Kant explained, "It's like being reborn, but he is still loyal to me." Pausing for a moment, Kant looked at the frowning Manid and shook his head, "No matter what, I need all of you to stay united."

Manid looked at Bunduk, who was now like a stranger, and gently sighed, "Of course."

He had already guessed why Bunduk had changed.

The recovery from his injuries back then was actually not a secret.

"Lord, let's go in."

Manid quickly composed himself and welcomed Kant's return.

At the same time, he reported to Kant, "Currently, the two barbicans outside the castle are almost finished. I estimate that in three days, the main body will be completed. When that time comes, it will be ready to build the arrow tower and watchtower on it."

"Very good." Kant nodded. He also saw the towering barbicans.

The pedestrians and construction workers passing by all bowed and greeted Kant. Many people were looking at him eagerly. After all, this was the respect to a supreme lord who was like a father and god.

Kant was calm.

It was not the first time he received such an enthusiastic gaze and courtesy.

He rode his horse back to the council hall.

Bunduk, the Lion Knights, and the mages walked in together.

The golden discs, which had been transported all the way here, was also moved in at this time. As the linen cloth cover was pulled away, the golden light immediately lit up the entire council hall.

It was as if there was a new sun!

"This special power... it's really powerful..."

"That's right... I feel that my physical strength is recovering rapidly..."

"My extraordinary power is also growing..."

The Royal Knights who were originally stationed in the council hall exclaimed one after another.

Their extraordinary power, which originally belonged to the positive energy of the King's Power, was now bathed in this golden light. It was as if their whole body being was bathed in the warm sunlight, feeling extremely comfortable.

And the stamina and extraordinary power that they had used up after standing guard for a day were beginning to recover.

They all had a good rest!

Kant, on the other hand, had a surprised look on his face. He raised his eyebrows slightly and turned his head to ask the mages, "It seems that this sun disc of ours has a special effect on the Royal Knights."

"Perhaps it's the replenishment of the same energy." the mages came to a conclusion.

In fact, they were also very surprised. This was something they had not expected.

Although they had developed this strange object, in fact, they still had not figured out how to use it. They were still at the stage of fumbling and researching. Although they could control it now, it was all thanks to the modifications made by the magic system of the Enfath Empire, only then could they control this solar disc. Otherwise, they would really be at a loss.

At this moment, new mage apprentices came down from the top floor. They were the six of them who had been recruited in the past three weeks. When they saw Kant, they immediately bowed and greeted him, "My lord."

"Yes." Kant nodded to them.

After the six mage apprentices bowed, they looked at the sun disc with shining eyes.

The rich positive energy was gathering, which made them extremely shocked, especially when the magic system of the Enfath Empire was contained in it. It made these apprentices even more excited when they saw it.

However, seeing the 18 mages who were still whispering to each other and discussing matters, these apprentices still walked over respectfully, as if they were students saluting their teachers. "Greetings, mages, new apprentices salute you."

"Oh, new mage apprentices?"

The mages were still very enthusiastic. "Welcome, we can study together!"

After all, they were all apprentices, and there was not much level suppression on them.

Kant sat on his main seat and clapped his hands, he signaled for them to focus their attention. "Alright, let's stop reminiscing and discussing. I need you to fuse the sun disc completely now. It's best if our sun disc becomes a perfect posture that can cover the entire castle."

"Of course, we'll start now!"

The mages did not hesitate.

The sun disc floated half a meter above the ground. On its three-meter diameter, golden patterns flashed with light. It looked mysterious and magnificent.

"Wait." Kant suggested, "Go to the top floor of the council hall." He frowned slightly. "If this sun disc becomes bigger, I don't think there's a way to transport it out of the hall. I don't want to tear down the wall that has already been built or make a big crack on the top of the council hall."

"Sorry, our negligence." the mages apologized.

This was indeed something they did not expect.

After all, the current sun disk was three meters in diameter. It could be transported in thanks to the lack of thickness, as well as the fact that the gate of the council hall could all be opened, tilting the sun disc to let it in.

If it was fused with other sun disc and became more than five meters in diameter, then there was no way to transport it out.

"You guys handle this matter properly."

Kant waved his hand, feeling helpless against these ivory tower-like scholar.

Being a mage was carefree. Even if they were on the battlefield, throwing spells was enough for them to battle. As for the other problems, there was no need for them to worry about. They were like the noble on the battlefield was graceful and luxurious.

The mages set out to do it.

The mage apprentices and Lion Knights also helped at the side.

The hall immediately became quiet again.

Kant then nodded and sighed a little helplessly. He asked Manid in front of him, "During the time I was away, did anything strange happen in the depths of Nahrin Desert?"

Manid said solemnly, "No, Lord. Everything is normal."

"That's good." Kant heaved a sigh of relief.

However, Manid still frowned slightly, his expression remained solemn. "However, we discovered that although there were no unusual movements in the Nahrin Desert, the surrounding natural environment had undergone a great change. In particular, the night had become colder, especially in the salt mines. A large number of slaves had already frozen to death, numbering close to 300 people."

Chapter 342: Losing the Salt Mine Posthouse

The death of slaves happened from time to time. After all, as slaves captured from the battlefield, they were not treated as friends by the victors. Cruel torture was everyday routine for these slaves, and they had to suffer in the harsh living environment.

They did not have enough food, clothing, or rest, and could not be effectively replenished.

Even if they were sick, they still had to go to work.

Want to rest? Hehe, there would be a friend who used to be familiar with him, who was now the supervisor and the loyal lackey of the victor. He would use the tough whip to wake you up and bring all the sick slaves with him to finish the work that needed to be done today.

If one became a slave, he would basically not be treated as a human. He would basically be a human-shaped animal.

This was the truth.

Every day, a few slaves would die in the salt mines. Kant already knew this.

However, looking at the increasing amount of coarse salt in the warehouse, the deaths of these slaves became very valuable, at least for Kant. He had stored a large amount of coarse salt. In the future, after the salt mines were lost, it could be produced for several months.

At least at the moment, the salt-making workshop in "Drondheim" Castle could no longer keep up with the speed of the storage.

Although a large amount of table salt had been produced day and night, most of the warehouses were still full of linen sacks full of coarse salt, which were brought by the caravans that traveled to and from the castle and the salt mines every week.

Even if more than half of the slaves had died, there were still nearly 700 people left, Kant naturally did not care.

Keeping so many slaves and providing a large amount of food and water was troublesome.

"Wait." In a flash, Kant frowned, he turned to Manid, and asked, "Are you saying that... a special natural phenomenon appeared in the depths of the Nahrin Desert, which led to the death of a large number of slaves?"

"Yes, the temperature at night is even lower."

Manid nodded.

"This..." Kant frowned. "Something is indeed wrong."

This was very unusual.

Although the temperature at night in the Nahrin Desert was indeed very low, it was not so ridiculous.

One had to know that Kant valued his slaves. At the very least, each of them had a leather jacket, and there was a bonfire burning around the tent at night for everyone to keep warm. How could he freeze nearly 300 slaves to death so easily?

If they put more labor loads to these 300 slaves, they would have been exhausted to death!

"Perhaps it's the undead." the Lion Knights beside him spoke.

They also had their own views on the unconventional weather. "No, it's just the undead. These undead were resurrected from the dead, they were between life and death, and will emit negative energy of the undead."

After all, the Pendor Continent had a magic inheritance.

Kant nodded. "Yes, continue."

"The notable feature of the negative energy of the undead is the cold." The lion knight continued, "Ice will cover the earth, and everything can be frozen. That is the condensation of the will of the dead, and their hatred for the creatures living in the sunlight world is a kind of negative energy."

"Where the Sky Veil of Death spread to an area, there ice spreading at that are as well."

The Royal Knights also nodded and said, "There is also a bone-piercing cold current that even the sand layer will be frozen solid."

"Yes." Kant said in a deep voice, "Trouble is coming."

"Trouble." Manid also muttered in a low voice.

This was not the first time he had heard this sentence. He also knew how dangerous the undead that were slowly coming from the Nahrin Desert were.

However, he did not expect that the danger that he had worried for a long time would arrive so quickly. It had even approached to the salt mine, and it was getting closer to the Oasis Lookout.

When they first entered the depths of the Nahrin Desert and encountered the Sky Veil of Death, they had already experienced that terrifying cold current. If it was not for the protection of the extraordinary power, they would probably have frozen to death in the depths of the desert, along with their horses.

That cold current was not something that ordinary people could withstand.

"Damn it." Kant frowned and cursed.

But without hesitation, he turned his head and ordered, "Inform the mages, speed up their progress immediately!"

"Yes!" the knights who acted as guards immediately responded and quickly walked up to the top floor. There were mage apprentices' dormitories there, where the mages conducted magic experiments and planned to fuse the sun discs.

As long as the sun disc took shape and protected the Oasis Lookout, Kant's castle would be safe.

At the very least, there was no need to care about the threat of the Sky Veil of Death.

They were in the middle of a discussion.

The door of the council hall was pushed open, and a Desert Bandit quickly rushed in. Half-kneeling in front of the long table, he quickly reported, "My lord, the salt mine has discovered the the Sky Veil of Death and was attacked by the undead forces. It has been lost!"

"What?" Kant instantly stood up from his seat.

He clenched his hands and looked at the desert bandit who half-kneeled in front of the long table. His breathing quickened. "How is it possible that the salt mine was lost just like that?"

"It's true, it was two days ago!"

The voice of the desert bandits sounded like he was crying. "We have all retreated!"

He still looked travel worn. One could even see the marks of knives and axes from his leather armor.

Even his blood had turned slightly black, and the wounds were cyan-purple. Although the wounds had healed, it was obvious that they had been infected by something wicked. Even the lips of the desert bandit had turned white, and his face was sickly yellow color.

Just as the Desert Bandit finished reporting, a strange red color suddenly gushed out of his cheeks, and he collapsed in front of Kant.

"He fainted."

A Lion Knight went over and stretched out his hand to check his breath. After checking, he said in a deep voice, "He needs treatment and rest."

The Royal Knights also sighed softly. "It seems that he rushed back from the salt mine."

"Men, take him down for treatment." Kant waved his hand.

At the same time, he ordered Bunduk, who was frowning slightly, "Go and take a look. Who else knows the details? I need to know the details and know how my salt mine fell!"

"Yes." Bunduk nodded and left quickly.

Someone beside him also carried away the unconscious desert bandit. After that, he would receive the necessary treatment and rest. At the very least, there were doctors trained in the artisan union, although the effects were definitely not as good as top doctors like James, however, it was still not a problem to deal with minor infections and wounds.

After all, there would be people who were injured in daily life. On the training ground, the high-level troop class would train the low-level troop class. From time to time, they would cause injuries due to mistakes, so they trained a group of doctors.

They could treat their own people if there was emergency.

During the war, they could even be treated as a battlefield doctor to take care of the injured.

Manid sighed softly beside him. "The situation is critical."

"That's right."

Kant gritted his teeth and sat back on his chair.

The Lion Knights and Royal Knights beside him remained silent. Each and every one of them had a look of determination on their faces.

The war was about to begin.

Everyone already understood that the salt mine had fallen so quickly. This meant that it was time for the most elite troops of "Drondheim" Castle to go on stage and take back the salt mine!

Soon, Bunduk returned with a solemn expression.

"Bad News." he spoke slowly.

"Speak." Kant frowned. He was mentally prepared.

Bunduk reported in a deep voice, "The salt mine fell very quickly. All the slaves were frozen to death. Only the Desert Bandits from the salt mine posthouse came out. They quickly came to the castle to report. Right behind them, the 500 elite Swadian Knight and two Royal Knights were entangled by the terrifying undead troops."

"This is really... surprising." Kant's eyes flashed with malevolence. It had only been a few days, and the camel caravan had just reported that 300 people had been frozen to death. In the blink of an eye, Desert Bandits had returned, saying that the salt mine had fallen.

How could this not be surprising!

In Kant's eyes, his plan in the salt mine was absolutely fool proof.

Although it was mainly to prevent the slave rebellion, there were still people who had taken the lead to investigate Sky Veil of Death in the depths of the Nahrin Desert.

That was a heavy cavalry unit led by two Royal Knights. There was a total of 500 Swadian Heavy Cavalries!

They could be called elites.

But even so, they were still entangled by the undead. They actually needed the Desert Bandits to come back for help.

"Also, Lord Kant," Bunduk continued, "According to the accounts of the other desert bandits, the Sky Veil of Death did not spread over. It was just that the undead suddenly appeared like they were launching a sneak attack. They were caught off guard."

"Wait." Kant narrowed his eyes. "A sneak attack by the undead?"

"Yes." Bunduk nodded.

Kant's expression turned cold. He could not help but grit his teeth and say, "I think I heard it right. It was actually a sneak attack by the undead? These dead skeletons would even use such a tactic?"

Kant could not help but be puzzled.

The undead did not have intelligence. They only had an instinctive hatred for the living and formed a sea of undead to attack the enemy.

The concept of sneak attacks didn't exist among the undead at all.

Or it could be said that these undead didn't even have a formation.

It was due to the instincts of the undead creatures. The soul flames attracted each other and gathered together in a mess. Only when they devoured and wiped out all the enemies would they willingly go into hibernation.

"It's the Death Knights."

Bunduk slowly said, "There are also skeleton cavalry."

"Huh?" Kant raised his eyebrows.

"They are similar to the knights who were lured by the power of the underworld, but they are the cavalries that were transformed by the power of the undead after they died," Bunduk explained. "It seems that they are the mobile forces of the undead."

Kant's face turned gloomy. He had already understood the concept of the Death Knights or the Skeleton Cavalry.

He had already known this in his previous life, so he could easily imagine it.

However, Kant's expression became even more angry, he said in a gloomy tone, "I originally thought that these undead were just skeletons and zombies. I really didn't expect that even the Death Knights and Skeleton Cavalry would appear. Could it be that in the end, there would be things like Bone Dragons?"

In Kant's impression from his previous life, the undead did indeed have such things.

And in this world, there were actually creatures like giant dragons. Although it had long become a legend in the age of the gods, just thinking about it made one terrified!

Chapter 343: Finally, A Good News

Skeleton Dragons, the strongest troop class of the undead race.

Furthermore, the world Kant lived in had the existence of "Giant Dragons" according to the legends. Although the entire race had already perished in the endless river of history, there were only legends left.

But since there were legends, it meant that there had been such a powerful creature before. It could still appear in this world now.

The undead race did not care if the giant dragon died.

As long as they found the skeleton of the giant dragon and took it under control, it would be no problem for the undead to revive the Skeleton Dragon filled with negative energy and controlled it.

Kept in mind that this was a fantasy world!

It had once had a powerful fantasy history. Even the gods and demons had existed before.

Even though it had fallen at the lowest point of its power in history and was in the end of the magic era, who knew if it could still be revived, allowing the gods that had once been high and mighty, the demons that had occupied the abyss, to reappear in this world.

At that time, humans would no longer be the world's overlord.

The most crucial thing.

Even now, the human kingdoms were not the overlord races of this world.

Far to the south were the Dwarf Kingdoms in the hilly region, the Beastman tribes in the wilderness to the southwest, the Elf Republic on the Mannheim Coast, and even the city-state Kingdom of Grey Mane of the Jackalan and the Lizard Kingdom.

These were all races that competed with the human kingdoms for world supremacy.

Humans were not the only ones.

Now, there were also gods and demons lurking in the dark, resting and recuperating for ten thousand years.

There was also the undead race that had undergone a special change.

The situation was extremely complicated.

Although it still seemed to be quiet and everything was peaceful, once it erupted, the entire continent would probably fall into a world-shaking change. Even Kant, who had been in contact with these hidden forces for the longest time, would probably have to be cautious.

The real storm was about to arrive!

The undead that they were encountering now were just small skirmishes.

"A storm is coming." Kant gently rubbed his temples, his gaze cold.

Looking at the silent knights in front of him, he looked at Bunduk and ordered, "Immediately gather the troops and head to the salt mine posthouse. At the same time, rescue the heavy cavalries that are entangled."

"Yes!" as the military commander, Bunduk was the first to respond.

"Also, Manid." Kant turned his head to look at this elite merchant.

"Here." Manid immediately stood up and bowed respectfully to Kant. He lowered his head and said, "Lord Kant, please instruct me."

"You will still be in charge of the castle's defense." Kant did not assign him any other tasks.

This merchant was better at managing the trade caravan or engaging in commercial activities. It was difficult to get his hands on matters related to war. However, he was only in charge of the castle's defense and was on high alert to prevent the castle from falling, his carefulness towards merchants was still very useful. This was also why Kant could entrust him with the heavy responsibility of guarding the castle.

Although his commanding of the heavy cavalries was not as good as Firentis, he was also inferior to Rolf in commanding the light cavalries and light footmen, and Bunduk in commanding the crossbowmen and other long-range troops, it was still not a problem for him to defend a certain place with simple military defense.

Of course, the key point was that Kant had too few talents available!

Logically speaking, Bunduk was more suitable to defend the castle.

After all, he was once the captain of the crossbowmen and was extremely experienced in commanding the crossbowmen to defend the city. However, at the moment, Kant needed Bunduk to follow him to the salt mine to assist in commanding the troops, as well as to use his powerful strength of an underworld apostles to help, he could not be left here.

By using the skill Invasion from the Underworld, Bunduk could summon a small team of underworld invaders every day. Or he could use Demonic Incarnation to release all the devil's power and transform into a devil of the underworld to fight. These skills were all extremely terrifying extraordinary powers.

Bunduk could be very useful in the battle.

"Go and make the arrangements." Kant waved his hand.

His expression was grave and there was a hint of fatigue. "No matter what, you have to be careful. This is a period of time that you have to hold on for. There can't be any mistakes."

"Yes!" everyone in the hall responded in unison.

"Right." Just when everyone turned around and was about to leave, Kant spoke again.

Looking at them, Kant frowned and specifically instructed Manid, "From now on, put the training ground into full use. I need to train an additional 500 footmen and 300 crossbowmen to help defend the city."

"Understood." Manid nodded. Everyone went forward to make proper arrangements.

This was a must.

The pressure on the city defense in the future would definitely be huge.

500 footmen and 300 crossbowmen would be the basic force to defend the city. In addition, they would be able to recruit Vaegirs Archers. As long as they could supplement their long-range firepower, it would be considered basic safety.

However, Kant would not underestimate the undead.

Even the Death Knights and Skeleton Cavalry had appeared. Perhaps there would be even more terrifying undead forces.

No matter what, "Drondheim" Castle must not be lost!

This was Kant's territory.

It was the main place where Kant could control the Nahrin Desert.

If they lost the Oasis Lookout and this castle, it would mean that Kant's forces would collapse in the entire Nahrin Desert. They could only put the military pressure they on the not-yet-fully-built "Aaron" City, which was still in its embryonic form, it would cause unpredictable consequences.

At the very least, Kant's strategic plan would be completely ruined, and "Aaron" City in the Senwaya Range would be attacked by the undead. They could only hold on bitterly, and even expose themselves to the eyes of the Dukedom of Leo and the other human countries.

This was not good news!

However, just as Kant was deep in thought, good news came.

At the stairs, a mage apprentice walked down quickly and shouted anxiously, "My lord! My lord!"

"Be quiet!" Kant frowned. He could not hold back the anger in his heart because of trivial matters. He directly reprimanded him, "Learn to be steady. I don't want anyone in the hall to be so loud and anxious!"

"My lord, I'm sorry," the mage apprentice quickly apologized. "I'm just excited."

Of course, he could see that Kant was not in a good mood, so he did not dare to get into any trouble at this time, he stood on the spot obediently and reported, "We have merged with the sun discs, and there has been a wonderful change. We hope you can observe it personally and witness the next miraculous moment."

"What's going on?" Kant was slightly stunned, and his furrowed brows relaxed slightly. "The miraculous moment?"

"Yes, my lord."

The mage apprentice reported obediently, "After our research, the sun disk has already reached its limit after fusing. Perhaps after another fusion, it can obtain even greater power. Thus, leader has asked me to invite you to witness this miraculous moment together."

"Yes, I understand." Kant nodded.

He stood up and his expression returned to normal. "Perhaps this is the only good news that I feel is possible."

Chapter 344: The Evolution of the Sun Disc

This was indeed good news.

But Kant had already expected this.

After all, he had already guessed that when the sun disc fused with multiple strange objects of the same type, it would undergo a qualitative change, perhaps bringing more effects.

Now, the effects had appeared.

Kant was indeed curious.

"Let's go." He took the lead and took a step forward.

"Yes." the Mage Apprentice still obediently followed behind, his eyes filled with unconcealable joy.

Lord Kant was clearly in a bad mood.

If their research results could make Lord Kant happy, then they were contributed for loosen up the intense atmosphere before a war. It was a matter that was worth rejoicing over and full of honor!

They didn't say much.

The two of them walked up the spiral stairs to the top floor of the council hall.

Fifty Vaegir Marksmen were standing guard with longbows in their hands. Their eagle-like eyes scanned their surroundings. If there was the slightest movement, these top archers would use their superb archery skills to deal with it.

Of course, everything was safe now.

"My Lord." at the entrance of the apprentices dormitory, two Mages were standing there.

Seeing Kant coming over, they hurriedly took two steps forward, bowed respectfully, and said gently, "It's a great honor for you to participate in our research. This is the greatest encouragement for us."

"Yes, I'm looking forward to your miraculous moment." Kant nodded.

Since these Mages spoke so grandly, he was indeed curious.

They entered the dormitory.

Unlike the small and narrow appearance from the outside, the inside of the dormitory was actually very spacious, this was a space folding spell from the Enfath Empire.

Kant was already used to this, but what attracted his attention the most was the living room, which was emitting a sparkling golden light. It was like a huge ball of light that was emitting a bright sun disc.

"My lord." in the living room, the other Mages and Mage Apprenticess were holding their staffs and waiting.

The space was filled with faint elemental fluctuations.

On the sun disc, within the mysterious sacred sun pattern, threads of golden light were flowing. It was crystal clear, just like the rapidly rotating golden liquid. Under the control of the surrounding Mages and Apprentices Mages, mysterious patterns were formed.

It was the power of the sacred sun pattern from the era of the ancient gods!

"Yes." Kant looked at the six-meter-long sun disc in front of him, and his eyes were filled with surprise. "Not bad."

"This sun disc has already fused with four strange objects of the same type, and the positive energy it contains has reached its peak. According to our perception and calculation, when the fifth disc is fused with it, it will undergo a complete transformation!"

The Mage leader walked over and bowed respectfully.

At the same time, he pointed at the sun disc that was still floating in mid-air and reported in a gentle voice, "This transformation can definitely be considered outstanding. It can allow this sun disc to completely develop the power it once possessed."

"Mm."

Kant nodded and then asked, "Are you confident?"

"Very confident!"

The Mage leader answered firmly, "We have made ample preparations!"

"Very good." Kant's lips curled up slightly. "This news is indeed delightful." Looking at the Mages in front of him, his expression became solemn. He said seriously, "But now, we are about to face a dangerous situation."

The Mages' expressions also became solemn.

They still did not know about the news from the salt mine's posthouse.

However, they already had some rough ideas. In fact, when Lord Kant said this, they all thought of the northern part of the Nahrin Desert. It was said that the depths of the desert had been occupied by the undead.

In the world of "Wind of Wars", the enemies of the Enfath Empire were also included the undead.

"That's right."

Kant looked at everyone looking at each other and seemed to be in deep thought. He nodded and confirmed, "The undead have indeed come."

His tone paused for a moment, he continued in a solemn voice, "Just now, a light cavalry came to report that the army of the undead had already passed through that seemingly endless salt and alkali soil. they arrived at the salt mine posthouse to launch a sneak attack. They also killed all of the thousands of captives that we had stationed there. Even the army's fate is unknown."

"What? Those undead are expanding so quickly!" the Mages widened their eyes in shock.

They had thought that the undead they encountered were just a small number of troops and that it was just a warning.

But now, the severity of the situation had exceeded their understanding.

Although they were focused on magic research, as war Mages, they had a certain understanding of the battle situation. And at the salt mine posthouse, at least two Royal Knights, 500 Swadian Heavy Cavalries, and 50 Desert Bandits were defeated so easily, this was enough to prove the strength of the undead army!

Even if the undead launched a sneak attack, the troop shouldn't be ended up in such a miserable state.

Kant's words were simple.

But the truth was really cruel.

All the captives had died, so it was nothing to them.

However, 500 Swadian Heavy Cavalries were entangled, and the lives of two Royal Knights were unknown. That would be a big deal, and it was enough to attract the attention of anyone!

This was a heavy cavalry unit, a heavy cavalry unit led by a Grand Knight with extraordinary powers!

Not to mention the undead, whose individual combat strength was weaker, even if the elite troops of the Dukedom of Leo came from all directions, they would still be able to kill their way out.

Even if it were an army of demons with stronger individual combat strength and a crazed thirst for blood, it was estimated that even 300 large demons would not be able to handle this 500-men heavy cavalry unit. They were a mobile unit led by two Grand Knights after all.

When Kant stationed them there, guarding the captives was one of their missions.

There were other factors as well.

Guarding against the undead that appeared in the Nahrin Desert was also their mission!

"That's right." Kant took a deep breath.

When he heard the news, he was similarly shocked.

Looking at the Mages in front of him, he said in a deep voice, "That's why we are now in a very dangerous situation. If you can confirm that you have fused with the sun disc, then be more serious and make sure that the effects of the sun disc are maximized!"

"We'll do our best!" the Mages answered in unison.

Kant nodded and waved his hand. "Then let's begin."

The fusion began.

The preparatory work had long been completed.

The Mages chanted a mysterious spell and used their own magic power as a medium to communicate with the Enfath Empire in the world of "Wind of Wars". They let the powerful magic power from the Grand Mage Tower permeated and transformed the sun disc. Their heart was filled with excitement.

They also forcibly controlled the divine power belonging to the Sun God in the sun disc!

Golden light swirled.

The fifth disc placed next to it turned into a golden stream of light.

The sun disc, which was suspended in the room half a meter high and had been transformed by the magic of the Enfath Empire, was like a refugee who had been thirsty for days. It devoured and absorbed the golden stream of light from the other disc.

There was a tiny data chain contained within it, fusing into the sun disc in the golden light.

It did not take too long.

After a short three minutes, the fusion was complete.

On Kant's retina, a dialog box appeared.

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ Sun disc (repairing) absorbs the power of the same source, obtaining new special effect: Sun Domain ]

[ Special effect 4: Sun Domain: The area of coverage will be expanded by an additional 500,000 square meters (5 hectares). Divine radiance will be spread throughout the area, allowing the creatures bathed in it to be healthy and the plants to thrive. ]

The dialog box was faded.

Kant's eyes instantly turned into surprise amidst the shock.

His breathing was rapid. He forced himself to calm down, but he couldn't hide his smile as he was at cloud nine. He looked at the Mages in front of him who were putting down their staffs and looking at him. He praised, "Well done!"

"This is what we should do." the Mages immediately smiled.

"You all deserve praise." Kant said the truth.

If it were not for the urgency of the situation, he would have been willing to hold a celebration for these Mages!

The coverage of the sun disc directly increased to a terrifying area of five hectares. Not to mention the "Drondheim" Castle, it could be said that even half of the Oasis Lookout was covered by this improved Sun Domain!

It was a significant buff!

Moreover, there was still 25,000 square meters, which was 2.5 hectares of the original coverage area.

It added up to 7.5 hectares!

More than half of the Oasis Lookout was already under the protection of the sun disc.

And right beside Kant, there were still 5 sun discs waiting to fuse. When the time came, it would no longer be 7.5 hectares of coverage area, but at least 10 hectares of coverage area!

The entire Oasis Lookout was already under the protection of the sun discs!

How could Kant not be happy?

But he still forcefully suppressed his excitement.

Breathing steadily, Kant looked at the Mages and said calmly, "Continue to fuse with the sun discs according to the current status. I look forward to the new changes that will occur after these discs are fused!"

"Yes!" the Mages replied in a deep voice.

As the incantation was chanted, the new fusion began.

The five sun discs placed next to them also turned into golden light one by one. They were absorbed and fused like tiny streams of light. As they disappeared one by one, the golden light became brighter and brighter.

And the sun discs that was suspended in mid-air finally became bigger and bigger!

At the same time, the system dialog box popped up.

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ Sun disc (repairing) absorbing the same source of energy, new special effect: Purifying Pulse ]

[ Special effect 5 Purifying Pulse: After miraculous repair, the sun disc can release a pulse containing extremely positive energy once a week, purifying any target and erasing it in the world. Remark: extremely powerful, please use with caution. ]

On his retina, a new dialog box appeared.

Kant's eyes widened slightly.

He couldn't control his excitement now.

Another new special effect appeared, it was powerful and terrifying. For this, the system even set a remark to explain it.

And the sun disc in front of him had completely expanded to a diameter of 20 meters, with a thickness of 10 centimeters. The whole thing looked like a shrinking sun!

Golden light was emitted from it, one could feel the brilliance and brightness in it, but it was not dazzling.

There were still dense sacred sun pattern carvings on it. They turned into a circle in the center and were even more profound, just like it was gathering positive energy that could destroy everything.

Chapter 345: When the Sun Rose Again

The golden disk emitted a gentle light.

The fine, sacred sun pattern formed an even more mysterious array. The huge disk with a diameter of 20 meters was meticulously carved, infused with a sacred sense that made people worship in awe.

The pure golden light flowed rapidly in the sacred pattern.

A soft gold light was emitted.

The sun disk stood tall in the hall, as if it was in another dimension, releasing its own mighty power.

That was the power of the Sun!

It was also the light of the Sun!

And the current 20-meter-long sun disk was like a new sun!

Kant and the others standing in front of the sun disk could only look up at the huge object. They could not maintain their calm. It was worth taking a deep breath over, but in fact, their inner emotions had already been turning their world upside down.

"It's truly spectacular."

Kant could not help but sigh.

That's right, it was truly incomparably spectacular. The visual impact it gave him is indeed perfect!

If it was not for the fact that the apprentice dormitory contained the magical technology from the Enfath Empire, just this 20-meter-tall, seven-story apartment building-sized golden disk alone would be enough to burst the entire building!

It would not be swallowed into the dormitory like this!

"It's... It's really powerful."

The mages were also shocked.

In fact, even they did not expect that their dormitory would have such a powerful space folding technology to accommodate this huge sun disk.

The only one who could barely calm down was probably the mage captain who was in charge of everything.

However, he was still panting heavily.

He forced himself to calm down, the captain explained to Kant, "My lord, this is a spell that originated from the Grand Magic Tower of the Enfath Empire. Thirty Top-notch great mages cast their magic power together and used the dormitory as a node medium to make the space here collapsible in a short period of time. It can also fit such a huge object."

"Is that so? It's a very powerful spell, a very astonishing ability."

Kant nodded slightly.

Great mages were the strongest among mages. Of course, he understood.

Since it was thirty top-notch great mages working together to break through the void and assist, then it was not too surprising. This was also the reason why Kant felt a little more relaxed when he heard that there were so many great mages.

In terms of magic knowledge, great mages could be said to have reached the pinnacle of human existence, and they were moving towards stronger creatures.

And creatures at this level.

They were already powerful existences like angels, Titans, dragons, Vampire Kings, and Abyss Demons!

The expressions of the surrounding mages and mage apprentices were also much more relaxed.

After all, they were war mages from the Enfath Empire. They knew that these great mages, who often existed in the magic towers as the highest tower master and leader, in fact, represented the peak of war mages and were the strongest existences.

They had mastered the strongest magic in the world, and they had explored and researched deeper into the magic level. They could be called invincible!

"Thank you for your praise."

The mage captain's face was still solemn. He said in a heavy voice, "But, my lord, according to my perception, those great mages can't last long. We have to make a decision."

"Hmm?" Kant frowned when he heard the captain's solemn tone. "What decision?"

"Let the sun disk..."

The captain hesitated slightly.

But looking at Kant's probing gaze, he still said firmly, "Ascend to the sky!"

"Hmm?"

Kant frowned instantly.

When the captain said this, he felt that it was somewhat... familiar.

That's right.

Kant was certain that it was familiar!

Noticing the strange look between Kant's brows, the mage captain nodded and said, "In fact, you must have also noticed it, my lord. This is the information that the great mages deciphered in this huge sun disk."

"I don't understand." Kant frowned.

"It's a paragraph."

The mage apprentice took a deep breath and slowly opened his mouth. His eyes were full of solemnity, and his tone was like the most solemn chant of a bard. "When the sun rises again, the Sacred Authority will bloom once more."

"When... When the sun rises again, the sacred will bloom once more..."

Kant frowned and repeated.

He slightly lowered his head, and the sense of familiarity in his mind grew stronger and stronger. Finally, an idea flashed through his mind, "When the sun rises again, the sacred city of gold will bloom once more!"

"The sacred city of gold?" The apprentice frowned slightly.

"Yes."

The corner of Kant's mouth curled up slightly.

He had already understood why he had a familiar feeling.

Because this was precisely what his teacher, the Hank scholar, had spent most of his life deciphering, studying, and analyzing–archaeological history and myths and legends. In the end, he had only obtained a sentence that was close to a flawed prophecy.

When the sun rose again, the holy city of gold would bloom once more.

The book that recorded this sentence was still at the bottom of the box in Kant's room!

The mage captain frowned and said, "It's similar to the information that the archmages deciphered in the sun disk."

"It's not similar."

Kant shook his head slightly.

Looking at the huge disk in front of him that was emitting boundless golden light and was really like the sun, he said softly, "The meaning is exactly the same. It's just that the deciphered information deviated and became the holy city of gold."

"I... don't understand." The mage captain still frowned.

Kant had no intention to explain.

This was the essence shared by Hank scholar, or rather, the archaeologists in the academy of the past generations.

After deciphering various historical documents, analyzing myths and legends, he finally got a correct, but in fact, deviated prophecy.

This was completely different from what the archmages of the Enfath Empire had analyzed when they studied the sun disk directly.

It was not information about the content.

It was the method.

Kant did not care how different their methods were.

As long as he got the result.

He just took a deep breath and asked the captain beside him in a deep voice, "How can we make this sun disk... leave the space in this hall and go to the desert outside?"

"It's very simple. We just need to expand the upper space."

The captain asked, "Do we need to expand it now?"

"Expand it."

Kant nodded and waved his hand. "Let this sun disk rise above the Oasis Lookout!"

"Yes!" The mage and mage apprentices answered in unison.

The incantation was read out loud.

The mages gathered their mana in the space above.

The mysterious incantation was circulating, and above everyone's head, a crack suddenly appeared above the endless space that seemed to be the ceiling. As the incantation and magick power were poured in, it grew bigger and bigger.

It was the sky outside, the blue sky that was unique to the Nahrin desert. Cloudless as ever!

"Buzz --"

The huge sun disc let out a slight vibration.

The golden light was dazzling, and the entire disc slowly began to float towards the sky. It just happened to pass through the crack and towards the sky outside. It rose bit by bit, as if... the sun had risen!

Chapter 346: The Divine Authority Bloomed

"Hum --"

A slight trembling sound reverberated through the surrounding void.

Just like that, the sun disc slowly passed through the cracks and appeared in the sky of the Nahrin Desert.

Just like the sun rising from the east, it slowly, bit by bit, drilled out of the void above the apprentice's dormitory. It carried a supreme power and released an incomparable golden light, floating up into the sky!

"Look, it's the sun! It's a new sun!"

"Yeah! That's the sun! That's really the sun! It's the sun that rose from the castle!"

The busy commoners in the Oasis Lookout noticed the sun that had appeared at the top of the Council Hall. It was completely detached from the void. It was a 20-meter-large sun that slowly floated up into the sky.

They could not help but exclaim, their faces filled with shock.

"The sun."

At the training ground, Manide, who was still arranging training missions, suddenly turned his head.

The sun disk that was still floating in the air above the council hall was also emitting an increasingly dense golden light. The huge disk that was almost as tall as a high-level watchtower was even more shocking.

Even the training soldiers, who were still fiddling with their armor and weapons, were staring at the disk, which was rising higher and higher above their heads, emitting an infinite amount of golden light. At this moment, they were shocked to realize that in just a short moment, it had already stopped dozens of meters above their heads, it was really like another sun, hanging firmly in the sky from above.

As they bathed in the golden light, their depleted physical strength, which had been exhausted from training, was actually recovering!

"Hum --"

Another tremor from the void appeared.

However, in the sky, the sun disk had already stopped rising. The rune array formed by countless precise and sacred sun patterns on the card instantly exploded with an even purer golden light, causing the huge disk to hang in the sky.

As the sun shone down, it just happened to shine on the 20-meter-long sun disk.

A chill could be felt instantly.

On the surrounding 10 hectares of land, the scorching air wave instantly disappeared.

It was almost noon. The wilted plants were the first to feel the temperature drop. They actually spread out their branches and leaves slightly, basking in the weakened sunlight in the sky that was no longer so scorching.

There were also quite a number of bees and grouse that began to buzz as they rushed out of the date palm jungle.

"The temperature... it seems to have dropped..."

"Yes, the temperature... has really dropped!"

"Even the sunlight doesn't feel so hot. It's very comfortable now..."

The civilians and soldiers took off their headscarves that blocked the sun, their faces filled with shock and surprise.

Even the Sarrandan people took off their headscarves that was a part of their national dress in surprise. They wiped their sweat and looked curiously at the golden disc above their heads, their eyes shining with an inexplicable light.

They all understood that this was the effect of the sun disk.

The temperature adjustment was only one of the effects.

Kant and the mages had already walked out of the mage apprentice's dormitory and arrived at the top floor of the council hall. Standing inside the arrow-blocker wall, they looked up at the sun disk above their heads in shock.

Even though they knew that the disk was huge in the folded space of the hall, they still couldn't measure it effectively.

The folded space itself had a distortion effect.

It could be considered a sequela.

However, when it appeared in this world, it was still floating 50 meters above the ground. The huge, golden sun disk really brought about an incomparable shock.

(PS: If you don't understand the effect, you can go and look up a picture of the Shurima.)

If it were to smash down, the entire "Drondheim" castle would probably be severely damaged!

Kant shook his head.

He was ashamed that thought even came across in his mind.

However, Kant still turned to the mage captain and asked, "I think that this sun disk will be hanging in our sky for a long time. There won't be any problems, right?"

"That's right. There won't be any problems."

The mage captain nodded.

He was also very certain about this. "This is related to the technology of the Enfath Empire, as well as the technology contained in this sun disk itself. However, most of it still comes from you, our most revered and respected Supreme Lord!"

"Me?" Kant frowned. He was curious. "What's it got to do with me?"

"The Great Supreme Lord, Lord Kant!"

The mage captain took half a step back.

The mages and mage apprentices beside him did the same. They placed their right hands on their chests and bowed. "Your existence is a unique truth. It is the foundation of our existence. It is irreplaceable and unique."

The Veruga marksman and the Royal Knights also bowed in the same manner.

Their attitudes were extremely respectful.

"Yes, I understand."

Kant stretched out his hand. "Get up."

"Yes." Only then did the mages and apprentices return to normal. The archers and royal knights also stood up again.

"Alright."

Kant shook his head.

These guys were flattering him. Indeed, everyone likes to hear flattery.

But now, looking at the sun disk floating in the sky, motionless, absorbing the temperature of the sun to store and regulate its temperature, he nodded with satisfaction and said, "The effect is very good."

All five special effects could be used.

It was absolutely helpful to Kant's current Oasis Lookout, the original estate!

Just like this constant temperature.

It also allowed the plants to grow quickly.

It allowed the soldiers and civilians to recover in physical strength quickly.

They were all unique, allowing him to fully experience the convenience of the sun disk rising into the sky!

... ..

[ sun disk (repaired)(can be strengthened)]

[ this huge golden disk engraved with mysterious patterns condensed the incomparable power of the sun. After the repair of the special magic patterns, this strange object regained its vitality and displayed part of its former power. But to reach its peak, it still needs to continue to repair and fuse with the same type of strange substance. ]

[ special effect 1 temperature control: absorbs sunlight during the day and lowers the temperature within 10 hectares. Releases sunlight at night and raises the temperature within 10 hectares. Constant maximum temperature is 25 degrees. Minimum temperature is 5 degrees. ]

[ special effect 2 holy light: can release holy light within 10 hectares and illuminate the earth like sunlight. Can resist all negative status buffs and allow injured soldiers within the range of holy light to be treated. ]

[ special effect 3 evil expulsion: any evil troops will not be able to approach within 10 hectares. If they approach, they will be automatically attacked by holy attacks until no one is left after defeating the evil troops. ]

[ special effect 4 sun domain: the coverage area will be expanded to an additional 10-hectare area, and the divine radiance will be spread within the area, allowing the creatures bathed in it to be healthy and the plants to thrive. ]

[ special effect 5 purification pulse: after miraculous repair, the sun disk can release a pulse containing extremely positive energy once a week, purifying any target and erasing it in the world. Remark: Please use it with extreme caution. ]

[ remark: 1 can be placed under the sun to recharge itself. 2 can be fused with other solar disks to strengthen it. ]

... ..

Kant's retina was extremely dazzling with the solar disk's familiarity.

His breathing was slightly hurried.

"Very good!"

Kant could no longer find any other words to describe his current excitement.

The rise of the solar disk to the sky had truly brought about an earth-shattering change. He even had enough confidence to contend against the sky of death he was uneasy about!

"Wait!"

Right next to him, a Veruga marksman suddenly looked towards the north.

At the same time, an urgent message was transmitted from the 25-meter-high high-level watchtower above his head to the high-level watchtower at the bottom. The person in charge of this building did not hesitate to ring the huge bronze bell.

"Dong Dong Dong Dong Dong Dong Dong --"

The sound was urgent. It was the sound of the bell that signaled the arrival of an enemy!

Chapter 347: The Approaching Death Knights

"Enemy attack! Enemy Attack! Enemy Attack!"

At the top of the council hall, the Veruga marksman shouted.

They quickly guarded their surroundings. Holding longbows, they pulled out the cone arrows in their quivers. They looked around coldly, but more people still drew their bows and looked at the north side of the castle solemnly.

At the top of the endless dune on the north side, a black dot was running wildly.

On the city wall.

The Swadian veteran crossbowmen quickly arrived at their positions.

Including the newly recruited Veruga archers, they all walked up to the towering arrow towers and took their positions.

The city gates on the southeast side and the urn city gates were already half-closed. As the many civilians and construction teams retreated back to the inner part of the castle, these sturdy city gates made of fine iron and high-quality wood were also closed heavily.

On the outer and inner walls of the urn city, many civilians had gathered.

If the situation was urgent.

The bell tower in the castle would ring with the bells for arming.

These civilians, regardless of whether they were men or women, would all be transformed into Swadian militia. They wore iron-plated armor, held hunting crossbow, carried a wide wooden shield and spear, and hung quivers and warhammer on their waists. They would be fully armed!

Currently, the population of Drondheim Castle was close to 3,000, which meant that there would be 3,000 militia!

Although they would not be too useful.

However, they could defend their city pretty well with its geographical advantage!

At least on the city walls, there were still heavy bricks placed there, including thick logs. These were the stone and wood used to defend the city. If they were thrown down, even the most elite level 5 warriors would be demolished.

As long as the city-guarding forces worked together, they could even fight against tens of thousands of soldiers.

"It's not an enemy attack!"

Bandake also quickly returned to the top of the council hall.

With the power of the underworld, he was extremely fast. As he ran with all his might, he had reached the top floor in less than ten seconds. His eyes were flashing red like the eyes of a demon, but his voice was unusually grave. "It's our heavy cavalry!"

"Heavy cavalry?"

Kant's eyes were filled with astonishment.

Turning his head north, his solemn eyes instantly constricted.

In the vast dunes, more than 300 heavy cavalry, armed with horses and men, were getting closer and closer. Although they were spread out, they were extremely orderly. But even so, it was obvious that they were retreating out of terror.

"It's our comrades! They are being chased!"

Cries of alarm rang out from the city walls, especially from the crossbowmen, who were even more furious.

This included those at Kant's side.

Even the royal knights were in a slight commotion, gritting their teeth and snorting coldly in righteous indignation.

Because the 300 heavy cavalry soldiers below..

Were the Swadian man-at-arms!

"What's going on?"

Kant frowned, because these Swadian man-at-arms were the heavy cavalry troops that he had sent to the salt mine posthouse to guard the slaves and keep away the undead.

At the same time, he had also received information from the desert bandits that the 500 heavy cavalry troops had fallen near the salt mine posthouse.

They might have been surrounded and annihilated by the undead's death knights and skeleton cavalry.

"It's indeed them."

Kant spoke slowly, confirming the identity of the approaching cavalry.

As the cavalry got closer and closer, the image of the golden lion on a red background on their flaxen shirts and the kite-shaped shield on their left arms became painfully obvious. It was indeed the Swadian man-at-arms that Kant had sent over.

There were originally 500 people, but now there were only 300 people left. He could tell how heavy the casualties were when they broke out of the encirclement!

"That's not right!"

The Veruga marksmen did not let down their guard. They looked towards the north with even more caution.

Especially at the small door where the high-level watchtower was connected to the top floor of the council hall. There were also agile Veruga archers who rushed out, pointing at the dune in the distance, he reported loudly to Kant, "There are still pursuing troops behind our heavy cavalry. According to the watchmen, the enemy numbers over 2000. All of them are cavalry!"

"Pass down the order, get ready for battle!"

Kant did not hesitate at all.

He waved his hand directly and gave an order to Bandake, who was beside him, "Bandake, lead the royal knights and the Swadian knights to form a support force. Lead the retreating heavy cavalry to inner part of the castle."

"Yes!" Bandake answered. Together with the royal knights, they turned around and was about to leave.

"Wait." But Kant paused for a moment.

After hesitating for a while, he continued, "Have the cavalry enter the urn city and wait. Only lead them inside the castle after the examination is completed and there are no abnormalities."

"I understand." Bandake nodded.

"They actually came so quickly."

Kant gently exhaled.

He focused his gaze on the dune in the distance to the north. A black mass of cavalry troops had already appeared there. They spread out even more. They held up swords, spears, shields, and wore black armor. Many of them were pale white.

The magic of the undead allowed the corpses of the cavalry soldiers who had been dead for countless years to be resurrected and transformed back into knights.

Death Knights.

And... Skeleton Cavalry!

Although they were quite far away, Kant's extraordinary power could be magnified several times when he used it in his eyes.

He could clearly see that the seemingly black armor was actually black rust that had accumulated in the precipitation of time. The pale white parts were the skeletons, and the swords, spears, and shields in their hands were even more tattered.

However, the ghostly blue soul fire that were unique to the undead were flickering in the hollow eye sockets of their worn-out helmets.

This included the skeleton warhorse that was also a skeleton and was wearing a tattered robe.

The ghostly blue soul fire flickered.

It even added a bone-piercing chill, a chill that came from the depths of the soul, a chill that came from the living against the dead!

However, the undead cavalry did not continue chasing. They only stopped at the outermost dune and spread out in a dark mass. They held weapons in their hands and the ghostly blue soul fire flickered in their eye sockets. They stood still, as if they were waiting.

The 300 remaining Swadian man-at-arms also returned to the Oasis Lookout under the escort of the royal knights and calvary. They directly entered the urn city that had been basically completed. One by one, they took off their helmets. Panting, their faces were flushed red, and their heads were covered in cold sweat. Their faces were also filled with joy.

It was obvious that they had finally breathed a sigh of relief after escaping from the intense feeling of being chased.

A faint golden light enveloped them.

Right above their heads, the huge sun disc slowly emitted a golden light, sprinkling down on the land of the Oasis Lookout like a drizzle. At the same time, it formed a faint pattern formation in the air, covering an area of 10 hectares.

The undead cavalry were right outside the area that was covered in the golden light.

It seemed to be because of this.

The undead cavalry and skeleton cavalry that were emitting a dense negative energy and an evil aura did not continue to chase after the retreating Swadian man-at-arms.

The region that was covered by the sun disk contained so much positive energy that it was a forbidden area these undead creatures could not enter!

Chapter 348: Kant’s Inquiry

The golden light was just enough to obstruct the pursuit of the Death Knights and Skeleton Cavalry, allowing the Swadian man-at-arms to safely return to the urn city of Drondheim Castle.

As they retreated and fought along the way, they were already exhausted, or rather, completely drained.

This was the disadvantage of living creatures.

As for the Death Knights and Skeleton Cavalry, because of the characteristics of the dead, they did not have any physical limitations. Although their individual combat ability was weaker, they could harass these heavy cavalry soldiers nonstop.

Along the way, they were forced to leave their comrades behind, or they were scattered and separated into small groups because of this.

There were even more people.

Because they were covering for their comrades' retreat, they launched a counterattack and were drowned in the sea of skeletons.

They were able to delay the skeleton cavalry and win time that was crucial to the other's retreat.

It was also thanks to this.

If the skeleton cavalry was any stronger in individual combat, even the Swadian man-at-arms with had the best defense and the strongest charge would all die on the spot. Even if there were two gold-tier cavalry fighting with their lives on the line, they would not be able to break out of the encirclement.

Similarly, it was also due to the combat strength of the heavy cavalry that they lived up to the name of a level 4 heavy cavalry.

Most of them had come back alive.

All of them retreated into the urn city. Only then did Bandake, the royal knights, and the Swadian knights who were in charge of keeping the rear, ride their horses in. One could not tell whether they were happy or angry under the fully-covered helmet, but one could tell that their eyes were solemn.

Bandake waved his hand and gave the order directly, "Close the city gates immediately!"

The crossbowmen and infantrymen who were in charge of guarding the city gates immediately took action. The civilians who were originally stationed on the city walls were also helping out.

"Clang --"

As the sturdy wooden city gates were closed, the fence made of pig iron was also lowered. The city gates were closed, completely separating the castle and the outside world into two different worlds.

"Rest here!"

Bandake extended his hand at the same time and gave the order to the retreating heavy cavalry.

He looked coldly at the Swadian men-at-arms who had relaxed after surviving the desperate situation. With a solemn expression, he said, "After you rest, you will be examined. I hope you will think seriously about the cause and effect of this battle!"

"Yes!"

An orderly response immediately rang out among the Swadian man-at-arms.

Even though they had almost escaped from the encirclement and retreated, they still maintained their outstanding qualities. This was the confidence of the elite heavy cavalry of the Kingdom of Swadia, or it was the self-discipline that they had developed from long-term training!

The golden light shone brightly and attached to the bodies of these heavy cavalry soldiers, bringing warmth and recuperation.

Their physical strength was slowly recovering.

There were also civilians who brought over hot oatmeal and roasted dried sausage to fill their empty stomachs.

Returning to the Oasis Lookout was equivalent to returning home. They could enjoy all the peace and stability. Even if they needed to be investigated, it was just a routine matter. After all, they had just gone through a series of fierce battles with the undead, so they needed to check if their bodies carried the plague bacteria.

The undead's fame was not limited to an army made up of zombies, an endless sea of skeletons and corpses.

There was also the plague bacteria that spread all kinds of plagues!

The heavy cavalry also understood.

Coincidentally, during the examination process, each of them sat beside their warhorse and drank large mouthfuls of oatmeal from a wooden bowl. They ate the crispy and burnt dried sausage, enjoying the hard-won peace.

Beside them, there were civilians who helped to move the food trough and place it in the corner of the wall.

With the addition of feed and water, they fed the warhorse that was also tired.

Everything was laid out very carefully.

On the city wall, Manide looked at the heavy cavalry that were squatting on the ground waiting for the inspection to end with a solemn expression. There was a hint of worry between his brows. As an elite merchant, he had already smelled the cruelty of the coming war.

Everyone was deep in thought, and the space fell silent. Only the inspection team formed by the knights were talking to each other in low voices.

However, at this moment.

A Veruga archer was running quickly in the streets of the castle.

The city gate opened a crack, and he stepped in. Looking at the heavy cavalry who were taking a short break inside, his eyes flashed with a hint of solemnity, he said to Bandake in a deep voice, "Lord Bandake, Lord Kant has ordered their commander to go to the council hall immediately and report the reason and details of their return!"

"Yes, I understand."

Bandake nodded and waved his hand at the same time to pass on this order.

Soon, the commander of this heavy cavalry unit walked out.

"We are here."

Two royal knights walked over with quick steps. Their faces were filled with determination and their breathing was heavy. It was obvious that the short break had not allowed them to fully recover the physical strength that had been overdrawn for the past few days.

They took off the plate armor on their heads. The robes on their bodies were tattered. Even the silver plate armor had many dents and white marks. Occasionally, one could see the black liquid stained on the linen robes, it was obvious that they had broken out of an encirclement. They looked very miserable.

It was not just them. In fact, the surrounding Swadian man-at-arms were all the same. Everyone was injured and their chain armor was slightly damaged. As for many of them, they had already given up their spears. Only the spiked warhammer for close combat were still hanging on their waists.

"Thank you for your hard work."

The Veruga archer lowered his head.

The royal knight shook his head and said solemnly, "Everything is for my Lord."

They were all soldiers from the continent of Caradia. At this moment, the conflict between the Kingdom of Swadia and the Kingdom of Veruga has long since been resolved. Working together to eliminate the foreign enemies was what concerned them more.

Fighting among themselves at such a critical time was obviously something that only an idiot could do.

Of course, Kant would never allow internal strife to occur.

"Let's go."

The Veruga archer turned around and led the way.

He walked in front, and on the way there, he reminded the two royal knights behind him, "Please recall as soon as possible what happened between the salt mine posthouse and the castle, including the origin of the enemy troops, their numbers, how many times they resisted and fought, and whether they encountered any strange phenomena. You have to answer clearly."

The two Swadian royal knights who came out from the skeleton cavalry nodded. "We are prepared. It is all the truth that we have personally experienced. There will be no falsehood."

"That's good."

The Veruga archer nodded.

Both sides were silent.

Soon, they arrived at the council hall along the road. After being checked by the lion knight guards, they entered the hall. Kant sat on his original throne and waited for them.

"My Lord."

The Veruga archer was the first to speak, "They have arrived."

The two royal knights walked forward quickly and half-knelt on the ground. They lowered their heads and said in shame, "My Lord, please forgive us for retreating from the salt mine posthouse and causing the entire area to fall into the hands of the enemy."

"Alright, there's a reason for this. I don't blame you."

Kant waved his hand, indicating for the messenger, the Veruga archer, to move aside.

But looking at these two royal knights., he asked indifferently, "What I'm curious about is, how did the salt mine posthouse, which was guarded by 500 Swadian man-at-arms led by two Grand Knights, fall so easily and retreat in such a sorry state? Did It lose its proper dignity?"

Chapter 349: The Royal Knights' Narration

This was a problem that demanded attention. Kant did not have the slightest intention of questioning or doubting.

However, for the two royal knights who possessed the strength of a king, as well as the 500 heavy cavalry of Swadian man-at-arms who were equipped with chain armor and were at the knight level, to be defeated just like that, there was no doubt a big problem.

Kant focused his gaze. He also saw that the plate armor of the two royal knights was already full of potholes and scratches caused by weapons, he continued in an extremely solemn manner, "I believe in your loyalty, but I don't know what kind of enemies you have encountered. I want to know how they defeated you so easily!"

"Yes, that's right, my Lord. Three days ago, in the middle of the night, we were ambushed by the undead cavalry for the first time. Accompanied by a cold current, they rode their horses and galloped on the salt and alkali soil that had condensed on the ground."

The royal knight opened his mouth and did not refute at all. He only described what he knew in a serious manner.

They retreated in such a sorry state.

They were indeed defeated.

If it was not for their outstanding military accomplishments and their long-standing experience on the battlefield that supported them, the ordinary cavalry would have fallen apart. They would have ran for their own lives and fled all over the mountains and plains!

That would be the true defeat. They would be caught one by one by the enemy like they were slaughtering lambs, and then their throats would be easily slit!

Defeated soldiers were more worthless than bandits.

The principle also applies in this world.

And to be able to defeat the elite Swadian man-at-arms, or even come close to defeating them and have all of them fall apart, that was Kant's main concern. He wanted to know what the enemy was.

How did they defeat his troops!

The royal knight continued to explain.

"When we discovered that it was already too late, they quickly appeared at our tent. If it wasn't for the cavalry who were in charge of sentry duty taking the lead to meet the battle on foot, the position where the undead cavalry charged was also the tent where the slaves lived. I reckon that we would have been completely wiped out by the first wave of the undead cavalry's sneak attack."

"Continue." Kant's expression was solemn.

"Yes."

The royal knight nodded and continued, "We reacted very quickly. Everyone was fully equipped to face the enemy. In front of the two knights with extraordinary powers, we defeated all the skeleton cavalry at the front and managed to stabilize the front line. However, at this moment, those slaves were already running around in panic. We did not care about them. We only stabilized ourselves and prepared while fighting. We brought our supplies and got on our horses to retreat."

Kant nodded and said calmly, "You did well. This is just a group of useless slaves. We really don't need to care. We will have more slaves in the future."

"That's exactly what we were thinking. So, we prepared to retreat under the assault of more and more skeleton cavalry."

The royal knight said with a difficult expression, "Then... then..."

"And then?"

Kant sensed the hesitation of the royal knights.

Frowning slightly, he said in a deep voice, "Tell us what happened directly. Since it has already happened, it can not be undone, but it can prepare us for the future."

"And then..." the royal knights shook their heads and smiled bitterly, "It was.. the Death Knights!"

"The Death Knights."

Kant repeated this word.

However, his frown deepened. "That's right, it's the Death Knights. I know this troop class of the undead race. Perhaps it's the commander of the Skeleton Cavalry."

"Yes, you are correct, my Lord."

The royal knight smiled bitterly. "It's indeed the commander. There are five death knights among them. They actually possess extraordinary powers with negative energy. They entangled the two of us. At the same time, they allowed even more skeleton cavalry to entangle the heavy cavalry of Swadia, directly surrounding us. It was also because of this battle that we lost dozens of heavy cavalry. During our attempt to break out of the encirclement, we even lost twenty to thirty people. At that point, we were most likely doomed."

"Is that so?" Although Kant asked, he frowned and understood more. This was no different from what he had guessed. Since the enemy was a Death Knight, it was normal for them to have extraordinary powers.

Although the undead were a special race that was born from other races.

It was still similar to the mainstream system.

If one was a knight and the commander of the undead army, according to Kant's understanding in the movies and literature works in his previous life, it would be natural for them to have some intelligence and even extraordinary powers at his disposal!

After all, this was also a fantasy world!

"Along the way, we encountered the pursuit of the undead cavalry. We are fortunate that we are already prepared, so we did not suffer any serious injuries. Although there are a lot of undead cavalry soldiers, and they look scary, their true combat strength is still not enough. They are weak as bones."

The Royal Knight hesitated for a moment, but still said with certainty, "One Swadian man-at-arms heavy cavalry can easily kill three skeleton cavalry. If we go all out, killing five skeleton cavalry would not be a problem."

"Continue. I'm very curious about the true combat strength of those undead." Kant nodded.

"Oh, maybe I'm bluffing."

The royal knight said, "But according to my observation, at that time, we, the 500 Swadian man-at-arms, paid a certain price to break through the encirclement of at least 3,000 skeleton cavalry. Moreover, behind the dozens of casualties, at least 200 skeleton cavalry were beaten to pieces. And when they pursued us, they often caught up, but they were unable to truly defeat us."

"Hmm?" Kant frowned slightly. He was even more curious after hearing the words of the royal knights.

However, he was also a little curious in his heart.

The royal knights would not lie.

Moreover, to be able to charge out of the encirclement of so many skeleton cavalry, it also meant that these undead cavalry were useless. If the cavalry of the Dukedom of Leo were here, they would probably be able to surround and kill these Swadian man-at-arms.

On the battlefield, the advantage in numbers was not something that could be easily made up for with a little advantage in quality.

This was also something Kant was certain of.

And now, according to the Royal Knights, 3,000+ Skeleton Cavalry had surrounded them. Among them, there were five death knights who possessed extraordinary powers but still allowed them to break out of the encirclement.

This was enough to show the weakness of the undead in terms of individual combat strength.

"If we had 1,500 Swadian man-at-arms, we would be able to easily defeat those skeleton cavalry."

The royal knight finally concluded, "If we had 3,000 Swadian man-at-arms, we would be able to directly crush those skeleton cavalry into bones!"

At this moment.

On the stairs next to them, the Veruga archer quickly came over as a messenger.

Standing beside Kant's seat, he reported respectfully, "We discovered that the undead cavalry had begun to retreat, leaving behind a death knight with rather gorgeous equipment. We speculated that the other party might have deliberately left a messenger behind, wanting to negotiate with us."

"Negotiate?"

Kant revealed a playful smile. "How interesting."

Chapter 350: Negotiations

These undead cavalry from the depths of the desert actually had the intention to negotiate.

It was indeed interesting, but the corner of Kant's curled lips did not represent the solemnity in the depths of his eyes. In fact, this phenomenon was not truly interesting, but rather, it wad sheer trouble!

This meant that the undead were indeed intelligent.

They all knew how to negotiate.

Actually, one could probably guess that.

They even knew how to use a sneak attack, which meant that among the undead, there was definitely a commander who was not inferior to the living in terms of intelligence and also equipped with a certain level of war wisdom in decision making!

The Veruga archer asked from the side, "Lord, do you want to send someone over first?"

"Yes, I do."

Kant nodded.

However, he stood up and said calmly, "I'll go myself."

Only by going himself would he be able to find out how intelligent the undead were. Of course, this trip would definitely be dangerous, and Kant would also maintain a certain amount of vigilance.

He waved his hand at the two royal knights and said, "You two go and rest. Tomorrow, submit a document. I hope that whatever you encounter will be written on it in full, without anything left out."

"Yes." The two royal knights nodded and left at the right time.

Kant looked behind him.

The lion knight and the royal knights were standing in two rows.

He calculated in his mind and ordered, "Take ten lion knights, ten royal knights, ten Veruga marksmen and five mages. Get Ready. Follow me to see what those undead are up to and how they can negotiate with us!"

"Understood!"

Everyone answered firmly and began to prepare themselves. Soon, they formed the team Kant had ordered.

Although there were only 35 people, their combat strength was definitely not ordinary.

Whether it was the 20 grand nights, the 10 top marksmen who could pierce through a hundred paces, or the 5 mages who could cast all kinds of spells suitable for the battlefield, all of them could enhance him and ensure the stability and safety of the battlefield.

Behind him was Drondheim Castle. If there was a problem, the large army on standby could be ready to provide support at any time!

Everything was ready.

At this time, Bandake and Manide, who had heard the rumors about the negotiation, also returned to the council hall.

Manide looked at Kant, who was ready to leave, and his expression changed slightly. He said with some solemnity, "Lord Kant, it's too much of a joke to take such a risk personally. Please let me go to the negotiation on your behalf."

"You are a supreme lord. How can you be compared to those lowly undead?"

Bandake was even more solemn.

He bent down and placed his right hand on his chest, he pleaded with Kant in an extremely respectful tone, "Let me, your most humble servant, handle the negotiations with those disgusting corpses and skeletons. What you need to do is to drink and relax in the hall and wait for the news of victory."

As an apostle of the underworld, he had been instilled with the power of the underworld demons. It could be said that Bandake, who was a human-shaped demon, had an extremely high talent in dealing with such things.

The underworld demons were also evil creatures that gathered negative energy.

This was the same as the undead.

Therefore, whether they fought against each other or involved themselves, or argued and negotiated with each other, they all had innate talent. At the very least, they would not be affected by the spiritual influence of the negative energy of the undead on the living.

"There's no need. I can handle it myself."

Kant rejected the two's idea.

However, he muttered to himself for a while and still said to Manide, "You will guard the castle. If the situation goes wrong, immediately send troops to pick us up. Pay more attention to the situation around us. Be extremely cautious."

"Yes." Manide nodded.

Kant then looked at Bandake. "You can go with me."

"Understood," Bandake immediately replied.

"That's all."

Kant took a deep breath, his eyes slightly gloomy. "If they want to take my oasis, at least these undead who should've been in their graves should reassess their capabilities!"

Everything was ready.

Kant personally led the team out of the castle.

They set off at the East Gate, heading towards the dune group outside the date palm jungle in the north.

The guards followed close behind and looked around vigilantly, especially at the top of the dune in front. Someone stood there alone, on his warhorse with his weapons withdrawn.

It was the death knight.

Kant narrowed his eyes.

After careful observation, he could not help but feel solemn.

More than half of the unique armor was left. It seemed to be made of gold. Even if it was stained pitch-black, it was still shining in the Sun, giving off the majesty of the ancient gods.

On their waists were scepters made of gold, similar to a nail-head warhammer, but it was a completely blunt weapon.

The helmet had the beauty of the sun and the gods.

They also had pitch-black warhorses, which were also wearing the golden horse armor, looking like knights from the old era who walked out of an ancient palace, carrying the remains of the ancient era and staring with soul fires in their empty eye sockets.

As Kant approached the death knight, the temperature seemed to have dropped.

However, Kant and the others were not afraid.

They had their own courage.

Similarly, the golden light released by the sun disk above their heads shone on their bodies, bringing not only physical recovery, but also fearlessness to evil and the glory of the sun!

The troops stopped at the bottom of the udne.

Kant led Bandake up.

The area covered by the sun disk behind them was right in the middle of the dune.

The distance between the two sides was not even 10 meters.

At the same time, about 100 meters away from the dune behind the death knight, the dark mass was the 2,000 + skeleton cavalry. Small wisps of black fog were emitted from their bodies, seemingly condensing into a ball and not dispersing.

The faint blue soul fire was jumping with joy, carrying a hatred for the living.

"That is... the sun disc..."

The death knight was the first to speak, but he did not speak to Kant; rather, he muttered to himself.

Under the helmet, his pale face was still intact. Those weren't eyeballs in his eye sockets, but a ball of pure soul fire. It seemed to be looking at the floating sun disc in the distant sky as he sighed, "Once again... I see... the sun disk rising to the sky... releasing... The glory of the sun god..."

Kant shook his head and smiled, "No, you misunderstood. The sun disk did not release the glory of the sun god, but my glory. You can think of it this way. The sun god has been dead for ten thousand years."

"AH... human... the lowly race... betrayer of the gods..."

The death knight retracted his gaze.

He looked at Kant and said in a calm tone, "The sun god has fallen ten thousand years ago... and it's not something you... can slander... because you... are still enjoying... the protection of the sun god..."

"Is that so?" Kant was emotionless and said calmly, "Why don't we talk in human language."

Chapter 351: The Crisis that Came Back Around

Kant's words were very impolite, almost humiliating. However, both sides were currently in a hostile status. Since the war had already begun, there was no need to hold back.

At least Kant had the confidence. He was not afraid of this death knight who looked no different from a dead person.

He sensed it.

This death knight indeed had extraordinary power.

But as time passed, although the extraordinary power contained a dense negative energy aura, it was in fact naturally countered by Kant's king's power and divine power.

Otherwise, the two royal knights from before would not have been able to resist five death knights.

Now, there was only one death knight.

Not to mention Bandake, who could summon the underworld invaders with extraordinary strength.

Ten royal knights and ten lion knights behind him were enough to crush this small death knight. If the 2,000+ skeleton cavalry behind them were included, the knights who could come over at any time could also turn this dune area, into a white bone mound filled with bone fragments!

This was confidence, the confidence brought about by absolute strength. It was precisely because of this that Kant dared to be so unbridled. He even brought so few people to meet and carry out the so-called negotiations!

That death knight looked at Kant coldly.

But he was not stupid.

As he swept his gaze past Bandake beside Kant, the faint negative energy that was similar to that of a demon made his empty chest seem to fill up with a sense of fear.

There were also people waiting at the bottom of the dune.

Each of them had their own power.

Those who could follow Kant here were not ordinary people. Even the weakest sharpshooter could shoot at a rapid speed!

At this moment, the Veruga marksman were already holding their battle bows and staring coldly at the top of the dune. On the body of the death knight standing in front of Kant, the armor-piercing awl arrows were already on the bowstring.

If there were any unusual movements, 20 cone arrows would instantly appear.

It was no joke.

The death knight was silent.

It actually realized that if it really wanted to do something, the final consequences would be irreparable.

And in the face of Kant's insult and ridicule, it actually couldn't find anything to say in refute.

He didn't have the upper hand anymore, but this human noble looked so young actually had an absolute power that made him feel uncomfortable all over!

Even though there were still 2,000 + skeleton cavalry behind him.

It still made him feel insecure.

Kant did not care about its attitude and the fluctuations in his heart. This was where his confidence lay.

Looking at the silent fellow, Kant snorted and said indifferently, "Now I am the Lord and ruler of this desert. You have now invaded my estate and started a hostile act that is enough to start a war against me. Now, I want to ask you..." Kant paused, his voice was solemn. "What exactly do you want? !"

Following Kant's reprimanding voice, the knights under the dune behind him stepped forward in unison. Each of them was wearing shiny plate armor that looked like luxury items. The lance and sword were already in their hands.

The gems on the tips of the magic staffs in the hands of the mages and mage apprentices also emitted a sparkling light.

Elemental power was gathering!

The death knight was even more silent.

The soul fire in its eyes flickered rapidly, as if reflecting its unstable emotions.

"Please state your purpose for coming here."

Kant stretched out his hand, indicating that they should stop pressing.

Meanwhile, his eyes were staring at the blue flame in the empty eye sockets of the death knight, he said in a deep voice, "I want to know, do you want to start a war or choose peace? You are intelligent, and the higher-level generals behind you should also be intelligent. I need an answer."

"Answer."

The death knight spoke slowly, its voice hoarse as if its throat was rubbing against itself.

However, it let out a sinister laugh. "Human, the glory of the gods has faded. We, who once belonged to the bloodline of the gods, have returned. Do you really think that you can rely on your own strength to resist your former master?"

Kant narrowed his eyes and held the hilt of his sword. "Please speak in human language."

"We're back."

The soul fire in the death knight's eye sockets flickered.

"Ha." But what it got in response was Kant's horizontal slash as he instantly unsheathed the sword. Golden flames suddenly burst out of his body, and before the death knight could even react, it directly cut off its neck.

The entire head flew out in an instant.

But there were traces of golden light on the broken marks, as if it was fighting against the black fog that was flowing out.

The moment the head was severed, the entire body of the death knight began to tremble. The warhorse beneath it leaped to the side. The horse with sharp teeth picked up the severed head and fled.

"Humans... you will... endure a more cruel reality than what we have endured!"

The death knight continued to speak. Decapitation was not a fatal injury to it.

The voice was hoarse and filled with hatred, "You... don't know what kind of terror... you don't know... What kind of existence... you have angered!"

"I'll wait for you." Kant had a look of disdain.

Looking at the group of skeleton cavalry surrounding the death knight as they fled, Kant seemed to be muttering to himself, "Perhaps you don't know what kind of existence you have angered!"

Kant did not give the order to pursue.

There were close to 2,000 skeleton cavalry, and there might be other death knights among them.

Pursuing was not a wise move.

They returned.

At the East Gate, Veruga marksman, archers, and Swadia crossbowmen were ready for long-range fire. At the bottom, many knights and heavy cavalry were gathered, waiting for reinforcements.

Everything was to be safe, to prevent the undead cavalry from acting irrationally and threatening Kant's safety.

They returned to Drondheim Castle.

Kant's expression was solemn. Looking at Manide and Bandake who were welcoming them, he said in a deep voice, "Get ready immediately. The war is coming."

"Yes!" The two replied.

This was already foreseen.

When the undead cavalry chose to retreat and the negotiations between the two sides collapsed, there was no need to continue the negotiations.

Those descendants of the ancient era, the descendants of the gods, were the same as the old Pope Kant had met in the underground city. They had also turned into the undead, and with their hatred for the living and their desire for the world, they had made a comeback!

"What a pity." Kant couldn't help but take a deep breath.

The sun disc could only be fixed in one place.

If they could control it, with the army going deeper into the Nahrin desert, the undead might not be able to do anything. After all, this huge artifact-like object had a natural counter to the evil creatures that gathered negative energy!

Chapter 352: The Heavily Guarded Fortresses

As the undead cavalry entered the vicinity of the Oasis Lookout, the war began.

Kant's control over the Oasis Lookout and his hegemony over the Nahrin desert had been directly challenged by the undead that had been transformed from the descendants of the gods since ancient times.

The resurrected undead wanted to return to their former prosperity.

As for Kant in the present world...

He would not hand over the Drondheim Castle that he had painstakingly built after going through trials and tribulations so easily.

In fact, the undead were right. Kant was indeed enjoying the glory left behind by the gods in the past. By borrowing the sun god's sun disk, he was able to stop the undead from attempting to invade.

The sun disk that was cast in gold was extremely huge.

The golden disk hovered 50 meters above the sky, like a new sun!

Positive energy was gathering.

Sacred elements were filling it.

It was the sun disk that brought an unparalleled prosperity to the land of the Oasis Lookout. It absorbed the heat of the day, dispelled the cold of the night, balanced the temperature of the region, and brought about the prosperity of nature.

Oasis Lookout had already entered martial law mode. Teams of desert bandits were released to scout in all directions.

However, they found nothing.

Under the careful patrol net of the desert bandits, the undead cavalry really retreated.

A trail of horse hooves was clearly scattered in the desert, clearly showing the traces of the skeleton cavalry and the death knights. Moreover, following this trail, one could definitely find their nest.

However, Kant did not agree to the suggestion of going deep into the investigation.

Instead, he requested that the whole castle be cordoned off.

Even when the civilians went out to take care of the date palm tree and farmland in the outside world, they would send out light cavalry to scout around first. After making sure that there were no problems, they would let the civilians leave the city in batches.

Including the table salt trade to the central posthouse every week, the camel caravans also increased their guards when they went out.

Everything was handled with the utmost caution.

At the same time, there were also violent soldiers.

A week had passed, and the troops in the training ground had already returned.

On the city wall, Swadian footman in chain armor had already appeared. They carried a long lance on their shoulders, a Germanic sword on their waist, and a fan shield on their back. Their faces were cold and stern.

This included Swadian crossbowmen who wore iron-scale armor and held crossbow in their hands.

These were all level 3 soldiers.

In a short period of time, they quickly filled in the gaps in the defense of Drondheim Castle.

After all, the undead cavalry had already come into contact with the Oasis Lookout. Although the existence of the sun disc did not directly launch attacks and destruction, once the regular army of the undead arrived here, the situation would definitely be even more tragic!

During this one week, the recruitment and training did not stop.

The army was still expanding rapidly.

Kant was extremely cautious towards the undead that were hiding in the depths of the Nahrin desert and wanted to expand outwards.

Even a lion would use its full strength to hunt a rabbit.

Moreover, even after dealing with the threat of the undead, Kant still needed to continue scheming against the Dukedom of Leo. Similarly, he needed absolute strength to rely on. And a strong and elite army that could incite fear in any enemy was the safest choice!

On the sixth floor of the council hall, inside Kant's own room.

He was still resting.

It was early in the morning, and the sky was just beginning to brighten.

The suitable temperature made Kant sleep very comfortably. With a thin layer of cashmere wool blanket and a specially installed heating fireplace in the room, it was as warm as early summer.

A week had passed, and he was also tired for a week.

He just had a good sleep.

However, the sleep schedule that he had developed in recent days also woke him up at this time.

"Ugh..." after stretching his body, Kant sat up on the soft velvet cushion. He rubbed his face hard, and his drowsy mind became much clearer.

The room was very warm. He lifted the blanket and got out of bed in his pajamas.

He went to the table and poured himself a glass of water.

There was still warm sweet water with date candy in it. The servants would change it every once in a while to ensure that Kant could use it at any time and maintain his warm status at all times.

"It's about time. I can finally rest for a while."

Kant drank the sweet water and came to the window.

He opened a small gap.

The cool air seeped in, but it made Kant's spirit even more excited.

From 50 meters above his head, the huge golden disk with a diameter of 20 meters was emitting a faint golden light. Even though the Moon had already disappeared at dawn, it still made the area covered by the disk appear bright.

It was like an extra-large night light, and it was a soft version that did not hurt the eyes.

The interior of the castle could be clearly seen.

The civilians had all woken up. They were carrying farm tools on the streets in twos and threes. Their footsteps were very fast. They looked like they were in a hurry.

This included the camel caravans that had just filled up table salt and were preparing to leave the castle. They were also heading to the posthouse to trade.

They were all in a hurry.

Kant understood this.

Drondheim's castle had entered a strict status. Other than the daily workers and traders, everyone else was quietly staying in their homes, waiting for the army's arrangements.

At the same time, a portion of the civilians were formed into teams, specially learning how to defend the city.

Of course, it was just the simplest job.

That was to move all sorts of military supplies, such as shields, arrows, and stones, or to help clean the city walls and arrow towers, ensuring that there were no obstacles or sundries, which would affect the performance of the defending troops during wartime.

In the continent of Caradia, when the Lords defended the city, they would specially arrange or train them. After experiencing chaos for a long time, the Swadian civilians were used to these tasks, and they even picked up their weapons, they could hold up some key positions and slightly parry the attacks of the enemy troops, delaying the time of being captured.

If they were directly upgraded to a militia, they would be instilled with the combat skills and experience of the militia. These civilians' combat ability would be greatly improved. At the very least, they would be able to defend between the narrow city walls and arrow towers. It would not be a problem for them to wait for reinforcements.

However, the real battle would still depend on the elite soldiers.

In the castle.

Swadian footman formed patrol teams and patrolled the streets and alleys.

Crossbowmen and archers occupied the city walls and stood on the square towers and arrow towers. They watched the periphery of the area they were stationed at coldy and vigilantly looked out for any suspicious targets in the depths of the desert.

In the barracks, the knights and heavy cavalry were wiping their weapons and waiting.

Outside the castle.

The Mamlukes, who was good at fighting in the desert, was patrolling in the form of a small team.

The date palm forest and the various farmlands, including the pasture, were all patrolling vigilantly. They carried two iron staffs on their shoulders and had round steel shields on their left arms. Under the full-body Salander chain armor, they had cold eyes.

They were also waiting.

They were waiting for the desert bandits outside the Oasis Lookout to report back all kinds of information!

Chapter 353: The Special Gift Pack

Kant retracted his gaze. His expression was calm, but his eyes were filled with satisfaction.

With such a strict defense and a well-built city, even if the undead army arrived, they would be committing suicide as long as there were no supernatural forces that were difficult to resist.

The Swadian crossbowmen and the Veruga archers formed the ladder firepower of the city walls and arrow towers.

The light infantrymen with swords and shields could hold the line in close combat between the city wall and the city gate.

If anything unusual happened, the quick reaction force formed by Mamlukes and the desert bandits would be able to go to support and ensure that no city gate or city wall would be broken through quickly.

Of course.

At a critical moment, Kant's extraordinary power would also appear.

For example, the lion knights, which had now expanded to 30 people, and the Level-5 troop class, which was transformed from the Level-4 cavalry and the Swadian man-at-arms. They were also good at melee combat and had 200 sarion lion attendants.

There was also the extraordinary power of the Swadia itself.

There were 50 royal knights, 300 knights, and 500 newly recruited heavy cavalry.

If they encountered a valuable target, they could enter the city walls and arrow towers to cast spells at any time. Whether it was a single-target attack spell, an area-of-effect spell that could cover the battlefield, or a summoning spell, they would be able to catch the opponent off guard!

After all, Kant did not know which forces were extravagant to the point where they'd use mages to defend the city.

For example, even the Dukedom of Leo could not do it.

Although the spells of mages were extremely powerful at close range, to archers, they were equivalent to targets.

On the battlefield, the fully equipped ordinary soldiers could kill these delicate mages, who were almost as weak as a chicken, when they got close. They could make a river of blood flow.

Although mages had mastered the power of elements, and their status was like that of a noble.

But their impact on the battlefield was in fact not that significant.

That's why the Dukedom of Leo, or the world, has a decaying spell system.

As for the Enfath Empire, it was as simple as studying a few spells on its own, focusing entirely on the actual situation on the battlefield, and taking the path of completely destroying the enemy's physical body.

The so-called pinnacle of magic, the profound concept of magic, was nothing more than a joke to the spellcaster of the world of Warwinds.

I'll study spells with greater destructive power.

I will destroy you on the battlefield.

No matter how deep your understanding of magic is, no matter how advanced your concept of magic is, it will still be useless.

If I live and you die, then I will be the victor.

Based on this concept, it could be said that the development of magic in the world of warwinds had entered the abnormal path of pursuing complete destructive power, killing the enemy troops, and advancing toward destructive spells.

Of course, for Kant, this was a very good help.

At the very least, it was very suitable for this world!

As long as there was war, these war mages would definitely not lose their value!

"And preparations."

Kant closed the window and sat back on the chair in the room.

A dialog box popped up on his retina.

[ honor: 10 points. ]

This was one of the rewards Kant had obtained after completing the special quest of the system in the dungeon and absorbing the pot of greed that had a strong demonic aura.

10 Honor Points was just enough to qualify for a round of lucky draw in the system mall!

And Kant actually had the same thought.

"Start the lucky draw!"

In the thought communication system, the treasure box appeared again in the dialog box.

Colorful light slowly blossomed, and on Kant's retina, new dialog box popped up, meaning that a variety of gift bags began to appear one by one!

You get a special pack: double the number of recruits (constant)

You get a special pack: double the number of recruits (constant)

You get a special pack: double the number of recruits (constant)

[ you have received a special pack: increment recruitment (random)]

[ you have received a special pack: increment recruitment (random)]

[ you have received a special pack: increment recruitment (random)]

[ you have received a special pack: terrain modification (rock formation)]

[ you have received a special pack: Terrain Modification (Hill)]

[ you have received a special pack: terrain modification (convex surface)]

[ you have received a special pack: Terrain Modification (upgrade)]

The notification bar finally ended.

This was the result of 10 consecutive draws of honor.

However, the system was not done with its notifications. There was an additional reward.

[ you have received a special pack: terrain modification (River)]

The draw ended.

The 11 gift packs instantly turned into golden flashy cards that appeared in Kant's mind.

He was slightly stunned. Before he could react, his mind had already realized that this lucky draw was actually full of precious special gift packs. There were no other gift packs at all!

"So many special gift packs..."

Kant muttered to himself.

He was equally surprised as he glanced at the glittering cards in his mind.

Of these special gift packs, three were [ double the weekly recruitment ] , and three were [ incremental recruitment ] , which could increase the weekly recruitment by a fixed amount, the other five were [ terrain modification ] , which came from the rule change.

Basically, these special gift packs were preparations for war!

The recruitment type could increase the number of troops in a very short period of time.

As for the terrain modification, just by looking at the subsequent descriptions on these cards, such as [ rock layer ] , [ mountain tomb ] , [ convex surface ] , and [ Rise ] , one could understand that they were definitely related to mountain rocks.

Kant scanned the detailed description, and a hint of shock flashed in his eyes.

"This is..."

He could not help but mutter, "A godsend opportunity!"

[ rock stratum ] could directly create a thick and stable rock stratum in an area, while [ mountain mausoleum ] could make the rock stratum appear like a mountain range, which was the appearance of a continuous mountain range. As for [ convex surface ] , it could make the rock stratum and mountain range steeper, in the end, all the terrain would be changed by [ ascending ] and integrated together.

The final appearance would be the abrupt mountain body in the Nahrin desert, surrounded by a steep and solid mountain mausoleum. Only the top of the mountain was flat, and that was exactly where the castle was located.

"Use it!"

Kant didn't hesitate at all.

The current situation for him was already on the edge of war, and he could be surrounded by undead troops at any time. If he used it now and made the mountain hold up the castle, the defensive effect would undoubtedly be stronger!

As God's view reappeared, the entire Oasis Lookout was instantly covered by countless data streams.

The entire "Drondheim" castle also changed with Kant's will.

No.

This description was not accurate.

It should be said that the land under the castle, part of the Oasis Lookout, was rising with Kant's will. With a rumble, it was pushed up by the layers of rock and the hill that appeared underground, leaving only the two steep slopes on the east and south sides.

The rules from the world were changing the shape of this area!

Chapter 354: The Castle Built on the Mountain

In a short while.

The terrain had been transformed, and the rules of the world were stabilized again.

However, in this desert, the only oasis had undergone an earth-shaking change!

The soft and dense sand layer had turned into solid rock layers, which rose directly from the underground rock layers. The protruding surface of the ground turned into a mountain mausoleum, just like an open palm, placing a castle at the top.

"Drondheim" castle, once a military fortress by the oasis, had now turned into a fortress at the peak of the mountain.

The rock layer that rose from the underground turned into a hill.

It was like a base.

The cliff that was close to 90 degrees was more than 10 meters high, as if it was cut by a knife or an axe.

At the top of this cliff, there was also a wide and thick city wall that was 10 meters high. There were towers that were 15 meters high and arrow towers that were 20 meters high. In addition, there was a wooden attic built at the top of the city wall, which made it even more difficult to climb.

In fact, the rock wall that appeared at the bottom of the castle could not be climbed by humans.

Even a top-notch climbing master could not do it.

Moreover, on the top of the city wall, on the towers, and arrow towers, the crossbowmen of Swadia, the archers of Veruga, and the light infantrymen who were armed with swords and shields were all ready for battle.

The civilians carried stones and heavy logs that were neatly polished.

There was also an iron pot that could be heated to pour hot oil at any time.

Of course, this method was obviously not very effective against the undead. However, it was effective against enemies who had blood, flesh, and nerves. They knew the feeling of pain.

The effect of pouring hundreds of degrees of hot oil into the gaps of the armor was even better than beating rocks and smashing wood.

If it was a bit more brutal.

After heating up the fecal water, they poured it down.

Not only would it be drenched until the skin was split open, the subsequent infection would also be fatal!

A certain ancient country on earth's "Golden Juice", which had never failed, would be able to resist a large number of enemy troops if used properly. After all, not everyone was willing to get close to the stinky, scalding feces.

And now, even if it was not of much use to the undead, just the heights alone was not something that the undead could climb up.

Those skeletons were just skeletons.

Their individual strength was extremely weak.

The most ordinary skeletons could not even defeat the most ordinary peasant.

For example, the skeleton cavalry that ambushed the posthouse of the salt mine did not cause much of a result even when the Swdian man-at-arms did not notice it. They were even surrounded by the heavy cavalry and fought their way out alive.

Furthermore, as the heavy cavalry chased after them, they fought and retreated. Even their formation did not fall apart.

Although the undead did not have any restrictions of fatigue.

However, due to the lack of flesh and blood and nerves, they did not have any explosive force.

During the war, the Swadian man-at-arms rode their horses and easily shook off the undead cavalry. After resting for a while, they faced the enemy and continued to break out of the encirclement in a stalemate. That was how they left and returned.

But now, the castle that had been successfully transformed into the Oasis Lookout was not something that regular troops could capture.

The 10-meter-long hill was closely attached to the base of the city wall.

The entirety of the four walls were steep cliffs.

There were only two sides to the southeast, a 5-meter-wide and 20-meter-long ramp in the direction of the city gate.

The slope was very steep.

The 20-meter-long ramp rose directly to the top of the 10-meter-long cliff.

Even if it was paved with stone slabs, it was very troublesome for an ordinary fully loaded truck to climb up this slope. It required the help of a pulling force at the front or a pushing force at the back.

The castle was a military complex. Everything was for military considerations.

Such a steep slope meant that it was difficult to attack.

Not only was it an upward attack.

Even if they reached the bottom of the city gate, they would not be able to effectively attack the city gate!

The steep slope made it impossible for the siege weapons to stop. Even if they used a fixed method, they would have to bear the attack if they wanted to break through the city gate. They would not be able to use their best strength on flat ground.

The biggest possibility was that they would be destroyed during the attack.

The defenders on the city gate looked down from above.

Whether it was throwing combustibles or releasing rockets, it was easy.

It could be said that Kant's "Drondheim" castle had completely become the most terrifying military fortress. Even if tens of thousands of elite troops attacked, as long as they had a small number of troops and a large number of resources, they could defend the city forever.

As for the water source, the spring that connected to the water elemental plane was constantly emitting the sweetest fresh water.

The excess spring water was left behind in the drainage hole that the city wall had specially opened.

It was like a waterfall.

It easily poured into the original lake under the west side of the city wall and the cliff.

There was no problem with the pre-built water channel, including the agricultural area and the livestock area within the Oasis Lookout. Perhaps the only difference was that they have changed from relying on the city wall to relying on the cliff.

However, it had increased to a height of 20 meters, making this place an insurmountable natural moat!

Not to mention the Nahrin desert, which had a cruel and complicated environment.

Even if it was a plain with a good environment and sufficient logistical supplies, they would still be helpless against this castle built on a cliff. There was simply no possibility of conquering it!

Even the city gates on both sides of the southeast and the ramps that were 5 meters wide and 20 meters long would have to be piled up with human lives.

However, it was more likely.

Perhaps it was because countless elite infantrymen had died, and they had just smashed open the city gates and destroyed it, causing them to fall into a new kind of despair.

There was still a city gate inside the city gates, but the attacks they suffered were twofold!

This was because Kant had built an urn city, and on the walls of the urn city, there were arrow towers and turrets. He could deploy more archers at any time, and in an instant, arrows rained down like torrential rain!

He even dug a pit in the urn city, causing the troops that attacked the city gate to suffer even more serious losses.

For example, there were sharp spears and wooden thorns all over the bottom of the pit.

Or, there were firewood that had been poured with grease. He could casually throw a torch, and it would turn into a fire dragon that would engulf the inner side of the urn city.

He also lowered the backup iron gate at the top of the city gate, cutting off the connection between the inside and the outside. Basically, the troops that attacked from the inside were like fish on a chopping board. The troops that had to attack from the outside would also have to continue to suffer even more casualties.

Kant carried out the concept of city defense in ancient and modern times and arranged for it to be built.

He added a special method from the fantasy plane.

Even if they were facing an army of a million people, as long as there weren't any extraordinary powers or extraordinary creatures that were too excessive to be restrained, then the castle built on the mountain peak was equivalent to a peerless fortress that was absolutely safe!

No one could directly attack and take down this castle.

Kant was confident.

Even if he did not care about casualties and continued to attack, he would not be able to do so.

A 20-meter defense height.

A well-built and well-supplied castle.

Not to mention the era of fancy cold weapons, even in the modern era when gunpowder weapons were used, digging a large number of trenches or constructing underground fortresses and relying on cold weapons such as bows and crossbows would suffice to defend.

Kant already had all three.

He raised his head.

In the sky, the Nalan Sun disk also rose with the castle.

At the top of the towering watchtower, a gentle sun was suspended there, as if waiting quietly.

But as long as evil showed up, the blazing purification from the sun would instantly sprinkle down, purifying all evil enemies, and expelling any foreign troop class that did not belong to Kant's force.

From the looks of it, "Drondheim" had already been raised to the limit!

"Come."

Kant inhaled slightly, his heart very calm.

He still maintained his god's perspective.

He looked towards the north. At the end of the horizon, there was a faint black color spreading, seemingly in this direction. It was boundless and covered an extremely large area.

The archers of Veruga who were guarding the watchtower had also noticed the abnormal situation.

The news was quickly passed down.

In the direction of the four city walls, the archers who were half-resting and half-on-guard had received the order. They quickly got up and returned to their posts. They looked towards the north or at their respective garrisons with vigilance. They had entered a state of war.

Even the bell tower had already sounded the urgent bell.

The curtain of death!

Chapter 355: Enemies of the Dead

The black fog swept over from the horizon in the north.

An evil and cold aura had yet to approach, but it was already palpable in the air. Even with a temperature-regulating solar disk above their heads, they could still sense a chill.

It was the wind.

A breeze came from the black fog.

It carried a chill, and there were even tiny snowflakes in the wind that fluttered, frozen.

Although there was only a slight breeze, and with temperature control of the sun's disk, the cold was barely sensible–even the tiny snowflakes in the wind instantly dissipated into water vapor–it was bone-chilling.

That's right, a bone-chilling cold. One could sense it with their soul by mere sight.

At the castle on the top of the mountain.

The archers on the city wall were already on standby.

The civilians still working outside were also prepared. They quickly walked up the ramp in an orderly manner and returned to the protection of the city wall. They entered the defense points of the city wall and waited for the battle orders.

However, more people began to boil hot water and oil or move various military supplies.

The city defense entered the martial law stage.

Because the enemy had arrived!

Council Hall.

Inside the hall, Kant was sitting in his own seat.

Bandake and Manide were sitting on both sides of the long table, looking at Kant with solemn faces. As the only commander in the castle, they were also waiting for orders.

The enemy had arrived, and now they had to unite as a whole!

This included the troop class.

50 Royal Knights, 30 Lion Knights, 18 great mages and 20 mage apprentices.

These were the troop class that Kant currently had, and these were enough. If Kant wanted, he could also recruit more extraordinary troop classes with strong combat abilities. This was because his castle had the king's sword and the lion knights' encampment, as well as the mage apprentice quartet, which were the recruitment requirements for these extraordinary troop classes.

Sitting in his seat, Kant's expression was calm. He had long anticipated the attack of the undead, but he did not expect that the undead would appear in less than two months, whereas he was anticipating them to take six.

The salt mine posthouse had already fallen, and the undead army was closing in on the Oasis Lookout.

"This is a disgrace."

Kant narrowed his eyes. His expression was calm, but there was anger in his eyes.

Looking at the solemn expressions of the people in front of him, he slowly said, "In this battle, I am hoping for a spectacular win and an epic-level victory. I don't want to be left with nothing, and I also don't want any accidents that would lead to our defeat."

"We will do our best!"

Everyone said in unison.

"Alright."

Kant nodded slowly.

Although he didn't know how many undead troops there were, he could still use his morale.

The right time, place, and people were all on his side.

Kant didn't believe that he would lose.

It was impossible for him to lose.

If Kant's troops really lost the battle and were defeated or broken through by the undead army, then it meant that this place, the most important Oasis Lookout in the Nahrin Desert, would be lost to the enemy, just like the posthouse in the salt mine in the north.

At that time, not to mention the castle, even Kant himself would be unable to escape!

The undead army was approaching.

This already meant that it was time to fight for the supremacy of the Nahrin Desert.

If Kant lost the Oasis Lookout and the Drondheim Castle, the consequences would be unimaginable.

By that time, even the "Aaron" city in the Senwaya Range, which had just been built and was not as well-equipped as the military facilities here, would be easily conquered!

"Go down and set up your defenses!"

Kant waved his hand.

"Yes!" Everyone immediately stood up, bowed respectfully, and left swiftly.

The castle's defenses had already been arranged beforehand.

Manide and Bandake were responsible for the two city gates on the southeast side. They had many archers and light infantrymen under their command, including the lion knights who were good at close combat and melee combat at each city gate. They sent out 15 people as their high-end combat force.

Kant would be the backup.

In the Council Hall, the royal knights, knights, and heavy cavalry were all stationed there.

They were the reserve forces. If there was an emergency at any city defense location, as long as they sent the desert bandits and light cavalry over to convey the message, these top-notch heavy cavalry troops would quickly rush over to deal with it.

Riding on warhorses, they had a lot of mobility. Furthermore, they were wearing heavy armor, so their ability to fight on foot wasn't weak either!

However, the probability of the city gate being broken through was extremely low.

One had to know that compared to the other 20-meter steep walls, the two sloped city gates were the easiest places to break through. It was also the only place that could be broken through other than the airspace!

As for the rock layer below the castle, that was even more impossible.

In fact, the thick and heavy rock layer formed by the rules was way more than the 10-meter height exposed to the surface.

Just below the desert, the entire layer of rock penetrated directly into the underground layer of rock. Not only did it penetrate deep into the sand layer, even the layer of soil and gravel at the bottom of the desert had been broken through. It was the underground bedrock that rose up.

This was the workmanship of nature. It was the direct embodiment of the power of the rules!

Not to mention the ordinary people.

Even if the extraordinary troop class used weapons of the mystical class to excavate, it would an extremely difficult task.

No one would be that stupid. As for the undead, the top-level undead generals that had some sense in them would not attempt to break through the bedrock. Most importantly, the weapons in the hands of the undead were already rotten. Their arms were all bones, and they were naturally lacking in strength.

Normal digging was already difficult, let alone directly destroying and excavating an entire layer of rock!

However, Kant was not at ease with this.

He muttered to himself.

As his thoughts swept through his mind, cards flashed with a golden light. He had already made a decision in his heart.

"Vickia Shooting Range, ranger camp, and apprentice dormitory use [ increment recruitment (random!)]"

Kant gave the order.

The data box in front of him immediately popped up.

[ ding... system prompt ]

[ Victoria shooting range use [ increment recruitment ] , randomly obtain 20 people. Currently, the weekly recruitment quota is: 30 people ]

[ ranger camp uses [ incremental recruitment ] to randomly obtain 40 people. Currently, the weekly recruitment quota is: 50]

[ apprentice dormitory uses [ incremental recruitment ] to randomly obtain 8 people. Currently, the weekly recruitment quota is: 10]

On the dialog box, the data column was clear.

The effect of the special gift pack [ incremental recruitment ] was itself random.

Kant narrowed his eyes. The number of random people this time was not bad. It basically met his psychological expectations. Although the biggest special effect was absorbed by the ranger camp and obtained a random quota of 40 people, the Victoria shooting range and the apprentice dormitory were also decent additions.

Because he still had the follow-up special gift pack!

"Desert bandits camp, Victoria shooting range, apprentice dormitory use [ double recruitment (constant)] !"

Kant spoke.

He directly chose the three recruitment buildings of the current Drondheim Castle.

Right now, this castle was the first to face the enemy. Therefore, far away in Aaron City in the Senwaya range, it was fine to use only a few Ravenston rangers as long-range archers, but here, this was still the most important place to hold.

Perhaps this castle would not be able to withstand it and Kant would retreat into the complex Senwaya range to defend.

But there was still hope.

Most importantly, Kant's rule over this place could not be shaken by the undead!

[ ding... system prompt ]

[ desert bandits'camp [ double recruitment ]. Currently, the weekly recruitment quota is: 120 people. ]

[ Wikipedia shooting range uses [ double recruitment ]. Currently, the weekly recruitment quota is: 60 people. ]

[ apprentice dormitory uses [ double recruitment ]. Currently, the weekly recruitment quota is: 20 people. ]

The system gave a notification.

Kant said calmly, "Immediately recruit additional troop class!"

Outside the council hall, in three buildings, the troop class that could still be recruited this week suddenly walked out. As they were informed of the current situation, they quickly walked to where they should go.

Veruga archers and mage apprentices headed towards the arrow tower.

As for the desert bandits, there were more of them.

The place where they gathered was the main road behind the city gates on both sides of the southeast.

If necessary, they would rush out of the castle. As the light cavalry with extremely high mobility, they would spread out and break into small groups. They would wantonly attack the undead troops near the castle or harass them, breaking the siege.

Even if the death curtain in the outside world might affect them, it didn't matter.

They still had short-range pilum.

And they were part of the long-range troop class!

These short-range pilum that were extremely powerful at close range, when thrown, were enough to pierce through the human body. Even the skeletons of the undead would be directly destroyed, causing the army formed by these skeletons to scatter in all directions and scatter into bones that should have dissipated.

The astonishing number of desert bandits was the rapid reaction force in the castle.

Their role had always been like this.

They had many tactical functions. Although they weren't considered elites individually, they could still temporarily handle the situation.

Of course, if they couldn't handle it, Kant, who was the reserve force, would send an extraordinary troop class to lead the knights and heavy cavalry to handle any abnormal situations.

This was Kant's trump card.

It was also his last trump card.

Looking at the royal knights and knights who were in charge of guarding the council hall, Kant's expression was solemn.

With a slight sigh, Kant stood up and walked quickly to the outside of the council hall. He planned to go to the city wall to see how the enemies coming from the north were doing. He wanted to see for himself.

"Lord Kant."

On the northern city wall, Bandake was observing.

Kant nodded and asked, "Yes, how is the situation?"

"Not good."

Ban Dake frowned. "The situation is not good." His tone was grave. "The curtain of death has formed an impenetrable smoke screen, but according to my senses, there are countless undead gathering inside the curtain!"

"That's indeed not so good."

Kant also frowned.

He raised his head and looked outside. It was getting closer and closer to the north, blocking out the sky and the sun, blocking out the thick black fog in the desert.

That was the most famous curtain of death of the undead.

And right inside, Kant could also use the power of a king and divine power to sense the incomparably dense evil within. Moreover, their number was huge. It was as if they were truly coming from all directions, like an evil tide that erupted from the depths of the Nahrin desert, about to completely engulf this castle!

Kant could not help but clench his fists. He said in a deep voice, "We have go all in for this battle."

Chapter 356: Golden Flames

It was about to be a hard battle, and Kant's heart was unusually heavy.

The evil aura of the curtain of death, which was emitting a thick darkness, had almost solidified. Even if the golden sun disk above the Oasis Lookout was emitting an infinite amount of gold light, it could not completely disperse the darkness.

The great power of the sun disk could only protect the critical area of this place.

Death was encroaching.

In the outer area that was unable to be illuminated by the golden light, the vegetation and trees that were originally lush and green instantly withered due to the bone-chilling cold. Their entire body turned gray-black as they were completely defeated by the darkness.

If one were to look into the darkness, countless faint blue light spots were swaying within.

An endless army of undead immediately arrived.

They swept across the entire Nahrin desert and unscrupulously flattened it. Only when they reached the Oasis Lookout and the area covered by the sun's disk did they finally stop and enter a stalemate.

However, Kant and the people in the castle did not think that they had stopped the enemy's advance.

This was impossible.

The darkness that blotted out the sky was even denser than the golden light released by the sun disk.

It was at the outermost area protected by the golden light.

The black fog churned.

Although the golden light was shining along with the disk, there were still wisps of black gas struggling to fuse in.

But soon, the golden light on the disk would circulate, and the wisps of black gas that broke in would be instantly vaporized, turned into a void of nothingness. It was obvious that the stalemate and confrontation between the two sides would not last long.

"It's still not working. The sun disk can't Stop the erosion of the curtain of death."

Kant clenched his fists slightly.

The evil aura of the curtain of death was too shocking. Although the positive energy contained in the sun disk was still strong, it was clearly not enough to completely disperse the curtain of death.

He could only do his best to protect the area and mitigate the damage from the erosion.

"Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang --"

At this moment, distant drumming was heard.

The sound was intense and dull, like the waves that hit the reef on the eve of a storm.

However, Kant's face instantly stiffened, including the soldiers on the city wall and arrow tower who were ready. All of them subconsciously tightened the weapons in their hands and stared at the darkness that was pressing down from the north.

That's right, the curtain of death that blotted out the sun and condensed into darkness was already pressing down on them.

It stretched across the entire horizon and directly surrounded the Oasis Lookout.

Including the sky above their heads.

Then, it closed up, like a demon opening its arms and pulling the Oasis Lookout that was emitting a golden glow into its embrace.

Countless pale blue soul flames were jumping up and down within them like tiny flames. A large amount of noise appeared around the Oasis Lookout. It was the rustling sound of countless feet stepping on the sand. It was the sound of countless undead warriors.

A group of warriors who should have been wiped out in history had turned back into skeletons and stood up!

The undead's combat unit.

"Skeleton soldiers!"

Kant spoke slowly, his tone heavy.

In the curtain of death, skeleton soldiers with white bones were wearing tattered ancient armor and holding weapons that were also rotten beyond repair. They walked out of the black fog and stepped into the golden light that was covered by the sun disk!

Groups of skeleton soldiers surrounded the circular blessed land like a swarm of ants advancing together!

There were so many of them!

Bandake's eyes were filled with surprise.

The red light in his eyes flickered. His voice was enhanced by extraordinary power and instantly appeared in the entire space. "The enemy has entered our estate. Everyone, pick up your weapons and get ready for battle!"

"Yes!"

On the city walls, on the arrow towers, on the towers, and even within the castle, a chorus of responses simultaneously appeared.

The voice was filled with determination, and Kant's suppressed emotions were instantly broken. He turned his head to look at the many solemn faces, but his eyes were filled with vigor. With the soldiers who were fanatical towards war, he also regained his composure.

The enemy had already arrived and was advancing towards them. The war had already begun.

It was useless to think too much.

"Only..."

Kant took a deep breath, his eyes filled with determination. "Victory will be ours!"

Kant unsheathed the king's sword. Looking forward, his expression was extremely serious as he ordered loudly, "Pass down the order, no free firing. Wait until the enemy has entered the 100 meter vicinity!"

"Understood!"

The desert bandits immediately responded.

They were Kant's current messengers, so they immediately left after receiving the order. They quickly reported this order to the various city walls, arrow towers, towers, and city gates.

Many of the Swadian crossbowmen and Veruga archers also temporarily put down their bows after receiving the order.

They were facing the undead.

Undead skeletons devoid of flesh and blood, made up of countless bones!

This meant that long-range attacks could only deal minimal damage to the undead. Even if these skeleton soldiers were hit by arrows, they would take no damage at all.

Even if their bones were broken, as long as the soul fire in their heads was still lit, they would be fine.

Unless their spine and skull were completely broken.

Otherwise, the undead would still crawl and attack. With hatred for the living and the oppression from the higher undead commanders, they were fearless in their attacks!

The undead had already lost their sanity. How would they know caution and fear?

They could only fight to the death!

Thus, Kant ordered the archers to stop firing freely.

They were only allowed to fire when the enemy was within 100 meters of the city wall, allowing the archers on the city wall to look down from above and directly shoot through the skulls of the undead, piercing through the forehead and extinguishing the soul fire!

However, before the undead could get close, the skeleton soldiers that had entered the golden light were actually moving slower and slower.

That's right, their movements were indeed slowing down

It was as if they were carrying a mountain on their backs, and their footsteps became heavier and heavier.

The blue soul flames in their eye sockets flickered incessantly. Even if there were intense sparks, they would not be able to escape from their eye sockets. The skeleton soldiers' movements became more and more laggard.

In the end, every step they took was as stiff and halting.

There was also a tiny black fog emerging from the joints of their bones.

Under the golden light, the group of skeleton soldiers clearly encountered true pressure. The dense positive energy emitted from the holy pressure was something that the skeleton soldiers could not withstand at all!

Moreover, just as Kant and the others narrowed their eyes, the black fog on the bodies of the skeleton soldiers became denser and denser.

Then, in an instant, a ball of golden flames exploded!

"Huff, Huff, Huff --"

The golden flames attached themselves to the skeleton soldiers' bones, especially on their skulls. They burned fiercely, bringing with them the holy power of positive energy. The scorching temperature was like the sun burning, directly engulfing the skulls.

The already faint blue soul flame was swaying.

However, the golden flames spread in recklessly.

"Huff, Huff, Huff --"

The group of skeleton soldiers that were enveloped by the golden light felt the same.

The golden flames all over their bodies continued to burn.

Their forward movement finally stopped. The already weak bones finally collapsed and fell to the sand under their feet. Along with the fragments of the armor and weapons, the entire army collapsed into a pile of bones.

"This is... The sun disc!"

Kant raised his head.

In the sky, at the center of the golden disc, the sacred sun pattern formation was slowly glowing.

Along with the pure golden light, the entire sacred sun pattern formation seemed to be circulating. Every time it rotated, the skeleton soldiers at the bottom burst out with golden flames, completely engulfing their skeleton-like body.

This made Kant instantly understand that this was the power of the sun disc!

[ special effect 3 evil expulsion: any evil troops will not be able to approach within a 10-hectare area. If they approach, they will be automatically attacked by the holy attacks until all evil troops are defeated, leaving no one alive. ]

The holy attack from the sun disc.

It belonged to the natural holy positive energy, the opposing mode of the evil negative energy!

And it was precisely because of this that the undead skeletons that had gathered evil and negative energy were mercilessly attacked by this divine artifact when they entered the area covered by the sun disk.

Golden flames that contained positive energy burst out from their bodies, and even their soul fire were extinguished by the flames!

It was extremely cruel.

But it was extremely effective!

Kant looked at the skeleton soldiers that had just entered the area covered by the sun disk and were bathed in golden light. In the blink of an eye, golden flames burst out from their bodies, and the corners of his mouth curled up into a smile. "Very good."

The skeleton soldiers burned in the golden flames and quickly turned into piles of bones, which were scattered on the sand.

Layer by layer.

A large number of skeleton soldiers disintegrated and died in the golden light.

However, Kant's smile did not last long. His face became solemn again.

Because the piles of skeleton soldiers had turned into skeletons. Even the bones on the ground were piled up to be more than half a meter high and more than ten meters long. However, in the curtain of death that covered thesSun's disk, there were still endless skeleton soldiers coming through.

This was not a test attack, but more like a final attack with no fear of casualties!

Especially on the north side.

It was also the first position that appeared in the depths of the Nahrin desert.

Groups of skeleton soldiers surged out. Their messy appearance did not have any formation to speak of. However, the relatively intact ancient armor and the seemingly good weapons on their bodies showed that these skeleton soldiers were stronger!

They belonged to the true skeleton soldiers. They could not be compared to those skeleton soldiers who were like cannon fodder!

"Unfortunately, it still can't be done."

Kant narrowed his eyes slightly.

In his eyes, those stronger skeleton soldiers pushed forward. The faint blue soul fire in their eyes was even more profound.

However, as the distance between them closed in, they pushed forward a hundred meters toward the direction of the city wall. More and more black smoke spread out from their bodies. In the end, the entire skeleton body exploded with golden flames, following in the footsteps of the previous group of skeleton soldiers.

The numbers of these evil spirits were superior, but compared to pure positive energy, they were still inferior on a fundamental level.

The sun disk's power was unparalleled!

Originally belonging to the era of the ancient gods, it was a strange object that showed the glory of the sun god. After undergoing a structural change through the magic system of the Enfath Empire in the Warwind world, it completely changed from a symbol to a war machine!

When it came to the concept of war, the world of warwinds, which had been in chaos for tens of thousands of years, was never inferior to any other world!

Chapter 357: The total attack of the undead

One after another, the skeleton warriors turned into golden flames.

Piles of bones gathered and formed a shallow platform on the north side of the Oasis Lookout. However, they were immediately trampled by the seemingly endless skeleton warriors that rushed over from behind.

In a short moment, thousands of skeleton warriors and thousands of skeleton soldiers had already died out.

However, more undead were still gathering in the black fog.

They were truly fearless of life and death.

They only knew to listen to the orders of the high-level undead. With hatred for the living and the desire for the real world, they opened their jaws and let out a soundless roar. Step by step, they moved their thigh bones and stepped on the shattered bones of their companions as they moved forward.

This was a meaningless act of suicide. However, these skeleton warriors did not care.

If they died, so be it.

The undead themselves didn't really have the concept of death.

In other words, low-level undead were no different from puppets without intelligence. Intelligence only existed in the brains of high-level undead, or it could be said that it was a biological instinct that disguised itself as intelligence, as well as the remaining memories from when they were still alive.

Just like now, a large number of skeleton warriors appeared in the black fog, advancing in the golden light without any fear of death.

This included the even larger number of skeleton soldiers that became cannon fodder.

A large group of undead infantrymen were launching an attack.

And right outside the Oasis Lookout, which was bursting with golden flames at any moment, the group of skeletons finally advanced deeper and deeper into the middle of the Oasis Lookout!

"The situation isn't right. Their advance is getting closer and closer."

Bandake warned.

"Yes." Kant nodded. That was indeed the truth.

His expression was grave.

During this period of time, the undead skeleton soldiers had completely torn a hole in the northern part of the Oasis Lookout.

The golden light seemed to have dimmed a little. In fact, within the area covered by the sun disc, the golden spots of light that would occasionally fall like snowflakes had disappeared. Only a few spots could be seen.

But soon, the golden light spots also disappeared into the air as if they had used up all their energy.

Indeed, they had used up all their energy.

Kant clenched his teeth slightly.

Looking up at the sun disk at the top, he already came up with a theory.

This strange object was able to dispel evil creatures and cause damage to these skeletons that contained evil. It was obvious that they had used their positive energy to suppress, expel, and even consume each other, forcefully extinguishing the soul fire in the eyes of those skeletons.

That was the only thing that these skeletons could rely on to move and stand up to fight.

The skeletons fell to the ground and turned into scattered bones.

Of course, this was not without a price.

The price was that the sun disk's special effect 3, evil expulsion, temporarily lost its effect. Looking at the frequency of the golden flames burning the undead, it was already reduced to the stage where it wouldn't even explode in half a minute.

The positive energy contained in the sun disk that could be used to activate special effect 3 was almost exhausted.

"My Lord!"

Just behind Kant, desert bandits rushed over.

They bowed slightly and reported in a hurry, "In the council hall, the mage in charge of controlling the sun disk asked me to report. They can't continue to let the sun disk kill the undead on a large scale."

"Okay, tell them, I understand."

Kant nodded and waved his hand at the same time. "Tell them to stop the evilness dispelling."

"Yes!"

The desert bandits answered.

As a messenger, his task was to convey Kant's orders.

Regarding the current state of the battle, Kant's orders as the Supreme Lord was absolute. Even if he couldn't dispel evilness on a large scale, he believed that he wouldn't lose against this group of undead skeletons alone.

The skeletons lacked flesh, blood, and nerves. They couldn't even climb over the steep slopes.

Not to mention the current cliffs and city walls!

Although the evil dispersion could kill the skeletons on a large scale at a constant rate, overusing it would obviously affect the operation of the sun disk. After all, the law of conservation of energy still existed in this world.

There was another reason for Kant's order.

It stemmed from the origins of the undead.

They themselves were the descendants of gods from the ancient times.

They might even be descendants of the sun god. As long as the higher-ups still had some memory and wisdom, they would definitely understand how to deal with the solar disk that they were most familiar with.

Although it had been modified by the magic system of the Enfath Empire.

In reality.

The sun disk was still a symbolic wonder of the sun god!

Therefore, these descendants who had once enjoyed the glory of the sun god, received the education of the gods, and turned into evil spirits for various reasons definitely knew how to deal with the influence of the sun disk.

After all, in the records of the past, the golden disk that symbolized the glory of the sun god also had the special effect of dispelling evil.

Or to put it another way.

The special effect of evil dispersion itself was an ability that came with the sun disk!

But no matter what, Kant chose to use his own force to deal with this group of spirits as a display of power.

With his army, he would not care about those sun god's descendants who had lost their glory in history and could not even maintain their former status. They had already fallen into evil and darkness and turned into spirits!

Kant turned to look at ban dake. "Let's begin. You're in charge."

"Understood."

Bandake smiled.

His eyes flashed with a faint red light. When he stretched out his hand, a faint black fume wrapped around his fingers. However, it was soon suppressed by the golden light released by the sun disk above his head and could only stick to the back of his hand.

This was his extraordinary power, the power of the underworld from the world of Pande!

However, he could not use it for the time being.

Taking a slow breath, Bandake took half a step back. At the same time, he summoned his messenger and said in a deep voice, "Give the order. archers, prepare to fire at my command."

"Yes!" The desert bandits quickly retreated to deliver the order.

The main force was gathered on the north wall.

200 Veruga marksman, 100 Veruga archers, and 10 mage apprentices were gathered here.

As for the top-notch Veruga marksman, because there were only 200 people, Kant had already arranged for them to guard the arrow towers and towers at the southeast two urn city gates, guarding against the enemy taking advantage of the chaos to attack the city gates.

One had to know that the curtain pf death had already completely enveloped the entire Oasis Lookout.

The undead had an absolute advantage in numbers!

Just by looking at the fact that Kant had ordered the sun disc to cancel and allow the evil expulsion to continue, the group of skeleton warriors in the outside world would no longer be subject to the effects of the burning of the positive energy, so there would be more and more of them, just like the way the dark mass of ants pressed forward, one could tell that the number of those who came and went would probably number in the tens of thousands!

As Kant looked at the increasing number of skeleton warriors and skeleton soldiers that were coming from all directions, the corners of his eyes could not help but twitch, and his breathing became a little heavy.

Perhaps it was not calculated according to the minimum of tens of thousands.

"It's getting a little dangerous."

Kant gritted his teeth.

His heart was beating fiercely, and he muttered in a deep voice, "From the looks of it... there should be hundreds of thousands!"

The group of undead skeletons finally approached the north side of the city wall, including the east, west, and south walls. Similarly, in the thick black fog of the curtain of death, densely packed skeleton warriors and skeleton soldiers walked out.

The undead army's siege had finally begun!

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh --"

The arrows rained down like waterfall.

The Veruga archers quickly drew their bows and fired. They had long been ready.

This included the crossbowmen who had already nocked their crossbows and aimed at the approaching skeleton warriors. As they released the string, a soft "bang" followed. The targets in their sights were instantly scattered into a pile of useless bones.

The crossbowmen's aim was already quite precise. Moreover, the crossbowmen of the Kingdom of Swadia weren't too bad either!

In itself, they were only second to the Kingdom of Rhodoks.

Moreover, they had the number one archers on the continent by their side, and the archers from the Kingdom of Victoria's assistance.

Under the instantaneous explosions.

The skeleton warriors that were close to the north side of the city wall fell down in large numbers.

Although the scale and power were not as large as the sun disc's large-scale killing blow, the durability was stronger. The large number of crossbows and arrows that had already been prepared on the city wall were all deployed!

However, the fearless skeleton warriors and did not have much wisdom at all. They simply didn't care.

They still held their rotten lance or longsword and moved forward.

The tattered armor on their bodies could not stop the arrows that the crossbowmen shot out, and even their bodies were broken into pieces. They were trampled by the skeleton warriors behind them time and time again, and even their skulls were cracked, when they came into contact with the dense positive energy in the air outside, the soul flames flickered and disappeared into the void.

The layers of skeletons had already approached the cliff. The cracking sounds of bones colliding with each other could be heard constantly. When they looked down from the city wall, they could see the thick, withered white bones mixed with the blue soul flames. It was even more terrifying!

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh --"

The archers did not stop their movements at all. They were doing their best to fire all that they had.

There was no need for them to aim now.

There were skeletons outside the city wall. The groups of skeletons that filled the mountains and plains had already approached them. They had even entered the lake below the northern cliff. They fluttered and lost their center of gravity, scaring the fish inside.

"Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom --"

A violent explosion sounded. In the area by the lake, ten fireballs suddenly exploded.

On the top of the tower of the city wall, right next to the archers, the ten mage apprentices continued to raise their magic staffs. Looking at places where the skeletons gathered the most, they chanted their incantations and threw fireballs one after another.

The dark red fireballs were fueled by a large ring of flames, and exploded the moment they came into contact with the skeleton warriors.

The fire dragons roared and swept the area of nearly 15 square meters.

The blazing fire elements turned into flames, and the destructive effect was even stronger than the positive energy. They even destroyed the bones of the skeleton warriors, melted their skulls, and directly extinguishes soul fire inside!

Mage apprentices each had 3 fireball spells and 5 magic bullet spells per day.

These were all war spells!

Chapter 358: An Astonishing Number of Skeletons

The fireball spell cast by the mage apprentices, which had been tempered by the Enfath Empire for countless years, was worthy of its name!

The fire elements that had condensed to the extreme directly exploded. The raging and violent fire dragons swept through all obstacles within a 15-meter radius. The scorching temperature reached thousands of degrees, and the skeleton warriors in the center were directly burned to ashes!

Even more than 30 meters away from the explosion point of the fireball, the scorching air waves mixed with the flames were still rolling in the group of skeletons.

The skeleton warriors and soldiers were sent flying one after another.

There were also many skeleton warriors who were contaminated by the flames in the air waves and instantly turned into ash by the high temperature. Even the tattered ancient armor could not defend against it at all, and they were turned into flying dust under this high temperature.

Fireballs were thrown one after another. At least one thousand skeleton warriors were directly killed.

One could tell how powerful the spells were.

However, after the mage apprentices cast all three of their fireballs today, they had no choice but to retreat and hand over their casting positions to the Veruga archers behind them.

Although the spells were powerful, the spell slots limited the number of times they could cast spells.

Or in other words, their endurance.

As long as the crossbowmen had arrows and stamina, they could fire as many times as they wish.

Mages were different. Their spell slots were fixed every day. After casting the all the spells in their spell slot, they could only retreat dejectedly and hand over the heavy responsibility of long-range attacks to the crossbowmen behind them.

In fact, in large-scale battles, most of the long-range damage were dealt by the crossbowmen.

As for mages, they would only appear in strategic positions.

For example, when nrekxaing through the enemy's defense, or when attacking the enemy's elite troops with spells.

Therefore, in normal battles, mages would never waste their precious spell slots. After all, when all the spells contained in the spell slots were ineffective, the only things left would be their weak body and their decorative wooden sticks, in close combat, they couldn't even defeat a peasant.

Even the mages or great mages who had more spell slots and stronger spells would not take the risk easily. They would always leave a few spell slots to save their lives.

These mages apprentices were the same.

Although they had used up the fireball spell with AOE damage, they still had the magic bullet spell.

This was a single-target spell.

Its power was like a two-handed sledgehammer.

However, due to the close range of the spell, which was only about 50 meters, the mage apprentices did not plan to release it. It would be wiser to stay behind and prepare to attack the enemies that might appear at the city wall or the city gate.

Kant also understood this point, but when he looked at the skeleton warriors that were still numerous as ants, his expression became glum.

The empty area where the fireball spell had exploded had been filled up once again.

An astonishing number of skeleton soldiers and skeleton warriors poured out from the curtain of death. It was impossible to know how many more there were, and the higher-level skeleton cavalry and death knights had yet to appear.

Even the other undead troop class had yet to appear.

What Kant was facing now was perhaps only the tip of the iceberg of the undead troop.

The endless natural disasters of death were using absolute numbers to crush the enemy army to death.

"We can only defend."

Kant's expression was cold.

But in his heart, he was still uncertain. He did not know how many undead army there were in the curtain of death. Could it really be endless and to the point where it'd crush the entire Oasis Lookout?

The skeleton warriors that had been shattered into bones were almost piled up.

Even the lake was filled with skeletons.

In the east, west, and south, the skeleton warriors and skeleton soldiers were mixed together. They had already arrived at the bottom of the cliff. They were using the rotten weapons in their hands to strike the rock layer in vain, leaving small white marks.

In fact, their rotten weapons directly shattered, leaving the skeletons standing in place in a daze.

They did not have siege weapons.

They did not have climbing tools or the ability to directly reach the city walls!

Therefore, the main direction of the undead's attack was automatically shifted from the north to the southeast when the large group of skeleton warriors fell.

That was because there was a 5-meter wide and 20-meter long ramp on both sides of the southeast that connected the city gates!

"They're here."

When Kant heard the sound of horse hooves, he understood.

The desert bandit messengers quickly rode over. They threw away the reins in their hands, jumped off their horses, and rushed up the stairs to Kant. They reported, "My lord, the enemy is attacking the city gate!"

"Got it."

Kant nodded calmly.

At the same time, he asked the desert bandits beside him, "Which gate is Manide guarding?"

"The east gate!" Someone immediately answered.

"Ok."

Kant nodded and ordered, "Tell him to hold the east gate."

"Yes!" The desert bandits who answered nodded, then turned around and left.

Kant thought for a while, then walked forward. At the same time, he turned to ban dake and said, "We're going to the south gate."

"Understood." Bandake followed.

Currently, Drondheim Castle only had two passageways, the south gate and the east gate. Those were the only points where the castle could be breached. Of course, they had to pay attention to them.

However, there were differences between these two city gates.

The inner part of the east gate belonged to the military administration area, and there was also a batch of reinforcements that could be deployed at any time.

Manide was in charge of that area, and it could also make up for his weakness in commanding battles. Therefore, Kant asked him to simply defend with his life. Moreover, he even brought the two pages of the magic item that could summon elemental giants to him beforehand.

The south gate was different.

This city gate was used for commerce and civilians, so there were fewer troops stationed there. They needed to arrange for troops to be stationed there in advance. In an emergency, they also needed to lead troops to reinforce.

Kant had asked Bandake to guard the south gate. He also planned to use his own power.

After all, Bandake was now the strongest!

Even Kant could not be compared to this underworld apostle.

Whether it was individual combat strength or summoning a small team of underworld invaders, they could stop the invasion of the undead. Perhaps they could even create the illusion that their defense was weak and let the supernatural powers of the undead suffer a loss!

They quickly moved to the south gate.

On the city wall, the archers were relying on the towers and arrow towers to shoot wantonly.

At the same time, there was a violent banging sound at the city gate. It was as if there were countless people outside struggling to get in. However, there was a strange crisp sound mixed with the intense banging

Kant narrowed his eyes. Of course, he could tell what the source of the crisp sound was.

It was clearly the sound of bones breaking!

He quickly walked up the city gate and followed the platform that had been built before to the position of the urn city gate. The 5-meter wide and 20-meter long ramp outside was already filled with the figures of skeleton warriors.

They were holding a rotten lance or longsword in their hands and wearing rotten armor from the ancient times.

They were crowding towards the city gate.

Those skeleton warriors who had already come into contact with the city gate were using their weapons to knock on the well-made and sturdy thick wooden gate. Outside the wooden gate, there was a layer of iron bars as thick as a thumb that was welded together. It was the source of the sound.

However, these skeletons could not cause any damage to the city gate at all. Perhaps they could leave some scratches. Their decaying weapons could not even knock down the thick wooden city gate, let alone the iron gate!

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh --"

At the city gate, the Swadian crossbowmen and the Veruga archers were still shooting arrows.

Black shadows rained down like a storm. On the slope, groups of skeleton warriors fell because of this. At almost every moment, an empty slope appeared and was immediately filled up by the skeleton warriors that surged up from behind.

The crossbowmen stationed at the urn of the city gate were all thoroughly elite.

There were also two archmages who had yet to make a move.

Although the 50 Veruga marksman's rapid fire was not as fast as the Ravenston ranger's, they were still able to shoot at close range within 20 meters. Every arrow hit the forehead of the skull, so there was no issue.

With the addition of the Veruga marksman's accurate shooting, the scene was very harmonious.

That's right.

It was very harmonious.

Every time the 50 Veruga marksman and the 30 Swadian marksman fired, they would clear the 20-meter slope of the skeleton warriors for a short while.

But soon after, the space in front of them would be filled up again by the skeleton warriors.

They went back and forth.

The scene was unusually harmonious.

Standing at the top of the urn city gate, Kant's expression was calm, and his eyes were a little more relaxed.

As piles of broken bones fell down the slope, the group of skeleton warriors were accurately shot in their skulls. The danger of the city gate had not increased, and it made him feel al little more at ease.

Even Bandake looked more relaxed. He smiled and said, "This is very simple."

"Yes."

Kant nodded in agreement. "Simple."

However, he still frowned and looked at the skeleton warriors who were still filling up the entire Oasis Lookout outside. The corners of his eyes were twitching. "The number of these skeletons should be at least 40,000, right?"

"Well, maybe 50,000. As you know, the skeletons don't have flesh and blood, and they occupy a small area."

Ban dake replied, "In short, there are a lot of them."

"Heh." Kant chuckled, but there was a hint of depression in his eyes. "Then, if these skeletons focus on attacking a certain point of our position, can they form a bridge made of bones and directly charge up the city wall?"

"This... is hard to say." Bandake's eyes narrowed slightly, and a red light flickered.

This was indeed possible.

The group of Jackalans who had passed through the Nahrin Desert and were almost at the end of their lives were able to go all out once. With such a brazen and reckless charge of death, they had directly charged up the city wall, almost crushing Kant's original troops.

Moreover, right now, those skeleton warriors did not have the concept of death.

Building a wall made of bones.

It was really possible!

Although it was 20 meters, it was not that difficult to fill up a city wall form a slope with almost 50,000 skeleton warriors and skeleton soldiers!

There might be more of the undead in the curtian of death behind them!

Chapter 359: Kant’s ultimate goal

The thick dark clouds were like the blackest ink. The curtain of death was covering the sky and the sun, covering the sky and the surrounding areas.

The Oasis lLokout could no longer receive the light of the sun.

Other than the sun disc that was still emitting a faint golden light, which brought light to this place like a real sun, this area that was completely shrouded in darkness had long been extinguished by evil in the cold.

At this moment, the guards in Drondheim Castle had been fighting for a long time.

They didn't even have the concept of time.

The curtain of death shrouded this place, blocking out the sun. There was no sunrise or sunset, and it was unclear whether it was day or night.

It was like chaos that was confusing and unclear.

But it was more like..

The undead's hell that would never see the light of day!

Outside the cliff under the city wall, broken white bones were randomly scattered on the ground.

If one looked carefully, one could see many crossbows and arrows embedded in these bones. They looked like weed growing on the ground, mixed with gray and black decaying armor and weapons. It did not look like the human world.

It was like hell with no possibility of reincarnation, an underworld that would sink forever, and a dark and bleak end.

An unimaginable desolate place.

Standing on the city wall.

Kant's expression was calm, but his eyes were cold.

Two days and two nights had passed. If his calculations were correct, it should be four o'clock in the afternoon. The sky that was covered by thick dark clouds might be about to slowly darken into dusk.

He was still at the top of the city gate on the south side of the urn city.

Bandake stood beside him.

And on the ramp below the urn city gate in front of him, there were still many skeleton warriors holding their decaying halberds, opening their jaws and letting out soundless roars.

This was not a bluff.

The blue soul flames in their eyes flickered.

The halberds in their hands also swung forward heavily. This was a basic tactical move. These undead that still had basic biological instincts used it as skillfully as in their previous lives.

The Iron Gate made of cast iron and the 20-centimeter thick log gate let out muffled sounds.

These skeletons wanted to come in.

But it was obvious.

Kant and the soldiers stationed at the gate did not welcome this group of undead that only had skeletons left.

No one would like a group of dead people who should have died and slumbered in the mausoleum. They would stand up, bring along rotten old things, and appear as skeletons or zombies. Yes, no one would like that!

The first impression was often the most important, and many people would maintain this for a long time.

And the undead had precisely the worst first impression.

No one would feel good if they saw a dead body rise again.

Moreover, these undead were truly terrifying on the outside. They hated the living. They did not possess any means of communication. They even spread disease and pestilence, and a bone-chilling cold!

Just look at the dark and evil curtain of death outside the Oasis Lookout.

Even the sun disk could barely hold on.

If it wasn't for the help of such a strange object that contained extremely positive energy, the Oasis Lookout would have long been enveloped by the evil and darkness. It would have been devoured by the terrifying undead under the cold, disease, and other negative buffs.

Perhaps in the end, even its own body would become a part of the undead, becoming a member of the undead army.

"Just thinking about it makes me feel embarrassed."

Kant spoke softly, a hint of gloominess flashed in his eyes.

He looked at the large number of skeleton warriors and skeleton soldiers below, and there was an extreme depression between his brows. "Now that we are surrounded by these terrifying undead, we are already in an embarrassing situation."

"Of course."

Bandake nodded. "It looks like that on the surface."

Kant frowned. "Do you have a good idea?"

"I don't." Bandake shrugged. "My lord, on the other hand, if the undead want to attack the city, they don't have a good plan either. Even if they can attack the city wall, what can they do?"

"Yes." Kant pondered for a bit and did not answer. He understood what Bandake meant.

These undead were not enough to threaten the city wall.

Even if they were attack a certain point like they expected, using the skeletons of the skeleton warriors and soldiers to build a ramp that allows the following troops to charge up the city wall, it would not be a big deal.

Because Kant still had infantry troops stationed on the city wall.

For example, there were 1,000 Swadian footman and 3,000 civilians who could be recruited as armed militia at any time!

As for the main force of the undead, which was the skeleton warriors, not to mention the Swadian footman who was wearing a full set of mail armor, holding a sword, shield, and lance, even if they were wearing leather armor, the militia who were holding spears and warhammers could form a neat formation and easily kill them in a frontal attack.

Even the strong civilians who were holding long scythe, wearing normal linen robes, and wearing leather hat could easily kill four to six skeleton warriors if they tried their best!

The ability to fight alone was not an advantage of the undead.

Of course, even if it was a group battle, the undead would not be able to do it. It was not their advantage.

It was a constant battle of attrition.

It was the advantage of the undead for doing everything they could to drag the enemy into this endless battle of attrition.

It consumed resources, stamina, morale, faith, time, soldiers, soldiers, and everything else that could be used to exhaust the enemy to death.

This was the advantage of the undead. After the opponent was exhausted to death, new soldiers would reappear due to the characteristics of the undead.

It was still an endless undead army.

The endless consumption continued.

Just like now, Kant, who was surrounded by the undead, had been dragged into a battle of attrition by the undead.

The battle that lasted for two days and two nights did not stop. The tireless undead continued to attack crazily. They knocked on the iron gate and thick wooden city gates ceaselessly, making clanging sounds.

By this time, everyone was already familiar with this sound, and even numb to it.

This was the battle of the undead's attrition.

It had already consumed a large number of arrows, exhausted their stamina, and at the same time, also consumed their morale and faith.

Kant turned his head.

On the city wall, the elite Veruga marksman was already resting. He was sitting at the back with his eyes closed to rest.

Even the level 3 Swadian crossbowmen were already lying lazily on the city wall. They were bored to death as they watched the skeletons below the city wall knock on the city gate in vain. They would only occasionally shoot an arrow to kill the fiercest ones for fun.

It had only been two days and two nights, and everyone had already lost a large amount of faith.

After all, they were all living people.

Even the desert bandits who were waiting below were only walking back and forth with their desert horses. They were not like before, riding their warhorse in an awe-inspiring manner and galloping around quickly to inspect any abnormalities.

"Drondheim" castle was currently extremely safe. Even if it was in an encirclement status, it was still extremely safe.

But this safety was not easy.

It was not an almost numb relaxation!

Kant narrowed his eyes slightly and said in a deep voice, "Banfake."

"Here."

Bandake instantly replied.

"This can not go on," Kant said.

Looking around at the endless skeleton warriors that occupied most of the Oasis Lookout, Kant said, "I am prepared to launch a counter-attack and wipe out the skeletons that have appeared in front of me."

"You mean... taking the initiative to attack?" Bandake frowned slightly.

"That's right." Kant nodded.

"This is a little dangerous."

Bandake said in a deep voice, "My lord, this requires careful consideration."

"I understand," Kant said. "It is precisely because I have considered it that I have decided on this plan. Wiping out these undead is one of my goals. More importantly, it get everyone back on high alert."

"I understand." Bandake nodded.

Kant waved his hand. "Go and make the arrangements. I need all the light infantrymen to fight."

"Yes!" Bandake bowed and turned to leave the city wall.

Soon, along with the sound of a large number of footsteps, the 1,000 Swadian footman soldiers had already formed up inside the city gate. Each of them held a sword and shield in their hands and were ready for battle. The eyes under the helmets of the infantrymen had regained their luster.

The upcoming close-combat made all the archers on the city wall slightly stunned.

Even the mage apprentices who were resting in the tower walked out.

This was their first time taking the initiative to attack.

"Let's begin."

Kant waved his hand and gave his orders.

As the door shaft let out a slightly sour sound of friction, and as the rotating wheel slowly raised the iron gate, the south side of the city gate immediately opened, allowing these light footmen to enter the urn city.

The urn city was safe, and it could accommodate 1000 people just as well. It was the barrier of the inner city gate.

The archers on the four walls were ready.

When the urn city gate opened, the flood of skeleton warriors would rush in.

And that was the most dangerous moment. If they could not hold on, the urn city gate would fall, causing the entire urn city to fall. Although Kant's troops could take back the urn city, it was still equivalent to defeat.

"Lord Kant, isn't this a bit risky?"

Behind him, Manide, who had rushed over from the east gate, bowed and greeted him. At the same time, he tried to dissuade him, "We haven't reached the limit of our defense. Those skeletons can't do anything to us either. It's not wise to attack rashly."

"No, it's very wise."K ant replied indifferently, "This is also an experience."

"Experience..."

Ma Nide was slightly stunned.

Experience.

Although it was said to be simple, it was actually a fierce battle.

Of course, he understood Kant's meaning. It was to let these 1,000 swadian footman go through a real battle and gain experience. From there, they would miraculously obtain a promotion!

A qualitative change in promotion. A promotion from A Level 3 troop class to A Level 4 troop class!

This was Kant's ultimate goal.

Wiping out the skeletons and rebuilding morale were secondary. Upgrading to a high-level troop class was his goal!

Whether it was the level 4 Swadian infantry or the level 4 Swadian heavy cavalry, they were all powerful elite troops. As long as there were 500 of them, Kant could guarantee that they would be able to kill tens of thousands of skeleton warriors or skeleton soldiers in a head-on battle.

The armored infantry and heavy cavalry were not something that the rotten weapons in the hands of the skeletons could deal damage to.

They probably could not even break through their defenses!

Based on the current situation, those skeleton warriors and skeleton soldiers did not have the strength to do so!

Perhaps the defense of these Swadian footman could not be broken through!

Chapter 360: the Powerful Infantrymen

However, before the gates of the urn city could be opened, the skeleton warriors on the ramps still needed to be cleaned up.

With a slight frown, Kant turned his head and glanced at the towers on both sides. He ordered, "Mage apprentices, use all your strength to cast fireballs. Clean up the area under the ramps so that it is convenient for the troops to enter and exit!"

"Yes!" A messenger immediately received the order and left.

Soon, four mage apprentices appeared on the tower. They raised their staffs and pointed downwards.

As the slightly scorching fireballs burned down, the entire ramp instantly exploded into balls of fire dragons. They whistled and released an infinite amount of heat waves, swallowing the hundreds of skeleton warriors and skeleton soldiers!

The flames burned most of the skeletons, and the scorching fire elements directly corroded the soul fire in the skulls.

In the end, everything calmed down.

The entire slope was only left with a grayish-black smoke.

The countless skeleton warriors behind them did not care at all. They still held their rotten weapons and rushed forward. Obviously, this was not the first time they had seen such a scene. It was not the first time the fireball spell cleared the slope.

However, this fireball spell did not end after it exploded.

The mage apprentices on the tower continued to cast their spells.

Another fireball spell rushed down, but it exploded at the bottom of the slope. The surging fire dragons not only destroyed any skeletons that dared to approach, they also pushed the skeleton warriors that continued to rush over from behind, causing them to fall to the ground!

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh --"

Veruga marksman had already launched their accurate rapid fire.

Cone arrows poured down like a torrential rain on the 5-meter wide and 20-meter long slope, directly blasting away the surviving skeleton warriors' heads, completely clearing up the slope.

For a top-notch marksman, this was simply a piece of cake.

"Now."

Kant's eyes flashed.

He waved his hand forward and ordered in a deep voice, "Open the city gate!"

"Open the city gate!"

Following that, the soldiers in charge of the city gate began to move.

The winch of the iron gate pulled the thick hemp rope and pulled the heavy cast iron gate up. All three bolts on the heavy wooden gate at the bottom were lifted, completely opening the three-meter wide city gate.

Bandake wore chain armor and stood at the front of the orderly formation of Swadian footman.

He was the general who led the troops to attack this time.

"Attack!"

Bandake was the first to take a step forward.

Behind him, the 1,000 Swadian footman formed a five-team formation. They immediately followed up and slowly pushed forward. Both of their hands gripped the standard lance tightly, forming a dense phalanx of long spears.

Especially the light footman at the front. He placed his spear horizontally, and with a step, he pushed forward with his spear.

The tip of the spear was still shining with a cold light under the golden light above their heads.

Facing the skeleton warriors who were temporarily blocked by the crossbowmen and were unable to successfully step onto the ramp, the light footmen crossed the city gate and finally arrived. Their walked faster and faster.

"Stop shooting!"

Kant stretched out his hand and clenched his fist.

The desert bandits at the side all shouted at the same time and quickly passed down the order.

The light infantry soldiers had already entered the ramp and were about to reach the bottom. If they continued shooting, they might accidentally injure their own side. This was because the group of skeleton soldiers sensed that there was finally a human army attacking, and they were all boiling with excitement!

A silent roar sounded out, and the crisp sound of bones colliding with each other reverberated through space.

The soul fire flickered in their eyes.

The rotten halberd and longsword were already tightly gripped by the bones in their hands, and they quickly moved forward, slashing towards the human infantrymen who were also charging towards them. The two sides collided heavily!

"Ka Ka Ka Ka Ka --"

The sound of bones breaking could be heard continuously.

The skeleton warriors on the top floor had not even managed to slash their long halberd. The Swadian footman that were lined up in front of them had already gripped their long spears tightly with both hands, thrusting them down heavily.

The long halberd that intersected with each other instantly broke apart. Even the once magnificent and sturdy ancient armor was directly shattered.

The body that was made up of bones was also pierced through.

To the skeleton warriors that were not made of flesh and blood, although this was not considered a fatal injury, but the Swadian footman's spears instantly shattered their ursturdy structures into pieces, and they turned into a pile of useless bones!

There were even some who had their skulls pierced through by the spear. The soul fire within was completely shattered, allowing the undead to re-enter a state of eternal slumber.

"Kill!"

Bandake's attack was even simpler.

He only waved the knight's sword in his hand, and the blade that was imbued with the power of the underworld easily sliced through the fragile bones, eventually corroding the soul fire within the skull, allowing the undead to return to decaying.

This was not the time to go all out. Teams of Swadian footman rushed down, surrounding the slope to establish a defensive line.

The sturdy fan shield was already placed on his left hand.

It was now a chaotic battle.

The effect of a spear was actually not as good as a spatha sword that could be swung.

And this spatha sword had a shorter attack range, which was equivalent to a shortsword. However, in this chaotic battle environment, it could be swung at a faster frequency, allowing the sharp blade to cut through the rotten weapons and armor, tearing apart the outer shell of the skeleton warriors!

"Immediately arrange for five mage apprentices to enter the battlefield and cast status-type spells!"

On the city wall, Kant gave the order.

Soon, the five mage apprentices who were transferred from the other city walls quickly arrived at the battlefield along with the opening of the urn city gate.

"Sharp metal spell!"

This was the spell they cast.

The front row of the Swadian footman received this spell. As the golden light gathered on the blade of the teutonic sword in their hands, their slashing became easier, and the destructive power they caused was even more terrifying!

Even the skulls of the skeleton warriors could be cut in one strike, just like the sharpest longsword!

"For Lord Kant! For Swadian!"

The light footmen who witnessed the power of the spell cried out.

They lined up neatly in a semicircle. The formation was four layers thick. They faced the attack of the group of skeleton warriors together. However, at their feet, bones had already piled up.

A large number of skeleton warriors and skeleton soldiers were basically cannon fodder, posing no threat to these light infantrymen.

Even if they could use their weapons to hack at these infantrymen, it would not do.

A rotten longsword or halberd would not be able to cut through the mail armor that had passed through the kingdom of Swadia and was strictly supervised. Usually, even if these rotten weapons broke themselves, they would only leave a small mark on the mail armor, and tear apart the linen robe that they were wearing.

However, every time the light infantrymen swung their Germanic swords, the undead skeletons, be it the stronger skeleton warriors or the weaker skeleton soldiers, would be chopped into a pile of broken bones.

Not to mention the heater shield.

Raising their shields to withstand the more fatal attacks, they were even pushing forward.

They moved forward step by step, bypassing the bones that were as deep as their calves. They hacked at the skeletons, turning them into broken pieces. Then, they went from four layers to three layers, or even two layers. They actually managed to kill their way out.

And they even withstood the attacks of the numerous skeletons!

"Very good."

Kant saw it clearly from the top of the city wall.

Below, the ramps outside the urn city gate had already been cleared out into a large area.

Those light infantrymen were like embankments, protecting the fertile fields in the lowlands. They forcefully blocked the waves formed by the skeletons outside, ensuring their safety.

However, the distance that these light infantrymen had extended to had already reached its limit.

Forming two layers side by side was their limit.

The danger of having only one layer of the defensive was too great. If the skeletons broke through at a certain point, it would mean that the entire defensive line had been broken through. Everyone would be met with misfortune. At that time, if they were to retreat in an emergency, it might even turn into a run-away scene!

Even now, they had already sensed the limits of their advancement and began to retreat slowly.

Bandake also ordered them to retreat.

Some of the light infantrymen in the front row were slightly injured, and there were quite a number of them.

After all, there were a lot of skeletons, and they came one after another. No matter what, they could still cause some pain to the exposed skin of the light infantrymen, or even slightly pierce through the mail armor, causing superficial injuries.

In the end, the light infantrymen retreated and once again faced the enemy in a four-layered formation.

Those who were injured rested and healed at the back.

After some simple bandaging and ensuring that their stamina had recovered, they continued to push forward to the front line and fought with all their might.

As for the light infantrymen who had already exhausted their stamina, they would come to the back to rest at this time. If anyone was injured, they would also carry out simple bandaging to ensure that no one would be injured to the point where their life would be threatened.

Moreover, there were mage apprentices. Every time they cast a sharp golden blade, it could last for 20 minutes.

Each person would do it twice a day.

This also happened to be the time for the front and back rows to rotate.

As long as the front row could not hold on any longer, the back row would use the Germanic sword that was reinforced with a sharp golden blade to push forward. They would quickly clean up the weak skeletons and let their companions retreat to the back to rest.

They fought for an hour in front of the ramp, and the number of skeletons piled up was too many.

They even raised the ground!

The light Infantry's defensive line was still not broken through.

"It's about time."

Kant narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at the formation below that was already beginning to shake. He ordered in a deep voice, "Open the city gates, let the heavy cavalry go down and fight on foot. Cover the light infantry and retreat!"

"Yes!" The desert bandits answered and immediately left to convey the order.

Very quickly, 300 heavy cavalry soldiers lined up with shields.

Holding longsword in hand, they quickly walked down the slope and stood in front of the light infantry. They even cut down the skeletons that were swarming over, turning the undead into bones again.

However, this time, they were not advancing, but retreating.

The light infantry supported each other and quickly returned. Under the cover of the heavy cavalry, they easily returned to the inner side of the urn city.

The heavy cavalry also retreated step by step, stabilizing their formation. They retreated back on the ramps and finally returned to the city gates, to the protection of the city.

"Close the city gates!"

Kant ordered.

The cast iron gate that was originally bound by the winch and hung at the top of the city gates was instantly lowered. The heavy iron gate smashed against the city gates, shattering the skeleton warriors that were still rushing over and blocking them out.

However, there were still over 20 skeleton warriors that rushed over.

But the heavy cavalry at the back easily chopped off their skulls with a swing of their sword, scattering them into piles of broken bones that were stacked in front of the city gate.

Chapter 361: The End of Kant's Patience

The thick and heavy city gates were slammed shut, and the undead were completely blocked outside.

The noise persisted.

The knocking on the door was like a ghostly cry.

However, no one cared. After such a long battle, they all wanted to rest.

In other words, they had already been used to the continuous knocking for the past two days and two nights. Other than the archers who were still on guard, no one would even look down at the skeletons below.

Even the Swadian footman who had just gone through a tough battle sat on the ground and rested with a calm expression on their faces.

Occasionally, they would laugh and talk about their heroic fighting methods.

This battle was not considered too harsh.

Perhaps to the light infantry, it was just a little tense.

Compared to the intensity of the battlefield on the continent of Caradia, this battle could only be considered a massacre. A group of well-equipped foot soldiers with excellent battlefield skills slaughtered a group of poorly equipped and weak armed militia.

1,000 light infantrymen were sent out, but no one was killed.

This could explain the problem.

And according to the estimates of the archers on the city walls.

The defensive circle formed by these light infantrymen had withstood the attacks of tens of thousands of undead armies. At the same time, in the close to three hours of battle, they had destroyed close to 30,000 skeleton warriors and skeleton soldiers!

Look at the layers of bones on the ground of the ramp.

All kinds of skeletons were stacked like low walls.

One by one, they were placed right at the defensive line of those light infantrymen.

Looking from the top of the city wall, one could clearly feel that the terrain of that area was much more intense than ordinary places.

Even the groups of skeleton warriors and skeleton soldiers that stood at that area were almost half a body taller. It was as if they were standing on a viewing platform, but they still could not see the scenery of the city wall at the top of the cliff.

The cliff that had appeared was 10 meters high.

The city wall of "Drondheim" was also 10 meters high.

Although the 20-meter slope was more gentle than the city gate on the 10-meter cliff, it was useless even if they climbed up the gentle slope after locking the city gate.

Because the towers and arrow towers on both sides of the city gate were enough to release accurate long-range fire on the slope.

Regardless of whether it was arrows, crossbows, or spells.

Any enemy target on the ramps was equivalent to a living target!

However, the current skeletons did not even qualify as targets. The archers on the city wall didn't want to waste their arrows. Instead, they leaned against the edge of the city wall, laughing and chatting.

Occasionally, when they got bored or when they're making a bet, they would pull out their arrows and fire at the skeletons.

The crazy rapid shooting at the beginning was no where to be seen.

Since they had the geographical advantage, they did not need to be nervous.

Drondheim's castle had all kinds of supplies, including food and water. If they wanted to, they could live here for almost a year without any external supplies.

However, whether or not they could really live like this depended on Kant.

And as the Supreme Lord...

The new overlord of the Nahrin Desert.

The absolute ruler of the Oasis Lookout.

Kant would never live like this, let alone stay here for a year!

Drondheim's castle was now surrounded by an army of the undead, trapped in the Nahrin Desert. Even if Kant controlled the stone pass and Aaron City, it was impossible for reinforcements to arrive.

If the Dukedom of Leo knew about this place, they would be eager to let Kant and the undead fight to their deaths.

Aaron City in the Senwaya range did not have the ability to send troops.

Although it was a city of the Rhodoks people...

The current development was still focused on construction. There were not enough people to send reinforcements. Even if they were to send reinforcements, the troops of RHodoks, who could cross the desert to come here, would be helpless against the curtain of death.

At that time, Kant had personally experienced the power of the curtain of death.

Only extraordinary strength could withstand it.

Without positive energy, it was an insurmountable chasm for ordinary troops!

Being enveloped by the curtain of death, which contained all kinds of negative buffs, even top-notch Rhodoks soldiers would become sick and weak. Eventually, they would fall to the ground and be killed by the most lowly skeleton soldiers!

However, this was not the case in a normal environment.

Rhodoks who was wearing double-layer heavy chain armor and a suit of iron-scale armor and leather lining, holding a long-handled axe and warhammer at his waist, and equipped with a heavy broad shield, would have no problem defeating a 100-man team of skeleton soldiers by himself!

This set of equipment coupled with his sturdy and strong body that was like a rock.

He could be said to be invincible in infantry combat!

In the class of level 5 infantrymen, even a level 5 veteran Nord warrior who was also good at infantry combat was not their opponent.

Even the strongest level 6 Nord royal guards could withstand them for a long time!

The most crucial point.

Was still that deep darkness, with that incomparably evil curtain of death!

Kant stood on the city wall and stared. Of course, he could sense that the curtain of death in front of him was almost covering the sky and the sun. The curtain was estimated to be covering more than half of the Nahrin Desert.

Or perhaps it was not so. It only covered the Oasis Lookout.

But Kant, who had not rushed out of the darkness, did not know how much it covered.

"My Lord."

Bandake walked up the city wall.

Looking at Kant staring at the darkness outside, he said, "We can go out and take a look. Just these low-grade skeletons will not be able to stop us."

What he was talking about was naturally an army that was armed with extraordinary powers.

For example, the royal knights of the Kingdom of Swadia.

Or the lion knights of the Kingdom of Sarrandia.

And the mages of the Enfath Empire!

If all these powers were gathered together, there would definitely be no problem for them to charge out of the curtain of death that was surrounded by these skeletons. After all, these were all super elites!

Moreover, Kant had the help of Bandake, the underworld apostle.

This was also the reason why Bandake dared to directly bring up this suggestion to Kant.

Just a mere skeleton.

It was not enough to keep all of them!

"Wait."

Kant frowned slightly.

He did not agree with Bandake's suggestion. Instead, he said in a deep voice, "Let these light infantrymen rest. Tomorrow, we will arrange for them to continue fighting. You will continue to lead the team."

"This... I understand." Bandake nodded.

"Yes." Kant let out a sigh of relief.

The feeling of being surrounded was indeed not good.

Especially being surrounded by such a group of strangely shaped and terrifying undead, it made his mood even more depressed.

However, Kant was still waiting.

He was waiting for the transformation of these 1,000 Swadian footman.

This battle was not considered tragic, but the number of skeleton warriors killed was extremely high. Basically, it could allow nearly half of the light infantrymen to level up. If they were to do it twice more, it was estimated that all of the light infantrymen would be able to level up without a problem.

Right outside the castle, hundreds of thousands of skeleton warriors were crowding around, trying to rush in.

Kant wanted to capture all of them in one go!

Gather all the troops.

With the current 1,300 heavy cavalry as the main force, they would sweep through the undead that occupied the Oasis Lookout!

As Kant's orders were carried out by Bandake, and very soon, the entire "Drondheim" castle began to move again. Many light infantrymen were given timely treatment and rest. Then, they continued to engage in fierce battles for the next two days.

Of course, rather than saying it was a fierce battle, it was more like a painful massacre.

Groups of skeleton warriors were killed.

The ground was covered with white bones.

The decayed and tattered ancient weapons and ancient armor had been turned into fragments and scattered everywhere.

Outside the entire ramp, there was a layer of bones nearly three-meter-high, which were made of skeletons. As a result, the light infantrymen who stepped on them made creaking sounds.

In these two days, the skeleton warriors of Oasis Lookout had been massacred.

Close to 100,000 skeletons had fallen at the southeast two city gates.

The 1,000 light infantrymen were exhausted, but no one was injured. They continued to squat in their own positions in the urn city. They were so tired that they were gasping for breath. The Germanic swords in their hands were already unsteady.

They were really too tired. Such a cruel and high-frequency battle made their bodies unable to take it.

Their arms were extremely sore.

Their spirits were already quite weak.

Moreover, the linen outer layer on their bodies was tattered like Beggar's clothing.

The mail armor inside was damaged. Some of them were even holding onto their bleeding wounds. There was a hint of fear in their eyes. It was obvious that their morale had reached its limit.

"As expected of the undead."

Kant was still standing at the top of the city wall.

He looked at the light infantry troops that were swaying left and right under the urn city. They no longer had much discipline left, and a deep fear appeared in his eyes. He could not help but say in a deep voice, "As expected of the natural disaster of death..."

"This is the advantage of the undead." Bandake nodded.

The fierce battle for a few days was exhausting.

Although there were many skeletons that died in the battle.

During the intense battle, the stamina, morale, and faith of the light infantrymen had reached their limits.

If Kant were to send these 1,000 light infantrymen into battle, they would definitely suffer even more casualties due to the stamina they had expended and the painful wounds on their bodies.

There would even be a degree of collapse due to the tragic casualties and the unstable formation of the troops.

They were all living people.

They were far from the painless NPC soldiers in the game system.

They had their own emotions, their own thoughts, their own fears, and their own physical and mental limitations.

They could launch a desperate counterattack against the enemy with high morale, but they could also be in low spirits. With an absolute advantage in numbers, they would be defeated by a small number of exceptionally elite enemy soldiers in one blow.

"However, I have the advantage of having a foundation."

Kant's lips curled up slightly.

The war of attrition with the undead might be enough to drag any enemy to death.

But for him, a supreme lord with the entire world as his foundation, playing a war of attrition with him was too laughable. It was simply impossible to achieve!

His thoughts instantly communicated with the system. The dialog box was already floating on Kant's retina.

At the same time, his mind had already given orders to the system.

"Level up..."

"Swadian man-at-arms!"

His patience was over.

Chapter 362: Sweeping Up the Dead

Kant did not have much patience to begin with.

Towards the undead, Kant desired more than anything in his heart to destroy them quickly, from the source.

But the reason why he contracted the defensive line and relied on the castle to defend was because he was afraid of the high-level power hidden within the undead, which was once some relics left behind from the ancient times!

For example, the demons of the abyss that they had seen in the underground of the Senwaya Range.

Or the undead pope.

These were the people Kant was wary of and worried about!

These old fellows, the power of the ancient relics, could still be preserved even after ten thousand years. Even if they were extremely weak, they were still a threat to Kant.

A great threat!

That was why Kant remained vigilant.

The final goal of sending out the Swadian footman was to train the troops.

But there was another hidden goal, and that was to test them!

To test whether these old fogeys were around, apart from the skeleton warriors and skeleton soldiers, whether there were any stronger undead troops, whether they could pose a threat to them, and so on.

It was obvious that Kant's plan was not a complete success.

The training was considered a success.

These 1,000 heavily injured and exhausted Swadian footman had already met the requirements for level up.

Kant had sent these troops to destroy close to 100,000 skeleton warriors and skeleton soldiers in these three days. They had even destroyed more than half of the remaining undead skeletons in the Oasis Lookout.

However, the higher-level undead troop class did not appear. They were still hidden in the thick black fog.

Not to mention the high-level undead.

Even the skeleton cavalry and the death knights did not appear.

These two types of undead cavalry were the undead troop that Kant remembered.

However, after clearing out more than half of the skeleton warriors and soldiers, and wiping out all the undead infantrymen that invaded the Oasis Lookout, these undead cavalry that belonged to the mobility of the undead had yet to appear.

They were like poisonous snakes hidden in the curtain of death.

They were still lurking and waiting.

As long as Kant showed a little weakness, they would pounce on him viciously and directly destroy him.

"Is this the plan?"

Kant's lips curled up slightly.

But his eyes were unusually cold.

Glancing at the dense curtain of death around him, the dialog box in his eyes popped out and was then erased. He turned his head to look at the wall of the urn city. The huge number of troops broke free from the data stream, and the smile on his lips curled up even more.

"The supreme lord of Caradia! A saint comparable to a god! Lord Kant!"

Cheers sounded from below.

The heavy cavalry wearing chain armor, leather armor, linen robes, and capes took off the flat helmets on their heads and leaned on their long spears. They looked at the figure standing on the wall with fanatical expressions.

They almost knelt in unison. Even the warhorse beside them, who was also wearing chain armor, slowly lowered its head.

"We salute you!"

The unified cheers resounded throughout the entire urn city.

That high morale instantly rushed out with a fearless aura.

The originally exhausted Swadian footman had disappeared without a trace.

What was left now were the Swadian man-at-arms, who had high morale, were full of energy, and were extremely vigorous. They were the Level-4 cavalry from the Kingdom of Swadia. They were the Level-4 cavalry with the best defense in the entire continent of Caradia and the strongest charging force.

These were the 1,000 Swadian man-at-arms!

"Alright."

Kant nodded and slowly stretched out his hand.

He raised his hand.

He made the group of heavy cavalry, who were half-kneeling and extremely respectful, stand up.

Looking at the fanaticism in their eyes, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. He understood what the group of heavy cavalry wanted to do, because this was exactly what he wanted to do. They were telepathically connected.

"Men!"

Kant ordered in a low voice, "Bring my flag and horn!"

"Yes!" A desert bandits responded and left quickly. In the tower of the inner city gate not far away, at the temporary command post of the south gate, they brought these two strange objects and handed them to Kant.

The red-bottomed golden lion instantly fluttered in the wind, waving.

Kant held it with one hand.

The horn that was also engraved with the red-bottomed golden lion was pinned on his waist.

He held the king's sword with his left hand. A faint golden light spread through his body along with his palm and communicated with the king's power in his body. In an instant, it became even more powerful. It even made his body burst out with a ball of golden light that seemed to be invisible but was like a strange phenomenon, it made him look like the supreme king that came from the legends!

In reality, Kant was the supreme king at this moment. He had already grasped the power of a king and the king's sword. He was the king that all the forces in the world had to pay their respects to!

Even on his chest, there was a majestic lion medal pinned on it.

[ intimidation ] , [ commanding power ] , and [ lion knight medal ]

Kant's three great items were complete!

He waved his hand at the same time and ordered loudly, "Convey my orders. All royal knights, knights, heavy cavalry, and light cavalry, arrive at the urn city within 15 minutes. Form up!"

"Yes!" All the desert bandits immediately turned around and left.

The sound of horse hooves rang out.

Not too long later, the urn city was already filled with cavalry.

Due to the limited space, these cavalry were all on their warhorse, looking at Kant who was at the top of the city wall. They clenched their weapons and already had a guess about what would happen next.

Such a large number of cavalry, it was almost all of Kant's forces combined!

50 royal knights, 200 knights, 1,300 heavy cavalry, 1,000 desert bandits.

Kant had already walked down the city wall.

The Swadian army horse, which was covered in a chainmail and red and yellow velvet, had already been led over.

As the Lord, the highest commander of this attack, Kant also wore double layers of heavy chainmail. Coupled with the velvet robe and the helmet with a golden crown embedded, he looked extremely valiant and awe-inspiring.

This was the attire of the Supreme Lord.

Bandake was also riding a horse at the side.

However, he was wearing a grayish-black armor with a bit of black fog pervading it. Even the warhorse under him was spewing out black fog with sparks. Clearly, it was a underworld nightmare and not a human warhorse.

Just by looking at the warhorse, one could know the power of this underworld nightmare.

Other than Kant and the royal knights, who had extraordinary powers and could stabilize the warhorse under them to keep them calm, the other warhorses did not dare to look at this underworld nightmare. As long as they looked at it or approached it, they would shake their heads anxiously, they could not help but walk to the side.

The underworld nightmare had the ability to intimidate living beings. Not to mention warhorses, even ordinary humans with weak minds would be affected by it, causing extreme panic and even the act of fleeing.

Of course, now that it was controlled by Bandake, it had already suppressed the characteristics of this underworld nightmare to the minimum.

"Lord Kant."

Bandake reported, "Everything is ready."

Kant nodded, "Yes, very good."

He looked up at the urn city gate that was about to open. He glanced at Manide, who had already arrived at the south city gate and was surrounded by a group of lion knights. He nodded lightly and said, "I'll leave this place to you."

"Understood!"

Manide nodded solemnly and said solemnly, "I'll do my best."

Kant said, "Okay."

It was a pity that Jocelyn had already led the trade caravan out and had not returned yet.

Otherwise, with Manide and Jocelyn guarding the city gate together, there would not be any problems in Drondheim Castle. However, even now, with Manide in charge of guarding the castle, there would not be any abnormalities.

After all, the geographical advantage here was too good.

If they wanted ordinary troop class soldiers, they wouldn't even be able to pile up. Even a million soldiers wouldn't be afraid!

"Open the gate!"

Kant didn't think too much and waved his hand forward.

As the winch and the latch were opened, the world outside the gate instantly appeared in front of everyone's eyes.

"Advance!" Kant rode on his horse, the king's sword in his hand instantly unsheathed. As the golden light flashed, the dozen or so skeleton warriors who wanted to rush in when the gate was opened were instantly turned into bones by the golden light!

Behind him, Bandake and the royal knights followed Kant's figure closely.

Including the knights and the even more shocking number of heavy cavalry, they all spurred their horses to follow.

A path paved with bones instantly appeared, and a huge pressure swept out. The king's power erupted, and as the golden light flashed, a large number of skeleton warriors were killed, leaving only a pile of rotten bones that were crushed into bone fragments by the horseshoes!

They charged down the slope with ease.

More and more skeleton warriors and skeleton soldiers gathered.

However, Kant and the royal knights were like sharp sword tips, easily piercing through all the skeleton warriors who dared to approach. No matter how many of the enemies there were, or how thick the formation was, they were directly penetrated through!

Even the countless knights and heavy cavalry at the rear could use the momentum to directly crush those skeletons!

A sweeping sweep!

Stronger than when the light infantry showed up.

At the time, after all, the light infantry was only defending the perimeter of the ramps, not a complete tactical assault.

These heavy cavalry formed a group, wantonly interspersed the charge, with no flag and no horn, they crushed an entire field of skeletons by simply relying on the medal to shorten the charge distance characteristic.

"Kaboom, kaboom, kaboom, kaboom, kaboom, kaboom, kaboom, kaboom, kaboom, kaboom, kaboom --"

Horseshoes beat around the castle of Drondheim.

The entire Oasis Lookout was ringing with this enormous flood-like sound.

Countless skeletons were swept flat, was horseshoes directly stepped into the sand, directly stepped on the ground, adding a few white bones of the rotten residue, as if endless life once died here.

Kant did not care at all. He led this huge heavy cavalry unit and charged around the Oasis Lookout.

They were cleaning up any skeletons that appeared.

In the end, the entire oasis was almost flattened by them.

Other than a few skeleton warriors that occasionally appeared in the curtain of death at the edge of the golden light, the entire oasis was already clean of the skeleton warriors. They were all cleaned up by Kant and his troops!

Even the skeletons in the date palm forest were killed by the desert bandits that belonged to the light cavalry.

Chapter 363: The Blooming of the Sun Disc

Desert bandits rode their horses skillfully through the gaps of the date palm tree.

They waved their machetes, and the sharp blades sliced through the decaying skull. At the moment of contact, the entire skull was torn apart, along with the soul fire inside. They used brute physical force to destroy the absolute vital points of the undead.

The scattered bones were laid out in the date palm forest.

All the skeleton warriors and skeleton soldiers had been cleaned up by the light cavalry.

Only Kant and his troops were left in the entire Oasis Lookout.

There were also bone fragments everywhere!

However, Kant did not underestimate them because he could feel that within the dense black fog, an extreme evil was hiding within. As the undead troops in the Oasis Lookout were cleaned up, it became restless.

That was the true main force of the undead. It was the absolute trump card of this group of undead that dared to expand so recklessly!

"Come."

Kant looked towards the north with a calm expression.

There was a hint of restlessness in his eyes. Right now, he was not afraid of any enemies that might appear. Instead, he was looking forward to the undead that were hiding and had yet to appear to gather together to fight a decisive battle with him!

Whoever won this battle would be able to directly obtain the supremacy of the Nahrin Desert!

That was why he desired to fight a decisive battle!

Moreover, he had a trump card.

Right ahead, within the dense black fog, as if sensing Kant's thoughts, a strange sound gradually appeared.

It was like the sound of horse hooves, becoming denser and denser. At the same time, the sound grew louder and louder, like footsteps on cloth. Although it became louder and louder, the sound carried a dull sense of heaviness.

The aura of death was heavy. The skeleton cavalry from the undead finally appeared!

Pieces of blue soul fire.

Or rather...

It should be a group of skeleton cavalry. They walked out from the black fog condensed by the curtain of death.

The sound of horse hooves hitting the sand was dull. They wore the same decaying armor, held the same decaying weapons, rode a skeleton warhorse with flickering soul fires.

The two sides confronted each other along the edge of the golden light and the black fog.

"There are a lot of them."

Bandake came over and said softly, "Over ten thousand."

"Yes." Kant nodded.

The group of skeleton cavalry in front of them formed into a regular rectangular square.

It was a dark mass.

Looking carefully into the depths of the black fog, the faintly discernible figures added to the terror of the group of skeleton cavalry.

It was hard to tell how many there were.

Even in the golden light, the skeleton cavalry that had already entered the Oasis Lookout had already exceeded 8,000 in number. The forest-like long lance was like a dense forest. Even though it was a rotten black color, it still carried a cruel killing intent.

This was a group of knights formed by the descendants of the gods, one of the backbone forces of the gods in ancient times.

After ten thousand years.

They had turned into evil undead skeletons and reappeared in this world as the dead!

"However, the world now is not as you know it."

Kant's lips curled up.

These undead finally brought out their main force.

This was exactly what he wanted to see. Even if he was at a disadvantage in terms of military strength, he was not afraid of the upcoming decisive battle, when the cavalry charged together!

"Are we going to charge?"

Bandake asked.

"Wait." Kant shook his head. "Now is not a good time."

Bandake shrugged. "Wait for them to come out?"

"That's right."

The corner of Kant's mouth curled up. "Wait for them to come out."

Although he was facing more and more skeleton cavalry, Kant was really fearless.

Even Bandake was not nervous. There was only a hint of solemnity in his eyes. Towards the remaining enemies in the curtain of death, he was tactically facing them head on.

In terms of strategy, one could look down on the enemy.

But in terms of tactics...

One definitely had to use one's full strength to catch a rabbit!

Furthermore, even the Swadian man-at-arms were armed to the teeth. As long as they activated their charging status and faced the enemy head-on, they could be said to be invincible!

No matter how many of these skeleton cavalry soldiers there were, they were still fearless. In their charging status, the heavy cavalry would not be intercepted so easily. Even if they were holding an 8-meter long lance, they would not mind being crushed by the heavy cavalry!

As long as the terrain was suitable, the heavy cavalry soldiers in their charging status could really do whatever they wanted!

And here.

Kant's Oasis Lookout.

The battlefield he had chosen for the decisive battle.

The terrain was extremely suitable!

His two legs knocked lightly on the horse's abdomen. Kant's gaze was fixed on the increasing number of skeleton cavalry in front of him.

His face was calm. Not only was there not the slightest hint of fear in his eyes, there was even a hint of mockery. Even if the skeleton cavalry slowly walked out of the curtain of death, including the death cavalry that gradually appeared among the cavalry, there was still a hint of mockery in their eyes.

It was as if victory was within their grasp!

"I have a trump card."

Kant muttered softly.

The warhorse beneath him stepped forward, leading the royal knights, knights, and heavy cavalry behind him as they advanced together.

A thick, heavy, awl-shaped lance had already been erected.

Most of them were the military spears in the hands of the heavy cavalry. They stood erect like thin poles in the woodland, including the 2.5-meter long lance in the hands of the desert bandits. The whole thing looked like a lush forest of vegetation.

In terms of momentum, the Kant's army, which had less than 3,700 soldiers, was no weaker than the tens of thousands of skeleton cavalry!

In the face of strong quality...

If it was not an absolute advantage in numbers, it would be useless!

The group of skeleton cavalry was getting closer and closer.

They had completely occupied the territory of almost all the Oasis Lookout in front of Kant. Even the entire castle of Drondheim had been mobilized because of the large number of skeleton cavalry.

Eighty percent of the Veruga archers and the Swadian archers had already arrived at the northern city wall.

Including the civilians.

They were all nervously waiting for orders.

Perhaps the consequences they had considered were a little bad, but as long as the Kant cavalry at the bottom suffered a setback, these civilians would turn into armed militia with a spear in their hands and rush out, using their lives to support their supreme lord.

This was their duty as subjects, as armed militia, to choose loyalty!

But they had thought too much.

Just as this group of civilians gathered together, the golden disk above their heads also started to move slightly.

The sun disk was adjusting its position. The huge disk was originally suspended 50 meters above the sky, like a small sun that was emitting golden light, allowing the endless streams of light to circulate within the sacred sun pattern.

Now, at the center of the sun disk, the point where countless sacred sun patterns gathered had already been aimed at the north side.

It was like a single eye.

Round.

An eye that was formed by the sacred pattern array.

Perhaps it was the gaze that once represented the sun god, the majesty of the sun god, and was the most supreme of holiness.

But now, with Kant's intention, this divine eye was finally aimed at the group of skeleton cavalry that was slowly appearing in the north and gradually pressing down on them.

Kant's lips curled up slightly. This was his trump card.

It was also where his confidence lay.

[ special effect 5 purification pulse: after miraculous repair, the sun disc can release a pulse containing extremely positive energy once a week, purifying any target and erasing it in the world. Remark: extremely powerful, please use it with caution. ]

And just as the number of skeleton cavalry increased.

The Death Knights also appeared.

The aura of death permeated into the golden light and began to spread towards Kant and the others.

Finally, the sun bloomed!

"Come!"

Kant instantly inhaled.

The slightly cool air entered his lungs, and then the king's sword in his hand, which he was already holding tightly, moved forward. The warhorse under him had a tacit understanding, and with a neigh, it moved forward at high speed. "All charge!"

Behind him, 50 Royal Knights, 300 knights, 1,300 heavy cavalry, and 2,000 desert bandits also charged forward.

The neighing of the warhorse continued.

However, it was soon covered by the sound of a flood.

"Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom --"

The sound of horse hooves rang out.

The entire Oasis Lookout seemed to be shaking.

The rocks built by the nearby "Drondheim" castle were trembling slightly.

The cavalry group, which was mainly composed of heavy cavalry, began to charge forward. The mighty flood finally broke through the dam and began to break through all obstacles in a short period of time. They began to charge further into the distance as far as they could.

This was a sweep!

However, in the midst of this sweeping wave, the golden light became even more dazzling.

"Purification Pulse."

Kant's system of telepathic communication.

With his determination, a power that seemed to have come from ancient times, belonging to the Sun God, finally appeared.

On the huge sun disk above his head, a golden light suddenly bloomed. All the engravings on the disk were instantly filled with the golden light formed by positive energy. Finally, all the engravings were fully charged in just a dozen breaths.

"Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom --"

Kant and his heavy cavalry troops had also entered the status of charging!

The medal on his chest shone with a soft light.

The flag held high in the hands of the royal knights at the side fluttered in the wind.

"Wu --"

The horn was blown.

The morale of the many cavalry soldiers was boosted.

However, right above their heads, a slender golden light appeared in an instant, piercing through the black fog in the north, piercing through the thick curtain of death, and finally rushing further north.

However, this was not the end.

It was just the beginning.

That slender golden light was only as thick as a thumb, and looked like a thin embroidery needle from the bottom.

However, right after that, on the sun disk, the eye-like pattern array instantly turned bright, and boundless positive energy gathered. An incomparable might finally descended in this space.

"Hu --"

The 20-meter-thick golden light turned into a pulse and instantly rushed out along the direction of the slim golden light.

The power was endless.

The positive energy gathered, rolled, and blossomed!

Even the void was stirred up by the scorching positive energy, raising waves of high temperature.

But right before Kant and the others'charge, the originally dense curtain of death was dispersed just like that. The entire world seemed to have entered the morning of dawn once again, and the Sun in the sky had already enveloped it once more.

This included the group of skeleton cavalry that were beginning to burn and shatter due to the endless positive energy!

Chapter 364: Special Death Knight

The mighty positive energy formed an unparalleled pulse, instantly sweeping across the northern horizon.

The thick and solid curtain of death could not be blocked, and was dispersed by this purifying pulse. The terrifying power swept across the earth and the sky, thoroughly sweeping away all evil.

This included the skeleton cavalry.

Although this unparalleled purifying pulse did not directly rush towards them.

However, the elemental storm formed by the overflowing positive energy had similarly caused the skeletal cavalry to suffer heavy injuries!

Other than the Death Knights who had negative energy to control, these ordinary skeleton cavalry that only had soul fire to control their skeletal bodies were instantly swept up by the elemental storm. Golden flames rose up as they burned and scattered into bone fragments!

Tens of thousands of skeleton cavalry were directly destroyed!

More and more skeleton cavalry were self-destructing in the golden light!

But..

These undead that suffered heavy losses..

They were still facing the heavy cavalry group that Kant had initiated and entered the peak of their charging status!

"Let us charge in!"

Kant pointed his king's sword forward.

The horseshoes hit the ground heavy, and a flood-like sound could be heard. A mass of lances that were held upright just now were slowly lowered as the distance between the two sides closed in.

The sharp and sturdy spearhead was pointed forward, and under their right armpit was a spear shaft, leveled with the horse's head.

It was the same for everyone.

Then.

With a whistling sound, they charged into the formation of the skeleton cavalry that had already been pierced through.

They pierced through the sun disc above their heads, leaving behind a passage that led directly to the north. With a roar, they spurred their horses to gallop wildly, and with their absolute charging status, they charged past all the enemies!

"Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom --"

The flood surged.

The heavy cavalry was unstoppable as they charged through everything.

A large number of skeleton cavalry could not block them at all. With their decaying skeletons' bodies, they couldn't even cause the slightest obstruction to the heavy cavalry in their charging status.

Groups of skeleton cavalry were turned into broken bones.

Countless pale blue soul flames were trampled by the horseshoes into tiny flames that scattered in all directions.

Even if the skeleton cavalry counterattacked, mechanically and fearlessly brandishing the rotten longsword or lance in their hands, knocking the occasional heavy cavalry or desert bandits off their horses, they would not pose the slightest threat to this charge.

This was because the heavy cavalry group in their charging status would not stop because of such a small matter.

And no one could stop in such a status.

Warhorse whistled.

The heavy cavalry that fell off their warhorse was directly trampled by the comrades behind them.

They did not feel any pain because in an instant, they turned into debris, fresh blood and flesh mixed with ancient skeletons. Then, they were trampled on solid sand and turned into nutrients for the Oasis Lookout.

Nutrients that could make the vegetation of the next year grow even more luxuriant!

How could war not kill people.

These brave riders from the continent of Caradia had long been prepared to sacrifice themselves.

And if they sacrificed under the banner of the Supreme Lord, Lord Kant, they would receive a brand new honor. Even if they died in battle, there would still be a supreme existence to help them achieve a new life.

Although no one said it explicitly, it was something that could be sensed in the unseen world!

Hence, their charge was almost fearless.

Even though the skeletal cavalry were charging at them with their lance, they still charged forward without fear.

The powerful torrent broke through all obstacles, and the skeletal cavalry scattered, turning into pieces under the horseshoes. The entire area of the Oasis Lookout had been penetrated by the heavy cavalry, and they even charging further north!

On the northern side of the Oasis Lookout, the thick curtain of death had been completely destroyed.

The positive energy was still dispersing the evil and cold negative energy.

Even the faint golden light spots fell like a drizzle.

Early morning.

The sky was now a slightly brighter hue.

When Kant and the others had broken through all the obstructing skeletal cavalry, broke through the cavalry group formed by the entire skeletal cavalry, and broke through the barrier of the curtain of death, they saw the early morning.

Half of the sun's body was exposed on the horizon.

A dazzling light pierced straight at them like a spear.

In a short moment, the dim light of the sky was dyed into daytime by the sunlight.

Just as Kant and the others broke out of the encirclement, they gradually stopped charging among the continuous dune. Under the rising sunlight, the originally dense charging formation gradually dispersed into a group that was suitable for defense.

They broke through the encirclement of the skeleton cavalry, but they still could not relax.

Because right behind them..

There were even more skeleton cavalry turning their horses around and chasing after them!

If it was a normal race's cavalry unit, they would have already been on the verge of collapse after being penetrated by such a direct attack. Not to mention continuing chasing, it would probably be difficult for them to even reorganize their formation.

However, the advantage of the undead was revealed at this very moment.

They had no morale.

They also had no emotions or fear.

They did not have the so-called cowardice or fear!

After receiving the order from the high-level undead general, the skeleton cavalry immediately turned their horses around and regrouped. They continued their pursuit towards Kant and the others, who had already left the oasis lookout.

Even though they were heavily injured, they still had the advantage in numbers in this desert.

There were at least 30,000 of them!

For Kant, who only had less than 3,700 people, including 2,000 light cavalry, this number was enough to crush them.

That's right, it was crushing.

He could simply crush them in the numbers.

However, to Kant, this seemed more like a joke.

A group of rotten skeletons formed the cavalry. Of course, they could be considered light cavalry. In actual combat, they were even inferior to the desert bandits and the real light cavalry. Skeletons without muscles were not considered strong in close combat.

If these skeletons formed a cavalry, they could be considered as a level 3 cavalry.

However, the reason why they became a level 3 cavalry was because the undead did not need to eat or drink and had no physical limitations.

In terms of actual combat strength, it was different.

Even a Level 1 Kujit nomad could fight with a spear and a short bow!

"Undead, their combat strength is really too weak."

The corner of Kant's mouth curled up slightly.

There was a hint of mockery in his eyes.

When the heroic skeleton cavalry charged over, what really caught his attention were those death knights that seemed likencorpses. As the commander and high-end combat strength of the skeleton cavalry, these guys should be on high alert.

"The number is close to 30 people."

Banfake was the first to notice the death knights hidden among the skeleton cavalry.

Kant smiled faintly and said, "A thousand men long."

"That's right."

There were more than 30,000 skeleton cavalry.

According to the military division of the ancient times, the commander of every thousand men was a thousand men long.

For example, for these skeleton cavalry, a thousand men long was the death knights. With these death knights with extraordinary powers as the commander, leading and commanding the skeleton cavalry in battle was also the style of the ancient times.

These death knights were the noble among the god's descendants. They were the upper-class people with the densest god's descendants.

The skeleton cavalry were just ordinary god's descendants.

The hierarchy was strict.

Or it could be said that in the ancient times, the hierarchy had already solidified. It was even more serious than it was now!

The current humans were rumored to have originated from the ancient times of the gods. Otherwise, the two sides would not be so similar. Even the current scholar could decipher the various documents that had been lost in history!

However, the undead that originated from the ancient gods might not be a match for the humans now.

At the very least, they were no match for Kant!

However, there were only 30 death knights representing 30 extraordinary powers.

And in Kant's current heavy cavalry group, there were a total of 50 royal knights, a total of 50 extraordinary powers!

There were also 200 knights and 1,300 heavy cavalry that were fully armed with horses and men. In addition, there were also 2,000 desert bandits that were flapping their wings behind them and similarly charged forward with spears in their hands. They were like knight attendants!

"Charge!"

Kant swung his king's sword forward, and the rumbling sound appeared once again.

The hooves of the warhorse hit the layer of sand that had not completely thawed. The Berserk cavalry group began a new charge. With the help of the mysterious force, they entered the peak of their charging status in a very short period of time.

It was still a crushing defeat.

A crushing blow on every level!

No skeleton cavalry could withstand the charge of the knights and heavy cavalry.

Even if there were fish that escaped the net, they would be continued to be harvested by the desert bandits behind them with their machetes and spears.

But more of them were still shattered!

Their entire skeleton body was shattered, and the soul fire was trampled out by the horseshoes.

The Death Knights were also unable to stop this situation. 30 of these Death Knights that contained dense negative energy were heavily injured in a very short period of time by the royal knights who had already targeted them.

It was basically a two versus one situation.

It did not take long for the Death Knights' fearless counterattack to pose a slight threat to the heavy cavalry.

These Death Knights, who had already fallen in the ancient times and had been resurrected by the power of the undead, had completely turned into dregs. Together with the skeleton cavalry, they were trampled on the sand, and their soul flames had already been extinguished.

Even Kant had used his king's sword to kill two Death Knights.

He was a grand knight with two extraordinary powers.

Ordinary Death Knights were not his opponents, but there was a special Death Knight that was somewhat unique. He had temporarily blocked Kant's King's sword.

However, with the help of Bandake, he was also riddled with injuries and was unable to stand on his own.

"Interesting."

Kant was even more at ease.

Around them, Bandake and five royal knights had already surrounded this Death Knight, cutting off its escape routes.

This was what Kant thought was interesting. This Death Knight actually attempted to escape when the battle wasn't going his way, and even brought the surrounding Death Knights and skeleton cavalry with him to alleviate the pressure.

Kant chuckled, "Looks like you and that old guy both have their own wisdom."

"That old guy?"

A hoarse voice came from under the helmet of the surrounded Death Knight.

However, the voice was especially stiff, and the flow of his words carried the charm of the ancient times. Of course, now it sounded more like an opera, "Humans, you have to know that we are back."

Chapter 365: The Ancient Secret

"We have returned."

The Death Knight's words were stiff, almost threatening.

This was the confidence that originated from the ancient times of the gods. After all, they were once upper-class people. Even the ordinary people among the descendants of gods were more honorable than the human kings.

The blood of gods flowed in the bodies of these descendants. It was the release of divinity, the inheritance of the gods' honor!

However, Kant found it funny.

"Hehe."

He even laughed out loud. "You guys are back."

"Hahaha." Beside him, Bandake and the Royal Knights were also laughing.

Even the surrounding knights, the heavy cavalry who were in charge of guarding and forming an encirclement, revealed a smile under their heavy helmets. However, there was not the slightest hint of a smile in their eyes. They were ice-cold, as if they were looking at a dead person.

A real dead person would bd hacked to death by them with no possibility of resurrection!

"You are still enjoying the glory of Father God."

That death knight didn't have any emotions.

However, sensing Kant's contempt, he still felt a hint of anger. "Even though we have fallen into the ranks of the undead, you have to know that as humans, we are still the children of Father God!"

"Oh." Kant stopped smiling and nodded calmly. "I didn't mean to refute you."

The surrounding knights also stopped smiling.

"Humans! Humans! Humans!" The death knights were even more furious. "You bunch of shameless traitors who don't know how to be grateful. Just like your shameful ancestors, you have betrayed the glory of the gods!"

"Yes, continue."

Kant still listened calmly.

But it was this calmness that caused the soul fire in the death knight's eyes to ripple. "Human, what exactly do you want to do? Do you think that now is the time for the revival of all the God's descendants?" His tone was stiff and unusually angry. "Do you know that our main force has gone to the sea of stars? When they return, you will become the most despicable living corpses driven by humiliation!"

"Well, maybe you misunderstood."

Kant smiled. "I didn't mean to refute you at all. I was just listening."

He frowned slightly and put the king's sword back into its scabbard. He turned his head to look at the battlefield that had basically settled down. He shrugged and asked the death knight, "You mean, your main force went to the sea of stars?"

"Heh, I thought you were fearless," the death knight said gloomily. "That's right. They went to conquer the sea of stars to retrieve the artifact that Father God had left behind. As long as we find the artifact, we can use the power contained in it to regain our life and become flesh and blood again!"

Kant asked, "You mean the Mannheim coast, which is occupied by Jackalan and Lizardmen?"

"Those Jackalan and Lizardmen?"

The death knight sneered disdainfully, "These stupid werecreatures slaves are even lower than you humans." The soul fire in his eyes flickered, "Oh, you used to be our personal servants, but after betraying us, your status will be even lower, perhaps even lower than these werecreatures slaves!"

"I see." Kant nodded. "I heard that they developed well in the Mannheim coast."

"They relied on the resources and civilization that we left in the sea of stars!"

The death knight said in a deep voice, "Including you, human beings!" It raised its head and looked at the sun disk suspended high in the sky. Its soul flame flickered. "At that time, we will come back and inherit the glory of Father God!"

"Oh."

Kant nodded.

According to the death knight, he had a general understanding of the current situation.

"Excuse me." Turning the reins, the warhorse under him stepped on the remains of the skeleton cavalry as usual and walked to the side. Kant nodded to Bandake and said, "Send our friends away."

"Yes."

A red light flashed in Bandake's eyes.

As the strongest general of Kant, this underworld apostle clearly understood the meaning of his words.

However, the death knight clearly did not understand Kant's words. Instead, the blue soul fire in its eye sockets surged, it said in a provocative and hoarse voice, "Human, you have finally made the best choice. Now, submit to me, I, the ninth elector of the holy city..."

However, before it could finish, Bandake reached out and interrupted it, "Please wait."

"You!"

The soul fire in the death knight's eyes shook.

Its special vision could already see that Kant had turned around and left without any intention of listening to it.

As for the so-called submission, it was even less so!

The remaining Bandake and the five royal knights who possessed powerful divine powers made it have an ominous premonition in its heart. It was just like when the intelligence of the gods and demons being betrayed by humans during the bloody battle was sent over!

The most important thing was that the loyalty of the humans had to be questioned.

"Are you still unable to differentiate the situation?"

The death knight spoke.

The soul fire in its eyes burned even more fiercely. "The gods are about to return. As the ninth elector of the sacred city, I can inherit a wider territory in the future. As long as you choose to submit to me, then in the future..."

However, Bandake stretched out his hand to stop it from continuing. "Wait, that's enough. You're talking too much."

"It still doesn't understand."

The royal knights also shrugged their shoulders, looking impatient.

They were all impatient.

They had even pulled out the knight's sword by their waists, and their bodies were faintly erupting with that mysterious extraordinary power. It was something that could only be possessed by emperors, and it was a powerful strength that was bestowed upon them!

It was also a variant of positive energy, and it could easily destroy and disperse any negative energy!

"All of you..."

A thick grayish-black fog burst out from the death knight's entire body.

An icy chill that came from the dead instantly swept over. However, to these royal knights who had long been prepared, it did not have the effect that it should have. Instead, they worked together to surround each other, and this death knight was just right in the middle.

It was a dilemma!

"We want to send you away."

Bandake spoke slowly.

On the knight's sword in his hand, drops of black water seemed to condense. As the red glow in his eyes intensified, a tall and sturdy black figure with goat horns on his head slowly appeared behind him.

"Demon remnants from the abyss!" The soul fire in the death knight's eyes revealed hatred and shock.

"Oh."

Bandake shook his head helplessly. "No, no, no, I'm from the Underworld."

"I didn't expect that humans would actually join hands with demons. How ridiculous. Do you really think that these demons will ally with you? They are the most despicable creatures. Betrayal and conspiracies are simply part of daily life. Do you really think that you are the same as demons? "Don't think so highly of yourself. You will regret it!"

The soul fire in the death knight's eyes shook violently, and the harsh words kept coming out of its mouth.

"When we find the lost power of Father God, the bloodline of the gods, which originated from the most glorious ancient times, is revived, you can continue to survive under the glory of the gods. But once you are ruled by the demons from the Abyss, what awaits you will be a complete massacre. These demons don't have our benevolence at all... ugh..."

However, before he could finish his words, Bandake had already spurred his horse to move.

His was extremely fast.

It was like a flash of black lightning.

The underworld nightmare under his crotch spewed out black mist with the aura of sparks and sulfur. The dark red flames of hell that instantly exploded on his four hooves had also disappeared. Only a faint dark red light could still be seen on his four hooves.

"It's settled."

Bandake sheathed the knight sword in his hand again and said somewhat helplessly, "I didn't expect it to be so talkative."

"Chatterbox." The royal knights shrugged and sheathed their knight swords as well. However, when they looked at Bandake, their faces were filled with fear. It was obvious that they were afraid of the highest general who followed Lord Kant, deep in their hearts, they felt fear and respect for the strong.

"Plop --"

At this moment, the death knight who was still riding his horse in the encirclement suddenly fell to the ground.

This wasn't right either.

The entire skeletal warhorse and the knight's body were split into two halves with the space between their eyebrows. They were directly turned into bones and fell to the sand with a crackling sound. They were no longer alive.

Even the blue soul fire in the eye sockets seemed to be extinguished by a jet black liquid!

"I'll leave the rest to you."

Bandake was not pleased with himself at all.

He gently shook the reins and rode his underworld nightmare to the side. He just ordered casually, "Pay attention to the casualties. If you can win, do it. I think Lord Kant doesn't want to see his soldiers get hurt."

"Understood!" The surrounding royal knights immediately responded.

"Yes."

Bandake rode his horse and headed towards the castle.

The remaining royal knights looked at each other and nodded with a tacit understanding, they continued to draw their swords out of their sheaths. The golden light brought by the king's power burst out from their bodies and they instantly rushed towards the skeleton cavalry that were still surrounded on the battlefield.

"Kill --"

The shouts immediately rang out in the desert again.

However, it was the knights and heavy cavalry of Swadia who were leading a large number of Sarrandian people to encircle the remaining skeleton cavalry and turn these undead that should have died a long time ago back into eternal corpses.

The skeleton cavalry that had lost their high-end combat strength and also lost their command were no match for the Kant heavy cavalry.

All that was left was a cruel massacre.

The sand was filled with bones.

Kant had already returned to the castle and was sitting peacefully in the council hall.

The maids had sent him clean water to wash his face and clean soft robes. At this moment, Kant was more like a noble waiting for the results of the battle than a general personally leading his troops to fight.

"Lord Kant, it has been taken care of."

Bandake entered the hall to report.

"Very good." Kant nodded. This matter was not out of his expectations.

However, looking at Bandake, Kant still ordered, "After taking care of that group of undead and calculate the casualties of this battle. I need the most detailed report."

"Understood." Bandake nodded.

Chapter 366: Final Statistics of the Battle

Not too long later, Bandake quickly reported the statistics of the battle.

In this battle, 50 royal lnights were not killed. Only 2 of them were unlucky. When they were charging forward, they were met with death knights who desperately tried to stop them. However, they were all lightly injured and their lives were not in danger.

As for the 300 Swadian Knight who followed closely behind, there were more casualties.

36 people died in battle.

165 people were lightly injured.

After all, they did not have extraordinary powers. When they were charging with the royal knights, they were unlucky enough to encounter the death knights. In close combat, even if they could slightly block them, they would not be able to block the extraordinary powers that contained the negative energy of the undead.

As for the main force of this battle, the 1,300 Swadian man-at-arms suffered even more serious casualties.

The number of casualties reached 217.

481 people were lightly injured from the direct confrontation with the skeleton cavalry.

Furthermore, most of the Swadian man-at-arms' fan shields or chain armor injuries had been left behind by the skeleton cavalry.

After all, the weapons of the skeleton cavalry were also long spears. Although they had already decayed after 10,000 years, as long as they carried out charge, the little negative energy contained within could still cause damage.

At the very least, the effect of the force was mutual. The high speed of the cavalry's charge could cause blunt injuries just by colliding with it!

There were also the 2,000 desert bandits.

These Sarrandian people who belonged to the light cavalry were only equipped with leather armor, so their defense was even worse.

Although they did not have the main force to charge forward, they were only at the back of the heavy cavalry and flanking them. However, when they encountered the skeleton cavalry who were not afraid of death, the casualties after the battle were not low either.

The number of casualties was 267.

The number of light and heavy injuries was 569.

This battle couldn't be considered a complete victory at the epic level.

The undead cavalry that had the advantage in numbers weren't pushovers in Kant's eyes either.

The reason he dared to fight them was because he relied on the [ purification pulse ] of the sun disk as his trump card, as well as the 50 royal knights as his high-end combat strength. Otherwise, it would be too dangerous for him to take such a risky move.

Kant's personality was more like that of a politician.

He was not a gambler.

Although he could take risks for certain purposes, he would definitely not put all of his life on the line.

Without a trump card, he would definitely not do this.

Just like this battle.

The reason why he could lure the undead cavalry in the sky of death into a decisive battle was because he had a trump card and a foundation to back it up.

Most importantly, Kant had won this battle. Even though he knew that the casualty rate of this battle was not low, it was the perfect opening for the entire strategic situation!

The hegemony of the Nahrin Desert was once again in Kant's hands.

The "Drondheim" castle on the Oasis Lookout was still standing.

"Not bad."

Kant nodded, satisfied.

Although it was not a complete victory at the epic level, it was still considered a great victory!

This battle had wiped out at least 150,000 enemies!

Just when Kant opened the dialog box for the troop class upgrade, it could be said that all the troop class in charge of guarding the castle already had a full amount of experience points. They could directly upgrade, or even level up to a higher level!

However, Kant did not directly choose to level up.

Instead, he waved his hand and instructed Bandake beside him, "Go down and clean up the battlefield. Stay alert."

"Yes."

Bandake nodded, bowed, and left.

After the victory of this battle, everyone was beaming with joy, but they did not let down their guard because of this.

The surrounding death canopy had been swept by the purification pulse of the sun disc. It had already lost its cohesion and disintegrated, dissipating into the world along with the breeze that blew from the depths of the Nahrin desert.

However, there was still a small amount of remaining black fog that remained.

This was the tenacious resistance of the negative energy.

If this place was a graveyard, there would have been new zombies or skeleton soldiers appearing long ago.

The birth of the undead race was pretty simple. If the conditions were right, they could even set up an undead army of over ten thousand in just a few months. In fact, with the flow of time, countless undead would gather together, forming a calamity with millions of undead that was truly terrifying!

In order to prevent such a situation from happening, even if it was the first sign of such a situation, Kant would strictly order all the troops to treat it with caution. After all, the undead in the depths of the Nahrin desert had yet to be completely wiped out.

In fact, the true main force of the undead wasn't even here.

"The people of Mannheim are in trouble."

Kant's expression was calm.

Previously, the death knight who claimed to be the ninth elector had revealed too much information. Although he didn't receive detailed information, and it was impossible for him to get detailed information, Kant still had a plan in mind.

The undead troops that went south were all destroyed, so he could focus his strength to continue developing.

There wouldn't be any problems for a short period of time.

But it wasn't absolute.

If the undead in the depths of the Nahrin desert in the north noticed that the undead troops that were heading south hadn't returned for a long time and hadn't sent any news back, they would probably continue to send their troops to conquer them.

Kant didn't know how many more undead troops there were.

But he also knew that there were definitely quite a few.

An army of nearly 150,000 was directly thrown over, and they weren't even the main force!

Just thinking about it made people afraid. If it was the Dukedom of Leo, they would probably have to gather the entire country's strength to be able to resist the undead army. If it was a long-term or protracted war of attrition, it would probably not turn out well.

The citizens and noble families of the Dukedom of Leo would not be as loyal as the residents of the world of Caladia.

If the situation was not good, they would immediately flee.

According to the undead's style of sneak attacks and surprise attacks, the greatest possibility was that the Dukedom of Leo would be broken through the stone pass in a short period of time, and the undead army would rush into the Northern County, after devouring lives, they would form an even larger undead army to attack the southern county and eastern county. If they were lucky, they could even break through the main city of one of the counties.

Even if they could not break through, they could still spread out to attack human villages and towns. Then, they could use the undead that were summoned after harvesting to attack the cities and castles that the noble families occupied, thus engaging in the war of attrition that the undead were best at.

At that time, the Dukedom of Leo would lose more than half of its territory.

There might be a possibility that the kingdom would fall!

If the silver platter kingdom and the other human kingdoms didn't help, the entire north bank of the river would probably fall into the hell of the undead and become a forbidden area for the humans within a short period of time!

Not to mention the human kingdoms.

If it wasn't for Kant's strong city defense and powerful trump cards, he would probably have died among the countless undead!

Although it looked like Drondheim Castle was surrounded by hundreds of thousands of undead, these undead didn't have any means to attack the castle. It was impossible for them to capture the castle in a short time.

Moreover, Kant had royal knights who were as powerful as the undead knights.

There were more of them.

As long as there were enough resources, it wouldn't be a problem for them to defend the castle for several years!

Of course, they did not need to defend for that long. With Kant's strength, it would not be a problem for him to defeat and clean up the undead.

Just like now, after obtaining victory at the current stage, he could sit in his council hall and enjoy the delicately cooked desserts in the kitchen while listening to the news of victory.

The battlefield had been cleaned up, and a large number of skeletons had been collected.

This was the reason why the civilians were working harder.

It was just noon.

The scorching noon sun that had not been seen for a long time shone down, dispersing the faint chill brought by the curtain of death. At the same time, it completely evaporated and dispersed the tiny black fog that had not gathered together but dispersed instead.

Rootless duckweed could not stir up any waves.

It was being guarded strictly for the celebration banquet that was about to arrive in the evening.

Since this battle had been won, there would naturally be a banquet to celebrate the victory. Not only would it motivate many soldiers to pledge their loyalty, but it would also allow many soldiers to relax in a timely manner after the tense battle phase.

In the residence of the castle, the cooks and civilians had already begun to get busy. A large number of flour sacks and various spices, as well as dried meat and fresh meat, were brought in, including dried sausage and ale. There were even things like honey and chicken, eggs, and fresh beef.

The "Drondheim"castle, which already had a good trade relationship with the continent of Caradia and the continent of Pande, did not lack resources, not to mention these common ingredients!

"Let's relax first."

Kant stood on the roof of the council hall,
looking at the rising smoke and the mixed aroma of food in the castle, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. "But don't let your guard down. When the time comes, I hope that someone will be in charge of arranging it."

"Lord Kant, I will personally keep an eye on it."

Manide answered solemnly.

Kant smiled and said, "Well, it's been hard on you today. This celebration banquet will last for seven days. You and Bandake will take turns." After a pause, he turned his head and asked, "Jocelyn should be back soon, right?"

"It should be in these two days."

Manide nodded.

He frowned slightly and said in puzzlement, "Logically speaking, Jocelyn shouldn't have gone to Fangorn forest for too long."

"That's right." Kant nodded.

Fangorn forest was an important location for the MOD series of the Lord of the Rings: the last day.

It was considered a hidden area and was the habitat of the tree people.

However, it was precisely because it had a deep relationship with the tree people that it had nothing to do with ordinary humans. If one entered Fangorn forest without the permission of the tree people, they would be expelled by an unknown spell, forming a maze and getting lost unknowingly, in the end, he was expelled from this forest.

Even though Kant's trade caravan had obtained the permission of the tree people in the Fangorn Forest and established a trade route, these tree people actually did not have any intention of trading.

Anything that belonged to humans was no different to the tree people.

Even if it was gold or silver, they were no different from stones in the eyes of the tree people.

Therefore, the reason why Joycelin went to Fangorn forest was to build a good relationship with these tree people. It could be considered as bringing some courtesy to Kant. After all, he was quite envious of these mysterious species in nature.

If they could become his troop class, then they would be a high-end troop class!

"Let's wait for a while."

Kant shook his head.

Looking at the cautious desert bandits who were patrolling around the castle, he nodded and said, "Joycelin is a very good businessman. I think he has his own ideas, since he came back later. Maybe he can bring us a surprise."

"Maybe." Manide nodded.

Chapter 367: Jocelyn Returns

The grand celebration banquet began in the evening.

Delicious food filled the long table, and the entire street of the castle was filled with people celebrating. Regardless of men, women, young and old, or civilians, soldiers, or knights, they were all chatting happily and loudly.

This was their moment.

They didn't mind the loud noise that filled the entire castle and the sweet malt wine that filled the street.

The burning torches hung on the wall, and with the bright moon in the sky, the entire cliff had turned into daytime, making the celebration party, which all the soldiers and civilians went to, even more lively!

The deep-fried crispy steaks and the whole roasted fat sheep were casually piled on the table.

There were also grilled fish and fried fish wrapped in flour.

The food was abnormally rich.

This was just the main course of the meat. The side dishes of dried meat, sausage, cabbage and the like were piled up in the corners of the long table. There was also fine white salt and seasonings placed casually in small bowls for people to enjoy.

This included fresh wild fruits gathered in the Senwaya range and malt wine from the trade.

There was no estimate of the cost of the banquet.

This was Kant's most glorious victory to date.

The final result had allowed him to gain complete control of the Nahrin Desert.

Although the depths of the desert were still occupied by the ancient God's descendants turned into the undead, within a short period of time, the southern side of the Nahrin Desert would be Kant's territory, the territory that he would eventually rule!

No one was a fool. Kant was anything but weak, and this battle had already displayed his strength.

The undead in the depths of the desert would not continue to act rashly.

Just as the undead knight who claimed to be the ninth elector had said, these God's descendants who wanted to be reborn and truly obtain physical bodies and life had already sent their main forces to the shores of the sea of stars in the north, the Mannheim coast, where there were high-level Jackalan, Lizardmen, and elven colonies, had gone there!

The combat strength of those foreign races was not weaker than Kant's. In fact, they were even stronger than Kant, who was still in the early stages of the foundation realm. They were not afraid of the threat of the undead at all.

Kant had no impression of the Lizardmen and elves.

But just the Jackalan alone.

Those tall and sturdy high-level Jackalan with intelligence, civilization, thinking, and combat strength were not inferior to the knights that humans had painstakingly trained. Their physical qualities allowed their individual combat strength to be close to an off-the-charts!

For example, a high-level Jackalan's heavy footman was fully armed and held a two-handed battle axe. If he were to go all out, he would be able to kill off the elite 10-man infantry team of the human army.

If he were to put himself in Kantian's shoes, how would he be able to resist the undead who were weaker than the humans?

He would not be able to resist them at all!

Moreover, there were the lizardmen who had been fighting the Jackalan for hundreds of years, and the elves who had been invaded by foreign forces.

According to Kant's own calculations, it might be a little difficult for these undead, who had been rotting for tens of thousands of years, to easily find the so-called divine artifact of the Father God and extend their forces to the Mannheim coast and into the sea of stars.

However, in their obsession to be resurrected, this group of undead descendants of the ancient gods would increase their strength even more.

The Mannheim coast would become a cruel and anxious battlefield in the shortest time possible.

And on the south side of the Nahrin Desert.

Oasis Lookout, where Kant was, could rely on the time between the two sides fighting to quickly implement the strategy he had originally planned, allowing his forces to develop even more!

"It's time."

Kant muttered to himself.

Now, he had completely gotten rid of the situation where he had been alone and could only carefully stretch out his hand.

Although the reputation of winning over this group of undead had not spread out, a real army could already be considered his strength, the strength that could take down those who stood in his way!

"My dear father and brother, as well as the aunt who took care of me."

Kant's eyes flashed. "How are you now..."

The scene in the council hall was still noisy.

But he had already made up his mind. He really wanted to leave the Nahrin desert.

This was a barren land to begin with. Fortunately, he had the system to survive a series of bloody battles, and it was getting bigger and bigger. At the same time, he was lucky enough to find a vast saline-alkali soil, which became the catalyst to open up a business line in this world.

Even so, it was already the limit of its development.

The limit of Oasis Lookout.

The limit of Nahrin Desert.

It was also Kant's limit!

The new village that developed the Senwaya Range had now become a city. "Aaron" was based on this reason.

The desert was really barren. No matter how much money was invested, the returns were not proportional. Don't be fooled by how much Kant valued the "Drondheim" castle at this point. If they obtained a better territory in the future, the political center would directly shift.

The crisscrossed plains and the busy river banks were not comparable to this small desert oasis.

Kant wanted to expand the battlefield.

This was very simple.

The main road and Stone Pass of the Senwaya Range and the Nahrin Desert had already been controlled by him.

At present, Fateh was still stationed there with his men. At least from the current situation, although the situation in the Dukedom of Leo was turbulent, it had not completely erupted yet. It would take at least half a year for it to develop.

Those noble families would not act on their own accord. They needed more information before they could act.

This time was left for Kant.

The noble families that the table salt trade had seduced were almost finished.

As long as Kant showed his strength, he might still be indifferent on the surface, but secretly, there would definitely be many noble families who would be attracted by the huge profits and be willing to maintain a friendly relationship with Kant.

Noble families were also merchants. Although honor was important, there were very few who would die for honor and not care about the great silver coins.

Moreover, the most important thing was.

Kant's military might was already not low!

As long as this heavy cavalry unit headed to the stone pass and showed it to the noble families of the Dukedom of Leo, they would be able to make them understand that they're the ones that'll last!

A large number of extraordinary forces.

A larger number of heavy cavalry and light cavalry groups.

If it was a field battle, Kant would be able to fight against all the noble families of the Dukedom of Leo alone!

As long as it was not a country-destroying battle and both sides gave up everything to fight, Kant would be in an undefeatable position. He would not be afraid of the alliance formed by the collusion of any noble families, even if there was the call of the royal family!

Kant was the supreme lord. He was dictatorial and irreplaceable.

The Dukedom of Leo was different.

Grand Duke Cameron was the main body.

And those nobles, big and small, were branches.

The other wealthy citizens and free citizens were side branches.

As for those ordinary civilians or slaves armed with cannon fodder troops, they were just the last leaves.

It was very troublesome for them to launch a battle. They needed to keep in touch with each other layer by layer. In addition, there might be some friction and conflicts between some noble lords, which required special care.

This was the complexity of the feudal era.

Kant was different.

With the existence of the system, he was the Supreme Lord.

He had more power than the most dictatorial emperor. He was a supreme figure who held both imperial and divine power in his hands.

Just like the troop class that came from the world of cavalry and hacking, they were loyal to Kant physically and revered Kant spiritually. It was as if they worshipped Kant as an emperor and a god. They were the most loyal subjects and believers who would not betray!

"Level up of the troop class can also be arranged."

Kant muttered.

The Swadian knight could be properly leveled up to the royal knight and the Sarion lion knight.

As for the over 1,000 swadian heavy cavalry, they could be upgraded to the level up of the Swadian knight who was good at charging and the Sarion lion attendant who was good at fighting, giving Kant more choices.

The desert bandits were much simpler.

The current experience points were several times more than before.

It was estimated that it would not be a problem to upgrade all of them to the level up of the Sarrandian Horseman in one go.

Perhaps there would be some experience points that could be directly upgraded to the level of Mamlukes, this top level 5 heavy cavalry that was more suitable for fighting in the desert environment!

Currently, there were still 50 Mamlukes stationed in the "Drondheim" castle.

However, they were stationed at the east gate.

They held a hammer-like two-handed iron staff, a round steel shield, and a body full of heavy chain armor. In fact, their combat strength was not inferior to the Swadian knight and the Sarion lion attendant. In such a special environment like the desert, they were even more stable than a line.

It was just that there were not many of them, and Kant did not completely integrate them into the heavy cavalry unit.

But what happened next was different.

As a new batch of Sarrandian people grew up, these Sarrandian sultanate troops were able to take charge of their own forces.

And these cavalry soldiers who were good at fighting in the desert region had already been considered by Kant into his own strategic direction. After all, when he was fighting against the undead, he deliberately brought these desert bandits, who were still considered low-level light cavalry soldiers, for this reason.

Although the Sarrandian sultanate's Mamluke could not level up in his extraordinary strength, he was more suitable for fighting in the desert!

This was the advantage that the race brought.

The banquet continued.

The cheerful singing continued until late into the night.

However, on the walls around the "Drondheim" castle, the soldiers who were in charge of keeping watch did not relax at all.

After enjoying the delicious food, they were still at their posts. They were extremely vigilant as they scanned their surroundings, afraid that something unexpected would happen. After all, the layer of white bones on the battlefield outside was not very clean.

After all, this banquet would last for seven days, and everyone could take turns to participate.

These seven days were very enjoyable.

They spent the whole day drunk.

There was an unlimited supply of ale and wine. It could be said that this was only the case for a large-scale banquet.

Of course, in the last two days, everyone recovered. Even if they were still having the banquet, they restrained their emotions. Occasionally, they would talk about their next job or explore the situation around them.

Although they were temporarily safe, they were not completely off the hook.

At this time, there was good news.

"Lord Jocelyn is back."

A newly recruited desert bandits came to report as a messenger.

"Yes, I understand."

Kant nodded.

However, he still frowned slightly. "Ask him to arrange the trade caravan and come to the council hall immediately."

"Yes." The desert bandits retreated.

Jocelyn had left Drondheim Castle for nearly a month. He had gone to Fangorn forest before the undead appeared. According to the usual situation, he would go back and forth once every half a month. Clearly, there was a change in the time.

Kant was a little curious about this.

But soon.

Jocelyn returned to the council hall and bowed with joy. "Lord Kant."

Chapter 368: Kant’s Decision-Making Process

"Well, it's good that you're back."

Kant nodded. He glanced at the happy-looking Joycelin and asked with a smile, "From the looks of it, you seem to have encountered something worth being happy about."

"That's right." Joycelin nodded. "We can maintain long-term trade with the tree people of the Fangorn Forest!" Without waiting for Kant to ask, he continued to report, "The elemental gemstones we had back then were those crystal clear blue and yellow gemstones. I think you know that, Lord Kant."

"The gemstones obtained after killing the elemental giant, of course I know." Kant nodded.

"That's right!"

Joycelin smiled and said, "Those treemen need these elemental gemstones!"

"Huh?" Kant raised his eyebrows slightly. "This is indeed good news." But he still asked, "How do you calculate the specific value? If I remember correctly, those treemen actually don't care about gold, silver, and other currencies, or do they have the concept of trade at all?"

"This is not a problem, as long as the most primitive barter is fine."

The corner of Joycelin's mouth curled up.

He was very confident about this trade and the future trade. "The Ents in Fangorn forest have all kinds of wild spices that can be exchanged. For example, cinnamon, black pepper, cumin, and other expensive spices exist!"

"Spices, very good." Kant nodded. This was indeed an expensive luxury item.

This could indeed be used as an exchange item.

It was even cheaper for Kant. After all, he did not have many thoughts about those elemental gemstones.

Although they could be sold.

Just like Pande and Caradia.

Those nobles who were passionate about luxury would buy some elemental gemstones and treat them as pure and flawless sapphires and topaz.

There wasn't too much denar that could be exchanged. If Kant could exchange ten elemental gemstones for a small bag of spices and sell them to the merchants of the Dukedom of Leo in exchange for a large number of golden eagles, it would be a guaranteed profit!

Elemental Gems in Fangorn forest could be exchanged for spices, golden eagles, and denar.

And after this exchange...

The value directly increased by several times!

The value of spices was even higher than salt, because this represented identity.

If there were no spices at the banquet of a noble, it would be equivalent to a miser. He would be unable to be accepted by the mainstream noble circle and would even be ridiculed, because that was the social atmosphere.

As a high-ranking noble, one had to have the foundation of a noble.

Fine white salt represented this.

Spices that could produce a wonderful chemical reaction in the mouth represented this!

It could be said that in the hands of the Dukedom of Leo, the human countries, and even the foreign tribes and kingdoms further away, it could be considered a hard currency comparable to gold. It could be directly purchased by a golden eagle!

The value of spices was extremely high!

"Lord."

Joycelin spoke, "The exchange price is indeed generous."

He paused and continued reporting, "In the eyes of these treemen, the earth and water elemental gems can bring them a different kind of enjoyment. Just like how we eat, we can obtain a supplement that is beneficial to our bodies."

"They are equivalent to half an elemental creature. This is very normal." Kant nodded. He was not surprised by this.

"Of course."

Joycelin nodded. "So their trading price is one elemental gem, which can be exchanged for a small bag of spices."

"So much?" Kant raised his eyebrows, slightly surprised.

"Mm-hmm."

Jocelyn said helplessly, "Of course, this is really a small bag of spices." As he spoke, he took out the spices that he obtained from the trade, which were the size of a fist, there was a pungent fragrance. "This is a small bag of black pepper that those treemen picked. In fact, they are not stupid."

One elemental gem for one small bag of spices. This transaction was indeed not a huge profit.

But Kant did not care.

The elemental gem did not have much effect on him.

But even if it was just this small bag of spices, just like this black pepper, the price in the Dukedom of Leo was definitely worth 10 golden eagles, which was 1,000 great silver coins. It was even more expensive than the white salt trade!

"It's just that it can't last."

Kant frowned slightly.

At present, the source of his elemental gemstones was obtained by relying on those two pages of rare items.

Every week, he could summon around seven earth and water elemental giants. After killing these elemental creatures, he would be able to obtain elemental gemstones. Occasionally, because the sharpshooters were slightly stronger, the elemental gemstones would shatter severely.

This was not unprecedented.

Elemental gemstones were also gemstones. They were hard enough, but they were not as strong.

If the sharp and hard cone arrows were deeper, the arrowheads would be able to easily pierce through the elemental gemstones.

Although they would not shatter into pieces, they would definitely affect the stability of the internal elements. This was something that even without treemen informing Kant, no one wanted damaged materials.

But even so, there were only about 15 elemental gemstones that could be produced every week.

The exchange rate for gold eagles was 150.

The exchange rate for denar was 15,000!

After changing hands, the price of 15 elemental gemstones directly increased by several times!

It should be known that if it was sold as a luxury item used for decoration, like gemstones, the price offered by the nobles of Caradia and Pande was only 250 denar for a crystal clear top-grade elemental gemstone.

And this crystal clear top-grade elemental gemstone was not something that could be found every time.

"15,000 denar per week."

Kant's fingers knocked on the table.

After pondering for a moment, he said to Joycelin, "Continue to maintain good trade exchanges with the treemen of Fangorn forest. Although this money is a little less, the most important thing is to maintain good relations with them."

"Understood."

Joycelin nodded.

Kant obviously didn't care about 15,000 denar per week at the moment.

If it was just the table salt trade, then his monthly income would reach 150,000 + denar. This was over 100,000. Even if it was completely filled into the construction of the town, it would still be able to build up half of the city.

For example, the investment in Aaron City back then was only 350,000 denar.

Although it was small.

It could indeed be considered a city.

Of course, if he could build a good relationship with the tree people, it would be best if he could hire these tree people. Even if he couldn't hire them, it would be good to obtain the precious spring of nature that these tree people had.

Oasis Lookout had suffered a serious injury. The vegetation had been trampled clean, and even the date palm tree had been damaged.

If they weren't taken care of, they would definitely wither.

However, adding the spring of nature could revive the withered plants.

One had to admit that this was the magical aspect of the consumption of strange items. It was comparable to the power of regulation.

"It'll be fine as long as we stabilize it for now."

Kant came to a conclusion.

What they needed now was indeed stability. They needed to digest the fruits of victory as soon as possible, and at the same time, they needed to speed up the means to enter the Dukedom of Leo. The most crucial thing was the ancient passageway beneath Aaron City. It was time to put it to use.

They could head directly to the RIver of Renesiston and head straight for the important land of the Dukedom of Leo!

It was also close to the Silver Platter Kingdom.

Moreover, this river also communicated with the other human countries.

It was extremely strategic!

Kant obviously had thoughts about this river, especially after defeating the undead troops that were invading from the south. His thoughts about the Dukedom of Leo and the human countries became even deeper.

It was not because of the occupation of the estate, but because of the denar.

This was Kant's goal.

The land was nothing to him. In fact, there was a system. He did not need the land.

Even the output of the land, the wealth of the noble, was only a concept to Kant. Only the denar was real, because only this currency could be recognized by the system.

The enlistment of the troop class and the purchase of supplies required the denar.

So Kant needed the denar.

In this world, what could be exchanged for the denar on a large scale was gold.

So he needed trade, just like the colonies that appeared in modern times on earth in his previous life, plundering all the economies of the colonies, and obtaining a large amount of gold for the main force, that is, Kant, to exchange for the denar.

Only the denar could strengthen Kant's strength.

The so-called soldiers.

The so-called resources.

In fact, they could all be obtained by using denar to ride and hack the world!

This caused Kant to not care about the supplies of this world. He really treated this world as a colony that could be plundered at will, especially the plundered economy, which was also gold!

"Right, since you are back, let Manide quickly organize the preparations for the table salt trade."

Kant ordered, "Tomorrow, I'll set off with him to the central posthouse."

"That's what I should do." Joycelin shrugged. "Those merchants from the Dukedom of Leo are probably waiting anxiously."

The undead had sealed off Drondheim Castle for two weeks.

That was equivalent to the table salt trade being cut off for two weeks.

But for those merchants who relied on Kant for a living, it was equivalent to their income being cut off for two weeks. If it continued for too long, those merchants who were already used to high profits would probably be furious!

They had come all the way to the Nahrin Desert to earn money.

But now...

The table salt camel caravan that was supposed to appear every week had disappeared.

If they wanted to go deeper into the desert, Rolf, the commander of the local garrison, would definitely not allow them to enter.

If they were not in a hurry, it was absolutely impossible. Those merchants would probably still join forces and attempt to negotiate with Rolf. After all, they did not rely solely on themselves, but also represented the noble families behind them!

Oasis Lookout had already calmed down.

At present, the "Drondheim" castle only needed to remain vigilant.

Kant would not bring too many troops to the central posthouse.

But he still had to have a high-end troop class.

Because going to the central posthouse was not his goal, he still had to go to the pass of hard stones. He had to meet Fatis, who had been stationed there for more than two months, and also send a signal to let those noble families who wanted to advance further know the benefits of cooperation.

Planning for the Dukedom of Leo had to be put on the agenda.

Kant had enough troops now.

He also had enough strength.

Annexing the Dukedom of Leo, or supporting agents, and completely taking control of the Dukedom's business, turning it into a source of continuous production of golden eagles, was still very simple for Kant.

Especially the spy he had planted beforehand, Borg of the eastern county, he also planned to make contact with.

He was going to use the mole.

Now.

It was time.

Chapter 369: The Central Posthouse's Hospitality

Since Kant had made up his mind, he would not hesitate or delay.

The Oasis Lookout had always been well-built. Even after the destruction of the undead army, the reconstruction work was very easy. As long as they followed the previous plan to rebuild, they would be able to recreate the glory of the past.

In comparison, it was still more important to remain vigilant and always be on guard against those coming from the north.

Of course, Bandake was fully in charge of this process.

This underworld apostle was worth it.

At least under his leadership, the remaining skeletons in the Nahrin desert were easily swept away.

Now, almost every moment, a patrol team formed by desert bandits would quickly pass through the desert. Once they found something unusual, they would call Mamluke, who was also on patrol at the back.

Once these Mamluke, who wore Salander chain armor and held a steel shield and a lance, arrived, all threats would be eliminated.

Only broken bones were left on the ground.

Kant was relieved to hand over oasis lookout to them.

At the moment, they only needed to defend.

Although the undead had retreated.

But who knew if they had a backup plan.

In order to ensure safety, Kant did not even send troops to the salt mine posthouse to recover the already fallen salt mine. He wanted to be vigilant so as to avoid being misled and thus take the opportunity to seize Drondheim's castle.

No one was a fool. There would also be conspiracies and schemes on the battlefield of this world.

The ancient God's descendants were no fools either.

They could fight against the abyss demons for thousands of years and still perish together. How could they be fools.

The rise of humanity depended on the two most powerful forces in the past to fight against each other and benefit from it. If they really underestimated these former world overlords, they would really die without knowing how.

At the very least, according to Kant's current understanding, those ancient god descendants who had turned into undead were intelligent.

Moreover, they were still searching for a way to truly resurrect.

They had to be on guard!

They could be at ease if they let Bandake be in charge of guarding this place. After all, with the help of the power of the underworld, the combat strength of this strongest general was not something that just a dozen extraordinary grand knights could compare to.

Perhaps, in the legends, the peak of knight-level could be compared to extraordinary knights.

Knights.

Grand Knights.

Extraordinary Knights.

Among the human countries, there were three major levels in terms of military strength.

Knights were just a normal power, representing the control of the secular world.

Grand Knights were out of the ordinary, which was equivalent to powerful combat strength. They were the elites of the army, the true elites who could fight one against a hundred and lead the army to victory.

As for extraordinary knights, that was purely a legend.

No one had seen them before.

It was said that the founding Duke of the Dukedom of Leo was an Extraordinary Knight.

He was also Kant's ancestor. Hence, in terms of bloodline, he was stronger than other nobles and was a more noble person.

And in the faint legends of the Dukedom of Leo, they all pointed to the Dukedom of Leo. This was the kingdom's top military fortress. In the political and military center, there was an Extraordinary Knight as the foundation to suppress the dukedom.

Otherwise, the silver platter kingdom, which was several times stronger than the dukedom, would have long led an army to annex it!

They only thought that they were afraid of taking action.

This was not a secret.

In fact, the Dukedom of Leo had also intentionally or unintentionally spread this kind of news.

Of course, no one had ever seen the Extraordinary Knights of the Dukedom of Leo, nor had anyone seen how powerful the top-level knights were. However, those famous Extraordinary Knights in history were all powerful existences.

And the legendary Extraordinary Knights were even feared by the gods and demons!

Kant did not know the exact details.

But now, he had truly met the so-called God's descendants.

He did not have the combat strength of the extraordinary knights. However, Kant still did not show any fear.

Bandake, the underworld apostle, was not joking when he fully unleashed 1000% of his combat strength. Even if there were extraordinary knights, he could still fight against them. He could even faintly suppress them.

This had already been shown in the previous battles.

For example, the death knights.

In the final battle, no death knight who had the power of the undead could withstand two moves from ban dake.

The terrifying power of the underworld seemed to have substance. The terrifying demon shadow behind him seemed to be the projection of the most supreme existence in the underworld of the Pande continent, the demon lord.

No one could stop Bandake, or perhaps even the legendary extraordinary knights!

Therefore, Kant was at ease.

The entire "Drondheim" castle had been entrusted to Bandake.

As for him, he only led 30 lion knights, light-armored and lightly armed, and Manide's caravan to the central posthouse to see how patient the merchants who were waiting at the posthouse were.

The merchants who could stay would definitely be very patient. Kant didn't mind giving them some more benefits.

Just like the spices he was carrying.

... ..

The group trudged through the Nahrin Desert.

At this time, a solid road had already appeared in the desert.

The caravans that came and went followed this road. The sand layer was stepped on firmly. Although it was the most basic dirt road and a sandstorm would be buried, the Nahrin desert rarely had abnormal weather.

The last sandstorm was completely an accident. Perhaps it could be said that it was man-made abnormal weather.

The reason for the Mage Apprentice.

It didn't take long.

After a little more than half a day, they went around the undulating dune and arrived at the desert plains.

In the middle, a two-story posthouse was standing there. However, on the north and south sides of the posthouse, there were many tents set up. Although they looked ordinary, in fact, they were completely different, as if they were clearly divided.

The tents on the south side were of different forms, and the construction plan was slightly messy.

There were many people who came in and out at will. They either led horses or carried things. It was very messy.

That was the temporary camp of the merchants of the Dukedom of Leo.

But it was different on the north side.

The unified tents had a militarized management style and were well-organized. There were also soldiers holding long lance standing guard. There were no signs of disorder at all.

Because this was the Sarrandian's base.

Rolf relied on this to deter the enemy from crossing the central line!

"We're here."

Kant took off the hood on his head.

Looking at the desert bandits who had already sensed something ahead, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. "Manide, after we go, we'll have a good chat with those merchants. At the same time, we'll tell them about our new products."

"Understood." Manide nodded. "They will know."

"Yes."

Kant nodded, but he still ordered, "If it's possible, you can rope in some merchants." He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Have them send a message to the masters behind. Tell them that I, His Highness, Kant, am the second-in-line heir of the Dukedom of Leo. I am still qualified to enter the Lion Castle."

"Don't worry, Lord Kant. Everything will be done perfectly."

Manide nodded.

For him, political struggles were equally simple.

Moreover, it was just a message, and merchants were naturally good at the art of language.

As Nords, a race that was good at war, navigation, and trade, they were also extremely passionate about politics. After all, when they first came to the continent of Caradia, they lost in battle and did not directly destroy the Kingdom of Swadia, instead, they were held back by Veruga and Swadia. When they could not advance or retreat along the coastline, they also used political means.

It was very effective. They made use of the mutual fear and distrust between the Kingdom of Swadia and the Kingdom of Caradia to finally gain a foothold in the continent of Caradia, greatly improving the reputation of the Kingdom of Nords.

Sometimes, military force could not solve every problem.

Wisdom is also important.

And those Nords who roamed the four seas, sometimes as merchants, sometimes as pirates, and sometimes as mercenaries, were even more well-versed in this path. Moreover, they were getting better and better between the Nords' mainland and the continent of Caradia.

"Let's go and meet Rolf."

Kant urged his horse forward.

The news that the Oasis Lookout had been sealed off by the undead probably had already been received here.

If Kant had not contacted Rolf beforehand and told him to insist on guarding the central posthouse, and if he had not contacted Rolf for a month before allowing Rolf to send people to the Oasis Lookout to investigate, it was likely that this fierce rogue noble had already sent people over.

Rolf was not afraid of the undead. He had done many immoral things.

His faith in God was even worse than his faith in denar.

Of course, Kant was an exception.

If he really could not detect the news of the Oasis Lookout, he would definitely organize all the desert bandits and Sarrandian Horseman under his command. He would give up the central posthouse and go back to rescue them.

This was the guarantee of absolute loyalty!

"Lord Kant!"

Rolf personally led a team to welcome them.

The towering watchtower could quickly discover the approaching team. Moreover, Kant and the others did not have any cover. The camel team made up of 50 camels was not so easy to hide. At this time, even the merchants could see them.

One by one, they walked out of the tent and looked at the camels filled with table salt with eager faces.

However, the expressions of some also changed slightly.

They did not know what they had encountered in the depths of the Nahrin desert.

However, until now, the table salt trade, which appeared every two weeks, had been interrupted once. This was completely impossible for the central posthouse, which had already established perfect trade rules.

The merchants understood in their hearts, but their faces remained calm.

They were making guesses in their hearts.

However, no matter how much they guessed, they would never have imagined that Kant had already defeated hundreds of thousands of undead troops and was directly defeated and destroyed by him.

The gods and demons had already disappeared, and the world was dominated by humans and other major races.

These were all legends.

Although there were occasional undead appearing, it wasn't a big deal.

An ordinary Lord leading his own troops could easily wipe out these zombies and skeletons that were infected with negative energy and were climbing up again. Their combat strength was extremely poor, and their movements were extremely slow.

But they also couldn't imagine how terrifying the zombies would be when real undead gathered together.

That would really be an apocalypse of the undead!

"Okay."

Kant and Rolf conversed.

After listening to the local report, he looked at the eager merchants in the distance and curled his lips. "Not bad. Since they've been so good, we won't mistreat them."

"Of course, they must be obedient." Rolf revealed his signature sinister smile.

A good amount of violence is best for maintaining stability.

Chapter 370: The Situation Was Good

Kant and Rolf entered the posthouse.

Desert bandits, who served as servants, entered and exited the side door. They quickly served the food in the kitchen. Soon, the long table in the hall was filled with the fragrance of the food.

It was all simple food. Dried sausage, roasted dried meat, and fruits from the Senwaya range.

Naturally, there were plenty of sweet date palm.

"Not bad."

Kant nodded in satisfaction.

Rolf was very meticulous in his consideration of the details.

When he first set up the posthouse here, it was for the purpose of replenishing supplies midway. Whether it was outsiders, Kant's troops, or the trade caravan, they could all rest here, obtain water and food, and have a good rest.

After all, the environment of the Nahrin Desert was cruel. Even if they were used to living like this, they could still feel the deep malice brought by the environment.

It was malice.

The title of the Forbidden Zone of civilization was not for nothing.

If it was not for the table salt found here, Kant could've done whatever he wanted with the place.

The noble families of the Dukedom of Leo were only interested in profits. If they came to the Nahrin desert, it would not benefit them at all. They would rather let Kant do whatever than have anything to do with this place.

Just like Baron Dylan, who was sealed by the stone pass, he was marginalized and ignored.

He would never be able to join the mainstream noble circle.

But Kant did not need it.

The so-called circle was just a platform to borrow each other's strength.

Kant, who already had a powerful military force, could completely build his own platform. He could even flip the table. It was meaningless for him to join the so-called noble circle.

The meal ended quickly.

After a short rest.

Manide saluted and left. According to the plan, he needed to meet the merchants who were still waiting.

After all, the table salt trade had been interrupted for more than half a month. Those merchants were in a hurry. If they hadn't seen Manide and his caravan, they would have wanted to barge in.

Of course, their thoughts were their thoughts. In reality, with Rolf around, these merchants didn't dare to be presumptuous.

The piles of bones in the desert were proof.

This scoundrel noble wouldn't show mercy.

A new trade caravan relied on the power of the noble behind them and dared to go head-on with Rolf. Then, at night, so-called horse gangs appeared and attacked the trade caravan. They killed the leader of the trade caravan and stuck his head in the ground with a spear.

As for the goods, they would be found by the desert bandits on patrol the next day, and the lucky ones would be picked up in the desert.

There were two or three incidents.

Under the threat of high pressure, the entire central posthouse was unusually harmonious.

Of course, the merchants who had been bullied would definitely have some complaints. The noble families who had not received sufficient benefits would also have a worse impression of Kant. At the same time, they would also force some noble families to join forces and really send troops over.

There were already signs of bandits in the desert, but Fatis, who was stationed at the Stone Pass, had strict management.

This was also a good move for Kant.

Kant would not wait here for too long.

He came to the central posthouse purely on the way. In fact, he planned to go to the stone pass, which was already under his control. He wanted to see the local situation and the movements of the Dukedom of Leo.

Fatis had been stationed there for two months, which was enough to get general information about the Dukedom of Leo.

That was the main point.

Although in the past, the Stone Pass was unknown.

But now, because of the table salt trade, the Stone Pass had become a gathering place for trade caravan.

As a result, there was a huge flow of people in the Stone Pass. It was not clear how many spies and secret agents there were from other forces, but there were also a lot of them. That was why Kant sent Fatis there.

The pass was a strategic location.

If one wanted to leave the Nahrin Desert, they had to pass through this junction built in the canyon.

They could send troops to charge straight into the Dukedom of Leo.

If they retreated, they could easily defend the Nahrin Desert.

If they walked out of the pass, the entire Dukedom of Leo would be defenseless, especially the Northern Territory. The entire terrain was a relatively barren plain, and the occasional rise and fall of hills would not be a problem.

A scholar had once conducted an investigation in the northern county.

He had come to a conclusion.

As long as there was a river similar to the river in the Resniston River, it would appear in the northern county.

Then, this seemingly barren land would be improved. A good water network would be built, and the entire plain would be included in the water source irrigation area. This would increase the grain output of the northern county by several times.

Even if it was not as good as the northern and eastern prefectures, it would not be much different.

This was a plain area.

It was suitable for farming.

The reason why it was barren was because it was close to the Nahrin Desert. The weather was hot and dry, and the land was short of water.

Of course, Kant did not care about this. With the power of the system's rules, he could make up for this shortcoming at any time. Moreover, as long as he led his troops out of the Stone Pass, this endless plain would be his to rule!

The plain was suitable for large-scale cavalry battles. The plain that had no danger to defend was not a paradise for infantrymen.

Instead, it was a hell for infantrymen!

Kant's cavalry was the heavy cavalry unit that contained the essence of caladia.

Even if it was the light cavalry, they were still desert bandits. This group of desert bandits learned from the light cavalry unit formed by the Kujits.

They moved like the wind.

Although they did not have the demeanor of the kujits who held bows and arrows and were invincible in archery, just by harassing, scouting, ambushing, harassing the grain path, attacking logistics and other strategic missions, they could also display their excellent abilities.

Although the troops of the Dukedom of Leo were also mainly heavy cavalry, their light cavalry was extremely poor.

Similar to the horse militia.

They could only carry out simple scouting and harassing tactics.

If they encountered desert bandits, they would probably be swallowed up clean.

As for the infantry, they were purely a troop class. They were all ordinary civilians who had undergone simple training to take up their roles. If the situation was urgent, they would most likely look for mercenaries to act as infantrymen to carry the line.

Only the noble knight group, including the knight squires who had been trained since they were young, was the main force in battle.

This was similar to the medieval Europe in his previous life.

Kant did not have any fear towards this kind of troops that clearly had shortcomings.

With the current cavalry group, the heavy cavalry with the Swadian man-at-arms and Sarrandian Horseman as the main force was enough to break through the defenses of any army. Even if they were to enter into a chaotic battle, they would have the Sarrandian horseman squires as the main force in hand-to-hand combat.

Most importantly, the number of extraordinary troops Kant currently had was definitely higher than that of the Dukedom of Leo.

Even in terms of quality, they had to be stronger!

Moreover, after the victory, Kant's influence had improved by leaps and bounds.

It was not about quantity.

It was quality!

The experience points of all the troop class had been rounded up, enough to be upgraded to a higher-level.

If the Dukedom of Leo wanted to block Kant's heavy cavalry group, it was like building a temporary earth dam to block the flood that flowed downstream. No matter in concept or in reality, they would suffer heavy losses.

At the very least, the many noble families in the Dukedom of Leo would not allow their troops to be wiped out.

This was the basis for them to become noble families.

Without their elite troops.

Not to mention the enemies around them, even if they were allies, they would take the opportunity to annex them!

Taking advantage of one's illness to take one's life, the noble families in this world also did not have eternal allies. They only had temporary interests. Other than their own strength, everything else was meaningless. This was a world where the strong preyed on the weak!

Kant had his own ideas for this trip to the Dukedom of Leo.

The troops would attack.

It was impossible for him to limit his power to the Stone Pass.

As the current overlord of the Nahrin Desert, Kant had the ability and strength. He also had the capital to let his troops charge into the Dukedom of Leo's estate.

According to his impression, the supreme lord of the northern county, Viscount Wayne, did not have the strength to stop them.

Moreover, the military strength in the northern county was the weakest.

There was not even a city in the county.

Only Logue Castle, which nominally ruled the entire northern county, belonged to the Archduke's trusted aide. In the northern county, Viscount Kevin and his Masburg, who were restraining the local noble families, as well as the inconspicuous Stone Pass that belonged to Baron Dylan.

All of this was not a problem for Kant.

Moreover, he already controlled the only natural danger to him, the Stone pPss!

If he did not control the stone pass, the noble families of the Dukedom of Leo would form a joint force and station their elite troops at the only gap in the Senwaya range. Then, what awaited Kant would be a long torture.

His troops could not pass through the Senwaya range. The mountainous terrain that was like a long dragon could block any troops.

Moreover, it was extremely dangerous inside.

Unless they took the water route.

It was the ancient passageway beneath Aaron City.

However, until now, this passageway was still in an unknown status. Even if they knew that it led to the river, the unopened passageway wouldn't be able to form an effective logistics supply.

If they were attacked from both sides, Kant would also be in danger.

Most importantly.

His powerful land heavy cavalry group could not charge on the wide river!

Thinking of this, Kant fell into deep thought.

He could not give up on the stone pass.

This was a crucial point.

Only by controlling this pass would he have the right to pressure the nobles of the Dukedom of Leo. Then, he could use threats and bribes to gradually spread his influence throughout the entire dukedom.

As the second-in-line heir, Kant had the right to rope in those noble families.

Although the effect would definitely be weak.

There were no eternal allies, and there was also no eternal hatred.

In the face of benefits, everything could be compromised. Even blood feuds could be abandoned to the side.

Moreover, they did not have blood feuds. It was only because they were hostile to the Silver Platter Kingdom and Princess Sofia, who was born in the Silver Platter Kingdom, and was Kant's biological mother.

Whatever happened remains unsaid. Even if there was a culprit behind Princess Sofia's death, not all the noble families were involved.

"Alright."

Kant wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin.

He stood up and looked at the lion knights around him who had also finished eating. He said calmly, "It's about time. Let's continue our journey and try to reach the Stone Pass by tomorrow afternoon."

"Yes!" The 30 lion knights answered in unison.

"Are we leaving now?"

Rolf was a little surprised. "Lord Kant, why don't you stay here and rest?"

Kant waved his hand. "There's no need." He glanced out of the window and said calmly, "I've already given Manide the details. You can continue to guard this place peacefully, just stay vigilant."

"Understood." Rolf nodded.

Chapter 371: A Brand New Pass

There were very few things that required Kant to personally handle at the central posthouse.

Basically, Rolf would handle it.

As for roping in the merchants...

Manide, who came from a merchant family, had more to talk about with these guys.

In fact, when Kant led his team and left, the table salt trade had already begun. Those merchants from the Dukedom of Leo, who had the support of various noble families, all had a good exchange with Manide.

This was a good impression that they had cultivated previously, especially with Rolf's foil, Manide was even more welcomed by them.

At the very least.

Manide would not get angry over a certain sentence.

Although he was more difficult to deal with in business exchanges, he abided by the rules.

For example, Rolf, this scoundrel noble, did not care about the business rules. If he dared to say anything bad to him or find trouble with himself, then it would be a knife fight.

Pulling out his sword on the spot to threaten Rolf was secondary. The key was that Rolf would really take revenge in the quiet desert at night!

This was also Kant's arrangement.

Using both soft and hard tactics.

At least Rolf didn't care whether he played the bad cop or not.

As an evil general, he didn't feel any burden at all when he became the Supreme Lord's sword. In fact, he felt a lot of honor in his heart.

Those righteous generals did not have the potential to become thieves!

Peace returned to the central posthouse.

Just like in the past.

The rules of the table salt trade had been perfected. The merchants would purchase sacks of table salt in turn and arrange for laborers to transport it to the carriage they brought. As long as it was transported back to the Dukedom of Leo, regardless of whether it was sold later or on the spot, the profits would multiply by several times.

Even if ordinary civilians could not afford to eat such white and fine table salt, the noble families would not be stingy.

There were many noble families in all of the human countries.

In order to get table salt.

They would be willing to take out large amounts of silver coins.

After all, this was related to the face of the noble families. It was equivalent to the dignity of the noble families and was a symbol of the noble families'dignity.

As for the noble families who handled the table salt trade, they could make a huge profit. If Kant could choose to cooperate with them, it would be equivalent to cooperating with a brand new gold and silver mine. Large amounts of silver coins would be thrown into their hands.

No one would refuse, especially when Kant sent people to convey their goodwill!

The trade went on very quickly.

The merchants were beaming with joy.

At the same time, many of the secret agents in the trade caravan were also excited.

Manide had already conveyed his goodwill. Although he did not say anything, the communication between the noble families was always tactful and implied. These clever merchants and spies naturally understood the reason.

As long as they returned to their noble family's estate, they would report this news.

It was a ready-made contribution!

If their relationship in the future was closer..

Then their contribution this time would be even greater!

They looked at each other. After bidding farewell to Manide, these merchants organized a trade caravan and began to head towards the road they came from. They were prepared to head towards the Stone Pass and at the same time, towards their noble family's estate.

However, there were still many trade caravan who could guess why Kant would take the initiative to show goodwill.

They glanced at Rolf and the cavalry.

These merchants narrowed their eyes slightly.

Although they could not be compared to the top-notch knights of the Dukedom of Leo, these cavalry were still considered elite.

They were still a single entity. They belonged completely to Baron Kant, who came from the lion castle and was the second-in-line heir of the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron. They were a single cavalry troop.

Perhaps deep in the Nahrin Desert, at the Oasis Lookout, there was still a trump card.

Seizing the throne.

This term appeared in the minds of the merchants.

But no one said it out loud. They all understood at once that the Dukedom of Leo was about to fall into chaos.

The exiled second son of the Grand Duke actually possessed a powerful force of unknown origin. Moreover, he was lucky enough to discover a salt mine and obtain a large amount of wealth. How could this not cause much wondering and thought?

Most importantly, Baron Kant really had the qualifications to inherit the title of Grand Duke!

If he were to take a good stand in this upcoming battle..

The benefits would be unimaginable!

These were all the merchants' own guesses. Although they were not far from the truth, the specifics were still up to Kant himself to decide.

Right now, he was riding his horse forward. Thirty lion knights followed behind him and walked along the road that was stepped on by the trade caravan towards the Senwaya range. The gap that cut through the mountain range was right in front of him. It would probably not take long for him to reach it.

This road was very deserted, but there were occasionally a lot of small items that could be randomly thrown on both sides of the road.

It was like a road sign.

In fact, they were not walking on a road.

It was just that in the Nahrin desert, most of the people were walking, and there were traces left behind by their footsteps.

Walking day after day, and there were no sandstorms or strong winds, the boundary of the surrounding flat sand layer was very clear. If they continued walking for many years, it was estimated that they would really be able to become a road.

At least in the desert, there was a slightly firm sand layer that they could step on, which was not bad.

It would be uncomfortable if it was a loose, primitive sand layer.

Not to mention horse hooves, even if the wheels of the carriage sank in and then moved forward, it would require a lot of strength.

When Kant and the first 20 Swadian peasant went to the Oasis Lookout, the carriage full of supplies was pulled by two horses. The wheels on the side still needed the help of the peasant to push it to keep up with the walking speed of the surrounding people.

From this, it could be seen that the carriage that perfectly matched the plain terrain was uncomfortable in the desert.

It could also be seen from the behavior of the merchants in recent weeks.

When the table salt trade first started, the merchants came with carriages.

Now, the number of carriages had dropped sharply, but the number of pack horses had increased. Even if there was a carriage, it was used to carry daily supplies. It was still pulled by a few pack horses to walk in the desert.

When they left, the table salt was on the pack horses'backs, just like the camel caravan.

Although the amount of goods carried had decreased.

But the speed of the journey had increased by a lot.

This way, they could avoid too much danger and avoid wasting too much time in the desert. After all, to the merchants, the Nahrin Desert was really a forbidden area of civilization, the grave of life. If they stayed here for too long, people would die!

They had to hurry back. Returning with a full load was the best choice.

They didn't need a carriage for the time being.

At worst, they could just return to the Stone Pass and use the carriage.

After all, the table salt trade in the central posthouse had a fixed quota. Although it was monopolized by them, each person's quota was different. As long as they ensured their own quota, they could earn the silver coins first!

Kant walked along the road that was created.

He was quite familiar with the road leading to the stone pass.

On the horizon ahead, the shape of the Senwaya range became clearer and clearer.

It was continuous.

It was like a long dragon that was sleeping.

However, in front of him, there was a sudden opening in an area of the Senwaya range.

It was a straight gap that formed a canyon. It was just enough for people to pass through the majestic Senwaya range. They could avoid the danger of trekking through mountains and rivers, breaking through the demonized creatures and the scattered low-level Jackalan tribe.

That's right, there were so many dangers in the Senwaya range.

The demonized creatures still existed.

The scattered low-level zerglings also existed in the mountain range.

This was the nightmare of the ordinary trade caravan, and it was also the nightmare of many villages at the Stone Pass or the edge of the mountain range.

Usually, they would regularly organize troops to sweep the edge of the Senwaya range, or recruit mercenaries to go deep into the mountain range and kill those who posed a clear threat to the Stone Pass or villages.

But even so, the villages, logging sites, and quarries at the edge of the mountain range would still be threatened.

This was also one of the reasons why development in the Senwaya range was difficult.

Suppression from the nobles was secondary.

The territory itself was fraught with danger.

In addition, the land was barren. There was not even a river that could support agriculture, animal farming, and commerce.

Only the Senwaya range, which seemed to be rich in natural resources, was actually full of danger. It was a complete drag on the development of the Senwaya range. How could the Senwaya range develop!

However, it made sense.

If the Stone Pass could develop, it would not be Baron Dylan's turn.

This guy was from the Silver Platter Kingdom. Even if he had made great contributions, he was not a direct descendant of the Dukedom of Leo.

It was not possible for a low-level baron to climb to the rank of a noble. However, thanks to the grace of Grand Duke Cameron and the tacit approval of many nobles, he had officially become a noble and was given the title of a noble.

He could be used as a buffer shield to guard the Senwaya range and block the demonized creatures and Jackalan!

The next day.

In the afternoon.

The Senwaya range had already been imprinted in his eyes.

The huge mountain range was majestic and magnificent. The mountain peaks were arranged in order and getting higher and higher. They were like huge giants that blotted out the sky and the Sun. They were arranged in a row and were standing shoulder to shoulder with each other.

Only a thin crack appeared in the middle.

It was the only canyon in the Senwaya range.

"Let's go."

Kant shook the reins and led the horse forward.

The originally messy interior of the canyon had been cleaned up. The sandy ground was flat. The rubble that fell from the mountains on both sides and the rotten wood that fell down had disappeared.

Along the way, there were occasionally many groups of mercenaries with weapons in their hands.

It seemed that they were maintaining the canyon regularly.

Of course, when they saw Kant and the 30 lion knights behind him wearing plate armor and linen robe, their expressions changed drastically. They retreated to both sides of the road and bowed with smiles on their faces without saying much.

It was obvious that they had guessed Kant's identity.

Kant did not care about them.

He calmly swept his gaze over them and continued to drive his horse forward slowly.

It was still necessary for a noble to be reserved. There was not much that could be returned to these despicable mercenaries.

Kant was naturally willing to bow to the soldiers and civilians from the world of riding and hacking because this represented that they were on the same side and could be trusted and relied on. It was different from these mercenaries who were greedy for money and would work for whoever paid them!

Obviously, due to the lack of manpower, after Fartis took control of the stone pass, he also recruited local mercenaries to help.

Kant did not care.

As long as the Stone Pass was still in his hands, everything was fine

Chapter 372: The Hearts of the People at Stone Pass

The canyon that had been cleared up had gained a little more popularity.

Compared to the initial blockade, the mercenaries that came and went were still rare, but they still gave people a sense of security. At the very least, it was not as bleak and desolate as it had been in the past, where no one had been for nearly a decade.

Occasionally, a few braver hunters could be seen walking by in groups, holding short spears and hunting bows for self-defense. The quiver on their waist was also bulging, and they carried antelopes or peasants that they had hunted in the mountains on both sides of the canyon, looking at Kant and the others who were passing by on their majestic warhorse, their eyes were filled with awe and envy.

The soldiers at the Stone Pass were the most elite armed militia recruited from these hunters.

Ordinary peasant were just cannon fodder.

These hunters were good archers as long as they had longbows.

Kant did not have many thoughts about them. In his eyes, these hunters were actually just commoners who were making a living. Although they were better off than the most lowly serfs, they were not much better off.

The lives of the commoners in this world were severely exploited. Even if they wanted to live a better life, there weren't much they could do.

There were many different types of taxes.

There were more than a dozen taxes waiting for them when they hunted.

For example, in the Senwaya range, when they hunted sand gazelle and wild hare and pheasant, they would be charged by the lord for mountain fees, hunting permit fees, four hoof tax, two hoof tax, feather tax, injury tax, mercy tax, spring, summer, autumn, winter tax, and so on.

In the end, to be able to feed the whole family, that would be considered a good day.

To this, the hunters were even grateful.

The peasant suffered even more exploitation!

Not only would they have to pay the Landowner's tax, the Lord's tax, they even have to pay the Dukedom's tax.

If they were unlucky, they would have to take the simple weapons distributed by the Lord and directly go to the battlefield as cannon fodder, in close combat. From a peasant who only knew how to plow the land, they would become a moving target for the knights to harvest.

In short, as long as one was not a noble, their life would be miserable.

Kant understood this.

It was the standard rule of a feudal lord.

The people under their rule would be miserable, even worse than a unified, imperial, and dictatorial country.

Even if the dukedom was at peace, the daily friction between the lords and the various taxes would suck away the wealth of the people at the bottom. In the end, the food they have left would barely be able to fill their stomachs. In times of disaster or war, groups of people would go bankrupt.

This also meant that only the nobles had a sense of honor and belonging to the Lord. Commoners did not care much about who the Lord was.

Of course, they were most concerned about the new Lord's tax policy.

Taxes were related to their livelihood.

As for the Stone Pass, the place that was already under Kant's control was much better because of the tax reduction.

Fatis had removed part of the exorbitant taxes. This was also a result of a discussion with Kant. The various taxes on the hunters and peasants had been cut by this extremely benevolent policy.

In just two or three years, it was estimated that the commoners in this area would completely fall in love with him.

The same was true for those small landlords, merchants, and squires.

Only those who could be considered large-scale landlords, merchants, and noble families would have a faint resistance against Kant. If it were not for Fatis and those elite troops stationed here and firmly controlling the pass, they would probably have joined forces long ago, they intended to rebel and restore the rule of the Dukedom of Leo.

This point could be understood after some thought. Once the Stone Pass was seized, then this contribution would definitely be great. Whether it was Viscount Wayne who defected to the northern county territory or Kevin who had the backing of the Archduke, they would all be able to obtain great benefits.

In the northern county territory, Viscount Wayne wasn't able to control everything.

And in order to balance the northern county...

Viscount Kevin, who was sent in by Archduke Cameron, also had a high position and power!

In the eyes of the many nobles in of Stone Pass, the background of these two was much better than Baron Kant, who had walked out of the Nahrin Desert and was lucky to even get help!

But even if questions were raised about Kant's title, that was only a rumor.

For the sake of the salt mine.

Once Baron Kant's salt mine in the depths of the Nahrin Desert was seized by other noble families, it was estimated that the Baron would not only not be promoted in his title, he might even die an even more miserable death.

It was too easy for the grand Dukedom of Leo to deal with a small baron.

That was their fixed mindset.

The Dukedom of Leo, which built its country by force and specialized in cavalry, was not weak.

This could be seen during the war with the Silver Platter Kingdom. Even the Silver Platter Kingdom, which had at least seven counties, was unable to crush the Dukedom of Leo, which only had three counties. Their northern county was still a barren land, and their southern and northern county were still in a state of Cold War.

With Kant and his companions, they might be able to take advantage of the situation for a short period of time.

As time went on.

They would be crushed by the combined forces of the noble families!

It had only been half a year since Kant's rise, and the noble families and ordinary people had yet to react.

Moreover, the most important thing was that Kant had done a really good job of keeping secrets. Whether it was the secret agents or spies of the Dukedom of Leo, they were unable to find out his true strength.

It was inevitable that they would look down on Kant based on their habitual thinking.

They arrived at the city gate.

It was still a city wall and a city gate made of thick rocks and thick logs.

However, the ones guarding the city gate were the Swadian infantry wearing chain armor and linen robe. They held heavy military spears and formed a team of 20 people in front of the city gate. They were very majestic.

On the top and sides of the city gate, there were also Swadian infantry standing guard with military spears.

It was obvious that they were on high alert.

After all, this was not their true power.

It was still an occupied area. If they were not careful, it would be a huge mess.

The Swadian Infantry on top of the city walls had obviously noticed Kant and the others. They quickly called for their subordinates to control the city gate and disperse the mercenaries and hunters who were still coming in and out. They deliberately left a passage for people to enter and exit.

The surrounding mercenaries also stood quietly at the side, not daring to even touch the handle of their weapons.

There were Swadian infantry soldiers coldly watching them from the side.

Their gazes were extremely terrifying.

If the situation was not right, these infantry soldiers would not show mercy. Even if there was a misunderstanding, they would not take the slightest responsibility.

As for the safety of the Supreme Lord Kant, no one could let down their guard. Moreover, they had come to the occupied area and had yet to completely subdue this place. There were many spies and secret agents inside. Perhaps even assassins who were waiting for an opportunity to strike were present.

Some of the noble families were displeased with Baron Kant's rise.

For example, the group of people who had assassinated Princess Sofia.

Kant rode his horse forward.

Thirty Lion Knights surrounded and protected him, ensuring his safety.

The wide fan-shaped heater shield was firmly placed on his left arm. The Lion Knights scanned their surroundings vigilantly. They looked carefully at every corner and dark place to ensure the Supreme Lord's safety.

On both sides, in front and behind, there were 20 Swadian infantry leading the way and separating the crowd.

However, the situation was still alright.

Most of the people looked at Kant and the others in a daze.

Whether it was the commoners or the poor, they all looked at Kant and the Lion Knights with envy and awe.

At the same time, their eyes also revealed their eagerness for the exquisite linen robe and fine armor. After all, in their eyes, the appearance of the Lord Kant and the Knight Lord was even more dazzling than that of Baron Dylan and the Knight Lords!

Especially the warhorse they rode, which was even more majestic and awe-inspiring.

In a dark corner.

Many people wearing regular black hoods were standing there.

Sensing the cold gazes sweeping over, they all chose to stand where they were and did not act rashly.

That was the double inspection of the Swadian infantry and the Lion Knights. Even though they were wearing linen hoods and long gowns that ordinary people liked to wear, they were still standing at the corner of the street and in the dark, attracting the scrutinizing gazes.

They were not afraid. After all, their mental qualities were there. Turning around and running away would instead alert the enemy.

The basic qualities of spies and secret agents were especially important.

For example, they were well-trained.

Since they could be sent to the Stone Pass, it meant that they were indeed elites.

Most importantly, they did not have the intention to assassinate Kant. Of course, they also did not receive orders from their superiors. If they really wanted to carry out an assassination, then a military heavy crossbow or longbow would definitely be the best first-class weapon.

It would be wishful thinking if they wanted to rely on their bodies to assassinate Kant with a dagger.

Not to mention whether the guards would let them pass.

Even if they were to pass, they would not be able to easily assassinate a target that was disturbed and vigilant.

Even if they were to assassinate him, the target would definitely be wearing a full set of armor. It would not be able to pierce through him in a short period of time. It was likely that he would only suffer minor injuries and be slightly frightened. There was no threat to his life at all.

As they continued to move forward, the Stone Pass did not change much. It was just that the pedestrians were in a hurry, and their expressions were much more serious.

Although Baron Dylan said that he was inviting Baron Kant's troops as guests to the outside world.

In reality.

Many people had guessed it.

Even if they did not guess it, they could sense that the atmosphere at the Stone Pass had changed.

At the very least, the once arrogant and despotic knights were now obediently hiding in their lairs. Even the soldiers who used to patrol the streets were led by three infantrymen who looked like knights.

A patrol team consisting of three swadian infantry and 10 lance-soldiers from the Stone Pass.

A mixed force.

Fatis's strategy in this area.

Basically, he now controlled the financial and military authority of the Stone Pass.

Even if the lower-level knights and the country gentry were not completely loyal, there were no objections now. They had tacitly agreed to Kan'ts occupation of Stone Pass and the holding of Baron Dylan as hostage. They chose to remain silent and obey.

Without the ability to resist, they would not easily start a rebellion that was enough to make them lose their heads.

They tacitly agreed, but at the same time, they were also waiting.

Or instead, watching.

Whoever could win the final battle would be able to obtain their loyalty.

Whether it was Baron Kant, Viscount Wayne, Viscount Kevin, Grand Duke of Leo,, Cameron, or Countess Agatha of the Eastern County, they were all people they could choose to serve.

The barren northern county, the even more barren Stone Pass, was now an important node of the table salt trade.

They could enjoy everything here.

Which was why they were at ease.

Chapter 373: Baron Dylan's Resentment

The news of Kant's arrival at the Stone Pass was no secret.

At the same time, Fatis, who was in the consul's official residence, had also received the news. He personally led the ten Sarion Lion Knights, who were stationed here with him, and waited in front of the official residence.

Even Baron Dylan and his knights, who were under house arrest, had left the room and came to the door to personally welcome them.

This was not voluntary.

There were guards waiting beside them.

The 150 Swadian Knight were fully armed and staring at them coldly.

Even Fatis and the 10 Lion Knights beside him were secretly on guard against these nobles and knights who were supposed to be in charge of the Stone Pass.

However, there was no need to worry.

They posed little threat.

They were wearing ordinary clothes. Not to mention mail armor or chain armor, they did not even have a piece of leather.

As for weapons such as lances and longswords, they were even more impossible for these knights who had not chosen to join forces to obtain. The only reason why they were still alive was to ensure the stability of the Stone Pass.

Perhaps Fatis's kindness made it impossible for him to wield a butcher's knife against those who had given up resisting.

This was also due to his personality.

If it was Rolf, he wouldn't have so many problems.

If he didn't like Rolf, he would pull out some knights every day and behead them one by one. He would kill until his hands turned soft. He would use completely brutal methods to intimidate the impregnable Stone Pass. He didn't even consider the so-called long-term future at all!

Each had their own advantages and their own shortcomings.

But they all knew their limits.

Since Fatis had done so, he could guarantee the following arrangements and long-term benefits.

No one was a fool, and no one was really benevolent. After all, those who had made it out of the chaotic continent of Caradia and made a name for themselves were among the best.

150 Swadian Knights.

10 Sarion Lion Knights.

With just these martial prowess, Baron Dylan and his 50 Knights did not dare to act rashly!

Even though his face was gloomy and his eyes were filled with resentment, Baron Dylan still understood that if anything went wrong, him and the others would really die. Moreover, there were many nobles in the Dukedom of Leo who were still looking forward to his death.

Once he died, they would have an excuse to officially enter the Stone Pass.

The court of the noble needed to investigate.

After all, a baron had died in an accident.

The number of barons in the entire Dukedom of Leo was estimated to be less than 30. If one of them died for no reason, it would be a slap in the face. It would provoke the entire class of nobles in the Dukedom of Leo!

Of course, the most important thing was still Baron Dylan's fief, the Stone Pass!

It was the only gap in the dangerous and windy Senwaya range.

It was the only way to the table salt trade!

As long as Baron Kant was expelled and thrown back into the Nahrin desert, this crucial trade route would be in his hands. A steady stream of silver coins would enter his pockets.

Moreover, as long as he occupied the Stone Pass, even the salt mines in the depths of the Nahrin desert would be obtainable by chance.

How could those noble families let go of such a good opportunity?

They couldn't!

It was just that Fatis was really cautious when he ran the pass.

This had something to do with his personality.

He did not kill without permission.

Instead, he reduced taxes and won over the hearts of ordinary civilians. He was also trying to win over those small landlords and small merchants, making these small figures, who were everywhere, become his eyes and ears inside and outside the pass.

As for those big merchants and big landlords, as well as some lords and knights, they were secretly on guard.

The key figures still needed to be isolated.

For example, Baron Dylan and his closest 50 or so knights were placed under house arrest in the consul's official residence.

Moreover, the entire stone pass's troops had already been controlled by a small number of elites that he had sent out. They blended into the grassroots and middle-level, and were directly controlled by him and 10 Lion Knights as high-level officials.

Another 150 knights acted as the quick reaction force to handle any important matters. Their operations were impregnable.

This not only prevented danger from happening, but also kept the danger within a very small scale.

"They're here."

Someone in front called out softly to remind them.

The faces of the people waiting in front of the official residence changed slightly. They stood in their original spots solemnly.

Only Fartis, as the highest commander of the official residence at the Stone Pass, stepped forward quickly and came to the middle of the road. He saw Kant, who was riding his horse and was under the protection of 30 Lion Knights, and bowed respectfully. "Lord Kant, welcome!"

"Yes."

Kant nodded calmly.

He approached on his horse Fartis immediately stretched out his hand to hold the reins and help Kant come down. He looked at the people who were lining up to welcome him and smiled. "There are many acquaintances."

Fathis also smiled. "Yes. When they heard that you were coming, Lord Kant, they all wanted to come and welcome you personally."

"That can't be true."

Kant shook his head and smiled.

Looking at Baron Dylan's gloomy eyes, the knights around them with all kinds of expressions, Kant smiled and teased Fathis. "I didn't expect my honest knights to know how to joke."

"That's the truth." Fatis smiled and shook his head. He extended his hand to welcome Kant into the official residence.

"Go in."

Kant nodded and did not say anything else.

A group of people escorted him into the official residence. It was still a narrow passage like a fortress. The hall of the Lord was slightly dim, and there were many terrified female servants inside.

"Welcome... welcome the arrival of Baron Kant!"

The female servants saluted in unison.

However, no matter how they listened, they could hear the panic in their voices.

Obviously, as the servants in the Lord's official residence, they knew a lot. They all understood that the previous lord had become a prisoner under house arrest. Only the previous lord had secretly laughed at them and did not take them to heart, it was like Baron Kant, who had been sent to the desert to eat sand, had instead taken the initiative.

Those robust male servants had already been fired nd treated as ordinary laborers. Only these petite and cute female servants were allowed to stay in the official residence. How could they not be frightened.

Especially when these female servants sees Baron Dylan.

That gloomy and silent old face made them panic to the extreme.

At this moment, so many people had entered.

Who knew what would happen to these petite and powerless maidservants!

"All of you, Disperse."

Kant waved his hand, indicating that they could leave.

After becoming a superior, his observation skills were honed even more meticulously. Of course, he could guess why this group of maidservants were so frightened, he could not help but smile and said, "Make the arrangementsand prepare the banquet. I will be there to entertain the well-known squire and knights. Follow the most grand banquet standard."

"Yes... Yes, Baron Kant..."

The maidservants answered in unison.

Behind these maidservants, the fat butler who originally belonged to Baron Dylan also used a linen towel to wipe the cold sweat on his forehead and bowed respectfully together.

Glancing at Baron Dylan s even gloomier eyes, he could not help but shrink his neck.

Baron Dylan's lingering power was still there.

He was very timid.

However, he attracted Kant's attention.

Looking at Baron Dylan's depressed and gloomy face, Kant smiled and said, "The fat butler is still here. Let him continue helping the official residence. After all, he is familiar with this place and I reliable in handling matters."

"This... this..."

The fat butler's face turned pale when he heard this.

This was equivalent to putting him on the fire and roasting him. Especially when he looked at the dark face of Baron dilun nanjue, his legs trembled and he did not dare to say anything, but he did not dare to refuse.

After all, Baron Dylan was the zlord of the Stone Pass in name.

He was protected by the court of the nobles

If Baron Kant was forced to withdraw from Stone Pass and let Baron Dylan regain his power, then based on the fatbButler's understanding of Baron Dylan's brutal character, he reckoned that he would not live until the next day. The barren would be considered merciful if he could leave his body intact, the biggest consequence would probably be to choking or being fed to the dogs!

But how could he refuse the offer? Seeing Baron Kant clearly controlling the situation, it was impossible for him to refuse. He was also afraid that if he really refused, he would also die.

The only difference was whether he would die sooner or later, but he did not want to die so early.

"Yes, sir."

The fat butler bowed and agreed with a bitter face.

"HMPH! "Baron Dylan snorted coldly at the side. It was obvious that his anger had reached a boiling point.

This butler had followed him for many years.

Now, he betrayed him just like this.

This made Baron Dylan's face extremely ugly.

Most importantly, seeing that this butler had betrayed them, the knights behind him, who were originally vassal relations, all had different thoughts in mind.

Vassal knights were different from Butler servants, which meant that they were superior and subordinate.

There was no problem for them to change their affiliation.

It was normal.

Baron Dylan controlled the pass and the vassal knights as well.

But now, Baron Kant was in charge of the pass. Even Baron Dylan could not defeat him. How could he let these knights be vassals willingly? How could he let them stay on this broken ship!

Even the two Grand Knights had died in battle, leaving only Baron Dylan as the sole commander.

These vassal knights did not care anymore!

"Please take a seat, everyone."

Kant did not care about the psychology of this group of people at all.

He directly came to the main seat and sat down, as if he was the real lord of the Stone Pass. He waved to the maidservants beside him. "Prepare dinner. I want to have dinner with everyone tonight."

"Yes." The fat butler and the maids immediately responded and turned around to get busy.

"This is our honor!"

The vassal knights also bowed their heads, their attitude was very respectful and humble.

A wise man submits to circumstances.

However, they did not notice, or perhaps they did noticee, but didn't take it to heart. Baron Dylan's face was extremely depressed and gloomy. He looked at them fiercely, as if he wanted to eat them alive!

As a Lord, Baron Dylan did not mistreat this group of vassal knights who were still wandering.

Though he didn't reward them with land

But his daily missions were being completed with ease.

Now, they were all flatting Kant, and did not take him, the Old Lord, seriously at all!

Baron Dylan's face was gloomy. He spoke faintly, "Baron Kant and I are close. We can arrange whatever we want here. It doesn't matter." He paused and looked at Kant. "Compared to the other nobles in the dukedom, if we do this here, I think the noble court will have to intervene."

Chapter 374: Kant’s Empty Promises

There was a hidden meaning in Baron Dylan's words, because he was already extremely angry, and he had only suppressed it.

He had not only reminded Kant that he was the nominal lord of this place, but he had also mentioned the other nobles of the Dukedom of Leo. He had also wanted to use the pressure of the noble court to suppress Kant and prevent him from reacting excessively.

At the central posthouse, Kant's methods left him with lingering fear.

He killed decisively.

This comment was extremely correct.

The Gale mercenary group that Countess Agatha secretly raised, 600 horse thieves at the knight level, were considered elites among the national troops of the Dukedom of Leo, but they were easily eliminated by Kant's troops.

One had to know that there were two grand knights inside, the kind that possessed extraordinary powers!

But they did not pose any threat to Kant.

On the contrary, most of them were killed and the rest were captured as slaves.

Although this matter did not spread out.

But it was also stirred up in secret.

After all, such a powerful army was so easily annihilated. It did not mean that Countess Agatha's power was damaged, but it meant that the Baron, Kant, actually possessed a certain level of power!

At the very least, he did not fear ordinary barons.

For example, Dillard.

Right now, he had already lost the ability to contend with Kant.

Just like what he was saying now, it was more about self-preservation. Baron Dylan really believed that if anything really happened, this former little Kant would not hesitate to kill him!

After all, he was able to survive because of his identity as the Lord of Stone Pass.

The reason for his death was simple.

And it was because of his identity as the Lord of the Stone Pass!

Right now, who knew how many nobles secretly hoped that he could resist and be killed by Baron Kant, or that he would kill Baron Kant, a newly risen noble, in the process of resisting.

No matter what the outcome was, the noble families of the Dukedom of Leo would not suffer any losses.

When the snipe and the clam fought against each other.

But it'd be the fisherman who would reap the benefits!

Of course, the biggest possibility was that Baron Dylan himself would be killed. After all, he had already sensed that there was an extraordinary power condensing in Kant's body, and that power was not weaker than his.

It must be known that Baron Dylan had been training for nearly 12 years as a Grand Knight until now!

It was Princess Sofia who had arranged for him to become a Grand Knight.

Now, Kant had only become a Grand Knight for a short period of time, but his strength had already been trained to be stronger than his for more than ten years. Baron Dylan could not help but fear in his heart and did not dare to make any big moves.

This was also the reason why he chose to endure.

But now, he could not.

He watched the fat butler betray him.

Even those vassal knights who received good treatment had betrayed him.

The anger and grievance in Baron Dylan's heart surged out like a swarm of bees. He could not help but remind Kant that this Dukedom of Leo still had certain rules. For example, the powerful court of the noble was not something that anyone could provoke.

But to him, the powerful and almost invincible court of the noble did not matter to Kant.

"Is that so, Baron Dylan? Do you have any objections?"

Kant spoke.

Looking at Baron Dylan, who was sitting at the end of the line behind Fatis and the Lion Knight, he smiled and said, "I don't think you have any objections, do you? We are so close. Now, you only need to listen to me."

"You..." Baron Dylan's face turned red. These words were like a slap to his face.

This was the pass of hard stone.

In the past, only Baron Dylan could flaunt his power.

Now Kant was not only sitting on his main seat, he had arranged for him to be the next leader. He even directly arranged for him, just like Kant was the lord of this place and he was a humble guest!

"That's right. We feel that Baron Kant can indeed arrange it well."

"Yes, yes, yes. Baron Kant is a powerful person."

"Baron Kant can arrange everything. We will listen to his arrangements."

A voice came from the side.

It was a dozen or so of the vassal knights sitting at the very bottom.

They all had flattering smiles on their faces. They looked at Kant, who bowed his head respectfully and flattered him. They did not look at Baron Dylan's face, which was getting darker and darker. It was obvious that he was ready to take sides.

The current situation was in Kant's hands. They were not stupid, so how could they not see it?

"Well, that's it."

Kant did not decline. "You can wait for the arrangements in peace." Looking at their still eager eyes, he also said affirmatively, "Recently, the stone pass has been quite busy. You should help more. I think if there are meritorious deeds, Baron Dylan will definitely not be stingy with the fiefdom. No matter what, he will give the village as a knight's territory."

Baron Dylan was silent, but his face was even gloomier.

The Lion Knight beside him had already put his hand on the scabbard and looked at him.

This was the main reason why he did not speak.

When they heard Kant's words, the vassal knights smiled and bowed their heads. "Thank you for your kindness, Baron Kant. We are willing to work for you."

At this moment, they were not even willing to mention dilun Nanjue.

Even the vassal knights beside them were blushing. They were not angry, but envious.

They did not expect that.

They did not expect Kant to directly say the thing that they yearned for the most.

To obtain a knight's territory and become a real small noble, instead of being a vassal knight who served others without real power, all of this was rootless duckweed to them. They could give up at any time.

As long as they had their own estate, they could slowly become a true noble!

However, all of this was just empty promises to Kant.

He smiled slightly.

Looking at the eager vassal knights in front of him, he nodded and said, "I hope you understand that I am not a stingy person. With Baron Dylan at the Stone Pass, with me around, it means that all of you are here, and you have to help us manage this place."

"Yes!"

The vassal knights answered in unison.

At this time, they were even more flattering than the servants!

This was indeed an empty promise, but it was still a promise. Everyone could see that Baron Dylan was no longer able to do it. Now, the one who controlled the Stone Pass was Baron Kant.

If they wanted to obtain benefits that they had never dared to imagine before, they could only be loyal to Baron Kant.

Of course, that was not wrong.

There was actually a limit to their loyalty.

They could betray Baron Dylan, but they could also betray Kant.

Anyway, Kant had given them empty promises. Even if he had truly given them to the village, in order to advance further and become a true small noble, they were willing to act as the spies of the other great noble families and plot against Kant at the crucial time.

In their opinion, Baron Dylan had already lost his authority in the past.

Baron Kant was about to be targeted by the great nobles of the Dukedom of Leo.

They were all nothing to worry about!

The calculations in their hearts clicked, and these vassal knights even bowed their heads in flattery. To be able to turn from a wandering knight into a vassal knight, their skin was thicker, and their sense of honor was also lower.

These former wandering knights were much more shameless than Fartis.

They should be more like Rolf.

In this stable world, a wandering knight had no lord.

This meant that there was something wrong with them. It was either their strength, loyalty, or their personal character. Even if they became wandering knights due to an accident, after wandering for several years, they would be completely corrupted and become terrible bandits.

That's right, they were bandits.

These wandering knights were not good people.

If they could not find a lord to take them in, then it was not impossible for them to gather bandits and use their own strength to rob and harm a bandit group.

Moreover, some great lords would take the initiative to have their knights go into hiding for certain purposes.

It was similar to undercover work.

First, they would become a wandering knight, and then they would become a subordinate of a noble due to certain matters.

Finally, they would complete the mission at a critical moment, allowing the great lord who had arranged this matter to obtain sufficient benefits. They would also obtain great merits and become the little noble that they had always desired.

The most typical was the bandit group within the Dukedom of Leo, which more or less had the shadow of a noble.

For example, the gale mercenary group.

Two Grand Knights.

Thirty Knights.

The remaining nearly 600 people were also knight squires.

Standing behind them was the Countess of the Eastern County, Agatha. She was tyrannical and almost no one dared to provoke her.

Now, the reason why Kant recruited this group of knights was to let them act on their own. Although there must be a question mark about loyalty, at the very least, it had slowed down Kant's lack of manpower.

This was also the reason why he wanted to make empty promises.

It did not matter.

These were all Baron Dylan's things.

Anyway, they were not his, so Kant was not stingy when he used them.

However, during the course of the dinner, Baron Dylan's face had turned so dark that it was inhuman. If it weren't for the fact that he was still intimidated by the Lion Knight of Sarion who was beside him, the already tyrannical baron would have exploded on the spot.

Now, no one really thought of this Baron Dylan as a baron in the past.

He was just a mascot.

The reason why he was kept here was to avoid making use of others'words.

Baron Dylan also understood this point. However, as he looked at his fiefdom, it actually shrank rapidly with Kant's empty promises. The resentment in his heart grew bigger and bigger, so much so that he could not sit comfortably in his seat and continue eating and drinking.

"I don't feel well, so I'll leave first."

Baron Dylan stood up.

Next to him, five Lion Knights looked at him.

However, Baron Dylan did not do anything. He only said a few words to Kant before walking towards his own room. His entire face was gloomy. It was obvious that he had tolerated it to the limit. He was afraid that he would explode if he stayed any longer.

Kant waved his hand and smiled. "If you are not feeling well, then rest well."

"Lord is really merciful!"

The vassal knights began to flatter him again.

However, these words made Baron Dylan feel even more depressed. He walked even faster. He felt so stifled in his chest that he could cough up blood at any time. It was simply unbearable.

This was his territory, his official residence!

The dinner did not last long.

After they finished eating and drinking, Kant also arranged for the vassal knights to disperse.

The only ones left in the hall were Fathis and the 40 Sarion Lion Knights, as well as the knights and infantrymen who were guarding the surroundings. Even the maids had been driven away.

Chapter 375: Strategies in the Hall of the Mansion

As the servants were driven away, the hall of the mansion became quiet.

At that moment, the Knights of Fatis and Sarion sat at the sides of the long table in peace. They stopped eating and drinking. Even the knights who were guarding the passage and the mansion had solemn expressions.

There were also the Swadian infantry who held swords and shields in the outer passage.

Now, only their own people could remain.

Kant, as the supreme lord, had his reasons for not wanting outsiders to participate.

As the Lord's subordinates, they naturally chose to obey. At the same time, they guaranteed that they would be on high alert, and the entire mansion was heavily guarded. They even sent small teams to guard the subordinate knights'rooms and Baron Dylan's room, it was as strict as guarding a death row prisoner.

Although it was going to be a banquet, it was more like a strategy meeting.

They could not afford to slack off.

In the hall.

The leftovers on the long table had been personally handled by the Swadian Infantry. They wiped the table clean with a towel.

When everything was ready, Kant, who was sitting in the main seat, nodded slowly. He coughed lightly and signaled for everyone to put down their chores and sit in their own seats.

"Alright."

Kant said slowly, "This is the Stone Pass. I think there is no need to say more. All of you can understand that the dilemma we are facing now is how to defend this pass and rush out at the same time."

"Yes!"

A uniform answer rang out.

However, most of the people who answered were the Lion Knights of Sarion. They were better at fighting.

This was just an instinctive answer.

Only Fatis had seriously thought about this question. At this moment, he said, "Lord Kant, we have already taken control of Stone Pass. But what I feel that we need to be wary of now is the external pressure."

"Hmm, tell me about it." Kant nodded.

Fatis said, "The Dukedom of Leo's attitude towards us is a little ambiguous now. I don't know if Lord Kant has noticed it, but this attitude has instead created external pressure."

"Continue." Kant frowned.

"The Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, did not express his opinion."

Fatis raised his head and looked at Kant. "Those top-tier noble families also didn't express their thought." His tone paused for a moment, he continued, "In fact, the pressure that we are facing right now happens to be the pressure that these people have unconsciously forced upon us. Even if they did not make a clear response or show any attitude, it is because of this that they are ambiguous."

"Are you saying that they are still in a daze?" Kant knocked on the table with his finger. "They still haven't reacted?"

"Yes!" Fatis nodded.

At the same time, he continued, "When we came to the Stone Pass, I didn't simply guard this place. Instead, I bribed some merchants or took the initiative to investigate the internal news of the Dukedom of Leo. That's why I came to this conclusion."

"Very good," Kant said affirmatively. "This is very crucial."

"In fact, whether it's Grand Duke of Lion, Cameron, or those top noble families, they haven't expressed anything. Although they haven't reacted yet, they didn't show any attitude..."Fatis said in a deep voice, "This is an attitude!"

Without waiting for Kant to digest it, Fatis said, "In my opinion, perhaps they thought too much about background, so that they don't dare to make a careless conclusion until now. Moreover, there are some conflicts."

"Conflicts?" Kant chuckled. "Yes, conflicts, they do exist."

Fatis nodded. "You know it best."

Conflicts.

The internal strife of the Dukedom of Leo.

Or rather, it should be the contradictions between the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, and the other top-notch noble families.

Just like the relationship between an emperor and a few powerful ministers, in this feudal era, it was the European version of the feudal society. Those top-notch feudal noble families were actually no worse than a king.

The king was more like the leader of the Alliance, the commander of many allies.

Moreover, the Dukedom of Leo was only a dukedom.

The Grand Duke of Leo was only an Archduke. Compared to those top-level earls, he was only slightly higher in rank. The actual power he held still needed to be discussed with these earls.

For example, Countess Agatha of the Eastern County had nothing to do with the Cold War between the Grand Duke of Leo and Cameron!

But the current situation..

Kant pondered for a moment.

After a while, he looked up at Fatis. "In such a short period of time, when there is no tacit understanding between the Grand Duke of Lion and the top noble, are we still safe?"

"Yes, there is pressure from both sides, but it is a safe period of time."

This was what Fatis wanted to say.

"Very good." Kant nodded.

Without hesitation, he had already made a decision. "Then we'll use this time to quickly clear out the northern county. I think our troops can completely let the noble families of the northern county know who is the strongest person in this county."

"That's very correct." Fatis nodded as well. "I think Rolf is very suitable for this period of time."

"Rolf?" Kant frowned slightly.

"Yes."

Fatis nodded with a calm expression. "With his personality and way of doing things, he can maximize our benefits during this period of time. After all, his methods are very suitable for opening a gap in this stalemate."

"Let's kill our way to a gap." Kant shook his head and smiled.

However, he also understood what Fatis meant.

The northern county territory was indeed in a stalemate.

The Lord of the northern county territory, Viscount Wayne of Logue Fort, was the highest noble who controlled this county.

Although he was a viscount, he had a lot of real power.

If it wasn't for Grand Duke Lion Cameron sending Viscount Kevin over to share the power of Viscount Wayne in the northern county territory, such a vast county territory would have become the back garden of Viscount Wayne!

This was a little dangerous for the southern county territory, which was only covered by the lion mountain range.

It was close at hand.

But it was also a lord with a high position and power.

They absolutely needed to be on guard. They absolutely needed to place nails to monitor and warn!

This also led to the fact that on the land of the northern County territory, Viscount Wayne was nominally in charge, but there was still a nail in the coffin, Viscount Kevin. Although there was no news of discord between the two sides, in reality, the atmosphere was very stiff.

No one liked to have their power divided!

Especially now.

The poor northern county territory finally had a business opportunity to make a fortune, and they did not like outsiders to intervene!

Table salt trade.

If Kant obtained the salt mine, then the originally poor northern county territory would be able to grab a cup of table salt first because of their geographical advantage. Even if they could not get a share, they would be able to seize the trade route of table salt trade and make a large sum of road tolls or business taxes.

No matter what, this was a windfall.

If they seized the salt mine...

It would be an unending stream of windfalls. It would be a gold mountain and silver mine that could allow the family to grow!

As the ruler of a country and the pillar, the grand Duke of Leo would obviously not engage in hand-to-hand combat so soon. Although they were still testing each other out, it was not a bad idea to let the small and medium-sized noble families under him explore the way first.

As long as they were sure that there was no danger and good rewards, that was when they would start.

As for the guys from before...

They were pretty much good for nothing.

Whether they would be of any help was up for Kant to decide!

He pondered slightly.

Kant said calmly, "I will transfer the troops of the central posthouse and head to the Stone Pass to form a new cavalry group. As for the commander, let Rolf be the commander. When the time comes, let him take charge of Stone Pass."

"Understood." Fatis nodded.

He was about to leave Stone Pass.

Kant also said clearly, "Fatis, you continue to return to the Oasis Lookout. There has just been turmoil there. Only Manide and Jocelyn are stationed there. In short, I am not at ease."

"Yes."

Fatis accepted the order. He preferred the oasis lookout with the rich atmosphere of the Kingdom of Swadia.

As for the Stone Pass, Rolf, who preferred to fish in troubled waters, would be able to adapt to it the best.

Furthermore, Fatis also gave his opinion. "Lord Kant, as long as it's not the heavily armored Mamluke, I think we can send the cavalry of the Sarrandian Sultanate over and let Rolf lead them."

"It's just as I thought."

Kant nodded.

The cavalry of the Sarrandian Sultanate was a level up from the desert bandits.

Light cavalry, desert bandits, Sarrandian horseman, and heavy cavalry, Mamlukes.

The combination of cavalry was extremely reasonable.

In fact, compared to the cavalry of the Kingdom of Swadia, which was full of heavy cavalry, it was more suitable for regular battles. After all, the Swadian man-at-arms and cavalry were more suitable for use in decisive battles to completely destroy the enemy's line.

Now, Kant had arranged for Rolf to lead the cavalry of the Sarrandian Sultanate. It was just to harass them.

Just like those bandit groups raised by noble families.

Desert bandits who were originally bandits, along with the Assault Cavalry, Sarrandian Horseman, and a small number of Mamluke who were elites, came and went like the wind. Their combat strength was extremely strong. Even an ordinary lord was probably not their match.

After all, Kant could totally amass 1,000 desert bandits, 1,500 Sarrandian Horseman, and 500 Mamlukes currently.

The level up from the last battle was a part of it.

And previously, Kant had also amassed a batch of Sarrandian horseman and Mamlukes.

The numbers added up were not small.

Although they could not compare to the heavy cavalry forces of the Kingdom of Swadia, it was definitely not a problem for them to form their own system.

Moreover, the most crucial thing was the flexibility of the desert bandits, as well as the assault ability of the sarrandian horseman and the decisive effect of Mamluke's hammer. It was enough to destroy the equipment of any informal legion.

Even if they encountered an official legion led by a noble, they could still fight and retreat. They were not at a disadvantage.

Kant also planned to arrange for 30 Sarion Lion Knights to enter.

High-end combat strength was a must.

With such a large-scale cavalry team, not to mention traversing the northern county, even if they extended their influence into the southern county and the eastern county, the average lord would not dare to take advantage of them easily. They would only hide in their own estate in fear, begging to leave.

These troops were enough to destroy dozens of village-level knight estates!

Just look at that time.

The Countess of the eastern county, Agatha, had 600 knight attendants who could dominate the three counties.

Although they were careful and did not easily touch the interests of the third county princess, there was also the factor of their own strength. Otherwise, they would have long been annihilated by the troops gathered by the noble families.

Don't think that the noble families only had knights in their troops. They could still organize the people and recruit mercenaries.

Just take Viscount Wayne for example.

If they wanted to.

It wouldn't be a problem to recruit an army of over 10,000 people in a short period of time.

Even if it was a longer period of time, it could be about 30,000 people. However, when that time came, the rule of the entire northern county would be in a stalemate. Even the southern and eastern counties would be afraid of gathering so many troops.

30,000 people was indeed a large number.

These were all soldiers.

Although there were civilian armed lance soldiers to fill in the numbers, they could not withstand the large number.

A pure noble Knight Regiment would not charge rashly into these troops. After all, if they were not careful, they would easily fall into danger. To the noble, it was not worth it to exchange their lives with these lowly bumpkins.

Moreover, many of them were experienced mercenaries. In terms of battlefield fighting, they were not inferior to the well-trained noble.

Numbers were also an advantage.

This was also the reason why Kant chose to rope in those small noble families and small merchants tomorrow.

As long as he could have these guys on his side and make Stone Pass impregnable, the local troops would be able to help him when he met the real soldiers of the Dukedom of Leo.

Although they were unable to be loyal to him with the soldiers in the knight-slash world,.

But he could still strengthen his momentum.

He could not fight with a disadvantage, but he could definitely fight with an advantage

After all, the number of Kant's Swadian man-at-arms was extremely shocking. The Swadian heavy cavalry could be trained at any time. It'd be very hard for them to lose a decisive battle on the plains with the terrifying charge of heavy cavalry.

Chapter 376: The Compromise In the Crystal Ball

The room was slightly dark. Baron Dylan deliberately chosee a dimmer candle light.

His face, which was distorted due to his grievance, was gloomy and uncertain in the candle light. His eyes, filled with Haze, revealed a sense of humiliation and suppressed a deep hatred of incomparable anger.

Baron Dylan felt like an old wolf king who had been expelled, refusing to admit that he's aged.

A few months ago, he was still in control of everything.

He just did not expect that.

That little brat could actually disguise himself so well.

Or wait so patiently. He had been enduring all the way from the Lion Castle until now, and until now, he still hid in front of him. When everyone relaxed and really let the little brat breath for bit, he suddenly erupted.

"As expected of the child of Grand Duke Cameron and Princess Sofia!"

Baron Dylan gritted his teeth.

His breathing was rapid, and his fists were clenched tightly. His knuckles were cracking slightly due to the force exerted.

The current Baron Dylan was imprisoned in his own estate and his own room. He looked like the Lord of Stone Pass in name, but in reality, he was no different from a prisoner!

To him, who had a violent temper to begin with, living like this was no better than death!

"Knock, Knock, Knock."

The door was knocked.

At the same time, a rough report came from outside the door. "Baron Dylan, your wife is here. I hope you have a good talk, but don't take more than half an hour. The curfew is coming up."

"I understand." Baron Dylan's face was even gloomier. He responded, but his eyes were shining.

The door opened.

A woman with a voluptuous figure walked in.

With a panicked expression on her face, she quickly walked in. Looking at Baron Dylan ho was sitting in the dark room, tears immediately flowed down her face. "Dylan, Oh, with the blessing of the god of war, Edmund, I finally see you again."

"Yes." Baron Dylan only nodded faintly.

This was his wife.

However, he had always looked down on her.

Status determined who was high and who was low. Baron Dylan wanted to marry the daughter of a noble family, but because of his background, he was rejected in all kinds of ways. In addition, he was ostracized by the mainstream noble circle, which brought him a lot of ridicule.

In the end, he could only marry the woman of this merchant family. Although she was rich, in the eyes of the noble, she was very lowly.

"Sit down."

Baron Dylan had always been cold to this woman.

Not only because of her identity, but also because this woman was really big-breasted and brainless. Although she was beautiful and her family was rich, she only knew money, money, and nothing but silver coins.

Moreover, she secretly gave various benefits to her family, and even used Baron Dylan's name to train her own knights. Clearly, she also wanted to use his name to become a baron herself, so that her merchant family could go one step further and become a country squire, train a few knights, and eventually become a small noble.

Baron Dylan saw all of this, but he did not expose her.

To him, it could also be considered help.

However, now that he was in danger, Baron Dylan had to make good use of his wife's family. After all, he had already handed over the table salt trade. Now that something had happened, they could not pretend like it didn't.

"Dylan, now... now..." his wife was still crying and panicking.

"Quiet."

Baron Dylan snorted coldly.

Looking at this beautiful woman mature charms, he did not have any obscene thoughts. Instead, he lowered his voice and said, "Did you bring the stuff?"

"I... I have brought them..." his wife answered with a trembling voice.

"Take it out now!"

Baron Dylan's eyes lit up. This was related to his future safety and the hope of regaining power!

The madam quickly took out a small crystal ball from the private area in her bosom. It was clear and there were many tiny patterns inlaid with gold on it. It looked like a very exquisite handicraft.

"Very good."

A smile finally appeared on Baron Dylan's gloomy face.

"But... Dylan... you..."

His baroness's heart was still trembling.

As the daughter of a businessman, she really did not know how to deal with it at this time. She just followed Baron Dylan's instructions. As for her own thoughts, she did not have the slightest idea, or rather, she did not have a good enough view of the overall situation.

"Go back to your room. Leave the rest to me."

Baron Dylan smiled. "Remember what I said." His face became solemn. "Don't say anything else."

"Okay... okay..." the madam could only nod.

She continued to get up.

That voluptuous and mature body was as alluring as the sweetest peach.

However, there was still a hint of fear on her beautiful face, ruining this sense of beauty.

In the end, her big eyes trembled as she looked at Dylan. She silently opened the door and left. Under the lead of a few maidservants, she returned to her room. Of course, along the way, her voluptuous body was still frightened by the offensive gazes of the infantrymen.

They were all men from the continent of Caradia who had flesh and blood. Of course, they had the appreciation of beautiful things.

Including beauties.

Of course, this was also the reason why Kant and Fatis had such high standards for discipline.

If it was Rolf, a scoundrel noble, he would probably capture this ripe peach of a woman the second day steps foot Stone Pass. He would be able to enjoy it day and night.

Evil generals did not have high requirements for morality and discipline.

However, Baron Dylan did not care.

He could always remarry if she was gone. If he died and his estate was lost, then he would really be doomed!

Seeing that the door was closed again, Baron Dylan's face became gloomy. He carefully listened to the disappearing footsteps outside. He naturally understood that this was the sound of the patrol team leaving every once in a while.

Now, there were only ten elite infantrymen guarding the door.

Of course, there were five grand knights in the opposite room on guard, faintly surrounding his room.

"You really think highly of me."

Baron Dylan sneered, the gloominess in his eyes became more and more intense.

He took out the small crystal ball, which was half the size of a palm, and could be held with one hand. As the extraordinary power in his body seeped into it, as if it was charged, it gradually lit up with a mysterious light.

A wave of spatial fluctuations was also emitted in an extremely secretive manner.

"Lord Viscount."

A faint voice came from within the crystal ball, "It's good to come in."

"HMPH."

Hearing the words from within the crystal ball, Baron Dylan's expression became even more gloomy.

If it was possible, he really did not want to contact this fellow. It was this fellow who had urged him to lead the mercenary group. At the central posthouse in the Nahrin Desert, he was killed and the entire army was defeated. He himself had become a puppet.

However, Baron Dylan did not lose his temper. He knew that he had no choice now.

"I have contacted you."

Baron Dylan narrowed his eyes. "That means that I now have the autonomy. Do you have any plans to help? After all, as the Viscount of Countess Agatha, I still hope to offer my loyalty. After all, I am still a Grand Knight!"

"Of course, as a Grand Knight, you are of course the loyal Viscount of Countess Agatha."

A reply came from the crystal ball.

But his tone paused slightly, his tone was almost playful. "But, Lord Viscount, you should consider this, what qualifications do you have now to negotiate with me? No, no, no. It seems a little rude to say this, but in other words, what else do you have to prove that you are useful now?"

"I am a Grand Knight. Isn't that enough?" Baron Dylan narrowed his eyes.

"Not enough." The answer in the crystal ball was straightforward.

"Stone Pass."

Baron Dylan hesitated, but he still gritted his teeth and told him his background.

"Haha." Hearing Baron Dylan's words, the crystal ball laughed softly instead. "Lord Viscount, if I remember correctly, Stone Pass now should be in Baron Kant's hands."

"In name."

Baron Dylan took a deep breath. "I can offer it to Countess Agatha."

The crystal ball smiled faintly and said, "Wow, in name, you also know that this is in name?"

"Without this name, Countess Agatha would not be able to extend her hand to the northern county territory. You must know that the current Northern County territory is where Viscount Wayne of Logue Fort and Viscount Kevin of Masburg are fighting each other. I think that behind this, they represent the friction between the top noble and the Grand Duke of Lion. This saying is correct, right?"

Baron Dylan gritted his teeth and answered. He had a very thorough understanding of the situation in the northern county.

In other words, any noble would understand the current situation.

The crystal ball paused.

His tone also became calm. "Then, Lord Viscount, are you sure that you want to donate the Stone Pass to Countess Agatha for free and are willing to bear some consequences?"

"No, not for free." Baron Dylan narrowed his eyes and denied.

"Please speak."

The crystal ball had already expected this.

After a slight pause, Baron Dylan said in a deep voice, "I need a new estate. Whether it's the northern county, the eastern county, or the estates that have been opened up in the wilderness further away, I Need Countess Agatha to give me a new estate. At the same time, she can give me some help so that I can develop in a new estate."

"Oh, this request is not simple." The crystal ball replied with a question, "Then what else can you do?"

"Cooperate from the inside and the outside."

Baron Dylan narrowed his eyes.

He clenched his hands slightly and said to the crystal ball in a deep voice, "I know the secret passage in the Stone Pass. I can arrange for troops to enter the secret passage without being discovered. After all, this was once my official residence. I know everything!"

"Very good." The crystal ball chuckled again. "Countess Agatha has agreed."

"Okay."

Baron Dylan nodded. The faint light of the crystal ball in his hand dimmed slightly.

This was because of a lack of energy.

He glanced at the door and said succinctly, "I am willing to offer my loyalty to Countess Agatha. This communication crystal ball can talk at this time every day. You can inform me of the specific plan secretly."

"Yes, Lord Viscount."

The voice in the crystal ball replied, "You can just listen to Countess Agatha's arrangements."

"Yes."

Baron Dylan replied.

At this moment, the crystal ball in his hand flickered a few times before it finally dimmed completely.

He looked at the exquisite small object in his hand. The hatred in his eyes and the gloominess on his face almost twisted him like a devil from hell. However, he took a few deep breaths and forced himself to calm down.

There was a fierce tiger in front and a hungry wolf at the back. He had no choice but to compromise to save himself.

Chapter 377: Generous Tax R`elief

The banquet held at the pass was exceptionally grand.

This was Kant's first official appearance after he had taken control of the place. He announced the news. This was so that he could test the people here.

Of course, everyone showed respect. All the squires and knights that were invited came as promised.

And those who were not invited also came.

For example, the managers of the large trade caravan stationed at Stone Pass came to the official residence in the name of representing the trade caravan behind them. They brought all kinds of exquisite and expensive crafts and wanted to attend the banquet.

Kant treated all of them equally and allowed them to enter the official residence to attend the banquet.

Even the civilians and poor people in the pass were treated well.

Normal food was distributed free of charge.

Rye bread that was as hard as stone baked with rotten flour.

And at the bottom of the warehouse, dried meat and dried sausage that were already damp and hairy were the free ingredients distributed among them.

It was impossible for the Knights to eat these things. Even the guards in the mansion or the slightly wealthier civilians would not eat them. Only the lowest-class civilians and the poor would eat them.

However, it was precisely because the large number of the lowest-class commoners and the poor that it even caused a fight.

No one objected to Kant.

Almost everyone was praising the new lord's benevolence.

That's right. In the eyes of the poor and the commoners, as well as the small squire and the small merchant, Stone Pass had indeed changed its Lord. The former Baron Dylan had been replaced by the current Baron Kant.

Of course, they had no way of knowing the details. They just went along with the flow.

The sorrow of the small characters.

However, to them, it was really rare for the poor and civilians to have a chance to eat their fill.

The main reason was that these things were not Kant's own. They were all found in the warehouse of the official residence in Stone Pass. Taking other people's things to give away as his, this boost in reputation was really worth Kant's while.

The banquet began in the official residence.

A few bards hired at the last minute were playing and singing the common poems of the Dukedom of Leo.

Beautiful maids were walking in the crowd, adding desserts that were constantly being demolished on the long table. At the same time, they were carrying ale in small wooden barrels, allowing the guests to enjoy the temptation of alcohol.

At this time, the Knights of Swadia had already taken off their chain mail.

They had changed into new and decent clothes.

There was a smile on their faces.

Their every move carried the elegance of a noble. They chatted happily with the guests, causing the atmosphere in the official residence to become even more intense. It was extremely lively and harmonious.

This was something that Kant and Fatis had specially arranged.

After all, the guests needed someone to guide them.

The knights of Swadia were already knights in the kingdom, and even had the status of a small noble. They would be able to complete this mission very well. At the very least, they would be able to chat casually about the weather without any problems.

What Kant needed was for everyone to feel the harmony and peace of this place.

He needed to stabilize the Stone Pass.

Slowly nibbling away at it!

Beside him, the vassal knights who originally belonged to Baron Dylan also dispersed and blended in with the guests. Most of them were chatting with smiles on their faces. There were obviously familiar people among them.

There were also a small number of cold-looking people who sat alone in the corner, drinking their ale without making a sound.

Kant arranged for people to memorize them one by one.

These were all loyal to Baron Dylan.

If there were no accidents, they would be arranged to go to a mountain to quell the chaos of the demonized creatures. However, due to some unfortunate circumstances, these knights encountered even more terrifying and ferocious demonized creatures, which led to their total annihilation.

The final result was that no one survived.

He did not need someone who could betray him at any time.

As for the idea that time would change everything, Kant would not even consider it.

Even Fathis would not consider it.

What they needed to do now was to quickly bring Stone Pass under their control. Whether it was on the surface or in the dark, they needed to let everyone know that the current ruler was Kant from the Nahrin Desert!

At the same time, there was a better reputation to promote Kant's reputation in the Dukedom of Leo.

This was related to the future strategic plan.

Kant needed more than that.

He also needed the entire Dukedom of Leo, and even the Silver Platter Kingdom in the south!

The pass was just a key node that Kant had carefully designed in order to reach into the Dukedom of Leo so that he wouldn't be cut in half by a sudden knife.

After all, the position of this pass was too shocking.

"It looks good."

Kant raised his wine glass in the middle of the banquet.

Fatis was standing beside him, and so was Baron Dylan.

But at this time, the real protagonist was Kant. Everyone looked at him with fear and respect. As for Baron Dylan, he had been ignored by most people.

Even if someone looked at Baron Dylan, their eyes were full of amusement.

This was a loser.

Facing such a deriding gaze, Baron Dylan clenched both his hands and gritted his teeth.

These people who were still humble and flattery not long ago actually dared to appear in front of him. They pretended to look at him with contempt and even showed a pitiful and mocking smile?

However, Baron Dylan could endure it. His forbearance was even more profound than his brutal character.

In the past, it was through forbearance that he obtained his current power.

The so-called brutality.

It was just a mask deliberately added to conceal himself!

Now, he was as obedient as a lamb. However, in reality, Baron Dylan, who had already established a connection with Countess Agatha, was still sneering in his heart. He longed to see the faces of these fellows when his allies appeared in front of him.

Although Baron Kant would not be killed by him personally, it was not certain about these people!

It was not long.

Because Countess Agatha's troops would arrive next week.

At that time, Kant, the little brat, was still at Stone Pass. These people who had come to attend the banquet did not leave. After all, this banquet had lasted for a full week. It was a grand banquet.

For Baron Dylan, that was the time for the banquet to begin!

Everything was calm.

Kant did not seem to notice.

The entire Stone Pass went through six days of grand celebrations.

The drunken banquet was finally coming to an end. All the young noble and small businessmen who came to attend the banquet gathered in the hall with satisfaction and chatted with each other excitedly.

They had received news that Baron Kant was going to announce the important arrangements for the table salt trade.

There was very likely.

The table salt trade that was originally in the desert would be shifted to the Stone Pass!

Furthermore, the amount of table salt trade would increase exponentially. As long as someone had a great silver coin or a golden eagle, they could buy piles of fine white salt at Stone Pass. There was no upper limit at all, and it would be sold until it was gone!

Whoever had the money could purchase it. This was the method that the large-scale trade caravan was most passionate about.

It was almost a monopoly.

Although the large-scale trade caravans would compromise and balance each other, those small-scale trade caravans definitely did not have the strength to be compromised. They could only be excluded from the rich profits of the table salt trade.

However, the reason why they were so happy was Kant's announcement.

The trade caravan at Stone Pass had priority!

In other words, the merchants at Stone Pass could purchase the table salt first.

Although the table salt would eventually be bought by the large-scale merchants with little profit, as long as they changed hands, they could obtain a huge profit for the small-scale trade caravans. Why not!

From this, they could get involved with the large-scale trade caravan. If they latched onto their thighs, that would be an even better future!

Merchants would only care about themselves.

Right now, they were extremely eager for Kant to announce this news.

As for the managers of the large-scale trade caravan, they were still standing there and listening. To them, it was just a small amount of profit, and they could get more profit. There was no problem at all.

The exchange of interests between merchants was sometimes that simple.

As for Baron Kant's interests.

Everyone automatically ignored it.

They were not fools. If they could cling onto the legs of a stronger noble, they would not need the help of a small baron like Kant. They all knew in their hearts that this baron would not be able to control Stone Pass for long.

It was true to take advantage of this period of time to make a large sum of money and obtain the relationship of some large-scale trade caravan.

This was the same idea as those vassal knights!

Kant came to the specially built stage.

Looking at the guests in front of him staring with all kinds of emotions in their eyes, Kant's lips curled up slightly and said, "Everyone may know that I'm going to announce the table salt trade in the future."

"That's right!"

Everyone cheered.

Kant pressed down his hands to show that he was calm.

Looking at them, he said without hesitation, "Next, the table salt trade will indeed come to the stone pass. As for the specific regulations, I will write a notice and post it. Of course, the specific details are the same as what everyone knows."

"Long live Baron Kant, you are really merciful! The most merciful Lord!"

"Merciful lord, that's right, the most merciful lord!"

The merchants and small landlords cheered one after another.

At this time, the wish in their hearts had come true. It was almost like they had obtained the cornerstone for their rapid rise, especially when it came to the table salt trade. In front of such a huge profit-making trade, everyone would become rich.

That's right, they would earn a profit that that they had never even dared to dream of after operating for several years!

"At the same time, I will lower the taxes."

Kant smiled.

Looking at the merchants, he continued, "Especially the business tax and the agricultural tax. I will reduce some trivial taxes to make our business more active."

"Merciful! The most merciful lord!"

Hearing the tax reduction, how could the merchants reject it? They all cheered.

This was something that even a foolish lord would not do. Now, when they looked at Kant, it was as if they were looking at a fool. They wanted to pounce on him and take all the advantages.

Taxation represented the income of the lord, especially in a territory with a strong business atmosphere. Tax was the biggest part of the revenue.

Baron Dylan was also watching from the side.

Looking at Kant on the stage, the corners of his mouth curled into a ferocious smile. "Come on, it's almost time."

Chapter 378: The Ambush in the Depths of the Mansion

Baron Dylan estimated the time. It was about seven o'clock in the evening. After the banquet tonight, everyone would leave under the cover of night and return to their own estate or the hotels in the Stone Pass.

Those who could attend the banquet were not important people.

There was not even a baron of the same rank.

They were all small merchants, small landlords, or knights who hadn't been given their titles yet.

They also included the management personnel of the large-scale trade caravan stationed here.

It looked lively, but in fact, the quality of this grand banquet was very poor. If a real noble attended, they would probably think that the appearance of these small figures was disgraceful.

The noble would not appear at this banquet. No matter who it was, they all chose to remain silent.

This included Viscount Wayne and Viscount Kevin from the northern county.

However.

The people in charge of the trade caravan could also represent some noble.

During this banquet that lasted for seven days, Kant himself received a lot of respect from the trade caravan's managers. For example, he received a lot of expensive gifts.

There was also a special envelope in the gift. There was no signature, and there was no seal to prove his identity.

What was written on it was also ceremonial nonsense.

But Kant was satisfied.

The goodwill expressed in the letter was very obvious. According to the trade caravan behind these merchants, one could guess which noble expressed their goodwill. It was like a tactful communication between noble families. Although it was awkward, it showed the initiative to send a signal.

There were no eternal friends, no eternal enemies, only eternal interests.

Standing on the high platform.

Many of the guests were satisfied. Obviously, they were very satisfied with this banquet.

They had received verbal support from Kant. As long as Kant could carry out his plan, it meant that all of them would be able to make a lot of money!

This was also the result Kant needed.

The combination of interests.

Even if someone tried to swallow Kant.

But these vested interests, when their own interests were touched, they would definitely stand on Kant's side and bounce back.

Or when there was no greater interest that could break the interest Kant gave them, these vested interests would never betray Kant. Even if they betrayed, they would delay for their own interests, thus indirectly alerting Kant.

It was like a big net woven with benefits. Although it was simple, it was extremely useful!

Moreover, this was not Kant's benefit.

The salt mine was ready-made.

The Stone Pass belonged to Baron Dylan.

Using other people's benefits to gain benefits for oneself, that was the best.

For this, Kant glanced at Baron Dylan, who was not far away. He was sitting obediently in a corner, drinking quietly with the vassal knights who were still loyal to him. The corners of his mouth curled up into a slightly mocking smile.

This uncle Dylan really thought that he had not discovered anything.

He seemed to have noticed Kant's gaze.

Baron Dylan looked over.

"Cheers."

Kant raised his wine glass across the crowd, paying his respects in vain.

However, Baron Dylan pretended to be otherwise, as if he did not see it. He lowered his head again and drank quietly. He looked as if he was the wolf king who had been completely driven out of the wolf pack. He was howling in a low voice and licking his wounds.

Or perhaps, he was waiting for something..

The banquet was coming to an end.

Many guests were saying goodbye to each other.

This kind of banquet was not only a good opportunity to get closer to Baron Kant. It was also a good opportunity for everyone to get closer to each other.

Many merchants and squire landlords were decent people of the same level. Although they could not be compared to a real noble, they could still be considered as people of the same level. They were also living in Stone Pass. It would be beneficial for them to get closer to each other in the future.

Especially the trade caravan controlled by the noble families, which was the target of these people.

This was also because of Kant.

After all, they could not reveal their purpose of cozying up to the noble families too clearly.

If Kant left, or if it was somewhere else, these small squire and landlord merchants who were originally in the stone pass would directly stick to him. They would shamelessly cling to the legs of the stewards of the trade caravan who represented the noble families!

Next, if those great noble families were to move into Stone Pass, then Baron Kant would have nothing to do with it.

It would also be beneficial to cling onto the thighs earlier.

Kant saw this.

He was also helpless against these fellows' moral integrity.

However, the ridicule at the corner of his mouth was not directed at them. After all, these short-sighted fellows had their future in this place. They would not pose a threat to Kant's plans.

After a moment of silence, Kant left the high platform and asked the knight who was waiting beside him, "Is everything ready?"

"Yes."

The Swadian Knight nodded. "Everything is ready."

"Yes." Kant smiled. What was coming next was the real banquet, the real climax, and the real ending!

He swept his gaze across the corner.

Baron Dylan was still pretending to brood as he drank his wine.

However, his eyes flashed with a bright light. His expectant look seemed to be anticipating something.

"Don't treat everyone as fools."

Kant shook his head.

When Baron Dylan was communicating directly with the crystal ball, he revealed some kind of spatial fluctuation that had attracted the perception of the Lion Knight of Sarion. Almost at that time, he had officially monitored Baron Dylans room.

Although they did not enter the door and did not know the secret passage that was specially monitored, their ears were very useful.

The ears of grand knights were naturally very strong.

Ordinary people could not hear it.

But they could!

The Pande continent was a fantasy world. Even if it was already very low in demonization, the power of the extraordinary also had some special enhancements. For example, the Level-6 cavalry that had already reached the peak, these lion knights had such a set of skills.

After all, they were constantly out in battle. If they did not have good hearing, they would not be able to hear the enemy's advance and their own orders. That would be bad.

There were also crucial points.

On the Pande continent, there were the underworld demons and the Nordo Elves.

These races still had the knowledge of ancient magic. Of course, they also had knowledge of space-related magic.

The underworld demons had broken through space to invade the Pande continent, while the Nordo Elves had opened up a pure land space in the forest to isolate the humans. They reproduced on their own in an attempt to regain control of the continent.

Therefore, as the strongest national knights of the Kingdom of Sarion, these lion knights naturally knew some similar knowledge.

Their enemies were not the other countries.

They also included the demons of the underworld and the Nordo Elves!

It was for this reason.

Even when Baron Dylan activated the crystal ball in the dead of night to ensure that the knights guarding outside were not on guard, he still could not escape Kant's control by arranging with his allies in a very low voice.

When he activated the crystal ball with his supernatural power, the fluctuation of space was detected as soon as it was released.

Then, it was monitored.

In the next six days, every night's plan was easily monitored and even rewritten into documents, which were presented to Kant continuously.

As for the attack that was about to end at the banquet tonight, it was especially targeted.

Hundreds of candles lit up the hall.

There was only a piece of plate or leftover food on the long table.

A messenger, the Swadian Infantry, quickly came to Kant and whispered, "Lord Kant, Sir Firentis asked me to inform you that about 300 cockroaches have come in."

"Yes, tell them to continue hiding and wait for orders."

Kant gave a new order.

"Yes." The infantry quickly turned around and left.

This was a small episode.

No one cared. Even if they saw it, they did not think too much about it.

However, Kant walked forward, clapped his hands, and came to the high platform that was built. He smiled and said, "Everyone, the banquet lasted for seven days. Perhaps it was not well-treated, but please forgive me."

"Merciful Lord Kant, you have served us well!"

"There is nothing wrong with it. We love your banquet!"

"This banquet is amazing!"

The guests and the vassal knights cheered.

This was not a hypocritical social speech, but a sincere one. After all, to be able to come here for free and enjoy a high-class banquet like a noble, it was not something that they, who were not even a noble, could enjoy.

Moreover, there was Kant's promise to give them a pie in the sky. It was extremely tempting.

This banquet was really something!

Even Baron Dylan nodded and glanced gloomily at the merchants. "That's right, it's great."

Using the ingredients and supplies stored in his warehouse to hold a noble's banquet was more than just great. Even Viscount Wayne of Logue Castle, the nominal supreme lord of the entire northern County territory, would not hold such banquets frequently.

But now, he had invited a group of lowly merchants, landlords, and country gentry!

To use his things!

"Damn it."

Baron Dylan raised his head and looked at Kant with his gloomy eyes. He cursed in his heart, 'damn that little bastard!'

Time was almost up. He swept his gaze across the thick walls around him. According to the plan, his allies from outside the official residence of the Stone Pass had already hidden inside. As long as the time reached 7:30, they would open the secret passage and rush out.

He would kill his way into the banquet, seize Kant, and gain the initiative!

He was the mole.

As a grand knight, Baron Dylan had already tied a dagger to his thigh. As long as an ambush appeared in the secret passage to attract everyone's attention, he would quickly explode his extraordinary power to approach Kant and successfully seize him.

This way, even if the other grand knights came to rescue him, they would have to surrender and listen to their arrangements.

It was a perfect plan.

Baron Dylan's gloomy eyes were filled with pride.

However, when he saw Kant's calm face and the few guards around him, he did not know why, but his sixth sense suddenly jolted. He initially wanted to get closer to Kant, but he held back and did not move.

He was a little puzzled. In the past, Kant, this little brat, had always had a few grand knights guarding him.

Why did he leave today?

And Baron Dylan was also suspicious.

The plan was too successful.

It was so successful that even he felt that it was simple. Even the strange bottom was really too successful. There was no surprise at all.

"Wait." Baron Dylan panted heavily. There was a hint of shock in the depths of his eyes. He suddenly thought of a possibility. The fear that came from the depths of his soul made him pick up the wine cup again and gulp down a mouthful of sweet malt.

He did not stand up. He simply did not move.

At this moment.

"Bang --"

Chapter 379: The End of a Perfect Banquet

"Bang --"

A muffled sound appeared in the void.

The noisy hall gradually quieted down. Everyone looked to their left and right in bewilderment. They didn't find anything unusual. Finally, they looked at Kant, who was on the highest stage.

"Bang --"

Another muffled sound appeared, and the guests on both sides of the hall discovered the source of the muffled sound.

It came from within the walls on both sides of the Hall of the official residence.

It was like a battering ram smashing heavily against the city wall, and even the guests on the outermost perimeter could only watch as the originally smooth stone walls began to show obvious protruding marks, as if something was trying to rush out from within.

However, before they could react, the protruding marks instantly exploded.

"Boom -- Hualala --"

A fog formed by dust instantly filled the hall.

The walls on both sides of the Hall of the official residence collapsed with a loud bang. In the midst of the dust, soldiers wearing full sets of chain armor and holding long swords and axes rushed in. On both sides of the hall, there were two grand knights who were emitting a scorching red glow leading each!

Under the shocked eyes of the many guests, they quickly surrounded them!

"Kill!"

All the soldiers let out a terrifying roar.

The Grand Knights on the left and right side frowned as they looked at the middle of the crowd. Kant, who was on the stage, was actually not being held hostage. They could not help but shout, "Baron Kant, if you surrender, we can still choose to spare your life!"

However, as they were shouting, they were still sweeping through the shocked and shrinking crowd.

They could not find Baron Dylan in the corner.

"Kill!"

In the hall of the mansion, the ambushers who appeared in the other secret passageways also rushed out.

They directly blocked the gate of the mansion and everyone's escape routes. They held large shields and sharp axes in their hands. For a moment, even the Swadian Knight and the infantrymen who were guarding the gate did not rush in.

No, it was not that they did not rush in, but that they did not rush in at all!

Baron Dylan narrowed his eyes.

He sat on the chair with a complicated look in his eyes. There was even fear in the depths of them.

Now, he had finally discovered why Kant did not have anyone by his side and why his plan could be so easy. It was because right beside him were two lion knights who were secretly hiding and wearing plate armor, at some point in time, they had already caught him in the middle and were monitoring him coldly.

Baron Dylan could not imagine that his plan had already been seen through. Moreover, they were targeting this plan. They wanted to completely kill the ambushers who had broken into the Forbidden City!

"It's over."

A soft sigh appeared.

Baron Dylan looked at Kant, who was calm on the high platform, with a complicated expression.

At the same time, he swept his gaze across the "Allies" who seemed to be unaware of the situation. Finally, a bitter smile appeared on his lips. "It's over..."

It was not too late for him to understand, so he chose to surrender. At the same time, he was glad that he had made a wise move. At the very least, he had already discovered that more Grand Knights had appeared behind those fellows at some unknown time.

They slowly walked out from the secret passage where those guys came from.

There were 15 Grand Knights each.

Including the fully armed Swadian Knight and the Swadian Infantry.

It just so happened that a new encirclement was formed. In the shortest amount of time, it was as if they were strolling leisurely in the garden. At the same time, there were also guards hidden under the wooden platform beside Kant.

"This... this Is..."

The ambushers looked behind and around in panic.

There were more troop class of the Kingdom of Swadia than the 300 or so ambushers.

Especially the four Grand Knights. They looked to their left and right in horror at the Lion Knights, who were wearing strange armor that looked like an entire piece of handicraft. Each of them was breathing so heavily that they could not even speak.

The extraordinary aura on their bodies had disappeared. The fear in their eyes almost made them surrender!

They could sense it.

The troops that surrounded them on their left and right sides..

Each of them had 15 Grand Knights. In other words, there were at least 30 Grand Knights surrounding them!

These ambushers who had suddenly appeared did not dare to act rashly. This was because they knew that if they acted rashly after being surrounded, they would probably be completely annihilated. They would not be able to return successfully like they had planned!

"How could it be... like this..."

The four Grand Knights felt that their mouths were dry.

They looked towards the stage.

Kant had five Grand Knights protecting him personally. It was impossible for him to rush over.

As for the guests in front of them, they were a group of small merchants and small landlords. They did not have any status at all. They did not believe that they could capture Kant, who was a baron and the second son of an Archduke, just by holding these people hostage!

The situation was in a stalemate. Only then did the guests react in a daze. They seemed to have fallen into a conspiracy.

They looked at the nervous soldiers in ambush.

Then they looked at another wave of soldiers waiting to be exhausted.

Finally, they looked at Kant.

They swallowed their saliva. None of them dared to say anything now. They just looked at him with eager eyes.

"Welcome, everyone."

Kant finally opened his mouth.

With a mocking smile on his lips, he said, "The subordinates of Aunt Agatha from the Eastern County, are you also here to attend my banquet? Unfortunately, this it the end of it. You are too late."

"We... We..."

The four Grand Knights in the lead were still unable to speak.

There was no way for them to say anything!

Did they have to admit that the reason they came here was not to attend the banquet, but to kidnap Kant, kill him and occupy Stone Pass and Oasis Lookout?

This was a joke!

They had nothing to say.

Even the weapons in their hands could not help but drop in the face of the threat of absolute strength.

The surrounding guests huddled together like quails, but the panic in their eyes faded. Looking at Kant and the surrounding attackers, they understood what had happened.

Obviously, there were attackers who wanted to make trouble, but Baron Kant had dealt with them wisely!

"Everyone."

Kant spoke on the stage.

Looking at the guests who had recovered, the corners of his mouth curled up into a smile. "Let me introduce these new guests. They really want to participate in this banquet, but unfortunately, the banquet is about to end."

The hall was still dead silent, only the sound of heavy breathing could be heard.

No one dared to speak without permission.

Kant shook his head helplessly. "Fatis, come and introduce our friends, their hard work."

"Okay."

Among the surrounding crowd, Fatis walked out.

He was also wearing a full set of chain armor, holding a knight's sword in his hand, he calmly said, "They arrived at the forest near the stone pass late last night and rested until noon today. Then, they sneaked into the official residence in the secret passage outside the Stone Pass, and just now, they officially appeared in front of us."

"Oh, this is really hard work." Kant nodded. The smile on his face was still mocking. "But my friends from the Eastern County, with my relationship with Aunt Agatha, you could have come earlier!"

"This... this..."

The eyes of the four Grand Knights widened.

This was clearly their itinerary, but they did not expect Kant to say it like this. If they did not know beforehand and were secretly monitoring, how could they get such accurate information!

Their hearts sank, and they instantly thought of the person who was still discussing the information.

Baron Dylan.

Only he knew about this plan and the specific process.

And now, they saw that Baron Dylan, who was supposed to be coordinating from the inside and the outside, who was the first to hold Kant, the highest commander, did not appear. He did not even appear at all. They already had a guess in their hearts.

Betrayal!

Baron Dylan's betrayal!

The guests were all breathing heavily as they whispered to each other.

The buzzing sounds were incessant. Although they were terrified now, they were even more curious!

This was a rare occurrence.

After all, even the Countess of the eastern county, Agatha, was involved, and it was Baron Kant who had personally surrounded and occupied the initiative of the attacking troops. This news would definitely be current when it reached their master!

Kant's smile remained as he looked at the eastern county's ambushers who were obviously thinking too much. He did not refute.

Instead, he stood on the stage and looked at Baron Dylan.

He opened his mouth and said, "Uncle Dylan, thank you for your help. I think these friends of the eastern county will thank you. If not for your help, these friends would not have been able to come to my banquet so easily."

"Ha..."

Baron Dylan forced a smile, but his face was ashen.

There was even more noise from the surrounding discussions.

The guests and vassal knights looked at Baron Dylan in surprise.

However, there were also the soldiers from the eastern county who had ambushed him. Their fierce gazes were almost murderous. There were even a few who were hot-tempered. They gritted their teeth and wanted to stab Baron Dylan.

Compared to being surrounded, by force, and betrayed, it was more infuriating!

"Disarm them."

Kant stopped smiling.

Clapping his hands, he looked at the guests and the soldiers of the eastern county, who were waiting in ambush. "The banquet is over. I don't think you want the banquet to reach another climax, right? Although I don't mind, you might mind."

As he spoke, the knights and infantrymen of Swadia slowly stepped forward.

The exquisite chain armor displayed exquisite defensive effects.

The shields painted with Gold Lions on a red background stood up like low walls.

There were also the warrior and swords that were unsheathed in their hands, making it impossible for anyone to have any thoughts of resisting.

They had already been surrounded and were completely suppressed by force, including numbers. How could they resist? This was tantamount to courting death and ignoring their own lives.

"Clang."

The four Grand Knights threw down the weapons in their hands happily.

Then, the sound of the weapons falling under their feet continued. All the attackers raised their hands and announced their surrender. Under the strict guard of the knights and infantrymen, they gathered in a corner of the hall.

"It's settled. The banquet ends perfectly."

Kant smiled.

Looking at the guests in front of him who had not yet reacted.., he continued to clap his hands. "Alright, my dear friends. I hope that this little accident did not disturb your happy hearts. But as I said, our cooperation will become better over time, and we will be richer and richer!"

"Thank you, merciful Baron Kant!"

The guests quickly expressed their gratitude.

Then, they all said their goodbyes and left the official residence in a hurry, their eyes filled with excitement.

Tonight's final curtain call was really an eye-opener.

Chapter 380: The Return Signal

The banquet finally ended. The guests left, and the vassal knights were isolated again.

However, in the hall, the ambushers from the eastern county were left alone with Baron Dylan. They all sat on their chairs with ashen faces, losing their previous splendor.

Beside them, the Swadian infantry with swords and shields had surrounded them.

Their vicious eyes were filled with indifference towards life.

They were all elite soldiers.

Veterans who had been on the battlefield, seen blood, killed people, and did not take human lives seriously!

These were from the eastern county, so they could be considered elite soldiers who could sense it. Thus, they chose to surrender without hesitation, so that they would not be massacred by these veterans here.

Although they were loyal to Countess Agatha of the eastern county,.

But there's no need to die here.

Besides...

These guys turned to look at Baron Dylan, who was sitting in the corner, still drinking his ale. Their eyes were full of hatred, and they gritted their teeth.

This damn Dylan, about to be chopped up and fed to the dogs!

How dare you betray the Countess Agatha!

"That's..."

The four Grand Knights also gritted their teeth and looked at Baron Dylan who did not even look at them. They could not help but say angrily, "I thought he really joined us. I did not expect that he would let us be captured so easily."

"But you can resist."

Baron Dylan said drunkenly.

He had drunk a lot of malt liquor, probably about half a barrel, so his face was already red. He looked at the four Grand Knights of the eastern county and the ambushers, he could not help but smile mockingly. "Don't... don't make excuses here. If you could resist, you would have died in battle. If you could talk to me alive, wouldn't you have chosen to surrender?"

"You!" One of the four Grand Knights had a bad temper and wanted to stand up.

"Calm down."

However, there was still a calm person beside him who pulled him back.

Looking at the 30 Grand Knights who were holding them captive, a sense of powerlessness that came from the bottom of their hearts suddenly appeared. In fact, they really had no way to refute what Baron Dylan said.

If they could resist, they would have resisted long ago. Why would they wait until now?

However, they did not dare to.

In the entire eastern county, there were less than 10 Grand Knights, including the old and the young, who were carefully nurtured by the noble families.

There were already four of them.

However, what they were facing.

Was not one or two.

Nor was it three or four or five.

Instead, there were a total of 30 Grand Knights. They were at the same level as them, or even stronger. They were all in their prime. They were Grand Knights with extraordinary powers who had fought on the battlefield!

Then, how could the four of them fight? How could they have the confidence to fight?

They sat on the chairs sadly.

They were helpless.

To the soldiers who had already disarmed and were also sitting in their chairs or corners, they did not have any thoughts of encouraging them to fight their way out of the encirclement. They only sighed softly and smiled bitterly at each other.

They had just entered and were already surrounded. They were completely in the hands of others, so there was nothing left for them to resist.

"A wise move."

Kant smiled.

He expressed his appreciation for their choice to surrender calmly. "Generally speaking, your actions will allow you to live a long life."

"Heh." This joke was almost like a cold joke, but it only made the elites of the eastern county region let out a bitter smile. After all, they were captives and lowly existences. Under extreme pressure, they lowered their heads and chose to live a long life. Of course, they would live a long life.

However, the dignity and honor they once had also disappeared along with their lives.

Those who surrendered had no dignity and honor to speak of.

"Alright."

Kant chuckled and sat on the main seat. "Let's get back to the main topic." Looking at these Grand Kights and the obviously elite ambush soldiers, he calmly asked, "Why did you come to my banquet? If I remember correctly, your Lord, Countess Agatha, should be my aunt."

"That's right," one of the four Grand Knights answered.

In their opinion, they had been betrayed by Baron Dylan, there was nothing to hide at the moment. "Baron Kant, your salt mine is coveted. No one can ignore it. Even your aunt, Countess Agatha, is also eager to get your salt mine."

Kant nodded. "Very good. I'm very satisfied with your answer. It's true."

"Of course."

Among the four Grand Knights, the middle-aged man who was obviously the leader smiled bitterly.

Looking at Kant and the surrounding guards who were glaring at him, he completely let down his guard. He casually picked up the remaining food on the long table and stuffed it into his mouth to chew, at the same time, he calmly said, "Other than this, the barren Stone Pass and the forbidden land of the Nahrin Desert have no meaning at all."

"The truth." Kant smiled and turned his head to order, "Give him a glass of malt wine."

"Yes."

A Swadian Knight answered.

Soon, he brought a glass of malt wine to the side and placed it beside the Grand Knight.

"Thank you very much for your generosity, Baron Kant." The Grand Knight nodded and thanked him. He wolfed down a few pieces of fresh roasted meat and finished the glass of malt wine in one gulp. Only then did he let out a breath reeking of alcohol, he said with satisfaction, "I've only enjoyed a big meal today after coming all the way from the camp of death penalty mountain."

"Do you want to eat? I can guarantee that you will enjoy these big meals every day."

Kant said with a smile.

The Grand Knight asked in return, "Can I?"

"Of course in my name." Kant nodded his head.

"This..."

The Grand Knight muttered to himself.

But before he could reply, the Grand Knight beside him let out an anxious grunt.

The surrounding soldiers who had put down their weapons and surrendered looked at the Grand Knight in shock. Their eyes were filled with disbelief, but deep in their eyes, there was a hint of desire.

Since they had chosen to surrender, they were naturally nervous about their future.

The other three Grand Knights had their own thoughts.

These elite soldiers also had their own thoughts.

"Stay. Even if you resist, you won't be able to. Moreover, even if it's that woman, Agatha, how can she be stronger than Kant? Don't be silly. What's displayed in front of you now is not a power that Agatha, that woman, can resist!"

However, behind them, Baron Dylan said drunkenly.

He was originally sitting on a chair.

Now, his face was flushed red. Looking at these Grand Knights and the elite soldiers of the eastern county, he could not help but chuckle. "All of you thought that Kant was a good-for-nothing, but who would have thought that in the end, you were all deceived by this young man."

"Baron Dylan, what do you think?"

Kant asked back.

"I'm willing to serve." Baron Dylan's face was flushed red. He shrugged nonchalantly. "In the past, I was loyal to Princess Sofia. Now, I'm loyal to the Pprincess's son. There's nothing that I can't accept."

"That's very good." Kant smiled and waved his hand. "Baron Sylan is very wise, isn't he?"

"I'm just being sensible."

Baron Dylan smiled bitterly.

He now understood that as long as Kant had such power, not to mention Countess Agatha, even the entire Dukedom of Leo would not be a match for him. Even if there was a peerless foundation, he would probably compromise.

Kant was the second son of the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron. He was the second-in-line heir.

If an accident really happened...

It would be the same as fighting for the throne. It would be a family matter.

No matter who won, the members of the royal family of Leo were still members of the royal family. Even the bloodline had not changed. The only difference was that the first-in-line heir had left the world forever because of an accident.

This had happened before in the history of the Dukedom of Leo.

Many of the noble families were used to it.

It was only now that Baron Dylan understood why the truly great noble families were still silent.

Even if they had sent out secret troops to take over the pass, the official troops on the surface had yet to appear. Even now, the ambush troops of Countess Agatha from the eastern County territory were only troops that claimed to be from the eastern county territory.

As long as Countess Agatha denied that she was one of them, she would be able to get away.

These were all unspoken rules among the noble families.

Most importantly.

Kant had already shown his power.

Those noble families who had no enmity with Kant might have to consider how to deal with the upcoming battle for the throne and who they should rely on to obtain the greatest benefits.

That's right, they were thinking about the battle for the throne.

Not the rebellion of the Lord.

Kant was indeed exiled back then, but he was given a title in name. Moreover, he had not given up his identity as the heir in name. If he wanted, if he could, if he had enough strength, he could inherit the title of the Dukedom of Leo.

The current Kant indeed had enough strength, so he could if he wanted to.

"Countess Agatha is not that good."

The Grand Knight smiled.

He obviously understood the reason. He looked at the three Grand Knights beside him and said calmly, "We worked for Countess Agatha for at least 10 years. Now I think we can leave."

"This... this..." the other three Grand Knights were still in a daze.

"A wise man submits to circumstances."

Kant said similar words.

Clapping his hands, he instructed the knights beside him, "Let these friends go and rest. I think there are enough rooms at Stone Pass for them to rest."

"Yes." The knights nodded and made a gesture of invitation at the same time.

The four Grand Knights followed silently.

These were all high-end forces. In Kant's opinion, there was still a need to recruit them.

After all, he would not mind having fewer Grand Knights. Although he could not really believe it, he could treat it as a knife in his hand. It was really not bad to be able to use it.

Especially when this kind of high-end force was in his hands.

Kant had many royal knights and lion knights.

They were all top-tier troop class 6.

However, these troop class could not help Kant manage his estate. In comparison, war was more suitable for them. After all, they were troop class that came from the world of cavalry.

However, these extraordinary troop class of the native world were different. They were originally a noble.

And they were local noble.

Submitting to Kant meant that Kant could bring more benefits.

For example, those who were good friends with them, those nobles that could be contacted, could communicate with them. Finally, they would submit to Kant. It was like a new round of enfeoffment, a noble that Kant had given away.

The core force, which was the troop class that rode and hacked the world, was firmly in Kant's hands.

As for the strength of the local world...

It was to assist.

Whether it was the high-end force, the noble lord, or the ordinary civilians, they all formed a protective net around the periphery of Kant's rule.

When the enemy thought that they had used all their strength to tear this protective net into pieces...

Kant was actually unharmed!

"Let Baron Dylan go back and rest early."

He waved his hand and gave the order.

Looking at the drunk Dylan, Kant said calmly, "Let them think about it. I think they will make the best choice. After all, they are all smart people."

"Yes." The knights also pulled the drunk Baron Dylan away. He did not resist.

"As for you."

Kant looked at the elite soldiers of the eastern county.

He frowned slightly. These so-called elite soldiers were at most at the same level as the Swadian Infantry. However, their equipment and battle experience were not as advanced as the elite soldiers that had been tested in the cavalry world.

In short, there was no need to recruit them.

"We choose to pledge our loyalty!"

The elite troop class instantly understood.

Without waiting for Kant to speak, they immediately knelt down and chose to pledge their allegiance.

However, Kant rubbed the space between his brows and waved his hand. "Let them go and rest. Since they are here, then don't leave. If they submit, then so be it. They can always prove their worth."

"Yes!" The infantrymen watched as the eastern county army left the hall.

Only a huge mess was left.

At the corner, the terrified maids came over. They wanted to clean up the mess after the banquet, but because of the valiant Swadian soldiers around them, they all trembled and did not dare to move.

The banquet here had already ended.

"Everyone, be on guard."

Kant stood up again.

At the same time, he instructed fatis beside him, "I'll leave the rest to you."

"Understood." Fatis immediately nodded.

"Be vigilant."

Kant still reminded.

"There won't be any problems," Fatis replied.

"Mm." Kant then left.

He needed to go to his room in the mansion to rest.

Just like how the banquet had ended, the rest of the mess would be left to Fartis to handle. As Kant's most valued general, he was more capable than Bandake when it came to handling certain matters.

The former captain of the crossbowmen, Bandake, had become the underworld apostle, but his combat strength had increased drastically.

These matters between the noble families were better handled by Fatis.

Of course, Rolf, who was also a noble, could do it too.

However, Rolf was more adept at intimidation and threats. The title of a villain noble did not come for nothing.

However, in the current situation, Rolf's arrival was indeed quite effective. Especially when he rushed out of the Senwaya range. In front of him were flat plains. To this villain noble, it was like heaven.

The desert bandits, who were as fast as the wind, were not only suitable for the desert, but also for the plains.

They were all cavalry.

And they were the ones who would spread Kant's reputation.

They attacked and plundered time and time again, bringing most of the northern county territory under Kant's control.

They let the noble of the Dukedom of Leo know that the second son of the Duke, who they exiled, had finally returned with absolute power!

Chapter 381: The Changes in the Dukedom of Leo

In just a short period, Kant quickly and completely took control of The Stone Pass.

News that the ambushers from the Eastern County had been easily taken care of and that even the four Grand Knights had surrendered had spread throughout the Dukedom of Leo.

It had become the joke of the table among the noble families' banquet.

This change had happened too quickly.

The noble families, who had been sitting on stage, had yet to react.

However, when they came to their senses, they realized that Kant had easily grasped the situation and had already torn a hole in their original arrangement.

No one had expected it. Not even the Countess of the Eastern County, Agatha, whose influence was comparable to that of the Grand Duke of Leo.

It was just like half a month ago.

That hideous performance at the end of the banquet had also become a joke among the nobles.

As the noble families spoke about Kant's conquests, they were both shocked and fearful. But, interestingly, their eyes were also filled with playful anticipation, as if they were watching a bewitching opera.

One of them was also somehow connected to Countess Agatha.

After all, she was the biological sister of the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron.

Kant's biological aunt.

They were all members of the royal family.

In fact, several high-ranking noble families actively tried to suppress their influence.

Although spreading rumors did nothing to displace the royal family, the act disgusted them and deepened the conflict between Kant and Countess Agatha. Eventually, a misunderstanding occurred, and both sides were brought to the battlefield.

This was a fight between members of the royal family.

It did not have much to do with ordinary noble families.

Now.

Within the Dukedom of Leo, the Eastern County, which was already a cast-out of the traditional noble circle, quickly became a stranger in its own country because the noble families from the Southern and Northern Counties started ostracizing them.

Although economic relations and business communications functioned, as usual, political communication had been interrupted for almost ten years.

The economy was their lifeline that could not be interrupted.

And despite its importance, both sides' political parties refused to even greet each other.

It was clear how rigid and unbending the relationship between the two sides was. Yet, oddly, Countess Agatha was the biological sister of Leo Archduke Cameron and was once the most advantageous heir to the Archduke's position.

Perhaps it was precisely their closeness that caused the political relationship between the two sides to deteriorate.

As for Kant.

He was a baron with a sensitive identity.

All the noble families were waiting in peace, observing and coveting his current rise.

Even in the private chatter among the smaller noble families, Kant's rise seemed the only natural and expected outcome.

It originated from the direct princess of the Silver Platter Kingdom, the second wife of Leo Archduke Cameron.

Princess Sofia.

Only she, who had the support of the Silver Platter Kingdom behind her, would have been able to gather the power to support such a force so quickly. So even if she died, she already had an immovable foundation left behind.

They needed to carefully observe any conceivable shadow of support from the Silver Platter Kingdom backing Kant.

However, they were already faced with Kant's rise.

This was the new power of the Northern County.

The new royal aristocrat who controlled the table salt trade was naturally assured an endless stream of wealth!

Backing him was the legacy left behind by Princess Sofia of the Silver Platter Kingdom. It was a power that could make the entire Dukedom of Leo wary, and it was an absolute force that could overturn any conspiracy!

When Princess Sofia died, the power she had quickly fell apart under the attacks of the local noble families.

Now that I think about it, the fact that they were torn apart so quickly was probably just a cover-up.

They were lurking.

Waiting for the right time.

Only when Kant was exiled and discovered in the Nahrin Desert did the forces loyal to Princess Sofia rescue her flesh and blood from the muddy swamp.

They were headed for Glory, and the entire Dukedom of Leo had to face it.

A fierce power struggle was about to begin.

This was the reason why the noble families felt so amused.

They could accept Kant's rise because he was the blue blood of Cameron, the second-in-line heir to the Dukedom, the son of the first wife who had incredible discipline and obtained the title of Archduke.

If Kant's eldest brother died, then he would become the heir to the Archduke.

And in the Dukedom of Leo, which was founded on martial arts.

Similar things have happened.

In fact, there were quite a few in history!

The current Dukedom of Leo, Cameron, who ascended to the throne, was extremely close to Kant's biological mother, Princess Sofia, from the Silver Platter Kingdom.

Although it was not publicly clarified.

Only an absolute fool would not have known.

They just pretended not to know.

At that time, the struggle for the throne of the Dukedom of Leo was highly intense. The Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, like Kant now, was leading his troops to seize the identity of his elder brother's first-in-line heir by force. Silently supporting him in the background was none other than Princess Sofia, who provided financial and military support.

Many historical works of scholars argue that if it wasn't for Princess Sofia's help, Grand Duke Cameron would definitely not be an Archduke, and he probably would have perished somewhere on the battlefield.

It was precisely because of Princess Sofia's help that the title "Grand Duke of the Dukedom of Leo" was ultimately Cameron's.

However, Princess Sofia's help came at a price.

The power of the Silver Platter Kingdom began to infiltrate the Dukedom of Leo. Many thought that the two sides would quickly become closer and that after a few years, they would unite as one.

This alliance naturally meant that the Dukedom of Leo would become a vassal and join the territory of the Silver Platter Kingdom.

And that the current nobles would retain their nobility.

However, the authority of the top noble and the Grand Duke of Leo would be impacted.

This was the reason why Princess Sofia fell ill and died suddenly. The Dukedom of Leo and the Silver Platter Kingdom engaged in direct war. Ten years ago, they had fought until the rivers ran red, resulting in the current stalemate between the two sides.

The Silver Platter Kingdom did not dare to cross the boundary carelessly.

On the plains, the cavalry of the Dukedom of Leo was admittedly powerful.

Even if they could defeat the troops of the Dukedom of Leo, the Silver Platter Kingdom would not escape unscathed. Therefore, the benefits of conquering the Dukedom of Leo did not outweigh the prospective price of bloodshed.

This was the most significant reason why the two sides were in a stalemate.

The nobles did not care.

As long as they could remain nobles, they were willing to pledge their allegiance to whoever ruled above them.

The nobles were not tightly knit and often had conflicts. They only agreed on one thing; that forcefully getting rid of one another was for the best.

Even the royal family of the Dukedom of Leo thought so.

Take the Eastern County, for example.

Ten years ago, the Eastern County still had a castle and its corresponding land south of the river.

Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, who had just ascended to the throne, chose to cede the castle and land to stabilize the Silver Platter Kingdom. However, in reality, that land was one of the fiefdoms of Countess Agatha, Cameron's sister.

In the end, it caused the winter county to be officially replaced by the Eastern County.

It was just like a divided regime.

At present, the Dukedom of Leo had already fallen into internal strife.

This was a hidden danger left behind when Grand Duke Cameron ascended to the throne. However, its effects had been delayed due to some tricks of the Silver Platter Kingdom.

And it was still being delayed.

It was not just Countess Agatha of the Eastern County territory who had her own system. It was almost the same in the Northern County Territory!

One had to know that the owner of Logue Castle in the Northern County territory, Viscount Wayne, had not been desolate here and did not have a central economic pillar. He still had to rely on the grain of the Southern County territory to survive. Otherwise, he would probably have split off long ago.

However, Grand Duke Cameron, who had long noticed but remained silent, placed Viscount Kevin in.

For example, Maas Castle, which was located between the Mountain of Leo and Mountain of Death.

This castle was like a nail, and it just happened to be stuck between the plains where the two mountain ranges met.

Even Viscount Wayne wanted to contact Countess Agatha of the Eastern County; he would have to avoid this nail. However, if he were to go around it, it would be an awfully long detour that would also take a lot of time.

It would be inconvenient while also allowing the troops of the Southern County to ambush them and ruin the commute.

Strategically, the Southern County was strong.

This was also the reason why the noble families were still living their lives in peace. They did not cause a civil war that could result in both sides suffering losses due to the problems left behind by history and the deliberate instigation of the Silver Platter Kingdom.

They were all in a stalemate. As time passed, the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, became more and more powerful.

In the end, all the problems would be resolved.

However...

There was an oversight.

A new force was rising in the seemingly insignificant Nahrin desert.

The eldest son of the Grand Duke, Baron Kant, who had been exiled, walked out of the barren desert and officially stepped onto the stage. He successfully made a name for himself and could proudly greet everyone.

It was as if he was slapping the faces of those cunning nobles who schemed and plotted but were now gloomy and uncertain.

The banquet ended nearly a month ago.

Merchants were transporting table salt to all the castles and cities in the Dukedom of Leo.

Whether it was the Northern or Southern Counties, or the isolated Eastern County, the nobles had obtained table salt through their own means. The amount of table salt was tremendous, and it was of unparalleled purity.

The highest quality table salt!

Even the Silver Platter Kingdom had traces of table salt.

As for the dwarf table salt purchased in the distant valley, it was on the verge of being eliminated and was about to leave the market.

The table salt purchasable from the dwarfs was too expensive and extremely dangerous.

There were many barbarian tribes in the wilderness that they would have to pass by to obtain it.

Every time, something would happen to the trade caravan.

Conversely, the trade caravan of Nahrin desert only needed to enter the pass of hard stones to access a large amount of table salt. Moreover, the price was meager, and it was profitable even if the table salt was sold multiple times.

The tax revenue of the entire Dukedom of Leo had increased several times because of the table salt trade!

Some of the nobles were delighted.

However, some nobles were even drearier.

This was because as the table salt trade increased, the number of bandit groups that roamed the Dukedom of Leo also increased.

Some of them might be bandit groups that the nobles had specially hired, but most of them came from the outside world, such as the Silver Platter Kingdom or the bandit groups that had heard the news from the river of Resniston.

Of course, there were also various forces supporting them.

It was complicated.

Even the nobles of the Dukedom of Leo needed to use the court of nobility to contact each other and form an alliance army to wipe out the bandit groups. Only then would they be able to chase away the bandits that appeared from time to time.

Owing to this, bandit groups that had the support of the local noble forces could escape.

But many noble families also discovered something peculiar.

No one knew when.

At the junction of the Northern County, Eastern County, and Southern County, near Maas Castle, where Viscount Kevin was, a bandit group that whistled like a gale quietly appeared and swept away all opposition.

It was a bandit group formed by light cavalry.

There were about 1,500 people.

They were experienced in fighting, and they were even more proficient at plundering.

When the nobles tried to form an alliance army to wipe them out, the mysterious bandit group vanished from the plains. They seemed to have hidden in a depression or a hill.

But when the Alliance army disbanded, they would reappear and continue to plunder the trade caravans.

Plundering was not a massacre.

Instead, it was a commission.

As long as the trade caravan paid 5 gold eagles, they would be allowed to pass. They would also help the trade caravan deal with the other bandit groups.

Not only was the bandit group not wiped out, but due to their excellent reputation, many of the trade caravan members were willing to pay gold eagles in exchange for their protection.

These trade caravans were all in the table salt trade.

After a round of trade caravan, the profits of the trade caravan would definitely not be less than 50 Gold Eagles.

Using five gold eagles in exchange for peace was definitely worth it.

If those bandit groups really encountered them, they would probably end up losing everything.

However, it was a pity.

The bandit group formed by the light cavalry was only responsible for the safety of the three Counties.

Although it was usually the most dangerous place at the border of the three Counties, the bandit groups that had been expelled happened to be scattered on the flat plains of the three Counties.

They even posed a significant threat to the villages in certain areas.

This indirectly affected the livelihood of the Lord.

Of course, these were not things that the merchants cared about. Being able to earn money was enough.

If they could hire this group of light cavalry now, there would probably be people who would be tempted to employ this group of elite plunderers directly. With them on your side, there was no need to worry about other bandit groups.

Some mercenary groups would take on the role of bandit groups when they had nothing to do.

This was normal.

Unfortunately, the light cavalry did not agree.

On the contrary, they would disappear for a few days and mysteriously appear at specific Northern or Southern Counties locations. It was as if they were scouting. It was indeed strange.

However, in the face of the enormous profits from the table salt trade, not many people cared about these oddities.

It was most important that they could make money!

Chapter 382: Nibbling Away at the Effects of Tactics

Stone Pass, inside the Lord's official residence.

In the narrow passages and corridors, the chain-armored Swadian infantry had completely occupied this place. They held military spears that were made of custom-made materials and lined up to form a patrol or sentry team within the official residence.

In just half a month, Stone Pass had completely become Kant's territory.

The first local territory.

Although they could not build buildings or recruit troop classes, it was of great strategic significance.

This stone pass was like Kant's Tiger Prison. It could defend the natural moat, attack, or retreat. As long as this area was not lost, it meant that Kant still had the initiative against the Dukedom of Leo.

With the current strong cavalry, he could launch a tactical attack.

The plains of the northern county were like beauties with open arms.

Even the southern and eastern counties were similar.

The flat plains stretched as far as the eye could see. Occasionally, there would be farmland along lakes, streams, and rivers, including the radioactive knight territory around the castle, which was a village.

Due to the dukedom of Leo's regime, the People's livelihood depended on the military.

The village was located around the castle or city.

The village was the estate of the Knight and was responsible for protecting the castle or city.

Sometimes, there were no knights in the Knight's territory. Only the village chief, the finance officer, and the sheriff were there to help the Lord Knight manage the village. Every month, they would pay the taxes that should be paid to the Lord Knight for his daily expenses.

This led to the lack of military strength in the village.

Usually, there was only about 30 armed militia stationed in the village, and the sheriff was in charge of commanding them.

However, their duty was not to eliminate the surrounding bandits but to maintain the rule of the Lord Knight. At the same time, when the finance officer started collecting taxes, they would deal with those traitors who dared to defy the tax or hunt down those runaway slaves.

As for the bandit group that came, they would obediently take out part of their finances and pray that they would not interfere with each other.

Of course, the bandits also understood the strength behind the village.

They had a tacit understanding.

The bandit would take a fixed amount of silver coins and food and then leave.

Or they would ask the villagers if there was a trade caravan passing by, and then use the village to hide and rob those fat and greasy trade caravans. If they met a trade caravan owned by a noble who was the enemy of the noble behind the bandit group, it would be even more lucrative.

The trade caravan of the enemy noble would not need to show any mercy and would directly start a massacre.

The silver coins that they robbed would all belong to them.

There would also be people to deal with the goods.

There were even some villagers who could give them some silver coins as a reward for providing information.

Therefore, the entire dukedom of Leo, including the villages at the grassroots level, was in a strange state of free-range. This was also a drawback of the feudal era. It was completely a feudal system. Other than their lord, they did not have to be loyal to anyone.

After all, the lord of my lord was not my lord, and the vassals of my vassals were not my vassals.

That was the meaning of it.

No one cared about the estate outside of the territory.

In addition, in recent years, the royal authority of the Dukedom of Leo had been suppressed. The authority of the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, had been compressed into the southern county territory. The security of the entire country had fallen into such a complicated environment.

This was also the reason why there were many bandit groups within the territory of the Dukedom of Leo.

The complicated environment naturally led to chaos.

Correspondingly, Rolf's infiltration into the dukedom of Leo was like a fish in water.

It was like a fish in water.

There was no obstruction in the infiltration process.

From the pass of Hard Stones to Logue Castle, the highest place in the northern county territory, and then down the southern side of the mountain range of lions to the west, arriving at the Marburg where Viscount Kevin was. Then, they turned north and returned along the execution mountain in the eastern county territory.

This was a triangle, and it was also the route with the most trade caravan of table salt.

But Rolf still went back and forth smoothly.

According to his words.

It was as if he was leading his troops in a military parade!

Along the way, he defeated a few bandit groups that wanted to investigate their background, and spread his fierce reputation. Not to mention that other bandit groups did not continue to have designs on them, even the noble's troops did not forcefully stop them.

Rolf did not lead the heavy cavalry troops led by Mamluke and Sarrandian Horseman.

There were only 500 desert bandits.

They came and went like the wind.

With extremely high discipline and tenacity cultivated in the desert, they beat up the enemy bandit groups until they were completely dumbfounded. In fact, during the night raids, the enemy bandit groups could only helplessly send people to make peace.

Compared to the desert bandits, who were fierce in the Salander Desert, the dukedom of Leo's bandit group was still inferior.

They were not real bandits.

In other words, there were no bandits who would run when they got something and continue to run when they could not get it. They would not fight head-on with you. They would only go around like hyenas and give you a cold blow.

If I succeed, I will make a profit. If I don't succeed, I will not make a loss.

What I did was a no-cost business.

It was so straightforward.

And during this half a month of infiltration, Rolf didn't just plunder the trade caravan. This was just a pretense.

Most importantly, he had finally searched through most of the maps of the northern county territory. As long as the troops went out, they would be able to advance according to the map Rolf provided. With Kant's memories in this life, they would pass through the entire place.

For example, the current stone pass. After Kant announced that he had conquered it, no one dared to go near it anymore.

The desert bandits that had spread out were not easy to deal with.

In addition, those batches of Sarrandian Horsemen were completely elite assault cavalry. Their abilities could be compared to ordinary knights, or they could be regarded as the best knight Squires. Ordinary troops would not be a match for them.

Moreover, those bandit groups were easily defeated one after another.

The area around the stone pass had already been made impenetrable by Kant's management.

Among them, just like Kant's previous generous tax reduction and exemption, as well as the policy of supporting small landlords, small merchants, and local civilians, any major or minor matters would quickly reach his ears.

These people had spontaneously become Kant's supporters.

Lord's mansion.

In the hall.

Kant was sitting in his seat and reading documents.

These documents were all reports from Trondheim Castle and Aaron City.

Within half a month, the castle and sent people to reopen the salt mines in the north, and continued to station troops at the posthouse of the salt mines, and arranged for new slaves to go there and continue to mine coarse salt.

The city in the Senwaya range was still under construction.

The mountaintop was filled with buildings.

On both sides of the river at the foot of the mountain, the more gentle slopes had been opened up into fields.

High-quality wheat grains were turned into white flour in the hydraulic mill. Together with the smoked meat produced after hunting and the smoked fish obtained after fishing, it became the basis for the city residents to eat freely.

It was also supplied to Trondheim Castle.

At present, the civilian population of Kant had already exceeded 20,000.

This was not even taking into account the situation of the soldiers.

The civilian population in Trondheim Castle was reduced to 3,000 people.

However, the population of Aaron City directly reached 15,000 people. The dense population even formed radiation, and it was already slightly cultivated on the mountain peaks around the summit.

Under construction, a large number of terraced fields had been built. Although they had not yet been put into use, they had gained many outlines.

Next year, they would be able to successfully plant and harvest them.

The irrigation channels had been dug, and they were just waiting for the high-tower irrigation channels and water supply trucks to be built. Then, they would be able to irrigate the cultivated terraced fields from top to bottom.

Kant had arranged for a mysterious spring to be on the summit.

Thus, as long as there was a tall tower irrigation channel similar to Rome, it would be able to satisfy the irrigation needs.

Connecting the water elemental plane with an endless supply of fresh water was exactly what agriculture needed. If it was just that small river, it might be very difficult to cultivate the terraced fields and build a complete tall tower irrigation network.

But even so, with the systematic construction and the efforts of the civilians, everything was getting better.

The second base was also getting more and more prosperous.

This was also related to geography.

Although the Senwaya range was a huge mountain range that spanned extremely far away.

But the city of Aaron, which was located on the outside of the Senwaya range, had yet to completely enter too deep into the Senwaya range. Coupled with the good road traffic, it was able to contact the Nahrin desert in time, so it was not afraid of being blocked.

The Stone Pass was also in Kant's hands, so the possibility of being blocked in the end was reduced to the lowest.

Three points and one line.

This is exactly how the Nahrin Desert is now arranged.

From north to south.

It is entirely the salt posthouse, Drondheim's castle, the central posthouse, and the pass, and then the mountain pass posthouse and the city of Aaron, which form a complete line of communication.

A steady stream of supplies passes through this line, dividing and complementing each other.

Just like Kant's original design.

It was very reasonable.

Kant was also satisfied with this.

Looking at the report above, the documents were a summary of the current construction.

Ever since they had completely mastered the stone pass, the defensive effect of the central posthouse had become much worse. It was not that it was not as important as before, but that the trade caravan and spies from the outside world were no longer able to go deeper into the Nahrin desert.

The stone pass had already blocked most of the trade caravan.

If they continued to go deeper...

Wouldn't that mean that they were spies and spies!

When the time came, they would just have to kill this group of people with ulterior motives in the Nahrin Desert.

Desert Bandits, working together with the Sarrandian Horseman, plus the elite Mamluke, ordinary spies and spies, or the bandit group that took a detour into the Nahrin Desert in an attempt to make a fortune, all died miserably.

No one could hide from the people that came out of the Sarrandian Desert. Their experience in the desert was worth it.

But for now.

Desert Bandits were still the best scouts that had spread out on the plains.

Kant put down the document.

Everything was settled.

His plan still had to continue.

For example, the chess pieces that had been spread out, Kant planned to personally go and take a look this time.

Borg from the bankrupt family of the eastern County had received the great silver coin that Kant had given him to revive his family. Moreover, he had also used the ten Sarrandian Horseman riders that Kant had temporarily given to him to make a name for himself on the river of Resniston.

Even at the stone pass in the Northern County, Kant had heard of this young businessman who had risen to fame.

However, Borg still did not send anyone to contact him.

Kant was intrigued.

"It's good to go and take a look personally."

He had already made this plan, and at the same time, the preparations had been completed.

Kant personally led the team, with 10 Lion Knights as guards, 50 Sarion lion attendants, and Rolf leading, the 500 elite desert bandit who had already leveled up.

Knowing oneself and one's enemy was invincible, not to mention that there was a mysterious passage in the East Prefecture.

The passage that connected to the underground river.

If possible.

Kant planned to build a new village there.

Furthermore, he would place the water bandit's lair there to form the core force that controlled this river.

The moment he controlled this commercially developed river, Kant's forces could follow the river and spread out. Be it entering the South Prefecture of the dukedom of Leo or the silver platter kingdom.

It was extremely easy!

Money had always been successful in opening the way.

And Kant, who controlled the table salt trade and the commercial river, would not be short of money?

Kant liked to nibble, not swallow. Right now, the dukedom of Leo had been infiltrated by Kant's tentacles. Looking at the current situation, the status of the northern county, which had been completely infiltrated, was probably only second to Viscount Wayne.

If it was about military power, Kant, who had a heavy cavalry group, was not inferior to Wayne at all!

At the level of a viscount, he already had extraordinary power.

Although in Kant's eyes, he was still weak.

But before he could completely swallow and leave no traces behind, he was still willing to use the delicacy of nibbling to slowly take control of the dukedom of Leo in his own hands.

As for the crown on the surface, it was useless to Kant.

The uncrowned king was enough.

Riding and hacking were his foundation!

The troops set off quietly, just like Rolf's infiltration, quietly like the wind.

Fatis continued to take care of the Stone Pass. With the suppression of the troops stationed here, even if the entire pass was filled with spies and secret agents, they would not be able to gain the upper hand in the face of absolute force.

The residents had long been bought over by Kant's money offensive and could be said to be extremely grateful.

Betrayal was impossible.

Except for those vassal knights who wanted to go one step further.

However, even the vassal knights who nominally pledged allegiance to Kant did not receive any important roles.

Even if they led their troops out and dealt with the demonized creatures or low-level jackals that they encountered daily, the troops would be a mix of the Swadian infantry and the original long-lance soldiers of the past.

Although they were nominally under the command of the vassal knights, the Swadian Infantry, as a middle-level commander, could refute them.

This also meant that they also had the right to command.

It was equivalent to flying in the air.

If Kant or Fatis completely announced that they would strip these vassal knights of their command, then these knights would not be able to take any of their soldiers away. After all, the current Swadian Infantry.., had built a good relationship with the lance soldiers at the Stone Pass.

In comparison, the superior attitude of these knights and their disregard for the lower-level infantry would not make the resting lance soldiers truly loyal.

They would be loyal to whoever paid them and to whoever treated them well.

The lance soldiers at the stone pass were not stupid.

That was the advantage of nibbling away.

The light cavalry set out quickly, disappearing into the flat plain, to the eastern territory, a long-closed land.

Chapter 383: Ji Bolun of the Eastern County

The possession of the eastern county lay on the west side of the dukedom of Leo, immediately adjacent to the northern and southern counties.

The Senwaya mountain range served to isolate the Nahrin Desert. Due to the low terrain and regular cold air mixed with snow, the weather here was very good. The agricultural level was close to that of the southern counties, and it was once an important grain-growing area of the dukedom.

Geographically, it was just like the Mountain of Leo that separated the northern and southern counties.

The eastern county area also had the Mountain of Death to separate the east and west.

Coincidentally, to the west of the Mountain of Leo was the Mountain of Death, or the rest of the Mountain of Leo. In the middle was the nail that the southern county had planted in the northern county, namely Viscount Kevin's Maas Castle.

The Maas Castle was the center of the three counties. It was strategically important and had a higher status than Stone Pass.

Controlling the Maas Castle
was equivalent to controlling the northern county, controlling the eastern county, and coordinating with the southern county.

The entire dukedom of Leo was a place that all strategists would fight over!

However, the current Maas Castle had lost its former severity. Although ordinary people were still not allowed to enter, the surrounding area had become a paradise for bandits and bandit groups.

Even though there were no large-scale massacres and armed conflicts, the trade caravan still suffered heavy losses.

At this time.

There were almost a dozen bandit groups with different backgrounds.

There were also mercenaries hired by the Lord of the Maas Castle, Viscount Kevin, to help defend the castle and fight crime. However, in reality, they made it clear that they would not help each other.

As long as the bandit groups did not attack the Maas Castle, Viscount Kevin could pretend not to see it.

This was very strange.

But it was very correct.

In the past half month, Rolf had brought his 500 desert bandits to investigate.

However, not only was he not chased away by the Lord, but he was also attacked by the bandit group. After a few sneaky counterattacks and the complete destruction of some larger bandit forces, he was able to get back on his feet.

The Maas Castle had already lost the authority he had once held back.

Or rather...

Some of the top level noble families had tacitly agreed.

They didn't want the table salt trade from Kant to erupt quickly in a short period of time.

If the top level noble families weren't still scheming, it was likely that these noble families had already compromised among themselves and were about to make a move. They would split up the Nahrin Desert of Kant and gain more advantages.

At present, the table salt trade had already entered the silver platter kingdom.

It was also moving further and further along the river.

The table salt from Kant, which benefited from the dwarf kingdom's table salt that was extremely far away and could be supplied quickly and in large quantities, had completely seized the market of the dukedom of Leo. Furthermore, it continued to encroach on the table salt market of other human lands along the river.

Any trade caravan that engaged in table salt had already made a fortune.

The noble families behind them were all had their fat.

However, thinking about the salt mines in the Nahrin Desert, the noble families who had already tasted the sweetness, and the chief noble families who had the ability to seize it, had already made a tacit agreement.

In half a month, they began to connect with each other, and with the convenience of the coalition army, they began to integrate.

The integration continued.

After all, they had to choose a new leader for the army.

No one from the royal family could participate, because according to the rules, when their master Kant died, the salt mine they wanted to take this time would be taken over by the royal family.

Because Kant was the blood of the royal family, the second son of the royal Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron.

But the strange thing was.

The royal family did not stop the spontaneous actions of the noble.

No news was spread in the Castle of Leo, and no orders were issued. It was as if they knew nothing at all!

This was worthy of consideration. And these nobles who were connected with each other also began to form a coalition army in high spirits, just as they had stopped the invasion of the Silver Plate Kingdom back then. Gradually, they joined together to form a huge military force.

Although it was somewhat bloated, it was as heavy as fat, and it was also very intimidating.

Kant had yet to notice all of this.

For at this moment he was riding his horse across the plains.

"Boom, boom, boom -"

The sound of horse hooves rang out.

Kant rode ahead on his horse, and behind him were 30 Sarleon Lion Knights and 50 Sarleon Lion Guards. They were full of energy and watched by his side. They were very powerful and majestic and were not inferior to the elite knights of the royal family.

Even the 500 elite desert bandits behind him had their own imposing manner.

The heavy machete was at his waist.

The six short javelins on his back were neatly arranged.

The spear in his hand flickered with a cold light. As he moved forward, it was like a torrent rushing by rapidly.

Kant led his team into the eastern county territory. After three days of galloping, they had already moved west from Stone Pass. They were heading towards the predetermined location, which was the most famous landmark of the eastern county territory, the Mountain of Death.

It was southwest of Stone Pass.

After the Mountain of Death, it was the eastern county territory that had been sealed off.

The noble estates along the way were all sealed off. Only the troops within the eastern county territory were allowed to stay there and approach. If anyone else approached rashly, they would be treated as the enemy.

Although there were definitely unspoken rules and such, the merchants were very familiar with them.

But Kant couldn't do it.

Therefore, he didn't directly go west and enter the eastern county territory along the north side of the Senwaya Range. Instead, he trekked towards the Mountain of Death. He had to take a detour to that side so that he could enter the center of the eastern county territory as soon as possible.

After passing the Mountain of Death, that was the core area of the eastern county territory.

A piece of fertile land near the Resniston River.

Due to the cold air and the hot air of the Nahrin Desert, there was already plenty of underground water. In addition, the irrigation project was well-organized. It was said that after ten years of development, the agriculture of the eastern county was not weaker than that of the southern county.

If not for the strong commercial atmosphere of the southern county, the eastern county would have already surpassed the royal estate by half a head!

The details were rather vague.

Although the eastern county did not prohibit merchants from entering.

In other words, as long as they did not enter under the official identity of the southern county, they were basically fine.

However, some secret agents who had ulterior motives and went to the eastern county to gather information would also be arrested. Together with any conspirators, they would be pressed to the Mountain of Death and their heads would be chopped off by the executioners on the Mountain.

The Mountain of Death was therefore given its name.

Just ten years ago, Countess Agatha had ordered the execution of all three families of the Viscount.

Nearly a thousand people were executed at the same time. This was the only time the dukedom of Leo had been established, and it had caused an uproar throughtout the country. This was also one of the reasons why the eastern county was sealed off.

Moreover, the rich eastern county only had one viscount and a few barons guarding the various areas until now.

But in terms of strength, they were still stronger than the northern county.

It could be seen from the village.

"Very rich."

Rolf was somewhat moved by this.

They had just left a village in the eastern county. After using small silver coins to buy the necessary supplies for everyone during the journey, they chose to leave under the vigilant gazes of the sheriff and the local security militia.

Some coarse bread mixed with wheat bran, and a part of smoked meat.

There was also clear water in the water sack.

"Behave yourself. This is not the northern County."

Kant slowed down his horse.

Looking at the flat terrain in front of them, the farmland was divided by irrigation canals. He could not help but nod and say, "In terms of agriculture here, it is better than the most fertile land in the northern county."

"The northern county, that place is no different from Sarrand Sultanate."

Rolf sneered, "It's barren."

"The Sarrand Sultanate has at least two huge oases!"Among the elite desert bandit behind him, there was a stubborn guy who stuck out his neck and retorted, "The northern county doesn't have any water source to nourish the land!"

"I know, I know. You're the only one who talks too much!"

Rolf turned his head and cursed.

However, he still shrugged his shoulder and said to Kant, "Lord, in fact, in my opinion, it doesn't matter if the Northern Territory wants it or not. Only the elite desert bandits behind me can do whatever they want. Whether it's military or economic, there's no need to seize it. I don't see any value in it."

"But the northern county territory is connected to the southern county territory and the eastern county territory,"Kant answered calmly.

"Of course."

Rolf sneered, "They dare not to provoke us."He hesitated and guessed, "But before, I had the feeling that the joint army formed by the nobles seemed to have the intention of letting Viscount Weien Zijue be the commander."

Kant nodded, "Yes, I know. You reported it."

"This means that perhaps they are restless."

Rolf shook his head. "Now that we have entered the eastern county territory, it might get a little troublesome if those guys attack Stone Pass. After all, that Fateh Guy is not good at defending the city."

"I don't think so."

Kant chuckled.

Looking at this scoundrel noble, he said calmly, "It seems that you have other ideas. Why Don't you tell me? If I think it's possible, I can adopt your ideas."

"Lord, I think you have always been wise."

Rolf was the first to flatter him. "I think it's meaningless for us to hide in the eastern county. Why don't we go directly to the hinterland of the northern county, which is near the old man, Viscount Weien Zijue's nest. When they form an alliance army and the rear is empty, we can strike them hard. Perhaps we can even take down Logue Castle."

"If they seal the city gates, we won't be able to break in."

Kant shook his head.

Although Grand Knights with extraordinary strength were extremely powerful and could match up to 30 to 50 top tier knights.

However, this was only their destructive power. They would still be injured in the face of the rain of arrows. They would also be killed by the powerful ballistas or catapults that fired stone bullets or lance. There was no chance of survival.

It could be used as the spearhead in field battles, but siege battles were still the world of siege weapons.

"Oh..."

Rolf shook his head regretfully.

Compared to hiding, he preferred to bring a group of bandits to other people's homes and wantonly plunder and destroy them. Even if they did not achieve much in battle, they could still intimidate the enemy. It was a great feeling.

He was a complete villain. Even if he was a noble, it had nothing to do with the so-called gentlemanly manner.

"The Mountain of Death is ahead."

Kant urged his horse to speed up.

Looking at the protruding mountain in front of him on the horizon, his eyes narrowed slightly. "After we pass the Mountain of Death, we will be in the main city of the eastern county. At that time, we will be able to go in and see what is going on."

His tone paused slightly. Kant frowned and said, "But on the way to the Mountain of Death, we will come across another castle."

Gibran's Avilis Castle.

The only Viscount in the eastern county.

That's right. After Countess Agatha slaughtered three viscounts, the only Viscount Gibran was left.

Kant had to admit that the strength of this Viscount Gibran was actually equivalent to that of the count. This was because this old viscount, who was already 56 years old, had once shone brilliantly in the battle against the Silver Platter Kingdom ten years ago.

He had withstood the attack of the Silver Platter Kingdom's thirty thousand main forces alone.

And his army only had six thousand men.

Among them were four thousand gathered armed militia and recruited peasant soldiers.

And the remaining two thousand main force were merely the defeated soldiers who had been defeated by the Silver Platter Kingdom on the south bank of the river. They were gathered by this Viscount Gibran and trained for a few days before being thrown into the millstone-like battle once again.

It was also because Viscount Gibran had held back the main forces of the Silver Platter Kingdom in the eastern county.

It was also because of this that the dukedom of Leo was finally victorious.

That battle where Baron dilun Nanjue rose to prominence and made the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, famous. It was also because of Viscount Gibran that the Grand Duke of Leo had successfully won the battle.

If it were not for the north bank of the river, Viscount Gibran would have fought with all his might.

He reckoned that the dukedom of Leo had already been conquered.

The Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, would also be conquered at this time.

Perhaps because he was the husband of Princess Sofia, he would be spared from execution and would still be able to retain his noble status. However, his true power would disappear forever. He would not be able to compare to his current status as Grand Duke of the dukedom of Leo!

"Viscount Gibran."

Rolf's tone became a little more serious. "I have heard of this Viscount's reputation in many bandit groups, or rather, in those mercenary groups. He is a very powerful guy."

"Yes, he can be considered a famous general."Kant nodded.

"He is right in front."

Rolf snorted coldly and narrowed his eyes slightly. "It is said that the true elite troops of the eastern county territory are hidden in Avilis Castle. It is precisely because this old man supports Countess Agatha that she is able to stand firm in the eastern County Territory."

Rolf paused for a moment and looked at Kant. "Or rather, your father, Archduke Cameron, is the one who is truly afraid of him."

"That's right."

Kant was not the least bit angry.

The relatives in this world were more like passers-by to him.

The royal family had no family ties to begin with. Moreover, Kant still had the memories of his former life. The so-called feelings for the relatives in this world were only feelings he had been thinking about for a long time.

And this kind of feelings had turned a little sour because of the open and hidden fights between the royal family.

Kant did not like it very much.

"Let's go and take a look."

He patted the horse's belly gently.

Kant continued to ride forward. "I want to meet this famous general."

PS: I recommend my friend, 'to open an underground city'. He had just transmigrated and already owned an underground city. If he wanted to live a comfortable life, he would have to change the current operating mode. Thus, while he was watching the movements of the adventurers in the city live, he was trying to improve the facilities. Unknowingly, the bustling underground entertainment city entered people's vision and gradually changed their way of life. Finally, it became the paradise that the whole world yearned for.

Chapter 384: Rugged and Shabby Dirt Road

Starting from the stone pass, they headed southwest. When they saw the sword-like peak of Death Penalty Mountain, they turned and headed west. In less than a day's journey, they would reach Avilesburg.

This was the experience of the merchants of the Dukedom of Leo.

Often, merchants would not easily tell others about similar routes. This was a secret technique that the trade caravan relied on to survive.

However, when a scoundrel noble placed a machete on the necks of those merchants, he easily obtained the specific routes and secret techniques of the trade caravan.

The routes of the trade caravan were all over the Dukedom of Leo, so they needed proper trade routes.

And it was the type that had been investigated on the spot.

It was more exquisite than the official map of the Dukedom of Leo, which was also the map of the territory of the Dukedom of Leo. Especially in the vicinity of certain areas with concentrated commerce or special products, the Merchant's trade maps were more accurate in detail.

As for Avilesburg, which was an important military town in the Eastern county, it was naturally recorded as well.

All the way to the west.

The dirt road that was trampled on simply was very rugged.

In other words, the Dukedom of Leo did not have the habit of repairing roads. These so-called roads were all solid roads that had been trampled on by people and horses for a long time. No one really repaired them, so it was inevitable that they would be rugged.

This was a deliberate act to prevent the enemy from marching.

Roads could speed up the journey.

For example, at the edge of the Senwaya Range, from Aaron City to the Yamaguchi Posthouse, Kant had built a paved road that was paved with small stones. It was solid and smooth.

Such a paved road could provide a traveling speed that was several times faster than ordinary mountain roads.

Originally, the entire day's travel time.

Relying on this paved road, they could arrive in less than half a day. It was very convenient and fast.

This was beneficial to raising the level of trade. After all, the carriages, pack horses, camels, and other trade caravans were all full of goods. Being able to travel on the paved road was far better than the rugged mountain road, or even the lack of a road.

However, moving faster was convenient and troublesome.

Especially in terms of military use.

Since the trade caravan could move fast, then the army could naturally do the same.

Moreover, they could quickly advance along the well-built roads, and even directly reach their destination to start their battle deployment.

This was the case for their own troops, and it was the same for the enemy troops. The roads had already been built, and anyone could use them. Naturally, the enemy was the same.

This was especially true for the Dukedom of Leo and the Silver Platter Kingdom.

Naturally, they could not pay too much attention to the construction of the roads.

The Dukedom of Leo, which was mainly composed of cavalry, did not need to worry about the assembly of troops. A warhorse with four hooves could walk faster than a two-legged person no matter what. Even if there was no road, it could still move quickly.

The Silver Platter Kingdom was different.

This kingdom had a variety of troop classes. Although there was cavalry, they were also mainly infantry.

The cavalry was the main force, but the elite infantry was also the main force. Often, in the course of a field battle, before the Knights of the Dukedom of Leo could defeat the Knights of the Silver Platter Kingdom, their own troops, which were used to maintain the front line, had already been defeated.

This was also the key reason why they had suffered a crushing defeat on the south bank of the river of Resniston ten years ago.

They had only reached the north bank.

Taking advantage of the fact that the Silver Platter Kingdom's troops were halfway across the river, Viscount Gibran of Avilesburg had fought with all his might to delay the main force of the Knights of the Silver Platter Kingdom. He had also provided false information due to Baron Dilun Nanjue's betrayal of the Silver Platter Kingdom.

This had resulted in a great victory on the north bank of the Resniston river, and they had even fought back to take back the two lost castles on the south bank.

It barely maintained the dignity of the Dukedom of Leo.

Therefore.

The Dukedom of Leo was even more careless about the construction of roads.

Although it affected domestic trade, with the famous trade river, the Resniston River, even if land trade declined, it would still be acceptable. The profits brought by the river trade were also not low!

Riding on the rugged dirt road, it took a long time to see a trade caravan.

All of them were extremely vigilant.

There were more than ten carriages and more than fifty laborers holding nail sticks.

There were also more than ten cavalry wearing leather armor and holding long spears and longswords. Although they looked nondescript and were between mercenaries and regular soldiers, their movements were also very neat and fast. They were very good guards of the trade caravan.

The security situation in the Eastern county was slightly better. There were no large-scale bandit groups.

However, when they saw Kant and the cavalry...

All of them were horrified.

Especially when they saw the rebellious and fierce looks of the elite desert bandits, their hearts started to beat faster. If it wasn't for Kant and the rest riding their horses and not stopping, they would have started to fight back!

However, even if they fought back, they didn't have much of a chance of winning. Kant had the advantage in numbers.

Five hundred elite desert bandits.

This was considered a strong level among bandit groups or mercenaries.

After all, these were cavalry, not infantry. Even if they couldn't beat them, they could still flee on their horses. Moreover, they had spears, scimitars, short javelins, and iron-scale armor.

Ordinary wealthy small landlords could only gather this set of equipment.

Cavalry was not something that anyone could become.

Just raising warhorse was a matter that required money, and equipment was secondary.

Now, Kant's cavalry team could even be used as the main force among the mercenaries. After all, ordinary mercenaries did not have the strength of a knight's squire. The Gale mercenary group from before was entirely composed of knight's squires and knights, there are two other grand knights, and it was really exceptional.

Everyone knew that the force behind the Gale mercenary group was Countess Agatha of the Eastern County. The reason why this mercenary group was released was to warn the noble families of the northern and southern counties to show their strength.

An unspoken rule.

Even now.

Kant and his cavalry left the trade caravans without any intention of looting, and they knew it.

Perhaps these were the private soldiers of a noble.

Their guess was correct.

However, Kant's cavalry was all low-level light cavalry, and they were not even considered his main cavalry. If the real main cavalry arrived, the scale of the march of over a thousand Swadian cavalry would be even more terrifying!

Even the full set of heavy armor of a man and a horse, and the hooves of the horses striking the ground, were as terrifying as a flood discharge or an earthquake.

Of course.

Kant was not interested in these trade caravans.

Rolf was still a little interested, but he did not act rashly because he wanted to travel quickly.

If something went wrong and the local noble families in the Eastern county were to notice, they would be surrounded. After all, this was not the Northern county, and it was far from the stone pass. The reinforcements could not appear at all times.

Most importantly, Avilesburg was right in front of them.

Viscount Ji Bolun.

This old general was not to be trifled with. The elites under him also made Kant slightly fearful.

The only reason why they were able to stand apart from the traditional ruling forces of the Dukedom of Leo was not because of Countess Agatha's isolation. There was also the elite force in Viscount Ji Bolun's hands that was enough to deter any enemy!

A thousand-man knight regiment and three thousand elite infantry.

It was also a seeded force that had been trained from the remnants of the bloody battle ten years ago.

It was definitely not bad in terms of combat strength.

It was said that they had also made reference to the training methods of the infantrymen of the Silver Platter Kingdom. Their combat strength was extremely strong. Together with the 4-meter long lance, they formed a phalanx of long spears. Even an ordinary knight regiment would not dare to approach them easily.

Not to mention charging into the phalanx of long spears head-on. They would definitely suffer heavy casualties.

Nearing evening.

Kant had finally reached the vicinity of Avilesburg.

On the flat plains in front of them, at the top of a slightly raised hill, a towering castle was being built on top of it. The arrow towers and towers were stacked on top of each other, with the addition of thick and heavy city walls. The defense was perfect.

The setting sun's dim yellow light shone on the castle, bringing about a visual impact that was not inferior to Kant's castle.

The only Viscount in the Eastern county.

And also the only castle.

Viscount Gibran of Avilesburg.

Kant gently knocked on the horse's belly and continued to lead the team forward. Right under the castle, there was still smoke rising in spirals. It was the smoke rising from the villages of the peasants who depended on the castle to survive.

The castle also needed the peasants to supply the daily necessities.

Moreover, they could be recruited during wartime.

It was common to form poorly equipped armed militias or recruit peasant soldiers as cannon fodder to temporarily resist the enemy's attack and relieve the pressure on the main force. It was also common to adjust the tactical arrangements as soon as possible to make up for the deficiencies.

Now Kant wanted to go to the village, not to fight, but to rest.

To sleep or camp temporarily.

They were mercenaries, and at the same time, to see if the castle was willing to hire them.

Of course, the price would definitely be high. Even if Avilesburg was willing to hire them, it would be impossible to negotiate a cooperation in the end.

Kant came here only to observe the castle. It would be even better if he could meet Viscount Ji Bolun. His real goal was to go to the core of the Eastern county territory, which was the Eastern County city.

The city that stood on the north bank of the river was one of the only two cities in the Dukedom of Leo.

It was also the only city in the Eastern county.

It was also a commercial city and a port city. Many merchants of the Resniston river had made their first stop in the Dukedom of Leo. It had once been the Eastern County city. However, after Countess Agatha sealed off all contact with the outside world, more commercial businesses flooded into the Lion Heart City in the Southern county. Instead, it helped the royal family increase their tax revenue by several times.

In fact, there was a reason for this. Kant understood that the river bandits of the Resniston river were extremely arrogant in the Eastern county. After all, the southern bank was Fort Nair, which had been reduced to the area of the Silver Platter Kingdom.

The existence of the river bandits was also the reason why the Silver Platter kingdom had indulged themselves and attacked the dukedom of Leo.

Kant also had some connections with the river bandits.

The former subordinates of Princess Sofia had been left outside and could be considered as another chess piece.

He came to the Eastern county territory to see what changes had occurred in this sealed estate. His goal was to get close to Borg in the Eastern County city and use this former chess piece to complete his strategic deployment.

Kant had basically infiltrated the Northern county territory.

Next was the Eastern county territory.

After controlling two counties, the Southern county would not be able to escape Kant's infiltration.

As long as the army was strong enough and connected with the noble families, the Dukedom of Leo would be slowly eaten up like a frog in warm water, becoming Kant's territory.

Moreover, the Eastern county had an ancient tunnel that was connected to the Resniston river.

Although it is not known where in the Resniston river it leads to.

But it's very important.

Chapter 385: The Temporary Camp Near to the Village

Arriving at the village near the castle, at the far west end of the sunset, the huge and magnificent Senwaya Range completely blocked out the last sunset, and the sky was very dark in the shadows.

The horses' hooves knocked on the rugged dirt road, and the rumbling of the horses interrupted the beautiful evening of the villagers.

Kant rode in front leading the troops, he waited quietly at the entrance of the village.

They did not greet each other, nor did they make any rude moves. They were just like the travelers using the horse's hooves as a knock on the door to express goodwill to the village and at the same time, to request for communication.

It was just that they never saw a whole troop of "travelers" before.

The villagers also stuck their heads out.

Their eyes were filled with shock and uncertainty.

But they did not have much fear, they were at the famous Avilis Castle. The village was under Viscount Gibran's rule. When ordinary mercenary groups arrived, they had to be respectful and did not dare to offend them at all.

Even if the bandit group would only request to replenish their supplies and would have any ulterior motives

Very soon, there was a commotion in the village.

Teams of footmen wearing iron-scale armor and holding four-meter-long lance quickly gathered.

They gathered in the middle of the alley in the village and formed a unique lance formation in the East County. Looking at their skilled formation, one could tell that these armed militia guys were not ordinary commoners.

Even Kant nodded to himself, "They are quite well-trained."

"Indeed." Rolf shrugged.

Looking at those armed militia, his eyes were filled with curiosity, "Of course, compared to the armed militia in the North County, these guys can be considered the elite footmen of a lord."

"The East County has its own military training system," Kant said calmly, "It had been cut off with the Dukedom of Leo ten years ago."

He was once an apprentice of the academy. In order to avoid suspicion, he did not read or study any books on extraordinary powers. Instead, he learned the most about cultural history and geography.

Naturally, he knew a lot about the changes in the East County, including its military.

Kant explained, "This is the training method of the footmen learned from the Silver Platter Kingdom. They are good at taking on the cavalry." He looked at Rolf. "In the future, if you lead the light cavalry in battle, be careful. The strength of the footmen of the East County when dealing with the cavalry is not weaker than that of the Rhodok Footmen"

"Oh, of course. I've already compared these guys who use long-pole weapons to the Rhodok people." Rolf nodded.

His eyes narrowed slightly, he muttered, "Although it's troublesome for the Desert Bandits to deal with these guys, it would be better if we let Mamluke or the Swadian Heavy Cavalry to deal with them. These heavy cavalry troops with better defense can even defeat the Rhodok Spearmen, let alone these ordinary militia."

Kant said with a slightly solemn tone, "But we still have to be cautious. If we're using your method, it is still not practical."

Rolf shook his head helplessly and said, "That's why I hate long-pole weapons."

What he said was naturally to rely on the heavy cavalry to forcefully smash into the phalanx of long spears formed by these militia. Using the most violent and most convenient tactic, they would directly crush these militia and break through their formation.

However, using the heavy cavalry to crush their lance formation would be not ideal, because it would cause casualties on Kant's side too.

Especially when the first line of the charging cavalries towards the phalanx of long lance.

Even if Kant's heavy cavalries could charge in and break through their phalanx, it would cause a lot of losses.

It would be usable if they were in a decisive battle and force to use the desperate tactics to break through the stalemate. But if it were a conventional probing battle, he would definitely not use it. After all, even if he killed a thousand enemies, he would lose three hundred of his own. It was not worth it.

Therefore, the cost-benefit ratio was not high.

"A four-meter long lance."

Kant narrowed his eyes slightly and his expression was slightly solemn. "An ordinary footman troop would not be able to use this kind of weapon."

A lance footman needed to undergo strict training.

Not all footmen could use a lance. This had been proved in history.

Only a more advanced civilization could train the army and the people into a highly organized and highly disciplined team. Only then could they use this kind of weapon smoothly. Otherwise, they would just be a live target on the battlefield that was easily defeated by the enemy, just like a turtle shell that did not move at all.

Moreover, the formation of the untrained lance footmen would be easily penetrated if the enemy attacked from both sides.

However, it was different if the training was well-done.

Looking at history.

The people of ancient Greek city-states in southern Europe were experts in using the phalanx of long lance. Moreover, under the ruling of Alexander the Great of Macedonia, they became the top-notch and unbreakable footmen together with the light cavalry.

They defeated the traditional close-combat footmen on the fertile soil of the Middle East Crescent.

In the Middle Ages, the world was ruled by the lance.

A similar variant, the soldiers with Swiss halberd, putting the lance formation to its pinnacle. Even the fearsome knights of the Kingdom of France and the Holy Roman Empire did not dare to attack them recklessly.

For example, when the Knights of France fought against the Swiss halberd footmen, they dismounted and formed a corresponding lance phalanx to fight against them.

History recorded it clearly.

Even on the eve of modern times, the Spanish spear formation was still terrifying.

And in the history of China, almost all of the elite troops were long spear soldiers.

Although in Chinese history, the distinction of troop class was not very clear, the elite troops could skillfully use different kinds of spears in the battles. In addition, they could coordinate with bows and arrows, and in close combat, they were all-rounder in different kinds of weapon!

Hence, Kant felt a trace of fear towards these East County's militia.

If they did not undergo advanced footman training, they would not be so skilled and well ordered.

Rolf also noticed the difference, so he did not continue to speak. Instead, he turned his eyes and carefully observed the village in front of him. The long lance soldiers who were on alert also revealed a hostile looks on them.

As an evil general, he was not fool. He also noticed that something was wrong with the East County.

In the midst of silence, more than a dozen people hurried over.

The leader was an old man, followed by a middle-aged man, a strong middle-aged man, and more than a dozen guards. They wore better-quality iron-scale armor, holding round shields and sharp hand axes.

They were the village chief, the finance officer, and the sheriff.

"Hello."

As an elder, the village chief was naturally well-informed.

Looking at Kant and the Sarleon Lion Knights, Lion Squire behind him, as well as the 500 Elite Desert Bandit in iron-scale armor, his heart could not help but beat faster.

However, he still managed to calm his mind. After giving an eye contact to the sheriff beside him, he said, "It's already very late. Please forgive us for not being able to receive you."

His attitude was very humble.

Kant did not act unruly. He got off his horse and walked forward. calmly, he said, "We would like to stay for the night."

"Stay for the night." the village chief hesitated slightly.

It was clear that he was somewhat rejecting Kant and the others.

Although there were 50 militia elites behind him who could form a long lance phalanx, as well as more than 200 ordinary conscripted peasant soldiers in the village, it was a little whimsical to think that they could rely on these few footmen to resist Kant's cavalry unit of more than 500 people.

The sheriff's face was also slightly pale, and cold sweat was dripping down his temples.

This was not something that he could solve right now.

If anything happened, only Viscount Gibran in the castle could handle it.

After all, with his judgment, he could see that the aura of these unfamiliar cavalry troops, especially the fierce eyes of those cavalrymen, was similar to that of the bandits, or a group of bandits!

"Don't be nervous, old man. We are mercenaries from the South County." Kant sensed that they were afraid.

With a slight smile, he calmly said, "When we arrived here, we wanted to ask the noble lords of the East County whether they would hire us. After all, we are close to the Senwaya Range. Perhaps there are some foreign races or demonized creatures that need to be dealt with."

"You are mercenaries." the village chief sighed in relief.

But he was still nervous.

Although Kant had already stated that they were neutral mercenaries, the old village chief understood that sometimes these mercenaries could turn into murderous bandits at any time when they were in need of money or secretly attack them at night.

That was a blur line between the bandits and mercenaries sometimes.

"We'll pay."

Kant chuckled, but his next words interrupted their suspicions. "Two great silver coins. I think it's enough to stay in the drying field outside the village. I think there are only some miscellaneous things piled up there."

"This..." the village chief glanced at the finance officer and the sheriff behind him.

However, the two people behind him were secretly delighted when they heard the two great silver coins and immediately nodded.

"Alright." the village chief saw the situation and understood.

He coughed lightly and spoke gently, "Commander, your mercenaries can rest in the grain drying field outside the village. In order to show my respect, you can obtain the well water for free in our village. Of course, if you want some food, you have to pay extra."

After a pause, he felt that his tone was a bit serious, but he still reminded Kant, "This is the estate of Viscount Gibran. All our income has to be taxed, so we can't give it to you for free."

"I understand." Kant smiled and nodded. "I won't make things difficult for you."

"That's good, that's good." seeing that Kant was so easy to talk to, the village chief smiled and stroked his beard. Soon, he left with the financial officer and the sheriff. As for the militia in the village, many of them had also dispersed.

They must have been secretly on guard. The militia were secretly on guard and did not dare to spread out easily.

This was their village.

It was their home.

Cavalry troops of such a scale were camped beside them. If they were not careful, they would most likely be attacked in the middle of the night. They would definitely not be able to hold them off. If they stood firm and waited for reinforcements, they might be able to hold on until reinforcements arrived.

After all, they were close to Avilis Castle. If anything unusual happened, he people in Viscount Gibran's castle would quickly notice it.

"Set up the temporary camp." Kant waved his hand and gave the order.

The Desert Bandits quickly headed to the grain drying field not far away and removed all the debris piled up on it. At the same time, they opened up the linen tents that they had brought, quickly forming a temporary camp made up of more than fifty tents.

It was already very dark. The stars and moon had already appeared in the sky, sprinkling thin gauze on the ground.

It was Kant's first night in the East County.

Chapter 386: Anxious Militiamen

Under the faint light of the stars and the moon, the Elite Desert Bandit scattered. They picked up some dead wood and grass in the field outside the village and used them as firewood. They then lit a few bonfires in front of the tents.

At night, the temperature in the East County was slightly lower. Although it was not as freezing as the Nahrin Desert, it was still cold.

The East County was formerly known as the Winter County. The East County City, which was originally the capital city, was once the Winter City.

The meaning came from the cold air from the south. Every year, there would occasionally be snowflakes and cold rain falling. Even the slightly larger hailstones could be seen several times a year. It was the only county in the Dukedom of Leo where one could see the obvious cold winter.

The reason why the Winter County was changed to the East County was because of Kant's aunt, the Countess Agatha who had been conferred the title of this place.

Because she did not get along with the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, after he was being conferred the title of the Dukedom of Leo, Countess Agatha directly changed the name of the county, directly changing the Winter County that was located in the west to East County. The name carried a meaning of deep estrangement between East County and Dukedom of Leo.

It meant that the former Winter County had completely no relationship with the Dukedom of Leo.

It had not changed ever since.

After ten years, Countess Agatha developed the East County as firm as an iron barrel.

Not to mention the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, who could not get his hands in, even the nobles of the other counties could not communicate with the East County through the officials. It was as if they were truly separated from each other.

The communication could be done with the trade caravan to handle matters. It was extremely troublesome.

It was practically semi-independent!

However, there was nothing they could do. Or rather, there was nothing they could do.

The official of the Dukedom of Leo, Grand Duke Cameron, was in a hurry to inherit the throne. He did not have enough time to gather the support of all the top-tier nobles. This was also why Countess Agatha, who had been given the authority, was able to divide the county.

In the feudal era, the support from the noble was especially important to the ruler.

The noble was the foundation of a feudal country.

Especially the nobles of the Western European system, they were the mainstay of the country!

As for the commoners, they were just ants that begged for their lives under the feet of the noble.

On the battlefield, they were just cannon fodder, living targets to block arrows for the noble lords. Most of the time, they were treated like servants who plowed, grazed, and hunted, and paid taxes for the noble lords!

Within the Dukedom of Leo, the noble was everything!

In reality, it was not just the East County, there was also Viscount Wayne of North County who hated Dukedom of Leo.

Ten years ago, if it was not for Cameron's decisive decision to take advantage of the North County, which was being invaded by Jackalan, and lead his troops directly to the north, displaying the threat of force, even the North County would have been semi-independent like the current East County.

But now, Viscount Kevin of the North County was still acting as a threat to the royal family and was inserted into the northern county as a nail.

From this, one could see the internal conflicts and discord in the Dukedom of Leo.

The struggle for power.

The dispute between the king and the noble.

Kant was still helpless about this. This kind of struggle had nothing to do with him, but it was also related to him.

Kant was now a top noble. He was a powerhouse among the noble families. He had troops and money in his hands and had claimed the Nahrin Desert. He was already in conflict with the royal power.

It would be even more interesting if someone from the Lion Fort asked Kant to pay taxes or provide financial assistance.

According to the rules, Kant did have this obligation.

It was just different in the beginning.

He was exiled.

Then, he received help to rise in power despite being exiled.

As a baron, the manager at the top was in name, Viscount Wayne of North County.

But because of Kant's royal bloodline, he was the second son of the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron. He had the right to inherit the throne. Even a mere Viscount Wayne could not truly treat Kant as a vassal.

Moreover, Kant's Nahrin Desert was not classified on the official map of the Dukedom of Leo.

It was close to the North County and was under Viscount Wayne's jurisdiction.

Taking over was only a matter of circumstance.

No one cared about the once-forbidden area of civilization, the race desert.

Even if they knew that there was an Oasis Lookout in the Nahrin Desert that could allow living people to live, it was not proportional to the rewards of reclamation. No one really cared about who owned the Nahrin Desert.

Even before Kant went to the Nahrin Desert, the official scholar did not admit that this was the territory of the Dukedom of Leo.

The map also showed that it was a no-man's land.

It was a pure desert!

This also led to an awkward situation, Kant had no actual superior.

Perhaps Cameron, the Grand Duke of Leo, who had personally conferred the title of Kant, could be considered as one. However, as the Grand Duke and Kant's father, if he was a real noble, he should confer Kant as a viscount. The rank of a baron was too low.

He was definitely a low-level noble among the nobles.

"Ha." Kant stood on the grain drying field, his was calm.

He was not interested in the rank of a noble. In fact, he was not interested in the so-called position of an archduke or grand duke. It was true that he could live a stable life in this world. It was his pursuit to live better by relying on the "Mount and Blade" system.

The night was getting darker. The stars and the moon had already shone with all of their light.

The torches on the ground were also burning.

The fragrance filled the air.

It was the fragrance of toast, along with the fragrance of dried meat, dried sausage, and smoked fish.

Kant and his cavalries had been trekking the entire afternoon. They only had lunch at noon. By the time of evening, they were already so hungry that their chests were pressed against their backs. They started the bonfire to prepare dinner.

However, even though they were cold, tired, and hungry, the cavalries did not forget to take care of their personal warhorses.

They were the partners that they relied on to cooperate on the battlefield.

They could be treated as brothers.

The simple trough and sink were connected. The good wheat grains mixed with chickpeas and clover grass were poured into it. In addition, it was moistened with water. It was the best food and could quickly replenish the strength of the warhorse.

This was all thanks to the agriculture of "Aaron" City.

The terraced fields outside the city had long been flourishing.

For example, the wheat fields were all common crops. Crops such as chickpeas, cabbage, pumpkin, and so on had long been planted. Along with the suitable climate and good irrigation in the Senwaya Range, it brought a rich harvest.

And take the wheat fields for example. It didn't ripen once a year, but two to three times a year!

The land inside the Senwaya Range was very fertile.

It was like black soil.

The temperature of the Nahrin Desert, coupled with the slight chill at the bottom of the mountain, just happened to be neutralized at the surface.

Coupled with the rule power of the system, it made the construction of agriculture easier. The entire "Aaron" City had begun to enter a period of agricultural development. This was also the reason why the peasant farmers were so keen on reclamation.

With the development of agriculture, the livestock ate even better. Sometimes, they ate as much as the civilians.

Only good feed could breed a good warhorse.

This was a principle that the riders of Sarrand Sultanate agreed with.

Of course, excellent training and breeding were also needed. Otherwise, even if they ate high-quality feed, those poor horses or workhorses would not become warhorses. On the contrary, they would increase their weight and not be able to do their jobs well.

After feeding the feed and water, the bread and meat baked by the bonfire were also ready.

The outside of the meat was charred, but the inside was tender.

It was sprinkled with salt and spices, and the taste was even more delicious.

Kant ate it, but it did not feel simple. On the contrary, it felt like he was eating barbecue in his previous life.

He ate with Rolf and the Sarleon Lion Knights next to him without any restraint. They chatted about what they had seen and heard along the way. Occasionally, they would chuckle. Under the light of the bonfire, it felt more lively.

After entering the East County, they were close to Avilis Castle. It could be considered than half of their journey was done.

This place was not far from the East County City in the south.

Although the road was rugged, it was only a two-day journey for the cavalries who rode horses.

They continue to chat.

The atmosphere in the village, which had also lit torches, was very solemn.

The village chief, who was already old, was discussing with the slightly plump financial officer and the strong sheriff in the house. All of them were frowning, and they seemed to be very serious.

At that time, they were greedy for silver coins, but now, they were afraid.

This was really dangerous.

The grain drying field was just a short distance away from the village.

If these mercenaries who were as fierce as bandits were to cause a ruckus, with the militia in the village, even if all of peasants were to join forces, they would probably not be a match for them. If something bad really happened, it would probably be a bloodbath.

A bloody purge, plundering and massacring the entire village, and finally burning it to ashes.

Although it was close to Avilis Castle, there was still a distance to the castle

If something went wrong, it would take time for the troops in the castle to come over.

And after these cavalries finished plundering and massacring, they would set a fire and leave quickly. They would take advantage of the night to leave the East County, and when that time came, they probably would not even have the chance to take revenge.

The troops of the East County would not leave their own estate, let alone the North and South Counties.

"What should we do?"

The finance officer was regretting his decision.

He was the finance officer, and he controlled all the taxes and finances in the village. He looked like a low-level squire who was dependent on Avilis Castle, but with the help of the trade caravan around the village, he had a lot of money.

Without the current village, he would not be able to enjoy the glory and wealth!

"They had given us silver coins."

The sheriff was a knowledgeable guy. He steadied his mind and said, "Can we still chase those guys away?"

The village chief also sighed, "We have to be careful."

The village was peaceful.

If they really chased those mercenaries away and there was a quarrel, or even a fight, then they would be in big trouble.

They had not dealt with the matter, but they had stirred up a bigger problem, or even the worst outcome. Just thinking about it made them shudder. They were ashamed and angry at their greed at that time.

But now was not the time to blame each other.

"Do we report to the castle?"

The sheriff and finance officer frowned.

"Yes." the old village chief nodded. "This is not a small matter. Since we are here, don't we have the right to report to the Lord? Now that more than 500 cavalries have crossed the border, and they are mercenaries, they want to find some jobs. So, why don't we use this reason to report to the castle?"

After a pause, the old village chief said in a deep voice, "When the time comes, if something happens, the castle will be able to organize troops to come and rescue us as soon as possible. It would be even better if they could come and investigate their identities."

"Good, good Idea!" the sheriff and the finance officer agreed.

This was indeed a good idea.

Soon, a few capable militiamen quietly led their horses from the village and left at night.

They did not dare to ride their horses in plain sight. Instead, they carefully followed the remote path and traveled a long distance before they arrived at the road to Avilis Castle. They used their horsewhips to whip their horses to increase their speed.

They carried the expectations of the village and the safety of their families.

Avilis Castle was not far away.

It only took them two to three hours to reach there.

At this moment, the five of them rode their horses at an even faster speed. The stars were bright in the night, and it took them two hours to reach the castle.

Torches were lit on the city walls, and elite guards wearing mail armor were patrolling. When they saw someone riding their horses in the night, they did not panic. Instead, a cavalry team rode their horses to welcome them.

Avilis Castle had been peaceful for a long time. Not to mention the enemy, there were very few bandits wandering in this land.

Not to mention the attackers.

This group of well-trained elite guards were slightly on guard.

They were looked disappointed. To be honest, to them, they really wanted to have a little battle to have some fun.

However, the castle's defense still needed to be on guard. Viscount Gibran was not a benevolent lord. Although he was a little older, the prestige he had left on the battlefield was getting stronger and stronger.

Thinking of this, the elite guards of the castle all became alert and carried their weapons to the city gate.

"Stop!" the leading elite guard shouted, "This is Avilis Castle, Viscount Gibran's castle. Travelers who come here must tell us your identity if you want to get close. Otherwise, we will attack!"

His words were obviously not a joke.

The cavalry that went out to greet them were also well-trained knights and attendants.

Each of them had already picked up their longsword and lance. They looked vigilantly at the five guys who were panting on their horses. They looked at each other and lowered the weapons in their hands.

No matter how they looked, these guys did not look like attackers or bandits.

"We... We..." the captain of the militia was a little nervous.

However, for the safety of the village, he still shouted, "We are the militia of Nali Village. This evening, a mercenary group came to our village to stay. We were afraid that something bad would happen, so we came to report!"

"Mercenary group?"

On the city gate, the guards also looked at each other.

Nali Village was indeed one of the few villages under the command of Avilis Castle. However, they had the duty of gathering information for the castle on a daily basis. The so-called information was varied, and it all depended on the reactions of the villagers.

However, now that they came to report and were so anxious, there must be something wrong.

They sensed that something was wrong.

The captain of the guards shouted, "Let them come over!"

"Follow them!"

The cavalry that went out to welcome them let the five militiamen approach the castle.

However, the main gate of the castle was still closed. There was only a shed at the bottom, which could be considered as the residence of the night soldiers stationed outside the castle at night. There were also more than a dozen guards holding long lance standing there, looking at them cautiously.

After a short while, the city gate opened a crack.

The captain of the guards walked out.

"Sir knight!"

The five militiamen hurriedly greeted him.

"Yes." the captain of the guards was indeed a knight. He just frowned at them and asked, "What's going on? Isn't it normal for mercenary groups to stay in your village? Why are you so flustered?"

Chapter 387: A Misunderstanding

The militiamen of Nali Village did not dare to avoid the question of the knight in front of them. They explained everything they knew, including the fact that the village chief and the others had received silver coins.

However, the knight, who was the captain of the guards, did not say anything.

The village could accept any outsiders to rest.

For example, the trade caravan that traveled between the North County and East County, or the mercenaries that looked for ways to get there, most of them spent money to stay in Nali Village.

After all, the financial officer also in charge of taxing. The travelers spent money to stay a night could also provide taxes. It was a good source of generating income.

However, the number of guests that visited them this time were too many.

The knight captain frowned and said in a low voice, "More than 500 cavalries. That's a lot."

It was not just a lot. These militia did not have much of an idea. However, the knight captain who was from a noble family in the East County, understood that if these 500 cavalries tried to attack the castle, it would be a huge problem.

Perhaps, the guards outside the castle would all be wiped out if these cavalries launched a secret assault.

Moreover, among these cavalries, there were also horsemen, knight attendants and even knights!

From the words of these militiamen, describing the equipment of those cavalry, one could guess that they were probably more elite troops than what they had guessed at the moment!

It was indeed not a small matter.

A sense of relief suddenly appeared in the mind of this knight.

"Wait here."

He pondered for a moment.

He gave the order to the militiamen and at the same time signaled to the guards on both sides to keep a close watch on the five militiamen from Nali Village. Then, he turned around and quickly walked towards the castle.

He could not make a decision on such a matter. He had to inform Viscount Gibran.

He returned to the castle.

He quickly went to the room where Viscount Gibran was.

It was only 9 o'clock at night, and it was not time to sleep yet. This was one of the reasons why the knight captain dared to report to him.

According to his usual habits, Viscount Gibran would fall asleep at around 10:30. When that time came, he would hand over part of the night's work to the castle's butler and the knight on duty tonight. Other than major matters, he would not be disturbed.

After all, this old general who was already over 60 years old was no longer young.

"Thud thud thud." the door was lightly knocked.

As the guard captain on duty tonight, he reported in a deep voice from outside the door, "Lord Gibran, the Nali Village at the south side of the castle has encountered some troublesome matters. I am unable to make a decision, so I hope that you can give me some answers."

There was a slight silence in front of the door.

Only the guards who were wearing mail armor on both sides seemed to have no difference. They stood upright with their swords and shields.

A moment later.

Finally, a voice came from inside the room.

It was a bit hoarse, tired, and strong aura that could not be concealed. "Bertram, if even you are unable to make an accurate decision, then you must have encountered a serious problem. Come in and tell me what happened to Nali Village."

"Yes." Bertram nodded and pushed open the door.

A tall and sturdy figure with grizzled hair walked out from the inner side of the room. He was dressed in high quality clothes and sat on the main seat. He had a square and determined face. However, the grey hair on his temples and the wrinkles on his eyebrows made him look like he had experienced many vicissitudes of life over the years, he was like an old lion with extraordinary power, but he was still helpless against the flow of time.

"Lord Gibran." Bertram quickly entered the door and bowed respectfully.

He was the master of Avilis Castle, Viscount Gibran!

"Yes." Viscount Gibran nodded and waved his hand, indicating that there was no need for formalities.

Sitting on the main seat, he said with a calm expression, "Nali Village, if I remember correctly, is the village where the trade caravan is often stationed. Could it be that they saw an unfamiliar army?"

"That's right." Bertram nodded. "A group of mercenaries came."

"Continue." Viscount Gibran was still calm.

"They are all cavalry, unfamiliar faces. There are between 500 to 600 people. The militia of Nali Village sensed that something was wrong, so they sneak out to the castle and report to us."

Bertram said in detail, "A cavalry mercenary group that that have never seen before."

"How interesting."

Viscount Gibran narrowed his eyes slightly.

He had obviously noticed the difference in this mercenary group in his words.

After pondering for a moment, he raised his head. Although he was old, the aura that he had gained from the bloody battles on the battlefield was like a lion who had fought for his entire life. "What if it's compared to Count Agatha's Gale Mercenary Group?"

"Gale Mercenary Group..."

Bertram was stunned for a moment, then he frowned and thought, "It should be weaker."

His answer was a little vague, but when he thought of the words of the militia, he still said in a low voice, "It should be said that it's absolutely weaker. In that unfamiliar mercenary group, there shouldn't be many knights and knight attendants. Most of them are just ordinary cavalry."

Viscount Gibran's expression was still calm as he asked, "What kind of ordinary cavalry are they?"

"They are not very similar to the traditional cavalry of the dukedom..."

Bertram hesitated.

After thinking carefully, he said solemnly, "They are riding a relatively strong warhorse. They are wearing iron-scale armor and a linen robe. Their weapons are about two meters long spears, a hide-covered round shield, and a scimitar at their waist."

Gibran said, "Judging from their equipment, they are similar to the barbarians in the Wildland in the west."

Bertram nodded slightly in surprise. "Indeed. It's very similar to those barbarians, especially the scimitar. Those cavalry barbarians like to use this kind of equipment."

What they were talking about was naturally the Wildland in the far west.

It was covered in ice and snow all year round.

It was occupied by foreign tribes.

For example, the Beastman tribe, Jackalan tribe, and so on were commonly seen in the Wildland in the form of tribes.

However, there were also humans. However, without the Dukedom of Leo and the Silver Platter Kingdom, as well as the few dukedom kingdoms in the south, they were simply in the form of tribes. They were also ignorant and uncivilized.

Therefore, the human kingdoms all called the humans in the Wildland as barbarians. They regarded them as barbarians that were not much different from the other races.

They gathered together to keep warm.

They formed a unique force.

Although they did not form an alliance, and the various races and tribes also fought among themselves, occasionally, when there was severe winter in the West, they would form an army to come to the East County to plunder.

However, their insignificant skills were nothing compared to the well-trained noble families of the Dukedom of Leo.

They did not have the standard of an army.

Although they could win a few small victories, the allied army of these barbarians and foreign tribes had always been defeated.

After countless battles, the East County obviously had a high understanding of those barbarians. For example, they used the hide-covered round shield and liked to use the powerful and heavy scimitars that did not require much skill.

As a famous general of the East County, Viscount Gibran had fought against the barbarians in the Wildland several times.

"If that's the case."

Bertram thought for a while.

Suddenly, he raised his head and looked at Viscount Gibran. He could not help but say in surprise, "Could they be the barbarians in the Wildland? They are starting to infiltrate our East County!"

"Maybe." Viscount Gibran nodded.

This was not unusual.

Those barbarians in the Wildland were humans after all. They were born with greater intelligence than the other races.

Even if there was no strong civilization, they were still learning.

Moreover, they had been on war with the Dukedom of Leo and East County for a long time. It had not even been three years since the last war, and they were still completely defeated. They retreated back to the Wildland to lick their wounds.

Now that they felt the strength of the human race in the Dukedom of Leo, it was not surprising that they wanted to learn advanced military technology.

The most important thing was that the Barbarians had done this before.

They had sent people to secretly learn it, but they had not touched the connection between the Dukedom of Leo and the noble classes of the human countries. They had rashly come to learn as escaped slaves. In the end, the noble families had found out, and they had all captured and interrogated them.

They had even bribed some noble families with a large sum of money and successfully learned some things.

Although it was not the most important thing, they had still successfully changed the military structure.

It was said that the humans in the Wildland had already begun to conquer. By taking advantage of the techniques they had learned from the Dukedom of Leo and the Silver Platter Kingdom, they had conquered some low-level foreign tribes.

For example, the Snowfield Rodentman had become the slaves of the barbarians. They were fought as servants every time in the battles.

They were the cannon fodder formed by the poor people in the human kingdom.

"We can't be careless." Viscount Gibran waved his hand and ordered, "Gather the troops. Let's go over and take a look."

After muttering to himself for a while, he looked at Bertram, whom he admired the most, and said to the young knight who had not followed him for long, "Call your senior brothers. I don't want too many accidents to happen."

"Yes." Bertram nodded immediately.

The horn was blown.

It sounded a little hurried. It was the summoning horn of Avilis Castle.

At the same time, the gate of the castle was opened. Three hundred knights in mail armor and fully armed attendants quickly rushed out with long lance in hand. Leading them were five knights in better mail armor.

Including Viscount Gibran.

His grey hair was blown by the cold wind. It scattered on his wrinkled face like the mane of a lion.

"Let's go!" He pointed his longsword forward.

The warhorse under him moved forward. This troop set off quickly.

Although they did not bring more people, this troop was not something that ordinary barbarian cavalry could withstand. After all, all of them were heavy cavalry in mail armor. They were also knight attendants, elites who had been trained to charge forward and fight in close combat, they were all one of the main forces on the battlefield of the Dukedom of Leo!

Viscount Gibran was very confident that with the troops he led, even if they did not gain the trust of the other party, they would be able to live in peace with each other. After all, their strength was quite strong

In order to ensure their safety, he had brought all his disciples over.

Three of them were Grand Knights.

This was his foundation.

At that time, with the cooperation of these three Grand Knights, they would be able to match 200 knight attendants. If the enemy was timid, the combat ability of these three grand knights would be able to kill the enemy until they collapsed.

In the Dukedom of Leo, this was considered an elite force!

Chapter 388: In the Middle of the Night

As the troops set off, the knights and servants of Avilis Castle lined up neatly and galloped on the muddy and rugged dirt road.

The five horsemen militiamen from Nali Village led the way in front. The group was very fast, and not long after, they could see the Nali Village from far away. It also included the temporary camp illuminated by the bonfires on the grain drying field.

The stars released a gentle light, mixed with the bright moonlight, and the entire land was shrouded in a veil.

The night march did not hinder or trouble them.

There was plenty of light.

Moreover, as the knight attendants of Avilis Castle, they received a daily ration of high-quality food. They did not lack fresh meat and various fruits, so they did not have night blindness like the poor.

In this feudal era, the poor had a lot of night blindness caused by the lack of vitamins.

This was especially prominent in the most barren North County.

Of course, in comparison, the East County and the South County were much better.

After all, according to what the scholar had seen and heard, the relatively wealthy free people in these two counties lived much happier lives than the small squire, small landlord, small merchant and the like in the North County. Perhaps the only difference was the size of their power.

It was just that in the current era, no one cared about this, much less the so-called human rights and life security.

The average life expectancy of a commoner was less than 45 years old. These commoners did not care about the luscious privilege.

To be able to live was their greatest and only desire!

Viscount Gibran was already 67 years old, and he was also considered an old man in the Dukedom of Leo. However, he was still the pillar of support in the East County. In addition to his daily diet and exercise, he did not look as weak as an ordinary old man.

Among the noble families, he could be considered a long-lived person. He was a happy old man who did not suffer from serious injuries.

He rode on his horse.

In front of him were black buildings lined up on the plains.

It was Nali Village, which belonged to Avilis Castle. It was not big, but it had completed with essential facilities. There were lights shone through the windows of the houses, adding a bit of liveness to this quiet night.

However, the most eye-catching thing was still the grain drying field in front of the village. Dozens of tents were illuminated by piles of bonfires.

From the looks of it, it was obvious that a large team was stationed there.

"Stop moving forward." Viscount Gibran tightened the reins at this time. His right hand, which was holding the horsewhip, had already raised up to signal.

Behind him, many of the knight attendants tightened the reins one after another, controlling the warhorses beneath them to slow down. Although there were more than 300 people, they were all orderly and without the slightest bit of panic when they lined up.

Viscount Gibran nodded in satisfaction at this. After all, they were the attendants that he had carefully trained.

"Lord." Bertram rode his horse closer.

He had a slightly puzzled expression. It was clear that he did not understand why they were stopped moving forward, so he asked, "We are still a few miles away from Nali Village. If we stop here, I'm afraid that even if we wanted to rush over at top speed, it will take about 15 minutes."

They were still in the wilderness. They would still have to pass through a piece of reclaimed farmland before they could reach Nali Village.

Viscount Gibran did not explain further. He only said, "Let's dismount and lead the horses over."

"This..."

Not to mention Bertram, even the other three Grand Knights were a little hesitant.

This distance was not close.

They were now wearing a full set of mail armor and chain armor. If they walked all the way, it would be troublesome if they sprained their ankles on such a rugged dirt road, not to mention overexerting their physical strength.

Although they were well-trained, most of them were skilled in horsemanship, spear arts, swordsmanship, and other combat skills, they did not have much experience in trekking.

Noble lords rode horses.

Only the lowly commoners and the armed civilians, or the mercenaries who wandered around, would walk. As for the commoners who had a little money, and the wealthy free civilians, they would buy their own pack horses to carry them.

"Let's go." Viscount Gibran had no intention of explaining.

He directly got off his horse and led his beloved horse forward. He actually really did walk on this rugged dirt road. Under the starlight and moonlight, he strode towards Nali Village.

Behind him, Bertram and his three seniors also helplessly got off their horses and followed on foot.

This included the knights and knight attendants at the rear.

They all advanced on foot.

The sound of their footsteps was intermittent, but it was much quieter than the galloping of their horses in groups.

Especially in the quiet of the night, when they advanced on foot, not only were their voices low, but if they listened carefully, they would be able to detect the abnormal sounds around them in advance, greatly increasing their concealment.

This was what Viscount Gibran wanted, and he was very curious.

He had some understanding of the barbarians.

However, this was the first time he could disguise himself as a mercenary.

They could simply launch a surprise attack, Viscount Gibran was very familiar with the violent way. However, for the sake of the long-term stability of the East County, as well as the safety of the western border, he decided to first investigate and obtain the information he wanted.

If those barbarians really learned too much knowledge because they came into contact with the Dukedom of Leo and the Silver Platter Kingdom, then it would be worth worrying about.

As the only viscount of the East County, Gibran would definitely not show mercy.

The slaughter would break out if necessary.

Moreover, they would charge towards the higher wilderness in the west.

When they united and began to learn all kinds of knowledge towards the human compatriots of the Dukedom of Leo, these barbarians would no longer be the barbarians of the past, but civilized people who were about to be enlightened.

At that time, the Dukedom of Leo, which was bordered by most regions, would welcome a new enemy.

This was really dangerous.

They gradually approached Nali Village.

Looking at the bonfire in front of them, the group quietly moved forward, and their footsteps became lighter.

Their left hand was holding the reins, while their right hand was already holding the hilt of their sword. Under the starlight and moonlight, they emitted a faint cold light, which was very terrifying.

Viscount Gibran, including all the knights and knight attendants, did not relax.

They had already prepared for the worst.

This was their traditional concern.

When they had fought bloody battles to defeat the main force of the Silver Platter Kingdom on the north bank of Resniston River, they had been full of spirit and had made preparations before finally winning the battle and achieving success.

Even a lion would use all of its strength to hunt a rabbit.

Right now, they would not be the slightest bit careless.

The reputation of Viscount Gibran, a famous general of the East County Territory, was definitely not undeserved!

However, they were quickly discovered.

Pulling out a small half of the longsword, it flickered with a light under the moonlight, like tiny glass mirrors. From afar, the sharp-eyed Desert Bandits, who were on guard against the eastern county territory, could observe that something was amiss.

Although they were camping in the grain drying field beside the village, they had to be vigilant.

There were also many sentries and hidden sentries.

They were all on duty.

When someone noticed the abnormal reflection of light in the distance, they reported it.

The number of sentries decreased, and the patrol team hid in the tents. There were only a few people who seemed to be standing guard lazily, but in fact, they were each relying on an obstacle. They could lie down at any time to avoid long-range attacks such as bows and arrows.

As for the hidden sentry posts, they had all shrunk their guarding area and hid at the outer layer near to the tents.

Even the sleeping personnel were woken up.

They were holding their hide-covered round shields.

Their right hand was holding their spears or heavy machetes.

All of them were slightly curled up inside the tent, but they could kick their legs and rush out of the tent at any time, brazenly launching a counter-charge. Hence, the enemy who dared to sneak attack them in the night would receive an unexpected counterattack.

Even Kant, who was in the middle of the temporary camp, had woken up. He was wearing a chain armor and a linen robe.

A group of Lion Knights and Lion Squires were also guarding the surroundings.

There was no problem with their safety.

There were 30 Sarleon Lion Knights. Even the Dukedom of Leo could not gather so many grand knights.

They might be a little weak in the large-scale legion battle might be a little bad, because hey still had to dodge the fatal arrow rain. But a small-scale military conflict was the best place for them to display their strength.

Just like now.

Although the Elite Desert Bandit was prepared, these level 6 grand knights and level 5 Lion Squires were also prepared.

With just 80 of them, they were enough to protect Kant and kill their way out. Moreover, they could also take advantage of the night to kill all the 300 riders who had quietly attacked. Moreover, there would not suffer too many casualties.

Kant was even more cautious. He ordered in a deep voice, "Pass down the order. Stay alert and wait for the order."

"Yes!" the Sarleon Lion Squires in chain armor nodded immediately.

At this moment, they were the messengers. They left the tent nimbly and walked quickly in the dark where the bonfire could not reach. At the same time, they passed down Kant's order so that everyone could receive it and make arrangements.

At this moment, the commander in the front row was Rolf.

He was in the tent at the very front.

Through the gap, he looked at the glint that flashed outside from time to time. His eyes were cold.

Especially when he looked at the village next to him, he could not help but snort coldly, "Looks like this Nali Village is not an honest village. It is still a vicious bandit's nest."

They paid to stay one night at the village, it was not illegal.

But at night in the village, there were troops with evil intentions approaching.

Not only did they draw their weapons, but they also sneaked over. If they weren't bandits, they still weren't good people either.

Rolf wasn't a kind general. Once in the Continent of Caradia, he was a notorious scoundrel noble who specialized in solving problems for certain fractions, such as bribing informants in the village and killing them in the middle of the night. It was common to him.

Money moved people's hearts, not to mention the poor peasant in these villages.

"You filthy intruders better get ready." Rolf grinned hideously.

He turned his head to look at the group of Elite Desert Bandits and berated them in a deep voice, "Lord Kant said that those guys wouldn't launch a sneak attack, so we don't need to attack. But those guys are clearly charging towards here, so let's use your pilums to attack first!"

"Understood!" the Elite Desert Bandit answered in a low voice.

While they were speaking, they changed their scimitars and spears into pilums.

Chapter 389: Strange Red Mist

Pilum, this sharp and heavy throwing weapon was extremely powerful within 20 meters. After a long-term training, their accuracy was basically not inferior to archers' archery skills.

Even if the group of enemies charged quickly, the pilum could also be used as a short spear.

It was a very convenient and practical weapon.

But now, a group of people were wielding the pilum one after another.

The first wave of the pilum rain attack would probably be enough to kill dozens of people. Especially as the distance between them got closer and closer, the power of the pilum would also get stronger and stronger until it could kill them in one shot!

In the real world, it was no joke to be pierced by a sharp pilum that was thicker than a thumb.

Even a relatively weak bow and arrow could be fatal.

Let alone a powerful pilum!

The scene was quiet.

Only the bonfire crackled, occasionally sparking sparks.

The temporary camp was silent, as if many mercenaries had fallen into a deep sleep. Even those who were standing guard outside were tired. They leaned against each other and stood unsteadily.

Viscount Gibran and the others who came in from the outside showed a look of contempt.

At this moment, they were at the edge of the farmland.

There were low shrubs and a few trees as a cover, so they couldn't be noticed during the night.

In this observation field, the group of people who were camping was just right, not to mention that they were less than 300 meters away. If they wanted to take the opportunity to launch an attack, they could ride their warhorse and gallop over.

They only brought light equipment this time. Their equipment was not the best to protect themselves.

It was enough to deal with barbarians or ordinary mercenaries.

"Lord."

Bertram held his Knight's sword tightly.

Looking at the tent in front of him, he said in a deep voice, "I can't see the specific situation. Perhaps those barbarians have fallen asleep. This is the Avilis Castle. They are too naive to think that it is very safe."

Viscount Gibran was a little hesitant. He said with a slight pause, "It seems so."

But he did not give the order to attack.

Instead, he carefully observed the area in front of him.

The other three Grand Knights also looked at each other when they saw their teacher being so cautious. They temporarily chose to lie low. However, in their hearts, they felt that something was not right.

Or rather... fear!

That's right.

They were afraid.

Outside the village, they swept past the temporary campsite where the bonfire was still burning vigorously. However, they could not help but feel that something was not right.

Although they saw those mercenaries wearing inlaid iron-scale armor and looking lazy, they could not help but feel uneasy.

It was too easy. That group of people was too lax in their vigilance.

As the Lord of this place, Viscount Gibran was not arrogant about the strong security in Avilis Castle, he was still vigilant in defending the safety of Avilis Castle!

Especially when he looked into the depths of the temporary camp, a wave of fear surged out from the depths of his soul, bringing with it a sense of timidity. As he breathed, his soul trembled.

"This feeling..."

Viscount Gibran's breathing was rapid.

However, his entire spirit became more and more excited. "It's really strange. This feeling I once had was the fear I felt in despair during the bloody battle with the main force of the Silver Platter Kingdom ten years ago!"

He was so excited that he was like a mighty lion who refused to submit to his old age!

"Charge in!" Viscount Gibran's eyes were slightly bloodshot.

A violent emotion instantly appeared in his eyes, and at the same time, a red glow appeared in his eyes. Even as he breathed, his entire aura became violent, fanatical, and even wicked!

"Kill!" the three apprentices beside him instantly responded.

A bewitching red glow instantly appeared in the eyes of the three of them. It resonated with the eyes of Viscount Gibran in front of them. Even their auras seemed to gather together and become one.

Including Bertram and those knight attendants at the back, they all drew their longsword and got on their horses.

The surprise attack was about to begin!

The sound was a little noisy, and in the blink of an eye, it turned into the sound of a flood.

"Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom --"

The sound of horses' hooves came in waves.

It was extremely clear in the silent night.

Even in the nearby Nali Village, the cries of old people and children could be heard, especially the shadows of many people. As the five horse-riding militiamen went to deliver the message, more militiamen also rushed out.

They held a long lance and arranged themselves in a barely orderly formation, moving towards the grain drying field.

"Kill!" Viscount Gibran charged in front.

A blood-red mist, mixed with a hint of thick black, spread out from their charging bodies. However, it could not be seen clearly in the darkness of the night, but once knight attendants came in contact with this faint mist, their eyes would glow red.

There was also madness, bloodlust, brutality, and negative emotions that wanted to massacre everything!

"Kill!" The knight attendants shouted in full spirit.

However, in their minds, they still able to maintain their rationality because of their training in the past, which allowed them to maintain a tight formation.

However, before they charged into the temporary camp of the grain drying field and were still more than 50 meters away, the lazy sentries who were originally on sentry duty suddenly disappeared.

These knight attendants had doubts in their minds, but they couldn't stop now.

Instead, they were in front.

In the temporary camp, many figures appeared in the tent.

It was the Elite Desert Bandit!

They had long been prepared.

They threw the pilums in their hands at the charging path of these knight attendants.

With that "Whoosh" strong wind sound, as if in slow motion, those knight attendants themselves charge forward, just met the short pilum rain, followed by a burst of horse neighs!

"Pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft."

The pilums easily pierced the mail armor.

The sharp spearhead, together with the throwing and the charging speed of the cavalries, their bodies were penetrated by the pilum, almost none of the armors and bones could withstand the power.

Forty to fifty knights and knight attendants, who were arranged in the traditional tight charging formation of the Dukedom of Leo, fell off their horses immediately!

The front row was almost directly destroyed.

The knights and knight attendants in the back row also failed to charge because of the corpses of their comrades in front and the chaotic situation.

They continued to charge in a scattered manner for a few steps, but they could only turn their horses around in front of the temporary camp and charge to the side. However, as their speed decreased, more Desert Bandits with pilum were coming over.

The whistling sound of the flying pilums in the air sounded was as scary as the devil's grin.

The knight attendants had suffered a fatal blow!

"Spread out!"

However, Rolf's eyes were unusually solemn.

Looking at the path of the initial charge, more than a dozen figures stood up shakily among the dead. His pupils suddenly shrank, and he shouted at the surrounding Elite Desert Bandit, "Retreat! Retreat!"

The status of those dozen figures was extremely strange, but he knew that they were the enemies he could not fight against.

He had to hand them over to Lord Kant's so-called Lion Knights to deal with those guys!

Chapter 390: The Monster in the Blood Mist

Rolf did not hesitate at all. He immediately led the Elite Desert Bandit to retreat quickly.

This was definitely not because he was afraid of the battlefield.

It was because he was rational!

The pilum was thrown with great force. Even the tenacious warhorse was hit by it, and its hard skull was penetrated, let alone the rider. The enemies could not block the sharp pilums.

Moreover, when the warhorses fell down at a high speed, the force exerted would be fatal!

Just like now.

Most of the knights and knight attendants were lying on the ground, with their bodies twisting.

Their limbs were obviously twisted and deformed. Even if there were faint cries of pain, they were still weak and dying.

These knight attendants from Avilis Castle had suffered heavy losses.

They had never come into contact with such an attack method.

However, in the pile of corpses of the warhorse and rider, more than a dozen figures crawled up. As the cries of pain gradually weakened, waves of dense red mist that could be seen with the naked eye wrapped around their bodies.

It was strange like a mist of fresh blood was wrapped around them. It was extremely terrifying!

Extraordinary strength.

Rolf naturally knew that this was not something he could deal with.

Even if there were more than 200 Elite Desert Bandit by his side, they were probably not able to deal with those extraordinary monsters that were covered in red mist. They looked like they were covered in blood!

Human monsters, monsters that could kill a group of ordinary people like them!

However, no one was afraid.

Because right behind them, the sound of footsteps could be heard. The reinforcements in full plate armor had already arrived.

Although there were only 20 of them, the aura that erupted from their extraordinary strength was no less than the dozen figures that were slowly walking over like monsters among the pile of corpses.

These 20 people were all elite Sarleon Lion Knights from the strongest national order of knight on the Pendor Continent!

And around the temporary camp, Elite Desert Bandit had already raised their pilums and long spears, and with the help of the complex environment and obstacles in the camp, they engaged in a chaotic battle with the knight attendants who had already charged in.

The knight attendants' charge was blocked, and because there were too many obstacles in the camp, they only lingered around the periphery for a moment.

They could not charge in at all.

If they wanted to charge fearlessly and break the deadlock first, it would be in vain.

While these knight attendants were fighting with all their might, the elite desert bandit was not the only one resisting. There were also the Sarleon Lion Squires who held a lance or a half-sword in their hands, gradually launching a counterattack.

During the chaotic battle, these Sarleon Lion Squires were really good at battle.

They swiftly moved around the Elite Desert Bandits and killed the enemies.

More and more knight attendants fell down

The knight attendants, who had been scattered on both sides and had lost their orders and commands, were pulled off from their warhorses among the tents and obstacles. And then they were pierced through their throats and stomachs by the spears and swords mercilessly.

In the direction of Nali Village, the militiamen who came to reinforce were all forced back by the attacks of pilums.

They were ambushed during the night attack.

They ended up badly.

But there was no mercy on the battlefield.

Looking at the panicking militiamen and the knight attendants who had been shot down from their warhorses, no one held back.

The pilums were still thrown out fiercely and killed the enemies. The enemies got hit, followed by miserable howls, crying, and dying due to their serious injuries and finally stopped their struggles.

Kant just looked at the militiamen and the knight attendants indifferently.

He watched them die.

This was war!

Round after round of pilums were hurled out.

Then, one by one, the armed militiamen in leather armor or without leather armor were nailed to the ground.

The formation was broken, and then the Elite Desert Bandit charged forward with bloodshot eyes, howling. They used the spears and scimitars in their hands to carve out a bloody path!

Those armed militiamen were no match for these bandits.

Even if they were well-trained, to the Elite Desert Bandit, they were still like inexperienced newbies.

As the pilums attack continued, the already scattered formation of the armed militia instantly broke into pieces. The bandits took the opportunity to rush in and engage in close combat. The bandits swayed their scimitars, blood was splattered out from their enemies and the broken limbs kept falling onto the ground.

For a moment, the militiamen that had rushed out of the village were forced back.

Or rather, they had been defeated to the point they had to retreat!

"Kill!"

However, the Elite Desert Bandit did not pursue. Instead, they stabilized their formation on the spot.

The grain drying field was originally flat land, but Kant and his men were stationed here. For safety reasons, the tent space was not too small, but it was not too big either. Many packages were used as low walls and obstacles, establishing two layers of defense.

The Elite Desert Bandit and the outermost were the first defense line.

There were also those Sarleon Lion Knights and Lion Squires who formed an inner defense line specifically to protect Kant!

They could not be too chaotic.

Because right on the outer perimeter, those knight attendants were still attacking.

After their charge was thwarted, these knight attendants did not continue to charge. Instead, they cooperated with the armed militiamen and begin to attack from sides, using their high mobility to deter the Desert Bandits in the temporary camp, while at the same time dodging the precise and deadly pilum.

Desert Bandits with superb skills could throw the pilums accurately within 20 meters.

And the elite desert bandits, they could even be able to hit the target within a distance of 30 meters.

In addition, these knight attendants did not have the cooperation of archers. For a time, they actually did not dare to approach the grain drying field. Not to mention, now that they saw that the armed militia had been defeated and scattered, they did not even have the intention to charge.

Even Viscount Gibran's charge had been thwarted. Now that they did not know whether he was alive or dead, they did not have a clear command.

They did not know what to do!

The night was bright.

The campfire in the temporary camp was even brighter.

However, when the cold wind from the East County blew at night, it made them feel as if they had fallen into an ice cave.

The moans were lowered, but the sounds of killing continued. The battle situation in the village had already been settled. Occasionally, there would be some knight attendants rushed into the camp of the grain drying field rashly with red eyes. Then, they pierced through by the spears including their horses.

More than 200 knight attendants who had come had already been killed and injured.

However, Kant's troop didn't suffer many casualties.

Everyone was shocked.

They could not help but shudder!

They were not the barbarians disguised as trade caravans.

It was clear that they were some noble's elite troops!

Avilis Castle had suffered a great loss!

However, what made these knight attendants afraid to flee was that right in front of them, there were more than a dozen figures who stood up from the pile of corpses. They held weapons in their hands, and their bodies were shrouded in a thick blood mist.

There was Viscount Gibran.

There was Bertram the knight.

There were also three well-known knights in the castle. They were grand knights!

Now, this group of people had gathered extraordinary strength.

Even Bertram was covered in a red blood mist.

Not only him, but also the dozens of knights and knight attendants who were favored the most were also covered in blood mist.

They seemed to have just walked out of a world filled with blood. The power that belonged to an extraordinary power swept across the entire battlefield, causing the knights around them to not dare to approach or leave.

They had once heard of Viscount Gibran's secret.

Blood Warrior.

The title that he had obtained ten years ago on the north bank of the Resniston River.

Hundreds of people had exploded into such a bloody mist, and the main force of the Silver Platter Kingdom, which had thousands of people, had perished together with them.

In the end, only Viscount Gibran survived. It was said that his face had become younger and stronger, and he had also become the strongest grand knight in the East County. He was one of the best extraordinary power controllers in the Dukedom of Leo!

He estimated that there were no other unfamiliar grand knights in this temporary camp, so it was impossible for them to resist his men.

Meanwhile, in the camp.

Kant came to the front.

Rolf followed behind, the heavy machete in his hand on his shoulder. "It's them."

"Interesting." Kant smiled instead.

Looking at the figures covered in blood-red mist, he raised his eyebrows and said, "If that Bunduk was here, perhaps they would still have the intention to communicate."

"Well," Rolf also raised his eyebrows and said, "From what you said, they are the same kind of people."

"No." Kant denied it.

He smiled calmly and said, "Bunduk is an apostle of the underworld, representing the will of the underworld." He paused, and there was a hint of mockery in his smile. "But these guys are the fallen knights who were lured by the demonic power."

Rolf understood what he meant, "Lowly fallen knights."

The dozen figures in front heard what Rolf said.

They were not furious.

Instead, they were strangely quiet.

The corpses around them, be it the knight attendants or the warhorse, were all skin and bones.

All the blood essence in their bodies was extracted and turned into a blood-colored mist that gathered around the Blood Warriors. At the same time, there seemed to be some strange power descending from the void, penetrating through the space and transmitting to this place.

If the mages were here, they might be able to sense that this power originated from underground.

However, Kant still knew the true source of this power.

The abyssal demon!

This was also the reason why Kant said that Bunduk understood them.

And in front of them, the figures shrouded in the blood-red mist finally began to move. They slowly stepped forward, stepping on the corpses of the warhorse and knights, there was a clear cracking sound.

The bones-like corpses shattered under the stress.

In a short moment, these corpses were actually as fragile as if they had been through thousands of years!

The essence of life had been completely absorbed, and there was a mastermind behind those fallen knights.

The leader was naturally the white-haired Viscount Gibran.

The current him was no longer as old and decrepit as before. Instead, he was as strong and valiant as a middle-aged man.

Holding his carefully forged knight sword in his hand, he looked at Kant, who was protected by the Lion Squires and Lion Knights in the middle. A red light flashed in his eyes, but the corners of his mouth cracked into a sinister smile.

"Ah, I didn't expect it, it's Baron Kant." He laughed sinisterly.

He looked like the most terrifying monster. "So, it was you. I was wondering how you could see through my sneak attack so easily and even counterattack. You instantly exposed my current form. I really didn't expect it to be you."

"Mm-hmm." Kant nodded, but didn't reply.

Viscount Gibran didn't care, he continued to smile ferociously.

The red light in his eyes became even more intense. "But, Baron Kant, since you've seen me now, you have to keep this as a secret. After all, I don't want everyone to know about the current me."

Chapter 391: The So-called Secret of Divine Artifacts

Hearing the hoarse voice of Viscount Gibran, Kant laughed lightly with obvious mockery.

No one standing here was a fool. Looking at the figures covered in blood mist, he slowly nodded and clapped his hands. "I really didn't expect that the famous general of the East County, Viscount Gibran, was actually the devil's lackey."

"Oh, the devil's lackey? No, no, no, I don't like this term."

Viscount Gibran, however, was not angry at all.

Looking at Kant, he continued to say in a hoarse voice, "I only prayed in despair and then received the gift of the supreme power." He paused for a moment and grinned. "You should know this very well, right?"

"I don't know."

Kant shrugged. "I'm also very curious."

He was indeed curious about this.

Although the East County was close to the Senwaya Range, he did not know when the power of demons had appeared here.

He also did not know that the legendary general of the East County territory, Viscount Gibran, was actually a user of the power of demons. Moreover, looking at his current status, he was clearly a senior demon vassal.

He had completely grasped the extraordinary power of demons.

He almost didn't look like a human!

"Heh." Viscount Gibran reminded him, "You know, ten years ago, that bloody battle on the north bank of the Resniston River, I was miraculously won. It was a battle that established ten years of peace."

"The bloody battle on the north bank." Kant raised his eyebrows.

"That's right." Viscount Gibran nodded.

"I really didn't expect it." Kant shrugged.

Seeing that the red blood mist was spreading to the surrounding, Kant still said calmly, "So it was that battle. You used this evil demonic power to obtain victory."

"No, this is not evil." Viscount Gibran laughed softly, "Only the hearts of humans are evil."

"Indeed." Kant nodded in agreement.

This was the truth.

Viscount Gibran also stretched out his hand and pointed at Kant. Then, he pointed at his own heart. "Ten years ago, I sent a message to your grandfather, the previous Grand Duke of Leo, but no one came."

He paused slightly. Viscount Gibran's smile became even more ferocious. "Then, I send a message to your father."

He led the fallen knights behind him as they walked forward.

Slowly, he said, "But your father, the current Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, also didn't come to help me."

The blood mist filled the air.

It was as if many faces were staring at Kant and the others in front of them.

It was like they were evil spirits that would never be revived.

It was also like the souls of the innocent were trapped within and were silently struggling.

Kant frowned slightly. With the Power of King and the Divine Power, he was completely walking the path of positive energy. He was somewhat uncomfortable and repelled by the evil negative energy and the supernatural power of demons in front of him.

Bunduk's underworld power could at least be restrained. This Viscount Gibran's demon power was completely overpower to the point that it seemed to have be maxed out!

"Then, I could only lead a group of despairing fellows into a bloody battle. At the same time, I prayed, hoping that the God of War, Edmund, would grant me the power to turn the tide of the battle. However, nothing changed. My soldiers were still defeated on the battlefield and slaughtered by the elite troops of the Silver Platter Kingdom. It was as easy as slaughtering a lamb."

Viscount Gibran spoke.

"Then I became frustrated, regretful, and desperate. I prayed to any existence, even the legendary demon, just to survive."

As he spoke, his eyes were red, like an evil spirit in the night.

He stared at Kant, his mouth split open, revealing a hideous smile that did not look human at all.

"At that time, did you know, Baron Kant? That was really despair, but my prayers had brought me an absolute existence, it was willing to give me a chance to live, and at the same time, giving me this powerful strength!"

Kant still nodded calmly. "What a wonderful story. Please continue."

The distance between the two sides was less than 30 meters.

The blood mist was so thick that it almost blew against his face.

However, he was not afraid.

There was no sign of panic in his eyes.

Viscount Gibran was venting his emotions, he seemed to be in control of the situation. However, in reality, Kant and the others, who were still in a dormant status, felt as if they were looking at a fool.

They were looking at a fool performing a stupid performance.

The 30 Lion Knights all thought so.

But the performer did not know it.

Viscount Gibran was still performing.

"This power is really powerful. It has broken through the normal supernatural limit. As long as I have enough power, I can impart this power to my disciples. And in the bloody battle, I will obtain a stronger power!"

Viscount Gibran came before Kant with a sinister smile.

The distance between them was less than 10 meters.

The knight sword in his hand had already been thrown away.

However, a ghastly horn of white bones had appeared on his forehead. His face had turned purple due to the blood mist, oozing with blood. He looked more like a monster.

He looked more like an abyssal demon!

"Roar --"

He roared. It was not a sound that a normal human could make.

Then, he said, "Baron Kant, the reason why I said so much is to delay time so that I can remove the human body that binds me and turn into the Supreme Lord of Hell, the Lord of Sin, the Master of Flame, and the incarnation of the power of Flensas!"

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh --" an invisible gust of wind instantly appeared.

The thick blood mist instantly transformed into the outline of a giant demon's head.

The dense red light fused with Viscount Gibran's red eyes. It carried an extreme evil aura, like a raging fire roaring toward Kant.

"Die, Kant! This is the first step of my revenge on your father!"

Viscount Gibran laughed maniacally.

His figure was shrouded within the blood mist.

Behind him, in the midst of the red blood mist and the endless flames that erupted, more than ten figures that were flickering with red light rushed out. They let out monster-like roars as they charged towards the temporary camp.

Their minds were captured by this blood mist. They were affected by the madness of a demon, as well as the rage to kill everything!

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh --"

However, the sound of swords being drawn rang out.

They were retreating at an even faster speed than when they were charging forward.

No, they were not able to retreat in time. Instead, a few of them had been cut into two, and the rest were forced to retreat!

Even the blood-red demon head phantom in front of Viscount Gibran, which seemed to be about to devour Kant, was pierced by a golden and white ray of light, and then began to turn into nothingness.

"Puff, puff, puff, puff, puff, puff --"

The Sarleon Lion Knights moved forward.

The fallen knights stopped advancing, and many wounds appeared on their purplish-red bodies. Even deep wounds appeared on their chest, abdomen, and the space between their throats and brows.

Some of them could not dodge in time, so they started to slow down, and they fell to their knees.

The red light in their eyes disappeared.

Obviously, the dead could not die again!

The fervor and agitation in the eyes of Viscount Gibran, or the two-meter-tall, burly human-shaped monster, also disappeared a little. His sinister smile was faded. Instead, it was replaced by shock and uncertainty.

And a little fear!

Kant's entire body burst out with golden and yellow light.

The righteous Power of King and the Divine Power of justice condensed together.

It was the nemesis of all negative energy!

Especially the Sword of King in his hand. When he clenched it tightly, the golden light emitted from it, and it almost instantly dispersed the red blood mist around him. Even the phantom of the demon's head that was pierced through by the light and slowly turned into nothingness.

Viscount Gibran, who had already turned into a demon, took half a step back, his eyes full of fear.

"I'm sorry." Kant opened his mouth, he sighed helplessly. "I want to hear you finish those stories. After all, to me, your life experience is interesting, and even give me some inspirations. I was originally wanted to try to get in touch with you and pull you into my camp, so that I can conquer East County."

He paused slightly and looked at Viscount Gibran who had a swollen head, the sharp teeth in his mouth, and the skin with purple-red veins stretched out. He shrugged and said, "But it seems that there's no need now."

"Kant... Kant... Kant!" Viscount Gibran let out a wailing roar. Saliva dripped from the corner of his mouth. He did not look like a human at all. "I didn't expect you to have such power. You deceived everyone. Hahaha, you actually deceived everyone!"

"Yup." Kant nodded calmly. He looked at Viscount Gibran, who was standing in the same spot, his eyes filled with shock and surprise. Viscount Gibran, who was raging furiously, swaging his sword helplessly, and then a golden light shot him.

"Pu --"

The golden light was a concentrated positive energy.

The twisting power exploded on the demon body that was filled with negative energy. Half of Viscount Gibran's shoulder and his left arm directly disappeared.

That's right, it disappeared. His entire body turned into powder. He took a few steps back. He let out a painful howl, and the purplish-red blood flowed out. Only then did he realize that his arm had been cut off.

If it wasn't for the fact that Viscount Gibran's physical fitness had rapidly increased after he had demonized, Kant's sword strike just now could have directly destroyed half of his body!

"You... This power... is the sacred power of the Silver Platter Kingdom..."

The demonized Gibran's face was filled with malevolence due to the pain. His eyes that were filled with blood and red light were also filled with shock, "The divine artifact hidden by Princess Sofia... so it has already... already been obtained by you!"

"Divine artifact?" Kant frowned slightly.

His movements that were about to continue brandishing his sword paused slightly as he asked in a deep voice, "I'm very curious, Viscount Gibran. What exactly did you say my mother was hiding?"

"Ha, hahaha, so you don't know!"

However, what answered him was an arrogant and malevolent laugh.

Gibran looked at Kant with hatred. The blood mist around him became denser and denser.

A mysterious and evil power exploded in his body, and he instantly turned into a ball of red mist, rushing toward the southeast at high speed.

At the same time.

A voice was left behind.

"If you want to know, come to Mountain of Death. There is everything you want to know. Baron Kant, if you want to know the secrets of Princess Sofia, come!"

Chapter 392: The Treatment of the Villagers After the War

The blood mist was extremely fast, almost as fast as lightning. In the blink of an eye, it had disappeared.

Kant stretched out his hand, telling his troop that there was no need to pursue. After his watched the blood mist disappeared on the horizon, he turned his head to look at the bloody figure that was still in the same spot, completely trapped by the 30 Lion Knights.

As Viscount Gibran left, the strange influence of the blood mist gradually disappeared.

The madness in their eyes also gradually faded.

They were rational.

The provocation of the weak against the strong was undoubtedly courting death.

Even in the midst of madness and brutality, facing the encirclement of 30 grand knights, these blood-red knights from Avilis Castle still did not put down their weapons or surrender.

Kant naturally did not care whether they surrendered or not.

He waved his hand forward.

He casually ordered, "Take care of them."

"Yes!" Beside him, the Sarleon Lion Knights who were already prepared immediately complied.

With a fanatical look on their faces, each of them held a steel shield and a knight sword and began to press forward into the encirclement. Step by step, they looked at the blood-red knights who were gradually retreating. Their eyes were filled with ridicule.

There were still 12 targets left while they were 30 of them. They were clearly had the upper hand.

What's more, these targets were all injured!

There were even 1 to 3 pilums stuck on their bodies.

Obviously, their bodies were pierced through by the pilums that were threw by the Elite Desert Bandits when they were attacking. Even if they did not get hit in the vital points and died, they were still heavily injured.

Their movements were stiff and slow. They were no match for the Lion Knights who were in full status!

After a few fights, there were only four of them remained on the field.

As for the Sarleon Lion Knights on the outside, only a few of them were injured. It did not affect the battle at all.

As for the blood mist that was still gathering in the field, it had been completely dispersed. Kant did not even have the intention to attack again. These knights from Avilis Castle were already panting and could not hold on.

Bertram was also among them. His legs were trembling, and his hands were tightly gripping his knight sword, but he already felt tired and weak.

Strong, very strong, very strong.

This was his impression to the Lion Knights.

His breathing was rapid, and the madness in his eyes had disappeared. But what replaced it was not fear and fighting, but rationality. That's right, he had now regained his rationality.

As the most intelligent disciple whom Viscount Gibran had once praised, he now understood the situation.

He also understood that he was the one at a disadvantage.

Bertram turned his head.

Beside him were his three senior brothers. They were also panting, but their status was better than his.

After all, they were grand knights. Their bodies were still covered in a faint blood mist. The red light in their eyes had not completely faded, but as purple blood flowed from the wounds on their bodies, their eyes were filled with fear.

After the enticement and inheritance of Viscount Gibran, these three grand knights had already completed their fallen.

They already had the demon bloodline in their bodies.

It would not change.

Even if they left Viscount Gibran's side, the demon bloodline in their bodies would not disappear, it would instead cause them to undergo a monster-like mutation. In the end. They would either turn into human-shaped demons, became violent and bloodthirsty and eventually killed by the authority.

Just like demonized creatures, the grand knights were completely demonized now!

Fallen knights.

Kant understood this.

The Sarleon Lion Knights from the Pendor Continent understood this even more.

After all, in their world, although it was in the end of magic era, extraordinary powers still existed. Therefore, there were still some void gaps connected the underworld and the Pendor Continent, which could seep out the power of the underworld.

And in the hands of some people with ulterior motives, this power became their reliance. Eventually they became the fallen knights who rampaged across the Pendor Continent.

Even in reality, the underworld invaders were also human beings who were eroded by the underworld power and eventually turned into demons. After all, the appearance of berserkers, avengers, and horsemen among these invaders were actually in human-like forms.

It was said that some cult rituals could turn the fallen believers of demons into demons.

The logic was mutual.

Looking at it now.

Viscount Gibran's transformation into a demon on this quiet night was not unexpected.

He had already turned into a demon ten years ago and accumulated the wealth of Avilis Castle. It was probably because he had obtained the power of demons. As for the Supreme Lord of the Hell, the Lord of Sin, Master of Flame, Flensas. It made Kant think of the demon in the ancient passage.

Aamon Qieke was originally sealed. In the end, Kant killed him with his large troop. In the end, even its body was burned into a pile of useless ashes.

And the broken rune sword became Kant's trophy of victory.

It was sold for a good price.

But as for the abyssal demon that appeared in the East County, the so-called Flensas, Kant had no way of understanding it.

He raised his head slightly and looked at the four people who were still persisting.

The blood mist had completely dispersed.

Other than the three people who had purplish-black skin and red eyes, there was still a hint of madness in their eyes.

The only young man left had a clear and rational look in his eyes. Although he was panting as if he had been forced into a desperate situation, he still used the defensive techniques of a traditional knight. It was very standard.

After pondering for a moment, Kant had made a decision. He waved his hand and said, "Leave that young man behind."

"Yes!" the Lion Knights immediately replied.

As the Lion Knights came closer to them, the necks of the three grand knights were instantly cut off.

A plop sound appeared. In the field, only one figure was still standing unscathed. As for the three grand knights beside him, their heads were already gone. Purple-red blood had already spurted out from their necks as they kneeled in the field.

The field that was originally intact was now filled with corpses and the thick smell of blood.

Blood flowed like a river!

As for the knight attendants who had been watching the battle, they had long fled from this place.

They had already realized that the situation was not right. Although they had sensed the power of Viscount Gibran, now that they had clearly seen the power of the demons, how could they not be afraid.

Each and every one of them rode their horses and fled even faster than rabbits. They had no intention of continuing to fight.

At this moment.

Bertram, who was still at his original spot, he was then brought to the temporary camp.

He was tied up with thick ropes, and there were ten Lion Knights watching him from the side. Although they were not afraid of the explosive power of the demons, they were still afraid that something unexpected would happen.

He was not ordinary person. If he still had power to fight, it would not be good to threaten the lord of Kant.

They were very considerate.

In order to ensure safety, Rolf checked the results of the battle and dealt with the battlefield. At the same time, he specially assigned 200 Elite Desert Bandit to stand behind the level 5 cavalry and the Sarleon Lion Squires to help guard.

There was also the village next to them, the Nali Village, which was under Avilis Castle.

It was also guarded by the other 300 Elite Desert Bandits.

No one died in the battle.

Only a few unlucky people could not dodge in time and their limbs were injured. Fortunately, it was not a fatal injury. After sprinkling the herbs specially made by Doctor James and bandaging it with two circles of linen, it was almost intact.

It was no problem for them to continue their journey on horseback, but they could not do anything too violent.

Nali Village was surrounded.

The old village chief, the fat financial officer, and the robust sheriff were now ashen faced.

The remaining armed militia had also given up resisting. They threw their weapons on the street one after another. Each of them gathered near the village houses with their families. They looked like lambs waiting to be slaughtered.

In the previous battle, more than 30 armed militiamen had died.

The rest were also injured, and their morale was low.

Even Viscount Gibran and the Knights of Avilis Castle had been defeated.

With these insignificant militiamen, even if they could kill the enemy, what could they achieve? The entire village might ended up be massacred. It was more appropriate to give up resisting and hand over all the silver coins as a token to exchange for a way out.

At the very least, even if some the villagers had to sacrifice their lives, the entire village would not be completely wiped out.

However, there was no massacre.

Rolf wanted to massacre this village.

However, considering the current situation, as well as Lord Kant's strategic plan for the East County, he gave up this plan.

Massacring was easy. Elite Desert Bandits were bandits who killed without batting an eyelid.

But in the long run, the gains would not be worth it.

It would stir up the anger of the people of the East County.

Or rather...

The noble and gentlemen of the East County, as well as the landlords, merchants, and commoners, would be estranged by this matter.

If some people with ulterior motives were to arouse, the entire East County would probably reject Kant. After all, this county had been closed for the outsiders in the past. If the government and business were to completely close off Kant, it would be equivalent to completely rejecting Kant.

This would also have a deep impact on his strategy of eating away at Kant.

When that time came, it would be difficult.

If he wanted to break it, he could only use absolute force to break the seal.

However, the rebound brought by violence would also make the rejection even more intense.

Even if Kant occupied the entire East County, he would probably not be able to remain stable for a few years. Unless he massacred the entire East County, but this was obviously not realistic.

He occupied the land and obtained the people mostly because he pursued dumping grounds and dumping people.

He used it to earn golden eagles.

Then, he would exchange it for denar in the world of "Mount and Blade".

This was Kant's goal. The so-called attacking and conquering the land was just a general concept.

Rolf was not a willful general. After giving a few orders, he drove all the villagers into the house. He did not continue to offend them. He only sent people to guard tightly and not let them move around freely.

The others cleaned up the battlefield. At the same time, they sent out cavalry patrols to scout the surroundings.

It was not suitable to stay here for long.

The scattered knight attendants would definitely return to Avilis Castle.

If they attracted the troops of the East County, they would be surrounded, and things would become utterly troublesome.

The reason why this battle could be won so quickly with such low causalities was also because Viscount Gibran had underestimated the enemy and did not expect Kant to have 30 grand knights with him.

If Viscount Gibran knew about this, with his's military ability, he would definitely bring a longbow team of several hundred archers to surround Kant.

Although grand knights were invincible in close combat, they were also afraid of the arrow rain attack.

Chapter 393: Bertram’s Realization

On the battlefield, the Elite Desert Bandits walked past with a spear in hand. When they passed by the fallen enemy, they stabbed their necks and chests. After twisting half a circle, they pulled it out and continued to move forward.

This was a standard post-war method of cleaning up the battlefield. They were very familiar with it.

Stabbed the enemies one last time to ensure they were dead.

In this era, serious injury was equivalent to a miserable death.

Rather than suffering from pain and suffering, it was better to die directly.

As for those who cowardly faked their dead, since they had chosen the path of cowardice, there was no point in living. Anyway, when the Elite Desert Bandit walked over with a spear in their hands, they would stab every fallen enemy on the battlefield.

Not a single person was left alive, even if they were just the lightly injured armed militia.

No massacre was a sign of mercy.

But cleaning the battlefield was not.

It was a warning.

It was also a deterrent.

Since they had chosen to be enemies, Kant and his troop would show no mercy on the battlefield even after the battle ended.

As enemies, they had no right to live, because on the battlefield they were fighting with their own lives, either one of the sides was destined to be dead, there was no other way.

War was brutal and cruel.

At the center of the temporary camp.

Kant sat on a simple low chair made of saddle.

He rubbed his calves and looked at the young knight who was kneeling in front of him and responding to him in the most humiliating way. His face was calm, without any anger or fear.

Kant won this victory, and the initiative was in his hands.

And this young captive in front of him was like a fish on a chopping board.

This Bertram was kneeling in front of Kant as if he had accepted his fate, with his hands behind his back.

He lowered his head and let his hair fall down, looking as wretched as a condemned prisoner awaiting execution. But in fact, he was still relatively safe. At least he did not lose his life on the battlefield, which already showed that he had a reason to survive.

The cooperation now was one of the biggest reasons why Bertram could survive.

The wait didn't last long.

Outside the tent, the Elite Desert Bandit who had finished cleaning up the battlefield came back to report.

Rolf waved his hand to signal for them to leave. At the same time, he whispered to Kant about the results of the battle. Of course, Kant didn't say much about the expected glorious victory.

He just nodded and said, "I understand. Pass down the orders and do a good job of guarding."

"Yes."

Rolf accepted the order.

Rolf turned around and left. He called over the Elite Desert Bandits under his command and made some arrangements before returning to the tent.

The night in the East County was still quiet, but the sound of horse hooves could be heard. The Elite Desert Bandit groups that had scattered in small groups had already spread out, carrying spears and scimitars. They cautiously began to patrol the surroundings to ensure safety.

"There's no problem." Rolf reported with certainty.

"Very good." After arranging everything, Kant heaved a sigh of relief.

He turned his head to look at the captive who was still kneeling in front of him, he calmly said, "Alright, it's time for us to talk. As a mercenary group that has just arrived here, well, let's put it this way. We have no intention of attacking you, but why did you attack us first? This makes me very puzzled. I'm also very curious. What's the reason?"

"Why? Even if I said it was a misunderstanding. Baron Kant, you wouldn't believe me." Bertram smiled bitterly.

The reason for this attack was really a misunderstanding towards the barbarians.

"Mm." Kant shrugged. He still did not understand the truth of the matter, but the experience he had gained from the system, as well as the experience from his previous life and this life, naturally, he would not simply believe in the so-called misunderstanding.

There was a cause and effect, and words like misunderstanding could only deceive children.

"Hehe, misunderstanding is good."

Rolf laughed at the side. "This is indeed a misunderstanding."

"Ah?" Bertram raised his head in surprise. He had expected Kant's silence, but Rolf's temper and personality clearly exceeded his long-standing, gentlemanly thinking.

"This is really misunderstood."

Rolf smiled, his eyes filled with malevolence. "Then how about the battle? Is it really a misunderstanding between us, or did you take the initiative to attack us? We can let this misunderstanding go." he continued, "But how are you going to compensate us? After all, your attack gave us a fright, and we need to pay for the mental damage."

"Uh..." Bertram looked even more shock and confused.

The farmland outside the camp was still piled with the bodies of the people who had died in the battle tonight. They were all knight attendants of Avilis Castle and the militia of Nali Village. Their losses were extremely heavy compared to Kant's.

And now, he was unable to accept this so-called mental damage compensation.

But in reality, they were indeed the attackers.

They were the ones who started this incident.

"I can't make a decision."

Bertram lowered his head dejectedly but smiled bitterly helplessly. "To me, I'm only the captain of the guards, one of Viscount Gibran's knight apprentices."

"Your name?" Kant asked calmly.

"Bertram." he answered.

"I've never heard of you."

Kant shrugged. "As for your three senior grand knights, I've heard of them." After a pause, he rubbed his head and said, "I remember that ten years ago, they were also young people who were lucky enough to survive."

"That's right." Bertram nodded. "I was just a new apprentice introduced by Countess Agatha last year."

"A new apprentice."

Kant chuckled, "Your family background is quite good."

Bertram said, "It's all thanks to my father being the chief security officer of East County City." Pausing for a moment, he said with a bitter smile, "He was conferred the title of baron of the palace by Count Agatha."

"Oh." Kant raised his eyebrows.

Of course, he understood what Bertram meant.

A new apprentice who could become the famous Viscount Gibran in the East County would definitely have sufficient wealth and power to support him. Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to become the disciple of this famous general.

His father was the sheriff of the East County City, or the baron of the palace conferred by Countess Agatha.

Then Kant was not surprised, this young knight in front of him had wealth, strong family background and high status

This Bertram's status was probably even more honorable. He was no less than the son of an ordinary powerful baron.

Kant's mind spun quickly. Looking at Bertram's dejected appearance, he smiled. He had also thought that this might be Countess Agatha, his aunt, trying to interfere and probe in Avilis Castle.

Bertram's father was the sheriff of East County City.

He was born with the mark of Countess Agatha.

And he was also a baron of the palace.

In fact, he had spent money to buy the title of count from Countess Agatha.

It was usually done by merchants or landlords who had once been servants or vassals, such as the treasurer, sheriff, and even the butler of East County City, as well as the leaders of the subordinate trade caravan.

In other places, such people were called gentlemen and had honorary titles.

Baron of the palace was about the same.

In fact, in terms of actual status, he was even lower than baron of boor.

After all, baron of boor had fought with real battle achievements, and he still had real power under him. He had his own troops, and if he were lucky, he would be invincible on the battlefield, and he could continue to obtain the title of nobility with great battle achievements.

If a baron of palace wanted to level up, he would have to rely on the person who conferred him the title. He was just a servant who had the title of noble.

However, he could still represent that higher-level noble.

There were only two places that could be conferred the title of noble in the palace.

There were only two places.

The center of power of the Dukedom of Leo, Grand Duke Cameron's Lion Fort.

Or the East County that was independent of the Dukedom of Leo, the East County City of Countess Agatha!

Bertram opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but in the end, he lowered his head and smiled bitterly. "That's right, Baron Kant. Your guess is correct. I was indeed a mole sent by Countess Agatha to investigate Viscount Gibran."

"Continue. I like this story." Kant nodded.

"This is not a story."

Bertram retorted in a low voice.

However, his voice was even more decadent. "After that bloody battle ten years ago, Viscount Gibran became more and more strange. He even started to become independent from the jurisdiction of the East County."

"He has the status of a semi-independent warlord." Kant said calmly, "I understand."

"That is indeed the case."

Bertram also confirmed, "He even rejected Countess Agatha's orders from time to time."

Pausing for a moment, he continued, "But coming to Avilis Castle, even if I become a newly promoted knight apprentice, I am still excluded from the entire system of Viscount Gibran."

"But in your body, there is still the supernatural power that originates from Viscount Gibran."

Kant calmly reminded, "The fallen power that comes from the Abyss."

Bertram shook his head. "I don't know what the Abyss is or what the devil is. It's too complicated for me. This is something from myths and legends. I only know that I should obtain extraordinary power."

"And you really chose this power?" Kant raised his eyebrows. "It's very interesting."

"That's right."

Bertram nodded disappointedly. "But I didn't know that Viscount Gibran would actually be so depraved."

He thought of that terrifying demonic form, and it looked just like the legends said. He couldn't help but sigh, "My three senior brothers have already been completely controlled by that evil force. Even I was close to this force and was actually controlled by Viscount Gibran's consciousness at that time. All I knew was rage, slaughter, and hysterical madness!"

In fact, not to mention him, even the knight attendants were also controlled by that force.

Usually, they only felt that it was motivated by Viscount Gibran's reputation, and he did not care even if he noticed it.

But now that he thought about it carefully, he felt a chill run down their spines. This was clearly a special effect of using extraordinary power to control the surrounding soldiers, and they fought to the death for it. It was truly an irreparable madness!

"So this is the reason." Bertram connected the dots and said dejectedly, "The truth of the victory ten years ago."

This was indeed the truth.

Only this kind of demonic strength could defeat the main force of the thousands of people of the Silver Platter Kingdom, instead of relying on a bunch of cowardly soldiers, a bunch of militia and peasant soldiers who were recruited in a short time.

Chapter 394: Information About the Crimson Cult

War was cruel to begin with.

Well-trained troops with successive victories and high morale were the best of the best.

Unless they were met with a tragic situation that caused their morale to drop. Otherwise, they would be able to easily defeat the enemy in a normal battle with their unparalleled morale and their valor from the successive victories.

Not to mention the poor troops that were once on the north bank of the Resniston River, armed with defeated soldiers and peasant soldiers.

Using the poor troops that were on the verge of collapse to fight against the elite troops that had high morale.

Even if they fought with their full strength, there was still no way to explain how they could win.

Moreover, the commander of the main force of the Silver Platter Kingdom was not stupid. On the contrary, he was led by a famous baron in the country. He was unstoppable on the south bank of the river and even captured Nazaire Castle, which was originally under the jurisdiction of the East County.

This caused the East County to collapse, and they retreated to the East County City on the north bank.

They even had a plan at that time.

They had already begun to prepare.

The East County gave up the capital city, East County City, and led the remaining troops to escape all the way to Avilis Castle.

If they could not even defend Avilis Castle, then they would break out of the encirclement and retreat to the North County. At least at that time, the barren North County was not the first line in war, and it could be used as a place to regroup.

The battle situation at that time was so decadent that even the southern county, which was directly under the royal family, could not take care of itself.

Fort Vaulti and Fort Lobito on the north bank of the Resniston River were in tatters. It was said that more than 10,000 people had died.

Although the ones who died were mercenaries and armed militia, the real noble troops did not suffer many causalities.

However, the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, personally led the troops to launch a surprise attack. With the help of Baron Dylan, who had betrayed the Silver Platter Kingdom at that time and had held back the reinforcements, they finally won that victory.

Of course, the exact details of the victory had not been revealed. It was just that from ten years ago until now, they had lost many lands.

Many noble families also had many changes in their mind.

After negotiations, the Fort Nazaire of Countess Agatha located at the south bank of Resniston RIver was ceded to the Silver Platter Kingdom.

This was also the main reason why Countess Agatha and the Grand Duke Cameron had the biggest conflict. It was even the main reason why both sides were closed off, allowing the East County to be independent. They had not interacted officially with each other for ten years.

Because of the loss of Fort Nazaire on the south bank, the East County City on the north bank of the river was basically defenseless.

It could even be said that the entire East County City was wide opened, completely exposed in front of the front of the Silver Platter Kingdom's soldiers.

The key point was that even Viscount Gibran, who had once saved the East County and became a famous general, had begun to not entirely obey the orders. He wanted to become a semi-independent warlord within the semi-independent East County.

He also completely controlled the only castle in the East County Avilis Castle.

If it was truly independent...

With the military strength that Viscount Gibran possessed, it was likely that Countess Agatha couldn't do anything if Viscount Gibran insisted to. She could only watch as independence happened.

Although the East County City was the capital city and had developed its economy, it was not an excellent military city. Its military strength might only be able to protect itself. It was impossible for it to go on an expedition.

This was also the reason why Countess Agatha sent Bertram to Avilis Castle.

The art of political compromise.

It was to comfort and appease Viscount Gibran.

It was also to secretly warn and plant a mole to this famous general's castle.

Kant, who had already lived in this world for 16 years in the Dukedom of Leo, naturally knew very well about this method. These were the methods that the noble families liked to use the most, and it did not have many disadvantages.

However, no one had expected that Viscount Gibran, this old and famous general, had changed.

He had completely surrendered to the decadence of the abyssal demon!

The tent was silent.

Kant's thoughts were scattered, and no one made a sound.

They just waited quietly. Even Bertram bowed his head and knelt down as if he had accepted his fate. He no longer had the honor of being a knight. He was humiliated as if he was the most humble slave.

However, to him who was born a noble in the palace, this was not something that was hard to accept.

It was seen as groveling.

Once, his father, the sheriff of East County City, and his mother, who secretly controlled a trade caravan, had warned him that if he wanted to live, he had to grovel.

Bertram now felt that what he said was right.

As for the honor of a knight, it was useless now.

Looking at the grand knights surrounding him, Bertram felt dejected.

He did not know when it started, but there were so many grand knights who had mastered extraordinary powers existed. He once thought that it was scary enough that the three senior brothers of Avilis Castle were actually grand knights who hid their identities.

But now, there were a total of 30 grand knights here, which meant that there were even more grand knights than in the Dukedom of Leo!

Bertram's heart pounded even harder.

He thought of Viscount Gibran. He had transformed into legendary demon, which made his heart palpitate.

This was the fear of the unknown that came from humans!

"Interesting."

Kant's divergent thoughts had returned.

Looking at Bertram, who was kneeling on the ground and covered in cold sweat, Kant put on a smile. "The bloody battle ten years ago, there are indeed many secrets that we don't know. This is really interesting."

"Yes." Bertram only responded obediently.

"Then what makes me curious is," Kant finally got to the point. "The power of Viscount Gibran definitely did not appear out of thin air. There must be a reason. Then, do you know where this power came from or how it was obtained?"

"This power..."

A hint of struggle appeared in Bertram's eyes.

But he still closed his eyes and answered dejectedly, "Mountain of Death, the mountain where thousands of people were executed, has long been controlled by a religious force called the Crimson Sect."

"Mountain of Death, the Crimson Sect."

Kant heard this place name and nodded thoughtfully. "It's really interesting."

It was indeed interesting.

Previously, Viscount Gibran had mentioned this place before he left.

Mountain of Death was the symbolic peak of the East County.

Just like the Mountain of Leo of the South County and the Senwaya Range of the North County.

Moreover, when Viscount Gibran left, he said that if he wanted to know everything, he would have to go to Mountain of Death to look for him.

Of course, it would definitely not be a good thing if he went there. It was most probably a trap. Now that he knew that the Crimson Sect was secretly developing there, Kant would naturally not show up recklessly.

Even if his current army was powerful enough, it was not powerful enough, unless he mobilized the main force.

As for the Crimson Sect, Kant did not know what this organization was. Not to mention that he had only heard of the term and did not know anything about it. Even when he was in the academy, he had never heard of it.

As for associating it with the abyssal demons, Kant only knew that it had once appeared in the Dukedom of Leo, the Demon Worship Cult!

"They are the remnants of the Demon Worship Cult."

Seeing that Kant was deep in thought, Bertram did not hide it. Instead, he directly nodded and admitted it.

Although he did not come into contact with the core secrets in Avilis Castle, there were still some things that he could roughly understand. "In fact, Viscount Gibran's family has always been surrounded by the Demon Worship Cult. Although their faith is not strong, they have contact with quite a lot of people from the cult. They have also provided financial assistance. I did not expect that they would really come into contact with the existence of demons now."

"As expected." Kant nodded. This was not out of his expectations. Regarding the Crimson Sect, which was formed by the remnants of the Demon Worship Cult, he knew this enemy.

However, after the incident in the Senwaya Range, he didn't think that this was just a cult.

Perhaps there really was that so-called abyssal demon.

The Supreme Lord of the Hell Demon, the Lord of Sins, and Master of Flames, Flensas.

Perhaps it was a complete demon that had broken free from the seal and was still recuperating!

At that time, this battle would be much more tragic than the underground city. If there was no seal, the abyssal demons that could replenish their strength at any time would be enough to defeat an elite army of a thousand men without suffer serious injuries

Kant needed to pay more attention.

He frowned slightly.

He looked at Bertram and asked, "Did the Sect of God of War not react?"

"No." Bertram smiled bitterly. "The East County has been locked down for ten years. Although there is no ban on commercial activities, the officials are strictly restricted and ostracized. Even in terms of religion, they have been severely rejected."

"I really underestimated the East County's lockdown," Kant muttered to himself.

At first, he thought that it was just an official lockdown.

He did not expect that even religion had been strictly restricted.

Now that he thought about it carefully, perhaps the situation was not as he had imagined.

After all, traces of demons had already appeared in the East County territory. Even the most powerful general, Gibran, who oversaw a county, was a servant and lackey of the demons. That was the situation of the entire East County.

It was like the surface of the sea that seemed to have no waves at all, but there were undercurrents surging beneath!

"Lord." Rolf, who was listening by the side, spoke up at this moment. "Let's not go to the East County."

He said worriedly, "The current situation is clearly not as simple as we had predicted. Now, it seems that even the North County is not as complicated as the East County!"

"It is indeed very complicated." Kant agreed.

However, his eyes narrowed slightly. "We still have to go to the East County City."

Rolf said anxiously, "But..."

"There's no 'but'." Kant waved his hand.

Since things had developed into this direction, he would definitely not back down. The most important thing was the conquering of the East County. It was related to his plan to conquer the entire Dukedom of Leo. If he failed here, then he could only be locked up in the Nahrin Desert.

Perhaps in a short period of time, the strategic layout of charging out of the North County would have to postpone.

And the situation in the Nahrin Desert was even more complicated.

There were resurrected god's descendants in the depths.

There were gradually recovering abyssal demons under the mountain range.

If Kant continued to stay in the Nahrin Desert and foolishly lived his unrivalled and powerful life, then he would really be ignorance. He would probably be wiped out in the next ten years.

Chapter 395: The Complicated Situation In South County

Kant had already made up his mind to head to the East County

But Rolf was worried.

Although he had a tough personality, he was very concerned about his supreme lord, Lord Kant. Now that he felt that the East County was indeed dangerous, he really didn't want Kant to set foot in this place.

If something went wrong, the East County City, the capital of the East County, would be a cage full of sharp blades.

At that time, it would be difficult to leave there safely, let alone continue with the plan.

The Crimson Sect, the remnants of the Demon Worship Cult, had already infiltrated to such an extent. It basically meant that the entire East County was completely rotten, like a sieve that had been infiltrated!

Even the faces of the Sarleon Lion Knights who were guarding beside them changed slightly, and their eyes were filled with caution.

They thought of the Snake Cult on the Continent of Pendor.

The heretic cult that had once been suppressed.

It was precisely because the Snake Cult had infiltrated the entire Empire that either noble or the commoners were all believed in the Snake Cult. Thus, no matter how hard they tried to eliminate it, the Snake Cult was still plagued the Empire. It had slowly grown stronger when the Empire was facing a crisis.

In the end, even the king believed in the Snake Cult. It had completely become a religious force that could influence the politics of Empire!

Right now, same thing might had happened in the East County.

Although it had not reached that stage yet, it was almost there.

This was the reason why Rolf had stopped Kant from continuing to head to the East County City.

He did not know how many other fallen knights like Viscount Gibran, who were controlled by the demonic forces, or fallen people who believed in and pledged allegiance to the Crimson Sect were in the unfamiliar East County City.

If they were willing to pledge allegiance and worship to the abyssal demons, then they were definitely not good people.

Even if they were good people, they would become madmen and fanatics.

This was the consequences of believing in the abyss.

They would only gone crazy and brutal.

Despite the beliefs of the gods were so strict, so inviolable, and so cold and rigid, it was much better than the beliefs of the abyss. At least, there would not be any trouble.

If the gods were shepherds who treated human believers as lambs, then the abyssal demons were hungry wolves who treated humans as lambs, and they would kill at will when they were hungry!

There was a big difference between the two.

Entering East County City like this was undoubtedly equivalent to a sheep entering the tiger's mouth.

There was a slight silence in the tent. Although Kant intended to go to East County City, he also knew that things was not as simple as prediction. On the contrary, he had to be prepared to prevent a series of troubles.

Tonight's battle would probably spread throughout the entire East County in a short period of time.

It would even spread throughout the entire Dukedom of Leo.

There was no impregnable wall to stop the news.

Kant, who had sneaked into the East County, would also be known by others. After all, when Gibran left, he did not hide Kant's identity. Instead, he shouted loudly. Almost everyone in the vicinity had heard him clearly.

This included the villagers and militia of Nali Village, as well as the knight attendants who had escaped.

"There's some trouble." Kant frowned slightly.

No matter how he thought about it, the probability of encountering trouble during this trip to the East County could not be reduced.

If he was unlucky, he might have to go through a few fierce battles. At the very least, he believed that he would not have a good relationship with that Countess Agatha, even if she was his aunt.

The royal family did not have any family ties, and the internal affairs of the small dukedom in this world were very common.

"Lord." Rolf suggested, "Why don't you go back and bring more troops?"

"We'll become a big and obvious target." Kant shook his head.

In fact, not to mention 500 Desert Bandits, just 30 Sarleon Lion Knights and 5 Sarleon Lion Squires were enough to draw attention. After all, they were all plate armor and chain mail. Ordinary knights did not have such equipment!

Even if they said that they were an ordinary mercenary group, they could only fool the ignorant villagers.

As for the real nobles, they probably knew that they were a private troop secretly trained by an unknown peer.

Those noble enemies would definitely probe Kant's strength. If they had their own private troop, they would even secretly set up traps. Even worse, they would even try to annihilate Kant's troop if they had a chance.

Just like the fierce Gale Mercenary Group, it was the fearsome force that belonged to Countess Agatha.

However, thinking of this, Kant felt a slight headache.

He was the one who destroyed the Gale Mercenary Group. Moreover, he had captured the other attacking troops at the Stone Pass.

Although people didn't say it explicitly, Countess Agatha had almost become a laughing joke in the entire Dukedom of Leo. Especially after losing these two elite troops, a total of four grand knights might be enough to hurt the vitality of the East County.

One had to know that on the surface, the Dukedom of Leo only had ten grand knights at most.

But if it were really as Rolf had said, bringing troops over would not be infiltration.

It would be an invasion.

There would be a direct conflict.

Kant was not afraid of East County with his current troop's strength, even the entire Dukedom of Leo. In a field battle, Kant's troop could almost take them away in one wave. But after conquered the dukedom with violence, it would be even more troublesome to deal with the rebellions and other enemies.

One had to know that Kant didn't have many troops. It was not enough to defend the three counties.

Not to mention that there were foreign enemies eyeing them.

For example, the Silver Platter Kingdom.

Once they discovered that the Dukedom of Leo was in internal strife, they would not hesitate at all.

When the time came, the Silver Platter Kingdom would take advantage of the internal strife to launch an attack. They would attack the Dukedom of Leo in all directions and win the final victory. And finally, they could settle the score for their defeat ten years ago.

Ten years ago, the Dukedom of Leo was as united as an iron plate.

Now, it was in pieces.

In the South County, there was a battle between the Grand Duke and the top-tier noble.

In the North County, there was a battle between Viscount Wayne and Viscount Kevin.

In the East County, not only wit was independent, but there was also an internal divide between Countess Agatha and Viscount Gibran.

If there was a new invasion from Silver Platter Kingdom, it was unlikely that the nobles in the Dukedom of Leo would unite to resist the invasion. Instead, they would wait for the price to be offered and see what they could gain by joining the Silver Platter Kingdom.

In any case, if the dukedom were destroyed, the noble would still be the noble. Only the rest of the dukedom would change.

Oh, one more thing, the royal family that ruled the dukedom would change.

But it did not matter to the noble. It was all the same. They were just vassals.

But no matter what, if Kant led his troop and went to the East County, the consequences would be troublesome. The entire Dukedom of Leo would probably be in an uproar, not to mention Countess Agatha.

Even the though the nobles were always up to not good behind the scenes, but on the surface, they still followed the rules of the noble court.

If Kant led his troops into the East County, they would definitely with each other.

If things went wrong, there would be a war between the nobles, and even internal strife among the nobles of the Dukedom of Leo.

The noble court represented the authority of the top noble and the royal family. If the authority of the noble court was weakened, then there would be no scruples between the lower-level nobles. When they fought each other, they did not differentiate between allies and enemies.

After all, even if they were noble, they also had grudges to each other. Even if they didn't, they were willing to join the fight for the sake of benefits.

Kant had lived here for more than ten years. He was very clear about this.

After all, he was also a member of the noble.

"Baron Kant."

However, Bertram, who was kneeling in front of him, spoke.

Looking at Kant's slightly frowning appearance, he said dejectedly, "Perhaps It's okay for you to go see Countess Agatha. The current East County is no longer under her control."

"I don't understand." Kant frowned even more. His words were very vague.

"Countess Agatha's authority has been weakened." Bertram shrugged.

He sighed calmly and said, "It's not a secret that the Gale Mercenary Group was gone. Everyone knows that they were completely destroyed when they launched a sneak attack at the Stone Pass. The current Countess Agatha can only control the East County City."

Kant said, "Because her strength was damaged, her authority was reduced."

"Yes."

Bertram nodded. "She's not good now." After a pause, he continued, "Even Viscount Gibran was very rude to Countess Agatha in his words. At the same time, he also revealed some ulterior plans."

"It's just that he was defeated by me before he implemented it." Kant's lips curled up. "He may be very disappointed."

"That's right." Bertram had nothing else to say.

However, when he thought of the words he had heard back then, he still reminded Kant after hesitating for a few moments, "Baron Kant, right now, your strength is formidable, but the strength of the Crimson Sect is also not to be underestimated. I once heard that this sect has the ability to destroy the Dukedom of Leo. It's only because they fear the Silver Platter Kingdom that they temporarily lay low in East County."

"Afraid of the Silver Platter Kingdom? I am more curious about that." Kant frowned, but the national religion of the Silver Platter Kingdom instantly appeared in his mind. He seemed to be deep in thought as he said, "Could it be... the Holy Church?"

"I am not sure." Bertram didn't collect much information on this matter.

However, he had already given Kant a lot of useful information, especially regarding the situation of the Dukedom of Leo and the complicated situation in the East County. He had a good understanding of it.

"You're not bad." Kant nodded.

He sat on the low stool and looking at Bertram, his eyes lit up slightly. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I still lack a friend in the East County who can help me convey my word. Perhaps you can help. I don't know if you want to."

"Of, of course, I'm willing too!" Bertram agreed instantly without any hesitation.

Only a fool would not agree.

Baron Kant was responsible for the heavy casualties outside.

If he did not agree, the consequences would probably be a cut on his neck. It would not be surprising if he were thrown into the pile of corpses outside. After all, they were the ones who launched the attack first. There was no reason to argue about it.

As for human rights and such things, they were really useless.

They were useless!

"Very good." Kant nodded in satisfaction.

There were two dark chess pieces in the East County now, but there had to be a clear one as well.

This young man, who was shocked by Viscount Gibran's fall and had doubts about Countess Agatha's strength, was the best chess piece for him. As long as he could control it well, he might be able to have a great influence.

At the very least, Bertram's father was a baron of the palace, and the connections he had could help maintain stability.

The East County was an important dumping ground for Kant in the future.

He could not afford to make any mistakes.

Chapter 396: Arriving at the Capital of East County

The next day, at dawn.

Nali Village was still quiet. The villagers were all holed up inside the village, waiting in despair.

The Elite Desert Bandit outside had already left, but these people were still afraid. But after a night of waiting, this fear finally disappeared quite a bit. It turned into despair and suffocation, as well as indifference to life and death.

The old village chief's face was abnormally red and ruddy. He was still sitting at his own dining table, enjoying the delicious food.

The whole family was neatly dressed in the best clothes.

In fact, the entire Nali Village was doing the same thing.

They knew that they had encountered a terrifying enemy that was difficult to fight against. It was useless even if they tried to escape.

It was better to enjoy it properly. Otherwise, when they saw the gods they believed in after death, they would not cry and complain that they were hungry. At the very least, they had to eat and drink the best and enjoy the hard-earned peace time.

In the sky outside the village, the occasional chirping of birds could be heard.

Countless birds were flapping their wings.

They looked out of the window.

There were a lot of scavenger birds. There were also pitch-black crows chirping, which added to the despair atmosphere in the village.

If it was as expected, the farmland outside the village had long become a paradise for scavenger animals. They enjoyed the breakfast to their heart's content, just like they enjoyed the feast.

However, as time went by, the sun had completely risen. The expected massacre did not come upon.

Even the cavalry who were patrolling the streets had disappeared.

"Chief!"

At this moment, the sheriff and finance officer suddenly barged in.

With a face full of surprise, he ignored the family members of the village chief who were still crying and eating breakfast. He said quickly, "They left. They left. Is it Baron Kant? He really let us go!"

"What... what..." The village chief raised his head in surprise.

Along with his son and daughter-in-law, as well as his grandchildren who were just seven or eight years old, their faces were full of surprise.

They had thought that they would die, but it ended peacefully just like that. It was really a pleasant surprise for them. Especially when they thought of the reputation that Baron Kant of being merciful, they were so excited that tears streamed down their faces.

"Thank you, Baron Kant!" They murmured softly as if they were praying. No one objected to this statement.

They all knew that they were the ones who had provoked the battle tonight.

While they were waiting for death at night, they had thought of many things, including the initial stage of blaming each other, the mid-stage despair, and the later stage of looking down on life and death and saying goodbye to each other. They were all mentally prepared.

Now that they found that they could live, they became very happy and excited.

They were also filled with gratitude towards Kant.

Stockholm syndrome.

This group of villagers, even if there were families who died as militiamen, were extremely grateful.

They originally thought that they would be massacred, but they survived. Their Stockholm syndrome was magnified multiple times, causing everyone to feel ashamed and regretful about their attempts to attack Kant.

However, this group of villagers was nothing to Kant.

He had already left Nali Village with his troop.

The temporary camp had completely disappeared on the grain drying field, and they continued to go deep into the East County.

However, they did not follow the plan to go to Mountain of Death. Instead, they bypassed that place and headed to the East County City. Finally, they arrived at the riverbank of the Resniston River, looking for the entrance in the ancient passage, and then returned to their sphere of influence.

That was Aaron City, which was located in the Senwaya Range!

This was the current plan.

However, it was not certain.

There was also a trade caravan heading to Borg to see how their hidden chess piece was doing.

At the same time, they had to contact the Pirates of the Resniston River. After all, there were still princess Sofia's old subordinates there. Controlling this water army was also beneficial for Kant to control this river channel.

Although there were small incidents in Avilis Castle and Mountain of Death, it did not affect the plan. Only the details had to be handled carefully.

Kant's identity had been exposed, so he had to be careful in the planning of the trip.

If he was entangled by those crazy devil worshippers from the Crimson Sect and was chased down by Countess Agatha, who already had a very bad relationship with him, it would be really troublesome. He had to give up too much and leave through the mouth of the river as soon as possible.

They would also have to endure the danger of exposing this secret passage at any time.

After all, this was the main road that led directly to the north side of the Senwaya Range.

However, Kant was not worried.

So what if they were exposed? The footmen tactics of the Kingdom of Rhodoks were invincible when they faced off against the enemy.

They held long-hilted broadswords that were like axes as they advanced side by side. They wore the most sturdy thick chain armor and held heavy broad shields that could cover more than half of their bodies. They were like land tanks. In the narrow ancient passage, there was simply no army that could be a match for them.

Unless the enemies used ballistae or other as siege weapons, they would be able to defeat the square formation formed by these heavy armored warriors.

One had to know, even the strongest heavy armored Swadian Knight did not dare to charge at the front of the square formation formed by Rhodok Sergeants.

Not to mention in the square formation, there would be Rhodok Snipers who held siege crossbows and had the ability to kill people from 500 meters away. Even if the enemies used ballistae, they would have to worry about whether these snipers would kill the operators one by one.

In a head-on confrontation, the Rhodok people were not afraid of anyone!

Of course, this was the worst outcome.

Kant looked at Bertram next to him.

This was the guide he had hired at the moment. After heading to East County City, he would also be his spokesperson.

In the future, Bertram would be his representative in East County by helping him deal with certain problems on the surface. Kant had taken Bertram as hostage and made him submit to his feet.

Kant also did not care about Bertram's loyalty.

The key was whether he could be used or not.

Since Bertram was useful, Kant would use him. Kant was kind enough to give any reward that he could.

If he could not be used, or even secretly trip Kant up. Then there was nothing to say. In the end, he could just send someone to kill him.

Kant, who had high-end extraordinary powers, might find it difficult to assassinate a political figure. However, assassinating this little knight was too easy. It could also give a little deterrence to those people who had evil intentions.

Kant did not care about the material things in this world.

Therefore, he could let go of silver coins and money sources.

It was the same even for the regions.

Only the world of "Mount and Blade" was what he relied on. In this world, other than his system villages, they were all equivalent to colonies.

He did not care who would manage the colonies. He also did not care who would do whatever they wanted in the colonies. However, whoever affected his profits and safety, they would be his enemy.

If Kant wanted to live comfortably, Kant could just hide in the Nahrin Desert.

However, many people in the world did not allow him to live comfortably.

He could only kill!

After leaving Nali Village, Kant led his troops to East County.

Along the way, with Bertram as a guide, they traveled very quickly and did not encounter many people.

Even if they occasionally met a trade caravan, they would pass by each other very calmly. They did not greet each other at all. It was precisely for this reason that they had a safe journey.

Soon, they bypassed Mountain of Death, and the journey was even smoother.

There was no one obstructing them.

After all, it would still take three to five days for the news to spread.

This time was enough for Kant to head to the East County City, find Borg, and put on a disguise. Finally, through the cover of the trade caravan, he disappeared among the countless merchant ships on the Resniston River.

Compared to Kant's arrival in the eastern county, Viscount Gibran's transformation into a demon was the topic in the county.

He was a famous general of the Dukedom of Leo.

The pillar of the eastern county.

Now that he had met Kant, he had actually revealed his true identity.

It would greatly to the eastern county. At that time, not to mention Countess Agatha, even the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, as well as those top noble families, would have to kill Gibran.

He was the most evil creature in the legends!

There could be no mercy.

The war god's temple would definitely be involved.

As the national religion of the Dukedom of Leo, it also protected the gods. The god of war, Edmund, belonged to the god of justice.

In the myths, Edmund was in charge of war, he showed no mercy to the evil. In many myths and legends, the god of war, Edmund, smashed the evil god of destruction and led troops to save the world. There were also countless of records of it.

Now that they had encountered the real evil, the demons that had been corrupted by the power of the Abyss, they had the responsibility to kill it.

Even the Silver Platter Kingdom was on the same page as well

If they had heard about this, they would have send over priests of the Holy Church to exorcise Viscount Gibran.

Regarding this kind of evil, no sect of the gods could be indifferent.

There were demonized creatures in this world. After the scholar's research, they all agreed that these were the animals that had been corrupted by the power of the Abyss. They were represented by strong and fierce lions, cunning and agile wolves, and thick-skinned black bears.

This was already terrifying enough.

Now that there were demonized humans with intelligence, they were naturally more threatening!

For Kant to infiltrate the East County, especially with 30 grand knights as his trump card, those nobles who did not have enough resources and did not dare to rashly fall out with Kant would definitely not act rashly. Although they would not take the initiative to befriend him, it was very possible for them to offer help in secret or turn a blind eye.

Even if some of the noble families were out of their mind and wanted to test Kant's strength, it did not matter.

Kant's troops were not to be trifled with.

Even if they were light cavalry.

However, 30 grand knights, 50 knights, and 500 light cavalries were enough to heavily injure any enemy's troops.

After all, with the help of a high-end extraordinary troop class, which was like 30 modern advanced tanks, with 50 heavy tanks and 500 light tanks, they would be able to annihilate the inferior troops that did not have advanced tanks but only a few heavy tanks and footmen.

In other words, those noble families were not stupid. They corresponded with each other and knew that they were in a disadvantageous position.

Even someone as strong as Viscount Gibran had lost, let alone them!

Therefore, Kant had encountered very little trouble along the way.

Finally, on the evening of the third day, the city wall of the East County appeared on the horizon in the distance.

Chapter 397: The Art of Compromise

The East County took up a large area and was second only to Lionheart City in the Dukedom of Leo.

After all, it was a trading port beside the Resniston River. Although it was not the best riverbed port due to the interruption of river channel, due to the daily maintenance and excavation of the river channel, trade was still flourishing.

Similarly, it was also the one of the few cities in the Dukedom of Leo, so it could be considered prosperous.

It was the same even after it had been closed off.

Kant led the group forward.

The wide dirt road was built smoothly, it was because of the cold weather in the East County. Thus, the road was not bumpy or muddy. Even though there were trade caravan driving on the road, it did not cause too much damage to the road.

At least compared to the bumpy dirt road in the other parts of East County or the North County, the roads near the East County City were built well.

At least they knew how to repair the rugged roads.

But the roads of the South County were still the best.

In the trading port of Lionheart City, there were all paved roads. From the city center to the port, the six-meter-wide paved roads could be considered the best roads in the entire Dukedom of Leo. This was also the reason why the trade in this city was so developed.

Kant did not care about this. It was necessary to repair the roads. It would be bad if they did not repair the roads and not engage in infrastructure construction.

It was true that military needs were the priorities.

However, economic needs also needed to be paid attention to.

Using the good economy to build a strong army to defend against the enemy's attack, or simply attacking instead of defending were far better than just using roads to slow down enemy's attack.

At the very least, they had to defend against the enemy outside the country's borders to prevent the flames of war from burning on their own land.

However, this concept was still too advanced for this world.

Or rather the feudal lords did not care at all.

They did not care about the others. Although the enfeoffment system was stable, it brought some disadvantages. For example, the inability to unify forces in a short period of time was the biggest disadvantage.

They followed the road and entered near the city gates of the East County. There were armed militia armed with long spears guarding there.

However, they didn't look like armed militia either. They wore iron-scale armors and held long spears that were wrapped in iron at the front end.

They looked more like truly trained elite long lance soldiers with iron-plated helmets on their heads. At the very least, their quality was much better than ordinary militia.

If one wanted to enter the East County City, each person had to pay a small silver coin to enter the city. If it was a trade caravan, each carriage had to pay an additional 10 small silver coins. Children or the elderly didn't need to pay.

If the economy wanted to develop well, of course, there had to be strict rules.

This was the case with trade cities.

Kant and the others approached, and the elite long lance soldiers became nervous.

Especially when they saw that they were all wearing leather armors or chain armors. Even if they were covered in linen robes, they did not look like good people. If they were just mercenaries, there would be too many of them.

These elite lance soldiers did not dare to let them into the city.

If something bad really happened, it would be a big problem!

Even on both sides of the city gate, crossbowmen appeared and looked at Kant and the others in surprise.

From their point of view, even if they were a mercenary group with a large number of people, it was still fine. But now, they didn't expect there was such a cavalry group that was strong enough to become a main force on battlefield. It was really shocking.

Even the inner side of the city gate was specially set up with a wooden fence because of the request of the guards of the city gate.

Thick and heavy logs were tied up together.

There were also sharp spear tips and sharp blades nailed on them.

If an ordinary person were to bump into them, they would definitely be pierced through the abdomen and die a horrible death.

This thing was a military tool that was specially used to guard the city. It was in charge of preventing cavalry from attacking the city gate. Of course, the purpose was also to prevent Kant and the others enter the city gate in fear of an accident.

Right in the center of the Eastern County City, within the city lord's official residence, was Countess Agatha.

The supreme lord of this place.

She was not to be offended.

However, just as this group of elite lance soldiers and the knights guarding the city gates were at their wits' end and did not know what to do with this group of cavalries, news came from the rear.

It was the news personally brought by the butler from the city lord's official residence.

"The cavalry is outside?"

The butler was a skinny old man. He walked at high speed and was so tired that he was panting.

However, he did not care about this. Instead, he reached out and grabbed the knight's shoulder. He asked anxiously, "What is your attitude towards them? Did you do anything excessive?"

"No, we kept a certain distance." the knight at the city gate shrugged.

After a pause, he looked at the butler's nervous expression, he muttered, "I just told them to wait outside. I didn't dare to let them enter the city directly. You know, they look like elite troops. If something happens after they enter the city, no one will be able to bear the consequences."

"Oh, not bad, not bad, very good." the old butler immediately heaved a sigh of relief. "It's good that they are fine."

"Old butler, why are you so serious?"

The knight at the city gate was also puzzled. "Who is the backer of the mercenary group outside?" He curiously said, "Could it be that they are from another noble family? They actually show up here. This is the first time after the lockdown."

However, the butler's reprimand. "If there's nothing else, don't ask!"

He waved his hand.

Behind him, there were guards wearing the same fine chain armor walking up.

They were all holding swords and shields with iron helmets on their heads. They were clearly the most elite guards in the lord's mansion. There were 300 of them and they quickly took over the area near the city gate. They even gathered many strong archers on the city wall and put up a strict defense.

All of this was done quietly. Even on the city wall, they were all bending down and stayed alert.

It was as if they did not want the outside world to know.

The butler walked out as well.

He casually gave a few orders to the knights and had the spearmen disperse, chasing away the trade caravan that was lining up to enter the city.

Then, he quickly walked towards Kant and the others with a humble and respectful smile on his face. "Lord Kant, I heard that you came from afar. It really makes Countess Agatha of East County happy."

"Oh, is that so? Aunt Agatha is very considerate." Kant smiled.

Sweeping his gaze over the city wall, he said in a meaningful tone, "Could it be that the East County City has encountered some trouble recently? The city walls are all so serious now, and there are so many troops deployed."

The butler hurriedly wiped the sweat off his face. "It's just a small matter. be on guard against that depraved Gibran."

"I see." Kant nodded and chuckled. "Indeed, we should be on guard."

"Yes, yes." the old butler nodded repeatedly. "Who would have thought that Viscount Gibran, the famous general of the bloody war, was actually defected to the abyssal demon and even turned into a demon himself? He had completely fallen. No one can forgive him."

"We have to prepare in advance. I heard that he's at Mountain of Death." Kant pretended that he did not see the old butler's anxiety.

Instead, he pointed to the north. "There is also some Crimson Sect. It is said that they were founded by the remnants of the Demon Worship Cult who once stirred up a bloody storm. If you want to go and eliminate them, I think that mountain is the target. Oh right, remember to bring more grand knights over. Ordinary troops might not pose any threat to Gibran."

"Yes, yes." the old Butler did not dare to say anything more about this matter.

Others might not know, but he did.

Why did Gibran turn into an evil abyssal demon?

Why did the Crimson Sect, which had once been well hidden, be exposed at the Mountain of Death?

Why did the entire East County territory fall into a strange crisis?

Wasn't it all because of this Baron Kant!

He quietly infiltrated the East County and led his troops to directly kill the elite cavalry squads of Viscount Gibran who had come to ambush them. He even forced out the true strength of Viscount Gibran.

Of course, Countess Agatha, who was in the East County City, also heaved a sigh of relief.

She had once felt that something was wrong.

She had not expected it to turn out like this.

Kant could be considered to have eradicated the biggest pest within her force.

If things were going into the wrong way, based on the descriptions of the demons in the myths and legends, the entire East County would probably be in a bloodbath. It would be filled with killing and corpses. It was estimated that there would be tens of thousands of people, and it would be considered good if there were only a few thousand people survived.

And now, the old butler had received Countess Agatha's request.

Kant could not enter the city!

That was right, he could not let Kant and his troops enter the East County City.

He had to stop them no matter what method he used. It was because he felt guilty, but at the same time, he was also afraid of an accident.

Right now, in the East County City, even Countess Agatha did not dare to go out as she pleased. She had asked the guards to protect her well because she was afraid that the people from the Crimson Sect might infiltrate.

In order to prevent any accidents from happening to her, even the wandering mages hired by the East County City had been arranged to come in.

Unfortunately, the East County did not have a war god's temple.

If there was one, Countess Agatha would ask the priests of the temple to come over and check if there were any heretics from the Crimson Sect.

After a careful search, it was needless to say that there were indeed a few servants in the lord's mansion who were heretics. After they were caught, they tried to resist crazily but were killed by the guards. It could be considered as getting rid of the pests.

However, they lost control of the vast space outside the lord's mansion.

All of the noble families.

All kinds of civilians and free citizens.

Including foreign merchants, landlords, and speculators.

Anyone could be a pagan. However, if they were captured rashly, it would lead to chaos in East County City.

Countess Agatha, who had already lost too much of her high-end combat power and could barely protect herself, was like a frightened bird. In order to protect her power, she almost racked her brains.

She wanted to prevent Kant from being assassinated by the Crimson Sect's heretics and vent his anger on the East County City.

She had also thought of every possible way.

The best way was better to tactfully ask Kant to leave.

The old butler also understood this. He took out a small bag from his bosom. It seemed to be heavy, and he handed it to Kant with both hands. He said very humbly, "Baron Kant, here are ten golden eagles. I hope you can have a good time at the port."

"Oh." Kant took the bag.

It was made of high-quality velvet, and it was very heavy. As his arms shook, the sound of metal rubbing could be heard.

Inside the bag was the palm-sized golden eagles, it was major currency of the Dukedom of Leo, or even all of the human countries. This kind of tactful compromise was very worth it to him. He looked at the East County City, he also nodded and said, "The port. That place is not bad. I like it very much, and I'm willing to take a look."

"That would be great." the old butler immediately smiled.

Chapter 398: The Busy Port

Since East County City did not welcome him, Kant naturally did not intend to enter.

His troops were indeed large in number and could be considered as elites, especially the 30 Lion Knights and 50 Lion Squires. With their high-quality equipment, they could be considered as the best of the best.

The guards afraid that it would be dangerous to let this elite troop in the city.

No one dared to take responsibility.

And no one dared to agree to let Kant in.

Even if they were to let Kant in alone, or if they were limited to three people, they would not be able to do so.

If there were heretics of Crimson Sect who attacked Kant, it would be a big problem. The group of elite troops in the Nahrin Desert would arouse and take revenge.

As for the other noble families in the Dukedom of Leo, they would probably just sit back and watch the show.

It would be a really good show.

How could it not be good to weaken their political enemies.

Although the East County was still the territory and region of the Dukedom of Leo, it was in fact a semi-independent warlord.

If Kant and Countess Agatha really fought to the death and both sides suffered heavy losses, those nobles would be able to take advantage of the situation and occupy both lands. Even if they gave up the East County and instead sneaked into the Nahrin Desert to obtain salt mines, it would still be good.

Now, who didn't know that Kant's power was unparalleled and was already comparable to those great noble families.

The reason was even clearer.

It was the salt mine!

If it wasn't for the salt mine in the Nahrin Desert, then how could Kant have the funds for the initial construction of his kingdom.

And in the middle period, Kant could even raise so many troops, infiltrated other places, and bought the hearts of merchants and landlords. All of these required huge amount of money. Kant, on the other hand, acted as if he wasn't worried, throwing money recklessly, not leaving any way out for himself.

It was all because of the existence of the highly profitable salt mines!

This had long been coveted by countless noble families.

There was nothing they could do.

They could only think of this.

They simply couldn't imagine that Kant didn't need the basic currency of this world.

Other than gold and some precious extraordinary items, Kant didn't need anything else. All he needed was gold.

If Kant wanted to obtain gold in the long run, which was the gold eagle that was currently circulating in the hands of the great noble merchants, he would need the support of trade. Of course, table salt was indeed the main part of the trade. It was a very popular luxury item.

Kant's trading route was the upper-class route. It was a route that only the noble and landlord merchants could enjoy.

In fact, it was the same.

Ordinary civilians couldn't afford much salt.

The wealthier citizens couldn't even eat three or four times a week.

As for those who lived in outside the city, their average age was 36 years old. There were very few peasants who lived past 60 years old. They couldn't even eat salt a few times a month. Even if they did, it was still low-grade marsh salt.

It was refined from the swamp in the east. It had a salty taste and was very bitter.

However, the price of this thing was not low.

In the western European type of feudal society.

It was really a darkness that would never rise again.

For example, in a unified society like the one in the celestial dynasty, after they mastered the technology of boiling salt and drying salt, they forced salt and iron to be despotic. The price of salt would not be too low or too high. There were not many people who could eat salt.

One had to know that in the ancient times of Earth, salt was distributed as soldiers' wages in the more advanced Roman Republic.

This world was even worse.

Salt was a necessity, and fine white salt was a luxury.

It was equivalent to spices.

Those noble families were extremely fond of the delicious and pure fine white salt.

If there was no such fine white salt at the banquet, the host would definitely be ridiculed, especially in the face of those noble families. It was a scar that could not be erased, and they would slowly lose their connections and eventually become alone.

In Kant's eyes, this was a situation where one would suffer if they insisted on keeping their reputation as being able to afford luxuries. That was a business opportunity.

The salt mine was in his hands.

The trade caravan had been supported by him.

If there wasn't an absolute threat of force, then his table salt trade would continue to increase.

As for the so-called threat of force, in Kant's eyes, it was just a joke. At the very least, in the Nahrin Desert, he was the boss, the one and only lord. Not to mention the Dukedom of Leo, even the god descendants would have to avoid him!

At the end of that battle, Kant's casualties were not too great, and they were still within an acceptable range.

But those god descendants were completely wiped out, completely wiped out!

This was the difference in strength.

It was a different time now.

In the past, the gods and demons were the rulers of this world.

But now, as their power faded, the world had long been claimed by all other races.

And it was during this period that the human race rose to the top. At least in the land where Kant was located, there were not many powerful foreign races. Even if there were, they were all driven to the most remote corners.

For example, the low-level Jackalan in the Nahrin Desert.

Or the Beastman in the Wildland in the west, and the unsociable barbarian.

Even if there was a Dwarf Kingdom, it was in the far south. It was said that they had to pass through an empty wilderness before they could finally reach it. This was also why table salt from the Dwarf Kingdom was so expensive.

If there were no obstacles and no danger, it would take half a year to travel back and forth normally.

If they encountered a Beastman or other foreign race.

The journey was possible to drag it out for a year.

Kant was not in a hurry.

His table salt trade could travel from the Dukedom of Leo to the Silver Platter Kingdom in a month, and it would be a direct round trip.

As long as they had the goods, there was no need to worry about sales. The current human countries, such as the merchant ships on the Resniston River had begun to purchase table salt in large quantities. It was because they knew that the Dukedom of Leo had found a new salt mine.

This table salt trade was a profitable business. Even if the merchants returned to their own countries and resold it, they would still be able to earn more money.

Kant and the others arrived at the port of the East County City.

The crowd was moving.

Carriage filled with goods were everywhere.

Even the ground of the port was neatly cut and paved with stones. It was a top-grade stone road, just like an ancient passage. It allowed the carriage carrying goods to move quickly.

Among them, there were many merchants in luxurious clothes walking with strong guards behind them.

Judging from the style of their clothes, they did not look like merchants from the Dukedom of Leo.

"This place is not bad." Rolf licked his lips with a slight drool.

"Calm down." Kant glanced at him.

As a lord, he knew what his valiant general was thinking. After thinking for a while, he ordered, "Find a place to wait. We have so many troops, they won't enter the port to avoid trouble."

"Understood." Rolf immediately nodded.

He understood this point.

With so many cavalries entering the port, it would be troublesome if there was any trouble.

It was still a relatively crowded port space. Even if there was a provocation, they wouldn't be able to use their warhorse.

At that time, even if there were thieves who came over and stole from them, they wouldn't be able to enter the narrow alleys of the port to chase after them. Even if they managed to catch them, they wouldn't be able to directly kill people like they did in the war.

In short, there were many restrictions for the cavalries to enter the city. They did not need to and were unwilling to go in.

However, Rolf still understood the meaning behind it.

After a slight hesitation, he still asked, "Lord Kant, you are not planning to go in by yourself again, right? According to my understanding, the East County City is not peaceful. I reckon that your identity has been exposed, it's not safe for you to go alone."

"Bring five Lion Knights with me." Kant was calm. "I'll be fine."

"Five..." Rolf was even more hesitant. He looked at the five-meter-high city wall in front of him and advised, "Lord Kant, bring five more. You can handle things easier if you encounter troubles."

"Then that's it." Kant made the decision.

These ten Lion Knights were all grand knights.

They would be extremely powerful in the port of the East County City, or even the entire East County.

Take the current most noble of the East County, Countess Agatha, for example. It was still uncertain whether she could bring out ten grand knights. She probably had not more than five of them, and they were still newbies.

It was not easy to train grand knights. They needed strict inheritance.

Kant, for example, was able to mass produce grand knights with some special methods. It was simply shocking.

This was also the advantage of the golden finger to cheat.

After all, Kant was backed by countless "Mount and Blade" worlds.

In this real world, there was nothing they could do about the scarcity of grand knights. However, in the high magic worlds of "Mount and Blade" MOD, it was still very easy to mass produce magic knights, or the grand knights in this world.

They did not dwell too much on this problem. Soon, they found a suitable place.

An entertainment area outside the city wall of the port.

That's right.

It was here.

There was a total of five streets in this area close to the city wall. There were all kinds of bars, restaurants, and hotels.

It was already evening. The streets were brightly lit. Countless pedestrians were running lazily. There was an intoxicating sweet smell in the air. It was the steam from the dessert bakery.

Of course, there was also the intoxicating smell of wine in the bars and restaurants.

There were also waitresses dressed in nude clothes.

This was the entertainment paradise.

This was the place for people's indulgence.

Many mercenaries were walking in groups of three or five, with weapons on their bodies. The others were not afraid at all. Only the elite lance-class soldiers in high-class mail armor who occasionally walked by on the streets swept their intimidating gazes over.

This place was chaotic, indulgent, and money was everything. There was not much of order in here.

The world of the strong and the rich.

There was no choice.

The port was a busy and stressful place.

The merchants and guards who came from far away also needed to use alcohol and women to relieve the pressure of being on a ship for a long time. In this colorful world, it was easier for them to lose themselves.

Kant did not like this kind of environment, but Rolf and the elite cavalry behind him whistled happily.

It was just like living in a fence in the Sarrand Desert.

"Find a few hotels." Kant gave the order.

He glanced at the group of bandits who saw the excitement of women and said in a deep voice, "No bars, no drinking. Watch your wallets, warhorse, and weapons. I don't want to find anything missing tomorrow morning."

"Yes!" When the bandits heard that, they answered helplessly.

"Understood." Rolf also nodded helplessly.

However, he still went to the front to look for hotels. There were close to 600 people, and he needed a lot of rooms. He estimated that he could buy five hotels. As the second-level commander of this team, he also had to manage the financial expenses.

Chapter 399: Borg Chamber of Commerce

Nearly 600 people had finally settled down, and all seven neighboring hotels had been reserved by them.

This was an extremely extravagant act. It was said that the entire entertainment district was in an uproar after hearing that they had reserved all the rooms in seven hotels. Many seductive women with heavy makeup came over, trying to make some money.

But they couldn't even enter the door and were chased out.

These women were very delicate.

Of course, this was what the Elite Desert Bandit thought.

Due to Lord Kant's order, they had to chase those women out despite feeling restlessness in their hearts. They wanted to cry. After leaving the Sarrand Desert, they hadn't completely relax and had some exciting activities.

They had the chance to have fun and relax they were strictly forbidden to do so. This kind of feeling was really suck.

However, their duty was the most important.

They could distinguish between priorities.

At the very least, after arriving at the port of East County City, there would definitely be a lot of delicious food.

The hotel also provided food. After receiving Kant's signal, Rolf also chose the more expensive ones.

For example, the most ordinary tender grilled river fish were all served in plates. The various ingredients brought from the Renistons River, such as beef, mutton and even crocodile meat were all piled up. They spent a lot of great silver coins, not caring about how much they had left.

Kant was now rich and powerful. Every month, the table salt trade brought in more than 100,000 great silver coins.

These delicious food and drink didn't cost much at all!

Rolf was also clear about this, and he had no intention of saving money.

Since they were not short of money, they could eat whatever they wanted. The entire entertainment district was even more aroused. The owners of these seven hotels almost treated Kant and the others as the emperors. They simply gave them whatever they wanted, afraid that they would stay here for a short period.

Just the dinner alone was cost more than 300 great silver coins.

The dinner was treated as the level of the Viscount's banquet.

After receiving the bonus, the chefs treated them with full attention.

For the hotel owners, the profit from tonight's dinner was equivalent to half a year's earnings on a normal day!

It was too sumptuous!

The hotel owners on the side simply watched all of this with jealousy. Their hearts were even filled with resentment. If all of this had happened in their own hotels, it would be as if they had ascended to heaven. Unfortunately, they didn't get the chance.

Even the port management department had been alarmed and had specially come to the inn to check on the situation.

However, they had yet to arrive, people from the East County City had already come over to explain the situation.

All of them were so frightened that their faces were filled with horror. They withdrew one after another. Even the patrols in the entertainment district had stopped. It was as if they had given up on the jurisdiction of this place and allowed this place to enter a completely autonomous mode.

However, they gave the warning to the gangs that frequently appeared at the port, forbidding them from causing any troubles during this period of time, they could not make a move against Kant and his men.

If they were to violate this warning, the gangs would be completely exterminated. Not a single person would be left out!

This could be said to be the most complete execution order. Its tone was stern, and its attitude was solemn. It had almost caused all the gangs in the port to be so frightened that they stayed silent. Even if they had asked someone to go to the backer behind them to inquire, they would have received a similar result.

And it was even more severe, asking for shelter as if they were afraid of catching the plague.

This made Kant and the others very comfortable.

Nothing happened.

There was not provocation from the authorities or the gangs.

They simply treated Kant and his men as invisible people. The merchants and guards from outside still having fun. The gang members still causing troubles, but they just didn't get close to the seven hotels.

Even the flow of people in front of the hotels was greatly reduced. They were afraid to get close.

Night fell.

The entertainment district of the port was bustling with people.

Kant had already left the street by now. He walked along the riverbank of the port with the ten Sarleon Lion Knights who followed him. They had changed into casual clothes, but there was a knight sword on their waists in case anything happened.

The 200-meter-wide river was a big river.

Sails were put down on the wharves on the riverbank, where merchant ships and transport ships were anchored.

This was still the scenery outside the city wall. Inside the five-meter-high city wall was the real port of the East County. Inside was a specially constructed port, where more merchant ships were anchored.

According to the records in the academy, the East County port could accommodate 300 merchant ships.

If it was during the autumn and winter season, the water speed became slower. It could accommodate even more merchant ships by that time.

There was a temporary dock outside the port, which could accommodate up to 500 merchant ships.

This was not the largest port of the Dukedom of Leo. The natural river in Lionheart City port was 500 meters wide, and its water speed was relatively slower, so it could accommodate 1,000 merchant ships in a year.

The Dukedom of Leo was a major grain exporter.

The agriculture in the South County was extremely developed.

It could almost be said that the grain in the South County could not only feed its own people but could also be exported to feed more countries.

At the very least, the human countries in the south could not produce as much grain as the South County. In addition, they had been fighting wars for many years and had conflicts with each other. They had neglected the development of agriculture and instead relied heavily on imports.

Back then, the Silver Platter Kingdom had plotted against the Dukedom of Leo for the sake of grain.

In the age of cold weapons, grain was the true foundation.

No matter how much gold and silver you had, without grain, you would have no population.

Without population, no matter how strong you were, you would not be able to maintain it for too long. In this aspect, the countries on Earth had a thorough understanding.

Although this world was backward and almost stupid, they still understood this concept.

Kant walked forward.

As he approached the city gates of the port, there were more and more people.

Torches were hung on the walls. Many laborers in simple linen clothes were still busy in and out of the port, helping the merchants unload the goods on the ships. They had to work even at night.

Time did not wait for people. The next morning, these merchant ships would leave the port.

They were either heading to the South County or leaving and return to their own countries.

It was already close to autumn, and there was a monsoon from the east blowing in. This allowed them to use this monsoon to swim upstream on the river. They did not need to use too many oarsmen which would occupy more cargo space.

This was the normal phenomena at this time, and it was also the busiest trading period in the Dukedom of Leo.

After all, autumn was also the time of harvest.

Kant did not care.

He went to the gate of the port, paid the entrance fee of 11 small silver coins, and entered the inner part of the city wall.

A more prosperous port appeared in front of him. There were warehouses everywhere, and the wide streets were filled with people. Even at night, there were merchants carrying torches and carriages full of goods coming and going.

"It should be in the east." Kant muttered to himself.

He had already sensed the location of the ten Sarrandian Horseman in his mind.

He walked forward at a faster speed. Under the protection of the Sarleon Lion Knights, he followed the flow of people to the east of the port. That should be a residential area, which could be considered as the gathering area of the Chamber of Commerce that was permanently stationed in the port.

The poor could not enter the port to live in, so they could only live in the slums outside.

These people were also the source of labor.

The civilians and the guards of the trade caravan lived in the residential area close to the city wall.

Next to it was the entertainment district. Their task was to work for the entertainment district, or to act as warehouse keepers in the port within the city wall. It was a relatively decent job.

As for those merchants who came from outside, in order to ensure their safety, they would live in the port.

That was the east district.

Many large trade caravans had their own house.

If it was a small trade caravan, they could also buy a house together and separate the floors and rooms.

This was common in the port of the East County. After all, these houses in the eastern district were not just for living. They could also be used for negotiation or business exchanges. They were also equivalent to the offices of the trade caravan.

The reason why Kant came here was because Borg's law office was here.

He could sense it with the help of the Sarrandian Horseman.

Soon, he arrived at a house.

A three-story building.

Two torches were lit in front of the door.

There were also two burly men wearing capes and holding long sticks guarding it.

When they saw Kant and the others coming in their direction with longsword at their waists, they immediately panicked. They gave each other a look and asked one of them to step back into the door. The other said in a low voice, "Hello, this is the Borg Chamber of Commerce."

"Hello, I'm here to see Borg, the current manager of the Borg Chamber of Commerce."

Kant smiled and extended his hand to indicate that he had no ill intentions.

The brawny man heaved a sigh of relief.

However, he still nodded in return and replied calmly, "Mr. Borg has already rested. Our Borg Chamber of Commerce will not be receiving guest after 7 o'clock every night. Please forgive us. If possible, please come back at 7 o'clock tomorrow morning."

"7 o'clock." Kant chuckled. "No, I want to see him now."

"This..."

The brawny man suddenly became nervous.

However, just inside the door, the brawny man brought out an old man.

He whispered a few words in his ear and signaled the two brawny men to return to their posts. Instead, he personally came over and bowed slightly with his hands on his chest. "Excuse me, Are You Mr. Kant?"

"Yes, I am." Kant nodded.

"Then it's an honor to meet you."

The old man lowered his head. "I'm Mr. Borg's butler, the financial officer of the Borg Chamber of Commerce. I'm very honored to hear the news of your arrival. At the same time, Mr. Borg also asked me to welcome you with the most solemn etiquette."

Kant asked, "Where's Borg?"

"Mr. Borg is preparing. He's going to attend the port governor's banquet at 9 o'clock tonight."

The old butler said very considerately, "Mr. Kant, please come in with me. Mr. Borg has entrusted me to prepare a room for you. If you don't mind, you can rest first. Tomorrow afternoon, Mr. Borg will organize a banquet and specially treat you to a banquet to welcome your arrival."

"Then let's go in."

Kant chuckled. "Borg, this kid has done well."

"Of course, Mr. Kant. You may not know this, but just this month, Mr. Borg has taken over the rights to use three ports for five years, and the fleet of the Borg Chamber of Commerce has increased to five."

The old butler reminded him, "The current Mr. Borg is no longer the bankrupt businessman of the past."

"Oh, of course." Kant nodded and smiled. "I see."

Chapter 400: An Arrogant Attitude

The old butler invited Kant and the others into the office. The bright candlesticks had already been lit, and the burning candles carried a faint fragrance.

Kant swept his gaze across the room. The candles burning in this reception hall were probably high-quality honey wax purchased in the Silver Platter Kingdom. Even the Lion Fort was using a lesser number of this candle, but there were already 36 candles lit on the first floor of this office.

The entire floor was brightly lit, as if it was daytime.

At the same time, it also revealed the luxury of this place.

Yes, the place looked very grand.

Furniture made of all kinds of precious wood was elegantly placed on the top floor.

The surrounding walls were also painted with paint, which had some religious style. If Kant remembered correctly, it should have originated from the traditional myth of the Dukedom of Leo, the magnificent life of the god of war, Edmund.

Including the silver products and handicrafts on the cabinets, they were all extremely exquisite.

There were also potted plants and flowers piled up in the corners and exquisite oil paintings hanging on the walls.

The decoration and furnishing here was so luxurious that it was not inferior to the high-ranking nobles' houses in the South County.

The North County could not even be compared to it. Just this office hall alone was on par with the lord of the Northern County, Viscount Wayne's hall!

The difference might only be in size, but as a businessman, such an office could be considered as a manifestation of strength.

The old butler was also quite proud of this.

He came to the hall.

He extended his hand and said respectfully to Kant, "Sit here as you please. Mr. Kant, the room is already prepared. You can go and rest at any time. Of course, you must be hungry along the way. We have also prepared desserts."

"Well prepared." Kant smiled.

"That's right." the old butler smiled. "Very well prepared."

As if he could not see Kant and the ten Lion Knights behind him, he turned around and clapped his hands.

"Clap, clap."

The sound of clapping could be heard.

And the small door at the side opened gently.

Maidservants dressed in maid attire came out with silver plates.

They were obviously well-trained. They lined up in a long line and walked briskly to Kant and the others. They placed the silver plates on the long table in the middle, opened the lid, and respectfully retreated to a side, waiting quietly.

Looking at the 11 plates of food on the long table, Kant raised his eyebrows slightly. "Cream cake."

"That's right, it's the cream cake of the Silver Platter Kingdom."

The old butler smiled and introduced, "It's made of fine, high-grade flour, mixed with eggs and cheese, sugar and fruit juice." After a pause, the old butler raised his eyebrows and said, "A cream cake is worth 1 great silver coin."

"What an expensive ingredient." Kant sat on the main seat and took a bite with his knife and fork.

The soft and sweet mixture spread out.

A gentle fragrance spread in his mouth.

It was indeed delicious.

He couldn't help but nod and also praised, "This is very good."

"You flatter me." the old butler also had a smile on his face. In his opinion, Kant's praise was an acknowledgment, an acknowledgement to his employer, Mr. Borg.

After all, this kind of food was rarely seen even in the South County. Even some noble families had never eaten it before. It was an extremely precious ingredient.

If it weren't for the fact that a large merchant from the Silver Platter Kingdom had come this week and sent a box to them, it would be difficult to have a taste of it!

However, this was also part of his and Mr. Borg's plan.

He wanted to make Mr. Kant retreat in the face of difficulties and understand who held the initiative now.

He also smiled as he looked at the ten guards who were wearing linen robes, clothes that only ordinary civilians would wear, he then said, "Then, do these guards think that the cream cake is not to their taste? You can try it too. It tastes very good. After eating it for the first time, you will fall in love with this soft texture."

"Oh, they have never eaten this kind of thing. In fact, I have eaten less. Relatively speaking, the ale and roast meat are more popular with them," Kant explained.

"I see." the old butler's eyes were filled with contempt.

Of course, he didn't understand Kant's true identity, and Borg didn't tell him.

As he ate the cake with a silver fork, Kant said to the Lion Knights, "Enjoy as much as you like. This cream cake is really good and tastes very good. It's even better than ordinary desserts."

"Yes."

Only then did the Lion Knights lower their heads and start to enjoy the cake.

However, this exquisite cream cake was only the size of a palm. After a few bites, they had already finished it up.

The old butler and the maids around them felt that it was a pity for them to swallow the cake in such rude manner. In fact, even with their status, they would not be able to eat this kind of thing. But now, it was gobbled up by these guards. It was simply like sending heaven's gift away.

Kant ate more elegantly. After all, he had lived a noble life for 16 years.

He was a well-deserved top-class noble.

He finished eating.

He put down his knife and fork.

Kant looked at the old butler who was waiting with a smile on his face and said calmly, "Why isn't Borg here yet? I don't have much time. If he is ready, it would be best if he came to see me."

"Uh..." the old butler was slightly stunned. Obviously, he did not expect Kant to ask so impolitely.

It was as if he was the owner of this place.

How rude. The old butler cursed in his heart.

However, his excellent profession made him react quickly. He adjusted his state of mind and said with a smile, "Mr. Kant, perhaps you have misunderstood. Mr. Borg is not free tonight to see you. The agreed time is tomorrow noon."

"Tomorrow noon." Kant raised his eyebrows. "But I won't have time then."

The old butler was not afraid. "That's a pity." the smile on his face disappeared, instead, he said with a warning tone, "Mr. Kant, you should know that the banquet Mr. Borg is going to attend tonight is a banquet organized by the port governor-general. It is not the kind of banquet that any businessman can attend."

"Oh, it's of a very high standard." Kant nodded.

But he still looked at the old butler and asked calmly, "Then why is Borg not coming to see me now?"

He knocked on the table, wiped the corner of his mouth with a towel, crossed his legs and sat on the soft velvet cushion. He asked impolitely, "Isn't Borg still in the law firm? Now let him see me."

"Unreasonable." the old butler's patience finally ran out.

He looked a little angry, but he still suppressed his emotions and said, "Mr. Kant, this is the headquarters of Borg Chamber of Commerce. Not everyone can be presumptuous." He paused, he said in a deep voice, "Perhaps you helped Mr. Borg when he was down and out, but this is not a reason to threaten Mr. Borg!"

"No, I didn't threaten Borg." Kant revealed a playful smile. He looked at the old butler's angry wrinkles and shook his head helplessly. "Does Borg not want to come out?"

"If you want to see him." the old butler's face was gloomy.

He slowly clapped his hands and said in a low voice, "Come out and meet your old friend!"

The small door next to him opened again.

However, it was not the maids who came out.

Instead, it was ten strong figures who walked out quickly. They were wearing high-class clothes made of velvet. The clothes were fit to their body and there was graceful and luxurious symbol on the clothes. There were also silver threads interspersed in the collar and cuffs.

If one looked carefully, one could still see the iron plates under the luxurious clothes.

It was the Sarrandian chain mail, Sarrandian boots and Sarrandian gloves.

There should have been a Sarrandian helmet, a round shield on the back, a lance in hand, and a sword at the waist. Of course, there was also a Sarrandian horse.

"Mr. Kant." the old butler smiled. "I think you know these ten knights."

"Of course." Kant nodded.

These people were the Level 4 cavalry, Sarrandian Horsemen of Sarrand Sultanate.

Kant had lent them to Borg as bodyguards. How could he forget them? How could he not know?

"Now they are Mr. Borg's most loyal followers. Once, when they were surrounded by water bandits on the merchant ship, they risked their lives to save Mr. Borg. For this, they also gained Mr. Borg's friendship."

The old Butler smiled. "Now, each of them has a merchant ship."

"Oh.", Kant raised his eyebrows. "This is a big deal."

"Of course." the old butler did not see the panic on Kant's face.

He narrowed his eyes slightly. He was a little annoyed, but he still said, "Mr. Kant, I think that they have never enjoyed such courtesy when they were under you, don't you think so?"

"That's right. They don't even have extra warhorse." Kant said honestly.

"But they are very happy here."

The corner of the old butler's mouth curled up. "Moreover, they have a new helper."

Turning his head slightly, the old butler looked inside the room and said in a slightly respectful voice, "Mr. Cheshire, perhaps it's time for you to appear. I don't know if I've disturbed your rest."

An arrogant voice came from the room. "Heh, he's just a small noble. What's there to be afraid of?"

At the same time, a burly figure walked out.

He casually wore a cloak made of expensive velvet and a short sword at his waist.

He looked like a middle-aged man with a scar on his face. He swept his gaze over Kant and the ten Lion Knights in linen robes who were still sitting in their original spots and chuckled. "Just these trashes? Do you want me to personally take action?"

As he said that, he reached out his hand and a bone-chilling wind appeared.

Ice-type extraordinary power.

He was a grand knight!

"Of course not. I'm just giving them an introduction. After all, it's not easy to meet a great grand knight, let alone you, Mr. Cheshire. You're an invincible existence on the battlefield."

The old butler's tone was even more flattering.

The grand knight named Cheshire was very pleased by his words.

However, his attitude was still arrogant. He coldly swept his gaze over Kant and then swept his gaze over the ten Sarleon Lion Knights who had restrained their auras, he said faintly, "That's all. I'm still busy. Since you know existence, now you guys can get lost. Stay away from the Borg Chamber of Commerce in the future. This world is very big. Don't think that you're so great."

"Oh, is that so?"

But Kant was still calm. "Let Borg come to see me as soon as you're done. I already told you, I don't have much time."

Chapter 401: The Silent Hall

Kant's words caused the hall to fall into a short period of silence.

Ten strong Sarrandian Horseman were already standing silently at the side, as if nothing had anything to do with them. They had no intention of opening their mouths at all.

But the old butler revealed a stunned and disbelieving expression.

Even the grand knight named Cheshire who was about to leave by the side stopped in his tracks. He was just stunned on the spot.

Shaking his head slightly, Cheshire could not help but reveal a helpless smile. He turned back to look at the old butler and asked, "Hey, did I not make myself clear just now, or did I mishear him?"

"Uh..." the old butler opened his mouth and said with some fear, "Mr. Cheshire, of course you made it very clear."

"That's good."

Cheshire turned around.

A bone-chilling chill immediately spread throughout the hall. "Little guy, I told you to get out of here, so you have to get out. This is not my request, but an order!"

The visible frost began to spread under his feet.

It was like a spider web.

Layers of white frost even made the surrounding air feel cold.

The old butler was old and obviously could not withstand this chill. He took a few steps back quickly. His eyes were filled with panic and awe, but he did not dare to say anything because he saw the anger in Cheshire's eyes.

The dignity of a grand knight was not to be provoked, and no one dared to provoke him.

He was the trump card of Borg Chamber of Commerce.

Borg spent a huge sum of money in the Silver Platter Kingdom to invite a grand knight back.

Not to mention this humble butler, even Borg himself did not dare to offend Cheshire. After all, as a grand knight who could be considered as a top-tier battle force in the Silver Platter Kingdom, it was almost an honor to invite him to come to Borg Chamber of Commerce.

It was precisely because of this that the Borg Chamber of Commerce had not been liquidated after accumulating a large amount of wealth.

This had something to do with Borg clinging onto the thighs of several noble families in the East County.

But at the same time, it also had a lot to do with the fact that Borg Chamber of Commerce had Grand Knight Cheshire permanently stationed as a foundation.

An ordinary noble family did not even have a grand knight. This was a symbol of power. For the current Borg Chamber of Commerce to have such a grand knight, they could basically do whatever they wanted in the port of the East County City.

Borg Chamber of Commerce was basically the number one chamber of Commerce in the port of the East County City!

"Oh." Kant seemed to have not noticed the chill in the air.

He glanced at the Lion Knight who had put his hand on the hilt of his sword and had an unfriendly look on his face. Kant shook his head slightly to indicate that he should calm down. Instead, he stood up and twisted his neck. "My question is, why hasn't Borg come down to see me yet?"

"You... you..." the old butler was completely stunned by Kant.

"Good, good, good." Cheshire revealed a sinister smile. "You dare to go against me."

Kant's words simply ignored him.

The calm expression on his face, as if he did not notice the cold, was even more humiliating to Cheshire. How could he, a respected grand knight, endure such humiliation.

"Also." Kant frowned slightly. "Let Borg come and see me."

"Bang!"

The frost under Cheshire's feet instantly exploded.

He was already filled with anger. He approached Kant step by step. The white frost in his originally empty hand instantly condensed into the shape of a glove, directly grabbing onto Kant's head. "I want to let you know what bone-piercing cold is!"

However, his footsteps stopped slightly.

Because someone stood up.

It was a guard wearing a linen robe next to him.

However, his body was suffused with a red glow. He held Cheshire's wrist so that even if his hand had condensed frost. He held so tight that Cheshire was not be able to move his hand further

The Lion Knight had great strength. He was even more familiar with the application of extraordinary strength. He was an even stronger grand knight!

"You actually..." shock appeared in Cheshire's eyes.

Even the old butler stared blankly at the guard who he had originally looked down on. The guard used his glowing hand that was glowing red to hold onto grand knight Cheshire's hand of ice. Cheshire could not move at all, as if he were imprisoned.

"Ignorant!"

However, another guard stood up beside him.

He also looked like a commoner who was wearing a linen robe. However, the red glow in his hand spread along with the knight sword that was half drawn out. A dangerous aura appeared along with the berating voice, "Step back!"

"Pu --"

Cheshire quickly took a few steps back.

The frost in his hand dissipated, but there were still red marks of fingers on his wrist.

He looked at the two Lion Knights and exclaimed, "You... you are both top-notch grand knights... how is this possible!"

That's right, these lion knights were top-notch grand knights.

If they crossed that line, they would be even stronger.

The extraordinary knights!

It was not the same as the grand knights who possessed extraordinary powers. Extraordinary knight was a powerful knight who was said to be comparable to top-notch mages who could skillfully use spells and even control the elemental powers of the world. He could completely destroy an elite army of knights by himself.

He was also the peak of knight-level and the strongest!

"You... you... you..."

At this moment, even Cheshire could not say anything vicious.

He had just entered the realm of grand knight. In terms of control over extraordinary power, he was not a match for the two Lion Knights. If they really started a battle, he might be killed by the two of them in a short while.

After mastering extraordinary power with great destructive power, a grand knight's battle would be much more on attacking with his power!

If he were slightly careless and revealed a small flaw, it would be death to him!

A grand knight was just like that. He had grasped an astonishing destructive power, but he did not have a corresponding defense.

And a simple armor would not be able to defend against an extraordinary power. Even the best chain armor could defend against the chop of a longsword, but it could not defend against the damage of the extraordinary power attached to the longsword.

It was an additional damage that could not be effectively blocked by physical means!

At this moment.

Kant smiled. "I request that Borg come to see me as soon as possible."

He paused slightly and looked at the old butler with a mockingly smile, "Perhaps he did not tell you how he saved the family's trade caravan that was on the verge of bankruptcy."

"No... No..."

The old butler only felt his legs trembling.

He could not imagine that Kant, who was originally a small noble, would suddenly become a terrifying enemy that could destroy the Borg Chamber of Commerce. Especially those two grand knights disguised as ordinary guards, which made his heart tremble.

The old butler gulped, he realized that he could no longer stay here. He hurriedly bowed and said, "I'll go now."

"Very good." Kant smiled and waved his hand. "Go quickly."

"Yes, yes." the old Butler immediately turned around and left the hall, almost running away in a panic.

But Cheshire did not dare to move.

His breathing was heavy.

Looking at the other eight guards who were still sitting on the chairs in front of him, his eyes showed fear. He trembled slightly and wanted to say something, but in the end, he gulped dejectedly and stood on the spot in silence.

The ten Sarrandian Horsemen beside them also remained expressionless and silent.

But their mentality was completely different.

Just like usual, there was no change at all!

They were Kant's cavalries and were only served under Borg.

Although they had their own thoughts and received Borg's almost extravagant treatment, in reality, they were always loyal to Kant and would not really choose to submit to outsiders because of any threats or inducements.

This was the most persistent loyalty in the depths of their souls, a faith that was even more loyal than the most fanatical religious believers!

"Sit down." Kant waved at the riders. "It's quite tiring to stand."

"Yes, sir." the Sarrandian Horsemen nodded.

As usual, without the slightest hesitation, they went to the chairs by the wall and sat down.

As for the maids who had already hidden in the corner, they watched all of this in panic. In their small worldview, what was happening now was like a dream.

The Grand Knight Cheshire, who was originally arrogant, stood still like a quail and did not dare to move.

The stubborn old butler fled the hall in fear like a defeated soldier.

The 10 knights who were previously indifferent chose to submit.

In the most luxurious hall of the Borg Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Kant, who was an outsider, was actually acted like the master, casually giving orders without the slightest hesitant of being an outsider.

In fact, with Kant's previous funding, he could indeed be considered the master of this place.

He was the source of the rise of the Borg Chamber of Commerce.

And he relied on it even more.

In the past, the Borg Chamber of Commerce had obtained quite a lot of quotas in the table salt trade.

However, this Mr. Borg actually felt that he had a full set of wings and wanted to completely fly solo without his control. This was something Kant could not tolerate.

No, it would never be tolerated.

To him, this hidden chess piece could easily be set up again.

It was just that he wanted to betray Kant and still enjoy wealth and glory. Yet, he didn't think it was wrong and deserve all the wealth he got.

That would not do.

Kant needed Borg to remember who was the one who was the boss.

Once in the Nahrin Desert, he could pull Borg up from the brink of bankruptcy. Then in the East County, he could similarly be pushed back him back into bankruptcy from the peak of prosperity!

This was Kant's ability. He had absolute power and could easily achieve this.

He was only dealing with a merchant.

It was not a war to destroy a country.

Even if those noble families knew, they would choose to compromise and would not use this as a pretext to make a move.

After the battle with Viscount Gibran, the entire Dukedom of Leo fell into a strange silence. Even those noble families who were originally eyeing Kant with covetous eyes calmed down and carefully measured the true strength of this Duke's second son.

After all, there were more than 10 grand knights with Kant

They were confirmed that night, this might be the strength of a top-tier noble.

The kind that they could not mess with.

Moreover, the base built by Kant in Nahrin Desert definitely had grand knights in charge of guarding his territory.

When both sides combined, Baron Kant could have 20 mighty grand knights. Even a top-tier noble did not have such power. Perhaps only the inheritance of the royal family could compare to it.

Rashly opposing Kant was not a wise choice. These noble families knew very well.

And here, Borg also understood that he seemed to have made a mistake.

Chapter 402: Borg’s Despair

Not long after, Borg appeared at the side door.

Following him were the old butler in charge of the firm, as well as the family butler that Kant had seen before, who was captured in the Nahrin Desert together with Borg back then.

But compared to their once humble and down-and-out appearance, they were clearly more spirited now.

Hair oil was smeared on their heads.

The clothes on their bodies were all top-notch noble attire.

Top-notch accessories were hung on their bodies, and there was an emerald ring on their slender and white fingers.

Other than their gloomy and unsightly expressions, if they met him outside, he would definitely be regarded as the legitimate son of a top-notch noble. The family butler beside him was also a hereditary butler that could only be passed down from generation to generation by a top-notch noble.

"Lord Borg." the maidservants who were originally standing by the wall saw their master and came over one after another to salute.

Borg did not care. Instead, with a gloomy expression, he swept his gaze over the 10 Sarrandian Horsemen who were sitting in the hall. He directly waved his hand and berated the maidservants, "Retreat."

The maidservants could not wait to leave and immediately retreated.

The room immediately became quiet.

"Mr. Borg." Cheshire also walked over and nodded, standing behind Borg.

"Mm." Borg also nodded, his expression softening slightly. However, looking at the 10 Sarrandian Horsemen who were still sitting on the chairs in the hall, he could not help but say in a deep voice, "You guys can come over too."

However, the 10 Sarrandian Horsemen did not seem to hear him and continued to sit on the chairs.

This made Borg annoyed.

"I'm not familiar with you." He gritted his teeth and snorted coldly.

He looked at Kant and forced a smile on his gloomy face. "Mr. Kant, I really didn't expect you to come to my firm. However, I can't receive you tonight because I have to attend the port governor's banquet."

"Banquet." Kant smiled calmly. "Do you like to attend the banquet at nine o'clock?"

"If I want to." Borg, on the other hand, leaned on his black cane and raised his chin slightly. His expression was slightly arrogant. "I can attend."

His tone paused. He looked at Kant, who did not have the slightest hint of anger. Instead, there was a playful look on his face. Borg narrowed his eyes slightly. "I am about to win the daughter of the port governor and obtain the title of baron. Although I am a noble in the palace, I have already established my foundation in the Silver Platter Kingdom. I can buy a village on the south bank of the Renistons River."

Kant smiled and said, "On the south bank of the Renistons River, I remember that it should be Fort Nazaire. It was occupied by the Silver Platter Kingdom ten years ago. The villages and farmland there have also been allocated to the villagers of the Silver platter kingdom for reclamation."

"But I have connections." Borg raised his eyebrows and said, "The financial officer of Fort Nazaire is my good friend!"

Kant continued to smile and nodded. "Oh, that's good."

However, Borg felt humiliated by Kant's calm appearance. The recent honor had made him a little lost. However, when he glanced at the two grand knights who were dressed in ordinary clothes but actually possessed extraordinary powers, he still suppressed his anger, he said, "Lord Kant, you have to understand the current situation."

"The current situation?"

Kant was still acted flighty, he pretended to be confused and asked, "Please answer."

"Ha." Borg gritted his teeth. He could not maintain his gentlemanly demeanor.

He took half a step forward and looked at Kant. He was not afraid at all. He slowly said, "The East County is not the North County. Countess Agatha controls everything. Even Grand Duke Cameron could not infiltrate this place."

Kant smiled playfully. "And then?"

"What do you want!" Borg completely lost his patience. "Kant, do you really think that the 2,000 great silver coins you once gave me and these 10 ingrates that can't be fed enough can buy me off!?"

"What do you mean?" Kant was not angry.

"I'll give you 3,000 great silver coins!" Borg did not hesitate.

He glanced at the two guards and gritted his teeth, "Our relationship ends here. Don't think that your table salt is what I need. If I want, I can use my own trade caravan to buy it from other merchants." He paused and then said solemnly, "My Borg Chamber of Commerce will always be mine. Even you can't interfere."

"Yes." Kant nodded. "Of course it's yours."

"Mr. Borg, Mr. Kant." The old butler said at this time, "How about this? We used to be friends. We will hold a grand banquet tomorrow and invite the noble and famous people of the East County City to come as a welcome ceremony."

"They will come because of me." Borg also curled the corners of his mouth.

Looking at Kant, Borg continued, "Then I will take my leave first. The governor of the port is still waiting for me. If nothing goes wrong, I will give you 3,000 great silver coins at noon tomorrow. Mr. Kant, we don't have much to talk about, but I also want to thank you for the help you gave me back then."

"No, no, no, it's not like that." Kant smiled and raised his right hand, indicating for a pause. "Please wait."

"Is there anything else?" Borg took half a step back.

He was still afraid of Kant's calm expression, or rather, of the two grand knights behind him, he could not help but warn, "I am now a top-notch merchant in the East County City. I am qualified to attend even Countess Agatha's banquet. If you want to make a move, I hope you can think clearly about the current situation."

"I heard that Mr. Kant, you have always been under great pressure from the other noble families in the North County. However, in the East County, we can become friends."

The personal butler also smiled. "What do you think?"

"What do I think?"

Kant still smiled.

However, he said in a sarcastic tone, "Back then, you were not like this when you knelt before me like a dog. Why? Do you think that you can be a gentleman in front of me now that you have done well?"

The hall suddenly fell silent.

Cheshire looked at everything in front of him in shock.

The old butler was also shocked and didn't know what to say.

But for Borg and his personal butler, their faces were extremely red. It was as if someone had slapped them a dozen times. In fact, Kant's action was indeed slapping their faces.

In the past six months, Borg had never heard such vulgar words!

He pointed at Kant and was so angry that he could not speak. "You... you really... really..."

"I'm telling the truth." Kant pulled the chair over.

He sat down directly and looked at Borg who was standing in front of him. "I don't need 3,000 great silver coins. Remember what I told you before? Don't choose to betray me."

"I'm not loyal to you." Borg's face turned red. "You're just a small baron!"

"That's right." Kant nodded. "But you're not even a Baron."

"So what you're a baron?" Borg roared angrily. "This is East County. If I call my friends, you won't even be able to leave the East County. You'll be hacked to death in this port. Do you understand? Don't think that just because you have two grand knights, it doesn't matter. This is the East County!"

"It seems like your friends didn't tell you anything." Kant narrowed his eyes, and the mocking smile on his face became more intense. "If they had told you, I'm afraid you would still be kneeling in front of me."

"What on earth are you talking about?"

Borg's face turned red, but his anger strangely disappeared.

He looked at Cheshire, who remained silent like he was not involved.

He also saw the shock in Cheshire's eyes. He slowly turned his head and saw the other eight guards in linen robes standing up at the same time. His hand that was holding the wooden staff trembled slightly, he was completely stunned, "They... they are all... grand knights..."

The red light appeared before his eyes. All of these grand knights in front of him terrified him. He did not even know what qualifications he had to oppose Kant.

Even Cheshire, who was also a grand knight, was terrified as well.

In front of these mighty grand knights, what was he?

At this time, he also remembered Kant's words.

He finally understood why those noble friends had been a lot more cautious in the past two days.

But when he asked them what had happened, no one told him. They just told him to be more steady recently. Now that he thought about it carefully, it was clear that those noble friends had heard the news of Kant's arrival!

Avilis Castle was a necessary route to come here and related it to the so-called transformation of Viscount Gibran into a demon.

How could Borg not have guessed that it was the infamous Baron Kant in front of him!

"You should know now." Kant smiled.

Sitting on the chair, he looked at Borg and said calmly, "Kneel down and beg for my forgiveness."

"Plop." Borg knelt down without hesitation. "Kant... Baron Kant, please forgive my rudeness! Forgive my rudeness!" his whole body trembled, and he felt like he had turned back to the son of that broken businessman.

At this time, even the personal butler had knelt down, including the old butler.

"And you," Kant looked at Cheshire. "Kneel down."

The ten Lion Knights behind him placed their hands on the hilt of their swords and looked at him coldly. Red light flashed, and the extraordinary power that belonged to the Sarleon national knights slowly spread out with a dense killing intent.

"I... I am a Grand Knight sent by the Silver Platter Kingdom..." Cheshire gulped.

His arrogance and pride had disappeared without a trace. There was only fear, "You cannot treat me like this!"

"A grand knight sent by the Silver Platter Kingdom?" Kant's lips curled up. "I'll make you kneel."

"Plop." Cheshire only felt his legs go weak.

The premonition of death made him kneel on the ground without hesitation. "Baron Kant, please forgive my rudeness. My family was once loyal to Princess Sofia. I hope you know this."

"Oh, Princess Sofia, my mother."

Kant smiled calmly. "Very well, things are getting more and more interesting." He looked at Cheshire, he said, "Then what is your purpose in coming to the Dukedom of Leo? I know clearly that the former subordinates of Princess Sofia were left behind on the Resniston River and become the lowly bandits!"

Chapter 403: The Opportunity Given by Kant

That's right, this was also Kant's problem.

He did not understand the current situation of Princess Sofia's old subordinates. This grand knight Cheshire actually claimed that he was also an old subordinate who stayed in the Silver Platter Kingdom, which really puzzled Kant.

There was too little information.

Kant could only analyze it by himself through the available information.

Looking at Cheshire and the so-called family behind him, he had some thoughts.

In this world, strength was still paramount. The so-called loyalty was still a gimmick of submitting to absolute force. If Kant had absolute military power, then no one would betray him.

Even the loyal vassals of the enemy would have too many scruples when facing the oppression and surrender.

The surrender between the noble and the noble was not a humiliation.

It was just a change of country to be a vassal.

The feudal era.

Or it should be called the era of the noble republic.

Even the king was only the spokesperson of the noble group, or the chairman of the board.

If this kingdom, or it should be said a company, went bankrupt and was acquired by other companies, the chairman of the board would change, but the directors would still be directors, but the shares in their hands would be diluted and reduced.

But it was still better than losing their lives. The nobles were people who cared about their dignity, and they were willing to continue this kind of life.

This was also the reason why the noble was the best at the art of compromise.

For example, Princess Sofia's old subordinates.

The power was falling apart.

Those who were lucky were stationed in the Dukedom of Leo, barely fitting into the noble circle, such as Baron Dylan.

Those who were unlucky became the water bandits of the Resniston River. They made a living by robbing, kidnapping, and extortion. They were constantly besieged by the river patrol team, and they were risking their lives to make a living.

As for what happened to the old subordinates that were still in the Silver Platter Kingdom, Kant did not know.

That was why he asked Cheshire why he was here.

The Dukedom of Leo was good.

But the Silver Platter Kingdom was undoubtedly more prosperous.

Cheshire looked hesitant.

But he saw the ten grand knights beside Kant had already put their hands back on the hilts of their swords, he could only lower his head dejectedly. "I am a grand knight sent by the Silver Platter Kingdom, the new prefectural territory, which is also the south bank of the Resniston River. It used to belong to the Dukedom of Leo, Fort Nazaire." He said it so easily.

However, Borg, who was still kneeling on the ground beside him, suddenly raised his head. His lips trembled, and his eyes were filled with disbelief.

It was clear that when Borg had gone to the Silver Platter Kingdom to discuss business cooperation, he had unintentionally saved this grand knight who had been chased down by a top-tier noble. Cheshire then followed Borg out of gratitude for saving his life.

This story was also listed as the proudest thing in Borg's life, and was often used as a topic for discussion.

It also attracted the envy of many merchants.

"Very good." Kant did not care about how Cheshire ended up here.

Instead, he nodded at Cheshire's serious answer and said with satisfaction, "Continue. Your cooperation will increase your impression in my heart. I really like everyone to follow the rules."

"Thank you for your praise, Lord Kant." Cheshire immediately bowed.

"No! It's not like that!" However, Borg interrupted them. "The lord of Fort Nazaire should be Viscount Taylor." He raised his head in despair. "You... You're clearly telling me that... you've offended a top-tier noble!"

Cheshire snorted slightly disdainfully at this, "Mr. Borg, please don't be childish."

"You..." Borg's eyes were filled with despair.

He gritted his teeth and gripped his sleeves tightly. However, he did not have any strength left in his body. Tears rolled down his cheeks. He suddenly realized that what he had done was very laughable.

He was just a businessman with a small reputation in the East County City, but his status was still low.

Cheshire thought the same, followed Borg was just a disguise.

Cheshire bent down slightly, he looked at Kant and continued to report, "Lord, I am a spy sent by Viscount Taylor of the new county to the East County. My intention is to infiltrate the Dukedom of Leo and use the Borg Chamber of Commerce to contact the nobles who are easily buy over and willing to change side to Silver Platter Kingdom."

"Is the Silver Platter Kingdom planning to invade Dukedom of Leo again?" Kant raised his eyebrows and asked.

"Yes." Cheshire did not hide anything. "Princess Sofia failed in the beginning, but she still left behind a lot of secrets. It's only been ten years now, and since those secrets have yet to disappear, it's time to use them again."

Kant's lips curled up. "Very interesting."

"This is the paradise of the powerful."

Cheshire bowed respectfully to Kant and said, "Lord, you are the noble who is worthy of respect. You are the master that my family used to be loyal to. However, because of the internal suppression of the Silver Platter Kingdom, we lost the support of Princess Sofia. We can only temporarily rely on the others to survive."

Pausing for a moment, he gritted his teeth and said, "But in the end, we can't gain the trust of others. That's why I was sent here. To be driven by a lowly merchant, this is simply an insult."

Borg's face turned pale as he listened from the side.

In the past, he enjoyed his success and wealth, but all of this was based on the benefits Kant had brought to him.

Even though he had coincidentally obtained the help of a grand knight like Cheshire, in reality, it was actually a plot set up by the Silver Platter Kingdom to reconquer the Dukedom of Leo.

If that day really came, then Borg Chamber of Commerce would become Silver Platter Kingdom's insider.

Even if the Borg family didn't want to join the Silver Platter Kingdom, they couldn't do anything about it. When that time came, Cheshire, who was once a loyal grand knight, could even take over the Borg Chamber of Commerce.

After all, he was a grand knight. In a world where military power was paramount, he was equal to a superior.

It was obvious just by thinking about it.

Cheshire had deigned to become a bodyguard in the Chamber of Commerce. It was simply a humiliation, a disgrace to a grand knight. He would be ridiculed by any noble who heard of it.

No matter how good his development was, unless Borg could become a real noble, Cheshire would never be able to integrate into the mainstream circle as a grand knight. He would become the object of ridicule by everyone.

Status was the standard of the noble.

A knight was equivalent to a quasi-noble.

A grand knight was a complete noble.

If one did not have real power, he would become a palace noble. If he made contributions on battlefield, he would be a warrior boor. If he could marry other nobles for decades, he would become a respected new noble.

The status of a grand knight was actually almost the same as a real baron.

This was an advantage brought by power.

Cheshire wanted to use the Borg Chamber of Commerce to complete the infiltration of the Silver Platter Kingdom into the East County.

After all, East County was a semi-independent territory outside of the Dukedom of Leo. As long as they conquered this place, they could directly seal off the Resniston River and South County.

Moreover, in the East County, they could directly attack the North County and South County.

The force in East County could cooperate with the Silver Platter Kingdom to attack the South County.

They had almost formed an encirclement net.

It was very brilliant.

Even Kant couldn't help but nod, praising the encirclement net strategic plan.

However, this encirclement net was destined to fail. This was because the East County wouldn't be controlled by Cheshire.

Even if he had laid a lot of foundations through Borg Chamber of Commerce, it was still impossible.

Because Kant would not allow it.

The Borg Chamber of Commerce had once been on the verge of bankruptcy. If one thought about it carefully, perhaps it had something to do with the methods of the Silver Platter Kingdom. It even had something to do with some of the East County's noble families who acted as fence-sitters.

But since Kant had supported Borg and brought this chamber of commerce back to life. Then it meant that he had invested in this chamber of Commerce, and he was definitely the chairman.

Without the 2,000 great silver coins that Kant had provided, it would be very difficult for the Borg Chamber of Commerce to come back to life.

Even if the Silver Platter Kingdom helped the Chamber of Commerce to rise again from the brink of bankruptcy, Borg might not be the person-in-charge anymore. Even if he were, he would just be a puppet.

"Lord Kant!" Borg had already thought of this at this time.

He was not stupid. He was just blinded by his success.

Now that he thought about it carefully, his rise was too unexpected, and those nobles were too kind to him. It must be known that in the past, those merchants who were even stronger than him would bow and scrape before the noble.

But he actually became friends with those arrogant nobles!

This was obviously not right.

Looking at Kant, Borg begged sorrowfully, "I know I'm wrong. Please let me be your merchant again. I finally understand that there is a conspiracy. Lord Kant, please, I really made a mistake!"

Even the old butler and personal butler next to him also understood. Their bodies trembled, and their faces were filled with misery.

There was nothing they could do.

They had indeed made a mistake.

However, when Cheshire heard their pleas, his expression changed slightly, he bent down and said to Kant, "Lord Kant, these people are just lowly trashes. Please don't believe them. Since they were able to betray you once, there will be a second time. And I am Princess Sofia's old subordinate. There are even quite a number of old subordinates left in the Silver Platter Kingdom who are not doing well. I can definitely pull some strings for you and make them return to your side, restoring Princess Sofia's glory back then."

"Mm, not bad." Kant nodded calmly. There was no superfluous expression on his face.

He did not say yes or no.

Instead, he placed his hand on his chin and rubbed it slightly, as if he was thinking.

The current situation was becoming more and more interesting. The East County was becoming more and more complicated.

The Crimson Sect's development in the dark.

The quarrels between the noble families.

The infiltration of the Silver Platter Kingdom.

Of course.

Kant's forces were also infiltrating.

Many forces were intertwined, and even Countess Agatha had become a top noble in name, but the actual commanding power had been divided among the various forces.

The Crimson Sect had developed and controlled most of the military power of Avilis Castle.

The various noble families with ulterior motives controlled most of the land.

There was also the Silver Platter Kingdom, which had already placed its hands on those noble families and began to use highly profitable commercial activities to draw them in and divide them.

The Borg Chamber of Commerce was a typical example.

They had become someone else's chess piece.

"My aunt has been set up." Kant couldn't help but shake his head.

But thinking about it, there was nothing he could do. Countess Agatha, who once had a portion of the military power to support her, lost her power after losing the Gale Mercenary Group and the assault team.

The Gale Mercenary Group was an elite cavalry team. They were raised in the center of the North County and South County, as well as the East County.

If there was any situation, they could quickly rush back to support her.

Unfortunately, they were all wiped out by Kant including the assault team.

As long as they successfully controlled Baron Dylan's Stone Pass, the table salt trade would fall into her hands.

A steady stream of silver coins would appear in her hands. Whether it was to rope in the noble families or to create a more elite army, she had the resources. Even if she hired a foreign mercenary group, it would be enough for her to completely control the East County.

However, she did not expect Kant's strength to be so strong that he could ignore the Dukedom of Leo.

"But it doesn't matter."

Kant narrowed his eyes.

He did not have any interest in the regime.

If he really became a king, how to balance the noble families, feed the commoners, and develop the country would be a headache. After all, the real world was not as good as a city with the help of the system.

People's thoughts were strange, and the so-called loyalty could change at any time. It was far inferior to the NPCs of the system.

Moreover, they were also living humans after coming to this world.

As long as they controlled the core, Kant would be in an invincible position. No matter how the forces in other parts of the world developed, they would eventually become Kant's vassals, more like layers of onion-like colonial systems!

"You guys continue to develop here."

Kant smiled and looked at Borg and Cheshire. "I won't disturb you."

"Lord Kant!"

Borg, who had been lying limply on the ground, suddenly raised his head as if he had found a straw to cry for help.

"I need you to serve me. It's that simple. You can do whatever you want with the Silver Platter Kingdom. But in the end, you have to know that I want to seize the final fruit." Kant knocked on the table and said faintly, "No matter what method you use."

"Yes..." Borg and Cheshire answered with difficulty.

In their hearts, Kant was still unable to compare to the Silver Platter Kingdom.

But Kant saw through their thoughts. "The old king of the Silver Platter Kingdom is about to pass away. As the eldest son of the first wife, he has always been weak and sickly. So, perhaps I still have the qualifications to inherit the throne."

"Uh..."

Cheshire's eyes suddenly widened. "Indeed... Indeed!"

Borg looked at Kant in shock. As a merchant, he did not have the ability to come into contact with too many secrets.

Although he knew that Princess Sofia was the princess of the Silver Platter Kingdom, the law of inheritance for a noble was not something he could understand. Moreover, there would definitely be bloodshed in this.

"That's what I meant." Kant stood up.

He turned his head to look at the ten Sarrandian Horsemen beside him and ordered, "You guys can follow me back."

"Yes!" the Sarrandian Horsemen immediately obeyed.

However, Kant glanced at the ten grand knights beside him and calmly said, "You guys stay here and protect Borg. His safety needs to be protected. Of course, there's also Mr. Cheshire. I don't think the two of you will mind."

In the end, he spoke to Borg and Cheshire.

"I don't mind!" the two of them didn't dare to refuse.

It was obviously a type of surveillance. If they refused now, the consequences would be bad.

Kant didn't need them to refuse either. These ten grand knights were enough to massacre the firm's powerful military force. After the massacre, they probably wouldn't even close the city gates. They would make the group of killers leave quickly and not dare to block the port.

Chapter 404: Borg’s Thoughts

Kant quickly left the office with his men. The sky was already very dark, and there was chill in the air. This was the chill that came from the wilderness in the west.

The hall of the office was still brightly lit.

The luxurious furniture and clothing were better than the small living room of a top noble.

But no one cared.

Borg slowly propped himself up on the ground.

The two butlers on both sides also slowly climbed up with pale faces.

Even Cheshire looked depressed. They looked at each other, then looked at the 10 guests who were still sitting on the chairs in the hall. They couldn't spit out a word.

Since things had already come to this point, there was nothing much to say.

Kant, the Supreme Lord had returned.

He had officially returned with his mighty power.

All the conspiracies and tricks were like a joke. It was like a glacier had encountered a furnace and was easily melted by the surging heat wave. All of these disappeared into thin air.

They were completely helpless with the 10 grand knights who were currently waiting in the hall with expressionless faces.

But in reality, these grand knights were not all of them.

Look at Baron Kant, he handed over the command of these grand knights to them so easily.

It was obvious that there might be more grand knights hiding behind the scenes, but not all of them were revealed. They would only show their proper deterrence at the most critical moment jut like now.

"Alright." Borg took a deep breath.

He wiped the tears off his face and turned to the two butlers beside him. He said in a low voice, "Cancel the governor of the port's banquet for me. If you need an excuse, just say that I suddenly fell ill." He paused for a moment and then continued, "Send the silver artifact from the Silver Platter Kingdom on the second floor as a gift."

"Isn't that your favorite handicraft, Mr. Borg..." the personal butler dissuaded him, "You love it, but why are you giving it away now?"

"It's just a gift."

Borg closed his eyes. "Besides, the development of the Borg Chamber of Commerce needs the support of the port governor."

The old butler who was in charge of the Borg Chamber of Commerce didn't say anything.

He could see it.

This was an investment.

The Borg Chamber of Commerce indeed needed the support of the port governor.

Otherwise, as a new merchant, Borg would not be so eager to marry the daughter of the port governor. Even if he had to spend money to buy land in the Silver Platter Kingdom and become a palace noble in the East County City, he would still marry that not-so-pretty girl.

The political marriage was mutually beneficial, and both sides gained what they lacked in each other.

Now, he was also doing this for self-protection!

Borg had already betrayed Kant once.

As an intelligent person, he knew that he could no longer be accepted into Kant's core of power.

That was why he was more proactive and spent more money to participate in the port governor's noble circle. Although he would not betray Kant again in the short term, he would also not continue to fall into the same situation as he was now.

Even if he left the Borg Chamber of Commerce, there might be a way out.

If there was really no way out, he would be living a life of a poor man that was not much different from death.

Having enjoyed a life of wealth and honor, Borg would never return to the kind of life where he was on the verge of bankruptcy, helpless, and ultimately humiliated, begging others to lead him to venture to the Nahrin Desert in search of an opportunity.

Although he finally obtained such an opportunity, he became Kant's puppet.

That's right, he was a puppet.

In Borg's opinion, that was the case.

The real power was still firmly controlled by Kant. He was just a spokesperson in front of the screen, a puppet waiting for the final order, a professional manager working for the boss.

The personal butler bowed and left.

Soon, with a few servants who didn't know what was going on, they quickly left the office with the wrapped gifts.

The port governor's banquet was about to begin. They needed to rush over as soon as possible, especially when Borg couldn't be there personally. They needed to explain the situation as soon as possible and show their etiquette.

After all, they were just a merchant family.

It was already an honor to be able to attend the banquet.

The atmosphere in the office's hall was still gloomy.

However, the old butler beside them had already lost some of his arrogance. Instead, he spoke in a deep voice and did not avoid saying, "Mr. Borg."

"Yes." Borg nodded. His voice carried an uncontrollable haggard tone. "What is it?"

"Actually, it doesn't matter," the old butler said. "The merchants of the Dukedom of Leo don't have high statuses. All in all, they are tools to collect wealth for the top-tier nobles. If you think about it carefully, you have a lot of autonomy now. In fact, compared to the leaders of the trade caravan, you are more like a real leader of the trade caravan."

"Yes, that's true." Borg nodded. He did not avoid Cheshire and the 10 Lion Knights beside him. He sat on the chair and said with a bitter smile, "But only by becoming a noble can you get rid of all this."

"Perhaps." the old butler was silent.

"I'm going to rest." Cheshire shook his head.

With a mocking expression on his face, he strode towards the second floor of the firm, he walked to his room. "You guys are taking things for granted. So what if you become a noble? In the true noble circle, it's even crueler than what a businessman like you can understand." He paused, he glanced at Borg, "My family was once a great noble."

Borg was silent. Looking at Cheshire's mocking face, he also laughed mockingly. He shook his head and sighed softly. "I just want to find a way out. I don't have many ideas."

"If you're loyal to Lord Kant, you'll only receive gifts."

A Lion Knight reminded him.

"Yes." Borg just answered casually.

He understood very well.

Baron Kant was indeed at the height of his power.

He was stronger than the counties in Dukedom of Leo.

At this moment, many people had already admitted that half of the North County territory was under Baron Kant's ruling. Even Viscount Wayne, who was supposed to be the lord of the North County, could only pinch his nose and confirm this news.

Kant's forces had already completely left the Nahrin Desert and extended to the North County.

This caused countless people to be worried.

There were also reactions.

Looking at the combined army of close to 20,000 people gathered at Viscount Wayne's Logue Castle, they knew that those small noble families and schemers with ulterior motives still had a deep fear of Baron Kant.

Otherwise, they would not have gathered an alliance army of 20,000 people and allowed Viscount Wayne to temporarily control it.

This was enough to be the number of main forces on the battlefield.

Although there were very few elites, most of them were mercenaries who came from outside on the Resniston River.

But even so, they could still launch a battle that was enough to shake a county. Even if they attacked the South County at this time, with the advantage of numbers, they would probably be able to attack Lion Fort in one go.

There might be stronger existences in this alliance.

For example, wandering mages and grand knights.

They were the forces of those top-tier noble families who were unwilling to be left alone.

Their roles were to launch an unexpected attack to Baron Kant's forces. It would be best if they could let these miscellaneous forces join forces and put Baron Kant in a crisis.

Of course, at that time, the alliance would gradually collapse due to the tragic casualties.

At that time, it was time for the top-tier noble families to reap the benefits.

This was an open plot. Viscount Wayne knew all of this, and even the others understood this point.

But there was no other way. In order to ensure the safety of the estate, he had to swallow this bitter fruit. Otherwise, Viscount Wayne alone would not be able to contend against Kant. If he surrendered and lost his status as a top-tier noble, then his family would decline.

If he still relied on the strength of the Dukedom of Leo and fought to a draw, perhaps there was still hope.

This was also Borg's idea.

He had expected it.

Or rather, it was his own guess.

He did not think that Baron Kant would win the final victory.

No matter how many extraordinary powers Kant had, he would still lose to Dukedom of Leo.

This was a powerful country that had been established hundreds of years ago. They believed in the god of war, Edmund, so the military strength of this country had always been quite high. They could even resist the Silver Platter Kingdom, or even fight head-on without falling into a disadvantage.

A mere force, Baron Kant's force, could not compare to the Silver Platter Kingdom.

If Kant were defeated, Borg would need a new way to save himself.

"How sad."

He stood up and walked towards the top of the building. He just casually told the old butler, "I'll leave this place to you. Let our friend rest well. Treat them the same as Cheshire."

"Yes." the old butler bowed. As the butler, he only needed to listen.

The ten remaining Lion Knights did not care.

They all had their own thoughts.

But they also had a mission.

Since they were given order to stay and protect the safety of this place, they had to take responsibility.

However, from the current situation, they understood in their hearts that protection was secondary. The most important thing was to intimidate and guard this place for Lord Kant to prevent too much trouble.

If Borg wanted to sell off the chamber of commerce and leave secretly, they would definitely not sit idly by.

The Sarleon Lion Knight from the Pendor Continent.

They were the elite noble.

They also had some understanding of politics and business.

Although they looked cold, if Borg caused some troubles, they would not need Kant's orders to solve it. Moreover, they could handle it nicely.

They were much better than the Level 4 Sarrandian Horseman.

The night deepened.

But many people had no intention of sleeping.

In the governor's mansion not far away, the lights were bright, and countless noble families gathered inside to hold a grand banquet.

But when the personal butler went in to explain the situation, and a secret agent came in to tell some news. The entire banquet quickly ended, and it was almost discordant. Everyone left, and it was more like they fled.

The entire governor's mansion quickly fell into silence.

This was a night that was destined to not be peaceful.

However, there were still many people who were secretly colluding. They had other thoughts about the future situation.

Chapter 405: Assassination in the Night

Kant left the building and walked on the streets in the night.

The 10 Sarrandian Horseman had already changed their clothes and changed back into their own Sarrandian armors and weapons. They led the Sarrandian horse and walked behind silently.

They had completed their mission.

Next, the ten stronger Sarleon Lion Knights would be in charge.

In fact, Kant was not happy with the actions of these Sarrandian Horsemen.

After all, these horsemen were Borg's bodyguards and Kant's monitors. However, they did not successfully infiltrate Kant's influence into Borg's heart. Instead, it had a bad effect.

Not only were Borg in control of the situation, but they had also become his fighters.

Thinking of this, Kant felt helpless.

These horsemen were not noble.

They were only an elite troop class.

In the Sarrand Sultanate, they were only slightly higher than the commoners.

Although they were real humans, in terms of intelligence, they had become simple and straight forward because of years of battle. They could not compare to Borg, a businessman who had been trained by years of business education.

It was no wonder that Borg could manipulate these riders.

But there was one thing.

Borg also took the horsemen's duties as a pledge of allegiance.

He thought that with some power and wealth, he could let them betray Kant and turn to him.

Perhaps that was true in reality.

But these Sarrandian Horsemen did not come from reality.

Instead, they were from the world of "Mount and Blade" that relied on Kant to survive. They were the individuals from the tiny in southwest corner of the Sarrandian Desert of Continent of Caradia.

Their loyalty to Kant was unbreakable, and they would never betray Kant. Both sides had a faint sense of connection.

If the connection was cut off...

It would be death.

Or they would lose themselves due to special circumstances.

However, if their connection was cut off, it also meant that they were not an ally anymore, but an enemy.

Perhaps the second possibility could only be formed by means of mind control. However, Kant had never heard of it in this world, nor had he seen anyone used it. It was something that could not happen.

The night deepened.

The stars and moon emitted a bright light.

Torches were lit on the streets, and patrols with torches walked past.

However, when they saw Kant, they did not even have the intention to interrogate him. They went around the corner and went to other streets. Even some of the gang members who were hiding in the dark were so scared that they trembled and hid in the corners, not daring to come out.

There was not even a carriage. The entire street of the port seemed to have fallen into silence.

There was a strange silence.

"Something's not right."

Some of the Sarrandian Horseman sensed the abnormality and slowly grasped the scimitar hilt in their hands.

They looked around cautiously. Their left arm was covered with a round shield, forming a small defensive circle with each other. They even put on the Sarrandian chain armor.

Soon, they were fully armed and ready for battle.

Their warhorses were behind them.

Their weapons and equipment were all on the horses.

They already wore the Sarrandian chain armor on them.

Although they were covered in linen robes, it did not affect their flexibility in battle.

On the contrary, they formed a standard infantry defensive formation around Kant. Although there were fewer people, even if they faced dozens of enemies, they could rely on their excellent equipment and elite strength to hold them off for a while.

Of course, as a grand knight, Kant did not need their protection.

He swept his gaze across the night sky.

He only sighed slightly, "I've made a mistake."

If there were ten Lion Knights who possessed extraordinary powers, by his side, these guys would probably be just a small problem for him.

Now.

Kant needed to personally come down and solve the trouble.

His right hand was also on the hilt of his sword. Kant was still walking on the street.

The night became increasingly quiet.

The people around him completely disappeared.

The torches on the entire street were faintly burning.

However, in just a few short minutes, the torches were gradually extinguished. Even the starlight and moonlight in the sky gradually dimmed. The entire street in the port suddenly became extremely dark. It was so dark that it was almost impossible to see one's fingers.

"Shasha, Shasha, Shasha --"

The sound of something rubbing against each other was heard.

It approached from afar.

Its speed also became faster and faster.

It gradually shortened the distance around Kant and the others, as if it was going to come into contact with them in an extremely short time.

Even a slight wind with a fishy smell appeared in his nostrils. The smell was simply nauseating, like a slaughterhouse in the summer. Even Kant could not bear it.

"Whoosh --"

The sound of sword drawing appeared.

Kant gritted his teeth, and his right hand directly pulled out his Sword of King from the sheath at his waist.

A turbulent golden light surged out rapidly, and an incomparably strong positive energy poured out as if pouring out. It instantly illuminated the surrounding space, and at the same time, the energy that could completely destroy everything erupted at an extremely fast speed.

"Buzz -- pu -- pu -- pu -- pu -- pu -- pu -- pu -- pu -- pu --"

Countless black shadows exploded within the powerful golden light.

Wisps of fine red fog were cleansed within the golden light or were directly turned into smoke.

"Enemy attack!"

Sarrandian Horsemen raised their longswords.

Occasionally, there would be a black shadow struggling to break through the golden light and approach them. They slashed with their scimitars fiercely, and along with a screech, the black shadow that was cut in half by their waists was instantly vanished by the golden light.

It lasted for almost a few minutes before the black shadow outside the golden light disappeared.

A thick smell of blood came from it.

It carried a slightly rotten smell.

Kant put the Sword of King in his hand above his head.

He turned his head to look at the surrounding pitch-black streets. The light of the stars and moon in the sky was still blocked.

It was a dark cloud.

He did not know when, but a thick dark cloud shrouded the sky above his head.

It just happened to cover the port.

"Lord, there are strange figures."

Sarrandian Horseman approached and said in a deep voice, "They are right in front."

"I see them." Kant nodded.

On the street in front, there were many figures in the center of the dark street.

They seemed to be wearing black robes and a black hood on their heads. They were holding a long lance in their hands. The line was very dense. It was dark, as if they were waiting in a line.

"Baron Kant."

Someone stepped forward.

He spoke slowly, his voice extremely hoarse, "You have offended the authority of our lord. According to the punishment of the Crimson Sect and the will of our Lord, you must be sentenced to death, so that your soul will be burned in the flames of our lord for ten thousand years."

"How terrifying." Kant chuckled. "And then?"

"Surrender."

That person continued to speak in a deep voice, "My lord can grant you eternal life."

Kant's lips curled up. "Interesting." He clenched his Sword of King tightly, "But how could a demon, an evil creature from the abyss, sentence me to death here? This is simply a joke. It makes me feel interesting."

"Then you're choosing death."

That person did not hesitate at all. "Kill him!"

After the order was given, those black-robed enemies with long lance in their hands stepped forward.

They acted swiftly.

They did not give Kant a second chance to make a choice.

Perhaps they all understood that Kant would not really make a choice. Their inquiry was only a probe. Since it was useless to talk now, then they would use the simplest method, which was to kill Kant!

"Imbeciles." However, Kant smiled cunningly in response to their threat.

It was very disdainful!

The reason why grand knights were called grand knights.

It was definitely not simply because they had extraordinary powers. It was also because of their terrifying destructive power on the battlefield!

The King's Power and the Divine Power circulated together in Kant's body. He himself already had these two extraordinary powers. As he erupted with his full strength, a golden light mixed with a white light of extraordinary flames was displayed without a doubt.

He was also a grand knight!

But before Kant charged towards them.

Behind the enemy, the sound of galloping horses' hooves came whistling like a flood.

"Boom Boom Boom --"

At the front.

The blood-red air wave swept up like a dazzling red light.

The figures moved quickly, and the galloping sound of the warhorse became louder and louder. The hooves of the horses beat on the ground, and even the soles of their feet could be felt trembling. It was like an earthquake, but it was more like a flood was gradually approaching!

It was the violent sound brought about by the charge of the numerous cavalry groups!

Twenty Lion Knights led the charge.

Fifty Lion Squires were the core force.

They came whistling through the stone-paved road of the port. Finally, they charged into the back of the black-robed enemy soldiers who had yet to react.

In the front row, the thick awl-shaped lance pierced through many enemies.

Even the mail armor under their black robes were pierced through.

Warhorses shook the ground.

The violent power swept across the street, destroying more than 600 enemy soldiers in black robes. They did not even stop. Relying on their extraordinary power, the Lion Knights covered in blood-red flames and pushed forward fiercely. They charged into the dense formation, stirring up a bloody storm.

After abandoning their lances, with their sharp swords and their outstanding melee combat strength, they were like a pride of lions charging into a flock of sheep and slaughtering to their heart's content!

The black-robed soldiers of the Crimson Sect were ambushed from behind, they almost collapsed on the spot.

They could not even organize a resistance.

At the front.

The enemy leader who had given the order to attack was clearly a grand knight, even though his entire body was covered in fiery red flames. However, he was killed on the spot by three strikes from the Lion Knights who were charging close to him!

On the streets, more than 600 black-robed soldiers who were holding long lance had been scattered.

They had suffered heavy casualties.

The remaining troops.

They were scared out of their wits and fled to the dark corners around them.

The Lion Knights and Lion Squires did not chase after them. Instead, they quickly came to Kant's side and glanced at the 10 Sarrandian Horsemen behind him. They could not help but frown. "Lord, we have to evacuate this place!"

"What's going on?"

Kant asked in a deep voice, "Why are you in such a hurry?"

"We were attacked!"

The Lion Knight in the lead quickly replied, "There were enemies from the Crimson Sect attacked our hotel in the middle of the night. However, due to our strict security, we did not suffer too many casualties. Instead, we took the opportunity to kill our way out. However, when we thought that you were still in the port, we came to pick you up. It was fortunate that we came in time."

Chapter 406: The Obstacles at the City Gate

"You guys are right on time" Kant nodded.

On the street, the strong smell of blood permeated the air. There were broken limbs everywhere. There were also many black-robed men who were not completely dead yet. They were wailing in pain and convulsing in pain, like the most lowly insects.

Legitimacy belonged to the victor; losers were always in the wrong. The losers should be punished by cruel reality.

Just like now.

Some people might pity their pain, but Kant wouldn't.

Kant walked forward and pulled out his sword. A strong golden light appeared, like a searchlight. Kant used the sword as a stick and lifted the face under a hood. It was a middle-aged man.

"City defense troop." Kant raised his eyebrows, but he also recognized his identity.

He walked to the side.

He lifted the black robe and hood on his body again.

These black-robed soldiers were wearing exquisite mail armor. In fact, one could tell from looking at the lance on the ground that they were all equipment that only the port city defense troop had.

This meant that the enemy that came to attack him this time was the city defense troop of this port.

"As expected, this place was infiltrated."

Kant shook his head.

He was not surprised by this matter. In fact, when he came to the port and went to the office of the Borg Chamber of Commerce, he even suspected that the Borg Chamber of Commerce that he supported might have been infiltrated by the Crimson Sect.

After all, although Borg had received his funding, his development was too fast.

It was astonishingly fast.

In just a few short months, he had gone from a small bankrupt chamber of commerce to the largest one in the East County.

He did not have the support of the top noble forces behind him. It was entirely Borg's luck that he had gone step by step to achieve his current achievements.

Of course, he was indeed not infiltrated by the Crimson Sect. Instead, it was the Silver Platter Kingdom that had infiltrated him.

It seemed that being infiltrated by either side looked the same, but it was always different.

Compared to the Silver Platter Kingdom, Kant was more wary of the demonic forces hidden in the dark.

For example, Viscount Gibran of the Crimson Sect had actually sided with the evil. If Kant had not accidentally discovered this, he would have been deceived and even believed in the peace on the surface of the human countries.

Now, the undercurrents were surging!

"We have to end this infiltration operation that has been exposed as soon as possible."

Kant narrowed his eyes.

He turned over and mounted an empty horse. He ordered in a deep voice,

"Let's go!"

"Yes!" the knights responded one after another.

Ignoring the thick smell of blood that was still lingering on the street, they quickly followed the road they came from and began to run toward the city gate. They wanted to leave this place at an extremely fast speed to avoid being surrounded by the enemy.

If the Crimson Sect used the official spokesperson of the noble, they would risk their lives to trap Kant here.

It was not impossible.

Hundreds of archers would attack them at the city wall.

Thousands of arrows rained down. Even grand knights would die on the spot.

If they used ballistae, catapults, and other siege weapons, with the powerful lethality of such weapons, it was possible that Kant and the rest of them would be wiped out here. They would die miserably!

Kant did not doubt that the religious fanatics would do such a thing.

He only doubted were they able to take action fast enough!

The exquisite horseshoes heavily hit the stone pavement.

Kant led the cavalry forward at high speed. Just ahead, the city gates of the port could be seen again.

However, at this time, the city gates of the port, which should have no curfew and was completely open to the outside world, were actually prepared to close slowly under the command of a few middle-level generals.

The city gates were already closed, and the latches were about to be inserted.

If it were completely closed, the city gates made of iron bars and thick wooden planks would not be so easy to open again.

Looking not far away, the middle-level commanders' expressions changed drastically, and they looked very panicked.

Now, Kant did not need to guess. He could see that the disciples of the Crimson Sect hiding in the port had finally made their move. They wanted the city defense troop in the port to keep him and the cavalry in the port!

But before Kant could give the order to charge, there was a commotion at the city gate.

The city guards on the city wall, who were holding bows and crossbows, scattered and fled.

There were even some who fell and could not get up.

These city guards had been ordered here by the commanders at the last minute. They thought that they were only helping, but they did not expect that there would be a sudden battle. The situation was even worse than facing the water bandits!

At least those water bandits would not be bold enough to attack the port.

But now, something worse happened.

Hundreds of unfamiliar soldiers charged to the city gate in the dark and threw the pilums. The confused city guards did not even have time to react before they were crashed by a wave of pilums.

Especially at the top of the city gate, many city guards were lying on the ground, not daring to stand up at all.

The night was dark, and the wind was strong.

Even with the light of the stars and the moon, it was still dark.

However, the pilums thrown by those unfamiliar enemies outside were extremely accurate. Almost anyone who showed themselves would die.

Also, in the port, there was a large number of cavalries charging over. If they did not want to die miserably, it was best to hide in a safe place and not resist and wait for everything to end on their own.

Those guys did not look like water bandits anyway.

There was another crucial point.

Even if it was a robbery, it had nothing to do with them.

Inside were the warehouses of the foreign merchants. Even if they robbed all of them, the guards would not suffer any losses. At most, they would be reprimanded for not doing their duties. As for the punishment, it was impossible. The noble above them still needed someone to watch the door for them!

"Let's go! Let's go!"

This caused the city guards stationed on the city walls to flee one after another.

As for those guys below the city gates who wanted to bolt the door, they threw the things in their hands and ran in all directions. There were even two middle-level commanders whose faces were pale. They could only turn around and flee as well.

They had appeared here because they had been coerced by the Crimson Sect.

Or rather, they were just pawns that had been exposed.

There was only one person in the lead.

The commander stood in place with a solemn expression, holding a longsword in his hand. A ball of blood-red aura burst out from his body. He was obviously an important figure of the Crimson Sect who had grasped extraordinary power and had infiltrated the port!

Now, he stood here and wanted to block Kant and the others alone!

"Get rid of him!"

Kant didn't care at all.

He turned to the left and right side and ordered in a deep voice, "Open the city gate quickly and leave with Rolf and his men. We can't drag this on any longer!"

"Yes!"

Some Lion Knights immediately nodded and urged their horses forward.

"Whoosh --"

The sound of swords being drawn appeared.

Four Lion Knights rode at the front, and the same arrogant blood-colored flames clashed.

However, the blood-colored flame that belonged to the battlefield of endless battles was definitely not something that a demon-type blood-colored flame could withstand. The commander who wanted to block Kant and the others from leaving the port by himself had also collapsed to the ground.

His head and neck were separated, and he was easily decapitated by the four Lion Knights in the instant they crossed each other.

The city gate was also opened.

Outside, a group of people were blocking the way with spears in their hands.

When they saw that it was Kant and the others who opened the gate, they all cheered. One by one, they hurriedly put away their weapons and quickly got on their horses. They followed Kant and the others and galloped on the road.

They were Rolf and the 500 Elite Desert Bandit!

"Lord!"

Rolf caught up with Kant.

He seemed anxious. He reported in a deep voice, "We were attacked. Fortunately, we didn't suffer too many casualties. After we killed our way out of the entertainment district, we came to look for you. I didn't expect that something happened in the port."

Kant nodded silently. "It seems that someone still hates me to the bone."

"Go back, Lord!"

Rolf gritted his teeth and said, "And then kill our way back!"

"Yes." Kant's expression was calm. He did not deny Rolf's words. "One day, I will return with my rage." After a pause, he looked at the dark East County City on the horizon in the distance, he could not help but take a deep breath. "And I think that this day will not be too far away!"

Rolf complimented him on the side. "When that time comes, I will be your most loyal blade!"

"I think so too." Kant smiled.

But his expression quickly became solemn. "Let's leave this place for now and head to the riverbank of Resniston River. I hope that we can find the crack from the ancient passage as soon as possible and go back through it."

"This... is a bit risky." Rolf frowned slightly and advised, "We don't know the exact location yet."

"We already know."

Kant narrowed his eyes slightly. "I can sense it."

He turned his horse around.

He led the cavalry and galloped towards the south at high speed.

Just to the south of the riverbank, if they continued to move west along the riverbank, they would be able to find the mouth of the river that had already split open.

This was indeed a reaction. After becoming a grand knight, his reaction was undoubtedly much stronger, especially towards the divine powers that he had encountered before. Even if he was quite far away, he could still sense the spread of a small amount of power.

However, at this moment, Kant also sensed that an evil power was growing the East County.

Or rather, he had already sensed it.

The moment he arrived at the East County.

A sense of oppression appeared in his heart.

He had originally thought that it was because of the cold current that came from the wilderness nearby.

But in reality, it was the actions of the Crimson Sect that allowed the demon's power to revive in the East County, especially in the direction of Mountain of Death. That oppressive feeling made people's hearts palpitate heavily.

Kant was also regretful. It would have been better if he had brought the mage along.

Their senses were even clearer.

Their mental strength was also stronger.

However, when Kant rode his horse to the vicinity of the river, the distant horizon was the long river that was three to four hundred meters wide. On the other side of the river was the estate of the Dukedom of Leo, but it was now occupied by the Silver Platter Kingdom.

This was not the most important thing. The most important thing was that Kant sensed a new power.

It was somewhat unfamiliar and particularly familiar.

Divine Power.

To be precise.

It should be mixed with the divine power of the Sun, divine power!

Kant slightly lowered his head and said thoughtfully, "If I'm not wrong, this should be the Power of Light that only the Holy Church possesses. They have just become the top religion of the Silver Platter Kingdom and even established as the national religion."

Chapter 407: The Entrance to the Ancient Passage

In the Silver Platter Kingdom, the Holy Church had expelled the power of the mage in the wilderness and officially brought this rich kingdom under their control. It could be said that the entire country used the Holy Church as the spiritual and religious hub.

As the saying of Holy Church, let the glory of the god of light spread throughout the land.

Of course.

It was very simple for Kant.

It was just another god similar to the god of war, Edmund, who had obtained the worship of a kingdom.

The difference was only the strength of the support. One had to know that in the Dukedom of Leo, although the faith of the god of war, Edmund, was the national religion, its influence was not too great. The church of the god of war was also a force that existed by relying on the noble system.

It was under the control of Grand Duke of Dukedom of Leo

The Silver Platter Kingdom was a little more complicated.

The inheritance of the royal power was in this rich kingdom. Because the old king was seriously ill and the successor who was about to be replaced him was weak and sickly, there was a small setback in the authority of the royal family.

This made the power of the top-tier noble, and the religion begin to rise abruptly.

Especially the Holy Church.

They expelled the mage who had originally been subordinate to the top-tier noble.

It could be said that they had already occupied the majority classes of the Silver Platter Kingdom, especially the many lesser noble and lower-tier civilians were supporting the Holy Church. In an extremely short period of time, they had grasped the power of the Silver Platter Kingdom in their own hands.

Other than not being a top-tier noble and not receiving a strict conferment ceremony, it could be said that the Holy Church had the equal power to the king!

"But that's fine." Kant muttered.

The power that the Holy Church possessed could also restrain the power of demons.

It could even restrain the power of the undead. After all, this so-called Power of Light contained the same dense positive energy, including the holy energy and the scorching heat of the fire element. It was the nemesis of all negative energy of the evil type.

This power might be able to restrain the attacks of the demons and the undead at the critical moment. At the very least, it was much stronger than the Dukedom of Leo.

But it really had reached that stage, the situation was absolutely going into a worse scenario. After all, the first target of the demons and the undead was Kant, who was in the middle of the Nahrin Desert and the Senwaya Range!

If even he could not withstand it, it would be even more difficult with the power of these feudal kingdoms to resist them.

Kant's expression turned cold.

Although his current situation was not good, it was not a desperate situation.

However, all the signs had completely indicated that the bottom of reality hid absolute danger. For example, the Crimson Sect that was still lurking in the East County could already be considered as the spokesperson of the demon forces!

If not for that, those ordinary humans wouldn't be considered a threat.

But look at Viscount Gibran's appearance after his transformation.

His entire body was purplish red.

There were goat horns protruding out of his forehead.

His entire body was bloated and carried a strong sense of violence.

His eyes were filled with evil, chaos, madness and bloodlust. Only the highest level of rationality from the humans and Kant's powerful King's Power made him retreat in the end, Escape to Mountain of Death as a place to wait for Kant to walk into his trap.

That was the lair of the Crimson Sect, perhaps even the lair of the demons!

"It's getting more and more interesting."

Kant gritted his teeth.

He spurred his horse forward. On the banks of the Resniston River, many farms were closing their main doors. Inside the watchtower on the main doors, there were also militia who lit torches, carefully guarding against the possible appearance of the water bandits.

Although they did not know what exactly happened in the East County, they were worried about the water bandits.

No one dared to block their way.

So many cavalries were trekking in groups.

If there was nothing wrong, they would not dare to come out and stop them.

These militiamen were already helpless and did not dare to fight the water bandits, who were poorly equipped and only relied on their ferocity and bravery. Now, with so many cavalries, they would be annihilated if they fought these cavalries.

One had to know that there were at most thirty to fifty militiamen in a farm.

Any more than that would be the noble's serfs.

Of course, the militiamen were also the guards, supervisors, and people who supervised the serfs to do their work. Defending against external enemies was only part of their job. In front of a truly large group of water bandits, they would probably just turn around and flee.

As for the serfs, who were equivalent to human-shaped livestock, whether they lived or died had nothing to do with the militiamen.

In fact, those nobles didn't care at all.

Slaves weren't worth much.

Having a farm was just to ensure their own food base. The ones who really earned money were the trade caravan from the Dukedom of Leo, as well as the fleets that relied on the river to shuttle between the human kingdoms.

These were the best ways to earn great silver coins.

"Things won't be so smooth in the future." Kant looked gloomy.

He reined in his horse slightly, and the cavalry behind him immediately slowed down.

Rolf rode over from behind and asked, "Lord Kant, what's wrong?"

"It's right in front."

Kant said, "The way to leave."

"In front?" Rolf frowned.

In front, it was still the vast river surface of the river.

Under the moonlight, the waves were shimmering. Occasionally, a few merchant ships could be seen forming a team, taking advantage of the moonlight and stars to slowly drift over the river. There were also guards looking at Kant and the others on the shore warily.

Obviously, they were also afraid.

However, Rolf didn't care about these merchant ships. Instead, he asked, "Lord, I didn't see it."

"It's not the river surface."

Kant smiled. "The small river ahead."

"The small river?"

Only then did Rolf realize that on the horizon ahead, on the north bank of the river, there was a slender river flowing over. It seemed to be only ten meters wide. Compared to the river of about 300 meters, it was indeed a small river.

Perhaps this was also a branch of the river that provided water.

"Let's go."

Kant shook the reins and turned to head north.

At the end of his line of sight, which was the source of the small river in the north. It was a protruding hill surrounded by barren hills and rocks. It was like a remnant of the mountain range, or a mountain peak made of rubble.

It was a very inconspicuous small place. The surrounding land was barren, and there wasn't even a farm.

But it was there.

It was precisely the entrance of the ancient passage.

Kant could clearly sense that there was a faint divine power circulating at the top of the mountain.

It had a burning feeling that belonged to the sun. It was the divine power of the so-called sun god that had been passed down since ancient times, and it continued the glory that had dissipated.

After leaving the port, they rode their horses and galloped here for about four hours.

It was the border of the East County.

After the mountain.

They continued to look west and saw the wilderness.

The river that originated from the mountain had clearly demarcated the border. The land to the west had started to become barren. The soil was slightly yellowish and had the appearance of a desert. At night, there was frost that could be seen.

If they continued to look west, they would see the barren and cold wilderness.

It was a place where uncivilized barbarians lived.

Kant's goal was to find the ancient passage at the source of the river, which was the mountain top. At that time, they would be able to return to the "Aaron" City in the Senwaya Range.

This was also very simple. After riding for less than half an hour, they had already arrived at the hill.

A crack about half a meter wide appeared.

Below it was a spring.

A faint golden light emerged from the crack, as if there was something mysterious inside.

However, the crack was not very wide. It was only the size of a fist. This was also the reason why no one had noticed the abnormality here for a long time.

But Kant was different.

His mind had once followed the golden light to this place.

He knew that inside the crack was the ancient passage!

"Whoosh --"

The Sword of King in his hand was pulled out, and a powerful King's Power suddenly erupted. As Kant swung his sword, the entire mountain rock was instantly split open. With the powerful extraordinary power and the invincible sharpness of Sword of King, the rock that had been cut into pieces was cut down.

As the rock rolled down, the half-meter-long and a fist-wide crack suddenly opened up. As a faint golden light appeared inside, a large black hole appeared in front of everyone.

Moreover, Kant's action was not over yet.

He continued to swing his sword.

The entire hole was destroyed by the powerful King's Power, or rather, it was changed.

The hole completely appeared in front of them. The 10-meter-wide stone road and the 20-meter-wide subterranean river took up most of the hill. Moreover, one could vaguely see the 10-meter-wide river beside it, it was the subterranean river that originated from the ancient passage. If they could remove the obstructing rocks, the river would become wider.

The flow of time had cut off the ancient passage. Logically speaking, this place should be an exit. After all, on this hill, there were many strange rocks and traces of the Senwaya Range.

These rocks came from there.

And then they were transported here.

As expected, a building similar to a temple was built here.

Just like on the peak of the Senwaya Range, when Kant had been before, he was still protected by a special magics, but after losing that power, it instantly turned into ashes.

The temple there was tainted by the power of the demons, but there was none here.

However, time did not let this temple go.

The former glory finally collapsed. The originally exquisite pillars were also turned into stones under the ravages of time.

The combination of many stones, the close combination, the weathering, the erosion of soil, the omnipresent wind and rain, and the cover of vegetation finally turned this place into a hill.

"The next time you come here, this will be a new village."

Kant smiled.

He turned his head to look at the cavalry behind him and directly rode his horse into the stone road of the ancient passage, at the same time, he ordered, "Rolf, you take 500 Elite Desert Bandit and stay here, and 10 Lion Knights to ensure the safety of this place. I will be back soon."

"Yes!" Rolf immediately nodded. This was not a mission for him.

So many troops stayed behind.

There were also powerful Lion Knights who could run amok in this place.

To the East County, this was a remote place. It was close to the wilderness and a corner that did not worth the attention. Even Kant would not care about the development of his force here. They would even be secretly happy that there was finally someone who could help suppress this place and help to defend against those barbarians!

Chapter 408: The Ancient Passageway

Rolf immediately ordered the Elite Desert Bandit to dismount. He began to set up a temporary camp here. He had also prepared to stay and wait.

After all, this was an important estuary that connected to the Senwaya Range.

If there were any problems, it would be a huge problem that would directly cause a crisis in "Aaron" City!

It didn't matter much if the city was exposed. Since Kant was preparing to conquer the Dukedom of Leo, the exposure of "Aaron" was only a matter of time. After all, this important agricultural city in the mountains had to export all kinds of goods.

"Aaron" City was the supplier of raw materials.

The ancient passage was the channel.

Goods could be exported by land and water.

Using the underground city that was once a god's descendant shelter as a transit point, they could reach the mouth of the river, connect to the vast Resniston River, and then export the goods to the entire human countries and even further regions.

Table salt and date palm were enough to make the merchants to come and trade with them. These goods were the profitable ones in trading!

Kant also planned to build a new village at the mouth of the river.

Including that special building, the lair of the water bandits. In a short period of time, it formed a force that was hard to suppress. It was beyond the imagination of the many noble families in the East County. Kant was able to completely occupy this place.

Behind them was "Aaron", a city that was suitable for the Rhodok people who were good at defend the city.

As long as the troops were gathered here.

Together with the powerful marine troops, there would be no problem in defending this place.

Not to mention the noble families in the East County, even if the Silver Platter Kingdom and the Crimson Sect joined forces, they would probably not be able to do anything to this place. Especially in the ancient passageway and was the underground city as the middle node.

At worst, they could all retreat back to the underground city and defend it.

After all, the passageway was so narrow.

With a small number of troops defending here, no matter how many troops there were, they would not be able to use them!

This was Kant's idea. Building a new village here was basically foolproof. Furthermore, there was the water bandits' lair, which was a crucial recruitment building.

Rhodok troops were defending the city on the ground.

The water bandits from Nord were defending the city on water.

As long as they could clear the rubble at the mouth of the river, remove all the obstacles, dig out and widen the small river in front of them, and merge with the Resniston River. Then, Kant's idea could be achieved.

They would officially step into the territory of the Dukedom of Leo and step onto the stage of history!

"Guard this place carefully."

Kant also paid special attention to the surroundings of this hill.

Looking at the gentle terrain of the surrounding mountains and the slightly protruding position of the ancient passage, he cautiously warned Rolf, "If anyone comes here, you must definitely guard here. You must not easily give up on this place."

Rolf also nodded solemnly. "We will guard this place to the death."

"Very good." Kant nodded in satisfaction.

He gently tapped the horse's belly and rode into the ancient passage.

Behind him, 10 Lion Knights and 50 Lion Squires immediately followed. With a cold and dark air, they completely returned to the ancient passage. Following the faint light that appeared on the stone statue on the wall, they advanced at high speed.

However, Rolf and the Elite Desert Bandits did not follow.

Instead, they set up their tents.

A temporary camp was set up around this hill.

Including the remaining 10 Lion Knights, as well as the 10 Sarrandian Horsemen who had lived by Borg's side for a long time and were familiar with the river, they stayed behind to help Rolf and the Elite Desert Bandit defend the entrance of ancient passage.

In the ancient passage, the rolling hooves of horses beat on the stone pavement. Even the sound of the river had been suppressed.

They moved forward at high speed.

This kind of neatly cut stone pavement was extremely suitable for riding horses.

It was just like the best racetrack. Although it was not a solid layer of soil, it could still withstand force of the galloping warhorses. Furthermore, the surface of the road was flat, which was a big advantage.

The muddy road in the Dukedom of Leo could be considered very bad for the warhorse.

They spurred their horses forward.

They took a short break on the way.

They reached the underground city in about 24 hours.

It was just within one day.

There was no obstruction. Other than the roar of the warhorse, there was only the sound of the river. However, as the familiar environment entered their eyes, it meant that they were on the right path.

In the vast underground space, the stone buildings that had been passed down from ancient times were standing tall.

A large amount of shimmering moss and fluorescent mushrooms were embellished within.

In the gaps between the stone slabs of the square under one's feet.

On the rocks at the edges.

On the surface and corners of the city walls and buildings.

Also, on the top of the head, there were a few stalactites that were simply treated but still hung down like inverted cones. They were all underground luminous plants that provided a shimmering light, allowing this space to not be so dark that it was impossible to see.

But at the end of the city, there were several golden lights that refracted an even brighter light source.

That might not be correct.

It should be called a light pillar.

That's right, it was a bright yellow golden light pillar, just like the light of the sun.

Together with those glowing plants, it finally made this underground city light up. Even though it was as dark as the rainy day, there was absolutely no problem with the basic vision. It didn't matter even if there was no torch lighting.

Kant and his Lion Knights, who already had extraordinary powers, also had very good vision. They could still see things in this dim environment

They rode forward.

The entire dungeon had been cleared, and there were still ashes in the corner.

Faint negative energy was still lingering in the dark, but the entire dungeon was filled with weak positive energy, as if it were spread out by the light pillars.

Of course, that was indeed the case.

"Rest for now."

Kant gave the order.

Since they had arrived at this underground city, it meant that their journey wouldn't be too far.

It would take about half a day to gallop from here to the temple at the bottom of "Aaron" City. This was already a very close distance, and it was entirely thanks to the stone pavement built from ancient times.

Even if one walked on two legs, it would take one day to go back and forth.

If one relied on boats, it would be even faster.

This subterranean river originated from the bottom of "Aaron" City, all the way to the mouth of the hill river in the East County.

When going downstream, even a merchant ship that was full of goods could go directly to the mouth of the river by following the gentle current without having to open its sails. The time needed was estimated to be less than one day.

Even if it was going upstream, it could still move rapidly between the gentle current with the paddle.

Not to mention there was a breeze.

It was the wind from the Resniston River.

The mouth of the hill river was the corner of the big river. The erosion of the current caused the air to flow through countless possible ancient passageways. In this enclosed and relatively gentle space of the subterranean river, it formed the wind that was going against the current.

The specific reason could not be studied in detail.

But in the end.

As long as it was combined with paddling and sailing, the speed of the boat was no less than that of going downstream.

This was the advantage of the new village that located at the mouth of the river in the future. The new village would directly connect to the important "Aaron" City and receive the supplies form it so that it could develop faster.

This new village would develop faster than "Aaron" that it used to be.

Kant was now capable of doing so.

The virtuous circle has begun.

Whether it was ordinary supplies or war preparedness, they are guaranteed by the establishment of castles and cities. As for the new village, whether it was used for exporting supplies or military purpose, it could receive support from Kant's castle and city.

The support included early manpower and investment, and solutions to problems encountered in the development process.

A bonfire was lit.

A little baked bread and dried meat filled their stomachs.

Water sack was also heated in the ashes beside the bonfire, providing hot water for drinking and washing.

After a short rest in the stone house, Kant and the others finally set off again, galloping along the old passage, along the once-familiar road, and moving on.

About half a day passed.

A bright light appeared in front of them.

It was the flickering of torches, and at the same time, a low wall appeared at the end.

When Kant and the others walked in, they realized that it was not a low wall. It was clearly a troop of Rhodok Spearmen holding their spears, guarding against them.

It was clear that the spearmen who were stationed in the temple at all times were very conscientious.

They noticed that there was an inexplicable rumbling sound.

They immediately organized themselves.

Not only were there spearmen at the front, but the crossbowmen also holding Rhodok crossbows, and the Ravenstern Rangers were all ready to shoot.

Of course, this war was not going on.

How could they attack their most respected supreme lord?

"Lord!"

The soldiers stationed here bowed one after another.

At the same time, they quickly disbanded their formation and made way for Kant and the Lion Knights behind them to pass through.

Even within the temple, James, who was originally stationed here, had brought elite soldiers like Rhodok Sergeants, the Rhodok Sharpshooters, and the Ravenstern Sharpshooter to this place.

They had received the news that an unfamiliar cavalry team was approaching, and they had come because they were afraid that something unexpected would happen.

"Lord Kant!"

James hurriedly bowed.

When he saw the figure riding his horse, he quickly walked over and said in pleasant surprise, "I really didn't expect that it would be you. Could it be that you came from the opposite side of the ancient passage?"

"That's right." Kant nodded. "The path has already been opened."

"This is great!" James sighed.

Their plan was succeeded.

They left the temple.

They also came to the city on the peak of the mountain.

Kant left the cave tunnel and raised his head slightly. The stars in the sky were shining brightly, and the moonlight shone on the ground. Obviously, it was night now, and the night was very deep.

"It's in the middle of night."

James also reported the time.

"Oh." Kant nodded. "It's so late."

"Please go to the city hall to rest first, my lord." James also said respectfully, "The development of the city has now reached a stable period. When you have a good rest tomorrow, you will be able to discover the perfection of this city."

"Very good. I look forward to it."

Kant nodded.

When he looked at the outline of the city in the night, he smiled happily.

The development of the city was very good.

Chapter 409: The Changes in the "Aaron" City

Smoke rose again in the night, and the chefs in the kitchen were busy.

The best ingredients were transported from the warehouse at the back, and the food they cooked was extremely delicious. It also had a fresh taste, which made people want to open their mouths and fill their whole bodies with satisfaction.

Especially the Lion Knights who had traveled all the way here, they were even more amazed by the delicious food.

This included Kant.

He still maintained his etiquette and finished the food elegantly.

Kant wiped his hands and mouth with a warm wet towel. With a smile on the corner of his mouth, he praised James who was beside him, "Judging from the food, I can tell that this city is on the right track."

"Of course."

James nodded. "Other than grain, which needs to be imported to catch up with the consumption of the citizens, there is no lack of fresh meat and fish." He paused and he looked very proud. "We will still have a bumper harvest of grain in the autumn. At that time, we won't need to import a large amount of it."

"Very good, very good." Kant nodded in satisfaction. "There is no need to worry about the issue of imports. When the ancient passage is re-opened, the grain from the Dukedom of Leo will continue to be transported over."

"That's great." James looked delighted. "This way, our grain gap will be completely filled."

"Mm." Kant nodded.

The population of this city had already reached 10,000 people. Most of their professions were farmer. Their mission was to reclaim the surrounding mountains, build terraced fields, sprinkle seeds and fertilization, and wait for the harvest in autumn.

Then, a small number of them were artisans and hunter fishermen.

Of course, there were also soldiers.

Currently, there were 1,000 soldiers stationed in the city.

These soldiers were the main force to maintain the stability of the region, especially in the process of expansion. They were the ones who dealt with the threats such as demonized creatures and low-level Jackalan.

"Let's rest for now."

Kant stood up.

It was already late at night. There was no point in continuing to ask about the development of this place.

It would be better to understand it in detail tomorrow. Moreover, Kant was extremely satisfied with the current development of "Aaron" City. Just by looking at the city that was well-organized in the night, he knew that it was developing extremely well.

James also stood up considerately and said, "Lord Kant, the room has been arranged for you."

Beside him, a maid immediately led the way.

The city hall had three floors and was relatively large. The top floor was also a place to rest.

Usually, it was the residence of James and some office workers. However, in order to let the Supreme Lord Kant rest, many people took the initiative to move out, so as not to affect the lord's rest at night.

This was the privilege of a lord in the feudal era. Of course, it was the same in any era.

In the largest room on the third floor.

The decoration was not luxurious, but the interior was neatly arranged.

Compared to the city of Rhodok in the game, the layout of the city hall or lord's hall, this place was much better. At the very least, the big bed made of velvet was very comfortable.

There were two dainty maids waiting at the door. The meaning was obvious.

"You can leave." Kant waved his hand.

He was not too enthusiastic about sports like sex.

Compared to being addicted to this primitive pleasure and becoming a slave of this pleasure, Kant, who had good self-control, was more willing to do such thing after he could control everything.

Moreover, he had traveled an extremely long distance. After nearly half a month, he was already very tired.

He washed up in his room and fell into a deep sleep.

It was a silent night.

He set out from Oasis Lookout's "Drondheim" Castle and went all the way through the central posthouse, Stone Pass, Nali Village, East County City, and the port. Then, he went to the hill river of the Resniston River and passed through the ancient passage before returning to "Aaron" City.

"Aaron" was his rear base, a place where he could sleep soundly.

He went to a deep sleep until his biological woke him up.

Kant finally opened his eyes, stretched his sore body in satisfaction, yawned and sat up on the bed.

It was already bright outside the window next to him, and faint shouts and rhythmic chants could be heard. Kant grabbed his robe and wrapped his body, and he came to the window.

The bright sunlight was a little dazzling.

It was actually noon, the brightest time of the day.

Kant narrowed his eyes.

After his eyes adapted to the light, what appeared in front of him was the city that had been completed at the top of the mountain.

Most of the buildings were typical of Rhodoks's construction style. The three-story small building was like a small fort made of stone and wood. The narrow windows and doors, as well as the relatively narrow streets, were bustling with pedestrians.

Men, women, old people, children, and peddlers who were selling handicrafts with carts.

The city was very lively.

It was a brand-new city.

But it was a city that had already formed a good atmosphere.

People had their own jobs and could receive their salaries at the city hall at any time. After all, they had put in their labor and they would also receive corresponding remuneration in the form of denar.

Compared to the almost public-owned lifestyle of all the members of the "Drondheim" Castle, it was different.

"Aaron" City was a private-owned society.

Various classes had been formed in the city.

They included the immigrant noble, the bourgeois class with small assets, and the laborer, the farmers, and so on.

As for the poor and slaves, none of them could be found here. After all, the city was still in the rapid development stage. With the help of trade with the "Mount and Blade" worlds, two sides had formed a better connection. As long as one was willing to work with their own hand and feet, they could get paid.

Most importantly, the government had built and distributed the house, which was equivalent to free welfare.

All of these were because of the system

But no matter what, the city had been reborn.

Including taxes, including all kinds of output, especially the reclamation of the surrounding land, it was far from being comparable to the "Drondheim" Castle on the Oasis Lookout.

This was the strength of civilian cities, providing an endless supply of materials and funds.

Of course, military castles also had a distinct characteristic, that was the army.

With only military but no civilian life, it would collapse on its own.

If there was only civilian life but no military, then it would be like the fattest lamb, only attracting the greedy gaze of the jackals.

The combination of the two was the most successful, strongest, and most inviolable force. Now Kant had successfully integrated the "Drondheim" Castle and the "Aaron" City together.

The new village that was about to be established was just the icing on the cake for the force that he had already completed.

"Very good." Kant turned around and left the window.

He put on his clothes and opened the door. There were maids waiting outside.

Seeing the Lord come out, she quickly bent her knees and greeted, "My lord, it's noon now and time for lunch. Lord James is getting people to prepare lunch. If you don't mind, please go to the the city hall and eat some desserts for the time being."

"Okay, that's it." Kant nodded and did not treat her as an outsider.

This was his city to begin with.

James was only the mayor that he had entrusted to manage the city.

If Kant could not take the initiative here, it would be equivalent to being abandoned by James and becoming a loner.

However, with the existence of the system, such a thing could not happen. No matter who it was, they would be loyal to Kant, even if it was James. Moreover, these maids did not have much thought and only listened to the arrangements obediently.

They arrived at the hall on the first floor.

The aroma of food wafted from the kitchen, making one gulped down mouthful of saliva.

Lunch was still being prepared. On the table there were sweet cakes and pastries brought by the servants.

It was a fruit cake made from date sugar mixed with the rich fruit resources of the Senwaya Range. It was a combination of flour and eggs, as well as cheese and honey. It was also sprinkled with a little wine. It became a gorgeous desert

It was baked very well. It tasted soft and delicious, and the fruit flavor was rich. It was almost as good as the cakes from his previous life.

Kant ate two or three of them in a row.

During this period of time, James also came back from his busy work outside. When he saw Kant on the main seat, he quickly bowed and said, "Lord Kant, forgive me for being late. I just went to the eastern mountain range. A hunter said that he found a wild apple forest there. After the investigation, we found that it was indeed so. In the future, we will have fresh wild apples to eat."

"How many are there?" Kant was a little curious.

"About 400 acres."

James smiled and said, "The entire mountain is full of wild apple trees. After investigating the surroundings, it seems that there are also hundreds of acres of apple trees. However, because they are wild apples, the yield is also less. It cannot be compared to the planted apple trees."

"This is already very good." Kant nodded in satisfaction. "Very good."

In feudal times, apples were not fruits.

They were a type of food.

For example, apples were boiled and eaten in the west.

In China, the apples were sliced and dried, perhaps sprinkled with salt as a side dish for the next meal.

Even in modern times, Europeans fried apples as a side dish for fried pork chops. It was enough to see the role of this fruit in ancient times, which was equivalent to a main dish.

Even the city of "Aaron" could produce a lot of apple preserves or applesauce.

As long as these it was stored well for a few months, it would not be a problem.

These apples were excellent goods.

The commoners of the Dukedom of Leo could not afford it.

However, it could be exported to other human countries through the Resniston River.

At the very least, Kant knew that the standard of living of the commoners in the Silver Platter Kingdom was slightly better than that of the Dukedom of Leo, which was still feudal. There were many commoners and bourgeoisie, they lived a better life than those poor people who served the noble.

Looking at the Dukedom of Leo, in order to maintain its huge military strength, the civilian class had already withered.

Most of them were landlords and merchants.

Or they were the knights and knight attendants who were given the title by the dukedom.

All of them relied on the noble to survive. There were very few free citizens who could support themselves on their own.

This also caused the commerce in the Dukedom of Leo to flow from the upper class. As for the commoners and poor people at the bottom, as well as the farmer who worked in the field's day and night, they did not have much purchasing power.

This was the case even for the wealthier South County.

The concentration of wealth at the upper class caused a huge gap between the rich and the poor.

Chapter 410: A Reminder to James

The Senwaya Range was rich in hidden resources.

The newly discovered wild apple forest was just another addition to the original rich resources, and there were new discoveries every day.

In the hall, James reported to Kant in detail about the recent changes in the city.

He had also written a brief report.

Kant flipped through it carefully and looked at the information on the construction of the city. He nodded in satisfaction. "It's been hard on you during this period of time. You have definitely contributed to the development of this city."

"Everything is for your service." James lowered his head humbly.

"My compliment is sincere." Kant put down the briefing.

He stood up, went to the window, and looked at the city under the sun.

The crowd was still bustling. Other than the lack of livestock and a large number of carriages, it was as lively as the East County. People were busy with smiles on their faces, with hope for the future.

On the city wall, Rhodok Footmen were patrolling with long spears in their hands.

Archers and crossbowmen were stationed on the arrow towers and towers.

It was peaceful and harmonious.

It was full of vigor and prosperity.

Even on the hilltop outside the mountain peak, there were many peasant farmers holding farm tools in their hands. In their respective teams, they worked hard to open up the hillsides. They worked together to transport rocks and bags of soil, building terraced fields.

There was also an elevated canal with terraced fields. They used water carts to lift water from the river to form a diversion.

They irrigated most of the terraced fields that had been built.

Looked at the agriculture, the wheat fields were already full of green seedlings.

There were also tiny vines in the chickpea fields that twined around the sticks that had been planted beforehand.

There were also daffodils, which drew out small green plants. In the autumn, its red petals would be the most important raw material for making dyes, which could be used to dye the cloth with beautiful patterns.

In this lush agricultural terraced field, the distribution of animal husbandry was also very meticulous.

Flocks of sheep were being driven by the shepherds.

Their bodies were covered in white fleece. They looked a little fat, but in fact, they were quite strong. Looking at their vigorous figures, shuttling through the mountains, eating wild grass leisurely. It could be seen that these sheep were very comfortable here.

These sheep provided wool.

In the crafts area on the mountaintop, many farmers and women were washing and knitting wool.

Wool blankets, woolen sweaters, and other similar materials had already formed a scale and industry. Now, many people were wearing wool products that were breathable and warm.

On the mountainside.

Hundreds of grouses were flapping their wings and running back and forth.

In the fields, they pecked at the pests that could bring disaster to agriculture while feeding themselves. Then they contributed themselves into eggs on the table, chicken meat, and feathers on arrows in the military industry.

Swarms of bees flew past, humming and sucking the pollen from the wildflowers in the mountains.

It was late summer.

But there were always some flowers that pollinated.

Almost every week, they would harvest sweet honey from the hive, but because of the production problem, it could only be directly provided to Kant and a few commanders. The rest would all go to the sugar workshop and be mixed into date palm candies.

Sugar was a luxury condiment that was no less than salt, sometimes it was even slightly higher priced.

No one could refuse the sweet taste.

In fact, sugar was also seen as a kind of spice.

Now the "Aaron", is increasing the diversion of honeycomb, let more bees to separate the nest to increase production faster, get more honey, make more date palm sugar cubes.

But sugar is needed to be processed, the requirements of raw materials are higher. The overall output was far inferior to that of salt-making.

After all, Kant still had an endless stretch of salt and alkali soil in the depths of the Nahrin Desert.

That was the landscape formed by the salt lakes in ancient times that gradually dried up over ten thousand years. If one used manpower, one could dig up a large amount of white and raw coarse salt. With a little filtering and boiling, it would become edible coarse salt.

If there were more detailed processes, the edible coarse salt could completely become fine, white salt that was sought after by the noble.

However, the status of "Aaron" City was increasing day by day.

Although it did not have a pillar of table salt industry.

But with the development of agriculture, a large number of resources were discovered in the Senwaya Range, and the opening of the ancient passage, all indicated that the city was about to enter its glory.

Especially the connection to the Resniston River, it brought this glory to its peak.

"Aaron" City was a well-deserved foundation.

An endless stream of food was produced.

A large number of military supplies were produced.

"Drondheim" Castle had already completely placed the military factories here, including more handicraft and agriculture. All that was left in the castle was the military force and a small amount of subsistence agriculture.

This was why Kant praised James.

Every time he came here, he would find new changes in the city.

James was a doctor, but his management ability was also pretty good.

More and more prosperous changes appeared in front of him, this was the reason why Kant praised James, which really surprised him.

One had to know that in the beginning, this was just a small village.

Even the peak of the mountain was not fully occupied.

But at this time, this brand-new city with a population of more than 10,000 people was finally took shape.

James was the biggest contributor!

"The new village is about to be built." Kant turned his head.

He looked at James who was following beside him. "When the time comes, Rolf will temporarily be stationed there. I hope that you can provide the necessary assistance to help Rolf stabilize the situation of development."

"Understood." James nodded. "I will provide the necessary help and advice on management."

Kant nodded in satisfaction. "Very good."

He knew that James understood the meaning in his words.

After all, Rolf was an evil NPC and a war-type general. He was not good at managing a city.

Managing an estate was okay to him. He could use force and brutality to deter anyone. He could use strict rule and cruel methods to deter potential enemies who dared to resist. All of these were very useful in the newly conquered territory.

However, in the newly established village, it was undoubtedly not possible.

Stability and passion were needed.

Cruel rule would only bring complaints.

Even if Rolf did not pose a threat to the civilians on his side, he would still reveal the rule method that he was best at.

If he was really good at managing the estate, then this scoundrel noble came from a kingdom in the east, would not be forced to come to the Continent of Caradia to make a fortune because of the bankruptcy of his estate.

And in the game, it had also been said that Rolf's management level was poor.

After the players ruled the entire continent.

Rolf said that he wanted to return to his hometown.

But he wouldn't be back for long, and the reason was that he had used up all the property he had earned.

This simply showed that Rolf, a general who was good at killing, had no concept of building and managing his estate. He was really suitable to be the executioner and work for the noble that he loyal to.

Chapter 411: Planned River Mouth Village

A lunch of exquisite and delicious food ended near evening.

During the meal, Kant and James had a detailed discussion about the future planning, especially on the other side of the ancient passage, the new village that was to be built at the river mouth.

This was Kant's third village.

It was also the third stronghold of his force, a powerful castle that was about to be developed.

Kant intended to build that new village into a castle with more prominent military uses.

This was related to the distribution of his force. After all, the mouth of the river was where the Dukedom of Leo, the Silver Platter Kingdom, and the Wildland intersected. There were also many hidden forces, such as the Crimson Sect, the water bandits of the Resniston River, and the fleets of various human countries.

It could be said that just by being at the mouth of the river, it was equivalent to being at the center of a storm.

It was easy to build a village.

It was also easy to develop.

However, it was very hard to survive the malicious attacks from many forces.

A city was a cluster of civilian buildings. Although there were also city walls and arrow towers to protect the outer shell, compared to a military castle that could be armed with the most sophisticated and sturdy city defense, a regular city was still slightly weaker in defense.

The towering castle was the main body, and there were city walls and arrow towers as defense lines.

Even if it were broken through, the castle itself could continue to resist the enemies.

In the feudal era, the castle system of Western Europe was like a turtle shell that strengthened defense.

During the period of cold weapons, even if there were millions of soldiers and all kinds of siege weapons, facing a well-built high-level castle, it would be still very hard to break through the castle despite only a thousand soldiers were guarding it.

The advantage in numbers was useless against such a huge stone building.

Even if there were siege weapons, it would be the same.

In the cold weapon era, no army could easily defeat the defending soldiers of the castle and completely occupy this military building that had an absolute position in the history of defense.

Only in the era of thermal weapons, which was after the invention of cannons, did this phenomenon end.

However, at that time, the castle had already evolved into a prism.

The city walls were no longer tall.

However, they were thick and heavy.

The main body of the castle was no longer huge.

However, the scattered military buildings could be closely connected.

With the cannons of the defenders, the firearms of the footmen, and a well-built prism, it would not be a problem to defend against tens of times the enemy. It was the strong performance of European city defense!

The current Kant's troop class was elite, but they were few in number. He could not achieve an advantage in troop size with short-term training of soldiers.

This could not be compared to those forces with historical foundations.

Kant was worried about the sea of people tactic.

If 10 natives were exchanged for the lives of one soldier from the system, then it would be a loss for Kant.

For Kant, it was a loss-making deal. Because in his force, there were only 10,000 soldiers. This was already his limit. After all, his population was only 25,000 people.

It was equivalent to 2.5 civilians supporting one soldier, and more than half of them were cavalry!

If it was not for the table salt trade that brought Kant an endless supply of denar or the countless "Mount and Blade" worlds backing him up, Kant would have long collapsed in front of the huge military force that he was struggling to maintain. He would have completely lost the capital to conquer this world.

This was the reason why Kant did not launch a direct attack on the Dukedom of Leo.

Once the existing trading system was destroyed or the planned dumping system for the colonies had not yet been established, it would be very troublesome to Kant.

He could not maintain such a huge army. With the maintenance fee of nearly 100,000 denars per week, Kant would not dare to take risks. It was really like dancing on the edge of a cliff.

100,000 denars per week.

That would be 400,000 denars per month.

The trade in table salt was conducted every two weeks, and each time it yielded 250,000 denars.

The monthly revenue was 500,000 denars, but after taking out 400,000 for the maintenance of the army and taking out all the food that the army and the people consumed on a daily basis, as well as the miscellaneous expenses, there was basically not much denar left.

The possibility of recruiting huge number of soldiers was not high in Kant's plan.

Of course, he still needed to recruit more soldiers.

The next step to deal with the siege of many enemies would be a bloody battle.

Kant needed to quickly build a new village at the mouth of the river. At the same time, he also needed to quickly upgrade the village to a fortress, and finally level up to a castle as fast as possible.

This was the only way to secure the area.

However, others would not pretend to ignore it.

The mouth of the river was very close to the Resniston River.

If the merchant ships on the river looked to the north, they would be able to discover the new village at the mouth of the river. Furthermore, it was a bigger fortress or a huge castle.

It was estimated that once the fortress was built, the enemy's attack would come.

Therefore, Kant had to discuss it carefully.

If the village was built, then he had to give it his all and upgrade this village to a very powerful fortress.

If they were lucky, they could upgrade the fortress to the early stage of the castle before the enemies could react, it would be easier to deal with the enemies. Therefore, their task load was extremely heavy and all of it was placed on this city.

"Aaron", this city in the middle of the Senwaya Range would be the backing of the new village!

They talked all night long.

Kant and James discussed until late at night before they went to rest.

In the morning of the next day, there were Desert Bandits stationed at the mountain pass posthouse. They had already spurred their horses and galloped in the Nahrin Desert. They were ready to head to the Lookout Oasis, "Drondheim" Castle, to deliver the order.

The "Drondheim" Castle was temporarily guarded by Manid and Joslin.

There were no abnormalities at the moment.

But they didn't let down their guard either.

Manid had completely given the authority of the table salt trade to the former leader of the trade caravan, Joslin, and asked him to replace him in the table salt trade with the Stone Pass.

As for Manid, he led his troops to patrol the Nahrin Desert.

With the Oasis Lookout as the center and from the salt mine posthouse to the central posthouse, many troops were deployed.

The large number of light cavalries mixed with a small number of elite heavy cavalry was extremely intimidating.

However, these troops were indeed put in use, especially at the salt mine posthouse. These cavalries defeated many small groups of skeleton cavalries that were still trying to infiltrate here, protecting the newly built salt mine posthouse.

In the vicinity of the central posthouse, there were also many spies sent by the Dukedom of Leo.

The Nahrin Desert was already in danger.

Kant's plan was to tear a hole in the predicament of being besieged, allowing his power to spread out and truly touch the side of the human countries. Using the various suspicions and instability of the human forces, in exchange for his rapid development in balance!

Chapter 412: A Sudden War

Kant did not wait long in "Aaron" City.

As the Desert Bandits gave the order, the reinforcements from "Drondheim" Castle immediately set off. They were all cavalry troops with strong mobility. In just seven days, they had arrived at the mountain pass posthouse.

However, the troops that were mobilized this time were not the Heavy Cavalry of Kingdom of Swadia.

They were the troops of the Sarrand Sultanate.

Five hundred Mamlukes, one thousand and five hundred Sarrandian Horsemen and two thousand Desert Bandits had formed this cavalry unit.

The appearance of their equipment made the valiant aura of these Sarrand Sultanate cavalry unquestionable. Their powerful aura circulated, and they weren't inferior to the troop class of the Kingdom of Swadia.

They were also top-notch elites. They were the powerful cavalries that could face the enemy head-on and destroy all enemy!

The Sarrand Sultanate was originally a strong cavalry country.

Their top-notch cavalry troop, Mamluke, was second only to the Kingdom of Swadia's cavalry.

Even the Level-4 Sarrandian Horseman was slightly weaker to the Swadian Heavy Cavalries and Khergit Khanate's Lance Cavalries because their warhorse did not wear armor. However, they were still valiant as they belonged to the commando troop.

On a battlefield, they could defeat every footman, including the Rhodok and Nord people.

On a plain battlefield, cavalry was the true main force.

At the hill where Kant was about to build a new village, apart from the Resniston River, the hill was actually covered by a vast plain area in all four directions!

Cavalry was not the only force in a troop.

Footmen were indispensable.

A footman formation formed by the Rhodok people.

Just like their reputation, they were tenacious and tough, just like the rocks in the Rhodok Mountains.

Heavy iron armor was draped over their bodies, thick shields were carried on their shoulders, heavy and sharp battle knives or one-handed battle hammers were slung over their waists, and heavy two-handed machetes like halberd were tied to their backs, they were just like human-shaped tanks.

As he walked, the equipment collided with each other with a light sound.

Five hundred Rhodok Sergeants.

One thousand Rhodok Veteran Spearmen.

Five hundred Rhodok Veteran Crossbowmen.

This was the main infantry force that had been transferred from the "Aaron" City, a city full of Rhodok people.

Of course, there was also support from the Kingdom of Ravenstern. A total of 500 Ravenston Rangers had also joined the Rhodok team to fill in the gaps of the crossbowmen.

However, this filling in firepower was not inferior to the crossbowmen's heavy crossbows.

They could shoot out the arrows as dense as an unstoppable rainstorm.

Any enemy would be helpless against this group of elite archers.

Perhaps these Ravenstern Rangers 'single cone arrows did not deal as much damage as the heavy crossbows of Rhodok Veteran Crossbowmen who used more powerful steel crossbow, but they were better at being shooting out the arrows continuously.

Each ranger was equipped with 60 awl arrows.

The shooting duration was longer.

Together with the extremely powerful heavy crossbows, these two troops were simply a match made in heaven.

Faced with the terrifying steel crossbow arrows, the enemies were shot through armor and fell to the ground in pain.

The lucky ones scattered in fear, but they would not expect the even denser number of awl arrows to follow closely behind them. The arrows continued to deal damage, and one by one, they were killed on the way forward.

A total of 6,000 troops were about to set off.

"Aaron" City had even sent out many civilians to follow behind them.

These were the supplies for the future.

When the troops set off, the logistics line had to be guaranteed. The plan was well thought.

In the ancient passage, the roads were perfect. Not only were there stone roads that were easy to march on, but there was also a waterway that could be used to transport supplies. As long as they had people to build a few simple rafts, they could transport supplies down the river.

Of course, after the Water Bandits' Lair was built, there would be special oars and warships to transport the supplies.

Furthermore, there would be a transfer station for the supplies, the underground city.

Kant had already arranged for people to go over and prepare to renovate the underground city.

That underground city did not need extra buildings. If it were converted into a material storage and transfer station, as well as a logistics point, it would be fine. No matter what happened, they would be able to provide timely support.

After all, the underground city was only a little more than a day's journey from the river mouth.

This was just the speed of riding a horse.

If they traveled by water, it would be even faster!

When the time came, the underground city that was once the ancient god's descendant shelter and sealed land would become the crucial middle station between the "Aaron" City and the new village. A large number of resources would pass through this station and continuously reach the village.

At the same time, at certain moments of crisis, the entire village could retreat and enter the underground city to temporarily hide from danger.

As long as they waited for the reinforcement to arrive, they would be able to counterattack at any time.

This was also Kant and James's plan.

The plan was also being carried out in an orderly manner as time passed.

Large number of resources drifted down smoothly with the raft and directly reached the underground city. Then, they would be transported ashore by the peasant farmers who were waiting there with hooks and piled up in the temporary warehoused.

The troops that had been mobilized had already moved into the underground city.

Torches were lit.

The entire underground city was brightly lit.

The temporary transit command center had been set up, and Kant and James were temporarily stationed here.

At the same time, when Kant went to the river mouth to build a new village, James would also be stationed here for a short period of time, using the resources from "Aaron" City to fully supply the expenses and development of the new village.

Everything went very smoothly.

However, accidents still happened.

Elite Desert Bandit were covered in blood and rode their horses over.

With an anxious face, they half-knelt in front of Kant, they quickly reported, "Lord Kant! Just two days ago, we encountered an attack from the forces of the Crimson Sect. Lord Rolf has already forced back the enemy's attacks several times, but they are coming aggressively, and their numbers are increasing. We can no longer hold on!"

"What?" Kant was slightly stunned. He had yet to react. Those fellows of the Crimson Sect actually dared to directly launch an attack on him. This made him not know whether to laugh or cry.

The powerful troops were right behind him.

They could set off at any time.

But those fellows of the Crimson Sect were really brainless. They really thought that they could defeat Kant.

Taking the initiative to attack him, they were simply tired of living!

"I understand." Kant nodded.

The figure who was originally sitting behind the table also stood up and ordered in a deep voice, "Gather all the troops. The target is the river mouth. Get ready to set off!"

"Yes!"

The Desert Bandits who served as the messenger immediately received the order and left.

Immediately, the voice spread throughout the underground city.

The troops gathered.

Let's go!

Chapter 413: The Strength of the Reinforcements

The troops that were already prepared immediately set out.

A rumbling sound could be heard, it was the orderly footsteps stepping on the solid stone pavement.

The cavalry with better mobility set out first. Groups of Desert Bandits spread out. As the scouts, the cavalries charged at the front. Behind them were the Sarrandian Horsemen as well as the most elite heavy armored cavalry, Mamlukes.

Kant personally led the footmen and walked forward quickly, forming a snake-like formation.

The 6,000-man army was not a small number.

In the Dukedom of Leo, the main force that was gathered was about the same number.

Of course, Kant also understood that the troops gathered by the richest South County were actually better equipped than his 6,000-man troop.

For example, the largest number of Desert Bandits, the multi-purpose light cavalry, was obviously the most backward.

Especially the equipment.

Desert Bandits were still equipped with leather armor. It wasn't even inlaid with iron armor, it was the simplest scale armor.

The shield was also the most ordinary scale armor. It was simply covered with a thin layer of leather on the round wooden shield to reduce the impact of the attack and increase the sturdiness of the shield itself.

It was also the simplest upgrade version of the round wooden shield.

Perhaps the only things that were worthy of praise were the short pilum on their backs and the scimitar in their hands. These were the top-notch weapons.

As for the desert horse that a Desert Bandit rode on, it was also an ordinary horse, not a warhorse. It was still inferior to the Sarrandian Horse that rode by the Sarrandian Horseman.

The only advantage it had was it had adapted to the desert environment. However, outside of the desert and desert terrain, it was actually no different from the horses that ordinary people rode on the plains. It was just a different kind of traveling horse.

The Desert Bandits were far inferior to the main force of the Dukedom of Leo. The knights and knight attendants formed a knight regiment.

It could be said that almost all of the knight attendants could be considered as assault knights like the Sarrandian Horseman.

As for the more elite knights, because of the outstanding finances of the Dukedom of Leo's Southern County, they were also covered in heavy armor. They were similar to the Swadian Cavalry and the Swadian Knight. They were the absolute tanks that pressed forward on the land!

They walked and stopped, and with the strict marching speed, they were relaxed and disciplined along the way.

The situation at the mouth of the river was critical.

However, they definitely could not be so flustered that they could ignore everything.

Kant was very calm, because he knew that in the team at the mouth of the river, not only Rolf, the general who was good at commanding battles, there were also 10 Sarleon Lion Knights as high-end combat strength to hold the line.

Just these 10 Sarleon Lion Knights were enough to defend against at least 300-man troop.

In addition, there were nearly 500 Elite Desert Bandit.

Defending the river mouth was very simple.

Kant did not believe that those guys from the Crimson Sect could easily break through Rolf's defense line.

Although there would definitely be casualties during this period of time, how could there not be casualties in a war? Those Elite Desert Bandits were in fact ready to sacrifice themselves.

In their eyes, their deaths were valuable and worthy of praise.

The troops marched.

Three days later, they finally reached the exit of the ancient passage which was also the river mouth. They arrived as expected time. After all, the footmen slowed down the speed of the march.

Just based on the cavalry's march, they could reach the river mouth in one day.

Of course, footmen couldn't.

They were fully armed.

They carried all kinds of supplies.

Using two legs to reach the river mouth in three days was already amazing.

This was also due to the excellent roads. If it were the rugged dirt roads in the North County and East County, they could probably reach the mouth of the river in a week. Moreover, there would be people who would hurt their ankles due to the rugged roads.

This was a fact. could the roads in the feudal era be compared to the wide and smooth asphalt roads in modern times?

However, when they reached the mouth of the river.

The intense battle cries were already transmitted from the outside.

The battle was very intense, so much so that at the mouth of the cave, there were people moving around. Many wounded people covered in blood were also dragged back from the front line. There were even many people directly lying on the side of the mouth of the cave. There were nearly a hundred of them.

They were all Elite Desert Bandits. The iron-plated scale armor on their bodies were all tattered. It was obvious that they had suffered heavy injuries!

"My lord!"

Desert Bandits quickly reported from the front, "The enemy is attacking the entrance of the cave!"

"Yes." Kant frowned and asked in a deep voice, "How is the battle situation? How are Rolf and the Lion Knights? Why do I see that the outer positions have basically been lost? Have they all retreated into the tunnel?"

"Yes, my Lord, the battle situation is intense."

The Desert Bandit continued, "The enemy is the Crimson Sect's troops. They are mainly lance soldiers. They even brought ballistae to attack the us. They have completely suppressed the cavalries led by Rolf. They can only let a small number of cavalries guard the entrance of the cave. He and a team of cavalries have left here to engage in guerilla warfare and pin down the enemy who is attacking the entrance of the cave!"

"Okay." Kant's face returned to its usual calm.

After pondering for a moment, he did not hesitate. He waved his hand and gave the order, "Rhodok footmen, prepare to advance. Take the lead and take the position outside the cave entrance. Get into formation and stop the enemy from attacking further." He continued, "Rhodok Sharpshooter, continue to attack. Take the lead and kill the enemy's ballista operators!"

"Yes!" an orderly response came from behind.

Rhodok Sergeant and the captain of Rhodok Veteran Spearmen gave their orders.

As the orderly footsteps continued to ring out, these footmen dressed in heavy armor, holding large shields, long spears and halberd in their hands. They quickly pushed forward. They passed the cavalry and quickly arrived at the entrance of the cave. Raising their shields, they raised their spears and machetes in front of them, protecting the Elite Desert Bandits behind them.

Clanging sounds rang out. The thick shields completely blocked off any attacks from the enemies

They could defend against arrows and spears attack from the enemies.

After all, this was the shield that the Rhodok people were most proud of. It could easily withstand the spears of the Swadian, the flying axes of the Nords, the bardiche of the Vaegirs, the sharp arrows of the Khergits, and the machetes of the Sarrandan!

"Kill!"

Following the captain's angry roar, most of the Rhodok Sergeants and the Veteran Spearmen continued to advance in silence.

They were like the rocks in the Rhodok Mountains, advancing step by step, creating a bloody path. The enemies outside the cave, who had already taken the initiative, panicked and began to retreat step by step.

The lance soldiers of the Crimson Sect, who were wearing mail armor, holding long spears, and black robes, did not react in time.

Or rather, they did not think that there would be reinforcements appeared from the entrance of the cave.

They had originally thought that this was just a relic, a dead end.

Originally, they had surrounded this group of people was like catching a turtle in a jar. Moreover, there were ballistae and archers as the powerful firepower to support the formation. The lance soldiers pressed forward step by step, waiting for the final victory.

But who would have thought that the reinforcements would appear, and they were actually elite spearmen who wore such fine armor and had thick and heavy shields!

Those large shields were raised side by side and formed a formation

They were like a low wall.

For a moment, the pressure made the Crimson Sect's lancers dare not continue forward. Instead, they retreated.

Because in the gaps of the low wall, long spears that were like poisonous snakes thrusting out. The three-meter-long spear and the sharp tip of the spear were extremely deadly!

Chapter 414: Declaration of the End of the Battle

The Rhodok people had studied the spear, but they had reached the point where they had gone mad.

This was no wonder.

After all, right next to them was the Kingdom of Swadia, where cavalry was their main force in battles.

Only by relying on the complicated geographical location of the mountain region of Kingdom of Rhodoks, could they obstruct the heavy cavalries of the Kingdom of Swadia. However, if they wanted to defeat their former suzerain, they had to develop an army that could restrain the heavy cavalry.

The heavy armor and spear footmen were the troop class that these Rhodok people chose.

Reality proved that they were extremely useful.

They continued to develop their excellent defense.

The dense troops formed a solid defensive line that was like a mountain rock. Together with the sharp spear, they pressed layer upon layer towards the enemy's formation. They were not greedy for merit and did not advance rashly. From time to time, there would be crossbowmen who held heavy crossbows to counterattack. Their combat strength was extremely terrifying.

At the very least, under such a formation, many kingdoms in the entire Continent of Caradia were helpless against them.

They were like the porcupines made of rocks.

They could not charge through them.

They could not bite through them.

There were more sharp external spikes.

If the enemies accidentally charged to this Rhodok formation, they would be in an even more miserable situation.

For example, the Crimson Sect's lancers could only press against the tower shield when they stabbed forward with their spears. However, they still had to worry about the sharp spears piercing through the shield formation.

The sharp cold spears were extremely deadly. They were aimed at the throat, chest, and thighs, which had weaker defense.

In a short moment.

Dozens of Crimson Sect's lancers fell to the ground, howling in pain.

Then, the Rhodok footmen behind the tower shield pushed forward step by step and pressed over. They squeezed out a space and arrived in front of the injured spearmen who were lying on the ground. Then, the footmen smashed them by one-handed war hammers.

Their skulls were cracked, and they were directly smashed until blood flowed out of their seven orifices. They could not be more dead.

Their methods were cruel.

They did not even leave any survivors!

This made the Crimson Sect spearmen even more terrified.

People were all afraid of the Crimson Sect's lancers. In fact, they were the lance-wielding soldiers that Viscount Gibran had trained in Avilis Castle. However, they had been transferred to Mountain of Death and became the Crimson Sect's private soldiers.

They were not the elite troop class of the Crimson Sect. They were just the squire troops guarding the periphery of Mountain of Death.

There was no need for them to risk their lives for the Crimson Sect.

Therefore, they were retreating.

Moreover, they knew that two ballistae were waiting behind them.

There were still more than 200 strong archers. They could completely form the formation of the ballistae. The strong archers could cover and fire, turning these heavy-armored Rhodok Spearmen, who had amazing defense but were very slow, into a dead porcupine!

At the back, the commander of the Crimson Sect's lancers thought the same thing.

His eyes were slightly scarlet.

The aura of the devil was circulating around him.

He was a superior from Mountain of Death, a member of the Crimson Sect. Because the Devil General had given him great power, he, who was once a peasant, was now able to control this army.

He was an absolute loyalist to Crimson Sect.

That was why he personally led the army here.

As long as he massacred this group of cavalries that had once heavily injured Viscount Gibran, he would be able to obtain even greater power when he returned. When he thought of this, he could not help but tremble with excitement and fanaticism.

As he gave the order, the lancers at the front continuously retreated and spread out, making way for the ballistae at the rear.

The lances were already placed on top of the two ballistae as the projectiles.

The powerful lance could be shot out like an arrow.

Even the thick tower shield would not be able to block it. It would directly pierce through the body of the person behind it, nailing the mighty heavy armored soldier to the ground. He would slowly die with a mournful wail.

This was a siege weapon. In the field, its power was like an ancient version of a cannon!

But before the it could be fired, groups of crossbowmen rushed out quickly from the cave.

They were all Rhodok Veteran Crossbowmen. They held the best heavy crossbows in their hands. They quickly walked to the side of the cave and lined up in formation. In an extremely short period of time, they pulled the trigger.

"Whoosh, whoosh, Whoosh." the sound of the steel crossbow bolts tearing through the air was incessant.

And within a range of 100 meters, the ballista, which was originally in an absolutely safe position, had been destroyed.

The steel bolts were like a torrential rain, instantly piercing over. The operators, who had not had the time to react, were instantly pierced through by the steel bolts. The leather armor on their bodies could not withstand it. One by one, they retreated in pain and collapsed on the ground. Then, they died horribly painful.

As for the operators who were lucky enough to survive after hiding behind the ballista, they watched all of this in horror. They threw down the tools in their hands and fled to the back.

Faced with such accurate shooting, no one dared to continue stay at their position.

They did not need to risk their lives.

However, behind them, the Crimson Sect's barrier troop dressed in black robes appeared on their escape route.

The commander with a gloomy expression waved his hand. He waved his longsword and slashed the escaping operators. Instantly, the heads and necks of the operators were separated, and they were killed on the spot, intimidating the soldiers whose morale had already been shaken.

The rule of the Crimson Sect itself was based on terror.

This method was very normal.

However, even with the existence of the barrier troop, it was still unable to raise the already depressed morale.

This was because the heavy armored long lance soldiers with tower shields had already advanced, causing the Crimson Sect's long lance soldiers to be forced to retreat. They had no intention of resisting at all, not to mention that they did not have any means to resist.

Among them, the one with the best equipment was wearing mail armor. Most of them were wearing iron-scale armor.

However, against the existence in front of them that was obviously a troop of elite footmen, what could they use to resist?

It was impossible!

At the entrance of the cave, more troops appeared.

The archers with bows climbed to the top of the hill, followed by a continuous rain of arrows that covered the bodies of the lance-wielding soldiers.

However, when the Crimson Sect's archers wanted to counterattack, they were immediately scattered by the steel bolts.

They had completely lost the ability to fight!

Their morale was extremely low.

Moreover, there were close to 200 light cavalry soldiers on the periphery who were still running around and attacking them.

From time to time, short pilums would be thrown at them. If anyone was left behind, the Desert Bandits would form into a group and pull out their scimitars. They charged forward with their spears and slaughtered all the soldiers of the Crimson Sect who were alone.

"What's going on..."

The commander of the Crimson Sect had a look of madness and despair in his eyes.

This should have been his victory, but he did not expect that there would be so many reinforcements from the mouth of the cave. He did not believe that there would be so many troops hidden inside.

Perhaps, the mouth of the cave was actually an underground passage!

His guess was correct.

But it was useless.

Just at the hole, Kant had already led a large number of cavalries to rush out.

Along with the roar of the warhorses, more and more Desert Bandits pounced out and spread out towards the empty plains beside them. Among them were the Sarrandian Horsemen with excellent equipment, as well as the fully armored Mamlukes!

This battle, which had continued for several days, could finally be declared over.

Chapter 415: The Defeated Soldiers Chose to Surrender

The soldiers rushed out of the ancient passage and formed up on the plains of the East County.

Mamlukes, who were as wearing heavy armor including their horses, were in the front while the Sarrandian Horseman were behind. The Desert Bandits, who were slightly poorly equipped, spread out their short pilums on both wings and began their attack with a loud rumble.

The galloping of the 3,000 cavalries made the ground seem as if it was shaking, as if it was an earthquake.

The Crimson Sect's lance soldiers drew back in fear.

No one stopped them.

Even the devil cult members, who were supposed to be the barrier troops, were drew back as well.

In other words, this so-called drew back was more appropriate to call it a retreat. They were panicking and did not dare to face this cavalry troop, which was at least three times larger than their own. They were running away in fear!

The troop of Crimson Sect was completely collapsed.

Their dense spear formation formed by the lance soldiers could indeed restrain the cavalries.

However, if there were too many cavalries that outnumbered their own footmen, then even this so-called lance formation would eventually become a fragile turtle shell that was easily broken. Sooner or later, it would shatter, there was no way to obstruct the cavalry's path of charge. They could not even achieve the achievement of steppingstones.

Facing the charge of three thousand cavalries, it felt like the earth was shaking and the mountains were collapsing. Countless hooves were pounding on the ground, and the rumbling sound was like a rolling thunder.

The footmen who weren't mentally prepared couldn't stay calm in front of this cavalry group.

At the very least, these Crimson Sect's lance soldiers couldn't remain calm.

They were only mercenaries who were paid to do things.

Although they were also lance soldiers trained by Avilis Castle, it didn't mean that they were willing to be loyal to the Crimson Sect. They were not willing to work for this terrifying cult unconditionally.

Last month, they still didn't know that the true controller of Mountain of Death was the Crimson Sect.

Originally, they had been trained by Avilis Castle to guard this mountain. In name, they were here to prevent the invasion of the North County and South County, as well as to serve as a reserve team to defend against the invasion of the Silver Platter Kingdom.

As for the Demonic Sect or the Crimson Sect, they didn't have much thought about it.

It didn't matter.

After all, they were paid to do things.

It was better to protect their homes and protect the East County.

As the original residents of this place, they naturally had a deep love for their homes.

However, they didn't expect that in less than a month's time, Viscount Gibran, who had lost an arm, would come to Mountain of Death. The Crimson Sect that had been secretly preaching was suddenly in charge.

The entire world seemed to have undergone an earth-shaking change. The Crimson Sect members with terrifying power had also appeared on Mountain of Death.

They were stronger than the trained lance soldiers!

After that, they had nothing to do with it.

They were all driven away.

However, they were not let go. Instead, they came to the foot of the mountain to be responsible for guarding it and became the outer defense line. They were once led by their middle-level and high-level commanders, but in reality, these commanders had become the dark red cult's believers at some point in time.

Only the soldiers at the bottom level were deceived, and they waited at a loss.

Then, they came to this moment.

They were strangled by Kant's cavalries on the road of escape.

A large number of corpses appeared on the east side of the small river beside them. Not far away, on the Resniston River, there were more than a dozen large transport ships. They hurriedly pulled open their sails and fled down the river.

They did not even care about their own people who had yet to board the ships on the shore.

In a short moment, over a thousand Crimson Sect's lance soldiers were annihilated.

There were still over four hundred smart people who threw away their weapons. They knelt on the ground and raised their hands. They did not dare to move and chose to surrender. Their expressions were extremely respectful. However, looking at their trembling bodies, they knew that they were extremely afraid.

However, they were indeed safe. No one cared about them.

Warhorses swept past them.

A cold glint of scimitars and spears flashed past their heads.

The cold chill made their backs break out in cold sweat, but fortunately, their surrender also brought them temporary safety. They were not massacred.

Groups of cavalries stopped their charging footsteps on the riverbank of the Resniston River.

Behind them were the corpses of those who dared to resist.

There were also those who knelt down and chose to surrender.

One by one, the Desert Bandits used hemp ropes to tie up the surrendered soldiers. Hence, there was a new labor force on the salt mine in the depths of the Nahrin Desert, which could be used to mine coarse salt.

Ever since the last invasion of the undead and the death of all the salt-mining slaves, the output of salt had not increased.

Using the famers from the system for mining were too expensive.

It was better to use slaves. These captives were very docile, especially when faced with the threat of death. They could often burst forth with extremely high labor standards. In order to survive, these people would do anything.

Of course, this so-called survival also meant that they would submit to Kant.

If they became captives and slaves, they would lose their dignity.

"Take them away!" Rolf also urged his horse over.

Behind him were the Elite Desert Bandit who were covered in blood, and everyone was injured.

Looking at these captives, his looked disgusted by them. He even used his horsewhip to ruthlessly whip those dark red cult disciples. He pointed at those fellows whose eyes were suffused with red light but still was afraid. He said fiercely, "As for these cult disciples, don't keep them. Kill them all. They aren't good people!"

"No! We surrender! Don't kill us! We surrender!"

The followers of the Crimson Sect immediately cried and howled.

But no one cared.

A few Elite Desert Bandits dismounted, raised the scimitars in their hands, and fiercely hacked down.

The heads of the followers of the Crimson Sect were chopped off one by one. They let their heads roll on the ground like rubber balls. Blood spurted out of their necks, and their bodies convulsed as they fell to the ground. They were completely dead.

The disciples of the Crimson Sect, whose hands were bound by the thick hemp rope, had no ability to resist at all.

But there was an exception.

Just as one of the Elite Desert Bandit came to the side of a burly disciple.

That disciple instantly exploded. Although his entire body was bound by the hemp rope, a force directly broke the hemp rope. He picked up a longsword on the ground beside him and pierced through the chest of the Elite Desert Bandit.

A blood-red aura burst out from his body as he rushed towards the river.

He was a grand knight with extraordinary strength!

But he was fast.

The two figures behind him who had also burst out with blood-red aura were even faster!

The Sarleon Lion Knight rode his horse and rushed over. The knight sword in his hand was aimed at the grand knight's back. Before he could react, he was cut into two pieces by the sword that contained powerful strength. His body was separated.

Rolf narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at the Elite Desert Bandit who had fallen to the ground with some regret.

However, there was a hint of relief in his eyes.

Because of that grand knight they killed was the commander of the Crimson Sect who had brought troops to attack them!

Chapter 416: Obtained Kingdom of Nords

Previously, this commander had relied on the lance soldiers and strong archers, as well as the ballistae that could pierce through stones. He did not put Rolf and his light cavalry troop in his eyes at all. Perhaps the reason why he did not charge at them directly was because of the ten Sarleon Lion Knights. So, he chose to slowly wear down Rolf and his troop.

If Kant had not brought reinforcements in time, Rolf and his troop would probably be trapped within the ancient passage in less than two days, completely losing the space to move around in the East County.

Although it would be safe by then, it would definitely be troublesome.

After all, the exit of the passage was blocked by the enemies. When that time came, whether the enemies smoked them out or slowly approached them, the light cavalries could not deal with them easily.

Especially in the narrow space, the cavalry's mobility was greatly restrained.

They could only be turned into fish meat on a chopping board.

But it was all over now.

Kant rode his horse over with the reinforcement.

His 10 Lion Knights were also protecting him at the side. They looked at the captives who were tied up with their hands behind their backs, their expressions very grave.

No one knew if there were more assassins hiding inside.

"What's going on?" Kant asked.

He glanced at the corpse that had been cut into two and frowned slightly. "This guy is actually a grand knight. This is really unexpected. If it wasn't for the Lion Knights who noticed it earlier, he would have escaped into the river and left this place."

"That's right. I really didn't expect this." Rolf's face was also filled with relief.

This grand knight, the commander of the Crimson Sect was not surrender.

If it wasn't for the fact that he was hiding among the surrendering people and taking the opportunity to attack Kant, Rolf definitely wouldn't have believed it. After all, the reason these guys launched an attack was because they already knew that Kant, the lord of the Nahrin Desert, was here.

But they just didn't expect that the entrance of the ancient passage was not a cave, but a passage that connected to the Senwaya Range.

The passage that the ancient god's descendants had built to connect to the shelter!

"These Crimson Sect people deserve to die." Rolf also came back to his senses.

He said with an angry face, "These fanatics are all crazy. Although they look calm, we don't know when they will go crazy. We captured a few of them in the beginning, and then when they went crazy, they could also break the hemp rope. They are like crazy people who don't fear death. Even if they die, they will drag others to death."

"Poor people bewitched by demons." Kant nodded, but there was no hint of pity in his tone. "They deserved to die."

"Yes." Rolf nodded. "That's why I ordered the execution of these fanatics after they were captured. Otherwise, it would be very difficult to deal with them when their demonic power recovers and they become madmen."

Kant did not blame him. Instead, he praised, "Well done."

"Thank you." Rolf put his hand on his chest and bowed.

However, he still turned his head and looked at the troops behind him who were all walking out of the ancient passage. There was a hint of fanaticism on his face. "It looks like you're thinking of directly attacking East County City, Lord Kant?"

"No, just a little warning." Kant said calmly.

"Warning?" Rolf was puzzled.

"Yes," Kant said, "Next, I will build a new village here and turn this village into a fortress or castle in the shortest time possible. During this period of time, I don't want outsiders to disturb me. This is also why I brought these guys here to announce my military strength."

"I understand." Rolf nodded.

"You lead the team." Kant ordered, "I'll leave these Desert Bandits to you. Spread out and form an investigative cavalry. I also need to let those who still have ulterior motives know that those who dare to come here will die."

"Yes!" Rolf immediately nodded.

Following Rolf's command, groups of Desert Bandits immediately spread out.

There were many of them, just like a pack of wolves. If there were enemies, they would quickly gather together, bared their fangs, and fiercely bite those enemies.

The Desert Bandits in Sarrand Sultanate were not much weaker than the Horse Bandits in Khergit Khanate!

Or it could be said that the system of these bandits was complementary to each other.

The two countries were already connected.

If the Desert Bandits spread out like a pack of wolves, their safety could also be guaranteed.

Moreover, right at the mouth of the river, Rhodok footmen had already started to set up camp and set up a temporary camp. They expanded the surrounding grassland to accommodate more people.

A new village was about to appear.

"Build a village!"

Kant communicated with the system.

Immediately after, the system gave a reply.

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ Detected that there is already a council hall. The faction is the Kingdom of Swadia. The level is castle-level. ]

[ Detected that there is already a council hall. The faction is the Kingdom of Rhodoks. The level is city-level. ]

[ This time, the construction of the council hall will be randomly selected. The level is village-level. ]

[ Yes/No? ]

"Yes." Kant made his choice. He already knew this.

The system dialog box instantly refreshed.

A new notification box appeared.

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ Random selection of factions. Please pause at will. ]

On the retina before his eyes, the dialog box directly turned into a disk. Countless factions' names appeared densely on it. Although he was relatively small, as Kant scanned through it, he could vaguely find many familiar names.

Kingdom of Swadia, Kingdom of Rhodoks, Kingdom of Nords, Kingdom of Vaegirs, Kingdom of Sarrand Sultanate. Kingdom of Sarleon, Kingdom of Ravenstern, Kingdom of Fierdsvain, the D'Shar Principalities, Imperial Expeditionary Force, Jatu tribe, and Noldor Elf Force. Even the Great Ming Empire, Manchurian Jurchen, Mongolian Golden Family, Great Han Empire, Xiongnu Empire, Oda Nobunaga, Uesugi Kenshin, Southern European Countries, Northern European Countries, Eastern European Countries, and even Middle East Countries.

All ages, all regions, all kinds of formal history or history, or fantasy world.

All existed on this disc.

This was the factions that contained in all the MODs in the entire "Mount and Blade"!

Kant took a deep breath.

The disc was spinning.

The name of the power on it was no longer clear.

He was calm.

"Stop."

Following his words, the disk stopped abruptly.

The red pointer aimed at the name of a force on the disk.

[ Ding... system prompt ]

[ Congratulations on obtaining the council hall of Kingdom of Nords. ]

The system dialog box appeared in reality on his retina.

Kant was slightly stunned.

It was the council hall of the Kingdom of Nords.

This powerful gcountry, which was established in the northern coastal area of the Continent of Caradia. It was originally a colony of a powerful Nord nation overseas. However, with the independence of its generals, it eventually merged into the Continent of Caradia.

The powerful Kingdom of Nords finally showed its ferocity in this world.

Chapter 417: The Construction of the Water Bandit Lair

The village of the Kingdom of Nords.

Kant was slightly stunned, but he looked at the council hall that had already appeared beside the hill. It was made entirely of wood and a few pieces of stone. At the corner, there was cornices with a ocean style, just like a long boat.

The Nords had crossed the sea. Initially, they had come to the Continent of Caradia in the form of water bandits and pirates.

At first, they had brought a lot of trouble to the original Caradia Empire.

Slowly, their population increased.

More and more Nords knew that there was still the Continent of Caradia outside their mainland, they crazily organized fleets and formed expeditionary fleets in the name of Kingdom of the Nords. They came to this pure land in a mighty way.

They launched a surprise attack on the unprepared and defenseless Caradia Empire.

The attack came from the ocean and rivers.

They defeated the ancient Caradia Empire.

Even the capital of the Caradia Empire had been seized by the Nords, becoming the capital of the Kingdom of Nords, the present-day Sargoth.

However, the Kingdom of Caradia also fell into a split. The Vaegirs also crossed the Great Snowy Mountains and arrived at the Continent of Caradia, starting a war with the newly split Kingdom of Swadia.

However, it was also worth celebrating. Very quickly, the two enemies of the Kingdom of Swadia began to view each other as enemies.

The Nord and Vaegirs began a bloody battle.

Just as the main forces of the two kingdoms converged in Reyvadin, they fought on the city walls for several days.

Countless people died in the battle. Even the highest commander sent by the Nord Empire to the Continent of Caradia was dead. In the end, they had no choice but to withdraw from Reyvadin, ceding control of the city to the Kingdom of Swadia.

This battle had also caused the expedition army of the Nord Empire to officially break away from their control and declare independence on the Continent of Caradia.

They had established the famous Kingdom of Nords.

However, the impact of the battle was rather deep.

The main forces of the two countries had almost completely annihilated each other. The mutual hostility between them had also allowed the Kingdom of Swadia to complete its regrouping.

They had regrouped. Although they were not as glorious as the previous Caradia Empire, they were still at the center of the continent, possessing the vast majority of fertile lands and cities. They were still beginning to radiate new vitality.

The six countries were temporarily at peace, but danger lurked everywhere. There was constant friction in the dark.

If any contradictions were to be triggered again, the flames of war would be ignited again.

However, the war would not continue to appear for the time being.

This was because Kant's reputation had already spread throughout the entire Continent of Caradia. From the elderly to the children, from the king to the peasant, everyone already knew about this supreme lord from the Land of Miracles. The glory that shone like the sun.

The soldiers were able to die for Kant and obtain the supreme honor.

The commoners were able to live under Kant's rule with incomparable joy and happiness.

They were all die-hard loyalists.

The Nords who came here were the same. They looked at their surroundings that had been turned upside down. It was no longer the swampy and low-lying area beside the sea. Their faces were filled with surprise and joy.

When they saw Kant, they instantly understood everything and quickly came over to greet him.

"Great Supreme Lord!" the ten Nord peasants bowed.

If it weren't for the fact that they didn't worship on their knees and weren't qualified to use the half-kneeling ceremony that only nobles and knights could use, they would have already used the highest respect they could think of to salute Kant.

However, Kant didn't care. He calmly said, "Alright, I'm glad that you guys are here."

"It's our honor."

They answered excitedly.

A small interlude.

The construction of the village could be done at an extremely fast speed.

Kant had already gotten used to it. As he communicated with the system in his mind, he immediately used this council hall as the center. Blurry white lines appeared in front of his eyes. They were all the outlines of the buildings that had been planned beforehand.

About 100 Nord traditional houses were neatly arranged around the council hall.

There was also the city wall.

It directly encircled all the houses, hills, and some small rivers.

According to Kant's plan, with the river as the boundary, the east side was the residential area, and the west side was the military area. After the fortress wall or castle was built, the area would be directly expanded to cover all the surrounding areas.

This was the border between the East County and the Wildland on the west side.

The terrain was flat.

But it was unusually desolate.

No matter how Kant encircled the land, it did not matter.

After all, from here to the east, it would require more than three hours of house riding to reach here from the nearest farm around. This was enough to tell the distance. After all, it would not take more than ten minutes to ride a horse to the riverbank of the Resniston River.

"Build the Water bandit lair!"

Kant's mind did not stop.

As his mind continued to communicate with the system, the golden card in his mind suddenly shattered into golden light.

It floated in the outside world and condensed in the military zone on the west side of the river. Soon, a prototype of a building appeared on the riverbank. It was about two stories tall, but its length was about 50 meters, similar to the long houses of the Nordic people on Earth.

But it was completely inappropriate to say that it was a building.

Because it was right on the river.

There was a 50-meter long and 20-meter-wide bend on the river bank.

There was also a well-built dock on it. There were three of them. It seemed that they could dock six long ships. Even Kant's impression, it could dock three of the biggest merchant ships on the Resniston River.

But this was the dock where the warships were docked.

This was the lair of the water bandits.

The vicious water bandits who once roamed the Kingdom of Nords.

They came and went like the wind in their paddling warships, rampaging in the river. They even went deep into the hinterland of the Continent of Caradia, causing great harm to the Kingdom of Swadia, the Kingdom of Nords, and even the Kingdom of Vaegirs in the deepest part of the continent.

These vicious, greedy Nord Water Bandits did not know what a country and race was.

In addition, there were other local bandits joining in.

It was almost a disaster.

Initially, they were still under the control of the expedition fleet of the Nord Empire.

They even acted as guides for the expedition fleet, destroying the most prosperous town, Zendar. However, as the expedition army of the Nord Empire fought with the Kingdom of Vaegirs in Reyvadin City. Both sides suffered heavy losses, and their commanders died in battle.

This group of water bandits was like a warhorse that had lost its reins, completely free and plunged into the darkness.

They became bandits that were unstable in several kingdoms!

[ Water bandits'lair ]

[ Recruitable: 30 Water Bandit Minions per week ]

[ recruitment fee: 10 denars ]

[ maintenance fee: 1 denar ]

[ equipment: Leather Armor, butcher knife ]

[ level up: Water Bandit Bosun ]

[ final level up: Water Bandit Captain ]

[ Buildable: Paddle sailboat (500 denars): 35 crew members, no weapons ]

[ Buildable: Three warships (2000 denars): 70 crew members, 2 ballistae ]

The system provided detailed information on the buildings.

Kant raised his eyebrows slightly. This was a pleasant surprise. He did not expect that this [ Water bandit lair ] could actually build two types of warships while recruiting water bandits. This clearly guaranteed that he could directly extend his force into the Resniston River in the future!

Chapter 418: Temporary Military Center

Without any hesitation, Kant directly recruited the 30 Water Bandits that were allowed to be recruited this week.

Within the water bandit lair, 30 Water Bandit Minions wearing simple leather armor and carrying butcher knives at their waists immediately walked of them had an unruly expression on their faces, and they did not look like good people.

They were indeed not good people. They roamed the rivers where the various countries intersected, kidnapped, extorted, and killed merchant ships to attack villagers.

They did all kinds of evil deeds.

But Kant did not care.

Just like how he could accept the Sarrand Sultanate's desert bandits.

These ferocious water bandits from the Kingdom of Nords were also people he could accept. As long as they played an important role in his army, it did not matter even if they were the main force.

In fact, these water bandits could indeed be the main force, because they were Kant's only water army!

Kant had a lot of troops.

For example, footmen, cavalry, archers, and so on.

But for the water army, it was extremely rare. Especially now that he had extended his force to the Resniston River, which was the most important river in the human kingdoms, the existence of the water army was especially important.

Fortunately, Kant already had a building that could recruit a water army.

[ Water bandit lair ]

These bandits that roamed the river were very suitable for the current situation.

They were similar to the traditional water bandits of the river, but in terms of fierce fighting strength, they were even stronger than the water bandits that were bullied by the human kingdoms.

After all, the Kant's water bandits were actually light-armored pirates.

They were bandits with experience in plundering!

If they were able to upgrade their armor, or to be more precise, level up, they were not inferior to the pirates.

In fact, the bosun and captain of these water bandits were actually the Nord Pirates. They had drifted from the distant Nords Empire, formed a group of poor people, and became pirates who robbed houses and made a fortune.

After that, they turned around and cleaned themselves up. It didn't matter whether they went to live in the Kingdom of Nords or returned to the Nords mainland.

After all, to the Nords, the continent of Caradia was actually a colony.

No one asked where they came from. Even if they knew that they were water bandits in the past, they would be accepted harmoniously.

The Nords who established their country by the sea were half-merchants and half-bandits. Even if it was the regular army, who could say that they were completely righteous? One had to know that the expedition fleet of the Nords mainland was once a fleet formed by bandits.

However, they caught the ancient Caradia Empire by surprise.

And because of the split up Kingdom of Swadia were busy with internal strife, the Nords managed to gain a firm foundation.

The Kingdom of Nords was established.

If the Caradia Empire was at its peak or if the Kingdom of Swadia quickly adjusted its status in a short period of time, the Kingdom of Nords, which did not have cavalry and could only use footmen on land, would have long been defeated and left this place.

On land, the Kingdom of Nords only had heavy footman wielding large axes, and archers whose combat strength was close to trash.

Siege and close combat might be stronger.

But in the field, they were just the easy targets Swadian Heavy Cavalry for practice.

Swadian heavy cavalry was a level 4 troop class. However, if a hundred of them charging at the same time, even if there were the same number of top-class level 6 Nord Royal Knights to block them, they would still be crashed.

On the plains, the Kingdom of Swadian was already the strongest country, and no one could stop them!

"Not bad." Kant nodded.

With this water army that appeared in the river, his force would extend even faster.

After all, Kant had foresight when it came to the use of the water army. For example, he could directly transport troops to the South County of the Dukedom of Leo and directly command the army to occupy Lionheart City and Lion Fort. It was not impossible to make a time difference!

Opening the system, he had a lot of honor points in his mind.

"Draw."

Kant gave the order.

Soon, the colorful treasure chest appeared on his retina.

At the same time, he slowly opened it.

[ You have received a construction pack: Chicken farm × 5 ]

[ You have received a construction pack: Bee Farm × 5 ]

[ You have received a construction pack: Small fishing farm × 5 ]

[ You have received a construction pack: Tanning workshop × 5 ]

[ You have received a construction pack: Wheat Field × 50 arcs ]

[ You have received an item pack: Urban migrants × 500 people (female) ]

[ You have received an item pack: Rural refugees × 500 people (female) ]

[ You have received a troop class pack: Water Bandit Bosun × 50 people ]

[ You have received a troop class pack: Water Bandit Minion × 100 people ]

[ You have received a hero pack: nomad thug "Baheshtur" ]

The 10 draws ended.

However, there was an additional lucky draw.

[ You have received a special pack: Double the number of recruits (constant) ]

Kant was indifferent to this.

He had already developed to the point where he could be self-sufficient. Even if there was nothing in the current lucky draw, he could still live well. The only difference was that he developed fast and slowly.

As his influence developed, Kant's reliance on the system decreased.

This was a good way to get rid of dependence.

At this time, the gift pack he got was not bad.

At the very least, it could quickly upgrade the current Nord village. After all, this newly established village was still in a state of poverty. At the very least, the immigrants and troop class could solve the problem of the shortage of people.

At the beginning, there were 1,000 immigrants and refugees.

In addition, there was enough water army.

130 Water Bandit Minion and 50 Water Bandit Bosun instantly appeared by the river.

The empty ground was filled with white lines. In the ancient passage, the construction team from the continent of Caradia also arrived with the carriage, carrying all kinds of wood and stones, ready to build the buildings that Kant had set up beforehand.

Of course, most of them were houses and the city wall around the village.

Other buildings were not built.

For example, there were almost no civilian livelihood buildings.

Because Kant did not intend to build any civilian livelihood buildings other than the house.

This village, which he named "Sargoth", was like the capital of the Kingdom of Nords. It was completely a new center. Kant built the artery of his force in the human countries, the castle beside the Resniston River!

It was Kant's military center!

Placing the doubling of recruitment directly on the water bandit lair the weekly recruitment of water bandits was 60 people.

On the plains not far away, cavalry riding horse, wearing leather armor, and holding spears quickly arrived. His tanned skin was very healthy, and his appearance was typical of a Khergit nomad.

Baheshtur, a nomad thug from the Khergit Khanate and the famous captain of the commando cavalry, also came to this world!

"Lord Kant." the young nomad thug bowed.

Kant nodded calmly and said to him, "Welcome. Currently, my army needs the commander of the reconnaissance cavalry. I think you should be very suitable, and at the same time, you won't be unfamiliar with them. They are the desert bandits in the Sarrand Desert."

"Of course, I know them." Baheshtur did not look arrogant at all. Instead, he lowered his head humbly. "Your will is the meaning of my existence. My king, my master."

Chapter 419: Kant’s Journey to Destruction

Baheshtur was a young man from the Khergit Khanate, a tribe directly under the Khan.

Because his own brother was killed by someone from another tribe, the two tribes were about to engage in internal strife. Khan intervened and ordered a truce. However, as the tribe's famous irritable character, he personally went to kill the criminal.

He also stole a horse from the Khan and completely left Khergit Khanate, wandering in the Continent of Caradia.

This was also the source of his nickname as a nomadic thug.

His reputation on the continent.

Baheshtur had always been a hot-tempered, cunning, and adventurous person.

Of course, after he left Khergit Khanate, he did not mind becoming a horse bandit or bandit. Robbing innocent villagers and lonely trade caravan was also his basic means of earning extra money.

In addition to his irritable personality and cunning mind, he also had quite a reputation in the Continent of Caradia.

Most importantly.

He and Rolf were friends.

Birds of a feather flock together. The two of them were the NPCs of the evil camp.

Therefore, when Rolf returned from his patrol and saw Baheshtur, his was stunned, but he still smiled and came over to hug him, "I didn't expect you to come, you damn guy!"

"Of course, I'll do better than you when I come here!"

Baheshtur also smiled.

The two of them were friends.

They were more like a gang of scoundrels.

The kindred spirits in the evil camp were more due to the relationship of interest.

Compared to the people in the justice camp who appreciated and helped each other, Baheshtur and Rolf became friends because they wanted to cooperate in robbing, extorting, and kidnapping innocent people.

They understood this very well, but they didn't say it clearly in front of Kant.

Of course, Kant didn't care.

Baheshtur was from a race on horseback, an elite from the Khergit Khanate.

He was better at leading the bow cavalry to attack. But because Kant didn't have the troop class of the Khergit Khanate, desert bandits with similar characteristics could also become Baheshtur 's troop class.

They were also highly mobile and could use throwing weapons. They could come and go like the wind and were extremely ferocious.

They were not bad compared to the ordinary Khergit Horse Bandits.

Baheshtur was able to command them easily.

"Rolf." Kant raised his head and looked at the scoundrel noble beside him, he arranged, "Now, you will command the water armies. Try to let these water armies enter the river in the shortest amount of time to form a battle force that can control a section of the river."

"Yes!" Rolf nodded solemnly. "I will do my best."

"Very good." Kant nodded.

Although Rolf did not have experience in water battles, he was still a noble.

His learning ability was strong. As long as he worked hard, coupled with his savage nature, he would be able to perfectly integrate into this group of water bandits. He would control warships and ride the wind and waves on the river.

Then, they would be like razor of death that controlled the river was equivalent to controlling the arteries of the human countries!

This was the most crucial point.

When the arrangements were almost done, Kant's expression calmed down slightly.

Turning his head to look at the rising tents on the plains and the temporary establishment of this huge camp, he smiled slightly and ordered, "Pass the order. There's no need to continue setting up camp."

"Yes." as the messenger, the desert bandits immediately passed down this order.

"Lord." Baheshtur and Rolf were slightly puzzled.

Baheshtur, the new young man, also asked straightforwardly, "Lord Kant, if we don't set up camp now, do we have to set off to punish your enemies?"

"Punish?" Kant smiled. "No, we'll destroy them!"

His eyes were cold.

Since those fellows from the Crimson Sect dared to attack him, they had to be prepared to be attacked by him.

However, Kant did not only have a group of light cavalries, but a complete army system. Light and heavy footman were all available, as were light and heavy cavalry. There were also long-range archers. They were all top-notch troops!

Just as he said, this was not a punishment.

It was destruction!

"Pass down the order." Kant continued to instruct, "Everyone take five days' worth of food and prepare to set off in two hours!"

"Yes!" the messenger quickly retreated.

Along with the shout, the troops that were originally building tents instantly changed their form.

From a relaxed look, they immediately changed into a nervous and solemn look. They had already adjusted their mentality and were ready to continue fighting the new enemies!

"Rolf, stay here and guard this village."

Kant warned, "Nothing can go wrong here!" His tone paused, he still carefully arranged, "I have already asked James of "Aaron" City to arrange a part of the supply and support troops in the underground city of the ancient passage. If you find a large-scale enemy gathering, then send your river troop to transport the troops over for reinforcement."

"Understood." Rolf nodded. "I will complete the construction of the river troop in the shortest time possible. It will definitely form a strong combat force and won't drag down the village."

"Okay." Kant nodded.

This was also the point that he was reassured about Rolf.

After all, Rolf was a noble and had received all kinds of education, so he was stronger than ordinary people.

As for Baheshtur, who had become the leader of the desert bandits, Kant arranged, "Follow me. Next, we will go to the depths of the East County. It is a vast plain. I think you can play a great role."

"Plain? Of course, I like this terrain!"

Baheshtur revealed a ferocious smile.

The Kehergit people liked the plain the most. They liked it even more than the Swadian people, who were strong in cavalry.

Because of the plains, the Kehergit's warhorse could gallop without any worries. They could discover the enemy from far away, and the bows in their hands could shoot deadly arrows from far away.

The troops quickly prepared the things before the expedition, food, water, fuel, and camping equipment.

Everything was prepared.

Then they set off.

Baheshtur led the desert bandits and spread out to form a reconnaissance cavalry.

The nearly 500 desert bandits had a clear grasp of the surrounding terrain. There would be no unfamiliar troops approaching them. Their reconnaissance was also very throughout. Everything was for safety.

Kant personally led 20 Lion Knights in front.

Beside them were 500 Mamlukes, 1,500 Sarrandian Horsemen, and the other 1,500 desert bandits who controlled their speed.

There were also 500 Rhodok Sergeants, 1,000 Rhodok Veteran Spearmen, 500 Rhodok Veteran Crossbowmen, and 500 Ravenstern Rangers who followed behind in an orderly pace.

This was the main force of Kant that Crimson Sect was about to face on Mountain of Death.

The main force that could be used to destroy cities and strongholds and carry out tactical attacks!

If it wasn't for the ancient god's descendants of the dead in the depths of the Nahrin Desert, Kant would have been able to mobilize even more troops of a higher quality. They were far more powerful than what the Dukedom of Leo could imagine.

And now, they were also a terrifying force that no force in the East County could resist!

Chapter 420: Fear in the East County

The East County was trembling in fear.

On the bumpy road, a brand new and unfamiliar troop was advancing steadily in the direction of Mountain of Death. The noble, country squire, and merchant along the way were all trembling in fear.

Such an elite force, such a powerful combat force. Just by looking at it, one could tell that this was an elite force!

An elite force that could destroy the East County!

The rich people who heard the news fled from the farms and villages along the way.

Even the ordinary civilians were trembling in fear as they hid in their cellars. As for the militia that had been trained and could be organized at any time, most of them had been transferred and became the guards of the rich people.

Those that could be relocated had all left. After all, it was hard to tell the motive of this army of over 6,000 people.

No one knew if a gruesome war would occur.

Those villages and landlords were undoubtedly the ones that would be destroyed if a war really happened.

Even those trade caravan that had a high profit were timid enough to abandon the trade caravan when they encountered this terrifying army. They didn't care about the goods and fled, not daring to face it head-on.

The entire East County fell into the sound of wolves coming.

However, they soon discovered that this army did not do anything.

Even if they rested next to the village, they only ordered the villagers to take care of their children and livestock and not to take too many steps closer to the camp. Even if some naughty and unafraid children got too close, the soldiers just scolded them, that was no punishments like whipping or anything, they were generally very kind.

Even if they were to pass by the fief villages of some knights, they have done nothing. Along the way, although their reputation was getting more and more famous, and it reached to a peak.

After all, it was unusual for such a large army to cross the border.

If the local troops of the Dukedom of Leo passed by some villages, they would have to extort a lot of silver coins. As for the unrighteous and inappropriate acts, it was even more so. After the army grew in size, they might even plunder the entire village.

Not to mention the wealthy landlords and country gentry, as well as the merchants who had a lot of goods, they would just plunder it all.

But now, this army surprised the people.

Not only the civilians, but even the landlords and merchants, as well as the noble families, were secretly surprised.

At the same time, they were even more curious about the ownership of this unfamiliar army. However, news quickly spread. After all, it was not a secret that the Crimson Sect was going to the west of the East County to carry out military activities.

As for the fact that the attacker was Kant, who had just left the East County City, everyone already understood.

They also understood in their hearts.

Why did this powerful army head to Mountain of Death?

It was because in the current East County, as long as one had a certain level in class, they would know that the real person in charge was no longer Countess Agatha that was hiding in the city. Instead, it was Viscount Gibran, who was in charge of the Crimson Sect.

He had once stirred up a storm in the Dukedom of Leo, the Silver Platter Kingdom, and the entire human countries.

The Crimson Sect was a new sect formed by the remnants of the Demon Worship Cult.

Since Kant had led this army to Mountain of Death, there was naturally no need to say much. It would be impossible to say that Kant was not after Crimson Sect. After all, there was no reason for the army to return empty-handed after crossing the border.

Only battle achievements were everything. The Crimson Sect of the Mountain of Death was in danger.

But more noble families were secretly frightened.

Frightened and timid!

Kant's army's origin made them imagine.

From the riverbank of the Resniston River, a powerful army had mysteriously appeared. It was more than half a month's journey from the Nahrin Desert. Since it couldn't be the army of the Nahrin Desert, there might be another explanation.

The foundation left behind by Princess Sofia, the mother of Baron Kant!

Or rather, it might be the troops of the Silver Platter Kingdom!

Only this situation could explain the current situation.

Otherwise, the noble families who were still in the dark had no way to explain where Baron Kant's troops came from, where they were hiding, and how they suddenly appeared in here!

After all, in their impression, they could not imagine that Kant would have countless worlds to support him!

These noble families did not dare to act rashly either.

They only gathered the troops.

dark

They urgently closed all the doors of communication to the outside world.

Or they gathered together and formed a militia force that looked barely qualified to protect themselves. At the same time, they contacted the surrounding great noble families to form an offensive and defensive alliance and carefully set up their own defenses.

They were neutral and did not intend to support or offend anyone.

They allowed Kant's troops to cross the border in their estate.

It was as if they could not see it.

They also allowed the Crimson Sect to urgently mobilize their own spies and send their believers to Mountain of Death to set up defenses.

Both sides had already shed all pretenses of cordiality. The only reason why they did not start a war was because Kant had not reached his destination, and the crazy believers on Mountain of Death had not yet prepared their weapons and reorganized the battle forces.

It could be predicted that when Kant's troops arrived at Mountain of Death, everything would cease to exist.

The war would begin on the most famous mountain in the East County.

However, the Crimson Sect was very confident in winning.

Viscount Gibran, once the famous general of the East County and now the chief of the Crimson Sect, was ready.

He was once a serious military noble who stood out from a series of blood and fire. Even in the crazed and stubborn Crimson Sect, he was the only one who had the qualifications and ability to be the chief and military commander.

He could only reveal his true identity to Kant, who had made him suffer a great loss.

He was angry.

He was mad.

According to his plan, he still had at least three years before he was exposed.

At that time, the entire East County's noble families would be infiltrated by the Crimson Sect. In addition, he had already contacted some of the top noble families in the South County. When that time came, the East County would be under his control.

Although he would have to give a portion of the benefits to those greedy fellows in the South County.

However, Gibran did not care.

That great existence was standing behind him.

It was a legendary supreme creature, an existence that could contend with the national religion of Leo, the god of war, Edmund!

At that time, not to mention the Dukedom of Leo, He would even not afraid of Silver Platter Kingdom. This was because after controlling the vast majority of the resources in the eastern county territory, that supreme existence would be able to revive, allowing him to obtain absolute power.

Feeling the power that had already far surpassed that of a grand knight, he thought about that terrifying existence in the legends, Gibran could not help but shudder.

This was excitement.

Desire.

An insane desire to possess.

As for Kant, this little fellow, Gibran was actually extremely disdainful of him. He even mocked at him. When they reached Mountain of Death, the battle group formed by those crazy believers would be able to get rid of them.

Chapter 421: The Forces of the Crimson Sect

Three days later, Kant and his troops arrived at the mountain.

Groups of desert bandits were brandishing their scimitars and spears, riding their robust desert horses as they whizzed across the plains. They were all grinning ferociously, as if they were real bandits.

Desert bandits were light cavalry, scout cavalry, and bandits who had no scruples!

Especially when they came to the area around their destination.

They were like wild horses that had lost their reins.

They had lost their discipline.

Only cruelty and brutality remained!

Because in this core area of the Crimson Sect near the Mountain of Death, there were no longer any innocents or good people. Everyone had been becoming fanatics of the Crimson Sect and became their enemies.

The seemingly ordinary villages and farms were in fact completely empty.

Even the supplies and grain reserves had been taken away.

As for the well in the village, it had become a fishy-smelling deep water pit with a strange red glow. It had obviously been poisoned and destroyed!

However, Kant had long expected this because everyone in this army had brought enough food and water for seven days. They were all simple breads and sausages that could be eaten with a little heat.

Their supplies could last until they reached Mountain of Death and support them through an arduous battle.

Then, they would defeat the other side.

They would obtain the supplies stored by the other side.

Even if the other side burned their own supplies, it didn't matter.

With the momentum of his victory, Kant could ask the East County's noble families to contribute some supplies. Even the peasant villages that he didn't offend along the way could become his supply points.

Kant did not offend them. He just wanted to leave a good impression so that he could reap more benefits in the future.

For example, he would not have to worry about the supply issue.

And even the communication in the future.

Slowly, he would infiltrate the East County, using absolute force and strict discipline to let the noble families and peasant families understand that the new conqueror, Kant, the second son of the Grand Duke, Cameron, was truly merciful!

But now, Kant also wanted to let the people of the Crimson Sect on Mountain of Death what was the greatest fear from their hearts.

The desert bandits whistled past.

They formed a team of 10 people, like knives that cut through meat, cutting through the various garrisons around Mountain of Death.

Those were the fanatics who took the initiative, holding simple wooden spears and garrisoned in the shack as spies, tried to slow down Kant and the others from advancing.

But they were nothing to the desert bandits.

They were just a bunch of trash.

From the looks of it, this group of zealots were sallow and emaciated. On their skinny faces, there was only fanaticism in their eyes. They looked like they had been brainwashed. They held simple wooden spears, or even no spearheads. They were just sharpened wooden sticks and baked hard with charcoal.

They were not even using the proper weapon They were just tools in the hands of the wandering villagers to barely defend themselves!

They were not even good tools!

The desert bandits swept past.

The scimitars in their hands easily cut through the wooden poles, and then they rode past. The scimitars swung horizontally, and as the sharp blade cut through the neck, it instantly cut through the spine, and the entire head was sent flying in the air.

With a blank and fanatical gaze, they finally fell heavily to the ground, rolling like a ball.

The headless body had no sign of life.

In a shack, there were about 30 fanatics, but they were easily slaughtered by the desert bandits.

The battle didn't even last for a few minutes.

These people who were bewitched and lost their rationality, these fanatics couldn't be considered as ordinary people.

To the desert bandits, even if they were ordinary people, they would still kill them. In the Sarrand Desert, they were all vicious horse bandits. They had killed many villagers back and forth. Their hands had covered with the blood of innocents.

They were bandits after all.

Even if they were recruited by Kant and were restricted by strict discipline, they still couldn't avoid their savage nature!

Shacks were slaughtered one by one. Fanatical and bewitched believers were slaughtered around Mountain of Death. As the blood spread, the desert bandits had mercilessly cleared out a pure land without any enemies for Kant.

The shacks on the outskirts of Mountain of Death were all demolished, and the believers of Crimson Sect were all killed.

The outer positions had been completely lost.

And during this period of time, at the foot of Mountain of Death, there was a troop of long lance soldiers trained by Avilis Castle. They were already in formation, and behind them were many fanatical believers who wore black robes and held shields and longsword in their hands.

There were even cavalry wearing black robes waiting quietly with spears in their hands.

Kant led the army forward.

The distance between the two sides was about a kilometer.

A silent confrontation.

The desert bandits that had originally dispersed had all returned. Under the arrangements of Baheshtur, they wantonly wandered around the front, back, left, and right of the formation, as if they could transform into charging cavalry at any time.

This was the classic tactic of the Khergit Khanate.

If not for the fact that these desert bandits only had short pilums with a range of about 20 meters, the war would have already begun.

The range of the archers and cavalries could reach 80 meters. Although the power of the galloping horses was also relatively small and could not compare to the arrows shot by the footmen with all their strength. However, they could launched an arrow rain attack to impact the enemies.

As long as the enemy formation was disturbed, the heavy cavalries would have chance to charge forward.

They would completely tear apart the enemy formation!

However, all of this could not be achieved. Desert bandits who were only equipped with short pilums were more suitable for close combat after disrupting the enemies. They would use their scimitars and spears to open a gap in the enemy formation and charge in to kill.

With 2,000 desert bandits, they would be able to attack the enemy from all directions.

This was the advantage of number.

They were not in a hurry.

Kant himself was not in a hurry, so he did not give the order to attack.

Instead, he sized up the army that was organized by the Crimson Sect. He could not help but narrow his eyes and let out a chuckle. "I really did not expect Viscount Gibran to be able to gather so many troops."

"But they cannot withstand a single blow." Baheshtur, who was beside him, complimented.

At the front, the Crimson Sect's army numbered more than ten thousand people.

Most of them were lance soldiers. They were all wearing mail armor and a small number of them were wearing mail armor.

In their hands were good-quality long spears that were meticulously forged by blacksmiths. They carried a chilling aura and were as dense as a forest of spears. After all, the number of these lance soldiers was estimated to be five thousand.

Behind them, there were about 3,000 fanatics who wore black robes and held a round shield and longsword.

If one looked carefully, one could see that under the black robes were mail armor.

These fanatics were the elites.

As for the archers in front of them, there were close to 1,000 of them. They wore simple leather armor and held short bows. They looked dispirited and did not attract much attention. To put it simply, they were just a group of hunters.

Avilis Castlewas close to the Senwaya Range, so the peasants there were also hunters.

However, this kind of short bow they used could not pose much of a threat.

It was even worse than the cavalry that had 1,000 people beside them.

Everyone was wearing mail armor. The warhorses were also covered in a black robe. They held a lance in their hand, and its entire body was covered by a black robe. Only their eyes were exposed, and it carried a fanatical desire for war.

All of them were knight attendants!

Chapter 422: The Archers Who Were Slaughtered

In front of the Crimson Sect was Viscount Gibran.

Having lost his left arm, he still looked tall and strong. He was riding on a tall horse, wearing a black and red robe. His long white hair fluttered in the wind, giving him the aura of a noble.

He also had a bright smile on his face, and there was a faint red light in the depths of his eyes.

Facing Kant, he did not have the hatred towards an enemy.

Because in his heart, this Baron Kant and the large troop of his, would become his sacrifice. At the foot of Mountain of Death, he would complete his blood sacrifice to that supreme existence!

Just like now, Gibran was leading this group of ignorant people into the trap that he had already set up.

Why did he have hatred to Kant?

He only wanted to thank him!

Quietly waiting for Kant's troops to get into formation, Gibran looked at the light cavalries that had surrounded the two wings. He slowly raised his right hand, signaling for his restless soldiers to calm down.

Riding forward, he took out a scepter inlaid with red gemstones from his wide sleeves.

"Baron Kant." Gibran nodded elegantly. "We meet again."

He still had the etiquette of a noble.

However, Baheshtur narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at Gibran. He reminded Kant in a deep voice, "Lord, I feel that this guy is not normal. It's best to be careful."

"He is indeed abnormal." Kant smiled and shook his head.

He also spurred his horse forward.

Looking at Gibran in front of him, he also lowered his head and smiled. "Of course, we meet again, Viscount Gibran."

"The weather is good." Gibran chuckled. "Look what I've prepared for you. It's an unexpected surprise. If you don't mind, come and take a look. I'm willing to introduce to you the scenery of Mountain of Death, as well as the supreme existence of my faith."

"That so-called Devil Lord?"

Kant also chuckled.

He tilted his head, he calmly said, "I'm very interested." However, his voice became colder. "If it's possible, I want to kill all of you in front of me and smear your blood all over my path to Mountain of Death. Then, I want to truly kill that so-called supreme existence of yours, that Devil Lord that should have been destroyed in history a long time ago!"

"Uh." Gibran was a little stunned. The fake smile of a noble had not disappeared from his face, and there was a hint of anger in his eyes as he looked at Kant.

Viscount Gibran, who had grown up in a noble family, he had never say something so ruthless.

Or rather, he had never seen someone so ruthless like Kant. It was like mercenaries and bandits cursing in the street.

Even if he had defected to the abyssal demon, in his mind, the etiquette of the noble was still deeply engraved in his heart. This had become a habit, and reflexive actions could not be erased.

And he could not accept Kant's undisguised threat!

"You have successfully aroused my anger."

Gibran chuckled.

"Is that so?" Kant nodded and waved to the side. "Then let them be even angrier!"

"Shoot!" Baheshtur, who had long been prepared, instantly roared. He did not hold back and directly said what Kant wanted to say. Baheshtur had his own way of understanding the thoughts of his superiors.

Baheshtur was not only famous for his temper, but his cunningness also allow he was able to escape from the Khergit Khanate and establish his reputation in the Continent of Caradia.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh --"

Arrows were instantly shot out.

Five hundred Rhodok Veteran Crossbowmen and five hundred Ravenstern Rangers gathered their killing intent onto their steel crossbows and cone-tipped arrows, and like a waterfall, they shot towards the enemy formation that was less than 300 meters away.

They are the elite of the level 4 troop class, long-range infantry, and were capable to kill the enemies up to 300 meters away.

They had superior weaponry and superb skill!

Streams of arrows flew by, the targets of these elite crossbowmen were the opposing archers at the front row!

The archers who had been forced to come here, armed with short bows or hunting bows, and who clearly did not want to fight for the Crimson Sect, offered their first life first!

"Splash, splash, splash --"

The sound of arrows piercing flesh could be heard continuously.

In an instant, the archers who were wearing leather armor or did not have any armor fell one after another.

A large number of archers were killed. However, they could only lower their heads and bend their waists to dodge the arrows or scatter in all directions in fear. This was because the simple hunting bows in their hands could only shoot out 50 meters at best, which was not far enough

The troops of the Dukedom of Leo did not care about archers at all. This was the tradition of the noble.

They thought that only the knights were the strongest.

As for the archers, they were just small things used by the lowly mercenaries.

As long as they were close to the knights, these soft and useless weapons would not pose any threat. This was a habit formed during the years of battle. After all, the mercenaries also did not have the funds to buy powerful crossbows.

Crossbows and war bows were fine weapons. They were far from being comparable to cold weapons such as longsword and lance!

This resulted in the archers of the Crimson Sect were dying one after another under the long-range attacks of Kant's troops, .

In a short period of time, more than 200 archers were killed on the spot. Most of them were injured and had lost the ability to continue fighting. Their morale was at a low point and was on the verge of collapse!

"Kill!"

Gibran did not show any mercy.

Looking at the archers who were dodging, he turned his head and gave the order to the Crimson Sect fanatics in black robes.

The fanatics took out thier swords and axes, they mercilessly slashed at the archers who dared to flee. They actually slaughtered all their won archers!

The fresh blood became thicker and thicker. Piles of corpses gathered in front of the formation.

All of them belonged to the innocent archers.

Except for a small number who fled.

Most of them had their heads chopped off by the fanatics and were casually thrown in front of the formation, forming a scene like a slaughterhouse. The entire area began to be filled with a thick stench of blood. It was abnormally fishy.

The elite lance soldiers at the rear were somewhat shaken. Many of them had already started retching, and there was even a commotion.

However, they were restrained by the intimidation of those fanatics.

No one dared to move recklessly.

Since the formation had been successfully formed, anyone who moved recklessly would cause a commotion, and they could be easily discovered by others.

When the time came, they would be killed by those fanatics who had no reason to speak of, and they would be killed in the name of supervising the battle team. It was a matter of course. They would just die in vain, and there would be no honor at all.

However, Kant frowned slightly and extended his hand to signal for the archers to stop shooting.

"Something's not right."

Chapter 423: Intense Battlefield

It was indeed abnormal.

Not only did Gibran not act in a timely manner to stop the losses of his troops when they were attacked, he even allowed the archers who were already low in morale to be massacred, causing a large number of people to flee.

He even allowed the barrier troop of Crimson Sect fanatics to kill most of the fleeing archers on the spot.

In comparison, Kant's troops actually killed less people than them.

Most of the archers that the Crimson Sect had deployed had been slaughtered by their own people.

The ground was covered in blood and corpses. The strong smell of blood permeated the air. The expressions of the Rhodok Veteran Crossbowmen and Ravenstern Rangers stopped shooting. They were shocked.

They had never seen such madness. This didn't seem like a war at all!

Instead, it was like a cult's strange sacrifice!

"This is the feeling." Gibran smiled.

He smelled the strong smell of blood and a throb from the depths of his soul. It made his entire body feel extremely comfortable. This feeling was even stronger than the first time he had enjoyed the beauty of a woman.

Especially when the scent of blood was mixed with curses and hatred towards the living. It was as if he had drunk a glass of ice water in the dog days.

It was so exciting that he couldn't help but tremble slightly.

Extremely excited!

It wasn't just him. The consciousness of the existence that had entered his chest was also excited.

It was still urging him to continue. It wanted him to move faster and on a larger scale. The madness and brutality he brought along, as well as the hatred in his soul, were also more palatable!

"Understood, my master, my supreme existence."

Gibran revealed a sinister smile.

The red light in his eyes became more and more intense. He raised his right hand and slowly waved it forward. "Attack."

There were no unnecessary words. As the messenger behind him blew a few short horns, the troops that were originally anxious and uneasy began to move slowly.

This was the signal for an attack, a frontal attack.

The Crimson Sect's lance soldiers holding long spears slowly stepped forward.

The dense formation of spears, mail armor and scale armor were tightly arranged in formation, and when they collided with each other, they made a "ding" sound. However, this sound reflected the dark and terrified faces of the soldiers.

The morale of this group of lance soldiers was extremely low. They were so low that they would be on the verge of collapse if they were to suffer a bit of a predicament.

However, the fanatics were different from them. They wore black robes, held longsword, round shield, or axes, walked with determination.

They were right behind these lance soldiers. Under the protection of the dense spear's formation, they smelled the thick smell of blood. Their eyes also had a hint of red light, which was extremely strange.

This included the knights on the left who were still waiting for orders, but also urged their horses to move forward.

The warhorse was wearing a black robe.

The mail armor on its body was also wearing a black robe.

The hooded hood was black and red, and the weapons in their hands could be clearly seen. They were the standard lance and longsword of the Dukedom of Leo, as well as the round shield hanging on the saddle.

The black hood concealed their identities, but their identities were actually very easy to guess.

They were the knights of the Dukedom of Leo!

The most basic noble.

and there were knight attendants behind them.

The Crimson Sect had completely infiltrated the East County. Seeing that Viscount Gibran, who had left behind the most brilliant reputation, had fallen to become the chief of the Crimson Sect, one could understand that the noble system of the East County had long been riddled with holes.

Now that they were facing a strong enemy, they had even been called over by the Crimson Sect to become their own troops!

However, they did not take the lead in charging forward.

On the contrary, there were still the long lance soldiers of the Crimson Sect who continued to slowly press forward with their long spears.

In front of Kant's troops, the Rhodok Veteran Crossbowmen and the Ravenstern Rangers had already started shooting again. The deadly steel crossbows were fired in a row, and among them were the cone-shaped arrows that were like a string of arrows.

"Whoosh, Whoosh." the sound was incessant, but the entire battlefield seemed strangely quiet.

There were only muffled groans.

There were also miserable cries.

Those were the wails of the Crimson Sect's long lance soldiers who were injured by the crossbowmen or fell down in rows.

The distance between the two sides was still shrinking. As the elite long lance soldiers that were once trained by Avilis Castle, the tenacity of this group of people was still beyond Kant's imagination. Even though their morale was extremely low, they were still carrying out a tactical attack.

However, if one looked carefully, one could see the faint red light in the eyes of these lance soldiers.

A madness that came from the bottom of their hearts began to spread.

"Attack." Kant did not care at all.

He had always been calm about this battle. He turned his head slightly and instructed Baheshtur, "You will lead the Sarrandian Desert Bandits. I want you to surround and kill them like hunting."

"Yes!" Baheshtur nodded and quickly rode away. "This is very simple."

The desert bandits, who had already dispersed, instantly took action.

Baheshtur raised his horsewhip and waved it.

The 2,000 desert bandits understood what he meant. At the same time, they pulled out their short pilums and kicked the horse's abdomen. With the speed of the horse, they quickly rushed towards the Crimson Sect's troops.

With the help of the inertia, they threw the sharp and heavy short pilums.

An even heavier whooshing sound appeared in the air.

The short pilums streaked across a distance of more than 20 meters.

However, it carried a fierce force and instantly pierced through the sturdy mail armor and the iron-scale armor. It pierced through the mail armor without any obstruction, turning the fragile human body into a pile of useless rotten meat.

If a person died, of course, they would be useless rotten meat!

Desert bandits kept throwing and shooting.

The Crimson Sect's lance soldiers and knight attendants didn't even have time to react before they were stabbed to death by the desert bandits who were whistling like a gale and throwing short pilums.

This was a common tactic used by the Khergits, using long-range weapons to attack the enemy.

Next was the heavy cavalry's wave of reaping.

What a pity.

These Sarrandian could imitate the Khergits's tactics.

But they could not complete the Khergits's reaping, because the current main force force was not the terrifying Khergits' cavalry, but the Sarrandian Horsemen and Mamlukes, as well as the Rhodok Veteran Spearmen. They were the main force!

This was the dual combination of infantry and cavalry. It was a complete force that had a strict combat system!

Hence, the Rhodok Veteran Spearmen began to move forward.

They raised their broad shields to form a low wall. Then, they raised their four-meter-long spear diagonally and closed in.

Closing in on the lance soldiers of the Crimson Sect was like a king facing a king. They did not have the slightest fear because the Rhodok people were sturdy like rocks. They were also extremely stubborn rocks that were as hard as steel!

Chapter 424: The Changes of Enemy Troops

The long lance and the long spear crossed together. Then, they stopped at five meters away from each other and pierced each other fiercely.

The wooden poles slapped each other. The spearheads collided with each other. Wood chips flew and fresh blood flowed. Screams could be heard one after another. The injured fell to the ground and let out wails. They were dying.

They were all long pole weapons, and there was not much difference between them. There was not even much difference.

It was just that the nouns were different.

However, the spear of the Rhodok people did not just have a spearhead added.

Instead, it had a 30-centimeter sharp spearhead, and it was wrapped with nearly half a meter long iron sheet on the spear shaft. Not to mention the collision, even if one used a sharp knife to chop it, one strike would not be able to break it!

It was much better than the equipment in the hands of the long lance soldiers trained by the militia in Avilis Castle!

Because the long lance in the hands of the lance soldiers was really only a spear head that was inserted into the wooden handle!

They collided back and forth.

The lance heads were knocked down by the spears one after another.

Even if the lance soldiers stabbed out fiercely, they were blocked by the broad shields.

Instead, the long spears stabbed out like poisonous snakes between the gaps and above the broad shields. Although there were fewer of them, they were unusually cunning. They specifically pierced through the vital parts of the lance soldier and always hit the target.

Blood splattered and the lance soldiers at the front fell one after another.

As for Rhodok Veteran Spearmen, only some of them were injured.

They were then replaced by their comrades at the back, filling in the gaps.

Both sides crushed each other. In the end, it was not the Crimson Sect's lance soldiers who had the advantage in numbers. Instead, it was the 1,000 Rhodok Veteran Spearmen!

Rhodok Sergeants, who held a heavy machete that was like a halberd, was even more ferocious in the middle of this formation.

They did not use the traditional stabbing attack at all. Instead, they took their heavy machetes and let the sharp blade directly cut off the spear that was coming at them. Even the spearhead was cut off. It was simply a destructive style of fighting.

They cooperated with the Rhodok Veteran Crossbowmen, who had retreated to the two wings, and the Ravenstern Rangers.

More and more lance soldiers of the Crimson Sect were falling.

The smell of blood also became stronger and stronger.

Even the desert bandits did not need to continue throwing short pilums. They even pulled out their scimitars ferociously and charged into the rear or side of the phalanx of lance soldiers. They were like lions charging into a flock of sheep and killing them mercilessly.

The phalanx of lance soldiers with low morale was like a broken house that was leaking everywhere. They could only barely focus on defense.

They passively accepted Kant's troops' side attacks and frontal pressure.

But for Kant, this was very simple.

Because his true main force had not been used yet, the 500 Mamlukes and 1,500 Sarrandian Horseman were still by his side, quietly watching the infantry in front of him fight into a mess, maintaining an absolutely calm formation as a deterrent.

Just ahead, Gibran and his 1,000 plus knight attendants had yet to make a move.

The so-called high-level troop class also did not make a move.

It was a regular battle.

Kant's troops had the slight advantage and were currently suppressing the Crimson Sect's lance soldiers.

But those true main forces, such as the cavalry, had yet to truly show off their strength. Those grand knights with extraordinary powers, or even those terrifying knights who had comprehended demonic powers, had yet to step onto the battlefield.

This was the reason why Kant did not take the initiative to act. He was waiting.

Waiting for Viscount Gibran's trump card.

Because as time passed, the lance soldiers of the Crimson Sect continued to fall.

There were even some people who were falling apart. Meanwhile, the fanatics at the rear and the knights at the left wing acted as if they did not see it. They continued to watch coldly. If they encountered any comrades who were fleeing, they would mercilessly go over and kill them.

It was obvious that they were watching these lance soldiers die!

The killing continued.

The desert bandits had already completely destroyed the restless lance soldiers.

Just with these light cavalry soldiers, they used the simple spears and scimitars in their hands to forcefully slash a bloody path. In an instant, they completely destroyed the phalanx of lance soldiers into nothing.

Dead and injured people were everywhere. The corpses of the lance soldiers were trampled under the hooves of the horses.

Of course, hundreds of desert bandits had fallen in the path of the battle.

Even Baheshtur's shoulder was slightly injured.

"Kill!"

However, they still ferociously completed the battle and completely scattered the phalanx of lance soldiers.

On the front battlefield, with the help of Rhodok Veteran Spearmen and the dense rain of arrows, they finally completely crushed the Crimson Sect's lance soldiers on the ground.

The casualties were everywhere, but the Crimson Sect's lance-soldiers had already lost their morale and started to flee in all directions.

However, what happened next was the same as before.

The black-robed fanatics acted as the barrier troop and massacred nearly 3,500 + lance soldiers who were fleeing. Those lance soldiers with low morale didn't even know how to resist and were beheaded by the longsword one by one.

Corpses were everywhere, and the thick smell of blood was everywhere. Resentment and hatred appeared everywhere because of unwillingness.

More than 50 figures quietly appeared behind Kant.

Each of them was wearing a black or gray robe.

They held wooden staffs in their hands.

The top of the staffs was inlaid with various exquisite gemstones.

When they pulled back their hood, there were many middle-aged faces among the large number of young faces.

All of them were solemnly looking at the scene in front of them. Each of them raised the magic staffs in their hands and released a soothing spiritual fluctuation that spread throughout the entire army, causing the soldiers to gradually spirit up and return to their battle-ready status.

They were the mage apprentices and mages from the Enfath Empire!

"How is it?" Kant asked.

"We can't be careless. We have to be careful."

A leader of mages spoke with a solemn expression. "This sacrifice is extremely grand. Using the blood and lives of thousands of people to worship that abyssal demon lord, I reckon that after it appears, it will be even stronger than the one we met in the ancient passage!"

"Mm." Kant nodded, the corners of his mouth revealing a sneer. "So that's about it?"

"Pretty much." the mage captain nodded.

But he still reminded, "We can't rule out other variables, such as the accompanying demon troops. They are definitely more than the ones we encountered in the ancient passage last time, and the species are probably stronger as well."

"That's pretty much what I thought." Kant nodded.

He was not the least bit surprised.

Instead, he nodded slightly. "Then let's begin."

Waving their hands forward, the desert bandits, who were originally entrenched in the back, began to charge forward instead. They launched a new assault on the troops that had already been enveloped by the blood-red fog and were all trapped in the middle of the battlefield.

However, they did not dare to continue charging forward. Instead, they continued to use the short pilum to throw.

Whoosh! Whoosh.

A muffled groan also appeared. It seemed that the effect of the short pilum was still pretty good.

Quite a number of fanatical believers and those fanatical knights were nailed to death by the short pilums. However, there were inhuman sounds that were like the howls of wild beasts!

Chapter 425: Half-demonized Believers

Changes appeared amidst the mournful howls.

In other words, the absolute combat strength that Gibran could rely on, the troops that he truly cared about, were the wild beast-like fanatics that were howling in the blood fog!

Now, he was also standing in the thick blood fog, intoxicated by the crazy and vicious power.

This was the power, power that belonged to him!

It was as if he had returned to the time when he faced one of the main forces of the Silver Platter Kingdom. He had been bestowed with the power by that existence, and then he had led his troops to easily annihilate the main forces of the Silver Platter Kingdom!

Even if they were completely annihilated, he could still clearly remember how he had torn apart the bodies of those knights.

It was as easy as tearing apart a chick.

"Hehehehehehehehehehahaha --"

Gibran let out a strange laugh.

The thick blood mist was corroding his body, making him look less and less like a human, his skin had become bloody and exposed. His body was also growing, and his sharp teeth and claws were began to show up.

He was transforming into that terrifying demonic form and that a new left hand was slowly condensing in the blood mist!

This was the sacrifice of thousands of people, and they had successfully communicated with the great existence at the foot of Mountain of Death. It was that existence that had given Gibran a new arm, but he had also given a new order.

Gibran's entire body erupted with blood-red flames, and his voice was like a roar, "Kill them!"

"Kill --"

A sound that sounded like a beast's roar also appeared.

A gentle breeze blew over.

The blood mist dissipated.

What appeared on the battlefield was burly figures that were already half-demonized. Their bulging muscles stretched their black robe taut, and their nearly two-meter-long bodies looked like a powerful servants of hell!

They had fallen into the power of Hell and became servants of the abyss.

Three thousand half-demonized fanatics moved forward.

The longsword and axe in their hands were clenched tightly.

They were like toys.

However, as they swung their thick arms, they became more lethal, and their combat strength would be stronger!

On the side, the 900 + knight servants who had been killed by the short pilums had also changed greatly, including the warhorses under them. Their muscles bulged, and sharp teeth appeared in the mouth of the horse.

Their eyes were all scarlet, filled with madness and bloodlust!

Rather than saying that they were a human force.

It would be more accurate to say that they were an army of the Abyss!

A terrifying army that had been corroded by the power of the Abyss and was completely half-demonized!

Then, following the roar of the commander, Gibran, they slowly took a step forward. After a few wobbles, the speed of the entire army's advance became faster and faster, and when they ran, it was as if the earth and the mountains were shaking!

This made Kant think of the high-level Jackalan troops that he had encountered when he was still weak.

"How... Interesting!"

He instantly pulled out his Sword of King.

He pointed forward.

A command that resounded through space also appeared in his mouth,

"Attack!"

"Attack!"

"Attack!"

"Attack!"

The captain of all troops responded one after another.

The troops that were already prepared were all ready. They slowly moved their feet and formed a dense formation like before, facing the half-demonized fanatics who were pouncing at them head-on!

If the half-demonized fanatics were like a tsunami, then these Rhodok people were like dams!

Broad shields were raised, forming a neat and sturdy low wall. Sharp spears were raised at the back and the top of the shields, ready to be used at any time as the sharpest and most cunning stab!

There were also the more well-defended and stronger Rhodok Sergeants.

They held halberd-like two-handed machetes.

They strode forward.

Their arrogant appearance completely ignored these half-demon fanatics.

To these Rhodok people, even if these fanatics appeared to have astonishing combat strength after half-demon transformation, no matter how astonishing they were, they were not as strong as the Swadian soldiers!

They were just a group of heavy footmen with a little stronger strength and combat skill!

As for those fanatic knights, they had their way to deal with these cavalries.

Groups of desert bandits pounced over and threw their short pilums fiercely. Even if they were very close to each other, they did not care about their own danger and threw their pilums at those half-demonized knights and attendants.

These desert bandits were using their own lives to kill the enemies.

However, there were some changes.

If the short pilums did not directly hit their vital points, they would not be able to directly kill these knights and knight attendants.

Some people even had a few short pilums stuck all over their bodies. They were still urging their warhorse to catch up with the desert bandits at an even faster speed. Then, they raised the longsword in their hands and slashed down fiercely, killing the desert bandits who were only wearing leather armor, they were cut into two halves, along with their horses. Fresh blood spilled on the ground.

In a short moment, in less than ten seconds, hundreds of desert bandits had already been hacked to death by these semi-devil knights and knight attendants.

As for those semi-devil knights and knight attendants, their number of casualties was less than fifty!

Quality crushed quantity.

There was a hint of panic in the eyes of the desert bandits.

Although the spears and scimitars in their hands could still cut these knights, even if they cut through the mail armor, it was like they had cut into wood. The blades were blocked by the layers of buffed muscle, they couldn't hurt their bones at all.

This meant that their attacks were insufficient to cause damages on these half-demonized soldiers.

In other words, the current battle was not something that the light cavalry could intervene in!

To the Khergits people, the so-called chivalry spirit did not exist.

They were a pack of wolves!

When they saw an opportunity, they would pounce forward and bite the enemy viciously.

If the enemy was powerful enough to break a few of their own teeth, then it didn't matter. They could just scatter and retreat.

Because their stronger allies began to move. Those Sarrandian Horsemen who wore Sarrandian armor and possessed superior battle skills were charging under the lead of the heavily armored Mamlukes!

These were the true main forces of the cavalry, while the desert bandits were only light cavalry.

Kant had brought them here because they could be used as scouts and harassers for the cavalry.

At the critical moment, they could also be used as a grain collection team, spreading out to snatch grain or protect their own supply lines. Their purpose was not to directly pounce on the enemy and engage in a fierce battle!

Right now, these Sarrandian iron cavalry were the true main force of this expedition!

They were completely unafraid of the powerful combat strength of those semi-demonic knights. They could face these semi-demonic knights head on.

This was because the weapons in the hands of these cavalry were shining with a faint golden light, as if they were attached to some kind of magical power, a status spell from the Enfath Empire.

"Sharp Golden Blades!"

Chapter 426: Mages’ Fireball Spell

"Sharp Golden Blade!"

The mages and mage apprentices of the Enfath Empire cast this spell together.

The mages who were secretly hidden in the army by Kant as cavalry finally showed a little of their power on the battlefield, and this status spell was only the most basic kind.

As war mages, it was too easy for them to increase the lethality of the army's weapons!

But it was not the case.

Kant had transferred all the mages' power.

The entire "Drondheim" Castle had lost the mages' support and only let the Royal Knights and Lion Knights that Kant had garrisoned the castle. It was enough to predict the importance Kant attached to this battle.

This was the first time he had revealed his power in the Dukedom of Leo.

Time was running out.

Kant, who was located in the Nahrin Desert, had already made enemies in many aspects.

He was almost surrounded by hostile forces. If he did not open a path and make his way out alive, even if he had a system and countless worlds of "Mount and Blade" as his backing, he would be obliterated in history.

He would be recorded in the history as a loser. Only the ruins might be studied by others in tens of millions of years.

But this was definitely not what Kant wanted to see!

So, he was serious!

Fifty mages from the Enfath Empire.

One hundred and thirty mage apprentices from the Enfath Empire.

All of them were here.

Now, they casted [Sharp Golden Blade] on the Sarrandian Cavalries and the Rhodok troops, increasing the damage of all the troops' weapons.

Mamlukes led the Sarrandian Horsemen as they whistled past, stabbing their lances into the enemies.

They had the advantage in number.

Two thousand heavy cavalry charged against less than a thousand semi-demonic knights.

Although the battle was fierce, with their excellent equipment, the lance and machete in their hands, and the golden light on their weapons, they were able to gain the upper hand. Blood splattered everywhere, and the soldiers died.

The knights of Sarrand Sultanate suppressed those half-demonized knights!

However, the casualties were extremely tragic.

Mamlukes charged at the forefront. They had already lost more than a hundred people, but with their fearless combat strength, even if they died, they would drag the same enemy to die with them.

Moreover, even if they died, they would be covered in heavy armor, they would be able to exchange for the deaths of two to three knight attendants. It was definitely not a loss-making deal!

And even if those Sarrandian Horsemen charged into the enemy knight formation and used the machetes in their hands to brazenly slash at them. They would be able to exchange one life for one half-demonized knight attendants.

In terms of madness, this group of Sarrandians were not weak at all!

Under the leadership of the Supreme Lord Kant.

They had the consciousness of sacrifice themselves.

Even if all of them died here, they could let the enemies of Lord Kant know what was inviolable, what was honor, and what was the bloodlust and madness of the Sarrandians!

If it wasn't for their bloodlust and madness, then the Sarrandian would have long been wiped out in the Sarrand Desert.

That was a truly cruel environment where only the fittest survived.

It was a hardship that outsiders could not understand!

Those who survived were all elites!

And now, they were exchanging their lives with these half-demonized knights who could deal absolute damage to Lord Kant's footmen.

Their eyes were bloodshot as they fought each other. They did not dodge and flee. One by one, they died in battle!

"Valiant."

Baheshtur, who was born in Khergit Khanate, was moved.

Seeing that the regular army of Sarrand Sultanate was not afraid of death, he also led the desert bandits who had scattered. They drew their machetes and spears to a place not far from the mages. After receiving the [ Sharp golden blade ] , they pounced on them again.

These bandits who had once roamed the desert also had the determination to not fear death!

It was a feast to the death.

This was an honor!

The densely packed desert bandits, who were like a pack of wolves, brandished their golden weapons and pounced forward.

They had already surrounded the half-demonized knights in the middle, layer upon layer, with corpses everywhere. This encirclement was still shrinking, and they were using the craziest methods to whittle down their opponents who were already at a disadvantage in numbers!

But Kant really paid attention to the fanatics who were rushing over and were became bigger.

The semi-demonic knights only increased their size by a little. Their strength and defense had also increased.

But the fanatics were different.

Their entire bodies were enhanced, except for their speed, which was not too fast. They were like the Brute of ThirdSide, but they still held cold weapons in their hands. In terms of combat strength, they were definitely stronger!

However, they lost their rationality and rushed forward in a mess. They were like a tidal wave that was about to break through the levees of the Rhodok people!

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh --"

The arrows of the Rhodok Veteran Crossbowmen and the Ravenstern Rangers were still shooting.

The waterfall-like rain of arrows had already filled the bodies of the fanatics with arrows like hedgehogs. However, they were still howling and charging forward as if they were fearless warriors who did not care about casualties at all!

The fanatics who had already strengthened their defenses in all aspects could not be treated as ordinary people at all!

Other than a small number of arrows that could pierce through the eye sockets, throat, knees, and other joints, their charge was still as fearsome as before.

"Fireball Spell!"

However, right behind the Rhodok people, the 120 mage apprentices of the Enfath Empire raised their magic staffs and released fireballs the size of a human head. They smashed into the group of fanatics like throwing stones.

Then, the burning fireballs seemed to shatter and burst into blazing flames that spread in all directions!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom

The fireballs exploded.

The endless flames were compressed to the extreme and then expanded rapidly.

It was like gunpowder, but the temperature was even higher than gunpowder. The high temperature of hundreds of degrees burned everything. The fanatics in the center were covered in flames and were burned into a pile of useless ashes in just a few seconds.

The fanatics who were pushed out by the blast and the flames also fell to the ground.

Many of them had their black robes lit up, like torches.

"Fireball!"

Another wave of fireballs appeared, and it continued to fly.

They were less than 50 meters away.

But this distance of 50 meters was just within the effective range of the fireballs.

A large number of explosions occurred. Every mage apprentice had three spell slots to cast the fireball spell every day. Right here, they whistled and threw all the fireballs out, blasting the group of fanatics to the side!

This was the strength of war mages. The destructive power of a short burst was far more terrifying than that of archers!

With120 mage apprentices, there 360 fireball spells could be used.

They had already caused the deaths of at least 500 fanatics!

It was obvious that a large part of the fanatics' formation at the front was destroyed. The original wave-like charging formation was now full of potholes!

Chapter 427: The Tragic Battlefield Situation

This was the strength of war mages. They were like moving cannons, and in the dense formation that mainly used cold weapons to collide, the damage they caused was limitless!

That's right, this comment was very correct, it was limitless!

Because right at this moment, Kant's mage army had yet to fully display their power.

As for these fireballs, they were just an appetizer from the mage apprentices!

As the staff lit up again, in a faint fluorescent light, fist-sized energy balls appeared one after another.

Then, the apprentices threw them forward as if they were throwing baseball balls, but their speed was extremely fast. They did not lose out much to the stone balls thrown by the catapults. They smashed directly at the group of fanatics.

This was the most basic war spell of the mage apprentices of the Enfath Empire.

[ Magic Ball ]

Each person had five magic balls per day.

120 people meant that 600 magic balls would be thrown out in the shortest amount of time.

This kind of basic spell was almost instantaneous, and the casting time was only 0.5 seconds. If a mage were to cast it, it would only take 0.3 seconds. But when the legendary great mage cast a spell, almost all of this energy could be shot out with a thought.

But now, the 600 energy bombs combined into a huge energy ball and seemed to have covered the front of the group of fanatics.

I was like the heaviest, deadliest, and most difficult to block heavy hammer.

They whistled past.

In the end, they smashed heavily onto the fanatics!

Then, the enemy formation that had been bombarded with fireballs was already broken in pieces. Then, they bared their fangs and brandished their claws and were about to pounce on the front row formed by the Rhodok soldiers. However, when they were smashed by the whistling energy bombs, they instantly retreated.

The fist-sized magic balls exploded one after another. They were really like the heaviest sledgehammers.

Bit by bit, the magic balls smashed those half-demonized fanatics and forced them to retreat.

Blood spurted out of their mouths. Their internal organs were even shattered. Along with the blood that gushed out of their mouths, there were also fragments of organs. One could tell how painful they were from their scared scarlet eyes!

Even these half-demonized fanatics were unable to resist the pouring of spells after they formed a scale!

With just 120 mage apprentices, they were able wipe out an elite team of nearly 500 people if they made sufficient preparation!

This was the advantage of a spellcaster.

Otherwise, with the world of "Wind of War", all sorts of legendary creatures were existed in there.

As a human kingdom, and also one of the continent's number one overlords, the Enfath Empire could live very well, and even rule a large territory. The greatest credit among them was the war mages.

There was no need to study too profound theories, nor did they need to contact too many spells.

The system of mages was completely integrated with war.

Or rather, they were trained to serve the war!

They only studied a few of the most powerful spells.

They used the spells that were most suitable for the battlefield and had the greatest destructive power to win the victory on the battlefield!

The philosophy of the Enfath Empire was that they didn't need to win all the enemies. As long as they could crush them physically, then the enemies would wipe enemies' skeptical attitudes towards their power and surrender.

Only those who survived would be the victors!

Now, the half-demonized fanatics had truly experienced the taste of this philosophy.

The 360 fireballs had directly killed 500 + fanatics, while at least 800 + fanatics had sustained injuries of varying severity. The next 600 energy bombs had completely shattered the fanatics' front line.

These most basic and direct magic bombs killed nearly 200 + fanatics.

And at the rear.

The fanatics' formation had completely collapsed.

They had completely lost their previous appearance of charging forward like a tidal wave, wanting to smash the reef into pieces!

This meant that these seemingly strong inhuman troops who should have been charging forward with indomitable will, with the madness brought about by the thick smell of blood, and borrowing the violent power bestowed by the demons, were just ordinary humans after all!

More than half of 3,000 half-demonized fanatics had lost in one charge! They were no longer able to charge forward at all.

Then, the elite Rhodok Heavy Footmen were already prepared and ready for battle!

Their broad shields were like a low wall, but at the gap and top of the low wall, sharp spears stabbed straight ahead, just like how they did in their daily training, stabbing forward in an orderly manner, without the slightest bit of delay.

The tip of the golden spear pierced through the muscles that were supposed to be harder than leather.

The black robe was tattered.

But the body underneath was pierced through by the tip of the spear.

Bright red with black blood flowing, the half-demonic fanatics who were still charging fell in groups in front of the low wall of the Rhodok soldiers. They screamed miserably and died in the end.

Their counterattack, the longswords and axes in their hands, could only knock on the broad shields like knocking on a door.

Other than the ear-piercing sound that reverberated through the space, there were only many traces left behind on the shields.

Of course, there were also the corpses of these fanatics. Layer by layer, they stacked up in front of the dense formation of the Rhodok soldiers. The miserable walls formed a small wall. The higher the walls were, the more people died!

The Rhodoks were never afraid of a head-on confrontation!

Compared to the cavalry's battle, they were much simpler with the helps from the mages and archers.

They had an advantage on the battlefield. Usually, before the wide shields were smashed, they could fight to the death with a few fanatics who had fallen into madness. Even the low walls formed by layers of wide shields could hold their ground.

It was really like defending a city. The fanatics could only break in after expending a large number of soldiers.

The dazzling golden weapons could cause damage to the fanatics.

It was also a fatal damage.

Rounds after rounds of Rhodok soldiers fought and blocked the fanatics.

The fanatics finally charged forward like they were in a battle to the death, like a millstone of flesh and blood.

Whoever feared and retreated would lose the war. This was the slaughterhouse of life, the place where the living would die. Whoever could truly control the East County would obtain the symbol of ultimate power!

Kant looked coldly at everything in front of him.

Sarrandian Cavalries were dying.

Rhodok footmen were dying.

And the enemy, the fanatics of the Crimson Sect were also dying.

But he did not continue to send reinforcements. He only had so many troops in his hands, but most of the troops fighting at the moment were still regular troops. The trump card troops that he had in his hands had not yet attacked.

For example, the Lion Knights, Royal Knights, and these mages who were ready to fight.

There was no order.

There was no action.

Because their Lord Kant was still waiting.

His gaze looked forward, through the noisy and chaotic battlefield.

Gibran was also staring at himself with his scarlet eyes, just like Kant was looking at him.

They were all waiting.

Chapter 428: The Demon Lord Appeared

They were waiting for the final battle.

Even now, the battle on the battlefield was extremely fierce. There were withered flowers of life everywhere. Fresh blood dyed the earth red, and the rich smell of blood turned this place into a living hell.

But in reality, the real climax of the battle had yet to arrive. Both sides were waiting.

Gibran watched coldly from the side.

He watched as the half-devil worshippers that he had painstakingly nurtured were slowly wiped out.

These fanatics, who could have easily defeated the East County's elite troops of nearly 10,000 people, were slowly grinded to death by Kant's troops like the millstones. Kant's troop crushing them head-on with large numbers.

Those half-devil knights were almost completely wiped out.

There was nothing they could do.

There were too many Sarrandian Horsemen surrounding this group of knights.

Mamlukes, Sarrandian Horsemen, and the desert bandits who rushed up from behind surrounded these knights. Even if they were risking their lives, the number of knights and knight attendants of these knights was greatly reduced.

Not to mention, there were also fanatic footmen who were being suppressed.

They did not have good defense to begin with.

Under that black robe, most of the defense was only leather armor. They did not even wear armor.

They were a group of fanatic believers gathered together. They held longsword and short-handled axe in their hands. Relying on the power given by the demons, they transformed into a terrifying half-demon status and fought with brute force and madness.

Under the frontal counterattack of the elite Rhodok Sergeants and Rhodok Veteran Spearmen, the fanatics suffered heavy casualties!

They were covered by a few rounds of rain of arrows.

They were also bombarded by two rounds of spells.

With the help of the defense and counterattack of the Rhodok soldiers, they were like porcupines.

The number of these fanatics decreased even faster, and the number of fanatics who died in battle also increased. In the end, they turned into corpses on the ground, and all of them died in the encirclement of layers upon layers.

These fanatics were not qualified army footmen, but they could be considered as excellent warriors.

All of them died in battle, but none of them fled.

They were extremely brave.

But Kant had a mocking smile on his face.

Of course, he understood that this was not true bravery, but an action that came from the madness and bloodlust in their hearts, they had completely lost their minds.

It was all because of that lonely figure who was still standing on the battlefield in the end.

Viscount Gibran.

It was all caused by him!

The blood mist was already extremely dense, because the ground outside Mountain of Death was already soaked in blood like a bottomless pit.

There were corpses everywhere, and the fresh blood that flowed out from the corpses was like a small river, like a small stream, like a puddle, like a swamp, and more like a hell that would sink forever!

The battle had temporarily ended with the Mountain of Death, where all the enemy troops had died.

Gibran was the only one left in the Crimson Sect.

He stood alone.

But no one dared to move forward because the thick blood mist seemed to be corporeal as it wrapped around his body. More and more of it piled up, as if it was a terrifying demon from hell.

Baheshtur retreated to Kant's side.

There were still more than a thousand desert bandits remained. They spread out and slowly swam around the battlefield.

Mamlukes and Sarrandian Horsemen, who had lost more than half of their men, also formed a charging formation. They aimed at Gibran from the side and waited for Kant's order to charge again.

This included the Rhodok people as well.

Broad shields and long spears formed a formation.

A low wall was formed.

Each of them was expressionless. They stepped on the corpses of their companions or fanatics under their feet and slowly moved toward Gibran. They formed a dense formation that they were most proud of.

Around them were the Rhodok Veteran Crossbowmen and the Ravenstern Rangers.

These crossbowmen spread out.

They formed a skirmish line tactics.

The heavy crossbows and battle bow in their hands were ready.

They could aim at Gibran, who was less than 300 meters away, at any time and cover him with rain of arrows.

If they wanted to, they could shoot directly now. After all, to these most elite crossbowmen, it was not a problem for them to shoot at a fixed target with a 300-meter distance away.

However, Kant did not give the order to attack.

He gripped the hilt of his sword tightly.

The Sword of King released a faint golden light.

A strong positive energy filled his heart and soul, and it faintly spread out to protect the surrounding troops, forming a seemingly solid force that seemed to want to crush Gibran.

However, a faint power from the underground made Gibran to preserve.

No.

To be more precise, it was a power that came from the towering and steep Mountain of Death behind him!

It was a power that came from the ground that had already turned into a muddy battlefield like a slaughterhouse. The countless corpses of the dead, the remaining resentful souls, the power that came from the media and was forced on Gibran!

Lord of Hell, Lord of sin, Master of Flames, Flensas!

Kant still remembered this title.

He would never forget it.

Because when Gibran mentioned this title, Kant understood that his real enemy was the demon lord of the Abyss who had been sealed underground in ancient times!

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, Whoosh..."

A gale blew.

It was a gale from Mountain of Death that appeared in the void.

However, this violent wind carried an extremely deep negative energy. It whistled towards the direction of Gibran, who was already entangled by the blood mist and was almost eight meters tall. Then, with a faintly discernible sinister smile, a figure appeared in the blood mist.

It was pitch-black in appearance, with a faint flame light and a ferocious goat horn.

"Abyssal demon." Kant spoke softly.

He was not unfamiliar with the figure that was rapidly taking shape in the blood mist.

Once in the ancient passage, he had led a still weak army to fight against the demon lord of the Abyss who had been sealed for ten thousand years and had just escaped not long ago. He had not received much replenishment.

And it was that battle that made Kant realize that this world was not that simple.

Now, he had encountered it again.

But it was not much different from before.

This demon might be powerful, but Kant's army was also much more powerful!

Fifty mages from the Enfath Empire.

Thirty Lion Knights from the Kingdom of Sarleon.

Twenty Royal Knights from the Kingdom of Swadia.

These top-tier extraordinary forces were the true elites who had completely exceeded the regular army. They were that Kant had brought over to

"Hahahaha --"

The terrifying figure broke free from the blood mist.

Or rather, the blood mist was evaporated. Waves of blazing blood-colored flames burned on the gigantic demon body. From the ferocious head of the goat horn to the thick legs, as well as the even longer tail that was still whipping the ground behind him.

And in his hand was holding a long whip that was formed from scarlet blood-colored flames.

The demon lord from Mountain of Death.

Flensas!

Chapter 429: Flensas’s Anger

"I've been imprisoned for more than 10,000 years..."

A deep and suppressed hoarse voice appeared in the blood-colored phantom.

As the blood mist dispersed, that sturdy body finally appeared in this world. Just looking at its ferocious appearance, one would feel the most primitive fear from their hearts. It was like facing the most ferocious terror, and that was indeed the truth.

The hell lord was a powerful race from the ancient times that could contend against the gods.

In fact, both sides had even fought to the point where both sides suffered heavy losses.

Hence, there was now a situation where many races were dominating this world.

It could be said that if it wasn't for the abyssal faction and the gods' factions, both sides would have fought to the very end and would have been at the end of their lives. They would no longer be as glorious and powerful as before. The many races that were enslaved would still do as they were supposed to do.

They would bow in the honor of the gods and offer their devout faith.

They would be filled with fear towards the shadow of the abyss and show their deepest respect.

There was no difference.

The gods needed the souls of living beings to become devout believers and build their divine kingdoms.

The demons needed the souls of living beings to turn into demonic worms to develop the abyss.

At that time, humans and other races were the subsidiary products of the gods and demons. They were not seen as living beings. They were a group of inferior servants and even food to those gods and demons.

This was also the reason why both sides were betrayed after their gruesome battle.

Humans were once the servants of the gods.

But after the betrayal, they became the dominant race in the world.

At least in this land, where the Resniston River flowed, the hegemony of humans was one of the strongest. Even the dwarf tribes in the distant south were afraid of the strength of the humans here.

There was not only the Dukedom of Leo here.

There were also kingdoms.

Silver Platter Kingdom, Iris Kingdom, River Bay Kingdom.

Each kingdom had several counties of land, hundreds of thousands of civilians and slaves.

As the pillar of the kingdom, there were the king's vassals, as well as the nobles under the vassals. They formed a powerful noble corps, including various knight corps and infantry corps formed by the nobles' vassals.

This was the military strength displayed by the human kingdom on the surface.

At the same time, it included hidden resources.

For example, the magic towers of various countries.

For example, the temple and the Holy Church.

For example, the academy of knowledge and the collection of books.

For example, the grand knight training center.

These were the true resources of the human kingdom. In fact, it was far better than the Dukedom of Leo, which had three counties. After all, it was the weakest force on the land that the Resniston River flowed through.

And now, it had fallen into a faint division, as well as years of internal strife and war!

Even without the invasion of the Silver Platter Kingdom, the Dukedom of Leo was plagued by internal and external problems.

Look at now.

At the foot of the most famous Mountain of Death in the East County.

A huge lord of hell, a legendary demon, had used Gibran's body to step onto the stage of history. He stood in front of the world and announced its existence!

However, no one in front of it was frightened, and no one even fled in fear.

There was still no expression on their faces.

They gripped their weapons tightly.

All of them calmly waited for the next order.

Because in everyone's hearts, the order from the Supreme Lord Kant could dispel the fear in their hearts. With a brazen and fearless heart, they would directly charge forward and fight against that eight-meter-tall giant creature!

Facing the so-called Lord of Hell or the abyssal demon, they had no emotions at all.

It was just a battle!

The people from the world of "Mount and Blade" had never been afraid of war.

Moreover, the mages from the Enfath Empire advanced forward.

The Royal Knights from the Kingdom of Swadia advanced forward.

The Lion Knights from the National Knight Corps from the Kingdom of Sarleon advanced forward.

Facing the so-called Lord of Hell, the Lord of Sin, Flame Master, Flensas, there was nothing to be afraid of. It was just a creature slightly stronger than them!

In the Pendor Continent, where the Kingdom of Sarleon was located.

In the world of "Wind of War", where the Enfath Empire was located.

There were creatures that even more terrifying than this lord of hell existed!

They had never been afraid of anything. Instead, they relied on the tenacity of the humans and forcefully fought their way out of the world that was surrounded by many powerful enemies. They were even the overlords of that world!

Now, it was just merely an abyssal demon, the Lord of Hell.

Why were they afraid of it?

Kant's lips curled into a smile. He could feel the monstrous aura of his troops surging.

It was like a huge wave, appearing in his troops and forming an aura. It whistled towards the hell lord, who was still grinning ferociously and waiting on the spot, as if he wanted to completely absorb the blood-colored mist.

This was the aura formed by combining the extraordinary power!

"Hu Hu hu --"

A gale swept over.

The blood-colored mist around the hell lord instantly dissipated.

It seemed to have finally noticed the human troops that were slowly approaching in formation. The red light in its eyes appeared to be blood-red. It shook the ten-meter-long flaming whip in its hand, and sparks crackled everywhere.

As the Lord of Hell Demons, the Lord of Sin, and the Master of Flame, Flensas was the supreme existence that controlled the flames of hell!

In the ancient times, when its combat power was at its peak, even the most powerful gods had to hide under its whip of flames, and the troops formed by groups of god's descendants was destroyed by it.

And now, the lowly humans also had the idea of daring to resist it.

This made Flensas snigger. "Interesting!"

"Indeed interesting." Kant nodded.

Those were the stories that originated from ancient times, and they were still passed down to the present day. The culture of this world had not been broken down.

Humans themselves were a civilization that had been passed down from the gods or the abyss. In other words, the gods or the abyss had been passed down to their descendants, and then passed down to the so-called spawns of humans. It was a civilization and culture that had been passed down from generation to generation.

After mixing with each other for ten thousand years, although the original stories had been lost and changed a lot, it could be still understood.

Kant was, after all, a scholar.

However, there was a smile at the corner of his mouth.

This interesting battle was definitely not a place for this hell demon to play around.

The gaze in his eyes gradually turned cold. He slowly pulled out the Sword of King and slowly pointed it forward. In a deep voice, he said, "All troops, attack!"

"Kill!" An orderly response appeared.

Chapter 430: The Gruesome Battle with the Demon

However, no one moved without permission.

Instead, they began to move according to the most common formation.

They were the most elite troops. After the bitter and frenzied battle with the fanatics just now, although many of the surviving soldiers were injured, they had also aroused the fierce killing intent in their hearts.

However, they all understood that rushing forward rashly would only be throwing away their lives and heads!

The first to attack were the archers, Rhodok Veteran Crossbowmen and the Ravenstern Rangers!

Five hundred soldiers quickly moved forward. They had poured arrows in the battle just now and did not engage in close combat, so there were no casualties. They could still shoot out the deadliest arrows in their hands.

As long as they were the long-ranged soldiers, they would have the advantage in the first-hand battle.

Moreover, they were also probing!

The heavy crossbows were drawn, and the battle bows were also drawn into a full moon.

Following the shouts of their respective captain, they pulled triggers and loosened fingers instantly shot out the steel crossbows and awl arrows that were ready like a storm. From a distance of more than 150 meters, they shot straight towards the Lord of Hell, the so-called flame whip, Flensas's head!

Looking at that huge body, the so-called chest and other vital parts were definitely not as lethal as the head. Eyes, ears, and throat were all the vital parts on the head!

The rain of arrows whistled past.

The air was filled with the sound of "whoosh" at extreme speed.

However, Flensas grinned hideously as it raised its flame whip and threw it forward with all its strength. As a red wall of flames instantly dispersed, the rain of arrows actually fell into pieces!

The tail of the awl arrow and the tail made of feathers were directly burnt to ashes.

The arrow had lost its tail feathers.

It was the same as losing the ability to control the direction.

All of the arrows scattered in all directions. These arrows did not fly in the straight line with beautiful arc. The rain of arrows had lost its effectiveness!

"Ridiculous."

Flensas grinned hideously as it moved forward.

To him, this was like hitting a bug.

However, before it could continue speaking, a series of black shadows with a red glow appeared in the curtain of fire at an extremely fast speed. In an instant, it was nailed to its face. A piercing pain caused the gigantic lord of hell to let out an angry howl.

"Roar --"

It felt pain!

It was a steel crossbow.

The arrowhead of the steel crossbow was naturally a steel armor-piercing arrowhead. The arrow shaft at the back was also made from excellent wood that had been meticulously carbonized.

The body of the crossbow was relatively short.

Hence, even though it had lost its tail feathers, it was still able to shoot straight forward.

This caused an effective damage.

However, the effect wasn't great.

A 30 cm long steel crossbow bolt was like a needle to this hell lord

Humans would not die even if they stuck a needle in it, let alone this hell lord whose vitality was even more tenacious. Instead, it charged forward in anger, swinging the whip of fire in its hand and running forward in anger.

It had already broken free from the seal for more than ten years, and it had already recovered part of its former strength!

A mere human army.

They were just courting death!

But even though it was approaching with quick steps, Kant's troop still did not retreat.

Instead, they stood firmly on the spot, looking at the huge figure and the tremors that appeared on the ground. It was like an earthquake, more like the tremors caused by the galloping of tens of thousands of cavalries!

Just the might of a single superior demon was already so terrifying.

If there were more than ten of them, or even dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of them! That was even more terrifying. They were the terrifying creatures that could go against the gods in the ancient time!

Even if the gods possessed powerful strength, they actually didn't have much of a chance of winning against this group of terrifying creatures. After all, after becoming gods, they were actually another kind of creature.

A powerful creature that had transcended the mortal world and focused on energy!

This was the rule of this world.

"Fire!" Kant's voice appeared.

He didn't let this terrifying hell demon continue to run forward.

With his order, rain of arrows, energy balls the size of coconuts appeared. They whizzed past and directly smashed towards the demon's body.

It was the magic balls spell cast by the mages of the Enfath Empire!

"Inferior toy!"

However, Flensas had no intention of dodging.

Instead, it crashed heavily into the energy balls. With the sound of explosions, the energy balls formed by the magic ball spell did not cause any damage at all.

"Magic immunity." the mages had solemn expressions. Of course, they understood the reason.

"That's right." Kant nodded.

The demon he had met in the ancient passage had the same talent.

The skin of a demon was immune to magic. Ordinary low-level spells, such as magic ball or even fireball, were no harm to these demon lord. They were just like the paper balls and paper pieces that were blown by a breeze!

However, the mages of Kant did not only know low-level spells.

The war mages who came out of the world of "Wind of War".

They were all powerful!

Undoubtedly, they were the butchers on the battlefield!

When facing the low-level troops, they naturally had low-level spells and group spells to deal with them.

As for high-level creatures, such as dragons, tree spirits, and even angels and demons, they naturally had their own ideas. For example, the highest-level single-target damage spell that the mages had mastered, Summoning Lightning!

"Group Acceleration!"

But the mages cast a new spell.

As a strong gust of wind surged, the surrounding soldiers, including themselves, felt as if their bodies were light. As long as they ran, their speed could be increased by nearly 100% or even higher!

Especially the archers, they were like light cavalry, shooting as they ran.

But the troops scattered.

They just happened to dodge the Flensas's charge.

A regular troop class could only use their lives to deal with such high-level creature, and this did not mean that they were brainless in exchange for their lives. Certain tactics could also ensure that the casualties of these troop classes would be reduced, and the effect would be better.

Just like now, groups of Rhodok soldiers just happened to surround this demon.

Then, they launched their charge!

They wore heavy armor.

They held broad shields and long spears.

They ran forward step by step, fixing the hell demon in place at an extremely fast speed.

Of course, these Rhodok soldiers were also sent flying by the whips of fire. Even if they wore heavy armor, against the whip that was half a meter thick and blazing with flames, they didn't have much ability to resist.

Their wide shields were shattered, and even their armor was shattered.

As for their bodies, they were sunken.

They spat out large mouthfuls of blood as they convulsed and died.

However, the Rhodok soldiers did not care and continued to charge forward. Facing the huge foot that was lifted up and stepped on, they did not hesitate to stab with their spears and slash with their battle blades. Even if they had to die, they had to delay and let this devil of hell stayed on the spot for a few seconds.

Because right behind them, in front of the magic staff, 50 bolts of terrifying lightning had already appeared!

"Summon Lightning!"

Chapter 431: The Body of a Demon that Exploded

A high-end single-target spell from the Enfath Empire.

As the gem on the staff shone, lightning elements began to condense in the sky. It was a spell that was specially developed for high-level creatures. It was extremely destructive and could summon lightning!

Not to mention ordinary magic immunity, these lightnings could even break through the magic immunity skin of high-level creatures and cause a certain amount of damage!

The lightning element was the most destructive element to begin with. In addition, it was incomparably fast and fierce. When the lightning struck down, the terrifying power exploded at a single point in an instant. The power produced could no longer be measured by the cold weapons.

Perhaps the point where the lightning exploded could be compared to the explosion of an atomic bomb.

Such a metaphor was obviously ridiculous.

But it was very realistic!

And now, there were a total of 50 bolts of lightning rapidly forming in the void. In the end, they struck towards the Lord of Hell, who was entangled by many Rhodok Footmen and Sarrandian Horsemen. The flashing lightning seemed to have blocked out the other lights!

In an extremely short instant, there was no other light in the eye sockets other than the dazzling white light.

And that terrifying destructive power was spreading.

What was left behind was nothing but a huge body that was covered in scars and black smoke, swaying on the verge of collapse.

The demonic body condensed from the blood mist was not Florence's actual body, but more similar to an elemental body. But because of this, the magic immunity of an elemental body could not be compared to the actual body at all.

One had to know that the abyssal demon, Aamon Qieke that they had once met in the ancient passage.

That demon had the actual body, the lightning was almost unable to split open its skin directly.

Although Aamon Qieke had just broken out of the seal and appeared extremely weak, Kant's troop with a few of mages had still used a lot of strength to finally defeat it.

And now, this Lord of Hell, Flensas, who was holding the whip of fire, had its chest split open!

It lowered its head in disbelief.

There was a big hole in its chest.

Bright red blood flowed directly down, bringing with it traces of black mist. It dyed the entire body of Rhodok Footmen red. Immediately, raging flames and decaying energy appeared, causing the Rhodok soldiers to continuously decay.

They were decaying, or in other words, when they encountered strong sulfuric acid, black smoke emitted from their bodies, and they howled miserably as they melted!

These seemingly bright red blood contained a terrifying power that could destroy objects!

Demon's blood!

Kant was no stranger to this.

He turned his head and gave a few orders in a low voice. Following the shout of the messenger, the Rhodok footmen retreated one after another, leaving the Lord of Hell alone.

It could be seen with the naked eye that the body of the Lord of Hell, Flensas, was on the verge of collapse.

"No... why..."

Flensas cried out in grief.

Its huge eyes were filled with confusion, anger, and absolute madness. "How can there still be such powerful magic power left? Shouldn't... shouldn't it disappear with the end of the ancient era..."

However, its question could not be answered.

Because it was right in front, 30 Royal Knights and 20 Lion Knights had already spurred their horses out, raising their lances and longsword together. Then, they slowly maneuvered their warhorses, exploding their charging speed to the maximum in the shortest amount of time!

It was an incomparable charging strength, with golden and red flames erupting all over their bodies.

It charged towards the still swaying Flensas.

In the sky.

Lightning continued to gather.

The mages of the Enfath Empire could summon lightning five times a day!

This was the limit of spell slots, but at the same time, it was also the advantage of spell slots. Because of the limited number, the mages could cast the spell with full power every time!

Without the so-called restriction of magic value, these thunderbolts were the most terrifying existences with the most destructive power!

"Boom Boom Boom Boom --"

The thunderbolts struck down fiercely from above.

The terrifying thunderbolts spread.

It was like countless thunderbolts were tearing apart anything that could be torn apart, including the physical body, other elements, and even matter and space. They were completely torn apart by the dazzling white thunderbolts.

"Roar --"

Flensas let out a mournful howl.

Once again, the lightning formed a group and struck down. The terrifying power had already completely penetrated its body.

The whip of fire in its hand could no longer be held tightly. It slowly fell to the ground and turned into flames that burned fiercely. Soon after, it turned into a pool of useless blood that sizzled and corroded the earth, disappearing without a trace.

This feeling was extremely uncomfortable. It was as if it had once again experienced the tragic battles of the ancient times.

But at that time, its opponent was the once high and mighty gods.

And now, its opponent was the once lowly servants of the gods.

They were not even its race. They were just a group of lowly slaves that formed an army!

What was even more laughable was that there were even more ordinary people among them. They were just slightly stronger. One had to know that in the past, even if it was a random demonic side troop from the abyss, they would be able to directly annihilate this army.

But now, it had to endure the humiliation of this army!

Yes, it was an embarrassment.

The once Supreme Lord of Hell was being beaten until its incarnation was on the verge of collapse, and even its main body was in danger.

It was the threat of death caused by the humans that it had once looked down on. This made Flensas, this crazy Lord of Hell, even angrier. Its mind had been completely blinded by anger.

Most importantly, this incarnation was merely the condensation of elemental power, not its true form.

That was why it dared to do something crazy.

"Explode!"

Madness appeared in its eyes.

As a wave of power spread out from its body that had already been split into pieces, the terrifying elemental power rapidly exploded. Its entire body was like the biggest bomb, suddenly transforming into countless blood-colored torrential rain that rushed out in all directions!

That was the terrifying demonic blood that had an intense corrosive nature and could even corrode the earth!

"Whoosh --"

But the sound of sword drawing appeared.

In mid-air, numerous figures riding warhorses instantly rushed up.

As if they had stopped in mid-air, golden and blood-colored aura flames erupted from their bodies, filling the space with a powerful destructive power. They blocked the large spray of exploding demonic blood.

Behind them were Kant and his troops. The figures that cleaved apart the torrential rain of demon blood by were the Swadian Royal Knights and the Sarleon Lion Knights!

"Summon of Nature!"

The mages of the Enfath Empire raised their staffs.

One golem after another suddenly appeared in mid-air, forming a wall. They took advantage of the time difference when they fell to completely block off part of the demon blood rain that the Royal Knights and the Lion Knights were not able to completely block.

As the golems' bodies emitted a white mist, their entire bodies were corroded and collapsed.

Kant and his troops at the rear were unharmed.

Except for a few unlucky ones.

Most of them were not harmed by the sudden explosion just now!

Chapter 432: The Battle Was About to End

The aftertaste of the explosion quickly dissipated.

Kant was still sitting on the saddle of his warhorse with his head held high, holding the Sword of King in his hand as he calmly looked ahead.

Right ahead, piles of golems were emitting black smoke with sizzling sounds. Most of their bodies were covered by the blood of demons that had a strong corrosive effect. Even mechanical creatures that were constructed with magic energy would be destroyed by the strong corrosion.

The specific composition of the golems was a mysterious mystery, but it did not affect the fact that such objects were half living organisms.

They were very similar to elemental creatures.

But they still considered as artificial intelligence.

Because the golems were constructed creatures that were controlled by mages, they did not have complete intelligence of their own. Most of them were pre-programmed to respond to tactical commands such as attack, defense, and retreat.

Of course, they did not hesitate to complete the movement command that was clearly suicidal.

They used their own bodies to block the explosion of the demon's body.

They were strongly corroded.

Finally, they shattered.

They turned into a pile of useless stones on the ground.

Golems were naturally made of stone. Although there were various magic constructs in them and they were the fine product of the magic intelligence of the Enfath Empire, they were still not invincible.

Perhaps if the angels, dragons, titans and other creatures were here, they would be able to ignore the self-destruction of the demonic bodies.

But that was just a thought.

If Kant really had these troops, he did not need to be recruit the regular troop anymore. Sending out a dragon that could breathe fire and fly, had a huge body, was extremely strong in close combat, and also knew magic, it would probably be able to directly conquer a city or castle.

At the very least, Kant did not think that the current Dukedom of Leo was qualified to fight against such a terrifying existence!

Even if one were to think optimistically, even the demons would have to retreat in dejection under the invasion of the terrifying creatures from the world "Wind of War".

After all, Kant had already sensed that this world had fallen into the end of magic era. It could be said that the abyssal demons, who had once fought with the ancient gods until both sides were destroyed, had been weaken by several levels.

The terrifying creatures who had once occupied the abyss and hell had completely lost their former might.

This conclusion could also be used to describe the gods.

One had to know.

The demons still showed themselves from time to time.

As for the ancient gods, they were still hiding somewhere.

Even in the depths of the Nahrin Desert, where the Holy City of Gold was located, those who occupied the place were actually the descendants of the ancient gods who had already become undead. Giving up the glory of the gods was equivalent to changing their identities.

Most importantly, the undead were also existences that gathered negative energy. They were almost the same as demons.

They were born to be the opposite of the glory of the gods!

"They are all enemies." Kant spoke.

His two legs lightly knocked against the horse's abdomen. The warhorse under him immediately stepped forward and came to the front of the figure that had already exploded. There was still half of his body left. He calmly held the reins.

The corners of his mouth curled up into a slight smile. "We meet again, Viscount Gibran."

"Mm."

That half of his body was Viscount Gibran.

He responded but did not breathe.

However, it could still be seen that his bloody chest was still rising and falling slightly, and red gas appeared in his nostrils. However, the fluctuations of his soul were already very weak. It could be said that he was like a dying old man.

He looked so miserable that people couldn't bear to look at him directly.

However, Kant didn't.

He didn't look away.

Instead, he looked at Gibran who had his eyes closed and didn't speak. He smiled and said, "Then, Viscount Gibran, can I go to Mountain of Death to visit the scenery there?"

"As you wish," Viscount Gibran said straightforwardly.

He could not say much.

Because with this word, large mouthfuls of blood were gushing out of his mouth.

Kant lowered his head and the warhorse moved forward. The horse's hooves brushed past Gibran's head and stepped on him. The entire belly of the horse brushed past his body. This was an action that was close to humiliation, because only the defeated would pass under the belly of the horse.

Just like the humiliation of the crotch, to a noble, this was an incomparable insult.

If they could not take revenge, they could only redeem their already tarnished honor by committing suicide.

However, Viscount Gibran did not react. He just lay on the ground, covered in blood. The fluctuations of his soul became slower and slower. Finally, he turned his head to the side and completely lost his life force.

The Lion Knights and the Royal Knights came over and coldly observed the dead body that had completely lost its life force.

The mages nodded to each other.

Their senses were extremely strong.

Thus, they could confirm that Gibran, who was once their main enemy, was indeed dead.

Kant calmly nodded. He had already thought of this situation. He did not even care about the humiliation he had given him. Other than the completely dead body, only an extremely patient and ambitious person could do it.

Unfortunately, Gibran could be considered a crazy and famous general.

He could not be considered an ambitious person.

If that was really the case, then there would have been no need for Kant to continue his frenzied attack after finding out that it was him back in Avilis Castle.

Instead, he would directly mediate with Kant in Nali Village and explain the misunderstanding. He would not transform into his demon form and attack Kant. After his left arm was cut off, he still said such vicious words and expose the Mountain of Death's headquarters.

Then, the headquarters of Mountain of Death would be destroyed, because the main force had been completely destroyed.

The steep mountain in front of them was wide open to Kant's troops to advance.

He looked up.

He could still see many panicked fanatics running around on Mountain of Death.

Some fanatics did not participate in the previous battle, but when they saw that their side was defeated, those fanatics panicked and tried to escape. After all, there were not that many fanatics, and there were also many shallow believers.

However, Kant did not intend to give them a chance to escape.

He waved his hand forward.

Kant ordered, "Kill them all."

"Yes!"

Baheshtur nodded and led the light cavalry to charge forward.

Furthermore, the Rhodok Footmen and the Ravenstern Rangers also followed behind. They stepped on the well-built mountain road and rushed towards the steep mountain peak of Mountain of Death.

At the top, there were still many buildings, similar to temples.

It was the Demon Worship Cult's temple.

Everyone was expressionless.

They gripped their weapons tightly.

Because Kant's order was very clear. He meant to kill without mercy, which meant to kill everyone!

For this evil Crimson Sect, in order to prevent it from bringing trouble to himself behind his back, Kant meant to kill everyone and directly destroy the sect physically.

Perhaps the spiritual inheritance could not be cut off as long as there was a devil.

However, by destroying the believers from the physical level, it could also cause these evil inheritances to suffer irreparable damage!

Chapter 433: The Shivering East County

Kill without mercy, meaning that if there were any arrests, they could be killed on the spot.

This was an extensive and profound ancient saying, even if it was in the language of this world, could also clearly and succinctly explain Kant's true thoughts. Especially his current intention of the remaining Crimson Sect on Mountain of Death!

For those soldiers who had already understood Kant's meaning, the following battle was very simple.

It was just a massacre!

A massacre of a city!

No one expressed any objection to this.

Because, they had experienced even more ruthless situations in the past.

Even the Continent of Caradia, which was slightly less intense than other worlds, would wipe out villages and towns, destroy castles and military fortresses when fighting between countries. It was simply a common occurrence.

War was cruel to begin with. It was a hell for the weak, a heaven for the strong, and the bloodiest law of the forest!

Just like now.

The strong were Kant and his troops.

Then, the Crimson Sect, which was the weak, could only bear the consequences of defeat.

And the consequence of this was a bloody massacre. Kant's troops slaughtered all the members of the Crimson Sect, leaving no survivors!

The followers of the Crimson Sect wanted to surrender and beg for mercy.

But what awaited them was not forgiveness, it was a sharp saber or longsword!

The desert bandits who were the first to rush up had already jumped off their warhorse and rushed up the stairs with scimitars in their hands. Using their bandit instincts, they began to search the locations of various buildings.

A large number of precious utensils were put into sacks. Whether they were silver or gold, they were all their spoils of war.

No one dared to truly obstruct them.

Because the believers who dared to obstruct them had all been chopped to death.

Gibran had gathered all the fanatics who could go down the mountain. They were all armed and fought with Kant's troops.

The ones left behind were all shallow believers. They were simply asked to stay behind to guard their homes or to witness the might of a supreme existence. They were truly transformed into fanatics who could be used in the future.

But no one expected that Gibran's plan to fail. He never thought that Kant's strength was so powerful.

It wasn't just the half-demon army that all died, even the incarnation of the demon lord had lost.

The invincible incarnation that he personally formed was easily defeated by Kant and his army.

What was even more unexpected was that the demon lord chose to self-destruct without hesitation. It didn't even care about the safety of the most devout believer. It even self-exploded to defeat Kant.

However, he still miscalculated and failed. Kant did not suffer a great loss from its self-destruction.

Or rather, there were not many casualties at all.

What was left behind was those soldiers who were arrogant with anger and victory.

They charged up Mountain of Death and began their cruel plunder and slaughter. In the shortest amount of time, these believers of the Crimson Sect experienced what real hell was!

The massacre was ongoing. The believers cried and fled, but they couldn't get far because Kant's troops were everywhere.

The desert bandits were only the first to come up.

Behind them, the Rhodok Footmen came up. They searched the rooms one by one meticulously. They didn't care about the treasures at all. Instead, they resolutely carried out Kant's will and killed the believers, leaving no survivors!

The mountain of death penalty was famous for hanging dozens of noble families on the peak of the mountain.

Now, Kant's Massacre had made this mountain even more famous.

The cruel massacre had never appeared in the Dukedom of Leo. Now, Kant had spread throughout the entire mountain with the threat of death. He had cut the throats of any believers who appeared in front of him and were captured.

The mountain of death penalty deserved its name. Many people were slaughtered on this mountain!

The massacre continued for nearly half a day.

Kant did not go up the mountain.

Instead, he set up a temporary tent at the foot of the mountain.

The various exquisite crafts and silver coins found in the temple of the Crimson Sect on the mountain of death penalty had been transported here, guarded by the 300 Rhodok Sergeants.

Of course, there were also all kinds of delicious ingredients, spices, and salt.

It could be seen how extravagant the higher-ups of the Crimson Sect were.

There was nothing they could do.

The Crimson Sect had already infiltrated the East County.

The Mountain of Death here was just the headquarters. In fact, although the nobles in the East County were not believers of Crimson Sect, they had more or less become the partners of the Crimson Sect.

The Crimson Sect had also plundered a large amount of wealth due to their interests.

For example, the spices and table salt here were proof of this.

The spices came from the merchants of the Resniston River, while the table salt came from the Nahrin Desert of Kant.

Without their own trade caravan and the support of the nobles, perhaps the Crimson Sect would not have been able to develop to its current stage. After all, Kant knew very well that although the newly revived Hell Lord was powerful, it was not invincible in terms of manpower. In fact, an elite army could easily wipe it out.

This was not a difficult matter for the East County. However, the reason why the Crimson Sect and the demon were able to develop to such a powerful state could not be separated from the wrangling of the noble families and their greed for benefits.

They could not shake off the tail. In the end, the Crimson Sect grew to become the third largest force in the East County.

They were independent of the noble and lord.

In fact, they had even infiltrated the noble system.

They had made the lords lose their power and combined with the large number of noble families, they controlled most of the power in the East County

Looking at the port of the East County, even the city guards had believers of the Crimson Sect. If the Crimson Sect really wanted to do something, the entire East County would be in chaos.

The nobles and lords had actually lost their ability to control everything.

However, it was not certain now.

The Crimson Sect had been easily annihilated by Kant's troops on Mountain of Death.

This meant that Kant had already obtained his own place in the East County. Even in the North County, he could be said to have control over the entire plain from the Stone Pass to Mountain of Death.

If he were to take over the original land of Viscount Gibran, Avilis Castle, it became three locations which formed a triangle on map.

All the land in this triangle would be under Kant's control!

Even if the noble families and Countess Agatha of the Eastern County had complaints in their hearts, they would not be able to say anything. After all, strength was the true reliance. Without their strength, they would not be able to contend against Kant!

Especially now, with Kant's might of exterminating Mountain of Death, the East County could only tremble!

After all, it was here.

Kant was invincible!

Chapter 434: The Revelry of the Noble System

Just as Kant's troops were killing the members of Crimson Sect, the news of victory quickly spread throughout the entire East County along with many spies who were secretly observing from afar.

After all, this battle was the largest scale battle since the last invasion of the Silver Platter Kingdom.

The result that everyone had expected didn't appear.

It was very unexpected.

Because in this battle, even if the Crimson Sect had displayed absolute strength, a force that could instantly defeat regular troops, they were still defeated by Baron Kant's troops.

Even the legendary creature couldn't turn back the tide.

In the end, they were defeated.

And now, even the headquarters of the Crimson Sect on Mountain of Death had been captured.

A large amount of black smoke appeared on the summit of Mountain of Death. It was a building built by the Crimson Sect. After it was on fire, the thick black smoke was like columns of black smoke, rising straight into the sky in this windless weather.

Even from a few kilometers away, one could clearly see the smoke.

This was also proof.

The Crimson Sect had already been declared destroyed.

Some of the noble forces that had been secretly controlled or cooperated with this sect had already understood that Crimson Sect was once comparable to the lord and noble could now be swept into the dust.

Although they were fearful of Kant, they were more restless.

The Crimson Sect was destroyed.

However, the legacy left behind by the sect was enough to fill everyone's stomachs.

For example, the trade caravan controlled by the Crimson Sect, the warehouses in the city, the piles of goods, and the large amounts of silver coins stored in certain places would become the fat that the noble could wantonly plunder.

Even if there were still a small number of Crimson Sect's believers or fanatics.

So what?

This force had already been destroyed.

Even the terrifying, legendary and mythical demon had been defeated.

Ordinary people like them who could easily kill their believers with a longsword. The believers and fanatics of the sect would definitely not end up well. Without Kant's notice, these nobles would personally take action in order to cover up some shenanigans.

Sometimes, when a certain force was defeated, the first one to be pressured might not be the enemy force but the original partners!

Especially the so-called partners who worked together purely because of benefits!

These greedy noble families were originally secretly dissatisfied with the Crimson Sect's hand reaching into the noble system. It was only because of the Crimson Sect's strength and those crazy believers that they reluctantly tolerated it.

It was the same as pinching their noses and enduring it.

It was different now.

Since the Crimson Sect had been destroyed, no one needed to continue tolerating it.

They took back what originally belonged to them and snatched what originally did not belong to them.

By taking advantage of a huge corpse falling down, they would wantonly plunder the oil and water on this corpse to satisfy themselves and leave enough oil and water for a lifetime. That would be the greatest benefit!

As for Baron Kant, he was a newly emerging powerful noble in the East County.

It didn't matter!

He was the second son of the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron.

He was also the nephew of the Countess of the East County, Agatha.

He was a member of the royal family.

He was also a member of the noble system!

Compared to the Crimson Sect, which was independent of the noble system, Baron Kant, who seemed to be extremely powerful and sharp, was very easy to accept.

After all, he was one of them!

Even if something unexpected happened, the conflict would be within the Dukedom of Leo.

The conflict between the royal families for the sake of the heir had nothing to do with nobles like them.

Standing on the right side could make the family more prosperous. But even if they stood on the wrong side, at some critical moments, it did not matter if they stood on the wrong side again. Even if they always stood on the wrong side, it was fine if they admitted their mistakes.

Noble families were all related to each other. It was a close connection brought about by marriage.

Looked back at the family tree, they could all related in some way.

Therefore, the nature of the massacre of the family could not happen in the Dukedom of Leo.

Therefore, they were calm. No matter who inherited the title of the Grand Duke of Leo, it was not too different from usual for the noble families.

The Dukedom of Leo still needed the help of the nobles to manage it. This was the noble system!

A bloody massacre began on Mountain of Death.

And then, in just three to five days, another purge that seemed to engulf all the noble families also began in the East County.

Groups of soldiers rushed into the originally hidden and brilliant buildings and burned all the oddly shaped statues. Even those who wore black robes and seemed to be clergy were thrown into the fire and burned to death.

Some of the believers seemed to be resisting, and more of them were fleeing.

But there was no way for them to escape.

It was like catching a turtle in a jar.

The soldiers in fine armor were like hunting dogs that could smell the scent.

They searched the area one by one. Any believers who dared to stop them were mercilessly stabbed to death. Even if there were some who were also soldiers resisting, the final result was that they were trapped and died in some places.

The entire East County was in chaos. Even the merchants from the Resniston River noticed it.

This was the chaos brought by the war!

Indeed, this could be called a war.

It was the war between all the noble families of the East County and the remaining believers of Crimson Sect!

The bloody massacre continued until the end of the month. Almost thousands of people had been executed in the entire East County. Just in the East County City alone, thousands of corpses had been dragged out. They were all respectable people who had once been influential.

The only port in the East County City that had not been affected had many corpses found in the river.

But at the same time.

The noble families had obtained a large amount of wealth.

Piles of silver coins and golden eagles appeared in the noble families' official residences.

Even some speculators had been richly rewarded. In this war, they had gotten what they wanted, and they had also gotten the vacant positions.

The impact of this storm had been washed clean from top to bottom.

The noble families didn't care too much.

It had even evolved into the final purge of the enemy.

Of course, in the eyes of the noble families, this was the madness before the real chaos. Thus, under the orders of a few top noble families, as well as the leader of the East County, Countess Agatha, it gradually calmed down.

The East County City was faintly independent of the Dukedom of Leo, but it was definitely not a chaotic, lawless world.

The noble represented the law.

They also did not want to see the chaos happen.

Now that they had eaten their fill, they did not want anyone to dare to cause trouble and put them in a difficult situation during the digestion process. This was absolutely not allowed!

Chapter 435: After the War

The chaos that affected the entire East County did not last long.

In fact, Kant also did not notice the so-called chaos. This was probably because the noble families were still afraid of him and did not dare to come and create trouble for him. They did not even have the intention to communicate with him.

Kant was still stationed at Mountain of Death, including the elite troops that had just won the battle a few days ago.

After a simple rest, he had recovered his fighting strength.

Not to mention the few noble families in the East County, even if the entire East County was united, they probably wouldn't be able to do anything to Kant. Especially after knowing that the Crimson Sect had been massacred so miserably, no one dared to rashly provoke Kant.

Everyone was afraid of death, but to seek death for no reason was a foolish act. No one was a fool.

At the Mountain of Death.

Kant was still stationed at the foot of the mountain.

Tents of all sizes had been set up, and desert bandits were scattered everywhere. They fiercely swept across the surrounding plains, and any trade caravan or pedestrian who tried to pass by would be expelled.

If it was those who wanted to use their identity to force their way in, a round of pilums would be thrown to warn them.

If they still didn't listen, Sarrandian Horseman who charged on horseback would teach them a lesson.

However, no one dared to come to Mountain of Death so easily, especially after the news of the massacre here spread throughout the East County and indirectly spread to the surrounding counties. For those who were well-informed, they were not dared to continue coming.

Although no one knew about the Crimson Sect, everyone knew about Gibran, the famous general of the East County.

Even the Viscount Gibran was defeated tragically, the others were definitely terrified by Kant!

Although Gibran was known as the famous general of the East County, his prestige in the Dukedom of Leo was also very high.

He was once the reputation of protecting the East County, but now he had become Kant's steppingstone. From the high and mighty Viscount of the famous general, he had become an evil cult member who had died tragically after being defeated.

Even Avilis Castle had become a chaotic place. It was no longer peaceful and stable.

The knights swept up all the treasures in the castle and fled.

They went to seek refuge with other noble families.

Some of the knight attendants followed them, some went to find their own families, and some became mercenaries.

Even the infantrymen picked up the things that the knights disdained, wrapped them up, and left in groups of three or five. If there were any who stayed, they went to seek refuge. If not, they either became mercenaries or bandits.

The villages near Avilis Castle were all looted, and they were all committed by people they knew.

This led to the villagers fleeing.

The entire area became desolate.

No one dared to continue living there, especially when someone said that Kant's troops would continue to slaughter them. As long as they had two legs and did not want to die, they began to flee towards the North County or South County.

As for the other places in the East County, apart from those who had backing, no one dared to continue to seek refuge.

This was a matter of life and death.

They were all smart people.

They knew that the lord of Avilis Castle, Gibran, had offended Kant.

If this baron really wanted to investigate to the end, those nobles who had started to protect themselves but did not dare to oppose Kant would eventually make peace with Kant as a symbol of friendship.

As long as it was for benefits, or a so-called line of profit, the greedy noble would not care about the lives of others.

But they were obviously thinking too much.

Kant did not send troops to massacre the vicinity of Avilis Castle.

He was still stationed at Mountain of Death. The most important reason was that the treasures looted from the temple could not be transported back in a short period of time. After all, they were troops, not transport squads.

The messengers formed by the desert bandits had already sped toward the Nordic village at the mouth of the river.

The order was to organize a group of carriages to transport the goods.

Counting the time, it was about time to return.

The Nordic village that Kant had named [ Wercheg ] had already been built.

From the "Aaron" City, the Rhodok people were constantly transporting all kinds of goods through the ancient passage. With the help of the water bandits, they had taken over the river mouth of Resniston River in the shortest amount of time.

After repelling the water bandits of the Resniston River a few times, this place was basically safe.

It became a new outpost base.

At the same time, under Rolf's supervision, it was still being built quickly.

From the village to the military-type fortress, it probably wouldn't take too long.

If it was as expected, when Kant led his troops back, the Nordic fortress would appear in front of them, and the Nord warriors could also be quickly formed through recruitment and training.

Including the water bandits and the corresponding paddle boats, the Nords could attack all parts of the river!

With the control over the river and the Nords, it was equal to an unlimited chance of attack!

The Nords liked to do business and liked to fight, especially plundering in the enemy's camp. This was their hobby, which was why outsiders called the Nords brutal.

They had brains, but sometimes, they preferred to use the battle axe in their hands!

They had confirmed the location of outpost in the East County.

They had also infiltrated the North County.

Next, it would be the South County by the Resniston River, the estate directly under the royal family.

It was also the most elite place in the Dukedom of Leo. Not only the royal family, but the big noble families also had a lot of resources. Just looked at the bloody battle with the Silver Platter Kingdom ten years ago. The South County of Leo had fallen into a disadvantage.

Although the battle was disadvantageous, in fact, the Dukedom of Leo was still tried to fight the enemies at the country's gate.

The battlefield was located on the south bank of the Resniston River.

There were two castles in the South County. After being taken down one after another, the troops of the South County directly defeated the main force of the Silver Platter Kingdom on the south bank of the Resniston River. They obtained the final victory, causing the other battlefields to turn defeat into victory.

The victory of the East County had also come one after another.

In fact, even the title of Baron Dylan was obtained through bloody battles during this war.

The Dukedom of Leo, which had obtained the final victory, had not lost the two castles of the South County on the south bank of the Resniston River. Instead, they were still in their own hands. In the past ten years, they had built them even taller and sturdier.

Unfortunately, one of the castles on the south bank of the river was ceded.

It was used as compensation for the battle.

This was the direct source of the conflict between the Dukedom of Leo and the East County.

However, it did not matter to Kant. His power had already extended here. It did not mean that the Dukedom of Leo had lost more, but Kant, the second-in-line heir of the Dukedom of Leo, could bring more to the Dukedom of Leo!

As long as he could obtain the title of Grand Duke and gain the support and recognition of the human countries.

Chapter 436: Noble's Thoughts

While they were waiting, 50 carriages arrived under the escort of 300 desert bandits.

They didn't encounter any obstacles along the way. Even when they wanted to replenish their food and water, the farms and villages along the way did their best to help. They even talked about the noble they served to, whether intentionally or not.

This was a sign of goodwill. Those who looked like butlers were very humble and polite.

Even the ordinary desert bandits showed great courtesy.

It was no wonder.

So many empty carriages were heading to Mountain of Death. They were definitely planning to bring back a large amount of wealth. Moreover, they were escorted by the terrifying elite troops. No one dared to rob them easily. Or rather, no one could do it at all!

It would be fine if they expressed their goodwill

They were afraid if they were still arrogant and full of malice to them. Then, Kant's troop would destroy their farms and villages when they returned on the way back. It would be as easy as if the peasant had uprooted a cabbage. It wouldn't take much effort at all.

When they knew Kant's strength, no one would dare to take revenge, because that would be equivalent to courting death!

The current East County was trying to contact Kant with good intentions.

With such reasons, they did not dare to have any malice.

Even Kant's aunt, the nominal countess of the East County Agatha, had tacitly admitted that Kant had appeared in her estate. In fact, even if she did not tacitly admit it, there was nothing she could do. She had already been dethroned.

She had once sent elites with the few remaining grand knights to attack the Stone Pass.

Her goal was to break the collusion between the noble and the Crimson Sect.

But she had not expected that not only had the Stone Pass not been taken down, but all of her elites had been lost.

Currently, Countess Agatha had completely lost the power to control the outer regions. Even her decree was only effective in the building of governor's official residence. Now, other than hiding in her official residence, she had basically given up on the East County City.

East County City was now under the autonomy of the noble families. The entire East County had also become an autonomous region for the noble families.

The noble families who were used to the existence of the Crimson Sect did not mind Kant joining them.

Because after Kant joined, they had also returned to their old times. Not only did they not have the slightest regret, but they even felt that they were worthy of following Kant, who would definitely be able to seize the position of the Grand Duke of Leo in the future. After all, he was the strongest person in the royal family!

As for Baron Kant's older brother, who was still in the Castle of Leo and was groomed as the heir of the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, he was not in the eyes of the many nobles in the East County.

He was just an obedient canary in a birdcage.

He could not be compared to Kant!

Baron Kant had his own army, and his strength was definitely not inferior to a county.

Kant also had salt mines that could produce an endless amount of fine white salt that was priceless. It was as easy as flipping one's hand to obtain more silver coins. No matter how others thought about it, they could not stop the rise of a noble with such strength.

If the title of Grand Duke of Leo did not fall on Kant's shoulders, then the situation would be chaotic!

Of course, the noble families were very familiar with the conflicts between the royal families.

The title of grand duke was extraordinary.

They could give a slight nod when they met the king, let alone lead a dukedom!

Even in the Silver Platter Kingdom, they would not dare to give the title of grand duke casually, because giving the title of grand duke was equivalent to splitting the country to the grand duke. If this grand duke had good intentions, it would be fine. But if he was up to no good, and the family ran for several generations, it would be too easy to split the country!

In reality, the Dukedom of Leo was also a dukedom that split from an empire.

However, the Silver Platter Kingdom was the same.

It was a vast empire.

However, due to various reasons, it collapsed a thousand years ago, splitting into a few human kingdoms and a few dukedoms. In the end, it turned into the current human kingdoms that used the Resniston River as a communication and connection.

This was a digression. The former human empire had long disappeared in the long river of history.

Now was the most important thing.

Noble families were all shrewd. Their ability to seek profits and avoid trouble was no less than that of merchants.

They also understood that if they could get on the good side of Baron Kant, their family might be able to take a step forward! After all, Kant had a great chance to inherit the title of Grand Duke of Leo.

Perhaps, if they were lucky, they could replace the few top-class noble families in the South County who could stand shoulder to shoulder with the royal family!

If they were extremely lucky, they might even get more benefits

Kant had the right to inherit the Silver Platter Kingdom.

If they could enter the silver platter kingdom, enter the land that was far richer than the Dukedom of Leo, and become a noble among them, it would be even better than this small place!

It was not impossible!

...

At the Mountain of Death.

The 50 carriages had already arrived under the escort of 300 desert bandits.

Many soldiers personally moved all the valuable things that they had seized onto the carriage. There were bags of great silver coins, golden eagles, and gold-inlaid handicrafts, silver handicrafts, and many more!

Mountain of Death was the headquarters of the Crimson Sect that had been in operation for at least a decade.

They accumulated tons of wealth.

Even these 50 carriages could not carry all the goods.

In the end, Kant only let the soldiers choose a large number of valuable items that could be directly converted into golden eagles or pure gold and loaded them into the carriage. They were filled to the brim and all of them were fully loaded.

It was estimated that the loot would reach millions of denars!

War was the most profitable way, there was no other way.

Plundering the wealth accumulated by others for many years was the fastest way to make money.

In the world of "Mount and Blade", this was also an eternal theme. No matter how well you managed, after losing a battle, your business and wealth would be plundered and eventually benefit others.

Now, Kant would get the benefit!

And the soldiers behind him who had all completed their level up!

There were 1,300 Rhodok Sergeants, 500 RHodok Crossbowmen, 500 Ravenstern Sharpshooters, 1,000 Mamlukes, 800 Sarrandian Horsemen.

The force that was close to 6,000 + people had been reduced by more than half.

The 4,100-man strong troop looked even sturdier and more muscular. This was because more than half of the troops had been wiped out, leaving behind only the elites, the true elites!

Most of them were top-tier level 5 troop class.

Only 800 desert bandits were upgraded to Sarrandian Horsemen.

In that battle, the desert bandits had suffered heavy losses, especially when they were fighting the enemies in the end. The desert bandits, who were not good at close combat, still rushed in with the ambition to die, dying together with the fanatic cavalries.

This also eased the pressure on the Sarrandian Horsemen, reducing their number of casualties.

In the end, it resulted in the achievement of 1,000 Mamlukes. They were an existence that was no less than a Swadian Knight.

In the desert, the combat strength of this group of Mamlukes was even stronger. In fact, when facing heavy armor units, Mamlukes used a two-handed iron staff that could break armor and blunt attack, which was stronger than a Swadian Knight who used a knight sword!

Chapter 437: Kant Could Play with the Rules

After the war ended, they obtained a large amount of experience points, the regular troops had been leveled up.

The same was true for the irregular extraordinary troops!

Especially the Enfath Empire's troop class!

As a mage unit, Kant could recruit mage apprentices from the mage dormitories.

The 120 mage apprentices who followed him this time had obtained extremely high experience points after killing the hell lord, the incarnation of the terrifying demon. They were directly leveled up from apprentices to regular mages!

One hundred and seventy mages were Kant's strongest magic power at the moment!

An existence that could form an army alone!

According to the calculation, each person could directly summon five golems.

These 170 mages could summon 850 golems on the battlefield. They were not afraid of ordinary weapons and did not feel pain. They only knew to carry out orders rigidly. They would fight until the time they disintegrated or were summoned. Only then would they stop fighting.

These golems holding two-handed hammers were equivalent to extraordinary strength on the battlefield!

They were the most elite troops!

Together with the mages' various single and group targeted destructive spells, as well as buff spells, they were simply groups of fearless warriors, executioners who were crazily slaughtering the enemies!

No one would be able to remain calm in the face of a group of golems that would not die. They were creatures with extremely terrifying combat strength.

The regular troops would have long fled because their attacks were ineffective!

As for these mages, they were just a part of Kant's troops that fought on the battlefield!

The Enfath Empire specialized in war spells. Currently, these war mages were only showing their fangs. If it was not for Kant's inability to level up his mages, these mages would have directly leveled up to grand mages.

In that case, there was basically no need for regular troops!

Grand mages were stronger.

They could directly summon anima weapons.

And these so-called anima weapons were knives, spears, swords, halberds, axes, axes, hooks, and forks that could kill their own enemies. Not only were their attacks sharp, but they were also more flexible than being held by humans!

Most importantly, the summoning of these anima weapons was done according to batches!

One batch contained 30 anima weapons!

According to the calculations, a grand mage could summon anima weapon five times, in other words, 150 anima weapons in total!

If the mages were to form a troop with 170 people, that would be a genuine 5,100 anima weapons. They could form a terrifying metal storm and annihilate any troops that were caught in it!

This was also the strongest existence in the Enfath Empire. They could use their human bodies to fight against the reliance of other races!

Mages were favored by the heavens to begin with.

In terms of destructive power.

Even grand knights could not be compared to them.

If there was a certain distance between the two, grand knights would have suffered great lose. The grand knights had to move forward and get close to the mages in order for them to have a chance of victory. This was also the shortcoming of the mages' weak close combat abilities.

These were all the strengths of the Enfath Empire.

Kant yearned for them.

Especially those grand mages who looked like they had white hair. They were the blood and sweat of this empire.

It was just a pity.

Mages were unable to directly become grand mages.

Kant had already reached the bottleneck to level up his troop. Just like a level 5 troop class, they needed to use special methods to become a higher-level troop class, such as using the Sword of King or the Order of Lion.

However, in reality, mages were already a level up 5 troop class.

"This is very troublesome." Kant sighed.

In order to obtain a powerful troop class, he still needed to communicate with the system.

However, it was also difficult. Now that they were on the right track, the number of times the system appeared was becoming less and less. Even when Kant killed the demon incarnation, the system still didn't appear. Clearly, it was no longer able to attract the system.

And the reason why Kant had not left was actually because of this demon.

This was a hidden danger.

Kant had yet to find the hiding place of that demon.

After all, what he had defeated previously was only the demonic incarnation. The main components were the blood of tens of thousands of people and Gibran, who had already transformed into a demon. It was not the true form of that demon, the main body of Flensas!

Kant would still be worried if its true form was not destroyed.

However, Flensas did not show up.

The entire Mountain of Death had been searched, but there was no place like a shelter.

Even if it was an ancient passage, there was no cave that could go deep into the mountain. Just like this Flensas, the Lord of Hell who was known as the Master of Flame, was appeared out of nowhere.

Perhaps it was really so. Kant had no way to open the entire Mountain of Death.

He couldn't find it, he didn't have the time either. He could not dig the mountain to see if there was this terrifying demon inside or under the mountain. They were still in the era of cold weapons, such project was really too whimsical.

This kind of project was extremely difficult even in modern times!

"Lord!"

Baheshtur rode his horse over.

Sweeping over the Mountain of Death in front of him, he lowered his head and reported, "We have searched everywhere, even at the bottom of the hidden cliff. We have not found anything abnormal."

"Yes." Kant nodded. "What did the mages say?"

"There is still the aura of the demon."

Baheshtur's face was filled with shame, "The mages can sense that there is the aura of the demon at the bottom of the mountain. However, it has been seriously injured and will not be able to come out for a while. However, with our strength, we are unable to do anything to the demon at the bottom of the mountain. After all, we do not have the ability to open a cave in the mountain."

"I know," Kant asked calmly. "But did you find any unusual passages? Perhaps it was a cave, but it was carefully covered up by someone."

"No." Baheshtur was even more ashamed. "We couldn't find it."

"That's it."Kant did not have any regrets. He nodded calmly and said, "Let's go."

"Yes." Baheshtur nodded.

Right behind them, the carriages and the troops were all ready.

In truth, they had already made preparations for the return journey. It was because Kant wanted to completely eradicate that demon that they had stayed until now. However, they had not found it, and it was time to return.

"Set off." Kant spurred his horse forward.

Everyone followed behind, and the entire army set off. Their speed was not fast.

With those 50 carriages filled with all kinds of treasures, they could not move fast either. However, Kant was not in a hurry. He was the strongest existence in the East County, and he could walk anywhere he wanted.

It was impossible for those noble families to unite. Everyone was extremely greedy.

This was an internal conflict between the noble families.

Kant certainly understood.

As long as he was still the second son of the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, there would be noble families who yearned for him.

They yearned for their titles to be higher, they yearned for their families to be more prosperous, they yearned for more wealth, they yearned for a higher status, they yearned for everything that they yearned for!

These are the rules of the noble, Kant understood, enough strength could also ensure that he played with this rule.

Chapter 438: An Ambush of Unknown Troop

The journey back was very smooth. The group of troops proceeded forward, escorting the carriage filled with treasures. They did not encounter any obstruction at all. They did not even encounter any armed troops.

Even the civilians were throwing down their sickles and pitchforks in fear and surrendered when they saw so many troops passed by.

As for the military fortresses along the way, they were empty.

No one dared to stand in Kant's way, especially after receiving the warning from the noble behind them. All of them were very obedient and understood that the situation in the East County had changed. Accidents could happen at any time.

If they were not obedient now, the noble behind them would probably kill them.

Baron Kant was the person that they could not afford to offend now!

It took almost five days.

The army was finally about to arrive at the Nordic village at the mouth of the river.

The sky was almost dark. According to the speed of the daily march, they should be able to return to their village in about six hours. If they were to return alone with the cavalry, they should be able to return in less than two hours.

The carriages full of treasures was a serious drag on the speed of the march.

"Stop."

Kant rode his horse in front.

Looking up at the sunset, he raised his hand and ordered, "Set up a temporary camp here. Rest tonight and set off tomorrow morning. We'll try to return to the village at noon."

"Yes!" the messenger immediately retreated and passed the order to everyone.

The troops stopped advancing.

It was almost evening.

They continued to march. Although they could return to the village in the middle of the night.

However, the troops, who had already traveled for an entire day, really needed a good rest.

As the order was given, the troops quickly moved out. The 50 horse carriages started to arrange in a square shape. The wooden planks were placed on the outside of the carriages that was filled with treasures. It formed a wall that was as tall as a person.

The inside of the carriages square formation was the temporary feeding ground for the warhorses.

The outermost side was the tent where they lived.

There was a reason for this.

As long as there was any situation, the soldiers who slept in the tent outside could quickly retreat into the carriage. Regardless of whether they relied on the defensive fortifications formed by the carriage to defend on the spot or to mount their horses to break out of the encirclement, it was very convenient.

Moreover, during the process of breaking out of the encirclement, they could also throw away the treasures to distract the enemy and save some time.

No matter how many treasures there were, it would be useless.

Only by surviving could they win the final victory.

Even when they near their village at the mouth of the river, Kant wasn't willing to relax. Even when he knew that the noble families of the East County were all trembling in fear, he was still vigilant about this.

He was now carrying a huge number of treasures.

Moreover, there were salt mines in the Nahrin Desert.

There were countless people who wanted him dead. There were also countless people who wanted to seize his wealth, assets, and estate. Kant understood this very well, so he did not dare to let his guard down.

Kant rode his horse forward and patrolled the temporary camp that was gradually taking shape.

Tents were set up neatly.

Warhorses were also put into the square formation formed by the carriage.

However, there were still the Rhodok Sharpshooters and the Ravenstern Rangers who were on guard duty. They stood on the carriages and looked around vigilantly. Furthermore, outside the carriages and about 50 meters away from the tent, there was also Rhodok Sergeants who were on sentry duty, firmly guarding a few points of the carriage formation.

At the periphery, the desert bandits, who were completely separated into three-man teams, were also running back and forth. They were scouting the surrounding situation in batches, and they were doing a good job in defense.

"This is very good." Kant nodded his head in approval while patrolling.

Although Baheshtur was a Khergit, he was after all the son of the tribal leader. Otherwise, when he took revenge, the Khan would not personally mediate. He also dared to take the risk of offending the Khan to kill his enemy.

Of course, this also led to him eventually escaping from the Khergit Khanate and wandering on the mainland.

Eventually, he came here and became Kant's general.

It also brought his military experience.

For example, the current camp wagon formation was once the Khergit Khanate's best formation. They pulled a carriage filled with all kinds of supplies, rode their warhorse and swept across the continent of Caradia like a gale, and eventually founded the Khergit Khanate.

The Khergit Khanate was good at field and guerrilla warfare, but in fact, they were also good at defense.

That was because every one of them could bend their bows and shoot arrows.

They had a great advantage in defense!

Now, although this formation was not made up of the Khergits, it was basically safe to rely on the Rhodok people who were as sturdy as rocks, the Ravenstern people who were good at rapid firing, and the powerful heavy horsemen, Mamlukes.

Kant checked around and did not find anything that he had missed.

He had just returned to his own tent.

Baheshtur quickly walked in and reported, "Lord Kant, the desert bandits that were sent out to investigate reported that there might be something in the south of us. It's an unfamiliar army gathering and ambushing us."

"Report carefully." Kant narrowed his eyes. This was beyond his expectations.

"Yes." Baheshtur nodded.

After thinking for a while, he quickly reported, "In the east, the desert bandits that we sent out to investigate discovered that there were about 3,000-men troop lying in ambush in a forest. There was also a farm nearby. It seems that it has been occupied by that unfamiliar troop. If we were to predict the worse outcome, perhaps that group of troop has 5,000 + people."

"Interesting." Kant had a playful smile on his lips. "I thought no one would dare to provoke me anymore."

"Yes." Baheshtur nodded. "But we still don't know what their intentions are." He paused and said solemnly, "But they are so close to us, which is less than half an hour away, then it's definitely not a good thing. They probably came with hostility."

"Obviously, they are here with hostility." Kant snorted.

"Then, please give the order." Baheshtur said in a solemn voice, "The troops and I are ready. We can give up building the camp at any time and switch to combat status to kill all those ungrateful guys!"

"It doesn't matter. Don't worry." Kant shook his head.

After thinking for a while, he analyzed, "I don't have too much involvement with those noble families. Perhaps the Crimson Sect wants to burn all the bridges. In order to regain their former power, they want to take advantage of our proximity to the village and while we are relaxing to launch a surprise attack. They want to defeat our main force and kill them all. They want to save the Crimson Sect in the East County."

"That might be possible." Baheshtur nodded. "The Crimson Sect must be deeply rooted in the East County. Although I haven't really studied this world, it's similar to the politics of Caradia."

"But it's hard to say." Kant shrugged. "That group of Crimson Sect fellows should be scared out of their wits."

Stroking his chin, he still instructed, "Keep watching them. Don't let them know that we've discovered them. Tell the desert bandits to be more alert and inform me when they gather."

"Yes." Baheshtur nodded. After bowing, he left the tent and went down to make arrangements.

Chapter 439: The Attack of the Rabble

The temporary camp was still being built.

However, the troop was still on guard. Even after the construction was completed, they still maintained a high degree of vigilance.

Everyone knew that there might be a fierce battle tonight. Since the enemy wanted to launch a sneak attack, they had long been prepared. How could they let those damn guys get what they wanted?

Everyone took a short rest in the tent, trying to get enough energy to wait for the next battle.

However, dinner was still prepared.

As usual, it was bread and dried meat, dried sausage, and fresh pork bought from the market, plus some cabbage and pumpkin, as well as a mixed vegetable cooked in a large iron pot with chickpeas.

It tasted great with a little salt and spices.

There was no way to enjoy the delicious food during the march. It was time to celebrate when they returned to the village.

There was no other way.

The sun was setting in the west, and dusk had finally arrived.

The setting sun left a long shadow, as if there was terror in it. This was the shadow of war.

"It's coming." Kant muttered to himself calmly.

Dusk was the best time for war. Taking advantage of the pleasure of dinner, the troop could catch the enemy off guard, or when they slept soundly in the darkness before dawn.

The desert bandits that had dispersed came back one after another. It was dinner time, and everything seemed normal.

However, on the east side, the surveillance was still going on.

There were many forests on both sides of the river. Usually, it was mostly the logging fields run by noble families and villages. However, there were occasionally mercenaries who were in need of money and disguised themselves as bandits to rob the passing villagers. If they formed a bigger group, they even dare to rob a trade caravan. This was very common.

Even the water bandits would often ambush the trade caravan in the forest, taking advantage of the night to attack the caravan camping in the wild. Some of the villagers were also spies.

The seemingly honest villagers would not let go of the opportunity to make a fortune. They would guard the dry land and live their lives. Year after year, they had to pay taxes for the noble and even daily labor. They also had to be cannon fodder during the war, it was very miserable.

No one could give up the opportunity to get better.

If they could leave the village and live in the city, it would be equivalent to having a safety net. Not only would they not have to worry about bandit attacks, but they would also not even have to pay the noble's miscellaneous taxes.

Most importantly, if they became citizens, not only would they be able to get jobs in the city, but they would also be easier to get in touch with the nobles and rich people that they hated before. Whether it was becoming an apprentice of a craftsman or becoming a smart scholar. It was much better than this rural poor class that was still as miserable as medieval Europe.

Therefore, some villagers who wanted to live better life were also willing to accept the olive branches handed over by the bandits and become spies and spies to help them gather information.

Just like now, the group that were lying in ambush in the forest was a group of water bandits from the Resniston River. They had gathered a five large group of water bandits and wanted to make a big move.

They were all lawless fellows. Being able to be water bandits on the river and being besieged by the water armies of the human countries, they had survived quite well. It was related to the secret collusion of some noble families, but more importantly, it was the savagery of these water bandits.

After this raid, they could escape to other places on the Resniston River for two years and enjoy themselves. It would be a great pleasure.

In particular, according to some villagers who acted as spies, a group of 50 carriages full of treasures was about to pass by. These water bandits were prepared in the shortest amount of time.

In order to arrange an escape route, they had to curry favor with some of their own backers. They even invited troops led by real knights from the silver platter kingdom.

Fifty carriages full of treasures. This was a message passed down from the upper-class noble of the East County. It was said that a lord had led his troops to defeat a certain sect. Of course, it had nothing to do with them, this group of ruthless water bandits who had no concept of a country did not care about who was who.

They didn't even care about the Countess of the East County and the Grand Duke of the Dukedom of Leo. They only cared about silver coins and golden eagles.

They did not care about anyone who fled to the river outside of Resniston River and became a landlord or a wealthy citizen.

These were 50 carriages full of treasures. They were worth at least five million great silver coins or more.

Based on the 6,000 people they had gathered, even if a few water bandit leaders and the nobles who colluded in the Silver Platter Kingdom wanted to split the majority, the rest would still be able to get around 500 great silver coins.

If more people died, then the amount of money they would get would be correspondingly more!

One had to know that a landowner who owned 50 arcs of land would only get around 30 great silver coins a year.

Even a well-run small-to-medium-sized trade caravan could only earn around 100 great silver coins a year.

Look at the elite cavalry of Castle of Leo who escorted Kant to the Oasis Lookout. They were willing to risk their lives for 2 great silver coins per person. Of course, this was also related to Kant's methods. However, the salary of 50 small silver coins a month was indeed too little.

In fact, the currency of this world was still using small silver coins. The great silver coins were used by the trade caravan to settle the bill.

As for the golden eagle, it was purely a trade currency between countries. Great merchants and great merchants, top noble and top noble.

Each person could get 500 great silver coins. They could go to other human countries to buy a house, marry a wife, and live a good life. They would not have to worry about it for the rest of their lives.

Even if they ate and drank freely, they would not have to worry about anything for three to five years. At worst, they could just come back to the river and become water bandits. They would be very familiar with it anyway!

Of course, after having lived as water bandits for so long, no one was willing to keep risking their lives again.

Now was the time, everyone were excited. They planned to take advantage of the night to defeat the enemy in the upcoming battle. If they won this battle, they would be reborn in the future. A great day was waiting for them!

"Wu --"

A short horn sounded.

This was the pre-arranged signal. In the farms and logging fields nearby, groups of regular troops appeared.

Fifty knights, Three hundred knight attendants, and 1,000 elite lance soldiers.

The troops of the Silver Platter Kingdom.

They were all wearing mail armor, and even the lance soldiers were the same. In terms of equipment, the regular troops of the Silver Platter Kingdom were undoubtedly stronger than the Dukedom of Leo by a level.

Behind them were nearly 5,000 rascals of the Resniston River. Their equipment was uneven. Mail armor, chain armor, scale armor, leather armor, gambeson, and even some who wore a thick leather coat.

As for weapons, longsword, short sword, machete, handaxe, short spear, short sword, dagger, and so on, there were even more. There were also quite a number of shields that were pieced together from pieces of wood.

A group of vicious bandits had gathered together, a motley of weak crew.

Just as they were moving, three desert bandits got on their horses and left on the opposite side of a hill not far away.

However, among the group of bandits, there were more than 300 people with different expressions. They walked at the back and sent a few people to the back at the same time. Soon, they became cavalry and ran in a big circle toward Kant's temporary camp.

Chapter 440: The Grudges of the Water Bandits

In the temporary camp, the desert bandits had returned, they quickly came to Kant's tent and reported respectfully, "My lord, they are here. There are about 500 cavalries, about 1,000 elite lance soldiers, and more than 5,000 mixed troops. They look like water bandits."

"Water bandits, how interesting." Kant's lips curled up slightly. He was not unfamiliar with this group of bandits from the Resniston River.

Baheshtur, who was beside him, also said in a low voice, "Lord, do you need us to fight in advance?"

"Of course." Kant's lips still curled up slightly. "This motley crew, could they be stronger than those fellows from the Crimson Sect?" Looking at Baheshtur, he lowered his voice. "Let the blood of this motley of pathetic crew spread across the plains!"

"As you wish!" Baheshtur grinned sinisterly.

As one of the most war-loving nomads on the Continent of Caradia and a former member of the Khergit Khanate, his favorite thing was to lead his troops and crush the enemy under the hooves of horses.

"How long will it take for them to arrive here?" Kant asked the desert bandits, "I need a more specific time."

The desert bandits thought for a while and immediately answered in a deep voice, "Most of them are infantry. It will take them one hour to march. Even if they arrive near us, it will take them half an hour to prepare before the battle."

"Very good. Go and prepare." Kant nodded in approval.

"Yes!" the desert bandits saluted and immediately left the tent.

As bandits, they were the best light cavalry after being recruited. They were also not weak in the scouting and investigation.

However, at this moment, the tent was opened again. A Rhodok Sergeant came in and reported, "My lord, there are three strangers outside. They say that... They know you."

"Hmm?" Baheshtur raised his head and frowned. He said coldly, "Lord Kant, be careful of any tricks."

"No." Kant smiled. "It seems that the spy that we arranged at the Resniston River has a certain effect." Pausing for a moment, he explained to Baheshtur, who was still puzzled, "They were the spy that we arranged back then."

"This is truly a pleasant surprise." Baheshtur lowered his head and saluted. "It comes from your wisdom, Lord Kant."

"Let them in." Kant waved his hand.

He gestured to the Rhodok Sergeant and said, "Don't scare them. However, we must let these friends know our preparation and power. Who can be sure whether they are here to gather intelligence or not?"

"Yes!" the Rhodok Sergeant bowed respectfully with a solemn expression, and then quickly retreated.

"Lord." Baheshtur said, "In fact, in my opinion, it doesn't matter what those water bandits have in mind. A group of rabbles won't be able to cause much resistance to us. This is a plain battlefield."

On a plain battlefield, whoever's infantry was strong would be able to stabilize the front line. Whoever's cavalry was strong would be able to dominate the battlefield.

At the moment, Kant's cavalry and infantry were both elites.

He was the strongest!

This was an unquestionable absolute strength, a strength that could make the enemy feel despair!

In the wilderness outside of the temporary camp, three ordinary looking Resniston Water Bandits were standing outside with their horses. They were wearing iron-scale armor and had iron swords at their waists. There was a hint of panic on their faces.

"Will Baron Kant believe us?" One of the bandits said anxiously, "He just won a battle. I don't think he will believe it now. There will be a force of at least 7,000 people who want to attack him in the evening."

"Who knows?" another water bandit said in a low voice, "But he is the son of Princess Sofia. We once pledged our loyalty to his mother, which is equivalent to pledging our loyalty to Baron Kant, who has the bloodline of Princess Sofia."

"That's right." the other water bandit nodded as well.

But what followed was silence.

How could they not know?

It was precisely because Baron Kant possessed Princess Sofia's bloodline that they risked their lives to come and inform on him. Otherwise, they would have long followed the large group of water bandits, as well as the noble army from the Silver Platter Kingdom. They could take advantage of the night to directly attack these carriages full of goods. If they were lucky, they could steal some money and obtain a few hundred great silver coins to go and enjoy themselves.

However, they were unwilling to do so. They were once knights but being reduced to water bandits had already brought shame to their family. If they did such things again, it would be the most shameful things for their honor.

They might as well have died gloriously on the battlefield back then. At the very least, they could have won honor for their family!

It was too late to say anything now.

"Hey." the leading water bandit was silent for a moment.

He suddenly raised his head and looked at the other two people. "It doesn't matter whether Baron Kant believes us or not. When we first met him, he could give us some great silver coins, which was enough for us to come here and risk our lives to report."

"Yeah." the two people nodded. "Baron Kant is indeed as kind as Princess Sofia."

The three of them were the Resniston Water Bandits who had encountered Kant in the Nahrin Desert.

Because Kant intended to infiltrate this crucial river, he had given these guys some financial help. And now, these spies had finally played their due role, even though it didn't have much benefit to Kant.

At the door, ten Rhodok Sergeants were wearing heavy chain armor, carrying broad shields, and holding heavy machetes that were like halberd. They were staring at the three of them. Under their helmets and face armor, no expression could be seen at all.

Only the vigilance in their eyes, as well as the extreme coldness, it was like they were looking at a group of dead people.

The three water bandits who were once knights shivered.

They were elites.

They had already come to a conclusion in their hearts.

In their opinion, these sergeants were even stronger than the heavy elite lance soldiers of the Silver Platter Kingdom, which they were proud of. Especially that imposing manner, it was really unparalleled!

Not long after, someone walked out quickly from the tent.

"Hey, come in!" it was the reporting Rhodok Sergeant. He said rudely, "Follow closely and don't wander around. If we find you doing anything strange," he paused for a moment, but his tone became more and more sinister. "You will know what real pain is when the time comes!"

"Okay, we understand." the three water bandits immediately followed.

They entered the tent.

The three water bandits did not look away.

However, they could not help but feel a little doubtful, and even terrified.

This was because they realized that there were already groups of infantries gathered inside the tent. Even the cavalry had already formed a formation and could get on their horses at any time. They would be able to charge out after flattening the outermost tent that was used as a cover.

Why did this look like a group that was camping? It was clearly a group that was already prepared for battle and was about to set off for battle!

This was a little unbelievable to them!

They were clear about it.

Those scouts that belonged to Baron Kant should not have discovered them.

If they had discovered them, why would they camp here so easily? They should leave as soon as possible. No noble's troops would dare to be so arrogant to face an enemy that was twice their own troops and still camp peacefully!

Chapter 441: Kant’s Absolute Strength

As they entered the camp, the expressions of the three water bandits became more and more fearful. In fact, with their brains, they had already understood that even if they did not come to secretly report the news, Baron Kant and his troop knew that they were about to face a sneak attack.

In fact, they had already made preparations!

They could attack at any time.

The group of water bandits who were still triumphant and looking forward to obtaining a massive number of treasures would be dealt a heavy blow!

Looking over, the terrifying appearance of the well-equipped iron armor made the three water bandits feel even more uneasy. After all, they did not have many trump cards at the moment. They could not get the credit of sending information over anymore.

Baron Kant did not need any messages at all. There were probably still scouts and cavalry watching the group of water bandits from afar.

Then, they waited for the most critical moment.

Victory!

They finally stopped at the largest tent.

At the door, the 10-man team of Rhodok Sergeants was guarding the door. Their eyes were cold and indifferent. Even the sergeant leading the way was also given a cautious look. They crossed their halberd and not allowed them to pass through.

They needed to report first. This was Lord Kant's tent. How could they enter and leave as they pleased!

Very soon, a Rhodok Sergeant came out and said, "Go in. My lord is waiting for you."

"Thank you for your hard work." the three water bandits nodded humbly.

Without their identity as knights, they were already rootless duckweed. They did not even dare to mention their families. They even used fake names just so that they could obtain their former honor in the future.

However, the Rhodok Sergeant coldly glanced at them, with no intention of responding at all.

The three of them also entered the tent with their heads lowered.

This was very normal.

How could a lowly water bandit be compared to such a great warrior.

They looked into the tent, Baron Kant and another person were sitting there.

They quickly walked over and respectfully half-knelt, placing their right hand on their chest and said, "The bloodline of Princess Sofia, the heir of the Silver Platter Kingdom, the great Baron Kant, we pay our respects to you."

"Yes." Kant nodded calmly.

He raised his hand and said calmly like a king, "Get up."

The three water bandits finally got up while trembling. They lowered their heads and stood in front of Kant. They did not dare to make any unnecessary movements. "Thank you for your kindness." From the corner of their eyes, they could see that there were still 10-man Royal Knight team in the tent, they stood expressionlessly in the corner of the wall. Their chain mail gloves were placed on the hilt of their swords.

They would definitely pull out their swords when they made any unusual movements. They would use the sharp blade to cut open their skin and let them know the serious consequences of offending a noble.

"Hey, you said that there are enemies attacking. What's going on?"

Baheshtur looked at them coldly.

He was playing with a sharp dagger in his hand. He tossed it back and forth and managed to catch the hilt every time. He was like a juggler. "If you're lying, you'll have to pay the price."

"We... didn't lie..."one of the water bandits subconsciously replied.

"Oh?"

Baheshtur smiled. "Then what's the result?"

"We don't need to say it. You already know, don't you?" But the leading water bandit still lowered his head dejectedly. "Lord Kant and this respected gentleman, please don't toy with us. We know that you already knew that the motley crew wanted to sneak attack you. Even if we didn't come to inform you, you would definitely be able to directly eliminate them. This is the easiest way."

"Hahaha." Baheshtur laughed and looked at Kant. "Lord, I think there are still smart people among these people. I think they can also make the most reasonable judgment."

"It seems so." Kant said calmly.

Looking at the three people standing in front of him, Kant said calmly, "We met before, in the Nahrin Desert. I gave you a mission at that time. It seems that you have not forgotten."

"We dare not forget." the leader of the water bandits quickly said, "We swear that we were once loyal to Princess Sofia, your mother, and also willing to be loyal to the Princess' bloodline. Baron Kant, it's our honor."

"Mm." Kant stood up. "Then let's go."

"Go?"

The three water bandits looked at each other.

Baheshtur grinned hideously. "Let's see how Lord Kant's army will crush the motley crew you speak of. Let them know that not everyone can offend Lord Kant!"

"Yes... yes..." the three water bandits nodded repeatedly. "We can be the spies!"

"There's no need." Kant shook his head calmly.

Lifting the curtain, he came to the outside of the tent. All the soldiers were ready. They stood in formation. An aura that belonged to the elites of the bloody battle was spreading.

"Let's begin," Kant ordered. "It's time."

"Yes!" Baheshtur bowed slightly. "As you wish."

Then, he straightened his body and got on his horse. He personally raised his spear and commanded the cavalries behind him to get on their horses. With a rumble, he walked out of the temporary camp in an orderly manner.

The warhorses of the Sarrandians were all well-trained military warhorses.

In terms of quality, they were even more outstanding than the warhorse that the Khergits were used to raising.

Therefore, the Sarrandian Horsemen's heavy cavalry was extremely strong. Just look at the 1,000 fully equipped Mamlukes and the 800 Sarrandian horsemen, this was a terrifying flood of heavy cavalry.

In this battle, Kant only planned to use the heavy cavalry to deal with the enemy.

That's right, he didn't need infantry.

So what if it was a 6,000 man army?

On the battlefield, the number of soldiers was not the only factor to a strong troop. Quality was also important!

To a certain extent, quantity was synonymous with being bloated. Once a certain place was defeated, the chain reaction would cause the entire troop to collapse. This was a very common phenomenon in the history of the world!

Furthermore, how could a group of rabble-like water bandits withstand such an elite heavy cavalry corps?

Furthermore, it was on the plains that was most suitable for cavalry charge!

Even if they fought head-on, those water bandits would probably be completely defeated by a wave of charge!

Kant, on the other hand, would personally go to the battlefield and see how the enemy was defeated by the Sarrandian Cavalries. In the end, he would obtain victory and spread his reputation throughout the entire East County.

The scattered water bandits would spread this news everywhere.

This was a good thing.

Kant had already established his own village at the mouth of the river.

It was about to develop into a fortress or a castle. He also needed to let the various forces that were ready to make a move understand that he was not a pushover, but a terrifying absolute king who could easily defeat any enemy!

Even the troops of the Silver Platter Kingdom would also be turned into a pile of useless meat under the terrifying charge of Kant's heavy cavalries.

They would turn into useless piles of minced meat!

This was Kant's strength!

Chapter 442: Baheshtur’s Gift

The horseshoes that were meticulously forged by the blacksmiths struck the flat ground. The slightly soft layer of soil sank slightly, leaving behind heavy hoof marks. They were trampled by more horseshoes and gradually merged into one.

One thousand Mamlukes lined up in a rectangular formation and pushed forward side by side in an orderly manner.

A terrifying aura had already spread out from the dense formation.

The valiance of the Sarrandian people was undoubtedly displayed on this group of top level 5 cavalries. It just like what they had done on the Continent of Caradia, holding high their fine long lance, with their two-handed iron staffs at their waists, they were ready to launch a sandstorm-like charge.

They would break through all obstacles, break through all opponents, break through all enemies in front of them!

This was Mamluke's pride!

In the distance.

Under the dark night, at the end of the horizon.

Dark figures had already appeared, like a dark tide, moving slowly through the night. The sound of footsteps had also been processed, as if linen had been wrapped around their feet. Their speed was slightly slower, but their concealment was extremely strong.

This group of Resniston Water Bandits could already be considered experts in sneak attacks.

But in reality, it was useless.

Their sneak attack had already been discovered.

Kant's troops stood on the plains.

One thousand Mamluke and horses, who were fully equipped with heavy armor, lined up in a rectangular formation. On the left and right sides, 400 Sarrandian Horsemen wore exquisite Sarrandian chain armor and rode on a Sarrandian horses that was only covered with a layer of linen. They were on standby as the cavalry.

And on the outermost side, there were more than 300 desert bandits running back and forth.

These were Kant's scouting cavalries.

They were also messengers.

The following battle was no longer the time for the desert bandits to appear.

Previously on Mountain of Death, there were a large number of desert bandits. These light cavalries had already suffered heavy losses. As light cavalry, they did not have the ability to engage in close combat. As a result, they had caused a large number of casualties on their side.

Although in Kant's opinion, killing those half-demonic cavalry soldiers was already a victory, their numbers had been severely reduced.

Desert bandits also did not have the ability to form groups and charge forward on their horses.

Otherwise, with just 2,500 desert bandits, as long as they set up an excellent strategy, Kant could use these light cavalry soldiers to forcefully crush the 6,000water bandits on the plains. The casualties on Kant's side would definitely not exceed 1,000 people.

However, Kant did not need to care about that.

He could do the same now.

He could defeat the water bandits of the Resniston River, and the casualties on his side could even be controlled in the hundreds!

He was relying on the 1,800 cavalries behind him!

"Lord."

Baheshtur spoke from behind, "They are here."

"Mm." Kant nodded calmly. He looked up and saw that the shadow of the black tide on the horizon was finally approaching, but its speed was also becoming slower and slower. It seemed that they had also discovered the cavalries waiting here and were somewhat puzzled.

Those water bandits of the Resniston River were naturally cautious and would not easily come over.

This was especially so when they discovered that Kant had already made preparations.

However, there was no turning back.

These water bandits of the Resniston River were all fervently imagining the wonderful life they would have after obtaining so many treasures.

It was definitely impossible to give up this hard-won operation just because their sneak attack had been discovered. There was also no way for them to retreat. Their eyes had long been blinded by greed!

If they retreated now, what would happen to their beautiful lives in the future?

It was impossible to retreat!

They could only fight!

This was what Kant had hoped for.

On the Resniston River, his water troop class might be fewer and weaker.

But on land, with his absolute strength, it was easy for him to defeat these water bandits who were mostly light infantry. Even if their numbers were inferior, their quality was an absolute advantage!

To Kant, it was destined to be an absolute victory even though he had a smaller troop!

"The other side has stopped."

Baheshtur said, "They're sending people to negotiate."

"Negotiate?" Kant's lips curled up slightly. Looking at the front of the water bandit troops, it was obvious that they were the regular army's lance soldiers and cavalries. He shook his head slightly. "They are only here to probe what exactly happened."

"Then what should we do?" Baheshtur looked at Kant. "Do you need me to deal with it?"

"Yes." Kant nodded. "Be straightforward."

"Yes." After getting permission, Baheshtur revealed a sinister smile. "I will be very straightforward!"

As he spoke, he lightly knocked on the horse's belly and urged his warhorse forward.

Right in front, there were also people riding horses from the water bandit troops.

It seemed that they were knights from the Silver Platter Kingdom, and they carried a hint of arrogance, they approached Baheshtur. "Hey, strange troops, why are you here? You should know that I know all the noble families in the East County. I don't even know which noble the flag on your body belongs to."

"Oh, you don't know us?" Baheshtur smiled.

"Of course." the knight said arrogantly, "We are the troops of the Silver Platter Kingdom. Why should we know the noble families of the Dukedom of Leo?" As he spoke, there was a hint of ridicule in his eyes. "You are just a bunch of lambs waiting to be slaughtered."

"These words are really interesting." Baheshtur still smiled calmly. "Then what do you want?"

"Let us approach." the knight revealed a greedy smile. "I know that you have obtained a lot of wealth, and now you need to contribute it. Do you understand? I'm not telling you this myself, nor am I telling you this in behave of the trash-like water bandits behind me."

"Then who is it?" Baheshtur asked.

"All the noble families of the Silver Platter Kingdom!"

He focused his voice, pointed at Baheshtur and said, "You little fellow, you have to know what the power of the Silver Platter Kingdom is like. Even the Dukedom of Leo would tremble under the threat of the Silver Platter Kingdom!"

"Oh, it is indeed very shocking." Baheshtur nodded, but the corners of his mouth revealed a mocking smile. "I want to give you a gift."

"I like something more precious." the knight thought that Baheshtur was obeying him and immediately revealed a greedy smile.

His fat tongue licked his lips. "If it was the golden eagle, I think I would be able to exonerate you. I might even be able to recommend you join the Silver Platter Kingdom and become a knight of this powerful kingdom. Just like me, you would gain the power that even the Dukedom of Leo would fear. It is all because of the powerful Silver Platter Kingdom standing behind me."

"Of course."

Baheshtur moved forward, but his hand reached for the scimitar at his waist.

Under the knight's incredulous gaze, along with the sound of the blade cutting through the scabbard, a ghastly white flash appeared in the air. It was almost as if it was cutting through the tip of his nose with an agile technique, from top to bottom.

"Ah--"

The knight immediately felt a slight chill at the tip of his nose.

But immediately after, a bloody light appeared before his eyes. He subconsciously reached out to touch it, and an intense pain entered his mind. He covered his nose and howled in pain on the horse's back. His nose had already been cut off.

Baheshtur looked at his miserable appearance and shook off the blood stains on the blade. "This is my gift. Do you like it?"

Chapter 443: The Knight Commander’s Hesitation

The intense pain caused the knight's face to turn ferocious, and his eyes were filled with hatred.

However, he did not dare to act rashly. He covered the tip of his nose that was in intense pain and did not even care about the tip of his nose that had fallen to the ground. He quickly urged his warhorse to walk towards his companions at the back. His anger had already gone to his head.

As the lord knight of the Silver Platter Kingdom, he had never experienced such humiliation.

And now his nose had been cut off.

In the future, he would definitely become a laughingstock in the silver platter kingdom!

Not to mention those noble families, not to mention the other knights, even those lowly commoners and even lowly slaves would talk about him behind his back. A knight without a nose did not have any dignity at all!

He covered his nose while enduring the pain, he shouted out his anger almost to the point of roaring.

At the same time, he claimed that Kant's side only had this small number of troops, there was nothing to be afraid of.

The thousand-man strong army from the Silver Platter Kingdom did not continue to move.

Even the water bandits of the Resniston River were ordered by the commander of the knights of the Silver Platter Kingdom to stand by and not to launch an attack because of the precious treasures in front of them.

The knight commander was already fearful of the fact that they were only 1,000 meters away from each other.

He was not ignorant.

In front of them, that terrifying heavy cavalry group looked like an elite force.

They were different from the main force of the Dukedom of Leo!

It was an order of knight formed by the real knights, not a knight group formed by regular knights and knight attendants. Although it was a long story, it had always been a nightmare for the silver platter kingdom.

When fighting on the plains, the elite long-lance soldiers of the Silver Platter Kingdom had to be cautious of this order of knight.

If they were being careless for even a moment, the front line would be broken, and the entire army would be wiped out.

This was not an alarmist rumor, it was the truth!

The intense conflict between the two countries ten years ago had already made it clear.

The former Silver Platter Kingdom had crushed the defense line of the Dukedom of Leo on the south bank of the Resniston River. However, in the wild, they were attacked by the reinforcements of the order of knight. The knights only revealed a small flaw, which led to their defeat.

That defeat ultimately led to the current situation, which was the battle where Baron Dylan was conferred the title.

The heavy cavalry of the Dukedom of Leo had left a deep impression on the troops of the Silver Platter Kingdom.

This also led to the current situation.

The Silver Platter Kingdom had always been on guard against the cavalry of the Dukedom of Leo.

Especially when their own cavalry was lacking in strength and could not do anything to the various orders of knight formed by the noble members of the Dukedom of Leo, they needed to be extremely cautious. Once their own troops were slightly impacted, then the following attacks from the knights and cavalries of Dukedom of Leo would completely crush their troops.

In the field, without the support of the infantrymen, the cavalry of the Silver Platter Kingdom would not be able to cause much damage to the elite cavalry of the Dukedom of Leo. Instead, they would be defeated and lose the important cavalry force in the battlefield.

This was also the reality. Even though the Silver Platter Kingdom had focused on the cavalry that they had built for ten years, it was still the same.

Now, he was facing the even stronger Kant's cavalry troops.

He was a little afraid.

As the knight commander of Nazaire Castle, he was one of Baron Taylor's confidants.

During this expedition, he had taken the risk to enter the territory of the Dukedom of Leo. Together with the infamous Resniston River Water Bandits, attacking the noble of the Dukedom of Leo in name, as well as being a member of the royal family, he had already been under a lot of pressure.

If they won, they would erase all traces, and they would be able to deny it even if they were exposed afterward.

But if they were defeated and leave behind as captives, then all of this would not be resolved easily.

Instead, it would be a huge problem. Even he, Baron Taylor's most trusted knight commander and one of the most powerful knights in Nazaire Castle, would have to commit suicide to redeem the lost honor and bad influence.

Of course, what was salvaged was not the fact that he had entered the Dukedom of Leo without permission and attacked the noble.

It was the despicable act of colluding with the Resniston River Water Bandits!

It did not matter how ugly were the wars between the noble families.

However, there was an unspoken rule.

He absolutely could not be involved with those dirty water bandits or any other bandits.

Although behind the scenes, the noble families would always raise such a group of thugs to deal with some shady matters, it was absolutely not something that could be put on the surface because it would ruin the honor of the noble families.

As a noble with dignity, they would always be graceful and elegant under the sun. How could there be any shady things about them?

A noble would never have such a thing!

If there was, it would definitely be a slander of their reputation!

This knight commander could imagine that even if he did not want to die, the trusted him had to die for Baron Taylor and his family. He had to use his own death to wash away this kind of slander.

Although he had indeed done it, if he died and no one admitted it, it was not his doing.

The unspoken rules of the noble were an excuse!

Hence, he was hesitated.

The knight commander, who was in the lead, could not make a decision.

The knight whose nose had been cut off and who was still in pain being bandaged by the attendant next to him roared in anger, saying that he wanted to use the death of the other party to redeem his lost honor.

The scene was a little dull, with only the elite lance soldiers on both sides, as well as the knights and their attendants breathing heavily.

They were also unable to make a decision at the moment.

"A bunch of cowards!"

Suddenly, a mocking voice sounded.

The knight commander looked back and saw that it was a group of water bandits wearing mail armor and holding a longsword or handaxe.

These were the elites of five groups of Resniston River Water Bandits. They were all veteran soldiers who had escaped, escaped slaves in the Wildland, or criminals who had committed murder. Their unique characteristic was that their methods were cruel, and their combat ability was superb.

There were close to 2,000 of them. They were a group of thugs who killed without batting an eyelid!

"Shut up." the knight commander's face was gloomy.

He swept his gaze across the five water bandit leaders and reprimanded them in a deep voice, "What do you know? Despicable things! The troops of Baron Kant in front of us are a group of elite cavalries. Do you think you can be enemies?"

"Huh? Are you teaching us a lesson?"

The water bandit leaders laughed out loud, their faces filled with ridicule, "A bunch of cowards. We are not those little brats under your command. If someone offends us, we will let him know what cruelty is!" The water bandit leaders laughed ferociously, "Including that Baron Kant that you are afraid of!"

"Ignorant." the knight commander snorted coldly. Although he looked down on these water bandits, he also knew that in fact, in this battle, it was them who cooperated with these water bandits, and not the water bandits who cooperated with him.

Both sides were not subordinate to each other.

Chapter 444: The Priests Among the Water Bandits

They were only cooperating!

The water bandits revealed the information in exchange for the support of the Silver Platter Kingdom.

They fought together, and after victory, they would divide up the loot together. Then, the nobles of the Silver Platter Kingdom would help these water bandits escape from the waters near the Dukedom of Leo, these water bandits would then use their legal identity to live in other human countries.

If not for this reason, these brutal water bandits would not have any connection with the greedy noble families!

That was why these water bandits were so impolite.

Seeing that the knight commander of the Silver Platter Kingdom was hesitating, they suddenly felt annoyed.

Baron Kant's troops were right in front. Although they looked terrifying and were full of heavy armored cavalries, they did not have more than 2,000 people. Compared to their group of more than 6,000 people, Kant's troop only had very few soldiers!

They had the advantage of numbers, why should they be afraid?

"Hey!" the leaders of the water bandits revealed a sinister smile.

Clapping their hands slightly, they raised their heads and said, "Come out, my friends. Let these people from the Silver Platter Kingdom see the true power of the Crimson Sect!"

"What?" the knight commander and the other knights looked over one after another.

The group of water bandits split apart.

More than 30 people wearing black hood robes walked out.

They were holding a staff that was as tall as a person. On it, one could see that it was inlaid with pitch-black gemstones. There was also a faint dark red glow flickering within it. It carried a sense of mystery and wickedness, as well as a mind-stirring madness.

The leader of the water bandits laughed sinisterly, "These are the Crimson Sect's priests, lord knight."

"Priests of the Crimson Sect?" the knight commander snorted coldly.

The Silver Platter Kingdom had full faith in the Holy Church, and they were against other cults. They also looked down on the so-called Crimson Sect. "They are just a bunch of wild mages who have mastered a mysterious power. What kind of lord priests are they?"

"That's right, knight commander. We are just a bunch of cowardly mages who have lost their support."

The leader of the Crimson Sect priest lifted his hood.

It was an old man. His white beard and hair, his tall aquiline nose, and his eyes that were as dark as the night. He spoke in a hoarse voice. "We can use the power we once possessed to exchange for the right to escape from here. Therefore, in the upcoming battle, we will be very useful. This is the power of magic."

"The priests who have mastered the power of magic are willing to cooperate with us!" the leader of the water bandits also smiled proudly.

He looked at the more than 30 black-robed men beside him, his eyes also showed some pride. "Although the cooperation won't last long, if we finish this job, who will care about the past? We can use thousands of great silver coins to start a new life, even if it is to buy a knight's identity!"

"Hehe, this is our common goal."

The priests of the Crimson Sect showed disdain in their eyes, but they did not refute.

This was the truth.

They had originally spread their religion in the East County.

They were in charge of secretly developing the believers and at the same time monitoring the group of noble families to prevent the Crimson Sect's businesses from being invaded, and to allow the Crimson Sect to grow stronger.

But unexpectedly, all of this collapsed last week.

The Crimson Sect was destroyed.

Even the devils of hell that they worshipped were killed.

The entire Mountain of Death had long turned into a purgatory, and everyone had become corpses.

Only the priests who had not been able to gather together in time were left behind. They were still barely maintaining the Crimson Sect. In their fear and trepidation, they encountered the onslaught again and again. Without the Crimson Sect, they were rootless duckweed.

The first ones to attack were the noble families who had been monitored and threatened by them.

The priests suffered heavy losses from the wanton slaughter and purges.

They had no chance to resist.

Even if they had magic, without the support of the Crimson Sect, they would eventually have to flee in front of the endless army of the noble families. They would leave behind the loot they had plundered and leave in humiliation like dogs.

But even so, only about 30 of them would survive.

They had to cooperate with the water bandits that they had once looked down on.

If not., they would have been massacred in the East County and turned into corpses. They would have been buried in the remote land by the noble. It would be like they had no connection with them at all, and they would have cut off all ties with the Crimson Sect.

It was good that they could survive now. Although they were not as glorious as they were in the past, they could at least live peacefully.

"Finish this job." the leader of the priests looked at the knight commander and said in a hoarse voice, "We can guarantee success because we have a mysterious spell. As long as we release it into the enemy's troops, victory is in our hands."

"That's right, this is our trump card!" the other water bandit leaders laughed loudly with fanaticism in their eyes.

"Oh..." even the knight commander was hesitant.

They were all moved, including the knight commander. He looked at Baron Kant in the distance and finally made up his mind. "Prepare for battle, we are about to launch an attack!"

"Yoo-hoo!" the water bandits shouted fanatically.

Greed filled their hearts.

Everyone saw the treasures in the temporary camp not far behind the cavalries as something in their pockets.

This was the inflated mentality of a tyrant for a long time. After all, on the Resniston River, even the river patrol teams and fleets of the human countries could not completely defeat them.

Now, they were only taking the initiative to attack the enemy who was at an absolute disadvantage in terms of the size of troop.

This was extremely simple in the eyes of the water bandits.

Moreover, there were grand knights who possessed extraordinary powers in their troops.

Including these 30 or so Crimson Sect priests who could release mysterious spells, this ensured their subsequent victory!

Although the water bandits were not familiar with land battles, they had still some experiences. After all, when they invaded the land around the river, when they robbed the commoners and wealthy merchants, they were just as ferocious.

With the famous reputation of these water bandits, the knight commander also led his troops forward.

The war had begun.

But they didn't know.

Kant had been waiting for a long time for their attack.

He was even a little impatient. He already felt a little disgusted by these people's dilly-dallying.

If the troops of the Silver Platter Kingdom and the water bandits of the Resniston River didn't attack, Kant would lead his troops to directly launch the most brazen charge and engage in a frontal decisive battle!

If that was the case, the losses of the troops would undoubtedly be greater, and it would be easier to counterattack without defending.

Kant was undoubtedly relieved now.

It was over.

The enemy formation that was attacking was not as tight as when defending.

Therefore, for his Mamlukes and Sarrandian Horsemen, as long as they went around to the back and attacked from both sides, they would be able to easily defeat the huge enemy army that was mostly composed of light infantrymen.

A group of ragtag troops, even if there were elites among them, they were still a ragtag group that could be defeated with a single strike.

Chapter 445: Forces with Ulterior Motives

Facing the attack of the pirates, Baheshtur raised his scimitar and swung it forward.

More than 300 desert bandits, who were wandering around the periphery and waiting for orders, immediately spread out and formed a three-man team. They quickly rode their horses and rushed out like a scattered wolf pack, entering their hunting mode.

Although there weren't many of them, after they spread out, they were like floating catkins in the sky, galloping wantonly on the vast plains.

Even though these desert bandits wouldn't charge at them easily.

But the deterrent effect they had on the water bandits.

Was without a doubt absolute!

These scattered light cavalry focused on the rear half of the Reisneston River water bandits. This made the water bandits, who were also behind the light infantry, even more cautious. They didn't dare to rashly increase their pace.

They were arrogant, but they were also cautious. The experience of plundering on the Reisneston River was also suitable for land battles.

Once they were separated from the front and the back, it would be troublesome.

Even if they hoped that some of their "Companions" would die in battle so that they could get more great silver coins.

However, before they won the battle, a large number of their companions would be killed by the cavalry, causing the battle to fail. That wasn't what they wanted to see. A bunch of people would die, and they wouldn't even be able to get a single small silver coin. They wouldn't do a loss-making business!

However, it was definitely impossible to leave just like that.

Very soon.

The water bandits who had short spears or long spears were deployed to the outside.

They were also equipped with water bandits archers who held short bows. They were arranged in rows, and from time to time, they would draw their bows and shoot arrows, which in turn would deter the desert bandits and prevent them from charging forward.

The equipment of the water bandits were mostly short-handled axes or longsword machetes, but they also had short spears and long spears and handaxes.

The common short bows were also available.

After all, it was a water battle.

Before the jump gang battle, the short spears and long spears could form a line to prevent the enemy from ambushing.

The short bows could also provide long-range damage.

Although they did not have stronger bows and strong crossbows, these pirates, with their bravery and ferocity, could already pose a threat to the guards of the merchant ships. This was also what they relied on to traverse the river.

Apart from a few elite patrol ships, they weren't afraid of anyone!

Water battles were different from land battles.

This was something that they were proud of.

However, their arrogance had turned into a joke in the face of absolute strength.

Before Mamluke had even moved out, 800 sarrandian horseman riders had already charged out from the two wings. As they galloped, they quickly arrived at the two sides of the pirates.

There were 400 sarrandian horseman riders on the left and right. They lined up neatly and raised their long spears.

They could charge at any time!

The pirates became even more cautious.

Those pirate leaders had their elites lined up on the two sides.

At the very front, they had the 1,000 elite long lance soldiers that the knight commander of the silver platter kingdom had brought to guard. They slowly advanced, forming a dense phalanx of long spears to prevent the mamlukes from charging.

This was a helpless move. During the attack, the huge number of pirate troops showed their bloat.

In the history of war, it was never better to have more.

Bloating was a disadvantage.

If there were no outstanding generals and high-quality middle-level commanders, the bloating advantage could only turn into a disadvantage of improper operation, failure of command, allowing the enemy to attack, and only passive defense!

Now, it seemed like the Reisneston River Pirates and the forces of Zenarburg of the silver platter kingdom had joined forces.

There were only two forces.

But in reality.

The Reisneston River Pirates had gathered five forces.

Each of them had a face and heart that didn't agree. They were pulled together for the sake of absolute benefits.

This was also the case for the knight commanders of Zenarburg of the silver platter kingdom.

The six forces were connected by interests. If they could command smoothly like an arm, it would be too much of a test for the qualities of the generals and commanders.

Of course, it was obviously impossible.

Everyone had different intentions.

They all wanted others to go up first to die while they kept the most people in the hope of obtaining more treasures.

Their greed was spreading. Unknowingly, they even stopped advancing. Instead, they started to defend their positions. They did not trust each other and formed six formations according to their own camps.

Just like the plum petals, although they seemed to be close, they were actually very distinct.

They were not one!

Facing Kant's cavalry, they could not be united.

Everyone hoped that after the other people were attacked and fought to the death with the enemy's troops, they could go and pick up the rewards. At the same time, they would accidentally injure many of their fallen 'allies'.

Of course, it would be even better if only their own people were left behind.

"A bunch of idiots."

Mockery appeared in Baheshtur's eyes.

Before the battle, these guys were still plotting and scheming. It was a joke to him, especially when they were facing so much cavalry. If they still dared to have such thoughts, they would be courting death!

If everyone was united, there might really be a chance to retreat back to the Reston River alive.

But now?

They were only seeking their own death!

The raised machete swayed. This was Baheshtur's order.

In the distance, the desert bandits and sarrandian horseman, who had already made arrangements, began to run around the water bandits even more intensely. Each and every one of them acted as if they were going to charge at any moment, scaring the water bandits into gathering even more closely.

Meanwhile, Baheshtur reported to Kant, "Lord, are we going to start?"

"Yes."

Kant's expression was calm.

He lightly knocked his horse's abdomen and galloped forward. "Let's attack."

"Yes." Baheshtur revealed a sinister smile.

He turned his head and shouted, commanding the Mamlukes, "Under the orders of Lord Kant, all cavalry follow me. Prepare to charge! Kill!"

"Kill!" The Mamlukes shouted in unison.

A thousand meters away.

The group of Reisneston River Pirates became even more vigilant.

At the front, the Knight Commander of Nazaire Fort had an extremely depressed expression, and there was a hint of pain between his brows. He could not help but mutter, "This time... it seems to be... bad..."

But looking at the troops under Kant's command, his heart grew colder and colder.

They were not on the same level at all!

He turned his head.

Behind him, the knight whose nose tip had been cut off was still cursing in a low voice.

Obviously, his anger had already overshadowed his heart. The others also had some light in their eyes. Their greedy expressions were obvious, almost to the point of impatience.

The other knights and knight attendants did not think that they did not have the strength to fight.

They were all newcomers.

Those new knights who had not experienced the war ten years ago.

Otherwise, they would not have been fooled. They would have followed him to the territory of the Dukedom of Leo and attacked the noble of the Dukedom of Leo. If they were discovered, even the silver platter kingdom would not admit it, not to mention the Baron of Zenel Castle who had tricked them into coming over, baron Taylor had already thrown him out. How could he bear the responsibility.

In the battle ten years ago, the cavalry of the Dukedom of Leo had shone brilliantly. Although the infantrymen had been easily defeated by the silver platter kingdom, the silver platter kingdom had also admitted that the cavalry was no match for the Dukedom of Leo.

Therefore, the troops of the silver platter kingdom that were close to the border of the kingdom were mostly equipped with elite lance soldiers.

They were there to defend against the cavalry that came and went like the wind and charged at them.

But now...

The commander of the knights thought that it would be difficult for his 1,000 elite lance soldiers to return alive.

If he really placed all his reliance on the pirates behind him and the 30 or so priests of the dark red cult who were like stray dogs, it would be too dangerous!

Chapter 446: The Final Charge

However, the war had already begun. No matter how regretful the knight commander was, he could not order the entire army to retreat and give up the position here, hoping that he would be able to leave the battlefield easily.

Not only would the enemy not let them off, even his current allies would not allow such a thing to happen.

The Pirates of the Resniston River had long been filled with greed.

They had a thirst for treasure.

Whoever dared to give up on this operation would be the enemy!

Don't look at how they were all on guard against each other now. They were gradually advancing in a defensive posture. They wanted to engage in close combat with Kant's cavalry group. In fact, when it came to the final attack, they would still swarm forward.

After all, it was all for the sake of money. Although they did not care about the casualties of their allies, they definitely cared about victory!

If they did not win.

That was equivalent to not having any treasures.

If they could not obtain these carriages full of treasures, then it was impossible for them to have their dream life.

The Pirates of the Resniston River understood the simple reason. This was also why they were still in a petal-like formation and were still advancing slowly, step by step, hoping to use the dense formation to disperse the threat of the cavalry.

Although the charge of the cavalry group was terrifying, it was still difficult to contend against the encirclement of the infantrymen.

It was difficult for two fists to fight against four.

The infantrymen group that had the advantage in numbers could also pile up to kill the cavalry group that had fewer men.

Moreover, in a real war, the cavalry that was caught in close combat actually did not have as strong an attack as the infantrymen. As they still had to control the warhorse, it was more inconvenient.

This was also the reason why, with a short lance in hand, they could suppress the cavalry in close combat.

Moreover.

He was still full of confidence in these elite long lance soldiers by his side.

When the silver platter kingdom's troops invaded the Dukedom of Leo, they relied on these long lance soldiers to force the knights of the Dukedom of Leo to be unable to launch a frontal assault. Moreover, in the confrontation between the infantrymen, they defeated those mercenaries head-on.

The mercenaries, who were disorganized and had no tactics or discipline to speak of, were simply no match for these elite lance soldiers.

The final result was that the infantrymen had been completely defeated.

Their formation had been shattered.

If it had not been for Baron Dylan, he would have used schemes and risked his life to defeat the silver platter kingdom's generals and guards, causing chaos on the entire frontline. At that time, Cameron had seized the opportunity to turn the tide, and it was basically impossible to determine victory or defeat.

Now, his confidence was lacking because of the elite long lance soldiers that he relied on to withstand the enemy's attack.

There were simply too few of them!

"Boom, Boom, Boom --"

The horseshoes struck the land of the plains.

The heavy cavalry had already begun to move slowly on the flat terrain. Finally, they began to sway left and right around the troops that had already formed a defensive formation and were waiting to charge.

The 800 sarrandian horseman were like 800 hungry wolves with green eyes.

They were scouting for opportunities.

As long as there was a slight gap.

In the end, these sarrandian horseman would pounce forward without hesitation and completely open the gap!

Don't look at how beautiful these six petals were. In reality, once they were heavily injured, they would be destroyed like real petals. They would not be able to withstand the direct charge of a group of heavy cavalry.

This was because Baheshtur had already led part of the Mamlukes into a distance that was sufficient for them to charge.

200 meters.

A total of 1,000 Mamlukes lined up in three rows.

Each row of 300 people was like a huge rectangular body. They carried the reflection of silver heavy armor as they slowly pressed forward. They began to gallop on their horses. They even began to increase their speed..

The rumbling sound became more and more intense as the earth shook. It was like the sound of a flood finally appeared.

The expressions of the pirates on the river changed drastically.

This was the charge of cavalry!

It was the charge of a group of heavy cavalry that was terrifying as a flood!

When they were on the river, they had never seen such a large scale charge of heavy cavalry. They also had no idea what kind of destructive power such a terrifying charge could bring.

However, the hearts of these pirates had already begun to tremble because of this terrifying charge.

Sarrandian horseman took the lead to charge on both sides!

And the target of the charge.

Was the two waves of pirates on both sides of the river!

In the petal-shaped gap, there was a gap of nearly two meters. It seemed small, but in reality, it was the easiest place for cavalry to break through when charging forward!

As long as they charged through these gaps and broke through the external defense, they could cause chaos in the defensive formation.

Next.

It was the Mamluke's turn to completely crush the enemy's Charge!

This was Sarrandan's favorite way of attacking, and the Kujits's way of attacking was similar. However, compared to the kujits who could ride a bow and shoot, Sarrandian's attack was more direct.

In terms of destructive power, it was also more brutal!

It was brutal to the enemy.

Similarly.

It was brutal to itself!

The charge began. The Sarrandian horseman, who held a lance in his hand, had already spurred his horse and charged into the gap between the two waves of Riesneston River Pirates. He rampaged and knocked away the pirates who dared to stop him.

Although the outermost pirates held short spears, they were also the most garbage cannon fodder.

The true elites were all on the inner side.

Similarly.

The short spears in the hands of these trash cannon fodder were also considered as short spears in the sense of the word.

They only used a wooden pole to cover the spearhead. Compared to those high-quality short spears forged by blacksmiths, the real military short spears were not considered weapons at all. They could only be considered as weapons used for self-defense!

This also caused the elite Sarrandian horseman to ride their horses and charge at the pirates arrogantly.

"For the Lord! For Sarrandia! Kill!"

The pirates resisted with difficulty.

The robust Sarrandian horseman and the armored Sarrandian horseman were like one entity. The scimitar in their hands slashed down fiercely, using the round shield of Sarrandian on their left arm to block. The light infantry pirates suffered heavy losses.

Although the Warhorse also suffered superficial injuries, it was only so. This kind of creature's vitality was very tenacious.

Even if it was a deep wound, it would not die for a moment.

On the contrary, it even stirred up the warhorse's bloodlust.

It let out a crazy neigh.

Then, in its rampage, it knocked the pirates to the sides heavily. Then, it stomped on them with its hooves. No matter how the Pirates tried to block or dodge, it still did not hinder the 400 Sarrandian horseman that charged in from both sides. On the contrary, their own side suffered heavy losses!

Even though nearly 30 sarrandian horseman riders and warhorse had fallen together, the result of the battle was the deaths and injuries of over a hundred water bandits, as well as more water bandits, who were fleeing to the side in fear!

Because the ones following behind were the desert bandits.

Along with the whooshing sound in the air.

The short javelins poured down.

These 300 desert bandits did not charge into the formation directly. Instead, they nimbly used the advantage of the light cavalry to throw at the water bandits who were gathered at the rear with short bows in their hands, killing and injuring the water bandits archers who were wearing leather armor.

In a short moment, the entire water bandits were trampled on by the cavalry.

However, no one dared to act on their own.

The leaders of the water bandits of the Resniston River shouted crazily, indicating for their subordinates to counterattack.

At the front, the knight commander was breaking out in cold sweat. He gritted his teeth and ordered the elite lance-soldiers to defend to the death, ensuring the stability of his front line. Because right in front, the group of Mamlukes had already started to move.

Kant had personally launched the charge!

Chapter 447: The Powerful Summoning Golem

The charge of this group of heavy-armored cavalry had finally begun.

A terrifying roar sounded. It was as if a flood had been released. With the top-notch strength of the Sarrandian people, they began to charge towards the area of the Riesnidon River bandits as if they were venting.

Kant was at the front. His delicate and well-proportioned palm was already gripping the hilt of his sword.

The mages were reporting.

Right in front.

They had sensed the aura of a spellcaster as well.

Although it had been concealed, they could still clearly sense that the spellcaster's aura came from the dark red sect. This was because only those forces that often came into contact with demons could have such a dense demonic elemental aura!

Moreover, among the Reisneston River Bandits, there were more than five Grand Knights!

This was not a threat to Kant.

It was just an appetizer.

Even the evil priests of the 30-odd dark red cult were simply food for him.

The reason why Kant could tolerate these guys and line up here leisurely was because he wanted to intimidate the nobles of the eastern county or the Dukedom of Leo!

He needed a very direct and straightforward victory to establish his authority.

And it was here!

He needed to let those noble families know who would be the future king of the Eastern County!

The Mamlukes had already charged forward, but he was 100 meters away. He did not directly charge into the spear formation set up by the elite lance soldiers of the silver platter kingdom.

Even the heavy cavalry that had armor on both horse and man could not directly charge into such a formation.

Even if they could easily break through like a hammer.

However.

The subsequent damage would still cause casualties.

The inertia of the heavy cavalry when charging was invincible. However, the long lance that was erected could also be inserted into the chest of the heavy cavalry. It completely ignored the excellent double-layer chain armor, causing the precious Mamluke to suffer heavy casualties.

This was because the effects of force were mutual.

The charge could exert force.

However, the inertia brought by the charge also added a reaction force when it came into contact with the long lance.

This was why the phalanx of long lance could effectively obstruct the charge of the cavalry. Even the well-equipped and terrifying heavy cavalry like the Mamluke and the Swadian knight did not dare to directly charge into the front of the phalanx of long lance.

Even if they could tear through the phalanx, the casualties on their side would not be small!

A wise commander would not directly charge into the phalanx of the lance.

On the contrary.

To an excellent cavalry commander.

The front of the phalanx of the lance was indeed powerful, but in comparison, the sides and rear had lost the protection of the dense spears. It was much easier to charge and attack.

As long as they broke through one point, the entire front of the lance formation would collapse.

As a powerful cavalry country.

Swadia, Sarrandian, and Kujit all understood this very well.

Without Kant's command, the Mamluke had already split into three groups and charged toward the two sides of the Lance Formation. Like cannonballs, they smashed heavily toward the Reisneston River Pirates.

The pirates on both sides did not have the protection of the lance formation, not to mention that they had already been smashed into pieces by the Sarrandian Horseman.

They were like the best targets!

As for the front.

There were still 300 Mamlukes waiting for orders within an 80-meter radius.

The battle cries continued, and the entire rear, the petal-shaped formation, had already begun to turn chaotic. Especially the Reisneston River pirates who were fighting on their own, they were easily massacred by the cannonball-like Mamlukes who had just charged in.

They stabbed with lances, struck heavily with iron staffs in both hands, and hacked with scimitars.

The pirates were also fighting back.

However, the longsword and scimitars in their hands, even short spears and handaxes, could not cause too many casualties.

Sarrandian horseman and these level 4 cavalry warhorses did not wear armor. Thus, when faced with the pirate's intentional injuring of their warhorses, they were still somewhat cautious. During this period of time, close to a hundred cavalry soldiers were forced to abandon their warhorses that had died.., they drew close to each other, holding their round shield and machetes as they engaged in battle.

However, the Mamluke did not care. Their entire bodies were donned with fine Sarrandian chain armor, and their Warhorse was also donned with Sarrandian Warhorse armor. They were basically land tanks, charging and rampaging amongst the light infantry pirates!

No one could stop them!

Even if there were pirates fighting desperately, the swords that came slashing at them would only create sparks on the chain armor.

Even the more powerful hatchets could only slightly cut through the steel chain mail. Even if there were short spears coming, they would be blocked by the steel shields of the Mamlukes and handaxes.

The entire outer formation of the Reisneston River pirates had been completely eradicated, and they had even lost the possibility of integration!

The charge of the Mamlukes and their handaxes was too strong.

And in close combat, the trampling of the infantrymen was too fierce!

These heavy cavalry soldiers were even charging towards the core area of the Reisneston River Pirates. The elite pirates were also panicking and wanted to dodge, but there were few who could retaliate.

Because those elite pirates and the pirate leaders had already discovered that their greed had brought about destruction.

They had no way of resisting these terrifying heavy cavalry.

They could only be massacred!

Even at the front, the silver platter kingdom troops, who were barely able to stabilize their formation, did not make a single move. These pirates were also filled with despair. They did not hate them, and on the contrary, they were very understanding.

If even the silver platter kingdom troops collapsed, then they would be completely massacred.

The phalanx of long lance withstood the pressure from the front.

However.

The pirates could not withstand the onslaught from the left, right, and back!

"Let those priests go!" Finally, the leader of the pirates was furious. They were shouting at the priests of the dark red cult, demanding that they immediately use a mysterious spell in hopes of turning the situation around.

"Black Cloud Spell!"

More than 30 priests of the crimson sect cast their spells.

Their faces were also filled with anxiety, because they could also sense the deterioration of the current situation.

Therefore, these priests did not hold back. As waves of thick black clouds rushed out, large patches of blood immediately appeared on the bodies of the Riesneston River pirates at the periphery. Clearly, the black clouds were highly corrosive.

Even the Sarrandian horseman and Mamlukes, who were entangled in the black clouds, sensed that something was wrong!

"Summon nature!"

And right beside Kant, 170 mages raised their magic staffs.

They did not cast any powerful spells. Instead, among the Riesnidon River pirates and the elite lance soldiers of the silver platter kingdom, they cast the only summoning spell, summoning those terrifying golems!

The golems were made of stone and held two-handed hammers. They were 2.5 meters tall and did not have any human emotions!

The massacre had begun!

Compared to the cavalry, these golems were more intimidating!

Because they appeared in the void, and even when they appeared, they directly crushed many pirates and lance soldiers. Then, they waved their two-handed hammers and beat up the enemies around them who were not mentally prepared!

Chapter 448: Strength Rapidly Expanding

The golem rampaged among the Riesneston River Pirates.

As a fully constructed creature, there was no restriction of a body of flesh and blood. This group of creatures, which were entirely made of stone and magic carvings, was, in a sense, a complete killing machine!

The two-handed sledgehammer and two-handed battle axe were held in the hands of the golem, and every swing caused a rain of blood.

There were also the pirates who were sent flying by the terrifying force of the sledgehammer.

No one was a match for them!

Even the elite pirates, who were wearing mail armor and holding a round shield and longsword, could only retreat step by step in the face of the frenzied golem. Their bodies trembled as they tried to leave.

No one wanted to die, and no one wanted to be buried in the hands of these golem statues and become a fallen corpse.

Because this place had become a bloody battlefield.

That's right.

The massacre was continuing!

The pirates of the Resniston River had mistakenly treated Kant as someone they could bully and kill.

Just like those merchants back then, they thought that they could easily win the final victory, and then quickly leave on the battleship. In the end, they would obtain immeasurable wealth and live the lives of the rich.

However, the bony reality made them understand that all of this was impossible.

The golem's massacre continued.

And on the left and right sides.

Mamlukes and Sarrandian horseman charged in again.

The original petal-like formation had been destroyed like a mud pit, and anyone could step on it.

As for the elite long lance soldiers of the silver platter kingdom, who were originally neat and relied on the river bandits of the Resniston River, they had completely collapsed under the Golem's fearless charge.

In just a short moment, the massacre began, and blood converged into a river.

The massacre.

Their lives were withering.

Even the more than 30 priests of the dark red cult were struck to death by lightning from the sky when they tried to cast their spells.

The mages of the Emfath Empire had always been paying attention to their own kind. If it was not for Kant's attempt to wipe all of them out in an instant, a single AOE spell would probably be able to wipe out many people. The mages' physiques were not high at all.

But casting an AOE spell required too much.

For example, lethal deep frost.

After casting it.

The entire area would become a place covered in cold.

The enemies in the middle of the spell would undoubtedly freeze to death, and even the people around them would be frostbitten. However, the cold wouldn't dissipate in a short period of time. Even if their own troops stepped in, it would still only cause a slight impact.

Due to the aftereffects of the AOE spell, Kant did not give the order to release it in this battle.

Just the charging formation of the golems.

And the sweeping of the cavalry was enough.

Just like now.

The battle situation was gradually becoming clear. The Riesnidon River Bandits that were on the verge of collapse were completely unable to stop the cavalry that was getting fiercer and fiercer. Even the golems were able to completely break through the formation of the bandits.

In the end, the group of water bandits of the Resniston River chose to flee.

They cried and fled in the direction of the river.

The distance was not far.

Three kilometers.

However, this three kilometer distance was the distance from the human world to hell!

How could a group of infantrymen fight against the cavalry? Even if there were a few existences who possessed extraordinary powers among the group of water bandits of the Resniston River, they were easily defeated by the royal knights.

Countless people died in the battle. Even the elite long lance soldiers connected to the silver platter kingdom were turned into corpses.

Kant did not choose to capture them.

He did not need them.

The purpose of this battle was to wake up the noble families of the eastern county.

It was to let these noble families know who was the strongest king and the true power that controlled this estate.

Apart from a few knights and knight attendants of the silver platter kingdom who fled on horseback, the remaining 5,000 people were all chased and killed by the Sarrandan people, who numbered less than 2,000. They harvested the land in patches.

Even if they fled to the two farms and the forest where they had previously stayed, it would not do.

They had already become defeated soldiers.

They could not be called an army.

There were no soldiers who could withstand the attack. The defeated soldiers who were like sheep and had been carried away by the fear of the masses were finally met with death by the machetes and spears from the Sarrandian Sultanate.

Even the peasant farmers who were waiting on the farm were slaughtered.

Baheshtur personally gave the order.

There was no other way.

Since they dared to collude with the pirates, there was no need to live.

No matter which noble's farm this was, Kant did not need to care about it. In the current Dukedom of Leo, there was almost no one who dared to fight with him!

In the temporary camp, a small group of pirates stood respectfully in front of the tent.

They put down their weapons.

They weren't captives.

The few people in the lead were the few pirates who reported to Kant.

The former subordinates of Princess Sofia had now completely sided with Kant and made the wisest decision.

They avoided the consequences of being massacred. They looked at the pirates they were familiar with, and even some of their friends, who had been massacred. Not only did they not harbor any resentment, they even gloated over their misfortune.

Having lived enough as pirates, they did not want to get involved with these pirates at all.

Now.

They were not pirates.

They were the enviable country gentry under Baron Kant!

Because just now, Baron Kant had already acknowledged their identity, and even promised to draw a piece of land for them in the eastern county. If they were willing to continue to become knights, as long as they had the means to do so, they would head to the Stone Pass.

Baron Dylan was also a noble, and he had the right to be conferred titles.

Of course.

Kant had already taken control of the Stone Pass.

Then all the local rights would be inherited by Kant, even if he was conferred titles.

But to Kant, there was no pressure at all to continue to being conferred as knights. It could even be the effect of buying horse bones with thousands of gold coins. After all, these water bandits were once knights, and were the former subordinates of Princess Sofia.

In this way, it was extremely useful in attracting the other former subordinates to join him.

Kant did not have much feelings for his cheap mother.

After all, he had not seen her too much since he was young.

However...

Those old subordinates who were scattered in the Dukedom of Leo, or even the silver platter kingdom, could be used by him.

This was only a small trick used by the noble families, especially when they completely defeated the Pirates of the Resniston River near the Dukedom of Leo. This meant that this part of the water would be completely controlled by Kant's nord village.

The nords were born merchants and sailors. Taking over the power vacuum left behind by the pirates was a piece of cake for them.

The help of the pirates was also a part of it.

Next.

Kant's goal was to completely annex the Dukedom of Leo.

After all, he had already taken down more than half of the eastern county territory and a small part of the northern county territory, including the Riesneston River in this region. Kant's strength had already accumulated to the point where he could challenge the authority.

For example, the noble system of the Dukedom of Leo, and his father, Cameron!

Chapter 449: East County’s Submission

The massacre finally ended at the riverbank of Resniston.

Apart from the knights and knight attendants who fled on warhorse and dived into the river to swim, and received the help of the pirates guarding the battleships on the shore, everyone else had been massacred.

The scene was very tragic. From outside the forest, there were scattered corpses, and most of the fatal injuries were on their backs.

The soldiers who had already fled lost the spirit to fight back.

They were just lambs being slaughtered.

When Kant was in the camp and ordered to arrange dinner, as the sky gradually darkened, the desert bandits and Sarrandian horseman who had spread out gradually returned, together with all of Mamluke, to the camp.

It was just that unlike the previous clean and tidy appearance, most of the cavalry had bloodstains on their bodies.

Similarly, everyone was injured.

There were also a few corpses dragged back by the warhorse.

This battle was not as simple as it seemed.

If it were not for the elite cavalry, they would not even be able to break through the infantry formation formed by the water bandits. However, even now, it could be seen that even if the cavalry charged into the midst of the water bandits, they would still be injured.

At the beginning of the charge, it wasn't that the pirates didn't resist. At that time, the cavalry suffered the most casualties.

Of course.

Even if they resisted, it would be useless.

In the end, the pirates were all massacred. The scattered infantry wasn't a match for the cavalry.

Moreover, this group of pirates had already lost the mentality to resist. Facing these cavalry from the Sarrandian Sultanate, a group of genuine elites who had fought their way out of the continent of Caradia didn't have the slightest spirit to resist.

Groups of pirates were massacred, groups of elite lance soldiers were harvested, and their lives were withering.

Even the knights who had escaped had left behind quite a number of people who had died in battle.

They were also the only troops that had formed a system to escape.

The commander of the knights.

As well as more than a dozen knights who were close to each other.

There were also more than a hundred knight attendants who belonged to them.

As for the others, they had all fallen under the slaughter of these fierce Sarrandian people because they felt that they were in the rear, or were forced to be in the rear, or have simply given up. Even if they knelt down to beg for mercy, or announced their surrender, they were all slaughtered.

Kant's order was very clear. There was no need for captives. Then they would carry it out in resolution. No captives!

But there were exceptions.

Baheshtur, a young man from the KurjitKhanate, returned.

Behind him were more than a dozen captives. Beside him were the serious-looking royal knights and lion knights. With an absolute number, these more than a dozen captives trembled. They did not dare to show any signs of resistance.

Among these people, three were the leaders of the pirates, and the remaining twelve were the priests of the dark red cult.

They were all fellows who possessed extraordinary powers.

"Kneel!"

Baheshtur did not stand in ceremony.

He brought these captives outside Kant's tent and used his horsewhip to whip a slightly slower priest. "What right do you have to stand here? A bunch of pigs! All of you, kneel!"

The 15 captives were filled with humiliation and despair. Even though their eyes were filled with hatred and resentment, they did not dare to resist at all.

Because there were a total of 30 grand knights beside them!

The grand knights who were invincible in close combat!

Although the three pirate leaders were also grand knights, they could not withstand the combined attacks of 10 grand knights.

As for the 12 priests from the dark red cult, they were even more pitiful. It was estimated that one grand knight would be able to slaughter all of them in less than two minutes at such a close distance!

Although the mages's spells were powerful, they were no different from a commoner in close combat!

No one dared to be impudent.

Therefore, they also knelt down in humiliation.

It was not that they had never suffered such humiliation before, but with their status, they had all knelt down at least ten years ago. Now, it was completely because of the fear in their hearts and their fear of death.

Whoever had absolute power had all the power in the world.

Kant walked out of the tent.

A knight immediately placed a chair over from behind.

Sitting on it, Kant looked calmly at these captives, but his gaze was on Baheshtur, who was standing beside him with a bow. "Tell me, who are these friends exactly?"

"Lord Kant, I don't really understand."

Baheshtur smiled.

But the horsewhip in his hand gently rose and fell, and he turned his head to look at the captives, his voice was also somewhat sinister. "Alright, in front of the respected Lord Kant, tell us your identities and secrets, and perhaps you will be able to live a dignified life, and not be like a lowly bastard, whose corpse is casually thrown into the wilderness and let the vultures eat at will!"

"I'll speak!" As soon as Baheshtur's voice fell, a rude guy dressed as a pirate spoke directly. He knelt down and crawled two steps forward. He said anxiously, "I'm willing to surrender and offer my loyalty to Lord Kant!"

* smack -- *

However, his entire body was sent flying by the horsewhip.

Face beaten to a pulp. Baheshtur put away the sturdy leather horsewhip in his hand, his voice was even more sinister. "Lord Kant needs your loyalty? You are just a lowly pig! Now tell me everything you know and your identity so that you can live!" Baheshtur said in a deep voice, "Don't talk about anything other than the problem!"

"I'll talk... I'll talk..." the leader of the pirates and the priests of the dark red cult hurriedly kowtowed. They were so frightened that they panicked and completely lost their minds.

Under the threat of death, no one dared to play any more tricks.

They could actually see it.

At the moment, Lord Kant didn't care about them at all. He only thought that they were still useful, so he captured them. If the answer wasn't satisfactory, they would definitely die.

And they didn't want to die, so they all chose to cooperate.

As expected.

The leader of the pirates was a pirate of this river.

However, the current pirate force had been destroyed by Kant. Even if they lost all of their elites on land, even if there were some pirates left in their nest, they were just a bunch of old, weak, and disabled people.

The pirates were still most powerful at water battles. However, they had given up on their strengths and came to land to compete with Kant. It was simply courting death.

The priests of the dark red cult were the remnants of the dark red cult that had escaped from the eastern county.

Kant was already clear that...

the eastern county had been purged.

Almost all members of the dark red cult that were known to the public had been purged.

Even the priests of the dark red cult who possessed mysterious powers were swarmed by a large number of troops. They were easily killed by dozens of battle bows that were more than ten meters away.

The entire eastern county was now in awe of Kant, almost ingratiatingly.

"Not bad."

Kant sat in his seat with the corners of his mouth slightly curled up.

In his opinion, the eastern county would be considered taken down. At the very least, after this battle, the noble families of the eastern county did not dare to continue provoking him.

Chapter 450: Kant’s Choice

Under the night sky, the eastern county was very quiet.

In the distance, on the Reisneston River, there would occasionally be a fleet of ships with lights on. They would move in rows, splitting the waves and splashing. They would take advantage of the dark ships to rush to the southern county of the Dukedom of Leo to sell goods and buy supplies.

As the lifeblood of the human countries, the Reisneston River would never be quiet.

This was an extremely important passageway.

In reality.

Even if the human countries were to start a war, this river would not be sealed.

The nobles who controlled the trade caravan and had a lot of wealth would not easily touch this river even if they were to fight amongst themselves. This was because this represented the interests of the entire noble family. Whoever touched it would be a complete failure.

No one would let go of those who broke the rules. They would not even leave a chance to make a comeback after failure.

It was even crueler than war.

Kant understood.

Even if this was not a rule on the surface, it was no longer something that could be explained by unspoken rules.

He sat on the riverbank, which happened to be located at the mouth of the tributary that extended from the ancient passage. With the light of the stars and the moon, he looked at the vast river with waves in front of him, deep in thought.

The Resniston River, which could be said to have nurtured human civilization, had left an indelible mark in history.

However, he had other thoughts.

For example.

Sending troops to break through the defense line and forcefully attacking the key strongholds.

There were also traps and feints that could be realized through this river.

Especially since he already had a navy that was dominated by the Nords, his use of this river was no less than the use of heavy cavalry by the Swadian people.

The classic example of the Nords was using warships to storm the shores of the Kingdom of Swadia.

They had even broken through the capital of the Kingdom of Swadia, sargos, allowing the Nords to truly set foot on the continent of Caradia, and even have the ability to unify the continent!

Now.

Kant also had the Nords.

This group of natural-born merchants, sailors, and warriors who were good at battle.

As long as he had them, he could take the warship and directly attack the southern county of the Dukedom of Leo.

Wait a minute, this was not a possibility, but reality. If Kant wanted to, he could really build a group of elite navy after successfully upgrading the fortress to level up and building it towards the castle!

Especially after more than half of the pirates on the Resniston River were eliminated, their strength could completely fill in.

Kant turned his head and looked back.

Not far away on the hill, the lights were bright.

A brand new fortress was being built in a short time with the hill as the center.

The six-meter-high stone wall surrounded an area of 500 square meters. Watchtowers and arrow towers stood in a forest. With the council hall at the top of the Central Hill as the benchmark, a complete defensive network was set up.

In the surrounding wilderness, the three-man team of desert bandits were also spread out to scout.

The entire fortress was heavily guarded.

However.

What attracted people's attention was a small river that flowed out of the fortress.

It was the small tributary next to Kant that flowed into the river, but the river was only 10 meters wide and about two to three meters deep. No matter how you looked at it, it was just a bigger stream.

But on the side of this small river, there was a wooden dock that was nearly 100 meters long.

Many people were still busy there.

Wooden pillars were nailed in the middle of the river and fixed with wooden boards and hemp ropes.

There were also wooden pillars for ships to tie up after they docked. It showed that after this dock was successfully built, it would connect to the river and become a fulcrum for the prosperous commerce.

At least on the side of the river, there were Nords hitting the ground with stones.

This was to strengthen the soil layer.

Next.

The stone slabs were laid on the reinforced soil layer.

After that, open-air warehouses would appear. No matter what goods were placed, they could be quickly connected to the merchant ships that docked at the dock. Regardless of whether it was loading or unloading, they could be quickly completed. Then, they would sail out of this small river.

The Nords had always been outstanding merchants. Their pursuit of commerce was no less than their passion for battle.

Money could allow war to be won.

And if war was won, it would bring even more money!

This was their code of conduct. This was also the reason why the Nords were passionate about business and conquest.

Even if they became pirates and thieves, it was still better than staying at home and waiting for death. This was an aggressive culture formed by the social ethos of the Nords, it was also why the Nords' Kingdom was able to gain a foothold in the continent of Caradia in such a short period of time. It was because of its strong cohesiveness!

Even if the kingdom of Nords and the continent of Caradia behind them were cut off due to the struggle for power, ordinary people continued to come to the continent of Caradia. It was something that the Vikians and Kujits could not compare to.

Just behind him, someone walked over quickly. It was Baheshtur.

"What's wrong?" Kant asked.

"The supplies from Aaron have arrived," Baheshtur replied. "Five carriages of food, two carriages of table salt, and one carriage of honey have arrived."

"Very good." Kant nodded. "Use them all as the fortress' supplies."

"Yes."

Baheshtur nodded.

Soon, the desert bandits behind him, who were the messengers, returned on foot.

"Is there anything else?" Kant looked at Baheshtur, who was still behind him, and the corners of his mouth curled up. "Recently, I saw that you were also very restless. Could it be that after that battle, things have not calmed down yet?"

"No." Baheshtur smiled, his gaze was filled with coldness. "Lord, since those pirates have already said it, we can completely let the battleships lead us to the southern county territory. As long as we capture Lionheart city, even if there is still a lion fort left, it won't be much of a hindrance to us."

"Yes, I understand your plan."

Kant nodded.

Since seven days ago, when they had eliminated the pirates and the the Silver Platter Kingdom's extended hand, Baheshtur, who was a young Kujit who was passionate about war, had already ignited the flames of fighting spirit in his chest.

Previously, they had discussed the strategy of directly attacking the largest city of the Dukedom of Leo -- Lionheart City.

It was also the most important trading city in the southern county.

Capturing this place was equivalent to cutting off the economic lifeline of the Dukedom of Leo.

With the Nord warships and the tactical advantage brought about by the surprise attack, coupled with the powerful combat ability of the Nord infantrymen, capturing Lionheart city was practically a piece of cake!

However, Kant was still a little worried, so he did not launch a bigger attack and start a new battle.

The situation in the northern county was still in a stalemate.

The situation in the eastern county had just calmed down.

If they rashly started the battle in the southern county, it would be a little difficult for Kant to digest.

They needed to be on guard against the northern county at the Stone Pass. With Viscount Wayne as the main force and the mercenary group of close to 10,000 people, Fatis was also under a lot of pressure there.

The caravan here was adjacent to the Silver Platter kingdom, and was the main force of the three kingdoms.

The situation they were facing was even more dangerous.

Kant needed to make a decision.

Chapter 451: The Crisis of Stone Pass

Northern county, Stone Pass.

After two months of development, this place had become the most important business and trade center of the northern county. In a short period of time, the flow of people had increased several times, filling up this fortress built in the middle of the canyon.

Even in the villages that planted barren land outside the pass, there were many people temporarily staying there.

The table salt trade from the Nahrin desert fed this fortress.

There was no other way.

The fine table salt produced by the Nahrin Desert had already taken over the market of table salt in the Dukedom of Leo.

Even if the quality of the mineral salt purchased from the distant dwarf tribes was not inferior to the boiled salt of the Nahrin desert, or even slightly higher than that, due to the cost problem, it had completely lost its ability to compete.

Even the human countries along the Riesnidon River began to trade the fine white salt from the Nahrin Desert.

The price was only two-thirds of the table salt of the dwarf.

But the quality was almost the same.

The fine white salt from the Nahrin desert quickly became the most popular commodity in the northern prefectural territory.

Not to mention the trade caravan of all sizes in the Dukedom of Leo, even the trade caravan of other kingdoms on the Riesnidon River began to inquire about the Nahrin desert, whether intentionally or not, and even pushed the trade caravan's base here.

Especially the stone pass, which guarded the central point of the Senwaya range, there were more than 300 trade caravan firms gathered there.

In addition, there were a large number of speculators who came to look for opportunities.

There were even spies who had ulterior motives.

There were countless laborers who saw business opportunities and gathered to look for jobs.

There were also all kinds of vicious bandits who were active in the wilderness or at the borders of the Dukedom of Leo.

They included mercenaries who acted as guards for merchants or guards for the Lords along the way. Even in the now wealthy villages, they would occasionally hire these mercenaries to guard against bandits'attacks.

After the development of the table salt trade in the Nahrin Desert, the northern county territory actually flourished in a strange manner.

It completely relied on the table salt trade.

This was an iron item.

Table salt was a complete luxury item!

This kind of modern cheap condiment was an important resource that could support the taxation of a kingdom in the feudal era. Especially in the inland areas without the sea, it was something comparable to a silver mine!

In some places, table salt could even be used as a currency. It was enough to show the value of this material.

Fatis also understood.

He stood at the top of the city wall at the Stone Pass.

Next to him, the Swadian Infantry in chain armor were patrolling.

There were also the archers of Veruga and the crossbowmen of Swadia, who were holding battle bows. They were stationed majestically in the tall watchtowers and large towers, vigilantly staring at the dense road outside the city wall.

The current Stone Pass was no longer as desolate and barren as before.

It was only crowded.

A large number of houses were being renovated. The house prices in the entire pass had already increased by three times.

The rich merchants had all bought land. They had built a spacious and luxurious office near the original market of the pass. This allowed the local merchants who were used to the poor Stone Pass to see what was truly decent.

This also brought about the upper-class atmosphere of the entire pass and began to move towards luxury and elegance.

Even the commoners wore clothes made of cloth from other kingdoms.

As for the traditional coarse linen.

Only coolies and poor people would wear it. The commoners all wore fine linen clothes.

As for the knights and country gentry, as well as the nobles who were more passionate about luxury, they even wore velvet clothes. One had to know that this was once the clothing that only the lord of Grothenburg, the highest viscount in the entire northern county, Viscount Wayne, could afford.

However, in the rich profits of the table salt trade, the big merchants revealed a little bit of oil, which made countless people very full.

It indirectly promoted economic development.

And taxes.

Not to mention all kinds of taxes at the Stone Pass.

Even from the Stone Pass to Grothenburg and Masburg, these noble families made a lot of money from taxes.

There was also Lionheart City on the Riesnidon River. Because of the table salt trade, the monthly tax revenue increased by two times. As time went on, more and more merchants came to the Dukedom of Leo, and the amount of tax revenue also increased.

According to the estimates of some scholars, it was possible to increase the tax revenue by 20 times in two years!

However.

Those noble families were not happy.

Even the trade caravan that controlled the majority of the table salt trade.

Even the taxes and tolls along the way made their mouths full of oil.

However, looking at the real gold and silver mine in the Nahrin Desert, which was still not under their control, each of them had a covetous and greedy look on their faces. They rubbed their fists and slowly gathered together, wanting to do something.

They all wanted to get a share of the salt mine in the Nahrin Desert.

Instead of being like now, where they could only eat some oil and water.

They.

Wanted to become the owner of the salt mine, even if it was just one of them!

Thus, under the pull and indulgence of some noble families, a group of mercenaries was organized, occupying some of the hills outside Lion Mountain, forming a huge mercenary group.

There were close to 20,000 people, and there were even mercenaries from other human countries outside of the river.

There were also close to 10,000 people from the Allied army of other noble families outside.

With Viscount Wayne as the leader.

Although they did not directly indulge, they crossed the threshold of Masburg that led to the southern county territory.

However, the many noble families in the northern county territory had already begun to probe the Stone Pass.

During this period of time, at least a dozen mercenary groups disguised as bandits had appeared. They had intercepted and killed the trade caravan, which had a very bad impact. At one point, many trade caravans had avoided the trade routes of the northern county and chose to go near the death penalty mountain of the southern county.

This was only the news that had been exposed. In the dark, there were many more burning, killing, and plundering.

Mercenaries were not good people.

If a Lord hired them, they were soldiers.

No.

They were bandits.

Some female mercenaries even had to act as female soldiers.

For these guys who would sell their lives and integrity for money, that was even easier.

These were all digressions. Currently, Fatis was facing an alliance army that was led by a noble and led by mercenaries. They were starting to approach the Stone Pass, and the smell of war was getting stronger.

If they were still immersed in the prosperous economic activities at the Stone Pass, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Fatis understood.

Rolf, who was originally active in the outer regions, had returned.

He brought along a large number of desert bandits and spread out as scouts to resist the light cavalry of many bandits.

As the days passed, the war was getting closer and closer. Moreover, some merchants had sent news that the Alliance Army of the northern county seemed to be moving out, and their target was here.

The war was about to start. It was in the northern county, the territory of the Dukedom of Leo.

Chapter 452: The Final News

A team of desert bandits was galloping on the open plains.

The horse's hooves knocked on the slightly rugged dirt road. Following the fixed route, they galloped rapidly towards the north. Their faces were also filled with anxiety. Even though they were extremely tired, they did not dare to relax for a moment.

This was because they were messengers, scouts, and cavalry. They had information regarding the safety of the Stone Pass.

At Grothenburg.

At the castle of the Lord of the North Prefecture, Viscount Wayne, a large number of troops were gathered.

According to some of the mercenaries they had bribed, they had obtained new information. These 30,000 men were an army formed by countless mercenaries. Their goal was the pass.

Most of them were infantrymen, and there were a few elite knights corps. They looked ready to battle.

Of course.

The goal of the battle was their outpost.

It was also a strategic Stone Pass that guarded the north-south junction!

According to the butlers of some noble families who were heavily bribed, this battle also had the support of the southern county. Although they did not send troops directly, they did provide logistical support.

There was enough food for 30,000 people to last two months, as well as a large number of wooden shields and leather armor to spare.

There were also 50,000 arrows.

They were all strategic material, including mules, horses, and carriages used for transportation. There were nearly 8,000 of them.

It could be said that this battle, which seemed to be a mercenary group attacking and the noble system of the northern county, was actually something that the high-ranking noble of the southern county had allowed, and even the royal family had tacitly accepted.

This was a terrorist force that was enough to heavily injure the Dukedom of Leo. If it was not used well, it would be a double-edged sword.

They were able to successfully assemble.

This was because many factions had made a compromise!

After capturing the pass, there would be enough benefits to satisfy the participating factions.

It would be even better if they could go through the most important pass in the Senwaya range and enter the Nahrin Desert. They could also successfully capture the Oasis Lookout that still existed in the map and obtain countless salt mines.

The absolute benefits contained within could drive anyone crazy.

... ..

The city gate of the Stone Pass was not closed.

40 Swadian footmen were carrying a fan-shaped heater shield on their backs and holding the hilt of the Germanic sword on their waists. Through the vigilant eyes under the helmets of the footmen, they stood majestically at the city gate, sizing up the trade caravan.

Just above the city gate and at the arrow towers on both sides, there were 50 Veruga archers standing guard.

This was the current military protection of the Stone Pass.

With just these troops.

It was enough to make the trade caravan not dare to let their guard down easily.

Especially those who had ulterior motives, they subconsciously shrank their necks, lowering their heads and not daring to show their faces, afraid that something unexpected would happen and cause them to fall here, or even lose their lives.

In fact, this was also the case. This was because there were almost daily cases of missing people in the Stone Pass.

This meant that there were people disappearing without anyone noticing.

Most of them were spies who were pretending to investigate.

Whether it was the spies who were hiding in the trade caravan as guards or laborers, or the spies who sneaked in while it was dark, most of them could not be contacted for a few weeks.

It was as if there was no such person in the Stone Pass. It was very strange, and even a little terrifying.

Ordinary people would not think so.

But in the eyes of those spies, it was indeed terrifying.

Waves after waves of accomplices entered the Stone Pass. Usually, they would only be able to send out a few messages before they died.

There were even people who had completely lost contact before they could even send out any messages. Even when they sent people in to inquire, they did not discover anything. They only knew that they left in the evening and never appeared again.

After that, even the person who had asked the question had disappeared without a trace at some point in time.

This also resulted in the fact that there was still some mystery behind the StonePass.

As a result, until now.

The number of spies that still existed in the Stone Pass was very small.

Some of the spies that were sent to scout or gather information did not bother to conceal their presence at all. They simply gathered some information that they already knew and left before the sky turned dark. They were afraid that if they were a step too late, they would never be seen again after the curfew.

However, this was also good. At least the spies that were sent over suffered less and less losses.

There were even unspoken rules.

If the spies did not move.

Then they would not disappear for no reason.

This became the law. At the very least, the Stone Pass was still as calm as ever.

..

"Move! Move!"

However, at this moment, the sound of hurried horse hooves could be heard from the city gate.

The 10-man team of Desert Bandits was galloping on their horses. They were brandishing their whips in a hurry, causing the trade caravan in front of them, who had been lined up neatly and were about to enter the city, to immediately restrain their horses and dodge to the sides.

Even the light infantrymen stationed at the city gate had purposely made a gap for the desert bandits to enter.

This was an emergency arrangement.

Inside the Stone Pass.

The patrolling swadian infantry had already ordered the carriage and pedestrians on both sides to make space.

This team of Desert Bandits headed to the council hall at an extremely fast speed. At that place, Fatis, who had already received the news, had already appeared in the hall, waiting for the report of this team of desert bandits.

Soon, the leader of the desert bandits, the captain, took the lead and entered.

"Sir Fatis!"

He quickly reported, "The investigation has been completed. As you said, the other party has already started to move."

"Yes." Fatis sat in the main seat. His expression did not change at all. He only nodded lightly. "Then, has the plan I mentioned before already been implemented?"

"Yes."

The desert bandits captain said, "Lord Rolf has already informed us. The plan has begun."

Fatis nodded. "Very good."

After pondering for a moment, he waved his hand and said, "Go and rest. In the afternoon, your team will immediately head to Aaron and notify James. Let him make the necessary preparations."

"Yes." The captain of the desert bandits bowed and led the team away.

Only Fatis was left in the room.

His expression was calm. He turned his head to look at the candle, and the corners of his mouth curled up into a smile.

He had sent people to monitor the group of mercenaries in the northern county. Now, he had finally gotten results. Since those guys had started to gather with full confidence and even planned to directly engage in battle, then he must not give up on the Stone Pass, the core hub of the Nahrin desert leading to the Dukedom of Leo. There was no way he could retreat.

The Stone Pass was also the central hub of Lord Kant's territory.

With this place in his possession.

He could head to the Dukedom of Leo and use the Mountain of Death as a point to enter the eastern county to communicate with Sargos.

He could also head to the Nahrin desert and use the central posthouse as a point to contact Oasis Lookout and Aaron.

If this place was occupied, it would be equivalent to cutting off the city network that Kant had set up. It would even leave a serious problem between Oasis Lookout and Aaron. After all, the only thing between the two was empty desert!

Chapter 453: The Mountain Pass That Was Ready

The mountain pass could not be lost!

Of course, Fatis understood the strategic significance of defending this place. Otherwise, Kant would not have let him, who had received a professional noble education, be in charge of the Mountain Pass.

He had even sent Rolf, who was also a noble, to lead thousands of light and heavy cavalry in support.

However, that was enough.

Even though Fatis knew about the actions of the alliance of the noble families, he did not feel the slightest ripple in his heart.

This battle would eventually appear. Since they had launched an attack before they were strong and only started to act after everything was ready, they would have to bear the corresponding consequences!

Kant had once talked to Fatis about the situation in the northern county!

Especially now.

The situation in the Dukedom of Leo was surging.

Not only was the northern county territory heavily infiltrated by Kant's forces, even the eastern county territory had been infiltrated by more than half.

If they defeated the Lord of the Northern County, Viscount Wayne, and the southern county territory tacitly agreed to gather the mercenary corps, then Kant's forces would completely occupy the northern county territory, and even the noble families of the eastern county would choose to submit.

As long as they were close to the Dukedom of Leo's direct territory, the wealthy southern county, the dukedom would be under their control!

All of this was about to happen.

Naturally.

Kant did not even have to make a choice. His enemies had already made a choice for him.

But now, Kant was still in the eastern county's Nord fortress, Sargos. At the Stone Pass in the northern county's territory, he had to completely rely on Fatis himself, as well as Rolf, who was wandering outside as support for the mobile forces.

"Inform them."

Fatis pondered for a long time in the main seat and slowly raised his head.

The guard on standby at the side immediately took two steps forward and quietly lowered his head, listening to his orders. "Warn the city defense forces to secretly enter a state of Emergency Alert. Gradually clean up the spies in the city and disperse the low-level immigrants."

"Yes!" The guard nodded and quickly left.

"Also!"

Fatis continued to speak.

However, he spoke to another guard beside him. "Immediately send people to inform Ma Nide and Jocelyn, who are guarding the Oasis Lookout, to get them ready to support."His tone paused for a moment, he still said, "If the results of the battle at the Stone Pass are not smooth, I will voluntarily give up this place and lure the enemy into the Nahrin Desert. I will take the opportunity to wipe them out!"

"Yes!" The guard nodded and left as well.

The arrangements were completed.

These guards would use their warhorse to head to their mission destination in the shortest amount of time.

They were all elite desert bandit, the most elite light cavalry. Their position in the pass was more like a messenger than a guard. As long as there was a situation, it was time for them to appear.

For example, these elite desert bandit left on their horses, turning into black dots and disappearing into the vast desert and plains.

The dark tide had already begun to surge.

The shadow of war had already enveloped the Stone Pass.

In fact, those merchants had a sharper sense of smell than the commoners or the poor.

After all, most of these merchants were the local nobles of the Dukedom of Leo. They were trained and served as employees. Although they managed the trade caravan and were rich, they were actually the spokespersons pushed to the front desk by the noble.

Sometimes, when the frontline was fighting to the death, having their brains would be blown, the people in the back would still be trading with a smile.

This was very normal for the merchants.

Money was everything.

Those people who fought bloody battles for victory were just a bunch of stupid boors.

This was even more vividly reflected in the most senior noble families. Sometimes, the two sides were still fighting intensely, to the point of a blood feud. However, in reality, once there were benefits for both sides, the flames of war would immediately cease, both sides shook hands and made peace.

This was how the noble families were. The rules that belonged to them were also the dignity of the noble families. Some senior noble families even had marriages with each other. There were people in each of their bloodlines, and the split on the surface was just for outsiders to see.

Even the royal family that was in charge of the dukedom was the same. They had long been tied to the noble families.

They were originally part of the noble system!

... ..

Half a month had passed.

The Dukedom of Leo had already fallen into a strange atmosphere.

Especially in the northern county, the dense trade caravan that used to travel on the rugged dirt road on the plains were now sparse. There were only two or three big and small cats. The number of carriages was also seriously insufficient. It was obvious that they were not a large trade caravan.

However, there were even more people on the dirt road, as well as the terrified poor people, who carried their simple and crude luggage and left.

They had all received the news.

It was said that war was about to break out at the Stone Pass.

This was something that the knights unintentionally said when they were drunk. However, in a short period of time, everyone in the pass of Stone Mountain knew about it. Therefore, these poor people, who were originally here to take advantage of opportunities and seek wealth, fled very quickly.

Even the commoners and country gentry who originally lived in the Stone Pass had taken the initiative to flee.

This included some timid knights.

That's right.

During this half a month, in just a short period of 15 days, some of the troops in the Stone Pass had already fled.

Most of them were knights who originally belonged to Baron Dylan. After Kant's arrival, they had submitted to Kant's feet. Now, facing the army gathered by the northern county, how could they not be afraid?

However, Fatis did not organize their escape.

In comparison.

Those who did not escape were the ones who should be paid the most attention to.

During this period of time, some people with ulterior motives had already captured more than a dozen of them.

In their homes, they had even found secret letters brought by spies. They were all from the conditions that the northern county's noble families had promised. For example, they would give the village as a fief and become a fief knight, not the current honorary knight.

Some even suggested that as long as they helped the other party break into the Stone Pass, they would obtain the title of hereditary knight.

The noble families of the northern county had spent a lot of money!

However.

In the end, Fatis solved a lot of spy cases.

Those knights who surrendered were also tied up in the dungeon. As for those knights who resisted stubbornly, they were directly shot to death. At this moment, Fatis did not have any mercy.

Moreover, the word 'mercy'did not apply to traitors!

During this period of time.

The impregnable Stone Pass had also been set up.

2,000 Swadian footman had already arrived here.

In addition, there were 1,000 Veruga archers and 500 Swadian crossbowmen.

Of course, this was only the scale of the city defense force. There were also 500 Swadian knights and 1,000 Swadian heavy cavalry that could charge out as a mobile force.

Furthermore, in the plains outside, Rolf's light cavalry troops and 1,000 desert bandits were roaming about.

They were ready.

Outside the city.

The 30,000 Noble Alliance army had finally arrived.

Chapter 454: Viscount Wayne's Ambition

On his warhorse, Viscount Wayne was fully covered in chain mail crafted by high-level blacksmiths. This included the complete set of neck, arm, and leg mail forged from iron. In terms of defense, he had everything.

There was nothing he could do. As the supreme lord of the northern county, he needed such protection, and he could afford it.

Behind him were 300 knights.

Their equipment wasn't bad.

On the triangular flag on the top of the lance, there was the family emblem of Viscount Wayne.

There was a red-eyed swallow holding a sword and a shield, surrounded by flowers.

This meant that he had real power, a fief, and an army. The sword and shield represented everything, and the three flower buds that could be seen in the flowers represented that his family had been around for 300 years.

However, that swallow was not something to be proud of. Instead, in the eyes of Viscount Wayne, there was a bit of irony.

The swallow represented the commoners.

This proved that his family was a noble that had made contributions from the commoners.

The red eye, on the other hand, was like the red eye of an eagle. It meant that his family had a marriage alliance with the royal family. They were one of the noble families that the royal family valued the most, and were the most important noble allies of the royal family.

The eagle and the lion were often the symbols of the royal family.

The symbol of the Dukedom of Leo was the lion.

The eagle was a branch of the bloodline that was closely related to the royal family, and it also represented the top-tier noble families.

In any case, the noble families were all connected by marriage. Their bloodlines had long permeated each other. It did not matter even if they had the same bloodline, because that was the truth. They relied on marriage in exchange for mutual support.

However, Viscount Wayne wanted to go one step further. It would be even better if he could replace swallows with eagles!

"Now is the chance."

He muttered to himself.

Turning his head, behind him and his personal knight, a bunch of mercenaries dressed in different clothes but holding weapons formed a long snake, following closely behind him. They walked quickly, each of their faces filled with fanaticism and excitement.

The desire for wealth, as well as the desire to change one's social class, had all evolved into a desire.

Viscount Wayne was the same.

"It's over there."

He looked forward. On the horizon in the distance, a majestic mountain range appeared before his eyes.

From the horizon on the left to the horizon on the right, it seemed endless. It was precisely this almost majestic mountain range that blocked the invasion from the vast desert further north.

This was the Senwaya range, the best backer of the Dukedom of Leo.

It used to be.

And now, it was!

Especially after the discovery of the salt mine in the Nahrin Desert, the Dukedom of Leo had also brought along its economic backer.

In a short period of time, the Dukedom of Leo had gotten rid of its original economic structure. It did not need to use crops and handicrafts to exchange for various goods. Just the tolls and commission from the trade caravan were enough to make it rich.

It was all because of that salt mine, the salt mine that did not belong to the Dukedom of Leo at the moment!

The noble families began to move restlessly.

He, Viscount Wayne, was one of the most direct leaders.

That's right.

Viscount Wayne, the lord of the northern county, was this person who stood out.

He was also willing to stand out, willing to be used by the high-ranking noble families of the southern county. He was even smug about it. Finally, he had a chance to come into contact with the true, most powerful forces of the Dukedom of Leo.

If he did not have any value, it meant that this guy had no value at all.

That was no different from a dead person.

On the contrary.

If he could indirectly use the others' help.

This was a win-win situation. Wayne liked this feeling very much. For this reason, he was willing to stand out.

Although he ruled the entire northern county, this vast land was so barren and dangerous. The annual output of all the farms under his jurisdiction could not even compare to the few farms by the river in the southern county.

Even the most profitable fur products in the Senwaya range could not compare to the money earned from trading by the river.

Most importantly.

Viscount Wayne's title was only Viscount.

In the southern county and the eastern county, he was only a middle-level noble. From this, one could see the status of the northern county.

In the Dukedom of Leo, it was often said that the nobles in the northern county were a group of beggars with noble titles. Even the honorary nobles in the palace were not willing to work in the northern county. It was obvious that they looked down on this barren land.

How could he, Viscount Wayne, be willing to be looked down upon by the mainstream noble circle forever?

That's right.

Even he did not join the noble circle.

The noble of the southern county was the real noble. In the past, it could be considered as the eastern county. As for the noble of the northern county, they were no different from ordinary country bumpkins. In fact, the commoners of the southern county were comparable to the knights of the northern county.

In the circle of the true noble, this was undoubtedly a disgrace to the honor of the noble.

But now, it was different.

As long as he captured the Stone Pass, then he would have the stepping stone to become a noble.

And if he occupied the salt mine in Nahrin desert, even if he had to share the spoils with the other nobles of the Dukedom of Leo, even if he contributed the least, he would not be able to get the lion's share. Viscount Wayne also knew that he would completely become a noble.

This was a chance for his Wayne family to undergo a qualitative change.

He did not need to be overly greedy.

He just needed to take things slowly and steadily.

The Wayne family began to prosper. It took them 220 years to become the supreme lord of the northern county.

It was also because of his grandfather's great contributions that he obtained the status of supreme lord of the northern county. A few years later, he passed it on to his father, who passed it on to him before he died.

In other words, it took three generations to exchange for the 80-year-old position of supreme lord of the northern county.

As for him...

He was the viscount of the new generation of the Wayne family.

He could finally obtain a new change in the 16th year after inheriting this title and estate.

As long as he didn't lose the title of lord of the northern county and marry the high-ranking nobles of the southern county, the Wayne family would be able to use the geographical advantage to grow into a true high-ranking noble.

The entanglement of interests and realistic marriages were the most reliable means for the noble to form an alliance.

There was one in each of them.

Viscount Wayne could wait.

At worst, he could become a high-ranking noble in his grandson's generation.

At that time, the Wayne family would no longer be a Viscount. It was even possible that they would become a count. Their bloodline would even be intertwined with that of the royal family. Even the archduke would have his bloodline.

It was not impossible. Just thinking about it made Viscount Wayne tremble. He could not be more excited.

"Pass the order!"

He shouted.

He turned to the messenger behind him and ordered loudly, "Tell those cute boys to work harder. I need to reach a place 30 miles away from the pass by nightfall. At that time, I will find a village to let everyone rest!"

"Yes!" The messenger nodded and immediately rode his horse to deliver the order.

Chapter 455: Sneak Attacks In the Night

The North County's noble alliance army finally arrived near the Stone Pass.

The originally rugged dirt road was now completely devoid of traces of the trade caravan and pedestrians.

Only a few figures riding horses could occasionally be seen in the distant flat plains. They rode past in the night, and even the cavalries sent by the noble alliance army could not catch up.

These cavalries were all desert bandits. They were scattered outside, following the noble's alliance army from afar.

Their mission was to investigate.

If the noble's light cavalries came to chase them away, they would leave without any reluctance.

But when the light cavalries retreated, these desert bandits would follow them like flies.

From afar, the distance between the two sides would never exceed 100 meters. This was simply too easy for the desert bandits. Compared to the Sarrand Desert, it was even easier to follow the trade caravan.

After all, they were all bandits, elite light cavalry trained in the desert!

When they were far from the noble alliance army's outpost, these desert bandits would get cose to those light cavalries and brazenly revealed their fangs. They pulled out their short pilums and rushed over in twos and threes, killing the light cavalries that did not have means of long-range attacks.

In terms of mobility, flexibility, and pilum throwing, the desert bandits were extremely confident!

They looked at the light cavalry of the noble alliance army.

They were originally full of anger.

Unknowingly.

They had entered deep into the plains and were relatively far away from the noble alliance army.

Initially, when they saw the desert bandits stop, their faces were filled with excitement. They wanted to rush up and finish off this group of sneaky fellows, but they did not expect that those sneaky fellows would instead charge over.

Before they could draw their swords and rush forward, they were dead on their horses' back when they were attacked by the pilums.

A regular battle?

To the desert bandits, this was a regular battle!

Along the way, they kept stopping and attacking the noble alliance army. These desert bandits could be considered as having fun.

Other than a few unlucky people who were too close to the allied army and were killed by the rain of arrows shot out by the powerful crossbows, no desert bandits were injured, but they still suffered losses.

At a slightly sunken ancient river in the distance of the noble alliance army, thousands of cavalries stopped.

Rolf was here.

The surrounding cavalries were also light cavalries, they were the desert bandits and the elite desert bandits.

There were thousands of them, and there were also desert bandits who had just been recruited from the Oasis Lookout. Currently, there were 600 ordinary desert bandits and 1,000 elite desert bandits who were used to harass the enemy.

The ones who had been sent out to follow the noble alliance army were the ordinary desert bandits.

And this had caused a lot of losses to the noble's light cavalries.

"Lord Rolf!"

Desert bandits quickly came over.

They respectfully got off their horses and half-knelt in front of Rolf to report, "The allied army the North County has appeared in a village about 30 miles south of the Stone Pass. They are currently setting up a temporary camp. They seem to be preparing to rest."

"Yes." Rolf sat on a chair and spread out a map in front of him. "Have you notified Firentis?"

"It has been arranged." the desert bandits nodded. "They have probably reached the Stone Pass by now. Sir Firentis has also received the news." His tone paused for a moment, he still reported, "However, that group of noble alliance army seems to be planning to attack in the dark. From our observation, some impatient mercenaries are still heading towards the Stone Pass."

"Attack while it's dark? How interesting!" Rolf sneered, put down the map in his hand and said, "Do those mercenaries think that they can easily defeat the defenders on the city wall?"

"They have siege weapons." the desert bandits reported, "It seems to be a ballista. It's in the carriage accompanying them. After we bribed some mercenaries, they told us that they also have parts for catapults. I guess these catapults are the main weapons to attack the city."

"This is difficult." Rolf touched the short beard on his chin. "Are you sure?" He looked at the desert bandits. After getting a positive answer, Rolf's eyes narrowed slightly. "Let my boys get ready. Get the linen ready. We are ready to welcome our friends."

"Yes!" the desert bandits retreated. At the same time, they spread the news to the entire cavalry unit.

This was the preparation before the battle.

Thirty minutes later.

Rolf rode his horse and led the team forward on the plains.

The spears, machetes, and short pilums were ready. There was also the linen cloth wrapped around the horse's back.

These light cavalry units moved forward quickly, rumbling like rolling thunder. However, when they were about to reach the vicinity of the village, they quickly stopped advancing. All of them followed the orders of their captain and got off their horses. They began to lead the warhorses forward.

The moonlight and starlight shone on the land. Even in the middle of the night, one could still see a very far place.

However, what they could see was blurry and could not be seen clearly at all.

It could not be compared to the day.

Therefore, Rolf and the others could slowly approach the village that was garrisoned with the noble alliance army.

They did not even need to care about the light cavalry troops that were wandering around. Naturally, there were desert bandits who went crazy and launched feints on the other side of the village. This was a part of their plan, just like what they had done in the past.

In the Sarrand Desert, feints attracted the attention of the guards of the trade caravan. Then, the main force would plunder the trade caravan from the other side!

"It's done." Rolf led his horse in front.

They didn't encounter any light cavalry who were scouting and patrolling along the way.

Because on the other side of the village, the 600 desert bandits were cursing the allied army like crazy, attracting the attention of the light cavalry. They were going back and forth, fighting and running. They didn't engage in close combat, nor did they retreat immediately, instead, they were like flies that flew back and forth, completely angering the light cavalries that belonged to the noble alliance army.

A large number of light cavalries that were originally scouting and patrolling the surroundings were all deployed, in order to hunt down the 600 desert bandits. Even some light infantrymen were sent out.

"Prepare for battle!"

Rolf's eyes were determined. He slowly pulled out the scimitar at his waist, turned his head, and said, "Start the operation!"

"Start the operation!" the captains gave their orders one after another.

They began to trot quickly, leading the warhorses as they trotted on the soft soil. In addition, the soles of their feet and the warhorses' hooves were wrapped in linen, so the sound was not loud. Instead, there was a strange muffled sound.

It was like a rock rolling. Although there was a sound, it could not travel far.

Under the night sky.

Three hundred meters away was the deep night sky.

And this short distance, to the cavalry, could be flipped up at any time and turn into charging status!

Looking at the outline of the village in the starry night ahead, as well as the many torches that lit up the tents scattered around the village, Rolf directly got onto his horse and fiercely kicked the horse's belly, shouting loudly, "Charge!"

"Kill!" the 1,000 elite desert bandits immediately pounced over!

Chapter 456: The Collapse of the Mercenary Groups

Just as the group of noble alliance army were already tired from the day's march and were relaxing during their rest, their attention was still attracted. The 1,000 elite desert bandits charged at them abruptly!

A surprise attack or a sneak attack were the tactical attack that took advantage of people's unpreparedness, which was why it was also called an ambush.

And it was a night ambush.

Therefore, when Rolf led the charge, the mercenaries in the tents were still in a daze.

They were on guard, because they knew that more than half of the allies patrolling outside had disappeared. However, when the sudden charge began, they were still stunned for a few seconds. Only when the ground beneath them began to shake did they understand what had happened.

There was large troop of cavalries charging at them!

But so what if they were aware that they were being attacked?

A distance of 300 meters was a distance that heavy cavalries could enter their full charging status.

For light cavalries, they had already entered their charging status and began to run recklessly. They made use of the speed and inertia of their scimitars and spears to transform into the most terrifying killing machine!

And in the eyes of the cavalries, this 300-meter distance was only a few seconds!

"Kill!" Rolf raised his machete high, his face full of malevolence.

The warhorse under him galloped rapidly, taking the lead. It flew directly over the three-meter distance to the pile of tents. The machetes in his hands did not need to be hacked. They were placed parallel to his body. Each and every one of the mercenaries had yet to recover from their shock. As the blade stabbed their bodies, a bone-deep wound was instantly cut open due to the inertia.

However, before all the mercenaries could react to this sudden attack, the desert bandits charged forward like a flood. They followed Rolf and completely rushed into the pile of tents, wantonly hacking and stabbing with scimitars and spears.

The neighing and wailing of horses sounded at the same time. The smell of fresh blood and feces and urine filled the air.

The slaughter continued!

In the outermost tent, the mercenaries did not even get up.

Because the extremely fast desert horses had already used their hooves to stomp those unlucky fellows who were still resting on the outermost tent to death. The trampling of the horseshoes of charging horses was no less than the smashing of a heavy hammer!

Moreover, with over a hundred horseshoes crashing down, they were charging with an extremely lethal force.

Even iron could be flattened, not to mention the human's flesh.

A pile of meat paste oozed out from the tent, but it was trampled by more horseshoes.

Elite desert bandit charged back and forth in the tent, rampaging and charging. The mercenaries who had yet to organize themselves tasted the bitter fruit of the ambush, which was to be slaughtered like lambs!

These mercenaries were not familiar with each other. Some even drew their swords at their allies in order to escape.

It was normal for them to kill each other.

They even charged into the main camp of the village!

That was the core of this group of mercenaries.

However, it was all protected by the private army of the noble families. They did not allow these lowly mercenaries to get close at all!

The regular infantrymen wearing mail armor and holding long spears. They formed a phalanx of long spears on the streets of the village. The sharp spears did not care whether they were allies or not. As long as someone dared to get close, they would mercilessly stab them.

The faces of the noble families behind them were grim. For their own safety, they would not allow these mercenaries to enter.

This was because the mercenaries were already in chaos.

They had lost their rationality.

They could even draw their swords and kill their own allies just to live for a short while.

If these mercenaries charged into the village and saw that the noble was still looking at all of this, the mercenaries who had gone mad would probably be exasperated and cause an even bigger conflict.

This was definitely something that could happen. There had been many times in history, and the noble understood this very well.

The madness brought by the lower class.

This was especially true during the riots!

Mercenaries were not kind people. When there was no lord to hire them, it was common for them to be part-time bandits. In other words, they were bandits, and there was no separation between the two!

However, the situation became more and more tense.

The noble could not allow the terrified mercenaries to enter the village.

The mercenaries who were being massacred did not have the courage to fight back. Instead, they were more skilled at killing their allies and fighting for their own chance of survival.

They were killing each other. They even began to form groups of two or three to kill the noble infantrymen in the village.

However, their sharp and dense spearheads made no mercenary dare to cause trouble.

However, in just a short ten minutes, at least 800 + mercenaries were completely turned into corpses. Nearly 3,000 + mercenaries had wounds of varying degrees of severity on their bodies.

A small portion of them were done by the elite desert bandit.

Most of them were caused by themselves by killing each other.

As for Rolf and his light cavalries, they did not suffer much resistance at all.

Other than a few people who were injured by the mercenaries and fought back, almost 99% of the elite desert bandits did not suffer any casualties. After wantonly trampling on the tents of the mercenaries on the outside and turning everything upside down, they chose to retreat.

This was a surprise attack, and the mercenaries were caught unprepared.

It could not be too long.

Because during this period of time, many mercenaries who found themselves in a dangerous situation began to band together.

After all, most of the mercenaries' tents weren't damaged too much. After the initial chaos passed, each of the mercenary captains shouted to organize his subordinates and began to prepare for battle.

This left the elite desert bandit who weren't good at close combat with no good ideas.

Retreating was the best choice.

Rolf naturally would not hesitate. He was the best commander of the light cavalries.

When the ambush was encountered a difficulty, he directly gave the order to retreat. He led the elite desert bandit soldiers and left in a flash. They disappeared into the vast plains in the night and soon disappeared without a trace.

Not long after they left, the chaos outside the village gradually subsided.

The noble's regular army regained control of order.

After killing some of the mercenaries who took advantage of the chaos, the noble alliance army regained their calm.

However, everyone understood that this sudden attack had torn apart their seemingly huge advantage in numbers. Due to mutual distrust and greed in everyone's hearts, this advantage had turned into a huge disadvantage.

If it was the regular army, they would have long gathered together and formed their own formations to defend against the sneak attack.

Although they would also suffer casualties, it would not be this huge.

A 30-thousand-man army were almost crushed by 1,000 cavalries.

It was ridiculous. However, it also proved that most of the noble alliance army was a motley crew!

Of course, this was related to the lack of defense of the noble alliance army, but if it was an elite army, how could they let Rolf's night attack succeed? Without any excuses or reasons, this was a serious failure, it severely crushed the morale of the allied army right before the attack of Stone Pass.

Chapter 457: The Internal Strife of Mecenaries

Rolf led his horse and left. The rumbling sounds continued to echo across the plains.

This was a pleasant surprise attack. An ambush was the best tactic for a light cavalry troop to carry out. To be able to wipe out a portion of the unprepared enemies was the value of this tactic.

Now, the noble alliance army could not sleep well!

There was no other way.

They did not expect that there was such an army of light cavalry on the plains outside the Stone Pass. They were like a pack of wolves lurking in the dark. They could pounce on them at any time and give them a heavy blow!

If it was just a simple offensive and defensive battle, it would be fine.

The noble alliance army that lacked light cavalry would not really engage in a field battle.

Although the total number of knight attendants of the noble families was close to 5000, these knights and knight attendants were the family assets of the noble families. How could they be wasted in this battle?

This was what they could rely on. If they lost their military power, then their final benefits would be reduced!

After all, they were only the vanguard.

They were the ones who stood out.

The real time to divide the spoils was yet to come.

Similarly, it was the top-tier noble who took the biggest share and divided the spoils among their wounds.

These nobles understood the logic behind this, especially when there were close to 20,000 mercenaries surrounding them. Their own knight attendants and conscripted infantrymen were the only things they could rely on to protect themselves!

How could a lowly mercenary compare to the conscripted soldiers that they had painstakingly nurtured?

Thus, they did not act rashly.

There were even fewer knight attendants chasing after them.

Occasionally, there would be some exasperated cavalry chasing after them. They were also the light cavalries among the mercenaries.

They were all light cavalries formed by a group of horse bandits and bandits. For the reward of the noble families, they were willing to stake their futures, or they wanted to avenge their friends who had just died in the ambush.

But the result was the same.

They did not chase too far before they were killed by the elite desert bandits who had returned to intercept them.

The heavy short pilums that were thrown towards them were extremely powerful. After the tip of the pilums pierced through the leather armor, it could still cause fatal damage to the body. If it was to these mercenaries, it would be equivalent to a fatal injury, because there was not suitable environment for recuperation. They did not have much medicine either. The mortality rate and sequelae after being injured were even more serious than the noble's!

Close to 200 mercenaries chased after them for a short distance. As more than 80 cavalrymen were killed, they all stopped chasing after them, reined in their warhorse, and cursed a few times before returning.

The village was filled with chaotic sounds.

Footsteps.

Curses.

And the wails of the dying.

Close to 3,000 of the mercenaries had injuries of varying severity.

There were even quite a number of people whose injuries were caused by their own comrades. They wanted to run faster when they escaped, or to be more precise, someone blocked their path, so they brazenly brandished their blades to kill.

In fact, many of the 800 + corpses were caused by killing each other.

Rolf and his light cavalries did not use killing as their tactical goal.

Instead, they started a riot.

This was the night before the general attack. Their tactical objective was to strike down the mercenaries' morale.

As long as the riot happened, the mercenaries who did not sleep well for the entire night. They had lost their originally strong morale. They would continue to attack the Stone Pass. This way, they would attract pressure for Firentis on the side battlefield.

This was also a tactic agreed upon by both sides. It was an excellent tactic that complemented each other.

Now, the advantage of this strategy was also displayed.

In the mercenary's tent, the riot had begun.

In the previous surprise attack, the act of drawing a sword on an ally in order to escape had finally attracted attention.

As more and more victims began to talk to their friends, more and more mercenaries began to quarrel, fight, and even draw their swords to start a duel. It even caused internal strife among several mercenary groups!

Although mercenaries loved money like their lives, they also liked to form groups, especially in normal times.

This was the strength of a team.

Therefore, this commotion quickly turned into a riot.

More and more mercenaries began to draw their swords and confront each other. Some even died in duels.

Grudges and hatred also became more and more. Those who usually did not like each other also took this opportunity to deliberately find trouble. They even began to fight with their swords, gnashing their teeth as they cursed and fought.

The chaos quickly turned into internal strife, engulfing the entire mercenary camp.

Even the village was affected.

The noble's infantrymen firmly guarded the street entrance and did not allow anyone to enter.

The well-dressed noble also put on their heavy armor and commanded the knight attendants to carefully defend against the attacks of some furious mercenaries.

The entire village was in chaos. Everyone seemed to have forgotten why they were here.

The hatred had already enveloped everyone's heart.

No one stayed out of it.

The sounds of fighting continued.

On the other hand, the mercenaries who were about 1,000 people and were planning to get close to the Stone Pass were not implicated.

After walking for a short distance, they saw the sounds of fighting coming from the camp behind them. It seemed that there were cavalry raiding the village. They were so scared that they quickly joined the battle, using the dense formation to give themselves a sense of security.

However, they did not receive any impact. Instead, at the camp behind them, after the sounds of fighting weakened, they appeared even more fiercely.

There was even someone setting a fire!

The fire quickly swept through the tent community outside the village.

The raging flames were in the hands of some flustered and exasperated mercenaries, completely becoming the fuse that ignited this area.

The flames soared into the sky, but no one put out the fire. More and more mercenaries started to attack each other. Even the mercenary groups that did not like each other chose to brazenly start a war, frenziedly fighting and killing.

The fire grew stronger, and the mercenaries outside were dumbfounded.

In fact, many of the mercenaries inside were the same.

Those shrewd ones were collecting treasures and quickly fled toward the plains outside with their heads lowered.

Those cowards were the same. They quickly followed behind and left. They were as messy as lambs. They didn't dare to stay here. If they escaped, they had a chance to survive this madness.

The team had already fallen into internal strife. How could they have a chance to attack the Stone Pass?

Those nobles did the same as well.

They panicked and led their troops to withdraw from the village.

Even the mercenaries in front of them, who were fighting, had their knights choose to kill them.

The fire had spread from the tents to the village. Not to mention the noble knights, even the civilians who had been driven to the corner began to flee. The fire had completely ignited the tent area with the help of the linen tents, the thatched house and wooden house in the village were burning.

Chapter 458: The Laughable Battlefield

The huge fire could be seen clearly even from the Stone Pass. The flames soared into the sky and the entire night sky had been dyed by the red flames. Even if they did not understand what had happened, they knew that they were definitely in danger.

"Attack."

Firentis made his decision on the city wall.

He waved his hand forward and gave the orders to the messengers behind him, "Let the desert bandits go over and scout. The heavy cavalry troops will leave the city and wait for orders. The rest of the footmen will stay in the city. If there are any unusual situations, they do not need to report and deal with it on their own."

"Yes!" the messengers quickly left the city walls. The troops in the stone pass also started to move out.

Soon, the heavy door of the Stone Pass was opened.

Along with the sound of friction coming from the door shaft, groups of cavalries quickly rushed out from the door. All of them were wearing chain armor and barrel helmets. They held heavy spears that were as thick as a child's arm and rushed out with a rumble.

Five hundred Swadian Knights walked at the front, and behind them were a thousand Swadian Heavy Cavalries as well as Firentis and ten Swadian Royal Knights.

This was his main force.

It was strong enough.

Just based on combat strength alone, it was enough to block 10,000 light footmen.

However, their actual combat strength and the effect of the attack on the enemy were so strong that even a formation of 10,000 light footmen could not be able to compare to them.

Looked at those oversized mercenary groups who had ulterior motives and were fighting on their own, they were lacked leadership or even ineffective leadership, causing them to fall into internal strife and panic. Compared to them, this group of heavy cavalries that was made up of the Swadian people was undoubtedly powerful, they were the force that could completely destroy everything!

Just as this group of heavy cavalries appeared on the plains outside the Stone Pass, the mercenary groups that were supposed to attack the Stone Pass actually started to waver. In fact, they even scattered!

That's right, they dispersed in a hubbub!

Originally, they could still form a dense formation to resist.

However, when they saw that the village had completely burned by the red flames, their morale was heavily crushed.

Even their own headquarters had been burned down by the fire, and they still didn't know what kind of attack the troops there had received. But just thinking about it, if they could defend, then would these fires still appear?

They definitely could not appear!

In the end, there was only one result -- they lost the defense!

The noble alliance army could not resist the enemy's attack, and their defenses were completely broken through.

Just in the evening, after eating dinner and marching for a day, when they planned to have a good rest, their defenses were broken through by the enemy camp, completely destroying their ability to resist and turning their headquarters into a sea of fire.

Now that they saw the almost orderly heavy cavalry troops walking out from the Stone Pass, how could they not be afraid?

Their hearts were already filled with fear.

Now, it directly turned into fear!

Just like a frightened bird, the hearts of the mercenaries were completely replaced by fear.

Morale? What was that? Now, they only thought how to save themselves. When they ran, they even threw away all their miscellaneous items, just so that they could run faster, afraid that they would be caught and killed by the cavalries.

The pursuit of the footmen by the cavalry was very easy.

However, Firentis did not have the mood to do so.

He led the Swadian Heavy Cavalries forward. He ignored the scattered mercenaries.

In the surroundings, the desert bandits, who acted as scouts, were eager to chase after them. To these light cavalries who were poorly equipped, chasing after the collapsed enemy was like riding a big dog to chase a little lamb when they were young.

This was a pleasant game.

"Spread out and scout!" However, Firentis gave an order, "The target is the village, report back immediately if you encounter a large group of troops!"

"Yes!" the desert bandits stopped thinking of rushing out to chase after the enemy. They could only quickly ride their horses forward and run towards the burning village. In the battle plan, completing the tactical goal was the most correct choice.

Otherwise, with the harsh military law, even the elite cavalry would be whipped to death!

Disobeying the will of the general was a grave mistake.

The troops moved forward slowly.

The heavy cavalries looked ahead coldly.

In the fire, the entire village had been completely burned, and countless cries could be faintly heard.

These were the cries of the villagers. In this fire, they had suffered great losses, and even their relatives had been violated. The losses were immeasurable, and it was basically equivalent to bankruptcy.

The subordinates of the noble were not good people, or in other words, the military discipline in the Middle Ages was very poor, not to mention the even more despicable mercenaries.

Stealing and robbing were considered were not the worst thing they done, what was even more terrifying was snatching the door out of the tent, as well as the door-breaking extortion.

This village originally belonged to the Stone Pass, and it had made a fortune in the table salt trade. However, because of these noble alliance armies and mercenaries, they had colluded with the enemy to extort money. Now, they were all burned by the fire. If they were not bankrupt, then what?

The landlord became a commoner who had nothing, and the poor commoner became a bankrupt commoner.

No one could escape from the disaster of the war.

Or rather, it was fortunate that they could survive.

Moreover, because they met those mercenaries who were killing red-eyed, they were directly killed.

Even if they resisted, they couldn't. A group of commoners picked up kitchen knives, sickles, and pitchforks. Facing the extremely vicious mercenaries who were used to seeing death, the final outcome was very miserable, and the noble didn't care about these commoners at all.

Finally, when Firentis and his heavy cavalries arrived, the chaotic scene was brought to an end.

The Red Flag of the Golden Lion fluttered in the wind.

The light of the fire shone.

The civilians who had lost their homes wept and complained about their suffering.

And on the faces of the mercenaries who had yet to disperse, there was fear on their faces. Some kneeled on the ground and simply surrendered, while others fled towards the plain and felt that they could escape.

"Kill them." Firentis waved his hand forward.

His expression was calm. "Robbing the villagers and burning the villages. These bandits deserve to die for their sins."

"Yes!" the Swadian Heavy Knights rushed out first. They stabbed the mercenaries who were kneeling on the ground to death with their spears. Then, they chased after the fleeing mercenaries.

Although they were heavy cavalry, their chasing ability was not weak either.

After all, they were cavalry.

There was also heavy cavalry who jumped off their warhorses, wore chain armor, and rushed into the burning village with their warrior swords.

Many mercenaries were still hiding inside. They needed to find them and stab them to death with their swords. They needed to send these people who were considered bandits by Sir Firentis to meet the Grim Reaper of this world.

No survivors, no captives, left no problems.

This was what Firentis meant.

"Ridiculous."

Firentis raised his head and swept his gaze across the southern wilderness.

Countless figures were still fleeing in the dark. Those were mercenaries who had escaped from this place. They were being chased by the Swadian Heavy Cavalries and massacred as easily as hunting sheep.

He turned his head and instructed, "Get all the heavy cavalries to come back and look for Rolf. He knows what to do with the rest."

"Yes!" the messenger nodded.

Then, he took out the horn on his waist, blew out a "woo" sound and gave the order.

Chapter 459: Intercepted the Alliance Army

Rolf naturally knew what he should do.

When he received the news, he immediately led his light cavalries to charge out. Their target was the mercenaries scattered on the plains. Just like riding a horse to chase antelopes or elk, they hunted to their heart's content!

This feeling was very good. Nothing could compare to chasing and killing the fleeing enemies!

Even if there were many of them.

To be able to reach Rolf and his light cavalry unit, they had nearly twice the number of people.

However, how could an army that had lost all their morale and completely collapsed be considered an enemy army?

Over a thousand desert bandits spread out in groups of two. They were like a pack of wolves sweeping across the plains. Any enemies that dared to appear in front of them were slaughtered by the scimitars and spears, leaving no survivors.

Their mission was to clean up and prepare for the future battle!

These were all living forces.

The enemies.

Based on the current situation, this battle had come to an abrupt end.

The Stone Pass had already prepared for the upcoming siege battle. However, because of a small conflict, the noble alliance armies actually started to have internal strife, and even a huge fire spread out which further worsened the conflict!

This was even more intense than attacking the Stone Pass. It was completely like the enemy against the enemy!

Internal conflict was the strength of mercenaries.

After all, fighting with their employers and using money to play dead was one of their businesses.

However, internal conflict was a situation where they would fight for their jobs in the future. If they were suppressed by their peers, it would mean that they would lose their jobs. If they lost the fight, which employer would be willing to hire them in the future?

This was the valor brought about by the profession. Unfortunately, it was not used in the areas that they really needed!

"Speed up!" Rolf gently knocked on the horse's belly.

He looked at the desert bandits who were still chasing and playing around, raised his horsewhip, and pointed to the south. "The plan has changed. If we can get rid of these defeated soldiers faster, we might be able to make it to the next battle!"

"Oh ho --" cheers sounded, and the elite desert bandit cried out one after another.

Then, they pounced forward.

The scimitars and spears interweaved, turning into a bloody purgatory under the hooves of the horses.

More and more mercenaries were slaughtered.

They had won the battle against their peers because if they could survive, it meant that most of the mercenaries had killed their opponents or not been killed by their opponents.

Of course, they didn't care how many enemies they had accumulated, because mercenaries were like that.

They only needed to survive.

But.

The chances of surviving were not many.

Elite desert bandits didn't want to give these unmasked mobs any chance to survive!

Why did they let these mercenaries survive? This was impossible!

If they were the ones who were defeated at the Stone Pass...

Could they survive? Could they survive under the hands of these mercenaries who liked to fight easy battles and showed no mercy to captives and civilians? They didn't even need to use their brains to guess the consequences!

If that was the case, then why did they hold back?

Elite desert bandits were also good at killing!

The Continent of Caradia was in constant conflict. Various countries and races had been fighting each other for close to a hundred years. They had long trained a batch of professional soldiers who only knew how to kill!

Although the elite desert bandits were bandits, their desire to kill was even stronger!

Bandits who were not ruthless enough had already been eliminated.

Those who could stay, those who could still come to this world were all excellent elites!

The elite desert bandits kept swaying their scimitars, groups of mercenaries were slaughtered one after another in the darkness of the night in an instant!

Only some mercenaries manage to run away while panting from exhaustion. Very quickly, they were caught up by the elite desert bandits. The bandits raised their scimitars or spears and fiercely hacked and stabbed at their backs. After that, there was no more sound.

When the cavalry was in galloping status, even if it was just a light slash, it could still heavily injure the footmen!

This was the power that came from inertia and momentum of galloping cavalries!

It was a fatal power!

Just as Rolf gave the order to speed up the slaughter, the speed of the mercenaries' deaths also doubled.

At least by the time the moon had completely reached the middle of the sky, there were not many mercenaries still running on the plains. The rich smell of blood completely ignited the barren land of the North County.

Countless wild beasts rushed out with their green eyes, devouring the corpses on the ground.

Vultures and scavenger birds flew over without caring about their usual active times.

Even tiny bugs crawled out.

They were all enjoying this rare feast, the time to feast!

Some of the mercenaries who were lying down and pretending to be dead were attacked by carnivores. They fought with all their might, causing the ferocious carnivores, such as wolves, to pounce on them and tear them into pieces.

The animals that were eating were no less ferocious than the animals that were protecting their young!

At least 10,000 mercenaries had died in the North County.

In the distant plain, a blockade had succeeded.

The 10,000-man noble alliance army had given up on the idea of escaping. This was because in front of this alliance army, a force of close to 1,000 people had already blocked them and were waiting in formation.

The number of soldiers in the alliance army had 10 times more than their enemies, which seemed to be a huge disparity.

However, everyone understood.

That group of over 1,000 soldiers could easily defeat them!

This was because these were all heavy cavalry soldiers, and they were all clad in heavy armor. With just one charge, they would be able to pierce through their formation in this flat field. With another charge, they would be able to split them apart!

Without even needing a third charge, the troops that had already lost their command would collapse!

Heavy cavalries were the kings of the plains!

This was why the noble alliance army was so panicked.

Especially the command level formed by the noble families, all of them subconsciously gathered together and looked at the highest person, the organizer of this battle -- Viscount Wayne.

Now that they had encountered an even greater crisis, it was far more terrifying than the infighting among the mercenaries.

If they did not handle it well, then the outcome would definitely not be good!

Death was still acceptable, dying on the battlefield was also a way for these nobles to prove their honor.

But once they died on the battlefield, what would happen to their own families? These nobles were only small barons, and most of them were lords or knights who had their own fief.

They were the pillars of the family.

In this battle.

The recruits they had gathered were also in these troops.

Including their knight attendants, who were carefully trained and could resist any enemy's retinue.

If they were all left here and let the enemy slaughter them, even if they returned to the family alive, the final outcome would not be too good. Because the enemy could defeat them here, then they would definitely defeat by the enemy at the place close to the center of the North County and South County!

Chapter 460: Nobles with Different Opinions

Facing Firentis and the heavy cavalries led by him, the alliance army formed by many nobles of different sizes obviously felt a sense of fear. Even if they had the advantage in numbers, they still did not dare to attack directly.

This was because they knew that it would be too foolish to attack Firentis's heavy cavalries with their footmen-based troops.

Cavalry was a troop class with high mobility.

Furthermore, it was a heavy cavalry that was better at charging and close combat.

If they were to charge over, just the weight of their warhorses would be enough to make any footmen fall to the ground.

If the armored heavy cavalries were to ride their horses and stomp on them, their intestines would probably spew out from the back end. Even if they did not die, they would be severely injured!

Their main motivation was to protect their families. These noble families cherished their lives very much.

After being in a stalemate for nearly half an hour, they did not make up their minds.

In fact, they already knew.

The source of this war, who their opponents truly were and their own battle teams.

In their minds, they had already analyzed it several times and came to a conclusion.

They could not fight!

That's right.

They could not fight.

They would never really fight against the heavy cavalries on the other side.

Especially those lords and knights who owned fief villages, they came to this conclusion in their hearts.

As the lowest level noble, they could not even be considered as a real noble, because only the baron could be considered as the lowest level noble system. To accurately describe them, they could only be considered as quasi-noble, the reserve team of the noble.

However, as the lord of the North County, they had a certain degree of autonomy, which was why they led their troops to follow the alliance army.

They wanted to profit from the battle to attack the Stone Pass.

However, once they could not profit from it, they had to reconsider their choice.

If they did this and continued to fight, would it be good or bad for their own interests.

Therefore, they came to the conclusion that they could not fight.

Because their enemy was Baron Kant, the second son of Cameron, the Grand Duke of the Dukedom of Leo, the biological son of Princess Sofia of the Silver Platter Kingdom, and a rising noble who owned the Nahrin Desert and salt mines!

In the past, they had thought that this little Kant was very weak.

After all, how strong could a lord in the desert be?

But it was different now.

Just by looking at the 1,500 + heavy cavalries and their excellent armor, even some people believed that they were the top cavalry troops of the Dukedom of Leo. Other than the knights of the South County, nobody had such high-end equipment!

Just by looking at themselves and the knights around them, they knew that it was already good enough to have mail armor and leather armor as the equipment.

Many poor knights only wore iron-scale armor.

As for warhorses, most of the knights' warhorses were only covered with a layer of linen that was like a bedsheet. They did not have any defense ability at all!

How could they send these knight attendants that the knights had painstakingly trained to death and be trampled into meat paste by the horses?

Absolutely impossible!

Moreover, the most crucial point.

Kant, who possessed the bloodline of the royal family, in addition to having quite a strong army, was someone they could afford to provoke?

If they could directly defeat Kant's forces, Baron Kant would be helpless in the midst of the chaotic army and disappear without a trace. Perhaps he had "fled". If that was the case, it would really be too easy. All they needed to do was celebrate the following distribution of benefits.

However, Baron Kant did not lose the battle. Instead, he had the higher ground just like now.

The situation became extremely awkward now!

Continue to fight?

Looking at the terrifying heavy cavalry troops, they did not know what to do.

Moreover, they were facing a heavy cavalry troop. In their knowledge, there was another troop that was not inferior to this. It was the light cavalry troop that had attacked the mercenaries in the dark beforehand. They were still waiting in the surrounding plain like a pack of wolves.

These were just cavalry units. These noble families would never believe that Baron Kant did not have infantry.

Kant definitely had more than just a huge troop of cavalries.

No one knew his real power.

This added to the mysteriousness.

As a result, the noble alliance army were trapped in the plain and could only rely on the infantry to form a formation to maintain the front line. While the nobles were already quarreling in the center of the camp. They had their own opinions and were on the verge of falling apart!

That's right, these noble alliance army were also quarreling because they also had their own differences.

Just like those mercenary groups that were not solid to begin with.

The noble also had their own ulterior motives!

They didn't manage to invade. Instead, they were being counterattacked by the enemy.

And that leader of the enemy was not an outsider. He was a member of the royal family. Logically speaking, if they were connected to their own family, they would still somewhat related. The noble families only needed to trace back, they would many marriages and all kinds of relations over 50 years of families.

But it was precisely because of this reason that they chose to give up this point when it was obvious that they could unite.

If it was the Silver Platter Kingdom that invaded, they might have united to resist the invasion.

But facing Baron Kant, the second son of the Grand Duke, some of the noble families had other ideas.

They even began to unite and contradict the leader of the highest noble family. He was also the leader of this alliance army -- the lord of the North County, the honorable Viscount Wayne!

The alliance army was led by three barons, six lords, and more than 20 knights with real power.

They questioned the legitimacy of Viscount Wayne in the camp.

They gathered the noble troops and had attacked the noble who belonged to the Dukedom of Leo. Furthermore, he was a baron and a royal family member!

If they did not have a reasonable explanation, they would have to go to the court of the nobles, and they might even be hanged. However, considering that it was the viscount family that had been around for a hundred years, the best way was for him to maintain his honor was to go to the battlefield and die in battle.

Noble families were all sinister, but when it came to principle and moral, they appeared to be very self-righteous.

Just like now, even Viscount Wayne could not refute them.

Because this battle was indeed called by him, and the reason was not clear.

Only now did this Viscount Wayne discover why Viscount Kevin, who also belonged to the North County, did not participate in this battle. At first, he thought that the royal family was afraid that Viscount Kevin's strength had grown to a point where it could not be controlled.

But now, it seemed that they were clearly thinking of directly pushing Viscount Wayne out to die after they lost the battle!

"Damn it." Viscount Wayne sat weakly on the chair.

Facing the few nobles who supported him, as well as the few fellows who seemed to be full of righteousness, he put on a mocking and bitter smile. He already knew that the predicament he was facing was not the fellow in front of him.

It was behind him, the Grand Dike in the king's city of the South County, as well as those high-ranking nobles who supported the Grand Duke!

If he won, everyone would be rich and happy together.

If he lost, he had to bear the responsibility!

Chapter 461: Viscount Wayne's Shout

It was Viscount Wayne's fault for taking the risk to gather the troops and attack the members of the royal family. This was a sin. He would be dragged to the court of the noble and be punished horribly, a case to warn the world!

As for the North County, Viscount Kevin, who was loyal to the royal family, could temporarily take charge of the county.

Then eventually, he would have complete control.

"Hehe!" Viscount Wayne looked at the few barons and lords in front of him, and a hint of gloominess appeared in his eyes.

His family had been in the Dukedom of Leo for more than 300 years, and it was not something that could be easily questioned and overthrown. Now, these cute little fellows actually wanted to use him to exchange for the support of the South County. It was really laughable!

The danger that the Wayne family had encountered in the past was even more severe than now, but they still managed to survive it safely.

Sometimes, danger was not just danger.

It was also an opportunity!

"Enough!" Viscount Wayne gritted his teeth and slowly stood up.

Beside him, six grand knights who were glowing with light were standing beside him in unison. Clearly, these four people were Viscount Wayne's trump card, and also the strength that made the nobles opposite him not dare to act rashly!

"Viscount Wayne, please give us an explanation!"

However, these nobles were not afraid at all.

Although they did not dare to use force, they could try to reason with him.

For example, they could persuade Viscount Wayne to put down the weapon in his hand, disarm himself and give up his right to command. After they took control of him, they could negotiate with the enemy commander. In the end, they could even go to the South County.

Wouldn't it be great if they pledged their loyalty to Grand Duke Cameron?

They would probably settle the score when the time came.

They would also be able to obtain a lot of benefits that belonged to Viscount Wayne!

This was very common among the noble families, especially the small noble families like them.

Once they were able to take down a large noble family, they would be able to quickly grow into a middle-class noble family just by making a fortune from the corpses. Currently, in the Dukedom of Leo, many middle-class noble families were able to succeed in this way.

In fact, even Viscount Wayne's family had achieved such glory in this way!

"Viscount Wayne."

However, the three barons were closing in on them step by step.

In addition, the lords and knights at the back were doing the same.

Among these people, there were also three people whose bodies were emitting bright elemental light. They were obviously grand knights, which was why they were not afraid of the intimidation of Viscount Wayne's six grand knights.

The battle between a grand knight and a grand knight could be either simple or difficult.

However, it was also true that neither side would benefit from the battle.

Usually, they would not fight to the death.

But things had developed into the worst-case scenario. The ordinary soldiers outside were still waiting for their answer. If they could solve the upcoming difficult battle, it might be a good idea for everyone.

Of course, it was not good for Viscount Wayne, who had to take the blame.

"I understand." Viscount Wayne sat on the chair dejectedly.

Looking at the six grand knights beside him, he slowly waved his hand forward. "I didn't want to do this, but now I have no choice." It seemed like he had given up. The three barons and the other lords revealed relaxed smiles, and the three grand knights behind him had withdrawn all their extraordinary powers.

However, at this moment, Viscount Wayne suddenly looked coldly towards the grand knights beside him, "Finish them!"

"Whoosh --"

The sound of swords being drawn from their sheaths instantly sounded.

Just as the others were stunned, the six grand knights instantly pounced towards the three grand knights.

The knight swords in their hands stabbed into their bodies, bringing with them an extremely destructive power of extraordinary power, directly killing the three grand knights who had just relaxed and did not have the time to react.

Meanwhile, Viscount Wayne had already transformed into a grand knight who had burst out with an extraordinary power of fire, looking coldly at the lords in front of him.

"Let's see who is going to compromise now?" he spoke slowly.

His voice was hoarse, and his eyes were filled with killing intent. "Ah, you want to compromise, you also want to compromise, and you, you, you, you, you!" He pointed the longsword in his hand at the few nobles whose faces were extremely pale. "All of you have a share in this!"

"Viscount Wayne... you... do you know what you are... doing?"

The faces of the three barons and the other lords were all pale.

Cold sweat was dripping down their temples.

"What am I doing?" Viscount Wayne let out a sinister laugh. "What a joke!"

The longsword in his hand stabbed out instantly, directly cutting open the throat of the baron in the lead. The tip of the sword even pierced the back of the neck. "I want to do this! Are you satisfied?"

"You're crazy!" the faces of these noble's changed drastically.

Slaughtering a noble was a complete death sentence.

If they all died here, even if the South County knew the inside story, they would still investigate. Once they found out that Viscount Wayne was the murderer, a crusade would probably appear, turning the former viscount into a prisoner who had lost his honor!

The North County was not the same as East County, it was just a very weak county.

Whether it was economic or military, it was very weak.

The true foundation of the Dukedom of Leo was still in the South County.

In fact, if it was not for the Grand Duke of the South County, Cameron, who felt guilty about his own sister, Countess Agatha, and some of the deals, the troops of the South County would probably have been able to defeat the East County.

Of course, if that was the case, they would also suffer losses, and the Silver Platter Kingdom could only benefit.

That was why there was no internal strife.

But the North County was different.

There was no army that could resist the South County. They simply could not imagine what kind of judgment they would receive if they really went against the noble court that was controlled by the royal family and the high-ranking noble.

Even the family would probably be humiliated, or even destroyed!

But Viscount Wayne did not care.

The longsword in his hand swung fiercely, and the heads of those nobles and lords flew into the air.

Then it flew out of the tent and crashed heavily outside. Right in front of those knights and knight attendants who were still waiting for the news, it was completely turned into a rubber ball. It rolled and then slowly stopped.

"This is?! God, this is my master!"

"This is... This is my master!"

"What happened? What happened?"

It was already chaotic outside.

The knights and knight attendants were shouting in panic, and even more knights drew their longsword.

These heads were the masters of many people, but Viscount Wayne walked out of the tent and looked at the knights and knight attendants outside who were drawing their swords at him, he smiled. "Do you want to do something big with me? You might die, but you might become a real noble!"

The faces of the knights and knight attendants were stiff, but the anger in their eyes turned into shock and doubt. This was because the words of Viscount Wayne had completely moved into their hearts.

"Baron Kant, the second son of Grand Duke Cameron, and one of the heirs of the Dukedom of Leo!"

Viscount Wayne shouted, "We were originally going to attack him, but after seeing the power of Baron Kant, I think it's a better choice to join him. If Baron Kant can obtain the position of Grand Duke, then we will be one of the meritorious men of Baron Kant. With this identity, how could we not be able to obtain the identity of a noble?!"

Chapter 462: After the End of the Internal Strife

Viscount Wayne looked at the knights around him who had drawn their swords. They looked aggressive, but there was hesitation in their eyes. His breathing became heavier, but there was determination in his eyes and face.

This was the only way he could survive. Otherwise, even grand knights would not be able to fight against such dense formation!

There was a limit to extraordinary powers.

In a small-scale battle, they were an absolute trump card.

However, when it came to large scale troop battles, they were just a group of better elite troop class.

They could kill tens of times more enemies. However, when they were exhausted, they would lose their fighting strength and be knocked down by a huge number of enemies. Then, they would be killed, turning into corpses just like the enemies that they had killed.

Especially in the current situation, they were surrounded by a group of hostile troops that could explode at any time.

It was even more dangerous!

Although there were many knights and knight attendants on Viscount Wayne's side, there were even more troops of those nobles that he just beheaded and kicked them like a ball.

There were no more words in the scene. The heavy breathing gradually spread. In the short period of time, everyone knew the situation through whispers. The reason why they did not launch an attack was because they lacked a leader.

The reason why they lacked a leader was because after they learned of Viscount Wayne's words, their hearts were very moved.

They only needed another step forward to agree on Viscount Wayne's term.

They just wanted Viscount Wayne to give them a convincible explanation!

"What did I say?" and Viscount Wayne gave them an out.

He puffed out his chest. The power of the viscount of the North County was undoubtedly revealed. He looked at the familiar knights, his voice was extremely high-pitched, "This is an opportunity, my friends. As long as we seize this opportunity, we might be able to usher in a new glory in the Dukedom of Leo and let our family step onto a higher ladder!"

The breathing sounds around them became louder and louder. Many of the knights even lowered their longsword. They looked at each other and looked at each other in dismay. Their eyes were filled with interest!

In this feudal era, who would really care about the so-called loyalty?

Don't joke around.

Foolish loyalty only existed among the commoners.

Everyone here was all noble or quasi-noble with a family?

If they really sacrificed their lives for foolish loyalty, it would be really not worth it. They might even implicate their own family, causing their own family to be completely destroyed. Their descendants would also become lowly commoners!

Looking at the knights gradually putting down their longsword, the corners of Viscount Wayne's mouth curled up into a smile.

The plan had succeeded.

However, his gaze swept to the side.

There were a few lords and quite a few knights there, and their faces were still filled with anger.

Viscount Wayne knew that these fellows were the same people as those nobles who had attempted to force him surrender his command. They might even be lying in ambush outside. If there really was a military confrontation, they would incite the knights outside to capture him alive.

Even if they could not capture him alive, they would not mind using his corpse. After all, the withdrawal of the army was just an excuse!

In the end, they would use the family of Viscount Wayne to appease the anger of all parties!

A Viscount's family fortune was not small.

These barons' stomachs were swollen from eating. Even if some lords and knights joined them, they would still have indigestion from eating.

One should not underestimate a viscount with real power. He had complete control over the foundation of a county's noble. Although the North County was not that rich, and the land was extremely barren. Even so, after years of plundering and gathering fortunes, it could also allow the Wayne family to obtain unimaginable funds. For example, the vault full of golden eagles was an example.

Of course, Viscount Wayne would not say this. Otherwise, he would definitely attract the attention of those bandit groups. Even within his own family, there would be people coveting this wealth.

Greed could make people lose their rationality.

In this regard, Viscount Wayne expressed that he had the right to speak. After all, he was the example of the rich right now!

"Get ready." Viscount Wayne nodded to the six grand knights behind him.

They all looked at the few nobles who were whispering not far away. Without the slightest hesitation, the extraordinary power on their bodies instantly erupted. They charged forward and launched a sneak attack.

Blood splattered everywhere. Broken bodies appeared in front of everyone. Those few nobles had all been killed.

The scene suddenly caused an uproar!

The surrounding knights picked up their longsword and pointed it at Viscount Wayne.

There was nothing they could do.

Anyone who found out that their comrade had been killed would do the same thing.

No one knew if they would be the next to be killed. This action made the hearts of the knights who had already moved shiver. They also thought of the decisiveness and cruelty of Viscount Wayne!

"They are all rebels!"

However, Viscount Wayne did not care.

He put away his longsword and wiped the blood on the blade, he said loudly, "I heard the private news about these nobles. They plan to overthrow the rule of the Dukedom of Leo. That's why they organized to attack the pass of the stone wall. They plan to kill the second son of the Grand Duke of Leo, Baron Kant, and weaken the ruling power and dignity of the royal family!"

"What?" these words immediately caused an uproar among the knights around them. They all knew that they were in fact the invaders. They were the official bandit who wanted to attack the pass and rob the table salt.

Now that Viscount Wayne had said that, they still hadn't reacted!

"That's right!"

But in an instant, some of them reacted.

Then, it aroused the approval of more people. This was originally the conspiracy of the barons and the lords. As for them, they were just pitiful people who had been deceived. They didn't understand what had happened at all!

Now, the lie had been exposed, so they understood.

Therefore, they would not continue to attack.

Instead, they would continue to show their friendliness to Baron Kant because of the respect towards the dignity of the royal family.

If they could, they could even follow Baron Kant and become a noble under him. They could lead their own troops and launch the most violent attack for any enemy who dared to provoke Baron Kant!

Soon, this conclusion was agreed by the remaining nobles.

Everyone stood together.

This was a good idea.

Then, under the command of Viscount Wayne, an envoy group consisting of two grand knights and ten knights was sent out.

In the plain not far away, Firentis, who was originally waiting for Rolf's arrival, actually found that there was a serious internal conflict in the noble alliance army. They even fought each other and quickly calmed down. They sent an envoy to contact him.

Of course, the condition of contact was for both sides to maintain peace. In Firentis's eyes, this was child's play!

There was no such thing in the Continent of Caradia!

But in this world.

It was very different.

Those noble alliance army really dared to negotiate conditions. They even merged into his army to become an allied army!

Chapter 463: The Thoughts of the Nobles

This was the internal conflict between the nobles of the North County. It was a non-fatal conflict that could be mediated. In fact, the two sides of the conflict could even use the interests of each other as the core to establish a mutual aid group that symbolized friendship.

The rules of the noble were originally so absurd and ridiculous, but it could also form such an ending that was close to a joke.

Thus, this scene appeared.

Being a resident from the Continent of Caradia, Firentis was more used to speaking with swords and force. He was shocked to find that the noble alliance army had collapsed on their own and had actually chosen to submit!

Of course, according to what they said, it was considered as offering their loyalty to the new king.

As for who the new king was?

It obviously the Supreme Lord Kant!

Firentis had already thought that his lord, who was also the second son of Cameron, the Grand Duke of Leo, had the second-in-line right to inherit the dukedom. He was a member of the royal family of the dukedom, not a simple noble!

Therefore, Firentis received these envoys and promised a peaceful proposal.

It was very simple for him.

Moreover, he could even keep these noble as cannon fodder.

In Firentis had also listened these nobles' words. That was to help Kant, the supreme lord, walk towards absolute glory. For example, Kant would first ascend as king in the Dukedom of Leo, the most important land of grain production among the human kingdoms, and then seek for more estate!

It had to be said that after Firentis and Rolf stayed for a long time, their personalities had also changed.

After all, this was the real world.

The NPCs in the game were all template-like personalities.

However, it was different here. The generals could learn from each other and change imperceptibly.

It was the same logic that said, "If you live with a lame person you will learn to limp." However, at the very least, their loyalty to Kant would not change. They would only change their personalities. Perhaps because of their loyalty to Kant, their personalities would become extreme!

Soon, the envoys returned to the noble alliance army.

This caused a wave of cheers.

However, at the very least, their defenses had not been removed.

These noble families were also worried. After all, both sides were still fighting to the death earlier. They were still invaders. It was impossible for them to give up their defenses just like that and hand over their lives to the previous enemies.

In order to express his willingness to reconcile, Viscount Wayne personally led the team to the outer side of the formation.

The envoy was the first stage of the communication.

Next, the communication between the noble families was the most important.

Firentis also understood this. He brought 50 Royal Knights over.

The conversation between the two sides was still very pleasant. The key was that after the peace treaty was confirmed, these noble families all chose to be loyal to Kant. They also swore under the name of the god of war, and everyone would be the witnesses.

Noble families still cared about their face. Even though there was no difference between breaking faith and breaking paper, they still had their own rules.

The consequences of breaking the treaty without permission were serious.

Except for absolute benefits.

No one wanted to be stabbed in the back by their ally at the most critical moment!

In other words, if it was necessary to stab their ally in the back, it was definitely a time when benefits could not be refused. If it could be exchanged for more benefits, so what if they did it?

One's own interests were everything. The interests of others did not matter at all.

The noble were all extreme egoists.

It was just that they had put on a decent disguise.

Soon, Rolf, who had led his troops back from the plain, also noticed the abnormality in this place.

Over a thousand elite desert bandits spread out and surrounded these noble alliance army in small groups. He personally came to the vicinity of the camp where Firentis was. He looked surprised

He had also noticed the noble families in the camp who were smiling and talking to each other.

They were very happy.

They didn't look like they were fighting at all!

Meanwhile, Firentis was also greeting him. "Rolf, this is Viscount Wayne and the other barons and lords. Let's get to know each other. From now on, we will be working under Lord Kant!"

"Huh?" Rolf had a ferocious smile on his face. "Viscount Wayne and the other barons and lords?"

"That's right." Viscount Wayne nodded in a very dignified manner.

He stood up and did not care about his status. "Mr. Rolf, the light cavalries that you are leading are really heroic. It made us think that you are probably the strongest general of the light cavalry in the Dukedom of Leo." He even placed his hand on his chest, he bowed slightly. "If it's possible, please allow me to pay my respects to you and your light cavalry unit."

"Yes, we all pay our respects to your valor!" the other baron-lords also placed their hands on their chests. Their attitude was so humble that it made the noble's dignity and modesty look exquisite.

"Oh?"

However, Rolf bared his teeth and smiled. "That's such an honor."

He looked at Firentis, who did not usually get along with him nodded to him. After a few guesses, Rolf quickly understood the whole situation. "Since we are all going to work under Lord Kant in the future, then please take care of us!" He smiled and said, "However, I think we should carry out Lord Kant's new plan now!"

"What?" Wayne and the other nobles looked up at him in puzzlement.

"Attack the South County!"

Rolf's voice became heavier, "I think we can launch a surprise attack before the South County realizes what's going on. Maybe we can get the reward we deserve!"

"Ah? Is this... an attack on the South County?" the faces of the nobles changed.

"Can we reconsider it?"

Viscount Wayne looked worried.

They were not prepared to really attack the South County. The so-called excuse before was mostly for the ordinary people to hear. Although they had already gave unrealistic statement, they still wanted to give themselves a way out.

Were they really going to follow Baron Kant?

Stop joking!

Even if Kant was a member of the royal family, he was just a baron!

All of them were barons themselves. There were even real lords who had their own territory and troops. Even the knights had fief villages. It was impossible for them to simply rely on a noble.

Therefore, while they agreed verbally, they already had other idea in their hearts.

When they returned, they would observe again.

They would pretend that nothing had happened!

If Baron Kant's army was really powerful, then it did not matter. They had already pledged allegiance to him today. They could be considered as one of their own people. It would be great if they could rely on Baron Kant.

If the South County expressed their dissatisfaction or did not acknowledge Baron Kant's indirect control of the North County and formed an invincible army, then they would pledge allegiance to the royal family that had come to the South County. After all, they were originally nobles conferred by the royal family, most of them were members of the noble family who lived in this system. They were naturally friendly.

In any case, it was a civil war. The nobles had thought well. They just needed to learn how to skillfully form a battle team.

Chapter 464: Conjectures Brought about by Strength

However, taking a side definitely did not mean that they were completely on the other side.

If the situation was still unclear, they would not put all their forces on one side. Most of them were secretly involved with each other. If something really happened, there was still a chance to remedy it.

A crafty rabbit has three burrows. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. That was more or less what it meant.

Noble families were very shrewd egoists.

Why would they really seek refuge with a certain party?

Especially now. They had only sought refuge with Kant out of fear of danger. If everything were to be resolved, they would even go to the South County. They would lick the shoes of the royal family and high-ranking noble families, begging for forgiveness and loyalty.

There was nothing they could do. In their eyes, the strength of the South County was much, much stronger than Kant's.

This was because the Dukedom of Leo was supported by the South County.

As for the other counties...

The East County was considered wealthy and could barely be considered as a strong county.

However, the North County was a barren highland. It was the territory of the Dukedom of Leo in name.

Their noble system was separated from the mainstream noble circle. Any noble who committed a mistake would be sent to the North County. That's right. Some of the former nobles from Dukedom of Leo who committed mistakes were sent to North County, no matter they were from South County or East County.

Because of the poverty of the North County, those nobles who made a mistake would never have the ability to go against the South County.

It could be seen from now on.

The North County's noble alliance army was only slightly stronger than the mercenaries.

And this was because of the training.

Looked at the equipment, some of the mercenary elites were even better than the noble knights of the North County!

Therefore, the noble families of the North County had a deep affection for the South County, which was the most elite part of the Dukedom of Leo. After all, they used to be a family, and they also dreamed of returning.

Now, it was impossible for them to say goodbye to the noble families of the South County!

Moreover, it was a war with the South County!

On the spot, the faces of Viscount Wayne and the other nobles changed.

However, the ones whose expressions changed were not only Rolf who had made this suggestion, but also Firentis, as well as the 50 Royal Knights behind him who had already surrounded them!

This was their home ground now. This group of nobles, who were already equivalent to captives, still dared to resist?

" ... Uh."

Viscount Wayne was somewhat dumbstruck.

Looking at the 50 Royal Knights releasing their extraordinary powers, his originally confident heart suddenly felt a burst of amusement. He immediately burst out laughing, "Perhaps it's not that bad!"

The surrounding barons and lords could not stand it, their faces were pale as they looked at so many grand knights.

Even the Dukedom of Leo did not have so many grand knights!

Let alone the North County?

With these Royal Knights standing there, all the noble families were so scared that they did not dare to move.

Their previous thoughts were instantly put away, especially when they looked at the Royal Knights with pairs of vigilant and threatening eyes under their helmets. They all revealed embarrassed smiles and looked at each other, their eyes filled with helplessness and fear!

They clearly knew what these grand knights represented.

They represented the absolute trump card!

If it was a large-scale battle, a troop with 50 grand knights would be able to pierce through the formation of over 10,000-man troop at the crucial moment, creating a very advantageous chance for their own side to ensure victory in the battle!

This point had been proven through practical examples. It was on the battlefield of the Dukedom of Leo and the Silver Platter Kingdom ten years ago!

How could Cameron defeat the main force of the Silver Platter Kingdom?

It was all thanks to the strength of the grand knights!

What's more.

At that time, the leader was only 20 grand knights, leading 300 fully armed knights.

At the critical moment, they charged out from the flanks of the main force of the Silver Platter Kingdom and forcefully defeated them. They directly cut through the formation of the Silver Platter Kingdom and even directly killed the commander of the main force of the Silver Platter Kingdom!

If not for that, even if Baron Dylan rebelled, Dukedom of Leo would not have won this battle!

This was also the key reason why the Dukedom of Leo could last until now!

However, there were the 50 grand knights in front of them.

Behind them were 1,500 + fully armed heavy armored cavalries, including 1,000 + elite light cavalries.

Then, thinking about the existence of at least 2,000 + footmen and 1,000 + archers at the Stone Pass, they realized that Baron Kant's strength had far exceeded their imagination!

A few days ago, they could still vaguely hear the news of the East County. It seemed that there had been a huge change.

However, because of the blockade, they could not find out the details.

However, they could vaguely know.

A powerful force that had originally occupied the main force had been destroyed in a short period of time!

Some of the noble families that belonged to the East County, but secretly contacted the North County and South County, also said that all of this was because of Baron Kant. However, they were more specific, and they did not dare to reveal too much.

At one time, they thought that this was a plot by the South County to take back control of the East County.

But now that they thought about it.

Perhaps it really was because of Baron Kant!

After all, with so many grand knights and elite heavy cavalry here, they could already be considered as one of the top noble forces in the Dukedom of Leo. They were almost no less than those ancient families that had existed for hundreds of years, even before the establishment of the Dukedom of Leo!

Those ancient families were the high-ranking noble families, the top and pillar of the Dukedom of Leo.

They had been passed down for hundreds of years.

There were a lot of foundations left behind by these ancient families!

For example, grand knights who possessed extraordinary powers were rare to see among ordinary noble families.

However, to those ancient families, they were perhaps just ordinary members who had deliberately hidden themselves during normal times. They would only appear at the most crucial moment and act as a surprise weapon to save the situation!

On the surface, there were less than 10 grand knights recorded in the Dukedom of Leo.

However, there were at least 50 of them in the dark!

This was the era of feudal lords.

The power of royalty and the power of the noble families were contending with each other. In fact, it was even inferior to this era!

It was not a unified empire. The royalty could do whatever they wanted and control everything. If they wanted to count the population or wage war, they would need to discuss with the noble families. They would also need to compromise with each other and fight openly and secretly.

For example, it was impossible to expose such a foundation so easily.

Especially now.

The Dukedom of Leo seemed to be stable.

In fact, it was in a state of disunity. The noble families had ulterior motives.

The orders from the Grand Duke of the Dukedom of Leo were completely worn out before they could leave the South County.

This was partly because the ancient families wanted to maintain balance. It was also because the situation in the Dukedom of Leo had already reached a stalemate. It was equivalent to a muddy pool of stagnant water. The class was extremely solidified and even conflicted with each other.

Classes were established among the nobles, small circles of nobles emerged as well as those who opposed to each other.

The commoners were controlled and completely followed the nobles.

Chapter 465: Negotiation with the Wayne Family

While Viscount Wayne and the other barons were looking awkward, on the flat and barren land of the North County, a group of people had already started to move forward. They formed a long dragon formation in a mighty manner, and their target was Grothen Castle.

That was the political order and political center of the Northern County, and also the residence of Viscount Wayne's family.

To the north was the plain.

And to the south was the relatively fertile Mountain of Leo.

There were countless streams in the mountain range. Although most of them flowed towards the south, there were also a few that flowed to the north. They went around the foot of the mountain and formed a small river, barely nourishing the soil at the foot of the mountain.

At the very least, it would allow Viscount Wayne's family to be self-sufficient in agriculture.

It was the only good place in the North County.

But now, there were many changes in this good place.

On the city walls of Grothen Castle, the troops responsible for guarding the castle were ready.

Sword-shield soldiers, lance soldiers, archers and crossbowmen were also waiting for orders behind the city gates and on the city walls. There were close to 1,000 of them and their weapons were well-equipped. They were all elites with resolute expressions, fearless of life and death.

s

These were the true foundations that the Wayne family had trained and nurtured over the course of a hundred years.

There were even two grand knights among this group of people.

Including Viscount Wayne and the six grand knights under him, the Wayne family already had nine grand knights.

It had to be said that these noble families were really well-hidden. According to the official records of the Dukedom of Leo, Viscount Wayne was the only grand knight in the North County, there was no one else other than him.

However, thinking about it carefully, there were already two grand knights at the Stone Pass, plus Viscount Kevin's castle.

They were all well-hidden!

But even so, it did not matter to the cavalry below and outside the castle, which numbered close to 3,000 people.

50 Royal Knights were all grand knights and had extraordinary powers. They were not being able to directly attack the city. However, they could form a large-scale assault force in the field that could easily break through the infantry formation of tens of thousands of people.

Together with the 1,500 heavy cavalries and 1,300 light cavalries, it would not be a problem to defeat an infantry group of less than 30,000 people!

Even without these Royal Knights.

Just the number of heavy cavalry and light cavalry was enough to intimidate them.

Now, the members of the Wayne family were all trembling in fear. Even the faces of the sons of Viscount Wayne, who were wearing full-armed mail armor and chain armor, were turned pale.

Such a large-scale heavy cavalry force was rare in the North County.

The most important thing, his father was in that huge troop.

And Viscount Wayne had asked to open the door for these unfamiliar troops.

Thinking back to the time when the noble alliance army attacked the Stone Pass together, and now they were brought back by an unfamiliar army, it was not difficult to guess the outcome. They had definitely lost the battle.

If they had lost a battle, it would have been fine. At most, they would have closed the castle and defended it.

But their own father, the head of the Wayne family was in the enemy's troop.

The young people really did not know what to do.

But more than that, after a short meeting, they decided not to open the city gates.

There was still room for discussion. If they opened the city gates and let the unfamiliar army rush into the castle, then there would be no discussion. Even their safety could not be guaranteed, let alone the family members inside.

The Wayne family might not have a family head, but they definitely could not be cut off!

It was not as if the family head had never died on the battlefield.

But there was one point.

As a noble family, they definitely could not cut off all of their bloodlines!

Bloodlines were the signs of a family's inheritance. Looking at the history of those once glorious families, because all of their members were killed, their inheritances were cut off in the end. This also meant that their family's glory was cut off, and they were completely wiped out in history.

Although their Wayne family was not a high-level family, it was definitely not a small family.

Being able to occupy the North County showed one's own strength.

If one wanted to continue the bloodline of family, one had to learn how to sacrifice!

Even those young people who had yet to completely take over the family had some ulterior thoughts.

In the past, their father, Viscount Wayne, was still in his prime, so they couldn't have much right. Now that their father was suddenly captured, and they became closer control the power of the family, this feeling... was very good!

In less than half a day, the entire family had depended on them.

Because they were facing the danger of execution.

There was no other way.

That was why they could unite as one!

However, just as this group of people were daydreaming, an envoy arrived.

Firentis personally led the team, followed by 10 Royal Knights. They came to the city gate and told the defending soldiers that they hoped to talk.

The willingness to negotiate was quickly confirmed. A huge basket was placed on the city wall, which could fit three people. Firentis didn't find it strange. He led two Royal Knights to the city wall and negotiated with the infantrymen of the Wayne family who were secretly on guard.

As an experienced noble, Firentis also noticed their uneasiness.

He smiled elegantly and said, "We do not have any hostile thoughts."

"Is that so?" the one in charge of the negotiations was the eldest son of Viscount Wayne, who was also the first successor. "Then please send my father back to the castle, and then ask your troops to leave the castle's range of three kilometers."

"These can actually be done." Firentis nodded with a smile.

"Can be done?" the eldest son frowned. "So, you mean that there is a price to pay?"

"That's right!" Firentis nodded. Looking at the eldest son who was the same age as him, he said, "Logistical supplies, this is the price you have to pay!"

"Huh?" the eldest son was stunned. "What do you want to do?" He looked at Firentis, it was as if he was looking at a madman. "I know that you are the subordinates of Baron Kant, but you have to know that the troops of the South County are ten times stronger than those of the North County. This is absolutely not an alarmist. This is the truth!"

s

"Is that so?" Firentis chuckled, but his words were still firm, "I still need to tell you that I need to guarantee the logistical supplies for my troops, and then nothing will happen. Otherwise, we will act irrationally."

"Yes!" the eldest son did not have any objections. He gritted his teeth and said, "But I can only secretly fund you and not sign any contracts!"

"No problem!" Firentis smiled and nodded, "It's a pleasant deal then."

But the eldest son said quietly, "Then what about my father? And the troops my father took away. I need to see them!" He said, his tone was extremely grave. "The noble families of South County are absolutely powerful in our eyes. We cannot follow you to attack South County. Especially when you fail, we will be hunted!"

"That won't do." Firentis continued to chuckle, "Your family is already willing to cooperate with us. At the same time, Viscount Wayne has already represented the Wayne family and pledged his loyalty to Baron Kant. This is the truth!"

Chapter 466: Deep Thoughts in the Tent

In the end, the gate of Grothen Castle of the Wayne family didn't open.

Instead, more and more soldiers were guarding with weapons and equipment on the city walls and towers. They were ready to defend the city to the death and resist the impending siege.

No one could be trusted, even if the family head was there.

Even if they had negotiated, they would not open the city gates in order to ensure their safety.

This was for their own consideration, not even for the sake of the Wayne family. They had already formed a situation where they would rise and fall together. If something unexpected happened, their wealth and family would not be guaranteed!

In this seemingly peaceful feudal era that was in fact extremely chaotic, the castle was the ultimate reliance.

As long as they relied on this sturdy castle, even if tens of thousands of enemy troops arrived, they firmly believed that they could defend with the city defense fortifications of the castle!

It was simply too difficult to attack a castle head-on without siege equipment and without an insider inside. It was so difficult that even if all the troops were wiped out, they might not be able to take it down. This was the conclusion drawn from history and experience!

Even grand knights had to worry about the ballistae on the city walls and towers.

These siege weapons were not a joke.

s

They were very effective!

However, under the peaceful negotiation between the two sides, they maintained the greatest restraint.

There was no intention to fight, but there was absolutely no so-called peace. On the contrary, both sides were clearly divided and did not invade each other. However, Wayne still had to provide the necessary logistical supplies.

For example, they had to provide the necessary food and bedding for the troops, as well as a lot of clothes that had to be changed.

These cavalry troops were still fine.

The key was point here were footmen rushing over here in two days!

They were the main factor in ensuring the logistics. These noble alliance army that originally belonged to the various noble families in the North County, who wanted to take advantage of the chaos to make a fortune in the Stone Pass or the Nahrin Desert, were eventually kidnapped and forced to head to the South County.

That's right, they were kidnapped because their family head or the noble families that were loyal to them were all kidnapped.

Right beside Firentis, they were strictly guarded by 50 Royal Knights!

They enjoyed treatment that even an ordinary king could not enjoy!

At the very least, the political enemies of the kings did not have the ability to send out 50 grand knights with extraordinary powers. One had to know that even if there were more than 50 grand knights secretly in the current Dukedom of Leo, they were distributed in three counties.

Even if there were more grand knights in the South County, they would not be controlled by a single force.

However, Baron Kant had so many formidable forces under him.

To these noble families, it was as if they had boarded a pirate ship and could not get down.

If they wanted to get down, they would have to wait for their strategic goal to be achieved before they could do so.

Viscount Wayne and those nobles stayed in a large tent alone. There were no guards inside. There were only two grand knights 'protecting' them and a grand knight's tent beside them.

If there was an unexpected event, they could rush in at any time. It would probably take less than 10 seconds.

Looking for trouble?

The result would be nothing but death.

These nobles cherished their lives very much, so they lay on their respective blankets and slept soundly.

Anyway, they had eaten their fill, so they could just wait for the result in peace. Things had already come to this, so should they run away or risk their lives to send a message to the noble families in the South County?

Come on, what if Baron Kant really could take over the South County?

Even if Kant couldn't make it, they were being coerced after all.

Now that they were arrested here, were they really going to risk their lives to showcase their loyalty to the Dukedom of Leo?

Impossible, what a joke. The current Dukedom of Leo was no longer the dukedom that was united as one ten years ago. Even the current Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, had a bit of a dubious reputation when he ascended the throne.

It was absolutely impossible for them to show their loyalty in battle!

Right now, they were unwilling to!

Viscount Wayne sat on the blanket and looked at the dark object not far away through the gaps of the tent.

He knew that his family had spent 30 years to build and expand Grothen Castle based on the previous viscount's foundation. It was simply an indestructible war fortress.

If they wanted to attack this castle, they were not probably to success even if all the current cavalry troops were wiped out, because they had no siege weapons.

But what he was most worried about before was that his inexperienced sons would open the city gates and surrender.

At that time, the entire Wayne family would be completely destroyed. It was not that these Baron Kant's troops would go in and rob them, but that they would definitely be wiped out by the South County after they had completely surrendered to Baron Kant!

They could still be considered as a hostage. They could use the golden eagle to make connections and smooth things over.

But once the city gates were opened and Wayne Castle was used as the foundation, then it would all be over!

Viscount Wayne did not believe that Baron Kant would be able to invade the South County and ascend to the Dukedom of Leo.

Although in the eyes of many nobles, the current Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron was the same position as them. The prestige left behind by the Leo family could still make many nobles choose to listen to the orders of the Grand Duke.

Moreover, the South County and the high-ranking noble families could not sacrifice the current Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron.

The interests of both sides had long been involved to an extremely deep extent.

Whoever was eliminated would cause a great change. It would hurt them very much!

This was also the reason why the South County was able to band together. Their interests were all linked together.

If Baron Kant's forces entered the South County and expelled the forces of the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, then high-ranking nobles like them would definitely be wiped out as well, because it would affect their interests.

And the emerging forces would definitely provoke and antagonize the existing forces.

Unless there was a big enough cake.

But at the moment, the Dukedom of Leo was a small piece of cake.

The richest and most fertile place had already been eaten by the noble families of the South County.

Now that the newly joined Baron Kant had come over, not only did he want to snatch the most beautiful cake from the mouth of the original royal family, but he also wanted to snatch the cake from the mouths of others. That would be no different from a bandit, an enemy!

Even if he did not snatch the cake from the mouths of others, would the others believe him?

s

Exceptional ability and strength would attract jealousy.

Most importantly, how could they allow others to seize their belongings!

How could the noble families of the South County, who had already formed an alliance, let Kant took their things?

Their territory must never change, just like how they would never tolerate their own interests being snatched just like that. Once Kant's forces entered the South County, he would be met with the most violent resistance.

Even the push back from the battlefield!

Chapter 467: Rolf’s Thoughts

There was a reason for Viscount Wayne's worry. In fact, even those noble families who seemed to be asleep in the tent couldn't sleep. They were also feeling uneasy.

When they surrendered to Kant at the last minute, it meant that they tacitly agreed to his control over the North County.

All of this was very logical.

After all, there was no more powerful noble force in the North County than Kant.

According to the rules between the noble families, if Viscount Wayne could not suppress Baron Kant, then he would slowly lose the right to rule the North County. After a certain period, his title of the lord of North County would be stripped.

And it was just like that when the Wayne family replaced the previous family of the North County.

It was all an unspoken rule between the noble families.

But it was very useful.

If that was the case, Viscount Wayne was certain that his family would not decline within ten years.

If he allied with some of the great noble families in the South County who were hostile to Kant, perhaps his family could still be saved in the North County. Thus, he had nothing to fear. After all, Baron Kant's mother had been framed by some of the noble families in the South County.

s

If he did not help himself, then Kant, who had control of the North County, would not be easy to deal with.

He would become a big shot!

The North County's estate was vast.

Although it was barren, the salt mines in the Nahrin Desert had replaced the traditional agricultural income.

As long as they had money, people, and power, then even if the great noble families in the South County fought back frantically. If they could not crush Kant in one blow and give him a chance to catch his breath, it would be very difficult.

With money opening the way, any fractions would have to think about whether or not to ease the relationship with Kant.

The noble families did not always know about hostility.

Especially at the crucial points.

For example, Baron Kant's own strength was not weak, or even very strong.

Maintaining a good relationship and forming an alliance for life and benefits was the best choice.

And it was precisely because Kant had this idea that he had already taken control of the military power of the North County. He had also completely used the salt mine to attract the attention of many greedy noble families, especially after he had displayed his military strength. As long as he slowly plotted, he would be able to easily gain a foothold in the Dukedom of Leo and become a rising noble!

However, things were hard to predict. How could he have expected that Baron Kant not only obtained the North County, but also dragged them towards the South County right away.

This was not a subtle attack on the North County, but a complete attack on the South County to start a civil war.

It would cause a war between the two counties!

Viscount Wayne and the other nobles were worried about this.

All of them were silent, but in their hearts, they were a little desperate for their future.

The troops of the North County and Baron Kant's troops would definitely not be able to directly attack the core area of the South County, but even if they did, they would still be defeated by the defensive counterattack of the top-tier noble.

The foundation of those top-tier noble families was many times stronger than the newly promoted noble families like them!

If Kant was defeated and it was their turn to be punished, the consequences would be unimaginable!

...

While everyone was tossing and turning, the night gradually brightened up.

Dawn had arrived.

The sound of footsteps and shouts gradually appeared around the tent.

Many desert bandits acted as squires and went to a brook not far away to fetch water to provide daily drinking for nearly 3,000 people and warhorses. They also prepared breakfast for the next day.

At Grothen Castle, the city gate had already been opened slightly.

Five carriages filled with bread, sausages, and smoked meat came out.

At the front was an old butler.

He was already very old. His hair was white, and his expression was quite grave. He looked like he was determined to go on a suicide mission.

This old butler held the reins and left the castle with the carriage. He had the resolution of not being returned alive. He straightened his back and slowly approached the camp with a dignified look.

Ten elite desert bandits went over with spears in their hands to ask questions.

They would soon come back together.

This was the temporary supply from Grothen Castle that day.

The five carriages were full of food, which could feed nearly 3,000 people for three meals.

According to the old butler, the castle was still preparing the warhorse's feed. Because the quantity was too large, it would be released later, and the specific time would be noon.

Of course, this was a very considerate move.

No one cared.

"Alright, old man, you can go back!"

Rolf, who was in charge of the surrounding defense, also smiled and waved the old butler away.

However, the old butler bowed respectfully without losing his dignity. "Lord, please allow me to see my master, Viscount Wayne. I am his servant, the most loyal butler. I should accompany him and take care of him."

"Take care of him?" Rolf sneered. "He is a living person, and he can't take care of himself?"

"No, you misunderstood." the butler said gently, "A real noble should enjoy the care of a servant. This is the privilege of a master, and I am his loyal servant. I should take care of him!"

"Oh, okay." Rolf nodded. "You can go."

"Thank you very much." the old butler bent down again and was led to the tent by the desert bandits.

"Hehe!" Rolf only showed a disdainful expression and looked at Firentis who was walking over, he pointed at the old butler with his chin and said, "Look, another good dog. He really treats himself as a servant. I have never seen such a person in Caradia. Even my most loyal servant would not be willing to be a servant forever."

"His servility is too strong." Firentis also looked at the old butler and shook his head. "Don't bother about him. How's things going on? Have you sent someone to contact Lord Kant? Our strategy is a little too risky!"

"It's better to take risks!" Rolf grinned. "It would lead to great harvest!"

"Hmph!" Firentis was a little dissatisfied. "This kind of thing should be discussed with Lord Kant."

s

"We are too far away!" Rolf said indifferently. "I have already sent people to inform Lord Kant. It is said that he has already established a Nordic village by the Resniston River. It has already begun to develop." He paused and looked at Firentis, "You don't want the Nords to seize the initiative, do you?"

"With that group of water ghosts?" Firentis snorted coldly. "If they are fighting on the plains, they are just a bunch of country bumpkins trampled to death by Swadian under the hooves of horses!"

"That's true." Rolf chuckled. "But beside them is a river. That's their strong point!"

His tone also became a little more serious. "Lord Kant needs to develop. We can take the opportunity to make the Dukedom of Leo fall into chaos. As long as we can rely on the noble alliance army this time and obtain even the slightest victory, the North County will be completely dragged into our war chariots. When that time comes, whether or not they submit to Lord Kant will not be up to them!"

"Yes." Firentis nodded, and his face turned solemn as well. "I hope so."

Chapter 468: The Worry of Viscount Kevin

At noon, the feed had been prepared by Grothen Castle.

A total of eight carriages were transported to the camp. However, at this time, Firentis had already arranged for people to feed their warhorses, but he did not give the order to set off. Instead, he reorganized the camps.

They were waiting for the arrival of the infantrymen.

The noble alliance army were still walking slowly behind.

From time to time, desert bandits would go over to scout or urge them, so that those who had lost their high-ranking commanders could quickly keep up with the pace. At the same time, they would publicize the obligations they would have to face in the future.

That was to follow Baron Kant and seize the authority that belonged to him, the title of Grand Duke of Leo!

Of course, there were also empty promises.

Firentis and Rolf had already promised them.

As long as they followed Baron Kant and made contributions to the war, they would be conferred the title of noble status. If they could obtain the final victory, they would also have enough land to wait for everyone. They would treat everyone equally, and all of them would be rewarded!

Even if they died in the end, they would give their families a lifetime of food allocation.

s

Baron Kant had a mountain of gold and silver in his possession.

It was just a small amount of money.

It was an easy burden!

This was also the greatest confidence that he could use to coerce and entice the ordinary soldiers.

In the current Dukedom of Leo, who did not know that Baron Kant had a salt mine? who did not know that Baron Kant was extremely rich?

They did not incite them too much. Those desert bandits only explained the situation, how much money Lord Kant had, and how much money he would have in the future. Those infantrymen who were born poor and commoner were as loyal as if they had been brainwashed.

Modern educated people could be brainwashed by pyramid schemes, let alone the stupid commoners of the feudal era?

They could be induced to gain something.

They could often burst out with extremely high enthusiasm.

Moreover, these commoners did not need to make too good a wish. Just the fanatical group effect could make everyone fall into a dream of a beautiful future, and then develop into madness, becoming wild beasts that could not be controlled!

Once they embarked on this path, other than forcibly ending, they could not stop.

Whoever wanted to stop would be going against them.

The consequences were unimaginable!

Of course, just two days later, the noble alliance army had already arrived at Grothen Castle.

Along the way, there were endless supplies, and there were only a few civilian infantrymen that escaped. However, the vast majority of those who escaped were caught up by the desert bandits, and their heads were easily cut off in the plain.

They were hung on the reins of the desert horses, and they stared blankly with their lifeless eyes as they rode on their horses.

The remaining heads made all those who wanted to escape feel a chill in their hearts.

Threats and rewards.

They could not do it without any links.

However, this simple method was very effective.

After the noble alliance army arrived at Grothen Castle, they did not rest for long and set off the next day.

Their target was the route led by the light cavalry troop formed by the elite desert bandits. In fact, they were following the Mountain Range of Leo and straight into the South County, preparing to attack a castle that was independent of the North County.

Maas Castle!

This castle was ruled by Viscount Kevin.

It was located at the junction of the North County, the South County and the East County.

To the west was the Mountain of Death, to the east was the Mountain Range of Leo, and to the north was the endless barren plains of the North County. To the south was the fertile plains of the South County and Lion Heart City, and to the southeast was the Lion Fort of the Grand Duke of Leo.

It was located at a strategic location and could be said to be the best barrier or fortress.

The north could isolate the North County.

The south could control the South County.

The core hub of the rear of the Dukedom of Leo.

Whoever could control this place would be able to have the advantage in the terrain of the Dukedom of Leo.

And now, Viscount Kevin, who controlled Maas Castle, naturally belonged to the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron. They were childhood friends, and the relationship between the two was extremely close, even to the extent of surpassing that of their own siblings.

It couldn't be helped. Siblings could still fight to obtain the position of grand duke.

But this kind of friend wouldn't.

Instead, they could become your good ally.

This was very solid in the western feudal system, where bloodline, title, and identity were respected.

But now, Maas Castle was in a dilemma. Viscount Kevin was standing above the city gate. Looking at the empty horizon, there was anxiety between his brows.

"Is he crazy?" he clenched his teeth and clenched his fists. "He's really crazy!"

He received the news a few days ago.

It was confirmed yesterday.

He really didn't expect Baron Kant to defeat the noble alliance army.

Then, he led the surrendered troops and rampaged all the way to attack the South County. According to the report of the reconnaissance cavalry, they would arrive in one day.

This was the first time that Maas Castle had faced a threat from the North County.

Although his mission was to monitor the North County, the Maas Castle mainly acted as a backstop and support, as well as a central point, completely blocking the main forces of the silver platter kingdom from invading. It also provided a foothold for the main forces of the Dukedom of Leo that had retreated from the South County.

What was worth laughing about now was that the greatest enemy, the Silver Platter Kingdom, had not invaded.

Instead, the North County, which had only been used as a deterrent, was about to bring a war.

This had resulted in the lack of sufficient preparations in Maas Castle. The military supplies that should have been purchased in large quantities in the South County had been seriously in short supply in the warehouse. After all, in the original plan, this was only the foothold and the focus of the battle.

Even the Dukedom of Leo had given up on this place and planned to retreat to the plains and fight with the cavalry of the Silver Platter Kingdom.

The North County was different from the South County.

The plains of the South County had been developed into fertile fields, and there were farms everywhere.

The North County was really a flat and barren plain and wilderness. Apart from a few places with water, there were very few farms or villages. The other places were completely uninhabited!

As for the terrain of the North County, it was more than three times larger than the South County.

It was indeed a place suitable for plains and field battles.

But now,everything had become very different.

Maas Castle was facing the threat of the troops of the North County, while the South County was still in a stalemate.

Viscount Kevin had already sent out the news of the rebellion of the North County, but the South County had yet to send back any news. In his opinion, this was undoubtedly foolish.

He had even combined it with the news he had heard before.

For example, the destruction of the priests on Mountain of Death.

This had deepened his fear.

s

Of course, Maas Castle had connections with the Crimson Sect on Mountain of Death.

After all, it was at the border of the three counties. It would be inconceivable if there was no connection between them.

However, Viscount Kevin did not have too deep a relationship with the Crimson Sect, so he did not know how the Crimson Sect had been destroyed. However, thinking about the sudden change of the noble families in the East County, he could guess it. Perhaps there was a great change in the East County, which led to the destruction of the Crimson Sect.

However, no matter what, the situation was extremely bad for him. After all, Maas Castle was also on the side of the East County. Although he was not responsible for the important transportation areas of the East County and the South County, he could still be used as a side support.

"Could it be..." Viscount Kevin hesitated. "The situation is going to change?"

Chapter 469: The Beginning of the General Attack

Just as Viscount Kevin was feeling nervous, the reinforcements from the South County had yet to arrive.

On the contrary, on the morning of the next day, Gray fog rose up from the plain in the north. At the same time, under the gray fog that was like showing off and brandishing its fangs and claws, one could vaguely see many figures.

Like an arrogant long dragon, it slowly approached Maas Castle.

"It's coming!" Viscount Kevin's voice was trembling.

He swallowed his saliva and forcefully suppressed the fear in his heart. He waved his hand and shouted, "Everyone, pay attention. Pull up the drawbridge and the city gate. All the soldiers go up the city wall. Archers go up the tower. Speed up!"

"Yes!" the orderly voice rang out in the castle.

The soldiers were all shaking.

Soldiers holding crossbows and war bows quickly appeared on the tower and the city wall.

These were the soldiers that the Kevin family had trained since young. Their loyalty was trustworthy. After a long period of military training, they were also not bad in shooting and close combat. They could be considered a group of elites.

Moreover, in terms of combat ability, they were slightly better than the regular infantrymen of the North County!

s

This was the strength of Viscount Kevin.

Unfortunately, they were really outnumbered.

Currently, there were only 500 elites stationed in Maas Castle.

The rest were a group of conscripted militias that they gathered from the surrounding villages.

There were even a group of armed peasants who were doing menial work. They wore slightly thicker clothes and came to the castle. On their backs were pitchforks or sickles on their waists. Their combat ability was not strong, it was impossible for them to kill with their current equipment.

They did not even have proper leather armor. They were probably cannon fodder who would be killed on the battlefield!

It was indeed the case.

There were more than 3,000 of them but one shouldn't be fooled by their number. Although they were all young and strong, they had not received proper military training. They could do nothing except to be helpers.

The most suitable place for them was still the farmland. It was much easier to harvest those crops than to go to the battlefield, especially on the battlefield where they were harvesting their dead. Some people had just walked onto the battlefield that was filled with the smell of blood, and they were so scared that they couldn't move their legs at all.

In comparison, the over 1,000 conscripted militiamen were not too bad. They had at least received military education.

They were trained by the castle infantry during their free time.

However, they only knew the most basic of spear thrusts.

This was enough.

If they were to form a formation on the city wall, they could completely protect the safety of a section of the city wall.

Moreover, they were all wearing leather armor made of cow leather. Although their defense was inferior to mail armor, they could still withstand normal attacks. Sometimes, because of the toughness of the cow leather, they were even better at blocking arrows!

At the very least, mail armor would be vulnerable to more serious secondary damage because of the iron ring.

"Enough!" Viscount Kevin knocked his head.

He did not understand what he was thinking but looking at the formation that was already set up in the distance, his heart trembled even more. His breathing became extremely heavy. "What exactly are these people doing!"

In the distance, the noble alliance army began to set up their camp. A large number of tents were facing the rising sun.

According to logic, they should launch an attack.

Even if they did not launch an attack, it would be good to make some preparations first.

But those noble alliance army actually made preparations for a long-term confrontation.

This really made Viscount Kevin confused. This made him ready to defend to the death and make use of the advantage of the castle to heavily crush the allied army of Kant's side.

The other side had come all the way here.

Since they were prepared to rest, they would definitely come again after they had recovered their morale.

If that happened, it would probably be an extremely tough battle, which would be disadvantageous to him.

Although defending the city had a natural advantage, Viscount Kevin did not have much confidence in his weaker troops. He did not have much confidence in defending against the elite troops of the North County.

Although his castle had the mission of monitoring the North County and controlling the checkpoints here, it was definitely not a fortress to defend against the army of the North County.

It had a 6m high and 2m wide wall

It also had a 13m tall castle.

If they relied on such a medium-sized castle, the elite forces of the defending troops would be severely lacking.

In addition, their material reserves were low, so they could not defend for a long time. They did not even know when the reinforcements would arrive.

Thinking about this, Viscount Kevin felt that his head was about to explode. After all, the current situation was completely unsolvable for him. Especially the most crucial thing, he only had two grand knights under him.

And he swore that there were definitely more than five grand knights in the noble alliance army!

They were all nobles who also did the shady little thing.

All of them had hidden some grand knights under their force without reporting to the official.

This was called foundation!

It was at this time that it came into play.

But current situation was very awkward, his foundation didn't seem to be of any use.

Because even those two subordinates who were grand knights, when they saw the 10,000 plus infantrymen and 3,000 plus light and heavy cavalries outside, they had already sent a message to their subordinates, saying that they absolutely couldn't leave the city to engage in field battles!

Just a glance was enough to destroy their thoughts of engaging in battle.

Their confidence collapsed.

There was nothing they could do. The difference between the forces of both sides was too great.

Viscount Kevin did not expect that the noble alliance army of the North County, who had originally gone to attack the Stone Pass, would be defeated so easily. Instead, they had become the core force in attacking the South County. This was simply a joke.

It was no wonder that even the noble families of the South County were still in a daze.

They really did not know what had happened.

The weakness of the noble families had appeared.

Without knowing what had happened, they knew that Maas Castle was facing absolute military pressure, but they still argued with each other and pushed the other party to handle this matter.

After all, as long as the South County didn't suffer heavy losses, their interests wouldn't be harmed.

And in this argument, Maas Castle was facing more and more pressure.

Because at noon, the noble alliance army that had already rested and reorganized began to take action.

Even the siege weapons provided by the Wayne family had begun to be assembled. There were catapults with long arms and all sorts of ballistae outside the city walls.

It seemed like they were going to forcefully attack the city.

That was indeed the case.

At 1 pm, the catapults and ballistae creaked.

With a command, the heavy round stone shells were throwing in a beautiful arc and smashed heavily onto the stone walls. With a clang, the broken stones scattered in all directions, announcing the start of the siege.

More than 10,000 noble alliance soldiers also began to forcefully attack the northern city gate.

s

Those ballistae were also whistling and smashing the stone bullets towards the city gate.

The situation was extremely critical.

Even Viscount Kevin did not expect that the other party did not even feign attack and directly started the general attack!

Because of this, he could not help but laugh like he was going crazy. "What is that Baron Kant thinking, directly launching the general attack. Do these guys know what a siege is? There is such a tactic?" But as the attack begin his mental pressure gradually increased to a point where he couldn't it anymore.

The situation was too dangerous!

Chapter 470: The Castle was Finally been Broken Through

The noble alliance army, who had already assembled the siege equipment, began the prelude to the siege attack.

One after another, round and polished stone balls were directly thrown out by the long arm of the ballista. They drew a beautiful curve and heavily smashed into the city wall. The splashing stones flew around and smashed into the bodies of the soldiers guarding the city, The soldiers covered their body parts that were hit and groaned in pain.

If they were hit at the vital parts or the hands and legs that were not protected by the leather armor, it would take their lives. They fell on the city wall on the spot and lost the chance to continue fighting. It was the same as leaving the battlefield.

The Wayne family had defended Grothen Castle for decades and had accumulated a lot of resources to defend the city.

These included the catapults, ballistae, stone bullets, and lances.

These were all kinds of reserve resources in the castle.

The purpose was to use Grothen Castle as the center of resistance after the South County was fallen. They could also deploy their cavalries and take advantage of the vast plains of the North County to exhaust the infantry troops of Silver Platter Kingdom on this battlefield.

It was like bleeding, forcing the invading troops to retreat and even return the land they had already occupied.

This was the strategic plan of the Dukedom of Leo.

Unfortunately, Maas Castle was not going to put in use any longer.

This was because Kant's subordinates, Firentis and Rolf, were pressuring the knights to attack Maas Cast;e. If they broke through this place, the door of the South County would open in front of them.

At that time, it would be up to them to decide whether they wanted to declare an invasion or not!

Meanwhile, the South County was still evading.

The war had begun.

But it was not the defensive battle against the Silver Platter Kingdom that they had originally expected.

Instead, it was Kant, an exiled baron that they didn't care at all. But now, he had fought his way back!

The second son of Grand Duke Cameron, the son of Princess Sofia of the Silver Platter Kingdom, had the second-in-line inheritance right. He had already occupied the entire North County, and according to the news that came, even a small portion of the East County had been occupied by that young man!

The flames of war raging at Maas Castle. The catapults and ballistae whistled as they threw stone balls.

Terrifying tremors shook the heavens.

But they had to continue the attack.

The people of Maas Castle were still defending.

Although the castle that they had spent decades building was not a top-notch castle, it still had a good defensive effect.

Most importantly, after these catapults and ballistae bombarded wildly, although a little of the city walls had collapsed, the main body was still standing. The casualties of the castlesoldiers were also within 200 people, so it was not considered to be a serious loss.

According to the conventional battle method, if they wanted to capture this castle, they would have to pay at least thousands of casualties.

However, Firentis and Rolf were not prepared to do that.

Too many casualties would affect the morale of the troops.

The noble alliance army, which had been bribed and threatened by them, could not afford to suffer setbacks.

On the contrary, they needed a complete victory, they had to take down the Maas Castle.

Therefore, they issued an absolute order, requesting the Wayne family to disassemble all the siege weapons here. They also ordered the infantrymen to throw stone balls at the city wall and bombard the main body of the city wall day and night.

This was also very effective.

With each impact, the city wall creaked, and cracks appeared on its surface.

The city wall couldn't hold on for too long. After all, the construction of the city wall of Maas Castle was just a layer of stones on the outside, filled with crushed stones and soil on the inside, and then a layer of stones on the outside. It looked solid.

If a section of the city wall was blasted open, then the entire city wall would completely collapse.

And now, that section of the city wall that had been deliberately bombarded with concentrated firepower was really about to reach its limit.

After a whole morning of bombardment, it was around 3 pm. The city wall was covered with dents of various sizes. The entire city wall was visibly dented inward, and cracks even appeared on the city wall.

There were no soldiers left on the city wall, and they didn't dare to stay here any longer.

In fact, the entire defense of the city wall had already been abandoned.

Instead, they had arranged more soldiers arranged more soldiers to defend the main body of the castle.

The castle was the most important defense system. The city wall was only an obstacle to delay the enemy's attack from the outside. By the time the city wall fell, the enemy's siege weapons, and their morale would also be depleted. At that time, defending the castle would be even easier.

At least defending the castle itself was more practical than defending the city wall!

"Boom --"

Finally, under the continuous bombardment of the ballistae, the city wall finally collapsed.

Smoke and dust immediately spread in all directions. A large amount of gravel and soil tumbled down. The soldiers on the surrounding city walls and towers seemed to have received some orders. They quickly gathered and appeared behind and on both sides of the collapsed city wall.

Next, it was time to start the defense around the collapsed city walls!

This was also a good time to attack the attackers.

During the siege, it didn't mean that the collapse of the city walls meant that the castle had fallen.

The collapse of the city walls was only a small section, and it wasn't even five meters wide. However, it was precisely the five meters wide opening, and there would always be troops stationed at the rear. If the noble alliance army wanted to attack, they could only turn this place into a meat grinder!

This was a battlefield where life was consumed, and it was also the main position where the defenders could consume the morale of the attackers.

The attackers often had the resolution of death.

This resolution was reflected in climbing the city wall or directly attacking the city gate.

Once it was consumed, the overall morale would drop. It was different from the defenders, who could recover as long as they encouraged the morale. The longer they dragged it out, the greater the advantage of the defenders, especially when they could all retreat to the main body of the castle and wait for reinforcements, they had an absolute advantage.

In the feudal era, it was unbelievable to attack a castle that was completely sealed and had food and water reserves. There were even records stated that a troop was able to defend a castle for several months, yet the enemy still could not break in.

Under the situation of a western feudal lord, a castle siege attack that lasted for several months was very impressive!

"Attack!"

Rolf swung his sword forward.

Behind him, groups of infantries of the noble alliance army began to charge.

They closed in step by step with their long lances in hand, and soon approached the collapsed city wall. However, the rain of arrows that came from the front quickly poured down. Groups of infantries of the noble alliance army fell to the ground, but more people rushed straight into the castle.

Just now, the 10,000-man army had launched a total attack!

They did not care about the casualties at all!

Even inside the city wall, Viscount Kevin was on the main body of the castle. He was dumfounded when he saw this scene.

His original arrangement was to prevent the enemy from probing the attack.

But now, the enemy launched a total attack.

The 10,000-man army rushed over like a tide.

No matter how the archers at the top of the city wall shot and the ballista on the towers bombarded the ground, it was like they were splashing water in the sea. More and more infantrymen rushed in the castle crazily.

And they fought until the city wall collapsed!

Chapter 471: Surrender in the Raging Flames

The meat grinder was formed, and it began to turn!

Hundreds and thousands of infantrymen fell on the pile of rubble and were trampled by their comrades at the back. They continued to rush madly into the city wall, using all means, even their own bodies were rushing in.

There was no way at all. Even the people at the front wanted to escape because of the cruel resistance of the defenders in the castle.

However, the infantrymen at the back pushed them forward!

The front row had already died.

The infantrymen at the back became the front row and continued to die.

Just like this, rows and rows of infantrymen died one after another. More and more infantrymen of the noble alliance army poured into Maas Castle and then scattered in all directions. They completely broke into the castle's city wall system and began to destroy it!

The defenders hiding in the towers and walls were all captured and executed.

More people began to rush towards the main body of the castle.

However, the castle gates were all closed.

The windows on the ground floor were blocked. It was like a turtle shell that could not be bitten.

Even if there were gaps, there were infantrymen with long lance guarding the rear. As long as someone approached, they would instantly stab out like a poisonous snake. It was very sudden and fatal!

In addition, there were arrow towers and sentry towers at the top of the castle, which could shoot down arrows at any time, causing a lot of casualties.

This was the defensive mode of the castle.

However, this kind of defense was much more passive.

As for this kind of defensive mode, Rolf and Firentis also had their own methods to deal with it.

A large amount of firewood was piled up to the outer side of the castle. They were stacked up layer by layer. The entire castle was piled up by a large amount of firewood, and then doused with kerosene provided by the Wayne family. Finally, a torch was thrown up.

In an instant, a huge fire rose, and a scorching wave of fire swept through the inner walls of the castle.

The castle became a huge torch.

Thick smoke and heat waves poured in.

The entire Maas Castle seemed to have turned into a sea of flames.

Even the corpses were thrown into the castle, creating even more intense black smoke. Then, the smoke poured in through the gaps of the castle. It was like a snake that had found a gap. Bit by bit, waves by waves, the castle was filled with a large amount of smoke and dust.

In addition to the raging flames, the entire 16-meter-tall castle was unable to breathe.

The oxygen was consumed by the fire outside.

And inside, s large number of soldiers in the narrow space were even more severely depleted of oxygen.

The sounds of coughs, shouts, and miserable howls were incessant. The entire castle was like a large chimney. Under the destruction of the fire and the thick smoke, many soldiers had already escaped to the top floor, but it was still useless.

There was too much thick smoke outside!

The castle was not far.

On a hill, Firentis and Rolf stood side by side.

Viscount Wayne, the other barons, and the other lords stood there, watching as the distant Maas Castle fell into a sea of fire.

Their expressions were complicated. Maas Castle, which had once been independent of the North County, had now turned into such a miserable state. It made them feel a little sorrowful, or rather, fear from the bottom of their hearts.

In the direction of the castle, the noble alliance army, which used to belong to them, cheered.

They were like crazy thugs who had been bewitched!

"Interesting." Rolf grinned hideously.

He looked at the castle that had turned into a sea of fire in front of him, he could not help but take a deep breath. "This is how war works. It destroys everything, kills everything, burns everything, and demolishes everything. Whether it is a civilization or a kingdom, what is finally rebuilt is our new home!"

"Hehe..." Viscount Wayne and the others revealed dry smiles, but when they looked at the burning castle over there, there was not the slightest hint of a smile on their faces. Even their eyes were filled with extreme panic.

They had never seen such a scene when the Silver Platter Kingdom invaded the Dukedom of Leo.

But now, they had seen it during the internal strife in the Dukedom of Leo.

It was incomparably cruel to their own people, to the point that it made their hearts tremble!

Even Firentis could not bear to see such a thing happen. However, he was still thinking about the outcome of this battle.

They were Caradians, not people from the Dukedom of Leo. Why should they pity them?

They wanted to conquer their own territory in this land!

Everything was for Lord Kant!

And for themselves!

"Alright, they have surrendered."

On the castle in front of them, the white flag had already been raised.

In this world, the white flag also represented surrender. Right at the sealed gate of Maas Castle, there were grand knights who used their extraordinary powers to blast a passage through the fire, escorting Viscount Kevin, who was already drenched in sweat and his face was covered in soot, came out. He panted heavily outside the castle, as if he was about to die.

Behind him, his family members were also brought out. The soldiers swarmed out of the castle. They were surrounded by the noble alliance army and had no intention of resisting.

"See, this is very simple."

Rolf's sinister smile became more and more exuberant.

He turned his head to look at Viscount Wayne and the other nobles, and said with a sinister smile, "It is necessary for you to take the lead and join us. Look at Viscount Kevin Now, how are we going to treat him?"

"Gulp." Viscount Wayne and the other nobles subconsciously gulped.

"The answer is very simple." Rolf chuckled. "Just execute him."

"What?" a noble said in disbelief. "Without the permission of the noble court, you can't just execute a noble! You also don't have the right to execute a noble!"

"That's right, a noble cannot be executed without permission!"

"How can a noble be executed without going through the court's judgment? It's absolutely impossible!"

"Please respect the noble's honor!"

Many nobles voiced their objections.

However, Rolf picked his ears. "Is there anything else? The honor of a noble? Cannot be killed without permission?" He pulled out his scimitar. "You don't seem to understand. You're all captives and not here as a guest. Do I have to kill all of you before you know what fear Is?"

"You..." the nobles were instantly embarrassed and angry, but they didn't dare to say anything because of the cold glint of the scimitar. They could see that Rolf really dared to kill people.

"Go and tie up all those guys."

Rolf issued an order. "Pull the noble to this side and isolate them. Send the women to the Wayne family and let them take care of them. As for the soldiers, break up the formation and integrate them into the noble alliance army!"

"Break up and reorganize the noble alliance army as well." Firentis added from the side. "Do it immediately. Organize them before nightfall. We will set off again the next morning." After pausing for a moment, his tone was very firm, "At the same time, find the warehouse of this castle and give all the wealth to these soldiers who have already reorganized themselves!"

"Yes!" the messenger who was waiting behind immediately nodded and left to pass on the order.

Elite desert bandits were still waiting for the order.

They were the ones who carried out the order and were the commanders who were usually responsible for supervising the noble alliance army.

Elite desert bandits were also scattered into the noble alliance army in order to control the troops formed by civilians. Moreover, on the battlefield, they were in charge of the middle-level command, not the bottom-level frontline battle force.

Chapter 472: The Decisive Battle that Deciding the Future

The fall of Maas Castle was already within expectations.

After calculating, the number of garrison troop was only 2,500 people, and most of them were armed militia gathered from the surrounding villages. They did not have any combat strength. In the battlefield, they would definitely be slaughtered by the regular army.

In fact, Viscount Kevin did not dare to let his troops fight the Kant army outside.

Even the stupidest commander would not make such a decision.

Just look at it.

The Lord of the North County, Viscount Wayne, was stronger than Viscount Kevin.

They spent a huge amount of money to build a noble alliance army. Even the nobles of the South County were unexpectedly silent. It was obvious that they had tacitly agreed to the situation. However, in the open plains of the North County, they were defeated in less than a night.

Not only were nearly 10,000 mercenaries slaughtered, even the originally organized noble alliance army had been captured.

Now, they had become the accomplices of the Kant army!

That was the truth!

Not to mention the message from the soldiers who had secretly escaped in the night and were lucky enough to stay alive.

Even the mercenaries who had luckily escaped the slaughter and pursuit of the light cavalry and had been completely scared out of their wits had proved that the flat plains of the North County had become the territory of Baron Kant.

The elite and brave light cavalry, as well as the terrifying armored heavy cavalry.

No one could resist them!

In addition, there were the infantry soldiers of the noble alliance army who had surrendered.

It was as if the entire North County had been consolidated into a strong and complete single entity!

There was no infighting between the noble families, nor was there any backsliding between the noble families. In addition, there was the fanatical belief of conferring the title of noble, as well as the large amount of silver coins obtained from the salt mines as rewards. Those commoners who were eager to change their lives now had all become like greedy wolves. Even with green eyes, they still wanted to fight.

From the mouth of the Resniston River, the Sargoth had upgraded into a castle, Kant was currently stationed there, and the water force was rapidly developing, there were new orders and guidance.

According to the military merits, one would be conferred a title of nobility, given land according to the results of the battle, and receive a pension according to their performance on the battlefield before they died.

It was a very simple instruction.

It was nothing more than a form of encouragement that relied on a large amount of land and money.

In the ancient eastern countries of Earth, it had long become a fixed system. However, in this feudal world, where noble blood determined everything, and the commoners could never stand out, it burst out with absolute power!

The infantrymen formed by the lower-class commoners had already become Kant's loyal followers.

Of course, the noble families that had their fundamental interests touched had a lot of complaints.

They could only complain, but hey could not resist this system at all.

This was because after Firentis and Rolf used the scimitar to force all the troops to break up and regroup, these noble families lost their control over the troops. They could not gather their former subordinates in a short period of time!

However, even if they were to gather them, there was nothing they could do. This was because the company control was also implemented.

If one of the comrades in the same team rebelled, the others did not organize or report the entire team, they would be killed.

It was still as simple and crude as before, but it was more effective.

Most importantly, 3,000 Swadian Footmen from the Stone Pass came over.

They wore mail armor and robes that were not new, but they were definitely well-repaired. They held a spear and sword, and a round shield hung on their backs. They looked like they were even richer than the knights in the noble alliance army.

They were integrated into the noble alliance army and held the position of a squad leader.

However, it was not absolute.

Among the scattered infantry, if there were 10 people in each squad, one of them would definitely be a Swadian Footman.

Moreover, in each 100-person squadron, there was a squad made up entirely of Swadian Footmen to maintain the front line or supervise the battle. It was equivalent to a squad under the command of a squad leader.

As for those squadron leaders, they were also made up of Swadian Heavy Cavalries.

Noble knights were all integrated into Firentis's cavalry unit.

More than 800 people were not considered a lot.

They were closely watched by the 1,500 Swadian Knight and Swadian Heavy Cavalry.

As for the light cavalry that originally belonged to the noble alliance army, their scouts were also integrated into Rolf's light cavalry unit. They did not have the slightest chance to act alone.

In just a short week's time, at the burned-black ruins of Maas Castle, the unit was completed.

15,000 infantrymen.

2,100 heavy cavalries.

1,600 light cavalries.

Some of them belonged to the Caradia unit.

There were also some that belonged to the noble families of the North County. They were completely mixed together.

There were even Viscount Kevin's unit that had previously chosen to surrender and hand over the command of the unit. They had become captives.

Relying on the current Maas Castle, these troops continued to rush towards the south. Like a surging flood, they set off a huge wave that was about to engulf the entire Dukedom of Leo. At the same time, they were also washing away all the resistance and decay.

Even in the East County, the noble families who were already afraid of Kant began to contact this place.

Countless carriages formed a convoy to transport all sorts of supplies.

They were all provided by the noble families of the East County on their own initiative.

This included a huge amount of food, replacement weapons, replacement shields, and bundles of arrows.

There were also a large number of siege weapons. Moreover, many noble families had even sent their most considerate butlers over. Each of them wore a black robe with a hood. Like thieves, they gave unsigned letters and did not say much.

However, after opening the letters, the nobles all said that they could provide more help.

For example, troops.

Firentis and Rolf did not dare to make a decision on this point.

After discussing, they still passed the message to Lord Kant of the East County. After all, this kind of thing still needed their lord to personally make a decision. After all, the current strategy was to directly attack the South County.

On the second day after the troops started to attack the South County, the news was passed back.

"Sure." This was Kant's reply.

At the same time, the capital of the East County, an army of 10,000 infantrymen set off.

Very quickly, they joined the forces of the North County, allowing the overall strength of the army to reach around 35,000 soldiers. In the Dukedom of Leo, it could be considered a very large army, a level that ordinary noble allied forces could not reach.

There were no mercenaries among them. They were all the forces of the noble families. They were completely assembled in the context of a country war!

However, in the center of Lion Heart City and Lion Fort.

At countless farms.

An army of 20,000 people was waiting for orders.

On the flag fluttered a lion that was baring its fangs and brandishing its claws, as well as all kinds of flags that belonged to the top noble families.

Obviously, during this period of time, the noble families of the South County finally reacted, and all began to assemble. They were ready to have a decisive battle with the allied forces of Kant on the plains of the South County.

They would decide who would rule the Dukedom of Leo!

Chapter 473: The Secretly Prepared Serfs

Of course, the South County would not sit idly by and watch the North County's troops invade.

The previous shirking and compromise had announced the importance of the South County from the day Maas Castle fell, especially the high-ranking noble families that represented the South County.

To heavily injure the South County was to heavily injure them.

In just a few hundred years, these high-ranking noble families had been bound to the South County.

In fact, the invasion of the Silver Platter Kingdom back then was not resisted by the Grand Duke Leo. Instead, it was these high-ranking noble families who had stubbornly resisted the attack. They were unwilling to give up their strength and their families which had been completely rooted in South County.

Now, facing the noble army of the North County, the troops of the South County had finally gathered.

The 20,000 men army was neat and elite.

They were led by 5,000 knights, 15,000 knight attendants and the corresponding cavalry squires were supporting them.

All of them were cavalry troops, and they were extremely mobile. This was also the army that the Dukedom of Leo was most proud of.

In the battle against the Silver Platter Kingdom, it was these cavalry troops that were extremely mobile that cut off the Silver Platter Kingdom's infantrymen supply line. They weaved in and out of surprise attacks, and only then did they manage to defeat the enemy army that had the advantages in quality and quantity.

In the plains, cavalry was the king, and infantry was just an easy target!

The leading viscount of the South County was very confident.

However, he was not arrogant.

This was his foundation.

The training from a noble family allowed him to hold an extremely high position in commanding troops.

He was already over 35 years old, and he no longer had the arrogance of a young man. He only saw this battle as his gold-plated mission. If he completed it well, then he would be the new viscount who had bravely protected the safety of the South County.

If he fought cleanly and won beautifully, it was not impossible for him to become a count by his battle achievements.

And these were also the unspoken rules of the noble families.

They would help him ascend to the throne.

This battle was the best foundation for him to ascend to the throne.

Sometimes, mutual compromise could actually result in someone's success.

Thinking about the upcoming marriage, the young viscount of this high-ranking noble family of the South County smiled. No matter which family he married, it would allow him to advance further.

Perhaps after defeating the country bumpkins in the North County, he would still be able to control the barren wilderness.

Although the land was barren, the salt mine from the Nahrin Desert was a good thing.

Even the high-ranking noble families from the South County drooled over it.

The reason why they had not attacked was because they were worried about the sudden attack of the Silver Platter Kingdom. After all, the Dukedom of Leo was still in stalemate with this old enemy. If they were not careful, the entire dukedom would probably be annexed into three new counties of the Silver Platter Kingdom, this was not something they wanted to see.

However, now that the North County had taken the initiative to attack, they could easily defeat the invading troops and then counterattack the North County. Then, Nahrin Desert would be theirs!

They were determined to obtain that salt mine for the huge profit!

On the plains of the South County, countless farms were retreating, and many serfs and free citizens were escaping the flames of war.

However, they hadn't gone far. This battle was destined for victory, and the lingering prestige of the South County was still resounding in their hearts. Most importantly, the elites of the Dukedom of Leo had never let anyone down.

Even if the group of noble from the North County came to attack, they might just be sending themselves to their deaths!

Wasn't the Silver Platter Kingdom like this back then?

Now.

There were also serfs in some farms.

They were prisoners of war captured by the noble from the South County of the Dukedom of Leo after the Silver Platter Kingdom was defeated.

They were not exchanged back. Instead, they became serfs who were tortured day and night on the farms. They ate the worst food and were treated as human-shaped livestock. In the end, they were exhausted and died on the farms. Even their corpses were buried in the ground to fatten up.

The defeated had no human rights, let alone the defeated invaders.

Therefore, the outcome of the battle had nothing to do with them.

It did not matter who had the upper hand.

They were just serfs.

No one cared about them, and no one was willing to save them.

Perhaps the Silver Platter Kingdom was still preparing for the next attack, but it was another matter whether they were still alive or not. Especially those slave owners or farm owners who had abused them. In order to silence them, they would definitely hang these serfs first.

The Silver Platter Kingdom was also happy to see this happen. After all, some prisoners of war had become serfs, so it was a bit awkward.

However, there were also voices coming from this group of serfs.

There were some serfs who used to be commanders in the past.

They were all secretly contacted each other. After all, the farms were all connected.

Some of the serfs had also become small leaders. Secretly, they arranged a few serfs who went out to work. It was also very easy for them to send messages to each other. Very quickly, in less than half a month, all the serfs had already heard the news.

No one betrayed them, because the ones left were the ones who suffered the most.

If it was possible.

No one wanted to continue living like this!

Moreover, these prisoners of war of the Silver Platter Kingdom were themselves, so how could they be willing to die here?

Just as the South County organized their troops and attempted to wipe out the North County territory's troops, these serfs also began to organize themselves. Close to 5,000 people were distributed in the various farms in the South County, carefully collecting any supplies.

These supplies included specially sharpened pitchforks and sickles, sturdy wooden boards, tattered cloth, and animal skin.

There was also a little bit of black bread left over every day.

Pitchforks and sickles could be used as weapons.

Wooden boards could be made into shields.

Animal skin was washed and dried with feces and urine, which was equivalent to leather made from nitrite. It was a good defensive tool.

Everything was in the process of preparation, but these serfs' small actions had not been seen by the high and mighty management. Perhaps to them, it was simply impossible for the serfs to erupt into rebellion.

The South County was so powerful that it had even defeated the Silver Platter Kingdom. How could a group mere serfs rebelled them?

What a joke!

Everyone did not take it seriously.

They were a group of people who did not have enough to eat or warm their clothes were doing farm work all day long.

Even eating meat was an extremely extravagant thing. How could they have the strength to make these serfs rebel?

However, the management did not expect that the wealth of the South County had already exceeded their imagination. At the very least, the black bread was actually not bad. It was well made that there was not even sawwood powder in it.

In the North County, only the rich freemen could eat this black bread.

And the meat could be eaten if they caught field mice or water snakes.

The South County was really a good place.

These seemingly exhausted and weak serfs were actually taut muscles. And that tiredness was only consumed by the high-intensity farm work every day.

Once they stopped their farm work, they would be a group of rebellious serfs who were unwilling and wanted to overthrow the South County. They would be filled with hatred!

Chapter 474: The Light Cavalries that Plundered in the Dark

The decisive battle had yet to begin.

Both sides were in a stalemate, carefully testing each other's reactions.

Most importantly, the troops of South County had yet to transport enough supplies to support a battle. After all, with 20,000 cavalries gathered here, their daily consumption was equivalent to over 50,000 infantrymen.

If they did not have the advantage, the troops of the South County would not dare to launch an attack.

After all, the Kant's army had close to 30,000 soldiers.

Although most of them were infantrymen, if they were to form a tight defensive formation, even if the 20,000-knight corps would suffer great casualties if they tried to break through the infantrymen's tight formation, especially when the infantrymen were mainly using lance.

The noble families of the East County had already sent a huge number of resources through the geographical advantage.

Of course, there were also many long lances to defend against the cavalry.

The commander, Firentis, had already ordered the infantrymen to equip themselves with long lances.

In addition, the North County army was equipped with many long lances and spears. Most of the soldiers had formed a phalanx of long lances to defend against the charge of the cavalry. They even formed a wall of spears to slow down the advance and mobility of the enemy cavalry.

Because of this, the noble knights of the South County did not attack.

They were waiting.

Time was on their side.

As they dragged on, their morale and stamina would increase, and they would have more resources.

On the other hand, the morale of the North County alliance army led by Firentis would decrease and their resources would be depleted. Not to mention fighting, if they ran out of food for two to three days, they would collapse. The knights of the South County alliance army did not even need to do anything!

However, they were currently facing a lot of trouble themselves.

There were 20 knights with 20,000 men, but they all occupied 20 farms.

They were close to the frontlines where both sides were facing off.

However, in these farms, even if there were knight attendants patrolling continuously, they would still notice the enemy light cavalry that occasionally entered. They would not get close and would turn around to run. However, when they chased after them, they would realize that it was a trap.

That was because there were sharp and heavy short javelins were thrown over from the hands of the enemy light cavalry.

They turned around and threw.

Coupled with the speed and inertia of their own horses, they chased madly.

In less than two days, nearly 600 knight attendants were seriously injured or killed!

The casualties were heavy.

However, when they chased out to surround them, they encountered even more light cavalry.

Rolf's light cavalries had already spread out over the mountains and plains. They didn't lure the knight attendants into the defensive line of their heavy cavalry and infantrymen. Instead, they directly led them into the depths of the South County and into the plains.

Due to the development of agriculture in the South County, the roads were also flat.

The dirt or paved roads that were easy to transport in the past had now become a passage for the troops to advance at high speeds.

Even if the roads were blocked, it did not matter. They could still gallop across the plains of the South County. They would not encounter any obstacles at all.

Even the knight attendants didn't chase after them too far and retreated, because they were afraid that they would be alone.

They could only wait for the final battle.

Hence, Rolf and the others charged into the South County.

The farms had long since been emptied, and even the warehouses were empty. There was nothing of value left behind to prevent them from being used by the enemy. At the same time, it also meant that there were no troops to defend, allowing them to move about on their own.

They had even almost reached Lionheart City.

It was the largest city in the South County.

It was also one of the only two trading cities in the Dukedom of Leo.

However, Rolf did not give the order to enter Lionheart City. Instead, he led his troops back and spread out in the starry night to kill any enemies that might appear. He also defeated small groups of patrolling troops and caused damage at the rear.

This was also to increase the pressure on the troops of those noble families in the South County.

There was no other way.

Rolf also knew that time was not on his side.

If he did not want to be dragged to death, he could only rely on the infantry and to wear down the enemy knight corps.

Then, at the most critical moment, he would let his light cavalry harass them. Then, he would let Firentis's heavy cavalries finish the battle. Even if they were left with nothing, or if both sides suffered heavy losses, it would be good for them.

This was because this was not the main force of Kant's troops.

In the distance, at the mouth of the Resniston River.

An army composed of the Rhodoks and Nords was gathering.

As long as the decisive battle here began, then a dagger would appear on this wide river, stabbing straight into the heart. Kant would personally lead this water army to capture Lionheart City by the lower river. Moreover, he would also give the noble knights of the South County a heavy punch, the best plan was to directly crush the resistance of the South County!

At the very least, the South County would fall into a state of disorder for a short period of time. Then, their troops would gather together and directly rush towards the Lion Fort, the administrative center of the Dukedom of Leo, which was also Kant's former home!

…

Under the starry night, in the fields outside the South County, Rolf was leading a team of light cavalry as they traveled rapidly.

On the horizon ahead, there was a long dragon carrying a torch. It looked like a carriage and trade caravan. It was a team that transported daily supplies to the knights of the South County.

This was their target.

As light cavalry soldiers, their tactical missions had the function of disrupting the enemy's supply line.

Rolf was also clear about his position. After thinking for a while, he waved his hand forward.

"Wu --"

The long horn sound was immediately blown.

The desert bandits who were the commanding soldiers put down the horn and pulled out their spears. They and the other team members at the back looked at Rolf and slowly urged their warhorse forward.

"Kill!"

Rolf naturally did not say anything. After waving his hand forward, he also pulled out his scimitar.

Around the transport team, groups of light cavalries appeared in the darkness. Like wolves, they charged out of the darkness and rushed towards the transport team that was already nervous.

There were more than 500 people in their team and more than 100 carriages.

However, Rolf's light cavalry had 300 people.

They whistled past.

These desert bandits were close to a profession when it came to plundering transport squads.

As they threw pilums one after another, taking advantage of the fact that the defending transport squads did not have time to react, they grabbed their scimitars and charged straight into these transport teams, which were mostly coachmen, and began to slaughter them wantonly.

They naturally did not need any survivors, especially on the plains of the South County. Leaving any survivors was equivalent to exposing themselves.

War was always cruel.

"Lord!" an elite desert bandit came over.

His face was filled with joy. "It's all food. It should be enough for the knight corps to use for three days." As he spoke, he took out a flint and a water sack filled with grease. He raised his eyebrows and said, "Do you want to have a barbecue party?"

"Don't be nosy." Rolf glanced at him and said calmly, "Leave after you burn it!"

"Yes!"

He did not dare to continue to talk nonsense.

He found some linen to connect the carriage that was gathered together. Then, he poured some kerosene into it and threw it over. The raging flames instantly soared into the sky and lit up the plains. One could see it clearly even if they were more than ten miles away.

It was estimated that even the farms where the knights were stationed could be seen clearly by the watchtower.

Chapter 475: The Turmoil in the Dukedom of Leo

In just a few days, the logistics supply line of the knight corps had suffered a devastating blow.

A large number of transport convoys from the Lion Fort and Lionheart City were all targeted by the light cavalry troop led by Rolf. Then, they took advantage of the night when everyone was relaxed to launch a sudden attack. They did not linger for long and set the carriage on fire before running away.

With the raging flames, although the transport caravans did not suffer too much damage, they lost a lot of resources.

Sometimes, even the people were slaughtered.

It was a typical act of bandits!

No, that was not entirely true.

Although the various noble families in the Dukedom of Leo had done many filthy things, there were actually not many true bandits.

They were all wolf dogs reared by the noble families. Only at certain times would they attack the trade caravan. However, when the orders came from their master, it was as if they were chained again, completely silent.

Therefore, the various forces in the Dukedom of Leo were all dogs reared by the noble families.

If it was necessary, they would be unleashed and bite people.

There was no need for that, they would stay at home quietly.

As for the current Rolf, he had started to act unscrupulously in the plains of the South County and all sorts of farms. He would burn, kill, and plunder anything. That was simply something that he didn't even dare to think about!

But because of that, the management of the South County and the noble families didn't even have time to react!

In three days, Rolf had burned more than 50 farms in the South County.

Even more than 10 villages had been burned, causing close to 10,000 refugees to gather towards Lionheart City.

The entire South County was in chaos. In addition, Rolf's troop could attack at any time, plundering and looting the grain of the transport team. They even distributed the grain to the refugees. Rolf made the situation even more chaotic.

They were all light cavalry, causing the knight corps of the South County, who were used to fighting in groups, to be at a loss.

That was the function of the irregular cavalry.

Harassment!

Apart from having a mobility advantage when fighting the infantry on the battlefield, in non-battlefield areas, they could also cause all sorts of trouble to the enemy. For example, a lack of food would cause a famine!

Of course, there would be famine in the army.

Not to mention, it was an army of over 20,000 heavy cavalry soldiers. The amount of food they needed was an astronomical figure!

The amount of food they consumed every day was equivalent to the consumption of 50,000 infantrymen. If it was before the start of the war, the amount of food they needed would increase even more. After all, they needed to maintain the physical strength of the army in the short term to ensure that they could continue fighting on the battlefield for a long time!

This was how Rolf impacted the knight corps of the South County.

He attacked the grain channel.

He harassed the traditional planting areas.

He drove the peasant to become refugees and destroyed the agricultural structure.

He even blocked off the areas, attacked the transportation lines, and harassed the cities and the troops that came to sweep the area.

He did this so that in this battle, he would constantly harass the enemies and make them run for their lives. Under this high-pressure status, the enemy would collapse on their own, or rather, walk towards destruction!

The noble infantrymen who had already formed a defensive formation did not care about the charge of the knights at all.

The infantrymen who could line up into a square formation with lances and spears in their hands were as spiking as hedgehogs.

Want to attack and charge?

What a joke!

Those members of the knight corps would definitely leave behind corpses on the sharp heads of lances and spears!

Even if they used the weight and inertia of the warhorses to break through a part of the square formation of the long lance, how could the cost-benefit ratio of both sides be proportional? A group of low-quality conscripted militia and hired peasant in North County could exchange their lives with the lives of these knights who had been training all year round just by receiving a few months of military training every year.

It was worth it just by looking at it, not to mention that in order to break through the layers of defensive lance formation, they would have to lose at least 5,000 knights or knight attendants in order to do so!

Most importantly, they would suffer severe casualty.

If 5,000 knights died in battle, wouldn't that mean that the remaining people were all injured?

This was a conservative estimate, because among the 20,000 infantrymen, there was still a heavy cavalry unit of over 3,000 people. They were fully armored, and their strength was not inferior to the knight corps of South County!

If a battle really broke out between the two sides, it would only happen if one side fell!

The battle situation would be extremely tragic!

However, based on the current situation, the troops of the North County might had to stand on the spot and defend the borders of the South County. In that case, they would be like hedgehogs, the noble knight corps would not be able to bite them.

Even if the troops of the North County moved slightly, they would be able to form a gap and create a flaw.

That was the door through which the knights charged in.

However, the infantrymen of the North County did not move at all. They continued to stand guard on the spot.

They did not even care about the transportation teams. Even if the South County sent the light cavalry to scout or harass them, they would not do anything.

The biggest reason was that as the commander of the troops of the North County, Firentis did not care at all.

The advantage of the South County was that their cavalry unit was formed by the heavy cavalry, not the light cavalry.

The light cavalry, who wore simple leather armor or did not wear armor at all, only had the role of scouting.

It was laughable to let the light cavalry to charge at the transportation team that was protected by the longsword soldiers. As long as the carriages were lined up in a chariot formation and connected into a low wall, the light cavalry that held a spear or longsword would be useless.

After a few days, the knights of the South County recalled their light cavalry.

It was not because the effect was not good.

It was because an even more unexpected trouble had arrived!

In the various farms deep within the South County, the slaves that were originally prisoners of war of the Silver Platter Kingdom had started a massive uprising. They had killed many of the farm's owners and taken over the farms, starting to rebel against the rule of the South County territory.

This was an extremely unexpected incident, many farms in the South County were destroyed in a short period of time.

The rebellion had erupted!

Other than the area around Lion Fort and Lionheart City, the other places were all in a mess.

That's right, the prisoners of the Silver Platter Kingdom had rebelled, calling themselves the uprising army. They didn't gather at the same place but spread in all directions. They destroyed the farms in the South County of the Dukedom of Leo, saving more slaves, and at the same time, they plundered more peasants. This made the civilians who originally lived in the villages become rebels.

In just a few days, they had already become an army of more than 20,000 people. Compared to Rolf's light cavalry, they were even more savage. They swept through everything like locusts, eating, drinking, killing, and burning. They completely focused on destroying the South County!

The entire north bank of the Resniston River was in complete chaos.

Even the private armies of the noble families began to struggle to quell the chaos, but the effect was limited.

Everyone's vision was drawn to the allied army of the North County. They had never thought that the slaves under their care would also start a rebellion.

Moreover, because it was the captives of the Silver Platter Kingdom who started the rebellion, they did not care about how much damages they did to the Dukedom of Leo. Everything they encountered was burned to the ground, including the originally lush fields and forests, and even the villages. It seemed that they had the resolution to die, and they definitely did not want to let the Dukedom of Leo have a good time!

Chapter 476: The Connection between the Rebellion Forces

The rebellion forces in the South County were huge, but the only forces capable of quelling the rebellion were Grand Duke Cameron of Lion Fort, the troops under his direct command, and the city defense forces of Lionheart City, in addition, there were the private armies of the noble families scattered in the manors of the South County, and of course, there were also the 20 knight corps stationed in the north of the South County.

Strangely, the direct forces of the Grand Duke of Lion Fort did not move out. The city defense team of Lionheart City, which was indirectly controlled by many top noble families, also did not move out. Even the private armies of the noble manors did not move out.

Only the noble armies of the South County, which were made up of the 20 knight corps, chose to divide their forces.

The 15 knight corps were still stationed here.

The remaining 5 knight corps led 500 knights and 4,500 heavy cavalries to leave the battlefield. With the high mobility of the cavalry, they went to reinforce the South County's hinterland, which was getting more and more dangerous.

Otherwise, hundreds of farms and dozens of villages would be destroyed by the spreading rebel army.

One had to know.

These farms and villages were the cornerstone of the South County.

The resources that the Dukedom of Leo relied on were the grain that they harvested for two seasons every year.

The fertile land in the South County, coupled with the excellent weather that didn't freeze all year round, had turned Lionheart City, the commercial city of the river, into the largest grain production base of all the human countries!

Who knew how many fractions would send their fleets to import large amounts of grain every month.

If there were any changes in the South County, then the entire human countries would experience a regional famine.

This was definitely not a joke. Although both banks of the Resniston River were excellent grain cultivation grounds, it still depended on the situation. The other human countries weren't doing so well. Especially after the river had developed, many kingdoms relied on the grain imports from the South County, which increased the importance of this place.

Back then, the Silver Platter Kingdom had launched an invasion war against the Dukedom of Leo because of the top-tier agricultural land in the South County. However, because the war had lasted for too long, it had affected the other human kingdoms, and it had finally calmed down.

Of course, this had to do with the stubborn resistance of the Dukedom of Leo.

However, there was a prerequisite.

With the strength of the Silver Platter Kingdom, it could completely annex the dukedom of Leo.

The reason why they did not attack was because the other human kingdoms had intervened.

It was not only for the reason that the war would affect the food supply. It was also for the reason that the Silver Platter Kingdom was worried that after annexing the Dukedom of Leo, which was a famous food production area, the country's strength would expand.

The current strength of the various human kingdoms was almost the same.

Similarly, they were all linked to each other.

Once the strength of a kingdom increased explosively, then it would affect the Resniston River. All the human kingdoms would ensure that their own interests and safety would not be violated. By then, the annexation plan of the Silver Platter Kingdom was destined to fail.

However, this didn't mean that the Dukedom of Leo wouldn't have internal strife, especially the conflict between the heirs!

This was the common problem of all the human kingdoms.

Or rather...

As long as there were forces and heirs, there would be a struggle for the throne!

The current chaos in the North County could be seen as such a struggle. To the noble families, this was still a result that they could barely accept, or even pinch their noses in agreement.

However, this group of rebels who were once captives and now slaves actually dared to rebel against their rule?

They were simply courting death!

There was no reason for them to survive!

As the second son of the Grand Duke, Kant organized troops to seize his own position, or to fight within the noble system. It was completely different from the rebellion of these slaves, who were known as the rebel army.

These slaves were completely planning to overthrow their rule, and their attitude was to flip the table!

This was also the reason why the noble families were so furious.

The most important thing was that the serf rebellion army had destroyed the South County too thoroughly.

Burning, killing, and robbing, the damage they caused was even more vicious than Rolf and his light cavalry. Not only did they destroy a large number of farms that originally belonged to the noble families, but they also burned a lot of villages that belonged to the Grand Duke.

The fields were directly razed to the ground, and even the wheat seedlings that were sown were completely destroyed.

The serfs vented all of their resentments and angers.

When their emotions were stirred up after they had eaten and drunk their fill from the robbery, they became even more aggressive. They wanted to completely return all of the torture that they had endured in the Dukedom of Leo to those who had tormented them before!

Even a group of civilians from the Dukedom of Leo had been humiliated by these newly risen serfs.

They even had the tendency to become rebels together.

The innocent was often innocent.

In the face of these furious rebels, any civilians who wanted to stay out of it were brutally murdered.

The uprisings and rebellions in the feudal era were often accompanied by blood and fire, as well as a large number of withered lives and corpses littered the ground. Buildings and infrastructures were destroyed, including the plague and famine that followed after!

This was also the reason why the noble families anxiously mobilized the knights to return and quell the rebellion.

There couldn't be anything bad happen to the Lion Fort.

Lionheart City still needed to stabilize because of the reliance on the river.

As for the manor of the noble families, they wouldn't take out extra troops to quell the rebellion because of their own interests.

However, even if there were 5,000 knights, a total of 5 knight corps, they could still finish off the rebel army that had already increased to 30,000 people. In fact, they could even wipe out these so-called rebel army in an instant.

So what if the prisoners of the Silver Platter Kingdom were the main force?

After losing 10 years of time, these prisoners could not form an effective defense.

Perhaps their memories and experience were still there, but after 10 years of serfdom, how could these slaves resist the powerful knights? Most importantly, these serfs probably could not even bring their armor!

This was the thought of the knights, and it was also the common thought of most of the noble families.

Of course, it wasn't Rolf's opinion.

He had already made contact with the rebellion army.

As a light cavalry, he was like a ghost wandering in the South County. He easily came to the territory of the rebellion army and formed an alliance with the rebellion army.

He looked at the nearly 10,000 Silver Platter Kingdom captives inside. They were wearing all kinds of leather armor or iron-scale armor, with a shortsword or hand ax hanging from their waists. They even held a long lance in their hands. He could not help but raise his eyebrows slightly. These used to be the villagers' self-defense, the weapons to arm the militia or recruit the militia had already been grasped by the rebellion army.

Although most of the soldiers held pitchforks made of dung and wore leather made of cow or sheep skin, these captives who were former elite soldiers from Silver Platter Kingdom, were no less than ordinary regular soldiers.

It could be seen that these captives of the Silver Platter Kingdom had been prepared for ten years.

Perhaps they had long wanted to start a rebellion.

They had been waiting for an opportunity.

And now, it was a good opportunity for these prisoners to completely mess up and step onto the stage in the Dukedom of Leo!

Chapter 477: The Gap Between the Two Sides

Rolf had already met with the leader of the rebellion army. In fact, he did not have a good impression of Korod, who claimed to be a lord of the Silver Platter Kingdom, a former knight, and now the chief commander of the rebellion army.

That's right. Rolf, who was at the bottom line of the noble class, actually had a bad impression of the former noble lord. It was indeed hilarious. However, Rolf was indeed disliked this scumbag. He burned, killed, and plundered. He just let his troops to commit all kinds of crimes, he poured out his anger on the citizens of the Dukedom of Leo, who had once treated them badly. Rolf did not like it.

However, Rolf had to express his understanding of this behavior.

This was also the reason why he did not fall out with them.

He was not a good person but he could not be considered a complete evil person. This sentence was somewhat paradoxical. However, after Rolf and Firentis stayed together for a long time, they could feel that their personalities had changed. Perhaps it was because of Kant.

The subordinates would take the initiative to change themselves or draw closer to their leader.

After all, a game was a game.

And now, it was reality.

Rolf did not say anything, not even a suggestion.

This former lord of the Silver Platter Kingdom was now on the right path. He was using his hatred for the slave owners of the Dukedom of Leo to awaken the fierce of his subordinates, who had been serfs for ten years and were once soldiers!

If not for this, they would have been completely annihilated by the countless encirclement and suppression!

The troops needed support.

Hatred was the most powerful point of support.

With hatred towards the Dukedom of Leo, these serfs could erupt with absolute power no matter what.

Even if the situation on the battlefield was bad, they could still persevere because of hatred. They gritted their teeth and suffered a large number of casualties. They would only surrender when there was no turning back. and before that, the infantrymen of the Dukedom of Leo had probably already collapsed!

Fighting with casualties, this group of hatred-based rebellion army would definitely not be weak!

This was why Rolf did not say anything.

He was not a good person.

Even if he could not stand such burning, killing, and pillaging, he did not stop it.

The current rebellion army was just enough to share the pressure of the alliance army of the North County. As long as the noble forces of the South County continued to divide their forces to wipe out these guys, they would lose the initiative on the battlefield.

If the alliance army of the North County won, the South County would become theirs.

Of course, the distribution of benefits would be troublesome.

At the very least, Rolf did not want the so-called rebellion army to gain even the tiniest bit of benefits.

The Dukedom of Leo belonged to Lord Kant. These former serfs had destroyed the basic agriculture of the South County. It would be difficult for them to escape unscathed. As for getting a share, that was just a pipe dream!

These captives from the Silver Platter Kingdom would be completely annihilated sooner or later.

Rolf already had a plan in his heart.

However, this group of captives who could not return to the Silver Platter Kingdom had temporarily placed their hopes on Kant.

Although they were still wary of Rolf, they also knew that if they lost the support of external forces, they would sooner or later be completely annihilated by the local noble families of the South County.

As the leader of the rebellion army, Korob was very clear that the current situation was at a critical juncture.

Therefore, he believed that he could negotiate with Rolf.

...

On a farm somewhere in the South County.

Korod sat in the main seat, surrounded by guards and captains in mail armor.

According to their former military positions in the Silver Platter Kingdom, they quickly organized a complete command structure. It could be said that they were able to deal with the private armies of the noble families that came to encircle them by relying on the rapid recovery of their former military concepts.

More than 10,000 old subordinates of the Silver Platter Kingdom who had gradually recovered their fighting strength, in addition to more than 20,000 peasants or serfs who had been kidnapped.

There were not only slaves who had been captured, but also those who became serfs due to bankruptcy.

As long as they were used well, they would not be inferior to these old subordinates of the Silver Platter Kingdom. They had no one to rely on to begin with. Now that they had the possibility of becoming free citizens, how could they not work hard? Even if they died and enjoyed themselves for a period of time, that would be enough!

Rolf entered the farm and looked at Karod, who was seated in the main seat.

Looking around at the guards and other captain, he frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, "Mr. Karod, what's wrong?"

"Please sit down, Mr. Rolf."

Karod smiled and looked at him as he nodded. "Nothing much. We plan to talk to you about the direction of the next attack." he continued, "I heard that the alliance army of the Northern County is still in a stalemate with the knight corps of the South County? It has been a while."

"That's right." Rolf frowned, "Then what direction of attack do you want to talk about?"

"We found that the original plan, which is attacking the knight corps directly and supporting the alliance army of the North County from the back is a little dangerous." Karod did not hesitate, "We want to go around and return to the Silver Platter Kingdom!"

"That's right, we all want to go home!" the other captains nodded.

"Go home?" Rolf smiled. "Swim across the Resniston River and then go back to your Silver Platter Kingdom through the front line of the war set up by Dukedom of Leo on the south bank of the river?"

"Uh..." Karod and the other captains looked at each other, but they looked at each other.

"Stop joking." Ralf was at ease. "You can't even deal with the private army of the South County, and even the larger noble manors. How can you pass through the heavily guarded fortress and bunkers everywhere, as well as the south bank of the Resniston River, where the war castles are located?" He smiled and said, "Even if the Silver Platter Kingdom wants to bite down on that line of defense, it'll be very difficult!"

"But we broke through it before!" a captain retorted.

"That's because the Dukedom of Leo wasn't prepared."

Rolf said faintly, "Now, after ten years of development, most of the taxes of the Dukedom of Leo are used to defend the Silver Platter Kingdom every year. Are you sure you can still break through it?" He shrugged slightly, then nodded and said, "Alright, then let's say that the development of the Silver Platter Kingdom is equally huge. After paying a certain price, they finally broke through that defensive line and completely took control of the south bank of the Resniston River. Just like the south bank of the river in the East County, it became the new county of the Silver Platter Kingdom. But are you sure that your troops can do this?"

"What do you mean?" the hot-tempered captain was already frowning.

"I'm sorry." Rolf shrugged. "You guys are really too weak."

He looked at the captain in the room, in the end, his gaze fell on Karod. "According to our plan, we will directly attack the knight corps of the South County from both sides. Then, we will have the right to negotiate with the Dukedom of Leo. When Lord Kant becomes the new grand duke, you will be his powerful reinforcements." Rolf said in a deep voice, "It's not impossible to become a noble here. Do you think that by returning to the Silver Platter Kingdom, you'll be able to regain your former glory? I'm sorry, but your families would prefer that you die on the battlefield, rather than be humiliated and become captives and serfs, enslaved for ten years!"

Chapter 478: There Was No Other Choice

Rolf's words were like a heavy hammer, mercilessly hitting the hearts of the generals and commanders of the rebellion army. This was an undisguised critic and mockery, but no one could refute it, because it was the truth.

But it was precisely because they couldn't refute it that they looked at Rolf with red faces and red ears. Every one of their faces were filled with embarrassment and anger. There were even people who slowly put their hands on the scabbard by their waists. If someone took the lead, they would fight with Rolf here, blood splattering on the spot!

However, Rolf did not show any fear. He continued to look at them. He even took a step forward and said in a low voice, "What? Did my words cut you to the quick? But this is the truth, isn't it?"

"It's the truth!" the commander-in-chief of the rebellion army, Korod, nodded. His eyes were also gloomy. "But, Mr. Rolf, isn't it too dangerous for us to attack the knight corps of the South County?" He looked around at the middle-level commanders, he said in a deep voice, "I reckon that even if we all go up, we might not be able to wipe out those knights!"

"We are here!" Rolf immediately replied, "Our cavalry elites are no less than the knights and knight attendants of the knight corps. On the battlefield, we can provide support and ensure the final victory of the war."

"You're just saying big words!"

Someone retorted, "How do we know if you will save us?" The others also retorted, "If you escape, won't we all be wiped out and become your steppingstones?"

Rolf laughed and said, "But do you have a choice?"

The commanders of the rebellion army in the room immediately became restless, "What do you mean?"

"For example, now." Rolf spoke very quickly. "There are now five knight corps and 5,000 heavy cavalry soldiers heading here. They are resting in an abandoned farm not far away from us. As long as they wait until tomorrow morning, they will come near this village and launch the most fatal attack on us!"

s

"What?" the commanders of the rebellion army instantly fell silent.

"Is this true?"

Even Korod gulped, his heart clearly in shock.

They had spread out over half of the South County, conquering the city and conquering the land, so strong that even the main forces of the southern county territory did not dare to fight head-on with them. However, they knew in their hearts, they had only swept through a bunch of villages guarded by the militia and a large number of unarmed villagers. They had not even faced the regular army of the noble families.

Facing the manors built by the top-tier noble families, which were like a fortress, they still had the desire to attack in the early stages. They sent their troops over to attack, but after the bitter fight, they did not manage to take down a single manor. They completely gave up on continuing to attack the manors and towns, not to mention the Lion Fort, which was known as the number one castle in the South County. They were probably completely annihilated under the outer walls of the castle, and they might not even be able to break in!

Unless they had the support of the superb siege weapons of the Silver Platter Kingdom, but the current Silver Platter Kingdom could not be contacted at all, and they might facing death in a short period of time, so they did not dare to act rashly!

"You think it's fake?" Rolf sneered.

"Uh..."

The commanders of the rebellion army looked at each other, looking at each other in dismay.

Rolf did not give them time to think, he said calmly, "You can send the light cavalry to take a look, but I don't think it's necessary. They have already hidden very well, and they have also sent the light cavalry to scout. They are completely planning to enter a resting status after a long journey and launch an attack tomorrow when they are full of energy."

"We... What can we do?" Korod felt his mouth dry, and he subconsciously looked at Rolf. "Although our troop is around 20,000 to 30,000 people, we are all infantrymen, and our combat strength cannot be guaranteed."

"Hmm? You finally thought it through?" Rolf looked at the commanders who were avoiding his gaze. "That's easy to handle."

He held his scimitar and said calmly, "Look at those heavy cavalry troops. They are not hiding anything. They are completely trying to defeat us in the field. They have made a big mistake of underestimating the enemy."

Korod and the middle-level commanders looked at him, Rolf also continued, "We can ambush them. The distance is only three hours even if we walk. In the dark night, groups of infantrymen rush up and defeat those knights who have gone through a long journey in exhaustion and fear."

"Is this plan really perfect?" Korod gulped and looked at Rolf to remind him, "If we don't succeed in our sambush and are counterattacked by them, perhaps we will be the ones to lose in the end."

"Is there a choice?" Rolf asked.

" ... No."

Korod smiled bitterly. Indeed, there was no choice.

The middle-level commanders beside him also understood that what awaited them now was only victory or defeat. There was no third way to go, because no matter where they went, they would face a terrible fate.

If they could not even surrender, the South County's noble families would not accept them as captives again.

They would most likely be hanged after surrendering.

Rolf left the room. Only the commanders of the rebellion army were discussing this plan in whispers. He also knew that this group of people would not have a second choice because from the moment of the rebellion, they were destined to have only two choices: to win and to be hanged in defeat.

There was no way to escape.

The Silver Platter Kingdom would not send troops to save them, because the kingdom itself was in internal strife.

Even if there was no internal strife, they had to break through the Blood County on the south bank of the Resniston River, which was made up of Fort Vaulti and Fort Lobito. It was called Blood County, and it was the front line of the Silver Platter Kingdom to the Dukedom of Leo.

It had once joined forces with Fort Nazaire on the west side to form the defense line of the Resniston River.

Lionheart City and the East County City at the back were the logistical assembly points.

They had firmly blocked the Silver Platter Kingdom from the borders.

However, because of the country war ten years ago, the Silver Platter Kingdom had amassed over 100,000 soldiers. They had used the conflict between the South County and East County to brazenly defeat the Dukedom of Leo and forcefully occupy Nazaire Fort on the southern bank of the Resniston River, this was how they managed to tear open a hole in the defense line.

However, even if they managed to tear open a hole, it would still be very difficult for them to start a country war. Most of the heavy cavalry troops of the Dukedom of Leo were gathered in the two castles of the Blood County

As long as these two castles were not lost, it did not matter even if the South County and East County were lost.

As for the Dukedom of Leo that retreated to the North Prefecture, they would attack from both sides.

Especially when the cavalry of the Silver Platter Kingdom could not resist the cavalry of the Dukedom of Leo, the defeat of the entire South County and East County could be salvaged through the victory of the gathering battle on the battlefield.

At the very least, the grain that they had stored for a few years was enough for the two castles of the Blood County to defend each other for three years.

s

This was also the reason why the rebellion army could not get support.

The gains did not make up for the losses.

Even though the current Dukedom of Leo seemed to be in turmoil, they had not used their true capital.

The Silver Platter Kingdom was also caught in the struggle for the throne and the throne. Even if they saw the internal strife in the Dukedom of Leo, they could not do much about it. They could only wait for the next opportunity.

This also caused the rebellion army to ally with Rolf's light cavalry to launch an attack.

Chapter 479: Ambush In the Middle of the Night

In the deep darkness of the night, the troops were quickly organized. They were all elites wearing leather armor and holding iron weapons. Most of them were from the Silver Platter Kingdom who became slaves in here. They all harbored deep hatred towards the Dukedom of Leo.

This battle decided their future. If they did not want to die in the fertile fields of the South County, then they needed to unite as one and have a will that was close to death to defeat the enemy. However, the civilians who were held hostage could not do this, only the slaves and serfs who were so lowly could achieve this.

They had nothing to begin with. Even if they fought to the death, they would only die. Compared to the unbearable amount of labor in the fields, fighting to the death and dying gloriously on the battlefield was not necessarily a shortcut.

Dukedom of Leo advocated military force.

Although the Silver Platter Kingdom did not have a tradition of putting military force above everything else, it also encouraged the practice of combat techniques.

Although they had not fight for as long as ten years, many things had increased their hostility. The combat techniques that they used to be familiar with were now even more deadly, this was because they wanted to seek an explanation for their humiliating life as slaves. They were even willing to exchange their lives and use the most brutal methods to kill their enemies.

One had to know that those who were able to survive in this serf life could be considered the most elite. In addition, some of the serfs that were sold here from various countries were also elite warriors that once defeated in the war.

This was also the reason why they were unstoppable in the beginning.

It was truly terrifying!

In the beginning.

s

The manor owners and village chiefs of the Dukedom of Leo did not care at all.

It was not like the serf rebellion had never happened. There were even a few villages that were occupied together.

But so what?

In the end, they gathered the militia and easily suppressed them!

After summing up their experience, the reason why they were able to rebel was not because of inhuman acts such as bullying, beating, and scolding. It was purely because they looked down on the serfs and allowed them to temporarily obtain freedom. From there, they obtained part of the weapons in the beginning, they had caught the guards of the manor or the militia of the village unprepared, resulting in a collapse.

However, once the militia of other places were organized, together with many private armies belonging to the noble families, they could easily suppress these rebellions. In fact, most of the fight did not last for more than three days.

Although the forces of the Dukedom of Leo were fewer than those of the other kingdoms, they were indeed elites!

Even the militia was the same.

The South County was well-known for its wealth, and even the militia had their own horses.

In other words, their militia was actually equivalent to the light cavalry that only the well-off freemen could arm. In other human countries, they could be used as small troop commanders or cavalry squads.

Compared to the forces of the North County, most of them were mainly infantry, while the South County was mainly cavalry.

It was because they were rich!

They wore iron-scale armor, held a lance and longsword, and had a good horse. They were the militia of the South County.

Their combat strength was strong, and their mobility was strong. They were organized like a light cavalry group, and their combat strength was comparable to the desert bandits. After hard training, perhaps even the desert bandits who were good at scattered guerrilla warfare were not as strong as these militia.

However, it was precisely because of the wealth of the South County that most people valued their lives. Even the militia who were originally in charge of protecting the country lost the initiative in the waves of attacks, and they even fled.

If they did not have a courage to fight, their morale would be completely low!

Hence, these horse militia had not joined the battle yet.

The noble was also very clear.

The combat strength of these militia could only be used to hinder the enemy's attack speed.

As for the true main force of the battle, they still had to rely on the knight corps. Those true knights, led by the knight attendants, launched a tsunami-like charge, completely crushing the enemy in one wave!

There was also a deeper metaphor.

They could not let the civilians have too much power, which would affect the control of the noble's power.

...

Just as they were thinking about this, the five knight corps came to the valley of the South County.

They were resting, but they did not know that in the village in the distance, nearly 20,000 infantrymen were gathering, holding long lance and running quickly, ready to launch a direct night attack on them.

For this night attack, the soldiers of the rebellion army did not even use any cavalry.

Everything was for success!

Late at night, the light of the stars and the moon shone on the land of South County.

Groups of infantrymen appeared in the dense forest outside the valley.

In the valley, most of the members of the knight corps were still resting. Only a few dozen people stood at the crucial checkpoint as sentries. However, looking at the weak and exhausted look of them leaning against the tree, one could tell that their minds were not in it.

After traveling for such a long distance, even riding horses was already quite tiring.

Right now, they wished to sleep the most.

However, this was obviously not the case now.

The enemy was in a village not far away. Although based on their experience, they could easily wipe out the rebellion of the serfs. However, these rebellions had swept through so many villages. It had never happened before, and due to the war for the throne being ongoing, they obviously did not dare to let their guard down easily.

However, it did not mean that they would act as sentries with absolute vigilance. After all, they had easily wiped out the small rebel army that they had encountered before. This made them very optimistic, and they even suggested that they take a day off and rest for three days.

Using the reason to quell the rebellion to take a good rest on the second line was undoubtedly the best enjoyment.

At the very least.

The front line still had pressure on the troops of the North County.

After all, although the North County was poor, its people were intrepid. Even if there were fewer cavalries, they could still cause them casualties. If they were to waste their lives there, they might as well temporarily hide in the second line and wait for the final battle!

However, in the middle of the night, not far away from these sentries, in the darkness, many figures appeared.

Bandit elites from the Sarrand Desert went up.

In their hands were not scimitars.

s

Instead, it was a spearhead that was like a dagger!

Both of their boots were wrapped in a few layers of linen, and they did not make any sound when they walked.

One by one, they slowly went up. Just when these sentries were bored to death and were still dozing off, they suddenly pounced forward and pierced the throats of these sentries with the spearhead. In less than ten minutes, dozens of sentries were all killed. Under the moonlight, there were still hundreds of tents neatly set up in the valley.

These tents represented the number of five knights, close to 5,000 people. However, on both sides of the valley and at the entrances and exits of the valley, there were over 20,000-man rebel army blocking the way.

Furthermore, they were still moving forward step by step, gradually reaching the distance where the infantrymen could charge.

Chapter 480: Slow Reaction

"Kill --"

Finally, someone shouted, and the sudden sound echoed in the silent night.

However, along with this shout, a series of shouts also appeared in all directions in this valley, and it gathered into a single sentence: "Kill --"

The serf rebels in the South County who had entered the status of infantrymen had launched the deadliest night attack!

Meanwhile, the members of the knight corps, who were the main force to quell the rebellion, were still sleeping soundly.

No one could react in time!

Because of the 5,000 people, less than 20 sentries were left. Even these sentries were exhausted from traveling day and night to this place.

In addition, they did not pay much attention to the lowly troop class like the serf rebels. However, it was because of this belittlement that led to this night attack. It also made the members of the knight corps, who were still sleeping in their tents, in a short period of time, they were scattered like a tide by the rebel army!

The knights who were still sleeping in their tents woke up in the midst of the loud shouts. However, when they completely woke up, their tents were pierced and torn apart. Then, the enemies rushed in!

However, it was too late!

s

The ferocious-looking rebel soldiers used their spears and longsword to pierce through the knights who had already taken off their armor. They were unarmed and couldn't resist at all. They slaughtered them easily!

It was really a massacre!

A bloody massacre!

The knight squires at the outermost perimeter did not have time to react. They were drowned by the rebellion army soldiers who swarmed in. Then, they turned into corpses. They did not even have time to struggle before they were all killed in the tent where they were sleeping soundly!

Then, there were the middle-level knight attendants. Perhaps, they even showed some signs of resistance.

After all, the squires at the periphery had stopped them for a moment.

They immediately woke up when they heard the screams, as well as the sounds of slaughter and ferocious curses.

They picked up the weapons beside them, but before they could put on the mail armor, the tent was immediately broken open. Even though they barely used the longsword in their hands to resist a few times, more and more rebels surged in. These knight attendants could not resist at all. They retreated one after another, wanting to go to the tent where the knights were to organize a defense.

But their retreat was obviously an action out of a pure panic without time to think!

They retreated in a mess. Their strength of resistance had become very low.

After causing a small number of casualties among the rebellion soldiers, most of the knight attendants wore simple long robes and held longsword or lance. They quickly retreated, quickly becoming defeated and directly running towards the knights 'defensive line.

The tents of the knights were in the center.

They were also the ones who reacted.

Under the double delays of the squires and attendants, these knights were fully armed.

However, there were only less than 500 of them. Even with the knight attendants and squires who had retreated, they could only gather around 3,000 people in the end. Among them, there were nearly 1,000 people who did not have time to put on their armor!

However, just as these people gathered to resist, they were completely surrounded.

The 20,000 elite members of the rebellion army moved out in full force, trapping them firmly in the valley.

The front row was armed with long lances and spears, while the back row was filled with elite warriors in heavy armor. On both sides of the valley, there were long-ranged troop class soldiers armed with bows and crossbows, as well as pilums and catapults.

Under the moonlight, they could see clearly even without torches.

The same was true for the knights.

There was nothing they could do.

They could no longer break through this dense encirclement.

That was because their warhorses were kept on one side of the valley not far away. When the rebel soldiers launched a sneak attack, the tents of the warhorses were the first to be destroyed. All the squires who stayed behind were killed. There were no captives left behind, it was to prevent the captives from wasting their energy and taking care of them.

However, to the knights who were surrounded in the middle, these uprising army soldiers were as if they had destroyed their most important escape tool. It was simply impossible to break out of the encirclement!

Who would have thought that the well-equipped knights would fall to such a state?

This was simply impossible!

Especially the commanders of the five knight corps, who looked at each other in dismay.

This time, they had originally planned to stay far away from the main battlefield to relax.

However, they did not expect to be in danger of being annihilated now. Looking at the surrounding phalanxes of lance that were less than 50 meters apart, they had nowhere to go. Under the moonlight, the spearheads that flashed with a chilling light carried a terror that could pierce through everything, no one dared to ignore so many lances.

Moreover, there were more and more warriors in heavy armor behind them. They held longsword and looked at them coldly. However, when they looked back, they realized that many of their heavy armor looked extremely familiar. It seemed to be their standard armor!

That's right, it was indeed the standard weapons and armor of these knights.

They found it during the night raid.

Then, it was put on by the soldiers of the rebellion army to make the most of it!

Even at the top of the valley on both sides, a large number of long-range troop class were waiting for orders. The total number was close to 5,000 men. Although there were only a few war bows and heavy crossbows, most of them were using hunting bows and light crossbows, as well as simple-cut javelins.

Even the primitive catapults that were temporarily made from two leather ropes.

However, these were still long-range weapons!

From a high vantage point.

With the difference of more than 30 meters between the two sides of the hill, the inertia and lethality formed by these long-range weapons was enough to kill!

Even if they were trapped here, starving these knights who lacked supplies for two days would make them exhausted and lose their combat ability. Even if they were to break out of the encirclement, there would be continuous long-range attacks to exhaust them.

During the process of breaking out of the encirclement, more and more of their comrades were killed or injured. This was also a great blow to their morale!

It could be said that these 3,000 knights were like fish in a barrel.

Rolf came to the top of the hill.

Behind him was the leader of the rebellion army.

s

The two of them did not say anything. Instead, they looked at the 3,000 knights who were tightly surrounded in the narrow space below. They stretched out their hands and waved forward. They ordered to take the lead and destroy them before these people were ready to break out of the encirclement!

"Fire!"

Their respective middle-level commanders shouted the order.

On both sides of the hills, all the long-range weapons were fired at the same time. As the whooshing sound continued, more and more black shadows appeared under the moonlight. The terrifying scythe of death swung down fiercely in the air. It made the knights who were closely arranged into a defensive line under the ground scream in pain.

Even hunting bows and light crossbow, heavy pilums and irregular stones could cause heavy casualties to those knights who did not have armor and shields in a hurry, not to mention the lethal arrows shot by war bows and heavy crossbows!

Chapter 481: Desperate Escape

The 3,000 knights and knight attendants who were lucky enough to survive were completely in a desperate situation.

They rested in an abandoned farm that they had specially chosen. This farm was located in a canyon, and it was just enough to avoid the cold night wind.

But now, it seemed that such a choice back then was really digging their own graves.

The canyon headed north and south, just enough to block the cold night wind blowing from the west. On both sides of the canyon were steep mountain walls that were more than 30 meters tall. At this moment, on each side of the mountain wall, there were two to three thousand rebels using all kinds of long-range weapons. They were mercilessly attacking the remaining knights and knight attendants.

The long-range weapons of the rebels were not very good. There were only a few bows and heavy crossbows, most of them were hunting bows and light crossbow, as well as simple sharpened pilums, or even primitive catapults that were temporarily made from two leather ropes.

However, they could not withstand these long-range attackers with the advantage of the terrain.

They were looking down from above!

They were falling more than 30 meters!

With such a high drop, even if the rebellion army picked up a stone at random and threw it at the knights and knight attendants of the South County who were surrounded in the canyon, they would still be smashed into bloody pieces.

Because of this, the sharp arrows whistled down, bringing with them a tremendous speed that was created from the high place. They pierced through the iron-scale armor of the knight attendants without any hindrance, causing a large number of casualties to the knight attendants.

s

Only 500 knights who were fully armed could rely on their mail armor and iron helmets to avoid being injured by the arrows. Of course, there were also unlucky knights who were by the arrows through the iron rings on the mail armor and were seriously injured.

Not only were the arrows and crossbows shot, but the pilums were even more terrifying. They were much heavier than the short bows and arrows. Even though they were only wooden pilums, the 30-meter drop gave these pilums terrifying speed, their lethality far exceeded the inferior bows and arrows in the hands of the rebels.

Even a formal knight wearing mail armor and an iron helmet with extremely strong defense would inevitably break his bones and tendons when struck by the pilums. If the pilums hit the iron helmet on his head, a large part of the iron helmet would be dented, and the knight would most likely be knocked unconscious.

On this cruel battlefield, fainting on the ground was equivalent to death.

What was scarier than the pilum was the huge rocks that fell from the sky. It was not uncommon for them to smash the knights and knight attendants at the bottom of the valley into minced meat.

Under the desolate moonlight, a merciless slaughter was happening.

Countless bows, pilums, and huge rocks were shot down from both sides of the valley by the long-range soldiers of the rebellion army. In the huge height difference, along with the inertia, it produced a terrifying destructive force, causing a large number of casualties to the knights and knight attendants at the bottom of the valley, this caused a large number of casualties.

"Ah --"

A knight attendant of South County gritted his teeth and used all the strength in his body. He brandished his knight sword with both hands and deflected a bow and arrow that was rapidly shooting at him. However, he was unable to defend against the terrifying pilum that came after him, the pilum pierced through the inlaid iron-scale armor on his body and pierced through his heart, letting out an extremely shrill scream.

In a short period of time, more than 20 knights died in the canyon, and more than 300 knight attendants died.

Everyone was injured.

In the canyon, five Sarleon Lion Knights, who were wearing shiny plate armor and full helmets, only revealing a pair of merciless eyes, stood quietly behind Rolf.

The commander of the rebellion army and Rolf stood side by side.

He looked at the knights of the South County who were in a desperate situation, and a mocking smile appeared on his lips. He said indifferently, "These guys are finished!"

The commander of the rebellion army, Korob, smiled in agreement. There was an unconcealable excitement and fear in his eyes. "This is all thanks to the information you provided and the plan of ambush!"

"These guys are courting death!" Rolf's voice was filled with disdain.

During the war, these knights were actually camping so casually at night. The sentries they sent out were so few that it was unbelievable.

Five knight corps, 500 official knights, and 4,500 knight attendants. They formed a heavy cavalry troop.

From the data on paper, this troop was definitely an elite on the battlefield. However, their previous performance, in Rolf's words, was "The third-rate bandit groups on the Continent of Caradia are a hundred times stronger than them!"

Five thousand elite warriors and there were only twenty night sentries. This was really a joke.

Such an arrogant attitude would just end up miserably.

Being blocked in this narrow canyon and being besieged from all sides, it was difficult to find a way out.

"By the god of war, Edmund, knights, it's time for us to fight with our lives on the line!"

In the canyon, the only grand knight among the five knight corps was exuding a powerful aura of flames. He pointed the exquisite knight sword in his hand in the direction of the northern exit of the canyon, he said in a deep voice, "Our only way out is there. Knights, for the honor of the god of war, Edmund, charge with me!"

This grand knight's heavy lance was placed beside his warhorse. Otherwise, with his strength, using a four-meter-long lance would be much more lethal than using the exquisite knight sword, especially in this situation.

"For the honor of the god of war, Edmund, Charge!" All the members of the knight corps responded to this grand knight's call, shouting with ferocious faces.

The members of the knight corps who were in a desperate situation had been forced to the point of no retreat. This had instead stimulated their determination to risk their lives and gathered a strong morale.

This grand knight was wearing a thick plate armor and an exquisite fine linen robe. He waved the knight sword in his hand and knocked away the arrows and pilums that kept attacking him. He led the remaining knights and knight attendants toward the north exit of the canyon, they charged forward quickly.

This direction was indeed their only way out!

The members of the knight corps in the canyon had been blocked in the narrow valley. The exits on the north and south sides were all surrounded by the rebellion army.

At this moment, the soldiers of the rebellion army who were blocked on both sides stood in the front three rows with hundreds of long spear infantrymen. The three-meter-long spears in their hands were all raised horizontally or diagonally, stabbing the members of the knight corps who were trapped in the canyon.

s

These rebellion army soldiers who were arranged at the front were the elite infantrymen from Silver Platter Kingdom who had been captured. They were very proficient in the spear battle formation, and they could do their best to resist the onslaught of the heavy cavalry.

At this moment, these knights under horses had lost countless lives in this spear battle formation.

The vicious spear battle formation was locked down, and the rain of arrows, pilums, and rocks that kept falling from the sky forced these knights into a desperate situation where they were bound to die.

The longer they waited, the more people they would die, and the less hope they had to break out of this desperate situation.

If they wanted to survive, they had to break out of the encirclement while there were enough knights alive.

Chapter 482: The End of the Battle of the Canyon

Rolf, who was standing on top of the canyon, looked at the knights who were trying their best to charge out, as well as the soldiers of the rebellion army who were beginning to suffer losses. A malicious smile appeared on his face.

These foolish and arrogant knights of the South County, as well as these crazy and violent rebellion army, were all obstacles for his Supreme Lord, Lord Kant, to enter the South County.

The more of these people died, the better!

As the knights of the South County charged forward without caring about their own lives. More and more soldiers of rebellion army died at the northern exit of the canyon.

At the same time, more and more knights were pierced through by the sharp spear, turning into one of the corpses that were gradually piling up on the ground.

Fresh blood was flowing.

Life was withering.

At the forefront of the rebellion army, the infantry that was blocking the spear of the knights kept stabbing the spear in their hands, specifically targeting the faces and necks of the knights and knight attendants that were not protected by the iron armor.

"We must not let these people escape from here!"

Seeing their comrades falling down, some of the infantrymen with the spear roared in anger.

s

This was the best opportunity to kill these knights under their horses. If they escaped, allowing them to return to the leading army of the South County in the north and regroup, they would definitely not be able to withstand the revenge of these heavy cavalry.

The ones arranged at the front were the elites of the rebellion army. Most of them were the soldiers of Silver Platter Kingdom that captured ten years ago.

This was Rolf's suggestion. He met the unyielding resistance of these knights.

He suggested to the commander of the rebellion army, Korod, that if he wanted to destroy these knights, he must not be intimidated by their imposing manner when they risked their lives. Hence, he had to arrange the soldiers who were the least afraid of death at the front line.

Korod accepted Rolf's suggestion.

Among the rebellion army, the soldiers of the Silver Platter Kingdom who were the least afraid of death were the ones who were captured ten years ago.

After ten years of humiliating their life as slaves, they saw an opportunity and rebelled without hesitation.

This was a dead end. If they were afraid of death, they would continue to be their slaves obediently.

The rebellion army tried their best to block the knight crops from the South County, but they were still unable to stop them.

The grand knight's sword was covered in flames. Not only could it easily cut off the spear, but it could also pierce through the iron-scale armor worn by the rebellion army.

It was like piercing through a piece of tofu.

Extraordinary strength had an overwhelming advantage over ordinary soldiers.

The knight corps of South County and their knight attendants were more elite than the rebellion army.

They were indeed stupid, but they were undeniably elites.

The rebellion army could not stop the charging footsteps of the knights.

Even if they had to leave hundreds of corpses for every meter of distance.

The long-range attacks on both sides of the canyon never stopped, even if they accidentally injured their own people.

The rebellion army soldiers at the south exit were even more vicious as they slaughtered the knights at the back.

The sounds of killing resonated in the canyon. The rebellion army and the knights fought desperately in the canyon!

Fresh blood flowed like a stream in the canyon.

The corpses started to pile up layer by layer.

The smell of blood even attracted the wild wolves that were searching for food in the nearby shrubs.

They had a pair of scarlet eyes in the dark. Saliva was flowing out of their mouths as they silently watched this place and waited for an opportunity.

The vultures circled above the canyon and flied furiously under the moon.

All the knights wanted to be the first to break out of this hopeless situation. The first person to break out had the greatest chance of survival.

Now was not the time to be stingy with their strength. If they were to delay for one more second in this canyon, there would be dozens of dead companions, and the probability of breaking out would decrease.

All the knights did not hold anything back. It was a matter of life and death, and no one dared to hold anything back.

These rebels did not leave any way out for them.

"Soldiers, for the humiliation we have suffered for the past ten years, Kill!"

Facing the desperate members of the knight corps, the last spear-wielding infantryman in the rebel army roared crazily, using his desperate aura to boost the aura of his comrades.

The spear-wielding infantrymen died one after another. Without the spear-wielding infantrymen and spears to block them, the rebel army found it even more difficult to block the charge of the knights.

The flame aura on the grand knight's exquisite knight sword was already very dim, but his eyes were getting brighter and brighter.

That was because the rebellion army soldiers blocking him were only left with the last few rows. Behind the rebellion army soldiers, there were no longer countless soldiers, but the main road of the farm.

"For the honor of the knight corps, Kill!"

The grand knight was encouraged by the visible hope, and the flame of the exquisite knight sword became even more vigorous.

The grand knight slashed down, directly cutting off the heads of three soldiers. Hot blood sprayed onto the faces of the nearby soldiers, making them cry out in fear.

With just one slash, the grand knight opened a gap in the row of soldiers in front of him.

Not only that, the last few rows of soldiers of the rebellion army were terrified upon seeing the grand knight's might. They kept pushing to the sides, looking as if they were taking the initiative to make way for the grand knight and the knights behind him.

They were just making way, but they were afraid of retreating and running away, so they did not dare to retreat.

Unfortunately, on such a crazy battlefield, these cowards wanted to live, so they did not dare to draw their swords. However, it was more convenient for the knights to slaughter them mercilessly.

The soldiers of the rebellion army were formed. Other than the elite prisoners from the Silver Platter Kingdom, the rest were low-fighting serfs, militia, and civilians who were held hostage by them.

These people were arranged at the back of the group.

Rolf knew that if these people were arranged at the front to be cannon fodder, a small portion of them would probably be scared to death and collapse. At that time, these soldiers might lose their minds and even directly crash into the soldiers of the rebellion army at the back.

In the end, the grand knight led a portion of the knights out of this "Death Canyon" and escaped along the main road of the flat farm.

At this moment, the rebel army revealed their motley nature. Not a single commander led his soldiers to chase after the knights who had escaped.

"Mr. Rolf, I'm very sorry!"

Korod's expression was a little ugly. Such a meticulous encirclement had even killed more than 2,000 knights during the night raid, and a portion of them had actually escaped. This made him, the commander of the rebel army, feel that he had lost face in front of Rolf.

"This is nothing. The results of the battle are even better than I expected!" Rolf replied with a faint smile on his face.

Out of the 5,000 knights, less than 500 had escaped. The rebellion army had suffered more than 5,000 casualties. Most of them were captured by the soldiers of the Silver Platter Kingdom and were the elites of the rebellion army. This was undoubtedly a severe weakening of the strength of the rebellion army.

The result of the battle had indeed exceeded Rolf's expectations.

Rolf was not worried about the knights who had escaped. Without their warhorses, they had fought a desperate battle and were all injured. They could not escape.

"Victory! We have won!"

At this moment, a burst of cheers erupted in the canyon.

After a long time, the cheers subsided.

"Oh my god, I, I killed a knight! This is really shocking! Oh my god, I, Jack, killed a knight! Is this true?"

A soldier said this, his tone full of disbelief.

s

Before he became a soldier of the rebellion army, he was a serf. Whether it was a knight or a knight attendant, there was no difference to him.

Those high and mighty knights would not even look at him anyway.

Perhaps in the eyes of those knights, he was no different from an animal.

Above the canyon, the chief commander of the Rebellion army, Korod, revealed a faint smile. No matter what, they had won this time.

Even though the corpses of his army in the canyon were no less than the corpses of the knights.

Chapter 483: Knights Fleeing In Panic

Korod stood at the top of the canyon, looking at the iron-scale armor and exquisite chain armor on the bodies of the knights, as well as the fine knight swords scattered on the ground. His eyes flashed with excitement.

In addition to the equipment, on the other side of the canyon, there were also warhorses belonging to these knights. Beside the warhorses, there were also the knight spears of the knights or knight attendants.

"This is a wonderful victory!"

Korod thought.

With these warhorse and equipment, Korod could raise the strength of the rebellion army by several levels.

At this moment, the North County and South County's noble armies were facing off against each other in front of Maas Castle, which was at the junction of the three counties. In his opinion, the Northern County's noble armies were weaker than the South County's noble armies.

After all, compared to the wealthy South County, the barren North County were like rural areas. The two were not on the same level at all.

If it was in the past, Korod definitely did not think that the noble alliance army of the North County would be able to withstand the noble alliance army of the South County.

But now, his thoughts changed.

Because there was their rebellion army. Because of their crazy destruction, killing, and plundering, the situation in the South County was in a mess. The top noble needed to stay in the manor and defend against them with a large number of troops.

s

This had undoubtedly weakened the strength of the South County against the North County.

The North County's noble alliance army had a total of 30 to 40 thousand soldiers. The Southern County's noble alliance army originally had 20 thousand cavalries, but now there were only 15 thousand cavalries. The difference between their military strength and the North County was too great. It was just that the quality of their army was better than the North County's.

From the looks of it, the troops of both sides would most likely suffer heavy losses.

As Korod thought about this, his eyes flashed with ambition.

If the North County and South County's noble alliance armies really suffered heavy losses, he might be able to lead the rebellion army to clean up the mess and gain benefits from the chaos, further increasing the strength of the rebellion army.

As long as the strength of the rebellion army increased to a certain extent, he could use this as a bargaining chip to negotiate with Cameron, Duke of Leo. He might even be able to obtain a noble identity.

Thinking of this, Korod's heart was burning with passion.

If he could obtain the identity of a noble, then he would be able to wash away the humiliation of being a slave for the past ten years.

Rolf glanced at Korod. It was he saw through Korod's fantasy. His eyes were filled with ridicule.

This pitiful wretch who didn't even know his own situation was still having unrealistic dreams.

The existence of the rebellion army had already broken through the bottom line that the noble class could tolerate. If the rebellion army succeeded, the foundation of the noble class's rule would be shaken. The noble class would definitely not allow the rebellion army, who broke the rules of the game, to continue existing.

Extermination would definitely come!

"But this is better, it's more convenient to use them!" Rolf thought to himself.

A brilliant smile appeared on his face, and he turned to face Korod. "Mr. Korod!"

Korod quickly withdrew from his fantasy and said respectfully, "Mr. Rolf, what orders do you have?"

Even if the rebellion army had achieved a huge victory and their strength would increase by a large margin after obtaining the spoils of war, Korod still maintained his respectful attitude towards Rolf. After all, this victory was obtained with Rolf's help.

Moreover, behind Rolf, there were five Sarleon Lion Knights who were wearing heavy armor and full helmets. They only revealed their cold eyes, giving him great pressure.

Rolf restrained his expression and said with a serious expression, "Now, I have helped you solve this big problem. I hope Mr. Korod can keep our alliance agreement!"

Although Rolf was quite proud that he had used the rebellion army to destroy a portion of the South County's forces, his goal had not changed.

He wanted the rebellion army to attack the Southern County's noble alliance army from the back when the troops of North County and South County were fighting.

Attacking from the front and back, destroying the South County's noble alliance army and removing the obstacles for his lord, Lord Kant, to enter the South County.

Of course, this was only what was said in the alliance agreement.

Rolf was known as a scoundrel noble. Whether or not he would abide by the alliance agreement, only God knew.

Korod was shocked for a moment. He did not shirk this time since he already had an idea in his mind, he quickly replied, "Mr. Rolf, please rest assured. You only need to inform me of the time of the start of the war. I will definitely appear on time and abide by the alliance agreement."

Korod had the idea of leading the rebel army to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fighting. He wanted to wait until both the North County and South County's armies suffered heavy losses. He wanted to take down both sides.

However, he did not know that his thoughts had long fallen into Rolf's eyes. Since Rolf dared to invite him, how could Rolf not do anything to him?

...

In the pitch-black night, on the plains of the South County, more than 400 figures were running at full speed. Among these figures, there were people who would occasionally turn around to take a look. Only after confirming that there were no pursuers behind them did they feel slightly relieved.

"Lord, there's an abandoned farmhouse nearby. Can we..."

Someone suddenly said. He was panting heavily, and his voice was weak. Moreover, his voice was full of expectation.

These fleeing figures were the knight corps of South County who had escaped from the canyon of the previous battle.

After a fierce battle, there were only 438 of them left, including one grand knight, 100 official knights, and 337 knight attendants.

At first, there were more than these people who had escaped. However, over 20 of them had died due to severe injuries and heavy bleeding on the way. Many of them looked sorrowful and despairing.

Even now, all of them were injured. The strongest grand knight was also shot twice in the shoulder where the plate armor could not reach.

"Yes, Lord. Even if we ride horses, it will take at least two days to return to the defensive front line from here. If we continue to run like this, the little stamina we have left will be depleted very quickly. If we encounter any danger, we won't have the ability to protect ourselves at all. Moreover, we are all injured." another knight spoke.

The grand knight who was running at the forefront slowed down. After a moment of silence, he said, "Lead the way!"

His subordinate was right. With their current status, they wouldn't be able to hold on for long.

If the enemy really wanted to chase after them, they would have caught up long ago. After all, their warhorses would definitely be captured by the enemy.

However, the other party had never appeared. This meant that the other party had no intention of chasing after them.

s

Even though it was so tragic, the grand knight still secretly despised the rebellion army.

"A motley crew is a motley crew. They don't even know how to grasp such an opportunity!"

After that, he thought that it was this motley crew that had defeated the 5,000 elite heavy cavalries that he led. His mood became even gloomier.

However, these people did not expect that the moment they escaped from the canyon, they were already doomed.

It was just that the people following them were far away and did not let them discover them.

Chapter 484: The Farm that had been Ravaged

The knight corps who had successfully escaped from the canyon were led by the knight who had requested to rest to an abandoned farm.

They were very tired, extremely tired.

They needed to rest.

Many of the wounds on the knights and knight attendants were still bleeding.

They also needed to stop to be bandaged.

The rebellion army was wreaking havoc in the South County. The farmhouse, which did not have the protection of the private soldiers of the top noble, was almost robbed, slaughtered, and burned to the ground by the rebellion army.

This farmhouse was no exception.

White bones could be seen everywhere on the ground. It was enough to witness the cruelty and brutality of the rebellion army.

The original owner of the farmhouse was mercilessly killed. His body was abandoned in the wild and was eaten by wild wolves and vultures into white bones on the ground.

The wooden buildings in the abandoned farm had been burned to ashes. Fortunately, there were still some stone buildings. Although they were empty and dilapidated, they were still able to shelter the exhausted knights from the wind and rain.

s

At least, it was better than sleeping in the wilderness.

There were still more than a dozen stone houses left in the farm. To be able to build so many stone houses, it could be considered a big farm even in the affluent South County.

After all, the grinding of stone slabs was an extremely laborious task in this feudal era where productivity was low. Hence, the price of stone slabs was extremely high.

From this, it could be deduced that this farm might have once been the fief of a powerful knight, or it might have been the fief of a knight.

It could even be the estate of a fallen baron.

Now, it had all turned into ruins!

This was the case for most of the South County.

The South County still maintained the prosperous place of the past, and only the manor of the great noble was left. The large number of elite private soldiers had effectively deterred the rebellion army, which had once been a mob.

The rebellion army's rampage had caused irreparable huge losses to the South County.

It was a huge loss.

Especially the destruction of the infrastructure. Even if the noble families of the South County suppressed the rebellion army in the future, it would take more than five years for the land that had been destroyed by the rebellion army to regain its former prosperity, it was impossible.

The stone houses were already covered with spider webs, and there were even some rats that had settled down.

The doors and windows had been removed by the rebellion army. The wooden doors could be used to make shields, and the wood on the wooden windows could also be used to make arrows and pilums. These ready-made woods were better than the rebellion army cutting the trees down themselves.

All the military equipment had been lost, and the knights without tents had no choice but to sleep in them at night.

More than 300 members of the knight corps filled more than a dozen stone houses.

More than 10 members of the knight corps who were slightly injured were sent by the grand knight to guard the entrance of the farm to guard against possible pursuers.

The knights in the stone houses took off their heavy armor and began to carefully take care of the wounds on their bodies.

The fine linen robes that were soaked in blood and condensed into blood scabs. The knights torn linen robes into pieces and used it to bandage the bleeding wounds.

The knights were all very quiet. The weakness caused by the bleeding wound, the exhaustion of running for dozens of miles after a big battle, and the low mood brought by the shameful defeat made them not have the mood to open their mouths.

After treating the wound, they were ready to rest.

They needed to recharge for tomorrow!

This place was still far away from the base of the knight corps on the front line. Their warhorses had been lost, and they would not be able to reach Maas Castle in less than five days.

Tomorrow, they would not only have to deal with the enemy soldiers they might encounter on the way back to the garrison of the knights of the front line, but they would also have to worry about food, because their supplies had also been lost along with their warhorse.

...

"General, those fleeing fellows are hiding in the abandoned farm ahead!"

A desert bandits galloped over on his horse. When he saw Rolf who had already arrived, he immediately reported to him respectfully.

Rolf nodded. A thought flashed in his mind, and he asked, "How long have they been in there?"

"They haven't been in there for long, less than ten minutes!" the desert bandit said respectfully.

"Very good!" Rolf revealed a joyous look. He gave an order with a sinister smile, "Guys, let us send those poor knights to hell. Their companions are waiting for them there!"

Behind Rolf, there were thousands of desert bandits and 600 elite desert bandits. With such strength, even 400 heavy cavalry soldiers from the South County would be able to take them down, not to mention those knights who were like stray dogs.

Five Sarleon Lion Knights in shiny plate armor and full helmets were riding on strong horses that were also fully armored. They followed behind Rolf quietly. They were sent by Baron Kant to protect Rolf.

Rolf was not the only one who enjoyed such protection. At this moment, Firentis who was in charge of Maas Castle, Manid who was in charge of the Drondheim Castle in the Oasis Lookout, James who was in charge of the Aaron Town in the Senwaya Range, as well as the newly recruited hero Baheshtur, they all had a few Lion Knights sent by Kant as their personal guards.

Only Bunduk, who had already become an apostle of the underworld, did not enjoy such close protection.

As an apostle of the underworld, Bunduk was strong enough, and he was not on good terms with the Lion Knights. If Kant sent the Lion Knights to protect him and without his presence to suppress Bunduk, perhaps Bunduk would directly fight with the Lion Knights.

Kant's force was large now, but there were very few high-level talents who could help him with his affairs.

He had taken so many gift packs and only obtained a few heroes. They were all the most precious talents among his subordinates.

As time passed, he recruited more and more Lion Knights, which were equivalent to top-level grand knights. Kant naturally sent some to protect his important subordinates.

After all, although this world was in a feudal era with low productivity, there were extraordinary powers that surpassed the limits of ordinary humans.

Kant's forces had already started a full-scale war against the South County.

s

In a war, they would do anything. He did not want his right-hand men to die in humiliation from despicable assassinations.

The South County had a very deep foundation. Kant did not know how many grand knights with extraordinary strength they had.

However, they definitely surpassed the North County and the East County.

Viscount Wayne of the North County could bring out nearly ten grand knights. Countess Agatha of the East County had lost six grand knights in Kant's hands.

Even Dylan, an isolated baron who was excluded from the noble circle, could bring out three grand knights, including himself.

Chapter 485: The Upcoming Decisive Battle

On the surface, the Dukedom of Leo only had less than ten grand knights, but that was only on the surface. It did not explain anything.

Kant was very clear about the nature of the noble. Their strength was like an iceberg on the sea, and only a small part of it was exposed. However, the strength hidden in the dark could be several times stronger than on the surface, as it was the foundation of their existence.

If there were some wanted to fight with the nobles who only showcased an iceberg of their true strength, these dumb people would probably die in the end.

Take Kant himself for example. Even though he had displayed extremely terrifying power and strength, who knew that these weren't Kant's real trump cards?

Even the Drondheim Castle and Aaron Town that were still hidden in the dark weren't Kant's trump cards.

Kant's trump card was actually a system that was connected to him and could not be separated from each other.

With the system, countless worlds of "Mount and Blade" could be his backing. Compared to the world that Kant currently knew, it was countless times larger.

...

Many times, Rolf, who was leading the desert bandits, liked to rely on the desert bandits' swift and wind-like characteristics to play the enemy in his hands.

However, this time, he did not do so.

s

That was because it was no longer necessary.

At the intersection of the abandoned farm, twelve knights and four knight attendants were on sentry duty.

They were lying on the ground on sentry duty.

They were snoring.

In just ten minutes, these sixteen knights had already fallen asleep on the ground.

This was not their fault. They were really too tired. Even if they wanted to stay awake, they could not do so.

In order to destroy the despicable rebellion army as soon as possible, the five knight corps had rushed here for a day and a night.

After resting for a while, they were ambushed by the rebellion army, which was several times more than them. They were trapped in a desperate situation.

Dragging their exhausted bodies, the knights fought with all their might and broke out of the encirclement. After leaving behind more than 4,500 corpses, they were lucky to escape.

After that, they did not even care about their bleeding injuries. Wearing heavy armor, they fled for more than ten miles for their lives. It was with great difficulty that they managed to make it to this abandoned farm.

Their bodies were almost exhausted, and their spirits were severely exhausted.

If there were enemies chasing them from behind, these knights might have been able to continue to flee further with their extremely strong will to survive. After that, they would either be caught and killed, or they would be so tired that they would collapse and die on the way.

However, they did not notice the pursuers and were lucky enough to survive until here. Once they relaxed, they would not be able to hold on any longer.

The members of the knight corps who were on sentry duty slept naturally.

Even in the abandoned farmhouse, in more than a dozen stone houses, more than 400 members of the knight corps were the same.

Snores rose and fell, and not a single person was awake, even the only grand knight had overused his extraordinary strength in the previous battle. Among all of them, he was actually the most exhausted.

The rats that were hiding in the stone houses quietly appeared from their hiding caves. They sneakily ate the rotten meat on the knights' wounds, occasionally letting out happy squeaks.

Even so, not a single knight was awakened.

The sound of horse hooves came from the main road of the farm. Under Rolf's leadership, the 1,600 elite desert bandits and desert bandits cast a shadow in the pitch-black night.

The faces of the desert bandits were fierce, and their fierce and arrogant eyes were shining with a bloodthirsty light.

They had never been easy to deal with. Whether it was in the Continent of Caradia or in this world, their hands were stained with blood.

"Ha!" Rolf looked at the sixteen knights lying on the ground at the intersection of the abandoned farm.

"The situation is much better than I expected!"

Rolf compared these knights with the cavalry of the Continent of Caradia again, and a mocking smile appeared on his lips.

Whether it was the Swadian Heavy Cavalry, the Khergits and the Sarrandian Horseman, or even the desert bandits under his command, they would not perform so badly under the same circumstances.

Even if they were to cut themselves with their blades and stimulate themselves with pain, they would never allow themselves to fall asleep peacefully.

After all, it was a world of war.

The South County had been too comfortable and peaceful for too long.

Ten years!

These knights had not experienced a real war for ten years.

Under the prosperity and extravagance of the South County, these wild cavalrymen of Dukedom of Leo, who were once able to roam the battlefield, had also fallen a lot.

They were not as elite as they thought they were.

Whether it was the clumsy camp before, or the completely defenseless rest now.

The only thing that had a bit of chivalry was the desperate escape in the canyon, which had been deliberately designed by Rolf.

On the battlefield, there was no room for luck.

Something would happen.

"Guys, pick up your scimitars!"

There was a trace of cruelty in Rolf's eyes. He stuck out his tongue and licked the corner of his mouth. He ordered coldly, "Cut off the heads of these knights who sleep like pigs!"

The dark clouds were blown by the westerly wind, blocking the moonlight. Even the moon was unwilling to witness the tragedy that would happen in the human world.

This was a cruel massacre.

It was also the easiest thing Rolf had experienced since he came to this wonderful world, a war!

The moonlight shone on the ground again, illuminating the wild figures of the desert bandits who had left this abandoned farm.

Blood was dripping from the scimitars hanging from the waist of the desert bandits.

In the abandoned farm, a thick smell of blood permeated in the air. The wild wolves ten miles away followed this smell.

Vultures were flying in from afar.

The 438 knights, knight attendants, and a grand knight were sleeping soundly in the abandoned farm.

They would never wake up again.

...

The next morning, Kant had just finished a delicious and nutritious breakfast on a three-row warship in the Resniston River.

Two slices of bread baked from fine wheat flour, a piece of roasted desert gazelle in the middle, and a hard-boiled sand grouse egg from Aaron, raised in the forests of the Senwaya Range, after that, he took a sip of the fresh broth.

It was a wonderful day.

After breakfast, Kant put on a velvet robe and went to the deck to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the river in the morning sun.

A layer of snow-white mist rolled on the surface of the river in the distance, creating a dense atmosphere.

The light of the morning sun shone on the deck and covered Kant's body. The warm light made Kant feel refreshed, and the extraordinary power in his body also became active and circulated on its own. It seemed that his extraordinary power was absorbing the light of the morning sun.

On the surface of the river, the mist gradually dispersed, revealing the sparkling surface of the water.

From time to time, a cheerful water bird flew up from the fields on both sides of the river. It swept across the surface of the river and caught a fat and fresh fish.

It was a beautiful scene.

A mage wearing a fine linen robe came to the deck and said to Kant respectfully, "My lord, Mr. Rolf has sent a victory report from the battlefield in the South County. He also requests that you speak to him."

Kant turned around. The morning wind blew his dazzling golden hair. His amber-like eyes were shining with curiosity.

"Oh, a report of victory?"

Kant smiled. Good news always made people happy.

"Yes!"! Mr. Rolf reported that last night, he had planned to use the despicable rebel army in the South County to ambush the five knight corps. He had completely wiped out the five thousand members of the knight corps and severely injured the despicable rebel army in the South County."

The mage bowed slightly and reported the news to the Honorable Lord Kant respectfully.

"This is indeed good news!"

Kant understood Rolf. This guy loved to do things that would harm others and benefit himself the most.

Since it was Rolf's personal design, then the desert bandits under him would not suffer too much loss.

s

With Kant's current power, even if the desert bandits were completely wiped out, it was not a big deal.

Hence, Kant didn't ask about the casualties.

"Since Rolf wants to talk to me, I'll go and listen to what he wants to say!"

Kant said with a smile. The South County had only dispatched 20,000 heavy cavalries. Now that 5,000 of them had been wiped out, the remaining 15,000 weren't much of a threat.

Kant could roughly guess what Rolf wanted to say to him, and his mood became lighter.

Chapter 486: The Future Planning

Kant followed the mage and entered a room in the cabin.

After entering the room, the mage carefully closed the door and added a layer of soundproof effect to the room.

This room was located in the depths of the cabin and had no windows.

Other than one side of the aisle, there were other rooms on the other three sides. There were also other rooms on the opposite side of the aisle.

It could be said that this room was almost the most central room in the cabin. With the other rooms blocking it, no sound would leak out from this room.

This room was a place Kant used to communicate with his subordinates remotely. It had been specially modified, and the sound insulation effect was very outstanding.

The room was surrounded by double-layered wooden walls. There were some luxurious decorations hanging on the walls. These were all items looted from the headquarters of the Crimson Sect in the Mountain of Death. Not only was this room decorated like this, the rest of the rooms on the trireme had been meticulously decorated.

When Kant appointed this trireme as his temporary residence on the way, Baheshtur had thoughtfully arranged everything on the ship for him.

As a lord, Kant only needed to enjoy the service of his subordinates. He did not need to personally work.

The floor of the room was covered with a thick layer of velvet carpet. Not only was it very comfortable to step on it, but it also greatly enhanced the soundproofing effect of the room. Even if someone sneaked under the trireme or stuck their ears to the flat bottom of the ship, they would definitely not be able to hear a single sound in the room.

s

In the middle of the room, there was a long table made of solid wood.

A scroll made of the leather of the savaged demonized creatures was spread out on the long table. The scroll was carved with mithril powder with intricate and complicated magic array patterns. At this moment, these magic array patterns were shimmering.

Above the scroll, about thirty centimeters away, a transparent crystal ball was floating quietly.

These magical tools were able to transmit sound across long distances. They were also from the headquarters of the Crimson Sect and had been modified by the mages from the Enfath Empire, the sound would definitely not be intercepted by the mages of this world.

After the mage closed the door, he respectfully helped Kant pull the chair out from under the solid wooden table. The chair was also covered with a layer of luxurious velvet.

"Lord Kant, please sit!"

The mage slightly bowed to Kant and made an inviting gesture, respectfully inviting Kant to take a seat.

"Okay!" Kant responded and sat down appropriately.

The mage stood beside Kant and began to chant a spell in a low voice.

After the incantation was finished, the crystal ball floating in the air emitted a thin red light and began to slowly rotate on its own.

At the same time, Rolf's desert bandits were stationed in an abandoned farm in the South County. Hundreds of desert bandits were sent out to patrol within 20 kilometers of the camp day and night, they searched for any suspicious people.

Rolf arranged dozens of desert bandits to guard around a tent in the camp and closely monitor the surroundings.

In the middle of that tent, there was a clean piece of linen on the ground. There was also a set of rolled-up scrolls and crystal balls on the linen.

Unlike the spell casters chanted, the crystal ball in the tent was held by a Sarleon Lion Knight. A bright red extraordinary power circulated in the Lion Knight's hand and was transmitted into the crystal ball.

The moment the crystal ball above the table in front of Kant rotated, the crystal ball held by the Lion Knight suddenly emitted a faint red glow.

Seeing this, a trace of joy appeared on Rolf's face. This meant that the crystal ball in front of him had been connected to the crystal ball on the trireme where the honorable Lord Kant was.

At this moment, Rolf and the Lion Knight in the tent heard a voice coming from the crystal ball.

"Lord, this crystal ball has already connected with the one that Mr. Rolf has kept. Now you can talk to Mr. Rolf!"

The mage's voice was very respectful and solemn. Rolf could imagine that the respected Lord Kant was currently near the other crystal ball.

Sure enough, not long after, the respected Lord Kant's calm and gentle voice came from the crystal ball.

"Rolf, I heard that you have something to discuss with me?"

It could be heard that Lord Kant was in a good mood.

Rolf organized his words and said respectfully, "My lord, it is my honor to be able to hear your voice from a thousand miles away!"

"I am also very happy to hear your voice, Rolf! Tell me, what is it?"

Rolf's voice carried a hint of pride, he reported loudly, "Lord, with my trap, we completely annihilated the five knight corps of the Southern County's noble alliance army. There was a total of 5,000 knights, of which 500 were official knights and 4,500 were knight attendants. At the same time, we also heavily injured the despicable rebel army that wreaked havoc in the South County. My troop did not suffer any damage!"

"Well done, Rolf!" His highness Kant's joyful voice was transmitted from the crystal.

Rolf's face revealed an excited and joyful expression. The praise from his highness Kant was undoubtedly the most beautiful words in the world to Rolf. It was after he joined his highness Kant and became his subordinate, it had always been his heartfelt pursuit.

s

This was the best praise for Rolf.

Rolf calmed his emotions, the, he reported to Kant, "Lord, there are only 15 knight corps left in the noble alliance army of South County who are confronting Firentis at the front line of South County. After discussing with Firentis, I have decided that the time for the decisive battle has come!"

"Oh? The heavy cavalry of the Dukedom of Leo has always been elite. They have an invincible reputation among the human countries. Why do you think that the time for the decisive battle has come?" Kant's voice came from the crystal ball. His tone was very relaxed. Obviously, this was a test for Rolf.

Rolf thought carefully, he replied, "Lord, we have already heard about the erosion of the Silver Platter Kingdom. At this time, the Silver Platter Kingdom has already fallen into chaos. As time goes by, the pressure on the defense line on the south bank of the Reniston River will become less and less."

After a pause, Rolf continued, "After a period of time, the Grand Duke of Leo may directly transfer a portion of his elite troops from the defense line on the south bank of the Reniston River to quickly wipe out the uprising army of the South County. Then, he will gather with the noble alliance army who are currently stationed in the front lines of the North County and South County."

Chapter 487: New Main Quest

"Your analysis is very reasonable."

Kant's voice sounded, but there wasn't the slightest bit of nervousness. It was clear that his highness Kant had a clear understanding of the current situation.

He had even predicted the current situation before he set off.

However, his highness Kant's tone was clearly waiting for him to continue his analysis.

Rolf's tone was a little serious, he continued, "If the rebellion army is really wiped out by Duke of Leo's subordinates and then sent reinforcements to the front lines of the South County, the top nobles of the South County, who are still wavering on the sidelines, will send out their true strength and completely stand on Duke of Leo's side."

"Of course, the nobles usually like to place heavy bets after the situation is clear! So, do you have any specific plans?"

His highness Kant agreed with his point of view and threw another question at him.

Rolf felt that if he and Firentis had not seen through the current situation of the war and taken the initiative to ask His highness Kant for a decisive battle, His highness Kant would have also given them the order to launch the decisive battle.

It must be known that his highness Kant had already set off, following the Resniston River and heading downstream towards Lionheart City in the east.

After hearing his highness Kant's question, Rolf's eyes lit up, and he narrated the decisive battle plan that he and Firentis had discussed to Kant.

s

On Resniston River, on the trireme that were moving along the river at a steady pace, in the room that was specially used to communicate with the various departments that had an outstanding sound insulation effect. After listening to Rolf's statement, Kant thought for a moment.

He could tell that Rolf was the main source of this plan, and Firentis added some practical suggestions.

That was because this plan was too self-serving, and Firentis would never propose such a plan.

This was the plan.

First, they used the alliance agreement with the South County rebellion army to lure them to the battlefield, which was the border between the North County and South County.

Next, they pretended to negotiate with the South County noble alliance army, using the destruction of the five knight corps to incite the anger and hatred of the South County noble alliance army, luring them to attack the South County rebellion army.

After reaching this step, they used a vicious tactic.

They used the North County noble alliance army that had completely infiltrated the East County to force the East County to send out reinforcement. While the South County destroyed the rebellion army, Kant's troops would directly attack them together with the rebellion army, they would form a pincer attack on the South County.

After destroying the alliance army of the South County, the rebellion army would suffer heavy losses.

After obtaining victory, they would take over half of the South County and face off with Cameron's Lion Fort in the South County.

After that, he slowly plotted.

After listening to this plan for the decisive battle, Kant could not help but sigh at Rolf. Rolf really lived up to the title of villain noble.

His name of villain noble was formed by his naked villain behavior in the Continent of Caradia.

There was only a wrong name but no wrong nickname.

This sentence was very reasonable.

Throughout Rolf's entire plan, it was filled with deception, exploitation, threats, and betrayal.

Moreover, it seemed that because he had considered all aspects, it was highly feasible.

From Kant's point of view, if Rolf's ability to govern a town was not too bad, he would definitely be able to make a name for himself among the nobles and become a famous great noble.

This was because his characteristics were very compatible with the noble's true nature under the mask of hypocrisy and nobility.

If not for the system's involvement, Kant would definitely have agreed to Rolf's plan.

After Rolf finished describing the plan for the decisive battle of the South County, the system gave Kant a quest.

[ Ding... Main Quest released ]

[ Main Quest: The beginning of becoming emperor, the beginning of conquest ]

[ Reward: 1000,000 denars, 100,000 reputation, 100 honor ]

[ Introduction: After the arduous development, you have finally accumulated enough strength to take the first step of conquering the world. Please conquer the Dukedom of Leo and become the only ruler of the Dukedom of Leo. The path of the emperor begins with conquest. Only a throne made of blood and bones can be stable. ]

When Kant accepted this mission, his originally hazy ambition suddenly became concrete.

Conquer the world!

Become the Supreme Emperor!

Trample all the humans, alien races, gods, demons, and even other forces that he had yet to understand under his feet.

The system's words were never vague. This mission was clearly stated. Conquering the Dukedom of Leo was only the first step to conquering the world.

It was conquering the world, not just the human kingdoms.

This world had many forces.

There were ten human kingdoms alone, and dozens of human dukedoms.

There were also countless foreign races that occupied every corner of this world.

As well as the ancient gods and abyssal demons that seemed to be gradually returning.

His current forces were just beginning to form. Compared to this huge world, it was not an exaggeration to say that they were tiny and weal.

However, Kant had confidence and ambition. He would definitely step into the peak of this world.

Because he had the system!

This meant that countless worlds were standing behind him, becoming his strength and foundation.

The raging flames of ambition were burning in the depths of Kant's amber-like eyes.

Kant stood still for a moment before calming the flames of ambition.

No matter how big his ambition was, he needed to achieve it step by step.

Now, his first goal was to conquer the Dukedom of Leo.

According to Rolf's plan, although he could succeed, he did not think about the long-term future.

Repeated betrayals and deception would leave a bad reputation for the other noble families.

s

If Kant had a bad reputation, he would not be like now. If he were to face a similar situation in the future, he would not be cowed by the North County and show his strength, the East County would not be on his side either.

This had a lot to do with Kant's strength and power, but it also had to do with Kant's not too bad reputation.

A bad reputation would affect the noble's choices, making them consider whether the benefits they deserved after they supported Kant's success would be guaranteed.

Kant's behavior in the outside world followed the rules of the noble's way of doing things. Interests came first, and at the same time, he cared about his reputation.

For example, even though Kant had completely controlled the Stone Pass, he still kept Baron Dylan, so that Baron Dylan could still enjoy the title of lord of the Stone Pass in name. This was the embodiment of Kant acting according to the rules of the noble.

Chapter 488: The New Alliance with Rebellion Army

Kant had never thought of standing on the opposite side of the noble class. He was a noble himself, a person who had a vested interest in this class.

No matter how despicable a noble was under the table, they had to maintain their reputation and dignity on the surface.

This would help Kant subdue the other noble families.

Therefore, in this decisive battle, Kant rejected Rolf's plan.

To conquer the world, it was not enough to rely solely on the heroes and soldiers of the world.

Even if Kant could recruit a sufficient number of heroes and soldiers, he could not afford the huge military expenses.

This was because the military expenses of the world's army could only be paid in denar and could not be paid in the common currency of this world -- small silver coins and great silver coins.

However, the only things that could be exchanged for denar were magic items and golden eagles in this world. These precious items were limited and would not be returned after being circulated through the trade caravan to the worlds of "Mount and Blade". In this world, these items had indeed disappeared, using up little by little.

At present, Kant's power was still very weak compared to this world. Therefore, the golden eagles and magic items he obtained from this world could barely support his army with the denar he exchanged.

When his forces became stronger in the future, the military expenditure would undoubtedly increase greatly. This meant that the consumption of magic items and golden eagles in this world would increase rapidly. This would cause the number of magic items and golden eagles in this world to decrease crazily. In the end, the production would not be able to keep up with his consumption rate.

s

At that time, even if he earned a lot of great silver coins, there would be no place to exchange for golden eagles.

Kant himself could foresee such a thing.

Therefore, from now on, he had to make a choice.

With the army from the worlds of "Mount and Blade" as the core, and taking in the world's subordinates as support, they would conquer the world together.

This was different from his previous thoughts. Because Kant's ambition was hazy, he always thought that he had enough power to protect himself, simply relying on a certain number of "Mount and Blade" heroes and soldiers to protect himself and his territory was enough.

However, the system's main quest this time completely made Kant understand that his previous thoughts were too conservative. Just relying on the heroes and soldiers from the "Mount and Blade", it would be difficult for him to truly conquer this world.

With such a comprehensive consideration, Kant planned to take the commander of the rebellion army, Korod, for his own use.

If it was a pure serf rebellion, even Kant would resolutely put an end to it. However, the commander-in-chief of the rebellion army this time was once a noble. Kant was able to re-establish him as an example.

The ten years of slavery experience of Korod, the commander-in-chief of the rebellion army, would force him to constantly desire to climb to a higher noble rank in order to soothe his dignity and honor. At the same time, he would use this opportunity to prevent other noble families from talking about him.

It was also because of his experience as a slave that he would not hesitate to kill other noble families.

To put it simply, Korod, the commander-in-chief of the rebellion army, was very suitable to be an executioner under Kant, and there was no room for rebellion. Because he was once a slave, it would make him stand on the natural opposite of other noble families. After Korod, the commander-in-chief of the rebellion army, was subdued by Kant, he could only rely on Kant.

Therefore, Kant said to Rolf on the other end of the crystal ball, "Rolf, your plan for the decisive battle is very good, but I can't agree to accept it!"

Rolf was very confused, but he didn't feel wronged. He asked, "Lord, why do you say that?"

At this moment, Rolf thought that since Kant didn't accept his plan, there must be a better plan.

After all, the decisive battle was inevitable!

"Rolf, this battle is very important. We must carry out a fair and just battle. We must defeat and destroy the enemy from the front. We must use the blood and corpses of the enemy to forge our own honor. We must let all the noble families of the Dukedom of Leo truly understand how powerful we are."

"Only in this way can we truly intimidate these noble families. In the future, when we subdue them, it will reduce a lot of trouble."

Rolf was a smart man. As soon as he heard Kant's words, he understood.

If they followed his plan to fight a decisive battle, although the price they would have to pay this time would be much lower, other noble families would think that the victory of this battle was only achieved through scheming. It did not mean that they were strong enough. Even if the other noble families submitted, it would only be on the surface. In fact, they would have thoughts that they should not have.

"Then, Lord, should I cancel the alliance with the rebellion army?"

In Rolf's opinion, based on Kant's strategic thinking, he could not continue digging a hole for the rebellion army. However, if that happened, the rebellion army might just sit on the sidelines and wait to reap the benefits.

Naturally, he would not be willing to do that. The battlefield was dangerous and unpredictable. He would not allow another army to hide at the side while they were fighting for their lives.

After breaking the alliance agreement, if the Rebellion Army dared to come near the battlefield, he would naturally think of a way. Even if he had to temporarily cooperate with the Southern County's noble alliance army, he would first get rid of the rebellion army.

Unexpectedly, his highness Kant's orders that were completely different from what he had expected came from the crystal ball.

"Rolf, Go and sign a new alliance agreement with the Rebellion army. Use the parchment paper that I gave you and cover it with the gold lion badge on a red background to write a new alliance agreement. The contents of the alliance agreement will not change. In addition to my promise, as long as the rebel army helps us achieve victory, after I become the new Grand Duke of Dukedom of Leo, I will make him a Baron."

Rolf did not understand, but he obeyed Kant's orders unconditionally.

"I will obey your orders, my Lord!"

s

Rolf's voice was filled with doubt and confusion.

Kant explained the situation appropriately. During the war, Rolf and Firentis needed to cooperate with the rebellion army. Naturally, Rolf could not be confused.

"Since Korod wants to become a noble, I promise to let him become a noble. With this guarantee, it is inevitable that he will join us. I plan to set Korod, the commander of the rebellion army as an example. In the future, if we encounter such a third party, Korod's existence will allow such a third party to join us between us and our enemies!"

Kant's calm and deep voice sounded, "The Dukedom of Leo is very small. Don't limit your vision to this place. We will have many, many enemies in the future."

Rolf understood immediately and said again, "Rolf will follow your orders, Lord!"

Chapter 489: Kant’s Return

This time, there was no doubt in his voice. His words were sonorous and powerful.

Kant's voice continued to come from the crystal ball. "This is the general situation. Basically, you just need me to give you some pointers. The rest of the specific strategies will be formulated by Firentis and you. I will once again give orders to Firentis. With the decisive battle plan that he has specified as the main plan, you will provide the appropriate complement!"

Kant believed that in terms of pure military ability, both Firentis and Rolf were stronger than him. He did not need to overstep his authority and help them to specify the decisive battle plan. Moreover, he was not at the border between the North County and South County. It would be difficult to formulate a specific decisive battle plan.

Rolf replied, "Okay, I will cooperate with Firentis this time!"

Rolf understood that if he and Firentis were asked to come up with a new battle plan, according to Kant's request, his battle plan would definitely not be as good as Firentis's.

In terms of ability, he was confident that he would not be worse than Firentis, but with his personality, he did not like it, and it was not suitable for him to come up with a proper battle plan. On the contrary, Firentis was quite suitable to come up with such a battle plan.

"Then, this call ends here. Goodbye, Rolf!"

"Goodbye, my Lord, I am honored to listen to your suggestion!"

...

Two days passed, and it was a new week.

s

The army of the North County and the army of the East County had been broken up and reorganized. Firentis had assigned the Swadian Light Footmen and the Swadian Footmen to be sandwiched between them. Firstly, they were elites to lead the miscellaneous troops, and secondly, they were to supervise them.

In addition to the rules announced by Firentis,

According to the military merits, they would be conferred a title of nobility, land would be given according to the results of the battle, and they would receive a pension based on their performance before they died.

Such rules completely stimulated the soldiers' passion for war.

After a few short days of training, the entire infantry corps was brand new. There were 30,000 infantrymen, 3,000 heavy cavalries and 2,000 light cavalries.

Under the leadership of Firentis, they slowly set off from Maas Castle, heading to south. They heading to the Seria Castle, which was 50 miles away. There were 15,000 heavy cavalries from South County stationed there.

There were also 50 Swadian Royal Knights following behind Firentis.

Deep in South County, Rolf led 1,600 desert bandits and 30,000 soldiers led by Korod, the commander-in-chief of the uprising army, towards the border between North County and South County.

The decisive battle was coming.

...

The system once again made a financial calculation. Kant had already converted the 50 chariots that the headquarters of the Crimson Sect had plundered into denar.

Even if the financial expenditure this time was more than 800,000 denars, including the military expenditure of more than 700,000 denars, it was nothing to Kant.

After the calculation, Kant still had more than 3 million denars left. If it was during normal times, it would be enough to support him for one to two months.

However, this was a time of war. Kant was doing his best to send out violent troops, so the military expenditure would definitely be higher and higher. This 3 million denars perhaps could only last for three weeks.

Three weeks was not short.

However, if one did not think far ahead, there would definitely be immediate worries.

Due to the erosion of the situation in the South County, a large number of trade caravan were plundered and killed, causing more trade caravans to turn their backs on this trade route. This caused the salt mine business to be greatly impacted in the past few weeks.

Thousands of sacks of fine white salt were piled up in the middle of the posthouse in the Nahrin Desert. Although there were still some trade caravans that took a detour from the East County to the Dukedom of Leo, and then passed through the Mountain of Death to the North County, they managed to maintain a portion of the fine white salt profits.

But overall, the profits from the salt mine did not rise like they had expected. Instead, they were on the trend of shrinking.

The gold eagles that could be exchanged for denar from the weekly trading volume had decreased from 400,000 to over 200,000 denars.

This was a big problem.

At present, the salt mines were the main source of income for the Kant's denar, if he didn't count the fortune-making incidents such as the annihilation of the Crimson Sect.

From this, the war of the Dukedom of Leo had to end as soon as possible.

At least, the South County had to recover its stability so that the trade caravans of human countries could have a smoother trade route.

As long as the trade route was smoother, with the production capacity of the salt mines in the Nahrin Desert and the salt-making workshop in the Oasis Lookout, it would not be difficult for the salt mines to make millions of denars per week.

At this moment, on the Resniston River, 30 triremes were in the front and 120 sailboats were in the back.

Kant sat in the room that was specially used for office use in the cabin, carefully reading a biography of the god of war, Edmund.

In front of the desk made of high-quality wood, there was a bright silver table on each side. On each silver table, there were three high-quality honey waxes purchased from the Silver Platter Kingdom, lighting up the entire room very brightly. The floor was covered with a thick velvet carpet, and the wooden walls were hung with luxurious decorations. The entire room looked very luxurious.

There was a knock on the door.

"Please come in!" Kant said.

A Swadian Royal Knight walked in.

The full-body plate armor was worn on his body, and it was polished to a smooth and shiny state. Even though it was covered with a linen coat, it was still shining under the candlelight, and there were exquisite patterns carved on it. It was so beautiful that it did not look like a knight who had been on the battlefield for a long time, it was a work of art meticulously crafted by an artist. It was the most perfect war art!

The three-meter-long heavy armor-piercing lance was held in one arm. The kite-shaped shield on the left arm was inlaid with fine steel. In the light blue cloak that fluttered behind him, the gilded knight sword was on the left side of his waist. There was also a slender spiked warhammer hanging on the right side.

"Lord, Lionheart City is already in sight!"

The Swadian Royal Knight said respectfully.

Kant closed the biography of the god of war, Edmund, and sighed softly, "Lionheart City, we've finally arrived!"

This sigh was filled with endless emotions.

A year ago, Kant brought thirty Swadian peasants with only twenty great silver coins on him, and left Lionheart city in extreme despair.

He was almost exiled.

Under the ridicule of all the nobles in the city, he set off on the road to his estate, the Nahrin Desert.

s

With only 20 cavalries escorting him, they only treated this as a mission and did not respect him at all.

Now, in just a short year's time, he had returned.

At this moment, he was so powerful that he was the true ruler of the Nahrin Desert and the ruler of half of the Dukedom of Leo. He was so powerful that he could easily contend with the entire Dukedom of Leo. His wealth could be said to be comparable to a country's wealth.

Kant came to the deck and looked at the majestic city in the distance. He had lived in this city for sixteen years. He looked at city with a deep thought, but it soon turned into a cold look.

Kant's original intention was to attack Lionheart City and cut off the economic lifeline of the Dukedom of Leo. At the same time, he would attack the real administrative center of the Dukedom of Leo -- the Lion Fort -- with the army led by Firentis and Rolf, who were attacking the city from the north and the south. It would create an encirclement of Lionheart City.

Chapter 490: Temporary New Castle

A few days ago.

In 50 miles south to the Maas Castle, Seria Castle had become an important pass of South County's noble alliance army to defend against Kant's forces and the North County's noble alliance army.

At that time, in the frontline of the South County and North County, the newly built Seria Castle had 20 cavalry legions. Each cavalry legion was made up of 1,000 heavy cavalry soldiers.

The 1,000 heavy cavalry soldiers of each cavalry legion were made up of 100 official knights and 900 knight attendants.

At the same time, the five cavalry legions formed a heavy cavalry legion led by a grand knight.

The 20 cavalry legions formed four heavy cavalry legions. Each heavy cavalry legion had 5,000 heavy cavalry soldiers. Their strength was terrifying.

These cavalry legions all came from the elite private armies of the small and medium noble families in the South County. They were formed after the integration.

The small and medium noble families in the South County formed a temporary command group, and they were in charge of discussing and issuing orders.

Viscount Kemil had the highest noble title, and he sent the most troops. At the same time, he sent two grand knights into the cavalry legion. He had contributed the most to the noble alliance army in the South County. Naturally, he became the highest commander in the temporary command group.

In the beginning, when these small and medium-sized nobles in the South County received the order from Cameron, Duke of Leo, they intended to follow the orders behind the scenes and randomly send out some old, weak, and disabled soldiers to deal with the matter.

s

In their opinion, the invasion of the noble alliance army of North County led by Baron Kant's subordinates this time was just an internal struggle for the royal power. It had little to do with them.

As long as they just stood by and watched, no matter who won or lost in the end, they would still be noble families, and their benefits would not suffer any losses. They would just be changing the target of their pledge of allegiance.

After all, they were only small and medium-sized noble families. If they were to rashly participate in the battle for the royal power, it would be very easy for the entire family to fall into the battle of royalty.

For small and medium-sized noble families like them, this battle for the throne was a great opportunity. If they seized the opportunity to choose the right side and persevere until the end, it might allow the family to take a step forward. But this time, the direct battle between Baron Kant and Duke of Leo was too risky. It was better to preserve the current foundation and slowly develop it.

In the beginning, these small and medium-sized nobles in the South County all had such thoughts.

But when Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, made a promise that as long as these small and medium-sized noble families sent troops to wipe out the "Rebel army" of the North County, the entire North County would be divided up by them, these small and medium-sized noble families were instantly moved.

Although the North County was barren, its territory was very big.

In particular, the North County was adjacent to the Nahrin Desert and was only separated from the Nahrin Desert by the Senwaya Range.

Ever since the discovery of the salt mine in Baron Kant's Nahrin Desert, the barren North County was no longer a problem. As long as they occupied a piece of land in the North County and collected the trade caravan tax, it would be enough for them to earn a lot of money.

Took Baron Kant as an example. Ever since the discovery of the salt mine, in just a short year's time, he had developed enough strength to contend with the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron.

The benefits were too great!

Especially since Grand Duke Cameron did not require them to deal with Baron Kant. Baron Kant had already displayed a terrifying strength in the East County. This was also the reason why they were not willing to participate in the battle for the throne, this was because it was difficult for them to determine who was stronger, Baron Kant or Grand Duke Cameron.

With such conditions, the small and medium-sized noble families in the South County were even more willing.

However, dealing with the North County's noble alliance army and being able to share the extremely rich benefits after succeeding, these small and medium-sized noble families in the South County had reached a consensus after a short period of communication.

They sent out troops!

They sent out the elite private soldiers of their families to form an alliance army and ruthlessly destroy the North County's noble alliance army, which in their eyes had a weak combat strength.

Previously, the North County's noble alliance army had joined forces with the mercenaries to attack the Stone Pass, which made the South County's noble alliance army laughed for a long time.

Under such an ambitious military operation, they just ended up with riots, internal strife and killing each other!

In the end, they surrendered without fighting!

Such a humiliating North County's noble alliance army, how strong would they be? They were not scum troops, what troops were they?

Although the noble alliance army of North County was currently led by Baron Kant's subordinates, and there was also a part of Baron Kant's army, they knew that Baron Kant's main force was in the East County. Thus, they did not take the thousands of troops led by Firentis at the Stone Pass to heart.

The nobles in the South County gathered their troops and consolidated them, they divided into four five-thousand heavy cavalry legions, ready to conquer Maas Castle and beat up the noble alliance army of North County, who were so weak in their eyes.

However, the damn rebellion army of the South County, a bunch of lowly serfs, broke out in rebellion!

These rebellion army took advantage of the small and medium noble families of the South County to lead their elite troops out of the territory, heading north to the border of the North County and the South County. When they attacked the noble alliance army of the North County, these rebellion army crazily plundered their property and killed their people and subordinates. They seized the civilians in their territory, destroyed their farms and even their estates, and turned their homes into ruins.

All the small noble families in the South County were gone mad.

The rebellion army was stabbing them in the back, cutting off their foundations!

They could not tolerate this!

Even if they delayed the conquest of the North County for a while, they could not allow these lowly rebellion army to continue doing whatever they wanted!

They had to make these lowly serfs and bastards pay the price!

s

The temporary command group formed by the small noble families in the South County quickly came to a decision. In the end, Viscount Kemil Viscount made the decision and issued the order.

In Seria Castle, a heavy cavalry legion was sent out. They planned to use the fastest speed to crush those rebellion army bastards in the Southern County!

The South County noble families in Seria Castle continued to train the remaining three heavy cavalry legions while waiting for the triumphant return of the heavy cavalry legion that went down south to destroy the rebellion army.

However, two days later, bad news came.

When the news of the heavy cavalry legions being completely annihilated reached them, all the noble families of the South County were shocked and could not believe it.

Chapter 491: The Determination of the noble alliance army

The five heavy cavalry legions had 500 official knights and 4,500 knight attendants. They were equipped with strong and excellent warhorses as well as standard cavalry armor and weapons. Logically speaking, they could easily defeat a mere 20,000 rebel soldiers, the motley crew, who were still wearing tattered coarse linen clothes and holding dung forks, wooden spears, and wooden shields as weapons and defensive equipment.

In the end, they were able to wipe all rebel army out!

Such an outcome made the South County nobles of Seria Castle feel extremely incredulous. They even suspected that the soldiers who sent the news had been bribed by the North County noble alliance army or the South County rebellion army.

However, when the news came one after another, the South County noble of Seria Castle had no choice but to accept this cruel reality, even if they did not believe it.

When the remaining three heavy cavalry legions heard the news, the soldiers were all terrified. Rumors started to spread in the army, and the morale of the army quickly dropped.

In order to stabilize the morale of the army and to find out the truth of the matter, the noble families of the South County quickly sent out elite squads to investigate the cause of the destruction of the five knight corps.

In the end, the elite squads found clues in the two abandoned farms. Although the bodies had been burned, there were still traces of battle left on the scene, the elite squads concluded that the five knight corps had been ambushed after they set up camp in the first abandoned farm, resulting in their failure.

After they broke out of the encirclement exhausted, the second abandoned farm was ambushed again, resulting in the annihilation of the entire army.

The nobles in Seria Castle received the investigation report and cursed the Southern County rebellion army and the Northern County noble alliance army for being despicable.

At the same time, Viscount Kemil personally came out to comfort the remaining three heavy cavalry legions.

"My knights! I think you've heard the sad news. The fourth heavy cavalry legion has been wiped out!"

Viscount Kemil activated his extraordinary power as a grand knight, allowing his voice to reach the ears of all the 15,000 knights and knight attendants gathered in Seria Castle.

"However, do you know how they sacrificed themselves?"

Without any pause, Viscount Kemil even temporarily abandoned the reserved and calm demeanor of a noble. His expression was slightly distorted due to his anger. He activated his extraordinary power with all his might, causing his voice to explode to the maximum and raised this question, his voice was liked filling with raging fire of anger.

"Let me tell you, the knights of the fourth cavalry legion did not die on the glorious battlefield but died from a despicable sneak attack!"

Viscount Kemil paused for a moment this time. When all the knights and knight attendants focused their attention on him, and the desire for the truth surged out from their eyes, Viscount Kemil used a painful and resentful tone, as if he was complaining, he said the above words.

Following that, Viscount Kemil's voice became low, filled with sorrow and pain.

"The fourth cavalry legion, those kind and brave knights, in order to protect our homeland, stop the atrocity of the South County rebellion army as soon as possible. After chasing for a day and a night without rest, they finally caught up with the despicable bastards of the Southern County rebellion army!"

Viscount Kemil looked at the 15,000 knights and knight attendants who were listening quietly and said, "After chasing for a day and a night, our knights are naturally very tired, and our horses are also very tired. It was nighttime again. The knights planned to rest for a night and wait until the next morning to crush the b*stards of the rebellion army of South County! "Therefore, they chose a very hidden farm to set up camp and began to rest."

Viscount Kemil's sorrowful news immediately turned into a soaring anger, and he said loudly, "However, someone from the useless army of the North County found out about the farm where our knights were resting. Then, they colluded with the despicable rebellion army of the South County and shamelessly ambushed our knights while they were sleeping!"

"Our knights were originally brave and invincible heavy cavalries who could crush everything on the battlefield. However, they were completely surrounded by the 20,000-man rebellion army of the South County. Their warhorses were not with them, and they were killed by the despicable rebellion army before they could even put on their armor."

"Even so, our knights did not give up. After paying a terrible price, they successfully broke out of the encirclement."

"The knights who broke out of the encirclement were exhausted, but they still persevered and ran for more than ten miles, leaving those despicable rebels behind."

"However, the useless army of the North County, who had long been prepared, took advantage of the moment when the knights stopped and bandaging their wounds to launch another sneak attack on them!"

"You all already know the final result, my knights!"

Following that, Viscount Kemil's voice was full of anger as he continued to speak, "If it wasn't for the despicable army of the North County selling the news of our 4th cavalry legion to those b*stards of the South County rebellion army, and then ambushing the heavily injured knights of the fourth heavy cavalry legion, our knights would have already annihilated those b*stards of the South County rebellion army and be in the midst of a glorious victory!"

"My knights, do you think we should take revenge on the despicable army of the North County noble alliance army? Use their blood to wash away their sins and the humiliation suffered by the knights of the fourth legion?"

At the end of his words, Viscount Kemil roared. His face was flushed red, and he was very emotional.

"Revenge!"

"Revenge!"

"Revenge!"

Under the lead of the soldiers that the noble families of the South County had already arranged, 15,000 knights and knight attendants waved their right arms fiercely and shouted crazily and in unison.

With their hatred, the 15,000 knights and knight attendants who had already understood the 'truth' had their previous fear and uneasiness completely swept away, and their morale quickly rose.

Under the same hatred, the three heavy cavalry legions showed better coordination in the following training than before, and their combat strength greatly increased.

After finishing his speech, Viscount Kemil returned to the meeting hall where the command group formed by the noble families of the South County.

At this moment, the atmosphere in the hall was solemn.

Viscount Kemi walked to the front of the main seat covered with velvet cushions and sat down appropriately. He picked up the exquisite ceramic cup on the chairman's table made of expensive wood in front of him. He elegantly and slowly drank more than half of the cup of fresh goat's milk with a few pieces of date palm candy from the Oasis Lookout's Drondheim sugar workshop. Only then did he continue to preside over the meeting that was interrupted by the speech.

"Baron Harry Kendy, after the nobles in the command group have agreed, the verdict is that the commander of the fourth cavalry legion, Grand Knight Lake Kendy, whom you have recommended, has an unshirkable responsibility for the destruction of the fourth cavalry legion."

Viscount Kemil, as well as many nobles in the South County, all fixed their gazes on the third noble to the left of Viscount Kemil.

"After the nobles in the command group discussed, they finally decided that after the North County noble alliance army was victorious and the benefits were distributed, you need to take out half of your earnings and distribute it to Baron Tyr. Nunu, Baron Derek. Tate, Baron Ivan. Howard, and Sir Robin. Pullman, Sir Steve. Raglan. You are to compensate these five noble families for the loss of their family's private soldiers!"

Chapter 492: The Dirty Deeds

The military strength of the fourth cavalry legion came from Baron Harry. Kendy and the other five noble families that he had to compensate.

Baron Harry. Kendy looked awful. Not only did his family lose the most private army of his family, but they also lost a grand knight. In the end, they had to pay for the losses of the other five noble families. The fortune that they lost made him heartache just by thinking about it.

However, Baron Harry. Kendy finally nodded in agreement and accepted the ruling. He signed his name on the five compensation contracts that Viscount Kemil had handed over and stamped the badge of the Kemil family.

Under the witness of many noble families, Viscount Kemil handed the compensation contracts that Baron Harry. Kendy had signed over to the other five noble families one by one.

Baron Harry. Kendy did not hate the five noble families that needed compensation, but he was a little worried about the future of his family.

Perhaps the six of them would still form an alliance after the noble families of the South County had divided up the North County, because they had already lost most of their army. After the war was over and they had distributed the cake, they would soon be targeted by the other ally noble families. At that time, what awaited him and the other five noble families might be a series of conspiracies.

On the surface, the noble families would naturally maintain their proper dignity and gentlemanly behavior. However, in the dark, when faced with other noble families who did not have the ability to protect their own interests, they were even more vicious and greedy than tigers and wolves.

Everything was for the sake of interests.

This was the code of conduct between the noble families, and also the rule between the noble families.

After Viscount Kemil had completed the arbitration of Baron Harry. Kendy, they moved on to the next topic.

"Our losses in the South County are irreparable. It's too late to turn around and destroy those lowly rebels of the South County."

"The only way to make up for it is to go all out to defeat the North County noble alliance army, take over the land of the North County, occupy the homes of the noble families of the North County, and rebuild the foundation of our families. After we stabilize, we will join forces to attack the South County, and take back our destroyed homes from the hands of the rebellion army of the South County!"

Facing the sudden change, Viscount Kemil quickly thought of specific measures to deal with it, and he directly brought it up.

Actually, the noble families did not have any real idiots, or else they would have been eaten clean by the other noble families.

Therefore, after a brief discussion, all the noble members of the commanding group agreed to Viscount Kemil's suggestion.

After the next strategic direction was set, the noble families began to come up with ideas for the upcoming war.

The member of the commanding group who was responsible for the logistics of the army was a baron named Kozmo. Henry, the baron of the South County.

He was the first to speak, letting all the noble families of the South County understand the current dire situation.

"From the looks of it, the supplies in Seria Castle are only enough to support our troops for two weeks. "Ever since the rebellion army wiped out our 4th cavalry legion, they became even more vicious. The supplies sent from Lionheart City were all intercepted by them."

Baron Kozmo. Henry's voice paused for a moment, then, he continued, "Count Rowan. Reese sent a grand knight to deliver the news. Unless we give them 30% of the North County's estate, only will they send the elite Lionheart City garrison to escort the supplies. Otherwise, in order to prevent the supplies from being intercepted by the South County rebellion army, they will stop supplying us! Now, you can discuss this matter and make a final decision."

Although Baron Kozmo. Henry said so, he already had an answer in his heart.

It was related to their own interests. There was no doubt as to what these small noble families in the South County would choose.

Sure enough, after a short and intense discussion, all the members of the command group said that they could not give up the North County's estate, which they regarded as food on their plates.

This meant that the South County noble alliance army in Seria Castle had to capture Maas Castle within two weeks.

Lionheart City was the most prosperous city in the entire Dukedom of Leo. It was controlled by the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, and the four counts of the South County. These four counts were all top-notch noble families in the Dukedom of Leo, and their strength was abnormally strong. The history of their family was even longer than that of the Dukedom of Leo.

Count Rowan. Reese was one of them.

The four counts were also top-notch nobles in the Dukedom of Leo. There were also two viscounts in the South County. Their main strength was placed in their own manors. They had once wanted to get their hands on Lionheart City but were refuted by the four counts at the same time.

The two viscounts who had reached the top-notch noble's strength were only slightly weaker than the four counts. If they were allowed to extend their hands into Lionheart City, the four counts were worried that the two viscount's strength would soon catch up to them.

The Dukedom of Leo was only so big, but the total amount of benefits was limited. If the two viscounts got more, the four counts would get less.

As for the four counts, to be able to split the benefits of Lionheart City with the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, one could imagine how powerful they were.

Whether it was the four counts or the two viscounts who were qualified to become the top-tier noble of the Dukedom of Leo, their strength was only slightly inferior to that of the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron.

This was due to the invasion of the Dukedom of Leo by the Silver Platter Kingdom ten years ago. That battle had caused the strength of the Cameron, Grand Duke of Leo's family to be greatly reduced. In addition to that, the invasion of the Jackalans in the Nahrin Desert had been pacified. Once again, it had weakened the strength of the Cameron, Duke of Leo's family.

In the two wars, the family that had contributed the most had always been the Cameron, Grand Duke of Leo's family.

If not for the sect of the God of War, Edmund, who supported the Cameron's family, the current Cameron would have lost the right to command the six top-tier noble families in the South County.

Cameron still retained the right to command the six top-tier noble families in the South County. On the surface, the six top-tier noble families were loyal to him, but in reality, Grand Duke Cameron could no longer command the six top noble families of South County. It was a far cry from when the Cameron's family was at their peak ten years ago.

This time, to resist the alliance army of North County, the Grand Duke of Leo had initially given orders to the six top noble families of South County, but the six top noble families claimed that their family's army needed to be stationed in Lionheart City and could not be transferred. It seemed to be tactful, but in fact, it was a blatant rejection of Grand Duke Cameron's order.

Chapter 493: The Intensified Forntline

Not to mention Lionheart City, even their manors and castles had a large number of elite private armies.

They could not wait to see Duke of Leo, Cameron, and his second son, Baron of Leo, fight to the death. Perhaps in the end, they would secretly make a move and let the father and son "perish together.".

They did not wish for the family of the Duke of Leo, Cameron, who had gradually begun to decline, to become strong again.

In the end, under the pressure of the Duke of Leo, Cameron, the four counts and the two viscounts only agreed to provide supplies to the troops that were going up north to resist the invasion of the North County noble alliance army. This supply was sent from Lionheart City, the other two viscounts who did not have any influence in Lionheart City had to pay the four counts the corresponding amount of money.

The four counts and the two viscounts, the ultimate goal of the six top-tier noble families of the South County, was only to hope that Cameron, the Grand Duke of Leo, would be able to properly exhaust his strength with his second son, Baron Kant.

Cameron was able to rise up in the war and repel the invasion of the Silver Platter Kingdom when the previous Grand Duke of Leo died. Naturally, he was not an easy person to deal with, naturally, he easily saw through the plans of the six top-tier noble families in the South County, and immediately came up with a corresponding countermeasure.

It was also because of this countermeasure of Cameron that many small and medium-sized noble families in the south county gathered at Seria Castle.

To Cameron, the North County was not under his true control. Promising it to the small and medium-sized noble families in the South County was just going with the flow. He did not suffer any real losses.

It is also because of this, as the top noble of South County, Count Rowan. Reese would send out his grand knight to inform the many small noble families of the South County who were now stationed at Fort Celia that they are not going to give supplies!

With the help of the rebellion army, it gave six of the top noble families an excuse to stop supporting the supply of the noble alliance army.

They even proposed a condition that they could answer with their butts. This was naturally to deal with the possible anger of Cameron.

"You see, it's not that we don't continue to provide them with supplies, it's that they said they didn't want it!"

The lines were already prepared.

The shamelessness of the noble families was always hidden under such a suitable excuse. The six top noble families of South County were very good at this.

In fact, they wished that the small and medium-sized noble families of South County would fail, and it would be best if all of them died.

This way, Baron Kant's troops could smoothly go south and force Cameron's Lion Fort.

In addition, they could secretly take over the small and medium-sized noble families' estate in South County. The estate of South County was truly fertile. Otherwise, South County was smaller than North County and East County, so how could it support so many powerful noble families.

Although the small noble families' estate had been taken over by the rebellion army of the South County, the small soldiers of the rebellion army of the South County were nothing in the eyes of the six top noble families of the South County.

...

In the meeting hall of the command group in Seria Castle, the noble families heard Baron Kozmo. Henry's words made the atmosphere even more serious.

"We need to end this quickly!"

Immediately, a noble member of the command group spoke up.

"That's right. Even if we only have three heavy cavalry legions left, crushing the North County alliance army is extremely simple!"

None of the members of the command group had any doubts that they could easily defeat the North County noble alliance army.

What they were worried about was that the North County noble alliance army was hiding in Maas Castle, defending the castle and refusing to fight them directly.

That was exactly what they wanted to discuss.

Because their army, 15,000 soldiers, were all heavy cavalries.

After all, the heavy cavalry of the Dukedom of Leo dominated all the human countries, and all the noble of the Dukedom of Leo were proud of it. Their elite private soldiers were naturally forged into heavy cavalry. In the vast plains of the South County, the power of the heavy cavalry could also be displayed to its fullest.

However, it was not an easy task for the heavy cavalry to attack the city. This meant that they had to give up their advantage. At least, before they broke through the castle gates, their soldiers had to turn into infantrymen.

This would undoubtedly cause great casualties, and it would far exceed the losses they would suffer if they used the heavy cavalry to charge and destroy the other legions.

These three heavy cavalry legions were gathered by the members of these command group, the noble families of the South County. Naturally, they did not wish for them to suffer too many losses.

If there was sufficient time, they could also create a large number of siege weapons to reduce the casualties of the soldiers.

However, due to the limited supply, they only had two weeks left. If they could not take down Maas Castle, which was 50 miles to the north, in two weeks, in order not to starve to death. They estimated that they could only turn into bandits and rob the manors of other noble families in the South County who were not on the same side as them.

Because at that time, the grand knight sent by Count Rowan. Reese had long returned to Lionheart City with the news that they had rejected Cameron's order. They could not get support from Lionheart City even if they wanted to.

The noble families in the command group were at their wit's end. They frowned and thought hard about countermeasures.

Most importantly, they didn't want to lose too many soldiers.

Otherwise, they believed that they would be able to obtain victory even if they forcefully pushed Maas Castle.

At this moment, the door of the command group's meeting room was knocked rapidly.

This caused the members of the command group and the noble members of the South County unhappy.

In the past few days, bad news came one after another. The current situation was already very grim. So many of them had yet to come up with an effective method to attack the castle. They could pay the smallest price to capture Maas Castle.

The members of the command group knew very well that this was another big piece of bad news.

Viscount Kemil elegantly picked up the exquisite pottery cup on the chairman's table made of expensive wood. He slowly took a sip of fresh goat's milk and put in a few pieces made of date palm from Oasis Lookout's sugar workshop, only then did he speak.

"Sir Jimmy Walters, please open the door and let our knights in."

As soon as Viscount Kemil's words fell, all the depressed expressions on the faces of the noble turned into a relaxed and casual gentleman's appearance.

Sir Jimmy. Walters sat on the last seat on the right-hand side of Viscount Kemil. Among all the noble members of the command group present, he was the weakest. Even Baron Harry. Kendy and the other five noble members who had suffered heavy losses were far stronger than him.

At the same time, Sir Jimmy Walters was also the closest to the gate.

The status of the noble was measured by their strength. Even if it was a knight, as long as he was strong enough, even the count would show him humility.

Sir Jimmy Walters naturally understood this principle. Among the many noble families present, he was the weakest. Naturally, he should be the one to open the door.

He could not let other noble families who were stronger than him do this, right?

Sir Jimmy Walters opened the door of the meeting room. A knight attendant who was terrified completely forgot the etiquette of saluting and greeting the noble families first. He directly rushed in, in his panic, he shouted without thinking.

"Not good! Not good!"

"After the North County noble alliance army set off from Maas Castle, they are approaching our Seria Castle!"

"There are too many enemies, much more than us!"

This knight attendant was responsible for scouting around Maas Castle. As soon as he saw Firentis leading many armies from Maas Castle towards Seria Castle, he immediately rushed back on horseback. Because he was in a state of panic, he even forgot to return to his troop and report this news to his captain first.

Chapter 494: The Coming Confrontation

The reckless soldier, the terrified expression, the panicked words.

Originally, such a soldier was a very misbehave guy in the eyes of the elegant and decent noble.

But at this moment, in the eyes of all the members of the command group of Seria Castle, this soldier was really adorable.

Listen to him!

Listen to what this soldier said?

The North County noble alliance army, which had been hiding in the turtle shell of Maas Castle like a bunch of cowards, had actually emerged from that turtle shell.

This was really wonderful news.

A minute ago, all the nobles were racking their brains to think of a way to break this turtle shell!

Viscount Kemil said, "Calm down, our Sir Knight!"

After the soldier vented out the panic and fear in his heart, he received Viscount Kemil's reminder. He hurriedly suppressed the remaining panic in his heart and put on a calm appearance.

He realized at this time that his actions had violated the army's rules. He did not know what kind of punishment he would receive.

Viscount Kemil smiled and said, "Sir Knight, the information you provided was timely. You have rendered meritorious service! Report the name of your knight troop and the captain of your squad, as well as your own name. Sir Oscar. Norton will record your meritorious service!"

When this soldier who was still worried about his future heard the words of Viscount Kemil, the remaining panic in his heart was swept away. He was extremely excited.

He had actually made a meritorious deed!

His excited voice trembled slightly as he said, "My lord, I am the thirteenth member of the thirteenth squad of the thirteenth knight troop. My captain is Sir Justin. Grott. My name is Philip Francis."

It could be seen that this soldier named Philip Francis was a person who easily got excited.

Sir Oscar. Norton used a quill pen to record the information and contributions of this soldier on a sheepskin scroll. Then he nodded to Viscount Kemil.

Viscount Kemil said, "Thirteen, thirteen, thirteen. It surprisingly easy to remember! Alright, Mr. Knight! Sir Oscar. Norton has already recorded the contributions for you. Now, please return to the troop. We will soon make a corresponding battle plan based on the information you provided!"

After soldier Philip. Francis left, Sir Jimmy. Walters closed the door of the meeting room again.

In the meeting room, the South County leaders who were originally calm and collected finally showed their joy without any scruples. The atmosphere of the meeting suddenly became relaxed and happy.

"This is great!"

"Thirteen, thirteen, thirteen, this soldier is really not bad!"

"The North County's noble families are just a bunch of idiots!"

Viscount Kemil clapped his hands, signaling for the noble families to quiet down.

He then said, "Gentlemen, since the North County noble alliance army has already come out of the turtle shell of Maas Castle, I think it's time for us to let them see the power of our three heavy cavalry legions."

Viscount Kemil paused for a moment and then said, "I propose that we immediately send out troops to fight against the North County noble alliance army on the plain between the two castles!"

"I agree!"

"I agree!"

...

The noble families of the South County quickly reached an agreement, and Viscount Kemil quickly signed the order to send out troops.

Then, Viscount Kemil picked up the exquisite ceramic cup on the chairman's table made of expensive wood and raised it to make a toast to the members of the command group, he said, "Gentlemen, let us celebrate the victory of this decisive battle in advance! To victory! Cheers!"

After finishing his words, Viscount Kemil took the lead to put in a few pieces of date palm sugar from Drondheim into the goat milk and drank it in one gulp.

"To victory!"

"To victory!"

Many of the nobles were also unusually relaxed and happy. They did not have the slightest doubt about the upcoming victory.

...

At the border between the North County and South County, on the plains between Maas Castle and Seria Castle, the 30,000-man troop led by Firentis were slowly moving toward Seria Castle.

The 5,000 cavalries did not follow the infantrymen to Seria Castle.

Firentis had completely carried out his highness Kant's will and treated this battlefield as his highness Kant's show of strength.

Spies from different forces gathered here and were not chased away or killed by the desert bandits led by Rolf.

Following his highness Kant's will, Firentis formulated a detailed battle plan.

It was to let the native people of this world watch a fair and just war feast.

A war show that Firentis had meticulously planned!

From the Continent of Caradia, this crazy and chaotic world of war, Firentis had such confidence.

There were three thousand heavy cavalries, made up of one thousand Swadian Knights and two thousand Swadian Heavy Cavalries.

Two thousand light cavalries were all Sarrandian Horsemen, a troop class that was between light cavalry and heavy cavalry.

Five thousand cavalries were made up of four thousand level 4 troop class soldiers and one thousand level 5 troop class soldiers. With their powerful warhorse, exquisite armor, and excellent sharp weapons that far surpassed the standard of this world, this 5,000-man strong troop class of cavalries was abnormally terrifying.

Each level 4 troop class Swadian Heavy Cavalry and Sarrandian Horseman's strength was equivalent to the highest official knight in this world.

And the level 5 troop class, Swadian Knight, had already surpassed the strength of the official knights of this world which was between the strength of the top official knights and grand knights of this world It only took five Swadian Knights to be able to surround and kill a grand knight with extraordinary strength.

Such a powerful cavalry troop was much stronger than the 15,000 heavy cavalries in the Seria Castle.

Out of the 15,000-man heavy cavalry troop in the Seria Castle, there were only 1,500 official knights including 3 grand knights. The remaining 13,500 soldiers were all knight attendants.

Such an army was naturally very elite and powerful compared to the standards of this world. It was an extremely terrifying heavy cavalry troop.

The noble families of the South County were not fools. They would not think that they had the confidence to win for no reason.

Such 15,000 heavy cavalries in three heavy cavalry legions. In this world, if they were to charge, even an elite infantry formation of 100,000 people could be completely defeated under a few attacks. In the eyes of those South County nobles, the North County noble alliance army with 35,000 soldiers was pathetically weak.

Chapter 495: Brilliant Strategic Planning

The border between Maas Castle and Seria Castle was the most favorable plain for the cavalry to display their power. The nobles of the South County celebrated their victory in advance. It was not because they were too arrogant.

They could only blame themselves. They thought that their opponent was the alliance army of the North County, but they did not know that their real opponent was actually Baron Kant.

The army under Baron Kant could not be measured by the conventional military strength in this world.

They did not belong to this world but came from the worlds of "Mount and Blade". The combat strength of the ordinary army from those worlds was much stronger than that in this world.

As for Baron Kant, he upgraded his troops crazily. Any troop class that could be upgraded would be upgraded to level up.

Hence, the number of troops under him might only be equivalent to the number of a top-tier noble in the South County. However, with his terrifying strength, if he were to really fight against a top-tier noble in the South County, he would be able to perish them all.

Not to mention the 30,000 infantrymen, there were 2,000 level 4 troop class Swadian Footmen, as well as 3,000 level 3 troop class Swadian Light Footmen, who had disrupted the 25,000 allied forces in the North County and East County. It made the entire 30,000-man formation seem like a single entity, like a reef in the endless sea, no matter how strong the waves were, it would not budge.

Such a 30,000-man strong formation was not something that the 15,000 heavy cavalries of Seria Castle a could easily defeat.

Just the 5,000 heavy cavalries that belonged to Baron Kant, even if they were to clash head on with the 15,000 heavy cavalry of Seria Castle, they would not be able to do so on the plains between the North County and South County.

The 15,000 heavy cavalry soldiers, as well as the noble from the South County, who were confident of victory, would be able to understand what "despair" truly was when they faced Kant's troop.

Unfortunately, Baron Kant's terrifying troops were either in the depths of the Nahrin Desert, which was blocked by the central posthouse, in the uninhabited Senwaya Range, or in the underground tunnels and underground temples. The battles that took place in these places had never been known to the outside world.

Their opponents had never been the regular armies of this world.

On the contrary, it was foreign armies like the Jackalan, whose physical qualities far surpassed that of humans, or even more bizarre undead armies. Even in the Senwaya Range, their opponents were demonized creatures and even more terrifying demons.

Even the battle that made Baron Kant famous in the entire Dukedom of Leo and confirmed that he was a noble with the strength of a top-tier noble took place in the Mountain of Death, the battle that wiped out the headquarters of the Crimson Sect.

The enemies in that battle could not be measured by the regular human armies. They were all half-demonized fanatics who had received the infusion of demon power and were not afraid of death. They were also powerful demon incarnations that were summoned by Viscount Gibran through countless blood sacrifices.

However, even in this battle, the various nobles of the Dukedom of Leo did not obtain any specific information.

They had only deduced that Baron Kant possessed extremely terrifying strength from the easy destruction of the Crimson Sect, a force that was comparable to top-tier noble families.

On the way back from the Crimson Sect's headquarters to his third castle, Sargoth, Baron Kant had led his troops to encounter water bandits. They were just a motley crew that had made a fool out of the noble families of the Dukedom of Leo, they were completely unable to reveal Baron Kant's true strength.

...

At the border between the North County and South County, there were many wandering soldiers.

These were spies from different forces. If they met people from opposing forces, they would even fight.

The reason why they were able to roam around the battlefield so calmly was because of Firentis's determination to carry out his highness Kant's will. It was because of this that these spies were able to watch the battle such comfortably. They did not have to hide in a hidden corner like rats and secretly spy.

The nobles and various human forces had a keen sense of smell. After Rolf gave up on killing all the suspicious people around the battlefield.

These spies from the nobles of the Dukedom of Leo or other forces, the nobles of the Silver Platter Kingdom or other forces, and even the noble of the human kingdoms and dukedom or other forces were like vultures smelling rotten meat, they were constantly gathering from all over the world.

At this moment, only a small portion of the spies near the battlefield were here.

More spies were still on the way. Using the fastest speed they could use, they recklessly rushed towards the battlefield.

After all, it had only been two days since Rolf gave up on killing them.

The reason why they were so crazy was because they had enough profit to drive them.

Table salt was produced in the depths of the Nahrin Desert. It was the whitest and most delicate table salt that humans had ever seen.

Sacks of table salt flowed out of the Nahrin Desert. Tens of thousands of golden eagles and great silver coins were gathering towards the posthouse in the center of the Nahrin Desert from all over the world.

Look at the profits.

The North County of the Dukedom of Leo had become prosperous just by collecting the taxes of salt merchants. If the North County was allowed to develop for another two years, it might be comparable to the South County before the uprising.

Took Baron Kant for example. It was precisely because he controlled the table salt production in the depths of the Nahrin Desert that in a short year, he had changed from the laughingstock of the entire Dukedom of Leo he used to be and turned into an unfathomable top-tier noble that recognized by all the noble families in the Dukedom of Leo.

In this world, the noble families and various major forces had never looked down on the power of money.

They attributed Baron Kant's strength to Baron Kant's wealth, which was so rich that any human force would be moved by it.

With money, one could develop a more powerful force.

A more powerful force would be able to seize a more abundant amount of money.

Money was the common pursuit of all forces, even their greatest pursuit.

No one knew how big the salt mines in the Nahrin Desert were, but from Baron Kant's increasing sales of refined white salt, it was obvious that they were astonishingly large.

The amount of wealth represented by such salt mines was enough to attract any force. Even if they knew that the chances were slim, they wouldn't mind testing it out.

...

The infantry formation led by Firentis moved to the middle area between Maas Castle and Seria Castle. They were separated by twenty-five miles from each of the two castles, and they didn't move forward anymore.

Instead, they set up their camp.

This camp was set up in a very orderly manner. When the real famous generals on the battlefield saw the well-organized camp of Firentis, they would understand that this army was definitely a tough nut to crack.

It would be very difficult to bite down on them easily.

Firentis had done it on purpose!

He was worried that the nobles of South County would be too stupid that they directly led the army to charge at the phalanx of infantrymen led by him without caring about anything else.

If that was the case, Firentis was confident that the 15,000 heavy cavalry soldiers would be trapped in the formation of his 30,000 infantry soldiers and be devoured by them.

This could lead to victory, but such a victory was not what Firentis wanted.

There were 30,000 infantry soldiers.

There were 25,000 infantrymen came from the North County noble alliance army and the East County noble alliance army. There were only 5,000 infantrymen from his highness Kant.

If they were able to destroy 15,000 heavy cavalries from the South County, would Baron Kant or the North County noble alliance army or the East County noble alliance army be credited for destroying the enemy?

Firentis, who had carefully prepared the plan for the decisive battle, would not allow such a casual battle scene to appear.

This battle was a show.

Lord Kant's army acted as the main lead. The 15,000 heavy cavalry soldiers of the South County who had been upgraded to their strongest status acted as the antagonists, while the North County and the East County's noble alliance army acted as the supporting roles.

Most importantly, the spies of most of the forces in the world acted as the audience.

Not a single one less!

This battle was Kant's first announcement to the world, revealing his true, hideous first battle. Firentis sought to shock and excite!

Chapter 496: Hiding Outside of Lionheart City

Near Lionheart City, in a quiet tributary of the Resniston River.

A trireme was leaning against another trireme.

Then, a thick wooden plank more than ten meters long and one meter wide extended from the side of one trireme and rested on the side of another trireme.

Baheshtur pressed lightly on the side of one trireme and flipped over, stepping on the plank and walking towards another trireme.

The two triremes swayed along with the waves, causing the wooden board to sway.

However, Baheshtur's footsteps were very steady. A mere jolt could not affect him in the slightest.

Baheshtur was a race on horseback -- an elite that came from the Khergit Khanate.

As a nomadic thug, Baheshtur had always been living on horseback in the Continent of Caradia. The jolt on horseback was much more intense than the swaying of the wooden board.

This time, Baron Kant entrusted Baheshtur with full authority over the surprise attack on Lionheart City.

Although Baheshtur's reputation in Caradia was not a good one, it was not inferior to that of the wandering knight, Firentis or the scoundrel noble, Rolf.

He also had outstanding military talent.

This nomadic thug was a troublesome but troublesome and thorny figure wandering around Caradia.

Baheshtur was especially good at harassing tactics. He could spy around the target like a ghost. At the most unexpected moment of the target, he could launch a fatal attack from the weakest position of the target's defense.

Baheshtur was good at taking risks.

He was similar to Rolf.

But the difference was that Rolf was born in a noble family. He tended to think about benefits and liked to harm others for his own benefit.

On the other hand, Baheshtur was born in the grassland tribe of the Khergit Khanate. He had seen the struggles and annexations of the grassland tribes. He deeply understood that the winner would get everything, and the loser would lose everything.

Therefore, Baheshtur 's war plan was not based on temporary benefits. Instead, it was planned and arranged with the ultimate victory as the highest principle. For the sake of victory, Baheshtur could do anything.

He was not like Rolf who cared too much about preserving his own strength during the war. As long as he could obtain victory, a suitable sacrifice was necessary for him.

There was no war between tribes on the prairie that did not kill people.

In the Continent of Caradia, Baheshtur had always been an image of being irritable, cunning, and daring to take risks.

Baheshtur easily jumped onto the deck of another three-row warship.

The trireme he jumped onto was Baron Kant's ship.

Baheshtur had come to submit a war plan to Baron Kant, a war plan to launch a surprise attack on Lionheart City.

Reniston River was a prosperous river. There were many prosperous cities and towns on both sides of the river. On this river, there were also a large number of merchant ships.

However, due to the isolation of the political barrier between the South County and the East County, there was less traffic on the river. These few days, they met the merchant ships of the fleet led by Baheshtur. At this moment, they were all quietly sinking at the bottom of the deep Resniston River.

They could not leak the news of the surprise attack.

When they needed to pass by the prosperous towns on both sides of the river, Baheshtur would arrange for the ships to travel by day and night to avoid being detected by the guards in the towns.

At this moment, this fleet had already been hidden in a hidden branch of the river near Lionheart City for two days.

Baheshtur loved war, but he did not fight unprepared wars. If he faced an opponent that he knew nothing about, no matter how weak he looked, Baheshtur would rather flee far away first.

This was Baheshtur's way of doing things. On the Continent of Caradia, there were many hunters like Baheshtur, but many of them died.

Baheshtur was able to survive and make a great name for himself. This had something to do with his way of doing things.

Lionheart City was the largest city in the Dukedom of Leo. At the same time, it was also a prosperous trading city. There were no strict checks on the people who went in and out.

During these two days, Baheshtur sent out soldiers and easily infiltrated Lionheart City. He investigated the situation of the troops and the defense of Lionheart City.

After two days of investigating the troops of Lionheart City, Baheshtur had a relatively detailed understanding of the type of troops in Lionheart City, their strength, arrangement, and the rotation of the defense.

From the arrangement of the guards and the rotation of the guards, Baheshtur deduced that the four top-tier noble families of South County who controlled the guards of Lionheart City did not discover their surprise attack fleet. This was because Lionheart City did not have any large movements and arrangements to guard against them.

The docks of Lionheart City were still as prosperous as before. Although the guards were not weak, they were still the usual number.

After understanding this information, Baheshtur made war plans based on it. Moreover, he made three sets of war plans.

The surprise attack plans in the war plans were all the same, the only difference was the second half of the plan.

There were successful surprise attack, failed surprise attack, and the follow-up plan afterward. In the face of any possible situation, there were detailed countermeasures.

A crafty and changeable style was often built on sufficient preparation.

Kant sat in the cabin, which was specially used for office work. He carefully read some ancient documents about gods, demons, and the war between gods and demons.

In front of the desk made of high-quality wood, there was a bright silver table on each side. On each silver table, there were three high-quality honey waxes purchased from the Silver Platter Kingdom, which lit up the entire room. The floor was covered with a thick velvet carpet, and the wooden walls were hung with luxurious decorations. The entire room looked very luxurious.

Kant had absolute confidence that they could conquer Dukedom of Leo. This was not blind confidence, but the confidence that came from knowing himself and the enemy.

Therefore, he did not put too much attention on it. Instead, he gradually extended his gaze to the distant future.

Status always came from power.

The highest power in this world was none other than the gods and demons. They were once the rulers of this world, and now they showed signs of returning.

Kant had already fought many rounds with the gods and demons' forces.

But whether it was the undead forces led by the death knights who belonged to the gods' forces, or the supreme lord who called himself the Devil of Hell, the King of Evil, and the Ruler of the Flames, Aamon Qieke, or the supreme lord of the Devil of Hell, the Lord of Sin, and the Master of Flames, Flensas.

None of them could represent the true gods and demons.

Not to mention the undead army led by the death knights who called themselves the god's descendants, they were not gods and demons at all.

Take the two demons for example. No matter how great and powerful they boasted about themselves, they were actually just small characters among the demons.

The supreme lord of the hell demons. What a ridiculous title. This was probably the most genuine title of the two demons.

That was because demons came from the Abyss and devil came from Hell.

Chapter 497: Omission in Strategic Planning

As for the king of sin, the king of evil, and so on, they were completely self-proclaimed. This was out of the need to spread their image among the believers.

Only the two titles of ruler of flame and master of flame were their true identities. This was their demon's real name, and also the direction of their strength development.

These true demon nobles who had once stayed in this world and fought with the gods of this world were recorded in the ancient documents.

Ruler of Flames, Aamon Qieke came from the 76th level of the Abyss, the Flame Abyss. He was the demon baron in the Flame Abyss.

Master of Flames, Flensas also came from the 76th level of the Abyss, the Flame Abyss. He was also the demon baron in the Flame Abyss.

The demon baron was only the lowest level of existence among the demon nobles. Among the demons, the title of nobility was determined by strength. When one's strength reached a certain level, the will of the Abyss would bestow him with an additional title.

"It would be great if one day, I could attack the abyss. The demons of the Abyss are living denar!"

Kant thought so in his heart.

At this moment, there was a knock on the door.

Kant withdrew from his reverie and smiled self-deprecatingly. Once the door of ambition was opened, it would never close. He still had not conquer Dukedom of Leo yet. His thoughts were too far away.

"Please come in." Kant said.

A Swadian Royal Knight walked in.

The full plate armor was worn on his body and polished to a smooth and shiny finish. Even though it was covered with a linen coat, it was still shining under the candlelight. There were exquisite patterns carved on it. It was so beautiful that it did not look like a knight who had been on the battlefield for a long time, it was a work of art meticulously crafted by an artist. It was the most perfect war art!

The three-meter-long heavy armor-piercing lance was held in one arm. The kite-shaped shield on the left arm was inlaid with fine steel. In the light blue cloak that fluttered behind him, the gilded knight sword was on the left side of his waist. There was also a slender spiked warhammer hanging on the right side.

"Lord, Mr. Baheshtur requests to meet you!"

The Swadian Royal Knight said respectfully to Kant.

"Invite him in!"

Kant closed the ancient document in his hand. Baheshtur must have come to talk about official business. It was not appropriate for him to continue reading this document. It was not in line with etiquette, and it would appear that he did not respect Baheshtur enough.

"It is my honor to meet you, my lord!"

After Baheshtur entered, he first greeted Kant respectfully. Then, he held a roll of parchment in both hands and respectfully presented it to Kant.

"Lord, these are the war plans for the attack on Lionheart City. Please decide!"

Kant took the parchment and casually praised, "Not bad. It has only been two days and you have already prepared the war plans. Thank you for your hard work."

Baheshtur smiled. The praise from his Lord Kant made him happy from the bottom of his heart. He said humbly, "It's not hard. It's my duty and pleasure to share the lord's worries."

Kant glanced at Baheshtur in amusement. These words came from the mouth of a nomadic thug like him.

Kant felt very comfortable listening to it.

He carefully looked through Baheshtur's war plan. The Swadian Royal Knights stood respectfully at the side. Baheshtur stood on the opposite side of the solid wooden table. His eyes were filled with anticipation as he waited for Kant's decision.

The room was silent. There was only the sound of the sheepskin roll being dragged on the solid wooden table and the occasional crackling sound of the burning high-quality honey wax.

Half an hour had passed.

Kant carefully considered Baheshtur's war plan and found that it was very good.

Seeing his highness Kant reroll his war plan, the anticipation in Baheshtur's eyes became even stronger.

Kant's right middle finger gently tapped on the expensive long table made of solid wood, rhythmically.

Baheshtur's heart also followed Kant's tap, up and down.

After pondering for a moment, Kant said, "Baheshtur, your war plan is very good, almost perfect!"

Hearing Kant's praise, Baheshtur was overjoyed. His highness Kant's affirmation was his greatest pursuit in this world.

At this moment, Kant said, "However, there are some flaws in this war plan."

Baheshtur became serious. Although he liked to hear Lord Kant's praise, if there were any flaws in his war plan, it would very likely lead to the entire war going from victory to defeat. Therefore, Baheshtur said with utmost seriousness, "I hope Lord can give me some pointers."

A small nest of ants could cause a strong dam to burst during a flood.

The war plan concerned the fate of thousands of people, as well as the fate of victory and defeat. Baheshtur did not want any flaws. If there were, he would definitely change it.

Kant said, "In Lionheart City, apart from the garrison team controlled by the four noble families, you have also considered the private soldiers of the other noble families. This is very good."

After a pause, Kant continued, "However, you have forgotten about the two extremely powerful forces!"

After listening to Kant's words, Baheshtur frowned and thought hard. He wanted to find out which force he had neglected when he was making the war plan?

Kant did not immediately give an answer. In his opinion, if Baheshtur could discover it by himself, it would be better than finding it through his advice.

Baheshtur filtered the information he knew about Lionheart City one by one in his heart and eliminated them one by one. But in the end, he was disappointed to find that he still did not understand that he had neglected the two forces.

He could only ask Kant for help. "Lord, I have racked my brains. I really did not think of the flaws in my war plan. I do not know if I have neglected the two forces."

Kant said, "The association of mages in Lionheart City, and the War Temple of the God of War, Edmund!"

Baheshtur was a person who had come to this world from the Continent of Caradia, even though he had seen the powerful strength of the mages under Kant and the followers of the Crimson Sect

However, when formulating the war plan, he still used the thinking method of the world of Caradia. He did not take into account the association of mages in Lionheart City and the War Temple of the God of War, Edmund.

These two places were forces that controlled a large number of extraordinary powers and could greatly influence the war situation.

Once Kant reminded him, Baheshtur knew that he had made an empirical mistake.

He quickly said, "Lord, if that's the case, then I'll go and re-investigate and make a new war plan!"

Kant opened his mouth and said, "Okay!"

He handed the sheepskin scroll back to Baheshtur and let him leave to rearrange it.

Kant wanted to say that Lionheart City had these two forces with extraordinary powers, but they also had extraordinary powers that were no weaker than Lionheart City. It would be fine to fight according to his war plan.

But Kant also considered that it would be better for Baheshtur to discover it himself.

His heroes would have to stand alone for him in the future. This matter would allow Baheshtur to grow even better.

Chapter 498: Investigation from the Other Kingdoms

The nobles of the South County had no intention of investigating the actual strength of the North County's army.

Because they were in a hurry!

Because they didn't need it!

In the meeting room of the command group in Seria Castle, Viscount Kemil signed the final battle plan that all the nobles had put on their family badges. It was quickly completed.

It was so sloppy that it was almost child's play.

In was stated like this:

"Go beat them and kill them properly. Use your invincible charge to crush the scums of the North County noble alliance army. At the same time, try your best to retain our troops!"

After receiving such an order, the remaining three heavy cavalry legions, three grand knight commanders, and fifteen knight corps commanders of the South County did not have any doubts about this final battle plan.

Instead, they felt that this plan was very suitable.

Among them, there were people who had experienced the battlefield. three grand knights and ten knight corps commanders had experienced the battle where the Dukedom of Leo repelled the invasion of the Silver Platter Kingdom ten years ago.

Their military literacy wasn't low.

Even the elite infantry legions of the Silver Platter Kingdom couldn't withstand the furious charge of the heavy cavalries of Dukedom of Leo even though they had twice the number of soldiers.

Could the scums of the North County noble alliance army be more powerful than the elite infantry legion of the Silver Platter Kingdom?

The answer was obvious. As long as they had the strength of half of the elite infantry legion of the Silver Platter Kingdom, the joke of attacking the Stone Pass would not be true.

A detailed and precise battle plan was only suitable for an evenly matched opponent.

For an enemy that could be taken away with a single charge, spending a large amount of time to investigate the enemy's detailed military strength and arrangements, and then spending a large amount of time to come up with a detailed battle plan was no different from wasting time.

Following this plan, 15,000 heavy cavalry soldiers rushed out of Seria Castle.

After that, on the flat plains outside of Seria Castle, they were neatly arranged into three phalanxes of 5,000-man heavy cavalry legion.

Each heavy cavalry legion had a grand knight as the commander, leading five knight corps.

Each knight corps was led by a peak official knight and as commander of 20 small knight squads.

Each small knight squad was led by a peak official knight or a senior official knight. They were leading four official knights and 45 knight attendants.

Each small knight squad was formed by five official knights who were gathered at the front. They were used as charging arrows to break the defense of the 45 ordinary knight attendants. After that, they would lead the charge and kill.

Moreover, each team of knights basically came from the private army of the same noble. There would not be any mistakes in their coordination.

Such a configuration was completely the same as when the Dukedom of Leo blocked the elite heavy cavalry troops of the Silver Platter Kingdom.

This was because the nobles had copied the formation of elite heavy cavalry troops that had defeated the Silver Platter Kingdom to form their own private army.

The three heavy cavalry legions moved in an orderly manner towards the center of the border between the South County and the North County.

The heavy cavalry legion could not simply waste their energy on rushing forward.

...

There were some spies from well-connected forces patrolling around the battlefield.

They just happened to discover the heavy cavalry legions of the South County coming out of Seria Castle and advancing towards the infantry formation of the North County alliance army that was encamped between Maas Castle and Seria Castle.

Rolf used to kill these spies without restraint because he did not care about them at all.

The nobles of the South County did not have the courage to kill these spies who had gathered from all over the world. Otherwise, they might be taken revenge.

They did not want their strength to be clearly investigated by other forces.

It was rare for the spies to encounter such a good scouting environment. The gathered spies simply stayed about a thousand meters away and advanced towards the center of the battlefield with the three heavy cavalry legions of the South County noble alliance army.

In any case, there was a vast plain between Maas Castle and Seria Castle, and the three heavy cavalry legions of the South County noble alliance army weren't fast.

These spies from different forces around the world had already seen the infantry formation of Firentis. Now, they saw the three heavy cavalry legions of the South County noble alliance army, who were their opponents.

They could not help but discuss among themselves, exchanging their views on these two armies and evaluating their strengths and weaknesses.

"The South County is indeed the most powerful and prosperous area of the Dukedom of Leo. The heavy cavalry legions formed by some small and medium noble alliance army are actually so elite. They are even more elite than the heavy cavalry legions of our Kingdom of Daniel!"

A spy from the Kingdom of Daniel, who came from the far south, could not help but sigh when he saw the power of the heavy cavalry legions of the alliance of noble families in the South County.

"Brother, you really like to joke. Who doesn't know that the archers of the Kingdom of Daniel are the best among the human countries? A black stone fortress forced the dwarf tribe to the desolate Bujit Desert at the southernmost point of the continent. They attempted to return to their ancestral land in the northern highlands several times, but they were all suppressed by the Iron Army of the Kingdom of Daniel!"

When the other spy heard the words of the spy from the Kingdom of Daniel, he could not help but retort.

He wanted to continue speaking, but another spy interrupted, "That's right, your kingdom of Daniel is full of forests. What the hell do you need heavy cavalry for?"

Most of the spies were well-informed and knew many things that were not known to others. Such news that was known to the entire continent came as soon as they opened their mouths.

Another spy said, "When I saw the 30,000 infantrymen of the North County noble alliance army, they were very well-organized. They were not as weak as the rumors said! Those infantrymen who were scattered at the outermost perimeter were all looked strong. Their weapons and armors were all excellent, especially the thick tower shield that was taller than them. One look and you could tell that they were extraordinary."

"Brother, you have also noticed this? The weapons and armors on those soldiers were even stronger than the exquisite weapons and armors that were passed down from the dwarf tribe. Just based on this, I dare to say that the strength of the North County noble alliance army is definitely not as weak as the rumors say."

These spies from other countries who came from afar had mostly heard about the battle from rumors. They thought that those infantrymen were all the North County noble alliance army.

In fact, the soldiers that Firentis arranged at the outermost part of the infantry formation was Swadian Sergeants. They were the strongest level five infantry from the central Kingdom of Caradia, their individual strength was even stronger than the peak level official knights in the world. His defensive ability was extremely strong.

Otherwise, Firentis did not dare to believe that he would be able to take down the 15,000-man heavy cavalry troop of South County noble alliance army with just his 30,000 infantrymen.

"Do you think that the 15,000 heavy cavalry soldiers of the South County noble alliance army could crush the 30,000 infantrymen of the North County noble alliance army, or it's the other way round?" Another spy threw out this topic.

This topic obviously touched the curiosity of many spies. They no longer simply analyzed the heavy cavalry legion of the South County noble alliance army or the infantry legion of the North County noble alliance army. Instead, they began to express their opinions and judge the strength of the two, they predicted the direction of the battlefield situation.

Chapter 499: The Battle of the Ancient Time

"Of course, the 15,000-man heavy cavalry troop of the South County noble alliance army are stronger. Ten years ago, I saw the heavy cavalry troops of the Dukedom of Leo when they were defending against the invasion of the Silver Platter Kingdom. Even if they are more elite than this heavy cavalry troop, there is a limit to how elite they are!"

Pausing for a moment, he saw that everyone was very interested and was even more engaging in discussion, he then said, "I admit that the infantry legion of the North County noble alliance army is not as bad as the rumors say. However, you have to look at the battlefield terrain of this decisive battle. This is a plain area. You want to rely on 30,000 infantrymen to stop the charge of 15,000 heavy cavalry soldiers? Do you think that's possible?"

This spy's opinion was obviously the opinion of many of the spies.

As soon as he finished speaking, many of the spies echoed.

"You're right!"

"That makes sense!"

"I think so too!"

"It's absolutely impossible!"

There were even more powerful and convincing examples given by the spies to strengthen this understanding.

"The imperial guards of the Kaischino Empire seven thousand years ago. I think it should be the most powerful infantry corps in the past ten thousand years on the continent. Everyone doesn't deny this, right?"

The spy first asked all the spies around him. After seeing that everyone nodded, he continued.

"Back then, when the Isai Kingdom wanted to be independent from the Kaischino Empire, many noble families of the north joined in and swept across the entire north bank of the Resniston River."

"They relied on a force of twenty thousand invincible heavy cavalries to crush the army sent by the Kaischino Empire. In the end, they forced the Kaischino Empire to send fifty thousand imperial guards to attack, the battlefield was also on this vast plain in the South County of the Dukedom of Leo."

"20,000 unrivaled iron cavalry of the Isai Kingdom fought against 50,000 of the strongest infantry corps on the continent -- the Imperial Royal Guards. I think everyone knows the result!"

The words of this spy seemed to have brought many spies back into the vast river of history. They were fascinated by that unprecedented battle.

That was the greatest war in the history of this continent in the past ten thousand years. It was the most glorious chapter in the history of the wars of various countries.

Faced with this spy taking out this battle example to compare with the current battle situation, even some of the spies who initially believed that the infantry legion of the North County noble alliance army could win changed their minds.

Even though the 15,000 heavy cavalry soldiers of the South County noble alliance army could not be compared to the invincible iron cavalry of the Isai Kingdom 7000 years ago.

However, they did not think that the 30,000 infantrymen of the North County could be compared to the most elite imperial guards of the Kaischino Empire who dominated the entire continent.

At this moment, a spy said weakly, "We can't compare like this, okay?"

Many of the spies were immersed in the imagination of that unprecedented battle. As the horses under them slowly moved towards the north, the atmosphere was a little quiet.

Therefore, the voice of this spy was very abrupt.

All of the spies immediately focused their gazes on that spy.

Spies like them, who could be sent to such a distant battlefield, were all elites in this profession. It would not be an exaggeration to say that they had traveled far and wide. Otherwise, no matter how glorious that war was, it was already 7,000 years ago, no one could know.

And these spies were obviously known by everyone.

The words of this spy were challenging everyone's understanding. Everyone thought that there was no problem with such a comparison. He was the only one who opposed such comparison.

The gazes of all the spies all expressed the same meaning, "Speak your opinion, and then let us despise you!"

The spy was alone, and he was not confident at first, but when he was provoked by the eyes of the crowd, he went all out and said in a clear voice.

"The victory and defeat of the war should not be seen only from the military strength comparison. The commander of the army is equally important!"

He continued, "I think that in the war of 7000 years, if it was not for General Edmund's leadership, 20,000 Isai Kingdom's iron cavalry would definitely lose against 50,000 Kaischino Empire's imperial guards! You should know that General Edmund even succeeded in becoming a god through that war!"

"Who is General Edmund?"

"That's right, why isn't General Edmund in the war historical records that we have read!"

"Then you should know that the god that the Dukedom of Leo worships, the God of War, Edmund!"

Many of the spies revealed expressions of disbelief. They had never known about this matter.

"The God of War, Edmund, actually ascended to godhood through that unprecedented battle?"

"How is this possible?"

"I know nothing about this!"

"Damn it, could it be that the historical data I've read about the war is incomplete?"

It was obvious that the spies were very concerned about the incomplete information they knew about that unprecedented battle.

"Brother, who faction does you serve? Many of us know each other, but you look very unfamiliar!"

At this moment, someone asked.

They were all spies from forces far away from the Dukedom of Leo, and they were even closer to each other. That was why they were chatting harmoniously.

The spy who was asked said somewhat awkwardly, "I work for the War Temple. When I saw so many of you together, I came over."

In the profession of spies, information was the most important. It was taboo for him to act like this.

However, these spies did not discuss any secret information. Moreover, they were in the territory of the Dukedom of Leo, so they did not think of doing anything to him.

"War Temple?"

"So, you are from the Dukedom of Leo?"

"No wonder, no wonder!"

"Brother, tell us the specific situation of the war that happened 7,000 years ago!"

Upon hearing the words of this spy, the shrewd spies knew why this spy knew the information about the war that they did not know.

In the War Temple, there would naturally be the most detailed information about the war god that they believed in.

As for the other kingdoms and dukedom, they each had different gods that they believed in. If they recorded the information that Edmund was the commander-in-chief of the 20,000 iron cavalries of the Isai Kingdom in the historical records, wouldn't it help Edmund increase his believers?

As for the nobles, they obviously did not want their own people to believe in the God of War, Edmund, because they read the historical records, so they moved from their estate to the dukedom of Leo.

These spies were obviously more interested in this ancient secret about the gods. They didn't continue to discuss the strength of the alliance of the noble forces of South County and North County.

The spy from the War Temple was obviously willing to spread the glorious deeds of the god he believed in.

Just like that, as the spy slowly told the story of the God of War, Edmund's ascension, the horses under them brought them to the center of the battlefield.

Chapter 500: Preparation Before the Final Battle

The 15,000 heavy cavalry soldiers of the South County noble alliance army spent an hour to arrive at the center of the battlefield.

In the center of the battlefield, the 30,000-man infantry troop of the North County noble alliance army had set up camp.

At the border of the South County and the North County, the two armies could be seen from ten miles away. Hence, when the three heavy cavalry legions of the South County alliance army appeared one kilometer away, the North County noble alliance army were ready to welcome the charge attack of the cavalry.

The outermost ten rows of tents were completely put away. All the infantrymen retreated into the tents and even into the tents to form a tight square formation.

Facing the charging cavalry, the scattered infantrymen were simply courting death. Only by forming a tight square formation could they withstand the charge of the cavalry.

The tents in the square formation did not even close up. They only rolled up half of the tents on all four sides. They were like parasols with half of the curtains hanging down.

The use of setting up tents like this allowed the soldiers in the tents to gain a view of the surroundings. However, they could not see too far and would be blocked by other tents.

Even if the army formation at the front was destroyed by the charging cavalries, their morale would not be affected as long as they could not see. They could still maintain a tight formation and resist the enemy's heavy cavalries.

On the battlefield of tens of thousands of people, the battle cries shook the sky. At any moment, there would be people who were injured or died, and they would let out miserable cries. As long as they could not see the collapse of the formation at the front, the miserable cries of the defeated soldiers would not affect the morale of the troops at the back.

As for the tight formation, it did not leave any space for the troops at the front to retreat to the back. If they dared to retreat, there would be strict military rules waiting for them to be killed. Hence, even if the formation at the front really collapsed, it would not have much of an effect.

An infantry formation could not collapse when facing the cavalry troops charging at them. If the formation was collapsed, it was no different from waiting for death.

At the same time, such a tent could block the cavalry's vision, causing the cavalry to feel isolated and cut off. This was the situation that the heavy cavalry formation most afraid of.

The cavalry that had fallen into the middle of the vast infantry formation would end up in an extremely miserable state.

Outside each tent, there were some pallets that contained military rations. There were even some that were made of wood that was tied up with sharpened logs. These things were placed in the aisle between the tents, making it seem a little narrow.

The use of these things would make it difficult for the cavalry that charged into the formation to move even a single step.

Between the tent and the tent, there were dense infantry. Each infantry had a spear that was at least three meters long standing beside them.

It was easy to use it to stab the cavalry on the horseback!

Such an army formation was simply a nightmare for the cavalry that charged into the formation.

The design of the camp of Firentis had fully utilize the infantry fighting against the charging cavalries to the extreme.

There were only two words.

To stay unmoving and restrict enemy's movement!

They had to think of ways to make their own infantry "stay still". No matter how the cavalry charged, they only needed to stay where they were and stab with their spear.

They had to do everything they could to restrict the "movement" of the cavalry. As long as the cavalries could not run, they would become dead men and horses when they trapped in the infantry formation.

Although such a camp seemed to have a huge flaw, such as vulnerable to fire attack, it could still be said to be completely ineffective against the heavy cavalry legion of South County.

Moreover, even if the enemy really used fire attacks, Firentis still had a corresponding countermeasure. The war plan would not allow such a serious omission to exist.

Needless to say, the heavy cavalry legions of South County would face a tragic end if they charged into this infantry formation.

That was because they might not be able to charge into this infantry formation.

Just as the 15,000 heavy cavalries of the three combined forces of the noble families of South County were about to enter the charging distance.

"Pass the order: Swadian Sergeant! Set up the shield!" Firentis gave the order.

Firentis stood on a high platform in the middle of the infantry camp to gain a good view.

From there, he could timely issue the corresponding orders according to the changes in the battle situation.

There were ten Swadian Royal Knights beside Firentis. The ten Swadian Royal Knights activated their extraordinary powers and repeated Firentis' orders together. Their voices spread throughout the entire infantry formation.

"Order: Swadian Sergeant! Set up the shield!"

"Order: Swadian Sergeant! Set up the shield!"

"Order: Swadian Sergeant! Set up the shield!"

...

As the voice of the Swadian Royal Knights echoed throughout the entire infantry formation, the Swadian Sergeants at the outermost perimeter of the infantry formation raised the tower shield in their hands up high and stabbed it heavily into the ground in front of them.

"Boom!"

The synchronized movements and sounds merged together, forming a deafening sound.

The ground shook a little.

Under the tremendous strength of the Swadian Sergeants from level 5 troop class, the dense tower shield's lower half body's shield body pierced into the ground by at least 20 centimeters.

The Swdian Sergeants only needed to use a portion of their strength to be able to withstand 30 percent of the impact.

Moreover, Swadian Sergeant's tower shield was extremely wide, and it could completely cover their entire bodies.

Therefore, Swadian Sergeant was completely able to use the "shield stacking" method.

The name "stacking shield" method itself fully explained the tactic. Each shield was stacked by two shields at behind.

The shields in the first row were supported by two shields at the second row. The impact force of each shield in the first row could be divided into the two shields on the second row, and the impact force of the two shields in the second row could be divided into the four shields on third row.

Swadian Sergeants' hands were curved (take a piece of paper and roll it in a circle, then released it, it would be in a curve shape), and they could perfectly execute the "stacking shield" method.

However, the number Swadian Sergeants was limited, with only 1,200 people, so they could only make two rows of "stacking shields"

However, it was not only Swadian Sergeant who had a powerful tower shield.

The level 4 troop class of Swadian Footmen also had tower shields. From the size of the tower shields they had, there was no difference. The real difference was only the thickness and material of the tower shields.

The strength of the Swadian Sergeants was stronger than the Swadian Footmen. Therefore, the tower shields of the Swadian Sergeants were thicker, much higher than the tower shield than the tower shields of the Swadian Footmen, its defensive ability was level 4 Swadian Footmen.

However, no matter what, the level four troop class Swadian Footmen was able to perfectly coordinate with the Swadian Sergeants.

The 800 Swadian Footmen had perfectly increased the two layers of the Swadian Sergeant's "stacked shield" to three layers.

If a single attack landed on the first row of the shields, then the number of infantries that shared the attack power would increase from three to seven.

Chapter 501: The Charge of the Cavalries

Although this method was not fully reliable, after all, when the cavalries of South County charged rapidly at the shield wall set up by the Swadian Sergeants and the Swadian Footmen, it could not be a single attack, but a continuous wave of attacks.

However, the defense ability of three layers of 'stacked shields' was much stronger than two layers of "stacked shields". It was an indisputable fact.

It seemed complicated, but it only took about a minute for 1,200 Swadian Sergeants to form a shield wall and form two layers of "stacked shields".

And Firentis's came one after another.

"Order: Swadian Footmen, form shields!"

This order was repeated many times by the ten Swadian Royal Knights before it was immediately sent out by Firentis.

After the Swadian Sergeants and the Swadian Footmen formed three layers of shield wall, Swadian Royal Knights issued a third order and a fourth order.

"Pass down the Order: Swadian Sergeants, deploy the lance!"

"Pass down the Order: Swadian Footmen, deploy the lance!"

As an infantry troop class that specialized in targeting cavalry, be it the Swadian Sergeant or the Swadian Footman, the lance they held was longer than the longest four-meter-long knight lances.

Five-meter-long infantry lance!

As Firentis's order was given, the Swadian Sergeants and the Swadian Footmen who had already set up a shield wall pulled out the infantry lance that was standing on the ground beside them and placed it on their tower shields.

There was a 10-centimeter-long groove on the top edge of the tower shield, which was designed for the infantry lance.

Before the heavy cavalry charged, the infantry lance only needed to be placed on the tower shield at a 30-degree angle from the ground, revealing a meter outside.

When the heavy cavalries charged close, the Swadian Sergeants and the Swadian Footmen only needed to lift the lances and extend it four meters out along the hole in the shield, while keeping the lance slightly tilted upwards.

There was no need to wave the lance at all.

The effect was that in front of the shield wall, there would be a neat and dense array of lances.

It was also to restrict the enemy by standing still!

The cavalry who had entered the charging posture, unless they stopped far away, just this array of lances would cause them to break their heads and bleed.

In the Continent of Caradia, which had been in war and chaos for many years, the cold-weapon war had already developed to an extremely high level.

When Firentis formulated his war plan, he always felt that he was bullying an enemy that only had a single troop class like the South County noble alliance army.

The heavy cavalry soldiers of the South County noble alliance army had seen the lance formation before. In their opinion, they only needed to lightly charge forward and pay a small amount of damage to break through the lance formation.

As for the shield formation, it was just like a floating cloud in front of the heavy cavalry troops who had entered the charging posture. They could easily break through it with a single charge.

Hence, when the three grand knights of the South County noble alliance army were 1,000 meters away from the North County noble alliance army, they did not hesitate to give the order to charge.

The three grand knights of the South County noble alliance army pointed their four-meter-long lance at the sky and shouted at the same time,

"For the honor of the Edmund the God of War! Charge!"

The use of extraordinary power made their voices spread throughout the three heavy cavalry legions.

As they took the lead to accelerate, the15,000 heavy cavalries began to accelerate rapidly.

The earth began to tremble slowly.

The sound of horse hooves resounded through the world.

"For the honor of Edmund the God of War! Charge!"

"For the honor of Edmund the God of War! Charge!"

"For the honor of Edmund the God of War! Charge!"

Fifteen thousand heavy cavalry soldiers shouted at the same time. Their voices were as loud as thunder that charged into the clouds, shattering the clouds in the sky.

As they shouted, the aura of these 15,000 heavy cavalry soldiers became more and more intense.

"Look, they're charging!"

"Oh my god, this aura is too terrifying!"

"What can stop such an army?"

At this moment, almost all the spies were gathered near the battlefield. The shouts of the South County noble alliance army's heavy cavalries reached into their ears.

The belief that they could break through everything and crush everything was mixed in with the earth-shattering shouts.

The spies from all over the world who sensed this exclaimed one after another.

"I finally understand why the heavy cavalry of the Dukedom of Leo is the strongest iron cavalry of the human countries!"

"Yes, I'm sure that none of the human countries' armies can face such heavy cavalry head-on."

"The North County noble alliance army is finished!"

"In the future, when we negotiate with the noble families of the Dukedom of Leo in the South County, we need to be more polite!"

"And this is only the alliance army of the small noble families in the South County. I wonder how powerful those top-tier noble families, or the army of the Grand Duke Cameron, will be."

The spies from all over the world discussed animatedly.

The spies who had followed the three heavy cavalry legions of the South County noble alliance army all the way from Seria Castle were all shocked when they saw the power of the heavy cavalry charging forward.

"These are the heavy cavalry of the country with the God of War, Edmund, presiding over them. How elegant!"

"I've just heard of the glorious deeds of the God of War, Edmund, and I've already seen such a grand and majestic charging posture of heavy cavalry. I didn't come to the Dukedom of Leo for nothing this time!"

"My blood is already boiling. I can't wait to transform into a heavy cavalry and charge together with them!"

"I've decided. After this, I'll come to the Dukedom of Leo!"

On the highest platform in the center of the North County noble alliance army, Firentis watched the iron cavalry of the South County noble alliance army and said to himself, "This army is not bad, but if that's all, it's still far from enough."

Then, Firentis straightened his spiritual sense and ordered in a clear voice,

"Order: Swadian Sergeants, raise your lance!"

"Order: Swadian Footmen, raise your lance!"

The ten Swadian Royal Knights circulated their extraordinary powers and spread Firentis' orders throughout the entire infantry formation.

Even the rumbling sound of the approaching South County noble alliance army heavy cavalry could not cover up the voices of the ten Swadian Royal Knights.

Ca-chunk!

Ca-chunk!

Ca-chunk!

Above the three rows of shield walls, a dense formation of four-meter-long lances appeared in an orderly fashion.

These long lances incline upward, if the cavalries of South County collided with it, they would get pierced on the horses.

Not to mention 13,500 knight-squires, clad only in iron-scale armor, they would be impaled if they hit by the lances.

Even the mail armor and plate armor of the 1500 official knights would not be able to block them.

This was the power of speed.

The invincible might of the heavy cavalry came from this.

However, if they encountered such a dense forest of lances, the weakness of the heavy cavalry would definitely come out.

This forest of lances was completely different from the lance formation that they used to break through.

Less than ten seconds after the lance formation appeared.

The three heavy cavalry legions of the South County noble alliance army, the 15,000 heavy cavalries with the mighty and invincible aura were crashing into the forest of lances and the shield wall behind.

Chapter 502: The Bloody Battlefield

Splash!

Spalsh!

This was a tragedy.

In just a short while, hundreds of knights from the South County noble alliance army hung on the forest of lances in front of the shield wall with their eyes wide open in fear.

They had thought that these infantry lances would be easily repelled by the four-meter-long knight lance in their hands.

After that, they would be able to ruthlessly break through the seemingly sturdy shield wall.

However, they had miscalculated.

These infantry lances were stuck in the grooves of the extremely heavy tower shields. Behind each tower shield, there was also a level 5 troop class, Swadian Sergeant, or a level 4 troop class, Swadian Footman, who used all their strength to fix the position of the tower shields.

With the strength of the knights, they were unable to shake off the foot soldier's lance that extended out from the tower shield for about four meters.

On top of the warhorse that was charging at high speed, there was simply no time for the cavalries to dodge.

Since they were unable to shake off the terrifying infantry lance, they could only be led by the warhorse beneath them to charge towards the infantry lance.

Within a short distance of four meters, under the charge of the warhorse's hooves, it took less than half a second.

The cavalries suffered heavy casualties.

Even the warhorse that had lost a cavalry could not stop its footsteps. It crashed into the shield wall at the front row of the South County noble alliance army.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

A dull, loud sound reverberated across the battlefield. It was terrifying intense.

These loud sounds were the sounds of hundreds of warhorses crashing into the shield wall formed by the tower shields of the Swadian Sergeants.

The wails of the warhorses echoed on the battlefield.

The shield wall formed by three layers of 'stacked shields' only trembled slightly when it was hit by hundreds of warhorses. However, it didn't show any signs of collapsing.

The three grand knights who were charging at the front had escaped a disaster.

They had extraordinary strength, which allowed their reaction speed to far exceed that of ordinary knights.

Although their strength was not enough to shake Swadian Sergeants' iron shields, they still managed to react with their speed.

They turned their bodies to the side, avoiding the sharp tip of the lance.

Although it was unavoidable for them to follow their warhorses and charge towards the shield wall, with their strength, they were still able to withstand the impact.

This was due to the good armor on their bodies and their quick reaction speed. They all turned their bodies in time and crashed into the ice-cold tower shields.

They felt the ice-cold tower shields that were only shaking slightly when they collided with their warhorses.

A trace of despair appeared in the hearts of the three grand knights who had barely escaped death.

The charging cavalries would never be stopped. Once they were stopped, it would mean failure and continuous death.

The warhorses that fell at the front would become a stumbling block for the cavalries at the back. It would cause a chain effect, causing the warhorses at the back to stumble.

If the high-speed charging warhorse was tripped, then the cavalry on the warhorse would definitely end up in a miserable state.

They would be thrown away at an extremely fast speed and would usually fall to their deaths. Even if they did not fall to their deaths, their bones and tendons would definitely be broken.

The three grand knights were all qualified generals. This despair was instantly suppressed. Then, they gathered all the extraordinary strength in their bodies and roared crazily.

"Order: the 1st cavalry legion, all turn east!"

"Order: the 3rd cavalry legion, all turn west!"

"Order: the 2nd cavalry legion, follow the other two legions nearby, turn east or west!"

"Order: the 1st cavalry legion, all turn east!"

"Order: the 3rd cavalry legion, all turn west!"

"Order: the 2nd cavalry legion, follow the other two legions nearby, turn east or west!"

"Order: the 1st cavalry legion, all turn east!"

"Order: the 3rd cavalry legion, all turn west!"

"Order: the 2nd cavalry legion, follow the other two legions nearby, turn east or west!"

The three grand knights roared crazily, and the extraordinary power in their bodies was raging. They didn't care even if their bodies were covered in blood.

This made their voices drown out the galloping sound of tens of thousands of horses. Hundreds of thousands of knights and cavalries in the front row all heard their orders.

The charging heavy cavalries were separated by at least ten meters or even dozens of meters between each of the two warhorses. The 15,000 heavy cavalries were three to four miles long when they charged.

The dense formation of the North County noble alliance army made the shield wall not particularly long. It was only 200 to 300 meters.

After all, just the 600 Swadian Knights had surrounded the entire infantry formation.

At this moment, the cavalries that were originally in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th rows saw the miserable situation of the knights and grand knights in the 1st row, and they were already filled with fear.

When they heard the orders of the three grand knights, they immediately repeated the orders of the three grand knights loudly.

The cavalries in the front row of the 1st heavy cavalry legion shouted, "1st heavy cavalry legion, all turn east" and turned their horses to the east plain.

The cavalrymen in the front row of the 3rd heavy cavalry legion shouted, "3rd cavalry legion, all turn west!" and turned their horses to the west plain.

As for the knights in the front row of the 2nd heavy cavalry legion, they shouted, "2nd cavalry legion, follow the other two legions nearby, turn east or west!" Those who at the east part followed the 1st heavy cavalry legion and those who at the west part followed the 2nd heavy cavalry legion.

If the charging heavy cavalries wanted to slow down, they would need a long buffer distance.

Under such circumstances, such an order could not be given at will. Cavalry that did not slowdown in time would crash into horses that slowed down, causing them to suffer heavy injuries. If there were too many of such situations, it would definitely cause the entire army to collapse.

After the orders of the three grand knights were spread out, the three heavy cavalry legions split into east and west, quickly bypassing the North County alliance army's infantry formation and successfully leaving the battlefield.

Although there were still hundreds of cavalries that crashed into the sharp infantry lance of the North County alliance army and the ice-cold heavy tower shield, most of the heavy cavalries of the South County noble alliance army had managed to escape.

If the three grand knights had not given the order at the most critical moment, the fate of these knights would have been extremely miserable.

Although the heavy cavalry's formation stretched for three to four miles, for the charging heavy cavalry, this distance could be crossed in a few minutes!

Chapter 503: Hell in the Millstone

When the time came, the front row of cavalries would crash into the shield wall of the North County alliance army's infantry formation one by one, adding a layer of human and horse corpses as a barrier in front of the shield wall and the lance formation. The second, third, and fourth rows of heavy cavalries would not be able to stop their chariots, they would also crash forward without a doubt.

As for the heavy cavalries at the back, they could only follow the charge of the cavalries at the front. By the time they realized that the people in front of them were falling one after another, it would be too late.

The three grand knights were the commanders of the three heavy cavalry legions of the South County noble alliance army. At this moment, they were like three bloody people, lying on the warhorse that had been dead for a long time and had its neck broken.

They had their backs against the cold tower shields, and they did not have the strength to stand up.

The extraordinary strength that they unleashed at full strength had already caused their bodies, which had been heavily injured from the impact of the tower shields, to be riddled with holes.

At this moment, they saw that most of the heavy cavalries of their side had safely avoided the forest of lances and shield walls that were like monsters and traps. The unyielding light in their eyes gradually dimmed.

Just like that, they leaned on the cold tower shield of the North County noble alliance army. Under the cover of the hundreds of corpses of the South County's knights and knight attendants that were hanging on the forest of lances, surrounded by hundreds of warhorses that were dead or not yet dead. They eventually died quietly.

From the beginning to the end, the North County noble alliance army's infantry formation had been silent. They did not let out earth-shattering cries as the charging South County noble alliance army did.

The surrounding spies who were watching the battle thought that the North County noble alliance army's infantry had been scared silly by the might of the South County noble alliance army's cavalries charging forward.

However, after the results of this battle came out...

They looked at the battlefield silently. Under the shield wall and above the forest of lances, there were hundreds of corpses of knights or attendants of the South County noble alliance army's heavy cavalries. They actually felt a sense of panic in their hearts.

At this moment, in the eyes of these thousands of spies from all over the world...

The silent infantry formation of the North County noble alliance army was like a battlefield monster, quietly crouching in the middle of the battlefield, facing the charge of 15,000 elite heavy cavalry soldiers from the South County noble alliance army, it was waiting to devour all enemies that came.

The silent and suppressed aura spread among the spies. The strength of this North County noble alliance army's infantry far exceeded their expectations, their imagination, and even exceeded their knowledge.

The elites had never heard of such a thing.

After all, they were all spies.

The silent and stifling atmosphere was quickly broken. In the vicinity of the battlefield where the bloody aura had yet to disperse, they began to communicate and ask about the information of this North County noble alliance army's infantry formation.

"Who knows which noble these heavy footmen who used tower shields to defend the outermost perimeter of the infantry formation belong to?" a spy asked.

The moment he opened his mouth, he asked the most crucial question. The answer to these questions was that all the spies were concerned about.

These heavy footmen were equipped with extremely exquisite standard equipment, and they coordinated well. It was obvious that they were from the same noble.

This time, the battle between the North County noble alliance army's infantry formation and the South County noble alliance army's 15,000 heavy cavalries was extremely short. The one who had made the greatest contribution was the powerful heavy footman behind these tower shields.

Even if the North County noble alliance army had only a few hundred of these heavy footmen, it was not an exaggeration to say that they were capable of blocking the charge of 15,000 heavy cavalries of South County noble alliance army.

These people, who had come to this battlefield to be spies, had a certain level of military understanding.

Naturally, they could see that if it was not for the timely orders of the commanders of the three heavy cavalry legions, these 15,000 heavy cavalries of South County alliance army might have directly collapsed under a large number of collisions, they were utterly defeated.

"I've never seen such elite Infantry!"

"That's right. Even the Keyes Kingdom, the empire at the center of human countries which famous for its infantry, doesn't have such elite heavy footman, right?"

"You're talking nonsense. Our Keyes Kingdom's infantry is the best in the world. Have you seen how our strongest infantry legion fight?"

Obviously, the words of the scout in front had angered the scout from Keyes Kingdom. Although he admitted that these infantrymen were extremely elite, he obviously wouldn't agree if it was said that they were even more elite than their Keyes Kingdom's heavy footman.

"Alright, alright, that fellow just use your Keyes Kingdom's infantrymen. Don't take it too seriously!"

"That's right. After all, which noble of the Dukedom of Leo's North County does these elite infantrymen belong to? It has never appeared before. It should be the strongest trump card of their family."

"That makes sense. After the three heavy cavalry legions of the South County noble alliance army retreat, I think this North County noble alliance army will set up camp again and rest for a while. At that time, we can take the opportunity to approach and scout."

"Why do we have to wait until that time? In my opinion, their equipment is so uniform. It's obviously standard equipment. Then, on those equipment, there must be the noble's family badge."

"That's right. I think as long as we ride closer, we can see it clearly. As spies, our ability to identify all kinds of badges is beyond doubt. No matter what kind of badge this family has, we can always recognize it. Even if it's really remote, we can still find out the identity of their badge."

"Then, who will go?"

The infantry legion of the North County noble alliance army, which stood silently in the middle of the battlefield, was like a crawling monster, emitting a terrifying aura.

This was how these spies felt about the infantry legion of the North County noble alliance army. This was naturally the result of this battle, which had shocked their eyes and determined the outcome in an instant. It had formed a strong impact on them.

"Why don't we go together? The infantry legion of the North County noble alliance army shouldn't be against us. In fact, they might even use this battle to announce their victory to the world."

"Now that you mention it, I think it's true."

"Otherwise, how could they allow us spies to spy openly?"

"If that's the case, then the noble of the North County will have a big heart!"

"Ai, who says it isn't? The continent is becoming more and more unstable recently. Everyone is traveling around, so they should have some understanding, right?"

"The chaotic world is coming, a storm is coming!"

"Don't come here to sigh. Are we going or not?"

"Yes, yes, we're going!"

A large group of spies slowly approached the infantry corps of the North County noble alliance army from thousands of meters away.

Chapter 504: Information Exchange

"I saw it. The badge of the noble that these heavy cavalry soldiers are loyal to is a shield-shaped badge with a bright red background. Right in the middle is a golden lion!"

"That's right, I saw it too. A golden lion with a red background!"

"Unbelievable! The main body of the badge is actually a golden lion! In the Dukedom of Leo, only Grand Duke Cameron has the qualifications to do so!"

"Does this noble of the north want to rebel and replace Duke of Leo?"

The spies rode on their horses and approached the infantry formation of the North County noble alliance army. As expected, the other party ignored them.

They also saw the badges on the tower shields as they wished.

These badges were extremely exquisite, completely different from the badges on the standard equipment of ordinary noble families.

It was a shield-shaped badge with a bright red background. A golden lion was lying on its side, its eyes looking askance.

It was so bright and detailed, as if it was printed on.

They had never seen such an exquisite family badge on any standard equipment of a noble family including its bright color.

If the other noble families had this family badge, the one they carved on the shield would probably be in the shape of a shield. A few strokes in the middle would carve out the simple image of a lion.

More importantly, this was the Dukedom of Leo!

The Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron's family badge had a golden lion as the main body, but that lion was standing in the form of a roar towards the sky.

In the Dukedom of Leo, other than Cameron, Grand Duke of Leo, no other noble could use a lion as the main body of the family badge.

This was treason!

Duke of Leo could send troops to attack this noble, kill all his clansmen, and completely occupy his estate as a warning to others.

Even a noble who was very close to Duke of Leo's bloodline, such as the countess of the East County, was only qualified to use the lion as a substrate, shrink it, and insert it into the corner of the badge to show her noble bloodline.

She definitely could not use the lion as the main body of the badge.

Seeing this red-bottomed golden lion badge, the spies suddenly became curious about this North County.

They could see that even if this baron of North County wanted to replace the Grand Duke of Leo, he was not arrogant. Just the strength he displayed was already extremely terrifying.

"Does anyone know that this red-bottomed golden lion's shield-shaped badge is the badge of that North County's noble family?"

"Even if this family really wants to rebel against the Dukedom of Leo and replace Grand Duke Cameron, it's still worth paying attention to!"

Thousands of spies focused their attention on this extremely arrogant badge.

At this moment, one of the spies said hesitantly, "This badge... I've seen it before."

Many of the spies immediately fixed their eyes on this spy.

This was an important piece of news. As long as they knew the address of this spy who had seen this badge, they would be able to make a proper deduction.

The eyes of this spy flickered slightly, and there was a trace of fear in them.

"I was once sent by my master to the depths of the Nahrin Desert to investigate the strength of the Lord of the Nahrin Desert, Baron Kant."

"Baron Kant?"

"It's him?"

"He's only developed for a year. How could he have such elite heavy footman troop?"

Hearing Baron Kant's name, the eyes of all the spies flickered.

The Nahrin Desert was a forbidden area for spies.

During this year, who knew how many elite spies had rushed into Nahrin Desert and never heard from them again.

"Could it be that the badge of the golden lion with red background is Baron Kant's?"

"That's the only possibility. Although the entire Nahrin Desert is vast and boundless, there's only one lord!"

"That's Baron Kant!"

The spies were all very sharp. Before the spy could finish his sentence, they had their own guesses and expressed their opinions. One of the spies hadn't even finished his sentence when he was interrupted by the other spies.

The spy saw that everyone had already guessed it, but after discussing for a while, they all looked at him again, wanting him to confirm it.

After all, there were very few spies that could come out from the depths of the Nahrin Desert. It was extremely rare.

The spy nodded and said, "Everyone's guess is right. This badge is indeed Baron Kant's badge."

After the spy finished speaking, he could not help but think of the flag that was flying fiercely in the depths of the Nahrin Desert under the setting sun.

At that time, he sneaked into the Nahrin Desert and accidentally discovered that there were ten elite soldiers with extraordinary powers gathered together. There were nine grand knights and one mage.

Such a powerful force seemed to be aiming for the secret in the depths of the Nahrin Desert.

He was so frightened that he quickly dug a hole in a sand dune and buried himself in it, only revealing a pair of eyes to observe quietly.

After that, he discovered that the 10 soldiers with extraordinary strength seemed to be planning to ambush Baron Kant, who was leading 50 heavy cavalry soldiers back to the depths of the Nahrin Desert.

This spy, who was hiding in the sand from afar, saw a scene that shocked him greatly.

The 50 heavy cavalry soldiers all burst out with golden extraordinary powers, killing the 10 grand knights and mages with extraordinary powers who had tried to ambush Baron Kant like they were slaughtering chickens and ducks, slaughtering pigs and dogs.

However, what left the deepest impression on him was the flag with the image of a golden lion on a red background, which was personally waved by Baron Kant among the 50 knights with golden extraordinary powers.

That flag had always been imprinted in his heart.

He did not even dare to report this information. Fifty grand knights were simply too unbelievable.

If his master did not believe him and wanted him to continue investigating and produce strong evidence, he would be done for.

After seeing that scene, he left the Nahrin Desert and did not have the courage to explore further.

After seeing the badges on the outermost tower shields of the North County, these images that were buried in the deepest part of his memory involuntarily surfaced.

At this moment, when the spies heard his confirmation, their eyes were filled with excitement and anticipation.

One of the spies carefully asked, "Brother, does this mean that you have reached the depths of the Nahrin Desert and found out the details of Baron Kant's strength?"

Someone said, "Brother, I will offer a golden eagle. As long as you tell me the details of Baron Kant's strength that you have observed."

"I am also willing to offer a golden eagle!"

"Count me in!"

The spies spoke one after another. They were all willing to pay a price to obtain the details of Baron Kant's strength from this spy.

They knew that this price was not expensive.

Many spies entered the Nahrin Desert with confidence, but since then, they had disappeared without a trace. It was obvious that they had died in the depths of the Nahrin Desert.

Chapter 505: The Desire in the Hearts of the Spies

The depths of the Nahrin Desert were like a bottomless pit, swallowing wave after wave of elite spies within a year.

It caused the entire spy world to feel a chill.

They even named the depths of the Nahrin Desert as a forbidden area for spies.

Out of the thousands of spies, hundreds of them were willing to pay a sky-high price of 1 gold eagle to buy the detailed information of Baron Kant's strength.

That spy's heart was burning with passion, but in the end, it could only turn into regret.

He wanted the detailed information of Baron Kant's strength too.

"Brothers, thank you for your kindness, but you all overestimate me. I did not truly enter the depths of the Nahrin Desert, but by chance, I saw a flag embroidered with this badge, appearing in Baron Kant's army."

The spies were instantly disappointed.

At this moment, another one of them said, "Since this badge is Baron Kant's noble badge, then it cannot be considered a rebellion!"

"Brother, why do you say that?"

"Could it be that just because Baron Kant is powerful and mysterious, you can come to such a conclusion?"

"That's right, even if Baron Kant could overthrow the Dukedom of Leo by himself, he would still be a traitor if he created such a flag."

"That's right. If Baron Kant really had such strength and ambition, he could have declared his independence from the Dukedom of Leo and proclaimed himself as an archduke. Then, he would have declared war on the Dukedom of Leo and obtained land that was comparable to his strength!"

"No matter what, Baron Kant designed this badge as his own noble badge. If he did not break away from the Dukedom of Leo, this would be a betrayal!"

The spy who spoke didn't expect so many people to attack him the moment he spoke.

He immediately felt a great pressure and hurriedly said loudly, "I say, you guys from the foreign kingdoms and dukedoms, do you know which family Baron Kant came from?"

"You don't know anything, yet you speak without thinking!"

Indeed, these spies from the other kingdoms and dukedoms only cared about the strength of Baron Kant, who occupied the salt mines in the depths of the Nahrin Desert. They didn't care about what family he came from.

After confirming Baron Kant's strength and then confirming the strength of the Dukedom of Leo, the forces behind them would know what choice they should make on the salt road in the Nahrin Desert.

Just like now, they were on the battlefield to investigate the strength of the noble alliance army of the South County and North County of the Dukedom of Leo. If these two allied forces were weak, they did not mind reporting to their master. They would bring up a plan to infiltrate and secretly take over the control of some of the noble forces.

This way, they would be able to obtain the right to intervene on the salt road.

At this moment, these spies who came from other kingdoms and dukedoms heard the passionate words of the spy and asked,

"Could it be that Baron Kant has some special identity?"

The spy replied, "Of course! If he doesn't have a special identity, how could I say that Baron Kant's use of this badge is not considered treason?"

"Tell me quickly, what is going on?"

"Don't keep us guessing!"

"Could it be that Baron Kant's family was the previous ruling family of the Dukedom of Leo and was overthrown by the Grand Duke Cameron's family, so they are back for revenge?"

"It's possible. If that's the case, it's not treason, but revenge!"

"No wonder Baron Kant could develop such a powerful force in a year. This must be the accumulation of his family's strength after years of enduring!"

The spy saw that the spies were impatient at first and urged him to tell them the reason, but now they had come up with their own random idea and ignored the real reason he wanted to tell them. He only felt that a crow flew over his head, it had even defecated on his head.

"Enough!"

"Do you guys want to know why I said that even if Baron Kant uses a lion as the main body of the badge, it can't be considered as a rebellion?"

Many of the spies who were chatting fervently, as if they had already grasped Baron Kant's core secrets, immediately cast a strange look at him.

"Isn't it because Baron Kant has the right to take revenge on Cameron, Grand Duke of Leo?"

"Baron Kant, who has such a right, no matter how much he goes overboard, cannot be regarded as a traitor!"

Unable to tolerate it any longer, the spy said loudly, "You bunch of self-righteous and ridiculous fellows, you think you know the truth, but you don't know anything."

"Let me tell you, the real reason is that Baron Kant is the second son of the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron! Baron Kant has the legal right to inherit the Dukedom of Leo!"

When the spies heard this reason, the noisy atmosphere suddenly quieted down.

"It's... It's this reason?"

"But... but even so, Baron Kant is not qualified to use the lion as the main body of his noble badge, right?"

"Yes, unless Grand Duke Cameron, personally crowns Baron Kant and makes him the new Duke of Leo, otherwise, Baron Kant is still not qualified to use the lion as the main body of his badge."

"Although this is not considered treason, it can also be called disobedience."

"It is only slightly less than the degree of treason. If it is not too much of a fuss, it is not a big deal to say that Baron Kant is rebellious."

"That's right. The reason you mentioned is completely useless. We can't conclude that Baron Kant is not a traitor."

As the spies spoke, they suddenly unified their voices. They believed that Baron Kant was a traitor to the Dukedom of Leo and the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron himself.

At this moment, a soft laughter sounded among the spies.

His laugh seemed to have a strange power. The noisy voices of the spies could not suppress his soft laugh at all.

When the spies heard this soft laugh, their expressions changed, and they actually became a little humble.

To be able to do this, one must have used extraordinary power. In other words, the person who made this soft laugh was most likely a grand knight.

Strength would be respected wherever it went.

Many of the spies immediately turned their attention to the spy who was laughing.

They were stunned.

This spy did not seem like a spy.

He was very young.

His face was smooth and delicate, his hair was smooth and shiny, and he was wearing an exquisite linen robe. There was an exquisite knight longsword hanging at his waist, and a pair of exquisite leather boots on his feet.

He was dressed like a noble.

No, he was a noble.

He wore a badge on his chest, which was also a shield-shaped badge. Under the body of a soaring eagle, there was a pattern of swords and sabers clashing.

The spies' expressions changed.

Spies like them all recognized this badge.

Eagles, like lions, were creatures that stood at the top of the food chain. Those who were qualified to use them as the main body of the family badge were either the royal family of the kingdom or the dukedom's archdukes. As for the other families, no matter if you were an ancient noble that had been passed down for thousands of years or a top-tier noble that had the power of an entire kingdom, you were not qualified to use it.

The shield-shaped badge with the eagle as the main body and the sword as a foil to its foundation was the royal badge of the Keyes Kingdom, which was widely recognized as the strongest kingdom of the human race.

There were more than fifty silent "spies" around the young "spy." In the silence, they emitted a determined and heavy aura.

"That's why you people who aren't noble don't understand noble at all!"

"The reason why the successor of a noble has to wait for the previous noble to bestow a title on him is because they don't have the power!"

"If they have the power, why do they need the old guys to bestow a title on them?"

"Just go get it yourself!"

"Otherwise, why do you think a family like ours would use a lion or an eagle as their badge?"

Chapter 506: The Hopeless Situation of South County

On the battlefield, the heavy cavalry legion of the South County noble alliance army no longer tried to charge at the immovable infantry formation of the North County noble alliance army. Instead, they were on the vast plain battlefield, they ran in a huge arc and retreated directly towards the south.

When these heavy cavalry legions had completely retreated, the central battlefield on the plains was only left with the tiny figures of ants.

On the high platform at the center of the North County noble alliance army's infantry formation, Firentis gave an order:

"Pass down my orders: the 5th squad of Swadian Sergeants, the seventeenth squad of Swadian Sergeants, and the 6th squad of Swadian Footmen, raise your lances, put away your shields, and stand sideways to hold your shields!"

After the ten Royal Swadian Knights had passed the order to Firentis throughout the entire infantry formation, on the shield wall on the southern side of the formation, the Swadian Sergeants and the Swadian Footmen at the center began to move.

The Swadian Sergeants and the Swadian Footmen formed a 50-man squad. On the southern shield wall, there were three layers of "stacked shields". The first two layers were made up of three Swadian Sergeant squads, while the third layer was made up of four Swadian Footmen squads.

The members of the 15th, 17th, and 6th Swadian Footmen squads first drew the five-meter-long lance from the groove of the tower shield.

This process was a little laborious. After all, each lance was hung with the bodies of one or more knights or knight attendants of the South County noble alliance army.

The bodies hung on the lance were pulled back by the lance and eventually blocked by the ice-cold first row of tower shields.

As the Swadian Sergeants and the Swadian Footmen pulled back their lance, they pulled the lance out of the bodies.

The bodies fell onto the bodies of the warhorses with a thud. Dark red blood started to flow out from the fatal wounds that were pierced by the lance.

After pulling the lance out from the groove of the tower shield, they picked up the lances with both hands and raised it up straight. The tip of the lance was pointed up and stabbed into the ground on the right side of their bodies.

With the weight of the heavy five-meter lance and the huge strength of the Swadian Sergeants or the Swadian Footmen, the bottom of the lance penetrated 50 to 60 centimeters into the ground, even if the Swadian Sergeants and the Swadian Footmen did not support it, there was no danger of it falling down.

Following that, they used their strength to pull out the tower shield that penetrated 20 to 30 centimeters into the ground. Holding the tower shield, they turned their bodies sideways.

It was still neat and orderly.

However, a passageway that was more than half a meter wide appeared between them.

It was enough to pass through a soldier.

After that, Firentis gave another order.

"Pass down the order: Swadian Footmen, 10th, 15th and 20th squads, step out!" From the Swadian Sergeants and the Swadian Footmen that had cleared the passageway, they went outside the formation and killed all the knights of the South County noble alliance army who were not completely dead!

Total of 3,000 Swadian Footmen, as well as the 25,000 infantrymen of North County noble alliance army and East County noble alliance army, were split into 25 infantry units by Firentis.

Each unit consisted of 1,000 North County and South County noble alliance armies. At the same time, each unit was commanded by 120 Swadian Footmen.

That was to say, each infantry unit had 1,120 footmen.

Each unit was split into 20 squads. Each squad had 50 both counties' infantrymen, plus 6 Swadian Footmen. One of them was the unit leader, while the other five commanded 10 infantrymen of North County and South County.

Although the Swadian Light Footmen were only a minority of the infantry small squads and unit, Firentis still named these squads Swadian Light Footman squads and Swadian Light Footman unit.

The twenty-five squads were neatly arranged. The 10th, 15th, and 20th Swadian Light Footman squads were at the southernmost end of the formation. They could directly pass through the path in the shield wall and exit the formation.

After the 10th, 15th, and 20th Swadian Light Footman squads stepped out of the formation and killed all of the South County's cavalries that were not completely dead.

"Order: the 10th, 15th, and 20th Swadian Light Footman squads, collect weapons, equipment, and other spoils of war! Stack them in a place nearby!"

"Order: the 10th, 15th, and 20th Swadian Light Footman squads, move all of the corpses of the South County noble alliance army to a distance. Line them up and wait for the South County noble alliance army to deal with them!"

"Order: the 10th, 15th, and 20th Swadian Light Footman squads, drag all the corpses of the warhorse far away and burn them on the spot!"

Firentis's orders came one after another.

Every time, he would wait for the 10th, 15th, and 20th Swadian Light Footman squads to carry out the previous order before issuing the next one.

At the same time, they would maintain the main infantry formation and not make too many changes. They could deal with any sudden accidents on the battlefield at any time.

The raging fire started to burn.

At this point, more than 3,000 soldiers had finished dealing with the battlefield.

Beautiful, beautiful!

"Order: the 10th, 15th, and 20th Swadian Light Footman squads will bring weapons, equipment, and other spoils of war back to the formation!"

"Order: all of you, pull out the camp! The legion will retreat two kilometers north!"

After dealing with the battlefield, Firentis ordered the entire infantry formation of the North County noble alliance army to pull out the camp and retreat two kilometers north.

After that, they set up the tightly guarded camp, just like when they were attacked by the South County noble alliance army.

The camp was well organized.

After all, the center of the battlefield had just been through a cruel massacre. The strong smell of blood filled the air.

There were also burned horses and a pile of corpses of the South County's soldiers.

It was not that there was no choice, so there was no need to set up camp.

...

The South County's noble families in Seria Castle were in despair.

They did not expect that the North County infantry formation would be so sturdy. The heavy cavalry legion, which consisted of three grand knights and hundreds of official knights as the leads was charging rapidly with their full might, yet they were blocked by the enemy's infantry formation.

This almost directly crippled their heavy cavalry legion.

Bang!

Viscount Kemil's expression was extremely gloomy as he slammed his palm fiercely on the conference table made of precious wood.

"Damn it! It's impossible for the North County noble alliance army to have such elite infantrymen!"

Viscount Kemil's gloomy gaze swept across all those South County's nobles in the room. His eyes were filled with fury.

Chapter 507: Panic Nobles

His gaze was especially directed at the two barons closest to him.

This time, Viscount Kermil suffered the greatest loss in this short confrontation with the infantry formation of the North County noble alliance army.

Among the three grand knights, two of them came from Viscount Kemil's family.

Grand knights with extraordinary powers were not many. Even among Viscount Kemil's family, there were only ten of them, including Viscount Kemil himself.

Not only grand knights, but there were also more than 200 official knights among the 600 + heavy cavalries who died this time. This was undoubtedly a heavy loss for the South County noble alliance army who only had 1,500 official knights.

Among the casualties of the official knights, Viscount Kemil suffered the heaviest loss.

This greatly weakened Viscount Kemil's strength in the South County noble alliance army.

The right to speak came from strength.

"Viscount Kemil, now is not the time to fight for power and benefits!"

The baron sat right to Viscount Kemil, spoke.

Although he said so, his tone was cold. Obviously, he was not afraid of Viscount Kemil anymore.

"That's right. The situation has completely gone out of control. It's extremely bad! We must think of a way out as soon as possible!" the baron sat left to Viscount Kemil, continued.

In the past, Viscount Kemil would usually be the one to dominate the meeting.

After setting the tone of the meeting, a noble immediately spoke up.

"Based on the current situation, we are in a dilemma!"

The expression of the noble who spoke up was not good. He did not look as happy as when he had celebrated his victory earlier.

That was indeed the case. Their original thought was that their troop could easily defeat the North County noble alliance army. After that, they could divide up the territory of the North County.

But in the end?

Their homes had been destroyed, and the North County noble alliance army had exceeded their expectations. It was a tough piece of bone that was hard to chew and even a little hard to chew.

They had thought of a strategy, but the first step could not be successfully carried out. These nobles were looking forward to a bright future, but now they were in stake.

If they could not take the benefits of the North County, supplement their own strength, and rebuild their family's foundation in the North County, it would be impossible to take back their homes in South County.

The rebellion army was still a weak force in their eyes. However, after the rebellion army wreaked havoc in the South County, most of their homes had been destroyed.

Destruction was easy, but construction was difficult.

Even if they took back their own land in the South County, they would face many problems. Their family's estate would be destroyed easily.

Their foundation in the South County was destroyed by the South County rebellion army.

Buildings, food, and most importantly, the people.

All of them were gone.

Without the North County as their foundation, taking back their estate in South County was impossible.

They were stuck in a dilemma.

However, under such a difficult situation, complaining was useless.

The noble understood this and didn't want to destroy their dignity.

This was indeed a difficult problem.

They only had enough food to last for a dozen days.

They didn't have the resources to drag it on.

Otherwise, if they had enough food, they could take back their own estate and rebuild their home.

Even though the speed would be very slow due to the lack of manpower.

The many noble families fell into silence.

The atmosphere in the meeting room was very heavy.

Viscount Kemil suddenly said, "The reason why we are in this situation is because the North County noble alliance army is much stronger than we expected."

"This is not normal!"

Viscount Kemil suddenly said loudly. At the same time, he fiercely slapped the long table made of expensive real wood, making a crisp sound.

All the noble's eyes were focused on Viscount Kemil.

When everyone was at a loss of what to do, if someone suddenly spoke, it would undoubtedly meet everyone's expectations.

"This is indeed abnormal, but the fact is that it cannot be changed."

"Viscount Kemil, what do you think?"

"Could it be that this can also be a breakthrough to solve our situation?"

Viscount Kemil enjoyed the attention. After the many noble families calmed down, he said, "Before this meeting, the spies of my family on the battlefield have already reported to me. Do you know why our enemy are so powerful?"

All the South County's nobles immediately focused their attention and even looked at Viscount Kemil with envy. This was because Viscount Kemil still had spies loyal to him.

Although Viscount Kemil's strength had been greatly reduced, as the most powerful and noble noble in the beginning, his background was not comparable to the other nobles.

In fact, it was not that the other nobles did not have spies, but all the spies that they had sent out were all eliminated by Rolf. The spies that their family did not send out were also killed along with the destruction of their homeland in the South County.

As a result, there were no obstructions to the spies in this war. The South County noble families in Seria Castle had sent out pitifully few spies.

Many spies had even abandoned their original master, the nobles in the meeting room, when they saw that the South County noble alliance army had suffered a great defeat.

The spies had been serving the noble forces for a long time, gathering information.

In order to ensure the loyalty of the spies, many noble families tried their best to rope in the spies' families, or they directly used their families as blackmail.

At this time, the homes of these small noble families in the South County were destroyed, so the families of the spies naturally couldn't escape.

Therefore, the South County's noble families no longer had any restrictions on the spies, so it was not a big deal to be betrayed by the spies.

The envious gazes from the noble families eased some of the pain caused by Viscount Kemil's great loss of strength.

He said in a deep voice, "Everyone, we miscalculated! In the North County alliance army, those extremely powerful infantrymen are Baron Kant's soldiers."

Although he said so, the expression on Viscount Kemil's face was not one of helplessness.

"Baron Kant?"

"Didn't he bring his main force to the East County? Before sending out the troops, I specially sent spies to investigate. Baron Kant built a castle in the East County."

"I also found out about this news! In my opinion, Baron Kant is simply trying to establish a foundation in the East County. Other than his main force in the Nahrin Desert, Baron Kant's strength in the East County is extremely strong as well."

"That's right. Even the Crimson Sect which is comparable to the top-tier noble's strength was destroyed by Baron Kant's powerful army that he brought to the East County."

"In this case, why does Baron Kant still have extra strength to throw into the battlefield of the North County?"

"This doesn't make sense! How could Baron Kant have such powerful strength?"

The many nobles had never thought of this possibility. They only thought that a certain noble in the North County had such a terrifying background hidden in the dark.

After all, the Dukedom of Leo had been established for more than 300 years. They could accept the fact that the nobles in the North County had secretly developed powerful strength. Most of the noble's strength was hidden in the dark as a foundation.

No one could be sure that among the poor noble families of the North County, there was no one who had powerful strength. Perhaps they had developed extremely powerful forces in other kingdoms or dukedoms.

Therefore, the sudden appearance of such a terrifying army in the North County noble alliance army was indeed out of their expectations, but it was not completely unacceptable.

However, Baron Kant had only established his force in the Nahrin Desert for less than a year, and they could not believe that he had such a powerful army.

They even concluded that Kant's powerful troop in East County was actually from Princess's Sofia legacy.

Chapter 508: The Discussion In the Meeting Room

Viscount Kemil, who was sitting in the main seat, saw that almost all the noble families had an expression of disbelief on their faces. There was a hint of coldness in the depths of his eyes.

"We are not your match, but we can find you a match!"! This was what Viscount Kemil was thinking.

All the noble families present, including Viscount Kemil himself, did not believe that Baron Kant could have such a powerful army within a year.

However, the truth was that Baron Kant did indeed have such a powerful army.

Not only that, but his army also had shocking military achievements that were praiseworthy.

There must be a reason for everything!

A hint of a hidden smile appeared on the corner of Viscount Kemil's mouth as he said, "The Crimson Sect, as the embers of the Demon Worship Cult, is extremely powerful. It is not inferior to the six top noble families in the South County."

"Even so, Baron Kant led his army to attack his lair and destroyed it in one battle!"

"How?"

"Why does Baron Kant have such a powerful army?"

Viscount Kemil's words were loud and clear, as if he was summarizing the doubts that many noble families had about the strength of Baron Kant's army.

Then, Viscount Kemil said, "A militia can only become a qualified infantryman after three years of hard training. A militia can only become a qualified cavalry after five years of hard training, or a qualified infantryman can only become a qualified cavalry after three years of training."

"Before, Baron Kant had no foundation at all. Even if the salt mines in the depths of the Nahrin Desert brought Baron Kant more golden eagles and great silver coins, he wouldn't have been able to train such an elite army in just one year

"Besides, based on the heavy footman in the North County noble alliance army that blocked our cavalries, I can conclude that Baron Kant's army did not come from the legacy of Princess Sofia. Even when Princess Sofia was at her peak, the Silver Platter Kingdom's footmen under her were definitely not this strong."

"Finally, although Baron Kant is the second son of the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, we all know that the Grand Duke Cameron has never supported the actions of his second son, whether it is in the economic aspect or the military aspect."

"If it was not for the fact that after the coming-of-age ceremony of Baron Kant, he had the power to obtain the title of nobility and obtained the right to be granted the estate, perhaps even Grand Duke Cameron would not grant him the Nahrin Desert even though no noble was interested in it."

"Therefore, we can exclude the possibility that Baron Kant's strength comes from the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron. Since Grand Duke Cameron tricked us into blocking the North County noble alliance army, this is absolutely impossible!"

Viscount Kemil analyzed each and every one of them, rejecting each and every one of the theories of the origin of Baron Kant's powerful troops.

When the nobles in the meeting room saw that Viscount Kemil's analysis was reasonable, they all nodded in agreement.

Viscount Kemil's analysis of the strength of Baron Kant's army had fully convinced them.

"Viscount Kemil, you're right. I think so too. It's just that it's not as comprehensive as your summary."

Immediately, a noble spoke up in agreement with Viscount Kemil. The one who spoke up was a weak knight. His words were full of praise for Viscount Kemil.

However, most of the nobles were puzzled. Although they all agreed with what Viscount Kemil said, what did it have to do with the current situation they were facing? It had nothing to do with resolving the current situation.

Therefore, many noble families voiced their doubts.

"Although that's the case, it doesn't change the fact that Baron Kant has a powerful army. It was his army that forced us into this dilemma."

"That's right, Viscount Kemil. The noble families must look at their strength in the end. Besides us losers, who else would care about how incredible and unreasonable Baron Kant's strength is?"

However, there were also some nobles who were very observant. When they saw that the nobles in the venue were expressing their opinions in response to Viscount Kemil's words, the scene became a little noisy, so they spoke loudly.

"Everyone, stop arguing. Stop arguing. Let's hear what Viscount Kemil has to say next!"

"Viscount Kemil, I see that you seem to have a plan in mind. You must have a countermeasure. Let's continue quickly. No one has any other intentions. It's just that the current situation is really bad. The nobles here all have great expectations for you. They don't want to hear some useless words."

Viscount Kemil enjoyed the feeling of being the focus of all the noble families. Even though his strength had been greatly reduced and he could not even suppress the two strongest barons in here, his deeper background and knowledge still allowed him to surpass the two barons.

"Some time ago, Viscount Gibran, the leader of the East County, was suddenly exposed. I think everyone here must be very shocked by that incident, right?"

When all the noble voices had calmed down and they were all looking at him expectantly. Viscount Kemil suddenly said something that had nothing to do with the current situation.

However, when the nobles in the room heard his loud speech, they also carefully observed Viscount Kemil's expression and found that he was indeed very calm. He seemed to have made up his mind. Therefore, this time, they did not easily refute Viscount Kemil, instead, they followed Viscount Kemil's words and answered his question.

The nobles were very enthusiastic and familiar with the struggle for power. They all knew that Viscount Kemil was taking advantage of this matter to regain his right to speak, which had been provoked because of his great loss of power.

Therefore, other than the two most powerful barons, whose faces were somewhat gloomy, the other nobles followed Viscount Kemil's wishes and expressed their opinions. They were only concerned about the solution to the current situation, it was obvious that although Viscount Kemil still hadn't proposed any solution, his performance was far better than the two silent and frowning barons.

A noble said, "That's true. When our family's spies in Avilis Castle sent the news, I simply couldn't believe it. Viscount Gibran is a hero of our Dukedom of Leo. I simply couldn't believe that he was actually the devil's lackey."

"Sigh, if you want to talk about shock, I'm afraid I'm the most shocked. When I inherited my father's title, I see Viscount Gibran as my role model. I wanted to become a hero like him. I was able to turn the tide in a crisis, making everyone marvel at me. After Viscount Gibran was exposed his true self, it was no less than directly shattering my dream!"

"I have always worshipped Viscount Gibran. Although I did not regard him as a role model, I had secretly visited him and asked him about training soldiers. All along, in my eyes, Viscount Gibran was a lord who was good at using soldiers. However, after the harsh truth was revealed, I realized that I was too naive in the past."

Chapter 509: A Vacillating Decision

The matter of Viscount Gibran had attracted a great deal of attention and discussion among the nobles in Dukedom of Leo. When Baron Kant accidentally forced out the true identity of Viscount Gibran, the first thing that all the nobles of the Dukedom of Leo chose to do was not believe it. They immediately sent spies to investigate the detailed information. When they received the detailed information, they had no choice but to accept the fact that the former hero of the dukedom was a devil's lackey.

In the past, Viscount Gibran was a powerful noble who was almost on par with the six top-notch nobles of the South County. It was because he was in charge of the East County and supported Countess Agatha that Countess Agatha had the confidence to fall out with the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron. She had sealed off the East County and isolated it from the South County.

In the past year, there were two incidents among the matters that the noble families of the Dukedom of Leo were paying attention to. Firstly, Baron Kant's discovery of the salt mine and his sudden rise to become a powerful noble that was on par with, or even surpassing, the six top noble families of the South County. Then it was the matter of Viscount Gibran revealed his evil true self was the most important one.

Therefore, Viscount Kemil's sudden mention of this topic, even if it had nothing to do with resolving the current situation where the nobles of the South County were trapped in Seria Castle and were stuck between a rock and a hard place, had immediately aroused the fervent discussions of the noble families.

Clap, clap, clap!

Seeing that the nobles seemed to be unable to control themselves when talking about this topic, Viscount Kemil clapped his hands, interrupting the conversation of the nobles.

He mentioned viscount Gibran only to "throw a brick to attract a jade", not really to listen to the views of the nobles towards Viscount Gibran.

Seeing that the many nobles had quieted down after he clapped his hands a few times, and once again cast his expectant gaze on him, Viscount Kemil was very satisfied, and his eyes gradually turned cold.

"Viscount Gibran was able to become the devil's lackey on the battlefield ten years ago. He instantly gained great power and killed all the elites of the Silver Platter Kingdom with the help of some militia!"

"Why Baron Kant couldn't do so?"

Viscount Kemil's second sentence was spoken very slowly, and his cold eyes scanned all the noble families present.

In fact, Viscount Kemil used extraordinary power when he said this sentence. Perhaps it had already spread out of the meeting room and was heard by the grand knights guarding outside the meeting room.

When he said such words, without any evidence, he was slandering a noble. He would have to go to the noble's court.

If it was proven to be slander in the end, the noble who would be slandered by him would see him as mortal enemy.

At the same time, he would also be ostracized by the entire noble circle.

The nobles needed to maintain a minimum of dignity.

There were some things that could be done but could not be said.

Just like what Viscount Kemil was saying now, if Viscount Kemil secretly sent people to spread rumors, nothing would happen.

However, Viscount Kemil did not do that. Instead, he directly said such a "slander" in front of so many noble families.

In the absence of evidence, this was a blatant slander and defamation. It would greatly affect Baron Kant's reputation.

If Baron Kant found out about this, Viscount Kemil would become Baron Kant's mortal enemy.

Just as Viscount Kemil expected, after all the noble families heard his crazy words, they all stood up from their seats in shock.

The baron who was sitting on the right side of Viscount Kemil was the first to speak. He asked Viscount Kemil in a stern voice, "Viscount Kemil, what evidence do you have for saying such words?"

Following that, many nobles spoke up as well.

"Viscount Kemil, you must give a satisfactory explanation for this matter. Otherwise, don't blame us for being merciless!"

The baron, who was sitting at the left side of Viscount Kemil, also spoke unkindly.

"Viscount Kemil, if you don't have any concrete evidence, please immediately retract your previous words!"

"Don't think that we will go along with you. This is a feud that will never end with Baron Kant!"

There were not many idiots among the noble families. At this moment, they could all see through Viscount Kemil's sinister intentions.

Viscount Kemil wanted to tie them to him and sully Baron Kant's reputation.

All they needed was for Viscount Kemil and the noble families to say that Baron Kant's strength came from the devil.

Then, before the truth came out, whether it was the sect of the God of War of the Dukedom of Leo, the sect of the God of Glory of the Silver Platter Kingdom, or the sect of Mother Earth of the Keyes Kingdom, the churches of the god of all human forces would not sit idly by. Instead, they would immediately send their troops to attack Baron Kant.

The enemy of the gods was the demons from the Abyss.

However, once Baron Kant proved that his strength had nothing to do with demons, the army sent by the sect of the God of War to attack Baron Kant would be immediately recalled.

Within the human race, the strength of churches and sects was inferior to the nobles' strength. They would never dare to deal with a noble who was considered a top noble in the entire human race.

At that time, they, the nobles who slandered Baron Kant, would fight to the death with Baron Kant.

Moreover, they would suffer the rejection of the entire noble class.

The consequences would be very serious. All the nobles in the meeting room did not want to suffer such an outcome.

Even if Viscount Kemil's method could indeed force Baron Kant to withdraw his power and use it to deal with the troops of the sects that were attacking him.

At the same time, they could also destroy North County noble alliance army and realize their original strategic plan.

But the risk was still too great!

If Baron Kant proved his innocence, they would be punished by Baron Kant. They did not think that they could stop Baron Kant's army.

The Crimson Sect, which could be compared to the top noble families, was destroyed by Baron Kant in their own lair.

Viscount Kemil looked coldly at the nobles. He had long expected this scene.

The current Baron Kant was at the peak of his power. None of the nobles here were willing to truly offend Baron Kant.

They had only sent troops to bully the North County noble alliance army for the sake of benefits.

Although these noble families had indeed lost their homes and faced a dilemma, this was because they had not given up on the fight for benefits.

If they were willing to give up on benefits, they could still have choices.

They could either side with Baron Kant, support him against the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, or chase him off and become the new Grand Duke.

Or they could side with the Grand Duke of Leo. At that time, they would be able to obtain the support of the Grand Duke of Leo. At that time, it would not be so difficult to deal with the current situation.

After all, they were still nobles.

Although they were currently fighting against the North County noble alliance army, and Baron Kant's powerful army as well.

However, they did not choose a side yet.

Chapter 510: The War Between Gods and Demons

Viscount Kemil had long expected the opposition of the many noble families.

There was no one who understood the nature of the noble families better than the noble families themselves.

It was nothing more than two words.

Profits.

The reason why these noble families were unwilling to "expose" the strength of Baron Kant's subordinates with Viscount Kemil was because they did not have any concrete evidence that Baron Kant was sided with demons.

They were afraid of Baron Kant's revenge in the future.

However, if they were given a bit of "evidence", driven by greed and profit, these noble families would probably take the initiative to "expose" Baron Kant's sins even more than Viscount Kemil.

No matter how powerful Baron Kant was, how could he resist the strength of all the human kingdoms and dukedoms' sects.

Viscount Kemil had long been prepared.

Although he had prepared a lie, in Viscount Kemil's opinion, Baron Kant's unreasonable rapid increase in strength could only come from a demon that could quickly bestow power to believers. There was no other possibility.

Viscount Kemil believed that after his reminder, all the noble families present had such thoughts, deep or shallow.

When all the noble families had verbally condemned Viscount Kemil and calmed down, they waited for Viscount Kemil to give them an explanation.

Viscount Kemil did not speak immediately. He waited for a period of time.

Time would cause things to change, including people's thoughts.

Just as Viscount Kemil had expected, the reason why these noble families opposed him was because they had deduced the most serious consequences at the first moment. And that kind of consequences would greatly harm their interests.

Now, these noble families had quieted down. Instead, they could not help but think about the words of Viscount Kemil. They suddenly felt that the words of Viscount Kemil might be the truth of the matter. Regardless of whether they "exposed" Baron Kant, whether it was slander or defamation, if the sects really discovered the power of the devil in Baron Kant's strength, then they did not need to care about Baron Kant's revenge.

By then, Baron Kant would not have the energy to care about them and might even be destroyed very quickly.

When the noble families thought about problems, they would always start from the interests.

Viscount Kemil's words did not pose a pure threat to the noble families present. There was an even more alluring temptation of interests.

Many of the noble families immediately began to waver, showing signs of struggling. It seemed to Viscount Kemil that the time had come.

Perhaps he did not need to use his last resort -- to force the noble families to be on the same boat as him.

Viscount Kemil said in a deep voice, "I have evidence!"

As soon as Viscount Kemil said this, the eyes of the noble families in the South County were filled with anticipation.

If they really had evidence, they did not need to worry about Baron Kant's revenge.

"What evidence?"

"Is it reliable?"

Immediately, some of the nobles asked.

It seemed that their attitude had indeed changed greatly compared to before.

Viscount Kemil revealed a confident smile on his face and said slowly, "I wonder if any of you have ever read the literature about the ancient was of demons and gods?"

Viscount Kemil asked this question, but he was sure that the noble families of the South County had read the literature on the ancient war of gods and demons. It was extremely rare, to the point that not even one of them had read it.

After all, these nobles were all small and medium-sized noble families of the South County. They did not have a deep background, so it was difficult for them to access such precious information.

These were the prerequisites for Viscount Kemil to weave a lie and successfully deceive these noble families.

Hearing Viscount Kemil's question, most of the nobles were at a loss. They might not even know that a world-shaking war between gods and demons had once happened in this world.

The South County was a prosperous plain. There were very few cases of demonized creatures wreaking havoc in there. If they were not frequently threatened by demonized creatures, who would pay attention to the gods and demons that were related to them?

At this moment, a noble asked, "The ancient war between gods and demons? Did such a terrible thing happen in our world?"

They could not be blamed for their ignorance. After all, that was tens of thousands of years ago.

What could withstand the erosion of time and never fade?

Even the gods and demons known as immortals would not receive much attention after they lost their position as the rulers of the world. They fell, were suppressed, and buried in some corner of the world, or some ruins for tens of thousands of years. Those who would specially study these things were only scholars who specialized in this field.

After that noble asked the question, the other nobles also expressed their doubts.

"I've never heard of any war between gods and devils. However, there are times when some devils would appear in a kingdom or dukedom to wreak havoc. At such times, the various kingdoms and dukedom sects would send out powerful troops to wipe out the demons and the forces they developed."

"That's right. On the continent, the last time the demons wreaked havoc was over a hundred years ago when they worshipped the demons. If it wasn't for the other kingdoms and dukedom's sects sending out troops to support them, I'm afraid our Dukedom of Leo would have been in danger of being exterminated."

"What you said isn't right. The last time should have been Viscount Gibran's Crimson Sect. When Viscount Gibran was exposed, it was obvious that he knew that his death was near. He had once crazily wanted to take revenge on Baron Kant. However, he did not expect that Baron Kant's strength far exceeded his imagination. Before the sect's army arrived, Baron Kant had already destroyed him and the Crimson Sect."

"The things we know about the gods and demons are only a few scattered calamities of the demons. I heard that they are the enemies of the gods. However, I have never heard of an ancient war between gods and demons, much less read about it."

The nobles of the South County were talking about it, but as Viscount Kemil had expected, no one had read about the war between the ancient gods and demons.

If that was the case, even if Viscount Kemil made up a demon, they would not be able to determine whether it really existed.

Viscount Kemil said, "I once read in the literature about the war between the ancient gods and demons that a demon army named Swadia had a small-scale battle with the god's descendants of the ancient gods."

This sentence was only briefly mentioned in the literature related to the war of gods and demons.

"Because the location of this small battle back then was within the territory of the Dukedom of Leo, I noticed it and had a very deep impression of it."

"But even so, if I hadn't received the news from the spies, I might not have been able to remember this matter."

Seeing that many of the noble families were listening attentively, Viscount Kemil's eyes flashed with anticipation.

Chapter 511: Rumors From the Nobles

It was obvious that they hoped that Viscount Kemil could give them proof that Baron Kant's great strength was obtained by defecting to the demons.

Viscount Kemil did not disappoint them.

He said, "In this war, according to the report of my family's spies on the battlefield, the name of the North County noble alliance army is called Swadia! It's the same name as a demonic army in ancient times! This is not something that only my spies heard, but the fact that all the spies near the battlefield heard it."

At that time, when Firentis ordered the soldiers to clean up the battlefield, there were no deafening shouts of the cavalry. The ten Swadian Royal Knights repeated Firentis's order to clean up the battlefield, all of them were heard by the spies who were close to the infantry formation to check the badges on the tower shields.

Swadia, this name undoubtedly unfamiliar to the people of this world.

It sounded like a demon from the Abyss to them.

Coincidentally, Viscount Kemil was able to use this to fabricate the truth and slander this army.

The nobles of the North County and East County were very clear that they had never heard of an army with the name of Swadia.

Then, without a doubt, this name came from Baron Kant's army.

And with the powerful strength of Baron Kant's army, the North County noble alliance army had such a strange name. It must have been named after Baron Kant's army.

Just as the nobles present were skeptical about this news, a few nobles spoke up.

"Viscount Kemil is right. We also have spies from the battlefield. The North County noble alliance army is indeed called the strange name of 'Swadia'."

These few knights were considered to be the weakest among the noble families in the room.

It was because of this reason that they didn't send put their spies during the previous investigation and avoided being killed by Rolf.

The reason why those spies were still loyal to them was because the weakest noble families like them usually sent out spies who had blood ties with their own families. This way, they would not be easily recruited and bought over by other big forces.

With the support of these few knights, the nobles began to believe Viscount Kemil's claim that Baron Kant was able to obtain such a powerful army within a year because he had already defected to the demons.

Other than this reason, there was no other reason that could explain Baron Kant's strength. The noble families already had this thought in their hearts.

The devil's calamity that occasionally appeared on the continent was often the same. In an extremely short period of time, a powerful team that tied to the demons was formed.

Therefore, after Viscount Kemil gave the "evidence", these noble families did not hesitate to stand on Viscount Kami's side.

They had always longed for such a "evidence" to appear, and this evidence was something that they did not have the ability to verify, so they subconsciously chose to believe it.

Viscount Kemil smiled very brightly. Because of this matter, all the noble families had once again united around him. With the "evidence" that he had provided, when the benefits of the North County were divided up, he might be able to take advantage of the situation and reap more benefits.

...

Another two days passed.

During these two days, a major event happened.

Viscount Kemil, together with all the small and medium-sized noble families of the South County in Seria Castle, used their noble honor as a guarantee to pass through the border between the South County and the North County, and cruise around the battlefield from all over the continent, almost all the spies of the human kingdoms and dukedoms issued a statement to the masters behind these spies,

Baron Kant had defected to a demon. It was said that it was a powerful demon named Swadia.

With the help of this powerful demon named Swadia, Baron Kant was able to possess such powerful strength in a short year.

Such news was sent to their masters in a short time by the spies using their own methods.

It caused a great uproar in all the kingdoms and Dukedom of Leo.

Some of the major nobles who were not involved in this event, mostly the small and medium-sized nobles, learned about the existence of Baron Kant of Leo.

Baron Kant's experience was also spread throughout all the kingdoms and Dukedom of Leo.

It could be said to be a legend.

When he was 16 years old, his father, Cameron, Grand Duke of Leo, personally conferred him the title of baron and the estate of Nahrin Desert.

Baron Kant, who was 16 years old, led 30 peasant soldiers and was escorted by 20 cavalry soldiers to Oasis Lookout in Nahrin Desert, an oasis that was about 1,000 square meters in size.

After that, the 20 cavalry soldiers returned to the Dukedom of Leo and threw Baron Kant and 30 peasant soldiers into the Oasis Lookout. It was said that the Oasis Lookout was occupied by the Jackalans at that time.

It was more like a banishment than a conferment. It was even more vicious than murder.

With the help of Baron Kant's salt trading, the situation in the Nahrin Desert had spread to all the kingdoms and dukedom of the human race.

It was truly barren, a forbidden area of civilization, a terrifying area that could be described by any harsh environment.

An area that even escaped slaves didn't want to set foot in.

They would rather be caught and killed than enter the Nahrin Desert.

Because living in the Nahrin Desert was equivalent to the greatest torture in prison!

There were even rumors.

Once, the Dukedom of Leo issued a law in the chaotic political situation 100 years ago, which was to give a blunt knife, a water sack, and a piece of bread to a prisoner who had committed treason and regicide. Then, the prisoner would be led to the Nahrin Desert, they would throw this criminal into the depths of the desert.

This law was effective in intimidating the chaotic political situation at that time, and it had lasted until now.

It was enough to show the terror of the Nahrin Desert.

In such a place, Baron Kant, who was 16 years old, only had 30 peasants by his side. Yet, he had survived tenaciously.

Moreover, he had lived a comfortable life.

Not only did he find table salt in the Nahrin Desert, which could produce the most delicate table salt that humans had ever seen, but he also made a lot of money by selling table salt. Furthermore, his own strength was also increasing rapidly, it was like a dream that was rapidly expanding.

There were even rumors that Baron Kant had built a fortress in the Oasis Lookout.

In a short year, Baron Kant had become recognized by the entire Dukedom of Leo as a powerful baron with the strength of a top noble.

Astonishing wealth, powerful army, terrifying battle achievements.

This was like a dream.

It was an absolute legend.

However, all of this happened too quickly.

It was really too fast.

All of this happened in just a year.

If Baron Kant had used ten years to achieve his current achievements, no one would question Baron Kant.

By then, Baron Kant's rise would still be celebrated by bards and become a legend.

But now, Baron Kant's legendary experience was spread among the nobles. It was accompanied by a statement from many nobles in the Dukedom of Leo's South County, using their noble honor as a guarantee:

Baron Kant had defected to the devil.

Such a statement was almost instantly believed by the knowledgeable noble.

At the same time, the sects of the various kingdoms and dukedoms also took action.

They were the spokesmen for the gods.

They would never allow the devil to return to the earth, because the gods were afraid of falling.

Chapter 512: An Even Worse Situation

Near Lionheart City, in a quiet tributary of the Reniston River.

The fleet led by Baheshtur was hidden in it. The dense reeds made the huge fleet less likely to be exposed. and the merchant ships that tried to pass through this tributary these past few days were all destroyed by Baheshtur, at this moment, they were lying quietly at the bottom of the deep river.

Within the fleet, Kant was sitting on the ship.

Kant looked at the summary of information reported by the spies. After thinking hard about the situation for a while.

Kant sighed and said, "It seems that Firentis has gone overboard!"

"However, his strategic intention of making my name known and announcing the strength of my army has also been achieved."

"However, it was completely opposite to my original goal. I originally wanted to attract the support of the noble families by displaying my tyrannical strength

"I don't even know if he succeeded or failed!"

At this moment, Baheshtur stood respectfully in front of Kant's desk made of expensive wood. When he heard Kant's words, he couldn't help but say, "Lord, wars are always unpredictable."

"All wars should have victory as their highest goal. If Firentis wants to use war as a show, it's too risky."

"The enemy is not the puppet in his hand. Their reaction will not be exactly the same as he expected."

Kant frowned slightly and said in a low voice, "That group of South County's noble in Seria Castle, their move is really ruthless."

"They directly pushed me to the opposition to the noble families in all the kingdoms and dukedoms, as well as all the sects. Even the South County rebellion army, which has already agreed to join us, suddenly changed their minds."

"And that group of North County noble alliance army and East County noble alliance army, they are also surging with undercurrents!"

"Baheshtur, tell me, how should I respond?"

Baheshtur saw Kant frowning, but there was no anxiety on Kant's face, so he said, "Lord already has a plan in mind, I just need to follow your orders!"

Kant heard Baheshtur's somewhat flattering words, smiled and said, "In that case, Baheshtur, listen to my orders!"

Kant placed the sheepskin scroll that Baheshtur had previously asked him to make a ruling on on the expensive and solid wood desk, pushed it towards Baheshtur across the desk, and pushed the sheepskin scroll in front of Baheshtur.

"You will immediately start a war according to your new battle plan for the surprise attack on Lionheart City and take down Lionheart City!"

"The mage troops that I will lead, as well as the squads of the Swadian Royal Knights and the squads of the Sarleon Lion Knights, will all obey your orders!"

Baheshtur's spirits were lifted. After he had re-investigated the strength and distribution of strength in Lionheart City, the battle plan that he had once again made was directly agreed by Kant. This was Kant's affirmation of him.

Baheshtur grabbed the sheepskin scroll that had his war plan written on the expensive and solid wood desk in front of him. He bowed and said to Kant in a high voice, "Baheshtur obeys your orders, my lord!"

Kant smiled and said, "Go! I look forward to your victory!"

Baheshtur held the sheepskin scroll and respectfully retreated from the room that was specially used for office use.

Kant gave an order to another mage who was respectfully standing in the room, waiting for a reply, "Convey my three orders to Firentis!"

"First, let the East County noble alliance army leave on their own! If there is any intention of a backlash, destroy them immediately!"

"Second, force the Northern County noble alliance army to attack Seria Castle, and try to use the North County noble alliance army as cannon fodder!"

"Third, have him convey my orders to Rolf. Have Rolf lead his desert bandits and the 5,000 heavy cavalries that were supposed to end the South County noble alliance army to wipe out the South County's rebellion army and seize the wealth that the rebellion army plundered from the South County!"

The mage respectfully received his orders and left. At this moment, Kant was the only one left in the room.

Kant considered these orders thoroughly and found out the gaps.

Kant did not need to give a specific war plan. He only needed to coordinate the overall war situation and control the overall situation.

Baheshtur, Firentis, and Rolf were all heroes with extremely strong war abilities. As for the specific war arrangements, Kant could just leave it to themselves.

At this moment, according to the spies.

All the sects in the human countries had sent an elite knight order towards the Dukedom of Leo.

The purpose was self-evident.

However, the journey was long and time-consuming.

Kant wanted to use this time to take down the Dukedom of Leo as soon as possible.

At least, he would occupy half of the South County and Lionheart City, forming a triangle and sealing off the heart of the Dukedom of Leo -- the Lion Fort.

Kant had set up his early preparation.

He was not afraid of war. With the system, war would only make him stronger.

As long as he had enough denar!

However, the rumors spread by the Southern County noble alliance army this time somewhat disrupted Kant's previous blueprint of conquering and ruling this continent.

He originally planned to use the world's army as the main body to ensure his own strength. He would use the system village's advanced towns and fortresses as the foundation and use the world's noble families as support to rule and manage the territories he conquered, and to provide the army to expand from his war strength.

Step by step, this gradually encroached on the world.

But now, such an idea, it seems to be impossible.

Facing the coming knights of various sects and churches, Kant faced them only one way, war.

It was not that Kant did not want to clarify and prove to them that his strength did not come from the devil.

It was that he was unable to clarify.

Kant couldn't explain to them that his strength came from the system.

And if he didn't explain clearly and completely clarify, these stubborn religious armies would obviously not give up.

The noble families of this world would all agree that Kant's strength came from the demons.

In this way, they wouldn't join Kant at all.

If the rumors spread by the South County noble families in the Seria Castle changed from Baron Kant to someone else, even if Kant saw it himself, he would think that such rumors were very believable.

There was a saying that in this world, the only thing that would not change was the change itself.

Kant agreed.

His grand plan had just taken half a step forward -- to recruit the rebellion army of the South County as his henchmen, but it was suddenly shattered by the change in the situation.

Originally, the rebellion army of South County had accompanied Rolf to the battlefield at the border between South County and North County, preparing to outflank the heavy cavalry legion of the South County noble alliance army .

This would make the entire battle scene even more grand.

It would also highlight the shocking scene in the battle plan of Firentis.

Chapter 513: The Blueprint of the Future Strategy

The troop of 5,000 heavy cavalries that were purely from Kant's heavy cavalry troop. They could easily defeat and perish the 15,000 South County heavy cavalry legion that even the North County noble alliance army and the rebellion army could not defeat.

In the end, after the South County rebellion army heard the rumors, they tore up the alliance and left Rolf.

After the noble commanders of the East County alliance army heard the rumors, they hinted and even threatened to leave the battlefield and return to the East County.

As they initially came to support and wanted to join Kant, Kant did not plan to make things difficult for them and was prepared to let them go.

As for the future, it was hard to say.

The noble commanders of the North County noble alliance army, just like the noble commanders of the East County noble alliance army, wanted to once again be independent from the army that Firentis had consolidated and returned to the North County.

However, they were simply thinking too much. They were just a bunch of captives. It was already considered merciful of Firentis not to slaughter them.

After being consolidated by Firentis, they had fought two battles together. were they planning to turn back at such a time when rumors were spreading?

Both Firentis and Kant said that they were overthinking.

What awaited them would not end well.

However, in the end.

Everything was completely disrupted by the rumor of the South County noble alliance army.

Kant was quietly thinking in the quiet room that was specially used for office use.

The previous blueprint had already disintegrated, and new blueprints were needed.

He couldn't rely on the noble families of this world.

This meant that Kant's development speed would be affected.

He could only rely on the system, and the soldiers and civilians from the worlds of "Mount and Blade".

A new empire would be built on the land of this world.

It would no longer be dominated by the population of this world, but worlds of "Mount and Blade".

Such a blueprint naturally appeared in Kant's mind.

Rumors pushed Kant to oppose the main human body of this world -- the nobles and the sects.

Betrayal completely destroyed Kant's lack of trust in the nobles of this world.

Kant carefully constructed a new blueprint.

He slightly suppressed his vigorous ambition.

With the population of the worlds of "Mount and Blade" as the main body, gradually expanding and slowly encroaching on this world would undoubtedly slow down his pace of conquest.

This required new towns from the system, a large number of buildings, and a large number of residences to construct a new empire that completely belonged to Kant.

All of these required a huge amount of denars as support.

It wouldn't develop very quickly.

However, an empire that developed like this would become Kant's most solid backing.

Because there would be no betrayal.

The existence of the system would guarantee their loyalty to Kant.

What Kant needed from this world was nothing more than land.

When the empire he envisioned, with the soldiers and civilians of the world of "Mount and Blade" as the main body, grew and operated, then a problem that had been troubling Kant would be solved.

Denar!

The currency of the world of "Mount and Blade" was denar.

The population Kant got from the world through the system, and the currency they used was denar.

If Kant's new empire was successfully established in this world, then the head tax alone would bring him a huge amount of denars.

Not to mention, with the expansion of the empire, there would definitely be a business tax and factory tax.

This was a sustainable development path.

However, it would be very slow to develop.

Kant slowly finished the blueprint for the future and completely abandoned the previous idea.

A small wave could completely destroy the blueprint. What was the point of continuing to exist and implement it?

The new blueprint for the overall situation had been completed.

As long as Kant followed this blueprint and slowly implemented and advanced it, Kant would become stronger and stronger.

However, the current situation was not optimistic.

Kant had thought of such a blueprint before, not because Kant had not thought of such a blueprint, but because such a blueprint was now full of difficulties.

For example, Kant's biggest problem now was capable subordinates!

He needed more heroes!

In the previous blueprint, Kant could use the talents and noble families of this world to fill this shortage.

But now, he couldn't.

Before he successfully defeated the knight orders of the sects, no noble families would voluntarily serve him.

And after defeating those knight orders, Kant wouldn't want to hire any noble families to serve him.

His territory was already very big.

However, he had only a few heroes, and it wasn't enough.

After he successfully occupied half of the South County and Lionheart City, the situation would be even more serious.

It wouldn't even be enough to garrison the most important castles and towns.

"I can only hope that Rolf, Firentis, and Baheshtur will be able to obtain the system's 'Epic Battle' and 'Legendary Battle' comment in the upcoming battle. That way, I'll be able to obtain some honor points and use them to draw a gift pack."

After Kant finished thinking, he took out a document about the God of War, Edmund. This document recorded the battles that the War Temple had sent out between the knights and priests.

The God of War was the existence Kant had to eliminate if he wanted to take down the Dukedom of Leo and become the only ruler of the Dukedom of Leo.

Even the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, could not compare to Edmund.

After all, if the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, was willing to submit to him, it would not affect him becoming the only ruler of the Dukedom of Leo.

It was absolutely impossible for a real god to submit to a mortal.

Such a thing had never happened in this world.

Kant would not place his hopes on this.

The war between him and the God of War was unavoidable.

And this had always been Kant's greatest obstacle to his conquest of the Dukedom of Leo.

Perhaps compared to the strength of all the nobles in the Dukedom of Leo, the strength of the Sect of the God of War was slightly inferior, but against any single noble, including Cameron, it was unquestionably completely crushed.

"After all, it is a true god who has been born for seven thousand years, ignited the divine fire, and stabilized the divine personality!"

"Although it cannot be compared to those ancient gods who condensed the divine kingdom, it cannot be underestimated."

...

Lionheart City was a large city close to the Resniston River. It was no less than twenty miles in length and width. Its southern city wall was built close to the river.

In the middle of the southern city wall, there was a three-mile-long, three-mile-deep, concave city wall.

That was where the most prosperous dock of Lionheart City was located.

Every day, hundreds and thousands of merchant ships came or left with goods.

The most prosperous city in the Dukedom of Leo was worth of its name.

Chapter 514: The Fleets Outside of Lionheart City

On the battlefield in the era of cold weapons, the city walls were a tough barrier that required a heavy price to break through.

Of course, this was a frontal assault.

Although Baheshtur was not like Rolf, who paid attention to the losses of his troops, he would not attack openly when he could have done so.

A sneak attack was an ambush to begin with.

If not, why would Baheshtur bother to hide the traces of his fleet?

Thirty triremes and 120 sailboats were definitely a huge fleet. It was not easy to hide the traces.

Introduction to the troops that Baron Kant's subordinate was going to use them to attack Lionheart City.

Trireme: 70 people, two ballistae.

Sailboat: 35 people, no weapons.

This fleet, except for Kant's trireme, was full.

However, it was not full in the conventional sense. A horse needed to occupy three people.

Therefore, there could not be too many cavalries.

Although Kant's army did not have a large number of soldiers for this surprise attack, they were extremely elite.

Five hundred Mamlukes, heavy cavalry, elite level 5 troop class.

The Sarrandian helmets on their heads had completely covered their faces. Only their two eyes could be seen through the gaps, showing their indifference towards life, as well as their indifference towards war.

Their entire body was wrapped in a thick Sarrandian chain armor, with fine iron plates crisscrossing each other. On their chests, there was a disc-shaped heart protection mirror, which was suffused with beautiful patterns, as if it was the most precious artifact.

The meticulously woven linen robe was draped over their bodies, and even the valiant Sarrandian warhorse was draped in this light gray linen robe. However, as the horse's hooves moved, layers of iron plates crisscrossed that formed the warhorse chain armor was also faintly visible.

The heavy lances in their hand were four meters long, thick and long. No one could block their sweep, and when they charged, they could pierce through everything.

The shields of the elite cavalry in their left hands were also of excellent quality.

There was an elite scimitar hidden in its scabbard at their waist, and an even more terrifying two-handed weapon on their backs. The entire body was made of iron. The front part was meticulously carved like a flower bud, but one strike could easily cause people's brains to burst and bones to break, an iron staff with two hands that was bleeding from internal organs!

This was Mamluke's standard equipment, the strongest two-handed blunt weapon.

This was the most elite troop class.

There weren't many Mamlukes in Sarrand Sultanate! They were the strongest kings in the desert!

Then, there were 500 Vaegir Marksman, archers, and a powerful level 5 troop class.

They were top-notch archers from the Kingdom of Vaegirs, and every Vaegir Marksman was a top-notch archery master.

They wore mail armor and a pot helmet, and their expressions were resolute, giving off an intimidating aura.

They were synonymous with speed, accuracy, and ruthlessness, and were adept at rain of arrows.

They were pure firepower dealers, machine guns on the battlefield. As long as they could stand firm, the enemy's front line would be destroyed by their continuous rain of arrows.

Next, 500 Ravenstern Rangers, archers, terrifying level 5 troop class.

They were top-notch archers from the Kingdom of Ravenstern. Every Ravenstern Ranger was also a top-notch archery master.

They were synonymous with stability, accuracy, and ruthlessness. What they pursued was shooting stability. They were like semi-automatic rifles, every shoot was lethal, and their arrows would shoot through enemy's head. They did not pursue the dense rain of arrows, but only pursued the goal of taking away an enemy with each arrow.

They wore mail armor that was like a light infantryman. They were covered in a linen robe, and there was an exquisite two-handed greatsword in the scabbard on their back. The white composite heavy bow belonged to the step bow. It was placed in the bow pouch on their waist. When the enemy was close to them, these rangers with superb archery skills could also pull out the two-handed greatswords on their backs, turning them into experts in close combat.

They could deal lethal long-range damage and could also engage in close combat.

There were also 500 Rhodok Sharpshooters, crossbow archers, a deadly level-5 troop class.

They were the top-notch archers from the kingdom of Rhodoks. Every Rhodok Sharpshooter was a top-notch crossbow master.

Among the long-range attack troop class, Rhodok Sharpshooters could be said to be the strongest archers. Their weapons were the strongest mass-produced heavy crossbows in the entire continent of Caradia -- siege crossbows.

One could tell from the name how deadly this weapon was.

Just how powerful the siege crossbow was, it had already far surpassed the heavy crossbow, reaching a terrifying degree!

Within 50 meters, the steel crossbow arrow could directly pierce through the steel shield with the strongest defense.

Within 150 meters, it could pierce through the chain armor, causing fatal injuries to the flesh within.

Within the limit of 300 meters, it could still pierce through the inlaid iron-scale armor.

Then, there were 1,000 Rhodok Sergeants, a level 5 troop class with strong defense.

Holding a heavy halberd-like machete and carrying a broad shield on their back, Rhodok Sergeants's defense was astonishing. In close combat, they were second only to Royal Guards of Kingdom of Nords.

This was the most elite troop class 5 infantry in the entire Continent of Caradia. Their defense was even better than the Swadian Sergeant. It could even contend with the Nord Royal Guard, a troop class 6 that was rarely seen in Caradia.

Not to mention the 600 Water Bandit Minions, 400 Water Bandit Bosuns, and 200 Water Bandit Captains.

This was the weakest troop class in the army. The water bandits were only a level 2 troop class, Water Bandit Bosun a level 3 troop class, and the Water Bandit Captain was a level 4 troop class. However, under such a special environment, the water troops were indispensable.

They were extremely proficient in water battles. If they were to fight purely on water, even an infantry of a higher level might not be their match.

God knows if Kant had not directly upgraded these troop class, how could there be 200 Water Bandit Captains out of just over a thousand water bandits.

Finally, there was the most terrifying extraordinary power troop, the 200 mages,100 mage apprentices, 100 Swadian Royal Knights and 100 Sarleon Lion Knights.

The reason why Kant prepared such a powerful army was not only to attack Lionheart City, but also to defend it.

Moreover, the War Temple of God of War was the number one temple in the Dukedom of Leo, and it was in Lionheart City.

Lionheart City was built next to the Resniston River, and on the other side of the river was the southern defense line, which had gathered more than 30,000 elite soldiers of the Dukedom of Leo, to defend against the Silver Platter Kingdom's invasion.

A hundred miles north was the political center of the Dukedom of Leo. The extremely powerful lion fort was also the base of Cameron, Duke of Leo.

When Kant took down Lionheart City, he would be caught in the pincer attack of Lionheart City and the south coast defense line.

In addition, the four top noble families who lost Lionheart City would definitely not give up.

Therefore, strong power was a must.

Chapter 515: The Surprise Attack After Dusk

As time approached dusk, the sky gradually darkened.

At night, apart from the occasional arrival or departure of merchant ships, there were no merchant ships loading or unloading goods.

All of this had to wait until the next day.

In this era, the productivity was very low, after all. There was no light that could illuminate the entire dock as if it was daytime. If one wanted to work at night, they could only light torches.

However, such a thing was not allowed.

The temporary warehouses on the dock and the hundreds of merchant ships on the Resniston River were all made of wood.

Once a fire broke out, no noble or business family would dare to pat their chest and say that they could afford to compensate for the heavy losses.

On the dock that was three miles long, one mile in the middle was where the navy camps of Lionheart City was located.

On the east and west sides of the navy camps, there was a mile each. That was where the docks for merchant ships to dock, load, and unload goods were located.

The defense of the entire dock area of Lionheart City was taken care of by the navy camp.

There were 2,000 soldiers in the navy camp. They were all from the top four noble families in the South County.

The safety of the docks was the only thing that could ensure the long-term prosperity of Lionheart City. Therefore, these navy soldiers were considered elites.

Of course, this was only relative to the water bandits. After all, their main duty was to drive and exterminate the water bandits.

Most of the time, the water bandits were slippery and difficult to exterminate.

Every week, the navy camp would sweep along the upstream and downstream to drive away the raging water bandits.

At the same time, they would send soldiers into the docks on both sides of the navy camp to guard and patrol.

However, over the past ten years, things had been unusually stable.

The soldiers patrolling and stationed there could at most resolve and suppress some commercial disputes or warn empty air to threaten the unscrupulous gangs at the docks. There was not even a proper battle.

Therefore, the navy soldiers who were still stationed at the dedicated sentry towers on both sides of the navy camp at night were just killing time.

Because there was nothing to do at night.

Tonight, it happened to be a new moon. The crescent moon was emitting a dim light. The world was dark and hazy. Twenty meters away, it was completely dark, and nothing could be seen.

In the tributaries near Lionheart City of the Resniston River, Baheshtur put the thumb and index finger of his right hand in his mouth. He blew hard and stopped. He whistled like a night owl and repeated this five times.

The entire fleet of 30 triremes and 120 sailboats turned into a moving shadow under the dark night and approached the Resniston River. Finally, they entered the river and moved toward Lionheart City in the east.

At the same time, in Lionheart City, near the south city wall, there was a slum area near the south city gate.

There was no doubt that the slum area was close to the dock. Only by working hard at the dock could they survive.

Some tall and strong figures came out from the dilapidated houses in the slum area one after another and slowly gathered together. They had long agreed on the gathering location.

This time was the time that Baheshtur had agreed with them.

When they gathered together, there were exactly fifty people.

They were all Sarleon Lion Knights. Other than their warhorses and heavy four-meter-long lances, they were fully equipped.

They wore a giant helmet with Sarleon feather ornaments on their heads and a linen robe on their bodies. They were wearing the best defensive equipment in the era of cold weapons. They had full-body plate armor and were equipped with a garter lion kite shield on their backs. On their waists were two weapons that they held in both hands -- a silver greatsword and a spiked hammer.

Even without warhorse and lance, they were still the most powerful soldiers in the world. Their individual strength was comparable to that of the most powerful grand knights in the world. Fifty people gathered together. Even if they charged into an elite formation of a thousand infantrymen with the body of an infantryman, they would still be able to achieve a complete victory.

Talent: 1 Lion Physique: They have a special power that can increase their physical fitness by 250%. 2 Faith and Honor: They will fight like a lion in a chaotic battle, increasing their physical fitness by 50%-300% as time goes by. 3 Blood Bath: They can plunder the enemy's spirit to replenish themselves and prolong the battle time.

These were a group of people who were born for the battlefield. The other army that fought against them on the battlefield would fall into a terrible nightmare.

They were able to appear neatly in the slums of Lionheart City because Lionheart City was the largest trading city in the Dukedom of Leo.

The daily flow of people and the throughput of goods were incomparably huge.

As long as they threatened one or two trade caravan that frequently entered Lionheart City, hid their armor, helmets, shields, and weapons among the thick goods, and disguised themselves as the guards of the trade caravan, they would be able to easily sneak into Lionheart City.

Such a trade caravan was not only familiar with the soldiers on guard, but they also had paid enough bribe. The goods they transported were all the same, so most of the soldiers who inspected the goods on their carriage were just putting on an act, and it was done carelessly.

It was impossible to discover the armor, helmets, shields, and weapons of the Sarleon Lion Knights hidden among the goods.

As for the Sarleon Lion Knights who were acting as guards, they would not even look at them.

They were dealing with the leader of the trade caravan. As for the guards, were they qualified to let the rich city gate of the Dukedom of Leo inspect the soldiers and waste time to observe them carefully?

Although Lionheart City was close to the Resniston River, there was a southern defense line to prevent the Silver Platter Kingdom from invading.

In the north, there was a castle called the Lion Fort. The ruler of the Dukedom of Leo, Cameron, was based in the Lion Fort, and no one dared to offend him.

The Lionheart City itself had tens of thousands of elite troops from the four top noble families in the South County. The walls were tall and thick.

Who would dare to attack Lionheart City?

Hence, the inspection of Lionheart City was really lax.

Lionheart City was more than 20 miles in length and width. It was the largest city in the Dukedom of Leo.

On the east, south, west, and north walls, there was a city gate. Each city gate was guarded by a top noble from the South County.

Each city gate was extremely wide, more than 20 meters wide.

Lionheart City was built according to the standards of a trading city. The wide city gates were good for the carriage to enter and exit.

Above the city gates, there were city towers and arrow towers. They could guard over 200 soldiers at the same time.

On both sides of the city walls, there were also wide roads. They could send soldiers to defend from above.

Even though Lionheart City was a trading city, if someone dared to attack, they would definitely suffer heavy losses.

However, normally, the private armies of the four noble families in the South County would only send 200 soldiers to guard the city towers and arrow towers.

That was enough.

Chapter 516: The Relaxed Navy Camp

A sailboat carrying Rhodok Sharpshooter quietly approached the north bank of the Resniston River under the cover of the night.

They arrived near the dock on the west side of the navy camp.

Following that, they directly used their powerful siege crossbows on the oar sailboat and aimed at the Navy soldiers on sentry towers near the dock.

Shhtaab! Shhtaab! Shhtaab!

The sound of sharp blades piercing flesh wasn't very loud.

However, the scene was extremely messy and bloody.

The heads of the dozens of navy soldiers on sentry towers fell from their necks almost at the same time.

The terrifying city-attacking crossbows exploded with terrifying power within a distance of 100 meters.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The heads of the sentries fell to the ground of the sentry tower, making a sound.

The sentries fell to the ground of the tower one after another.

They also made muffled sounds.

They couldn't travel far.

Rhodok Sharpshooters was an extremely powerful level 5 sniper. In terms of killing ability, they were even stronger than the Ravenstern Rangers.

Every shot was accurate!

In this late night, the porters, supervisors, and gangsters who had worked hard for a day on the dock all fell asleep.

Even the merchant ships on the river were pitch-black.

A dark shadow approached along the waterway that the merchant ships had specially opened to enter and exit.

Thirty triremes and one hundred and twenty sailboats.

Compared to the huge merchant ships, they were really petite and exquisite.

If they were neatly arranged on the Resniston River and sailed together, they would naturally be a large group of fleets.

However, it was nothing when they were integrated into the hundreds and thousands of huge merchant ships near the port of Lionheart City.

Even at night, there would occasionally be merchant ships that arrived at the port outside Lionheart City.

The 150 triremes and sailboats slowly approached the docks.

There was a slight sound of water breaking.

However, it did not attract much attention.

Even if there were people lying on the deck of many merchant ships, dozing off, they were still guarding the cargo on the deck.

Who could be bothered to stare at the pitch-black surface of the Resniston River?

As long as the goods on their own merchant ships did not make any noise and were not stolen during the night, everything would be peaceful.

Baron Kant's army was absolutely elite.

They slowly made their way to the dock of Lionheart City in the dark, but they were extremely quiet.

Even the hooves of warhorse were covered with several layers of coarse linen. When they stepped onto the dock from the ship, they would not make a loud sound.

There were 500 Mamlukes, 500 Vaegir Marksmen, 500 Ravenstern Rangers, 500 Rhodok Sharpshooter and 1000 Rhodok Sergeants.

A total of 3,000 soldiers, all were level 5 troop class.

All of them silently boarded the dock of Lionheart City.

Finally, Baheshtur led 50 Swadian Royal Knights and also boarded the dock of Lionheart City.

Then, they silently moved towards the south gate of Lionheart City.

The sailors who were dozing on the watchtower on the road were all killed by the terrifying Rhodok Sharpshooters.

And on the triremes and sailboats, there were still some water bandits and Baron Kant.

There were also powerful mage troop, 50 Swadian Knights and the Sarleon Lion Knights.

The fleet moved silently from the dock like a shadow once again, moving towards the east in the passage that the merchant ships had specially cleared out.

Their target was the navy camp.

Baron Kant was entrusted a heavy task to Baheshtur. After they took down the south gate of Lionheart City, they would occupy the navy camp on the dock of Lionheart City.

This way, they could connect Lionheart City's dock with the water bandits' lair in the East County's Sargoth Castle.

When the occupied Lionheart City was caught in a pincer attack from the north and the south, they could obtain a water supply line.

In terms of battle strength on water, the water bandits of the Continent of Caradia who were proficient in water battles were stronger the rabble of water bandits in this world.

In fact, the water bandits in the water bandits' lair often did some siege and pillage in the Continent of Caradia.

They were not just water bandits in the sense that they could not be regarded as a mob.

In the Continent of Caradia, these water bandits were the bandit groups formed by the Nords, the Swadians, and the Vaegirs.

They were once the secret agents of the Nords' invasion.

In their most glorious times, they assisted the main forces of the Nords to destroy the Continent of Caradia, the famous neutral city of Zendar. However, after the destruction of Zendar, they were all killed and banished after they fulfilled their functions. They were forcibly disbanded by the Nords and eventually became the bandits on both sides of the river. They harassed the kingdoms on both sides of the river. Even their former employer, the Kingdom of Nords, suffered greatly from them.

At this moment, the water bandits under Kant were much stronger than when they were in Caradia.

Among the 1,200 water bandits, there were 600 Water Bandit Minions, 400 Water Bandit Bosuns, and 200 Water Bandit Captains.

In addition, there were 200 mages, 100 mage apprentices, 50 Swadian Knights, and 50 Sarleon Lion Knights under Kant's control.

With such a powerful force, it was naturally easy to deal with 2,000-man water troops of Lionheart City.

These 2,000-man water troops of Lionheart City were not elites. They were just relying on their numbers and organizational structure to drive away the rabble of water bandits in the upper and lower reaches of the river.

The truly elite soldiers of the Dukedom of Leo were all trained into powerful heavy cavalry.

In Lionheart City, 50 Sarleon Lion Knights gathered together and silently made their way to the south gate of Lionheart City.

The south gate of Lionheart City was guarded by a private army of a top noble family in the Dukedom of Leo's South County.

There were 3000-man troops stationed there all year round.

Apart from the city gate tower, there were also 200 soldiers stationed in the arrow tower.

The rest of the soldiers were in the barracks near the south city gate.

The south city gate was the most lucrative city gate in Lionheart City. All the goods that passed through the dock had to enter and leave Lionheart City through the south city gate.

Hence, the private army of the noble family that could guard the south city gate came from the strongest of the four top-ranked counts in the South County.

Count Simon Prynne.

Above the gate tower of the south city gate of Lionheart City.

"Ah ~ ~ ~"

Yawn!

A soldier yawned. His eyes were a little hazy and full of sleepiness.

In the past, he was also an elite soldier. However, after staying on the gate tower of the south city gate of Lionheart City for several years, his sharpness was gradually worn away. Now, he was just wasting his time here.

He had no connections and background, so he could only be assigned here to guard the city gate. It was not a good thing for soldiers like them to patrol the south area of Lionheart City during the day.

The truly rich and powerful ones were still enjoying the gentle breasts of the maids in the tavern of Lionheart City!

Who would stand guard here?

Chapter 517: Skilled Special Combat Infiltration

The soldier rubbed his eyes, trying to get his spirits up. However, the tiredness made him lean against the wall. He could not help but want to fall asleep. His spirits were very low.

In any case, he was not the only one who was like this. Everyone was like this.

There were even some soldiers who had the magical ability to fall asleep while standing.

This ability made the soldier very envious. He also hoped that he could learn this ability.

On the city wall, although everyone was standing guard, not many people were really staring outside the south city wall.

Below was the dock area, and there were more than two thousand navy soldiers guarding it.

They did not believe that someone would have the courage to attack the south city gate of Lionheart City at night.

There were also not many people staring inside the south city wall.

The closest to the south city gate was the slums. They did not believe that there were poor people who dared to come to the city wall in the middle of the night without any regard for their lives. They could use the excuse of wanting to open the city gate privately to directly shoot the poor people who came.

Nothing like this had happened in more than ten years.

Everyone could be considered to be just killing time here at night and taking a small salary along the way.

There was no essential difference between a serious sentry and a lazy worker.

"Keep your spirits up, soldiers?" The commander of the sentry troop, a squad leader, said weakly.

This was just routine business.

He was afraid that someone would inform on him for not doing anything as an officer, and then took his place.

Although being the small captain of this sentry duty was not a good job, he was still a small captain. He could get 30 more small silver coins per week than ordinary soldiers.

After the small captain spoke, none of the soldiers on sentry duty paid attention to him. It was still the same.

The small captain did not speak again. He stood and even closed his eyes.

He planned to sleep for two hours first.

Then, he could sleep and snore until dawn.

Under the obscure moonlight, the 50 Sarleon Lion Knights turned into shadows and quietly arrived at the south gate tower.

The soldiers on sentry duty on the tower did not notice their arrival.

The south city wall was 10 meters high and spreading 50 meters to the east and west. The thickness of the wall was also 10 meters. This way, there would be a wide position on the wall near the city gate, so that when the enemy attacked the south gate, more soldiers would be placed on the south city wall to defend.

Below the city gate were three arched holes.

In each arched hole, there was a city gate that was six meters wide.

Besides the city gate, in each of the three arched holes, there were two soldiers stationed below each city gate.

They were the soldiers who were responsible for opening and closing the city gate. At this moment, they were lying on the ground and sleeping soundly.

This arched hole was much more comfortable than the city tower.

The six Sarleon Lion Knights slowly moved towards the soldiers stationed at the city gate who were sleeping on the ground in the three arched holes.

Almost at the same time, every Sarleon Lion Knights approached a soldier.

They did not use their knight swords. Instead, they held the soldier's head with both hands and twisted it hard.

Snapping... Snapping...

The sound of a broken neck was very ear-piercing in the three arched holes. In fact, it was not because the sound was loud, but because the environment was too quiet.

The six soldiers guarding the city gate died silently in their sweet dreams.

Due to the structure of the arched holes, the sound of a broken neck could not be transmitted to the top of the city tower.

In each of the arched holes, the city gate was made of two extremely heavy wooden doors.

At this moment, the two wooden doors were tightly closed. Between the two wooden doors, there were three gates.

They were all made of extremely heavy and extremely tough wood.

The six Sarleon Lion Knights quietly pulled open the gates of the city gate.

If they pulled too quickly, they would be able to open the three city gates at the same time.

However, they did not do so.

When the thick and heavy city gates were opened, the creaking sound that they made would definitely be extremely loud in this quiet night.

It would definitely cause the guards on sentry duty on the dull tower to hear the movement of the city gates.

Furthermore, when the heavy city gate opened, it would cause the entire city tower to vibrate slightly. If the soldiers felt the slight vibration frequently, they would immediately know that the city gate had been opened.

These soldiers on sentry duty were not scary, but they could shout loudly and inform the nearby barracks.

When that time came, things would be a little troublesome.

The six Sarleon Lion Knights who had pulled open the gate were standing under the city gate.

They were waiting quietly, and at the same time, they were guarding against the soldiers who suddenly rushed into the arched cave and inserted the gate again.

The other 44 Sarleon Lion Knights quietly followed the concrete steps that were built close to the city wall and slowly approached the city tower step by step.

At the same time, they quietly and slowly pulled out the knight swords on their waists without making too much noise.

Just like that, they quietly stood on the steps close to the inner wall of the south city wall of Lionheart City. As long as they took two steps, they would be able to go up to the city wall and start a massacre.

They were waiting for the signal to sound.

If they just rushed up the city wall and started a massacre, there were more than 200 soldiers stationed on the city wall. No matter how fast they killed, there would definitely be soldiers who would inform the people in the nearby barracks through loud shouts.

At that time, General Baheshtur and the others outside would not have arrived and would not be able to enter the city.

On the other hand, the private armies Count Simon. Prynne's family would surge out from the barracks and directly surround the fifty Sarleon Lion Knights.

Even if they opened the city gates and escaped, even if they could escape with their lives, Baheshtur 's plan to take down the city gates through a sneak attack would completely fail.

Therefore, they needed to wait.

Wait for Baheshtur 's signal or wait for the sentry soldiers on the city tower to give warning after they noticed Baheshtur and the others.

Then, it would be the time for them to rush up the city tower and kill wantonly.

It was also the time for the six Sarleon Lion Knights to open the city gate in the arched cave.

On the Reisneston River, 30 triremes and 120 sailboats, like shadows, quietly lurked near the navy camp of Lionheart City.

In the navy camp, there was a 30-meter wide and 200-meter long water bay that was dug out.

The warships of the navy were docked in this water bay.

On both sides of the water bay, there were some sentry towers. Behind the sentry towers were the navy camps.

At the same time, on both sides of the water bay, there was a small dock that was used to repair the warships.

At this moment, the navy camp was quiet.

The soldiers on the sentry tower were obviously similar to the guys on the south gate tower of Lionheart City.

Moreover, because there were few soldiers on sentry duty, they were even more unscrupulous.

They were also dozing off.

Kant led the water bandits, as well as his mages, mage apprentices, the Swadian Knights, and the Sarleon Lion Knight of Sarleon. They were also waiting quietly.

What he was waiting for was the earth-shattering battle cries coming from the south gate of Lionheart City.

At that time, he would be able to make his move.

If he made his move in advance, the battle cries here would definitely alarm the camp of the guards at the south gate of Lionheart City, which was three miles away.

It would affect Baheshtur 's plan to sneak attack and seize the south gate of Lionheart City.

Baheshtur 's plan was orderly and interlinked. Kant did not want Baheshtur's plan to fail because of him.

He also hoped that Baheshtur 's surprise attack on Lionheart City would be an "Epic Battle" or a "Legendary Battle" comment to obtain system honor points.

Chapter 518: The Approaching Army

On the dock in the notch of the south city wall of Lionheart City.

Baheshtur led 50 Swadian Knights and 3,000 strong soldiers of level 5 troop class. Under the cover of the night, they slowly moved towards the south city gate.

Three thousand soldiers. Even though they were all elites, this number was still very large compared to this small dock.

Although the road leading to the south gate of Lionheart City was very wide, it was thirty meters wide for the convenience of the carriage.

However, the length of the three thousand soldiers walking on this road was still more than a hundred meters.

There was a huge black mass.

There were so many people.

Their speed couldn't be too fast.

Their footsteps had to be gentle. Otherwise, the sound of slightly heavier footsteps would be heard everywhere.

It would definitely alarm the countless people living on the dock.

Baheshtur had already issued orders to all these soldiers when he was on the ship.

With the elite level of these soldiers, they undoubtedly carried out Baheshtur's orders very well.

Even the 500 Mamlukes and 50 Royal Swadian Knights did not make too much noise because the warhorses' mouths and hooves were wrapped in coarse linen.

Along the way, the Ravenstern Rangers or the Rhodok Sharpshooters killed the drunkards that occasionally appeared on the streets, or the poor people or gangsters that were awakened by the army to investigate.

After all, there were more than 3,000 soldiers advancing. Even if their footsteps were light, they would still make some noise.

There were always some people who slept very lightly or were very easily awakened.

If they couldn't bear it and dared to come to the streets to investigate, the outcome would be very miserable.

After almost half an hour of slow progress, the south gate of Lionheart City was already very close, only a hundred meters away.

This was all thanks to the fact that tonight was the beginning of the new moon, and the moonlight was extremely dim.

It was almost pitch black twenty meters away, and nothing could be seen clearly.

Otherwise, if it was a crescent moon or a full moon, under the bright moonlight, even two hundred meters away, one could vaguely see their movement.

When they were so close to the city gate, Baheshtur ordered the troops to stop.

Of course, he did not use ordinary shouting to give the order.

Baheshtur directly imitated three dog barks, and the troops suddenly stopped.

If it was Firentis, he probably would not be willing to imitate a dog bark.

But for Baheshtur, he did not care. As long as he could win, a mere imitation of a dog barks was nothing.

Baheshtur looked at the outline of the city gate in the darkness in front of him. It was very blurry. It was really too dark tonight. The brightness of the new moon was really not much different from the absence of the moon.

Baheshtur believed that the Sarleon Lion Knights who had sneaked into Lionheart City must have completed the task that he had given them. Perhaps they had already opened up the gates of the city.

As long as he led the army to charge, he would be able to charge into the south gate of Lionheart City immediately.

However, Baheshtur did not do that.

He needed eek stability!

There was no need to be in a hurry.

Baheshtur put the thumb and index finger of his right hand into his mouth and whistled with a short pause.

He was mimicking the cry of an owl.

Baheshtur paused for about 30 seconds and mimicked it again.

The sound traveled a long distance.

In this quiet night, it was even more abrupt.

In the South County of the Dukedom of Leo, where the prosperous plains were, there were many of these birds.

They fed on voles and snakes and moved around at night.

The soldiers who were born in the South County were very familiar with this kind of bird call.

Therefore, although the bird call of the owls that moved around at night were very abrupt, they did not arouse the vigilance of the soldiers on the city wall.

No one stipulated that no owl could fly nearby, right?

Unless they were standing sentry very seriously, not letting go of any serious movements.

But obviously, this was impossible.

The signal had been sent.

If the Sarleon Knights lurking in Lionheart City did not act according to the scheduled time and had not completed his plan at this time, then Baheshtur would imitate the howls of the owl every ten minutes.

Only when the Sarleon Knights of Lionheart City completed his plan and had a corresponding response would Baheshtur lead more than 3,000 elite soldiers to charge into the south gate of Lionheart City.

The result proved that the Sarleon Lion Knights, who were a troop class 6 and comparable to the grand knights of the peak of the world, were trustworthy partners.

When Baheshtur gave the signal for the first time, there was a battle cry coming from the gate tower of Lionheart City.

At the same time, the three city gates of Lionheart City's south city gate were opened at the same time.

Then, six torches were lit in the three arched tunnels at the south city gate of Lionheart City.

Baheshtur was excited, and a bloodthirsty glint flashed in his eyes.

He directly roared, "Order: all troops raise fire!"

Now, there was no need to hide anymore!

He directly charged in!

In this pitch-black night, a light source was a must.

Otherwise, if they were to march rapidly in the dark, it was very likely that they would be trampled by their comrades to death.

Every soldier, be it Mamlukes, Vaegir Marksmen, the Ravenstern Rangers, the Rhodok Sharpshooters, or the Rhodok Sergeants, all took down the torches on their waists and held them in their hands.

Even the Swadian Knights did the same.

Every squad leaders carried a flint.

In a short period of time, the entire army lit up the fire. More than three thousand torches burned fiercely.

The only person in the entire army who did not hold torches was Baheshtur.

Baheshtur rode on a warhorse and was at the front of the entire army.

At this moment, he pulled out the knight sword at his waist, raised it towards the sky, and shouted loudly, "Soldiers, follow me and charge in, exterminate the south city gate barracks!"

As he spoke, Baheshtur led the charge, but of course, his speed was only medium.

"Kill!"

Three thousand level 5 elite troop class soldiers all responded loudly.

The Royal Swadian Knights and Mamlukes all followed Baheshtur and galloped.

One thousand Rhodok Sergeants followed closely behind the cavalries, holding torches as they trotted forward.

Five hundred Vaegir Marksmen followed closely behind Rhodok Sergeants were also holding torches as they trotted forward.

Five hundred Rhodok Sharpshooters followed behind the Vaegir Marksmen, also holding torches as they trotted forward.

Finally, there were 500 Ravenstern Rangers. As they were proficient in both long-range attacks and battles, they were purposely arranged to be at the back.

At this moment, they were only 100 meters away from the south gate of Lionheart City. The barracks of the south gate was just below the walls on both sides of the city gate. On one side, there were 1500 of Count Simon. Prynne's family private soldiers.

Chapter 519: Massacre After Encirclement

At this moment, it was time to rush into the city as quickly as possible. Before the 3,000 guards at the south city gate could react, they were all trapped in the barracks.

Surround and kill!

The 3,000 guards at the south city gate of Lionheart City were all the elite private army of the top noble, Count Simon. Prynne's family.

Of course, they were not the most elite. They most elite soldiers were all in Count Simon. Prynne's castle.

The 3,000 soldiers guarding the south gate of Lionheart City were made up of 1,000 infantrymen, 1,000 archers and 1,000 heavy cavalries.

In the barracks on each side of the south gate, there were three types of troop class, each with 500 soldiers.

In fact, eleven years ago, when Count Simon. Prynne and the other three top noble families of the South County joined hands to seize control of Lionheart City from the hands of the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, the 3,000 soldiers sent here could be considered as elite soldiers.

However, 11 years later, their title was already unworthy of its name.

Prosperity was intoxicating.

Not to mention, it was the most prosperous city in the entire Dukedom of Leo.

They helped guard the south gate of Lionheart City, which was the most profitable of the four gates.

For 11 years, there was no war.

They spent their days dealing with trade caravan, local ruffians, gangsters, and the poor. Most of the soldiers were frequent customers of the various taverns in the southern district of Lionheart City. They also spent many sexy nights in those taverns.

They were the local tyrants of the entire southern district of Lionheart City.

They lived a comfortable life.

After 11 years of such a comfortable life, other than the army's name not changing, there were no elite aura of the past left in them.

Logically speaking, there should be 3,000 soldiers stationed in the barracks at this time.

However. there were at most 2,400 to 5,000 soldiers.

The ones that absent were commanders.

They either spent the night with the noble ladies in the eastern district, got drunk in the tavern in the southern district, or enjoyed the gentleness of the poor girls in the small hotels.

To Count Simon. Prynne, this army was not very important.

It was enough as long as it existed.

This way, he could ensure that he would continue to occupy the profits quota of Lionheart City.

After all, his base was not Lionheart City.

Lionheart City was just a place where he earned golden eagles and great silver coins.

As long as this garrison army could collect sufficient wealth for him every month, he did not care whether they were depraved or not. He did not rely on this army to protect his castle and manor.

Thus, when Baheshtur surrounded the two barracks with his entire army, not only were there only 1,200 soldiers in each of the two barracks, but they were also extremely chaotic and disorganized.

After all, most of the commanders were missing, and they were awakened from their sweet dreams.

After more than ten years of comfort and enjoyment, they had already forgotten how to calmly deal with such a terrifying sudden change.

In the orderly barracks, soldiers in disheveled clothes ran out from time to time.

Some of the soldiers saw the terrifying army surrounded by thousands of torches, and they were so scared that they lost control of their bowels.

The arrows of those archers, under the light of the fire, were too terrifying.

Many of the soldiers desperately hid back in the barracks and became ostriches.

They consoled themselves so that they might be able to escape this calamity.

Perhaps they could become captives. Although their fate was miserable, they would still be alive.

However, they were all too naive.

Baheshtur had no intention of keeping any captives.

Of course, this wasn't because Baheshtur was particularly cruel and cold. But if one had to put it this way, there wasn't much of a problem.

It was because he had brought too few soldiers.

Yes, there were too few soldiers.

Although they were all elites, there were only about three thousand soldiers.

Baheshtur's strategic goal this time was to take down the entire Lionheart City.

After taking down the south city gate, there were still three other city gates.

Even if all four city gates were taken down, there was still the noble district, the Association of Mages, and the War Temple.

How could there be any extra soldiers to guard the captives?

"Their performance is even worse than what I've investigated!"

"Looks like we don't need to use fire attacks anymore!"

"Although these guys are trash, their barracks are still pretty good. We can leave them for our soldiers to guard."

Seeing such a situation, Baheshtur had a plan in his heart.

Baheshtur was a little excited as he said loudly, "Rhodok Sergeants, maintain the encirclement posture and slowly push forward. Shrink the encirclement!"

"Archers, shoot freely! Anyone who dares to show their face, let them go to hell!"

"Swadian Royal Knights, guard the main road in the city. Kill anyone who tries to cross the boundary!"

"Sarleon Lion Knights, guard the city gate. If there are any escaping navy soldiers, kill them all!"

Following that, Baheshtur lowered his voice and said, "No need to leave anyone alive! We don't need captives!"

This voice was only heard by his own troops. The soldiers at the south gate of Lionheart City, who were in a mess, did not hear it.

The way Baheshtur and Firentis gave their orders was obviously different. His orders carried extremely strong personal emotions, and the words were not overly refined.

Baheshtur did not care about such details. He still needed to ensure that his orders could be understood by the soldiers under him and executed correctly.

He was too lazy to give orders and needed to think of concise and smooth words.

Those things could not guarantee victory in the war.

The defending troops on the south city wall of Lionheart City had paid a heavy price for their depravity.

They ran around the barracks in disorder. Even the Vaegir Marksmen did not have to shoot in unison to waste arrows. Instead, they shot like the Rhodok Sharpshooters and the Ravenstern Rangers.

Occasionally, there would be a small group of soldiers wearing neat armor and holding a round shield, trying to break out of the encirclement formed by the Rhodok Sergeants.

However, the siege crossbows of the Rhodok Sharpshooters had let them turn into ghosts.

A mere round shield made of iron. At a distance of dozens of meters, the siege crossbows in the hands of the Rhodok Sharpshooters could shoot through five pieces in one shot.

Those who broke out of the encirclement all ended up dead.

It made the soldiers in the barracks at the south gate of Lionheart City sink into despair.

It also completely crushed their courage.

No one dared to come out of the barracks anymore.

Because they discovered that if someone in the same barracks showed his head at the entrance of the barracks, he would immediately be pierced through the head by an arrow and die.

It was really too terrifying.

The smell of blood filled the entire barracks.

Some of the garrison soldiers cried out in despair, but they still could not escape death.

Rhodok Sergeants had already forced their way to the entrance of the barracks.

On both sides of the south gate of Lionheart City, the two barracks each had five rows of barracks, and each row had 15 barracks.

Usually, each barracks had twenty soldiers living in it.

Chapter 520: Mages Cleaning the Camps

"Charge in! Don't leave anyone alive!"

Baheshtur ordered coldly.

Rhodok Sergeants, who were in front, raised their broad shields to cover their entire bodies and charged into the barracks.

In the barracks, the guards at the south gate of Lionheart City were all trembling in fear.

Some of them had not fully equipped themselves up until now.

In fact, they didn't even have the thought of putting on their armor or weapons.

They naively waited in this room for the enemy's order to surrender.

However, what they were waiting for was the cold-blooded Rhodok Sergeants and the level 5 archers or crossbow masters.

The powerful army from the Continent of Caradia slowly advanced in the barracks at the south gate of Lionheart City.

They crushed over a row of barracks after another row.

Mercilessly, they killed them all.

Half an hour later, the south gate of Lionheart City fell into the hands of Baheshtur's army.

The more than 2,400 soldiers in the barracks at the south gate were all killed mercilessly.

Baheshtur gathered his army.

"Pass down the order: Rhodok Sergeant 1st squad, Vaegir Marksman1st squad, Ravenstern Ranger 1st squad, Rhodok Sharpshooters 1st squad, defend the south gate of Lionheart City."

Following Baheshtur's order, these squads separated from the main force.

Each squad had 50 people, and Baheshtur only left 200 people to guard the south gate.

Although there were only 200 people, they were all elite level-5 troop class.

Each of them had the strength that surpassed this world's peak knights, and were only slightly inferior to grand knights.

"Order: Archers and crossbowmen, go up to the city gate and defend!"

"Order: Rhodok Sergeants, guard the city gate below the city gate in the arched cave!"

"Apart from our army and the troops led by His Highness Kant, kill anyone who dares to approach the south city gate!"

One hundred and fifty archers and crossbowmen.

Taking advantage of the city gate, their defensive ability was without a doubt.

Fifty Rhodok Sergeants guarding the three city gates was absolutely flawless.

Through Baheshtur's investigation of Lionheart City's military strength, he was clear that after destroying the guards at the south gate, 200 elite level 5 troop class soldiers guarding the south gate was enough.

To take back the south gate of Lionheart City from these 200 terrifying soldiers, they needed at least 3,000 elite troops, regardless of life or death.

"The rest of the troop listen up!"

"Follow me and attack the North Gate of Lionheart City!"

Baheshtur chose to continue attacking the north gate at night because he had carefully considered the strength of Lionheart City.

The east gate of Lionheart City needed to pass through the noble district in the eastern district of Lionheart City.

There were many private noble armies in the noble district. The news of the south gate falling had definitely reached the noble district. Those nobles might be prepared to fight, so it would be difficult to capture them at night.

Moreover, the noble district was under the influence of Cameron, Duke of Leo, in Lionheart City. The power he had set up there could not be underestimated.

Moreover, the Association of Mages was also in the noble district of the eastern district. Baheshtur intended to hand over the masters of these extraordinary powers to the mages on his side to deal with.

The west gate of Lionheart City had similar problems.

The first temple of the God of War was located in the western district. There were sacrificial groups and knight orders in the temple. This was also a tough nut to crack. It had to be handled carefully.

Only the north gate of Lionheart City, like the south gate, had only 3,000-man garrison troops. There was no need to deal with additional troops.

After the battle with the garrison troops at the south gate, Baheshtur already knew what the quality of the garrison troops at the four gates were.

Not to mention a sneak attack at night, even if it was a formal assault, he could easily capture them with the elite condition of his troops.

...

Kant led the water bandits and quietly hid near the Lionheart City navy camps on the Resniston River.

When the sky suddenly turned red near the south gate of Lionheart City, Kant directly gave the order, "Order: Mage apprentice team one, cast a magic ball spell and destroy all the soldiers on the sentry towers!"

Kant saw that the red in the sky. It was formed by Baheshtur's order for the entire army to light up the sky above them with more than 3000 torches.

This was the signal for Baheshtur's official attack to begin.

It was also the attack opportunity that Kant had been waiting for.

As Kant gave the order, the 50 mage apprentices from the first team cast magic bullets at the same time, 50 magic balls that were glowing with white light rose into the air.

These magic balls looked very gentle, but their power could not be underestimated.

Their range was 100 meters, and their power was no less than the arrows fired by the level 4 troop class archers.

Arrows were penetrative attacks, but magic bullets were explosive attacks.

In the navy camp, a 200-meter long and 30-meter wide bay extended into the river.

On both sides of the bay and the river, there were five sentry towers.

In each watchtower, there were 10 soldiers on guard duty.

Of course, they were all dozing off. None of them were on guard and watched over the river carefully.

The magic balls fired by the mage apprentices were all aimed at a soldier on guard duty.

The 50 magic balls that were emitting white light split into two groups and flew east and west.

"Bang!"

At almost the same time, the 50 magic balls struck the dozing sentry soldiers, causing serious wounds on their bodies.

The sentry soldiers who were hit in the head by the magic balls did not have any reaction. Half of their heads were directly blown off by the magic balls, and they were dead.

As for the sentry soldiers who were hit in other parts of their bodies by the magic balls, a big hole was directly blown out of their bodies, and fresh blood gushed out like spring water.

The intense pain woke them up from their sleep, and they immediately let out an extremely tragic cry.

This cry spread far and wide, waking up most of the soldiers in the navy camp.

Although these soldiers were not elites, they would attack every week to drive away the water bandits on the upper and lower reaches of the river. Therefore, their reaction to the sudden change was much better than the soldiers at the south gate who were once much more elite than them.

When these navy soldiers heard the screams of the sentries, they realized that something must have happened.

They quickly put on their equipment and weapons before leaving the camps to find out what had happened.

Kant wanted to destroy the sentry soldiers first because he didn't want the them to shoot from above the tower during the battle.

Chapter 521: The Legendary Victory

Although mages were powerful, they were cloth-wearing profession after all. Their defense against bows and arrows was very low. If a few of them were accidentally killed by the sentries, it wouldn't be worth it.

Baheshtur's war plan had already mentioned the military strength of these navy soldiers.

In Kant's opinion, it didn't matter if they were startled or not.

Because, no matter what, the army he led had an overwhelming advantage over the water army.

The navy soldiers were well-equipped. When they came out of the barracks, they immediately discovered that there was a shadow entrenched on the river.

"What's that?"

"Could it be a night attack by water bandits?"

However, Kant didn't give them too much time to investigate.

At this moment, Kant didn't order the entire army to light torches and illuminate the surroundings like Baheshtur did.

Because he didn't need to.

He had never thought about the battle plan to capture the navy camp. He had never thought that he would need to have his soldiers engage in close combat with the soldiers.

The mages weren't just for show.

"Order: All mages, cast a spell -- Nature Summon! Summon the golems to the navy camp!"

Kant directly gave the order

Nature Summon was to communicate with the Earth Elemental Plane of this world and summon the golem.

The golem was made of stone and was created by the mage tower's golems, not the natural earth elemental giants.

Therefore, their activity required the magic patterns and gems that were carved and inlaid on the surface to maintain themselves. However, it was still an elemental body and did not have any flesh and blood weaknesses. It also did not have the limitation of morale and intelligence. It only listened to the mages' commands and was extremely valiant on the battlefield, it could withstand several times the flesh and blood creatures.

With the ability of the mages, one Nature Summon could summon five golems.

After receiving Kant's order, the 200 mages cast their spells one after another.

A thousand golems appeared in the navy camp.

Every golem was hard to hurt with a sword and had immense strength. However, their actions were somewhat stiff and clumsy.

They could directly fight against the level 5 troop class of the Continent of Caradia, and even crush them in terms of defense and strength.

This was the power of mages.

Mysterious and powerful.

The appearance of a thousand golems in the navy camp was undoubtedly a nightmare for the navy soldiers of Lionheart City.

"Mages, listen up: Command the golems and kill them directly. No captives are needed!" Kant continued to speak coldly.

A thousand golems instantly wreaked havoc in the navy camp.

They did not rely on their vision to determine their targets.

The darkness did not affect them at all.

The golems obeyed the mages' orders and began to kill mercilessly. Their methods were extremely cruel and ruthless.

They slapped anyone they saw. Their strength was incomparable. A slap was no less powerful than a level-5 soldier using a blunt weapon.

Those who were hit by the golems would either have their heads blown off and die instantly, or they would be severely injured and barely survive.

One by one, their bones and tendons were broken, and they spat out mouthfuls of blood. They fell to the ground and convulsed, waiting for death to come.

They died at the hands of the golems, and the way they died could be described as extremely miserable and bloody.

Blood splattered, and flesh and blood flew everywhere.

The scene was far more terrifying than being killed by swords or bows.

At this moment, the navy camp was pitch black, and only a few places would occasionally emit flames.

However, the flames had only appeared for a short while before they were quickly extinguished. At the same time, mournful wails could be heard.

Within the navy camp, a field of mournful wails filled the air, and the horrible cries were transmitted to the dock.

Facing the impenetrable stone golems that had immense strength and showed no mercy, the navy soldiers of Lionheart City ushered in a terrifying doomsday.

There were navy soldiers that ran towards the warships in the bay. When they arrived near the bay, they would be easily killed by the leader of the water bandits.

The strong smell of blood gradually spread out.

It connected with the smell of blood at the south gate of Lionheart City.

The entire dock area was covered in the pungent smell of blood.

The screams at the navy camp and the south gate woke up all the people who were sleeping in the dock area. Even on the Resniston River, on the hundreds and thousands of merchant ships, everyone had woken up.

Among them were merchants, poor people, gang leaders, gangsters, and even the noble families from other countries.

There were all kinds of people, but at this moment, deep in their hearts, they were filled with the same emotion, fear.

The smell of blood was too strong, too frightening.

The screams beside their ears were too miserable, too terrifying.

The flames outside the south city gate, the screams, and the screams from the navy camp in between them all indicated that these two places were in the midst of an extremely intense battle.

An army had directly launched a sneak attack on these two places.

At this moment, they didn't know if the sneak attack camp could defeat the garrison troops and navy of Lionheart City, or if the garrison troops and navy of Lionheart City could directly wipe out the enemy.

This was related to their future, and even their lives.

No one knew how the sneak attack camp would treat them if they won.

Some people mustered up their courage and went to the south gate of Lionheart City, wanting to secretly investigate the situation.

However, when such people approached the south gate of Lionheart City, what awaited them were sharp and fatal arrows.

Their deaths greatly shocked the crowd on the dock. No one dared to recklessly investigate the current situation at the south gate of Lionheart City.

On the river, there were also some daring merchants who drove their merchant ships to the river opposite the navy camp. They wanted to investigate the battle at the navy camp.

Kant had expected such a situation, so he had given the order.

All the ships that dared to approach were destroyed.

When such ships approached Baron Kant's fleet.

On the trireme, they unceremoniously fired terrifying ballistae, causing heavy damage to the merchant ships. Some of them were directly shot down.

As for those merchant ships that did not sink, there were powerful Water Bandit Captains in the water. They directly pierced through the bottom of their ships, cutting large holes.

This caused the river water in the river to flow into it without any hindrance.

Sinking was the only outcome for the ships that dared to test Kant's fleet.

This effectively intimidated all the merchant ships.

They did not dare to disturb Kant's fleet anymore.

Baron Kant gave the order to launch an attack before Baheshtur led his troops to attack the camp at the south gate of Lionheart City.

However, although the golems were powerful, their movements were slightly slow and stiff.

Therefore, their efficiency was slightly slower than the army led by Baheshtur

When Baheshtur completely massacred the barracks at the south gate, the 1,000 golems also massacred all the navy soldiers in the navy camp.

Of course, some navy soldiers took advantage of the chaos to escape to the dock area from the other exits of the navy camp.

The number was not particularly large, only around 200 of them.

Among them, there were another 100 or so who were frantically fleeing towards the south gate of Lionheart City.

They were heading towards the gates of Hell.

[ Ding... your subordinates have wiped out all the enemy troops with zero casualties. They have seized a large city gate and captured an enemy camp at the same time. ]

[ Evaluation acquired: Legendary Victory. ]

[ Reputation × 5000 points obtained. ]

[ Honor × 10 points obtained. ]

[ Ding... you have wiped out almost all the enemy troops with zero casualties and occupied an enemy barracks. ]

[ Evaluation acquired: Epic Victory. ]

[ Reputation × 1000 points obtained. ]

[ Honor × 2 points obtained. ]

Just as the battle ended, two system messages popped up on Kant's retina.

Chapter 522: The Surprise Attack Came to A Perfect End

"Very good, I've actually received two war comment that can give me honor points!"

Kant saw the words on his retina, and his heart was incomparably happy.

One epic victory, one legendary victory.

A total of 12 honor points reward.

It was enough for him to draw 12 system gift packs.

"Pass down the order, have the soldiers return to the battleship, and at the same time send out soldiers to stand guard."

"If there are any merchant ships that dare to spy on our army, sink them!"

Kant directly gave the order.

From the system prompt, he already knew that the two battles were ended.

The night was very dark, and it was not a good time to deal with the battlefield.

In Baheshtur's war plan, the surprise attack could be considered a success.

The rest would have to wait until tomorrow.

After Kant gave the order, the Water Bandit Bosuns and Water Bandit Captains who had sneaked into the river returned to their warships.

The fleet was quietly docked on the river near the navy camp. It was like a ferocious beast crawling in the darkness. Although it was quiet, it was very dangerous.

If any merchant ships dared to approach from the river, they would definitely be killed.

The water bandits were all professionals in doing such things.

Next, it was the lottery that Kant had been looking forward to for a long time.

Hopefully, he would be able to draw one or two heroes this time.

Kant even washed his hands for this, hoping to get some good luck.

His plan had already changed, and he no longer intended to use the noble of this world to serve him.

Instead, he would use the characters from the world of "Mount and Blade" to serve him.

These people were summoned from the Continent of Caradia by the system. Regardless of whether they were soldiers or heroes, they had a constant loyalty to him.

He never had to worry about them defecting.

What they looked like when they were in Caradia, what kind of personality they had, when the system summoned them, they didn't change much.

The only change was their constant loyalty to him, Baron Kant.

This, in Kant's view, was much more important than other qualities.

If a subordinate was not loyal enough, the greater his ability, the higher Kant's appointment to him, then once he rebelled, the greater the damage to Kant.

Therefore, among all the qualities, loyalty ranked first.

Among the characters summoned by the system, the heroes' abilities were undoubtedly the strongest.

This did not mean their combat ability, but their talent.

Every hero had their own unique political views and military thinking. Their vision was very far-sighted compared to ordinary soldiers.

To put it in a more imposing manner, it was about their vision and structure.

Even on the Continent of Caradia, these superior heroes could not be compared to ordinary soldiers or even noble families.

Moreover, most importantly, although the system could not directly level up heroes, they themselves had very strong growth potential.

This growth was formed after they joined Kant's forces, under the influence of their constant loyalty to Kant, and after a long period of training with Kant's team.

Simply put, every hero would eventually become a powerful individual under Kant's command because of their ability to grow.

Their achievements would far surpass their time in the Continent of Caradia.

Of course, not only would heroes grow, but even soldiers would grow as well. However, their growth was more reflected in the advancement of the troop class, increasing their pure combat ability.

Although their knowledge and accomplishments would increase greatly when they were promoted to a high-level up soldier, if they did not continue to level up, they would basically be like that, as though they had already been set in stone.

It was just like how Kant had once sent 10 Sarrandian Horsemen to watch over the spy he had supported, the merchant Borg, a young clan leader of a down and out business clan in the East County.

The 10 Sarrandian Horsemen had almost completely become Borg's henchmen. Although they were loyal to Kant and did not betray him, they were almost completely toyed with by Borg.

In truth, the strength of the Sarrandian Horseman was not inferior to the level of peak knights in this world. If they were the 10 knights in this world, Borg would only become a puppet in their hands.

However, the outcome made Kant almost disappointed.

Borg not only became a successful businessman in the East County, traded with Dukedom of Leo and the Silver Platter Kingdom with the sugar Kant provided, but he even wanted to betray Kant under the surveillance of the ten Sarrandian Horsemen

Moreover, if Kant did not personally go to Borg's family, it would be difficult for him to discover this.

Kant didn't blame the ten Sarrandian Horsemen.

Because he himself had sent them to monitor and intimidate Borg.

However, after that lesson, Kant realized the flaws of these system soldiers.

On the battlefield, they were invincible, but their abilities seemed to be limited on the battlefield. If they were given too complicated a task, they would be at a loss.

Of course, this was not an absolute.

As soldiers leveled up, their own accomplishments in all aspects were astonishing.

When soldiers reached level up to the troop class 5, their performance in other aspects was no less than that of ordinary people.

If they reached level 6, their knowledge was no less than that of some small noble.

Therefore, when Kant replaced the person who was monitoring Borg with five Sarleon Lion Knights, Borg became a loyal dog in his hands.

Borg no longer had any means, nor did he have the strength to stir up any waves.

Even now, when Kant had been directly pushed to the opposite side by the noble and religious sects of this world because of a rumor, Borg, who had once wanted to betray him, still obediently served him.

If Borg dared to make any unusual moves, he would immediately be killed by the Sarleon Lion Knights who were "protecting" him.

His money, connections, and trade routes would immediately be seized by Kant.

Unfortunately, even if a level 6 troop class had the knowledge of a little noble, they were still soldiers. They did not know how to do business at all.

However, this did not delay Kant's plan. In his empire's blueprint, these level 6 troop class soldiers were positioned as a little noble and a little lord to enrich his empire's territory.

Kant knew that these level 6 troop class soldiers were qualified for such positions.

If they were not qualified for higher-level positions, Kant would target the heroes of the "Mount and Blade" world.

Chapter 523: The Lucky Draw

The self-growth attribute on their bodies would allow them to quickly grow up after merging with Kant's forces. They would be able to fulfil all the tasks Kant had given them.

At most, due to their different personalities and methods, they would choose different ways of doing things.

Currently, Kant had six heroes

Wandering knight, Firentis.

Genius merchant, Manid.

Scoundrel noble, Rolf.

Nomadic thug, Baheshtur.

Battlefield doctor, James.

Crossbowman squad leader… No, now it was the Underworld Apostle, Bunduk.

There was still one. Although he wasn't a hero, he had the potential to become one.

The former leader of the trade caravan, Joslin.

This could be considered as Kant poaching someone from the Continent of Caradia.

Among the 6 heroes, Kant's trade caravan was handed over to Manid. Joslin, the half hero also led a trade caravan.

Firentis, Rolf, and Baheshtur, the three heroes, were fighting for him.

His most important base, Drondheim, which was built in the Nahrin Desert, was overseen by the strongest hero under him, the Underworld Apostle, Bunduk.

Aaron, a prosperous town in the Senwaya Range, was entrusted by Kant to James.

Only these 6 heroes.

It was not enough.

He was short of talents.

Even his 3rd fortress city, Sargoth, which was located in the East County of Leo Dukedom, was not guarded by any heroes.

Kant knew that the knight orders of the human sects were aiming for Sargoth Fortress, which was located in the East County, along a tributary of the Resniston River.

Not to mention the Stone Pass which was completely under Kant's control and the huge Dukedom of Leo in the North County.

None of these were guarded by heroes.

Firentis, Rolf and Baheshtur could not be transferred back at all.

They were needed on the battlefield.

Therefore, Kant hoped that he could draw one or two heroes in the system mall to solve his urgent problem.

However, the probability of drawing a hero was too small. He had already drawn more than a hundred times in the system mall, but so far, he had only drawn six heroes from the "Mount and Blade" world.

"Ha!"

Kant looked at his palm and sighed, then rubbed his hands together.

He hoped that his luck would be better this way.

[ System, I want to draw the lucky draw in the mall! ]

Kant's expression became serious as he communicated with the system in his mind.

Almost at the same time as Kant's thought, a dazzling treasure chest appeared on Kant's retina.

This was a treasure chest in the mall.

It was specially used for drawing the lottery.

[ I want to draw ten consecutive times! ]

Kant said firmly like a soldier who was ready to die.

His honor points were only enough for ten consecutive draws.

At this moment, Kant's desire for heroes had reached its peak.

If he didn't have enough heroes to govern his vast territory, would he have to kneel down to the noble of this world?

That was absolutely impossible.

As for promoting the commoners from the world of "Mount and Blade"?

Don't be ridiculous. Even a level 6 troop class that had the common knowledge of a small noble wasn't able to govern and manage a larger estate and appoint commoners?

Anyone who understood the Continent of Caradia would know how ridiculous this idea was.

That was the real dark world. Blood, violence, killing, and war were eternal themes.

Civilians were just the properties of the noble, like livestock being raised.

They did not know how to read, govern, politics, economy, or military. Apart from their strength or some skills, they knew almost nothing.

Compared to Kant's open and pluralistic world in his previous life, which was full of information, the civilians in this world were miserable.

If he were to choose talents from the ordinary commoners in his previous life, Kant would probably laugh in his dreams.

If the commoners who grew up in his previous life were to come to this world and be entrusted with an important task by Kant, they would really be able to fight against the kings, monarchs, and noble families of this world.

They would definitely not be inferior to heroes.

However, Kant was not qualified to do such a good thing.

The commoners of Caradia could never be counted on.

Unless Kant specially collected some commoner children and spent more than ten years to specially train them.

In Kant's perturbed mood, time seemed to have become long.

The multi-colored treasure chest on Kant's retina suddenly burst out with a dazzling brilliance.

Pack after pack gushed out from it.

[ You received a troop class pack: Swadian Royal Knight × 50 ]

[ You received a troop class pack: Swadian Royal Knight × 50 ]

[ You received a troop class pack: Swadian Royal Knight × 50 ]

[ You received a troop class pack: Sarleon Lion Knight × 50 ]

[ You received a troop class pack: Sarleon Lion Knight × 50 ]

[ You received a troop class pack: Sarleon Lion Knight × 50 ]

[ You have received a troop class pack: Mage of the Enfath Empire X 50]

[ You have received a troop class pack: Mage of the Enfath Empire X 50]

[ You have received a troop class pack: Mage of the Enfath Empire X 50]

[ You have received a troop class pack: Mage of the Enfath Empire X 50]

In these ten ten-pack gift packs, there was a pack that the ten-pack system would give out.

[ You have received an item pack: Extraordinary Recovery Scroll X 1]

Rows of words appeared on his retina, and at the same time, eleven glittering cards sank into Kant's mind.

Kant was a little disappointed that there was no hero pack that he desperately desired.

However, the abundance of the pack that the system gave out this time had greatly exceeded Kant's expectations.

They were all troop class with extraordinary power, 150 Royal Swadian Knights, 150 Sarleon Lion Knights, and 200 Enfath Mages.

These were the strongest troop class that he had.

The total number that he had was about this number.

The system had almost doubled it for him.

Based on Kant's understanding of the system, this uniform gift pack definitely had a deep meaning.

The system was strengthening his extraordinary strength.

Kant's expression changed slightly.

He thought that he had prepared well for the Lionheart City attack this time.

The troop class he brought along were all the most elite troop class 5. Even these water bandits were invincible on the water. They could definitely make the south bank soldiers who wanted to cross the river pay a heavy price. They couldn't even successfully cross the river to attack Lionheart City.

To deal with the Association of Mages and the War Temple. Apart from those who had been sent out, he had brought almost all his extraordinary strength.

A hundred Swadian Knights, A hundred Sarleon Lion Knights, Two hundred mages and a hundred mage apprentices.

How much extraordinary strength was this?

Kant was completely confident that with this extraordinary strength, he could crush the Association of Mages and the War Temple.

However, at this moment, his confidence was no longer as strong as before.

The system had replenished him with so many extraordinary powers at once.

Why was that?

Chapter 524: Urgency in Facing the Situation

There were also two honor points.

Kant had originally planned to keep these two honor points in reserve if he drew a level up world hero in ten draws.

Not only would he be able to accumulate honor points, but he would also be able to draw ten draws in the future to obtain an additional reward.

Moreover, he would be able to use them to level up fortresses or towns.

In Kant's eyes, these honor points were a very powerful system hard currency.

However, the result was not optimistic.

The result of drawing ten in a row was an unimaginable level 6 troop class with powerful extraordinary power.

The system was deliberately strengthening his extraordinary power.

There were no heroes.

This made Kant very unwilling.

He desired heroes.

He needed heroes.

If there were no heroes, the territories he had conquered now simply didn't have enough people to guard and govern them. It would be difficult to develop together, and they would definitely be taken away.

Kant didn't want this to happen.

However, this was already the case.

For his new blueprint, his previous actions and plans were a little faster.

If he took too big a step, he might fell hard.

However, it was absolutely impossible to make Kant spit out the benefits he had eaten.

That was also impossible.

He was no longer the initial weak moment.

There was no need to agitate and sacrifice his own interests.

"A hero! I need a hero!"

Such thoughts lingered in Kant's mind.

If he lost his honor points, Kant would endure.

But now, he still had two honor points, so he could continue to draw.

He couldn't wait any longer.

[ System, I want to draw the lucky draw in the mall. ]

This time, this thought circulated in Kant's mind, and it seemed like he was going to go all out.

Two honor points, only two chances.

Epic victory and legendary victory weren't so easy to obtain. This time, he took advantage of the sneak attack. He didn't know when the next time would be.

As the thought of drawing a prize was confirmed in Kant's mind.

A dazzling treasure chest appeared on Kant's retina.

[ One mall lucky draw ]

Kant took a deep breath and calmed himself down.

On his retina, the dazzling treasure chest shone brightly. It opened slightly and spat out a gift pack. Then, it closed again. The effect of the ten consecutive draws was incomparable.

Then, the colorful treasure chest of the mall disappeared on Kant's retina.

A row of words appeared.

"You have received an Item Pack: Glory. The Protection of Serenity."

A great disappointment appeared in Kant's heart. This time, he was still not a hero.

There was only one last honor point left.

Like a gambler who had lost several times, Kant did not hesitate to conduct the last draw.

[ You have received the Item Pack: Glory. Bright Red Movement ]

Sigh!

A sense of exhaustion welled up in Kant's heart. The hero pack that he longed for did not appear in the end.

This made Kant unwilling, but he could do nothing about it.

His honor points had been completely used up, and he could not do it again even if he wanted to.

He could only put his hope on the next time.

At this time, Kant could only calm down.

Sometimes, things were like this. As long as there was a little hope, people would risk everything to take a gamble.

However, when an unhappy ending happened, people could actually settle down and accept reality.

"Then let's see, other than those level 6 troop class, what are the other three items obtained from the draw? And what use are they?"

Thirteen cards that shone with golden light quietly floated in the depths of Kant's mind.

Ten of the cards had human-shaped patterns on them. They were level 6 troop class items, the possessors of powerful extraordinary powers.

As for the other three cards, one had a scroll on it, one had an emerald necklace on it, and the last one had a bright red cape on it.

[ I want to take out an item: Extraordinary Recovery Scroll ]

As his thoughts raced, countless pitch-black streams of data flowed in Kant's palm, entangling and condensing.

Finally, a silver-white scroll appeared in Kant's hand.

On the unfolded scroll, there were golden threads that were gilded with gold into complicated patterns.

It was hard to imagine that the back of a scroll would have such dense patterns that looked like magic arrays.

When this silver-white scroll was completely materialized, Kant felt his hand sink slightly.

This scroll was extremely heavy.

Kant's current strength was even a little stronger than that of a level 6 troop class.

Possessing two extraordinary powers, the King's Power and the Divine Power, Kant's strength was much greater than his young and immature face that was gradually growing.

However, he could still feel the weight of this scroll.

It was cold to the touch, and it didn't have the texture of leather. Instead, it had the texture of metal, as if this scroll was made of metal.

At the same time, dense words appeared on Kant's retina.

[ Extraordinary Recovery Scroll ]

[ This is a scroll made of mithril foil as the carrier of the scroll. It is carved with melted fine gold as ink, and it gathers extremely powerful extraordinary power. ]

[ Function: One-time recovery of extraordinary power. The user can select the target. It can completely recover all the extraordinary power of 1000 level 6 troop class soldiers. ]

Kant read the description on his retina and was slightly surprised.

If he summoned the 500 level 6 troop class soldiers from the depths of his mind and the level 6 troop class soldiers and mage apprentices that he brought to conquered Lionheart City, didn't he just happen to have 1000 extraordinary power holders?

Whether it was a troop class 6, a mage, or a mage apprentice, their strength came from their extraordinary power.

If their extraordinary power was exhausted, the Swadian Royal Knights and the Sarleon Lion Knights would still do fine. They could still be stronger than a level 5 heavy cavalry troop class.

However, the mages and mage apprentices would instantly become weaker to a troop class 1 infantry once their extraordinary power was exhausted.

Without the spells cast, mages would lose all their power and means.

However, this Extraordinary Recovery Scroll could recover all the extraordinary powers of 1,000 level 6 troop class soldiers at the same time.

This could greatly increase the duration of their extraordinary powers and the damage they could cause.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it could directly double these powers.

Kant felt that a storm was coming.

The system wouldn't allow him to obtain such powerful scrolls for no reason.

Perhaps he needed these scrolls in his current situation.

Kant once again thought about the hostile forces in Lionheart City.

The nobles were eliminated by Kant. As for the Association of Mages, Kant considered it seriously for a while and also eliminated it.

If the noble had the strength to contend against thousands of his extraordinary forces, then the Dukedom of Leo would have long launched a war of revenge against the Silver Platter Kingdom.

As for the mages in the dukedom, if they were so powerful, they would not have to rely on the noble to contend against the pressure from the sect.

In the end, Kant locked his target on the War Temple.

This was an ancient force that had been standing on the continent for 7000 years.

Chapter 525: The Extraordinary Equipment Set

"Perhaps I haven't truly investigated the power of the War Temple?"

"Knight orders, priest order, anything else?"

Kant carefully recalled the wars of the God of War, Edmund, and his War Temple. He had read about the power that had been revealed during the war.

Only the knight orders and the priest orders.

All of these were already in Kant's consideration. He believed that the power he had prepared could already crush them. Otherwise, Kant would not have launched this war to conquer Lionheart City.

"According to the information, the War Temple participated in the war, and they all won. Even if they didn't win, they still reached a compromise with the noble. Perhaps the War Temple has powers that are far beyond my expectations hidden in the dark?"

Kant completely threw the disappointment of not being able to extract the hero to the back of his mind and couldn't help but think.

"This God of War, Edmund, is the target that I have to eliminate, unless he takes the initiative to withdraw his sphere of influence from the Dukedom of Leo."

"But this is absolutely impossible. The human countries all have their own gods that they believe in. Those gods will never allow the God of War to go to their territory to spread their beliefs."

Perhaps the War Temple really had a powerful hidden power that Kant did not detect.

However, Kant did not have any intention of retreating.

He believed that with his current power, even if the God of War, Edmund, appeared, he would be able to defeat him and make him fall. The strength of 1,000-man troop with extraordinary powers was absolutely not to be underestimated.

However, Kant would not be blindly arrogant in the face of unknown circumstances.

From tomorrow onwards, Kant would pay close attention to the movements of the War Temple in Lionheart City. He made his decision.

After Kant put away the Extraordinary Recovery Scroll, he was ready to continue looking at the other two items.

The situation that deviated from his expectations made Kant shift his attention from the desire to be a hero to the situation.

The item he obtained from the lottery seemed to be increasing his strength.

[ I want to take out the item: Glory. The Protection of Serenity ]

As his thoughts surged, countless pitch-black data flowed in Kant's palm, entangling and condensing.

Finally, an exquisite jade-green necklace appeared in Kant's hand.

The main body of the necklace was an octahedral jade-green crystal.

Just by holding the necklace, Kant felt a sense of tranquility from the bottom of his heart.

This necklace had a mysterious power that could calm him down.

His thoughts seemed to have become clearer.

The entire necklace was emerald green. Whether it was the necklace itself or the main body of the necklace, they both seemed to be made of the same material. They were sparkling and translucent like crystals. However, within them, the emerald green seemed to be slowly circulating.

Especially in the main body of the necklace, the flowing emerald green seemed to form a mysterious rune.

The moment the necklace appeared in Kant's hand, dense text appeared on his retina at the same time.

[ Glory. Protection of Serenity (upgradable) ]

[ One of the components of the extraordinary equipment set "Glory" that runs through eternity and falls into the void, necklace ]

[ This is a top-grade necklace made from the highest-grade magic crystal. It has magical powers. It could survive through time and remain undamaged when it fell into the void. However, a long period of time had caused most of its powers to be lost. Although it was still noble and eternal in nature, it no longer had much power. ]

[ Special effect:

1. Tranquil Mind: The wearer can possess a tranquil mind that is unshaken by external things. In any chaotic and stimulating environment, the wearer can take the initiative to maintain absolute calmness and tranquility.

2 Protection of Serenity: when the wearer suffers a fatal attack, this special effect will be activated automatically to block a fatal attack for the wearer. Cooldown time: one week.

3 Glory: The wearer will take the initiative to reveal the eternal and noble king's glory, making the ones who bathed in the glory be loyal to him until death. This special effect is the ultimate special effect of the extraordinary equipment set "Glory". It can only be activated by wearing all the "Glory" components. ]

[ Remark: Glory. The Protection of Serenity has lost almost all of its power over a long period of time. Through absorbing extraordinary power, you can obtain a level up and gradually recover its former power. ]

Kant calmly read through the rows of words on his retina and looked down at the necklace in his hand.

He did not know where the system had gotten this necklace.

This didn't seem to be an item from the world of "Mount and Blade".

In the Void?

From the introduction of this necklace, it was very likely so.

However, this necklace seemed to have a very big origin.

It ran through eternity.

Such a comment came from the system's explanation, so it shouldn't be meaningless flattery.

However, even the gods would fall, and it was difficult to say that those gods would last eternally.

Did this necklace have the ability to do so?

And the last "Glory" special effect even made Kant connect to the system.

Weren't the heroes and soldiers from "Mount and Blade" world that Kant obtained through the system had the constant and eternal loyalty to him already?

In Kant's eyes, this wasn't a big deal. After all, it was an omnipotent system.

In fact, Kant valued loyalty of those soldiers and heroes the most.

This was an advantage that the humans of this world couldn't compare to.

And now, the system actually let him draw such an equipment.

Special effect, Glory.

What a terrifying special effect.

He just didn't know how many components this equipment had.

Was it all in the hands of the system?

Kant thought for a while and knew that it was useless to think too much, so he decisively cut off his thoughts.

He put the necklace on his neck and covered it under his clothes.

Then, his thoughts moved.

I want to take out the item: Glory. Bright Red Movement

As his thoughts moved, countless black data flowed in Kant's palm, entangling and condensing.

Finally, a bright red cloak appeared in Kant's hand.

This bright red cloak seemed to have no weight.

If it wasn't for the delicate touch and visual confirmation, Kant wouldn't have thought that he was holding something.

Even if Kant held it in his hand, this cloak would move without wind and dance fiercely.

It was as if it was playing a soundless movement.

This cloak didn't let him enter a certain status like the necklace just now. It only appeared in Kant's hand, that's all.

However, Kant would not think that this was an ordinary cloak.

Having obtained the necklace, he knew that this cloak was also one of the components of the extraordinary equipment set "Glory".

Dense text appeared on Kant's retina in rows.

Even if Kant had not started to look carefully, his heart could not help but be filled with anticipation.

These were the system descriptions of the bright red cloak in his hands.

This is no ordinary cape.

It is one of the components of the "Glory" of the extraordinary equipment set.

Chapter 526: Inspection of the North and South Main Roads

[ Glory. Bright Red Movement (upgradable) ]

[ One of the components of the extraordinary equipment set "Glory" that can penetrate eternity and fall into the Void, the cape. ]

[ This is a top-grade cape woven from the eternal will of the battlefield. It has magical power. It is immortal after passing through time and undamaged after falling into the void. However, most of its power has been lost due to the passage of time. Although it is still noble and eternal in nature, it no longer has much power. ]

[ Special effects:

1. Blood Thirst: Active special effect. On the battlefield, within a kilometer of the wearer, the wearer's generals and soldiers entered a bloodthirsty state. Their attack strength increased by 100%, and their defense strength decreased by 30%.

2. Bright Red Movement: Passive special effect. On the battlefield, within a kilometer of the wearer, the wearer's soldiers were encouraged, and their overall strength increased by 50%. At the same time, their morale rose steadily as they stayed on the battlefield. Eventually, they would reach the highest morale and be fearless, even if they were at an extreme disadvantage, they could still fight until they were completely annihilated without even half a step back.

3. Glory: Voluntarily revealing the eternal and noble glory of kings, making the bathers loyal to the wearer until death. This special effect was the ultimate special effect of the extraordinary equipment set "Glory." It could only be activated by wearing all the "Glory" components

[ Remark: Glory. The Bright Red Movement has lost almost all its power over the long period of time. It can be upgraded by absorbing extraordinary power and gradually recover its former power. ]

Kant finished reading the dense text on his retina and found that this was a piece of war equipment. It could only be used on the battlefield.

Whether it was special effect one or special effect two, they were both extremely powerful.

They could greatly increase the strength of the entire army.

If it was cooperated with the Flag of Intimidation and the Horn of Commanding Power, Kant could quickly raise the morale of the army to the highest status and not fall anymore.

This was an extremely terrifying battlefield equipment.

With this equipment, Kant's chances of winning the Lionheart City battle would be even greater.

Such a powerful equipment and the components of the mysterious and powerful extraordinary equipment set gave him satisfaction. At the same time, it greatly aroused Kant's new desire and soothed the disappointment of not being able to draw a hero.

As long as there were honor points, a hero could always be drawn.

Kant went to rest with a sense of satisfaction.

Everything was waiting for tomorrow.

The night passed quickly, and it was the next morning.

The sky was only slightly bright, and Kant woke up.

He needed to seize the time to carry out the next strategy.

Kant slept very well last night, but in the entire dock area of Lionheart City, except for Kant and his army, very few people continued to sleep peacefully.

Most of the people did not sleep at all. They were in a state of anxiety, waiting for their fates to be announced.

Whether it was the poor people living in the dock area, the merchants, the members of the gangs, or the people on the merchant ships on the Resniston River, they all knew that their fates needed to be announced by the victors of the war.

Kant did not have to worry about anything. These things had already been written into the war plan by Baheshtur.

However, the system had greatly enhanced his extraordinary strength, Kant realized that he might not have estimated the War Temple's strength enough.

But for now, everything was happening according to Baheshtur's war plan.

Kant washed up and ate breakfast. He said to a Swadian Royal Knight beside him,

"Go and pass the order to the highest commander of the water bandits. Tell them to come and see me."

"As you command, my lord!"

The Swadian Royal Knight respectfully accepted Kant's order and went to the other warships to pass the order.

Because there was no hero by his side, Kant could only do it himself.

Kant stood on the deck. The morning scenery on the Resniston River was still beautiful.

However, looking at the north bank, it was a scene of Hell on Earth.

The cold corpses were laying in pools of blood. Their faces were filled with fear and despair as they bid farewell to this world.

There were about thirty warships that originally belonged to the navy of Lionheart City in the bay. These had undoubtedly become Kant's spoils of war.

This navy camp was also not bad. Compared to the warships he obtained, Kant was more satisfied with it.

As long as they sent out water bandits to clean up the corpses and blood stains, they would be able to treat it as the water bandits' lair in Lionheart City.

This navy camps also had a rich arsenal and food reserves. These were all rich spoils of war.

At least the water bandits wouldn't have to worry about food for a month.

Kant was prepared to call the commander of the water bandits and give them orders.

He wanted them to clean up and take over the navy camp.

At the same time, he gave them an order to patrol the river and guard against the army on the other side.

He also wanted the water bandits to monitor the merchant ships on the river. If anyone dared to escape, they would sink them.

If they wanted to leave, they could. They only needed to pay ten golden eagles or 1,500 great silver coins for each merchant ship.

Ten golden eagles were enough for Joslin to bring to the Pendor Continent as goods. It was equivalent to 12,000 denars, which was a lot.

And there were nearly a thousand merchant ships here, which was enough for Kant to make a good fortune.

Although ten golden eagles were expensive, they were nothing compared to a whole ship of goods. These merchants would make a choice.

Although Kant was almost on the opposite side of this world's noble and religious sects because of the rumors, it did not mean that he could not trade with the noble families of this world.

Noble would not refuse benefits.

Kant also needed to maintain trade with the noble of this world to obtain a continuous supply of golden eagles.

Therefore, he would not slaughter these merchants who were trapped in the docks of Lionheart City for no reason.

...

After giving orders to the water bandits and arranging various matters properly, Kant left ten Sarleon Lion Knights and ten mages to guard the navy camp.

With these twenty people, he did not have to worry about the grand knights and mages from the south bank of the river.

After that, Kant led the Royal Swadian Knights, the Sarleon Lion Knights, the mages, and the mage apprentices into Lionheart City.

As for the people on the dock, as long as they did not cause trouble, Kant would not do anything to them.

He would only send out troops to patrol and maintain order.

Everything would be handled according to the war plan that Baheshtur had already formulated.

"My lord, good morning!"

"Good morning, soldiers!"

The Rhodok Sergeants, who were guarding the arched holesat the south gate of Lionheart City, greeted Kant when they saw Kant's arrival.

Kant led the team and walked along the main road that connected the south gate and the north gate of Lionheart City -- the North-South Road.

The North-South Road was divided into the north and south roads. The part of Lionheart City that Kant was heading towards was the south road.

According to Baheshtur's plan, he would meet Baheshtur at the intersection of the North-South Road and the East-West Road.

Chapter 527: The Hostility of the Human Countries

The East-West Main Road was the main road that connected the east gate of Lionheart City to the west gate of Lionheart City.

Lionheart City was the largest city in the Dukedom of Leo, and it was also a trading city. This had been planned since the beginning of the establishment, so the design was very reasonable.

The planning of the road was extremely orderly, and it extended in all directions. Moreover, the main road was very wide.

The East-West Main Road and the North-South Main Road were like a cross, directly dividing lion heart city into four symmetrical regions.

Of course, the east, west, south, and north regions were not divided in this way.

Instead, they were divided with the four city gates as the central elements.

Moreover, at the junction of the East-West Main Road and the North-South Main Road, it was not the central city area of the four regions.

That was the center of Lionheart City. The four major districts intersected with each other, and it was the most prosperous place in Lionheart City.

Kant and Baheshtur met at the central district.

The surprise attack on Lionheart City was originally an extremely fast war operation.

Therefore, Baheshtur's war plan was linked to one another, and he did not slack off at all.

At this moment, Kant and Baheshtur gathered together and prepared to attack the east city gate.

Even though the noble families in the Eastern District knew that someone had attacked Lionheart City's south city gate and north city gate last night, they did not have enough time to react.

It was only midnight. They had to inform the estate first and then transfer more private soldiers from the estate to Lionheart City. It was impossible.

Not every noble could communicate with magic like Kant.

Kant rode his horse and led fifty Swadian Royal Knights, forty Sarleon Lion Knights, one hundred and ninety mages and one hundred mage apprentices on the Southern District.

Their speed was not very fast, but it was not slow either. They were in a steady charging state.

The mages did not have horses, but after a few mages cast group acceleration on them, the weak mages easily caught up with Kant and the knights' speed.

Mages possessed mysterious and powerful strength, and they had incredible power.

At this time, the sky was already bright, but the sun had not yet risen. It was still very early, between five and six in the morning.

In the southern district of Lionheart City, there were also many people who did not sleep at all.

At this moment, many people stood by the roadside, looking respectfully at Kant leading the army towards the north.

The situation was just like the dock area.

Strength was always awe-inspiring.

The army led by Kant was obviously an extremely elite force, and there were even mages who were famous for their mysterious strength.

The civilians in the Southern District of Lionheart City were mostly poor, and they were in awe.

Kant followed them and showed his strength, which would make it easier for him to rule after he occupied Lionheart City.

As long as they didn't obstruct him, he wouldn't do anything to these civilians.

He didn't have time to do anything to them.

As long as he occupied Lionheart City, these people would naturally become his subjects.

Kant's indulgence naturally made these people more courageous.

Therefore, many people at the Southern District were observing this army from a very close distance.

Some people were whispering.

There were also spies among the poor.

They were well-informed and recognized Kant's army.

The rumor about Kant had caused a great sensation in all the human countries on the continent. Even all the sects in all the human countries had dispatched knight orders towards the Dukedom of Leo.

These spies in Lionheart City naturally knew some of Kant's information that had been announced.

Among them, the most shocking one was the name of the "Swadia" which "used to belong to the demons".

Moreover, Kant openly used the lion as the main body of the badge.

At this moment, all the knights and mages, including Kant, had badges on their chests that were very clearly displayed in the eyes of the spies.

A golden lion with a red background!

"It's Baron Kant!" the spies whispered.

Kant's appearance was naturally well-known by these spies.

Among the humans, the most well-known face probably belonged to Kant.

"Last night, it was actually his army that occupied the south city gate?"

"It seems that Baron Kant is really going to rebel against Grand Duke Cameron."

"This seems to be a fact that is happening. Look at those cavalries, what a terrifying feeling! They are even more terrifying than the army last night."

"Those cavalries are nothing. The people following behind these cavalries are the scariest. Looking at their attire, they are most likely extremely mysterious mages."

"I heard that if a mage were to use all of his strength, a mage would be able to destroy a cavalry squad of fifty people."

"Mages? So many mages?"

"Baron Kant's strength is too terrifying. I'm afraid Lionheart City will have to change its master."

"Let's inform our respective masters as soon as possible so that they can make a decision as soon as possible. Even if they cannot rely on Baron Kant, they must not become enemies with him."

Many spies took a shortcut from the southern district towards the eastern district.

Noble families stood behind many industries in the Southern District.

The slums did not mean that there were few ways to make money.

The population itself was wealth.

The south city gate was at the center of Lionheart City. The intersection of the East-West Main Road and the North-South Main Road was ten miles away.

Kant took an hour to arrive.

This was the central district of Lionheart City, the most prosperous area in the entire city.

Kant's attack on the south city gate of Lionheart City last night had obviously caused quite an impact on this place.

The sky was already bright, and the sun had already risen. However, at this moment, the streets seemed a little deserted.

Normally, there would already be heavy traffic here.

There would be hundreds and thousands of freight carriage going from south to north. The extremely lively scene did not appear today.

Not to mention that the north city gate and south city gate of Lionheart City, which were the main city gates for transporting goods, had already been occupied by Baheshtur. He had also sent out soldiers to seal off the area.

Just the thousands of terrifying troops that were exuding an extremely elite aura that were gathered in the center of Lionheart City -- the intersection of the North-South Main Road and the East-West Main Road, had already caused the merchants who had rested in the central area for a night to be terrified, they did not dare to send their own convoy on the road.

Baheshtur was already waiting for Kant at the intersection of the North-South Main Road and the East-West Main Road.

Kant glanced around. The legions led by Baheshtur were neat and orderly. It was very easy to calculate the number.

50 Swadian Royal Knights.

50 Sarleon Lion Knights.

900 Rhodok Sergeants.

400 Rhodok Sharpshooters.

400 Vaegir Marksmen.

400 Ravenstern Rangers.

Excluding the 200 soldiers stationed at the south city gate and north city gate of Lionheart City according to Baheshtur's battle plan.

The remaining troops appeared here unscathed.

This meant that in Baheshtur's battle to capture the north city gate of Lionheart City, their casualties were zero.

"Why isn't there a system prompt for epic victory or legendary victory?"

Kant thought in puzzlement.

Chapter 528: Strange Situation During the Siege

"Lord Kant!"

When Baheshtur saw Kant's arrival, he quickly rode towards Kant and respectfully saluted him.

When Kant's troops and Baheshtur's troops gathered together.

The Swadian Royal Knights and the Sarleon Lion Knights beside Baheshtur automatically returned to the extraordinary troops behind Kant.

"Baheshtur, tell me about the situation when you occupied the north city gate of Lionheart City last night." Kant casually asked.

He was very curious. Baheshtur had obviously occupied the north city gate of Lionheart City without being injured. But why didn't the system give him an epic victory or a legendary victory comment?

"Lord, the garrison troops at the north city gate of Lionheart City are vulnerable to a single blow!"

Baheshtur recalled the situation when they attacked the north city gate last night, and he couldn't help but show a disdainful expression.

"Can't withstand a single blow?" Kant frowned slightly and asked in confusion.

Could it be that the enemy was too weak and would affect the system's comment?

But this didn't make any sense. The garrison troops at the south city gate of Lionheart City and the north city gate of Lionheart City shouldn't be too much of a difference.

Moreover, according to the battle plan, the attack on the north city gate would be much harder than the attack on the south city gate.

"Lord, before we arrived at the north city gate of Lionheart City last night, they had obviously already known that we're coming." Baheshtur paused and carefully recalled the situation last night.

"When we arrived, they had already set up a few braziers and set up a formation, waiting for us."

Kant nodded.

"This is not surprising. There are many spies in the southern region of Lionheart City."

"It is possible that when you attacked the south city gate, some spies moved and sent your news to the north city gate."

"These are all situations that we had expected." Kant analyzed for a while and continued, "After all, among your troops, some of them are archers and infantrymen. It is impossible for them to be fast."

Kant became more and more curious. The north city gate was ready for battle. It should be an intense battle.

And in such a battle, Baheshtur could still achieve zero casualties. No matter what, his performance in north city gate should be more outstanding than the south city gate.

Kant was curious, and his tone couldn't help but be a little hurried. He asked Baheshtur, "What happened after that? How was the battle?"

Baheshtur smiled. He recalled the battle last night and said, "When I saw that the garrison at the north city gate had already made preparations, I didn't dare to be too careless."

He paused for a moment and continued,

"When we were five hundred meters apart, I ordered the Rhodok Sergeants to hold their shield in front. Then, the Rhodok Sharpshooters followed closely behind. Then, I arranged the Vaegir Marksmen behind the Rhodok Sharpshooters, and finally the Ravenstern Rangers."

Baheshtur first explained his formation.

"Then, maintain the formation and slowly advance forward."

Kant listened to Baheshtur's words, and the scene from last night in front of the north city city gate was took shape in his mind.

Baheshtur continued, "Then, at a distance of 300 meters, I ordered the Rhodok Sharpshooters to shoot directly."

At a distance of 300 meters, Kant nodded.

Rhodok Sharpshooters were equipped with siege crossbow, and its power was extremely shocking. Even at a distance of 300 meters, they could pierce through the inlaid iron-scale armor. Compared to Vaegir Marksmen and Ravenstern Rangers, their shooting range was more than twice as long.

"Well done!" Kant commented. Using the advantage of his own army to find the opponent's weak points to attack was a method that Baheshtur was very good at.

At a distance where the enemy could not be hit, it was effective to directly annihilate the enemy. It was nothing if Baheshtur could take down the north city gate of Lionheart City without any damage.

Baheshtur was cheered up by Kant's praise.

To Baheshtur, there was nothing more wonderful than Kant's praise.

Baheshtur said, "The guards at the north city gate are extremely unbearable."

His tone was filled with contempt.

"After two rounds of shooting, they all collapsed!"

"Then, they threw down more than three hundred corpses and directly gave up guarding the north city gate. They just withdrew from Lionheart City!"

Kant was very surprised, "They left Lionheart City?"

Baheshtur said with certainty, "Yes, they left Lionheart City. The north city gate easily fell into our hands."

"It's even easier than taking down the south city gate!"

Kant thought for a while and said with a serious expression, "This is different from the war situation you predicted in your war plan. Do you have any ideas?"

Kant had carefully read and analyzed Baheshtur's war plan.

Baheshtur had already considered the fact that the guards at the north city gate would be prepared in advance.

Baheshtur was even confident that the guards at the main city gate of Lionheart City would not only have 3,000 guards at the north city gate, but there would also be some private noble troops from the east.

The north city gate of Lionheart City was guarded by Count Rowan. Reeves, one of the four top noble families in the Dukedom of Leo's South County. His private army was stationed there. Among the noble families in the South County, the four top noble families all had a group of small and medium-sized nobles as their subordinates.

According to Baheshtur's judgment, Count Rowan. Reese, as a top noble family, most likely had the means to communicate through magic.

In that case, he could order the nobles in Lionheart City who were under him to send out private soldiers to assist in defense and increase the defense ability of the north city gate.

As long as he could hold on for a while longer, the reinforcements he sent out would be able to reach Lionheart City.

Count Rowan. Reese's castle and manor were not very far from Lionheart City, only about fifty miles away.

If they sent out the heavy cavalries the moment they received the news, they might be able to make it in time for reinforcements.

After all, Baheshtur carried out a night attack from the south city gate to the north city gate. There was a distance of twenty miles. Among his troops, be it the Rhodok Sergeants or the archers, none of them had horses. Even though they were a powerful level 5 troop class and could move quickly, there was still a gap between them and the heavy cavalries.

Baheshtur's war plan had completely taken this into consideration.

Furthermore, there was a concrete plan to defeat the heavy cavalries sent by Count Rowan. Reese.

However, none of them were used.

Although the north city city gate had been captured by them, the battle situation was far from what was expected.

The profits from Lionheart City were definitely not a small amount. Even a top noble would not give up so easily.

Chapter 529: Adrian’s Choice

It was too easy to capture the north city gate.

Baheshtur pondered for a long time before answering Kant's question, "Lord, I thought about it and couldn't come up with a reason. The situation at the north city gate has completely exceeded my expectations."

At this moment, Baheshtur also came to a realization from his contempt for the garrison troops at the north city gate.

His war plan was strict and comprehensive.

If there was a link that was too different from the plan in the war plan, it meant that there must be something that he did not detect that had affected or interfered with this war.

Baheshtur, as the person who made and carried out the war plan, his vision could not be limited to one victory at a time.

He needed to see the overall situation.

"It seems like my lord, and I are still very far apart."

Baheshtur could not help but think so.

When he did not discover anything wrong with the battle at the north city gate, Kant had already keenly sensed that something was wrong.

Kant indeed had some doubts.

Baheshtur's answer had solved a doubt in his heart.

That was the reason why Baheshtur had not suffered any losses in the battle at the north city gate, but he had not received the system's comment of an epic victory or a legendary victory.

The enemy had retreated very cleanly, without much loss.

Baheshtur had practically seized the north city gate as easy as pie. The main reason his victory was more because the enemy had retreated on their own initiative, not because of his plan had succeeded to wipe out a large number of the enemy after an intense battle while he only suffered minor losses in battle.

Kant looked towards the eastern district.

The Eastern District was the noble district. There were small manors that divided the Eastern District. In those small manors, villa-like buildings could be seen in the small manors.

Kant understood that in each manor, there were some private noble soldiers, and they were all absolute elites. The most were in the hundreds, and the least were in the tens.

The noble who could own a small manor in Lionheart City and settle there were all powerful and well-established nobles. They were the true upper-class noble of the Dukedom of Leo.

Although there were only about a hundred of these manors, their combined power was much stronger than the 15,000 heavy cavalries in Seria Castle.

Kant frowned slightly. Whether it was Baheshtur or his plan to conquer Lionheart City, although they were wary of the power of these noble families, they did not treat them as a real obstacle.

Noble families valued benefits.

Kant and Baheshtur understood this point.

They would not use their family's elites or even the most elite part of their power to fight Kant for no reason. This was not in their interests.

Even if Kant took over Lionheart City, in their eyes, it would not have any effect.

Because no matter who took over Lion City, it was not in their hands. It did not have much to do with them.

But now, it seemed that the noble district was somewhat different from what they had expected.

The forces that were supposed to support the noble district at the north city gate did not appear.

Kant sank his thoughts into the depths of his mind.

Ten golden cards floated in the air.

Kant had planned to use them tomorrow to summon the 500 level 6 troop class soldiers and mages with extraordinary powers.

Tomorrow was the first day of the new week. This way, he could save tens of thousands of denars.

As for the attack on the west city gate, Kant planned it on tomorrow.

Today's time was arranged to seize the east city gate, as well as the nobles in the noble district.

But now, the reaction of the noble district was very different from what he and Baheshtur had expected.

Kant had always thought that the extraordinary power the system gave him was used to deal with the War Temple in the Western District. He had long excluded the noble district and the Association of Mages.

But now, Kant suddenly realized.

There was a very high possibility that he had actually underestimated the power of the nobles.

Although he had always understood that the power of the noble was only on the surface, and what was displayed was always the tip of the iceberg. Most of the powerful power was hidden in the dark as a foundation.

But, to easily defeat the noble in the North County and East County, Kant had really neglected the power of the noble.

It was true that the War Temple was very powerful.

The War Temple in Lionheart City alone, as the number one shrine of the god of war, was extremely powerful.

There were more than a hundred priests, three or more troop classes, and even the weakest members of each troop class were official knights.

They were absolutely powerful.

If Kant wasn't confident that his troop class could completely suppress the official knight troops, and he had an absolute advantage in terms of extraordinary power. Otherwise, he wouldn't have thought about invading Lionheart City.

However, Kant had unintentionally overlooked one point.

Kant understood that, from the perspective of the entire Dukedom of Leo, the power of the nobles was stronger the War Temple.

However, he had overlooked that the nobles in Lionheart City might be stronger than the War Temple as well.

Status always came from power.

Among the human race, the noble was above the many sects that had true gods.

This absolutely proved that the power of the noble was stronger than these sects.

Kant revealed a bitter smile.

He claimed to be a noble and understood the noble.

But now that he thought about it, even though he was the second son of Cameron, Grand Duke of Leo, and his mother was the princess of the Silver Platter Kingdom, but did he really understand his father and his mother?

When he was born, his mother had already died.

Kant did not believe that such a noble would die of illness after giving birth to him.

All the nobles Kant saw possessed power.

A mere Baron Dylan, a baron at the very edge, was a powerful grand knight.

Viscount Gibran even controlled the demonic power.

Kant now recalled that the few times he met his father gave him an extremely heavy sense of oppression.

That was also the only time he saw his father.

Kant's eyes could not help but reveal a trace of confusion.

Did he really understand the noble families of this world?

He was the second son of Cameron, the ruler of the Dukedom of Leo, but he grew up in the North District of Lionheart City, which was the civilian district of Lionheart City.

He only had an extremely vague image of his "real home', Lion Fort.

That was when he was very young.

He heard that he had a brother.

Yes, he heard about it.

What was his brother's name? He didn't know. What did he look like? He didn't know.

Kant withdrew his gaze from the noble district.

The East District was the noble district.

The powerful Association of Mages relied on the noble district to not be chased out of Lionheart City by the War Temple, which was extremely hostile to them.

Kant's eyes gradually became firm.

No matter what was in the noble district, he had to see it for himself.

The current him had already become a strong force.

He was not the youth who could be banished and had nothing left.

[ System, I want to use the troop class pack: Swadian Royal Knight × 50]

[ System, I want to use the troop class pack: Swadian Royal Knight × 50]

Chapter 530: The Anxious Situation in the City

[ System, I want to use the troop class pack: Mage of the Enfath Empire × 50 ]

[ System, I want to use the troop class pack: Mage of the Enfath Empire × 50 ]

As Kant's thoughts raced, the ten golden cards in the depths of his mind disappeared one by one.

After a while, a slight tremor came from the ground.

"Lord, an army is coming from the South Main Road!"

Baheshtur saw from afar that on the South Main Road, a dense but orderly army was rapidly advancing towards them.

"It doesn't matter, that's our reinforcements!" Kant replied.

Such things had happened many times. The soldiers who were loyal to him would naturally accept these troops that suddenly appeared to attack the world.

The arriving army soon arrived beside the army led by Kant and Baheshtur.

From the army came a Swadian Royal Knight, a Sarleon Lion Knight, and a mage from the Enfath Empire.

They came before Kant and said respectfully,

"My lord, we have been summoned by you. We are here to return to the army!"

"Very well, gather your knight comrades and mage partners and join my troops!"

Kant sat on the horse; his tone filled with excitement.

No matter what kind of enemies were waiting for him in the noble district of Eastern District, these 500 extraordinary knights and mages truly belonged to him.

He had doubled his high-end battle strength.

With an army of nearly a thousand people with extraordinary power and 2,600 level troop class 5 soldiers, no matter how strong the noble district was, Kant had nothing to fear.

Kant ordered the ten Sarleon Lion Knights to take the lead and advance along the East Main Road to investigate the situation on the East Main Road.

At the same time, he instructed that once they met the enemy, they only needed to see the enemy's lineup clearly and return to report.

After arranging the ten Sarleon Lion Knights to scout the way.

Kant pulled out the magnificent and noble but shining king sword and pointed in the direction of the East Main Road.

"Set off!" Kant rode on a strong warhorse and walked at the front.

Behind him, there were nearly a thousand extraordinary power holders.

Baheshtur led 900 Rhodok Sergeants to follow behind. Behind Rhodok Sergeants, there were 1200 archers, and finally, 500 Mamlukes, riding on warhorses to follow closely behind.

If a private noble army dared to sneak attack from behind, the charge attack of these 500 Mamlukes would make them pay the price.

Kant's army was too terrifying. The shops, taverns, and inns on both sides of the main roads in the central city area of Lionheart City were too afraid to open their doors.

After Kant led the army far away, the central city area of Lionheart City seemed to come alive.

Merchants, civilians, thieves, street entertainers who played tricks, and wanderers who were down and out appeared one after another. However, there was no carriage that traveled north and south, so the central city was much quieter than before.

In the densely populated areas, the news spread very quickly.

At this time, almost everyone knew that the terrifying army that had just left for the Eastern District belonged to Baron Kant.

Although the people lived as usual, there seemed to be some changes.

"Old John, weigh me twenty pounds of black bread!"

A commoner wearing a rough linen robe with patches said to the owner of the bakery.

"Oh, it's Poor Tom. Don't you usually only buy three pounds of black bread?"

Old John, who was baking delicate and fragrant white bread in the bakery, took a moment to glance at the customers who entered the shop and spoke. Obviously, he did not intend to stop his work and immediately served Tom.

"I heard that Baron Kant is going to occupy Lionheart City, so I naturally have to store more food. Maybe I can buy 20 pounds of black bread with small silver coins now, and in a few days, I can only buy 10 pounds or less of black bread."

When Old John heard this, he also sighed.

"God of War, I hope Master Kant is as kind as the rumors say!" Old John said this, but he was not in a good mood. He stopped what he was doing and weighed the black bread for Tom.

In his opinion, it was impossible for Baron Kant to raise so many elite soldiers without paying a heavy tax.

Moreover, Baron Kant had a bad reputation of defecting to the devil recently, which made him worried.

"Hey, I hope you won't go bankrupt!"

After receiving the heavy, almost six or seven pieces of hard black bread, Tom showed a satisfied expression, and then said to Old John with some ridicule.

Tom was not as worried as Old John. Anyway, his small silver coins had all been replaced with black bread. In his heart, he still hoped that Old John would be unlucky, because Old John always looked down on him.

"Get out of here!" Old John's voice was exasperated.

Kant had already entered the Eastern District of Lionheart City, which was also known as the noble district.

The nobles who were able to occupy a piece of land close to the East Main Road were naturally some powerful noble families. Many of them had the title of viscount.

These noble families were all very powerful. In their small manors, there were at least hundreds of elite private soldiers.

Kant guessed that these private soldiers of the noble families would rush out of their small manors and gather on the East Main Road to stop him. They might even want to annihilate him.

The noble area was still the territory of Cameron, Duke of Leo.

In Lionheart City, the four top-tier noble families controlled the four city gates. Just the income tax alone was a huge amount of income. There were also various kinds of gray income that allowed them to obtain extremely rich benefits in Lionheart City.

But even so, they could not compare to Cameron, Duke of Leo.

Just by monopolizing some luxury daily necessities, Duke of Leo could earn far more from these noble families than the four top-tier noble families could earn from the four city gates.

This undoubtedly proved that the strength of the four top-tier noble families was inferior to that of Cameron.

Although some of the nobles in the Eastern District were surrounded by the four top-tier noble families, they were still the vassals of Cameron, Duke of Leo.

If the Duke of Leo gave a forceful order, they had to listen to it.

Otherwise, the Duke of Leo might find an excuse to attack them. At that time, they would be directly exterminated. Such a loss was much more serious than sending the elites in Lionheart City to fight against Baron Kant.

This was decided by the difference in strength. They were not as powerful as the four top-tier noble families. They did not have the capital to be arrogant in front of Cameron, Duke of Leo.

Kant was also prepared to crush the private army of these small and medium-sized noble families.

But in reality, the situation in the noble district of Eastern District was completely different from what Kant had imagined.

Chapter 531: Knights Advancing In the City

The journey was very smooth. Not a single noble's private army rushed out of their small manor to stop Kant's advance. Their doors were tightly shut, and they were silent.

Kant was even able to enjoy the colorful scenery inside from the walls of the manor that was not tall or small.

Such a scene was rare in the Nahrin Desert or even in the North County, thanks to the fertile land and the suitable climate in the South County.

The sky was already very bright, and the red sun shone with a warm glow.

However, only Kant and his soldiers were walking on the wide East Main Road.

They didn't see any pedestrians along the way.

Kant advanced smoothly.

This situation made Kant feel that it was very abnormal.

Very abnormal.

Even if Kant guessed wrong, the Duke of Lion didn't forcefully order the nobles of the Eastern District to deal with him.

The Duke of Leo himself could not remain indifferent.

Kant was going to occupy Lionheart City. In name, Lionheart City belonged to the Duke of Leo.

Moreover, Kant had openly used the lion as the main body of his noble badge. This was already a blatant provocation. Kant himself was indeed wanted to provoke the dukedom.

Through this noble badge, Kant's ambition was obvious.

Other nobles could watch the show, but Cameron, Duke of Leo, did not have this position.

Could it be that he wanted to watch Kant, who defied him, take over Lionheart City, cut off one of his important economic arteries, and strengthen Kant's own strength?

This was completely illogical.

Half the night was enough for Duke of Leo to send troops from the Lion Fort, bypass the city wall of Lionheart City, and enter Lionheart City from the east city gate.

Kant did not think that if Duke of Leo's army entered Lionheart City, they would wait for a decisive battle with him at the city wall of the east city gate.

That was unrealistic.

Although Kant did not have a concrete understanding of how powerful Duke of Leo was, there was no doubt that he had heavy cavalry as his main force.

The flat plains of the South County were the natural battlefield where the heavy cavalry had the advantage. The Dukedom of Leo also had heavy cavalry as their main force. Kant did not believe that Duke of Leo's main force was not heavy cavalry.

The wide and flat main road of Lionheart city was one of the most advantageous terrain for the heavy cavalry to launch the charge attack.

The walls of the manors on both sides effectively cut off the escape routes for the troops on both sides.

This was the best battlefield for a strong heavy cavalry legion

There was a trace of doubt in his heart.

When the army had traveled nearly five miles and reached the middle of the East Main Road.

Kant gave the order, "Halt all troops. Baheshtur, be on your guard. Be careful that there are noble and private armies surrounding you from behind!"

"Yes, Lord!"

Something was not right.

Kant had sent out ten Sarleon Lion Knights, but they had not returned to report to him.

This was not normal.

Even if the East Main Road was unimpeded, the ten Sarleon Lion Knights whom he had sent out as scouts should have turned around from the east city gate of Lionheart City and returned to meet him again.

Because Kant was worried about the strength of the noble district, his marching speed was not fast.

The marching speed was only about one-third of the speed of the Sarleon Lion Knights when they were scouting.

Although it was slow, it was very orderly.

Once they encountered an emergency, there would definitely be no chaos and they would be able to effectively defend against the enemy.

Logically speaking, he had led his army for five miles and the ten Sarleon Lion Knights had definitely returned to report to him.

However, the truth was the opposite.

They were nowhere to be seen.

The strength of the ten Sarleon Lion Knights was not to be underestimated.

Each of them was definitely not inferior to the supreme grand knights of this world.

When it came to fighting on the battlefield, they could completely crush them.

Their talent was extremely suitable for the battlefield.

If one wanted to defeat all ten Sarleon Lion Knights, it was impossible to do so by relying on high-end combat strength, without three times the number of grand knights or mages besieging them and paying a heavy price.

If one had a large number of troops to encircle them, it would be difficult to trap all ten of the Sarleon Lion Knights at the same time without more than 300 official knight-level soldiers.

Therefore, this point was directly excluded by Kant.

If there were so many troops to encircle them, Kant would be able to see everything from the East Main Road.

Although he could not see it clearly and could only see the outline, he could still see it.

Kant understood, things had changed beyond his control.

At this moment, he was only five miles away from the east city gate. Kant could even see the outline of the east city gate from afar. He could even distinguish the light from the three arched holes.

On the East Main Road, there were no thousands of elite heavy cavalries of the Duke of Leo charging at him.

Nor were there any elite private armies of the noble from the noble's small manor.

On the wide East Main Road, there was no one and no army.

Only him and the army he led.

However, in Kant's eyes, this empty and unobstructed East Main Road was like a soundless mouth of a ferocious beast, waiting for him to walk into the trap himself.

And the small manors of the noble were extremely mysterious.

The door was tightly shut, without a sound.

Kant could not help but have the thought that the private army of the nobles had already hidden behind the tightly shut door, waiting for a command and then charging out.

The environment was silent.

Only the sound of horse hooves occasionally stomping rhythmically on the flat stone floor.

Kant took a deep breath.

At this moment, he did not want to provoke the nobles because he knew very well that his enemies would be the sects.

Although the nobles would not stand on his side and might even be hostile to him, they would not take the initiative to attack him.

The noble would not be like the sects. They would not find trouble with a top noble for their so-called beliefs and not out of interest.

Unless Kant's strength had been weakened to a certain extent by the sect.

Only then would the noble families pounce on Kant like mad dogs and divide up his estate and property.

This was Kant's understanding of noble families.

In the past, Kant had always been successful in dealing with noble families with this understanding. Facts had also proved that his understanding was correct.

However, the reaction of the noble families in the noble district of Lionheart City made Kant's hair stand on end.

Fear often came from the unknown. If it was the unknown that overthrew one's perception, it would often make one even more fearful.

When things that one thought they understood suddenly displayed a completely different side, it would usually shock one's mind.

Kant was in such a situation at this moment.

"Rhodok Sharpshooters, listen up!"

Kant pulled out the Sword of King again and pointed it at the gate of a small noble's manor on the north side of the East Main Road.

"Tear this gate down! I want to see what's hidden in this manor!"

The name of the siege crossbow was not given without reason.

Chapter 532: The Sleeping Manor

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The sound of arrows piercing through the air gathered together, giving people a shocking feeling.

Five hundred Rhodok Sharpshooters fired in unison.

The archers' shooting skills were without a doubt.

Five hundred arrows with extremely terrifying impact almost simultaneously struck the thick and heavy door of the small manor.

Although the door of this small manor was made of hard and heavy dragon-patterned wood, it was useless against these arrows.

This was a siege crossbow. Within a short distance of 30 to 50 meters, the attack power of a siege crossbow was extremely lethal.

Bang!

With a loud sound, five hundred bolts landed on the door of the small manor, making an extremely loud sound.

Crack! Crack!

Then, the gate of the small manor made of thick and solid dragon-patterned wood was instantly covered with huge cracks that went through the top and bottom.

Immediately after, the gate shattered into pieces, turning into pieces of wood and lying on the ground.

This was also because the gate of the small manor was made of thick and solid dragon-patterned wood. If it was a bit weaker, it would probably be a small piece of wood on the ground.

Rhodok Sharpshooters fired in unison, and the thick and solid gate of the small manor was directly blasted open.

Kant and his troops all looked inside the already opened gate.

Behind the gate of the small manor was a medium-sized field.

This was used to gather soldiers. In order to maintain the elites of the soldiers, it was necessary to have this field for training.

However, there was no one on this field.

It was completely different from Kant's guess.

There were no soldiers lying in ambush behind the gate.

This small manor looked empty, just like this East Main Road.

"The situation is extremely abnormal!"

Kant made a judgment.

"You guys, go in and investigate! If there's danger, retreat with all your strength!"

"If the enemy is too strong and can't escape, call out for help!"

Kant ordered 10 Swadian Royal Knights, 10 Sarleon Lion Knights, and 10 mages of the Enfath Empire to go in and investigate.

"Yes, my lord!"

The knights and mages that Kant ordered respectfully accepted Kant's order.

The Swadian Royal Knights were much stronger in defense than the Sarleon Lion Knights, but their attack power was weaker. The mages had powerful spiritual power, and they were able to keenly observe various powers.

The previous ten Sarleon Lion Knights who were used as scouts had yet to return, which made Kant realize that something was definitely wrong with them. At this moment, even if they were facing a small manor, Kant would rather be cautious.

Things were completely off right now

After 30 knights and mages went in to investigate, the East Main Road returned to silence once again.

Time slowly passed.

The waiting time felt exceptionally long.

In fact, it was not long at all.

After only ten minutes, a Swadian Royal Knight came out of the small manor.

He was here to report to Kant while the others continued to investigate.

"My lord, everyone in this noble's manor is in a deep sleep!"

The Swadian Royal Knight reported the situation to Kant.

"In a deep sleep?" Kant said in confusion.

"Yes, in a deep sleep! No matter if it's the noble, the servant, the soldier, the knight, or even a grand knight, they are all in a deep sleep."

Seeing that my lord was puzzled, the Swadian Royal Knight described the exact situation.

Kant frowned and pondered for a moment but could not think of a reason.

"Wake up the noble inside and bring him to me!"

Kant gave another order.

The Swadian Royal Knight left.

Soon, 30 knights and mages came out of the small manor.

A Sarleon Lion Knight was carrying a fat noble with brown hair slightly curled in one hand. He was fat and wore a velvet nightgown.

For a level 6 troop class, a Sarleon Lion Knight who could fight against a peak grand knight of the world, a fat man was not too heavy for him.

Kant noticed that this fat noble was still sleeping soundly. There was even a dirty smile on his face. Perhaps he was having a sweet dream.

Obviously, no matter whether it was Rhodok Sharpshooters firing in unison, the loud noise when they bombarded the door, or the knights and mages who was investigating, none of them could wake this guy up.

It would be strange if this was a normal sleep.

"What's going on?" Kant's gaze fell on the mage who was walking at the front.

When it came to the mysterious domain, whether it was mysterious events or extraordinary powers, the strong spiritual power and powerful senses of the mages always made it easier for them to understand and discover than others.

"My lord, this noble must have been cast by someone!"

Kant nodded slightly. This answer did not exceed his expectations.

The Association of Mages was located in the noble district.

The Association of Mages had always been protected by the noble. However, they took action against the noble, which made Kant feel a little strange.

However, if it was just to put the noble into a deep sleep, it would not be appropriate to use "took action".

Perhaps, there was something about to happen, and he didn't want them to know about it.

Kant thought about it.

He asked, "Someone cast a spell? What kind of spell is it? Are you unable to undo it?"

There were many types of spells that could put a person into a deep sleep status. It was obviously not something that a simple deep sleep spell could do.

"Lord, according to our investigation, this noble and the others in his manor are all under the same spell: Mind Imprisonment!"

Kant asked in surprise, "Mind Imprisonment? To confine so many people at the same time?"

Kant did not have much research on spells. However, before he made the decision to attack Lionheart City, he had already considered the Association of Mages and the War Temple.

Therefore, he had also studied the information on the Association of Mages. This was before he studied the information on the War Temple.

Therefore, he understood the extremely famous spell, Mind Imprisonment.

To cast Mind Imprisonment on a person, one first had to have a stronger spiritual power than the other party. Then, using one's own spiritual power, one would construct a mental maze to trap the other party's mind.

Therefore, it was not a big deal for a mage to use Mind Imprisonment on a person or a few people.

However, with so many people being imprisoned at the same time, it was a little scary.

This meant that either the other party's spiritual power was very strong, to the point of being abnormal, or the other party had sent out an extremely large number of mages.

Chapter 533: Noble that Trapped in Mind Imprisonment

If the nobles, servants, warriors, knights, and grand knights in the hundreds of small manors in the noble district had fallen into a deep sleep because of the Mind Imprisonment spell, causing the noble district of the Eastern District to be so quiet, that would be too terrifying.

According to Kant's understanding of the strength of the Association of Mages, even if they were all deployed, they would not be able to achieve such a degree.

Kant's expression turned gloomy.

This was yet another incident that exceeded his expectations.

"Yes, Lord. It's the Mind Imprisonment!" The mage from the Enfath Empire affirmed Kant's words.

Kant's eyes suddenly flashed, "That's not right"!

The Spiritual Imprisonment spell was not a lock-type spiritual spell. It could be undone by other mages.

As long as one's spiritual power exceeded the spiritual power of the mage who cast the spell, they would be able to undo the Mind Imprisonment cast by the other party.

Kant believed that after he gave the order, these mages of the Enfath Empire must have tried to undo the noble's Mind Imprisonment after they tried to do so.

"Have you tried to undo the Mind Imprisonment of others?" Kant asked.

"Yes, Lord!" the mage from the Enfath Empire answered respectfully.

"But all of them failed!"

Kant found it hard to accept this fact. Were all the mages who used the Mind Imprisonment stronger than his mages?

Unless they were all grand mages.

Kant was not willing to accept this conclusion.

He knew that there were no great wizards in the Association of Mages in the Lionheart City.

Unlike the noble families and sects who had the ability to hide their strength, the Association of Mages, which was in a sheltered status, had no need to hide their strength, nor did they have the right to hide their strength.

No matter how much strength they had, they would definitely need to show it in the open to increase their own bargaining chips. One was to deter the sects that were extremely hostile to them, and the other was to gain more investment from the noble families.

"All of them failed? Could it be that the mages who cast spells are all grand wizards?"

Kant's tone had a strong sense of unease.

If that was really the case, he had seriously underestimated the power of the noble, the sect, and the Association of Mages.

When the mage of the Enfath Empire heard Kant's words, he said respectfully, "My Lord, I think you have misunderstood."

"Although these people are all under Mind Imprisonment, the Mind Imprisonment they are under is all the work of the same mage."

The uneasiness in Kant's voice receded a little, "The work of the same mage?"

"He has so much spiritual power? Even a grand mage cannot perform Mind Imprisonment on hundreds of people at the same time!"

The mage of the Enfath Empire said, "Yes, Lord, you're right."

"However, it's not an ordinary Mind Imprisonment spell."

Kant asked curiously, "Why do you say that? Explain it to me in detail. I don't have much in-depth research on spells."

The mage of the Enfath Empire replied respectfully, "Lord, that mage is undoubtedly a grand mage!"

"The Mind Imprisonment that he cast should be a newly developed spell. In this new spell, the great mage only needs to pay a thread of his spiritual energy to complete the Mind Imprisonment."

"In fact, this thread of his spiritual energy only serves as a guide. Those who are trapped by his Mind Imprisonment, their own spiritual maze is built with their own spiritual energy."

Kant first let out a sigh of relief after hearing the mage's explanation.

It turned out that it was not because the great mage had the overpower spiritual power, but because he had developed a new spell.

Kant could accept such a situation better. It was just a new spell. It was not too serious a matter.

However, if it was just a wisp of the grand mage's spiritual power, the mage of the Enfath Empire should have the ability to crack it.

Kant did not know much about spells, but no matter what kind of power it was, as long as there were enough of the power of a lower level, it would definitely be able to suppress the power of a very small number of high-level powers.

If there were enough ants, they could even eat elephants.

With doubts in his heart, Kant asked "Then, you can't crack the Mind Imprisonment cast by a trace of the grand mage's spiritual power?"

The mage had obviously put in a lot of effort on this, and he quickly answered Kant's question.

"Lord, we've already tried."

"That wisp of spiritual power is easy for us to break!"

"But it's useless to break that wisp of spiritual power, because the people who are affected by the spell, the spiritual maze that confines their spiritual power, is built by their own spiritual power."

"Each of us carefully attacked twice, trying to crack it."

"However, we all failed. Those 20 soldiers became mentally deranged idiots!"

Hearing such an answer, Kant didn't say anything and only nodded.

This was a war, and a little cruelty was nothing.

He asked the last question, and the target was the Swadian Royal Knight who had reported to him at the beginning.

"How many soldiers are there in this noble's residence? There aren't many official knights, how many grand knights are there?"

The Swadian Royal Knight replied without hesitation, "Lord, there are 300 soldiers in this noble's residence. These soldiers are elites, half of them are official knights, and the other half are elite knight attendants. The difference between them and official knights isn't too huge."

"In addition, there are 30 grand knights. Including this noble, there are 31 of them."

Kant glanced at the fat noble who was in a deep sleep and revealed a dirty smile. He then ordered the Sarleon Lion Knight,

"Send him back!"

Kant wasn't too surprised that there were 300 elite soldiers in this small manor.

He was surprised that there were 30 grand knights among them.

After all, this was only a small manor in Lionheart City.

Although the power that followed this noble was definitely an elite power, his more powerful power should be guarding his castle and manor.

That was the foundation of this noble, and also the reason why he could enjoy himself in Lionheart City.

"Thirty grand knights!" Kant frowned and pondered for a moment, then dispelled the shock in his heart.

In fact, he understood that this was nothing at all.

A grand knight, if he was willing to make some sacrifices, could guide five official knights to become grand knights.

Of course, this required a lot of precious resources.

However, for a powerful noble with a deep background, these weren't obstacles.

Based on the strength of this noble, there might be no less than 2,000 grand knights in this small manor.

There might even be over 10,000 knights.

Such a force was enough to fight Kant's army head-on.

The outcome might be 50-50.

However, such a huge force was currently sleeping quietly.

Looking at the East Main Road, the unknown tranquility ahead was like the mouth of a silent giant beast, waiting for Kant to walk into the trap.

Kant summoned Baheshtur to his front, "Baheshtur, you saw the situation just now."

"Now, tell me, should we continue moving forward or retreat?"

Chapter 534: The Strangeness of Lionheart City

After hearing Kant's question, Baheshtur did not immediately answer.

He respectfully said to Kant,

"Lord, please allow me to understand the information in detail."

Kant nodded. His voice was somewhat serious, "Yes!"

Kant knew that Baheshtur placed great importance on information and intelligence.

Although Kant himself had a rough idea of the information of these noble families, he was not specialized in researching and analyzing intelligence. In this aspect, he was slightly inferior to Baheshtur.

Kant asked Baheshtur because of this consideration.

Baheshtur came before the Swadian Royal Knight who had first reported the situation.

With a serious expression, he asked the Swadian Royal Knight,

"Sir, may I ask, when you discovered the sleeping noble, attendants, warriors, knights, grand knights, and so on, what position where they in?"

The Swadian Royal Knight pondered for a while before replying,

"Lord Baheshtur, we found that noble in his bedroom, and the attendants, warriors, knights, grand knights and so on were also found in their resting places."

"In fact, at first, we were very surprised and thought that they were sleeping on the bed."

Baheshtur nodded and said, "Then, did you find any traces of battle in the noble's residence?"

The Swadian Royal Knight answered without hesitation this time, "No, we didn't find any traces of battle."

Baheshtur nodded, "Alright, Knight! Thank you for your answer, which allowed me to confirm some of my guesses."

Baheshtur came in front of the mage from the Enfath Empire who answered Kant's question. He asked him with a serious expression, "Respected mage, I would like to ask, can a grand mage fly?"

Baheshtur came from the Continent of Caradia, which was different from the continent of Pendor where the mage from the Enfath Empire came from.

It was rare to see a mage's power system in the Continent of Caradia.

The mage from the Enfath Empire pondered for a moment and said, "This has to be divided into different factions. If It's a grand mage with evocation or transmutation abilities, they can fly. The grand mages from the other factions don't have the ability to fly."

Baheshtur nodded in understanding and continued to ask, "Then, the grand mage you mentioned who cast the Mind Imprisonment spell on the entire noble's manor, does he know how to fly?"

The mage of the Enfath Empire said with some hesitation, "Mind Imprisonment is not a spell exclusive to a particular faction. In fact, a mage with strong spiritual power can cast it."

"However, since that grand mage is able to specially develop this type of new spell, he is most likely a grand mage of the illusion element. If he doesn't study the evocation or transmutation at the same time, he shouldn't be able to fly."

Baheshtur immediately came to a conclusion, "So it is possible that he cannot fly?"

The mage from the Enfath Empire nodded, "It can indeed be said that the world of magic is difficult and obscure. To be able to become a grand mage in any department is not an easy thing. Even if he has achieved it, he should continue to delve deeper into it. He should not waste his time on another department."

"Therefore, the grand mage is very likely specializing in the illusion spell"

Baheshtur understood, "It seems that the grand mage is unlikely to fly out of the closed Noble's mansion."

He continued to ask, "Then, can the great mage release a spell and then trigger it at a specific time?"

"Alright, what I mean is, is it possible for the grand mage to cast Mind Imprisonment on others and make those who are cast by him fall into a deep sleep after a period of normal activities?"

The mage of the Enfath Empire nodded, "Lord Baheshtur, the situation you are talking about is a supreme magical technique -- Spell Delay. Those who can become grand mages will more or less master some supreme magical techniques."

"Therefore, the situation you are talking about is completely possible."

Baheshtur pondered for a moment, then continued to ask the mage of the Enfath Empire,

"Last question! What is the strength of the grand mage? Can he deal with 300 soldiers and 30 grand knights in the noble's manor alone?"

The mage of the Enfath Empire pondered for a long time this time, "If he is a summoner or a master in evocation, there is a possibility. But the illusion spell is more of a support and control element. It is difficult to deal with so many people at the same time, especially the 30 grand knights. Their will is stronger, and their resistance to the illusion element spells is stronger."

Baheshtur nodded, "Okay, thank you for your answer, respected mage!"

Baheshtur asked for some specific details to verify his guess before he came to Kant's side.

"Lord, I believe that we can definitely lead the army to continue moving forward!"

Kant listened to Baheshtur's question and answer regarding the Swadian Royal Knight and the mage of the Enfath Empire. He slightly understood Baheshtur's meaning. Regarding the ability of observing the details, he was indeed inferior to Baheshtur.

However, Baheshtur was completely loyal to him. As long as he could control Baheshtur and let him display his abilities, it would be enough.

For example, the current situation.

"Tell me your analysis!"

Although Kant had made the same guess in his heart, he still needed to listen to Baheshtur's opinion. Perhaps Baheshtur's consideration was more detailed than his.

"Lord, based on the known clues, I judge that the people in this noble's manor were all voluntarily imprisoned by that grand mage. Perhaps that noble even personally sent that grand mage out of the manor and ordered the soldiers to close the door before returning to the bedroom to fall into a deep sleep."

Kant also had this thought. Otherwise, even if a grand mage had the ability to imprison the minds of so many people, those people were not wood. As long as they resisted together, the great mage might not be able to successfully imprison any of them.

Only if the people in the noble's manor actively cooperated would such a situation occur.

"Your analysis is very reasonable, but this cannot be used as a basis for you to decide whether we should advance or retreat."

Baheshtur's spirit was roused, and he continued:

"Lord, there are only two situations that can make people so obedient

"The first is absolute suppression in terms of power. The difference in power is so great that the weaker side cannot muster any thoughts of resistance. We have ruled out this situation. After all, the combined strength of these noble families is quite powerful."

"The other one is the absolute suppression of status. High-ranking people have an extremely powerful deterrent force against low-ranking people. They can even control the fate of low-ranking people with just their words."

"The law of the jungle applies to the first one, but groups with a social system of rules are often more suitable for the second one. The suppression from status comes from the suppression of power."

Kant continued, "But status and power need to be guaranteed by strong strength!"

Baheshtur nodded and said, "Yes, Lord. Status and power indeed need to be guaranteed by strong strength."

"But it doesn't necessarily need to be higher than the combined power of all the low-level people. It only needs to be stronger than every low-level person. There may be such an existence behind the grand mage who makes these nobles cooperate almost unconditionally."

"According to my speculation, it's very likely that he's your father -- Cameron, Duke of Leo."

Chapter 535: The Black Armored Knight Who Arrived

Kant muttered to himself, "My... Father?"

This was a very vague impression. Now that he thought about it, what made Kant's memory even deeper was his father's majestic pressure that suppressed him to the point of suffocation.

Baheshtur continued, "In my opinion, the other party went to such great lengths to make all the small and medium noble families fall into a deep sleep. It should be specially prepared for you, Lord."

Kant asked in puzzlement, "Specially prepared for me?"

Baheshtur said, "Yes, Lord Kant."

"When I was in the Continent of Caradia, I understood a truth. There are some things that someone who don't stand at a certain height or have a certain status, they don't have the right to know."

"Even if others told me, I wouldn't believe it. I wouldn't even be able to believe it."

"Because those things will often overturn my already formed understanding."

Kant glanced at Baheshtur, deep in thought.

He knew this principle. It was similar to beggars who couldn't eat their fill every day, fantasizing that the emperor was superior to them in eating delicious meat buns every day.

"Continue!" Kant said to Baheshtur.

Baheshtur respectfully continued, "Lord, your strength has far surpassed the small and medium noble families in Lionheart City."

Kant nodded. Even if these small noble families gathered their strength in Lionheart City, Kant was confident that he could fight them.

This was the truth. Kant didn't raise his own strength or belittle the strength of these noble families.

In fact, the strength of these noble families had far exceeded what Kant had once known.

Baheshtur continued, "Perhaps, Lord Kant, your strength has already been recognized by the top noble families. You have the right to know things that the small and medium noble families do not have the qualifications to know and understand."

"And now, it is your chance to understand those things, Lord Kant."

Kant frowned slightly and said, "Even so, these are just your speculations!"

"But before there is a more reasonable explanation, we can only follow this explanation and plan the next step."

"You go and lead the army!"

Kant did not like this feeling very much. This feeling of not having everything under his control made him very unhappy.

Then, Kant gave a firm order, "Everyone, continue to advance!"

This was the inevitable choice.

In fact, Kant had made this choice a long time ago.

However, he still asked about Baheshtur's decision. Baheshtur was an outstanding general. The facts proved that the point he raised did not make Kant blind.

Kant's decision stemmed from the existence of the system.

Because he trusted the system, and since the system had replenished his forces, he believed that his current strength would be able to deal with the current situation.

No matter what was waiting for him in front of him, it would at most be a big battle.

Kant was not afraid of war.

Just capturing the dock of Lionheart City was enough to make him rich.

He already knew the silence of the noble's mansion, most likely because they were sleeping soundly.

The strange feeling from before completely disappeared.

And Baheshtur put forward a somewhat reasonable hypothesis, so he did not feel too much fear in the road ahead.

It was just a flat and wide road that was five miles long.

Soon, Kant arrived at the east city gate of Lionheart City.

The east city gate of Lionheart City was controlled by Count Cody. Maud, one of the four top noble families in the South County.

Logically, on both sides of the east gate, there would be 3,000 soldiers that belonged to Count Cody. Maud's private army acted as the garrison troops at the east city gate.

However, when Kant arrived, he only found an empty city tower, an unguarded city gate, and two empty barracks.

It would be wrong to say that it was empty, because there was a small group of people at the barracks on the left.

They were currently slowly riding their horses out of the barracks.

There were only fifty-one people.

The leader of the group was a heavy-armored knight who was emitting an extremely dense oppressive aura.

His entire body was covered in pitch-black heavy armor. On each shoulder, elbow joints, and knee pads, there were three sinister-looking black steel thorns that were more than ten centimeters long. The helmet that only revealed a pair of calm and deep sea-blue eyes. There were more than ten centimeters sharp steel thorns on the left and right sides of the forehead.

This heavy-armored knight was riding on an extremely tall and strong warhorse.

His warhorse was even taller than the warhorses of the Swadian Royal Knights by a head.

The warhorse was covered in a full set of thick, pitch-black armor. There were also terrifying, sharp steel spikes on it. These steel spikes were definitely not for the aesthetic.

On the right side of the warhorse was a pitch-black, two-handed greatsword. The style was no different from an ordinary knight sword. However, it was more than a meter longer than an ordinary knight sword. At the same time, it was much thicker and heavier.

In terms of weight, this two-handed greatsword was no less than a hundred kilograms. It was even heavier than a four-meter-long knight lance.

There were fifty people behind this knight, and they were all knights.

Their equipment and warhorse were somewhat similar to the knights at the front, but they were clearly thinner.

Although the aura of each knight was inferior to that of the knights at the front, they were far superior to the Swadian Royal Knight and the Sarleon Lion Knights.

They were not the grand mage Kant had expected.

These people rode their warhorse slowly out of the barracks, and the ground shook slightly.

Kant noticed that the warhorse of the knight at the front stepped on the bluestone on the East Main Road of Lionheart City, and the bluestone under the iron hooves cracked.

Very quickly, these fifty-one knights arrived right in front of Kant's army.

They formed a confrontation with Kant's army.

These heavy armored knights who were fully dressed in black armor emitted a strong and fearless, ferocious and brutal aura.

They were actually able to contend with Kant's entire army in terms of aura and were not at a disadvantage at all.

One had to know that all of Kant's army, every soldier was an absolute elite of level 5 troop class and above.

There were even a thousand of Swadian Royal Knights, the Sarleon Lion Knights, and the mages of the Enfath Empire who possessed extraordinary power. With just these troops, they could already be said to be invincible. If not for the fact that he was worried that there were terrifying existences similar to the ancient passage in Lionheart City, he would have already let his troops charge forward!

Furthermore, Kant's soldiers were not just some flashy looking goods. They could all be considered battle-hardened elite soldiers, the strongest elites of their lifetime!

Kant placed his right hand on the hilt of the king's sword, and asked the black armored knight at the front, "Who are you?"

Chapter 536: The Army of the God of War

"Who am I?"

"You can call me Tyr. Isai. Maud!"

The black-armored heavy knight led 50 powerful black-armored heavy cavalry and stopped 50 meters away from Kant's army. His voice was sonorous and powerful, with a hint of metallic charm.

There was a strange feeling, as if it was not a human voice.

Kant noticed.

When this black-armored knight said his name, the word "Isai "did not seem to be finished. It was forcefully stopped by him.

"Tyr. Isai. Maud?"

Kant thought about this name.

Tyr was a very common name. This name did not mean anything.

Isai seemed to be an incomplete name. This black-armored heavy knight did not finish saying it. Instead, he forcefully stopped it. However, even so, Kant was still connected to one thing.

7,000 years ago, Kingdom of Isai, a powerful kingdom that occupied almost the entire north bank of the Resniston River.

It was the 20,000 invincible cavalries of Kingdom of Isai that annihilated 50,000 imperial guards who claimed to be the most powerful infantrymen in the continent, causing the collapse of Kaischino Empire.

The Kaischino Empire that once ruled the entire human land was divided into dozens of kingdoms and dozens of dukedoms.

As for the Kingdom of Isai, due to its 20,000 invincible cavalries, it had suffered severe losses and was unable to protect the north bank of the Resniston River. Just like the Kaischino Empire, it had fallen apart.

In fact, the Kingdom of Isai was even more miserable than the Kaischino Empire. Even though the Kaischino Empire had fallen apart, the Keyes Kingdom that had fallen apart was the former estate of the Kaischino imperial family. It had survived countless wars until now, it was still the most powerful kingdom of the human race.

However, the entire Kingdom of Isai had fallen apart. The royal family of the Kingdom of Isai seemed to have disappeared without a trace. There were two kingdoms and three dukedoms on the north bank of the Resniston River. However, they didn't seem to have anything to do with the Kingdom of Isai.

If there was anything to do with it, it was the Dukedom of Leo. This was because the God of War, Edmund, whom the Dukedom of Leo worshipped, had directly ascended to godhood after the great war 7,000 years ago.

The God of War, Edmund, was the supreme commander of the 20,000 invincible cavalries in the Kingdom of Isai.

The word "Isai" made Kant involuntarily associate these stories.

Maud, this was the surname of this black-armored knight.

Kant was also not unfamiliar with this surname. This surname was a well-known existence in the entire Dukedom of Leo, and even in the entire human race.

This was Count Cody. Maud's family name, one of the four top noble families in the Dukedom of Leo.

In fact, in the entire Dukedom of Leo, there were only five top noble families that were recognized by the entire human race.

One was the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, and the other four were the four top counts in the Dukedom of Leo.

Count Cody. Maud, Count Simon. Prynne, Count Rowan. Reese and Count Seth. Enoch.

The other two viscounts, as well as Countess Agatha from the East County, were only the top noble recognized by the nobles of the Dukedom of Leo. They were not recognized by all the Dukedom of Leo.

Kant placed his right hand on the king sword and could draw it out to kill the enemy at any time.

A distance of 50 meters was advantageous to the enemy, but disadvantageous to him.

A distance of 50 meters was enough for a small team of heavy cavalry to enter the charging stance.

However, for Kant's thousands of cavalries, it was not enough to enter the charging stance.

The enemy chose to come out of the barracks and cut off the distance between Kant's army. It was very appropriate.

This made Kant feel very uncomfortable and he could not advance or retreat.

Kant said to Tyr. Isai. Maud,

"Tyr. Isai. Maud?"

"What a strange name. What is your relationship with Count Cody. Maud?"

The east city gate of Lionheart City was indeed Cody Count. Maud's sphere of influence.

If this fellow was related to Count Cody. Maud, it was normal for him to appear here.

It was just that the number of people and their strength were somewhat unexpected.

"Strange name?"

"Humph!"

"Haha!"

"Kant, the power and strength that you displayed made us think that you have already entered the ranks of a true noble. However, your words and your weak personal strength let me know that you still know nothing about a true noble!"

"What right do you have for me to wait here with the sincerity of an alliance?"

The black-armored heavy knight's words had a strange metallic tone mixed with a disdainful tone.

He did not answer Kant's question.

"Kant, you want Lionheart City, right?"

"Then take it!"

"I'm looking forward to seeing you survive under the pressure of the sect!"

"The sects are very willing to destroy a "top noble" like you!"

The black-armored knight suddenly ordered, "Soldiers, listen up, let's go!"

Then, the black-armored knight and the black-armored cavalry squad he led turned around.

The 50 black-armored knights quickly opened up a path for Tyr. Isai. Maud to pass through and return to the front of the squad.

Then, the black-armored cavalry squad directly left Lionheart City through the east city gate.

Kant held the Sword of King in his right hand, but he didn't pull it out.

The other party's strength really made him wary.

The individual strength of these people all surpassed the strength of a level 6 troop class.

And what did a level 6 troop class mean?

They were existences that could contend against the peak grand knights.

If their strength surpassed theirs, then there was no doubt that the 50 black-armored heavy cavalry, as well as Tyr. Isai. Maud were all extraordinary knights.

Knights were divided into three levels: official knights, grand knights, and extraordinary knights.

Extraordinary knights were existences on the same level as grand mage. They were existences that could contend against the weakest gods, demon nobles, and dragons.

Aamon Qieke, the demon that Kant had once led troops to kill, was one of the lowest-level demon barons.

It was a demon noble that was extremely weak and had been sealed for tens of thousands of years.

As for the extraordinary knights, Kant had never truly faced them.

If there were one or two of them, Kant would not hesitate to order them to stay.

However, fifty-one of them appeared at once. Their aura was no weaker than Kant's army. This made Kant not dare to make up his mind to force them to stay.

Clearly, Baheshtur's guess was not completely accurate.

The other party might not only have absolute power over the small and medium-sized noble families in Lionheart City, but they also had crushing power.

Moreover, Kant did not see the existence of the grand mage that he had guessed. Perhaps, he was hiding in the dark.

If Kant were to fight with the fifty black-armored heavy cavalry, it was hard to guarantee that the grand mage would not come out.

What was even worse was that grand mage might awake the small and medium-sized noble families that were imprisoned by him to assist him in battle.

In this way, Kant's power would be at an absolute disadvantage, and he would be surrounded on the terrain by the 50 black-armored heavy cavalries and the small and medium-sized noble families.

Chapter 537: New System Quest

Looking at the empty east city gate, it could be said that this was the easiest city gate to take down.

The south city gate, the north city gate, and the east city gate were all easier than the last.

However, Kant was not happy at all.

The power of nobles far exceeded his imagination.

The words of the "Tyr. Isai. Maud" indicated that he still did not have the qualifications to get into the secrets of a true noble.

At the beginning, the other party thought that he had become a real noble because of the strength of his force.

Then, could it be that the real noble had such a powerful force like him?

At the same time, Tyr. Isai. Maud, this name definitely had some special meaning.

Perhaps, this was the name format of a real noble?

There was another point that could be confirmed from Tyr. Isai. Maud's words confirmed that the individual strength of a true noble needed to reach the level of an extraordinary knight at the very least.

Tyr. Isai. Maud denied Kant as a true noble because Kant's current individual strength at the peak of a grand knight but not further.

His strength was even stronger than the level 6 troop class, the Swadian Royal Knights. In Tyr. Isai. Maud's eyes, it was only 'weak strength'.

However, Tyr. Isai. Maud indeed had the qualifications to say that.

Tyr. Isai. Maud had always been unrestrained in his aura. That aura was extremely shocking and was even stronger than the demon Aamon Qieke that Kant had seen before. It gave him an extremely heavy pressure.

Kant's expression was gloomy.

He looked back at the distant Western District of Lionheart City.

That was where the War Temple of the God of War, Edmund, was located. It was also the only obstacle that Kant faced in conquering Lionheart City.

Tyr. Isai. Maud's warning words made Kant understand.

The west city gate of Lionheart City would definitely not be easily taken down by him.

Even Count Seth. Enoch, who occupied the west city gate of Lionheart City had also withdrawn his private army.

"Are these noble forces trying to force me to fight against the Temple?"

"Damn it!"

Thinking of this, Kant seemed to understand why the north city gate and the east city gate were so easily taken.

At this moment, Kant even thought about whether he should give up on Lionheart City.

Lionheart City was an enclave to him.

His original goal was to occupy Lionheart City and cut off the economic lifeline of Cameron, Duke of Leo. At the same time, on the terrain, he would form a north-south alliance with Firentis and Rolf in the South County, surrounding Lion Fort, forming a favorable strategic situation.

But now, he realized that he had seriously underestimated the strength of the nobles.

Then, could such a strategic situation still be formed?

He did not think that Firentis and Rolf in the South County could stop Tyr. Isai. Maud and his terrifying heavy cavalry squad formed by fifty extraordinary knights.

The Lion Fort would only become stronger.

[ Ding... Side Quest issued ]

[ Side Quest: Secret of extraordinary ]

[ Reward: Become an extraordinary knight ]

[ Introduction: After the host's hard work, the host discovered that this world was not as simple as he imagined. Instead, it seemed to be buried in layers of fog. Please defeat the War Temple of Lionheart City, capture the God of War, Edmund, and Occupy Lionheart City! ]

At this moment, Kant heard a ding sound.

At the same time, dense text appeared on his retina.

The system had actually issued a side quest.

Kant carefully read the information on his retina, deep in thought.

"Is my current strength enough to capture the God of War, Edmund?"

"How strange, will the gods accept being captured?"

"It seems like I can't give up on the plan to capture Lionheart City!"

Kant had absolute trust in the system.

Without the system, he would have died at the hands of the Jackalans in the Nahrin Desert.

Moreover, the reward of the mission made Kant very tempted.

Become an extraordinary knight?

The word "true noble" involuntarily appeared in Kant's heart.

After becoming an "extraordinary knight", did he have the right to understand what a true noble was?

He did not forget the main quest that the system had given him.

His main quest required him to conquer the entire Dukedom of Leo and become the only ruler of the Dukedom of Leo.

The noble of the Dukedom of Leo would undoubtedly be a hindrance to him, especially the so-called "true noble". It seemed that their strength was extremely terrifying. Kant did not think that the other party would submit to him.

In that case, it was necessary to understand what a "true noble" was. Otherwise, how could he conquer or destroy them if he did not understand what they were?

After Kant finished thinking, he had already made up his mind.

He would proceed according to the previous plan.

He would occupy Lionheart City and form an encirclement around Lion Fort.

According to Tyr. Isai. Maud's actions seemed to indicate that they did not want to expose the power of extraordinary knights to the eyes of ordinary small and medium noble families -- perhaps because they were not "true nobles"?

This gave Kant an opportunity. The territory he occupied in the South County might not be taken back by those top noble families. If he did not send out extraordinary knights and grand mage, Kant did not think that they could take it back.

Therefore, he decided not to be in a hurry to occupy Lion Fort.

Now it seemed that this was not practical.

Instead, he was prepared to fight with the sect and at the same time, develop the land he occupied and formed a deep foundation in this world.

According to Tyr. Isai. Maud's words, the sect seemed to be happy to destroy a "top-tier noble family" like him?

But now, he was carrying rumors and giving the sect a clear excuse.

The sect had already sent out knights to attack him.

From what Tyr. Isai. Maud had said, this war might not be as easy as he had imagined. Even if he dealt a heavy blow to the knight orders, he might not be able to stop the sect's investigation of him.

The strategy of conquering the Dukedom of Leo would not be as easy as he had imagined.

Kant no longer thought about it. He gave an order to Baheshtur, "Baheshtur, send someone to guard the east city gate of Lionheart City!"

Baheshtur slightly bent his waist and lowered his head to say to Kant,

"Baheshtur will follow your orders, Lord Kant."

Immediately after, Kant gave another order to the Sarleon Lion Knights. This time, he ordered ten Sarleon Lion Knights.

"You guys, go to the military camp where the black armored cavalry stayed. See if you can find the Sarleon Lion Knights that I sent out as scouts!"

That Tyr. Isai. Maud, from his words, it seemed that he had originally planned to form an alliance with him. It was unlikely that he would kill his soldiers.

The ten Sarleon Lion Knights received the order and left.

Chapter 538: The Sky Gradually Darkened

The 10 Sarleon Lion Knights quickly found the other 10 Sarleon Lion Knights that Kant had appointed as scouts. They were all knocked unconscious and hid in the barracks.

Unlike those noble knights who could not be woken up, these 10 Sarleon Lion Knights were jolted awake by their comrades.

The black-armored knight did not kill them as Kant had expected.

Very quickly, Baheshtur set up the defense of the east city gate of Lionheart City.

There were also only 200 soldiers, 150 archers and 50 Rhodok Sergeants.

They were all level 5 troop class, and their coordination were perfect for defending the city.

However, with 200 soldiers at the south city gate of Lionheart City and the north city gate of Lionheart City, they should be able to defend. Even if they faced two-to-three-thousand-man siege troop, they would be able to hold on until Kant sent reinforcements.

But at the east city gate, the situation was hard to say.

This was the noble district. Their strength was really strong.

"Lord, I can only deploy these garrison troops at the east city gate."

Baheshtur said as he reported to Kant.

"The War Temple's strength is unknown. We cannot deploy too many troops above the garrison."

Kant nodded. He glanced at the noble district of the Eastern District and said, "We can only attack the west city gate and then make a fuss!"

Then, Kant did not delay and directly led the army toward the Western District.

The plan today was to attack the east city gate and then coerce the noble district to appease the nobles. But now, these nobles were all in a deep sleep. As for when they would wake up, it completely depended on the settings made by the grand mage who had cast the Mind Imprisonment on them.

Of course, there was no way to coerce and appease them.

Kant led the army to the west. With the existence of the mages, they cast some acceleration spells to speed up the walking army, making Kant's marching speed very fast.

The originally sunny weather suddenly became gloomy.

Kant raised his head to look at the sky. Unknowingly, the sun had been blocked by thick dark clouds.

On both sides of the East Main Road, neatly planted purple-shirted trees were rustling in the strong wind. At the same time, their branches were shaking violently.

Dark clouds were hanging down and the strong wind was blowing.

"It's going to rain!"

At this moment, Kant led his army and was about to reach the central area of Lionheart City. The pedestrians on the road had returned because of Kant's army. Most of them hid in the surrounding buildings again, not daring to show their heads.

Only a few people dared to stand by the roadside and observe Kant's army. They even pointed at them.

After all, Kant did not do anything to them when he passed by earlier.

"Everyone halts!"

"Mages, listen up. Cast 'Sharp Golden Blade' and 'Group Acceleration' on all the knights!"

Kant suddenly gave an order!

Hearing Kant's order, the mages quickly cast a 'Sharp Metal Blade' spell on all the knights. Then, they cast a 'Group Acceleration' spell on the knights. Then, they retreated back to their original team.

Group Acceleration. There was no need to explain. It was a spell that increased group speed.

Sharp Metal Blade was a status buff spell.

The spell that the mages cast to increase the status of the surrounding soldiers was about 10 meters in radius. After casting it, the magic elements would gather on the weapons in the hands of the soldiers, making the blades, spears, and other melee weapons sharper, it would cause more casualties to the enemy.

Immediately after, Kant ordered the cavalries to arrange themselves before charging.

Based on the current dense formation, it was impossible to charge. That would be courting death!

Kant arranged his troop like this because he could see from afar that the West Main Road seven to eight miles away was already filled with densely packed troops.

There were many troops, filling up the West Main Road like a blood-red river.

The knight order of the War Temple wore the uniform blood-red armor. The priests of the War Temple wore the same blood-red robe. There were also some guards of the War Temple who were similar to infantrymen. They were also dressed in blood-red, and even their shields were blood-red.

Their appearance was completely blood-red, but at the same time, it represented a majestic will to fight with fearless courage. On the battlefield, there was no lack of blood that splashed around wantonly. The majestic will to fight and fearless courage were also the most precious qualities on the battlefield.

As the army and priests of the God of War, it was natural for them to be blood-red in color.

From seven to eight miles away, Kant could feel the murderous aura of that army.

But from Kant could not see in detail how many troops were gathered in the west road like a blood-red river.

Just from the size alone, the number was not less than his army.

Moreover, there were a huge number of cavalries!

At this moment, Kant's army numbered three to four thousand.

At the front was Kant leading the heavy cavalry that had already been arranged.

There were 250 Swadian Royal Knights, 240 Sarleon Lion Knights, 500 Mamluke, a total of 990 extremely strong heavy cavalries.

In Lionheart City, the East-West Main Road was as wide as the North-South Main Road, with a width of 30 meters. There was a row of 10 knights, and nearly 100 rows of cavalries.

At the front, there was a row of Royal Swadian Knights and a row of Sarleon Lion Knights. At the back was Mamlukes of the 50th faction. Kant was in the middle of the last row of Sarleon Lion Knights. He was in the center of all the cavalry.

Moreover, every two rows were at least five meters apart.

Cavalry charge required a large enough interval.

Kant left the rest of the army behind Kant's heavy cavalry to Baheshtur. They were not cavalry. The line-up was much denser.

Baheshtur also saw the army on the West Main Road. After hearing Kant's order to stop the army, Baheshtur immediately made arrangements.

He also asked the mage to cast the two buffing spells, 'Sharp Metal Blade' and 'Group Acceleration', on all the troops before arranging them apart from the cavalry.

At the very front were 850 Rhodok Sergeants. Each row had nearly 50 to 60 soldiers. There was a total of 16 to 17 rows of them. They were densely packed.

16 to 17 rows of Rhodok Sergeants only occupied 12 to 13 meters of the length of the East Main Road. One could imagine how densely packed they were.

The infantry could only rely on the dense square formation to resist the cavalries and block the cavalry!

If they couldn't block it, then let the cavalry sink in!

They used the stacking shield method to stack layers and layers of broad shields. Although their defense couldn't compare to the Swadian Sergeants who used the tower shield to pierce deep into the ground on the plain battlefield, the defense strength of Rhodok Sergeants was not to be underestimated.

Chapter 539: Research on Buff Spells

Although their defense was slightly inferior to the Swadian Sergeants who had used the tower shields, their combat strength was much higher than the Swadian Sergeant's.

Rhodok Sergeants' weapon was a long-handled hook and sickle. In addition to their exquisite combat techniques, they could easily kill the charging heavy cavalry. These fierce heavy footmen could rely on their combat techniques to fight against level 6 troop class soldiers.

On the Continent of Caradia, the Kingdom of Rhodoks, which did not have heavy cavalry, relied on Rhodok Sergeants and Rhodok Sharpshooters to stand firmly among the many kingdoms, becoming one of the overlords of the Continent of Caradia.

Behind Rhodok Sergeants were a dense number of Rhodok Sharpshooters.

The siege crossbows in their hands were definitely not a joke.

The 350 Rhodok Sharpshooters were only arranged in five rows. Each row had close to 70 of them. However, the distance between the two rows had reached two meters. This was their shooting space.

With 16 or 17 rows of Rhodok Sergeants defending them against the cavalries, what the Rhodok Sharpshooters needed to do was to shoot out the crossbows in their hands and ruthlessly kill the incoming cavalries.

With their shooting range that exceeded 300 meters, the heavy cavalries that wanted to charge at the defensive line set up by Rhodok Sergeants would have to pay a heavy price.

After the 350 Rhodok Sharpshooters, there were 350 Vaegir Marksmen. They were also densely arranged in five rows. The dense formation was very advantageous to them. They were famous for their dense covering firepower, fast, accurate, and ruthless were synonymous with them.

If a cavalry was lucky enough to break through the Rhodok Sharpshooters' firepower, the Vaegir Marksmen's dense arrow rain would form a second fatal defense line.

After the 350 Vaegir Marksmen, there were 490 official mages and 100 mage apprentices.

The power of the mages was beyond doubt. Their spells were not to be trifled with.

Just the 490 official mages alone could summon 2,450 golems in front of Rhodok Sergeants when the enemy cavalry charged over.

Each golem's attack and defense would not be lower than a level-5 heavy-armored infantryman. They were very strong, but they were a little clumsy. They could crush an ordinary army, but they could only be used as meat shields and cannon fodder against an elite army.

Behind the mages and mage apprentices were 350 Ravenstern Rangers.

They were not like Vaegir Sharpshooters, who had powerful and swift covering fire. However, their shooting ability, if not their range, was stronger than Rhodok Sharpshooters. Steadiness, accuracy, and ruthlessness were synonymous with them. At the same time, their close combat strength was also extremely strong, and they were not afraid of close combat at all.

It was most suitable to use them to cover the rear. Even at the last position, their 150-meter range could hit the front row of Rhodok Sergeants 100 meters away. Any heavy cavalry that escaped the net and broke through the golems that the mages summoned would become their prey.

The soldiers were all elite troop class 5 soldiers. They quickly followed Baheshtur's orders and arranged themselves into a formation, preparing for the upcoming battle.

At this moment, the opponents of Kant's army, the knight orders and priest orders of the War Temple, as well as a large group of 500 War Temple Guards. When Kant discovered them, they also discovered Kant's army.

They also made preparations for the battle.

There was a total of five knight orders of the War Temple in Lionheart City. At this moment, four of them were sent to the West Main Road to destroy Kant. Each knight order had a quota of 1,000 knights.

Among these 1,000 knights, there were 100 grand knights. The remaining 900 were elite formal knights.

Such a knight order could compete with the 15,000 heavy cavalries of the small and medium nobles in the Seria Castle, which was at the junction of the South County and the North County.

There were four such groups of knights!

There were 400 grand knights!

There were only 490 Swadian Royal Knights and Sarleon Lion Knights in Kant's troop.

Apart from the four knight orders, there were 300 War Temple Priests.

These 300 War Temple Priests included 200 official priests and 100 reserve priests.

The strength of an official priest was similar to that of an official mage, but their buff spells were more numerous than that of an official mage. The 100 reserve priests were like mage apprentices. Although they could cast spells, the number and power of their spells were much lesser than official priests and official mages.

Soon, the 200 priests cast buff spells on all the members of the four knight orders and a large group of War Temple Guards.

Group Acceleration, which needed no explanation and was similar to the effect of the mage, but this spell would greatly increase the power of the charge of the heavy cavalry.

Armor Enhancement: Increases the defensive power of the armor worn by the members of the knight order and the War Temple Guards.

Weapon Enhancement: Similar to the power of a mage's Sharp Golden Blade.

Bloodthirsty Excitement: Increases the excitement of the members of the knight order and the War Temple Guards every time they successfully kill, increasing their morale and attack power.

Battlefield Recovery: the members of the knight order and the War Temple Guards had their physical strength greatly increased. After being injured, they could quickly stop the bleeding and scab, greatly improving their battle endurance on the battlefield.

After the priests cast the buffs on the knight order and the War Temple Guards, they stayed where they were and began to prepare spells.

The 500 War Temple Guards, like Rhodok Sergeants, also formed the stacking shield formation. They lined up in ten rows and blocked in front of the priests of the war temple.

The members of the four knight orders of the War Temple quickly arranged their formations. Just like Kant's heavy cavalry formation, the members of the four knight orders were also lined up in a row of ten knights. However, they were lined up in a total of 400 rows. Just these knight orders alone occupied two to three miles of the West Main Road.

However, compared to Kant's 250 Swadian Royal Knights and 240 Sarleon Lion Knights who were lined up at the front, the knight orders of the War Temple were arranged according to the independent arrangements of each four knight orders.

At the same time, each knight order was arranged according to the knight squads.

Each knight order was divided into 20 knight squads. Each knight squad had 50 members. Among them, there were five grand knights and 45 official knights.

The arrangement of each squad consisted of five grand knights and the five strongest knights. They were arranged in the first row while the remaining 40 knights were arranged in the following four rows. This way, there were a total of five rows.

The knights were arranged in such a way that there was a total of twenty-five rows. They were arranged in front and back.

The four knights were all the same.

Therefore, the members of the knight orders of the War Temple were 80 knight squads. They were arranged in an orderly manner.

They were arranged alternately with Kant's 10 Swadian Royal Knight and 10 Sarleon Lion Knights. The last 500 Mamlukes were arranged in the last charging formation. Who would be the victor? The result of the impending collision will soon be revealed.

Chapter 540: The Charge that Began In An Instant

After the army's arrangement was completed, Kant pulled out the Sword of King and pointed to the west, giving the order loudly, "Charge!"

Kant's voice, which had been augmented with extraordinary power, spread throughout the entire cavalry.

The 250 Swadian Royal Knights, 240 Sarleon Lion Knights, and 500 Mamlukes held the four-meter-long lances in their hands that was hung diagonally on their warhorse at the same time. They pointed it diagonally towards the sky and shouted at the same time,

"Charge!"

"Charge!"

"Charge!"

The sound was as loud as thunder, shaking the tiles on the houses in the center of Lionheart City.

The sound was so loud that it spread throughout the entire Lionheart City.

The aura of the legions suddenly rose, shaking the dark clouds in the sky.

The 990 iron knights started to move slowly, and their speed gradually increased!

The level 5 cavalries from the system and the even more powerful level 6 knights possessed the best riding skills. They could control the warhorse like an arm and a finger, and they were superb.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

The sound of the horses' hooves gathered together, and it was no longer the clatter of the hooves. It was like a huge iron hammer striking the earth in a regular manner, causing the entire central area of Lionheart City to feel the regular vibrations.

The Swadian Royal Knights, the Sarleon Lion Knights, and Mamlukes were all wearing full-body heavy metal armor. The Swadian Royal Knights and the Sarleon Lion Knights were wearing different types of plate armor, while Mamlukes was wearing heavy Sarrandian chain mail.

These armors were from the system, so there was no need to say anything more about their excellent forging and strong defensive abilities.

Under the gloomy sky, their armor that was supposed to be shining with silver light now looked silver-gray. The 990-galloping cavalries were like a silver-gray torrent, rushing toward the west.

Woo... woo... woo...

Kant was in the middle of the cavalries. He took down the "Commanding Power" horn from his waist and blew it hard.

As the "Commanding Power" horn blew, the morale of the cavalries within 500 meters of Kant began to rise. At the same time, the cavalry began to enter an "excited" status.

The Swadian Royal Knights, the Sarleon Lion Knights, and Mamlukes all had blood rushing through their bodies. At this moment, their eyes were filled with fanaticism. They could not help but shout,

"Kill! For the honor of His Highness Kant!"

"Kill! For the honor of His Highness Kant!"

"Kill! For the honor of His Highness Kant!"

This voice pierced through the clouds and cracked the rocks. Many civilians in the central city of Lionheart City, who were hiding in their houses, could not help but tremble in fear. Many of them could not control themselves and were terrified.

In just a short while, the morale of the 990 cavalries had reached its peak status.

The cape of "Glory, Bright Red Movement", which had been fluttering slowly behind Kant or even a strong wind could not make it shake more violently, began to dance fiercely.

"Glory, Bright Red Movement" was a piece of battlefield equipment. At this time, the two armies had already begun to confront each other. The East-West Main Road of Lionheart City had become a battlefield.

"Glory, Bright Red Movement" passive special effect, "Bright Red Movement", was directly triggered. A faint, hazy, and faint red halo suddenly spread out from the cloak that was fluttering fiercely behind Kant.

This faint red halo covered an area of 1,000 meters, completely covering the 990 knights led by Kant.

Shrouded in this faint red halo, the 990 cavalries' aura suddenly increased.

The strength of all the cavalry increased by 50% at the same time.

Then, Kant unhesitatingly activated the active special effect of the "Glory, Bright Red Movement", "Blood Thirst". The strength of the 990 cavalries increased by 100% again.

This was an extremely strong buff.

With their current strength, they were completely capable of dealing with the three of themselves from before!

Although "Blood Thirst" would reduce the soldiers' defensive power, when two cavalry troop charged at the same time, their defensive power wouldn't be of much use.

Originally, the morale that had been raised to the peak by the "Commanding Power" horn could only last for ten minutes before dropping. But now, in the shallow red halo, their morale would forever be at its highest status and wouldn't change until death!

This was also the terrifying passive effect of the battlefield equipment, the "Glory, Bright Red Movement".

Just as Kant's cavalry unit started to move, the knight orders of the War Temple on the West Main Road also started to charge.

"Charge, for the honor of the God of War, Edmund!"

"Charge, for the honor of the God of War, Edmund!"

"Charge, for the honor of the God of War, Edmund!"

Four thousand knights, including four hundred grand knights, shouted together. Their voices were not inferior to the 990 cavalries led by Kant, whose individual strength surpassed theirs.

Although the residents of Lionheart City could not see it, they could know that two extremely powerful heavy cavalry legions were about to fight in Lionheart City.

This was because the voices of the two heavy cavalry legions had spread throughout the city and even made their blood boil.

The 4,000 knights in blood-red armor charged forward like a still blood-red river, suddenly roaring.

This blood-red river gradually sped up and swept towards the east.

Due to the formation that was advantageous for the charge, the distance between the two armies was only a few hundred meters.

However, such a long distance was enough for the two strong heavy cavalry troops to enter their charging stance.

On the East-West Main Road, silver-gray torrents surged from the east to the west while the blood-red river swept from the west to the east.

Their speed was extremely fast.

Soon, the two armies met!

Thunder!

A bolt of lightning suddenly flashed, instantly illuminating the sky and earth.

Boom!

A huge thunder sounded, as if it wanted to turn the entire Lionheart City upside down.

At the moment the two armies met.

Between the sky and earth, heavy rain poured down.

This was a downpour!

The rain fell heavily, and the raindrops were as big as beans.

The rain fell on the faces of the two heavy cavalry generals who were charging at high speed, causing them to feel pain.

The dense rain line caused the charging cavalry's vision to become hazy.

However, this was unable to extinguish their burning desire to kill.

At the instant the rain poured down, the lightning flashed and rumbled, the first row of Swadian Royal Knights clashed with the first row of the knights of God of War.

This was the moment of confrontation between the two legions!

Chapter 541: Blood-red River In the Rain

The soldiers of both sides rode on warhorses that were galloping at high speeds. They only had a chance to exchange blows in an instant.

The 30-meter-wide West Main Road was enough for 30 horses to gallop in a row.

The were 10 knights on each of the first two rows of charging formation.

There was a distance of two to three meters between the two rows This was enough for them to cross each other.

They also had enough riding skills to do so.

Each of the Swadian Royal Knights in the first row and each of the knights of the War Temple of God of War in the first row had their own clear targets.

That was the enemy that charging toward them on their right.

Both sides with rich experience on the battlefield would not make a mistake because of this!

"Kill! For the honor of His Highness Kant!"

"Kill! For the honor of the God of War, Edmund!"

A Swadian Royal Knight from the first row had already grabbed the four-meter-long lance with both of his hands when they were still 50 meters away from the enemy. His eyes were fixed on the grand knight in the front row.

He only needed to kill this grand knight. The others would be dealt with by other comrades.

A distance of 50 meters, in the blink of an eye, it had already crossed 30 meters, leaving only 20 meters.

This Swadian Royal Knight viciously thrust his lance at the grand knight of the War Temple whom he had targeted.

That grand knight and this Swadian Royal Knight made the same choice.

The lance of the Swadian Royal Knight emitted a faint golden glow, while the lance of the grand knight of the War Temple emitted a faint blood-red glow.

They both activated their extraordinary powers at the same time, which could greatly increase their power.

The Swadian Royal Knight and the grand knight both shook their lance at the same time, and clashed against each other's lance.

Clang!

At the instant the two lances clashed, a clear sound of metal colliding rang out.

At the same time, lightning flashed, and thunder rumbled, as heavy rain poured down!

Across the dense rain, the grand knight of War Temple saw the slightly ferocious and fanatical eyes of the Swadian Royal Knight. The knight lance in his hand was knocked away by the Swadian Royal Knight. Although it did not slip out of his hand, it was twiddled to the left. He couldn't stab the other party like this.

However, after the Swadian Royal Knight saw the panic eyes of the grand knight of War Temple through the dense raindrops. He did not have the slightest bit of mercy and used all his strength to stabilize his lance.

As the horses galloped at high speed, the lance in the hands of the Swadian Royal Knight instantly pierced through the grand knight.

Under the extreme speed of the thick conical lance, it easily pierced through the iron armor of the grand knight of War Temple. Even though the other party had a priest who had cast a defensive spell on his armor, it was useless.

The lance of the Swadian Royal Knight pierced through the grand knight of War Temple and went through his heart. He was directly hit by the lance of Swadian Royal Knight.

Fresh blood flowed down from the lance, but it was quickly washed away by the heavy rain.

The Swadian Royal Knight won the first round of battle. He successfully penetrated through the gap between the two rows of the knight orders of War Temple.

He did not even have the time to throw the grand knight off his lance. He had to take on the second knight of the knight orders of War Temple.

He only needed to deal with the enemies in this row.

This knight was following behind that grand knight. He was just an official knight.

"Kill! For the honor of the God of War, Edmund!"

The official knight was not afraid at all. He pointed his lance at the Swadian Royal Knight. He did not care whether the other party was a grand knight or not, because even if his opponent was a grand knight, he would still be pierced by his lance.

He was very clear that he had already entered the charging stance. As long as his lance pierced the other party, the other party would still die even he was a grand knight.

His strength came from the speed of the warhorse, not just his own strength.

However, the Swadian Royal Knight was already an expert at the peak level of grand knights. At this moment, his strength had been increased by the active and passive special effects of the "Glory. Bright Red Movement" cloak, it was simply not something that this official knight could deal with.

With a light tap, he knocked the lance of the second official knight to the side and stabbed him to death again.

When it came to the third knight, the Swadian Royal Knight stopped killing. He only knocked his opponent's lance away to ensure his own safety. At the same time, he took the opportunity to throw the two corpses on the lance to the ground.

He handed the third knight over to the Sarleon Lion Knight behind him to take care of.

This first row of Swadian Royal Knight continued to kill one grand knight after another.

It was only when he came across the seventh grand knight that he was killed by the opponent due to his exhaustion of his extraordinary powers. His strength was reduced to a level that was lower than the opponent's. His corpse was pierced through by the lance of the grand knight, while his warhorse continued to gallop forward.

In the pouring rain, Kant's cavalry and the enemy's cavalry crossed each other.

The knight order members of War Temple were like weeds in this battle, being harvested by Kant's subordinates, the Swadian Royal Knights, the Sarleon Lion Knights, and Mamlukes. Their corpses were flung down by the lances of the knights, it was one to two kilometers long on the West Main Road.

Blood flowed out of the wounds that were pierced by the lance of the knights and merged with the rainwater that accumulated on the ground. It almost dyed the entire West Main Road a bright red color.

It was only because of the heavy rain that the smell of blood did not disperse widely. Otherwise, the entire Western District would be covered in a thick smell of blood.

The blood river formed by the four knight orders of War Temple seemed to have been cut off by the silver-gray steel flood, which devoured the blood river bit by bit.

When the two heavy cavalry legions passed through each other, out of the 4,000 members of the knight orders of War Temple, only 600 remained.

As for the 990 heavy cavalries under Kant, they only lost 50 Swadian Royal Knights, 40 Sarleon Lion Knights, and 100 Mamlukes.

The ratio of losses between two sides were close to 1:20.

It was obvious which of the two cavalry legions was stronger.

"Slow down the entire army!" Kant gathered his remaining extraordinary powers and gave the order tiredly.

The remaining cavalry immediately slowed down.

Kant did not feel that it was not necessary for the knights to attack the phalanx of the temple guards when facing the spells of two hundred temple priests and one hundred reserve priests of War Temple.

In this charge, Kant also killed two grand knights of War Temple, and more than ten ordinary knights.

At this time, the remaining knights of the war shrine were already like fish in a barrel. Baheshtur was leading the Rhodok Sergeants, all the archers, and the mages, maintaining a strict formation. At the same time, they were advancing quickly under the effect of mages' Group Acceleration spell.

Chapter 542: The Furious Viscount Kemil

The remaining 600 knights of the four knight orders of War Temple did not escape the fate of being massacred by Kant's army.

The priests of War Temple, who were originally guarding the other side, led the guards of War Temple to retreat from the West Main Road.

This battle was very tragic, but the results were also very good.

The 4,000 knights and grand knights of the four knight orders were all wearing standard armor, along with knight lances and knight swords. Even if most of the armors were damaged to a certain extent, it was still an extremely rich spoils of war.

The knight orders of War Temple were undoubtedly elite troops, and their equipment was also very good. However, all of Kant's soldiers had their own set of equipment that came from the system, so they did not need these armors.

Although his army could not use them, it did not mean that these armors had no value.

If these armors were sold to a noble, it would be easy to sell them for 80 great silver coins per set. Two sets would be enough to gather a golden eagle.

The equipment of these four knight orders was enough for Kant to exchange for more than 2,000 golden eagles. With so many golden eagles, it was enough for Joslin to exchange for nearly 2.5 million to 6 million denars on the Pendor Continent.

In addition to this war, due to the terrain, the loss of warhorses was not too much. The capture of nearly 3,500 warhorses was a considerable profit.

However, Kant did not plan to sell the warhorses.

His three fortresses or towns were far away and inconvenient to travel. These horses were just right for use.

At this time, the heavy rain was still pouring. Kant did not plan to continue attacking the War Temple.

Firstly, the battlefield environment was too terrible.

Cavalry could not be the main force in a war like attacking the War Temple.

The main force should be the archers and mages. However, such a heavy rain would have an adverse effect on the power and range of the arrows.

At the same time, the mages might be affected more than the archers.

Their physiques were weak. It was too harsh to let them cast spells in such a storm.

Secondly, the War Temple had just suffered a huge defeat. If Kant pressed on, it would definitely cause the War Temple to be in a desperate situation.

The army of the War Temple was not weak, kept pushing the enemy might backfire on Kant.

However, if they were given some time to digest the news of the War Temple's defeat, this news would definitely cause a huge impact on the soldiers of War Temple who had never lost before.

It was very likely that it would directly destroy their invincible belief of winning the war, demoralize their morale, and greatly weaken the resistance that Kant would encounter when he attacked the War Temple in the future.

"Baheshtur, you command the soldiers to pack up the spoils of war!"

"Yes, Lord Kant!"

After tidying up the battlefield, all of Kant's soldiers became 'cavalries'. Even the original cavalry squad carried an extra warhorse.

Although the iron equipment of the knights of the War Temple was heavier, with so many warhorses, everything was no longer a problem.

"Send the order: withdraw the army and return to the barracks at the south city gate of Lionheart City to rest!"

After Baheshtur led the soldiers to tidy up all the spoils of war, Kant once again gave the order.

The East-West Main Road and the North-South Main Road divided Lionheart City into four big blocks.

The main temple of War Temple was located in the regions surrounding the South and West Main Roads.

Half of this region belonged to the West District and the other half belonged to the South District.

After the army rested at the south city gate of Lionheart City and the weather became good, Kant could lead the army to pass through the South District and surround the War Temple.

...

It was raining cats and dogs in Lionheart City, but it did not rain at Seria Castle, which was at the junction of the North County and South County.

The sun was still shining brightly.

At this moment, Firentis slowly led his army and approached Seria Castle.

The number of soldiers in Firentis's army was reduced by one-third.

The army that Firentis originally led was made up of three parts.

One of them was Kant's army, which had the least number of soldiers but was the most elite.

The other was the North County noble alliance army. These people had joined forces to attack the Stone Pass controlled by Kant, but before the army reached the Stone Pass, they were all captured by Firentis.

The third was the East County noble alliance army. When they saw that His Highness Kant was powerful, they had the idea of submitting to him, so they sent their army to support him.

But now, because of the rumors and slander of the nobles of the South County in Seria Castle, His Highness Kant was branded with the name of submitting to the demon. The East County noble alliance army was in a hurry to cut ties with Baron Kant, so they directly withdrew their army from the allied army.

Of course, they were able to withdraw because of His Highness Kant's benevolence. At the beginning, he saw that they had come to support him with the intention of serving him.

However, the North County noble alliance army who had the same thoughts, they also wanted to break away and return to their own estate.

In the eyes of Firentis, this was simply a dream. They did not understand their own situation at all.

They were just captives!

With Kant's order, Firentis treated them as cannon fodder.

Hence, the number of troops under Firentis's command had increased from 30,000 to 20,000 people.

There were 1,200 Swadian Sergeants, 800 Swadian Footmen, 3,000 Swadian Light Footmen, and 15,000 infantrymen of North County noble alliance army.

At this moment, at the border between the South County and the North County, the blue sky was graciously clear, and the sun shone brightly on the earth.

The gentle breeze blew gently, making people feel very comfortable.

This was the best weather.

However, in the commander's meeting room in Seria Castle, the atmosphere was gloomy.

Pa!

Viscount Kemil threw his beloved exquisite clay cup onto the floor of the meeting room. His face was ashen, and he could no longer maintain his composure.

He quickly stood up from the chair on the main seat of the meeting table, and in a few steps, he arrived in front of the knight who was reporting the news. He grabbed the rough brown linen robe of the knight angrily. He was unable to control his emotions, he said viciously, "What did you say?"

"Repeat what you just said!"

"You basta... I'm sorry, my knight, I've lost my mind."

Viscount Kemil did not say the word "b*stard".

After breathing heavily for a few times, he tried his best to calm down his anger, and let go of his hands that were grabbing onto the knight's robe. He apologized to the knight, even though his tone were rather reluctant.

Chapter 543: The Brutal Slaughter In the Room

The knight was scared just now because Viscount Kemil was really terrifying. The aura that he burst out made him feel like a small boat in the vast ocean, which could be overturned by the waves at any time.

The Viscount Kemil was a peak grand knight. The aura that he burst out with his full strength was indeed a little too terrifying for an ordinary official knight like him.

The knight fearfully repeated what he had said earlier, "My Lords, Grand Duke Cameron has rejected your request to take your side!"

"Grand Duke Cameron said that he doesn't dare to trust a noble who doesn't follow the rules."

As soon as the knight finished speaking, he stood on the spot with some trepidation. Even he knew what this meant.

The atmosphere in the meeting room was extremely stifling.

A noble knight suddenly spoke to the knight, "Sir Knight, you can leave first. Help me close the door!"

After the knight left, the baron, who was sitting at the top left of the long table in the meeting room, spoke to Viscount Kemil with a sarcastic tone, "Viscount Kemil, your brilliant plan has completely failed!"

"Baron Kant indeed bears the stigma of defecting to the demon."

"However, he did not withdraw the extremely powerful 'Swadia' army that belonged to him."

"With this 'Swadian army' around, we can't do anything to them."

The baron, who was sitting at the top right of the long table in the conference room, frowned slightly and shouted at the baron opposite him in a low voice, "Enough, Baron David!"

"Now that things have come to this, we are all in the same boat. What's the use of you mocking Viscount Kemil? You should think of something!"

Viscount Kemil walked to his seat of honor without saying a word.

He had miscalculated.

When they created that rumor together, they had completely lost the opportunity to side with Baron Kant in this battle for the throne.

And now, even Grand Duke Cameron had explicitly rejected their side.

This meant that their greatest confidence, relying on the strength they had in their hands, and the opportunity to make both sides happy, had been personally destroyed by them.

If they did not seek death, they would not die.

"Facing the current situation, what good ideas do you have?"

"Now, Baron Kant's subordinates, leading the North County noble alliance army, are approaching our Seria Castle step by step.".

Viscount Kemil was not in high spirits at all. His tone of voice was very low, which showed that he was in a very low mood.

In fact, many of the nobles in the room had eyes filled with anger and hatred. This was what worried Viscount Kemil the most.

According to the current situation, it was his speech that brought all the nobles here to this point.

This was a desperate situation.

Their homes were destroyed, the road ahead was blocked, the road back was cut off, the food crisis, and the strong enemy had arrived.

At this moment, the baron, who was sitting at the first seat on the upper left, suddenly stood up.

He said with some schadenfreude, "Okay, I won't play with you anymore!"

"You are at the end of your rope, there is no way out, but I still have a chance!"

"I can seek refuge with my mother's family. My mother was born into a noble family. As long as I seek refuge with them, they will not reject me. At least, they will not reject the expansion of their own estate."

"I can still ask for their help to reclaim my estate in the South County!"

"With their protection, no one will dare to lay their hands on me when I have little power!"

There were clear barriers between the nobles. As a middle-level noble, the baron was considered a pretty good noble to have a territory in the South County. His mother was actually from a high-level noble. This could only mean that his father's methods were superb.

At this moment, almost half of the people heard the baron's words and their eyes lit up. One of them said, "Baron David, please take me with you. I'm willing to pay one-third of the territory as the price to obtain the protection of your mother's family!"

"I'm also willing to pay one-third of my territory..."

"And me..."

These noble families were like grasping at a life-saving straw in a desperate situation.

They were even willing to give up a part of the land that was the foundation of the family.

They could not be blamed for this. They were in a desperate situation. If they did not seize this opportunity, they might not be able to take back even a single bit of their family's land.

Who knew if they would die on the battlefield or become bandits? No matter what, it was an extremely difficult task to rely on them to take back the land.

Even if they took back the land, they would not be able to keep it.

Seeing so many noble families agree with him, a smile of triumph flashed across Baron David's face.

If so many noble families supported his mother's family with him, he could completely rely on his identity to become the big shot among these noble families.

There were endless benefits.

"Good!"

"Since everyone wants to take shelter with my mother's family, let's hurry up and lead the family's private soldiers to leave this place. Baron Kant's subordinates are about to arrive."

At this moment, the originally gloomy Viscount Kemil suddenly stood up and pulled out the knight sword from his waist.

Following that, a faint orange light was emitted from the knight sword, which was originally just an artifact.

! !

Viscount Kemil took two or three steps and quickly arrived beside Baron David, whose mother was a noble from the upper class. Without any hesitation, he raised his sword and slashed.

"Viscount Kemil! How dare you commit murder?"

"Stop!"

"No!"

A group of nobles screamed in panic, but they were too far away.

Baron David pulled out the knight sword, which was also an artifact, in a panic.

However, he was only an official knight. How could he be a match for Viscount Kemil, who was a grand knight.

Kacha!

The two knight swords clashed. The one in Viscount Kemil's hand was like a sword that could cut through iron like it was mud. It directly cut off the knight sword in Baron David's hand.

Then, without hesitation, it continued to slash at Baron David's neck.

Splash!

The artifact knight sword that was infused with extraordinary power by Viscount Kemil was not inferior to a real knight sword. It cut off the baron's head without any obstruction.

Fresh blood gushed out from Baron David's broken neck, directly spraying blood all over Viscount Kemil's body.

Viscount Kemil grinned and said, "Now, do you still want to betray the alliance agreement?"

The many noble families were not intimidated by Viscount Kemil at all. Most of them had the strength of a knight, and there were even one or two grand knights among them.

One of the barons who had the strength of a grand knight looked at Viscount Kemil with hatred, "Devil! Viscount Kemil, I think you are the real devil!"

"You have brought us to the abyss of despair again and again!"

Those nobles who wanted to leave with Baron David looked at Viscount Kemil with hatred, cursing crazily and cursing Viscount Kemil.

They did not care about the dignity of a noble anymore.

"If you have the time to hate me, you might as well think of a way!"

"You want to escape? That's impossible!"

"I can only tell you that not only were our paths closed by Baron Kant's men, but our paths of retreat were also cut off by some extremely valiant knights!"

"They were also wearing Baron Kant's Red Background Gold Lion Badge!"

Viscount Kemil looked at the nobles and said mockingly, "If you want to escape, you will find that it is meaningless to scatter your power. You will be mercilessly devoured and killed by Baron Kant!"

"Since you are in a desperate situation, noble, show your courage!"

"Don't forget why the noble is the ruler of this continent!"

After saying that, Viscount Kemil walked out of the meeting room with a bloody knight sword in his hand.

Chapter 544: The Choice of Seria Castle

Firentis led the army and was only one kilometer away from Seria Castle.

At this moment, Seria Castle was still silent and there was no reaction.

"You want to use cavalry to defend the castle?"

Firentis looked at the distant Seria Castle and thought in confusion.

Seria Castle only had a little more than 14,000 cavalries. In reality, the plains were their best battlefield, and they were not defending a small castle.

They were a lone army with no supplies or reinforcements.

They did not have many resources to defend the castle.

The nobles of the South County in Seria Castle did not consider that they would be forced to defend the castle.

Soon, Firentis led 20,000 infantrymen and arrived at Seria Castle.

Seria Castle was a fortress-type castle with only one gate.

Therefore, the 14,000 cavalries of Seria Castle had been surrounded in Seria Castle.

On the square in the center of Seria Castle.

"You idiots!"

"The best opportunity to ride out of the castle has been wasted by you trash!"

Viscount Kemil led his family's private army to confront the "allies" who surrounded them. Hearing the movement outside the castle, he roared angrily.

"Viscount Kemil, you killed my master, Baron David, in public. Do you think we will listen to your command?"

"You are not worthy!"

"That's right, you murderer. You should be hanged!"

The grand knights under Baron David who were guarding outside the meeting room heard what happened in the meeting room. At this moment, they led the heavy cavalries under Baron David and encouraged the troops of the other noble families to denounce Viscount Kemil.

However, they did not dare to make a move against Viscount Kemil.

Viscount Kemil was a noble, but they were not.

If they killed the noble, it would be treason. No noble family would allow such an act.

Even if they avenged Baron David, the other noble families would definitely lead their subordinates to eliminate them without hesitation.

They could only encircle Viscount Kemil here, hoping that the other nobles would take Viscount Kemil down and send him to the court of the noble.

At this time, after Viscount Kemil left the meeting room, the nobles who had been dragging their feet for a long time finally made up their minds to fight to the death and came out of the meeting room one after another.

Then, they saw the situation in the square.

Boom!

At this moment, the gate of Seria Castle let out an earth-shattering boom.

"Oh no, Baron Kant's subordinates have already led the army to attack the city!"

Many of the noble looked panicked. Although they had already made up their minds to fight to the death, they were still panicking because they were about to enter the war so soon.

The nobles of the South County did not have heavy cavalry that rode on horses. Right now, they were panicking and quarrelling in the central square of the Seria Castle.

This was the disadvantage of this kind of alliance army.

When there was hope for victory, they could still cooperate with each other. However, when they were faced with such a desperate situation, they could no longer be like before. Instead, they began to form their own groups and turned hostile to each other.

What was worse was that the noble had the authority to command, but they did not give any specific orders for a long time.

There were still some elite heavy cavalry troops, but according to the current situation in the square of Seria Castle, they were completely scattered.

"Baron Sayre, you will be the highest commander in this battle!"

"Noble families! I hope that you can quickly calm your own troops and listen to Baron Sayre's orders! Let Baron Sayre reorganize his troops as quickly as possible!"

"My knights! Follow me. We will block the gates of Seria Castle and buy time for Baron Sayre to reorganize his troops!"

At this moment, Viscount Kemil stepped forward and made a few suggestions in an orderly manner. Then, he led his private army and headed towards the castle gate quickly.

Baron Sayre was the baron who sat at the head of the right side in the meeting room.

He looked at Viscount Kemil with a complicated gaze. When it came to talent and courage, this was the best way to show it in this critical moment.

At this moment, Viscount Kemil's performance was something that he knew he could not compare to.

The many nobles were the same as Baron Sayre. They looked at the back view of Viscount Kemil leading his army and instantly had the same thoughts as Baron Sayre. At this moment, their anger and resentment towards Viscount Kemil had unknowingly dissipated a little.

Viscount Kemil's actions were undoubtedly to use the lives of himself and his subordinates to buy time for them.

The many noble families could not help but think that perhaps it was not that Viscount Kemil was too weak, but that his opponent was too strong.

An image of a golden-haired noble with amber-colored eyes and a young and tender face appeared in their minds.

It was Baron Kant, a noble who had forced them into a desperate situation.

At this moment, this image suddenly became profound and terrifying in the hearts of these noble.

Baron Sayre withdrew his gaze from Viscount Kemil and said, "Silence!"

Baron Sayre, who also had the strength of a grand knight, activated his extraordinary power and his voice instantly covered the entire central square of Seria Castle.

The crowd quickly quieted down!

At this moment, the people in the square of Seria Castle were in a panic. They needed someone to stand up and lead them.

Of course, other than Viscount Kemil, the soldiers were willing to accept any other nobles.

The hatred and resentment of the noble towards Viscount Kemil had deeply infected their private soldiers.

Boom!

Another loud sound came from the castle gate.

"Hold on!"

Viscount Kemil roared angrily. At this moment, he was wearing leather armor and took the lead to use his body to hold on to the castle gate of Seria Castle. His body was emitting a faint orange light, which was the radiance of extraordinary power.

The faces of Viscount Kemil's private soldiers were also flushed red. Each of them used their utmost strength to firmly hold on to the castle gate of Seria Castle.

The position of the castle gate was limited, and many of Viscount Kemil's private soldiers pressed against their comrades.

"Nobles, all of you go and command your own private armies!"

"At the same time, according to the original heavy cavalry troop deployment, arrange a square formation on this square!"

"Hurry up!"

Baron Sayre quickly found his private army and arranged his private army into a small square formation. At the same time, he circulated his extraordinary power and issued orders.

At this moment, with the coordination of the noble, these 14,000 heavy cavalry soldiers seemed to have found their backbone. They efficiently followed Baron Sayre's orders and arranged a neat square formation on the square of Seria Castle.

However, the original heavy cavalry square formation had now become a heavy footman square formation.

Chapter 545: Fighting In the Square

There was not enough space for 14,000 heavy cavalries to ride on their horses and set up their formation. If they did not have the distance to charge, they might as well use the infantry formation to face the enemy.

Although most of the cavalry's training was on horses, fighting with knight sword was also a part of the training. At this moment, they had abandoned their horses and turned into infantry. They also had a strong fighting strength.

Outside of Seria Castle, Firentis looked at the empty walls of Seria Castle with some doubt.

Logically speaking, when the enemy troop attacked the castle, they were already at the foot of the city wall. This wall was the most advantageous defensive terrain. As long as some archers were deployed, they would be able to cause great losses to the attacking troops.

Firentis knew that Seria Castle was full of cavalries.

However, even so, they should not give up such an excellent defensive space on the city wall.

In Firentis's opinion, the 14,000 heavy cavalry soldiers of Seria Castle were already trapped in the castle.

The methods of their heavy cavalries could no longer be used.

Hence, their long and heavy lance could actually be used as a pilum. When thrown from the city wall, the lethality would definitely not be lower than the archers.

For this, Firentis's cannon fodders were already prepared. The 15,000 infantry troops of North County noble alliance army were completely thrown into chaos. Firentis led the Swadian army to drive them to the front.

At this moment, they were carrying the siege logs that Firentis had prepared earlier and were ramming into the castle gate of Seria Castle.

Boom!

Boom!

The thick and heavy siege wood was carried by the hundreds of infantry soldiers of the North County noble alliance army, and they were ramming the castle gates of Seria Castle.

However, what Firentis did not expect was that the castle gate of Seria Castle, which could be blasted open with a maximum of ten ramming attacks, was still as stable as a mountain even thought it had already been rammed more than thirty times by the siege wood.

Its sturdiness and resistance to impact far exceeded Firentis's expectations.

"Send out the second siege wood!"

Firentis's order was repeated by the ten Swadian Royal Knights beside him. It was clearly spread throughout the entire army.

In Seria Castle, the orange light on Viscount Kemil's body was already somewhat weak.

He looked back and found that Baron Sayre had already reorganized his army. He immediately ordered his private army, "Knights, get into formation. We will also retreat to the main army."

Soon, Viscount Kemil led his private army and quickly retreated to the military formation in Seria Castle.

Baron Sayre and the many nobles did not speak to stop Viscount Kemil, even though deep in their hearts, they still harbored hatred and resentment towards him.

Viscount Kemil's private army was a very powerful force after all.

Moreover, Viscount Kemil's previous actions were practically using his life to buy time for them. Although the enemy seemed to be weaker than they had imagined, Viscount Kemil had managed to hold on for so long. They had already reorganized themselves, indeed, they did not have the right to ask Viscount Kemil and the other viscounts to stand at the front all the time.

Boom!

Boom!

Two consecutive loud bangs rang out. The gate of Seria Castle, which had already been loosened, was instantly broken through and fell to the ground with a loud bang.

The castle gate had been broken, and there was no longer any barrier between the two armies.

Through the castle gate of Seria Castle, Firentis looked at the square of Seria Castle. Heavy infantrymen, who were neatly dressed in heavy armor and carrying a knight sword, their eyes were filled with resolution.

This was especially so for the nobles of the South County who were wearing leather armor and standing in front of the army. At this moment, they were no longer holding a knight sword that looked like an artifact, but a real knight sword.

Firentis was extremely angry with the nobles of the South County. It was because of them, a rumor had disrupted his meticulous plan and pushed Kant to the opposition of the entire human noble families.

"Send the order! Attack the castle with the entire army!"

Firentis didn't have any extra words and directly gave the order.

"Send the order! Attack the city with the entire army!"

As the ten Swadian Royal Knights circulated their extraordinary powers and spread his order throughout the entire army.

The North County's infantrymen at the front were extremely excited as they surged into Seria Castle like a tidal wave.

In reality, they didn't know that they had been treated as cannon fodders by Firentis.

They had long been separated from their true masters, the noble lords of the North County. At the same time, Firentis had completely disrupted their formation and rearranged it.

After the stunning battle, they were convinced of Firentis's orders.

Although they had only played a part in the formation, this did not stop them from taking credit for their victory. As a result, the fearsome heavy cavalries of the South County that they initially scared of had become an ordinary army in their eyes.

In this battle, it was the South County's army had been beaten so badly that they did not even dare to take a single step forward. They had actually allowed them to attack the castle gate without any obstruction.

This was much easier than when they had attacked Maas Castle.

Hence, the moment the castle gate was breached, the 15,000 North County alliance army's infantrymen, who had no idea that they had been treated as cannon foddesr, immediately rushed into Seria Castle with high morale.

"Kill! Kill the weaklings of the South County!"

"The heavy cavalries of the South County are just a bunch of trash. Kill them!"

"Kill them! They are trash who can't even break through the shield formation of our infantry formation!"

"Kill them! Charge! The trash of the South County has turned into infantry!"

"Let us reap this bunch of trash who don't even have a shield. Charge!"

The soldiers of the North County noble alliance army's infantry troop were equipped with large machetes that were specially used to fight on foot, as well as light and sturdy round wooden shields, in addition to the spear that was specially used to deal with cavalry.

"Knights! Fight back!"

Baron Sayre stood at the front of the square formation in Seria Square. He was dressed in exquisite leather armor and held a sharp knight sword in his hand. His entire body emitted a faint green supernatural power as he loudly issued orders.

At the same time, he took the lead and faced the infantrymen of the North County noble alliance army.

"Knights! Follow me to kill the enemy!"

The South County's nobles also shouted loudly.

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

"Let the b*stards of the North County taste of our knight sword!"

The infantrymen of the North County noble alliance army swarmed into Seria Castle and soon started to fight with the 14,000 knights or knight attendants who had turned into a heavy infantryman square formation in the square.

The central square of Seria Castle was filled with soldiers.

The intense fighting between the two sides, the sound of shouting, the sound of weapons colliding, and the sound of sharp blades cutting, gathered into one. It was extremely noisy. In such an environment, all the soldiers who were fighting were no different from deaf people, their ears kept ringing.

They could only see a dozen or so people around them. They did not know the overall situation of the war at all. They only knew that when they saw someone who was not from their own camp, they could only use the machete in their hands or the knight sword in their hands to fiercely greet them.

In such a killing environment, everyone became frantic and restless. They only cared about fighting with their eyes red. There was no danger of their morale collapsing.

In the central square of Seria Castle, it quickly turned into a meat grinder, continuously devouring fresh lives.

The ground began to thicken. It was a thick flow of blood that was slowly condensing.

Chapter 546: Regretful Rebellion Army

The sounds of battle continued for more than half a day.

By the afternoon, the sounds of battle had gradually weakened.

At this moment, Firentis ordered the Swadian Sergeants, the Swadian Footmen, and the Swadian Heavy Footmen who had been blocking the entrance of the castle to slowly push into the castle.

"Order: Kill the rest in the castle!"

"Order: if you find anyone who is not dead, kill them immediately."

Firentis looked at Seria Castle with a cold and determined gaze.

At this moment, in Seria Castle, after half a day of fighting, less than 3,000 out of 30,000 people were left, and almost all of them were injured.

At this moment, the Swadian Footmen held a shield in one hand and a spatha in the other hand as they slowly pushed forward.

"Hahaha, scum of the South County, your end is here!"

"The elites of our army are here to reap your lives!"

The infantry belonging to the North County noble alliance army laughed in surprise when they saw the arrival of the Swadian Footmen. At the same time, they mocked the soldiers of the South County.

Splash!

An infantryman of the North County noble alliance army, who was cursing happily, was suddenly pulled back Swadian Footman and was pierced through in his heart.

"I... I'm the alliance army... The alliance army... why..."

The infantryman was bleeding from his mouth. He asked in puzzlement, but before he could finish his words, he fell to the ground.

The Swadian Footman who had killed him stepped forward and looked at the soldier who fell to the ground. He said softly, "This is the order we received!"

Whether it was the soldiers of the North County noble alliance army or the soldiers under Kant.

They did not know that this order was because of the rebellion and strife of the North County's noble. They had forgotten their identity as captives. Their actions that crossed the line had brought about a fate of destruction for themselves and their soldiers.

However, due to the loyalty of the system, the soldiers under Kant completely obeyed the orders of their superiors.

The 3000 or so people who survived on the battlefield, whether it was the infantrymen of the North County noble alliance army or the heavy cavalries of the South County noble alliance army, they didn't have much combat strength left.

Facing the Swadian soldiers who were advancing step by step and mercilessly killing, they had almost no ability to resist.

The merciless and gruesome slaughter completely ended the remaining soldiers in Seria Castle.

In Seria Castle, corpses piled up layer by layer, reaching the ankles of the soldiers.

Hundreds of vultures were attracted by the smell of blood that soared into the sky. At this moment, they were circling above Seria Castle.

"Order: Plunder the spoils of war!"

"Order: Drag the corpses to gather outside of Seria Castle and cremate them!"

At this moment, there were no spies from other countries on the battlefield. After Firentis's plan was destroyed by the rumors of the noble families in the South County, those spies no longer needed to exist.

They were mercilessly chased away by the desert bandits and the Swadian Heavy Cavalries led by Rolf.

Some of the spies, who relied on their numbers and were unwilling to retreat, were forced to stay forever by Rolf.

Along with a huge fire, it lit up at the side of Seria Castle, marking the first step of Firentis's plan to invade the South County.

It also meant that the land of the North County had completely become Lord Kant's territory, and half of the South County had become the barrier of the North County.

As long as Rolf successfully destroyed the rebellion army, half of the South County would fall into Lord Kant's hands.

On the same night, in an abandoned farm deep within the South County.

The rebellion army of the South County was stationed here.

At this moment, the commander of the rebellion army, Korod, was drinking wine to make himself feel better. If not, he would be filled with regret.

Yes, the commander-in-chief of the rebellion army, Korod was very regret now.

He regretted betraying the alliance agreement that Kant had given him with extremely generous conditions.

After betraying Kant's very formal alliance agreement, Korod tried to lead the South County rebellion army to seek refuge with Cameron, Duke of Leo. He used the land that they "controlled" and the number of soldiers as bargaining chips. They sought the identity of a noble, but like the nobles of South County of Seria Castle, they were mercilessly rejected by Duke of Leo.

If Cameron accepted them, it would undoubtedly be a challenge to the order of the noble class.

Rebels like them were the existence that all the nobles loathed the most. Their own actions were a challenge to the rationality of the noble ruling this world. If Grand Duke Cameron really gave them the title of nobility, then this world that was ruled by the noble families might completely fall into chaos.

Once that was a precedent, more would come. If the South County rebellion army was able to successfully turn from a slave into a noble through a rebellion, then the slaves of the other kingdoms and dukedoms might follow suit.

Therefore, from the moment they started the rebellion, their ending was already destined.

After being rejected by the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, the commander of the rebellion army, Korod, expressed his intention to surrender to the four top noble families in South County, but the ending was equally tragic.

With the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, and the four top noble families leading the way, the other nobles in South County all expressed their condemnation of the rebellion army in South County. The noble families naturally called them the rebel army. They swore that as long as Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, summoned to take the rebellion army, they would definitely send their private army to support them.

Under such circumstances, the commander of the rebellion army of South County and the other commanders were like the nobles in Seria Castle, completely falling into the abyss of despair.

Although they had "occupied" half of the land of South County, these lands were almost in ruins, unable to provide them with any follow-up support.

This was because the population had already been completely massacred or swept away by them.

After being rejected by Grand Duke Cameron and the four top-tier noble families of the South County, Korod had once tried to lead the rebellion army to cross the other half of the South County, crossed the Resniston River, and returned to the land of the Silver Platter Kingdom.

In Korod's opinion, the silver platter kingdom, which had already fallen into chaos, might have a place for him to stand.

However, his actions were treated as another round of invasion by the high-level nobles of the South County. The strength of the high-level nobles was far surpassed that of the middle-level noble represented by Viscount Kemil.

Moreover, their private soldiers were not like Viscount Kemil's. Most of them had been drawn out to form an alliance of noble forces that wanted to conquer the North County.

Chapter 547: Clean Up

Therefore, Korod's rebellion army had undoubtedly suffered an extremely painful blow.

The elite heavy cavalries gathered by several high-level noble families in the South County were simply not something they could easily deal with.

They had only managed to escape after leaving behind 5,000 corpses. In reality, the main reason was that the other party did not intend to chase after them.

The nobles were afraid of Baron Kant's power, so they kept these rebel scum as a barrier to stop Baron Kant from going south.

The commander-in-chief of the southern County rebellion army, Korod, was completely drunk tonight.

After hearing the rumor that Kant had defected to the devil, he personally broke the alliance agreement that Kant had promised him a generous reward. However, he was at a loss at this moment, not knowing what the future of his rebellion army was.

Even though he was drunk, the regret was still haunting Korod.

The night was getting darker.

The wind started to blow.

Suddenly, the camp of the rebellion army that was housed in the abandoned farm suddenly lit up.

In the camp of the rebellion army, cries filled the air.

This fire naturally would not be lit up for no reason.

Not far away from the camp of the rebellion army, Rolf led over 1,600 desert bandits and crazily fired rockets into the camp.

After all the rockets were fired, Rolf ordered all the desert bandits to retreat.

The next day, the rebellion army soldiers of South County were burned to death by a huge fire.

The originally 30,000-man strong rebellion army only had 25,000 people left.

Luckily, the fire last night started from the other end of the grain they had placed. This gave the rebellion army a chance to save their grain.

If not, this bunch of useless soldiers without grain might immediately mutiny.

These 25,000 plus people were exhausted. Many of them had escaped, but they had lost their weapons and defensive equipment.

Panic spread amongst them.

Although Korod was rescued by his subordinates last night, he felt terrified and uneasy facing this horrible situation.

He had a premonition that Rolf had already set his eyes on the rebellion army.

In the eyes of Korod, Rolf was a man who was as terrifying as a demon.

Rolf had once planned a night raid for them, allowing the rebellion army to wipe out almost 5,000 elite heavy cavalry soldiers of South County noble alliance army.

In the eyes of Korod, this was a glorious achievement.

After experiencing the Silver Platter Kingdom's invasion on the Dukedom of Leo 11 years ago, he knew very well how terrifying the 5,000 heavy cavalry soldiers of the Dukedom of Leo were on the plains of the South County.

Reality proved that it was true.

Yesterday, they had been swept and ravaged by the nearly 5,000 heavy cavalries of the high-ranking nobles in the South County. Their 35,000-man rebellion army had decreased to 30,000 men.

The more terrifying the heavy cavalry was, the more terrifying Rolf was.

The fire last night seemed to be Rolf's handiwork.

Just as Korod was panicking, the earth shook violently.

"Look, the heavy cavalries of the South County's noble family is chasing us!"

"Oh my god, we're finished!"

"Sob, sob, sob, I don't want to die, I'm only 16 years old this year!"

In the distant horizon, a black mass of cavalries rapidly charged towards the rebellion army.

The rebellion army soldiers who were crushed by the South County's heavy cavalries yesterday had a deep fear of them.

"Look, that's not the heavy cavalries of the Southern County! Their flag is a red-bottomed golden lion!"

"Red-bottomed golden lion?"

"Oh my god, that's Baron Kant's flag!"

"Baron Kant's soldiers are even more terrifying than the heavy cavalry of the noble of South County!"

The rebellion army was extremely flustered and did not have a precise formation.

"Run! They're charging at us!"

"Retreat, retreat!"

"Run, run, just like yesterday!"

Many of the rebellion army soldiers and even their commanders started to run. Yesterday, they had successfully escaped the massacre of the heavy cavalries of the noble families. Now that they had experience, they all escaped without a doubt.

However, their speed was very slow. After all, they did not have a good rest last night and were very tired.

Korod looked at the chaos of the rebellion army soldiers who were all focused on running for their lives.

He closed his eyes in despair.

He was once a noble of the Silver Platter Kingdom, and he had participated in the invasion of the Silver Platter Kingdom against the Dukedom of Leo eleven years ago. He had fought with the heavy cavalries of the Dukedom of Leo many times.

Korod deeply understood that the heavy cavalry army was not invincible.

As long as the infantrymen army contracted closely enough and formed a dense square formation, they would be able to contend against the heavy cavalry army. Even if they were eventually crushed, they would definitely be able to cause great losses to the heavy cavalry army.

However, escaping like this would give the heavy cavalry army a chance to reap their lives.

The heavy cavalry army always like the running enemies.

Korod did not escape with the soldiers of the rebellion army. He pulled out the sword at his waist.

He placed it directly on his neck.

"If I can make a new choice, even if Baron Kant really defected to the devil, I, Korod, will never betray him!"

As Korod said this, his eyes were filled with regret and tears of attachment to life.

The opportunity he once had was buried by his own hands.

Looking at the cavalry troop that was getting closer and closer, the tremors on the ground became even more intense. Korod slashed fiercely, and a small part of his neck was directly cut off by the sharp blade. Fresh blood gushed out like spring water.

"Hmph! It's too easy for you!"

"Bah!"

Rolf rode on his warhorse and stood side by side with the 50 Swadian Royal Knights in the front row. Seeing Korod committed suicide with his own eyes, he snorted coldly on the horse.

Forming an alliance with the rebellion army was Rolf's idea. Although he was initially prepared to trap the rebellion army, in the end, His Highness Lord Kant allowed him to truly form an alliance with these b*stards. Although this was different from Rolf's original intention, this was also his highness Kant's recognition of him.

After all, the idea of forming an alliance was the first idea that Rolf came up with and carried it out.

In Rolf's opinion, his highness Kant was too generous and merciful to these b*stards. Rolf was also a noble, so he naturally understood the tragic ending and outcome of such rebellion army.

However, this d*mn Korod actually betrayed the alliance and His Highness Lord Kant. From the extermination order that His Highness Kant gave to these bastards, Rolf Knew How Furious His Highness Kant was about this matter.

Looking at the scattered rebellion army b*stards who were running for their lives, a bloodthirsty glint flashed in Rolf's eyes. He raised the scimitar in his hand and shouted fiercely, "Kill these b*stards! For His Highness Lord Kant's honor!"

Many cavalries, including 50 Swadian Royal Knights, 2,000 Swadian Light Cavalries, 3,000 Swadian Heavy Cavalries, and 1,600 desert bandits, all had their killing intent boiling as they shouted fiercely,

"Kill! For the honor of His Highness Lord Kant!"

"Kill! For the honor of His Highness Lord Kant!"

"Kill! For the honor of His Highness Lord Kant!"

Chapter 548: Obtained Fertile Land

[ Ding... your subordinates destroyed 30,000 enemy troops with 43 soldiers, obtained a fertile land. ]

[ Evaluation acquired: Epic Victory. ]

[ Reputation obtained x 1,000 points. ]

[ Reputation obtained x 2 points. ]

In the barracks at the south city gate of Lionheart City, Kant suddenly received such a system prompt.

"Looks like Rolf has wiped out the rebellion army that had betrayed the alliance."

Firentis had already reported to him via the crystal ball that he had conquered Seria Castle. He had not received any comment from the system on that battle -- unless it was a battle that was required by the system quest, only battles that had reached epic victory or above then would the system give a comment.

"My lord, General Firentis has sent a message. He proposes to have General Rolf inspect the South County, while he returns to the North County to clean up the North County's noble families. He wants to ensure that the North County is completely under your control."

A mage walked over and reported to Kant.

"Yes!"

"Also, Tell Firentis that Baron Dylan can be eliminated!"

Kant thought for a while and agreed to Firentis's suggestion.

The mage continued, "Lord, according to the report from the spies, the original target of knight orders from various sects was the Sargoth Fortress in the East County. But they have changed their route and set their target at Lionheart City."

Kant looked at the heavy rain that was gradually subsiding and nodded, "As expected! I didn't deliberately hide myself in Lionheart City. With the strength of those sects, it's not difficult to get this news."

"Is there any other news?"

The mage shook his head and replied, "Lord, no more!"

Kant looked at the weather that was gradually clearing up and said, "Then you may leave!"

After the mage who was in charge of exchanging information through various channels had left, Kant said to a Swadian Royal Knight who was standing beside him,

"Go and inform Baheshtur to meet see me to discuss the matter of attacking the War Temple."

The War Temple was located in the Western District of Lionheart City, south of the west city gate.

As the sect that the entire Dukedom of Leo believed in -- the number one temple of the God of War sect in the Dukedom of Leo -- the War Temple of Lionheart City was built like a small city. It occupied a large piece of land in the Western District.

Overall, War Temple had its back against the western city wall of Lionheart City, and the door was facing east.

Within the tall courtyard wall, there were seven temples arranged in a strict manner.

The one in the center was the main hall of the War Temple. It was facing east and worshipped the God of War's statue. It was also the representative of the God of War on the earth -- the residence of the war priests.

On the north and south sides of the main hall of the War Temple, there were two side halls. There were four side halls in total, and they were all named War Knight Halls.

These four side halls were prepared for the strongest armed force of the war shrine -- the war knight order. The four side halls could accommodate war knight order, which was 8,000 people.

However, there were only five war knight orders in the War Temple. Four of them had been wiped out by Kant yesterday, leaving only one war knight order.

Behind the main hall of the War Temple, on the west side, a hall was built against the west city wall of Lionheart City. This hall was the most mysterious building in the War Temple. It was said that only the most devout believers of the God of War were qualified to enter.

To the east of the main hall of the War Temple, there was a hall that was smaller than the War Knight Hall. Like the main hall, it was facing east.

This great hall was the gate of the War Temple. It was called the guard hall of War Temple. There were 1,000 powerful infantrymen, the guards of the war shrine stationed there. The north and south sides of this great hall were directly connected to the high walls of the courtyard. If people wanted to enter the War Temple to worship, they had to pass through the corridor on the first floor of the guard hall of War Temple.

At this moment, in the main hall of the War Temple, 300 war priests gathered here. They prayed devoutly and offered the purest faith. They used the power of faith to forge a bridge of communication, allowing the high priest to communicate with the god.

After a long time, the high priest finished communicating with the god.

The high priest said solemnly, "Oracle: Baron Kant is about to attack. We will fight to the death!"

Even though the priests were standing in front of the statue of the God of War, their faces were pale.

Just like the oracle yesterday, they did not understand it. They did not understand the oracle today either.

Why did the War Temple insist on fighting Baron Kant to the death?

Baron Kant was so powerful that the 200 priests who participated in the battle yesterday could not help but feel terrified when they thought of the one-sided massacre in the heavy rain yesterday.

However, as the priests of the God of War who had a firm belief, they would never question the god they believed in.

They firmly believed that everything in the oracle was reasonable. If they did not understand, then it must be because of their own problems.

The god would not make a mistake!

At this moment, there were very few soldiers available in the War Temple.

There were only 1,000 war knights, 1,000 guards of War Temple, 300 war priests, and 200 reserve war priests. Such strength is inferior to that of the four knight orders of yesterday.

Whoo...

In the main hall of War Temple, the high priest blew the bugle of war.

All the soldiers and priests gathered, waiting for the attack of Baron Kant.

The guard hall of War Temple was the door of the War Temple, but also its defensive barriers.

The War Temple did not have archers, but the long-range destructive divine spell of the war priests was not to be underestimated.

Not long after the War Temple took the initiative to prepare for battle, Kant led his army and arrived.

In front of the War Temple was a wide square, but there were no believers gathered here.

Kant's army was arranged in formation on this square.

There were 850 Rhodok Sergeants held broad shields and stood at the front, followed closely by Rhodok Sharpshooters, mages, mage apprentices, Vaegir Marksmen, and Ravenstern Rangers.

The cavalries were spread out on the two wings. If the knights of War Temple dared to rush out, these cavalries would ruthlessly kill them again.

"Lord, it seems that the War Temple is prepared!"

Baheshtur rode on his warhorse and followed Kant. He looked at the situation of the War Temple and said to Kant.

"It's okay, it's just a dying struggle!"

"Their army is too small!" Kant looked at the closed gate of the War Temple and 1,000 war guards and replied.

The 1,000 war guardians were placed directly outside the War Temple as the first barrier.

Chapter 549: Priest's Divine Spell of War

At the same time, Kant also saw the War Temple's priest behind a small window on the second floor of the guard hall of War Temple.

At this time, in the main hall of the War Temple, the statue of the God of War was covered with a thick layer of blood-red light. This blood-red light carried a holy aura and spread out from the statue towards the outside of the main hall of the War Temple.

It enveloped the entire guard hall of War Temple, as well as the 1,000 soldiers in front of the guard hall of War Temple.

The moment they were enveloped by this red light, the soldiers roared out in pain.

Their auras were also increasing rapidly.

At the start, Kant estimated that these soldiers of War Temple were only at the level 4 level 5 troop class. However, after being enveloped by the red light, their auras were already at the level 5 troop class, they were not far from Kant's Rhodok Sergeants.

"Divine spell of war: Golden Spear Iron Horse!"

Suddenly, a uniform voice rang out from the hundreds of small windows on the 2nd floor of the War Temple.

These were the divine spell of war used by the war priests.

A number of gold-armored knights appeared out of thin air in front of the guards of War Temple. Beneath them was silver-gray warhorses, which looked like it was made of iron.

These knights emitted an aura similar to that of a level 5 troop class.

However, there were nearly a thousand of them.

Each War Temple priest cast a divine spell of war and summoned three golden-armored knights.

These knights were silent as they charged toward Kant's army. They looked like they were charging, but their speed was only equivalent to an ordinary person's jogging speed.

However, their silent aura was very intimidating.

Kant did not send his knights to deal with these golden weapons and iron horses. Instead, he gave an order, "Mages, use Nature Summon!"

Five hundred mages immediately accepted the order. In just a moment, 2,500 golems appeared in front of Rhodok Segeants.

Summoning versus summoning, they were evenly matched.

They all looked tough, strong, and slow.

Kant looked at the war priests hiding on the second floor of the guard hall of War Temple and continued to give orders, "Rhodok Sharpshooters, target the war priests on the second floor of the guard hall of War Temple. Fire!"

The range of the war priest was only 150 meters. They could not cast a divine spell on Kant's army, which was more than two hundred meters away. However, Rhodok Sharpshooters, who had a range of three hundred meters, could kill them.

Pu, Pu, Pu!

Rhodok Sharpshooters were all excellent crossbow masters. Their accuracy exceptionally good.

At this moment, the war priests were watching the battle from a small window. They did not expect that Kant's army would have many terrifying crossbow masters with attack range of more than 200 meters. They did not put up any defense at all.

In just one round of shooting, the war priests suffered heavy casualties.

Out of 300 war priests, more than 200 were killed.

No matter how strong the war priests were, the dead war priests were not worth mentioning.

The Golden Spear Iron Horses that the war priests summoned was much stronger than the golems.

This was because they were enveloped by the red light, which greatly increased their combat power. The Golden Spear Iron Horses that they summoned was even stronger.

However, in terms of numbers, the number of Golden Spear Iron Horses was much less than that of the golems.

A Golden Spear Iron Horse could split two or three golems apart, and its body would also be smashed into pieces by the other golems.

These summoned creatures would disappear as soon as they 'died'.

As a result, the number of Golden Spear Iron Horses and golems became fewer and fewer, but there were no corpses of them on the ground.

When only the summoned creatures were decreased to a single digit number in the middle of the square, Kant gave another order, "All troops advance, Ravenstern Rangers, pay attention to the war priests on the opposite side. If anyone shows up, immediately shoot them!"

Kant's army slowly advanced. The guards of the War Temple on the opposite side did not wait for the support of their own priests' spells. They all roared in unison, "Kill, for the honor of God of War, Edmund!"

Following that, they advanced in unison towards Kant's army.

Kant waited until the distance between the two armies was 50 meters before he gave another order:

"Rhodok Sharpshooters, the target is the guards of War Temple on the opposite side!"

"Vaegir Marksmen, fire in unison, the target is the guards as well!"

Rhodok Sharpshooters who used siege crossbow were too terrifying compared to the infantrymen of this world.

Even a siege crossbow could penetrate a tower shield within 50 meters, let alone the round shield of the guards of War Temple? Rhodok Sharpshooters shot down more than 200 guards of War Temple in one round.

The round shield was not a tower shield. It could not completely cover the bodies of the War Temple's guards. Hence, when being attacked by the arrows from Vaegir Marksmen, they suffered heavy casualties. More than 100 of them died.

The reason for this was naturally because the Vaegir Marksmen shot out very dense arrows.

After a round of rain of arrows, one-third of the guards of War Temple died. However, their morale did not decrease at all. When they saw that the archers of their opponents were terrifying, they took advantage of the time when the archers were reloading to speed up their advance. Kant also had a hint of admiration for such an army.

Admiration was one thing, but since they were enemies, then let them be the best enemies -- dead enemies!

When the two armies were ten meters away from each other, another wave of arrow rain took away more than 400 guards of War Temple.

Even though there were only around 200 soldiers left, they still fearlessly advanced towards Kant's army.

"Ravenstern Rangers, send these respectable opponents to the afterlife!"

The 350 Ravenstern Rangers fired a round of shots, killing all the guards of War Temple.

After more than 40 were killed by the Ravenstern Rangers, the remaining 60 war priests didn't take the opportunity to show themselves.

Hiding behind the wall, they didn't understand the ever-changing situation on the battlefield.

"Very good!"

"Ravenstern Rangers, continue to keep an eye on those war priests! 300 Rhodok Sergeants, step out!"

"Every 150 Rhodok Sergeants will be responsible for one siege log. You guys use two siege logs and blast open the gate of War Temple!"

Kant ordered methodically.

Other than Nature Summon, he did not use the strength of the mages.

He did not forget that his system quest required him to capture the God of War.

The God of War had become a god 7,000 years ago. He did not know how powerful it was.

It was better to reserve some power.

The power of the mages was not like that of the warriors. Their spells were limited to a certain number of times per day.

Boom!

Boom!

An earth-shattering explosion reverberated throughout the War Temple.

After the remaining 60 war priests showed up without fear of death, 30 of them were killed by the Ravenstern Rangers. The rest refused to show up no matter what.

Behind the guard hall of War Temple, 1,000 knights were already ready to attack.

As soon as Kant and the others broke through the city gate and entered the guard hall of the War Temple, they immediately launched an attack. At this time, they had shortened the distance to launch an attack because of the red light.

This time, they would launch an intensive, or suicidal attack. As much as possible, they would exhaust Kant's army in the passage on the first floor of the guard hall of the War Temple, which was only 10 meters wide.

For the god they believed in, they were not afraid to die.

Chapter 550: Break Through the War Temple

Boom!

Boom!

Rhodok Sergeants carried two siege logs with a diameter of three meters and a length of more than ten meters, they bombarded the gate of the War Temple fiercely.

No matter how strong the gate was, it could not withstand the continuous impact of the two siege logs.

The gate of the War Temple collapsed after being bombarded for ten minutes by 300 Rhodok Sergeants carrying siege logs.

Behind the collapsed gate was a long corridor. Through the corridor, one could see the knights who were ready to leave.

"Hmm, there are knights hidden in the War Temple?"

Kant thought that besides the priests on the second floor of War Temple, had all the fighting forces in War Temple been emptied by him?

"Lord, these knights are arranged in the square of War Temple. They are definitely not here for us to watch."

Baheshtur looked at the knights and thought for a while. Suddenly, he said to Kant with a serious expression.

Seeing that Kant had turned his attention to him, Baheshtur continued, "In my opinion, these knights will definitely launch a fierce charge when we enter the tunnel of the guard hall. After learning a lesson from the battle with our knights yesterday, they will definitely not charge like yesterday."

Kant frowned slightly, "I can see that the people of War Temple seem to have the determination to die. I'm afraid that they want to wait until we enter the tunnel before they launch an attack, turning themselves into a torrent of steel to deal a fatal blow to us."

Baheshtur nodded, "Lord, you are wise!"

Kant looked at the knights on the opposite side of the tunnel and felt a slight headache.

The other party was obviously scheming. If they wanted to enter War Temple, they had to pass through the tunnel on the first floor of the guard hall of War Temple.

"I can let the mages use Nature Summon and let the golems be cannon fodders. However, these spells are reserved for the True God, the God of War. It would be a waste to use them here."

For a moment, Kant, who was unwilling to let his army suffer too many losses, could not think of any effective methods.

"Baheshtur, do you have any good suggestions that can prevent our army from suffering too much loss and successfully pass through this tunnel?"

Baheshtur frowned and pondered for a moment. He said with some hesitation, "Can we send the Rhodok Sharpshooters into the tunnel and wait until the distance is right before directly firing the siege crossbow?"

Kant shook his head and said, "This tunnel is only 15 meters wide. The enemy's 15 knights can occupy the entire tunnel. Look at the knights in the front row. They are all wrapped in iron armor and have extremely strong defense. The Rhodok Sharpshooters can only kill them within 50 meters. Moreover, I am sure that the 15 knights in the front row are all grand knights. In this way, at a distance of 50 meters, they are very likely to be able to block the arrows of the Rhodok Sharpshooters."

"This method of yours won't work. This is sending Rhodok Sharpshooters to death."

Every Rhodok Sharpshooter held a siege crossbow, and their attacks were extremely powerful. Kant would never allow them to be buried together with the war knight order of War Temple so easily.

For a moment, both of them fell silent.

"With only two of us, we are short-sighted. With a group of people, we might be able to think of a way. Baheshtur, spread this problem to the entire army. See if anyone can think of another method?"

"If they have a good idea, get that soldier to come over and explain it to me directly!"

"Yes, Lord Kant!"

Baheshtur received the order and left.

Soon, the entire army knew of the difficulties they were facing. Kant and his army were just outside the War Temple's main hall, trying to think of a way to break the situation.

Soon, a mage walked over and said respectfully to Kant, "My lord, I have a way!"

"Speak!"

"As long as we, the mages, cast the Nature Summon and let the golems walk in front of the army, we don't have to be afraid of the enemy's desperate charge!"

Kant smiled and shook his head, saying, "Although this method is feasible, I need you to keep this last Nature Summon and not use it lightly."

The mage was disappointed and respectfully took his leave.

After a while, a Ravenstern Ranger came over and respectfully said to Kant, "Respected Lord Kant, I have an idea!"

"Oh, tell me about it!"

"We Ravenstern Rangers can ride on warhorses and retreat into the tunnel. When the war knight order charge to 100 meters, we can turn around and shoot them with extreme precision. At the same time, we can urge the horses to run so that the enemy can't catch up to us. When they charge out of the tunnel, that will be the end of them."

Kant thought this was a good idea and gave it a try.

However, it was not feasible.

The tunnel was only 15 meters wide. The horses had to go backwards, which needed more space, so it could only fit 10 horses side by side. Moreover, only the last row of Raventern Rangers could shoot arrows. The rest of the Raventern Rangers needed to make space for the horses to accelerate, so they were further apart from each other.

The horses slowly retreated into the tunnel. It didn't take long for the Raventern Rangers to notice this problem.

They left dejectedly.

After a while, a Swadian Royal Knight came to Kant's side.

"My lord, I have thought of an idea. I wonder if it will work?"

"Tell me first!"

"This War Temple is so big. Can we push it to a section of the wall and open a gap to enter from there?"

Kant shook his head after hearing this, "The walls of the War Temple are ten meters tall and five meters thick. There are hard rocks inside. With our siege weapons, it will be difficult to push it in."

The Swadian Royal Knight returned to the army in disappointment.

After that, no soldier had thought of a way.

Kant thought to himself, "Should we use the mages' Natural Summon?"

But Kant was a little unwilling.

If he used the mages' natural summon, what else he could use as cannon fodder and shield when facing the God of War? Could he use the level 5 troop class, Rhodok Sergeants?

Kant, who was in a dilemma, looked up and immediately saw the two pieces of siege logs that Rhodok Sergeants had unloaded.

Instantly, his eyes lit up!

Got It!

Got the method!

The siege log was three meters in diameter and ten meters in length. It was extremely thick and heavy.

It required 150 Rhodok Sergeants to lift it easily. Rhodok Sergeant was a level 5 troop class soldier, and their strength was as great as an ox.

Chapter 551: The Ancient Ballad

In order to take down War Temple, Kant had prepared four siege logs.

When placing the four siege logs side by side, they were 12 meters wide.

As for the three-meter diameter siege logs, even if they were placed on the ground and placed side by side, the gap between them would allow Rhodok Sergeants to fight with his arms around his waist.

If 600 Rhodok Sergeants were to carry four siege logs into the tunnel, the distance between each siege log was only about half a meter. It was definitely not enough for a warhorse to pass through.

This difficult problem that had troubled Kant for half a day had been solved by Kant. Kant could not help but feel extremely happy.

"You want to attack my army?"

"Attack the log!"

Kant immediately began to give orders, "Pass down the order: 600 Rhodok Sergeants step out and divide into four teams of 150 people, each team carrying a piece of siege log. Enter the tunnel on the first floor of the guard hall side by side!"

"Humph! I want to see if you still want to charge or not?"

Very quickly, four pieces of siege logs with a diameter of 10 meters and a length of 10 meters were carried by 600 Rhodok Sergeants. They lined up and entered the tunnel, almost filling up the entire tunnel.

"All soldiers, listen up. Follow behind the siege logs and enter the War Temple!"

In the War Temple, the members of the fifth war knight order had already made up their minds to die.

For the God of War, Edmund, they were fearless in the face of death.

As long as they could help the God of War, Edmund, and cause his enemies to suffer heavy losses, they were willing to die.

At first, they saw that Kant's army, who had destroyed the gate of the guard hall of War Temple, they did not dare to step into the tunnel of the guard hall of War Temple. They could not help but admire the high priest who had thought of this strategy.

They even thought that Baron Kant's terrifying army would retreat just because they were guarding this end of the guard hall of War Temple.

But now, looking at the four siege logs that were like a wooden wall, the members of the fifth knight order felt a sense of despair in their hearts.

Do they still have to face death and charge?

Charge at the four siege logs and crash into them?

At this moment, the high priest of War Temple walked down from the second floor of War Temple.

She came to the front of the fifth knight order and said to the leader of the fifth war knight order, "Oracle: Surrender to Baron Kant!"

There was an indescribable sadness in her voice.

As her words fell, the red light that had enveloped the fifth war knight order slowly retreated into the main hall of War Temple.

"High priest!"

Suddenly, the commander of the fifth war knight order exclaimed.

The high priest of War Temple who was standing in front of him -- the spokesperson of the God of War on the earth -- suddenly had tears of blood flowing out of the corners of her eyes.

Blood-red flames were burning all over her body.

She was using the purest faith as fuel to ignite her own flames.

Amidst the blood-red flames, the high priest of the War Temple sang an ancient ballad.

The stars fell on the earth,
the ancient gods fell and died,
the traitors stolen the power,
the Heaven and Earth became a prison,
all of the struggles,
would be in vain,
the demons laughed in the abyss,
the world fell.

When the high priest finished singing the ancient ballad, the blood-red flames gradually burned her. When the wind blew, nothing was left.

Four siege logs were slowly carried out of the tunnel by 600 Rhodok Sergeants.

When Kant led his army out of the tunnel, they were not attacked at all, which made Kant very surprised.

He was very clear that these War Temple soldiers were determined to die, so why didn't they take the opportunity to attack them?

The charge in the tunnel was useless, but after they came out, these knights could still attack them.

"Rhodok Sergeants, carry the siege log to the aside!"

This siege log blocked the charge of the knights and blocked Kant's vision.

As the siege logs was carried to the two sides, a scene that Kant couldn't believe appeared in front of his eyes.

A thousand members of the war knight order who were originally riding warhorses dismounted at this moment and stood beside their warhorses.

A grand knight suddenly left the knight order formation and came before Kant's army.

He suddenly faced Kant, knelt on one knee, and said, "The fifth war knight order, surrender to the Honorable Lord Kant!"

Kant was at a loss. Why did the fifth war knight order suddenly surrender to him?

"Why did you surrender?" Kant sat on his warhorse and asked in a deep voice.

"This is an oracle!"

Oracle? Was this the will of the God of War himself?

Kant believed it.

These knights were all devout believers of the God of War. This could be seen from the fact that they were able to maintain high morale despite being at an absolute disadvantage. They were not afraid of dying and had to fight against Kant's army.

Kant was very clear that the God of War was in this War Temple. The system's mission was not given for free.

If the God of War was not in there, how could the system let Kant capture him?

"Baheshtur, send someone to disarm them. Send 100 Rhodok Sergeants to guard them. If there are any unusual movements, kill them without mercy!" Kant ordered directly.

"Yes, Lord!"

At this moment, 30 war priests and 200 reserve war priests came down from the second floor of the guard hall of War Temple. Because of the surrender of the war knights, the Ravenstern Rangers only pointed their arrows at them, but did not shoot.

"War Temple priest, surrender to the Honorable Lord Kant!"

Kant nodded and immediately agreed.

Needless to say, the war priest who was more pious than the members of the war knight order was willing to surrender because of the so-called oracle.

"Do you know where the God of War Is?"

Kant asked the priests of the God of War. If they knew, Kant would not have to search.

"We don't know. If it's the high priest, she should know."

"High priest?"

"Where is she?"

"The high priest is gone!"

Kant nodded and asked Baheshtur to send people to guard these priests and reserve priests.

Kant thought that of the 300 priests, only 30 were left. The high priest must have been shot to death.

Chapter 552: Encounters In the Divine Kingdom

After failing to find the main hall in the center of War Temple, Kant led his army to the west side of War Temple, in front of the mysterious temple with its back against the city wall.

This was a gothic-style building. On the walls on both sides of the temple's door, there were many lifelike reliefs.

The most amazing thing was that when Kant arrived in front of the temple, the closed door of the temple automatically opened.

What made Kant feel strange was that the temple that had opened the door was empty.

After a moment, a majestic red light flowed out from the opened door. This red light flowed on the ground as if it was laying a carpet to welcome Kant's arrival.

"Enter the formation!"

Kant did not care about the red light. No matter what kind of arena the god of war set up, Kant himself had a huge amount of power, so there was no need to be afraid.

Rhodok Sergeants were at the front, slowly entering the temple.

Kant and Baheshtur led the knights and mages, following closely behind.

Next were Rhodok Sharpshooters, Vaegir Marksmen, and the Ravenstern Rangers.

When Kant entered the temple, his view suddenly changed. He found that he was not in a palace, but in a wilderness.

"Is this an illusion? Or what?"

Kant thought in confusion.

Although the temple was huge, it was impossible to reach this level. This wilderness seemed to have a radius of four to five kilometers, which was much larger than the entire war temple. Further away, there was a red glow.

Kant got off the warhorse and pulled up a blade of grass on the ground.

The fresh green grass did not look fake at all. The soil at the roots of the grass had a unique wet smell.

A breeze blew out. Kant closed his eyes and felt the breeze. It felt very real.

"Could this be the divine kingdom of the God of War, Edmund?"

Kant thought in disbelief.

Kant knew a little about the divine kingdom. The divine kingdom rose high into the sky and turned into the stars in the sky. He had never heard of a divine kingdom on earth.

"Lord, look. There is a building ahead!"

At this moment, Baheshtur's words interrupted Kant's thoughts.

Kant looked in the direction Baheshtur was pointing. His strength was far stronger than Baheshtur's, so he could see it more clearly. It was a gathering place that looked like a village.

Many figures were walking in it. At the edge of the village, there were even some lambs eating the grass on the ground in the surrounding wilderness.

"Go and have a look!" Kant said.

Then Kant got back on his warhorse and ordered the troops to move towards the village.

The warhorse under him was running on the plain that looked like nature, and it seemed to be very happy. This once again confirmed that this was probably not an illusion.

The land was flat and covered with green grass, so the troops moved very fast.

After a while, Kant arrived at the edge of the village.

However, when Kant approached the village, a group of knights dressed like the war knight order suddenly rushed out of the village.

A man who was sleeping on the grass, who looked like a shepherd, woke up after the cavalry rushed out of the village.

As soon as he woke up, he saw Kant's army.

The shepherd roared "intruder" and a red light surged out of his body. The red light turned into his horse, the weapon in his hand, and the armor on his body.

In front of Kant, the shepherd instantly completed his "transformation" and became a knight. His strength had also changed from an ordinary person to a grand knight at the peak of strength.

Very quickly, this knight had joined the team that had charged out from the knight order of war.

There were close to a hundred people in this team, and all of them had the aura of peak grand knight. They were not any weaker than Kant's Swadian Royal Knight and Sarleon Lion Knight.

However, their numbers were too few. They were not enough.

Although they were powerful, they were nothing in Kant's eyes. Kant cared about the way they appeared.

If Kant's guess was right, these knights were all ordinary villagers.

It was very likely that they were like the man who herded the sheep. A red light surged out of their bodies, and they completed the transformation from an ordinary village to a powerful peak grand knight.

"Which noble's subordinates are you? We have already paid all the divine stones that we should have paid this month!"

At this moment, the knight at the front asked Kant and the others.

Noble?

Divine stones?

This should be the territory of the God of War. Why did they have to pay any noble stones to the noble?

These questions flashed through Kant's mind.

"I am Baron Kant! Let me ask you, what is this place? What is this divine stone you speak of?"

Kant directly opened his mouth and asked his questions.

If these people were willing to answer his questions, that would naturally be the best. If not, Kant did not care. He came here to find the God of War and to capture him.

"This is the domain of my god, the divine stone is..."

"Hm? You're an baron, how can you be so weak? Furthermore, my god did not send a decree to form an alliance with any Baron Kant."

"Looks like you guys are indeed invaders!"

As the knight spoke, his tone turned to anger.

"Knights, the domain of my god cannot be blasphemed, kill these invaders!"

The knight suddenly drew his knight sword and pointed it at Kant's army as he shouted.

"Kill these invaders!"

"Kill these invaders!"

Nearly a hundred peak grand knight soldiers shouted at the same time. Their aura was extremely terrifying.

Especially when Kant's army was so close to them.

However, their aura didn't have any impact on Kant's army's aura.

When the enemy was preparing to fight as if Kant and the others were "invaders" the battlefield automatically formed.

The "Glory. Bright Red Movement" on Kant's back began to shake violently, and a circle of red light spread out from the cloak, encompassing all of Kant's soldiers.

The "Glory. Bright Red Movement" passive special effect, the Bright Red Movement, was triggered, and all of Kant's soldiers' strength suddenly increased by 50%. At the same time, their morale began to rise slowly but steadily. The enemy's imposing manner did not have the slightest intimidation to them.

At this time, Kant had led his army to the outside of the village. These knights had rushed out of the village, so they were very close, only a dozen meters or so.

Chapter 553: More And More Enemies

At this distance, it wasn't suitable for knights to charge.

However, the dense formation was very suitable for Kant.

"Divine Domain" Kant whispered, and a circle of pure white light suddenly radiated from his body, this was a function of Divine Power, which was one of Kant's two extraordinary powers, the King's Power and the Divine Power.

This Divine Domain could greatly speed up the recovery speed of allies within the domain. It was very suitable for hand-to-hand combat like this.

"Rhodok Sharpshooter, Vaegir Marksmen, Ravenstern Rangers, fire!" Kant ordered in a rapid tone.

Pu! Pu! Pu!

The sound of arrows piercing through the air rang out. The 350 Rhodok Sharpshooters, 350 Vaegir Marksmen, and 350 Ravenstern Rangers fiercely shot out the arrows in their hands. The arrows turned into a black shadow as they shot towards the 100 grand knights in bright red armor, the grand knights who held knight swords in their hands shot out.

However, the peak grand knights were really not easy to deal with.

A thick red light suddenly burst out from the bodies of the 100 peak grand knights. The knight swords in their hands danced like a fan that wind could not penetrate through.

Whether it was Vaegir Marksmen's arrows or Ravenstern Rangers' arrows, they were all blocked by these 100 peak grand knights.

However, even if a peak grand knight was exceptionally powerful, being bombarded by Rhodok Sharpshooters' crossbows at a distance of 30 meters, they would definitely not be unharmed.

Especially when each peak grand knight faced more than one crossbow.

One hundred peak grand knights were instantly killed by Rhodok Sharpshooters' crossbow.

The remaining 60 plus peak grand knights were all injured.

"Hateful invaders! Kill them!"

The leader of the group had already been killed by Rhodok Sharpshooters, and one of the peak grand knights roared out in rage.

"Kill them!"

"Kill them!"

The rage of the peak grand knights grew even more intense.

They quickly charged towards Rhodok Sergeants at the front of Kant's troop.

The knight sword in the hands of the 60 plus grand knights glowed with a thick red light, as they slashed down viciously at the shields that Rhdok Sergeants were holding.

"Kacha!"

With the strength of a grand knight, a single slash could split the shield in the left hand of 60 Rhodok Sergeants.

But they had come to an end.

Rhodok Sergeants were in a dense formation.

These peak grand knights were riding on horses. Although they were able to split Rhodok Sergeants with their two-meter-long knight swords, they were still able to do so. However, each peak grand knight was obviously not facing a single Rhodok Sergeant.

Their knight sword brought with it a rich red light as it split the broad shields of Rhodok Sergeants. Immediately, a new broad shield blocked it.

At the same time, the hooks and sickles that the Rhodok Sergeants held in their right hands were definitely not scary.

They were designed to deal with knights.

Rhodok Sergeant was only a level 5 troop class, but they could be said to be the strongest level 5 troop class. This was because every Rhodok Sergeants had extremely high combat skills and could contend with a level 6 troop class.

At this moment, their strength had been strengthened by 50% once again on top of their original foundation under the passive effect of the Bright Red Movement. Their strength was no longer inferior to an ordinary grand knight.

Although the enemy were peak grand knights, each of them was not facing a Rhodok Sergeant.

After the enemy's peak grand knight broke one of the Rhodok Sergeants' broad shields, the strength of their swords was no longer enough to break the second broad shield.

At the same time, every opposing peak grand knight was attacked by five or six long-handled hooks.

Five or six long-handled hooks were like the scythe of the grim reaper, aiming at the neck of the peak grand knight.

These peak grand knights were indeed powerful, but facing the siege of the powerful Rhodok Sergeants, they could only end up in a miserable state.

Five or six Rhodok Sergeants fiercely pulled at the long sickles that were already in place. Immediately, fresh blood splattered everywhere, and a peak grand knight died.

The battle started very suddenly, but it also ended abruptly.

A hundred peak grand knights launched an attack, and they immediately met with the rain of arrows from Kant's army, losing more than thirty people.

They continued to charge, only launching one round of attacks, and then all of them were directly killed by Rhodok Sergeants.

However, they only managed to break 60 or so of Rhodok Sergeants' broad shields.

This battle was short, but it was tragic.

Kant's troop did not lose a single person.

The enemy was not weak, there was a hundred peak grand knights.

This was definitely a great result.

However, Kant was not happy.

This was because the corpses of the peak grand knights that died from the attacks turned into a ball of red light and disappeared after they fell to the ground.

There was nothing left on the ground.

There were no corpses, no warhorse, no weapons, no armor, not even blood.

At the same time, another group of knights rushed out of the village.

There were still a hundred of them.

Kant saw clearly that the person at the front was the one who had talked to him just now.

In this way, the one-sided victory just now was like a mirage and did not achieve any results.

These people who had already been killed once again blocked in front of Kant's troop.

However, it was not without results.

The strength of the 100 people on the other side was not at the peak level grand knight, but only at the high-level grand knight.

Their strength directly decreased by a large chunk.

When the enemy appeared again, Kant had already given a decisive order

"Rhodok Sharpshooters, Vaegir Marksmen, Ravenstern Rangers, fire!"

Hmph!

Kant's eyes were filled with ruthlessness, 'You can revive after you die? Then I'll let you die until you're as weak as a level 1 troop class.'

This time, the archers fired in unison, and the results were much better than before. Fifty grand knights were killed out of a hundred of them in an instant.

Only 40 remained to charge at the defensive formation formed by Rhodok Sergeants.

This time, they broke more than 40 broad shields.

More than 100 high-level grand knights were wiped out once again.

Just like before, there were no spoils of war.

Then, these guys had come back to life again.

They charged out of the village for the third time. This time, their strength was all at the middle-level grand knights.

When they appeared for the second time, Kant had already let the Swadian Royal Knights charge out from the side.

The Swadian Royal Knights who were the peak grand knights could kill these middle-level grand knights as easily as slaughtering pigs and dogs after their strength had been strengthened. Kant did not even want to continue losing his broad shield.

The enemy was completely wiped out for the third time. As expected, they rushed out from the village for the fourth time.

This was when Baheshtur suddenly said to Kant,

"Lord, the appearance of these people seems to be exactly the same as the reliefs on the walls on both sides of the temple we entered!"

Chapter 554: The God In the Village

When Kant heard Baheshtur's words, he carefully looked at the army that had been reduced to the initial stage of the grand knight and had rushed out of the village for the fourth time.

Kant had only roughly glanced at the relief sculptures on both sides of the temple at that time, but Kant's memory was very good. He had some faint memories on some special-looking faces.

Now that he looked carefully, and with the reminder of Baheshtur's words, he indeed found that among the troops that rushed out of the village, there were a few grand knights with unique features. They looked exactly the same as the relief sculptures on the walls on both sides of the temple gate that came in.

"What's going on?" Kant frowned slightly and asked Baheshtur with some doubt. He was the first to discover this point, and perhaps he would have his own opinion.

Baheshtur shook his head and said respectfully, "Lord, I'm not sure about this either. Lord, why don't you ask the mages. They should be more thorough in their research on extraordinary powers."

The Swadian Royal Knights charged forward and quickly killed the hundred enemy soldiers who had just charged out with the strength of the grand knights.

As expected, the corpses of these people who had been killed turned into a red light and disappeared once again.

Then, they charged out from the village for the fifth time. This time, their strength was only at the peak of the official knights.

Kant called over a mage, he asked, "These knights who charged out from the village have never died. Their appearances are exactly the same as the relief sculptures on the walls of the hall before we entered. Do you know what's going on?"

The mage thought carefully for a moment and said to Kant hesitantly, "We mages study the profound truth. Power comes from the insight into the truth of the world. It's a completely different field from the clergy."

Kant heard the mage's words and was very disappointed. "So, you don't know what's going on?"

The mage nodded and shook his head. He said to Kant in an uncertain tone, "Lord, I don't dare to answer you with certainty. This situation is somewhat similar to what I know."

Kant's eyes lit up slightly. He was confused about these people who could be resurrected even after they died. He asked the mage in a somewhat hurried tone, "What situation?"

The mage glanced at the official knights who were easily killed by the Swadian Royal Knights, he said respectfully to Kant, "Lord, these people who can be resurrected from the dead are very much like a clergyman -- holy spirit."

"holy spirit?"

"Yes, holy spirit?"

Kant had never heard of this term. He only knew about priests and pastors. There were also ascetics in some churches, but he had never heard of the holy spirit.

"What is the holy spirit?" Kant's tone was filled with curiosity. To be able to come back from the dead, this ability was simply too abnormal.

"It is said that the holy spirit is the most devout believer of the gods. It was personally brought to the Divine Kingdom by the gods to change jobs. It can directly use the power of faith and is the most powerful force in the hands of the gods." The mage paused then continued, "If it is in the Divine Kingdom of the gods, the holy spirit is an immortal existence. Even if the gods sent it out of the Divine Kingdom, the fallen holy spirit can still be resurrected in the Divine Kingdom of the gods."

Kant heard the mage's explanation and nodded. These people who had never died were somewhat similar to the mage when he spoke of the holy spirit.

However, the God of War, Edmund, did not ascend the Divine Kingdom.

Otherwise, such a major event would definitely be recorded.

Kant thought so and asked the wizard, "Do you know what the Divine Kingdom Is?"

The mage respectfully said to Kant, "Lord, the Divine Realm is a demiplane that was created when the gods did not have the ability to ascend the Divine Kingdom. It is the predecessor of the Divine Kingdom."

"No wonder!" Kant nodded.

These people who kept dying and resurrecting were most likely the holy spirits of the God of War, Edmund.

When they had asked the priests and knights of the War Temple who had surrendered, they had said that only the most devout believers of the God of War were qualified to enter the temple where they had entered.

This was very suitable for the holy spirit's job transition.

The God of War had been a god for 7,000 years, but he had only accumulated 100 holy spirits in this Divine Realm. It could be seen how devout the faith of the holy spirit before the job transition was.

Kant looked at the army who had died and resurrected again and continued to ask the mage, "Is there any way to completely kill the holy spirit?"

The mage's tone was solemn as he replied, "Lord, if you want to completely kill the holy spirit, there's only one way!"

"What way?" Kant's tone was slightly excited as he asked. Although these guys were getting weaker and weaker, they kept resurrecting, and directly blocked the entrance of the village, preventing his troop from entering to search.

The mage's expression became solemn, and his tone was very heavy, "Slaughter the god!"

Uh...

Kant was helpless when he heard this answer. It was precisely because these guys had been blocking the entrance that his army could not enter and search for the whereabouts of the God of War.

They had no choice but to kill these guys over and over again. Looking at the situation, their strength had been decreasing, and there would come a time when they would be reduced to the strength of ordinary people. At that time, Kant wanted to see if they could continue to be revived.

The slaughter continued. These holy spirits of the God of War died and were revived again and again, but their strength continued to fall.

High-level official knight -- middle-level official knight -- low-level official knight -- peak knight attendant…

Until they were killed again when their strength was low-level knight Squire, they finally did not rush out of this small village.

Just as Kant was about to lead his troop into the village to conduct a search, the earth suddenly shook.

A majestic red light soared into the sky from the village, and an extremely powerful pressure burst out from the village, fiercely pressing down on Kant and his army.

After the red light dispersed, a majestic red figure standing ten meters tall appeared in the village.

His body was too tall, and his upper body completely exceeded the height of the village.

When Kant saw the face of the red giant, he couldn't help but exclaim, "The God of War -- Edmund!"

The appearance of this red giant was exactly the same as the God of War, Edmund's statue in the main hall of War Temple. However, compared to his statue, this guy was obviously much bigger.

"Baron Kant..."

The ten-meter-tall giant, the God of War, Edmund, suddenly spoke. His voice was as loud as thunder and turned into a huge sound wave that attacked Kant and his troop.

If it was an ordinary army facing such a huge monster, these earth-shattering words would probably cause the soldiers' hearts to be filled with fear, causing their morale to drop crazily.

However, Kant and his troops remained unmoved, waiting for the battle.

One of the components of Kant's extraordinary equipment set was the cape, "Glory. Bright Red Movement". Even when facing the God of War, its effect did not weaken at all. The entire army's morale was extremely high.

The battle with the 100 holy spirits had already raised Kant's army's morale to its peak status.

Kant said with a serious expression, "Listen up, everyone, maintain a firm formation and slowly retreat!"

Kant did this not because he saw that the God of War's body was too huge and was planning to retreat.

He was just clearing the battlefield for the upcoming battle.

At this time, the cloak on his back was still rattling. This proved that this was still a battlefield.

When the ten-meter-tall God of War appeared, they did not immediately start a war. Instead, they spoke. However, Kant was certain that there would definitely be a battle between them.

The ten-meter-tall God of War, Edmund, quietly watched Kant's troops retreat a hundred meters away. Then, he suddenly jumped out of the village, causing the ground to tremble.

"Roar..."

The 10-meter-tall God of War, Edmund, suddenly roared towards the sky.

Boundless red light suddenly appeared from his body.

Just like the previous holy spirits, the God of War, Edmund, also underwent a transformation.

The God of War, Edmund, suddenly had a blood-red armor on his body. A terrifying warhorse that was 10 meters tall also appeared beneath him, and the warhorse was covered in heavy armor.

The God of War was riding on the horse. It was no less than fifteen meters tall and looked extremely terrifying.

A twenty-meter-long lance appeared in the hand of the God of War, Edmund. Kant's scalp went numb when he saw it.

The God of War shook the reins of the horse. The warhorse that was ten meters tall suddenly raised its front hooves and almost stood up. The neighing sound of the horse was like rolling thunder, deafening.

Boom!

The front hooves of the warhorse stomped on the ground, and the earth shook violently again.

The God of War pointed his lance at Kant and spoke again with a voice like thunder, "Baron Kant..."

The God of War, Edmund's exaggerated figure, coupled with the warhorse beneath him, made Kant worried.

With the power of the God of War Edmund, could he really rely on these armies to resist and capture him?

Kant didn't know what the God of War, Edmund, was going to say first. Seeing him call his name for the second time, he immediately said, "God of War, Edmund, what do you have to say?"

"Why is your target me, the God of War? Among the gods, am I, Edmund, weak and easy to bully?"

Kant didn't quite understand the meaning of the God of War's words. It seemed that the God of War, Edmund, had long thought that Kant's target was him.

This would explain why War Temple had sent all its forces to weaken Kant's army.

If they weakened Kant a little more, the God of War would have to face fewer Kant's army. From this point, it seemed that the God of War was also afraid of Kant's strength.

Kant frowned slightly at Edmund's words. He wanted to deal with Edmund because of the system's main quest. He did not believe that Edmund, as a god, would submit to him.

However, Kant would not tell Edmund this reason.

After a moment, Kant circulated his extraordinary power and said with a thunderous voice, "At this point, it's useless to say anything more. It's just a battle!"

Even though the God of War's aura was majestic, and he was fifteen meters tall with his warhorse, so what?

Kant was initially shocked by the God of War, Edmund, but after carefully sensing Edmund's strength, he was certain that he had overestimated his strength.

Although the God of War, Edmund, was tall and had a terrifying aura, his aura was completely unable to contend with the aura of Kant's entire troop.

It was not as if Kant had never seen someone with such strength before.

Just yesterday, when Kant led his army to attack the east city gate of Lionheart City, a man named Tyr. Isai. Maud who led 50 extraordinary knights and met him once.

Tyr. Isai. Maud's aura was even stronger than that of the God of War Edmund.

The God of War, Edmund's strength was only on par with one of the 50 extraordinary knights.

Although compared to them, the God of War, Edmund's physique was too huge and terrifying, his aura would not lie. Edmund's strength was indeed on par with any one of the 50 extraordinary knights.

This discovery made Kant heave a sigh of relief. After all, the God of War, Edmund, might just be a paper tiger. He only looked like he was bluffing.

But Tyr. Isai. Maud's strength shocked Kant.

The strength of the 50 extraordinary knights he led was actually comparable to that of the God of War, Edmund. Such a thing was too unbelievable. Was the strength of a noble that strong?

The noble and the church were in a balance in the human countries. The noble was stronger than the church, but they did not have a crushing advantage. Could all of this be an illusion?

After answering the God of War, Edmund's question, Kant immediately said in a deep voice, "Mages, listen to my orders. Directly use Nature Summon and summon the golem to the vicinity of the God of War, Edmund. Surround the God of War with the golem and attack it at the same time!"

"Rhodok Sharpshooter, listen to my orders. Target the knee joint of the left foreleg of the warhorse under the God of War, Edmund. Shoot it down!"

A warhorse that was ten meters tall looked too terrifying. It was also because of its size that its knee had become the size of a round table with a diameter of one meter. It was very easy to aim at.

Although the aura of the God of War, Edmund, was only equivalent to that of an ordinary extraordinary knight, which shocked Kant. Kant had seen how powerful an extraordinary knight could be. He did not dare to be careless.

Therefore, Kant did not dare to charge at the God of War, Edmund, on his ten-meter-tall warhorse. Kant was not sure if his troop would be able to withstand the charge of the God of War, Edmund, on such a terrifying warhorse.

Not to mention anything else, just based on their size, this was a very terrifying power.

Chapter 555: War Against God

Rhodok Sharpshooters heard Kant's order and instantly fired the siege crossbows in their hands at the same time.

Whoosh!

350 thick and long crossbow arrows, accompanied by an explosive sound, shot toward the knee of the left front leg of the warhorse that Edmund was sitting on.

At a distance of 70 to 80 meters, the power of the siege crossbow arrows was extremely terrifying. It was not difficult to pierce through gold and crack rocks.

There was no doubt about the accuracy of Rhodok Sharpshooters. The 350 thick and long crossbow arrows gradually converged in the air and shot towards a spot.

"Roar!"

The God of War suddenly roared loudly. His voice was as loud as thunder.

All of a sudden, a huge red-light shield appeared in front of the God of War.

Kant's eyes focused. "This is an instant-cast spell? No, it should be an instant-cast divine spell!"

Bang!

An explosive sound rang out, and 350 siege crossbows that had been fused together suddenly struck the red-light shield. The light shield was extremely mystical. At the spot that had been struck by the crossbow bolts, a strong red light suddenly erupted, and the red light at the other parts of the light shield greatly weakened, almost becoming colorless.

"This Divine Spell Light Shield is so flexible. Not only is its defensive area extremely large, but it can also focus on its defensive power on a spot?"

Just by using the Divine Spell Light Shield, Kant had witnessed the God of War's terrifying power.

Kacha!

An extremely clear cracking sound spread throughout the entire Divine Realm. Even though Edmund's Divine Spell Light Shield was incomparably mystical, the 350 Rhodok Sharpshooters using siege crossbows fired arrows in unison. The power was absolutely terrifying, unrivaled.

Rhodok Sharpshooters were the troop class with the most terrifying attack power. The powerful crossbows they fired through siege crossbows were comparable to the strongest attack a mid-level grand knight could unleash with all his extraordinary power within a distance of 50 meters. Within a distance of 100 meters, it was also comparable to the strongest attack a low-level grand knight could unleash with all his extraordinary power.

The 350 siege crossbows combined together were extremely terrifying. Even the Divine Spell Light Shield released by the God of War, Edmund, could not withstand their terrifying power and was instantly destroyed.

Whoosh...

The 350 arrows released by the siege crossbows destroyed the Divine Spell Light Shield released by Edmund. Their speed was reduced by almost half, but they still shot at the left front knee of the warhorse of Edmund.

The warhorse neighed in pain.

However, these arrows were blocked by the Divine Spell Light Shield of Edmund and consumed most of its strength. Therefore, the arrows only hit the left front knee of the warhorse. They did not shatter the kneecap of the warhorse. It did not affect the galloping of the warhorse.

"Lord, look at the God of War and his warhorse. Their bodies have shrunk!"

Baheshtur suddenly reminded Kant. In such a battlefield, Kant had taken the initiative to take over the command. Baheshtur's combat strength was limited, so all his attention was on observing the battlefield, he was dutifully filling Kant's gaps. If Kant's orders were inappropriate, he would directly advise him.

Kant heard Baheshtur's reminder and looked up. As expected, the God of War, who was originally 15 meters tall and riding on a warhorse, was now only 14.67 meters tall.

Moreover, his height was slowly decreasing at a visible speed.

At this time, the mages had already listened to Kant's order and cast the Nature Summon Spell. Twenty-five hundred golems were summoned. They surrounded the four legs of Edmund's warhorse. These four legs were like pillars. There were more than ten golems stuck close to each leg of the warhorse. They were constantly bombarding the horse's legs. There were also more than twenty golems surrounding nearby the horse's legs. They were also bombarding the horse's legs continuously.

The warhorse under the God of War was bombarded by more than 120 golems at the same time.

"Is it because of the attacks that the warhorse's body is reduced? Or does it naturally decrease as time passes?"

Kant thought to himself.

The God of War was surrounded by waves of golems. Every time the warhorse under him raised its hooves, it was constantly blocked by the golems. It was difficult for it to truly run.

Although the golems and the Edmund's warhorse were very different in size, the golem's strength and weight were not small, effectively blocking the warhorse's galloping.

"Hmph!"

The God of War snorted, and the loud sound reverberated.

He raised the twenty-meter-long lance in his hand, and ruthlessly swept it at the golems on the ground. The momentum and power of the attack were extremely terrifying.

Kant immediately ordered, "Mages, listen up. Cast a spell on the God of War, Edmund -- Deadly Deep Freeze!"

Deadly Deep Freeze: Cast a cold ray with a range of 100 meters. Upon contact with the enemy, the ray will explode and turn the area of 50 meters × 50 meters into a low temperature of -50 degree Celsius. It will cause ice damage to the enemy and damage the weapons and armor. If they were lucky, it can also freeze the enemy to death.

Every mage could release three Deadly Deep Freeze spells per day.

Upon hearing the order, the 500 mages immediately began to chant spells. After a moment, white rays emitting an extreme cold aura shot towards the God of War, Edmund, who was seventy to eighty meters away.

While the mages were chanting spells, Edmund's heavy knight lance, which was twenty meters long, carried a sharp whistling sound as it ruthlessly swept across the densely packed golems on the ground.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The God of War's lance exploded with an extremely intense red light, continuously blowing up the golems. However, as the lance advanced, the red light on his lance quickly dimmed, and the speed of the lance also rapidly decreased.

The God of War, Edmund, blew up more than 200 golems in one shot.

If he were to attack more than a dozen times, these golems would probably be completely destroyed by him.

"Lord, look, the God of War's body has become smaller!"

Kant looked carefully. The God of War's body, which was 14.6 meters tall, was now only 14.4 meters tall with the warhorse's body.

At this moment, 500 white, blurry, and deadly cold rays shot onto Edmund's body. The blood-red armor on Edmund's body had a hint of ice blue color on its surface. At the same time, tiny ice crystals appeared, this was the moisture in the air. It was instantly frozen and attached to the armor on the God of War's body.

With the God of War as the center, the area within 50 × 50 meters had completely turned into a deep-cold environment of -50 degrees. This was not an ordinary deep-cold environment. This was a deep-cold environment caused by the combination of 500 Deadly Deep Freeze rays. Waves of deep-cold damage were released, compared to the deep-cold environment created by a single Deadly Deep Freeze spell, the lethality was 500 times higher.

The God of War instantly encountered an extremely terrifying and dense cold current. He and the warhorse beneath him became extremely slow. Their movements were also becoming slower and slower. It seemed like they were about to be frozen.

The God of War's figure was also rapidly becoming smaller.

After experiencing all of this, Kant completely understood that if the God of War used his extraordinary power to attack or was injured, his huge body would shrink.

After understanding this point, Kant's worry about the God of War's huge body dropped by half.

In the deep cold environment, the God of War was struck by waves of cold current. After being injured by the cold current, his body rapidly shrank.

14.45 meters -- 14.34 meters -- 14.23 meters...

In a short moment, the God of War's body and the warhorse beneath him had shrunk to 13.67 meters.

At this moment, the God of War's body suddenly erupted with an intense red light. This red light was like a trapped beast. It slowly flowed out of the God of War's body and spread-out inch by inch. As this red light spread out, the deep cold environment around him was also destroyed inch by inch.

It could be seen that the deep cold environment formed by the Deadly Deep Freeze spell cast by 500 mages was extremely difficult to dispel even with the power of the God of War.

At the same time, Edmund's figure was much faster than when it was hit by the cold current and the ice damage.

At this moment, Kant gave another order, "Rhodok Sharpshooters, Vaegir Marksmen, and the Ravenstern Rangers, fire at the left knee of the warhorse under the God of War!"

Previously, Kant had calculated that a single shot from Rhodok Sharpshooters could break the warhorse under the God of War, so he did not use the other two types of archers. However, after witnessing the divine spell of the God of War, Kant ordered all three types of archers to attack.

He wanted to break one of the warhorse's legs.

Without the warhorse, Edmund's mobility would be affected. For Kant and the others, it would be too easy to deal with!

Although the Edmund's figure was shrinking, it was still too huge. Kant was determined to destroy his ability to run.

After hearing Kant's order, the 1,050 archers quickly fired all the arrows they had prepared. The sound of thousands of arrows piercing through the air came together with a deafening sound.

A black rain of arrows shot toward the knee of the warhorse's left front leg, which was the size of a round table.

This time, the God of War, who was trying his best to use his extraordinary power -- the Divine Power of War, which destroyed the deep cold environment around him, did not use the Divine Spell Light Shield to block the arrows.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Thousands of arrows struck the knee of the warhorse's left front leg under the God of War. It caused an extremely loud noise.

Crack, crack!

Following that was the sound of bones breaking.

However, this time, the warhorse under the God of War did not let out a mournful cry because its leg was still in the deep cold environment. Even if its knee bone was broken, the pain was immediately frozen, it did not transmit to the warhorse's head.

Immediately after, Kant gave the order.

"Mage, listen up: Cast any spells, target the God of War and his warhorse! Archers, listen up: Shoot freely, target the God of War and his warhorse!"

The strategic goal of breaking the Warhorse's legs under Edmund to restrict his mobility had been achieved. Next, they could use the enormous God of War as a huge target, all they needed to do was to keep the long-range forces attacking in unison.

At this moment, the God of War just happened to completely destroy the deep cold environment that enveloped his body and the warhorse.

Neigh...

At this moment, the warhorse under him suddenly let out a painful cry. Then, his left front leg suddenly kneeled on the ground, unable to move.

At this moment, the height of Edmund combined with his warhorse under were only 12 meters tall. The God of War and the warhorse were only eight meters tall.

At the same time, arrows and all kinds of powerful spells bombarded the God of War.

Magic balls, fireballs, summoning lightning, Deadly Deep Freeze. These powerful spells bombarded the God of War.

This time, 200 mage apprentices launched magic balls and fireballs. They only knew these two offensive spells.

The warhorse under the God of War kneeled on the ground, allowing more golems to attack in unison. Hundreds of golems instantly bombarded the warhorse.

The God of War and his warhorse were shrinking at a visible speed. The speed of shrinking was so fast that even Kant was shocked. They were shrinking by half meter at one time.

"Roar! Roar! Roar!"

The God of War suddenly let out an earth-shaking roar in the midst of the flood-like attacks.

There was extreme sadness in this roar, like the sigh of a hero at the end of his life.

The entire world shook, and countless red lights gathered toward the God of War from the borders of this world, from any place in this world.

This world began to shake violently. Distorted scenes began to appear in this world.

This was the God of War's Divine Realm. The power of the God of War was everywhere.

Now, the God of War was retracting this power back to his own body.

As the God of War roared, a huge light shield lit up around the body of the God of War. This light shield was incomparably sturdy, and its defensive ability was extraordinarily powerful. It completely isolated all arrows and spells, even the golems that gathered under the warhorse was pushed far away.

Countless red lights gathered on the body of the God of War, and his body did not continue to shrink.

The world began to flicker, and strange distorted scenes appeared continuously. Kant quickly determined that those scenes were the scenes that he had seen when he entered the palace of this world. Before Kant entered the temple, he had seen it from the gate.

As the red light gathered, the aura of the God of War kept increasing.

"Baron Kant..." the God of War suddenly roared, "I want you to die!"

As the God of War roared, the world's flickering became more and more intense.

An extremely dazzling red light exploded from the God of War's body. The red light flowed along the God of War's arm and completely flowed into the lance of the knight in the God of War's hand.

"Holy spirit, come!" The God of War roared angrily. Over a hundred transparent phantoms instantly flew up from the village behind the God of War and rushed into the twenty-meter-long knight lance in his hand.

"Divine Fire, rise!" As the holy spirit entered the knight lance, the God of War roared again. The twenty-meter-long knight lance suddenly erupted with raging blood-red flames.

"Divine Realm, condense!" the God of War roared once more. The entire world suddenly shattered, turning into a ball of intense red light that shot into the lance his hand.

Everyone appeared in the temple in War Temple.

"Holy spirit as the guidance, Divine Realm as the foundation, Divine Fire the gods, Divine Spell. Spear of Faith!"

The God of War roared and threw the 20-meter-long lance in his hand, which was bursting with dazzling red divine light, at Kant like a pilum!

"I don't believe that a spear that gathers all my strength will not be able to break the predestined fate!"

The God of War threw out a spear, and his body suddenly shrunk to the size of an ordinary person. His roar was filled with endless anger and unwillingness.

Chapter 556: The Falling of the God of War

Kant looked at the God of War, Edmund, he was shocked. At this moment, the God of War, Edmund's aura was constantly rising, rising.

It rose to an unbelievable level. At this moment, the God of War, Edmund, had a terrifying aura that was comparable to the aura of all of Kant's troops. This also meant that the attack that Edmund was about to launch would be extremely terrifying.

According to the God of War, Edmund's attack was aimed at Kant.

The God of War, Edmund, wanted to kill him, Kant.

The twenty-meter-long lance that was emitting a blood-red divine light and burning with blood-red flames. It was basically a blood-red sun, extremely dazzling. Any attack that aimed at the lance, be it arrows or spells, were destroyed and disappeared.

The twenty-meter-long lance was shot out by Edmund. It spun violently and turned into a blood-red light. In an instant, it passed through the distance of almost a hundred meters between Edmund and Kant.

This was the spear shot out by Edmund from above. Its speed was extremely fast. Kant's troops could not defend him at all. Kant could only rely on himself.

"Can I block such a terrifying attack?"

Kant's amber eyes contracted violently.

Golden and pure white light twined around Kant's body. This was Kant's extraordinary power -- King's Power and Divine Power erupted at the same time.

At this moment, Kant was very powerful. With two kinds of extraordinary powers, Kant far surpassed ordinary peak grand knights. However, compared to extraordinary knights, there was a huge gap.

Furthermore, this move of Edmund had gathered almost all of his power. Compared to the power of the 20-meter-long lance, the gap between Kant's power and the power of the lance was extremely huge.

It was impossible to block it! Kant could clearly make such a decision.

Boom!

The 20-meter-long lance fiercely struck Kant's body.

At this moment, an emerald-green barrier suddenly rose from Kant's body. This emerald-green barrier looked very thin, compared to the brilliant blood-red divine light on the 20-meter-long lance and the blazing blood-red divine fire, there was an extremely strong contrast.

At this moment, all of Kant's subordinates were looking at Kant. Their eyes were filled with despair. They had even stopped attacking the God of War, Edmund. If anything happened to Kant, what was the point of defeating the God of War, Edmund?

Their existence depended on their Lord Kant.

And the God of War had returned to his normal human form. His eyes were filled with eagerness as he looked at the 20-meter-long lance that he had placed high hopes on. When he saw that there was only a thin layer of emerald-green barrier on Kant's body, he instantly felt extremely happy.

He would definitely be able to break the prophecy and his tragic fate!

The eyes of the God of War shone. He wanted to personally witness this moment and witness the death of Baron Kant.

However, what Edmund saw made him extremely incredulous.

"This is impossible!"

Edmund roared angrily and unwillingly. Even though his body had returned to the size of an ordinary person, he was still a true god. His strength was still equivalent to that of an extraordinary knight. He activated the roar of the God of War's power. It was almost the same as when he was ten meters tall.

This roar directly shook the palace in the War Temple, causing it to tremble slightly. The voice even flowed out from the open door of the palace, allowing the entire Lionheart City to hear it.

In Lionheart City, other than the people from other countries, almost everyone believed in the God of War, Edmund heard it. When they heard the roar of the God of War, their expressions changed. This was because when this voice entered their ears, they immediately knew, the voice came from the God of War, Edmund.

The voice that spread throughout Lionheart City was like a miracle.

But everyone could hear the anger and unwillingness in the voice of the God of War, Edmund.

Why did the god they believed in Roar so angrily? The believers of the God of War in Lionheart City were terrified. They started to pray, hoping that the god they believed in could calm down their anger.

However, the God of War, could not calm his anger.

Even though he was a god, he still could not believe what was happening in front of his eyes.

The 20-meter-long knight lance was extremely terrifying. It had a diameter of almost one meter. It exploded with bright divine light and blazing divine fire. It hit Kant's body. Strictly speaking, it hit the thin layer of emerald-green barrier in front of Kant.

Edmund thought that Baron Kant, with his weak strength, would immediately be blasted into pieces by this attack. At the same time, his body and soul would be ignited by the divine fire on his lance, Kant would be burnt into nothing.

However, the actual situation was that his 20-meter-long lance crashed into the emerald-green barrier on Kant's body. Kant was not shaken at all.

The emerald-green barrier instantly erupted with an extremely resplendent green light, completely enveloping the entire 20-meter-long lance. Within this green light, the blood-red dazzling divine light on his lance of knights and the blazing divine fire began to dim.

And that green light, as if it had received a great tonic, became even purer.

In the end, the dazzling divine light and blazing divine fire on the 20-meter-long knight lance were completely extinguished. The lance returned to its original appearance. It looked like an ordinary blood-red lance that had been magnified many times.

"Ah..."

At this moment, the holy spirits of the God of War, Edmund, emerged from the lance. They soaked themselves in the green light and let out miserable howls of pain, as if they were suffering from an extremely terrifying punishment.

After a moment, the 100 holy spirits of the God of War disappeared just like the divine light and divine fire on the 20-meter-long lance.

At this moment, the 20-meter-long lance began to shrink.

This lance was formed by the God of War with his Divine Power of War. At this moment, it was also mercilessly devoured by the green light.

The speed of the devouring was extremely fast. In just a moment, the 20-meter-long lance had disappeared.

At this moment, the green light had completely retracted back into the green barrier that covered Kant's body. The green barrier instantly retracted back into the emerald necklace that Kant wore around his neck.

Only a small part of the necklace was exposed around Kant's neck. The rest was covered by Kant's clothes and armor.

Not only was Edmund in disbelief at this scene, but many of Kant's soldiers were also extremely excited. Even Kant himself was very surprised.

"This 'Glory. Protection of Serenity's necklace is really too powerful. It can even withstand such a terrifying attack from the God of War Edmund!"

Kant understood that the emerald-green barrier just now originated from the second special effect of 'Glory. Protection of Serenity', 'Serenity's Protection'.

Serenity's Protection: When the wearer suffers a fatal attack, this special effect will automatically activate and block a fatal attack for the wearer. Cooldown time: one week.

At this moment, the special effect of Serenity's Protection had already been used. Kant didn't know if the God of War, Edmund, would do the same thing again. It was too dangerous.

When he saw that his soldiers had actually stopped attacking the God of War, Edmund, he immediately gave the order to attack again.

As Kant gave the order, arrows and countless spells rained down on the God of War, Edmund.

At this moment, the God of War, Edmund, was about the same size as an ordinary person. The God of War, Edmund, had a red-light flash in his hands and under his body. A lance and a warhorse appeared once again, but at this moment, the God of War was completely restricted by the 2000 plus golems. If he wanted to move, he had to first destroy the golems that were blocking his way.

However, Edmund, did not have the time to bother with these golems at this moment because he needed to deal with the dense rain of arrows and spells. Moreover, due to his shrinking size, only a dozen or so golems around him were able to attack him. He used his power to condense a thick armor on himself and the warhorse. Just like that, he was able to withstand the attacks of the golems.

The knight lance seemed to come alive in his hands. It was so tightly packed that he was able to block most of the arrows.

However, he was helpless against the spells of the mages. All the spells landed on the God of War, Edmund.

What shocked Kant and his soldiers was that the God of War, Edmund, who had withstood so many terrifying spell attacks, was not killed. Instead, he was still waving the knight lance in his hand to block the arrows behind the crossbow.

However, his speed became much slower.

At the same time, his aura also became much weaker.

It seemed that the God of War, Edmund, was not completely unharmed after withstanding the spells of the mages.

"Continue to attack!"

As long as the attack was effective! Although the God of War, Edmund, was powerful, there was still a time when he would be defeated or even killed.

The attack lasted for more than ten minutes.

The God of War's body was already riddled with wounds. The heavy armor on him and his warhorse was already full of cracks, and his body was filled with arrows. He gave off an extremely tragic aura.

At this moment, the God of War no longer waved the lance in his hand. Instead, he let the lance fall to the ground.

His powerful aura also quieted down.

"Lord, it seems that the God of War has fallen!" Baheshtur said to Kant.

At this moment, Kant felt the system's strong desire to devour the God of War.

"Mages, control the golems and make way! Let me and the knights pass!"

Kant felt the system's agitation. At this moment, he confirmed that the God of War had really fallen silent. There was no power to resist, and it was not an act. As for whether he had fallen, Kant was not sure.

After all, the God of War, Edmund, was a true god. It was very difficult for him to completely fall.

Kant led dozens of Swadian Royal Knights to the God of War, but the God of War remained motionless.

[ Host, will the system be allowed to devour the God of War? ]

The system's dialog box appeared on Kant's retina. After Kant knew that the system had devoured the God of War, he should have completed the system's side quest. Thus, he agreed to the system's request without hesitation.

With Kant's agreement, a large number of pitch-black data chain wrapped around the God of War, Edmund.

The God of War, Edmund, began to become transparent in the dense pitch-black data chain. Only then did Kant realize that although the God of War, Edmund, still looked like an ordinary person, he was completely different on the inside.

His body looked exactly like an ordinary person, but the tissues, organs, and blood were all condensed from dense Divine Power of War. With the entanglement of the system's data chain, the body of the God of War once again turned into a mass of majestic, bright red Divine Power of War. In the center of this mass of Divine Power of War, there was a bright red prism-shaped crystal. A large number of pitch-black data chain wrapped around this bright red prism-shaped crystal.

"Could it be that this is the God of War's divinity?"

At this moment, the mass of divine power that originally formed the God of War's body suddenly changed violently.

"I'm not willing... I'm not willing..."

That mass of divine power turned into a large mouth. Edmund's voice came out from it. His words were filled with despair.

"Baron Kant... you will regret it... you will regret it... the noble families will not let you off..."

The voice of the God of War, Edmund, became weaker and weaker until it disappeared. At the same time, the majestic divine power that turned into a huge mouth turned back into a ball.

Perhaps at this time, the God of War had truly fallen.

Kant pondered over the meaning of the words of the God of War and was somewhat confused.

"What is the relationship between gods and nobles? I killed the God of War, but why would the noble family not let me go?"

This time, the system took a long time to devour the God of War's divinity.

It took a full three hours.

After three hours, the God of War's divinity was completely devoured by the system's pitch-black data chain and disappeared. Even the vast divine power that formed the God of War's body was devoured by the system.

[ Ding... After a tough battle, you have successfully captured the God of War. ]

[ Side quest: Secret of Extraordinary completed. ]

[ Reward: Become an extraordinary knight. ]

[ Comment: This was an extremely dangerous mission, but in the end, you were the one who won. ]

Chapter 557: The Book of Prophecy

As the system prompt told him that the mission was complete, a golden data chain burst out from the depths of Kant's mind, sketching an extremely mysterious crimson pattern in the depths of Kant's mind.

When this crimson pattern was completely sketched out, this crimson pattern suddenly appeared in the deepest part of Kant's eyes. In his field of vision, the world had suddenly changed. At this moment, the world was completely constructed from patterns of different colors.

At this moment, Kant was standing on a dark red pattern, fluctuating up and down with the fluctuations of the pattern.

Countless patterns gathered at the center of the world, forming an extremely large silver-gray light ball.

On the countless patterns, Kant found that there were human-shaped phantoms standing on some of the patterns, and on some of the patterns, there was a prism-shaped crystal. The color of the crystal was the same as the pattern that ran through them.

There were not many human-shaped phantoms. With a glance, Kant calculated that there were only fifty-one.

And the prism-shaped crystal was less than the human-shaped phantoms.

The deep red lines in the depths of Kant's eyes faded quietly. The world in Kant's vision once again became the interior scene of the palace in the War Temple.

At the same time, an extremely obscure word appeared in Kant's mind, "Isai Lannister Tolia.".

As soon as this word appeared, it seemed to have been deeply imprinted on his soul. He instantly knew the power and responsibility that this word represented. At the same time, he also understood that he must not easily tell this word to others.

A vast will suddenly descended on Kant.

"Your power has become extraordinary. I shall crown you and grant you the title of baron! I will grant you a fief, but you will have to develop it up yourself!"

As this will descended, a coordinate appeared in Kant's mind at the same time.

Fief!

This coordinate was actually the so-called fief. What made Kant even more surprised was that this coordinate was actually in the depths of his territory, the Nahrin Desert.

When this will bestowed him the title of baron and gave him a coordinate of a fief, it poured a large amount of information into him.

Only then did he understand that this will was the silver-gray ball of light in the center of the world in that magical vision just now. It was the world will, named Isai.

Only now did Kant know that this world could be called Isai World.

Through the information that the world will of Isai had imparted to him, Kant understood many things.

The Great War between the ancient gods and demons was the war of the Endless Abyss invading this world. If the demons defeated the gods, they would drag this world into the Endless Abyss and turn it into one of its layers. Fortunately, the demons had failed.

This world still existed independently, but that war between the gods and demons had caused the will of this world to awaken, or perhaps it could be said that it had been contaminated by the will of the Abyss. The laws of the bottom layer of the world had changed, the world would inevitably slowly sink into the Endless Abyss. One day, the entire world would be devoured by the Endless Abyss, turning into an ordinary layer of the endless abyss.

The will of the world had some characteristics of the will of the Abyss, but it was different from the chaotic disorder of the will of the Abyss. At the same time, it resisted the fate of being devoured by the will of the Abyss.

Thanks to the influence of the will of the world by the will of the Abyss, the rules of the bottom layer of the world had changed. Even if one did not become a god or did not understand the truth of the world like mages, ordinary people would still have the chance to control the rules.

Such ordinary people were the world's noble -- they called themselves true nobles. They controlled the rules through their real names, which was surprisingly similar to the demon's real name.

However, similar to the demon's real name being controlled by the Abyss's will, the world's noble was also restricted by the world. When the world was strong, the noble would be strong. When the world declined, the noble would become weak. If the world was destroyed, the noble would not be able to escape the doom. And when the world fell into the Abyss, the noble would also become a demon.

In order to prevent the World of Isai from being swallowed by the Endless Abyss, the world will gave the noble and the god their respective duties. The god was responsible for lifting the world, and the noble was responsible for blocking and repelling the invasion of the abyssal demons.

Because the world will was polluted by the Abyss will, the Endless Abyss had a high chance of opening a passage to the World of Isai when it invaded the upper world. Those passages would be disturbed by the will of the world and would often appear in the noble's fiefdom.

"Perhaps, when I introduce myself to others in the future, I should call myself Kant Isai Cameron? As for Lannister Tolia, that is my real name and must not be known to anyone."

Kant thought in a relaxed manner. After the vision of the world's rules, Kant understood that he had been misled by the asymmetric information.

There were only 51 noble families that had been crowned by the world's will. If Kant was included, there were only 52.

"Yesterday, all the world's noble families came to invite me as an ally. It seems that although they are strong, they are also under great pressure."

Kant felt his current strength and was slightly stunned.

Strong, very strong, very strong.

Kant estimated that he could fight against a thousand ordinary grand knights.

However, if there were more than a thousand grand knights, he estimated that he would be wiped out by the enemy.

"I can obtain the power of the God of War, Edmund, through the system and become a world noble knight. If the other ordinary nobles have enough grand knights under them, would they be able to slaughter the gods and obtain their godheads to become a world noble?"

After becoming a world noble, Kant suddenly received a large amount of information. He gradually understood many things that he did not understand in the past.

"No wonder that Tyr. Isai. Maud said that the sects are very willing to destroy the top noble."

"What I don't know now is the relationship between the world's noble families and the gods. Why did the world's noble families clamor that they wouldn't let me off before the god of war was destroyed?"

Kant ordered Baheshtur to lead his troop to search the palace. After all, this was the home of the God of War, the place where the God of War had built his Divine Realm.

As for Kant himself, he sat quietly on his warhorse, comprehending his own power.

Currently, Kant had three types of extraordinary powers: King's Power, Divine Power, and Power of War.

Among them, King's Power came from the Sword of King, while Divine Power came from the sun disk. They were all extremely powerful extraordinary powers.

And the most powerful and powerful Power of War came from his real name, Lannister Tolia. This real name allowed him to directly draw power from the laws of war. At the same time, Kant gradually felt that this real name was gradually sinking into his bloodline.

[ System, analyze my Power of War. ]

Kant felt that his Power of War was very powerful. Many vague applications appeared in his heart, but these applications were not like when he first obtained the King's Power and the Divine Power, he could easily understand it completely and use it easily.

Perhaps he would have to figure out more ways to use this Power of War.

At the moment, he only knew that he could directly use this power to fight against 1,000 grand knights.

[ Power of War: The power of the rules of war. The strength of the power depends on the strength of the rules of war. 1. Body of War: The owner burst with the Power of War. Increases physical fitness by 3,000%. It will fluctuate according to the strength of the rules of war. 2. War Domain: within the domain, the morale of the soldiers on our side is high, increase their strength by 100%, eager to fight. 3. Battlefield Summoning: use the Power of War to condense the real thing to fight against the enemy. 4. Bloodline Bestowal: Use your own blood as a guide to bestow upon a peak knight, allowing them to easily comprehend the Power of War and advance to grand knight. This method will dilute your real name, please use it carefully. ]

The system was awesome. Many of Kant's own abilities were vague. After the system's explanation, he immediately understood them. Moreover, he already felt that he could use the power of war freely.

At this moment, Baheshtur suddenly arrived. He held a thick book with both hands and looked extremely exhausted.

This book was extremely heavy. Kant took a closer look and realized that the entire book was made of a dark red metal. There were not many pages in the book, and including the cover and the last page, there were only six pages. However, each page was very heavy.

On the dark red cover, there were four large words written in the ancient divine language, "Book of Prophecy.".

Kant opened the thick cover of the book and found that on the first page, there was a young figure reading. The young figure had golden hair. Kant looked at the situation around the young figure and felt that it was somewhat familiar.

Kant opened the second page and found a majestic fortress standing in a vast desert. At this moment, Kant recognized at a glance that this fortress was his Drondheim. This desert was undoubtedly the Nahrin Desert.

At this moment, Kant also reacted. Wasn't the figure on the first page the young him? That was when he was young, wanting to understand this world and crazily reading books.

"This book is interesting. It's called the Book of Prophecy, but the picture is the past of the person who opened it. Perhaps if you continue to open it, you can see the picture of the prophecy."

Kant's interest was piqued, so he flipped to the third page.

On the third page was the image of Kant standing on the dark red lines of the laws of war, using the perspective of the laws to observe the situation of this world. The image on this page was clearly depicted by Kant, and the world noble figures that Kant had seen were just an outline.

At this moment, Kant's heart was somewhat apprehensive and expectant, but at the same time, he was also somewhat fearful.

This fourth page was the last page of the Book of Prophecy, excluding the cover and the last page.

The third page had already shown the scene he had just experienced, so this fourth page was his future picture.

Kant couldn't help but think of the God of War, Edmund. At that time, he wanted to kill him at all costs, as if he knew his own destiny?

And this book was found in the palace of the God of War. So, did Edmund see him being killed by Kant's troop in this book? Or was it something else?

If that was the case, then hadn't the god of war been afraid for so many years, yet waiting for such an ending? Why hadn't he erased Kant before he had matured?

Destiny?

Kant's hand rested on the third page, suddenly feeling a strange heaviness.

Edmund's final struggle seemed to verify the correctness of this Book of Prophecy.

Kant really wanted to open the fourth page to see what his future would look like, but the rational judgment in his heart told him that no matter what would appear on the fourth page of the Book of Prophecy, it was best not to read it.

"Lord, there is nothing in this book!"

Baheshtur, who was standing next to Kant, suddenly said to Kant, and Kant was slightly stunned.

Baheshtur didn't see anything?

Kant's gaze fell on the third page of the Book of Prophecy, which vividly depicted what he saw in the vision of the rules.

"In your eyes, there is nothing in this book?"

"Yes, Lord. This white book is quite heavy. I wanted to open it to take a look, but I couldn't open it at all. When I saw that Lord was able to open it, I thought that there would be something related to the God of War in it. Who knew that it would be the same as the cover? There's nothing."

White Book? There's nothing on the cover?

Kant looked at the crimson-colored Book of Prophecy and then at Baheshtur. He knew that Baheshtur would not lie to him. This meant that the Book of Prophecy really had nothing in his eyes, and it was white.

"Is it because of my extraordinary power? When my Power of War erupted, it was indeed crimson."

Kant withdrew the Power of War that was constantly pervading his body. He discovered that the picture on the third page of the Book of Prophecy had gradually faded, and the color of the Book of Prophecy had really turned white.

Kant used his King's Power and Divine Power again. Similarly, nothing appeared on the Book of Prophecy. It was still a blank book.

Kant summoned a Swadian Royal Knight and a mage to conduct experiments. In the end, they told Kant that there was nothing in the Book of Prophecy.

When Kant once again filled his body with the Power of War, the white book suddenly turned dark red. On the cover, four ancient divine runes appeared.

Kant flipped to the first, second, and third pages again and found that there was no change compared to before.

Kant's gaze was somewhat conflicted as he placed it on the third page.

Should he turn this page over or not?

The desire for the unknown in his heart and the rationality conflicted and opposed each other, causing Kant to be unable to make a decision for a long time.

Finally, Kant's desire for the unknown, suppressed the rational, Kant slowly flipped the third page of the Book of Prophecy.

Chapter 558: A Year of Steady Development

Baheshtur saw Kant open the white metal book to the fourth page, but he only opened it halfway before closing it.

"I can't see anything from this white metal book, but Lord Kant might be able to see something." Baheshtur thought.

Kant's expression of deep thought had already lasted for a few minutes.

"Lord, are you alright?" Baheshtur asked carefully.

Kant blinked, shook his head and said, "I'm fine, Baheshtur. Prepare to take over Lionheart City! The west city gate of Lionheart City is no longer a concern. The knight orders of those sects should not come looking for trouble with us anymore!"

Gold, light, darkness, and dark red, the four-colored radiance was incomparably brilliant. This was the scene Kant saw in the half of the fourth page of Book of Prophecy. Above the four-colored radiance stood a figure wearing a blood-colored cloak and with golden hair draped over his shoulders. He held a broken sword in his hand, the four-colored radiance on the broken sword rose, and there were also drops of purple blood.

When Kant saw half of it, he forcefully closed the book of prophecy.

"Even if I read the entire fourth page of the Book of Prophecy, I wouldn't know who I'm fighting, right?"

Kant thought that way. It was just like how the god of war, Edmund, only showed his war attitude towards him when he stepped into Lionheart City. Perhaps this could explain the scene that the god of war saw on the fourth page of the Book of Prophecy. Was him being surrounded and killed by a golden-haired figure wearing a blood-red cloak? But obviously, the god of war, Edmund, could not judge who his opponent was based on those characteristics.

"My sword is broken. Did I hurt him or kill him? Or perhaps I was defeated, heavily injured, or even killed by him? It's better to leave all of this to the unknown. I only need to know that I will definitely meet a terrifying enemy in the future. This is enough, knowing the result would be bad instead. Do I have to pay attention to or wait for such a scene to appear?"

Kant refused to have such a scene appear. Now was just the right time. Not only did he satisfy his curiosity about the future, but he also wouldn't directly restrain himself just because he saw the scene in the prophecy.

It would be fine as long as he continued to be strong.

"Let's complete the main quest of the system first! Conquer the Dukedom of Leo and become the only ruler of the Dukedom of Leo."

Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, a year had passed.

Just as Kant had expected, the knight orders from the other countries and sects were called back by the sects when they were halfway through. This was an anticlimactic operation.

As for the rumors of Baron Kant defecting to the devil, the religions of the other countries announced one after another to clarify for Baron Kant, explaining that Baron Kant was a noble and had nothing to do with the devil.

Kant naturally understood that his previous impressive reputation and powerful strength were indeed a great threat to the gods. However, since he had already slaughtered the god of war and advanced to become a world noble, he was no longer a threat to the gods.

Within a year, Kant did not launch any more invasions, and those world nobles who had mistakenly thought that Kant had promoted himself to a world noble never came to seek an alliance with Kant again. It seemed that Kant had really killed the god of war and offended them.

However, they did not shout like the god of war before his death, "We will not let him go." Kant had a rare year of peace and tranquility.

Over the past year, thanks to the existence of the system, Kant's estate had developed rapidly. Such a speed of development was not an exaggeration to call it a miracle.

Firstly, Kant's estate in the Nahrin Desert, the Drondheim located in the Oasis Lookout had once again expanded to the size of a large-scale fortress, with 5,000 soldiers stationed there, Kant's most powerful subordinate, the underworld apostle Bunduk, was leading them.

Oasis Lookout had also expanded its scope because of the date palm jungle, wheat fields, and the splendor meadow. In the vicinity of Drondheim's main fortress, many high-class houses had been added to the village. The clean and tidy stone pavement connected these villages to Drondheim's fortress.

Today, in the Oasis Lookout, in addition to the 5,000 soldiers stationed in Drondheim, there were 30,000 civilians. Most of them worked in the date palm forests, wheat fields, chee grass field, camel farms, and sand grouse farms. Their continuous work, together with Kant's topographical transformation, made the Oasis Lookout expand.

The civilians who first came were mostly working in the large salt mill, large spice mill, large sugar mill, large bakery, and large mill in Drondheim Fortress. Sacks of salt, spices, and sugar were piled up from the shops all the way to the street, and merchants were driving their carriages to come and go. The air was filled with the fragrance of various spices mixed together.

In the salt mines further north, the scale of the original posthouse had also expanded a lot. It gradually became the size of a small town. Some civilians became miners and settled in this small town. As Baron Kant's territory became more and more prosperous, as well as selling more fine white salt in Lionheart City, they needed to carry out a greater mining effort in the salt mines. At this time, there were already 3,000 miners in this small town. They were all civilian miners, civilians from the world of "Mount and Blade", and about 2,000 slave miners.

At the exit of the Senwaya Range, there was a central posthouse that connected the Oasis Lookout and the Aaron Castle in the Senwaya Range, or the Stone Pass. Because Baron Kant's estate was more prosperous, there were more trade caravan. This made the posthouse, which used to be a transit point, become more prosperous and gradually developed into a perfect town. Of course, the trade caravan that traveled to and from the small station was formed after the commoners from the "Mount and Blade" world developed in this world and chose to become merchants. As for the trade caravan of this world, if they wanted to buy fine white salt, spices, and sugar from the depths of the Nahrin Desert, they could only trade in Lionheart City.

This place was now considered the hinterland of Baron Kant's estate.

As Kant's original estate, Drondheim's development was very good. Its military power, agricultural development, and industrial development were all very good. Salt, spices, sugar, and other luxury goods were still an important part of Kant's economic industry. But after all, it was limited by the terrain of the desert, so it couldn't develop too quickly.

This was compared to the second city that Kant established, Aaron.

In fact, compared to the other kingdoms and dukedoms in the world, Drondheim was already a first-class prosperous city. Although it stood in the harsh environment of the Nahrin Desert. But it has become a miracle in the Nahrin Desert. This was the comment from the noble, religious, adventurers, bards, spies and all other professions that knew a little bit of Drondheim, and the comment of the civilians who knew Drondheim through them.

If Baron Kant had not refused to sign the certificate of residence in Drondheim for the people of this world, the population of Drondheim would have increased by ten or twenty thousand.

In fact, not only Drondheim, but all the cities and towns in Baron Kant's estate were not open to the people of this world. After the outsiders stayed for a while, they would always be politely reminded by the soldiers in Baron Kant's estate that it was time for them to leave.

Aaron, this was Kant's second town in the world. It had developed into a big city with a population of 200,000. In Aaron, there were also 5,000 soldiers stationed, led by the battlefield doctor James.

This was a city built on top of a mountain in the Senwaya Range, and it was also the tallest city in the world. In the Senwaya Range, the land was rich, and the resources were abundant. The successful development of the terraced fields made Aaron one of Kant's granaries.

Aaron City's unique geographical location made the livestock industry that existed earlier also get great development. Chicken farms, pig farms, sheep farms, cattle farms, bee farms... dotted in the Senwaya Range, they provided fresh meat and milk products to Kant's estate. They were also one of the suppliers of raw materials for the furry workshops, leather workshops, and tanning workshops in Aaron City.

The rich wood resources in the Senwaya Range made Aaron City the largest supplier of charcoal, wood crafts, and wood furniture in the world. The iron ore resources found in the Aaron mountain range not only allowed Aaron City to own the largest iron workshop in Kant's estate, supplying the demand for iron farm tools throughout Kant's estate, but also set up a huge weapons and armor workshop.

Although Kant's soldiers all had weapons and armor provided by the system, the weapons business was also a business that was as profitable as white salt. Naturally, this business was also in Kant's hands.

Aaron City had a flourishing agriculture, industry, handicraft industry, and commerce. With the development of these industries, Kant could collect a lot of denars through special taxes. The residents of Aaron City were naturally from the commoners of the world of "Mount and Blade".

Compared to the great development of Drondheim and Aaron, Kant's third city, Sargoth, was located in the East County. It was next to the Resniston River and backed by the mountain range that connected the underground passage to Aaron City, however, it did not develop by leaps and bounds economically.

After all, this was the East County. With the betrayal of the noble families of the East County in the civil war a year ago, Kant's control of the East County was considered to have failed. Kant had been developing his estate for the past year, he was digesting the fruits of victory obtained from the invasion of the Dukedom of Leo.

Although Sargoth did not have much economic development, the level of the fortress was successfully upgraded by Kant, becoming a large-scale fortress like Drondheim. At the same time, the number of soldiers stationed here was also 5000, led by Baheshtur.

These were the developments of the three cities that Kant had established in the first place.

Apart from that, the territory of the Dukedom of Leo, which had been completely occupied by Kant, the entire North County and half of the South County in the north, had also been completely digested by Kant.

The noble families in the North County had all been eliminated by Firentis, while the civilians of the North County that belonged to this world had been expelled by Firentis. This was an order from Kant. Kant was determined to develop an empire that was built entirely on the basis of population of "Mount and Blade" world.

Of course, Kant did not deliberately torture the people of this world who were expelled by Firentis. Instead, he only expelled them after paying them the fixed assets that they could not take away. They did not have to worry about not having a place to go. In this world, population was the most important resource. As long as they were willing to serve, all the lords were willing to accept them.

At the center of the North County that was almost emptied, Kant once again built a city. Kant named it Veluca.

Veluca City was defined by Kant as an inland trading city. It was similar to Aaron, but mainly agricultural. After all, North County was now the hinterland of Kant's territory.

With Veluca City as the center, with the castles left behind by the noble families as the center, Kant built a large number of houses in North County and upgraded them to high-level houses, attracting a large number of people from the world of "Mount and Blade".

The entire North County accommodated two million people from the world of "Mount and Blade". The existence of these people was of great significance to Kant. At any time, Kant could turn them into militia, and after one battle after another, they could quickly upgrade to a high-level up troop class. When they were not needed, they would help Kant farm, and they could also provide Kant with a poll tax and a large amount of food.

So, for now, the job of these people was to help Kant open up the North County and grow food.

The land of the North County was relatively barren, but it was not too bad. No matter how barren the North County was, it would not be as barren as the Oasis Lookout. North County used to grow barley and oats. Compared to wheat and oats, they were more suitable for the barren land. Of course, the taste was much worse, and the price was cheaper.

Kant did not make many changes to this. He also mainly planted barley and oats and introduced potatoes and onions.

The change was that the surplus barley produced in the North County was bought by Kant in large quantities into Veluca City. They brewed delicious malt wine and sold well in various countries in exchange for a large number of golden eagles. The surplus oats were bought by Kant in large quantities into the Veluca City and ground into powder. This was the feed for a good warhorse. The Dukedom of Leo, who loved to train cavalry, could digest more than half of this oat powder.

Veluca City only had 2,000 soldiers stationed there, and they were led by Firentis. In the large number of noble castles in the North County, Kant sent out a number of Swadian Royal Knights and Sarleon Lion Knights to station there and asked them to assist Fatis in governing the entire North County.

Similar to the North County, Kant also established a city South County, and named it Jelkala. In Jelkala, there were 5,000 soldiers stationed, and they were led by Rolf.

Jelkala was the center of the entire South County. It was also the southernmost part of the South County that Kant had obtained. Kant had developed it into a fortress city, which corresponded to Lionheart City from the north to the south.

The development model of half of the South County was similar to that of the North County. However, due to the richness of the land, they mainly cultivated wheat. Half of the South County allowed Kant to accommodate 1,000,000 people from the world of "Mount and Blade". Furthermore, it was one of Kant's important granaries.

As for Kant himself, other than patrolling his estate, he had always been stationed in Lionheart City. At this moment, there were heavy troops stationed in Lionheart City by Kant. There was a total of 10,000 soldiers, most of which were level 4 or 5 troop class.

During this one year, Kant's strength had been developing rapidly, preparing for the system's main quest.

Now, even if the five world noble families of the Dukedom of Leo were to unite, Kant had accumulated enough strength to prepare for another expedition.

Chapter 559: Guests of the Castle

One day after Kant's peaceful development of a year, four distinguished guests arrived at the lion's castle, the southern County of the dukedom of Leo. They were four of the top noble families of the dukedom of Leo, Count Cody. Maud, Count Simon. Prynne, Count Rowan. Reese, Count Seth. Enoch.

It was common knowledge that the four top-tier noble families were all vassals of Grand Duke Cameron, but they did not follow Grand Duke Cameron's orders.

In the eyes of all the noble families in the Dukedom of Leo, the four top-tier noble families were powerful families that could compete with the Cameron family. In fact, that was indeed the case. Whether it was the strength displayed by the four top-tier noble families or the true strength they possessed, they were not inferior to the Cameron family.

If their family's real "fiefdom" was not located in the Dukedom of Leo, they might not have become the top nobles of the Dukedom of Leo but might have established a dukedom of their own. They had such power.

The Dukedom of Leo was a large-scale fortress. There were no less than 5,000 elite heavy cavalries in it. However, what was strange was that almost all of these 5,000 elite heavy cavalries were official cavalries. There were only five grand knights, each of them led an official cavalry legion, which was 1,000 people.

Of course, this situation was quite strange. Even those upper-class noble families, ordinary viscount families and slightly powerful baron families in the South County would not only have five grand knights. Lion Fort was the publicly acknowledged number one castle in the South County. It only had five grand knights. It was too shabby and strange.

"Count Maud, Count Prynne, Count Reese, Count Enoch, please come in!" A young man who looked similar to Kant, with long golden hair and blue eyes greeted them. The young man, who was at the peak grand knight level, was no less powerful than the four top-tier nobles of the Dukedom of Leo. He stood upright at the gate of Lion Fort and welcomed the four top-tier nobles of the Dukedom of Leo.

Obviously, this was not a sudden visit, but an official visit that had already greeted the master of the Dukedom of Leo in advance.

"Carl, you have a good brother!" Count Cody. Maud said with a hint of a smile, but there was no warmth in that smile.

Carl. Cameron, the eldest son of the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron. At this moment, he was managing the entire Dukedom of Leo.

At this moment, Carl heard Count Cody. Maud, a hint of darkness flashed in his eyes. However, he was a qualified noble, and he quickly hid his emotions.

At the same time, he replied to Count Cody. Maud with a smile and said, "Thank you for your praise, Count Maud. If Kant knew that you praised him so much, he would definitely be very happy. He might even thank you personally."

"Hmph, I can't accept Baron Kant's gratitude. When I see him, I'll be satisfied if he doesn't force me to call him Lord!" Count Cody Maud said unhappily.

"Alright, Maud! Let's not waste any more time. Carl, bring us in. Did Lord Cameron leave the matter to you?"

"Yes, Count Enoch!"

...

Lionheart City was the only estate of Kant that had not changed much. It was still regarded as a large-scale trading city by Kant. The port of Lionheart City handled a huge amount of goods every day. On the East-West Main Road, carriages full of goods filled the wide road. However, more than half of these carriages belonged to Kant's people. They came from the population of the world of "Mount and Blade". They constantly transported all kinds of goods from Drondheim, Aaron, Veluca, and Jelkala in exchange for golden eagles. Then, they exchanged the golden eagles for the lovely denars from Baron Kant's trade caravan.

In Lionheart City, the original population of this world was not excluded. They could obtain the right to live there. Kant did not change either. The upper-class noble families who settled in Lionheart City still lived in the Eastern District of Lionheart City. Because of Kant's prosperous estate, Lionheart City was well-developed as well. Now, the permanent population of Lionheart City was one-third higher than before. It already had a population of 200,000 people.

Kant stood in a side hall in the city lord's mansion in the Central District of Lionheart City. In this side hall, there was a sand table of the Dukedom of Leo. He was thinking about how to start the war.

He had several choices now. One, he could choose to complete the main quest and completely conquer the Dukedom of Leo, becoming the only ruler of the Dukedom of Leo. On the other hand, he could choose to explore the world's will and grant him the title of a world noble -- Kant. Isai. Cameron and obtain the land.

According to the world's will, once he explored and successfully cultivated his own land, the land would be a huge demiplane -- it was the Divine Kingdom of an ancient fallen god, it had fallen to the ground and fused with this main world.

However, Kant was still inclined to complete the system's main quest first.

Kant had once gone to the coordinates given to him by the world will in the Nahrin Desert alone and opened a door through the Power of War to enter that demiplane to take a look. That demiplane was actually formed after the Sun God's divine kingdom fell from the sky and was hung on the main plane of this Isaiah World.

That demiplane was not calm, because it was like a complete world operating inside. Its area was as large as ten Dukedom of Leo, and there were also humans inside, and there were many of them. Kant had sneaked into their library to check the information and knew that these people were all descendants of the Sun God. Ten thousand years had already made them forget the glory of the past, but the bloodline of the god's descendants still gave them great power. Conquering that demiplane was much more difficult than conquering the Dukedom of Leo.

Kant remembered that the descendant of the Sun God in the main plane had been crazily sacrificed to the undead plane by the pope of the Sun God Sect. He had wanted to exchange for the power of eternal life, but in the end, he had only become a pathetic half-lich.

Now, Kant's power was already very powerful. At the very least, it was completely overwhelming against the Dukedom of Leo on the surface.

Of course, if the five great world's noble families in the Dukedom of Leo were to hide in their own fiefdoms, Kant would not be completely confident if they were to use all their power in the demiplane like Kant's to fight Kant, but he was not too afraid.

If the five great world's noble families were to unite against Kant, then this battle would naturally be extremely difficult. But if they did not join forces to fight him, then his main quest would become extremely easy. After all, Kant did not intend to occupy the demiplanes of the five world's noble families that were mounted on the Isai World's main plane, even though the coordinates of their demiplanes were in the South County of the Dukedom of Leo.

There was no need to do this. The more demiplanes there were, the better. Possessing them did not simply mean increasing the amount of land. It also meant that they needed to defend against the invasion of the demons in the demiplane. The demiplane formed by the Divine Kingdom of the Sun God did not have any traces of the invasion of the demons. That was probably because Kant had yet to truly "reclaim" it.

After he occupied the demiplane, it would become his "fief." At that time, under the push of the will of World of Isai, if the random spatial passage created when the Endless Abyss invaded the upper planes was connected to World of Isai, the world's will might transfer the spatial passage to his "fief.".

If he didn't want to become a demon, even if he had the system, he would have to help Isai resist the invasion of demons until the spatial passage closed, or he would have to forcibly close the spatial passage himself.

Kant thought about the situation in the Dukedom of Leo, and then muttered to himself, "First it's easy, then it's difficult. I'll take down the East County first, and then I'll attack the South County!"

In fact, with the various countries and sects collectively declaring that Kant was not a person who defected to the demons, but an honorable noble, many nobles in the East County wanted to rejoin Kant, and even many upper-class nobles in the South County had secretly sent envoys to contact Kant and expressed their intention to pledge their allegiance.

But Kant completely rejected them.

He had already developed, did he need these noble's allegiance?

There was no need at all. His overall strategy had already changed.

In the past, he was still a little worried. If he really occupied all the territories on the land, for the sake of his pure empire of "Mount and Blade", would he really have to slaughter all the humans? However, the existence of the fiefdoms in the demiplanes of the world noble families helped him solve this problem that troubled him greatly.

At that time, he could only focus on chasing away the people on the lands he occupied. When he really occupied all the territories on the land, he could still chase those people into the fiefdoms of the world's noble families. After all, Kant had no intention of conquering the fiefdoms of the world noble families. That would be a big problem.

Although Kant believed that he had a cold and resolute heart, he still instinctively rejected to massacre all the humans in this world. That was why when he had first formulated the plan, he had left some space for the noble families and commoners of this world. But now, there was no need.

"Will, pass down the order to Baheshtur. Tell him to start attacking the entire East County and clear out the entire East County! Those who are willing to leave, drive them out. Those who are unwilling, bury them in their homeland!"

Kant calmly issued this war order that was destined to lead to a bloody storm.

Will was the mage commander in charge of Kant's intelligence transmission. He obeyed Kant's order and left.

"Mande, you will lead 200 Swadian Royal Knights, 200 Sarleon Lion Knights, and 200 mages to support Baheshtur! Bring the Flag of Intimidation and the Horn of Commanding Power!" After Will left Kant gave an order to a Swadian Royal Knight beside him. Mande was his name.

All of Kant's troop class had gradually become a level 4 or 5 advanced troop class. Even the level 6 troop classes Swadian Royal Knights, Sarleon Lion Knights, and mages of the Enfath Empire each had grew to 1,000 people. The huge Caradia Empire, this was the name Kant had prepared for his empire. It had gradually begun to take shape. The prosperous economy was enough to support Kant's huge and advanced troop class.

However, level up 6 troop class was already the upper limit, and the system seemed to be unable to upgrade the troop class to the true transcendence realm.

Kant's current denar savings were growing rapidly every week. All the experience gained from the continuous battles had been used up by Kant, and all the troop class had been upgraded to the highest level up.

With the huge population base, Kant no longer had to worry too much about the number of soldiers.

After giving the order, Kant set his eyes on the remaining half of the South County on the sand table.

This half of the South County was filled with manors and many castles. Because it was close to the Resniston River, this part of the land was the most fertile land in the entire South County. It was also the most fertile land in the Dukedom of Leo.

The best land was naturally occupied by the strongest noble. These manors and castles belonged to the upper-class noble of the Dukedom of Leo. In fact, these upper-class nobles had occupied 80% of the power and resources of the entire Dukedom of Leo.

The last half of the South County, even without the intervention of the five great world noble families, was still a tough nut to crack.

With Kant's current power and military strength, it was inevitable that they would be crushed by him. However, it was estimated that Kant would suffer significant losses to do so.

At this moment, a Swadian Royal Knight walked over and reported respectfully to Kant, "Lord, Count Cody Maud, Count Simon Prynne, Count Rowan Reese, Count Seth Enoch, and Viscount Carl Cameron request an audience."

Kant raised his head. "The four top nobles of the Dukedom of Leo, as well as my elder brother whom I have never met before?"

Why are they here to see me? Behind these five people stood the five true noble families of the Dukedom of Leo. The powerful upper-class noble families of the Dukedom of Leo did not even have the right to know of their existence.

"Take them to the main hall. I'll be right behind you!" Kant recalled the words of the God of War, Edmund, before he died. "I'm afraid these five people do not come with good intentions!"

In the main hall of the Lionheart City, Count Cody Maud, Count Simon Prynne, Count Rowan Reese, Count Seth Enoch, and Viscount Carl Cameron, the five most powerful men in the Dukedom of Leo, were brought to the main hall by the Swadian Royal Knights. The attendants served them delicious and sweet drinks in time.

However, this delicious and sweet drink tasted like wax to the five of them.

"Carl, your little brother is so arrogant! How dare he make us wait for him?" Count Simon. Prynne said with extreme dissatisfaction. Among the five of them, perhaps Carl was the only one who was dissatisfied with Kant. One year ago, when Kant took over Lionheart City, among the four city gates of Lionheart City, the city gate guards that he sent suffered heavy losses and almost all of them were wiped out. Three-thousand-man troop was not a small number.

"Count Prynne, please be patient. On behalf of my brother, Baron Kant, I apologize to you. After all, he has not received a proper noble education. It is inevitable that he has some flaws in noble etiquette," Carl. Cameron's voice was gentle as he spoke. However, a hint of disdain flashed in his eyes. Carl was filled with jealousy and hatred towards Kant. This brother that he had never taken seriously and had even treated as if he had never seen him before had now climbed onto his head.

He was thinking about how to push Kant hard later.

Chapter 560: Disgusting Conversation

Standing beside the sand table of the Dukedom of Leo in the side hall of the city lord's mansion of Lionheart City, Kant set aside the five flags representing the enormous power of the five world noble families, they were not directly inserted into the castle of the five world noble families on the sand table in the South County.

"Forget it. Let's go and see the purpose of these five guys' visit. Although I am absolutely sure that it is not a good thing, I still have to confirm it," Kant said to himself. Then, he left the side hall of the city lord's mansion.

When he arrived at the main hall, Kant saw that the four counts, who were the top nobles of the Dukedom of Leo, were verbally attacking him. And his brother, Carl. Cameron, who was more of a half-brother in name than in substance, was brushing off the four top counts with a fake smile on his face. He was actually apologizing to the four top counts on Kant's behalf in the name of his brother, Kant. At the same time, he also criticized Kant from time to time, the only thing he said was that Kant did not have noble qualities. The fault was that the Cameron family and his older brother did not educate Kant well.

As if to take revenge on Kant, the four top-ranking nobles did not stop talking even when they saw Kant coming in, Count Simon. Prynne said in a bad tone, "Carl, your father, the Grand Duke Cameron, was too merciful. Back then, he should have first confirmed the noble qualities of Baron Kant before giving him the title of nobility and fief."

After saying that, Count Simon. Prynne even glared at Kant, with a hint of a demonstration.

Kant only felt that it was ridiculous.

He did not believe that the four top-class counts of the Dukedom of Leo, who had world nobles in their families, would not know that Kant had been promoted to a world noble in the main plane of Isai?

What was the difference in status between a world noble and an ordinary noble? The difference was like the day and night. It was even greater than the difference in status between a top-class noble of the Dukedom of Leo and an ordinary serf. This was the difference between a god and a mortal. Back then, in order to meet Kant, 51 world nobles had knocked out everyone in the Noble District in the Eastern District of Lionheart City. The upper-class nobles of the Dukedom of Leo did not even have the right to know of their existence.

But now, Count Simon. Prynne had actually used his eyes to demonstrate his power to Kant, a real world noble. It was as laughable as an ant threatening an elephant.

Kant was not a soft and bad person. He revealed a sneer, and a dark red aura suddenly circulated around his body.

A vast and majestic aura unscrupulously circulated around Kant's body and targeted the five people ruthlessly.

The five of them, who were originally calm and collected, now had solemn expressions and even a trace of fear on their faces, even though they had the strength of peak grand knight.

Kant's aura was too terrifying for them.

It was as if a male lion, who had been lying on his stomach and sleeping with his eyes narrowed, suddenly opened his eyes and let out a furious roar at the five little sheep who had ignored him at the beginning. The five little sheep were terrified. At this moment, the four top counts of the Dukedom of Leo and Carl. Cameron was even more terrified.

Because the gap between them and Kant was much greater than the gap between the male lion and sheep.

When Kant saw the miserable appearance of the five people, he smiled sarcastically and withdrew the dark red Power of War that was circulating around his body.

This was only to give them some deterrence and punishment for daring to criticize and ignore him. As for bullying them with their imposing manner? Kant was not so bored. He and these five people were not on the same level. If he were to lower himself to their level, it would be a disgrace to his status.

Unless these five people dared to provoke Kant, Kant would not care too much about them -- for the sake of the world nobles standing behind them.

"Five distinguished guests, now you can explain your purpose of coming!" Kant took the exquisite clay cup handed over by the attendant and sat on the main seat of the main hall of the city lord's mansion. He held the exquisite clay cup in his right hand and played with it while he spoke to the five nobles who were sitting on the guest seats and had the highest authority in the entire lion empire on the surface.

The expressions of the four top-ranking counts were a little sullen. What kind of noble status were they? Even Grand Duke Cameron, who was also a world noble, treated them according to the etiquette of the noble. He was like a gentleman. How dare Kant treat them like this?

As for Carl. Cameron's face was gloomy. Kant did not have any intention of treating him, this "elder brother", differently from the other four counts. This was simply a slap to his face. God knows how many words he had said to the four top-ranking counts in the name of Kant's brother before Kant arrived. Even with his shrewdness, he could no longer maintain a calm expression.

"Viscount Karl, it's better for you to speak!" Count Cody. Maud said.

After hearing Count Cody. Maud's words, Karl. Cameron nodded and put away his gloomy expression.

"Brother!" Viscount Karl seemed to have forgotten that Kant had completely ignored him. His tone was somewhat affectionate as he said, "Our purpose of coming here is related to the God of War."

Kant's expression was indifferent as he said, "Viscount Karl Cameron, please pay attention to your words. Call me Baron Kant, or His Highness Kant! I, Kant, have never thought that I have a brother!"

Looking at the man who was eight or nine years older than him and looked very calm and steady, and who a similar face but a huge difference in the color of his eyes, Kant revealed a trace of a mocking smile.

"I, Kant, have never had any family in this world."

When I was sixteen years old, my father gave me the title of baron and gave me the Nahrin Desert as my estate. This was indirectly asking me to die. If not for the system, my bones would probably have been buried in the sand of the Nahrin Desert.

My mother had passed away when I was born, so there was no way to talk about their relationship.

My older brother was eight or nine years older than me. Now that I was 18 years old, this was the first time he met me.

This is family? I, Kant, don't have any family in this world, and I don't need any family!

"Brother!" Carl. Cameron called out with red eyes, as if Kant's words had deeply stimulated him, "How can you say that? We all have our father's blood flowing in our bodies. This is the blood of our closest kin. Nothing can tear it apart!"

Kant directly ignored Carl's horrible acting performance that made him feel like vomiting, at the same time, a wisp of dark red Power of War quietly climbed onto the exquisite ceramic cup that he was playing with. "Viscount Carl. Cameron, I don't like to repeat what I've said a second time. If you dare to continue to ignore my will, I will teach you how to face it squarely, if you still have the chance after I teach you!"

Carl. Cameron felt Kant's cold pressure on him, as well as the terrifying killing intent that he did not unleash. A hint of fear quickly entered his heart. As a peak grand knight, he was even drenched in cold sweat on his goose down inner lining. The inner lining stuck to his back, making him feel extremely uncomfortable. He thought with a slight tremble, "Kant, he's actually serious. He doesn't even care about the blood relationship between me and him. Blood-related brotherhood. He really dares to kill me! He doesn't even care about his father, a world noble. This b*stard, if I had known earlier, I wouldn't have treated him like trash and left him to fend for himself in Lionheart City. Instead, I should have killed him earlier!"

Under Kant's oppression, Carl. Cameron lowered his head, but his eyes were filled with madness and hatred. "I have to endure! I have to endure! When my father dies in battle, I will successfully awaken my real name and become the next world noble of the Cameron family. Then, I will wash away the shame that Kant, this b*stard, has brought me today!"

Carl. Cameron said humbly, "As you wish, Lord Kant!"

The four top-ranking counts looked at each other. Their original plan -- to rely on blood ties to win Kant over had failed. Next, they could only threaten him. This matter was originally done by Kant's brother, Carl. Cameron had done it after winning Kant over. But now they looked at Carl, who had shown humility in front of Kant, they quietly made changes to the original second plan.

At this time, Kant took a sip of the sweet drink in the exquisite clay cup in his hand. Then he said, "Now, you can continue to state your intentions."

Kant's voice was extremely flat, and one could not tell whether he was happy or angry.

If the generals who were familiar with Kant were beside Kant, they would know that Kant's tone meant that he was not happy.

Carl. Cameron had already said that they were here for the matter of the God of War, Edmund. The God of War, Edmund, had once said that the noble would not let him off. After a year of peace, the noble finally found him. The nobles here naturally had their real names, and were incomparably powerful world nobles. Behind the five people who had arrived were the five world nobles from the Dukedom of Leo. It would be strange if Kant was in a good mood.

"They really came with ill intentions!" Kant thought as he quietly waited for the five people to continue.

"Let me say it!" Seeing Carl. Cameron was about to open his mouth, Count Cody. Maud immediately said. At this moment, Carl. Cameron looked like he had been completely suppressed by Kant. How could he say that he was threatening Kant? When the four top-level counts looked at each other, they tacitly excluded this point. And in their hearts, they were also vegan to look down at Carl. Cameron. His father was clearly an extraordinary knight and a world noble, yet he was so easily subdued by another world noble. One had to know that, Carl. Cameron now represented the entire Cameron family. If he were to submit like this, some of those who met the standard, Duke Cameron, would also want Kant to submit.

Carl. Cameron was also a person with a clear mind. When he saw the four top-ranked counts looking at him, how could he not know what they were thinking? He felt a little wronged. He believed that if he faced the killing intent of a world noble alone, presumably, the performance of these four top-ranked counts would not be much better than his. However, he was unable to explain this reason to the four top-ranked counts in front of Kant.

However, Carl. Cameron's hatred towards Kant had deepened. He was despised by the four top-ranked counts at the same time. In the end, it was not because Kant forced him. These four top-ranked counts were the ones who were like him, Carl. Cameron was on the same level as his peers. Being despised by them was no less than being despised by his peers. This was an extremely painful thing.

Even though Carl. Cameron's hatred towards Kant had deepened, he still smiled at Count Cody. Maud said,

"Then Count Maud, I'll have to trouble you!"

Count Cody. Maud said, "Baron Kant, you massacred the god of war and caused tremendous damage to the interests of our five families! "We are here today to inform you of this matter and ask you to compensate us on behalf of the five world noble families behind us!"

Count Cody. Maud's tone was very strong because his family's world noble, Tyr. Isai. Maud was the most powerful baron among the world noble families in Isai. They knew that Kant had also met Tyr. Isai. Maud. According to Count Cody Maud's thoughts, he had made his stance clear and represented Tyr. Isai. Maud had made his stance clear.

In the face of such a huge difference in strength, Baron Kant had no choice but to accept his fate. Moreover, he wasn't the only one representing Tyr. Isai. Maud had come to force Kant. Instead, the five great noble families of the Dukedom of Leo had joined forces to force Kant.

Kant only said faintly, "Tell me in detail, how did I slaughter the god of War will harm the interests of your family? What compensation do you want from me?"

Count Cody. Maud heard Kant asking for details and only thought that Kant had accepted his fate, his tone was a little more relaxed. "The God of War, Edmund, was once one of our five great families' ally gods. Our family allowed him to spread his faith on the land of the Dukedom of Leo, and he gave us the divine stone as a reward. The divine stone is an important resource for our five great families to fight against the demons. In simple terms, a divine stone is equivalent to the power of ten grand knights when fighting against the demons."

After a pause, Count Cody. Maud continued, "In the past, the God of War paid our five great families ten divine stones every month. Now, in a year, there should be 120 divine stones. Baron Kant, you massacred the God of War. To us five families, it is no less than losing the power of 1,200 grand knights. We are here this time to hope that Baron Kant will compensate us for this!"

Seeing that Kant had already heard the content of the compensation and still had a faint expression, Count Cody. Maud's voice suddenly carried a sense of oppression. He raised his voice by an octave, "Baron Kant, after discussion, our five families have given you two compensation plans."

Count Cody. Maud deliberately paused for a moment, waiting for Kant to ask a question, but Kant completely ignored him.

He had no choice but to state these two compensation plans in a threatening tone, "First, you can directly compensate the power of 1,200 grand knights of our five great families. Second, you can use your blood to compensate. A drop of the blood of the world baron can allow a soldier at the peak of the knight realm to advance to the grand knight realm. Given that even the blood of the noble of the world is limited, we only need you to compensate us with 500 drops of your blood!"

Chapter 561: The Scheme of the Nobles

Kant easily noticed the strangeness in their words. A drop of his blood could create a grand knight. Kant himself knew this, and the system had mentioned it when it analyzed Kant's Power of War.

That was the strangeness. Since they were here to ask Kant to compensate them for their losses, who would voluntarily lower the compensation for him? Moreover, they lowered the compensation at a great degree. One way was to ask him to compensate 1,200 grand knight-level powers. This meant 1,200 Swadian Royal Knights, the Sarleon Lion Knights, or the mages of the Enfath Empire. On the surface, this was far more than the value of Kant's 500 drops of blood.

500 drops of blood could only produce 500 grand knights, and they had to provide their own soldiers at the pinnacle of knight-level.

This was too strange. With their way to force Kant to cooperate with them, there was no need for them to do this. According to them, the God of War provided them with 120 divine stones in a year, which was equivalent to 1200 drops of Kant's blood. 1200 drops of blood was too much if Kant lost it all at once, 500 drops was just the right amount.

However, they could choose to let him pay 500 drops first, and then pay them monthly like the God of War, Edmund. If they succeeded in extorting him this time, Kant believed that these guys would not give up on keeping him as a fat sheep like Edmund to harvest the wool on a regular basis.

But this was obviously not the case. They only mentioned that Kant would pay for their losses for a year and did not mention anything about the future. Perhaps in their eyes, Kant did not have a future.

A year's time was precisely the time when Kant's real name completely sank into the bloodline, which meant that Kant's bloodline could already inherit his real name. If Kant had a descendant and Kant died, his descendant could completely awaken his real name, 'Lannister Tolia', continue to control the rules of war through his real name, and ascend to become a new world noble, become another 'Isaiah Lannister Tolia'.

Some thoughts appeared in Kant's mind.

Four top counts of the Dukedom of Leo and Viscount Karl. Cameron stared at Kant, wanting to know Kant's choice of the two compensation options they offered.

There were five world nobles -- including the world's most powerful noble Baron Tyr Isai Maud stood behind them. They did not have much doubt as to whether Kant would agree to their compensation options. The only worry was Kant's choice. However, in order to ensure that Kant would choose to use his own blood as compensation, they had already given a huge "discount", so they didn't have much concern.

Kant, who was sitting high in the main seat of the hall, finished the sweet and delicious drink in the exquisite ceramic cup in his right hand. He carefully stared at the four top-notch counts and Viscount Carl. Cameron suddenly said, "I'm very curious, are 500 drops of blood enough to change one's bloodline?"

As Kant spoke, there was a flash of panic in the four top-notch counts and Viscount Carl. Cameron's eyes.

"Impossible. How did Baron Kant know about our plan!" Count Cody. Maud roared loudly in the depths of his heart. At the same time, he cast a suspicious gaze at Viscount Carl. Cameron.

The other three counts did the same.

Viscount Carl. Cameron shook his head slightly, indicating that he himself did not know what was going on. The four top-notch counts naturally would not believe Carl at this time. In their eyes, the interaction of Viscount Carl with Kant just now seemed to be a deliberate act, deliberately showing a ruthless act of brotherhood so that Viscount Carl. Cameron was cleared of the suspicion of betrayal. Of course, this was what the four top-ranking earls thought on purpose.

They would not suspect Grand Duke Cameron, because although Grand Duke Cameron was Kant's biological father, he had already signed an agreement with the world noble families of the four top-ranking counts, the signature was his full real name. After he signed his name, his real name had disappeared from the parchment of the agreement. However, when he signed his name, the aura of rules that blossomed from the pen could prove that he had really signed his real name.

The agreement that he signed with his real name showed that he really wanted his biological son, Kant, who had already become a world noble, to die. Otherwise, the backlash from his real name would not be a joke.

But in any case, Kant had the blood of the Cameron family flowing in his body. In the eyes of the four top counts, perhaps Viscount Carl. Cameron had a different idea from his father. The four top counts unanimously thought so. At this time, Kant's words undoubtedly showed that he already knew their plan -- to use Kant's blood to create a new world noble. In the eyes of the four top-ranking counts, this was undoubtedly due to Carl. Cameron's betrayal. In fact, they did not really trust Carl. Cameron would betray, but this time their operation was destined to fail, so they had to find someone to take the blame, right?

Kant's eyes flashed with a trace of coldness, and a smile suddenly appeared on his face, but this smile had no warmth at all. Kant looked at the four top-level counts and Viscount Carl. Cameron said, "It seems that the five world nobles of the Dukedom of Leo want to kill Kant!"

At this moment, Kant was 90% sure that his guess was true. The five world nobles of the Dukedom of Leo wanted him dead, and at the same time, they wanted to use his bloodline to give birth to another world noble.

"The peaceful time of this year is because they are waiting for my real name to completely sink into my bloodline, so that my decedent can awaken from the bloodline after my death." Kant thought, the curse-like words of the God of War before he died seemed to echo in his ears.

"You guys shouldn't have given me a year!" Kant felt regretful for mentioning the five world nobles of the Dukedom of Leo. They had missed the best opportunity to deal with Kant. At this moment, Kant's eyes revealed a coldness. He suddenly raised his head, and the complicated dark red patterns in the depths of his eyes slowly appeared. The world perspective suddenly changed to the rule perspective. After his real name was completely immersed in his bloodline, only then did Kant have the ability to condense his real name in his eyes and able to enter the world of the rule perspective.

At this time, the world of the rule perspective was different from when he had just become a world noble. Because at this moment, no one was standing on the countless different colored chains of the rules, and no divinity emerged from them and was penetrated by the chains of the rules. So, when he became a world noble that day, all the world's nobles and gods gathered together, was it to witness him becoming a world noble?

Kant's real name, which was formed by the deep red complicated patterns in the corner of his eye, had completely receded, and his perspective returned from the perspective of the rules to a normal perspective. As Kant had expected, the four top-notch counts and Viscount Carl. Cameron did not answer Kant's very straightforward question at all. But from their frightened eyes, Kant still got the answer he wanted. Some answers, especially when one wanted to confirm an answer, did not necessarily need to be clear and specific.

"Harde, send the guest out!" Kant stood up from his high seat in the Hall of the city lord mansion and ordered the Swadian Royal Knight who was standing beside him. After saying that, he walked out of the hall. He wanted to go to the side hall of the to re-analyze the war situation. The enemy suddenly became much stronger. He had already confirmed that he needed to insert the flag representing the five noble families of the Dukedom of Leo into the sand table and insert it into the castle model of their only South County!

"Baron Kant... you... you're not going to kill us?" Cody. Maud's voice was filled with disbelief. As a qualified noble, it was necessary for him to be ruthless. At this time, Kant already knew that the five noble families of the Dukedom of Leo wanted to kill him. If they were in Kant's position, they would definitely kill all five of them. This would weaken the enemy's strength, not only were they five supreme grand knights, but they were also the leaders of the five families. Killing them would severely hit the morale of the five families.

Kant stopped walking and turned to look at the four top-ranking counts and Viscount Carl. Cameron.

The four top-ranking counts and Viscount Carl. Cameron's heart suddenly tightened when they saw Kant suddenly stop walking. They could not help but look at Count Cody. Maud started to complain -- would you die if you shut your mouth? However, it was useless to complain now. They quickly checked Kant's expression. After all, they were now in Kant's territory, and they were facing Kant, a man who had already become a world noble, their fate could be said to be completely dependent on Kant's whim.

However, the gaze they saw in Kant's eyes was an indifferent and lofty one. Compared to when Kant sat high above them in the main seat of the city lord mansion, this feeling was even more intense.

"Kill you? Is there a need for me to do that?" Kant calmly answered, "You're just five slightly stronger bugs!"

After saying that, Kant turned around and left. Completely ignoring the reddened faces that had been humiliated by his words. The five nobles who could be said to be standing at the peak of the Dukedom of Leo, other than the world nobles, and who thought of themselves as having an incomparably noble status, could be said to be filled with endless fury.

"Four guests, please!" the Swadian Royal Knight, Harde, used a standard knight's salute to make an inviting gesture. However, this could only mean that he was extremely well-mannered and did not really respect the five people who Kant regarded as "strong bugs". From his words, it was obvious that he no longer regarded these five persons as distinguished guest and did not have any honorific titles. Baron Kant was the only distinguished person in the eyes of these soldiers who came from the system. Since Baron Kant had already expressed his disdain for these five persons, Harde naturally followed, he immediately reacted from his words.

"Baron Kant... If you don't kill us today, I swear that I will definitely make you regret it! I, Cody. Maud swore that in the future, I will definitely make you kneel in front of me. At that time, I want to see if you, Baron Kant, still dare to be so high and mighty like today!" Cody. Maud shouted loudly at Kant's gradually disappearing back.

Harde heard Cody. Maud dared to claim that his noble Lord Kant would kneel in front of him. A golden light suddenly appeared in his hand, and he punched at Cody. Maud smashed his face. "You, a worm, dare to be disrespectful to Lord Kant?"

Cody. Maud was the descendent of the most powerful baron among world nobles, Tyr. Isai. Moud. He even did not put Grand Duke Cameron, who had not awakened his real name to become a world noble, in his eyes. He had always regarded himself as the most noble person in the Dukedom of Leo. Today, when he was looked down upon by Kant, he was filled with anger, seeing that a small guard under Kant dared to provoke him, a jet-black light flashed on his fist, and he fiercely smashed it towards the fist of Harde.

"I am an elite at the peak of grand knight level, and the attribute of extraordinary power is controlled by my ancestor, Tyr Isai Maud. How can I be inferior to you, a mere guard by Kant's side?" Cody. Moud, who was extremely angry, immediately used his full strength.

"Count Maud, please hold back!" the three top counts and Viscount Carl. Cameron shouted at the same time, "We are still in Baron Kant's territory, you must not act on impulse!"

However, it was a little too late for them to warn him. At this moment, Harde's fist that was suffused with golden King's Power had already collided with Cody. Maud's fist that was suffused with pitch-black destructive power.

Boom!

The entire city lord mansion shook.

Creak!

The flagstones under their feet suddenly made a sound. The three top counts and Viscount Carl. Cameron who heard the sound looked down at their feet and could not help but feel extremely shocked. The flagstones under their feet were already densely packed with cracks -- this was the extremely hard "flagstones", it was the same type of bluestone tiles that could withstand the pressure of four to five tons of horse-drawn carriage laid on the East and West Main Road of Lionheart City, yet the two of them was able to create densely packed cracks by stepping on it.

However, what made them even more surprised was that this guard, who looked very valiant, was actually able to block Count Maud's punch that was full of destructive power without any damage. They did not see many people in Lionheart City who dressed like this guard.

It must be known that Count Cody. Maud's combat strength was ranked first among the five of them. Among the five families, there were only a handful of peak grand knights who could fight against Count Maud directly. Those who could fight against him, most of them had to rely on their superior combat skills to block Count Cody. Maud. None of the peak grand knights could fight Count Cody. Maud head-on.

Chapter 562: Kant's Absolute Intimidation

Kant returned to the side hall of the city lord residence, which was decorated with the Dukedom of Leo's sand table.

"The Dukedom of Leo's East County has Baheshtur and soldiers of Sargoth. In addition to the extraordinary strength and two pieces of war equipment that I sent over, it's very easy to destroy the East County. As long as the five world nobles of the Dukedom of Leo don't interfere."

"However, it is not suitable to use the previous plan at this time. After the start of the war in the South County, the five world nobles will definitely interfere. With the support of the five world noble fiefdoms, the enemy's strength might become a bottomless pit that I don't know the details of. East County can now completely become my training ground, allowing the recruits to grow rapidly while reducing the losses!"

The nobles in East County were not too strong, and there was only the Countess of the East County, Agatha. Cameron could be considered a noble of the upper class. The rest were only comparable to the small noble families in the South County and were very suitable for Kant's training.

War was like this. When facing the changes, one needed to take appropriate measures in a timely manner. Now that the plan had changed, naturally, he had to inform Baheshtur. At the same time, Kant also had to inform Bunduk, James, Firentis, and Rolf to cooperate with him.

"Donte, go and inform Will. Tell him to contact Baheshtur and tell him that the strategic goal of the East County had changed to focus on training soldiers. At the same time, inform Bunduk, James, Firentis, and Rolf to cooperate with Baheshtur and provide him with militia!" Kant said to another Swadian Royal Knight beside him.

"Yes, my lord!" the Swadian Royal Knight named Donte received the order and left.

After Donte left, Kant fell into deep thought.

Kant's eyes revealed a thoughtful look. At this moment, he no longer had the noble look to face the four top counts and Viscount Carl. Cameron. Even if he became a world noble, he had to act when he had to act.

Kant still remembered the scene when he saw the 51 world nobles in the Eastern District of Lionheart City. What left the deepest impression on Kant was not the extremely powerful aura on their bodies, but the kind of long-time killing and the merciless aura of war. The equipment on their bodies could be said to be extremely ferocious. They could emit with extreme killing intent everywhere. Even the vest on the warhorse had terrifying steel thorns.

Combined with the information Kant obtained from the world will, Kant understood that the world noble should often fight against the demonic army, and they themselves had to personally fight against the powerful demons that invaded. In short, none of the world noble were good people. Their combat ability on the battlefield was absolutely formidable -- only long-lived wars could train their ruthless and merciless battle aura.

Then, among their long-term followers, there was definitely no lack of people who were proficient in the way of war. Kant left behind four to counts and Viscount Carl. Cameron's intention was precisely this. Kant would rather have the four top-notch counts and Viscount Carl lead the other side when the war began, and not a terrifying guy who came out of the world noble fiefdom after being proficient in the way of war. At his current level, the individual strength of five peak grand knights was indeed nothing to those monsters.

Power was a good thing, especially after Kant had deliberately provoked him this time. He did not believe that the four top counts and Viscount Carl Cameron, who held the authority of the territories outside of five world noble fiefdoms all year round, would hand over their authority. In terms of personal strength and blood closeness, they should not lose out to any clansmen who followed the world's noble.

The attitude of the five world's noble had already become a mortal enemy of Kant. Regardless of whether they gave up the idea of killing Kant, Kant had no intention of letting the five world nobles go. In the beginning, Kant had never thought of making an enemy out of them. 'I rule over everything on the earth and accomplish my ungodly undertaking. You are still in your fiefdoms and call yourselves kings. The two have nothing to do with each other.'

At least from Kant's point of view, this was completely achievable. After all, the fiefdoms of the world noble families were too big, and as a former divine kingdom, most of the land was very rich, as long as the fiefdoms did not inherit the divine kingdoms of gods like the God of Desert and the God of Disaster.

However, Kant had not even revealed his fangs. These world noble families actually wanted to kill him, so Kant naturally would not create his own great emperor throne and use the bones of some noble to lay the foundation.

Kant solemnly placed the flag representing the power of the five world nobles on the castle of the five families in the South County. Kant did not know how strong these five flags represented. However, Kant, who ruled millions of people from the world, had nothing to fear. He did not dare to guess how strong his war potential was.

...

The four top-notch counts of the Dukedom of Leo and Viscount Carl. Cameron returned to the castle on his estate. They had come to Lionheart City as envoys this time. They had thought that they could show off in front of a real world noble, but they did not expect to suffer a great humiliation. At this time, they were simply full of anger. They deeply hated Baron Kant's contempt for them. Especially Count Cody. Maud and Viscount Carl. Cameron's hatred for Kant was the strongest. Even if they were poured by the river water of all rivers, it would be difficult to wash away their hatred for Kant.

With the disappointment of failing the mission, they each passed through the gates left by the five world nobles in the family castle. They successfully entered the fiefdom of the five world nobles and reported the failure of the mission to the five world nobles.

When the four top-ranking counts and Viscount Carl. Cameron reported the mission and left the fiefdom of the five world nobles.

In a closed ordinary living room in a fortress in Tyre. Isai. Maud's demiplane fiefdom, the figures of the five world nobles suddenly appeared. However, if anyone was here, they would be able to tell that the figures of the five world nobles were not real, they were even semi-transparent.

"Ten minutes!" Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's tone was cold.

"Ryan, it seems that there is a lot of pressure in your fief! Do you want me to send an army to support you? Killing a hundred grand knights only requires one kilogram of abyss magic iron as compensation!" Baron Tyr. Isai. Mord said in a joking tone.

Baron Ryan Isai Cameron did not reply.

"Let's get to the main topic as soon as possible!" Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese said in a somewhat depressed tone.

"Baron Kant don't know how to appreciate favors!" Baron Clark. Isai. Prynne's voice was filled with anger.

"Ryan, you tell me! Baron Kant's bloodline plunder plan was proposed by you, and the core spell of the blood exchange was also provided by you. Now that the plan has failed, do you have any supplementary plans?" Baron Victor. Isai. Enoch looked at Ryan. Isai. Cameron, who had a cold expression on his face and spoke.

"War!" Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's voice was still as cold.

The four world barons heard Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's words suddenly became silent.

Although the world noble had a large estate, the pressure was equally great. For every world baron, every year there was a month known as the month of calamity. The exact month was different for different world noble.

Every time the month of calamity descended, the world's will Isai would open a passage connecting to the abyss world, proactively connecting to the demon baron's estate. The abyssal demons that had chaos and destruction as their wills and inherited the aggressive nature of the abyssal will, would almost certainly invade along the passage opened by the World Will Isai. The actions of the World Will Isai were just like how man-eating flowers would trap prey. The abyssal will carried by the demons from the Abyss was the food of the World Will Isai.

If the power of the world noble's fiefdom was insufficient, the world baron might be killed by the demon baron. The world noble was not willing to waste their power for no reason. They wanted to use all means to strengthen themselves. As long as they successfully killed the demons, the world will would not be stingy with rewards, the power of their real names would evolve, and the world's noble title would rise, their fiefdoms would expand.

It could be said that the longer the world's noble families lived, the stronger they would become.

And their own power, as well as the power of the army in the fiefdoms, were the guarantee for their continued survival.

Baron Kant's power, just the army in Lionheart City, was enough to shock them and make them drool.

When Ryan. Isai. Cameron proposed the "Baron Kant's bloodline plunder plan", they could not wait to agree to all of it. Because if the plan succeeded, they would be able to profit from a large number of Baron Kant's powerful army. At the same time, they would be able to enjoy the support of a world baron who had yet to open his fiefdom.

But the plan failed. They were not willing to start a war against Baron Kant. War meant that the army would suffer losses. Although Baron Kant did not have a fiefdom, his strength and power were not inferior to any of them. In fact, he might even stronger.

"September is my month of calamity! I refuse to participate in the war!" Tyr. Isai. Maud did not have the mood to joke anymore and said seriously.

Now, it was already August, and September was coming.

"Noble, meeting, god!" Ryan. Isai. Cameron stared at Tyr. Isai. Maud and spoke.

"Ryan, in the baron-level meeting between the noble and the god, we did promise to kill Baron Kant, to respond to the god's dissatisfaction with the noble, and to save the god from reducing the supply of divine stones to the noble. But there's no need for a war! We can gather the strength of the five of us, and when Baron Kant leaves Lionheart City, we can work together to kill him. Baron Kant hasn't opened his fiefdom at this time. He's the weakest baron. We have a high chance of killing him!" Nathaniel. Isai. Reese looked at Ryan. Isai. Cameron and advised.

"Time!" Ryan. Isai. Cameron said again.

"Time is not a problem. Although we promised a year's time, we only need to pay some abyssal magic iron to offset our excess time in the next baron-level noble and god meeting," Victor. Isai. Enoch defended himself.

"Ten minutes are up!" After saying that, Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's figure disappeared, leaving only four world barons in the meeting room.

"August is Ryan's month of calamity. Ryan will propose a war against Baron Kant. It seems that he was lucky enough to meet a weak devil baron this time!" Clark. Isai. Prynne said.

"I always feel that the Cameron family is too scheming. Seven thousand years ago, Edmund was a god raised by the Cameron family, but he died at the hands of Ryan's son, Kant. This Kant was just a child who had nothing two years ago. How did he grow to such a level in just two years?" Tyr. Isai. Maud paused, he continued, "And Ryan's sister, Agatha. I once sneaked into East County to investigate. It was just a flesh and blood clone. There was a hint of a god's representative on the earth. "You should know what this means."

Nathaniel Isai Reese

The baron continued, "That's true. Twenty years ago. Ryan's father, who was still a world noble, brazenly went to the Silver Platter Kingdom alone and kidnapped the princess of the Silver Platter Kingdom, Sophia. We all know that the descendants of god and the descendants of the world noble never intermarried, but Sophia actually gave birth to Kant for Ryan. This Kant is also so monstrous. I wonder if this is a scheme of the Cameron family."

Baron Victor. Isai. Enoch said, "The Cameron family has always been dedicated to researching the noble bloodline and the divine bloodline. This is not a secret, but we don't know if there are any results. Speaking of Kant, my family's spies have seen the Light Domain on him before. I wonder if it originated from his mother, Sophia. If we just look at Kant's growth, it seems that Ryan didn't treat him as a son at all."

Baron Clark. Isai. Prynne said thoughtfully, "Ryan was so eager to take back Baron Kant's bloodline. Could it be that Kant was originally a successful experimental subject, but he treated him as a failure and a waste?"

"It is indeed possible. On the day the God of War was massacred by Kant, Kant became a world noble. The speed is too fast. I don't know if it is related to his half-god and half-noble bloodline." Tyr. Isai. Maud said.

"Alright, let's put away the messy topics. Let's discuss how to lure Baron Kant out of Lionheart City! Killing Baron Kant was a matter of vital interest to us. Currently, every noble can only obtain five divine stones from the gods in a month. Only after completing the decision made by the gods at the baron-level meeting between the nobles and the gods, and killing Baron Kant, will the gods cancel the decision to halve the supply of divine stones." Baron Victor. Isai. Enoch took the initiative to end the discussion about the Cameron family and directly brought the topic to the main business.

Chapter 563: The Discovery of Ancient Ruins

Another month had passed. During this month, the Dukedom of Leo was in a state of war. Every day, envoys would come to Lionheart City to see Kant. They were the envoys of the noble families in the dukedom, they came with the oath of allegiance of the noble families in the East County. However, they did not see Kant.

It was precisely because of their betrayal that Kant was now so cold-hearted. In the blueprint of Kant's new empire, there was no place left for the population of the native world. Perhaps at the beginning of this blueprint, Kant had left a place for them to survive on the land because of the kindness in his heart. However, the discovery of the world noble's fiefdom, the demiplane, allowed Kant to determine the final destination of the population of the native world.

On the square of the large-scale Sargoth Fotress, another group of soldiers who had fought with the noble soldiers in the East County had leveled up. They had fought enough battles and accumulated enough experience points. At this moment, Baheshtur gathered them together and stood in a square formation.

In front of the square formation, there was a wide platform made of solid wood. In the middle of the platform, there was a burning silver brazier. At this moment, the Swadian Royal Knight, was standing beside the silver brazier on the platform. He was holding a thin piece of parchment in his hand.

"Please welcome, Your Highness Kant!" Mande said respectfully to the silver brazier and threw the parchment into the silver brazier. There was nothing on the parchment, but when it fell into the silver brazier, there were dark red complicated patterns on the parchment. This was the parchment on which Kant had written his real name in advance.

And throwing the parchment that had his real name on it into the fire was the way he had set up to call his real name. Once the real name of the world noble was called, they could sense it. Kant had set up this way because the real name of the world noble could never be casually told to others. Because once someone had the real name of the world noble, they could directly control the world nobles through their real name. The world's noble would also become the other party's slave. If the world noble did not want their real name to be directly destroyed by the other party's verbal curse, and thus be beaten down to dust and demoted from a true extraordinary being.

Bang!

In the silver brazier, the flames suddenly increased in height, instantly turning into a deep red color. Immediately after, these flames continuously swayed and changed, and finally, a deep red phantom of Kant was born. It only had the upper body and was completely formed from the deep red flames. The soldiers gathered under the high platform couldn't see Kant's appearance clearly, because Kant's appearance was blurred by the rising dark red flames. However, on the face of this Kant phantom, two amber eyes were as bright as the stars, there were extremely complicated dark red patterns floating in it.

In the information room of the city lord mansion of Lionheart City, Kant was sitting upright on a tiger-skin chair. There were also complicated dark red patterns floating in his eyes. This was Kant's newly discovered ability after his real name merged with his bloodline, it was the will projection.

In fact, Kant only needed to use the Power of War to construct his own figure. He could move and speak, but it was not a physical body and had no combat ability. However, since he designed the way to call his real name by burning the parchment with his real name, Kant simply released the Power of War in the flames, indirectly combining the flames and the power of war to construct his own will projection.

The dark red flames formed Kant's will projection. Looking at the gathered soldiers under the high platform, their troop class names suddenly appeared in his mind -- Swadian Militia. At this time, Swadian Militia had the option to level up. Moreover, they had two leveling directions -- Swadian Footman and Swadian Skirmisher.

"Level up!" Kant said in his mind. "All Swadian Militia will level up to the Swadian Footmen!"

As Kant made his decision, a large black data chain was released from Kant's eyes and wrapped around every Swadian Militia. The coarse linen clothes of the Swadian Militia were instantly replaced by leather armor, at the same time, the wooden spear in their hands was replaced by the exquisite Swadian Footman sword and heater shield. On their waists, a hunting crossbow and a crossbow quiver appeared.

Very quickly, all the Swadian militia were converted into the Swadian Footmen. They would continue to be sent to the more powerful noble estate to fight against the more powerful noble soldiers of the noble estate and continue to accumulate experience points, waiting for the next time they were gathered to level up. Baheshtur, as Kant's general and the hero he summoned, could see whether the soldiers had accumulated enough experience points just like Kant, however, only Kant had the ability to level up the soldiers.

At this moment, on the high platform in front of the Swadian Footmen, Kant's figure formed from the dark red flames in the silver brazier suddenly shook violently and directly collapsed. The dark red flames quickly turned into bright yellow flames with a trace of crimson heat. The flames rapidly descended to their previous height and were still burning fiercely.

"Was that the Supreme Lord Kant, our lord, our ruler, our Miracle King?" A Swadian Footman felt the surging power flowing from his body. This power was much stronger than before, much stronger. He asked the other Swadian Footman who had also completed his level up with extreme respect.

"Yes, I'm really glad that I passed Drondheim's recruitment and could fight for the great Lord Kant. Many guys who are only a Swadian recruit have to go home and train hard for two months if they want to be selected!" another Swadian Footman replied with a very happy tone.

...

In the information room of the city lord mansion of Lionheart City, Kant was carefully looking through the information about the upper-class noble families of South County that the spies had been searching for over a year.

There was a total of 97 upper-class nobles in South County, of which 16 were viscounts and 81 were barons. They were all families that had been passed down for more than 300 years. Most of them were once the founding noble families of the Dukedom of Leo. After 300 years of development, the strength of each upper-class noble that had survived to this day could not be underestimated. Moreover, the relationship between each of them was intertwined, and a single incident could affect all of them.

Among the 16 viscounts, two of them were far more powerful than the other viscounts. They were Viscount Porter and Viscount George. In terms of strength on the surface, they were not inferior to the four top counts. They all had the strength of ten grand knights. Noble families were such hypocrites. They all hid their true strength, just like how a poisonous snake hid its fangs, a lion and a tiger hid their claws and teeth. They would only reveal all the strength of their family when needed.

According to the investigation of Kant's spies, these two Viscount Porter and Viscount George, who were regarded as the top-tier noble families in the Dukedom of Leo, had at least 100 grand knight level subordinates or clansmen. The other 14 upper-level noble viscounts also had 30 to 50 grand knight-level subordinates. The average upper-level noble baron had between 10 to 30 grand knights in his family.

What limited the strength of these families' grand knights was not the number of knights at the peak of knight-level, but the rare resources that were needed to advance from the peak of knight-level to grand knight-level. The stronger the family was, the more precious resources they would obtain. They would be able to let the grand knights in the family guide more knights at the peak of the Knight Realm to advance to the Grand Knight Realm.

Moreover, these upper-class noble families with ancient inheritances obviously could not use all the precious resources they had obtained. They would definitely keep some as reserves. Therefore, if they were to calculate seriously, the number of grand knights of these upper-class noble families should be doubled.

At least 5000 grand knights.

This number was even a conservative number because the spies belonging to Kant might not be able to detect all the powers of those noble families.

Kant currently had more than 3000 soldiers with extraordinary powers, including 1000 mages of the Enfath Empire.

The Sword of the King could continuously bestow the Swadian Knight as the Swadian Royal Knight, but it required a large amount of reputation. The Sarleon Lion Knights had an extremely perfect training and training system for soldiers. As long as it was a level-4 cavalry, they could eventually be trained by the Sarleon Lion Knights to become the Sarleon Lion Knights, but it would take time. As for the apprentice dormitories, they could allow Kant to continuously recruit mage apprentices. After the war, they could quickly advance to become the mages of the Enfath Empire.

It seemed that the number of soldiers with extraordinary powers that Kevin possessed was less than the number of grand knights that the upper-class noble families, excluding the four top noble families and the Cameron family, combined. However, the Power of War was not so easy to calculate. Kevin's soldiers with extraordinary powers were directly upgraded by the system. At the same time, they possessed extremely powerful battlefield experience. Therefore, they were completely capable of crushing ordinary grand knights, they were even on par with the peak grand knights of this world.

Therefore, although the power of the upper-class noble families looked terrifying, it was nothing to Kant. If it wasn't for the fact that he had to consider the factors of the five great world noble families, Kant would have already taken down the East County, and he would have already started to take down the South County.

With the addition of the five great world noble families, Kant was currently working hard to send spies into the demiplane that the five great world noble families were conferred. He wanted to figure out how powerful the five great noble families were.

Like the saying, 'Knowing yourself and your enemy, you will never be defeated in a hundred battles'.

In any case, Kant would only become stronger and stronger as time passed. Therefore, he could train his troops in the East County while waiting for the results of the spies' investigation. If they really could not find out anything, it did not matter. Kant would then take the initiative to start a war. With the system, he was not afraid of war. The only reason he did so now was to reduce the losses as much as possible. Because Kant had decided to lead his troops to reclaim the demiplane fiefdom in Nahrin Desert after completely occupying the Dukedom of Leo. It was definitely not as easy as conquering the Dukedom of Leo.

After studying the information of the upper-class noble families in the South County, Kant went to the sand table in the side hall of the city lord mansion. Facing the sand table, Kant started to deduce the war against the South County.

There were three routes for the war against the South County. First, he would directly send troops from Lionheart City and fight all the way until he occupied the entire South County. However, this route would first have to face the Cameron family's Lion Fort.

Secondly, the troops in Lionheart City would not move. Instead, he would send troops from the center of the South County, Jelkala, and fight all the way until he occupied the entire South County. However, this route required a large number of troops to be deployed to Jelkala. Currently, Jelkala only had 5,000 soldiers guarding it.

On the other hand, Lionheart City and Jelkala worked together to pincer the remaining half of the South County. If they did so, they would have to face the problem of route 1 and route 2 at the same time. However, the advantage was that the two parallel routes could be pushed forward quickly, it would greatly shorten the war process.

Just as Kant was thinking about which war route to choose, a Swadian Royal Knight walked over and said to Kant, "Lord, Viscount Porter and Viscount George came together, claiming that they want to pledge their allegiance to you!"

"Viscount Porter and Viscount George, the two most powerful viscounts among the upper-class nobles, actually want to pledge their allegiance to me?" Kant seemed to have heard something ridiculous. The East County was being treated as a place for him to train new recruits. The East County's noble families were suffering unspeakably and would continuously send envoys to express their desire to seek refuge with him. This was something that Kant could understand. After all, in their situation, it was as if they were in a desperate situation, no matter what method was used, there was no harm in giving it a try. If Kant agreed to their allegiance, wouldn't they be able to avoid the ravages of the flames of war?

However, the sudden defection of Viscount Porter and Viscount George was very confusing. Because until now, all the nobles who intended to pledge allegiance to Kant, Kant had expressed his refusal, except for those noble emissaries from the eastern county who had been left out.

Under such circumstances, if Viscount Porter and Viscount George still dared to pledge allegiance to him, it was simply asking for humiliation. Kant would not act as if he was willing to pledge his allegiance to them just because they were some top-notch nobles of the Dukedom of Leo.

"A family that is able to develop to the level of a top noble of the Dukedom of Leo under the suppression of the four top counts and the Cameron family should be able to easily see that I do not accept anyone's pledge of allegiance!" Kant narrowed his eyes slightly, Viscount Porter and Viscount George's actions were really bringing shame upon themselves.

Lionheart City was not like the other cities of Kant. they did not care about the population of this world and would expel them at any time. Instead, Lionheart City had been as open as before, the population of any country and power in this world would be easily approved if they wanted to settle down here. Therefore, after Viscount Porter and Viscount George left the city lord mansion this time, there would probably be rumors about them kissing Kant's cold butt. This was a great humiliation for the two viscounts.

Kant did not believe that the two viscounts would not notice such a simple thing. There were also things that could make a noble suffer humiliation. There were such things, and the conditions were not high, as long as they could bring them enough huge benefits.

Anything out of the ordinary was a demon.

In the main hall of the city lord mansion of Lionheart City, Kant sat at the head of the table.

"Lord Kant, Viscount George and I have jointly explored an ancient ruin and discovered a treasure. However, Viscount Carl. Cameron and the four counts of the South County have jointly threatened us to hand over the treasure to them! Our two families' influence is not smaller than theirs. We really cannot tolerate the five families bullying us like this. In all of the Dukedom of Leo, only Lord Kant's power can easily crush the power of our two families, so we want to join you and ask for your protection. For this, we are willing to offer you the treasure that all five families want to seize."

Chapter 564: The Treasures of the Ancient Ruins

"Ancient ruins? The treasures coveted by the five great families?" Kant's expression was a bit strange, but it wasn't a smile. He knew very well that behind the five great families stood the world noble families. If these two guys really discovered something extraordinary and the five great world noble families took a fancy to it at the same time, and they could still come here unscathed and act as if they had pledged allegiance to Kant?

"If it wasn't the treasure that caught the attention of the five great noble families, but the four top-notch counts and Carl, then the words of these two fellows could stand up to scrutiny. Based on the incident twelve years ago when these two fellows had attempted to invade Lionheart City together with the four great families, they really regarded their own family as an existence on the same level as the Cameron family and the four top-notch count families of the Dukedom of Leo." Kant then changed his perspective to think about it, he found that the words of these two fellows might not be empty words or trying to deceive him.

"Then tell me, where is the ancient ruin that you found? What is the treasure that you found? Did you bring it here?" Kant looked down at the two top viscounts of the Dukedom of Leo from above, he carefully observed the expressions on their faces. When Kant asked, Viscount Porter and Viscount George were very calm, and their expressions were very natural. This kind of performance often meant that they were not lying. Of course, there was a high possibility that their acting skills were superb -- Kant was more inclined to the latter.

Viscount Porter slightly considered his words, only then did he answer Kant's question. "Your Highness, the ancient ruins that we discovered were at the bottom of the Resniston River. That place happened to be the place where my manor and Viscount George's manor intersected. At that time, it was one of my soldiers who accidentally fell into the water and sank into the entrance of the ancient ruins. After that, I secretly sent my subordinates to investigate. However, my actions could be concealed from the other noble families, but not from Viscount George. You should know that he has always regarded me as his greatest enemy. He thinks that I am his greatest competitor for the sixth count of the Dukedom of Leo."

Viscount Porter paused for a moment, then he continued, "Therefore, this guy has been paying special attention to all my actions. "In the end, on the third week of my exploration of the ancient ruins, Viscount George discovered my secret. He unreasonably sent out a team to secretly explore the ancient ruins. Our strength is about the same, and I can't do anything to him. I knew that he wanted to get the good stuff in the ancient ruins before me. At that time, we were still in a fierce competition. Because of his participation, I was forced to order my family's exploration team to speed up the progress, even if it meant taking a little risk."

Viscount Porter spoke for a long time and sneaked a glance at Baron Kant, who was sitting on the main seat. He saw that he was listening very seriously, Viscount Porter continued, "Ancient ruins are not easy to explore. There are many dangers that we have never heard of or seen before. In the ancient ruins, many places are pitch-black. There are even some places that cannot be illuminated by torches. Sometimes, terrifying demonized creatures would leap out of the terrible darkness. "Your Highness, you have built a grand city on the Senwaya Mountain Range. You must know how terrifying the savage demonized creatures are. "None of the demonized creatures in the ruins are weaker than the common savage creatures. Sometimes, the branches of an ordinary-looking tree would suddenly tie up the soldiers who came close to it, and terrifying roots would grow out of the branches. In just a short while, even the soldiers at the peak of the knight level would be sucked into a piece of human skin wrapped around bones by the terrifying branches."

After another pause, Baron Porter took a sip of the drink served by his attendant, he continued, "It was precisely because of this that Viscount George and I were the first to send out a team to explore the ancient ruins. Before we could even explore half of it, we were completely annihilated. At that time, Viscount George and I truly realized the difficulty of exploring the ancient ruins. The entrance to the ancient ruins was at the bottom of the river, which was at the junction of Viscount George's Manor and mine. In order to not repeat the previous mistakes, Viscount George and I had a negotiation. In the end, we finally reached an agreement. Together, we will send out soldiers to form a second expedition team and continue to explore cautiously..."

Kant sat on the main seat and watching Viscount Porter's spittle flying everywhere. Suddenly, he said, "Harde, I have some questions to ask Viscount Porter alone while take Viscount George to a walk in the garden."

At this time, Viscount Porter naturally stopped what he was saying, and at the same time, his heartbeat was also raised.

The two viscounts came to "seek Kant's protection", so they did not dare to go against Kant's will. Harde brought Viscount George out.

"Viscount Porter, please answer me. When did you sign the agreement with Viscount George? How many parchments were written in your agreement? At the same time, what color and size did you obtain the treasure? Where is it now? Also, be careful, don't spout nonsense anymore! Answer my question directly!"

Hearing Kant's question, Viscount Porter was so nervous that his scalp went numb. Cold sweat dripped down from his face.

"This... this..." Viscount Porter did not have the momentum of eloquence at all. He stuttered and did not answer a single question.

"Is it difficult to answer my question?" Kant's voice became slightly cold.

"No... No, Your Highness Kant, I am trying to recall it carefully! You know, people in high positions like us have to deal with many things every day!" Viscount Porter racked his brain and answered Kant's question with difficulty.

"I remember now... Your Highness Kant, I remember now!" Viscount Porter seemed to have really recalled the answer to Kant's question, he quickly said, "Lord Kant, I signed an agreement with Viscount George one year ago, on the 18th of June! "It has been more than a year since then, and that agreement was written on six parchments. "The treasure we obtained is a black crown, which is much larger than an ordinary crown. It is now in my manor."

"Dunde, bring Viscount Porter outside the mansion for a walk. Come back in five minutes!" Kant instructed another Swadian Royal Knight.

"Yes, my lord!" the Swadian Royal Knight received the order and brought Viscount Porter out of the castellan's mansion of Lionheart City.

"Newt! Go and bring back Harde and Viscount George!" Kant thought about Viscount Porter's words. After listening to Viscount Porter's description, Kant instructed another Swadian Royal Knight.

When Viscount George returned to the main hall of the castellan mansion, Kant used the same question to ask him.

At first, Viscount George were in a bit of a dilemma like Viscount Porter just now. After a while, Viscount George replied, "Your Highness Lord Kant, I signed an agreement with Viscount Porter four months ago, on the 17th of May. That agreement was written on two pages of goatskin paper. The treasure we obtained was a black crown, which was larger than an ordinary crown. It is now in the manor of Viscount Porter."

Kant smiled and said, "It seems that Viscount Porter was right. Viscount George has indeed regarded Viscount Porter as the biggest competitor to become the sixth count of the Dukedom of Leo. As for the matter between the two of you, remember it more firmly! Viscount Porter does not remember the agreement you signed four months ago. He said that the date of the agreement you signed was one year ago, June 18th. Viscount George, I believe you also remember what agreement you signed with Viscount Porter on June 18th last year, right?"

Viscount George's face instantly turned pale when he heard Kant's words.

On June 18th last year, Viscount George did sign an agreement with Viscount Porter. And it was a more important agreement that was not implemented in the end.

...

"Porter, you idiot, the last agreement that we signed was signed on the 17th of May this year. How did you reply that it was signed on the 18th of June last year? We also signed an agreement during this period!" Viscount George and Porter left Lionheart City. On the horse, he constantly complained that Viscount Porter had ruined things.

"Hey, George, you stupid pig! You still have the nerve to say that! Don't you think that ancient ruins are so easy to explore? From the time we signed the agreement to the time we finally obtained the treasure, for sure it would take a long time. This way, the treasure we obtained would be more precious, and it would be able to attract Baron Kant to leave Lionheart City!" Baron Porter was so embarrassed that he became angry. Instead, he blamed George, "Moreover, the agreement we signed on June 18th last year was originally an agreement to jointly invade Baron Kant's salt mine in the Nahrin Desert. If the timing is right, when we face Baron Kant, we would also involuntarily think about it, alright?! So, George, you are a stupid pig! You caused me to lose the precious resources that could nurture thirty grand knights! The promises made by the five great families were enough to make up for the losses I suffered in the ancient ruins!"

...

After Kant expelled the two viscounts of the South County who had proven that they had lied to him, he thought to himself, "What are their motives? "Judging from the heartache that the Viscount of Porter revealed when he talked about how his own expedition team was completely annihilated, there is a high chance that the ancient ruins really do exist. As for the so-called treasure -- a black crown -- the two of them had said the same thing. Obviously, if it wasn't for the agreement, if it wasn't for the black crown, it really did exist!"

"The five great families and the two viscounts who pledged their loyalty to offer the treasure but placed it in the manor. This should be a conspiracy set up by them. I might as well follow the route set by these guys and think about it: because I coveted the treasure that was coveted by the five great families at the same time, I agreed to protect the two viscounts, so I must ask them to offer the treasure. The two viscounts can tell me at this time that there must be a reason for them to place the treasure in Viscount Porter's manor. I need to go and retrieve it personally." Kant thought of this, he felt that he had already guessed most of the opponent's conspiracy.

He would not forget that there were still five world noble families in the South County who wanted to kill him. In Lionheart City, there were close to a large number of Swadian Royal Knights, Sarleon Lion Knights, and the mages of the Enfath Empire guarding it. Even if five world noble families came, Kant would not be afraid. However, if he left Lionheart City and did not bring his army and faced five world nobles, Kant was not confident that he would be able to survive.

"Let's wait another month. If there is still no news from the five great world noble families, I will directly attack the South County! One month later, the East County had almost lost its value! After all, even if it was a training ground, it was still a real battlefield. There were people dying all the time. It's just that compared to the previously planned battlefield, the duration of the war has been increased by many times," Kant thought. "This way, I might have a chance to see what kind of treasure that so-called black crown is. It can make the five world noble families believe that it can attract me and personally take it."

Kant understood that if he was really wanted to see the treasure, he would first use the projection of his will to observe the treasure. Only if the treasure was really attractive enough, he could personally go and retrieve it. As an experienced noble, the five world nobles would naturally use the projection of their will and take Kant's ability into consideration. Therefore, that black crown should really be a very valuable treasure.

These were all Kant's speculations, but they were already close to the truth.

...

In Tyr. Isai. Maud's demiplane fiefdom, was currently under the flames of war. It was already September, and it was officially his month of calamity. However, he was indeed worthy of being the most powerful existence among the world barons in Isai. He easily suppressed a demon from the Abyss and attacked crazily. At the same time, he was able to divert a portion of his attention. He created a projection and held a meeting with the other four world nobles.

The location was still Baron Tyr. Isai. Maud's fiefdom, in the same meeting room in the fortress.

"Ryan, the Crown of Darkness that you provided doesn't seem to be as irresistible to Baron Kant as you said, right?" Baron Tyr. Isai. Maud bluntly said to Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron.

"Kant's mother, Sophia, was the Radiant Saintess of the Radiant Church in the Silver Platter Kingdom. How could the bloodline she gave birth to be attracted to an extraordinary item like the Crown of Darkness? Ryan, a spy of my family, has seen Baron Kant use his radiant domain!" Baron Victor. Isai. Enoch also said impolitely.

The four world nobles all pushed the blame onto Ryan. Isai. As Kant's father, he did not seem to understand Kant at all. He actually took out an extraordinary item that was not attractive to Kant in an attempt to lure Kant out of Lionheart City.

"Porter and George!" Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's words were very stiff, he only used a few words to convey his thoughts.

The four world nobles had dealt with him for a long time, so they naturally knew Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron was pushing the responsibility to the two viscounts, Viscount Porter and Viscount George, who were promised heavy benefits by the five families to perform in front of Kant.

"Show the crown!" Without waiting for the other noble families to respond, Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron once again said with a cold voice. Then, his figure disappeared, and he actually left just like that.

Chapter 565: The Conspiracy of the World Noble

Time passed quietly. Three days had passed since Kant had ordered Viscount Porter and Viscount George to be expelled. When Kant was reading in the castellan mansion, he suddenly felt an inexplicable aura erupting from the north, this aura gave Kant a deep and pure feeling of darkness. Most importantly, Kant actually felt a strong attraction from that dark aura. He could even faintly feel the throbbing of his own bloodline. At the same time, a desire to get close to that aura burst out from Kant's heart.

"That aura, what is it? It can actually have such a big effect on me?" Kant suddenly stood up from the tiger-skin chair, his expression changing abruptly.

At this moment, in the Lion Fort 50 kilometers north of Lionheart City, five world nobles were gathered.

Each of the five world nobles had a ball of extraordinary power with an astonishing aura and different colors in their hands. It continuously surged into a pitch-black crown in the middle of the five world nobles.

Baron Tyr. Isai. Maud's extraordinary power was the most powerful -- the black Power of Destruction. Baron Victor. Isai. Enoch's extraordinary power aura was ranked second -- the purple Power of Lightning. Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese's aura of extraordinary power was ranked third -- the red Power of Fire. Baron Clark. Isai. Prynne's aura of extraordinary power was ranked fourth -- the blue Power of Ice, and Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's aura of extraordinary power was the weakest -- the gray Power of Curse.

Five different colors of extraordinary power at the level of a world baron were continuously released from the hands of the five world barons, and then poured into the black crown between them. The black crown was like a bottomless pit, it continuously devoured the extraordinary powers of the five world barons. At the same time, the surface of the crown emitted a pitch-black glow. An extremely shocking pure darkness aura was emitted from the pitch-black glow, it continuously spread in all directions.

"Ryan, what is the origin of this Crown of Darkness? Other than my Power of Destruction and your Power of Curse being slightly tainted by the darkness attribute, the power of rules of Viktor, Nathaniel, and Clark have nothing to do with the rules of darkness. How can it be completely absorbed by this Crown of Darkness?" Baron Tyr. Isai. Maud looked at the Crown of Darkness, which was constantly devouring his Power of Destruction. In surprise, he directed his doubts towards the owner of the Crown of Darkness, Ryan. Isai. Cameron.

Ryan. Isai. Baron Cameron only silently transmitted the Power of the Curse and did not answer Baron Tyr. Isai. Maud's question. The other four barons were also used to such a situation.

"Is this really useful? Just by relying on the aura that this Crown of Darkness emitted after it was activated by our power of rules, can it attract Baron Kant over?" Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese looked at Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron with some doubt and asked. He really could not believe such a thing. However, at this moment, he had no choice but to agree to this method.

"Continue!" Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron replied to Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese's words.

"Tyr, what kind of demon did you encounter this month? How did you eliminate it so quickly? We thought it would take at least a week to implement this plan." Baron Clark. Isai. Prynne asked Tyr. Isai. Maud curiously.

"Well, I was just lucky enough to encounter a newborn demon baron. It's a supreme demon that controls the power of lava." Baron Tyr. Isai. Maud gave a simple reply.

Then, the five world nobles quieted down again. They silently transferred the power of rules to the Crown of Darkness, which was used to stimulate the Crown of Darkness to emit a pure and enormous dark aura.

They persisted for three days and three nights. Three days and three nights without rest was nothing to the world noble. However, after enduring for so long, the five world nobles did not see any sign of Kant coming here. During that time, the four world nobles constantly questioned Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron but he did not move at all. Every time a world noble wanted to give up, Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron would say the word "war" in a stiff tone. With no other choice, the four world barons could only persevere, insisting on this plan that was absolutely ridiculous in their eyes. No matter what plan it was, it was better than fighting Baron Kant, who had a terrifying army.

To them, using the power of rules at this level didn't affect them at all. The consumption of the power of rules was slower than the speed of recovery. This was because their power came from the rules represented by their real names. As long as they didn't use too much power of rules in an instant, their power would be endless.

Other than Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron, the attitude of the four world nobles at the beginning was rather perfunctory. However, three days later, they suddenly felt an intense aura of the rule power of war erupting from Lionheart City, fifty kilometers to the south. This aura was filled with anxiety, anger, confusion, and endure. They immediately realized that Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's plan had worked. It was not that Baron Kant was not attracted to it, but he had been enduring it bitterly.

At this moment, Kant felt extremely agitated in the castellan mansion of Lionheart City. That deep and pure dark aura was constantly erupting in the north. It was like a blooming poppy flower that had a fatal attraction to him. However, Kant had no idea what was going on. He had been enduring it bitterly.

It was not that Kant did not know what was going on with that aura of darkness. It was that he did not know what was going on with him. He had actually been lured by that aura. If it was not for his strong willpower, he would probably have rushed towards the source of that aura without caring about anything else.

However, Kant knew that this must be a conspiracy of the five world nobles. A conspiracy to lure him out of Lionheart City, it was very obvious. The other party seemed to have expected that the dark aura had such an attraction to him and had been continuously maintaining the eruption of the dark aura. Without thinking much, Kant knew that this dark aura should have been emitted by the black crown that Viscount Porter and Viscount George had mentioned a few days ago. Kant deduced that this crown was an important tool that the other party used to attract his attention.

Chapter 566: Effects of Extraordinary items

Wave after wave of pure and deep dark aura continuously attacked Kant's spirit, soul, and bloodline, causing him to become more and more obsessed to it. He wanted to throw away all thoughts of desperately searching for it, these thoughts continuously emerged in Kant's heart. Kant even used the most intense method to unleash the Power of War. He wanted to suppress this feeling, but he found that it was useless.

"I can't hesitate anymore!" Kant bit the tip of his tongue. He used the pain to stimulate his consciousness. "My personal strength is not enough to face five world nobles at the same time, nor can I resist the temptation of this dark aura that is gradually deepening. Then, I will lead the army to go!"

"Harde, go and pass the order. Gather all the Swadian Royal Knights, Sarleon Lion Knights, and the magse of the Enfath Empire in Lionheart City! At the same time, gather half of the defending troops from the four city gates to form an army. I want to lead the army into battle!" Kant quickly ordered the Swadian Royal Knights.

"Yes, my lord!" the Swadian Royal Knight, Harde, respectfully saluted Kant and went out to carry out Kant's orders.

"Dunde, go and inform Mage Mel to bring me all the precious resources that contain extraordinary power. I want to use!" Kant endured the fatal temptation that the dark aura brought to him, he gave an order to another Swadian Royal Knight who had been by his side for a long time. Among them, Mage Mel was in charge of collecting and organizing the precious resources that contained extraordinary power that were found and obtained in Kant's estate.

"Yes, my lord!" Dunde respectfully gave Kant a Knight's salute and went out to carry out Kant's orders.

Kant clenched his teeth tightly, and cold sweat began to appear on his forehead.

At first, Kant did not pay much attention to the deep and pure dark aura, but as time passed, the aura continued to exist. They were like the whispers of the devil, able to seduce Kant's soul. Kant couldn't help but want to get closer to the source of this deep and pure dark aura, and the degree of attraction they gave Kant was getting greater and greater.

Two days ago, Kant had activated the first special effect on the "Glory. Protection of Serenity" necklace to resist this temptation. But now, it seemed that even the first special effect on the "Glory. Protection of Serenity" necklace was gradually losing its ability to resist.

The "Glory. Protection of Serenity" was an extremely powerful component of the extraordinary equipment set, Glory. Its first special effect was as follows:

Tranquil Mind: The wearer can possess a tranquil mind that is unshaken by external things. In any chaotic and stimulating environment, the wearer can take the initiative to maintain absolute calmness and tranquility.

Any special effect would require corresponding strength to maintain. However, the "Glory. Protection of Serenity" had lost nearly all its strength over a long period of time. Even so, it had helped Kant extend the duration of two days to resist the temptation of the deep and pure dark aura. It was enough to show how powerful this equipment was.

Kant had never doubted this point. After all, the other special effect of this necklace, "Serenity's Protection", was able to resist the God of War, Edmund's extremely terrifying fatal blow to him.

At this moment, after enduring for three days, Kant felt that the special effect of the "Glory. Protection of Serenity" necklace, "Tranquil Mind", was already unable to resist the temptation and attraction of the deep and pure dark aura towards Kant.

Fortunately, the "Glory. Protection of Serenity" necklace was a necklace that could be upgraded. If it was given enough extraordinary power to absorb, it would be enough. Kant had tried it before, but it did not have any effect when he poured his own extraordinary power into it. Later, he used a precious resource that contained extraordinary power for it to absorb and found that it was effective.

However, Kant didn't have a high demand for the "Glory. Protection of Serenity" necklace at that time. Its attributes and special effects were enough to use, so Kant stored the precious resource that contained extraordinary power. After all, if needed, Kant could also use the precious resource that contained extraordinary power to guide a level five troop class or even a level four troop class into a level six troop class. However, such a level six troop class was much weaker than a level six troop class that was upgraded through the system, they would be strong as the grand knights in this world.

Even so, the precious resources that contained extraordinary power was still an extremely valuable strategic resource for Kant.

It did not take long for Dunde to return with Mage Mel. Behind Mage Mel was a team of Rhodok Sergeants. Each of these Rhodok Sergeants was holding a treasure chest made of purple-yew wood in their hands. These treasure chests contained precious resources that contained extraordinary power.

"Place these treasure chests neatly in the hall and open them all!" Kant ordered the Rhodok Sergeants. They placed the treasure chests neatly in the hall of the castellan mansion. At the same time, they opened the treasure chests that each of them was responsible for. Then, they bowed respectfully to Kant and left one by one.

Kant's territory was now equivalent to half of the Dukedom of Leo. Moreover, there was a territory like the Senwaya Range that was rich in resources. Therefore, Kant had many precious resources that contained extraordinary powers. When the main hall was filled, there was many more Rhodok Sergeants carrying the treasure chests into the main hall.

"System, show me the attributes of the 'Glory. Protection of Serenity' necklace and level up it continuously!"

Kant issued a request to the system in his mind. The moment this thought appeared in his mind, Kant saw dense words appearing on his retina.

[ Glory. Protection of Serenity (level up)]

[ One of the components of the extraordinary set 'Glory' that runs through eternity and falls into the void, necklace ]

[ This is a top-grade necklace made from the highest-grade magic crystal and possesses magical powers. It can survive through time, but it is undamaged when it falls into the void. However, a long time has caused it to lose most of its powers. Although it is still noble and eternal in nature, it does not have much power left ]

[ Special effect:

1. Tranquil Mind: The wearer can have a calm mind that is unshaken by external things. In any chaotic and stimulating environment, the wearer can take the initiative to maintain absolute calmness and tranquility ].

2. Serenity's Protection: When the wearer suffers a fatal attack, this special effect will be activated automatically to block a fatal attack for the wearer. Cooldown time: one week.

3. Glory: The wearer will take the initiative to reveal the eternal and noble king's glory, making the bather of this power be loyal to him until death. This special effect is the ultimate special effect of the extraordinary equipment set "Glory". It can only be activated by wearing all the "Glory" components. ]

[ Remark: Glory. Protection of Serenity has lost almost all its power over the long period of time. Through absorbing extraordinary power, one can level up and gradually recover its former power. ]

"Hopefully, the precious resources that contain extraordinary power that I have are enough for this extraordinary necklace to level up!"

Chapter 567: Level Up of Extraordinary Item

Kant approached the first treasure chest. Inside was a fiery red ore the size of a watermelon. He touched the red ore with his hand, and it was cold to the touch. This ore was called scarlet flame ore, and it contained the extraordinary power of the fire attribute. However, the extraordinary power of the fire attribute was completely sealed in this scarlet flame ore, not leaking a single bit. If this red flame ore was used as an advancement resource, a soldier at the peak knight could successfully advance to become a grand knight with the guidance of a grand knight.

Kant had long had experience in how the extraordinary necklace, 'Glory, Protection of Serenity', absorbed the extraordinary power from the precious resources that contained extraordinary power. Hence, he was very familiar with it and was very handy with it.

"'Glory, Protection of Serenity', absorb it!' a thought flashed through Kant's mind, the necklace he was wearing on his neck immediately emitted a pure emerald-green light. This green light slowly spread from the necklace on Kant's neck, like a soft silky green silk. It slowly spread to the fiery red scarlet flame ore in the treasure chest in front of Kant, gradually enveloping the entire scarlet flame ore. It was like a green silk wrapping around the fiery red scarlet flame ore, without a single gap.

When the green light from the necklace wrapped around the fiery red ore, a streak of fiery red light suddenly flowed out from the red ore, it directly flowed into the emerald light that wrapped around it like a silk cloth. Kant could see that this streak of fiery red light began to flow against the continuous green light, it converged towards the emerald-green 'Glory, Protection of Serenity' necklace.

However, as the originally fiery-red light rose higher and higher against the green light, its color began to gradually change, gradually turning from crimson to pure emerald-green, it completely merged into the emerald-green light that was originally emitted from the necklace.

As the fiery-red light flowed out, the originally watermelon-sized red flame ore quietly collapsed and turned into a ball of gray-white dust that was laid at the bottom of the first yew wooden treasure chest. At the same time, the emerald-green light began to shrink and quickly returned to the 'Glory, Protection of Serenity' necklace that Kant wore around his neck.

At this moment, the 'Glory, Protection of Serenity' attribute on Kant's retina did not change at all. Kant had long known that this was the case. He guessed that this necklace would only undergo a sudden change in its attribute after it absorbed enough extraordinary power. Instead of absorbing a bit of extraordinary power, its attribute would increase by a bit.

The extraordinary necklace 'Glory, Protection of Serenity' absorbed the extraordinary power in the scarlet flame ore. It sounded like a lot, but the process was very fast. In just twenty to thirty seconds, the extraordinary power in the scarlet flame ore was completely absorbed, turning the scarlet flame ore into a ball of gray-white dust. After it had absorbed the extraordinary power in the scarlet flame ore, Kant did not stop. He immediately took a step forward and arrived in front of the second treasure chest that contained another precious resource that contained extraordinary power.

In this treasure chest was a piece of silver-white crystal. In the center of the crystal, a ball of silver-white light could be seen converging into the shape of a curved silver crescent. This kind of crystal was called the moonlight crystal. Grand knights who relied on this crystal as an advancement resource would have the power of moonlight as an extraordinary power. At night, they would be stronger than grand knights of the same level. However, during the day, they would be weaker than grand knights of the same level. When there was a full moon, they would be at their strongest strength.

After spending 20 to 30 seconds, Kant once again used the 'Glory, Protection of Serenity' necklace to absorb all the extraordinary power in the moonlight crystal, the beautiful and magnificent moonlight crystal directly turned into grains of silver-white sand and laid at the bottom of the second treasure chest.

Then, Kant went to the third treasure chest without stopping. In the third treasure chest, there was a sealed long-necked spherical crystal bottle. Inside the crystal bottle, there was a bright yellow semi-transparent liquid that was constantly rolling and making crackling sounds. In fact, the things in the long-necked spherical crystal bottle only looked like liquid -- they were not liquid, but plasma. Countless lightning condensed things, extraordinary powers with extremely dense lightning attributes. Grand knights who successfully advanced with such precious resources would have the power of lightning as an extraordinary power, and their speed and strength would be greatly increased.

After spending another 20 to 30 seconds, Kant let the 'Glory, Protection of Serenity' necklace absorb all of the power of lightning from the plasma in the long-necked spherical crystal bottle, the plasma that looked like a dazzling liquid turned into a small white crystal. Its volume was at least dozens of times smaller than the plasma from before.

...

Frost essence, cursed flower, poisonous tooth, hallucinogenic light, twining vine, shadow ball, hard iron ore... there were many precious resources that contained extraordinary powers.

Some of these resources were quite common. There were several or even dozens of them, while others were very rare. There was only one of each. Regardless of whether it was common or rare, Kant did not hesitate at all.

One after another, precious resources that could allow a peak knight to become a grand knight and obtain all kinds of extraordinary powers were absorbed by the 'Glory, Protection of Serenity', they turned into a pile of trash or a pile of dust. There was even nothing left.

One, two, three... ten, 20, 30... 100, 200, 300... 900...

The treasure chests in the main hall of the castellan mansion changed batch after batch.

Kant had always let the 'Glory, Protection of Serenity' devour the precious resources that contained extraordinary powers. At this moment, it had already devoured almost a thousand of them. However, the attributes of the necklace on Kant's retina were still the same as before. There was no change at all. Kant himself did not expect that he would actually have so many precious resources, but with so many precious resources being absorbed, the 'Glory, Protection of Serenity' had yet to level up.

Seeing that the precious resources that contained extraordinary power were decreasing one by one, there were only a few dozen left. Kant could not help but feel a little impatient, especially when the 'Glory, Protection of Serenity' necklace was absorbing extraordinary power, he had to endure the temptation of the deep and pure dark aura from the north that had a near-fatal attraction to him. the 'Glory, Protection of Serenity' necklace that absorbed so many precious resources that contained extraordinary powers, yet its first special effect didn't change at all.

"Endure... endure... there are still dozens of precious resources. If it can't level up after absorbing all of them, I'll make other plans!" Kant used his great willpower to suppress the restless emotions in his heart.

The remaining extraordinary powers of the precious resources were absorbed by the 'Glory, Protection of Serenity' one by one.

Chapter 568: The Necklace Eventually Leveled Up

"Endure... endure... there are still dozens of precious resources. If it can't level up after absorbing all of them, I'll make other plans!" Kant used his great willpower to suppress the restlessness in his heart.

The remaining extraordinary powers in the precious resources were absorbed by the 'Glory. Protection of Serenity' one by one.

At this moment, there was only one remaining resource that contained extraordinary power. The 'Glory. Protection of Serenity' had already absorbed the extraordinary power of 998 rare resources, and there was no movement at all.

"Don't tell me I need a total of 1,000 rare resources that contain extraordinary power?" Kant's face darkened as he guessed. He only had 999 rare resources, and now there was only one left. A deep sense of despair and unwillingness brewed in Kant's heart, and he felt a little regretful.

What could be worse than doing something with hope, but the hope in his heart would be extinguished a little bit every time he completed a task. Especially when he knew that there was only a sliver of a gap between him and success. This sliver was usually nothing, but at the critical moment, it was like a deep valley of despair making people felt hopeless.

A precious item that contained extraordinary power was nothing to Kant, but he did not have time now. If the 'Glory. Protection of Serenity' did not level up, he could only be manipulated by the temptation that he had endured and suppressed to the extreme in his heart. He stepped recklessly into the conspiracy and trap that seemed to be prepared by the enemy at first glance.

"Regardless of whether it is true or not, let the last precious resource that contains extraordinary power be absorbed by the 'Glory. Protection of Serenity' necklace!" Kant used all his will, he endured bitterly and almost walked to the last treasure chest of the last batch.

In the treasure chest, there was a seed that was the size of a watermelon lying quietly. The amber-like bright red color was very eye-catching. This seed was very similar to an oak seed, but it was hundreds of times bigger than an oak seed.

Kant did not know what kind of seed it was. He only needed to know that this seed had extraordinary power.

"'Glory. Protection of Serenity'. Absorb it!" Kant thought, the necklace on his neck immediately emitted a pure emerald light. The green light slowly spread from the necklace on Kant's neck like a silky green silk, it slowly spread to the bright red "Large Oak Seed" in the treasure chest in front of Kant, gradually wrapping the entire "Large Oak Seed" within it. It was like a green silk wrapping the bright red "Large Oak Seed" without a single gap.

At this moment, a majestic emerald-green light poured out from the "Large Oak Seed". The emerald-green light that rushed out from the "Large Oak Seed". It seemed to be exactly the same as the emerald-green light that flowed out from the 'Glory. Protection of Serenity', the emerald-green light rushed into the "'Glory. Protection of Serenity' like a tsunami.

Kant widened his eyes in surprise.

"This... What's going on with this seed? "It actually possesses such a majestic extraordinary power. Even I feel extremely small in front of the power that surged out from it! I... I'm a world noble, an existence that controls the rules of war... I actually... I actually feel small in front of a seed... is there... is there anything more ridiculous than this?"

Kant thought in shock. At this moment, the words on Kant's retina suddenly changed.

[ Glory. Protection of Serenity (viscount-level, upgradable) ]

[ one of the components of the extraordinary set "Glory" that can penetrate eternity and fall into the void, necklace ]

[ This is a top-grade necklace made of the highest-grade magic crystals. It has magical powers. It can survive through time and become immortal. It can fall into the void and remain undamaged. However, a long time has caused most of its power to be lost. Although it is still noble and eternal in nature, it no longer has much power. ]

[ Special effect:

1. Tranquil Mind: the wearer can have a tranquil mind that is unshaken by external things. In any chaotic and stimulating environment, the wearer can take the initiative to maintain absolute calmness and tranquility.

2. Serenity's Protection: When the wearer suffers a fatal attack, this special effect will automatically activate, blocking a fatal attack for the wearer. Cooldown time: one week.

3. Sequence of Protector -- Spirit of War: Active special Effect. the wearer can directly summon his own personal protector -- spirit of war, number 100. The spirit of war is one level weaker than the wearer.

4. Nature's Favor: Active special effect. Active effect -- the sun is gentle for you, clouds follow you, mountains and rivers prosperous for you; grass and trees whisper to you, flowers smile at you, birds sing for you, animals listen to you.

5. Glory: Take the initiative to reveal the eternal and noble glory of a king, making the bathers loyal to you until death. This special effect is the ultimate special effect of the extraordinary equipment set "Glory". It can only be activated by wearing all the "Glory" components. ]

[ Remark: Glory. Protection of Serenity has lost almost all of its power over the long period of time. Through absorbing the extraordinary power, it can be upgraded and gradually recover its former power. Level up: Leveled up once! ]

At the same time, the deep and pure dark aura from the north, which Kant had endured to the limit, could no longer shake Kant's will. The originally strong temptation suddenly became indistinct.

Kant understood that the 'Glory. Protection of Serenity' had leveled up, although the attributes of special effect 1 did not change, the effect was indeed many times stronger. It easily suppressed the temptation of Kant, who could not resist the deep and pure dark aura even after he had activated the special effect 'Tranquil Mind'.

Kant suddenly felt extremely relaxed, just like a person unloaded a heavy load. He felt extremely relaxed.

'It seems that my guess is wrong, the level up of 'Glory. Protection of Serenity' should be related to the quantity and quality of the extraordinary power absorbed. It doesn't have much to do with the number of the precious resources. Fortunately, the last 'Large Oak Seed' with extraordinary powers is powerful enough.'

At this time, Kant found that the 'Large Oak Seed' in the treasure chest had shrunk in size, but it was still surging with a majestic emerald-green extraordinary power.

Chapter 569: Speculations About the Holy Spirit

" 'Glory. Protection of Serenity' stop!" Kant quickly sent out this thought in his mind. Once Kant's thought was sent out, the green light that enveloped the "Large Oak Seed" in the treasure chest returned to the orange necklace around Kant's neck like a tide, and the "Large Oak Seed" no longer spewed out emerald-green extraordinary powers.

Kant believed that the "Large Oak Seed" had produced so many extraordinary powers that Kant even felt insignificant. It was definitely extraordinary. He did not know that the 'Glory. Protection of Serenity' had absorbed so many extraordinary powers. Was this seed still usable? At first, it was as big as a basketball, but now that the necklace had absorbed a large amount of extraordinary power, it was only as big as a soccer ball. Although it seemed to have shrunk in size, in reality, its size was at least half of its original size.

"This 'Large Oak Seed', what is it?" Kant felt relaxed and no longer felt any pressure. He could not help but think. Kant did not recognize this 'Large Oak Seed'.

[ System, what kind of seed do you think this is? It actually possesses such powerful extraordinary power? ] Kant could not help but ask the system in his mind. The system had always given Kant a feeling of omniscience and omnipotence. This 'Large Oak Seed' was so extraordinary, but the mages of the Enfath Empire under him treated it as an ordinary rare resource. It was obvious that the mages did not know what this 'Large Oak Seed' was. Fortunately, they did not know what this "Large Oak Seed" was, allowing Kant to level up the 'Glory. Protection of Serenity' successfully. Otherwise, Kant would have felt that he would be doomed.

[ Seed of World Tree, reduced to Tree of Life's Seed ] The system was indeed extremely profound. As soon as Kant's question was raised, it immediately answered him. Kant could even feel that the system was sending a sense of regret to his mind.

Looking at the words on his retina, Kant was dumbstruck.

"The World Tree, is it the kind of World Tree that can directly derive worlds on tree?" Kant swallowed his saliva and looked at the bright red seed the size of a football in the treasure chest, feeling extremely shocked.

"What a pity, what a pity. I actually had such a precious treasure and didn't know about it, so I forcefully demoted it to a Tree of Life! I don't know if there's a way to level it up again, so that it can become a Seed of World Tree again." This time, it wasn't just the system that felt regretful. Kant himself felt a wave of regret and pity.

[ System, do you think this Seed of World Tree, which has been demoted to a Tree of Life's Seed, can still be upgraded to a Seed of World Tree? ] The more Kant thought about it, the more unwilling he became. A World Tree might be able to directly give birth to a complete world. The world it gave birth to was not like the noble's demiplane fiefdom in Isai. It could only exist if it was mounted on the main plane of Isai. The world it gave birth to would be a complete world, just like Isai. It could exist independently in the void. When he thought about how he had almost been able to control a complete world, but he had destroyed it with his own hands, how could Kant be reconciled? The more he thought about it, the more unwilling he was.

[ The Seed of World Tree's demotion to the Tree of Life's Seed is irreparable. If you want to obtain the World Tree, you can nurture the Tree of Life with your heart. If things go smoothly, there is a chance for it to become a World Tree in tens or hundreds of thousands of years, giving birth to a world that belongs to it and belongs to you. ] The words on his retina were densely packed, Kant watched with utmost care.

Then, Kant exploded!

"If things go smoothly, tens of thousands of years, hundreds of thousands of years?" At this moment, Kant's heart was bleeding. His hatred towards the five world nobles of South County suddenly soared. Even every single drop of the river water of the Resniston River could not wash away his anger! These five b*stards had destroyed the complete world that he could have had! Becoming the master of a world was ten thousand times, a million times more powerful than becoming a noble of this World of Isai!

Kant's amber eyes were burning with rage! If it wasn't for the five world nobles causing trouble, he wouldn't have needed to level up the 'Glory. Protection of Serenity' necklace. If he didn't level up the necklace, his World Tree seed wouldn't have been demoted. As long as it was stayed in his treasury, Kant would find it sooner or later!

Kant took a deep breath, he suppressed the anger in his heart. "I'm not angry, I'm not angry. I've already mobilized my troops. I'll be able to fight with these five b*stards soon. When that time comes, I... I'll f*cking kill these five b*stards!"

Kant slowly calmed down. He couldn't help but ask the mage of the Enfath Empire who had been standing beside him, organizing and collecting these rare resources for him, "Mel, how did you get this tree seed?"

The World Tree Seed was an extremely rare item. It was actually collected by his subordinates through the collection of rare resources. Kant could not believe it when he thought of how this seed was obtained.

"Lord, this seed was directly dug out from the ground when Sir Firentis led his subordinates to reclaim the wasteland of the North County. At that time, even the Swadian Royal Knight used their knight swords to hack at it with all their might, but they were unable to leave any traces on this tree seed. Therefore, they simply treated this thing as a rare resource and sent it to me. In truth, we are unable to detect any extraordinary powers within this tree seed. This time, seeing that Lord Kant is in urgent need of rare resources, I had someone take it out to make up the numbers!" Mel respectfully answered Kant's question.

"North County Wasteland, make up the numbers..." Kant helplessly waved his hand. "Alright, Mel, that's it. Send someone to take these chests away, leaving only this treasure chest containing the tree seed. You can also leave!"

"The seed has already been demoted. This matter has already become a foregone conclusion. There's no turning back. Moreover, if it wasn't for this seed, I might have already been killed by the five world nobles. Compared to a possible World Tree, my own life is more important. Otherwise, if I die, even if this Seed of World Tree is successfully cultivated, what does that have to do with me?" Kant gradually calmed his thoughts, he was no longer too angry, but his hatred towards the five world nobles deepened.

In the end, if it weren't for the five world nobles causing trouble, Kant would have been able to keep the World Tree seed safe and sound.

[ System, help me display the 'Glory. Protection of Serenity' attribute again. I was too focused on the World Tree seed and didn't check it carefully. ] Kant felt that the World Tree seed was extraordinary, seeing that it wasn't turned into a pile of ashes or dust after being absorbed by the 'Glory. Protection of Serenity' necklace but it only shrunk. Kant immediately shifted his attention to the Seed of World Tree. Now that the matter regarding the World Tree had come to an end, Kant could check the leveled up necklace again.

The system once again displayed the attributes of the 'Glory. Protection of Serenity' necklace on Kant's retina.

Kant took a good look and found that the necklace had become a "viscount level" necklace. This made Kant wonder if there was a clear classification for extraordinary items, and if the necklace was a "baron level" previously, or if it was not even a "baron". This time, the upgrade had directly crossed the "baron" level up to the "viscount" level. The volume of the World Tree had almost shrunk by half, and it had been directly reduced to a Tree of Life. It could be seen how much extraordinary power had been extracted. Kant believed that it should be the latter. This necklace's upgrade had directly skipped the "baron" level to the "viscount" level. Otherwise, why didn't the necklace indicate "baron level" before?

Then, Kant carefully checked the special effect of this necklace. Now, the special effect of 'Glory. Protection of Serenity' had increased from the previous three to five.

"Tranquil mind", "Serenity's Protection", and "Glory", these three special effects didn't have any changes when looking at the special effect description. However, through the "Tranquil Mind" effect, Kant knew that the "Tranquil Mind" effect should have increased by many times when he experienced it first-hand. At least the deep and pure dark aura from the north, which had originally tempted him to exceed his limits, gave him the feeling that it was like a gentle breeze that could not shake his will in the slightest.

Therefore, Kant believed that "Serenity's Protection" must have been strengthened by a lot too. Although the cooldown time was still one week, the strength of the attacks that could be defended against must have increased by a lot. As for "Glory", it was just a decoration. Until Kant gathered the "Glory" component of the extraordinary set, he couldn't really activate this special effect.

At this moment, Glory. Protection of Serenity had two additional special effects.

Protector Sequence 1 - War Spirit: Active special effect. The wearer could directly summon their own protector - War spirit, number 100. The strength of the war spirit was one level lower than the wearer.

Looking at the name of this special effect, there would a "2" for this special effect. Perhaps when the necklace was upgraded in the future, special effects like "Protector Sequence 2"and "Protector Sequence 3" would appear.

Looking at the special effect on his retina, some thoughts appeared in Kant's mind.

More than a year ago, Kant had eliminated the God of War, Edmund. Edmund had once made a desperate gamble and used a huge killing move. That killing move had even fused the 100 holy spirits of the God of War into it. The final result was the 100 holy spirits disappeared into the green light of the "Serenity's Protection" special effect that was triggered by this move.

At that time, Kant thought that the holy spirits had been destroyed, but now it seemed that these holy spirits had been directly absorbed by the Glory. Protection of Serenity necklace. Now, it should have been transformed into this "Protector Sequence 1- War Spirit" special effect.

Whether it was or not, he would know once he tried it!

This special effect didn't specify a cooldown time, which meant that this special effect didn't have a cooldown time.

With a thought from Kant, the special effect of the necklace, "Protector Sequence 1- War Spirit", was successfully activated. In an instant, Kant felt the power of the rules of war being rapidly extracted by the emerald necklace around his neck. Then, he saw 100 fully armed grand knights suddenly appear beside him, the peak grand knight "war spirits" were riding on tall horses. Their equipment was all made of dark red metal. Even the warhorse they were riding on was also dark red in color. At the same time, they were wearing dark red vests. It was just like the 100 holy spirits of the God of War that Kant had met in the God of War's Divine Realm.

However, the difference between Kant's war spirits and the holy spirits was that Kant's war spirits emitted the aura of the power of the rules of war, while those of the holy spirits emitted the aura of the God of War, there was a difference between the two. Also, the holy spirits of the God of War wore half-covered helmets on their heads, so one could see their faces, while Kant's war spirits wore full-covered helmets, so one could not see their faces.

Once these 100 war spirits at the peak grand knight level appeared, they stood in silence, not making a single sound. However, in this silence, they emitted a dense and heavy aura, all the ferocious and fierce aura of blood and slaughter seemed to be hidden in this silent silence.

When Kant summoned them, Kant understood how to manipulate them. He did not need to use words to give them orders. As long as Kant had an idea, they would not hesitate to carry it out. Moreover, they could exist forever. They only needed to periodically replenish the power of the rules of war for them. Even if these war spirits were killed, they only needed two hours of recovery before Kant could summon them again. And their strength was only one level lower than Kant's. At this moment, Kant was an extraordinary knight, and these war spirits were all peak grand knights.

"Very convenient, very practical, very powerful!" Kant was very satisfied with the special effect of 'Glory. Protection of Serenity', this was equivalent to him bringing along an extremely elite troop of 100 heavy cavalries at any time. Moreover, this troop's strength was extremely strong, and there was no worry that it would not be able to keep up with his strength.

"You, take off your helmet! I need to see your face!" A thought flashed through Kant's mind, and an order was given to one of the 100 spirits of war. The war spirit did not hesitate to take off the full-body helmet he was wearing, before turning his head to face Kant, allowing Kant to see his face.

It was a familiar face. Kant naturally remembered that this face had appeared in the army of the holy spirits of the God of War.

"Alright, put on your helmet!" another thought flashed through Kant's mind, and the war spirit put on his helmet and turned its head back.

"My guess is correct. These war spirits were indeed forged from the holy spirits of the god of war. It seems that the upgrade of 'Glory. Protection of Serenity necklace is related to the extraordinary power it absorbs. By the way, does the holy spirit also belong to a kind of extraordinary power?" Kant said to himself.

Chapter 570: Understanding of Nature

After Kant finished looking at the special effect of 'glory and Serenity's protection', 'Protector Sequence 1 - War Spirit', he directly ordered in his mind, "Recall all war spirits!"

As Kant sent out his will, the 100 peak grand knight-level war spirits that were neatly arranged in the hall of the castellan mansion suddenly disappeared. Unfortunately, the recalled war spirits did not transform into the power of the rules of war and return to Kant's body.

"Next, I'll take a look at another new special effect, 'Nature's Favor'." Kant was very satisfied with the last new special effect, so he was full of expectations for this new special effect.

This new special effect, 'Nature's Favor' looked very much like the favored child of nature in terms of attributes, the talent of a druid. It was even much stronger than the talent of a druid. However, Kant knew that he could not love and protect nature as much as a druid. For example, his Aaron City, was one of the best in the human kingdoms and dukedom, the raw materials for these wood products were almost locally sourced -- the forest resources in the Senwaya Range were abnormally rich.

However, Kant was traveler who once lived in an era of information explosion. He was well aware of the terrible consequences of uncontrolled deforestation. Soil erosion, soil petrification, eventually the green mountains and rivers were severely polluted, and eventually even being eroded by the Nahrin Desert and turned into another desert, this was no joke.

Therefore, Kant had long given strict orders to Aaron: In the Senwaya Range, unless it was due to urban expansion, terracing, or a large project site, trees with a trunk diameter of no more than 50 centimeters were strictly prohibited from being cut down. Otherwise, they would be convicted of a felony, demoted to slavery, and sent to the salt mines of the Nahrin Desert to mine for salt.

Fortunately, the inhabitants of the Aaron City were all from the population from the world of "Mount and Blade" and had absolute loyalty and deep-seated obedience to Kant. To them, Kant's orders were the highest-priority laws and rules. If Kant gave the order, they would never disobey. Thus, Kant's rules regarding the cutting of trees in the Senwaya Range were fully complied with and implemented, even though this would cause a lot of inconvenience to the loggers.

If such rules and orders were given to a city of the population of this world, no matter how high the authority and reputation of the ruler, it would not prevent the people below from deceiving their superiors and undercutting them for their own benefit.

Kant would consider the sustainable use of natural resources by allowing Aaron City to remodel terraced fields and cut down large numbers of trees, using nature as a treasure trove of resources. However, it was difficult to talk about simply loving and protecting everything in nature from the bottom of one's heart like a druid.

Therefore, Kant guessed that this special effect of 'Nature's Favor' should be the special effect of "Glory. Protection of Serenity", which was formed by absorbing a large amount of extraordinary power from the world tree species. It must be somewhat related to be close to nature and control nature.

Looking at the description of this special effect, it was naturally not suitable to experiment in the hall of the castellan mansion. Instead, it was more suitable in the garden of the castellan mansion, which was planted with many plants. There were plants and flowers there, and birds that could also roost there. At the same time, they could also see the sun and clouds, which corresponded to the scene described in the special effect.

Kant came to the garden of the castellan mansion. There were all kinds of artificial mountains and ponds. In the garden, the paths were winding. Although it was late autumn now, there were flowers that bloomed in the garden at that time. There were many white clouds in the sky, and the sun was shining brightly. From time to time, the chirping of birds could be heard.

"Activate special effect, 'Nature's Favor'!" after Kant came to the garden, he directly sent out such an idea in his mind.

The moment the thought was sent out, Kant felt that the world had suddenly changed greatly. The silence shattered, as if thunder had pierced through the sky, lightning shot straight to the heart of heaven, and the rain fell with a rustling sound.

The entire world suddenly became gorgeous and bustling. Kant stood in the garden and felt that he had suddenly become the center of the world. Everything in the world was giving off a kind aura towards him. The sunlight fell on Kant's body. There was no burning sensation, only warmth. It was as if he was wearing a bright robe. The white clouds in the sky seemed to have turned into a smiling face. Kant waved at the clouds in the sky. The clouds seemed to have sensed Kant's will and began to roll around happily.

The artificial mountains and ponds in the garden of the castellan mansion seemed to have life at this moment. They gave off a faint aura. Their aura could not help but wrap around Kant's body. Kant felt that he could borrow their aura at any time.

The flowers, plants, and trees in the garden, which were originally swaying in the wind in Kant's eyes, now seemed to be nodding to him in unison, greeting him, and cheerfully sending him vague messages, just like children who shared their favorite toys with him. Kant tried to communicate with them with his mind and found that he could actually get their response.

"Are you all right?" Kant simply asked this question. "People often cut off my branches, it hurts so much", "Yes, yes, it's so comfortable to grow here, no animals come to eat me", "I'm not happy, the trees block my sunlight", "I can still bloom for three days, and then I will wither", "Bees are so annoying, they come to collect my nectar every day"... these plants suddenly became like kindergarten children who were encouraged by their teachers, they chirped to Kant about their joy and annoyance.

The birds in the garden also came to join in the fun. Usually, when they saw Kant walking here, they would immediately be frightened and fly away. But now, they flew towards Kant in groups from their perches on the branches. They danced and circled in front of Kant happily, making a pleasant sound. What surprised Kant even more was that he could control and command these birds at will. He could also get their vision. Just like Kant transformed into a bird and looked down from the sky, he could also communicate with them mentally, just like he could communicate with flowers, grass, and trees.

In the garden, there were no other animals except birds, but there were many insects. Kant found that he could also communicate with them, and also control and command them.

Chapter 571: A Familiar Face

In the garden, other than the birds, there were no other animals, but there were many insects. Kant found that he could also communicate with them and control and command them.

Kant completely blended into nature, as if he was suddenly freed from all stressful things that kept filling up his head. He clearly felt the simplicity and freedom of life.

"It's really amazing... I can actually communicate with all the animals and plants in my mind and command all the animals." Kant was a little shocked by his status. If such a status was used in the military, it was as easy as flipping one's hand to obtain information about the enemy. When necessary, he could even command the animals to become an unexpected military force to deal a blow to the enemy.

"Humans are also animals, right?" Kant looked at Harde, Newt, and Yoder, the three Swadian Royal Knights who stood beside him. They, Mande, and Dunde, the two Swadian Royal Knights, were all Kant's personal guards. If Kant had any orders, he would instruct them to do it. At this moment, Mande was sent by Kant to lead an army of extraordinary forces to support Baheshtur, the garrison general of Sargoth Fortress in conquering the East County. As for Dunde, he was sent by Kant to pass on the orders to gather the extraordinary forces in Lionheart City and the garrison troops at the four city gates.

At this moment, Kant looked at the three Swadian Royal Knights, Harde, Newt, and Yoder, who were standing beside him. However, he could not sense the thoughts and thoughts that they were passing on to him.

"Harde!" Kant suddenly shouted in his thoughts. However, Harde was clearly not like other animals who could receive his thoughts. He did not react at all. Instead, he stood beside Kant with a solemn expression, he was waiting for Kant to give him an order at any time.

"Newt! Yoder!" Kant experimented on Newt and Yoder. He discovered that the two of them could not feel the call of Kant's thoughts at all. They were just like Harde, he stood beside Kant with a solemn expression.

"Perhaps this is because humans are too complicated. Even the people from the world of "Mount and Blade", who are eternally loyal to me are far more complicated than animals and plants. They have nothing to do with simplicity." Kant naturally came to this realization, he knew that his "Nature's Favor" was ineffective against humans, or perhaps even against other intelligent races. Kant then thought of the existence of gods and demons, beastman and elves, dwarves and goblins in this world. Although they were not humans, Kant was able to determine that the special effect of "Nature's Favor" was ineffective against these races as well, just like humans.

Although the garden of the castellan mansion of Lionheart City was small, Kant had already experimented with the second new special effect of "Glory. Protection of Serenity", "Nature's Favor". At this moment, Kant understood that this special effect was usually not very useful. At most, it would allow him to blend in with nature and relax. However, when it came to war or individual battles, this special effect was like adding wings to a tiger.

In war, Kant could use this special effect to silently obtain information about the enemy. Of course, it was not without restrictions. Kant had already experimented. At this moment, the "Glory. Protection of Serenity"

necklace could only support Kant's will to blend into nature within 100 kilometers. Any further and it would be beyond Kant's reach.

In an individual battle, it would even have a greater impact on Kant than in a war. He could borrow the force of nature within a radius of 100 kilometers, superimpose it onto his own force, and suppress his opponent with a powerful force. Under such circumstances, if the strength of the enemy fighting with him was on the same level as his, they would only display 70% of their usual strength, and Kant could be encouraged by such momentum and exerted 120% of his usual strength. To put it bluntly, this special effect, "Nature's Favor" went beyond the "Sequence of Protector 1- War Spirits", to Kant's particular satisfaction.

Kant was currently in the garden of the castellan mansion of Lionheart City, but he had fused with the nature within a radius of 100 kilometers. With a sudden thought, he took control of it, in the northern sky near the Lion Fort, a goshawk with a green-black wingspan of two meters that was flying freely in the sky was already under his control. A scene that didn't belong to the garden of the castellan mansion suddenly appeared in his eyes. On a bustling piece of land, there was a huge tower, at a glance, Kant knew that the majestic castle that was absolutely impregnable had appeared in the depths of his eyes. This was the vision of the goshawk, but it was directly captured by Kant.

"Eeeee... Eeeee..."

The goshawk suddenly let out two clear cries in the high sky, and then its huge wings flapped rapidly twice before it directly glided diagonally towards the sky above the Lion Fort. At this moment, Kant could clearly sense that, the deep and pure dark aura that made him slightly palpitate and yearn for it came from the Lion Fort.

The goshawk glided over the Lion Fort. With the goshawk's eyesight, it could clearly see the antelopes running on the ground even from a thousand meters above the ground. At this moment, it was only gliding at a height of 300 meters. The scene in the Lion Fort could be seen by the goshawk, although it was very small due to the height, it was unusually clear. Kant also saw it very clearly. It was like looking at a high-definition photo. The figure in the photo might look small, but if you zoomed in, you would find that even his pores could be seen clearly.

The Lion Fort was about the size of 10 kilometers in length and width, sitting north to south. Most of them were neat barracks and military buildings with different functions, as well as a huge square used for training soldiers. At the northernmost side, which was the depths of the Lion Fort, all kinds of huge buildings could be seen everywhere. In many of the buildings, some were surrounded by small squares in the center.

Kant's eyes suddenly narrowed, and the hairs on his heart rose.

In a small square of a building in the depths of the Lion Fort, a figure with dull eyes and expressionless face, naked and supported by a few people in white robes -- or rather, under the guidance of a few people, was somewhat staggering as he walked, it was like a newborn child learning to walk.

The goshawk flew past and glided towards the place where Kant felt the deep and pure dark aura.

But the dull face of the man was almost frozen in Kant's heart -- that face was exactly the same as that of the God of War, Edmund, who had been reduced to ashes!

Even in the status of merging with nature, Kant's heart was inexplicably filled with a chill.

Chapter 572: The Information Seen by the Goshawk

As the goshawk continued to fly south, Kant saw another scene that made him somewhat happy. Viscount Carl. Cameron was in a large square, commanding a group of infantrymen to train seriously. Lion Fort was dominated by heavy cavalry, and now Viscount Carl. Cameron was training the infantrymen to prepare for a siege. After all, cavalries were not good at siege.

This scene showed that Kant did not make the wrong move when he let Carl, and the four top counts of the Dukedom of Leo go. This Carl. Cameron had become stronger after he seized the command of the Cameron family's army, not to mention the four top nobles of the Dukedom of Leo, who were much more even more shrewd and insightful than Viscount Carl. Cameron.

The goshawk continued to fly south, and soon flew past the Lion Fort. Kant also saw what he wanted to see -- five powerful world nobles were continuously transmitting their power of rules into a black crown. After the black crown absorbed their power of rules, it emitted a dazzling pitch-black light. Kant never thought that the leader would have a pitch-black light, and it also gave him a dazzling feeling.

Moreover, Kant discovered that it was this pitch-black dazzling light that was constantly emitting a deep and pure dark aura. This aura made Kant feel a faint throb from his soul and bloodline. If it wasn't for the extraordinary necklace, "Glory. Protection of Serenity", which had leveled up and its special effect, "Serenity's protection", which had become dozens of times stronger, Kant wouldn't have been able to resist the deep and pure dark aura that this pitch-black light emitted.

"Hmph! It's really those five b*stards who are playing tricks!" Kant's eyes were filled with anger.

"Eeee... Eeeee..."

Suddenly, the goshawk controlled by Kant seemed to sense Kant's anger. It actually let out two loud cries and directly charged towards the nameless world nobles.

"This... When I control this goshawk with my mind, it still has the ability to move on its own?" Kant was extremely surprised, and immediately understood that he had used the special effect of "Nature's Favor". He could control animals, so they should be extremely close to him, voluntarily being controlled by him and not being forced. If the animals suddenly wanted to take other actions for some reason, then they could immediately get rid of Kant's control and act on their own.

Kant's eyes flashed. Such attributes should be a good thing. The goshawk suddenly attacked the five world barons. Clearly, it felt Kant's anger towards the five world barons. In the end, its attack was still aimed at Kant.

"It's actually better this way! If I really control a large number of animals to assist me in launching an attack, do I have to control their movements one by one? That's obviously not an easy task. However, if I can mobilize the animals to act on their own with just one emotion, it will undoubtedly be much simpler. The animals under my control would be much more powerful. After all, comparing to control them to attack, it would be way better for these animals attack on their will."

These thoughts flashed through Kant's mind. It was a long story, but it actually happened in an instant.

Kant would naturally not watch the goshawk die. The goshawk could be considered as his subordinate. The reason why it attacked the five world barons was to appease Kant's anger. Although it was a beast, to Kant, it could be said that it had feelings and righteousness.

Since Kant had figured out the reason why the goshawk attacked the five world barons, he naturally had a countermeasure to stop it from attacking. In just an instant, Kant had put away his anger towards the five world barons.

At the same time, Kant's thought instantly connected to the goshawk.

"Come back! Don't go!"

If it was a human's words, the goshawk would not understand Kant's words. However, an idea from his mind was just simple enough to stop it from attacking. The goshawk instantly understood Kant's idea.

The goshawk was very simple. It did not have any doubts about Kant. It did not even know what doubts were. As soon as Kant sent his thoughts to it, it immediately stopped its attack on the five world barons.

However, the goshawk had already fallen more than 200 meters down. It was only a hundred meters away from the five world nobles.

When the goshawk attacked the five world barons, it had inherited Kant's anger. Its two cries were very loud.

Coincidentally, other than Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron was expressionless and did not move. The other four world barons had been waiting for three days and three nights without moving to transmit the power of rules to the Crown of Darkness. Just as they were feeling helpless, they suddenly saw the goshawk diving down, their interest was immediately piqued.

"This goshawk is really bold. It actually dares to cry at us and even dive at us. It can't be that it's treating us as prey, right?! Why don't we each use our own methods and just rely on the application of the power of rules to see who can catch this goshawk!" At the same time, we can also display our own abilities. When we fight Baron Kant later, it'll be easier for us to cooperate. What do you think?" Baron Tyr. Isai. Maud said in surprise.

This voice was transmitted to the goshawk's ears at a height of 100 meters. At the same time, Kant also heard it. Kant originally thought that the goshawk could only be used as a pair of eyes to help him observe from his field of vision. He did not expect that the voice in the goshawk's ears could be heard by him at the same time.

After hearing Tyr. Isai. Maud's words, Kant's eyes rolled.

"It seems that they have no intention of killing the goshawk. Instead, they plan to use this goshawk as an object and demonstrate the techniques they have comprehended from the power of rules. Their goal is to deal with me later so that they can work together better? Hehe, I can take this opportunity to observe them in secret. When we fight them, we might be able to launch a targeted attack against them!" just as Kant was thinking, he heard Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese said, "Very good. Why don't I show them what I can do first!"

Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese controlled the fiery rule power of fire, which made him a little more impatient than the other four world barons.

"Watch me use the Sword of Fire to scare this bird!" Baron Nathaniel. Isaiah. Reese said as he maintained the output of the rule power of fire from his right hand towards the Crown of Darkness. At the same time, he threw out a fiery red light from his left hand. This fiery red light was the rule power of fire.

As soon as this red light broke away from Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese's left hand immediately transformed into a fiery red greatsword. As soon as this fiery red greatsword was formed, it shot towards the goshawk at high speed.

Chapter 573: The incoming sword of fire

"Eh?"

At this moment, Kant once again took control of the goshawk's body. When he saw the Sword of Fire stabbing towards the goshawk, he hurriedly controlled the goshawk to dodge to the side.

At the same time, Kant thought to himself, "This is Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese. I don't know how long he has been a world noble, but he actually only used the rule power of fire to transform into a Sword of Fire. This is too easy. When I became a world baron more than a year ago, I was able to use the Power of War to create weapons and defensive equipment, and even a warhorse, just like the God of War did!"

Kant easily controlled the body of the goshawk to avoid the Sword of Fire controlled by Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese, which was of course Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese deliberately controlled the speed of the Sword of Fire. Otherwise, with his strength as a world baron, the goshawk would not be able to dodge his Sword of Fire. Then, Kant controlled the body of the goshawk to make it look like it was frightened and wanted to fly higher to escape from this place.

"Good, Nathaniel, your control of the rules of fire is really skilful. You can actually directly materialize a physical sword. That's amazing. With just this move, it could make Baron Kant defenseless!" Baron Victor. Isai. Enoch saw Baron Nathaniel. Isaiah. Reese showed him the Sword of Fire and complimented him, then he immediately said, "Now it's my turn. Nathaniel, your Sword of Fire scared this goshawk so much that it didn't know what to do, in order to prevent it from flying away, I will also use a technique of the power of rules!"

"Thunder Hell!" Baron Victor. Isai. Enoch controlled the purple rule power of thunder. Now, he released the purple rule power of thunder from his left hand. The moment he threw out the purple rule power of thunder, it suddenly became huge and covered half of the sky. It turned into a cage of bolts of lightning. The goshawk controlled by Kant was directly thrown into this cage.

In the garden of the castellan mansion of Lionheart City, Kant curled his lips, he thought to himself, "Is this Baron Victor. Isai. Enoch and Baron Nathaniel. Isaiah. Reese's control of the power of rules really only at such a low level, or are they hiding their strength?'

Then, Baron Clark. Isai. Prynne once again demonstrated his poor control of the rule power of ice, followed by Tyr. Isaiah. Maud, the strongest baron in the world, demonstrated the application of the power of destruction.

They were all weapons formed from the power of rules, similar to Baron

Nathaniel. Isai. Reese's Sword of Fire.

In Kant's eyes, these techniques were very ordinary. However, the four world barons treated this as a very impressive technique and complemented each other.

"Ryan, we've all shown our skills. Now it's your turn!" Baron Nathaniel. Isaiah. Reese suddenly said, and the other three world barons immediately stopped chanting. Their eyes could not help but look at Baron Ryan. Isaiah. Cameron.

"Curse Arrow!" Baron Ryan. Isaiah. Cameron said coldly. He raised his hand and shot a gray arrow at the goshawk that was hovering in the sky, but was blocked by Thunder Hell.

Kant's pupils constricted. He could see that Baron Ryan. Isaiah. Cameron did not hold back at all. This attack of his was to kill the goshawk controlled by Kant.

"Then let's fight through the air. Let's see if you are hiding your strength or are really only at this level!" This goshawk was now regarded as Kant's subordinate. Moreover, Kant was touched by the fact that the goshawk had directly attacked the five world barons just because Kant was angry at them.

Perhaps it was due to the influence of the status of him being one with the nature, Kant, who had always been cold and resolute, did not wish for the goshawk to die.

In an instant, a complicated crimson pattern suddenly appeared in the depths of Kant's amber eyes. This crimson pattern was Kant's real name, "Isai. Lannister Tolia", it was a part of the complete pattern of the rules of war. Kant could use it to directly draw the rule power of war.

At this moment, in the depths of Kant's eyes, a complicated crimson real name surged. A large amount of the power of the rules began to gather on the body of the goshawk controlled by Kant. At the beginning, Kant felt that he could do this until he really succeeded, only then did Kant confirm that his feeling was not wrong.

At this moment, Kant's eyes flashed with excitement. The rule power relied on the large amount of gathering of the goshawk, which meant that Kant officially had an ultra-long-range attack method.

Just when Kant was happy, he suddenly felt that if he continued to gather the rule power of war on the goshawk, the goshawk would immediately explode from the rule power of war and die.

"Peak grand knight?"

Kant estimated that because the goshawk had gathered the rule power of war, its strength was now at the peak grand knight level.

"It seems that I'm happy a little too early. If I only need one goshawk to allow me to cross a hundred miles and possess the power of a extraordinary knight, then not to mention the five world barons of the Dukedom of Leo, even the 51 world barons of the entire human race would be my enemy. I would be able to fight them!" Kant slightly restrained his happiness. "To be able to cross a hundred miles and possess the power of a peak grand knight is already very good."

"At least, it's enough to deal with Baron Ryan's Curse Arrow."

As it was just a demonstration, and they were only dealing with an ordinary goshawk, the five world barons of the Dukedom of Leo did not use too much power. The power of rules they released was only equivalent to the power of a peak grand knight, it was equivalent to the rule power of war that the goshawk carried.

"Power of War -- Spirit Transformation!" Kant's real name kept floating in his eyes. He controlled the goshawk and the rule power of war from a distance of 50 kilometers.

Eeeeeee... Eeeee...

Eeeeee... Eeeeeeee...

The goshawk suddenly chirped loudly. The dark red light on its body directly lit up. Outside its body, another goshawk like it condensed. This goshawk was dark red, and this goshawk also chirped, it formed a heavy cry with the goshawk that was enveloped by it.

This was a realm that Kant used to grasp the power of rules. He treated this realm as the third realm, which was called "Spirit Formation." It could directly use the power of rules to materialize a living creature.

Back then, the God of War, Edmund, should have also come from this realm. However, he used the power of war that was on the same level as the rule power of war.

At this moment, Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's Curse Arrow just happened to arrive. This Curse Arrow used the same amount of power of the laws of war as Kant had used when he turned into a goshawk.

Eeeeeee...

Eeeeeee...

At this moment, the two overlapping goshawks let out a cry at the same time and directly pecked at the gray Curse Arrow with their sharp beaks.

Chapter 574: Application of Extraordinary Power

Following the heavy cries of the two goshawks, their dark red color energy that was wrapped outside their beaks suddenly became even deeper. At this moment, the rule power of war that formed outside of the goshawk suddenly converged towards the beak of the goshawk.

"Dang!" the collision between the Curse Arrow that was formed from the power of rules and the goshawk beak that was formed from the "Spirit Formation" made a loud sound of metal colliding. It was as if the two of them were extremely hard objects.

When the Curse Arrow was pecked by the beak of the goshawk, it immediately deflected and passed through the lightning fence of Thunder Hell, disappearing into the distance.

Then, Kant controlled the goshawk to fly toward the lightning fence of Thunder Hell. The enormous rule power of war, which was originally condensed on the beak of the goshawk, suddenly spread to the front half of the goshawk. Generally speaking, the two goshawks overlapped. Although the spirit goshawk was dark red all over, the dark red of the front half of its body was many times denser than the back half.

Eeeee~

Eeeee~

The two goshawks once again let out a heavy cry, and then crashed into the lightning fence of Thunder Hell without hesitation.

"Not good, this goshawk is strange. It actually carries Baron Kant's rule power of war!" Thunder Hell was created by Baron Victor. Isai. Enoch, it was constructed with his own power of rules. When he saw that the goshawk instantly pecked away the Curse Arrow and rammed into his Thunder Hell, he could not help but cry out in surprise.

He could not increase the strength or size of the Thunder Hell that he already had, unless he created a new, sturdier, and larger thunder hell to trap the goshawk again. However, it was obviously too late now.

Boom!

Crack!

The goshawk charged at the Thunder Hell and broke a hole out of it. The Thunder Hell broken by the goshawk directly turned into fine lightning power and dissipated.

The power of a grand knight at the peak level was not a joke. The goshawk was very fast in the 100-meter-high sky and instantly disappeared from the sight of the five world barons. They were restrained by the Crown of Darkness and could not move. Their own power of rules could only erupt from about 200 meters away from their bodies. It would be impossible for them to capture the goshawk.

Speaking of which, the goshawk was able to escape thanks to Kant's application of the rule power of war, which was much better than Baron Ryan Isai. Cameron and Baron Victor. Isai. Enoch. Of course, at least on the surface, it was so. As for whether the five world barons were hiding their strength or not, Kant did not have any concrete assurance to make a clear judgment.

Regarding the application of extraordinary power, Kant currently knew that there were three levels.

The first level was the direct application of extraordinary power. It was directly applied to one's own body, weapons and equipment, or short-distance bursts to attack the enemy. This level was called the "Universal Realm", when Kant was promoted by the system to become a world noble, he naturally knew, including the last two realms. This "Universal Realm" was so named because it was a method and realm that could be used by any extraordinary power.

The second level was the advanced application of the power of rules, which was just used by the five world nobles. It used the power of the noble to materialize or construct specific things, making the power of rules more condensed. In addition to having the attributes of the power of rules itself, it would also have the attributes of the things that would materialize -- the stabbing and slashing of the Sword of Flame, the encirclement of Thunder Hell, the shooting and killing of the Cursed Arrows, and so on. This level was called the "Materialization Realm". Only those who had stepped into the extraordinary realm and grasped the power of rules and the divine power of gods were capable to comprehend it.

The third level, which was even more advanced than the "Materialization Realm", was the "Spirit Transformation Realm" that Kant was currently in. Not only did this realm have the characteristics of the second level that directly manifested things, but it could also manifest living beings. The living beings manifested by the "Spirit Transformation Realm" had simple autonomous behavior patterns, for this reason, they could more flexibly use the extraordinary power that manifested them. This level was higher than the "Materialization Realm". Naturally, it also required one's extraordinary powers to reach the level of the power of rules or divine power.

Kant wasn't sure if there was a higher level for the use of the power of rules. He was limited to the third level. He only knew these three levels naturally. The source of these realms was probably due to the powerful function of the system. It absorbed the God of War, and then instilled the God of War's application of the power of war directly into Kant. It made Kant's application of the rule power of war seem as if it had been tempered over thousands of years, and he was extremely skilled.

In the Lion Fort, the five world nobles helplessly watched the goshawk that Kant controlled disappear into the horizon, their eyes filled with extreme shock.

"Oh my god, I can't believe my eyes. What did I see?"? Baron Kant directly injected the rule power of war into a goshawk from a very long distance. This was something only gods were capable to do. They were able to inject the divine power into the holy spirit from a distance and freely bestow them with power."

Baron Victor. Isai. Enoch looked at his Thunder Hell. Because a few lightning fences were broken by the goshawk, the entire Thunder Hell gradually collapsed into the power of lightning from the few lightning fences, he made his own judgment in shock.

At this time, Baron Tyr. Isai. Maud also spoke, his tone was a little grave. "Victor, you are only talking about one aspect. The key to that goshawk's escape is that Baron Kant used the rule power of war to reach an extremely high realm -- the Spirit Transformation Realm that is far above us. I really can't imagine how Baron Kant managed to reach such a level in just one year. Even I haven't reached this realm!"

Baron Tyr. Isai. Maud was the most powerful world baron. This also meant that he had survived the longest among the world barons. The strength of the world baron was closely related to how long they had lived. Every time they went through the month of calamity, their real names would change slightly, and the power of rules that they could use would obviously increase.

It was also because of this that the father of Ryan. Isai. Cameron, who had once been able to roam the Silver Platter Empire alone was even more powerful than Baron Tyr. Isai. Maud. But Ryan Isai. Cameron, who had inherited his father's real name, was the weakest among the world nobles.

Chapter 575: The Purity of Animals

"The realm of the application of the power of rules requires a long period of time to be trained. But look at Baron Kant, what is so special about him that he could reach such a high realm in just a year? Judging from his application of the power of rules, Baron Kant's combat will be 50% stronger than our estimation. His combat strength might even be on par with mine!" Baron Tyr. Isai. Maud continued speaking in a very serious tone.

The other world barons' expressions changed.

They thought that Baron Kant was the weakest world baron. However, according to Baron Tyr Isai, this Baron Kant was comparable to him and was stronger than the other world barons. Didn't this mean that even if Baron Kant was besieged by the five of them, he still had the power to burst out and instantly kill a world baron?

"Ryan, Baron Kant's performance is too special. I think you should give us an explanation!" Baron Clark. Isai. Prynne said. Among the five of them, he was slightly stronger than Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron, so he was most worried about the upcoming battle. At this moment, his tone was little unfriendly to Baron Ryan.

As for Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's expression was no longer as cold as before. In his eyes, there was an extremely fanatical look. He did not pay any attention to Baron Clark. Isai. Prynne's words. Instead, he said with a hint fanaticism, "Help me capture Baron Kant alive and hand him over to me. Each of you will weigh 20 kilograms of abyssal magic iron!"

At this moment, Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron no longer held back his words like gold.

"Twenty kilograms of abyssal magic iron?" The eyes of the other four world barons were filled with greed. This greed completely suppressed their worries about Baron Kant's strength. At the same time, it also made the four world barons realize that more than half of their strength came from powerful equipment. After putting on the equipment that was specially used for battle, their strength had increased by more than 50%.

After the goshawk flew high into the sky again, Kant immediately lost control over it. At the same time, he also lost the rule power of war that gathered on its body. Then, he directly removed Nature's Favor, the special effect of "Glory, Protection of Serenity". However, what Kant did not expect was that the goshawk seemed to have sensed Kant from afar. It flew all the way south towards the castellan mansion in Lionheart City, as if it was coming to find Kant.

"This 'Nature's Favor' is indeed very powerful, but it seems to have slightly affected my judgment!" Kant walked towards the castellan mansion's main hall from the garden, as he pondered, he said, "With my personality, after that goshawk was besieged, I wouldn't go out of my way to save it. Saving it would mean that the matter of me being able to control animals from afar would be known by the five world nobles. If I want to use birds to gather intelligence like today, I'm afraid it won't be as smooth as today!"

Not long after Kant returned to the main hall of the castellan mansion, dun de coincidentally returned to report, "Lord, all of the Swadian Knights, the Sarleon Lion Knights, and the Enfath Mages are assembled. They are currently in the square of the castellan mansion. In addition, half of the military forces of the four city gates have been mobilized. They are heading towards the north city gate of Lionheart City!"

Kant directly ordered: "Very good, set out!"

When Kant led 1,000 Swadian Royal Knights, 1,000 Sarleon Lion Knights, and 1,000 Enfath Mages along the wide North Road, many merchants retreated and stopped to watch.

Chirp…Chirp…

A loud and clear cry of the goshawk, suddenly from a hundred meters high transmitted from the air.

Kant felt that the voice was unusually familiar. He immediately looked up and saw a familiar goshawk hovering above his army. With the strength of a world baron, Kant's eyesight was quite astonishing, in addition, the goshawk was not flying at a thousand meters in the air. Therefore, Kant could clearly tell that the goshawk was staring at him with an extremely close gaze.

"What's going on?" Kant felt a little strange. After removing the "Nature's Favor" special effect, he had already forgotten about the goshawk. He never expected that the goshawk would come directly to him.

Kant didn't activate the special effect of Nature's Favor at the moment. Logically speaking, under this status, Kant wasn't close to nature at all, so he couldn't communicate with animals at all. However, Kant could vaguely feel that the goshawk above his head was constantly giving him a sense of submission, following, and becoming stronger.

He could feel it directly, but he did not use the special effect of Nature's Favor.

However, this feeling was very vague. Kant could only feel it roughly, but he could not really communicate with this goshawk.

"Nature's Favor, activate!" Fortunately, the special effect of the "Glorious Protection of Serenity" necklace did not have a cooldown time. Kant could turn it on and off at any time.

After activating it, Kant once again entered the state of merging with nature. He deliberately sensed his own will and did not notice that he was affected by this status. Even if the upcoming war would cause the lives of people to be plunged into misery and blood to flow, at this moment, Kant did not have the slightest bit of softness in his heart. His heart was still cold and resolute.

Kant looked up again and thought, "Could it be that the thing that affected my thoughts previously was not the status of merging with nature that I thought it was, but the goshawk hovering in the sky?"

At this moment, Kant activated the "Nature's Favor" special effect and communicated with this goshawk.

"Why did you come to me?" Kant immediately asked the goshawk in the sky.

Kant knew that this goshawk had the unique innocence of an animal. There was no need to beat around the bush to communicate with it. It could not understand either, so it was best to be straightforward.

"I like you. You can make me stronger. I want to follow you." the goshawk heard Kant's telepathic message and let out a happy cry in the sky. At the same time, it repeated this thoughts in its mind. It was simple and very straightforward. It did not even flash the thought of asking Kant what he meant. It wanted to follow Kant, so it came.

Kant rode on the warhorse and was at the front of the team.

At this moment, he felt that he actually liked this goshawk from the bottom of his heart. Perhaps it was because of its simplicity and innocence. Moreover, Kant had already "cooperated" with it once, so he directly sent the goshawk a consent in his mind.

The goshawk's mind emitted joy, and at the same time, it continuously transmitted a thought to Kant, "I want to become stronger, I want to become stronger, I want to become stronger!"

Chapter 576: The Activation of Nature's Favor

If it was a human was to make such a cry, Kant could have thought that the other party was expressing his desire to become stronger, a determination to strive to become stronger.

However, for this goshawk, it could not be interpreted from a human's perspective.

Kant had only transformed the goshawk's thoughts into human words, so that he could understand them. In fact, the goshawk's meaning through its will was very clear and straightforward.

It wanted to become stronger. It was not a form of determination, nor was it expressing its desire to Kant. Instead, it was clearly reminding Kant to make it stronger, just like when it had extraordinary powers.

Kant suddenly had a thought. When he had not activated the special effect of Nature's Favor, he seemed to have a faint connection with the goshawk's will. However, because he had not integrated into nature, he was unable to truly communicate as he was now, without any obstacles.

"Then, can I turn this goshawk into my eye and my extended hand without activating the effect of Nature's Favor?" Kant could not help but let his thoughts wander, he made his own deduction based on the previous situation.

"There's no harm in trying!" Kant thought, "If I succeed, I can save a lot of effort."

Kant did not intend to refuse the simple and straightforward request of the goshawk. Because he had a premonition that if he could not satisfy the goshawk's request, then the goshawk that had just submitted to him would immediately betray him. It had come for power, and it was willing to submit to Kant wholeheartedly for the sake of power, just like the holy spirit.

"Nature's Favor, deactivate!" Kant's thoughts moved, and the special effect of Nature's Favor, was turned off by him, the feeling of being integrated into nature immediately dissipated. It was like a person in water who suddenly came out of the water and returned to the air. Then, he would immediately lose the feeling of being integrated into the water around his body. This was just a metaphor. In fact, compared to Kant's status of being immersed in nature and returning to this ordinary state, the difference in feeling was still very big.

Kant's adaptability was very strong. He had already experienced this feeling once, so he quickly adapted to this most ordinary status. Then, Kant's thoughts moved. Sure enough, he could extend his thoughts to the side of the goshawk and vaguely feel the goshawk's thoughts. Because he had just communicated with the goshawk, the goshawk's will was simple and stubborn. It was like a repeater, kept repeating "I want to become stronger" to Kant over and over again. Therefore, although Kant could only vaguely sense the goshawk's will, he could understand that he was still saying "I want to become stronger".

Of course, Kant's will could travel over a hundred meters to the goshawk, but it was only limited to the goshawk. If his will deviated slightly, it would immediately be pressed around his body by a magical power, this conclusion was obtained through Kant's own experiments.

Through experiment, Kant was a little shocked. "The great power that suppressed my will is actually the world will of this World of Isai? However, it seems to be slightly different from the world will that fed me information. Although their auras are exactly the same, according to the information they revealed to me, the world will that fed me information is like an intelligent creature with its own thoughts. And the world will that suppressed my will just now seems to be just a vast rule. Although it is embodied by the world will, this world will gives me the feeling that it is full of rigor and machinery, like a program."

The level of the world will, even if it leaked out a hint of aura, made the powerful Kant felt that it was vast and grand while he himself was incomparably small. This level was really too far away from him at the moment. Kant just suppressed his doubts in the bottom of his heart and continued to do his own thing.

"The rule power of war, activate!" Similar to the vague sense of the goshawk's will, Kant felt that he could also activate the special effect of Nature's Favor, he injected the rule power of war into this unique goshawk.

With the infusion of the rule power of war, the aura of the goshawk quickly became stronger.

Very soon, the aura of the goshawk reached the level of an early-stage grand knight. The feeling that if he injected the power of the laws of war into the goshawk again, it would explode appeared in Kant's heart. This made Kant know that this level was already the limit.

Early-stage grand knight!

Its current strength was weaker than its previous strength of a peak grand knight.

Chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp...

The goshawk's cheerful voice became very loud and clear. Its speed was also much faster than before. Even if it was only an early-stage grand knight, it was still much stronger than the goshawk itself. Looking at the goshawk, it probably did not know that its current strength was much weaker than when it was in the sky above the Lion Fort.

Meanwhile, Kant could feel that he had established an invisible but real connection with the goshawk. With the establishment of this connection, Kant could clearly sense that the connection between him and the goshawk had become closer, just like how Kant had activated the special effect of Nature's Favor.

"So powerful... happy, I want to catch a tiger to eat..." Kant could easily read the will of the goshawk again. Kant could also directly control the body of the goshawk with his will. At the same time, Kant found that he could now continue to pour the rule power of war into the goshawk.

Kant once again activated the rule power of war and poured it into the body of the goshawk. Soon, the goshawk reached the limit of its strength -- the peak grand knight. However, the extraordinary power of the goshawk still belonged to Kant. These extraordinary powers increased the strength of the goshawk, but it could be taken back by Kant at any time, the goshawk was once again turned into an ordinary bird with the strength of the peak of the official knight.

"Isai Lannister Tolia!" Kant's thoughts surged as he chanted his real name in his heart. Deep red complicated patterns began to appear in the depths of Kant's eyes. At this moment, Kant was using his real name to fuse with the bloodline and was the first to understand an ability -- to change the perspective of the rules.

Chapter 577: The Troops That Continued Their Crusade

At this moment, from Kant's perspective, the world had undergone an extremely astonishing change. It was completely constructed from countless chains of rules of various colors. At the very center of the world, there was a ball of light that was emitting silver-gray light -- it was the world will called Isai.

Kant's current figure was a dark red phantom, and a section on the chain of rules of war beneath his feet was his real name. An extremely thin line extended out from this section of the rules of war named "Lannister". It directly sank into the void and connected to an unknown place.

However, Kant could clearly know that this thin line connected his real name to the goshawk. After Kant met the goshawk's request, this line began to form. After Kant raised the goshawk's power to its strongest, this line stabilized.

Waves of the power of the rules of war seemed to appear on the goshawk's body. In fact, they flowed through the thin line. At this point, the goshawk that suddenly submitted to Kant had the similar characteristics to the holy spirits of the gods except for immortality.

However, the holy spirits of the gods were all intelligent beings, but Kant's goshawk was just a simple bird. The difference was still very obvious

Kant himself did not know much about the holy spirits, but he had already understood that his goshawk was almost no different from the holy spirits. It could also bear the power of rules that was no weaker than divine power, and they could also communicate with each other through thoughts. It could also be controlled it with his mind.

Then, Kant retreated from the view of the rules, and his view returned to the North Main Road of Lionheart City. At this time, it was not far from the north gate.

Chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp…

The goshawk hovered over the army cheerfully, and its mind was full of happy emotions.

"From now on, you will be called Blitz!" Kant decided the name of the goshawk in his mind. This made the goshawk, Blitz very happy. It kept dancing in the sky.

Kant was also very happy. At this time, he did not need to activate the special effect Nature's Favor to maintain the connection with Blitz. At the same time, he could give Blitz extraordinary power.

Of course, Kant would not be so happy just because of that. Instead, the appearance of Blitz meant that Kant could even use Blitz as an example to create an air force, as long as Blitz was not a special case. This had always been Kant's shortcoming. In the demiplane that Kant had explored in the Nahrin Desert, there were some birdmen with wings, so there was an air force.

It was still a long-term plan. As soon as Kant thought of it, he immediately shared Blitz's perspective. From a hundred meters above the ground, he could see the entire Lionheart City. At this moment, besides on the North Main Road of Lionheart City, Kant was leading 3000 soldiers with extraordinary powers. On the East Main Road, West Main Road, and South Main Road, there were also troops advancing. They were the garrison troops from the east city gate, west city gate and south city gate.

Each of the three troops had 1,000 soldiers. Each army had 200 Rhodok Sergeants, 200 Swadian Sergeants, 200 Vaegir Marksmen, 200 Ravenstern Rangers, and 200 Rhodok Sharpshooters. In fact, at the north city gate, there was a similar army waiting. They were all defending the city, so there was no cavalry.

Hence, in this attack, Kant sent a total of 7,000 soldiers.

After Kant led the army to the north city gate barracks, he reorganized the army and waited for the other three city gate soldiers to arrive. At the same time, he sent Blitz out to scout. At the same time, he wanted to test if there was any distance limit to his control and connection with Blitz under the current situation. Under the special effects of Nature's Favor, Kant had a 100-kilometer distance limit to his proximity and control of animals.

One of Kant's special conveniences for his own army was that he did not need to hold a pledging conference. The troops that came from the world of "Mount and Blade" were absolutely loyal to Kant, and the blood-red cape that was slowly swaying behind his back, "Glorious, Bright Red movement" allowed Kant to not worry about the morale of his troops. Therefore, there was no need to hold a troop class meeting that was specially held to raise morale.

When the other soldiers at the three city gates arrived, Kant sent the soldiers to check that the warhorse, weapons, armor, and arrows were in good condition. He also confirmed that the soldiers brought sufficient rations, and finally arranged for the follow-up supplies, then, he led his army out of Lionheart City and headed for Lion Fort.

When Kant's army set off, the entire eastern region of Lionheart City was shaken.

The Eastern District of Lionheart City was a noble region, and the people living there were all the upper-class noble families of the Dukedom of Leo. Their estate was either on the east and west sides of Lionheart City, or on the north side of Lionheart City. As for Kant sending troops from the north side of Lionheart City, in the eyes of the noble families in the Eastern District of Lionheart City, he had only one goal, which was to finally take over the entire South County.

In the eyes of all the upper-class nobles in the South County, Baron Kant was too powerful. They were shocked and even terrified of Baron Kant's strength. Portion of his power in Lionheart City alone was enough to suppress the combined forces of all the upper-class nobles. Therefore, in the one-year Kant had stayed in Lionheart City, the upper-class noble no longer dared to be arrogant and despotic.

This was not only because they were afraid of Baron Kant's power, but also because there were many civilians in Lionheart City. These civilians looked no different from ordinary civilians, but they all belonged to Baron Kant. As long as they dared to bully those civilians, it would be like poking a hornet's nest, which would attract the strong suppression of Baron Kant's subordinates.

At that time, they were still glad that Baron Kant had such great power, but he showed no signs of plotting against the remaining half of the South County, nor did he accept any noble's allegiance. This was probably because Baron Kant felt that his power was enough to become an archduke, and he was preparing to become an archduke. When Baron Kant became the new archduke of the Dukedom of Leo, he might accept their allegiance.

After all, the benefits that Baron Kant had to give up were completely different from the nobles he had accepted before he opened the border and after.

However, now that Baron Kant had directly sent troops from the north city gate of Lionheart City, it had shattered the rumors. This made the upper-class noble families of the South County, who were still in Lionheart City, feel a little flustered. They were afraid that Baron Kant wanted to flatten the remaining South County. Their castles and manors were all there.

Chapter 578: Pressure On the Nobles

In particular, Baron Kant had always acted as if he did not accept any noble's allegiance, which made them even more terrified. Although the nobles of the North County were weak, they were still nobles. Their miserable fate was like a sharp sword hanging in the hearts of the upper-class nobles of South County, making them feel alert.

Even though Baron Kant had sent troops from the north city gate of Lionheart City to deal with the current Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, in the eyes of the nobles in South County who did not know the existence of the world nobles, Grand Duke Cameron was not worth for Baron Kant to send such a powerful force. Therefore, they didn't know what kind of ambition Baron Kant had.

Baron Kant had long become the number one noble of the Dukedom of Leo in the eyes of the upper-class noble families other than five major world noble families. Many nobles had even spread rumors that made the Grand Duke Cameron voluntarily give up the position of grand duke to Baron Kant. They wanted to use this to remind Grand Duke Cameron to understand the situation clearly, they wanted to end the terror caused by Baron Kant who was about to launch a war to seize the position of grand duke.

At this moment, Baron Kant sent out his troops. He brought with him a terrifying force that could crush all the upper-class nobles in South County. All the nobles in South County were trembling under the pressure of Baron Kant. Many upper-class nobles were ready to leave the Dukedom of Leo. The smart nobles could deduce Baron Kant's behavior. Kant would definitely not let these old noble families stay in Dukedom of Leo.

There were only two paths left for them -- either die or get lost.

As for letting them fight Baron Kant at the cost of their own resources, forgot it. As long as they had noble status and power in their hands, they would be able to develop their families well when they went there. Then, why did they have to use their weak strength to fight Baron Kant's terrifying army like an egg hitting a stone?

Even if they succeeded, there wouldn't be too many benefits. After all, there were so many upper-class noble families, so the fruits of victory wouldn't be distributed too much to each noble family. If they failed, the families that had been passed down for more than 300 years would be directly exterminated.

The risk was too great, and it was completely disproportionate to the benefits. The smart upper-class noble families in the South County wouldn't allow their families to participate in such a gambit.

In Lionheart City, the nobles of the Eastern Noble District began to join forces and discuss their future paths. They discussed joining a new dukedom or kingdom together and discussed forming an alliance in advance. It saved them from being bullied by the local noble in other countries. After 300 years of development, the relationship between the upper-class nobles had long been complicated. They were like relatives, it was very simple for them to form alliance.

The upper-class noble families were very powerful. In Lionheart City alone, if they wanted to, they could gather over 10,000 elite soldiers and over 1,000 powerful grand knights. However, they did not have any intention of occupy the Lionheart City while Kant was not around.

The upper-class noble families were not very clear about how powerful Baron Kant was. However, they knew that Lionheart City was only one of Baron Kant's six big cities. The power of Lionheart City alone could crush the combined forces of these upper-class noble families. If they dared to seize Lionheart City while it was unguarded, even if they succeeded, Baron Kant might take revenge on them in the future. It would also make their noble family name disappear in the long river of history.

Kant had expected the reaction of the upper-class noble families.

However, Kant was still prepared to start a war with all the upper-class noble families in South County. Because in Kant's mind, it was impossible for the five world nobles to tolerate the upper-class noble families developing such powerful strength without any countermeasures.

Despite having such thoughts, Kant did not surround and kill these noble families and the grand knight-level forces in Lionheart City before he sent out his troops.

At this time, Baron Kant had already sent out his troops. They needed time to leave the city, return to the territory to reorganize, and leave Dukedom of Leo. They were extremely pressed for time. Therefore, the upper-class noble families in the Eastern District of Lionheart City acted unusually quickly. Under the common external pressure, they discussed, negotiated, and formed the alliance very quickly. Most of them had drawn up a general framework, and the remaining details were agreed upon when they escaped from Dukedom of Leo.

Therefore, an hour after Baron Kant's soldiers left the north city gate of Lionheart City, the upper-class noble families in Lionheart City had already agreed and signed their respective covenants. Subsequently, the East Main Road of Lionheart City, which was ten miles long and thirty meters wide, was completely packed with noble carriages, grand knights and noble soldiers under the noble families.

At the east city gate of Lionheart City, Kant's soldiers were methodically allowing the noble to leave Lionheart City. Of course, they had to pay the "exit fee" to leave the city.

The person in charge of handling this matter was naturally not the level-five troop class that guarded the city gate. Whether it was Rhodok Sergeants or Swadian Sergeants, they were not good at dealing with the noble. However, if they were to manage a huge estate on their own, they might make a lot of mistakes. However, if they were to stick to one principle and deal with the noble families, it would be the most appropriate thing to do.

Kant had sent 30 Swadian Royal Knights to the east city gate of Lionheart city to collect the "exit fees" from the noble families. There were three arched gateways at the eastern gate of Lionheart City. Each gateway was six meters wide. Ten Swadian Royal Knights were in charge of one gateway, which was more than enough.

The level five archers on the city tower and the level five infantrymen on both sides of the gateways were powerful enough to ensure that they could collect the "exit fee" before letting the noble families pass. Unless these noble families joined forces to attack the east city gate of Lionheart City. However, the noble families closest to the east city gate would never agree to such an action. After all, no matter what the final outcome was, these people at the front would definitely suffer heavy losses. They might even lose their lives as upper-class noble families.

Although they could not join forces to attack the east city gate of Lionheart City, it was difficult for them to be very "generous" and quickly pay the "exit fee". Baron Kant was really too ruthless. An "exit fee" was enough to make the upper-class noble families, who had three hundred years of heritage, feel pained.

Chapter 579: The Confidence of the World Nobles

The line was quite long. Therefore, after the previous noble successfully left the city, the next noble would know why the previous noble had delayed for so long at the city gate.

At this time, a noble had just left the city at the east city gate of Lionheart City, and it was the next noble's turn to pay the "exit fee".

"What did you say? The exit fee is actually 1,000 golden eagles?" A fat noble Viscount who was dressed in exquisite clothes and looked a little comical shouted angrily, "Why don't you just rob us?"

The Swadian Royal Knight who was in charge of collecting this noble's "exit fee" said with a bright smile, "Viscount Robert really knows how to joke. Robbing won't be as fast as collecting the "exit fee" of noble lords like you! Moreover, the price of this exit fee was personally set by the great and noble Lord Kant. Viscounts need to pay 1,000 golden eagles while barons need to pay 800 golden eagles. You can choose to not pay the 'exit fee'. After all, you can still return to your manor in Lionheart City and enjoy the luxurious and exquisite life of a noble lord."

After a pause, the Swadian Royal Knight explained, "Viscount Robert, the great and noble Lord Kant once said that letting you out of the city at such a time of war is a preferential treatment for your noble status. Because Lord Kant has to bear the risk for letting you out of the city. This means that there is a high possibility of a powerful noble would join Lord Kant's enemies. Therefore, the 'exit fee' must be collected!"

"A thousand golden eagles are too much! Too much! I don't have so many golden eagles with me in my current fleet!" The fat Viscount Robert had a bitter expression on his face. He wanted to bargain with the Swadian Royal Knight about the price.

"We have also considered this. Viscount Robert, if you don't have enough golden eagles with you, you can deduct it with the precious resources that contain extraordinary power. A precious resource that contains extraordinary power can offset 50 golden eagles. If you do not even have the precious resources that contain extraordinary power, you can still use the grand knights that you have to offset it. A grand knight can also offset 50 golden eagles." The Swadian Royal Knight was very patient, he carefully explained to Viscount Robert.

However, the nobles waiting at the back were impatient. At this time, how could he still allow you to dawdle at such an important moment? You were not delaying your own time. You were delaying the time of yourself and the dozens of nobles, thousands of grand knights, and tens of thousands of elite soldiers behind you!

Thus, Viscount Robert was honored to be reminded by the grand knight sent by the noble behind him. "Lord Viscount, please be decisive. There are still many noble lords waiting to leave the city!" Just like how Robert sent a grand knight to remind the noble who was dawdling in front of him, even the words were exactly the same.

Viscount Robert had a thick, wrinkled chin. He was so sad that his chin started to tremble. After hesitating for a while, Viscount Robert revealed a tired expression that looked like twenty burly men waiting on him, he gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, I'll pay the 1,000 golden eagles. Butler Salia, settle the bill for this soldier!"

...

There was a distance of 50 kilometers between Lionheart City and Lion Fort. Even if a mage cast a Group Acceleration Spell for the entire team, the entire team would still need to travel for three hours. Fortunately, there was a wide and flat paved road between Lionheart City and Lion Fort. Otherwise, it would take a little longer.

Two and a half hours had passed since Kant sent out his troops. In these two and a half hours, Kant's "air force members" had increased from one goshawk to three goshawks.

It seemed that other than these birds, which would be attracted by Kant's power of war to make them stronger and submit to Kant, none of the other birds would do so.

Although the other birds would be under Kant's control when Kant activated the special effect of Nature's Favor and could be strengthened by Kant's rule power of war to increase their strength, when Kant turned off the special effect of Nature's Favor, they would not fly over to show their submission to Kant. Instead, they would return to their previous status.

Kant controlled one of the goshawks and hovered above the east city gate of Lionheart City. He watched as the noble families gave out bags of golden eagles with sorrow expressions. His mood became much better.

"These golden eagles, instead of letting them hire mercenaries from other kingdoms or dukedom, why not give them to me in exchange for denar! One thousand golden eagles can be exchanged for 1.2 million denars," Kant thought happily, "As for letting these guys out of Lionheart City, I really have no choice. I can't just leave these guys in Lionheart City and treat them as a ticking time bomb! After all, it's still my guess that they will become my enemy. If they can really escape to other kingdoms or dukedom, that would be the best thing."

In the Lion Fort, on the square where the five world nobles were located, the five world nobles were still persistently sending a huge amount of power of rules to the Crown of Darkness that was surrounded by them.

At this moment, Viscount Carl. Cameron hurried to the square with a hint of nervousness, anticipation, and excitement on his face.

"Father, the latest emergency news: Baron Kant has led an army of 7,000-men troop and is approaching Lion Fort!" Viscount Carl did not avoid the other four world nobles and directly reported to Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron reported.

There were five world barons in Lion Fort at the same time, Viscount Carl. Cameron thought that Kant dared to launch an attack at this time, he was simply courting death.

Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron nodded indifferently, and then stopped sending the rule power of the curse to the Crown of Darkness. As for the specific matters of the war, he suddenly became more talkative. "Carl, you will be in charge of this war. The purpose is to delay Baron Kant's army, so that Baron Kant's army cannot interfere with the counterattack launched by the five of us! All the forces in the castle will be at your disposal. In addition, you will take my token to the demiplane and mobilize 500 grand knight-level 'Black Armored Knights' to deal with Baron Kant's attack this time!"

After saying that, Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron handed a token to Viscount Carl. Cameron. Both father and son called Kant as Baron Kant, which made Kant like a stranger to them. This left the other four world barons speechless.

Chapter 580: Confidence In the Domain

"Perhaps, it was their attitude towards Baron Kant that caused Baron Kant to send troops to sweep through the Dukedom of Leo without hesitation!" the four world barons could not help but guess.

After Viscount Carl. Cameron left, Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's eyes revealed a fanatical look as he said to the four world nobles, "Prepare for battle!"

The four world nobles nodded at the same time and stopped transmitting the power of rules to the Crown of Darkness. In their opinion, this was most likely because Baron Kant could not resist the temptation of the Crown of Darkness's deep and pure dark aura. He could only retain a little bit of senses, so he could not wait to send troops to attack the Lion Fort, to snatch the Crown of Darkness. They had already sensed Baron Kant's aura once before. They could already confirm that the dark aura emitted by the Crown of Darkness was indeed effective against Baron Kant.

Viscount Carl. Cameron moved very quickly. In just half an hour, he had successfully mobilized 500 powerful "black armored knights" from the demiplane. These "black armored knights", each of them had the strength of a high-level grand knight or a peak grand knight. They were Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's most powerful strength. In the entire demiplane, Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron only had 2,000"black armored knights" and formed two black armored knight legions".

What was special was that the equipment and weapons on the "black armored knights" were all forged with a small amount of abyssal magic iron. Their sturdiness was a level higher than ordinary armor and weapons. Moreover, the armor that had been added with abyssal magic iron had very good magic resistance. It could reduce the power of the elemental spell by 50%. Of course, the magic power of the caster of this elemental spell could not reach the level of the power of rules.

After another ten minutes, Viscount Carl. Cameron had already arranged the army in Lion Fort.

Outside the south gate of the Lion Fort, there was a huge flat field. This field was to allow the heavy cavalries in the Lion Fort to have a good battle terrain. After all, the heavy cavalries in the entire Dukedom of Leo were famous for being powerful.

At this moment, on this huge field, Viscount Carl. Cameron had already arranged the troops and set up the formation.

A total of 5,500 heavy cavalry soldiers were sent by Viscount Carl. Cameron to the huge field outside the gate of Lion Fort. Among them, 500 black armored knights were in front of the 5,000 heavy cavalry soldiers belonging to Lion Fort. The 5,000 heavy cavalry soldiers were divided into five cavalry legions with 1,000 cavalries each. Although each cavalry legion only had one grand knight as the leader. However, each of the 1,000 cavalries were all soldiers of the official knight-level. They were an elite troop class of the level 4 heavy cavalry.

The five world nobles stood on the city tower above the Lion Fort's gate. At this moment, they could already see Baron Kant and the army behind him rapidly approaching from afar.

"Ryan, you're really willing to give it all out! Baron Kant's heavy cavalries were all at the grand knight level, and he had two knight regiments. If these soldiers of yours wanted to delay Baron Kant's army and not interfere in our battle, they would probably suffer heavy losses. These soldiers at the official knight level were nothing much. They were only the most ordinary soldiers in the fief. They could have as many as they wanted. However, those 500 black-armored knights are the true precious combat strength. If we lose them, it will take at least a year for them to recover." Baron Tyr. Isai. Maud said with a hint of pity.

He also had the black-armored knight legion. The members of the black-armored knights were all high-level grand knights or even peak grand knights. It was difficult to advance into a grand knight, but what was more valuable to the black armored knights than the grand knights themselves was their equipment. Their weapons and equipment had been added with abyssal magic iron.

Abyssal magic iron was undoubtedly an extremely valuable strategic resource. Once upon a time, Baron Tyr. Isai. Maud helped in Ryan. Isai. Cameron's hands in the month of calamity. The condition was that if he lost one hundred grand knights, Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron had to pay him one kilogram of abyssal magic iron.

And this time, they already knew that Baron Kant's own strength could even match Baron Tyr. Isai. Maud, but the temptation of 20 kilograms of abyssal magic iron immediately made the four world's noble agree to Ryan Isai. Cameron's request to capture Baron Kant alive. This was much more difficult than killing Baron Kant.

...

At this time, Kant had already arrived at the wide and flat loess square outside of Lion Fort, forming a standoff with the 5,500 heavy cavalries' troop of Lion Fort. The distance between the two sides was about a kilometer, which was enough for both sides' cavalries to charge.

At this time, Kant had already subdued six goshawks. Moreover, Kant discovered a relatively bad piece of information. The extraordinary power of these six goshawks came entirely from Kant, and after Kant supplied them with the rule power of war, he discovered that the rule power of war that he could use had decreased.

Although it was only a small reduction, this incident also directly reminded Kant that everything had a price. If he really built his air force by continuously subduing the goshawks, Kant estimated that if the number of goshawks reached 300, he would not have any power left for him to use, this was a trade-off.

Chirp chirp chirp chirp...

Five goshawks flew happily in the sky, and one was still monitoring the noble families at the east city gate of Lionheart City.

Soon, Kant arranged his army on the square. It was mainly 1,000 Swadian Royal Knight and 1,000 Sarleon Lion Knights. They were arranged in a formation that was conducive to the charge.

Then, 800 Rhodok Sergeants, 800 Swadian Sergeants, 800 Rhodok Sharpshooters, 800 Vaegir Marksmen, 800 Ravenstern Rangers, and 1,000 mages of the Enfath Empire formed a dense formation. Under the situation where the enemy was full of heavy cavalries, only a dense formation could resist.

The entire army was filled with the mages' buff spells, "Sharp Metal Blade" and "Group Acceleration". This was after Kant had observed through the goshawk that the cavalry had already assembled and arranged their formation before the Lion Fort, on the wide paved road, he had ordered the mages to perform it.

Kant thought that the other party would initiate the charge of the heavy cavalries, but they did not do so. So, Kant did not hold back at all. He immediately used all his strength to increase the combat strength of his army.

"War Domain, open!"

"Holy Domain, open!"

At the same time, the battlefield was formed. The "Glorious, Bright Red Movement" on Kant's back began to dance fiercely, it also emitted a ring of bright red luster, enveloping the Kant army, which was the passive special effect of this extraordinary cape, "Bright Red Movement.".

Chapter 581: The Heavy Cavalries of Lion Fort

War Domain: In the domain, the morale of soldiers increased, and their strength was increased by 100%. They are eager to fight.

Divine Domain: Any injury in the domain could be healed by 100% faster recovery speed.

Bright Red Movement: Passive special effect. On the battlefield, within a kilometer of the wearer, the wearer's soldiers were encouraged, and their overall strength was increased by 50%! At the same time, the morale would increase steadily as they stay on the battlefield. Eventually, they would reach the highest morale and have nothing to fear. Even if they were at an extreme disadvantage, they could fight until they are completely wiped out without even flinching.

The above three large-scale domain-type skills directly increased the strength of Kant's soldiers by 150%. Moreover, the morale would increase very quickly and will soon rise to the highest morale. At that time, Kant's soldiers would be like lions and tigers hunting sheep. They would be indomitable and incomparably brave. No matter how bad the situation was, they would be able to burst out with the strongest combat strength.

In fact, there was still a special effect that Kant had not used on the cloak of "Glorious Bright Red Movement." That was the first special effect, "Blood Thirst." This special effect was also very powerful.

Blood Thirst: Active special effect. On the battlefield, within a range of 1,000 meters from the wearer, the generals entered bloodthirsty mode and their attack strength increased by 100%! Their defense strength decreased by 30%!

If this special effect was activated at the same time, the strength of the soldiers under Kant could be increased by another level. However, this special effect was a double-edged sword. While increasing the attack strength, it would also reduce the defense of the soldiers. Kant felt that after three layers of domain buff, the soldiers' attack strength was already enough or even exceeded the need. There was no need to sacrifice their defense to continue increasing their attack strength.

After all, when a lion or tiger hunt, they only needed to ensure that their claws and teeth were sharp enough to cut through the fur and skin of their prey. Similar to this principle, the soldiers' attack strength only needed to be strong enough to penetrate the enemy's defense. It would be a waste. to overkill the enemy with excessive strength. On the contrary, it might reduce the soldiers' ability to continue fighting.

In the end, Kant's three domain buff stimulated the soldiers' bodies and wills. All the consumption would also be borne by the soldiers themselves. However, in an intense battlefield, if the opponent was strong, then it was necessary to have enough strength and a high morale. Otherwise, it was better to die because of lack of strength than to die because of exhaustion because of the increase in combat power.

Everything was ready. Kant did not hesitate and immediately ordered 1,000 Swadian Royal Knights and 1,000 Sarleon Lion Knights to charge. At the same time, Kant ordered 2,400 archers and 1,000 mages of Enfath Empire, a total of 5,000 infantry and long-range troop class, to slowly and follow up.

With five goshawks circling in the sky, the strength of Lion Fort was in Kant's eyes. In Kant's opinion, the opponent's strength outside of Lion Fort was too weak to withstand a single blow from his side.

Five thousand heavy cavalries at the official knight level, together with 500 heavy cavalries at the grand knight level, absolutely could not pose too much of a threat to his two thousand level six cavalries whose strength had been enhanced by three layers of domains.

Kant himself was also among the 2,000 knights. He needed to activate the domains for them to enhance their combat strength. He wanted them to use their absolute strength to destroy the enemy quickly and then let them fight against the five world barons with him.

Although Kant had come here to attack the Lion Fort, he had no intention of letting go of the Crown of Darkness that could emit a deep and pure dark aura. That thing was obviously in the hands of the five world nobles, if he wanted to get that crown, he would have to fight fiercely with the five world nobles. He would not believe that the five world nobles would give up the extraordinary Crown of Darkness unconditionally.

Therefore, even if it was just an ordinary battle, Kant would not forget the five world nobles. Moreover, the five of them were standing on the tower above the gate of Lion Fort to watch the battle.

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

The 2000 level 6 knights were divided into 20 rows. Each row had 100 level 6 knights. Among them, the Swadian Knight and the Sarleon Lion Knight were arranged in every rows. With Kant's order, the 2,000 level 6 knights urged their horses and began to accelerate. Their target was the 5,500 enemy heavy cavalry soldiers who had yet to start their charge.

The 2,000 level 6 soldiers were extremely powerful. Their auras were linked together as they crazily pounced on the 5,500 heavy cavalry soldiers of Lion Fort. They also pounced on the five world nobles who were watching the battle on the city tower. Just the aura of the 2,000 level 6 knights made the six world nobles' faces turn extremely solemn.

"Baron Kant's soldiers are much more powerful than we imagined!" A world noble said with a heavy tone.

"Their aura is so strong that it can topple mountains and overturn seas. Even if the five of us work together, we won't be able to fight against them!" another world noble sensed the aura of the 2,000 level 6 troop class. These level 6 knights were actually able to directly suppress their own auras to the point that they couldn't expand their aura. They looked at Baron Kant with a look of extreme shock.

"I always thought that we had overestimated Baron Kant, but when it was time for us to fight, we realized that we still underestimated him. Although his grand knight-level soldiers don't have black armor equipment, the feeling they give me is that each of them isn't inferior to a black armored knight. In fact... they are even stronger." another world noble said, his tone was extremely solemn.

"No need to worry! Everything is within our expectations!" Baron. Ryan. Isai. Cameron said in a cold and hard voice. His eyes were filled with fanaticism when he looked at Kant. It was as if Kant was a perfect piece of work. Because the way he looked at Kant was not the way he looked at humans. After a moment, Baron. Ryan. Isai. Cameron said, "Prepare yourselves!"

After saying that, Baron. Ryan. Isai. Cameron went down the city tower and went into Lion Fort. The other four world barons looked at each other, their eyes full of solemnity. The strength of Kant's army was far beyond their expectations.

At this time, Kant's army did not have any black armor made of abyssal magic iron. They were already so powerful. If Baron Kant really stood firm in his own demiplane fief, if he obtained abyssal magic iron from the month of calamity, then how powerful could Baron Kant's army be?

Chapter 582: An Ominous Premonition

The four world barons were extremely fearful of Baron Kant's strength. This strength naturally referred to Baron Kant's own strength and the strength of his army. The strength of a noble did not refer to the strength of an individual only. However, the more fearful they were, the more determined the killing intent in the four noble's eyes became.

They had already plotted against Baron Kant several times, and they were determined to take Baron Kant's life. Coincidentally, these plots had already been seen through by Baron Kant. Therefore, there was no possibility for them to reconcile with Baron Kant. They could only kill each other until one of them died. The world noble was different from the ordinary noble. It was difficult to resolve such a huge enmity with benefits.

This was because for the world noble who had immense power, they only cared about their own life and their own power. Benefits had also become a foil to their power. As long as they were not killed, the world noble could live on like a god for a long time. However, the price of their long live was that they had to go through a month of calamity once a year. Therefore, there were not many world nobles who could truly live forever like a god.

Because of this, even though they clearly had the power and lifespan to live forever, they always had to face an extremely intense life-and-death crisis. This made the world noble attach great importance to their own lives and safety. The five world nobles had plotted several times to take Baron Kant's life. They had very deep hatred towards Kant. If Baron Kant did not die, he would use the lives of the five world barons to wash away the hatred they had for Baron Kant.

It was precisely because of this that the five world barons, including Baron Ryan Cameron, had no way to retreat when they faced Baron Kant. It was either Kant die or them!

This time, if the five of them could not kill Baron Kant, then they would no longer be stingy with the power in their demiplane fiefdom. They would certainly mobilize a powerful army from the fiefdom and demiplane to kill Baron Kant.

With the determination to kill Baron Kant, the four world barons also went down the city tower and headed toward the Lion Fort. Their equipment and warhorse were all stored in the Lion Fort. At this time, the four of them had already decided that they would rather not take twenty kilograms of abyssal magic iron from Baron Cameron and kill Baron Kant to avoid future trouble.

Baron Kant, who was extremely powerful in both his individual strength and his military strength, was only now truly valued by the four world nobles from the bottom of their hearts. Although they had mentioned Baron Kant's strength in various ways, they still regarded Baron Kant as a fish on the chopping block that they could slaughter at will. The key was their willingness to pay a little price in order to kill Kant. Previously, they were not willing to pay a little price. From this aspect, it could be seen that their true attitude towards Kant was actually contempt.

Before Lion Fort, Kant had led 1,000 Swadian Royal Knight and 1,000 Sarleon Lion Knights to launch a charge. Meanwhile, 5,000 infantries followed behind the cavalries slowly and orderly. Once the cavalries at the front engaged, the infantries at the rear could quickly catch up and provide powerful support to the allies at the front.

"Kill! For His Highness Kant! Kill! For the Caradia Empire!"

With an imposing manner that soared to the sky, 1,000 Swadian Royal Knights and Sarleon Lion Knights shouted earth-shattering slogans. They charged forward like a golden and red intersecting torrent, they charged towards the 5,500 heavy cavalry soldiers of Lion Fort who were still standing motionless.

When the two armies were only 500 meters away from each other, the Swadian Royal Knights and the Sarleon Lion Knights had already fully entered their charging posture. It seemed that they would charge towards the heavy cavalry soldiers of the Lion Fort in a short while.

Kant looked at the 5,500 heavy cavalry soldiers who were almost motionless on the opposite side. A hint of doubt and an ominous premonition appeared in his heart.

As the saying goes, when things go wrong, there must be something fishy. Even if the overall strength of these 5,500 heavy cavalry troops was far inferior to the 1,000 Swadian Royal Knights and 1,000 Sarleon Lion Knights under Kant, whose strength had been greatly enhanced by the three domains, however, they should not just stand still and wait for Kant's knights to charge.

Heavy cavalries, no matter what level they were, only when they entered the charging posture could they unleash their full power. Among the 5,500 heavy cavalries, not only were there 500 black armored knights whose aura was only slightly weaker than the Swadian Royal Knights and the Sarleon Lion Knights, the other 5,000 heavy cavalries also had the individual strength of an official knight or above, it was equivalent to Kant's level 4 heavy cavalry.

They had advantage in number of soldiers. If they were to clash with Kant's knights, there was a high probability of failure, but it would definitely cause significant losses to Kant's two cavalry legions. At the beginning, the distance between the two armies was enough for them to enter the charging posture together and engage in a clash. Kant had also made such preparations.

But now, even if the 5,500 heavy cavalry soldiers belonging of Lion Fort started to move, they would not have enough distance to enter the charging posture. They would not be able to cause any significant losses to Kant's knights.

Kant was puzzled about this point. He was very clear that the current heavy cavalry troops of the Lion Fort were under the command of Viscount Carl Cameron. This was indeed in accordance with Kant's intentions. Previously, Kant had let Viscount Carl Cameron and the other four top-level earls go because he wanted them to become the commander during the fight.

Although Kant's goal of letting Viscount Carl Cameron became the enemy commander had been achieved, Kant did not think that Viscount Carl Cameron was so stupid. Setting up the cavalry in sparse shapes suitable for charging and then waiting for the enemy's heavy cavalry to charge like infantry?

This was not funny at all!

Therefore, the closer he got to the enemy's heavy cavalry corps, the heavier Kant's heart became, and the bad premonition grew stronger.

Kant did not know much about Viscount Carl Cameron, even though Viscount Carl Cameron was his half-brother in name. He had seen Viscount Carl Cameron train the army through the goshawk, Kant knew that Viscount Carl Cameron might not have enough experience in war, but he definitely knew about the army and knowledge about war.

Such a person seemed to have made the most muddle-headed decision at this time. He used the cavalry as infantrymen and even formed a sparse formation to welcome the charge of Kant's powerful cavalry.

Chapter 583: The Curse Stone

This was really out of place. Kant felt that the ominous feeling in his heart was getting stronger and stronger. He even wanted to call off his 2,000 level 6 knights who were charging forward. However, the heavy cavalries who had entered the charging posture could not be stopped anymore. If they were to stop now, the consequences would be bad. Therefore, Kant could only continue to run forward with the Swadian Royal Knights and the Sarleon Lion Knights.

Soon, Kant led 2,000 level 6 knights and approached the 5,500 heavy cavalries of the Lion Fort. They were only 300 meters away.

It looked like a massacre was about to happen.

At this moment, Viscount Carl Cameron, who was riding on a warhorse at the back of the troop, suddenly summoned his extraordinary power and shouted, "Let's move! Now!"

At this time, the 5,000 heavy cavalry soldiers of the Lion Fort took out a fist-sized gray stone from the bag hanging on the warhorse.

Kant's pupils suddenly constricted. He had a bad premonition.

"What is that gray stone?" Kant thought. At the same time, he carefully observed the gray stone in the hands of the heavy cavalry soldiers and found that there were some complicated patterns carved on the stones, there seemed to be gray energy flowing within them.

"Curse stones, attack!" Just as Kant was carefully observing those gray stones, Viscount Carl Cameron, who was behind the heavy cavalries, suddenly shouted again. He issued an order to the 5,000 heavy cavalry troops whose individual strength was at the knight level.

As Viscount Carl Cameron gave the order, the 5,000 heavy cavalry soldiers immediately took action. They threw the gray fist-sized curse stone in their hands at Kant's troop that was rapidly approaching them. It seemed that they had been waiting for this moment. They were even willing to endure the charge of Kant's 2,000 level 6 knights. No matter what, Kant could not give the order to stop the charge at this moment, therefore, the 5,500 heavy cavalry soldiers of the Lion Fort would definitely be attacked by Kant's heavy cavalry soldiers.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Each of the 5,000 heavy cavalry soldiers of the Lion Fort threw a gray curse stone. This curse stone was not a hidden weapon to throw at Kant's knights. These gray fist-sized curse stones had only flown for a distance of one to two hundred meters. Before they reached Kant's knights, the curse stones exploded.

Each of the exploded curse stones released a complex gray rune. The gray rune appeared at an extremely fast speed. It was much faster than the speed of the curse stones. In an instant, it entered the bodies of the Swadian Royal Knights and the Sarleon Lion Knights, they actually directly entered the bodies of the Swadian Royal Knights of and the Sarleon Lion Knights through the golden or bright red armor on their bodies.

Even Kant himself had to endure dozens of gray runes on his body. However, when the gray runes wanted to enter Kant's body, a dark red extraordinary power burst out from Kant's body. This was the rule power of war. The rule power of war emerged from Kant's body. It was extremely swift and powerful. With just a light sweep, the gray rune that wanted to fuse with Kant's body collapsed.

Similar to Kant's method, the Swadian Royal Knight exploded with golden-colored King's Power when the gray rune wanted to fuse with their bodies. When the Sarleon Lion Knights wanted to fuse the gray runes into their bodies, they exploded with bright red Lion King's Power. Their extraordinary powers were extremely powerful, which were comparable to the peak level grand knights of this world. However, their extraordinary powers were completely useless against the gray runes. It could not stop the gray rune from entering their bodies.

Among the 1,000 of the Swadian Royal Knights and 1,000 Sarleon Lion Knights, there were very few who had not been absorbed by the gray rune. Almost all of the knights had been absorbed by the gray rune.

Fortunately, the gray rune did not seem to have any real destructive power, at least not in an instant. Even though Kant's 2,000 level 6 knights had been affected, they had all been absorbed by the gray rune. However, they did not show any signs of being affected. They were still charging at high speed, and in a few seconds, they would be charging towards the 5,500 heavy cavalry troops of the Lion Fort.

Kant saw all of this. Although the 2,000 level 6 knights did not seem to be affected, his mood was still unease. He did not know what the use of the rune of the curse stone that the 5,000 heavy cavalry soldiers threw out. However, since they dared to pay such a heavy price, they must be up to no good.

"Time is pressing. The 1st to 5th cavalry troop of the Lion Fort, listen up and charge!"

Suddenly, Viscount Carl Cameron's voice echoed on the battlefield again!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Following Carl. As soon as Viscount Carl's words fell, the 5,000 heavy cavalry soldiers with knight-level strength suddenly activated and charged at Kant's army in the opposite direction. As for the other 500 "black armored knights", they were still standing on the battlefield. They were originally at the front of the battlefield, but now they were surpassed by the 5,000 heavy cavalries. They were staying at the back of the battlefield.

"What's the point of charging now? It's impossible for them to reach the highest speed. If they can't enter the charging posture, they will have a confrontation with my subordinates, the Swadian Royal Knights and the Sarleon Lion Knights. They are simply sending themselves to their deaths!" Kant saw the 5,000 heavy cavalries of the Lion Fort suddenly charge, the doubts in his heart deepened, and at the same time, the haze in his heart deepened.

The weather was originally fine and clear, but now the wind and clouds were surging. At this moment, it gradually turned into a cloudy day, and the clouds blocked the sun.

In just a few seconds, the two armies had officially clashed.

"Kill! For His Highness Lord Kant! Kill! For the Caradia Empire!"

"Kill! For Grand Duke Cameron's honor! For Grand Duke Cameron's dignity!"

Both sides shouted slogans. Their morale was very high. They were not afraid of life and death. They fought bloody and cruel battles.

The sound of metal clanging echoed throughout the battlefield, the sound of horse hooves trampling shook the entire square.

Chapter 584: Viscount Carl Was Delighted

However, the one-sided massacre that Kant expected did not happen. The situation was even a little strange.

At this moment, the two armies clashed. Kant's 1,000 Swadian Royal Knights and 1,000 Sarleon Lion Knights were already charging at high speed, while their opponents, the 5,000 heavy cavalries of the Lion Fort, had almost just entered the acceleration stage. When the two armies clashed, even if the strength of the two armies were not far apart, the troop that entered the charging posture would definitely have the advantage in strength and be able to slaughter the enemy. Moreover, Kant's subordinates were much more elite than the heavy cavalries of the Lion Fort.

However, the situation was not like this. The Swadian Royal Knight in the first row held a four-meter-long lance in both hands. When facing a weak enemy, he did not show the slightest mercy. When the two armies started their battle, the four-meter-long lance in his hand pierced through an official knight-level soldier of the Lion Fort Like a flash of lightning. The battle between the cavalries was simply a race against time. After this Swadian Royal Knight pierced through an enemy, he did not stop at all. He urged his horse to move forward quickly and once again used the lance to ruthlessly pierce through another enemy.

Everything seemed to be as smooth as cutting tofu. The huge speed advantage had turned into an advantage in terms of combat strength. The Royal Swadian Knights in the first row seemed to be reaping the lives of the enemies with ease. Most importantly, the resistance of the enemy was very weak. They could have raised their lance and tried to block the Swadian Royal Knights, even though they it might be useless. However, they could obviously use up the attention and time of the Swadian Royal Knights. However, the enemy did not do so. They did not do anything except continue to ride their warhorse forward. It looked like they were deliberately giving their lives away.

At the moment when the Swadian Royal Knights in the first row pierced through the heavy cavalries of the Lion Fort, there were some of the Swadian Royal Knights and the Sarleon Lion Knights let out an extremely painful groan. Some of them even held tightly onto the knight lance that was about to charge and kill the enemy, but they fell to the ground. However, the most serious one was still a Sarleon Lion Knight. Suddenly, he let out a painful roar and fell off his warhorse.

They seemed to have suffered injuries of varying degrees for no reason. The number of Kant's knights that injured was almost the same as the number of enemies they killed. Furthermore, the Swadian Royal Knights or the Sarleon Lion Knight both possessed the strength of a grand knight and had been enhanced by three domains, they were still suffered from pain and let out a groan, or they were in so much pain that they let go of the knight lance that they were holding tightly in their hands. It could be seen that their injuries were definitely not minor injuries. Instead, they were fatal injuries. As for the Sarleon Lion Knight who suddenly fell off his warhorse, the injuries he suffered were more likely to be serious enough to affect his life.

The Swadian Royal Knights in the first row could charge forward without any scruples and did not have to worry about the overall battle situation. However, Kant, as the commander, had to consider the overall battle situation.

He was already filled with doubts about the actions of these cavalries of the Lion Fort that went against common sense. In his heart, he already had suspected that the enemy had plotted some traps. Therefore, when the first row of knights had just finished the first round of killing, he already noticed the situation of the army.

The enemy had used some mysterious means to exchange their soldiers' lives for his soldiers' serious injuries. It might even be more than that. After all, it was just the beginning.

The battlefield was ever-changing, and this required the commander to have extremely keen insight and the quality of decisiveness.

With his powerful strength and the five goshawks hovering in the sky, Kant had a clear grasp of the situation of the battle. Taking into account that Viscount Carl Cameron's words "time is pressing". Kant's eyes suddenly flashed with a brilliant light, as if he understood something. These 5,000 heavy cavalries of the Lion Fort used a method that could exchange their lives for the for the lives of his knights. There should be a time limit, perhaps this kind of reloading could last for a short time.

After thinking about it, Kant immediately came up with a countermeasure. At the same time, he activated the rule power of war. A huge aura rose from Kant's body. At the same time, Kant's words resounded throughout the entire army, it covered up the earth-shaking sounds of fighting and the deafening sound of horse hooves. "All troops, listen up. We can only defend against the enemies and not attack! Just wait for my next order!"

Facing the 5,000 heavy cavalries who seemed to be able to trade their lives for the injuries or lives of Kant's men, Kant had no choice but to choose this strategy. This meant that he had completely given up on the offensive advantage he had gained by entering the charging posture, their previous effort was a waste!

Viscount Carl Cameron heard Kant's words spread throughout the entire square, and a hint of joy flashed across his face. After all, to be able to make a high and mighty world baron suffer was undoubtedly a very enjoyable thing. In particular, Viscount Carl Cameron especially hated Kant as his "younger brother." The experience of traveling to Lionheart City had become an indelible shame and stain in Carl Cameron's glorious and shining life.

In fact, when Viscount Carl Cameron gave an order, it was completely different from saying that "time is pressing" to remind Kant. However, he really wanted to see Kant give an order that was disadvantageous to Kant himself. In his experience, he thought that there was no difference at all he revealed or not revealed the reloading time of curse stone. Because he knew that Kant, as a keen baron, would soon see the problem and immediately make a decision and order.

However, in that case, all this seemed to only show that his father, Ryan Cameron, had succeeded in plotting against Kant. It had nothing to do with him, Viscount Carl Cameron. Viscount Carl Cameron had an idea. When he issued the order, he revealed some information that was "useless but would affect Baron Kant". When Viscount Carl Camron said "time is pressing" such sensitive words, Baron Kant would definitely take this into consideration when he made the decision.

Therefore, the faster Baron Kant reacted, the more important and crucial the information given by Viscount Carl Cameron was. This gave Viscount Carl Cameron a sense of satisfaction and pleasure similar to controlling the world baron. Especially when the world baron was Baron Kant, whom he deeply hated, the pleasure and satisfaction suddenly hit him like a tidal wave.

Chapter 585: Kant' Sensed the Abnormality

His order was effective. At this time, Carl Cameron regarded the fact that Kant voluntarily gave up the offensive advantage in his charging posture as the result of his own "wise" order, he enjoyed it very much.

After a while, Viscount Carl Cameron revealed an extremely ferocious expression. At the same time, his eyes were filled with anticipation. He activated all the extraordinary power in his body, he gave an order to the 500 black armored knights, "Black armored knights, kill them! Kill them ruthlessly! The target -- the 5,000 heavy cavalries of our side who have already engaged Baron Kant's soldiers!"

With such a countermeasure, Viscount Carl Cameron did not mind revealing a piece of information that he did not think was important when he gave the order previously, "time is pressing.".

Viscount Carl Cameron did not think that this piece of information was important. At most, it would only make Baron Kant give the order in advance so that Baron Kant could reduce the casualty of his grand knights. However, this did not matter at all because he planned to crush Kant's troops again in the second round of orders.

With the elite strength of 500 "black armored knights", killing 5,000 heavy cavalries who were not resisting was not a problem at all. As long as these 5,000 official knights were killed before the runes released by the curse stone spontaneously disintegrated, the damage they received would be under the effect of the curse runes in the curse stone. When they received damage, they would also be reflected on the Swadian Royal Knights or the Sarleon Lion Knights who had fused with the curse runes released from the curse stone that they had been nurturing since they were young.

However, this damage was only an equivalent transformation, and it was not to cut off the heads of the knight-level soldiers of the Lion Fort, then the Swadian Royal Knight or the Sarleon Lion Knight who had fused with the curse runes would also have their heads cut off. However, the Swadian Royal Knights or the Sarleon Lion Knights would only receive the equivalent damages. This kind of damage could kill the knight-level soldiers of the Lion Fort. However, it would only cause serious injuries to the more powerful Swadian Royal Knights or the Sarleon Lion Knight.

This injury might not even seem to exist on the surface, but it would have the most real effect and injury reaction. If a Swadian Royal Knight or Sarleon Lion Knight simultaneously fused with the curse runes released from the curse stones thrown by more than five official knight-level heavy cavalries of Lion Fort, then when these five official knight-level heavy cavalries of Lion Fort were all killed, the damage reflected from their deaths would be stacked on the Swadian Royal Knight or Sarleon Lion Knight at the same time. It could break through the limits of the damage that the Swadian Royal Knights or the Sarleon Lion Knights could withstand, causing them to die immediately.

In the first round of attacks, there was such an unlucky Sarleon Lion Knight. He was hit by the curse runes released by six curse stones, the original owner of five of the curse stones was killed by the Swadian Royal Knights in the first round of attacks. Therefore, even if this Sarleon Lion Knight was in the middle of the group, he died immediately and fell off his warhorse.

However, the curse stones also had another characteristic. The damage caused by their suicide or the killing of other soldiers who had the curse stones, could not be reflected on the enemies who had fused with the curse runes released by their curse stones.

Therefore, if the enemies saw through the mean of the curse stones and stopped causing damage to the original owners of the curse stones, the power of the curse stones would immediately be reduced to almost no effect. However, this situation had long been predicted by the Cameron family who had researched this curse, so they had a complete follow-up method.

This time, they sent out the extremely powerful "black armored knights" to complete the killing work. Their powerful strength could very quickly harvest the lives of the 5,000 heavy cavalries who had no resistance, while harvesting the lives of their own troops, they also used curses to reflect the damage onto the Swadian Royal Knights and the Sarleon Lion Knights. In any case, the effect was no different from being killed by the Swadian Royal Knights or the Sarleon Lion Knights.

These 5,000 knights were specially trained for such a situation. When they were trained, they had long been instilled with absolute loyalty and for the Dukedom of Leo, for the Lion Fort. In order to protect their loved ones, they had to be brave enough to sacrifice themselves.

The curse stones that they had nurtured with their blood essence since they were young had already been used up. Their greatest value had already used up. If they could not be killed before the curse runes automatically disintegrated, then their greatest value would be directly wasted. Even if they survived, they would not be placed in an important position by the Lion Fort. Instead, they would be spurned. Their family members in Baron Ryan's land would also be looked down upon by others, and they might suffer an even more tragic fate.

Therefore, these 5,000 knights were determined to die. They even wanted to die. Only if they died would they be of any use. Even if it was for the next batch of "human-shaped weapons" like them, their families would be better placed.

Viscount Carl Cameron issued a second order. He ordered 500 powerful "black armored knights" to kill 5,000 heavy cavalries who were specially trained to be official knights, he waited with a face full of anticipation for Baron Kant's angry expression after his soldiers died one by one or were seriously injured.

However, Carl Cameron's battlefield experience was still lacking. He had taken it for granted.

For his own selfish reasons, his little reminder of the "time is pressing" was not as useless as he imagined.

Kant treated this information as the most important information, because this information directly gave Kant his greatest hope -- without this information, Kant did not know how long the enemy's trick could last. How could one fight a war against an opponent who would receive the same amount of damage as the other party when you slashed him?

With this information, Kant can formulate a war strategy that prioritizes delay -- even if it is necessary to "protect" the 5,000 soldiers from harm. This, in turn, will directly interfere with the effect of Viscount Carl Cameron's second order.

Chapter 586: The expiration of the curse

Therefore, Kant immediately understood Viscount Carl Cameron's purpose when Viscount Carl Cameron shouted for 500 black-armored knights to kill their own 5,000 heavy cavalries with the strength of knights.

Viscount Carl wanted to use the black-armored knights to kill the ordinary heavy cavalry who had cast a curse on the Swadian royal knights and the Sarleon lion knights, thus achieving the goal of severely injuring or even killing his subordinates through the curse.

Don't even think about it!

Kant would never let him succeed!

These Swadian royal knights and the Sarleon lion knights were used by Kant as the central bargaining chip to deal with the nobles from the five worlds. Kant would never allow them to be killed by the other party's scheme.

One had to know that each world's noble could deal with 1,000 grand knights with their own strength. If they wanted to kill the world's noble, perhaps 1,000 grand knight-level soldiers would suffer a heavy loss or even total annihilation. Even if Kant's rank six troops was much stronger than a group of grand knights, it was still more than enough for a world noble to deal with 500 Swadian royal knights or 500 Sarleon lion knights.

Therefore, in response to Viscount Carl Cameron's order, Kant immediately gave the command, "The Swadian royal knights and Sarleon Lion Knights, listen up. Defend with all your might, and never take the initiative to attack the knight-level heavy cavalries. At the same time, kill the enemy's black-armored knights with all your might."

"Yes, Sir!" 1,000 Swadian royal knights and 1,000 Sarleon lion knights shouted at the same time, their voices shaking the sky.

To have such a quick reaction, it was all thanks to the key information that Viscount Carl Cameron had revealed on purpose, which allowed Kant to give the first order earlier. At this time, both the Swadian royal knights and the Sarleon lion knights slowed down because they could not kill the enemy at will. At the same time, they could also receive Kant's order to activate again at any time.

Although the Swadian royal knights and the Sarleon Lion Knights were far fewer than the enemy troops, their elite strength far exceeded the enemies. Therefore, it could be said that it was unstoppable for them to move in groups of 10 members, they came and went like the wind.

5,000 heavy cavalries of the official knight level could reach the knight level was because they grew up in the demiplane of Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron. Due to the environment of the demiplane, the strength of an ordinary human adult was almost the same as an official knight. With a little training, they could reach the strength of an official knight.

These 5,000 official knights were trained as "humanoid weapons" with special effects. They were not particularly proficient in battle and this made it even more difficult for them to stop the Swadian royal knights and the Sarleon Lion Knights from advancing towards the black-armored knights.

After the black-armored knights ruthlessly killed 100 to 200 of their own official knight-level heavy cavalries, more and more of the Swadian royal knights and the Sarleon lion knights who were looking for them, rushed to their side and started to fight.

Very quickly, 2,000 Swadian royal knights and the Sarleon lion knights surrounded the 500 Lion Fort's black-armored knights on the huge square in front of the Lion Fort, completely isolating them from the 5,000 heavy cavalries of the official knight level.

Those black-armored knights were powerful. When the Swadian royal knights or the Sarleon lion knights fought one-on-one, they were only at a slight disadvantage. Furthermore, the defensive power of their armor was extremely shocking. When they could not withstand some attacks, they would simply allow the attacks to land on the armor that they were wearing. The attacks of the Swadian royal knights or the Sarleon lion knights that erupted with extraordinary powers were often unable to break through the defense of the black armor on their bodies. They could only make a terrifying deep dent. If they wanted to cut open their black armor, they would need at least three attacks to land on the same spot.

However, the black-armored knights were ultimately weaker when facing the Swadian royal knights and the Sarleon lion knights. In a situation that was close to a one-on-one situation, their attacks were almost blocked by the Swadian royal knights and the Sarleon lion knights. Occasionally, their attacks would land on the Swadian royal knights or the Sarleon lion knights. With the golden or blood-red armors that were on their bodies, the defense of their armor was not low either. Similarly, they were only slashed with a deep dent. Their equipment was produced by the system. Their quality was top-notch. Their armor's defense was very strong, and their weapons were quite sharp.

Due to the restriction of the venue, they also had to defend against the attacks of 5,000 heavy cavalries who were at the official knight level. Therefore, even if there were 2,000 Swadian royal knights and Sarleon lion knights, they could only draw out around 500 of them to fight against the black-armored knights.

However, that was enough. Kant's main goal was to stall for time until the terrifying curse expired.

Between the Swadian royal knights, the Sarleon lion knights, and the black-armored knights, it was close to a one-on-one battle. Each of them had their own elite armor and weapons. Both sides were evenly matched and had great talents. It was truly a good battle. In the battle, the results were relatively few, but time continued to pass.

Viscount Carl Cameron saw the situation and was extremely angry. In his mind, the scene of 5,000 official knight-level soldiers being slaughtered by the black-armored soldiers did not appear. Instead, they were completely trapped by Kant's Swadian royal knights and the Sarleon lion knights and were engaged in an extremely difficult battle.

Although it seemed that the black-armored knights were not at a disadvantage, they relied on their excellent equipment to fight back and forth with the Swadian royal knights and the Sarleon lion knights. The battle was extremely lively.

However, this was not the outcome that Viscount Carl Cameron wanted. No matter how intense the battle between the black-armored knights, the Swadian royal knights, and the Sarleon lion knights was, as long as they did not kill 5,000 heavy cavalries who were at the level of official knights, then as time goes by, the cursed runes on the Swadian royal knights and the Sarleon lion knights would eventually collapse. When that time came, the 5,000 heavy cavalries at the official knights level who had spent decades to nurture, the most important ability and most valuable function on their bodies would be completely destroyed, turning them into cannon fodder.

Viscount Carl Cameron could not imagine why he had beaten himself up so badly, even though it was a good card that could severely humiliate Baron Kant.

Chapter 587: Common sense that gradually faded

Viscount Carl Cameron was extremely anxious, but there was nothing he could do. He could only watch as the 500 black-armored knights were surrounded by 2,000 enemy grand knight-level troops, at the same time, the most valuable 5,000 official knight-level heavy cavalries were approaching the moment of destruction over time.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

At this moment, the Lion Fort's castle gate opened, and five black-armored knights rushed out.

The sound of five warhorses trampling on the ground was much louder than the sound of hundreds of heavy cavalries charging together.

These five black-armored knights were different from ordinary black-armored knights. Their warhorses were taller, their equipment was better, and their aura was more magnificent. On each side of the pitch-black heavy armor, on each shoulder, elbow joint, and knee guard, there were three ferocious black steel thorns that were more than ten centimeters long. The fully-covered helmet that only revealed a pair of eyes, on the left and right sides of the head and the area of the forehead, each had a sharp steel thorn that was more than ten centimeters long.

Even the body of the warhorse was wrapped in a fully covered, thick, pitch-black vest. There were also extremely terrifying sharp steel thorns on it. These steel thorns were obviously not used for ornamental purposes. On the right side of the five warhorses, there was a pitch-black two-handed greatsword. The style was no different from an ordinary knight's sword. However, it was more than a meter longer than an ordinary Knight's sword. At the same time, it was much thicker and heavier.

These five black-armored knights were the five world barons of the Dukedom of Leo. After they put on their equipment, their overall aura had increased by a large margin. The auras of the five knights were linked together, they could faintly contend against the combined forces of Kant's 1,000 Swadian knights and 1,000 Sarleon lion knights.

Their current aura was much stronger than the first time they met in the City of Lion's Heart. It was obvious that when the 51 world barons gathered, they did not display their strongest auras.

But now, they were about to engage in a life-and-death battle with Baron Kant, and the aura they released was undoubtedly their peak aura. Now was not the time to hold back. Through the increased interactions with Baron Kant, they also understood more about Baron Kant's strength. They absolutely could not judge based on the fact that he had become a world noble at the last and had not yet owned a demiplane estate.

As for Baron Kant, they had already found that a lot of common sense did not work on him.

At this time, they had already placed Kant on the same level as them and even regarded him as a threat comparable to the month of calamity. They took him very seriously.

Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron was wearing a full-body helmet. No one saw him frown in the armor. He glanced at Viscount Carl Cameron with some dissatisfaction, then, he took back the control of the army from Viscount Carl Cameron.

He ordered the 5,000 heavy cavalries on the battlefield in a cold and harsh voice, "The first, second, third, fourth, and fifth heavy cavalry corps of Lion Fort, charge at Baron Kant's soldiers at all costs! Black-armored knights, listen up! Concentrate on your forces and charge in the same direction!"

Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's voice came out from the helmet. It sounded a little dull, but his words were obviously more convincing than Viscount Carl Cameron's words. Therefore, even if his order was given, not only would the 5,000 heavy cavalries suffer heavy losses -- which was what they wanted; even the 500 black-armored knights would quickly suffer heavy casualties, the soldiers still carried out his order without hesitation.

"Kill, for the Dukedom of Leo! For the Grand Duke Cameron!"

"Kill, brothers, let's kill our way out and break through the encirclement!"

Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron was like a beacon for these soldiers. After he spoke, the morale of the two different types of heavy cavalry increased rapidly, charging towards Kant's team without fear of death. It was completely different from when they were led by Viscount Carl Cameron.

At the same time, the five world barons also charged toward Baron Kant. They held two-meter-long two-handed greatswords in their hands, ignoring the Swadian royal knights and the Sarleon lion knights, they charged at Kant with incomparable speed.

"Baron Kant, die!" Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese was the most impatient among the five of them. At this moment, he roared at Kant from a distance of one to two hundred meters away. The two-handed greatsword in his hand suddenly emitted a fiery red glow. With a sweep of his sword, he cut more than a dozen heavy cavalries who belonged to the Lion Fort, that were standing in front of him, into two halves. Not only that, but the bodies of these soldiers were also burning fiercely, the first thing that was ablaze was their sophisticated knight armor.

"This... the knight armor on these guys is actually made of wood and dyed with colors. Who... who are they fooling?" Even though Kant was being targeted by five world barons at the same time, he still could not help but feel a little emotional about this matter, this was too absurd. "However, for this army, this kind of configuration is only reasonable, right? If it wasn't for the fact that the trojans can't walk, I reckon that the mounts these guys are riding on should have become trojans, right?"

To the five world barons, the soldiers who were obstructing Kant were nothing at all. The five pitch-black two-handed greatswords burst out with five colors and rays of incomparably dense power of rules, the strength of the two-handed greatswords in their hands reached an appalling level. Even the elite armors of the Swadian royal knights and the Sarleon lion knights that came from the system could not withstand a casual sword attack from the five of them.

Of course, the actions of the five world barons were not without consumption. At this time, the speed of their consumption of power of rules had already exceeded the speed of their recovery. If they continued to kill, their power of rules would eventually be exhausted. In the end, the extraordinary knights would fall to the level of ordinary Grand Knights. As a result, they would grind to death by the Swadian royal knights and the Sarleon lion knights with their lives.

The five world barons only wanted to clear a path to Kant's side and engage in battle with Kant. Naturally, they would not be stupid enough to deliberately waste their precious power of rules on the Swadian royal knights and the Sarleon lion knights. Kant was also unwilling to let his elite rank six troops die in the hands of the five world barons in such a meaningless manner.

Chapter 588: The activation of war spirits

The five barons of the world, relying on their powerful offensive abilities and under Kant's circumstances, drove the Swadian royal knights and the Sarleon lion knights to a peripheral area, they continued to fight with the 5,000 official knights, the "heavy cavalries" who belonged to the Lion Fort and wore fake wooden armor. At the same time, they continued to fight with the 500 powerful black-armored knights.

Of course, due to the 5,000 knight-level "heavy cavalries" who fought back crazily without caring about their own lives, the intensity of the battle was at least three times more intense than when Viscount Carl Cameron was in command. Due to the chaotic battle, the 3-meter long lances of the knights were no longer suitable. Everyone switched to the knight sword.

However, due to the increase in the intensity of the battle, even the Swadian royal knights and the Sarleon lion knights could not hold back completely sometimes. This was the continuous death of the official knight-level heavy cavalries of the Lion Fort. In addition, under the intentional help of the five world barons, the 500 black-armored knights successfully escaped from the encirclement of the Swadian royal knights and the Sarleon lion knights.

The black-armored knights had clearly realized the gap between themselves and the Swadian royal knights and the Sarleon lion knights and they no longer provoked them easily. Instead, they avoided them, then, they chose the "heavy cavalry" who belonged to the Lion Fort that was dressed in wooden armor.

As the black-armored knights wantonly killed, the Swadian royal knights and the Sarleon lion knights did not groan. It was just that this time, they held knight swords in their hands, which were not as heavy as the knight's lance, however, they didn't drop the knight swords in their hands to the ground because of the reflected damage from the "heavy cavalry" that were killed by the black-armored knights.

However, the intense pain of the injury that was felt from time to time still caused the battle between the Swadian royal knights and the Sarleon lion knights to be greatly affected. Occasionally, there would also be incidents where the Swadian royal knights or the Sarion lion knights would suddenly fall from their warhorses to the ground.

"Good! Kill them all!" Viscount Carl Cameron saw the miserable situation of Kant's army and immediately shouted happily while sitting on his horse in the distance.

Kant saw the situation of his subordinates and felt extremely anxious, but he did not have any good ideas. Within a short period of time, 30 to 40 Swadian royal knights and Sarleon lion knights had suddenly died. The rest of the Swadian royal knights and the Sarleon lion knights were more or less covered in the refraction damage caused by the gray cursed rune.

All of a sudden, streams of gray aura flowed out from the bodies of the Swadian royal knights and the Sarleon lion knights.

"Oh no, the time is up. The cursed rune broke down automatically and turned back into the power of the curse!" Viscount Carl Cameron was no stranger to such a phenomenon and immediately blurted out.

Sure enough, after this, there was no longer a single Swadian royal knight or Sarleon lion knight who suddenly groaned for no reason and there was also no one who died for no reason. When Kant saw such a situation, he was instantly overjoyed, he directly roared and issued an order, "Kill all of these scoundrels for me!"

The situation just now made Kant feel too aggrieved. His strength clearly far exceeded his enemy's, but because of the detestable curse, he had to allow the weak enemy to display arrogance in front of him. Now that the detestable curse had collapsed and dispersed, Kant naturally had to take revenge, he wanted to vent all the anger that he and his army had suffered just now, and use the enemy's blood to wash it away.

At this moment, four world nobles had already arrived near Kant.

With Kant and the four world nobles working together, a large area had been cleared for them to fight.

One against five?

Kant didn't believe that he had the strength to do so, and he didn't intend to fight five against one.

"Protector sequence 1 -- war spirit, activate!" Kant's thoughts surged, and he immediately activated the special effect of the viscount-level extraordinary item necklace, "Glory. Protection of Serenity".

A large amount of battle power surged from Kant's body towards the emerald necklace around his neck. Then, without any warning, 100 soldiers wearing crimson full-body armor suddenly appeared between Kant and the five world barons of the Dukedom of Leo, these soldiers, who wore full-body helmets and wielded crimson knights lance, were at the pinnacle of Grand Knights. They were the war spirits that Kant had summoned.

"Hmph, now I'll let you have a taste of the frenzied siege of the enemy!"

The spirits of the world could be commanded with only their thoughts. Kant directly ordered 100 soldiers of the Power of War to attack the five world barons at any cost.

"Hmph! It's just 100 summoned soldiers! 20 of them each, quickly kill them and then join forces to attack Baron Kant!" Baron Tyr. Isai. Maud looked at the war spirits who suddenly appeared and attacked them crazily, he spoke disdainfully to the other four world nobles.

With the strength of a world baron, a mere twenty war spirits at the peak of grand knight level was only a matter of attacking. At most, they could only waste some of their power of rules and delay some of the time which could be used to attack Baron Kant.

Kant saw that the five world barons were rapidly cleaning up the war spirits that he had summoned. There was not the slightest hint of panic on his face. These war spirits were cannon fodders in the first place. They only needed to buy him some time.

At this time, 800 Swadian sergeants, 800 Rhodok sergeants, 800 Rhodok sharpshooters, 800 Virgil archers, 800 Ravenstern Rangers, and 1,000 Enfath Empire Mages had already arrived at the vicinity of the battlefield.

Kant ordered, "Mages, listen up. With the five world barons as the center, cast the spell -- Nature Summon!"

Following Kant's order, the 1,000 Enfath Empire Mages began to chant their spells.

The five world barons looked at each other, their eyes filled with ridicule. Their entire equipment was made of abyssal magic iron, and their magic resistance was ridiculously high. Even if the demon Baron's demon spells were to hit them, the power of the spells would be reduced by almost 70%, and the spells that were lower in level than them would not cause any damage to them at all. They would all be reduced by the magic resistance of the ridiculously high equipment.

They did not put Kant's mage army in their eyes at all. They were only worried about the 2000 Swadian royal knights and the Sarleon lion knights.

Chapter 589: The summon that covered the sky

Now, although the gray curse had disappeared, the "heavy cavalry" of the Lion Fort were still attacking the Swadian royal knights and the Sarleon lion knights, stalling for time, just like how Kant's war spirits dealt with them, the purpose was just to stall for time. The 500 black-armored knights were only slightly inferior to the Swadian royal knights and the Sarleon lion knights, constantly harassing Kant's knights.

In the eyes of the five world nobles, the situation on the battlefield was greatly advantageous to them. They could immediately destroy the war spirits summoned by Kant and then work together to kill Baron Kant. As for the promise of capturing Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron alive, the four world nobles all thought that Baron Kant's threat was big enough to make them give up 20 kilograms of abyssal magic iron.

After a short period of chanting, the 1,000 mages completed their spells. They pointed their staffs at the location of the five world nobles and said, "Nature Summon!"

Suddenly, a shadow appeared in the air. It was a total of 5,000 golems that crossed space and suddenly appeared in this world. They crashed towards the five world barons.

The sound was extremely loud. In the eyes of the five world barons, it was as if it covered the sky and the Sun.

Even as the world nobles, they were stunned by such a grand magic summoning. Then, they were hit by the golems that fell from the sky. It was as if the rain of stones were falling from the sky. One golem after another was falling. Even Kant's remaining war spirits, which had not been destroyed by the five nobles, were bombarded by the golems that fell from the sky and they were smashed into pieces.

Of course, although the golems were heavy, they fell from an extremely low height to the ground. If the height was too high, even if the golems were made of a pile of hard stones, they would still be smashed into pieces. Therefore, the height that they summoned, definitely could not be too high.

Such a bombardment was almost a disaster for the war spirits at the peak of grand knights. However, for the five world barons, it was nothing. The power of rules had increased their physical fitness by dozens of times. In addition, they were wearing full-body armors and helmets made entirely of abyssal magic iron. The golems that fell from the sky did not cause any harm to them. Even the warhorses were also safe and sound under their protection.

Speaking of their warhorses, they could also be like the goshawks that Kant had subdued, infusing them with the power of rules. This only required the full loyalty of the animal. It was easy to say, but it was very difficult to make animals reach such a state. Only the warhorse that had experienced countless dangers over the years could do this.

At this moment, even if their warhorse did not require five world nobles to pour in the power of rules, its strength was still at the peak level of a grand knight.

This kind of situation was used on all similar animals. This was because as the power of the noble soaked in for a long time, the power of rules would passively improve the animals' bodies, allowing them to naturally withstand the extraordinary power. Following that, a portion of the power of rules would be assimilated by the animals' bodies, it would become their own extraordinary power. With enough time, the strength of the animals would eventually rise to the peak level of a grand knight. As for the higher level which involved the laws of the world, it was not something that could be achieved by simply relying on training and accumulating extraordinary power.

If Kant understood this, he would not have to worry too much about establishing his own air force. When the goshawk produced its own extraordinary power, the extraordinary power Kant needed to provide them would naturally decrease. In the end, they would not even need it anymore. The special effect of "Glory. Protection of Serenity" naturally favored Kant's air force's endless supply of soldiers. Thus, Kant's road to building his air force was also bright.

However, all of this required time. He would have to wait until he understood this point.

In the middle of the battlefield, 5,000 golems were summoned by the mages and surrounded the five world nobles. Even with their strength, it would not be easy for them to break out of the encirclement quickly.

Baron Kant's eyes flashed with cruelty. He was a world baron, so he naturally knew what the world baron was capable of. Therefore, he was very sure that it was extremely dangerous for the world baron to be trapped in such a situation. If they wanted to break out of the encirclement quickly, they would need the help of an army to break through the golems. However, the five world nobles obviously could not count on an army. Another method was that as long as they could fly, the world baron could easily escape from the encirclement of the golems. Unfortunately, although the world baron was powerful, he still could not fly. The five world barons were not like Kant, who controlled some birds.

If Kant was in such a situation, he could rely on the goshawk to bring him to the sky and escape, but the five world barons did not have such means.

Therefore, when they were surrounded by 5,000 golems, if they wanted to break out of the encirclement, they could only kill their way out.

Baron Clark. Isai. Prynne waved an icy power of rules, directly freezing the three golems. Then, he waved his pitch-black two-handed greatsword and swung it fiercely. The three golems were killed by Baron Clark. Isai. Prynne was destroyed and turned into a pile of rubble. Then, he turned into yellow light and disappeared. However, Baron Clark. Isai. Prynne had just destroyed the three golems when three new golems immediately crowded over. Although the golems were puppets, they were under the control of the mages.

"These golems have very high defenses. If we want to break them, the consumption rate of the power of rules will be much faster than the recovery rate of the power of rules! Just these 5,000 golems alone are enough to grind us to death!" Baron Victor. Isai. Enoch said with anxiousness. Purple lightning danced on his pitch-black greatsword. His attack speed was the fastest among the five. The greatsword in his hands was forming a purple shadow, with crackling sounds, he easily chopped five or six golems into a pile of rotten stones.

"Abandon the horses!" Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron said succinctly in a cold voice.

When the four world barons heard this, they immediately understood what Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's words meant. As long as they were willing to abandon the horses, they could immediately step on the heads of these stone golems and quickly escape from the encirclement. Then, they could launch a siege on Baron Kant.

Chapter 590: The cohesion of the power of rules

However, they had spent a lot of effort to nurture these warhorses. It was connected to their hearts and minds. The moment they had a thought, the warhorse knew how to react. If they were to abandon them here today, they would definitely die.

If they wanted to nurture another warhorse like this, it would undoubtedly take several years. During that time, their combat power on the warhorse would decrease by more than a little.

Therefore, although the four world barons knew that Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's idea was feasible, it was difficult for them to decide for the time being. In their hearts, they could not bear to part with these warhorses that could connect with their minds.

Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron did not make a move when he saw that the four world barons had no intention of making a move. Speaking of which, his combat strength was the lowest among the five. After Kant exposed a part of his combat strength, he understood that he was no match for Baron Kant in terms of individual strength. In this way, he naturally could not break out of the encirclement alone to deal with Baron Kant.

Kant saw that the five world nobles were as he had expected, trapped in the middle of the battlefield. His eyes flashed with ferocity and then he gave an order, "Crossbowmen, listen up. Target the five world barons and fire freely!"

Then, Baron Kant ordered, "Mages, listen up. Keep the Nature Summoning spell. The rest of the attack spells will be targeted at the five world barons in the middle of the battlefield. Fire at will!"

Kant had used himself as a model. Under such circumstances, unless he ran away from the archers or mages, he would definitely die, and he would not last more than two minutes.

Kant felt that even if the five world barons were stronger than him, they couldn't be too strong. Therefore, he estimated that if the five world barons did not escape in five to ten minutes, he would be able to collect their corpses.

Following Kant's two orders, the arrows were as dense as raindrops and shot mercilessly at the five world nobles. "Fireball", "Magic Bullet", "Fatal Deep Frost", "Summon Lightning", and other spells flashed with colorful lights as they shot at the five world nobles.

"Dang, how can Baron Kant's army be so terrifying!"

Even though Baron Tyr. Isai. Maud was the strongest among all the world barons, when he saw the overwhelming number of arrows and spells coming at them, he could not help but swear. At the same time, fear surged in his heart.

They were all battle-hardened people, so they naturally understood that such a powerful attack would kill people. If Baron Kant dared to continue this attack for twenty minutes, the five of them might not be able to escape death. At that time, forget about surrounding and killing Baron Kant, they would not even be able to touch Baron Kant from the beginning until the end. They would be KO'd by Baron Kant. If this matter was spread, they would definitely be ridiculed by the other world's barons and even gods.

The reason why they could last much longer than Baron Kant's estimation was that their equipment was truly extraordinary. Equipment made from abyssal magic iron basically had no shortcomings other than being heavy. Their physical and magic defense was ridiculously strong. However, no matter how strong the defense was, it would not be able to withstand the endless waves of attacks. Therefore, if the five world nobles dared to withstand the concentrated attacks, they would only end up dead. No matter how good the equipment was, it would not be able to save them.

The five world nobles were all veterans in battle. Naturally, they could see the situation through their eyes.

The five of them looked at each other and shouted at the same time, "Go!"

Then, the five of them jumped up from their horses at the same time. They didn't run in the opposite direction, but instead, they jumped in the direction of Baron Kant.

The two-handed greatswords of the five world barons burst out with an extremely bright light of the power of rules at the same time. The power of rules condensed on the two-meter-long greatswords, a layer of solidified power of law actually condensed on the surface of the two-handed greatswords.

The five world barons simultaneously unleashed the second realm of the application of the power of rules -- the materialization realm. This would greatly enhance their offensive abilities. If they wanted to go against the flow of arrows and magic, they would need extremely powerful offensive powers to split the arrows and magic apart. Otherwise, they would only be pushed further and further away from Baron Kant by the arrows and the magic flood.

The wails of the silent warhorses sounded and disappeared at the same time. Without the world barons to defend their warhorses against the attacks, their warhorses were immediately drowned by the arrows, magic, and golems. They died instantly.

The two-handed greatswords in the hands of the five world nobles almost formed five-light curtains of different colors. Slowly but firmly, they approached Kant's direction.

Kant's expression changed slightly. He admitted that he had not considered this situation. With the strength of a world baron, they couldn't go against the arrows and the torrent of magic. However, with the combined strength of the five world barons, they were able to do this.

Kant had not expected that the combined strength of the five world barons would be so powerful. At the same time, he also discovered that the individual strength of the five world barons was much higher than he had estimated.

He also noticed that the five world barons were wearing a full set of pitch-black armor that was extraordinary. When the spells of the mages landed on it, it was like throwing a stone into a pond. At most, it would make a sound, and it did not cause any damage to the five world barons.

The arrows that they had blocked and escaped the net hit the bodies of the five world barons, but they did not leave any marks on their pitch-black armor. If the arrows had hit the armor of the Swadian royal knights, although they would not have been able to pierce through it, there would be a small dent on the armor of the Swadian royal knights.

After personally exchanging blows, Kant finally confirmed that the ferocious and terrifying armor that these world noble knights wore seemed to have been specially designed for war. It was much more powerful than he had imagined.

"You want to break my plan like this? Dream on!"

Although the power of the five world barons was beyond Kant's imagination, Kant naturally could not just stand by and wait.

Everything had a price to pay. Although the five world barons' current performance was unmatched, and they were able to go against the torrent of arrows and spells towards Kant, they did not take a step forward. The power of rules they needed to consume, was incomparably huge.

"I want to see how much power of rules you have!"

Kant instantly thought of a way to counter them. The other party was slowly stepping on the heads of the golems, and their speed was extremely slow. Kant could even make those golems, which were left behind by the five world barons, take a detour and rush in front of them, then, he, the crossbowmen, and the mages slowly retreated, so that the five world noble's path of advancement would never end.

In this way, unless they had endless power of rules, they would be exhausted by his army until the power of rules was exhausted. At that time, the order of the pursuit and escape would be reversed.

However, Kant's idea was only the most optimistic. The five world nobles had experienced war, so they naturally had an extremely accurate grasp of their own status. It was almost impossible for them to have a way out at any time, they had also pushed themselves into a situation where they would never be able to recover.

Chapter 591: Changes in the battlefield situation

"Sigh, let's retreat! Baron Kant is ten times harder to deal with than we imagined!" Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese said with a depressed voice.

The five world barons had already used up more than half of their power of rules. According to their previous expectations, they should have left the encirclement of the golems and landed on the flat ground.

On the flat ground, with their strength, it would be much easier for them to block or dodge the arrows and magic. They would be able to easily get to Baron Kant's side. As long as they reached Baron Kant's side, his archers and mages would not be able to attack at will.

The speed of the battle between the world nobles was very fast. Their figures flashed. With the strength of the archers and mages, they would not be able to provide long-range support when they were fighting against Baron Kant.

However, the above was only the expected situation.

The reality was that the five world barons had already advanced more than 300 meters in the direction of Baron Kant. However, under their feet, there were still seemingly endless golems, and the distance between them and Baron Kant was not even the slightest bit closer, moreover, according to Baron Kant's plan, if they continued, other than wasting the power of rules, they would gain nothing.

Baron Kant's move was too ruthless. It was inconvenient for them to dodge and move on top of the golem, so they could only receive the rain of arrows and the bombardment of spells. The golem under their feet, under Baron Kant's orders, was controlled by the mages to continuously detour from their rear to their front, making it impossible for them to escape the encirclement of the golem. They could only move on top of the golem, at the same time, they forcefully blocked the terrifying rain of arrows and the bombardment of spells.

If it were not for the fact that they were wearing magic iron armor with extremely strong defense, perhaps all five of them would have been killed by the densely packed arrows and endless spells.

"Retreat!" Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron estimated the situation on the battlefield and decisively agreed with Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese. He was also the first to run away from Kant, the archers, and the mages above the golems.

Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron not only noticed how Kant was dealing with them, but they were also unable to get close to Baron Kant, causing them to waste their power of rules, they also noticed that the Swadian royal knights and the Sarleon lion knights, who had escaped the "curse of mutual destruction", were even more valiant than the black-armored knights. They were able to kill the "heavy cavalries" that he had specially trained, it was as simple as chopping melons and vegetables.

The armor made of wood on the "heavy cavalries" was simply a joke on the real battlefield. Their armor was suitable for fighting against the enemy when the "curse of mutual destruction" was still in effect. Since their defense was almost non-existent, the enemy could injure or even kill them if they were not careful and this would help the enemy to achieve their goal.

However, at this moment, the "curse of mutual destruction" that they had spent more than ten years to nurture with their own blood essence had automatically dissipated due to the time limit, if they still went up to fight with the Swadian royal knights and the Sarleon lion knights at this moment, they were simply courting death.

The five world barons quickly retreated from the top of the golems. A hint of determination flashed in Kant's eyes. At this moment, the five world nobles had already used up a large amount of the power of rules. If they were to retreat to the Lion Fort, the previous consumption of their power would be in vain.

The world baron's power of rules could recover very quickly. If he could not destroy them in one go and let them recover for an hour or two, their power of rules would regain its full status.

They could not be allowed to leave so easily! No matter what, he had to leave one or two world nobles behind!

Kant ordered, "Sarleon Lion Knights, continue to kill the Lion Fort's heavy cavalry corps. All Swadian royal knights, listen up. Surround five of the world's nobles and stop them at all costs!"

After the intense battle, there were only about 920 Swadian royal knights left. Most of them had just died because of the curse. After all, be it the Swadian royal knights or the Sarleon Lion Knights, they were both rank six troops. The equipment provided by the system was of high quality and their defense was very strong.

Although the enemy was a heavy cavalry, they did not enter the charging stance and fought with the Swadian royal knights and the Sarleon Lion Knights on horseback. Under such circumstances, they were not even comparable to infantry. Their attack strength was not enhanced by the speed of the warhorse, and because they did not have a dense formation, they could not bombard the same Swadian royal knights or the Sarleon Lion Knights at the same time, therefore, for the Swadian royal knights and the Sarleon Lion Knights who had very strong combat skills and self-defense, the threat was very limited.

Since the start of the war, there were only about 2,000 fake and inferior "heavy cavalries" who belonged to the Lion Fort. As for the 500 black-armored knights, there were only about 300 left. These enemies were not a troublesome army for the remaining 930-odd Sarleon Lion Knights. The 930-odd Sarleon Lion Knights could easily deal with these remaining enemies.

After receiving Kant's order, the Swadian royal knights did not hesitate at all. They immediately withdrew from the battle circle and began to surround the rear of the golems. As for their remaining opponents, they were quickly taken over by the Sarleon Lion Knights, easily holding them back from chasing after the Swadian royal knights.

Without the arrows and spells to block them, the five world barons retreated very quickly. However, Kant's orders were very decisive and swift, and the Swadian royal knights followed Kant's orders without any discount.

As a result, the five world nobles who had just retreated from the golems were immediately blocked by more than 930 Swadian royal knights who surrounded them from all sides.

"Kill! Stop them for Lord Kant at all costs!"

The Swadian royal knights let out an earth-shattering roar as they raised their knight swords and slashed at the five world barons.

Compared to the world barons, the strength of the Swadian royal knights was not worth mentioning. However, the Swadian royal knights were different from the golems. The golems moved slowly while the Swadian royal knights moved swiftly. It was enough to cut off the path of the five world barons.

"Crossbowmen, assist the Sarleon Lion Knights and kill the heavy cavalries of Lion Fort! Mages, carefully control the puppets and surround the Swadian royal knights and the five world barons!" Kant gave another order.

At this moment, the crossbowmen and mages were no longer suitable to participate in the siege of the five world barons. Mages had limited spell slots, so there was no need to waste them on those random soldiers. However, the firepower of the crossbowmen could not be wasted.

Chapter 592: Kant's confidence in killing

As soon as the "heavy cavalry" and the black-armored knights were dealt with, the Sarleon Lion Knights would be able to escape from the stalemate and participate in the siege of the five world nobles.

In just a short time, more than 20 Swadian royal knights were killed by the five world nobles. The armor of the Swadian royal knights was easily sliced apart like a piece of paper by the two-handed greatswords of the five world barons who had used the power of law of the materialization realm.

However, unlike the tardiness of the golems that were unable to do anything to the world barons, when the world barons killed the Swadian royal knights, the Swadian royal knights would also unleash their most powerful attack and gather all the extraordinary power in their bodies, the sword slashed fiercely onto the two-handed greatswords of the five world nobles.

The Swadian royal knights were extremely experienced in battle. They had seen the terrifying defensive power of the magic iron armors on the bodies of the world barons before. At the same time, they understood that they might only have a chance to use one move against the world baron. Therefore, they used this move to the maximum. Their goal was to consume the power of rules of the five world barons for Lord Kant.

Every time a world noble killed a Swadian royal knight, they would consume more than ten times the power of rules than killing a golem. Judging from the remaining power of rules of the world nobles, each of them could kill at most 100 Swadian royal knights and use up all of the power.

When Kant saw that the Swadian royal knights were being killed continuously, there was a slight fluctuation in the depths of his eyes. However, it was quickly replaced by coldness and determination. How could one be afraid of sacrifices in war?

He carefully observed the situation of the battle. From the fluctuations of the power of rules when the five world barons attacked, he was able to determine the remaining power of the five world nobles. At the same time, he quietly waited for the situation on the battlefield to slowly change in the direction he hoped.

"Wait a little longer... now is not the time for me to make my move. The five world barons are too close to each other!"

"Hmm, among the five world barons, Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron has the least amount of power of rules remaining. Then, he shall be the first target. As for the others, it depends on the situation!"

"I can't take the initiative to remind the Swadian royal knights. I can't let them consciously surround the five world nobles and create an opportunity for me to go on stage. If I remind them, the five world nobles will know. Instead, they will band together. At that time, with the strength of the Swadian royal knights, they won't have the ability to forcefully divide them."

While Kant was observing the situation and doing his calculation, the five world barons were also observing him.

The five world barons quickly looked at each other. After many years of tacit understanding, they immediately came up with a plan.

After observing for four to five minutes, Kant saw the five world barons continuously killing the Swadian royal knights. At the same time, their figures gradually scattered.

"The opportunity has arrived!"

In Kant's eyes, Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese brandished a two-handed greatsword that was burning with solidified flames. He was surrounded by the Swadian royal knights. He rushed left and right. Slowly, he became excited about the killing and broke away from the position of the other four barons. The space between him and the other four world barons had already been filled by dozens of Swadian royal knights.

On the contrary, Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron who was regarded as Kant's first target was quite cunning. He followed closely beside Baron Tyr. Isai. Maud. At the same time, Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron was in a very advantageous position. He was almost at the center of a triangle formed by the other three world barons.

In most directions, if the Swadian royal knights wanted to attack him, they had to first break through Baron Tyr. Isai. Maud, who was in front of him, or Baron Clark. Isai. Prynne, who was at the back on the left, or Baron Victor. Isai. Enoch, who was at the back on the right.

All of this could only mean that Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron was cunning enough. Not only could he save energy, but his teammates could also stealthily block the attacks for him. At the same time, he could not be seen by his teammates. This required them to be cunning to a certain extent.

On the surface, it seemed that Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron, other than Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese. was like the other three barons. They were fighting with all their might against the Swadian royal knights. However, in reality, the amount of power of rules that Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron used to defeat was much less than the other three world barons.

The other world barons only needed to use one sword to kill a Swadian royal knight. Due to the lack of time, they could only use a large amount of power of rules to cut the Swadian royal knight along with the knight's sword. As for Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron, he needed to use three swords to kill a Swadian royal knight.

The first sword blocked the Swadian royal knight's sword. The second sword knocked the Swadian royal knight's sword away. The third sword only killed the Swadian royal knight with one sword. Although he needed to use as much power of rules to kill a royal knight as the other world nobles did, it was still a waste of time. However, when he killed a royal knight, the other three world nobles could kill two or even three royal knights.

Kant regretfully let go of Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron and set his target on Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese.

Whoosh!

Kant pulled out the Sword of the King. At the same time, he squeezed the belly of the horse with his legs. The warhorse with Kant on it was sprinting in the direction of Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese.

The thick dark red war power of rules quickly covered the Sword of the King and condensed, emitting an aura that thirsted for blood. This was Kant's third realm of the power of rules, Spirit Transformation. On the surface, it looked like Kant's usage of the power of rules was the same as the five world nobles, condensing the power of rules on their weapons. But in reality, Kant had also condensed the power of war into the Sword of the Kings, giving it the will to kill and thirst for blood. This made Kant's attack power three levels stronger than just using the power of rules at the condensed Materialization Realm.

If the other four world nobles wanted to kill Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese, then the barrier of dozens of Swadian royal knights could not stop them. As long as they were given a little time, they would be able to kill their way to Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese.

Thus, if Kant wanted to kill Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese, he had to be fast, accurate, and ruthless!

Chapter 593: The bait's final regret

And Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese's magic iron armor had a very strong defense. This made Kant want to kill him in one strike, so he had to use his strongest attack.

As long as the attack was strong enough, no defense could not be broken!

There was no extra time for Kant to test if Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese had any trump cards, even if he did not have any trump cards, once he was done testing, the other four world barons would also have enough time to rush to Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese and Kant's hard-earned opportunity would be lost.

"Blood Thirst special effect, activate!" Kant decisively gave the order in his mind.

As the order was given, the bright red cape behind Kant, which was already fluttering fiercely, fluttered even faster, making a rustling sound. Blood Thirst, the first special effect of the official "Glory. Bright Red Movement".

Blood Thirst: active special effect. On the battlefield, within a kilometer of the wearer after activation, our generals will enter bloodthirsty mode, and their attack strength will increase by 100%! Defense strength decrease by 30%!

Sacrificing defense in exchange for higher attack power!

"Nature's Favor, activate!" After activating the cape's attack special effect, Kant once again activated the necklace's special effect.

Nature's Favor: active special effect. Activate the effect -- the sun shines gently for you, the clouds are swaying with you, the mountains and rivers are strengthening for you; the grass and trees are whispering to you, the flowers are laughing with you, the birds are singing for you, and the animals listen to your commands.

After activating the special effect of Nature's Favor, Kant can borrow the force of nature within a radius of 100 kilometers, superimpose on his own momentum, and using strong momentum to suppress the opponent. Under such circumstances, if the strength of the enemy fighting with him was on the same level as his, they would only display 70% of their usual strength, and Kant could be encouraged by such momentum. Kant's strength would be equivalent to 120% of his normal strength.

At this moment, the power of heaven and earth deepened, and Kant's aura reached its peak.

At this moment, Kant's own attack had already reached the strongest.

Kant was prepared, but he did not suppress his terrifying aura on Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese at the beginning. It was after approaching at a closer distance that enabled him to attack Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese from a certain distance and suddenly crushed the knight onto Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese.

Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese was in the mood to kill when he suddenly felt a powerful aura descend on him. His movements suddenly stopped. The Swadian royal knight who was attacked by him seized the opportunity and immediately escaped from his two-handed greatsword.

"Nathaniel, go to hell!" Kant carried his strongest aura and the strongest attack power. He raised the Sword of the King that was covered in a layer of dark red light and fiercely jumped up from his horse, aiming at Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese from high up in the sky and slashed down rapidly.

Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese's heart was filled with shock. This was... Baron Kant. How... how could he be so powerful?

Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese was in disbelief. The power that Baron Kant displayed at this moment had completely surpassed Tyr. Isai. Maud, and it was Baron Tyr. Isai. Maud wearing the magic iron armor. That kind of power, Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese had never seen or heard of it before. It was as if the whole world was pressing down on him. He immediately felt that the circulation of his power of rules was a little sluggish.

Under the suppression of Baron Kant's aura, Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese, who was not in his peak status, was not able to control his power and could only display 50-60% of his strength, while Baron Kant himself was able to display 120% of his strength. Originally, Baron Kant's strength was already stronger than Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese's. At this moment, there was no need to mention that he was stronger than Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese. In terms of attack power, Kant was at least three times stronger.

This was an extremely terrifying attack power. It far surpassed that of the number one noble baron in the world, Baron Tyr. Isai. Maud.

A premonition of death appeared in Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese's mind. His heart was filled with disbelief. Even Baron Tyr. Isai. Maud could not slash through the magic iron armor. Could it be that Baron Kant had such strength?

It was only Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese's own strength was suppressed by Kant's terrifying aura. He could not dodge Kant's fatal sword. The dark red blade in Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese's eyes grew bigger and closer.

An extreme fear rose from Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese's heart.

A wave of endless regret rose from Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese's heart.

"No..."

Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese let out an extremely shrill roar the moment Kant's Sword of the King struck him.

This voice was filled with fear, despair, and regret.

Along with Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese's fire power of rules was amplified, and this voice instantly spread across the entire square in front of Lion Fort. The soldiers under the oscillating barons of the world heard a buzzing sound in their ears.

This was a powerful scream. This voice was filled with boundless power, making people look forward to it, fear it, and respect it.

However, at this moment, the sound was filled with fear, despair, and regret...

Everyone could not help but look at the scream of fear and despair. They saw a scene that they would never forget in their lives -- the fall of a world noble!

Boom!

An extremely loud explosion sounded as Baron Kant's Sword of the King struck the magic iron armor on Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese's head emitted a sound that once again shook everyone's eardrums.

Crack...

The incomparably sturdy magic iron armor was sliced open like a piece of tofu under the gaze of Baron Kant's sword that was suffused with a dark red glow and gave off a bloodthirsty aura.

"Why... why did I agree to the four of them as bait... I regret it so much..."

This was Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese's last thought before his head and body were cut open.

The magic iron armor which was very tough was easily cut open, there was no need to mention Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese's head that was wrapped in it. In the blink of an Eye, Baron Kant's Sword of the King directly cut Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese and his armor in half.

Chapter 594: The possibility of war

The scene was extremely bloody!

The most important thing was that this was not the body of an ordinary soldier, but the body of a world noble. The body of an incomparably noble, and even essentially eternal guy. He was so easily cleaved by Baron Kant's sword!

At this moment, the other four world barons looked at Kant with eyes filled with fear and shock.

They had never thought that Kant would be so strong. He was so strong that he didn't even look like a world baron.

Who knew? Baron Kant had yet to open his demiplane and had never experienced a calamity. Shouldn't this guy be the weakest world baron?

Why?

Why was he so strong?

A feeling of extreme injustice appeared in the hearts of the four world barons. At the same time, a sense of fear rose in their hearts. Baron Kant, who was so powerful, was actually their enemy.

As Kant killed Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese, the scene fell into the eyes of everyone present. Everyone's movements paused because the impact of this scene was too great.

Kant felt the power of the war power of rules being squandered in an instant, he opened his mouth and said to the Swadian royal knights, "What are you waiting for? Attack these four guys! Split them up. I want to kill them one by one!"

Even though the power of the rules of war was almost exhausted, Kant acted as if he had just killed Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese effortlessly and if he was given another chance, he could kill any of the remaining four world barons.

The four world barons were instantly stunned by Kant's killing stance. He had never thought that Kant was lying because they had never heard that the world baron could completely unleash his power of rules in an instant.

"Run!" this time, Baron Tyr. Isai. Maud, the strongest among the world barons, roared without hesitation. Then, the two-handed knight's greatsword glowed with an even denser black luster. In this luster, one could vaguely see a violent aura coming from the head.

"Everyone, follow me to the Lion Fort! Fire at full power. Now is not the time to conserve the power of rules. Don't pester the enemy. Charge forward with all your strength!"

The strength displayed by Baron Tyr. Isai. Maud indicated that he had clearly stepped into the third realm of the application of the power of rules. He had been concealing his strength all along.

With Baron Tyr. Isai. Maud, who was firing at full power, leading the way, the other three world barons no longer had the intention to continue pestering Baron Kant's soldiers. They gave up all their subsequent plans, they only had one thought -- to escape in the direction of the Lion Fort.

Faced with these four world barons, even if the Swadian royal knights tried their best to stop them, they were still forced to open a bloody path by the four world barons. They quickly returned to the Lion Fort.

The moment the four world barons returned to the Lion Fort, they immediately said in unison, "War!"

After this battle, they already knew that it was impossible to kill Baron Kant. At the same time, they had developed a certain fear towards him. In that instant, when Baron Kant killed Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese it was too shocking. It was so powerful that they were terrified when they thought of facing Baron Kant head-on.

Baron Kant was already their mortal enemy. Between the two sides, only one side would completely fall and become the dust of history, and the other side would just let it go.

Even Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron would never mention the matter of capturing Baron Kant alive.

They had eliminated the possibility of fighting Baron Kant individually, so the only method left was war.

At this moment, Baron Kant was regarded by the four world nobles as an enemy that was even more terrifying than the "month of calamity". The four world barons would go all out in preparing for the war this time, they wouldn't hesitate even if they had to spare time to use all the war forces in their own fiefdom, the demiplane.

As for how to deal with the month of calamity, that was a matter for the future.

If they didn't deal with Baron Kant, the four world nobles would be certain that they didn't have a future at all.

"Ryan, now you should tell us who Baron Kant really is, right?" Baron Tyr. Isai. Maud said in a deep voice, his gaze was fixed on Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron. "I no longer believe that he is your son. No father would treat his son like you do! The way you treat that coward, Carl Cameron, is more than ten thousand times better than how you treat Kant! Both are your sons, but the difference in treatment meant that Baron Kant is not your son at all!"

The other two world nobles, Baron Victor. Isai. Enoch and Baron Clark. Isai. Prynne also looked at Baron Cameron with a serious expression.

"That's right, Baron Kant is so powerful that he's a little abnormal. Ryan, tell us about Kant. Now, an all-out war is about to break out between us and Baron Kant. We have the right to know and need to know who our opponent, Baron Kant, is?" Baron Clark. Isai. Prynne asked and his words were as cold as iron. He and Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese was like ice and fire. He controlled the opposing rules, but their personal relationship was very good.

Now, Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese was dead. He was the one who witnessed his tragic death. Although their enemy, Baron Kant, and the others had done a lot of research, Baron Clark. Isai. Prynne was still confused about Baron Kant. The more they wanted to see clearly, the more vague Baron Kant's figure became.

Baron Kant, on the other hand, became more and more mysterious.

"Ryan, Baron Kant will not stop. He will continue to attack your Lion Fort. We should know that Baron Kant is probably here for the Crown of Darkness. If Baron Kant did not find the Crown of Darkness in Lion Fort, it is possible for him to break into your demiplane world. If you do not tell us about Baron Kant, then do not blame us for not supporting you!" Baron Victor. Isai. Enoch said faintly.

"In fact, the three of us felt that Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese's death was not worth it. Baron Kant was not what he understood at all. Ryan, we don't want to be the next Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese."

Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron was silent. This time, the other three world nobles did not intend to let him off easily. They stared at him with deep eyes, waiting for him to reveal the identity of Baron Kant.

Chapter 595: The castle that was about to fall

Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron suddenly sighed. This was a rare occurrence for him.

"Kant is the biological son of the Princess of the Silver Platter Kingdom, who was also the previous Saintess of the Light Temple, Sofia and me!" the moment Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron spoke, he gave an answer that completely exceeded the expectations of the three world's nobles.

Baron Kant was actually the biological son of Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron. Seeing how Ryan had just started the conversation, the three world nobles put their doubts aside and quietly waited for Baron Ryan to continue.

"But, that was when Kant was three years old." On Baron Ryan's cold face, there was actually a hint of a look of recollection, however, there was no warmth in his expression. "When he was three years old, I witness my son Kant die from extreme pain. His heart stopped beating, his nose stopped breathing, and his body became cold in half an hour."

Hearing this, the three world barons suddenly felt a chill run down their spines.

Baron Kant had died when he was three years old? Then who was that guy outside the Lion Fort?

Even though they were all world barons and had grasped the rules, they were immortal existences if they weren't killed. When they heard this news, they still felt extremely terrified.

"Half an hour later, Kant came back to life. But I can't feel any trace of blood-related aura from Kant's body," Baron Ryan's voice was extremely cold. "You all know that because the Cameron family has inherited the power of the curse, we have been studying all kinds of bloodlines. Even though Kant is my biological son, his birth is a bloodline experiment."

"Is it related to the Crown of Darkness?" Baron Tyr. Isai. Maud asked.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

"Father, this is bad! Kant led the army to annihilate the black-armored knights and the remaining heavy cavalries of Lion Fort on the battlefield. Now they are attacking the city gate of Lion Fort!"

Viscount Carl Cameron suddenly came to the room where the world barons were and reported the war intelligence loudly. However, his voice was filled with fear. It seemed that Baron Kant's previous performance on the battlefield had not only frightened the four world barons, but also Viscount Carl Cameron.

"The three of you, please send your troops quickly. I am waiting for your assistance in Lion Fort! Now, I am going to my fief to mobilize my troops!" Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron said suddenly. Then, he immediately set off towards the depths of the castle.

"Kant's origin is very strange! Let's hurry up and prepare our troops. Only a powerful army can help us kill Baron Kant!" Baron Tyr. Isai. Maud said.

"Okay!" the other two world barons replied at the same time.

What they had said to Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron was just a means. Now, the four world barons were like ants on the same rope when they faced the powerful Baron Kant. They could only work together to deal with him. Otherwise, they would be defeated by Baron Kant one by one.

"Right, Viktor, go to Leesburg and inform them about Nathaniel so that Nathaniel's descendants can awaken their real names as soon as possible and become our allies," Baron Tyr. Isai. Maud said to Baron Victor. Isai. Enoch.

Then, the three of them left through the secret tunnel of Lion Fort.

At this moment, outside the gate of Lion Fort, the golem was carrying several siege logs and ramming the gate of Lion Fort mechanically.

This was to show Kant's strength.

At this moment, Kant was extremely weak. That was why he showed his strength to the enemy so that the enemy would not dare to take the opportunity to attack him.

The real siege battle would be tomorrow.

After a long journey, the army continued to fight, and this battle could be considered a tragic one.

The number of Swadian royal knights dropped from 1,000 to 700, and the number of Sarleon Lion Knights was only 900. In the first battle, 400 rank six knights were lost. This was a huge loss that Kant had never experienced before.

Of course, the gains were not small.

First, there were 5,000 to 6,000 warhorses. This was not a small fortune, and 500 of the black-armored knights' were elite warhorses.

The second was equipment. The 5,000 heavy cavalries in wooden armor were not only riding real horses, but the knight swords in their hands were also real. The knight spears were also made of wood. Even so, the 5,000 knight swords were not a small harvest. The bigger harvest was the black full-body armor and full-body helmets of the 500 black-armored knights. Their defense was very strong, and they were not inferior to the top-quality armor produced by the system of the Swadian royal knights. Their knight swords and spears were also equipped with the sharp weapons of abyssal magic iron. All of them were valuable.

However, the greatest harvest was not the equipment of the black-armored knights, but the drops from the world noble.

Including Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese's full-body armor and full cover helmet that had been split open, as well as his two-handed greatsword, and also the dark and ferocious vest on the warhorse of the unparalleled baron of the world.

All of this equipment was completely forged from abyssal magic iron, and their attributes were very shocking.

Meanwhile, Kant was resting and recovering the power of the rules of war.

Previously, when he killed Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese, the moment his magic iron armor was cut open, his body seemed to have turned on a switch. All the power of the rules surged out in an instant, causing the effect of cutting the magic iron armor into two in an instant. In comparison, Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese being cut in half was a side effect.

"What was that feeling?" Kant carefully recalled the feeling of the moment when he slashed out the sword. When he slashed the sword, Kant had understood the fourth realm of the power of rules at that time. However, he did not truly grasp it, to be able to test it out in that instant was a coincidence.

However, no matter how Kant recalled, there seemed to be something missing. He felt that he could not use slash the sword with the same power right now.

Even so, Kant was still tirelessly exploring, hoping that he could grasp the fourth realm of the use of the power of rules.

Because it was too powerful.

If he did not break through the fourth realm of the use of the power of laws, Kant's sword could at most split half of the helmet open, although it could kill Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese, but it could not be compared to that kind of crushing slaughter.

Chapter 596: The News that was Quickly Transmitted

After a night's rest, Kant's power of the rules of war was completely restored, and Kant's army recovered from their exhaustion. They were full of vitality and restored their peak status.

Kant had already sent some soldiers back to the City of Lion's Heart for the spoils of war that they had obtained yesterday, except for Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese's full set of armor, helmet, and weapons made of abyssal magic iron, as well as five of the world's noble vests, made entirely of abyssal magic iron, the rest of the equipment was sold by Kant in exchange for the golden eagle.

At the same time, a major event happened last night.

Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron, as the Grand Duke of the Dukedom of Leo, issued a statement, asking all the upper-class nobles of the South County to follow their oath and pledge their loyalty to Grand Duke Cameron and send troops to support the Lion Fort.

This was naturally treated as a joke by the upper-class nobles. They were currently busy escaping from the Dukedom of Leo. In their opinion, Baron Kant was so powerful that it was inevitable for him to conquer the Dukedom of Leo.

But what about after conquering the Dukedom of Leo? It was very likely that Baron Kant would lead a powerful army to suppress them in the South County. If they did not leave the Dukedom of Leo as soon as possible, then they would become the targets of Baron Kant.

They had paid a huge price and paid thousands of golden eagles to leave the City of Lion's Heart. Wasn't it to hurry up and pack up before Baron Kant suppressed the Lion Fort so that the entire family could escape from the Dukedom of Leo?

How could they wait to be suppressed by Baron Kant?

Cameron, Duke of Leo, was about to die. How could he dream of dragging them down with him?

Dream on!

In the eyes of the upper-class nobles in the South County, this was just wishful thinking. If it weren't for the fact that Baron Kant didn't accept the nobles' allegiance, they wouldn't have been able to take down Cameron, Duke of Leo. It was likely that Baron Kant's army wasn't the only ones surrounding the Lion Fort now. The upper-class nobles in the South County of the Dukedom of Leo didn't mind adding insult to injury and helping Baron Kant to drive Cameron, Duke of Leo, off the throne. Thus, Baron Kant could successfully ascend to the throne and become the new Grand Duke of the Dukedom of Leo.

Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's declaration as Baron Cameron was ignored by all the upper-class nobles. There were even a few upper-class nobles who openly announced the betrayal of their pledge of allegiance 300 years ago, they directly issued a statement in response to Cameron, the Grand Duke of Leo. From today onwards, they would officially break away from the Dukedom of Leo and give up the status of a vassal of Cameron, Duke of Leo. They also made it clear that if the Duke of Leo wanted to pursue this matter, they were willing to bear any consequences.

This was complete bullying that the Lion Fort was now besieged by Baron Kant. They also did not feel that the Grand Duke of Cameron had any chance at all, which was why they made such a bold statement. Although it was not a drop in the well, it was still a naked betrayal at a critical moment, which also made people hate him.

On the Lion Fort's side, faced with the betrayal of the upper-level noble families at a critical moment, the Lion Fort once again issued a statement, "The Rayleigh family, House family, and the Desai family have betrayed their oath, and they will be executed!"

The three families were the ones who forcefully issued the betrayal oath and renounced the identity of the Dukedom of Leo as a vassal. Seeing Cameron, Duke of Leo's second statement, they all treated this as a joke.

All the upper-class noble families thought so.

After all, the Lion Fort had been surrounded by Baron Kant. Cameron, Duke of Leo, couldn't take care of himself, so how could he take revenge on them?

However, only an hour had passed since the Lion Fort issued the second statement. Three upper-class noble families named in the Lion Fort's statement had an extremely tragic accident.

The three upper-class noble families had pure bloodlines. As long as their bloodlines were thicker than a certain degree, all of them died miserably without any signs.

Not only that, because the phenomenon of intermarriage was very common among the upper-class noble families, even some of the other noble families also died. All of the dead had the bloodlines of the three upper-class noble families that were named.

At such a sensitive time, the news spread very quickly.

Suddenly, the blood of the three noble families was almost complete, which meant that the three families had been wiped out. The news spread like wings, and in just half an hour, everyone in the upper class of South County knew about it.

Then, Lion Fort issued another statement, "The fate of the three noble families was because they broke their oath of loyalty to the Cameron family 300 years ago, and Lion Fort took revenge on them. They brought this upon themselves and brought about their own destruction. If any of the upper-class noble families dared to betray the Grand Duke of Cameron at this moment, the fate of the three upper-class noble families would be a lesson for them."

Kant's heart sank when he received this news.

He knew that this must be the curse that the Cameron family had placed on the bloodline of the upper-class noble families since the founding of the country. The power of rules passed down by the Cameron family, and the rules controlled by the Cameron family's noble families were the curse rules.

Therefore, it was not strange that they had the means to silently cast a curse on the blood of these upper-class noble families.

When the fate of the three upper-class noble families had been completely fermented in a short period of time, and the other upper-class noble families of South County were all in a state of panic, Lion Fort seized the opportunity to once again announce the statement that they had made at the beginning.

In Lion Fort, Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron, as the Grand Duke of the Dukedom of Leo, once again called on all the upper-class noble families in the South County to abide by the oath of loyalty to the Cameron family that they had made when the country was founded 300 years ago, at the moment when Lion Fort was in danger, they shall send troops to support the Lion Fort.

This time, no upper-class noble dared to treat this announcement as a joke.

They didn't dare!

The destruction of the three upper-class noble families of South County was so easy and unpredictable that they were also worried. They didn't know about the existence of the world noble families, and they didn't even know how the Lion Fort destroyed the three upper-class noble families of South County.

This was not only a lesson from the past but also a blatant threat from the Lion Fort.

In essence, these upper-class noble families of the South County were no different from the three destroyed upper-class noble families. Since the Lion Fort had such a method to instantly destroy the three upper-class noble families, it meant that they also had the ability to easily destroy them.

They wanted to escape from the Dukedom of Leo because they wanted their family to survive and continue to develop. But now, the Dukedom of Leo easily blocked this path with the destruction of three upper-class noble families. If they dared to escape from the Dukedom of Leo, they would probably follow in the footsteps of the three upper-class noble families.

All the upper-class noble families halt their preparations to escape at the same time. Instead, they began to gather soldiers and prepare to support the Dukedom of Leo.

Rather than being inexplicably destroyed, it was better to join forces and fight Baron Kant. As long as they could win, no matter how heavy the losses, as long as their family was not destroyed, it was better than escaping from the Dukedom of Leo and being destroyed.

Although this kind of news made Kant feel a little more pressure, this kind of situation was already in his consideration, so he did not feel that he was caught unprepared.

Chapter 597: The Bloody Battle at the City Gate

At this moment, the Dukedom of Leo's South County was divided into two parts. Half of it was occupied by Baron Kant, who had built a large-scale fortress, Jelkala. The other half was occupied by the noble families of the five worlds and nearly a hundred upper-class noble families of the Dukedom of Leo.

In the beginning, the Jelkala large-scale fortress was garrisoned by Rolf with 5,000 soldiers. However, in the past two months, there had been frequent movements of troops in Kant's estate, their destination was mostly the Jelkala fortress in the South County.

Just yesterday, when Kant received the news that the noble families of the South County were about to send troops to assist Lion Fort, he also gave Rolf an order.

"Lead the army from the north to the south. Attack one castle, one manor, and destroy the noble families of the South County. At the same time, confiscate their properties."

These were Kant's orders to Rolf.

There was no doubt about Rolf's military talent, making Kant feel at ease leading the army alone. Most importantly, over the past two months, soldiers from Drondheim, Aaron, Sargoth, and Veluca gathered toward Jelkala, which increased Jelkala's strength even more.

Moreover, they did not lack extraordinary strength. Over the past two months, the newly promoted Swadian royal knights, the Sarleon Lion Knights, and the Enfath Empire Mages had all been dispatched by Kant to Jelkala.

Kant had long anticipated the situation of becoming enemies with the entire South County and had also formulated several battle routes. If the upper-class noble families of the South County were not dragged down by the Cameron family, Kant would only need to deal with the five noble families of the world. To deal with them, Kant would have to personally lead the troops, so his army would be enough.

At the same time, Kant had also made plans for the upper-class noble families of South County which would become enemies with him, just like the current situation. In the face of this situation, Kant's battle route was that he and Rolf would attack from both sides, one from the south and the other from the north. This would greatly increase the speed of the expedition.

When Kant once again arranged an army formation to launch an attack on Lion Fort, Rolf also led the army on the journey.

200 Swadian royal knights, 200 Sarleon Lion Knights, 200 Enfath Empire Mages were a total of 600 extraordinary forces. 2,000 Swadian sergeants, 2,000 Mamluke, 1,500 elite desert bandits, and 500 crossbowmen from each of the 5-level troop classes.

These were the forces that Rolf led. Although the number of extraordinary forces from the 6-level troop class was a little less, there were enough level 4 and 5 troop classes. The entire army had 7,600 soldiers, which was quite powerful. Even if they were to fight against dozens of upper-class noble families at the same time, they could still crush them head-on. As for Kant, he only needed Rolf to be in charge of the upper-class noble families. He would personally take care of the world's noble families.

In front of the Lion Fort, the battle began once again.

The gate of the Lion Fort was very sturdy. Last night, the golems carried siege wood machines and bombarded the gate for half an hour until the summoning time ran out. However, they did not budge the gate of the Lion Fort at all. After all, this castle was the number one fortress of the Dukedom of Leo. Its defense was extremely strong.

This time, Kant sent out Rhodok sergeants to carry the thick siege wood and bombard the Lion Fort's gate. At the same time, 800 Rhodok snipers suppressed the archers of the Lion Fort from the bottom to the top of the tower and the battlements, as soon as the archers on the tower and the battlements showed their heads, they would immediately be shot by a powerful siege crossbow. Their deaths were extremely horrifying.

The archers on the city walls and battlements of the Lion Fort were suppressed, and they suffered heavy casualties. However, these archers were also very strong. Even though the number of casualties was increasing, there was still an endless number of archers climbing up the city walls and battlements from the Lion Fort, taking the risk of being shot down by the crossbows, they wanted to kill the Rhodok sergeants.

"Why are these archers so elite, and they rarely miss?" On the city walls, an archer who was hiding under the walls muttered to himself with a serious tone. On his left and right, two corpses were lying on the ground. These two corpses were extremely miserable. Their heads were completely blown off, and the ground was covered in blood and white brain matter.

However, very quickly, two archers stooped to the two sides of this archer, filling up the gaps.

"Soldiers, load the arrows and pull! Listen to my orders, everyone shoot together! Target the enemy at the city gate!" at this moment, the commander of the archers gave the order.

"One, two, three, shoot!" After counting to three digits, the commander of the archers immediately gave the order to shoot.

The moment the archer heard the order, he did not hesitate. He quickly stood up and shot the arrows that he had prepared toward the city gate. He did not take any time to aim and only shot toward the general position, then, he quickly retreated. It was because he was so alert that he was able to survive the rounds of enemy crossbows.

However, the goddess of luck would not favor the same person forever.

This time, when the archer's arrow was shot out, a bolt hit his head at a speed beyond his imagination. This archer had dodged many times and attracted the attention of a certain Rhodok sniper. This Rhodok sniper then aimed the siege crossbow in his hand at the top of the archer, quietly waiting for him to poke his head out again. Sure enough, one arrow killed him.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Rhodok sergeants carried two siege logs, one on the left and one on the right, and fiercely rammed the Lion Fort's gate.

However, the Lion Fort's gate was extremely sturdy. Even if Rhodok sergeants carried the siege wood and rammed into the Lion Fort's gate with much more strength than the golems carrying the siege wood, they could only slightly shake the Lion Fort's gate.

However, when sand gathered into a tower, water would drip through the stone. No matter how sturdy the Lion Fort's gate was, it would not be able to withstand the impact of the two pieces of siege wood. As long as they persisted, they would definitely be able to break it open.

Half an hour passed.

Rhodok sergeants were targeted by the archers on the city walls and battlements. He lost more than 30 of them, but these archers' losses were even more severe. They had lost a total of 700 to 800 archers.

"Lord, this is not the way to go on! The defense of the enemy's siege soldiers was very strong. They could usually use their infantry swords to shoot down the arrows shot by our soldiers. However, their archers have high accuracy," a general of the archers complained to Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron. "If this continues, there will be no archers in your fief."

At this moment, every time the siege log hit the Lion Fort's gate, the shaking of the gate was much more intense than before. However, it would take at least two hours to break the gate open.

Kant's eyes flashed with a thoughtful light. Suddenly, a plan appeared in his mind, which could greatly speed up the opening of the gate.

Chapter 598: The Manifestation of the War Spirit

Kant now had six goshawks under his command, because every goshawk that was subdued required Kant to provide the power of the rules of war at all times to maintain their combat strength, continuing to subdue the goshawks would reduce the power of the rules of war that Kant could use, so Kant did not continue to subdue the goshawks.

However, six goshawks were enough for scouting.

After the four world barons entered Lion Fort yesterday, Kant activated the "Nature's Favor" special effect. Although Kant usually used the goshawk to scout, it did not mean that Kant could not control other creatures to scout.

Therefore, through the sight and hearing of the tiny insects surrounding the four world barons, Kant heard some information that made him feel a chill all over his body. At the same time, he also learned that the three world barons had left the Lion Fort yesterday.

Kant also confirmed through the goshawk that the three world barons had appeared from a dense forest and headed towards their own family's castle. At this time, Kant also found Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron who had appeared in the Lion Fort. Most importantly, he was alone at the moment and was not with the other three world barons.

This meant that the three world barons hadn't returned to Lion Fort after leaving through a secret passage yesterday.

A world baron couldn't pose too much of a threat to Kant.

As Kant thought of this, a thought flashed through his mind.

Chirp chirp chirp chirp.

Blitz the goshawk immediately descended from the high ground and flew towards Kant.

Kant planned to have the goshawk bring him over the high walls of Lion Fort. Then, he would use Sequence of Protector 1 -- war spirit to summon 100 Grand Knights' peak war spirits to charge at the soldiers blocking the city gates.

This way, the stability of the Lion Fort's gates would be greatly reduced, and the time needed for them to be knocked open would also be reduced. If possible, the war spirits could even directly open the gates of Lion Fort.

Attacking from the inside was often the fastest way to break down a strong castle.

Blitz the goshawk flew past Kant, and Kant leaped from his horse and stepped onto his back, standing up straight. Blitz flapped its wings and its body began to rise rapidly towards the sky. At the same time, it brought Kant along.

For Blitz, whose strength had reached the peak of a Grand Knight, bringing a person to fly was a piece of cake. There was no difficulty at all. Very soon, it followed Kant's will and brought Kant over the high wall of the Lion Fort. They appeared in the sky above the Lion Fort. The location where they appeared was chosen by Kant, which made the archers on the towers and battlements of Lion Fort unable to do anything to Kant, who had entered on a goshawk.

Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron, who was commanding the army, saw Kant flew into the sky above the Lion Fort on a goshawk, and his heart trembled.

"Baron Kant, are you trying to assassinate me?" Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron recalled how Kant had killed Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese yesterday and a sense of fear rose in his heart when he saw Kant killing him. He could not withstand such a powerful attack.

Therefore, Kant saw the owner of Lion Fort, the world baron, Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron fleeing in panic when he entered the sky above the Lion Fort at a height of 50 to 60 meters above the ground.

Kant's deterrence at this moment was too terrifying, especially in the eyes of those who had seen him display his might yesterday.

Kant shook his head in amusement. He did not have the intention to launch an assassination against Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron. At this moment, Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron was full of the power of rules, he was not confident in using the powerful attack of the fourth level of the power of rules like yesterday. If he couldn't kill Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron instantly, he would be surrounded, putting himself in danger.

Moreover, he didn't want to ruin his image as invincible in the eyes of the remaining four world barons. Such an image had many benefits, and it was a great deterrent in itself. For example, if Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron came over to stop him, it would be difficult for his plan to be carried out smoothly.

Kant was in mid-air, and a thought flashed through his mind, "Special Effect Sequence of Protector 1 -- war spirit, activate!"

As Kant's thought surged, the emerald necklace around his neck immediately absorbed a large amount of the power of the rules of war from Kant. Then, in the Lion Fort square below Kant, 100 peak Grand Knights war spirits quickly appeared.

The moment they appeared, they charged toward the Lion Fort gate according to Kant's will. There were hundreds of infantry there, blocking the city gate tightly. They used all their strength to block the Lion Fort gate, as a result, the force of Rhodok sergeants carrying the siege wood outside the gate was mostly withstood by them.

When the archers on the city walls and battlements saw that the enemy troops had appeared inside the Lion Fort, they immediately shot out a large number of arrows to attack the war spirits. On the other side, when they were shooting at the Rhodok sergeants, who were carrying the siege wood, they were suppressed by Rhodok snipers. They suffered heavy casualties, but their results were weak. At this moment, they were all filled with anger.

The war spirit was a heavy armored cavalry, so it naturally did not have long-range methods to counterattack the archers on the city walls and battlements. The archers were shooting happily, they were ruthlessly venting out the anger they had encountered when they faced Rhodok snipers on the other side.

However, every war spirit was at the peak level of a Grand Knight. The defensive ability of the full-body armor and full-body helmet on their bodies could also be comparable to the elite armor produced by the system on the body of the Swadian royal knights, the defensive ability was extremely powerful. Even if an enemy at the peak level of a Grand Knight exploded with extraordinary power, they would not be able to pierce through it with a single strike.

Therefore, although the archers on the battlements relied on the anger in their hearts to shoot their arrows at a much faster speed than normal, their arrows were unable to cause any damage to the war spirits. Most of the arrows were blocked by the war spirit's knight sword. A small portion of the arrows that were not blocked were attacked by the war spirit's full-body armor or full-body helmet, however, the war spirits only left a shallow mark on their armor or helmet. They could not cause any damage to them.

The 100 war spirits charged at the infantry in the city gate while facing the dense rain of arrows.

Chapter 599: The Bloody Battle at the Gate of the Castle

They did not roar, nor made noises. Instead, they silently moved across the square in the Lion Fort like a dark red ghost, however, the aura they emitted was not weaker than an army that gathered knights to the peak through shouting and roaring.

In the silence, sometimes, the feeling of power revealed was even more ferocious.

Especially now, the war spirits withstood the dense rain of arrows. Not a single person was injured or killed, and its speed was not affected at all. This made the soldiers in the Lion Fort even more terrified of this army.

And the most terrifying thing was the hundreds of soldiers in the city gate.

They had no way to retreat, and even if they wanted to escape, there was no place to escape. Seeing the silent but monstrous heavy cavalry army charging towards them with a clear goal, they could not help but feel despair.

"Why are you charging at us? We are at the city gate!" Some of the soldiers tried their best to resist the violent vibrations of the city gate as they roared in fear.

"You will die too! Even if you kill us, you will also crash into the city gate and kill yourselves!" Some of the soldiers roared at the war spirits that were approaching.

"Stop, quickly stop! You bunch of lunatics! The lowly lives of us infantrymen are not worth your lives in exchange!" Another soldier in the city gate loudly cursed and persuaded the war spirits, wanting them to stop charging.

The answer was the silence of the war spirits. As usual, they accelerated and charged forward. Even if they charged into the city gate as the enemy had said, under the tremendous speed of the warhorse, it was very likely that they would crash into the city gate and die. They did not hesitate and did not waver at all.

They were not an ordinary army, but Kant's summoned creatures. Other than killing techniques, they did not have their own thoughts. Everything was done according to Kant's orders.

"You bunch of darn archers, didn't you come from the Grand Duke's fiefdom? Didn't you look down on the local soldiers? Why are you all acting like trash now? You can't even kill a single enemy cavalry? You bunch of rubbish!"

The terror of death was nearing, and some of the soldiers immediately collapsed due to fear. Tears of fear flowed down their faces, but their mouths were cursing the archers on the city walls and battlements who were on the same side as them. They were the Lion Fort's own army and not the elites who had been sent out from Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's estate.

More than ten years of peace had eroded their will to fight, making them weak and afraid of death.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A hundred war spirit warhorses stepped on the bluestone in the Lion Fort square in unison. The sound was loud and orderly, like a drum and a heavy hammer, it hit the hearts of the infantrymen in the city gate repeatedly, causing the fear and despair in their hearts to spread crazily.

"Ah! I can't take it anymore! I can't take it anymore! I want to open the city gate, I want to escape, I want to escape!" This kind of increasing intense pressure, very quickly, dominated many infantrymen with fear and despair. Their survival instinct prompted them to do all kinds of crazy actions.

The time of peace had truly corroded them completely. They actually thought of opening the city gates at such a critical moment to escape. Could it be that it was safer outside the city gates?

The war spirits quickly crossed a large distance and officially charged into the city gates. Some of the soldiers on the outermost side had nowhere to hide and were immediately killed by the speeding warhorses. A large area of their chests collapsed. At the last moment, they let out extremely miserable wails, which further stimulated the infantrymen who were tightly blocking the city gate.

"Hurry up! Hurry up! Lift the gate!" A soldier roared crazily as he and a dozen other soldiers lifted the heavy gate.

"Ah! That's great! That's great! The gate is lifted! We're saved, we can escape!" This soldier was so happy that he cried. He was about to pull open the castle gate together with the other soldiers.

Boom! Boom!

Suddenly, two loud booms rang out from above the castle gates. The castle gates, which had already lifted the gate valve down, were naturally unable to block the onslaught of the siege timbers. At this moment, the siege timbers directly pushed open the city gates, and the first to bear the brunt were the soldiers who had pushed the gates up close to the castle gates.

In an instant, their wrists were broken by the tremendous force transmitted from the city gates. Then, they were hit by the rapidly opening gates. It was not any better than being hit by the charging warhorses. They instantly spat out blood mixed with internal organs and let out shrill and miserable howls. Their voices were filled with regret and despair.

For more than half an hour, the gate of the castle had been continuously bombarded outside, making them think that the force of the bombardment was only so-so. Little did they know that although they, the soldiers, had withstood the violent shock and some force for the gate of the castle. However, most of the force was blocked by the thick and heavy valve of the gate.

If they took down the gate valves by themselves, they would really be courting death.

"The city gate was opened by them? How can the soldiers of Lion Fort be so polite?" Kant looked up at the hundreds and thousands of bodies that were thrown from the city towers and battlements to the square of Lion Fort to make room for other archers, he couldn't help but feel strange. "Are these fierce archers and those cowardly, muddle-headed guys really the same noble's army? Why is the gap so big?"

Kant suppressed the surprise in his heart and muttered to himself, "That's good too. I originally thought of using the death of 100 war spirits to exchange for the early opening of the Lion Fort's castle gate. I didn't expect that it would be unnecessary now!"

At this moment, Kant had a thought. The 100 war spirits who were charging forward ferociously, one after another, towards the city gate's hole that was close to suicide, suddenly disappeared without any warning.

Kant would not be willing to use the lives of the war spirits to exchange for the lives of infantrymen who looked more like random soldiers than regular soldiers. It was not worth it.

Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron, who had retreated into the depths of the castle, looked at Viscount Carl Cameron coldly. "Are these the elite infantrymen you have trained to attack the City of Lion's Heart?"

Viscount Carl Cameron's face turned red. He did not dare to refute. The authority of his parents was so strong that he could not refute it. Moreover, in the face of the iron-like facts, he did not have the confidence to refute.

Chapter 600: Perfect Battlefield Slaughter

Was he supposed to tell his father that these infantrymen were the remaining scumbags of the cavalry and had been idle for ten years, while he had only trained them for a month or two? Any reason was useless. It was because the soldiers he trained had sent them to guard the city gate, but they had actually opened it by themselves in a ridiculous manner. This had even caused the elite archers on the city walls and battlements to risk their lives to stop the other party from bombarding the city gate. It had become a joke.

He had originally planned to let them play a role. After all, in the city gates, all he had to do was hold the city gate open with all their might as long as he could stall for more time. It would be even better if he could stall until the other upper-class noble families of South County arrived.

But now, everything had been messed up by the soldiers he had trained. Even if the soldiers did not open the city gates, based on the current situation, they would not be able to hold on for long. However, this was no longer important. The possibility of him wanting to take control of the army again and take revenge on Baron Kant was already very small.

Viscount Carl Cameron was absentminded for a moment and stared at the goshawk in the sky with Baron Kant on its back. His golden hair fluttering in the wind and the blood-red cloak fluttering behind his back.

At this moment, Baron Kant was extremely dazzling in Carl Cameron's eyes. This guy was a terrifying person who could even split the world baron in half with a single sword strike. He had already become a terrifying existence that even his father, who had always been the greatest hero in his heart, did not dare to confront head-on.

He was too powerful! He stood alone in the sky as if he had trampled the entire Lion Fort on the ground. Viscount Carl Cameron, who was the ruler of Lion Fort other than his father, actually felt that it was natural.

Thinking back to how Baron Kant had humiliated him and the other four top counts of the Dukedom of Leo, treating them as weak insects, Viscount Carl Cameron no longer had the emotions that made his heart feel like it was about to explode.

At the same time, he really could not understand how this guy, who had been treated like a scoundrel since he was young, had even brought thirty ridiculous peasants to the desperate Nahrin Desert, how could he grow to be so powerful and terrifying.

However, the current situation did not allow Viscount Carl Cameron to continue thinking.

His father, Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's cold voice rang in his ears, "Carl, go to my fief, Cameron Castle in the demiplane. There is a secret room in my bedroom. This token can help you open the secret room. There is the inheritance of our Cameron family there. If this token starts to emit a gray aura, it means that I am dead."

Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron looked at Baron Kant's army, who was slowly advancing towards the gate of Lion Fort, handed a gray token to Viscount Carl Cameron and he continued, "There is a one-way teleportation formation in the secret room. If I die, you can escape from that one-way teleportation formation. Remember to bring the inheritance of our family with you. After I die, you can awaken your real name as soon as possible and inherit my title of Baron of the world. At the same time, you can seek refuge with the seniors of the family. If you can return to the World of Isai in the future, and if Baron Kant is still alive at that time, don't forget the hatred of our family!"

Baron Carl Cameron heard Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's cold words and understood that it was his father's last words. He could not help but cry. No matter how much his father had changed after he inherited the title of baron of the world and obtained the inheritance of the Cameron family, Carl Cameron could still feel his father's deep love for him.

He also understood that his father was in danger of dying in the face of the extremely powerful Baron Kant.

"Father, let me go with you. I'm not afraid of death!" Viscount Carl Cameron suddenly felt a surge of hot-blooded courage in his heart and could not help but say.

"Scram!" Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron suddenly made a move. A thick curse of the power of rules ruthlessly struck Viscount Carl Cameron's body and pushed him far away.

After Kant put away the war spirits, with a thought, the goshawk carried him to the city tower and the battlements. When he moved to the top of the city tower, Kant released 100 war spirits again, but this time, he directly released the war spirits on the city tower and battlements, he sent them to clean up the archers on the city tower and battlements.

The moment the war spirits appeared, the archers on the city tower and battlements were immediately shocked.

There was no reason for heavy cavalries to appear on the city tower and battlements with their horses. This was simply subverting the understanding of this group of archers towards the world, cutting off their frequent battles with the demon army, they had also never encountered such a strange situation.

They were all extremely familiar with these heavy cavalries. Just now, they had shot a lot of arrows at this heavy cavalry, but it had not been of any use. Now, this heavy cavalry had appeared directly on the city tower and battlements, giving them a feeling of shock and fear.

Facing an army that their arrows could not break through, what could they do?

"Shoot! Shoot! At such a close distance, we will definitely be able to shoot them to death!" The leader of the archers shouted, at this moment, even if they were in a desperate situation, as long as they were not dead, they would fight to the death with these heavy cavalries. It was just like how they fought against the demon army.

Ever since they became soldiers, they knew that this day would come sooner or later. In the past, they had always thought that they would die at the hands of the demons. But today, they realized that they were probably going to die at the hands of a group of heavy cavalries who were even more bizarre and unpredictable than the demons.

The power of war did not say anything and continued to kill in silence. On the city walls and battlements, there was only the sound of hooves trampling on the greenstone bricks on the ground, the swishing sound of arrows flying out, the buzzing sound of bowstrings vibrating. There were also the miserable howls of the archers before they died.

Just as the archers had expected, they had no way of dealing with this almost inhuman army. These 100 war spirits were like a group of killing machines, silently but abnormally fast killing, it didn't look like they would feel tired and afraid. In the face of the killing, in the face of the fresh lives that had died under their knights' swords, they remained silent and ruthless.

"What a perfect group of battlefield killers!" Seeing the efficient slaughter of the war spirits, they could not help but praise it.

Chapter 601: The Hidden Demiplane

Compared to yesterday, when they became cannon fodder to stop the footsteps of the five world nobles, their battle prowess against the slightly weaker army was truly displayed. Their strength was not much better than the Swadian royal knights and Sarleon Lion Knights. If 100 Swadian royal knights or 100 Sarleon Lion Knights were to fight against these 100 war spirits, the victory would definitely be 100 Swadian royal knights and 100 Sarleon Lion Knights. Because of their coordination, the war spirits were undoubtedly the worst of the three.

However, in terms of killing efficiency, these 100 war spirits would undoubtedly be ranked first because their killing was extremely efficient and precise like a group of killing machines.

After Kant combined them for two days, the performance of the war spirits in various battle situations gradually made him understand what kind of situations these war spirits could play the greatest role in.

Not long after, the 100 war spirits slaughtered all the archers on the city walls and battlements, completely occupying the area. This time, the war spirits did not have any casualties like before. After all, the closer the arrows were, the harder it was to block and dodge. The armor on the war spirits was only a manifestation of the power of the rules of war. As they were attacked more and more, their defensive abilities were slowly being depleted, in the end, some of the war spirits' armor defenses fell to a certain extent, and they were shot down by dozens of arrows.

The war spirits were not invincible, and this gave the archers who had been completely annihilated some comfort before they died. After all, they had dragged at least a dozen terrifying enemies to be buried with them. However, if they knew that the war spirits that they had killed only needed another two hours before Kant would be able to summon them again, wouldn't they be so angry that their corpses would jump up.

That was because this meant that the enemy would be able to eliminate them without any losses.

Without the threat of archers, 700 Swadian royal knights, 900 Sarleon Lion Knights, 750 Rhodok sergeants, 800 Swadian Sergeants, 800 Rhodok snipers, 800 Virgil archers, 800 Ravenstern Rangers, along with 1,000 Enfath Empire Mages, they slowly moved through the gates into the Lion Fort.

The hundreds of infantrymen belonging to the Lion Fort were all slaughtered by Rhodok sergeants, who were leading the way as if he was putting on a show. The infantrymen of the Lion Fort were running like crazy, they did not dare to fight the Rhodok sergeants head-on. However, they were very weak. Even if they wanted to escape, they would not be able to escape in the crowded city gates. In the end, they were all destroyed by the Rhodok sergeants.

Kant stood on the goshawk and smiled.

The gate of the Lion Fort had been taken down. It was rare that the soldiers of the Lion Fort opened the gate for them. This made the gate of the Lion Fort very intact and could be closed again. It still had a strong defense.

When all the soldiers brought their supplies into the gate of the Lion Fort, Kant stood on top of the goshawk and ordered, "Close the gate!"

"Rhodok sergeants and Swadian sergeants each send 100 people to guard the gate! At the critical moment, hold the gate, don't let the enemy break open the heavy gate!"

"Rhodok snipers, Virgil archers, and Ravenstern Rangers each send 200 people to guard the gate and the battlements! If any upper-class noble comes, shoot them!"

Kant was in a good mood as he gave the order. At this moment, the impregnable gates of the Lion Fort had become a powerful barrier for his army.

Then, with a thought from Kant, Blitz the goshawk sent Kant down, and Kant returned to his warhorse. Then, like the other five goshawks, Blitz flew high up into the sky to investigate for Kant. As long as Kant was willing, he could obtain the view of the six goshawks at any time and discover the enemy's whereabouts.

For example, most of the upper-class noble families in the South County had just set out. They slowly came out of their own castles and slowly marched on the road leading to the Lion Fort, the closer they were to the Lion Fort, the slower the speed of the upper-class noble families' troops would be. Although they had to obey the order of the Cameron family due to the terrifying bloodline curse of the Cameron family and send out troops to assist the Lion Fort, they didn't have to rush forward desperately. Wouldn't it be better if they could let other noble families be the vanguard?

All this information was seen by Kant through the six goshawks.

"Judging from the speed of the noble families, it will take them at least three hours to reach the Lion Fort."

"Three hours is enough to wipe out the entire Lion Fort! If the army displayed in the Lion Fort is at their full strength, however, after a battle, the loss of my army will not be small. In the end, I still underestimated the strength of these world noble families!"

On the other side of the Lion Fort square, the other side was occupied by Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's army, while this side was occupied by Baron Kant's army. When the city gate was opened, Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron did not send more troops to take back the city gate. Based on his observation of Baron Kant's troops, he would only be sending the troops to their deaths.

Therefore, when Baron Kant's soldiers entered Lion Fort, he also sent orders to his subordinates, asking them to send out all the soldiers that could fight in his demiplane.

Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron controlled a demiplane, and his army was very large.

At this time, in the entire Lion Fort, there were no less than 20,000 soldiers belonging to Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron and they were all troops with strength above the official knight level. Due to the unique environment in the demiplane, when ordinary people in the demiplane reached adulthood, their strength was already close to the official knight level in this main demiplane.

Among them, the black-armored knights were the most powerful force in Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's hands. There were a total of 1500 of them. The equipment of these black-armored knights was extremely good. By relying on the sharpness of their equipment, they were only slightly inferior to the Swadian royal knights and the Sarleon Lion Knights.

In addition, there was also a heavy cavalry army formed by 2000 strong Grand Knights. Although their equipment was not powerful equipment that had been added with abyssal magic iron, it was still very good, at the very least, they were comparable to the equipment of Kant's level-5 cavalry. Unfortunately, almost all of these 2,000 Grand Knights were at the initial and middle stages of Grand Knights.

Chapter 602: The so-called Father

As for those who were a little higher, they were all qualified to join the black-armored knights.

Due to the difference in strength and equipment, the Swadian royal knights could easily defeat three Grand Knight-level heavy cavalries by themselves. Even Rhodok sergeants could deal with one of them by himself. As for the Swadian sergeants, he needed three to deal with one.

Apart from that, there were 5,000 regular heavy cavalries at the official knight of the troop. Their individual strength was equivalent to Kant's 4-level troop class. However, this only meant that they were stronger than Kant's 3-level troop class, it was not that they could really be comparable to Kant's 4-level troop class. Kant's 4-level troop class could easily defeat the peak of the official knights in this world.

Among the 5,000 ordinary heavy cavalries of the official knight level, there were only 100 to 200 soldiers at the peak level of the official knight. The rest were only at the initial stage, middle stage, and high stage of the official knight, compared to the 4-level troop class under Kant, they were much weaker.

In addition, there were 10,000 elite infantrymen. Similar to the 5,000 official knights, the individual strength of these infantrymen had reached the official knight class. However, there were only 400 to 500 soldiers at the peak level of the official knight, the rest were also at the initial stage, middle stage, and high stage of the official knight level.

No matter how fierce the cavalry was, the infantrymen were indispensable troops. In fact, the powerful infantrymen were not inferior to the cavalry at all. They could even counter the cavalry. However, the Cameron family obviously valued the cavalry more. All the soldiers above the grand knight level were cavalry. In terms of offensive power, the cavalry that charged up was indeed the number one existence among all the troops.

Apart from the above troops, Ryan. Isai. Cameron also had 1500 archers under his command.

These 20,000 soldiers all exuded a cold and merciless aura. Anyone who looked at them would know that they were elite soldiers who had experienced war for a long time. Many of the soldiers also had this terrifying and ferocious scar on their bodies. This scar on the battlefield did not make people feel ugly. Instead, it was more like a medal that grew on their bodies.

Behind Kant, Dunde suddenly sighed. "Lord, this is the first time we have seen an army that is not much inferior to us in terms of morale since we followed you on this world's expedition. This army is very strong, and it is also an army with a soul."

Kant said with a smile, "They are the army in Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's fief. As far as I know, they have to fight a great war every year. Many times, the enemy's strength is not weaker than theirs, or even stronger. However, they are fighting on their own land and have the geographical advantage, so their chances of winning are greater."

Kant felt the smoke of war coming from this army, his face gradually became serious. "However, I did not expect that there would be a very cruel war every year. It is surprising that the strength of Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's army would still be so strong."

This was not a joke. With Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's current strength, even if he were to fight against all the upper-class noble families in the South County, the only one who would win would be Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron.

Just based on the strength that he displayed, it was only slightly inferior to Kant's current strength when he entered the Lion Fort. Although the enemy's number was more than three times that of Kant's soldiers, the difference in individual soldiers' strength was too huge. Moreover, Kant's army had a total of 1000 mages. On the battlefield, if a mage had a favorable environment to deal damage, his battle strength could even match five Grand Knight-level soldiers.

Kant continued in a relaxed tone, "However, although the enemy is strong, we are stronger. When the two armies are facing each other, sometimes when they are stronger, the difference is thousands of miles. Moreover, I have many means to increase the strength of the soldiers. If there is no external force involved in this battle, it will be a one-sided war."

At this point, Kant had already experienced many wars. With regards to the situation of the war, the comparison of the strength of both sides, and the tilt of the battlefield, he had a more objective grasp of victory and defeat. At this moment, even if Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron used the domineering aura of the army, even with the strict military discipline, large numbers, and outstanding strength, Kant still did not have the slightest bit of worry as he was confident of winning.

Because other than being outnumbered, Kant knew that his army was stronger than the enemy's in all other aspects.

As the armies of both sides took up positions on the spacious square in Lion Fort, war was about to break out.

At this moment, Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron stepped out from the opposing army and came to the front of his army.

He spoke in a clear voice, his voice was so cold that it was almost indiscernible. "Kant, my son! Are you going to kill your father today?"

At this moment, Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron was also forced into a dead-end by Kant. After seeing the strength of Kant's army yesterday, Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron, who was also experienced in battle, quickly determined that the overall strength of his army was much weaker than Kant's. However, he had already drawn out all the available soldiers in his fief and demiplane. At this moment, his strength was already the limit of what he could do.

Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron did not expect that Baron Kant would attack the Lion Fort so decisively in the morning. Moreover, he even used a strange move to take down the gate of the Lion Fort. According to his expectations, he should have been able to hold on until the arrival of reinforcements, but now it was time for the decisive battle between him and Kant.

Although the family had already arranged for a way out, who would not care about their own life and death? As the Baron of the world, Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron would only care more than ordinary people.

Therefore, at this last moment, even though he knew that Kant had a heart of stone and was determined to kill him, he still spoke. If he wanted to shake Kant's faith in the name of his father, he could at least buy some time.

At the very least, he could make Kant bear the crime of "patricide" and make Kant's soldiers alienate him. This might affect the combat strength of Kant's soldiers, allowing him to find a chance to survive in a desperate situation.

Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron was probably the smartest among the five world barons. Therefore, if there was something that required the five world barons to act together, the other four world barons would always act according to Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's opinion.

At this moment, facing his own desperate situation, Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's match instantly gave Kant a difficult problem. Regardless of whether Kant admitted or retreated, Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron was a sure win. It could be considered as killing three birds with one stone.

However, hearing Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's words, Kant only sighed with melancholy.

"It was only yesterday that I understood why I was treated like that all these years. I was treated like trash by my own family!" Kant paused for a moment, a look of reminiscence flashed in his eyes, and there was a hint of sadness and understanding. "Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron, didn't you say that your son Kant died when he was three years old? I always thought that I was your son. I used to be respectful to you, look up to you, admired you. I also thought of you as a great hero. But as time passed, you gradually died in my heart, just like your son Kant died in your heart when he was three years old."

Chapter 603: Obstacles to Progress

Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron was shocked when he heard Kant's words. When he spoke to the three world barons yesterday evening, he had confirmed that no one was eavesdropping. When Viscount Carl Cameron suddenly barged in to report the military situation, they had already stopped discussing.

In other words, other than the four world barons, no one else knew about their conversation yesterday. Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron also believed that the three world southern barons would not tell Kant about the content of their conversation. After so many years of cooperation, they still knew each other very well.

Then, how did Baron Kant know about the content of their conversation yesterday? Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron gave Kant a deep look. He did not expect Kant to have an ability that they had never known before.

As for the content of Kant's words, it did not affect Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron at all, just like how Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron could not use the affection between father and son to shake Kant's heart.

As soon as Kant finished speaking, his soldiers were already in position. Without any delay, he immediately gave the order to attack.

Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron was very disappointed. He realized that he had not achieved any of his three goals.

Baron Kant was not affected at all, nor did he delay the attack time. At the same time, what surprised Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron the most was that Baron Kant's soldiers were not affected at all.

Baron Kant's soldiers, whether they were infantry or cavalry, archers or mages, only looked at Kant with respect and worship, as well as trust and submission from the bottom of their hearts.

Baron Kant had already issued the order to attack, so Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron naturally could only issue the order to attack. His army's main force was the cavalry. If they stood still and waited for Baron Kant's army to approach, then they would kill each other, it would be very disadvantageous.

The two armies had a large number. Although the Lion Fort's inner square was huge, it was a little crowded after accommodating so many armies from both sides. The short distance between the two armies made it difficult for the cavalry of the two armies to charge, it was very difficult to enter the charging posture and truly charge.

Therefore, Kant did not choose to let the Swadian royal knights and the Sarleon Lion Knights charge. Instead, he chose the strategy of infantrymen leading the charge and advancing steadily. However, Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's army was mainly composed of cavalry. Even if the distance was not enough, he still allowed his cavalry to charge at Kant's army. Even if they could not reach the level of charging posture, as long as they ran, the charging force of the cavalry was still much stronger than the combat strength of those who stayed in the same place.

Kant looked at the densely packed 8,500 cavalries and frowned. These cavalries could not enter the charging posture at all. Kant was not worried about how much impact they could have on his army. However, Kant was worried that among the 8,500 cavalries, there were still soldiers who had the means of the cursed stone. If they succeeded in releasing it, it would be very difficult to stop them outside the gate of Lion Fort. At that time, Kant's army would definitely suffer heavy losses.

Regardless of whether they had it or not, it would be good to stop them!

"Mages, listen up! Release the Nature Summon spell! Block between the two armies!" At this time, there was only one world baron in the enemy army, and Kant could deal with it on his own. When he saw that, he did not need to specifically ask the mages to block the number of Nature Summon spells so that they could be used as cannon fodder to deal with the world baron.

After the 1,000 Enfath Empire Mages heard the order, they immediately cast the Nature Summon spell. Each of the mages could summon five golem puppets with the spell. Therefore, in just a short while, the two armies were separated from each other by 5,000 golem puppets that were slow in movement but were extremely powerful. At this moment, the two armies had just gathered 200 meters away from each other.

Kacha. Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's face was ashen. Under his cold expression, anger surged.

"Darn it, Baron Kant actually used such a method to stop my army from approaching his army!"

In fact, Kant's worry was reasonable. The soldiers that contained the cursed stone could be said to be the trump card of the Cameron family. Although it took a long time to nurture this army, it was very cost-effective and the cost was relatively small. In the past, in the fief, many powerful demon armies were not much weaker than the black-armored knights. They were destroyed by the soldiers who had the cursed stone.

At this moment, in Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's army, there were a total of 8,500 knights who were charging at Kant. Apart from 1,500 black-armored knights and 2,000 heavy cavalries at the Grand Knight level, there were another 5,000 heavy cavalries several times the number of official knights.

Among these 5,000 heavy cavalries at the official knight level, there were 3,000 fake "heavy cavalries" with cursed stones. They wore wooden armors that were similar to the armor of official knights and ran at the front of the group, when they were close to Baron Kant's army, they used the same trick again and threw the cursed stone, causing Kant's soldiers to be cursed by them again.

"Mages, listen to my command. Control the golem puppets and push them towards the enemy!"

"Rhodok snipers, listen to my command. Target the enemy cavalries, shoot freely!"

At this distance, if Kant wanted to attack the enemy, only the golem puppet summoned by the mages and Rhodok snipers, who had a range of more than 300 meters, could do so. Since that was the case, Kant naturally would not be polite. Moreover, he could also test whether the enemy army still had the very troublesome soldiers with cursed stones.

The golem puppets advanced slowly according to the mages' orders. When they got close to the enemy's cavalries, they raised their heavy stone mountain walls and smashed them onto the enemy's body.

Shoo! Shoo! Shoo!

At the same time, 600 Rhodok snipers aimed their city-breaking crossbows at the enemy. Then, they shot out the thick and sharp city-breaking crossbows without hesitation.

At a distance of two hundred meters, the power of the city-breaking crossbows was relatively reduced. The enemy's heavy cavalries, who had the strength of official knights, had a high chance of shooting down such crossbows.

However, the actual situation was true. Those official knights were clumsy. They waved the knight swords in their hands randomly and only cared about using their full strength to kill the golem puppets that were attacking them, they did not pay any attention to the crossbow arrows shot by Rhodok snipers.

Chapter 604: The Impact of the Golem Puppets

While these heavy cavalries were fighting with the golem puppets, Rhodok sniper's arrows hit the bodies of the heavy cavalries at the front row, and easily penetrated them.

Screams of pain rang out from the enemy's formation.

"They were killed so easily? The armor of these official knights is indeed made of wood. If it was made of iron, even the arrows from the siege crossbows would not be able to penetrate it easily at a distance of two hundred meters."

Kant looked at the enemy's heavy cavalries that suffered heavy casualties because of the rain of arrows from the Rhodok snipers, he immediately determined that there was indeed an army of soldiers carrying the cursed stone that had perished together with the enemy yesterday.

"I would like to see how many of you there are!" Kant's eyes flashed with a ruthless look as he watched the Rhodok snipers shoot the enemy's heavy cavalries to the ground row by row.

Although the internal square of the Lion Fort was large, it was extremely crowded after accommodating nearly 30,000 soldiers and 5,000 golem puppets. Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's soldiers were continuously shot to death, however, they had no choice. They could not retreat even if they wanted to. There was no way to retreat behind them. There was only a dense army.

The 5,000 golem puppets were like a grayish-brown border of two opposing powers. They isolated Baron Kant's army and Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's army. At the same time, they created extremely advantageous attacking and defensive conditions for Kant's army.

Shoo! Shoo! Shoo! Shoo!

Puchi! Puchi! Puchi! Puchi! Puchi! Puchi!

Rhodok snipers fired continuously. Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's specially trained "heavy cavalries" who carried the cursed stones continued to die.

As the commander-in-chief of the enemy, Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron was heartbroken. These specially trained soldiers were one of his trump cards. At the right time, they would not play a smaller role than his other trump card, the black-armored knights, now, they had died in the hands of Baron Kant's crossbow soldiers without any value. However, even though he was the Baron of the south of the world, he was helpless in the face of the current situation.

The Lion Fort that originally belonged to him had now been given to Baron Kant, the invader, to gain the geographical advantage and slaughter his army. How humiliating and helpless was this. Fortunately, if it were not for the special effects of these 3,000 heavy cavalries, their combat strength would be negligible. Therefore, the strength of his army did not decrease by much.

As the 3,000 "heavy cavalries" who carried cursed stones and had extremely poor combat skills were all killed, the results that Rhodok snipers could achieve were quickly reduced.

As they had to let the 3,000 "heavy cavalries" who carried cursed stones charge at the front, the other 2,000 heavy cavalries who had the strength of knights charged at the front with them. Now, the 3,000 "heavy cavalries" were almost all dead, the other 2,000 heavy cavalries with the strength of knights were at the front. Behind them were 1,500 black-armored knights and 2,000 heavy cavalries with the strength of Grand Knights.

The 2,000 heavy cavalries with the strength of knights at the front were genuine elite heavy cavalries. They were rich in combat experience, skilled in combat techniques, and well-equipped. It was much more difficult for Rhodok's city-breaking crossbow bolts to kill such soldiers from 200 meters away.

However, the casualties of these 2,000 heavy cavalries were much slower, but there were still casualties. In fact, they were still a large number of casualties. However, most of their casualties were caused by the heavy attacks of the golem puppets.

The golem puppets were slow in movement and had an astonishing defense. At the same time, they were extremely powerful. In terms of strength alone, they could even wrestle with a 6-level troop class soldier. Their overall strength was only equivalent to a common 5-level troop class soldier. If it was a one-on-one fight, the weakness of hesitation was too obvious. The golem puppets would undoubtedly be easily destroyed by a 5-level troop class soldier. However, if it was a one-on-one fight against a 4-level troop class soldier, the golem puppets would find it difficult to attack a 4-level troop class soldier due to their slow movements. However, it would take a long time for a 4-level troop class soldier to destroy the golem puppets.

And now, with such a dense formation, it was very suitable for the golem puppets to perform. Previously, they had also killed many "heavy cavalries", but they were covered up by the rapid and efficient killing of Rhodok's snipers.

At this moment, due to the distance, Rhodok's killing efficiency had dropped to a very low level. At this moment, the continuous death of one enemy became the highlight of the golem puppet.

The golem puppet was almost two meters tall. Following the mages' attacking and killing will, it slowly raised its hands and smashed heavily at the heavy cavalry that was sitting on the horse. As the heavy cavalries were in a dense formation, they could not dodge the golem puppet's attack by moving their horses. They could only parry with the knight's sword.

However, the golem's strength was so great that the heavy cavalry who were at the knight's level could not withstand the golem puppet's terrifying arms which carried the force of a thousand pounds. Usually, the moment they blocked the golem puppet, after the collapse of the Tiger, Knight Sword off the hand, and then back golem puppet smashed on the chest.

A heavy Iron Knight's armor that is easily resistant to slashes and stabs. But when it comes to blunt-force attacks, the tolerance is much lower. When a heavy blunt weapon strikes the Iron Knight's armor, it can cause extremely violent shock. If the force is strong enough, it can even cause the iron armor to distort and squeeze the knight to death.

The arms of the golem puppets carried the force of a thousand tons, which was not inferior to the fierce and heavy blunt weapons. When they hit the chest of the heavy cavalry with the strength of a knight, a large part of their chest would be dented. Before long, the full-body helmets and armor of these knights would come out. There would be blood foam flowing out, and there would even be small pieces of internal organs in the blood foam. Of course, only small pieces of internal organs could flow out, and the slightly larger ones would be intercepted in the full-body helmets.

The golem puppets moved slowly, and their attack speed was extremely slow. They usually needed a minute to move to the side of another heavy cavalry with the strength of a knight, and then slowly raised their two stone hands. During this period of time, they allowed the Knight's Sword of an enemy that was not even as strong as a 4-level troop class to land on their bodies. They were determined to kill these heavy cavalries with the strength of a knight.

Chapter 605: A wavelike Breakthrough

The 2000 heavy cavalries of official strength, just like this one by one, were hammered to death by the slow golem puppet, fell down from the horse in a sorry state.

Kant was very happy to see this. At this point, he realized that under certain terrain or environmental constraints, these golem puppets, which he thought could only be used as meat shield cannon fodder, could also play an amazing lethality.

After watching the battle for half an hour, Kant's army did not suffer a single casualty. They killed 5,000 of Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's soldiers.

After killing 2,000 heavy cavalries of the official knight level, the enemy's army at the forefront was 1,500 black-armored knights. These black-armored knights were the trump cards of Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron. Their strength far exceeded that of ordinary grand knights. They were only slightly weaker than Kant's Swadian royal knights and the Sarleon Lion Knights.

Especially their equipment. Compared to the Swadian royal knights and the Sarleon Lion Knights, they were a level stronger.

The golem puppets that could kill the heavy cavalries of the official knight level in an instant were like meeting their nemesis when they met the black-armored knights. Their slow attacks could not land on the black-armored knights at all. They would be blocked by the black-armored knights. Then, with three to five strikes, a golem puppet would be attacked by the black-armored knights into a pile of rubble, then, it would automatically disappear from this world.

The black-armored knights were in the mood to kill. They were taking revenge for the robe and their comrades who had just died at the hands of the golem puppets. Suddenly, there was a flash of light. All the golem puppets suddenly disappeared.

The golem puppets summoned by the mages could exist in this world for half an hour. When the time was up or when they were shattered, they would automatically disappear.

Once the golem puppets disappeared, there was no longer any obstacle between Kant's army and Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron. The black-armored knights immediately shouted and quickly activated their warhorses, charging towards Kant's army.

Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's eyes suddenly lit up. This was an opportunity. He immediately ordered the army to start charging again.

"Brothers, charge! For the honor of Lord Cameron, for our family in Lord Cameron's fief, charge!"

Kant estimated the speed of these black-armored knights. When the black-armored knights were only a hundred meters away from Kant's army, Kant suddenly ordered, "Mages, listen up. Cast the Nature Summon spell and block these black-armored knights and the 2,000 Grand Knights behind them!"

As Kant gave the order, the mages immediately focused on chanting the spell. After a few seconds, all 1,000 Enfath Empire Mages cast the Nature Summon spell again.

Every mage had two chances to cast the Nature Summon spell a day. At this moment, they had already used up both chances. If they wanted to cast it again, they would have to wait until the next day, they would have to wait until the number of times the Nature Summon spell was cast was restored.

5,000 grayish-brown golems crashed down from the sky, filling up the gap between the black-armored knights and Kant's army. The golems squeezed one by one. The density was three to four times higher than before.

At this moment, the black-armored knights were only 50 meters away from Kant's army. Following closely behind them were 2,000 heavy cavalries of Grand Knight level. Following closely behind them were 10,000 infantrymen of official knight level and 1,500 archers. Obviously, their strength was not in the eyes of Ryan. Isai. Cameron. The order given to them was simply to follow the cavalry to attack.

"Just right!" Kant looked at the black-armored knights who were blocked by the golem puppets 50 meters away from his army. The corners of his mouth could not help but curl up slightly. This distance was very suitable for the long-range troop class to display their might. It could even be considered as the best attack range.

When Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron saw this scene, his sea-blue eyes suddenly contracted. An extremely unpleasant premonition appeared in his heart. After all, he had personally experienced how terrifying the long-range troop class of Baron Kant's army was.

It could be said that yesterday if it were not for him and the other four world barons wearing magic iron armor, they would not have been able to hold on for long under the wave-like attacks of Kant's long-range troop class.

"Retreat! Black-armored knights, retreat!" Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron realized Baron Kant's plan, he quickly understood his trump card -- the terrifying encounter that the black-armored knights were about to face. He immediately roared, hoping that his trump card army would be able to escape from the terrifying long-range shooting of Baron Kant's army.

However, when the black-armored knights heard Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's order, they wanted to retreat, but they found that there was no place for them to retreat. Behind them, they were already blocked by 2,000 heavy cavalries at the Grand Knight level, they were blocked by 10,000 dense infantry phalanxes. Behind the infantry, there were even archers lined up neatly.

They were all following the order of Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron, heading towards Kant's army to prepare for a big battle with Baron Kant's army.

However, the actual situation was that they had not even officially come into contact with Kant's army and had already lost 5000 knights. Now, their ace army had fallen into a similar situation to the 5000 soldiers that had just been destroyed.

The moment Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron gave the order to retreat, Kant also gave the order to attack without hesitation.

"Rhodok snipers, Virgil archers, Ravenstern Rangers, shoot at will! Mages, cast spells at will to attack these black-armored knights!"

Since Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron had the magic iron armor, Kant already knew that although the spells of the mages were extremely powerful, they would be completely blocked by the magic iron armor. The magic iron armor had extremely high spell resistance and was extremely terrifying.

Therefore, Kant did not plan to leave the spells of the mages to deal with Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron.

With Kant's order, endless bows and arrows, as well as colorful spells, drowned the black-armored Knights 50 meters away. Although the arrows of the Virgil archers and the Ravenstern Rangers could only leave a deep dent on the black armor or helmets of the black-armored knights, they could not penetrate their armor or helmets, but it could confuse the attention of the black-armored knights. That was because the arrows of the Rhodok snipers could directly pierce through the armor or helmet of the black-armored knights at a distance of 50 meters.

Chapter 606: The Hidden Crown of Darkness

If it was just the siege crossbow arrows, with the strength of the black-armored knights, most of them could block the arrows from 50 meters away. However, there were even more arrows. The arrows shot by Rhodok snipers were mixed in with them. If the black-armored knights wanted to easily block the arrows, it would be more difficult.

Moreover, besides the archers, there were even more terrifying mages from the Enfath Empire who attacked these black-armored knights. Their spells were truly extraordinary, their attack strength was no less than that of the Swadian royal knights and the Sarleon Lion Knights.

As for the black-armored knights' armors and helmets, although they had been added with abyssal magic iron, the amount added was very little. The resistance of their armors and helmets to spells could only reduce the power of spells by three levels.

However, just this level of resistance was not enough to let them survive the bombardment of spells by a thousand mages.

Within the army of black-armored knights, there were screams of pain and then some were rolling on the ground as they were thrown off from their horses. This kind of situation continued one after another. It meant that one black-armored knight after another had died under the terrifying spells of the Rhodok snipers or the Enfath Empire Mages.

"It's over!" Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron closed his eyes in pain.

He fought against demons many times every year. Demons were also cunning, but very few of them could be compared to Baron Kant. He actually used the same trick twice. The second time, even his most elite ace black-armored knights were entrapped. He was too shameless, too sinister.

The black-armored knights were busy blocking the arrows and dodging the spells. The slow movements of the golem puppets were naturally ignored by them. However, most of the time, it was the golem puppets that smashed them, it caused their armors to shake violently. When they were almost stunned, the fatal arrows or spells drowned them in an instant.

Time passed slowly. The black-armored knights were exhausted bit by bit. They did not kill any of their enemies. They were so busy blocking the arrows that they did not even kill the golem puppets. It could be said that as the ace army of a Baron of the world, their deaths were too grievous. They did not play any role at all.

Under the command of Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron, the 1,500 archers, and 10,000 infantry phalanxes turned around and retreated. The 2,000 heavy cavalries at the Grand Knight level turned their horses around with difficulty, they also began to retreat along with the pace of the infantry phalanxes.

The motive behind all these actions was that Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron wanted to salvage some of the black-armored knights.

At this time, out of the 1,500 black-armored knights, 500 had already fallen to the ground forever.

"Black-armored knights, retreat!" Ryan. Isai. Cameron roared out an order.

Kant saw the enemy's actions clearly and understood that this was Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's dying struggle. He wanted to save the black-armored knights who had been bitten by Kant.

However, Kant would not let them get what they wanted so easily.

The moment the black-armored knights turned around, another 100 black-armored knights fell forever. They could not care less about anything else. They twisted their bodies to block the arrows and spells while quickly driving their horses to retreat. Some of the black-armored knights' horses died, so they retreated on foot. It just so happened that their retreating speed was decided by the slowest infantry corps. Even if they walked, they could still keep up.

However, since they could retreat, Kant could naturally order the army to advance.

The golem puppets were controlled by the mages and quickly chased after the black-armored knights. The mages controlled the golem puppets to use their full strength to rush forward, instead of having the golem puppets slowly walk on their own. The speed of the golem puppets was not much slower than the enemy's infantrymen.

At the same time, Kant's army also followed the golem puppets forward.

The crossbowmen and mages advanced while attacking crazily, dealing terrifying damage.

At this moment, the distance between the black-armored knights has not pulled apart. Instead, they were fleeing with their backs facing the crossbowmen and mages. It became more difficult to defend against the arrows and spells that were attacking them. This made the situation of the black-armored knights worse. The speed of death increased greatly. One after another, the black-armored knights fell on the road of escape.

Time slowly passed, and another half an hour passed.

The last black-armored knight had lost his warhorse. He stood on the ground, holding the crossbow arrow that pierced through his heart unwillingly, and fell on the square of the Lion Fort on his back.

Not long after the black-armored knight fell, the summoning time of the golem puppets was also up. With a flash of light, all the golem puppets disappeared.

At this moment, Kant, through the vision of the three goshawks sent to observe the three world nobles, discovered that the three world barons had sent their troops at the same time! Each of their armies had at least 2,000 black-armored knights, while Baron Tyr. Isai. Maud had even more black-armored knights, more than 3,000 of them.

The three world barons led their armies straight towards the Lion Fort. Unlike the other upper-class noble families, they did not waste time on the road. Instead, they moved quickly. Kant estimated that in another hour, Baron Clark. Isai. Prynne, who was closest to the Lion Fort, would arrive with more than 20,000 troops.

"Without the puppets as cannon fodder, it's time to prove that we've just destroyed Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's soldiers and him! We must try our best before the arrival of the World Baron."

"Swadian royal knights and Sarleon Lion Knights listen up, target all of Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's troops, attack!"

"Rhodok sergeants and Swadian sergeants listen up, guard the crossbowmen and mages, defend them against the enemy's counterattack!"

"Rhodok snipers, Virgil archers, Ravenstern Rangers, mages listen up, long-range support the Swadian royal knights and Sarleon Lion Knights!"

After giving the order to attack Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron, Kant himself quickly rode towards Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron.

He wanted to kill Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron and take the Crown of Darkness from his hands. Perhaps he needed to pry some information out of Ryan. Isai. Cameron before killing him.

Kant could sense that the Crown of Darkness was on Baron Cameron. This Crown of Darkness might be related to why he appeared in this world. Kant had always thought that he was really Ryan. Isai. Cameron's son. It was not until he heard the secret conversation between the four World Barons yesterday that he realized that it was not the case, and he did not have any memories before the age of three. Previously, Kant had explained to himself that he was a traveler. The brain of a child before the age of three was not developed enough to withstand his thoughts and memories. Therefore, he was in a deep sleep at that time, so he did not have any memories before the age of three.

But now, it was obviously not that simple.

Seeing Kant attacking him, Baron Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron ran away, running desperately into the depths of the Lion Fort.

Chapter 607: The Technique of Blood Replication

Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron had escaped so Kant would naturally chase after him. Kant was confident that he could win against a world baron alone, not to mention, Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron was the weakest of the five world barons of the Dukedom of Leo.

One was escaping, and the other was chasing. The two of them headed deep into the Lion Fort at high speed. Their troops were fighting fiercely in the Lion Fort square.

To be precise, it was a one-sided massacre. The two trump cards in Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's hands, the heavy cavalries, and the black-armored knights were all wiped out by Baron Kant.

This was a great blow to the morale of Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's army. Furthermore, he was being chased by Kant under the watchful eyes of the public, which further damaged the morale of his soldiers.

The difference in the level of the elite was too great. The 2,000 heavy cavalries at the Grand Knight level were completely no match for the Swadian royal knights and the Sarleon Lion Knights under Kant. Due to the limitations of the terrain, the 10,000 infantry phalanxes and 1,500 archers were also helpless, they could only watch as the 2,000 heavy cavalries of Grand Knight level were crushed by Kant's knights bit by bit.

Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron rode on his horse and ran. Suddenly, he stopped at a small square in the depths of a building in the Lion Fort. It seemed that this was the place he had chosen to fight Kant.

Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron knew that it was useless for him to keep running. Sooner or later, Kant would catch up to him. He also knew that his army would not be able to stop Kant's army. Instead of waiting until his army was wiped out, it would be better for him to choose a suitable battlefield to fight with Baron Kant instead of rushing over to support Kant. In this way, at least he would only need to face Baron Kant alone, and he would not have to be attacked by Kant's army. Moreover, this was a place that he had specially prepared. It was not that simple.

"This place..." Kant chased after Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron and entered the small square inside the building. There was a slight fluctuation in the depths of his heart, and he was a little surprised. At the same time, he became slightly cautious.

This small square was only about 60 meters in length and width. Compared to the square in the Lion Fort where the two armies were currently fighting, this square was very small. However, Kant was not surprised by the size of this square, but because this square was the first time Kant had used the special effect of Nature's Favor to control the goshawk to scout before sending troops, in this square, he saw a man who looked exactly like Edmund the God of War.

Although that man looked exactly like Edmund the God of War, he was like a fool at that time. He was naked and his eyes were dull. As long as he had the intelligence of a child, he wouldn't behave like that.

Kant had already heard from the words of the four world's noble families that Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron admitted that the Cameron family studied all kinds of bloodlines. It was hard to say. That man who looked exactly like the God of War was created by them through the bloodline of Edmund the God of War. It was hard to say what kind of ability he had.

But now, Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron had lured Kant to this small square. If it wasn't related to that man who looked exactly like the god of war, Kant wouldn't believe it even if he was beaten to death.

When Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron saw Kant following him into the small square, he suddenly laughed out loud.

"Kant, if you don't walk on the path to Heaven, you will come to Hell without a door! I admit that in terms of individual strength, I am not your opponent, but I can tell you clearly today that if you step into this place today, you will definitely die!"

After Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron said that, he suddenly laughed out loud, "If you don't believe me, you can look behind you!"

Baron Kant turned his head to look, and suddenly felt his scalp go numb and a chill run down his spine.

Behind him, two men came out from the building, and these two men looked exactly the same as Edmund the God of War.

"They... what's wrong with them?" Kant was shocked, but his tone didn't sound too worried. These two men were wearing fine linen robes. Although the aura they emitted was stronger than a peak Grand Knight, it was still very weak compared to the Baron of the world or the God of War.

Kant did not think that these two strange fellows could do anything to him. Therefore, he took the opportunity to speak, trying to get some information from Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron.

Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron did not disappoint Kant. Perhaps he was confident that he could kill Kant now, he was rejoicing. This was obviously his proudest work, so he did not mind letting Kant understand.

At least, that was what it looked like on the surface.

"Kant, do you know, after thousands of years of research on bloodlines, to what extent has our Cameron family applied bloodlines?" Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron asked Kant.

However, it was clear that he did not expect Kant to answer his question and he continued, "Hmph! In the Cameron family, we have long been able to directly recreate a person through his blood. We call it a clone!"

As soon as Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron said that two more Edmund the God of War walked out from the surrounding buildings. At this moment, there were already four Edmund the God of War in the small square. According to Baron Ryan, they were the clones of Edmund the God of War.

"Using ordinary mortals or Grand Knights' bloodlines to create their replicas is completely useless. The value of the materials and resources consumed is far higher than the value of their replicas. Therefore, the Cameron family has set our sights on the world's noble and God."

As Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron spoke, his eyes shone with fanaticism, mixed with incomparable excitement and pride.

"Noble of the world, our family's noble of the world itself is a material! "However, after many experiments, we discovered that the clone of the noble of the world is no different from the clone of an ordinary Grand Knight. At most, it would become the strength of a Grand Knight. It has no value at all. Therefore, our Cameron family has set our sights on the Gods."

Chapter 608: A Modified and Terrifying Curse

"Hmph, the Cameron family is famous for researching bloodlines, and we have inherited the curse rules. No God is willing to trade his own blood for our research," Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron said with hatred. "But even so, it didn't stop us. If God doesn't give it to us, we will create our own God! Hahaha, do you know that Edmund the God of War was promoted to the position of God by our Cameron Family!"

"From then on, the Cameron family no longer lacked the blood of gods as experimental materials!"

Kant was somewhat shocked. Edmund the God of War, had succeeded in becoming a god 7,000 years ago. If that was the case, then wouldn't that mean that the Cameron family had been extremely powerful 7,000 years ago.

"So what if you can create a clone of a God? They aren't gods after all. Just by relying on these four rotten clones, do you have the confidence that I, Kant, will die without a doubt? Could it be that you can create an army out of a clone of a God?" Kant was a little surprised, but on the surface, he was still calm and composed. He mocked, wanting to get more information.

The two sides had been enemies for a long time. Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron was at an absolute disadvantage against him, but after arriving here, he suddenly became so strong, there must be something he didn't understand.

"Legion? No, even if God's clones created an army, it would be useless. Their strength needs to absorb a large amount of divine power to slowly grow. Otherwise, they would be no different from ordinary people," Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron continued, "Baron Kant, thank you for giving me such a long time to activate the cursed stones that the four God of War's clones have nurtured. Now, you can experience it properly as to why did I say that you will definitely die this time!"

Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron quickly said, and then directly ordered the four replicas of Edmund the God of War, "Do it!"

The moment Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron said that the four clones of Edmund the God of War suddenly roared.

"Roar Roar Roar!"

They roared to the sky like wild beasts, and then opened their bloody mouths and spat at Kant.

Each replica of Edmund the God of War spat out a stone that was half-red and half-gray. On this stone, the red and gray colors were not stationary but were constantly flowing, they were chasing each other.

Kant's eyes suddenly shrank.

The cursed stone!

The curse in the cursed stone could directly reflect the damage the caster received on the target.

The curse of an ordinary cursed stone could not be cast on Kant. He needed to use the power of the rules of war to easily destroy them.

However, the cursed stones spat out by the four replicas of Edmund the God of War, looked extraordinary. The two forces flowing on them were the extremely dense and majestic power of the rules of curse and the God of War's divine power.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The four cursed stones spat out by the replicas suddenly exploded in mid-air. Four complicated curses with gray and bright red colors suddenly appeared in mid-air, they gave off an extremely mysterious aura.

Kant's heart tightened. He understood that this was the most dangerous time because the curses that flew out of the cursed stones would directly land on the victim. This time, he was undoubtedly the victim.

The small square where Kant was located was only 60 meters in length and width. This distance was enough for four curses from the cursed stone to land on Kant. Kant hurriedly unleashed the power of the rules of war and surrounded his body, wanting to use the power of the rules of war to directly dissolve the four curses.

However, the facts proved that Kant's method was useless. Just like how the Swadian royal knights and the Sarleon Lion Knights were unable to dissolve the curses formed by the curse power of the common supernatural power yesterday afternoon, Kant was also unable to dissolve the curses formed by combining the power of the curse rules with the divine power of the God of War. These two powers were essentially the same level of power as Kant's power of the rules of war.

When the curse entered his body, Kant's obstructing measures were useless!

Kant did not feel anything wrong, as if he had not been cursed at all. However, Kant knew that this was not the case. The curse needed the caster to be injured and then refracted on the victim. If the caster was unharmed, the victim would not be harmed.

"Hahaha! Baron Kant! You didn't expect this, did you? You didn't expect me to have a trick up my sleeve to deal with you, did you?" Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron was very proud of himself. "If Baron Kant didn't chase after me, I would have waited until the result of the battle between the two armies was out before I lured you here. At that time, you would have an army to help you, and I wasn't sure if you would step into this trap yourself. But now, hahaha..."

"I'll let you have a taste of the terrifying curse that my Cameron family has spent thousands of years researching and improving. This curse has been personally tested by the ancestors of my family's noble family in the world!" Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron said, he took off the pitch-black two-handed greatsword that was completely made of abyssal magic iron hanging on the horse and mercilessly slashed at a replica of the God of War beside him.

The two-handed Greatsword made of abyssal magic iron was as sharp as a knife. In an instant, it split the entire replicas of the God of War into two halves. The replicas of the God of War let out a blood-curdling scream. Fresh blood and innards splattered everywhere. They died instantly.

At the same time, Kant instantly felt a tearing force burst out from within his body. In an instant, he felt as if he had been split into two halves. After a trance, Kant suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. After a trance, Kant realized that although he was not really split in half, he was already heavily injured, it was as if he had suffered an injury that was just enough to kill the clone of the God of War.

Looking at Kant swaying, almost falling off the horse, and spitting out a mouthful of blood, Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron could not help but laugh proudly.

"Hehe!"

Kant was too strong. In fact, until just now, Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron was still worried that the lives of the four God of War clones would not be able to exchange for the lives of Baron Kant alone. But now that he saw Kant in such a state, he was instantly relieved. Naturally, no one understood this curse better than him. Therefore, after killing a God of War clone and combining Baron Kant's own injuries, Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron judged that the lives of four of the God of War's clones were enough to exchange for Baron Kant's life. This time, Baron Kant would definitely die.

Chapter 609: Fatigue in the Depths of One's Body

Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron, feeling pleased with himself, swung his sword horizontally again, directly slashing at another clone of Edmund the God of War, who was beside him.

A two-handed greatsword made of abyssal magic iron that could cut through iron like mud could even cut a god in half, let alone a clone of a god. Thus, it was another instant kill without a doubt, because of Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's two-handed greatsword was too sharp, the sound of breaking a neck bone was almost non-existent.

The head of the clone of Edmund the God of War was chopped off and fell to the ground. His neck was like a fountain, spewing out bright red blood. Within the blood, there was a noble and sacred aura, Kant could tell at a glance that the blood of this clone contained an extremely dense aura of the God of War's divine power.

"Ah!" Kant suddenly felt his vision go black. The pain in his neck that was almost suffocating him felt like what Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron had just chopped off was not the head of the clone of Edmund the God of War but his head. Kant once again spat out a large mouthful of blood. He felt that his combat power had suddenly decreased by 30%, and his body's status was very strange.

Judging from his senses, there was nothing wrong with his body. However, once he activated the power of the rules of war, he would be greatly hindered, just like when he was seriously injured, his damaged body would be hindered in the operation of the power of the rules of war.

"The cursed stone of the Cameron family is indeed mysterious and unpredictable! These world nobles with deep foundations and inheritances might not be able to use the power of rules as quickly as Edmund the God of War who spent 7,000 years to comprehend and master the realm of the usage of the power of rules. However, their exploration and research of their own rules can be passed down from generation to generation. Perhaps they will develop many terrifying spells like the cursed stone of the Cameron family."

Kant used this terrifying cursed stone to make a slight guess. He felt that the world's noble families were truly unfathomable. He was still too young. His understanding of this world, the noble families of this world, and even the gods were all very limited. He could only use some semi-public information to explore, make guesses, and estimate their strength.

The Cameron family controlled the curse rules and studied all kinds of bloodlines. The application of the curse rules combined with their bloodline research was abnormally terrifying. If used well, this cursed stone spell looked almost unsolvable.

Most of the other world's noble families were as ancient as the Cameron family. Their inheritance from generation to generation, could it be that they didn't have any other trump cards? Noble families had always been existences that knew how to hide their strength. Kant thought that the world's noble families would be different from ordinary noble families. Now that he thought about it, whether it was the world's noble families or ordinary noble families, they were all the same.

Now that he was suddenly in danger and in endless pain, Kant began to make a series of connections.

All of this seemed very long, but it only happened in Kant's imagination. In fact, it was only for a moment.

"Hahahaha! Baron Kant, how do you feel? Do you feel like you've lost half of your life?" Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron said arrogantly, at this moment, his victory was already within his grasp. With Baron Kant's current strength, it should be impossible to kill him easily. And being able to kill Baron Kant, who was ranked first among all the noble barons, gave Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron has an extremely strong sense of pleasure.

One had to know that Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron was competing with Baron Cameron. He was said to have the lowest individual strength among all the nobles in the world. Once, like Cameron, the Duke of Leo was also a powerful existence who could turn the clouds and rain with a flip of his hand. Even the king of the other kingdoms, Grand Duke Cameron, was able to sit on equal footing, it could be said that he was a group of people who truly stood at the peak of the world.

Although he knew the existence of the world's noble, his father was the most powerful world baron at that time. The pressure of the world's noble on Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron was very small. It could be said that being the Grand Duke of the Dukedom of Leo was much more comfortable than being the world's Baron.

However, ever since Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron became a baron of the world, he suddenly felt that the world had become smaller. Only after he truly received the inheritance of the Cameron family did he realize how small he was. Among the world's noble families and even gods, he, Ryan, was the weakest existence. This made Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron, very unwilling. He could only use indifference to disguise himself.

But today, he was going to kill Baron Kant! This really broke his years of disguise, and he became very proud and arrogant. After all, Baron Kant's attack power had far surpassed that of Baron Tyr. Isai. Maud, who was once the number one baron of the world. He could be said to be the number one baron! Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron, who had suppressed himself for a long time after killing Kant and becoming a baron of the world, had an incomparable sense of achievement.

"I'm not dead yet, and you're so arrogant?" Kant sneered and said. "You're right. Although I feel that I'm not injured at all, my body feels like I've lost half of my life! But so what? As long as I'm not dead, the outcome of the battle between you and me is in between! Who knows I might kill you in the next second, just like how I killed Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese yesterday!"

Kant endured the fatigue and pain that constantly surged out from the deepest parts of his body, as well as the most important feeling of weakness. He unceremoniously countered Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's arrogance and complacency against him.

No matter what, he would not lose if he lost. Even if his life was on the line, he had to suppress the enemy in terms of momentum. If he really had to die, he had to die with dignity. He had to die standing up! Moreover, Kant was not completely lying. If he could comprehend the fourth realm of the application of the power of rules, the terrifying realm that could completely unleash the power of rules in his entire body in an instant, even if he only had seventy percent of the power of rules left, he was confident that he could kill Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron in an instant.

In this way, the remaining two clones of Edmund the God of War were nothing. He just had to stop the death of these two clones. When the time limit was up, the curse would naturally be lifted. However, the one who would have the last laugh would be Baron Kant.

Chapter 610: The Possibility of Turning the Tables

However, the fourth level of the application of the power of rules was too difficult. Kant was sure that it was a coincidence that he was able to enter that level. Kant continued to experiment for a long time, but he never succeeded in using that terrifying level. It was not possible to kill Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron in an instant.

"Then, what I can do is to stop Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron from killing the clones of the other two Edmund the God of War! They are right behind me. I can cut off the direction of Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron so that he can not kill the two clones."

After denying the idea of instantly killing Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron, Kant instantly thought of another plan. If this plan could be successfully executed, he would still be able to laugh in the end.

Kant put on a face as if he was facing a great enemy. He aimed at Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron to prevent him from breaking through his defense line and attacking the two clones.

"Hahahaha! Baron Kant, do you think that you can be like the soldiers before you, waiting for the time to come and automatically remove the curse that you have suffered?" As if he had seen through Kant's thoughts, Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron sneered and continued, "You are daydreaming! The curse that you have suffered is different from the curse of your soldiers. This is an improved version of that curse! Hmph! There is no time limit for this curse now! Therefore, you can stop your ridiculous actions!"

Kant remained unmoved. First of all, what Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron said might not be true. He could have lied to make Kant give up his defense. Then, he could instantly break past him and kill the two clones.

Besides, so what if Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron said was true? He could completely delay time and wait for his injuries to slowly recover. No matter what kind of injuries he had, as long as he didn't die on the spot, with his World Baron's physique, he could heal with the passage of time.

"What? You don't believe me? It doesn't matter! I have plenty of time to kill the two clones. You have to know that the two of them don't have any thoughts and are completely under my control! How long can you stop them by yourself?" Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's tone was very pleased. "As long as I kill one more copy of the clone, Baron Kant, you will enter a dying status. Your vitality will be reduced by at least 75% or even 80-90%! When that time comes, what will you use to stop me from killing the last clone?"

"Hahahaha!"

After saying that, Ryan. Isai. Cameron laughed happily. He was like a cat that had caught a mouse. He played with the mouse, wanting to see the despair on the mouse's face. In his eyes, he was the cat, and Kant was the mouse. He told Kant clearly what happened to him and what he had done. He wanted Kant to understand that even if he told Kant what was happening to him, Kant could only die according to how Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron had set up!

At such a time, a guy with a slightly weaker heart would probably be in despair, revealing an expression of fear, helplessness, and pleading. If Kant were to reveal such an expression, the strongest baron in the world, it would undoubtedly make Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron extremely pleased.

Ga!

The smile on Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's face suddenly stopped, because Kant was still staring at him with bright eyes. There was not a hint of fear, helplessness, or pleading expression on his face. He did not look like he was in a desperate situation at all. This made Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron feel humiliated.

Baron Kant actually pretended as if nothing had happened. Did he think that he still had a chance to turn the tables?

It was ridiculous!

Any Baron of the world who came here and was hit by the four cursed stones that he had carefully prepared would die without a doubt!

Kant had a puzzled look on his face as he muttered to himself, "Strange, my injuries don't seem to be recovering? With my Baron of the world's physique, even if I am seriously injured, this amount of time is enough for me to recover by half!"

The puzzled look turned into a frown.

Kant really could not figure it out.

"Oh, so this is your plan?" Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron mocked. "Don't be ridiculous, your body is not injured at all. No matter how strong your baron of the world's body's recovery ability is, can you still recover your body intact?"

Kant was stunned when he heard Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's words. "Not injured?"

An extremely weak feeling surged out from the deepest part of his body, accompanied by endless fatigue and bone-deep pain. Kant carefully felt it and found that other than these feelings, his body really did not have any injuries.

However, the power of rules had inexplicably changed from its full status to 70%. Moreover, when it was activated, it would be blocked for no reason. It was incomparable to when his real body was intact.

This made Kant not believe that he was not injured at all. He had just vomited two large mouthfuls of blood because of the intense pain that almost suffocated him.

"I'm not injured. How is that possible?" Kant's eyes flashed, but his face showed a blank expression.

He could already tell that Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron was very talkative now. He really wanted Kant to understand how he will kill him.

This led to the fact that if Kant had any questions, Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron would take the initiative to answer them for him.

Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron did not seem to be worried that Kant would grasp any crucial information and turn the tables.

Kant could not see the light at the end of the tunnel, but he did not give up hope. Therefore, he did not mind using Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's current status to get more information about his doubts.

Perhaps, he could find a way to solve this desperate situation by getting some information?

Sure enough, when Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron saw Kant's deliberately blank expression, a hint of excitement and satisfaction flashed in his eyes, and he answered Kant without hesitation.

When Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron was halfway through his sentence, Kant's eyes flashed, and the corners of his mouth could not help but reveal a beautiful curve.

As expected, the information provided by Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron made Kant think of a way to defeat the enemy.

Chapter 611: The Necklace of Eternity

"Of course you're not injured! But you've lost your vitality!" Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron said with a look of anticipation on his face, he wanted to tell Baron Kant the information so that he would understand what kind of hopeless situation he was facing.

"Hmph! Do you think that the cursed stone, which our Cameron family spent thousands of years to develop, has such a powerful effect that it can use the lives of the weak to exchange for the lives of the strong?" Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron said with a smile on his face when he saw Kant listening attentively, the corners of his mouth curled up into a smile. "That's because, although our curse noble is a spell, it is a spell on the level of curse rules! When it takes effect, it involves the operation of the rules!"

Seeing that Baron Kant frowned slightly as if he still did not quite understand, Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron thought as he snorted coldly. Thinking back to the time when he had obtained the inheritance, it took him a long time to understand it. With such a general statement, Baron Kant, who had only become a noble of the world for about a year, could barely understand it.

He simply explained further, "Baron Kant, when you were hit by the four cursed stones, your vitality and the vitality of the four Edmund the God of War clones were connected under the effect of the curse rules, and formed a one-way relationship. For every clone that is injured or killed, their vitality will be reduced. Under the influence of these rules, your vitality will be reduced correspondingly, or even temporarily removed! When your vitality is completely removed, you will also die!"

Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron paused, he continued proudly, "As long as the total life force of the four clones is more than your total life force, Baron Kant, as long as I kill the four clones, you will die without a doubt! Obviously, their life force is definitely more than yours!"

Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron explained everything to Kant. He even told Kant the operating principle of the curse spell formed by the cursed stone. He was not worried that Kant would be able to break the spell by himself. Because to break the spell, one had to have a deep understanding of the curse rules. However, Baron Kant had never shown that he had such an ability.

Therefore, Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron had long seen through the curse. Other than resisting the curse spell formed by the cursed stone, Baron Kant had no other way to break it.

Kant looked at Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's smug look and sneered in his heart.

According to his judgment, the combined vitality of the four clones exceeded his vitality. However, the vitality of the three clones was not as much as his.

There was still one more crucial piece of information that needed to be confirmed.

Although this crucial piece of information had already been deduced by Kant from the changes in the body status of the Swadian royal knights and the Sarleon Lion Knights who had been attacked by the cursed stone on the battlefield yesterday.

However, the curse spell that Kant had cast from the cursed stone was, after all, modified by the Cameron family. Kant could not be sure if it was the same as the information that he had obtained previously.

After all, there were many differences now, and there was no time limit.

Kant asked, "According to you, my vitality was only temporarily removed. If the four curses of the four cursed stones explode in my body, my vitality will return completely?"

Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron sneered, "That's right, as long as you can survive!"

"But, the total vitality of the four clones that I have prepared is definitely more than your total vitality. Do you want to survive after the four curses explode? That's wishful thinking!"

Kant raised his eyebrows, his eyes shining with a bright light. He thought to himself, "Whether I can survive this time will depend on whether the necklace is strong or not!"

His expression was exceptionally calm. He believed that this necklace, which had been evaluated by the system will be able to penetrate through eternity and would not let him down.

At this time, everything was explained clearly, Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron suddenly flew into a rage. "Darn Baron Kant, you're going to die! You're definitely going to die! No one can save you! How can you be so calm? Aren't you afraid? Aren't you regretful that you're my enemy? Aren't you desperate?"

Kant's calm expression made Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron feel that his actions were very laughable. It was as if a heavy punch had hit the air, without any strength at all. On the contrary, he almost lost his breath.

Without getting the expected feedback from Kant's expression, Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron suddenly felt like a fool who thought he was smart. Baron Kant's calm expression was the worst ridicule for him.

Rage suddenly surged into Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's heart. "Baron Kant, very good! Your courage is truly admirable. You won't shed tears until you see the coffin, right? Great! I want to see how long you can pretend to be calm."

While enraged, Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron instantly controlled the two replicas of Edmund the God of War behind Kant and separated them in two directions.

He wanted to see which one Baron Kant would chase. As long as Baron Kant decided to give chase, he would immediately move that clone towards the other, rendezvous with it, and then kill it mercilessly.

This was an open and aboveboard scheme. In Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's eyes, Baron Kant had no way to break out of this situation.

Baron Kant himself would never dare to kill the clones. If that happened, Baron Kant would be injured again, lose his vitality, and fall into an extremely fragile and dangerous status, at that time, there would be no way to stop Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron from killing the fourth clone.

In fact, Kant did not stop any of the clones from leaving.

He only summoned 100 war spirits to protect himself. Then, he waited calmly and patiently.

Based on Kant's knowledge and strength, an ordinary baron of the world was basically undefeatable after being hit by this move.

As for him, although he had the hope of turning the tables, he also needed to take great risks.

Chapter 612: Illusion of Glorious Achievement

At this moment, he could only believe that the special effect of the "Glory. Protection of Serenity" on his neck, "Protection of Serenity", was powerful enough to withstand the killing of the fourth clone with his own life force had been completely removed.

The reason why he summoned 100 war spirits to protect himself was so that when Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron killed the third clone, he could directly kill the fourth clone, instead of directly killing Kant.

Kant could deduce that when the third clone was killed, he would fall into an extremely weak status. His remaining strength would not be a match for Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron. If Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron was willing, he could completely give up on killing the fourth clone, leaving Kant in such a weak status. Then, he could kill Baron Kant by force.

Seeing that Baron Kant gave up, Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron felt a surge of joy. Baron Kant's calm expression was indeed fake, He must have fallen into a state of despair and regret. Otherwise, he would have been able to stop a clone of Edmund the God of War and his 100 Grand Knight-level summoned creatures, he would also be able to stall a clone. Why wouldn't he make his move? Even if that was the case, Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron would still be able to defeat him. However, as long as Baron Kant was not in despair, he would still resist, right?

Obviously, this was a misunderstanding that was very beneficial to Kant. This would cause Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron to make the wrong decision to defeat him.

Because Baron Kant did not seem to stop them, Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron decided to bypass Kant's Edmund the God of War clone. He gathered them together and soon arrived at their side.

"Hahaha! Baron Kant, now you have no hope at all!" Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron confirmed that Kant was in fact in despair and regret, he was instantly delighted. He waved his incomparably sharp two-handed sword lightly and chopped off the head of the third clone.

Kant instantly spat out a large mouthful of blood, once again experiencing the pain that almost suffocated him. Following that, Kant's own aura rapidly weakened.

"Now, come and experience the power of the curse that our Cameron family has researched! I want you to clearly feel the terror of being swallowed by death bit by bit! Baron Kant, with your trembling body and regretful, despairing, and terrified eyes, watch as I kill the last copy of the clone with a single sword strike. At that moment, you will die, completely annihilated!"

Kant's body really began to tremble. His eyes were filled with regretful, despairing, and terrifying emotions.

These were, of course, Kant's acts.

A great sense of satisfaction and pleasure appeared in Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's heart, and at the same time, a fierce feeling also surged. Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron instantly raised the two-handed greatsword that was completely made of abyssal magic iron and was as sharp as mud. He slowly slashed at the waist of the last clone, he wanted to directly cut this clone in half!

The speed of his sword was very slow. At the same time, he looked at Baron Kant's face with a sinister smile. Obviously, he did it on purpose. He wanted to admire the most powerful baron in the world -- Baron Kant's despair and regret before his death because all of this was the work of Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron.

Baron Kant's body stopped trembling, and he closed his eyes!

"Emma, this darn pervert, doesn't he know that pretending to be in an extremely intense emotion is super tiring?" Kant thought to himself, "God bless the sky, the special effect of the serenity protection must be powerful. My death is tied to this necklace of yours!"

Seeing Kant's resigned expression, Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron suddenly burst into laughter. It was obvious that he was very satisfied with the fact that he had forced Baron Kant into a state that was close to "resigned to his fate". This was a reaction that was on a higher level than the one that made Baron Kant feel regret and despair. One had to know that only when the difference in strength was so great that others had no room to resist would such an expression appear.

Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron used the double-handed greatsword in his hand to suddenly accelerate and instantly cut the final clone, into two pieces.

He excitedly widened his eyes. He wanted to witness this scene with his own eyes. He wanted to witness the scene where he, Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron killed Baron Kant, the strongest of the world's barons.

Although he knew that Baron Kant would only die silently as if he would never wake up if he suddenly closed his eyes. Then, he would casually fall under the horse and lie dead on the ground.

Nothing was shocking about this, but he was just excited.

Because he was the one who killed Baron Kant. This was his most glorious achievement since he became the world's Baron.

However, the scene that Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron had imagined did not happen.

Greenlight! Only a pure green light suddenly erupted from Baron Kant's body. This green light emitted a peaceful and eternal aura, giving people a gentle but tenacious feeling. It was as if this layer of green light could block all harm in the world.

This was the special effect of Glory. Protection of Serenity on the Protection of Serenity necklace.

Protection of Serenity: when the wearer suffers a fatal attack, this special effect automatically activates, blocking a fatal attack for the wearer. Cooldown time: one week.

Glory. Protection of Serenity was already a viscount-level extraordinary necklace, and its nature was even more terrifying. It was a necklace that could penetrate through eternity. Blocking a mere baron-level fatal curse was a piece of cake.

It did not disappoint Kant at all.

Under the gaze of Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron, Baron Kant did not show any signs of longevity in the green light at all. He did not even spit out half a mouthful of blood. The aura on his body quickly grew stronger, it soon reached its peak -- the life force that had been temporarily removed by the curse returned to Kant's body in an instant after the four curses had completely exploded.

Kant felt the vigorous flow of power in his body. The power of the rules of war was circulating smoothly. Due to the feeling of weakness just now, when Kant recovered his peak strength, he felt that his strength was so powerful that it was like an explosion.

Powerful! Very powerful!

Although Kant understood that this kind of power was just an illusion, he needed this kind of feeling. He had been too sullen just now, and he had almost died. He needed this feeling of power, and he needed to crush Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron under this feeling.

"Impossible! You... how could you be okay?" Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron was so surprised that his eyeballs almost fell out.

"Hmph, nothing is impossible!" Kant laughed ferociously. His face was extremely ferocious, and the killing intent on his face was exceptionally cold. He roared, "Now it's my turn! War spirits, follow me and kill!"

Chapter 613: The Promotion of the Power of Rules

Kant roared and led 100 war spirits to attack Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron.

At this moment, Kant's eyes were as fierce as a wounded lone wolf, full of violent killing intent. At the same time, strong confidence rose from Kant. Although Kant understood that the surging power of his entire body and the feeling of being extremely powerful was just an illusion after being weakened, he understood that as long as his strength was restored to its peak, it would be no problem for him to crush and defeat Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron.

At this moment, Kant suddenly felt a hint of inspiration.

This was the inspiration regarding the fourth level of applying the power of rules. The fourth level of applying the power of rules was a terrifying realm that could instantly raise Kant's combat strength to an explosive level. Ever since Kant had used it once, he had constantly thought about it and tested it countless times, however, he couldn't get in at all.

He didn't expect that a hint of inspiration would suddenly appear at this moment. That hint of inspiration made Kant feel that he might be able to use the power of the fourth realm of the power of rules in his previous status.

However, because he was distracted, this hint of inspiration instantly disappeared. Kant was so annoyed that he even had the urge to bang his head against the wall.

Taking a deep breath, Kant stopped thinking about it, because at this time, he was already close to Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron.

The golden sunlight shone on Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's body, but it was unable to melt the darkness in the depths of Ryan. Isai. Cameron's eyes.

"Failed! It actually failed?"

When Kant raised the king's sword high in his hand, Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron could not believe it.

"Why did it fail? What is that green light?" Such simple questions kept circling in Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's mind. He did not even try to resist Kant's Sword of the King.

In Ryan. Isai. Cameron's heart, Kant's strength was already the number one of the world's barons. However, he was ranked last. He had no chance of winning if he fought head-on.

At this moment, the trap he had designed to kill Kant had failed. He had lost in a muddle-headed manner.

However, a loss was a loss. There were no ifs.

Ryan. Isai. Cameron closed his eyes in despair. For a powerful existence like Baron Kant, who was able to split the magic iron armor with one sword strike, all his defenses were useless. He had already given up. After trying his best, he was still met with failure. Instead, he was somewhat relieved.

"I wonder if I still loved Kant after he was three years old, would the ending be different?"

This was the last thought of Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron. Then, he was directly split into two by Kant.

"I... I actually used the fourth realm of the power of rules again!" Kant's face was full of surprise and joy. Although the power of rules in his body was instantly exhausted, he could vaguely feel a hint of the fourth realm knocking on the door.

This time, he really knew the name of the fourth realm of the power of rules. This meant that he had already stepped into this realm.

Universal, materialization, spirit transformation, emotion fusion.

The fourth realm was called emotion fusion. Kant vaguely understood that it was his incomparable confidence, the pure confidence without the slightest doubt, that had fused into the power of the rules of war, causing him to release this extremely explosive sword strike.

Under the same realm, no one could stop it. Nothing could stop it.

Then, Kant revealed a bitter smile. Although he had a vague idea of this realm, Kant could not use it casually. He even had a feeling that this realm was of little value to him, it seemed to be of little value.

To fuse with the situation, a world noble or God who had reached this realm needed to fuse the purest emotion into the power of the rules, so that the power of the rules would obtain incredible power.

Kant had unintentionally fused this emotion of confidence into his power of the rules of war.

However, against an opponent who could make him extremely confident, he could naturally win. Using the fourth level of the fusion realm felt like shooting a mosquito with an antiaircraft gun. Moreover, there was also a side effect -- his power of the rules of war was instantly depleted.

Facing opponents with similar strength as him, he simply could not be completely confident. He was confident that he could win without any doubt -- even if he believed in himself, it was not pure. Under such circumstances, he could not enter the fourth level of the power of a noble. Under such circumstances, Kant clearly needed an explosive force that was as powerful as an explosion.

"Sigh, it looks useless. I used too much strength against a weak opponent, but I can't use it against a strong opponent." After a short moment of excitement, Kant was a little lost. But very quickly, his eyes lit up. "I must have thought it wrongly! The level of the power of rules was clear. Every time I stepped into a level, my strength would greatly increase. If I really entered the fourth level, how could I have the feeling that it was useless?"

"In the end, I only had half a foot into the fourth realm!" Kant was completely enlightened.

It was precisely because he only had half a foot into the fourth realm that he could only see it vaguely, like seeing a flower in the fog. Although he could feel the beauty of the flower, it was always unclear, or even unreal.

Although this conclusion made Kant somewhat disheartened, it also made him excited. The fourth realm was definitely not useless. He was now equivalent to a layman with half a foot in the door. He only saw the plaque on the door, which was called the emotion fusion realm. He still did not know what kind of scenery was inside the door. The only thing he could be sure of was that it was definitely much more profound and powerful than the third realm, the spirit transformation realm.

Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron was cut into two halves by Kant. Suddenly, a black crown rolled off his body and fell to the ground.

The Crown of Darkness!

Kant did not even try to touch the Crown of Darkness because the power of rules in his body had been completely consumed by the fourth level of attack. It could be said that Kant was at his weakest.

He would naturally not rashly pick up the crown. In his current status, if anything happened, it would be very difficult for him to deal with it.

Chapter 614: Kant's Projection of Will

Kant had long known that this crown was not ordinary. Just by releasing the deep and pure dark aura that could tempt him, he knew that this Crown of Darkness was no small matter. At least to Kant, this was an extremely strange Crown of Darkness.

It could even be related to Kant's bloodline!

Kant had eavesdropped on the conversation of the four World Barons Yesterday, even though the four of them did not finish their words. Moreover, it was only a guess of a dark baron that this Crown of Darkness had something to do with his bloodline.

However, Kant believed it.

Because yesterday, when he was attracted by the deep and pure dark aura emitted by this crown of darkness, the attraction was clearly transmitted from the deepest part of his bloodline.

Kant quietly rode on his horse and stood beside the corpse of Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron, quietly restoring the power of the rules of war. At the same time, he monitored the battle situation in Lion Fort through the goshawk's view.

An hour passed in the blink of an eye.

Kant's power of the rules of war had already recovered more than half. At this time, he was already at the stable status of Baron of the world, although he had not yet recovered to his peak state.

Even so, Kant still did not have the intention to touch the Crown of Darkness. Facing this strange Crown of Darkness, Kant hoped that he would use the most powerful posture to come into contact with it.

Kant continued to wait quietly.

At this moment, in the depths of Kant's eyes, a scene suddenly appeared -- on the top floor of the huge council hall of Drondheim, at the highest point of the tallest building in Drondheim fortress, a ball of flame was burning in a silver brazier erected high up, the underworld apostle, Bunduk, was standing respectfully next to the Silver Brazier.

In the middle of the silver brazier, a piece of parchment was gradually turning into ashes. Only the flames sketched out complicated and indistinct patterns that jumped in the silver brazier -- this was Kant's real name written on the parchment.

And throwing the parchment with his real name into the flames was the way to call his real name.

The parchment with Kant's real name was extremely valuable. It would not be used easily for ordinary things. Normally, they only needed to send messages to each other through the magic crystal ball.

And now, the underworld apostle Bunduk was calling out his real name directly, begging him to descend to the projection of his will. Obviously, there was some urgent information that he needed to see firsthand to make a decision.

Kant frowned. Drondheim fortress could be said to be his base in this world. Although it was located in a small oasis in the Nahrin Desert, which was extremely harsh and close to the forbidden area of life, it was still his base, but it was Kant's base.

He struggled and grew up there. He laughed and felt lonely there. He reaped his first achievement after transmigrating there. He went from an insignificant abandoned child to a world noble who was now on par with gods.

Kant, although he grew up in a sorry state in the City of Lion's Heart, Drondheim in the oasis was the home he recognized. He was the Lord of the oasis.

Therefore, Kant would never let anything happen to Drondheim fortress.

Kant sat upright on the horse. There were complicated dark red runes floating up and down in the depths of his eyes. Then, Kant said with a solemn expression, "Projection of will!"

Deep in Kant's eyes, the complicated dark red runes immediately began to vibrate slightly,
in the world of rules, it was like a part of the rules of war of a dark red chain, which was where Kant's real name was located. An extremely small channel suddenly took shape and extended into the distance, the will extended to the real name outlined by the flames in the silver brazier on the top floor of the council hall of Drondheim.

The flames in the silver brazier suddenly rose crazily and soon turned into Kant's will projection.

"Bunduk, what happened?" Kant's will projection looked very serious. He knew that if it was not a very big matter, Bunduk would not have burned a precious parchment with his real name on it and specifically prayed for his will projection to come.

"Dear Lord Kant, please look to the north!"

On the top floor of the high council hall, only Bunduk was there. He was not like the other generals of Kant. He had the Swadian royal knights or the Sarleon Lion Knights at his disposal. This was all because as an apostle of the underworld, after obtaining the power from the underworld, Bunduk was instinctively rejected by the Swadian royal knights and the Sarleon Lion Knights. They were forced to stay together or something unpleasant might happen.

Kant's will projection was originally facing Bunduk, facing the south. At this moment, following Bunduk's suggestion, he turned around in the silver brazier. The dark red flames that formed Kant's will projection also changed and moved.

"It's the Jackalan and Lizardmen!" Kant's will projection looked towards the north. Since Drondheim had been upgraded to a large-scale fortress, the council hall had already reached the seventh level up.

Standing high, looking far!

At this moment, Kant's will projection could see the densely packed Jackalan and lizardmen that were almost as far as the horizon. They formed a large square formation and slowly moved towards Drondheim. Among the Jackalan, there were many black-armored knights. Kevin recognized them at a glance. They were the warriors of God's descendants who had turned into the undead.

"These are the armies of two countries from the Mannheim Coast at the northern end of the Nahrin Desert. They seem to be under duress!" Kant's will projection had the eyesight of a world baron. It was something from a very long distance, he could also see clearly.

"Looking at their direction, they are heading straight for my Drondheim Fortress. Could it be that they want to cause trouble for those God's descendants and take revenge on me, who destroyed one of their undead armies a year ago?"

At this moment, Bunduk suddenly said, "Lord, I have already investigated the strength of these people!"

Kant's will projection casually praised, "Well done. What's the result of the investigation?"

Bunduk said with a serious expression, "Lord, there are too many enemies. There are nearly a million of them. It's difficult to defend with just Drondheim's army. With their strength, they can take down Drondheim even if they attack directly."

Kant's will projection nodded, indicating that he understood.

"I will order other cities to reinforce Drondheim!" Kant's will projection said, "With the speed of those troops, they will probably arrive in front of our Castle tomorrow."

Kant's will projection nodded and he said to Bunduk, "Today, try to set up defenses. While you're at it, move the civilians of Drondheim to other cities to live temporarily. They are not suitable for war at the moment. I'll arrange the rest of the matters as soon as possible. I'll come to support you very soon."

Chapter 615: The Crown of Bloodline Compatibility

At the moment when Kant killed Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron. The expressions of the three world barons who were leading 20,000 to 30,000 elite troops towards Lion Fort changed then they took out a small gray statue.

This was the statue of Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron. However, the statues in the hands of the three of them were all split in half from the middle. This meant that Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron was dead, and he died the exact same way as Baron Nathaniel. Isai. Reese. They were split in half.

Within Baron Tyr. Isai. Maud's army, the soul projection of the other two world barons suddenly appeared beside him.

"I'm going to give up!" a world baron's voice was filled with dejection.

"I'm going to give up too!" another world baron said similar words.

"Why? We've already brought out all the troops from the fief. Are we still afraid of Baron Kant alone? Moreover, do you think he will let you go if you gave up?" Baron Tyr. Isai. Maud's voice was filled with unwillingness, he wanted to kill Baron Kant. Their relationship now would not end until one of them was dead.

"Tyr, don't try to be strong. We all know that Baron Kant is too strong. He is a monster. His personal strength is too strong, and his military strength is too abnormal. He is so strong that he doesn't look like a baron of the world. Nathaniel is dead, and Ryan is dead as well. But I don't want to die. With Baron Kant's personality, he definitely won't let me go. But first, he needs to find me."

"Clark, from what you mean, you want to move the world coordinates of your demiplane fiefdom? Viktor, is that what you plan to do as well?" Baron Tyr. Isai. Maud thought carefully for a moment and asked with a heavy tone.

The two world barons nodded.

A hint of sadness appeared in Baron Tyr. Isai. Maud's eyes. The two world barons planned to move the world coordinates of their fief demiplane to avoid Baron Kant. It was difficult for him to do it alone. He didn't have many choices left. He could either move the world coordinates of the fief demiplane like the two world barons, or he could stay and fight Baron Kant to the death.

Baron Tyr. Isai. Maud fell silent. He thought of Kant's terrifying might that had directly split the magic iron armor in half.

"Tyr, give up. There's always hope. We are world nobles, and the essence of life is eternal. As long as we don't die, we can live forever," a world baron persuaded Baron Tyr. Isai. Maud.

"Have you all considered the price of doing this?" Baron Tyr. Isai. Maud asked expressionlessly.

"We did. Although we want to relocate the fief demiplane, we can only rely on higher-level world nobles, and then hang our fief demiplane on their fief demiplane. But in this way, we can still live, right?" a world noble said in a relaxed tone, however, his eyes were filled with endless desolation and unwillingness.

"If you do that, it means that you've given up your future as a world noble. Can you accept this? After all, the fief demiplane of a world noble above the viscount level is in the void. It's not on the main demiplane," Baron Tyr. Isai. Maud was furious and berated loudly.

"Tyr, do you have the confidence to block Baron Kant's sword?"

Hearing the world baron's retort, Kant's almost invincible stance once again appeared in Baron Tyr. Isai. Maud's mind. Following that, a bitter smile appeared on his face. "I understand, I will give up too! I always thought that the gap between me and the world viscount was very close, always thinking that I might be promoted next year, but year after year, I've been thinking this way for more than a hundred years, but every time I kill the demon Baron summoned by the world will, I can feel that I've become stronger, but I've never been promoted."

"Baron Kant is so powerful, but he is still a world baron. It can be seen that the distance between me and the Viscount of the world is too far. It doesn't matter if I give up!" Tyr. Isai. Maud said in a low voice.

As the strongest person among the former world barons, he was forced by a new world baron to move his fief demiplane to the fief demiplane of a higher-level world noble, he was unwilling and helpless when he thought about the lower-level demiplane that would become the fief demiplane of the other party.

In this way, they would be leaving the Isai's main plane. Only in this way could they escape Baron Kant's search.

"I knew it. Tyr, you're a wise man. Clark and I have decided to join the same world Viscount. Why don't you join us? This way, we can look after each other when we go there. We can be more important under that world viscount, and we won't be bullied by the world baron who joined him earlier." When Baron Victor. Isai. Enoch saw that Baron Tyr. Isai. Maud had agreed to give up, he immediately suggested.

"That's good too. The three of us have worked together for so many years, and we already have a very good understanding of each other. Sigh, what a pity for Nathaniel and Ryan." Baron Tyr. Isai. Maud sighed. Then he asked, "What rules does that World Viscount control?"

When the two world barons heard Baron Tyr. Isai. Maud's question, they looked at each other and said with a smile, "The rules of war! Just like the rules that Baron Kant controls, this is something that the two of us specially chose."

"The rules of war? Are you trying to remind this viscount to focus his attention on Baron Kant?" Baron Tyr. Isai. Maud understood immediately.

"That's right. Not only that, but we have also prepared a great gift for Baron Kant!" the two world barons said.

"What is that great gift?"

"Tyr, do you remember the 'agreement between the world's noble and the divine power restriction'?"

"Didn't this agreement expire 2,000 years ago and become invalid?" Baron Tyr asked, feeling puzzled. "If this agreement is still valid, we won't be able to use the power of the world's Baron and the gods in the mortal plane. The peak of Grand Knights is the limit."

"That's right. The reason for this agreement is that the ancient war of gods and demons shattered the entire continent. In order to prevent similar things from happening again, and for their own interests, the world's noble and the Gods signed this restriction agreement together," a world baron said with a smile. "Although this agreement has expired, we can re-activate this restriction agreement!"

"I'm afraid it's not that simple!" Baron Tyr. Isai. Maud said in a deep voice. "To re-activate this agreement, more than two-thirds of the world's noble and two-thirds of the gods have to agree."

"Don't worry about that, Tyr. Don't forget that it's not just the five world's noble families who want Baron Kant to die. This is the common request of all the gods, and all the world's noble families have agreed to it. Now, Baron Kant's strength is almost abnormal. Do you think they will agree to re-activate the restriction agreement?"

...

Time slowly passed, and the war in Lion Fort came to an end. There was no doubt that Kant's army had won, but the army that came out from Ryan. Isai. Cameron's fief was really strong. They had a tenacious fighting will and they were all veterans on the battlefield. Although the two trump cards had been eliminated early, the remaining 2,000 grand knight-level heavy cavalries, 10,000 infantrymen, and 1,500 archers resisted stubbornly without fear of death, causing a lot of losses to Kant's army.

They lost 200 Swadian royal knights, 200 Sarleon Lion Knights, 200 Rhodok sergeants, and 200 Swadian Sergeants. As for the long-range troops, they were well protected by Rhodok sergeants and Swadian Sergeants, therefore, they were still intact.

However, what puzzled Kant was that two hours had passed since the death of Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron. Kant's power of the rules of war had completely recovered. Logically speaking, there should be a world noble leading an army outside the Lion Fort's castle gates. However, Kant saw from the goshawk's perspective that the armies of the three noble families had stopped halfway through, after stopping for half an hour, they actually returned home.

"Could it be that they used some kind of method to accomplish Baron Ryan. Isai. Cameron's death and felt that there was no point in coming to rescue the Lion Fort? So they simply didn't come?" Kant guessed, obviously, his guess was wrong. The three barons were coming here to kill him, but they were intimidated by the terrifying force of him killing two world noble families in a row.

"It's good that they didn't come. My time is saved!" Kant said to himself.

At the northern end of the Nahrin Desert, something had obviously happened to the Mannheim Coast. The Kingdom of Grey Mane and the Kingdom of Lizardmen, which were formed by two subhuman races, should have been conquered by the descendants of the Sun God who had awakened from the endless darkness, now, they were invading Drondheim fortress, his original base in the world.

At this time, there were already a million troops in the depths of the Nahrin Desert, heading toward Drondheim. Kant estimated that they would reach Drondheim the day after tomorrow and launch a siege. Kant didn't have much time to waste in the Dukedom of Leo.

He needed to get everything done here as soon as possible, and then lead the army to support Drondheim. Although Drondheim had 5,000 garrisons, they were all 4-level and 5-level troop classes. Apart from infantry and archers, considering the terrain of the Nahrin Desert, the cavalry were mostly Sarrandian Horseman and Sarrandian Mamluk.

Although the 5,000 4-level and 5-level troop classes were powerful, they were obviously not enough in front of a million troop class, so they needed reinforcements.

Kant had already used his projection of will to issue an order to the mages who were sending messages to the City of Lion's Heart. He asked them to send orders to all the cities in his estate to send reinforcements to Drondheim.

After that, Kant calmed down and prepared to study this Crown of Darkness.

At this moment, he had already reached his peak status. He wanted to see what secrets this Crown of Darkness had and what it had to do with him. It could actually emit an aura that was fatal to his new city.

Kant slowly extended his right hand towards the Crown of Darkness. If there were any changes, he would immediately let the system absorb it through the Crown of Darkness. This was his last means of survival. This was because it was obvious that this Crown of Darkness was an extraordinary item, and extraordinary items could be retrieved by the system to exchange for denar.

When Kant's right hand touched the Crown of Darkness, his entire body suddenly trembled. He felt a feeling of being connected by blood. This made Kant feel extremely ridiculous. He, Kant, was a human. How could he have a feeling of blood connection with a crown?

This feeling of blood connection instantly swept through his entire body. Then Kant suddenly realized that the surrounding environment had changed.

The world had disappeared, leaving only silent, pure darkness. This darkness seemed to be empty as if it contained everything. In this absolute darkness, Kant could actually see everything around him clearly, as if there was a black light shooting into Kant's eyes, allowing him to see this absolute and pure darkness clearly.

However, it was useless to be able to see this darkness clearly, because this place was extremely empty.

"Is this an illusion?" Kant could not help but think. He did not feel any danger at the moment. To prevent his feelings from being deceived, Kant even consulted the system, the system replied that this was the internal space of the Crown of Darkness. It was not an illusion. However, Kant had entered here with only his soul and consciousness. His body was still in the Lion Fort. This explanation frightened Kant, and he thought that he had been killed by the Crown of Darkness without a sound. After all, he was now in the form of a soul.

However.., the system deliberately reminded him again, "He did not die. The reason why he came to this dark space is that his bloodline is compatible with the Crown of Darkness. He was quietly pulled into this space by the rules of the Crown of Darkness, and there is no danger at the moment."

Then, Kant found that this dark space was not really empty. He found a drop of golden blood floating in the air.

The moment Kant found the golden blood, the drop of blood suddenly turned into a figure wearing the Crown of Darkness. This figure was emitting a deep and pure dark aura. His tightly shut eyes suddenly opened, he revealed an extremely brilliant smile.

"My descendant, you are finally here!" The human figure formed by the golden blood suddenly spoke. His voice was as loud as a bell and was filled with joy. "Let me devour your soul and consciousness and see what this world has become! Then, I will offer up your body so that I can return to this world! hahaha!"

While the golden blood figure laughed wildly, he instantly pounced on Kant and opened his mouth wide, as if he really wanted to swallow Kant into his stomach.

"Is this the rhythm of destroying my soul and then taking over my body?" Kant did not panic. He calmly said to the crazily pouncing figure, "You want to swallow me? I have the system. You should understand it well!"

"System, take him away!" This thing was definitely an extraordinary object. It was formed from a drop of blood in the internal space of the Crown of Darkness. However, the entire Crown of Darkness was Kant. He wanted the system to absorb this frenzied human figure and there would be no problem at all.

Chapter 616: The System that Was a Little Stuffed

In the incomparably silent and pure dark space, Kant's eyes suddenly burst out with dense pitch-black data chains. In an instant, the figure that was madly pouncing over was bound in mid-air.

"Ah, darn it! What is this?" The figure only had time to scream before it collapsed and turned back into a drop of golden blood. From this drop of blood, Kant could feel the feeling of being deeply connected by blood.

The system's data chains wrapped the drop of golden blood tightly. There seemed to be a monster trapped in this drop of blood, constantly changing its form. From time to time, roars were coming from the golden blood.

"How dare you offend me? Do you know which god am I? I order you... ouch!"

"You are the only blood descendant of mine that still lives in this world. Stop right now. As a god, I can consider leaving your soul and consciousness behind to become my holy spirit! Ouch!"

"Lowly, scoundrel blood descendant. When you can no longer hold on to this darn thing, I will definitely let you taste all the torture in this world. I will let you experience the pain that I am currently experiencing. I will let you live forever and never stop enduring the cruel torture! Roar..."

...

Within the golden blood, the angry roars and screams of the voice kept coming, while Kant just watched quietly. The voice went from being high and mighty in the beginning to surrendering to Kant in a disguised form, to threatening him, followed by soft pleading, then cursing with despair, and finally, the golden blood completely quieted down.

The system's data chains began to quietly retract itself from Kant's pupils, leaving only a drop of golden blood floating quietly in the air.

"System, why didn't you absorb this drop of golden blood?" Kant was a little puzzled. He had originally intended for the system to absorb the human figure formed from the drop of blood, and naturally, that included this drop of golden blood.

"Hold on!" These simple words appeared on Kant's retina. This was the system's answer.

Kant had never thought that the system, which had always been striving for things with extraordinary powers, would actually have a "hold on" status.

Who was that guy who had been hiding in the golden blood and claimed to be a god? Unfortunately, this guy had never told Kant what god he was. Kant could only confirm that it was a god related to darkness.

At this moment, Kant suddenly realized that there was a burning desire in his heart as if he wanted to devour this drop of golden blood. Kant thought that since the system had already absorbed the guy hiding in the golden blood, it should be able to obtain a lot of information.

"System, can I absorb this drop of blood? Would there be any danger?"

"Please do as you wish!"

The words on his retina made Kant relax. Since he had come from the depths of his heart -- there was only his soul and consciousness at the moment. It should be said that he had come from the depths of his soul to devour this drop of golden blood. Moreover, he had checked with the system to confirm that there was no danger, then, he naturally would not hesitate.

Slurp!

Kant did not encounter any obstacles and absorbed this drop of golden blood. The taste was sweet and fragrant as if it was a top-notch delicacy.

The moment the drop of golden blood was absorbed by Kant, the boundless dark space instantly disappeared. Kant returned to the Lion Fort, and the Crown of Darkness in his hand turned into a puff of black smoke and disappeared. The drop of golden blood was the foundation of the Crown of Darkness. After Kant swallowed the drop of golden blood, the Crown of Darkness naturally ceased to exist.

At this moment, Kant's expression was somewhat blank. In his imagination, that golden blood should be a very high-level item. However, other than Kant feeling that his supernatural power had changed a little, there were no other changes.

"Perhaps what is extraordinary is that fellow in the golden blood and not this drop of golden blood!" Kant thought.

At this moment, Kant's supernatural power had added another type of power, the Power of Darkness. This was what Kant had felt. As for the details of this Power of Darkness, other than the fact that it could also increase the strength of one's body and increase one's attack and defense, Kant did not know anything about the other functions, but the system definitely knew.

"System, help me to analyze the newly acquired Power of Darkness!"

"The system is busy, please consult later."

Kant blinked his eyes. He thought that he had seen wrongly, but after blinking, the row of words given by the system still remained.

The system would definitely not have such a status that he had never seen before for no reason. The only thing that Kant could think of was the guy hiding in the golden blood that the system had just absorbed.

That guy was able to "stuff" the system and made it enter a "busy" status. That guy was calling out "as a god, I could...", what kind of god was he? He was actually so terrifying.

"System, check my stats."

"System is busy, please consult later."

Kant didn't believe it and tried again, but the system was still in a busy status.

"Sigh, the system seems to be unreliable! For the army that suddenly appeared in the Nahrin Desert, I originally planned to try my luck to get help from the system, but it seems that this time, I can only rely on myself. I hope the system can get out of the busy loading as soon as possible." Kant was a little puzzled, at this critical moment, the system, which had always been as steady as an old dog, actually dropped the chain.

"I wonder how long will this last. I need to prepare for the worst! Without the help of the system, I can't level up the soldiers who can level up on the battlefield in time. Fortunately, I'm very strong now, and the East County has trained up tens of thousands of strong soldiers. With these soldiers, I should be able to deal with the armies of the Kingdom of Grey Mane and the Kingdom of Lizardmen with ease."

Although the system had dropped the ball at the crucial moment, Kant did not panic. After all, he was no longer a small lord who only had a small oasis, instead, he was a great lord who had brought more than half of the Dukedom of Leo into the territory of the new Caradia Empire. His strength was extremely tyrannical.

The descendants of the Sun God who had been transformed into undead by his pope were attacking Drondheim. It wasn't simply just attacking Drondheim, they were at war with the new Caradia Empire.

In fact, through the line in the dark dimension of the Crown of Darkness, Kant felt that he had already revealed his "background". However, it was a critical moment now, and he did not have the time to analyze it in detail.

After Kant settled the problem of the Crown of Darkness, he entered a new war status without any rest.

The number of Jackalan and Lizardmen from the Kingdom of Grey Mane and the Kingdom of Lizardmen at the northernmost coast of the Nahrin Desert was too many, almost a million in total. Even though Kant was confident in his own strength, he didn't dare to be careless.

Under such circumstances, it would be foolish to fight on two fronts.

Moreover, it could be said that they had already conquered the Dukedom of Leo.

This was because half an hour ago, his subordinate had reported to the four top noble families of the Dukedom of Leo. After the three world baron armies returned to their respective castles, their manors and castles had already been emptied, this included the Reese family, which had already lost their world noble families.

This problem was very clear to Kant. The four top noble families of the Dukedom of Leo had all retreated to their family's world baron's demiplane fiefdom. For the time being, they were not too much of a threat, and Kant had no time to bother with them.

In Kant's opinion, as long as their demiplane fiefdom was still in their castle, Kant could deal with them in the future.

In this way, only the upper-class noble of the Dukedom of Leo and the nobles of the East County who were in deep trouble was left on the road to support the Lion Fort.

As for them, Kant could prove that he had destroyed Cameron, the Grand Duke of Leo. As long as he charged them a fee for their escape, they would definitely "happily" accept Kant's expulsion. Kant was confident.

Two hours later, the upper-class nobles of the Dukedom of Leo and the nobles of the East County happily accepted Kant's conditions. On the surface, they were happy and grateful, but after they gave a large number of golden eagles to Baron Kant, they happily set off for other countries.

At this point, the entire Dukedom of Leo belonged to Baron Kant.

Kant assigned some troops to stay in the major cities and towns, as well as the newly occupied half of the South County and the entire East County. Then, he issued the highest military order: all the troops that were still in idle status, shall set off and meet at the Stone Pass. Kant would personally lead these troops to assist Drondheim.

The next morning, Kant and his troops, who were traveling by night, had already arrived at the Stone Pass. This was all thanks to the flourishing development of the new Caradia Empire. All the main roads had been formed into smooth paved roads, and they were standing on horses.

At the same time, the Caradia Empire had a sufficient number of horses, and all the soldiers could ride on horses. This was thanks to Kant's plan to dispose of the spoils of war. He could sell anything that he had, but he had never sold a warhorse, instead, he left these warhorses in the newly-born Caradia Empire to facilitate the transportation of the entire empire.

Of course, there was also the assistance of the mages' continuous group acceleration spell, which enable them to hasten.

Kant was at the north gate of the Stone Pass, overlooking the Nahrin Desert in the distance. A bright red sun rose, sprinkling down endless radiance filled with vigor and vitality, making the people bathing in it feel cheerful and energetic. Kant looked at the rising red sun, and could not help but think of the Caradia Empire that he had founded in this world. Wasn't the Caradia Empire like the Rising Red Sun, full of vigor and vitality, and would certainly spread its territory and spread its glory to every inch of the land of this world?

However, the Caradia Empire was now facing a crisis of war that concerned its survival. Only after this crisis was over could it climb higher and create a dazzling brilliance.

Kant continued to look at the Nahrin Desert. It had to be said that although the Nahrin Desert had a dangerous environment and was known as a forbidden zone for life, the Nahrin Desert in the morning was very beautiful. Under the orange-red sunlight, a vast expanse of yellow sand was seen, the sky was as vast as the land. It was like a magnificent painting scroll, full of vigor and painting the vast expanse.

However, Kant's mind was not in such a beautiful scenery. His gaze was ethereal and profound, as if he had transcended the barriers of time and space and descended on the majestic army that was slowly advancing in the yellow sand north of Drondheim.

Kant's lips curled up slightly as if he had received some happy news.

"There shouldn't be any god-level or world-class noble-level undead among the Sun God's descendants who have become undead. If that's the case, I can be said to be completely superior to them in terms of high-level power! I'm a world baron, and I have grasped the third level of the power of the rules of war. I have half a foot in the fourth level, and my explosive power is absolutely terrifying. With my goshawks supporting me in the air, I can completely assassinate the enemy's generals endlessly, so that the enemy will collapse without a fight. Just because I am the Baron of the world and have unparalleled combat strength, I alone can decide the outcome of this war."

Kant thought about this form of war and naturally calculated his own strength. In the end, he discovered such a terrifying result, and he was instantly overjoyed. After all, with the help of the goshawks who had submitted to him and Kant's powerful strength, if he wanted to carry out an assassination, no one would be able to withstand it, and no one would be able to encircle Kant with an army.

"I didn't expect that just casually considering the situation of the war, I would actually discover such a terrifying effect!" Kant's heart was beaming with joy. "If I'm here, then the situation of the war is already set. It would be difficult to lose the war here!"

Kant couldn't help but point his middle finger at the Red Sun. "Just you wait, descendants of the Sun God! I'll let you know the consequences of making an enemy out of me!"

Perhaps Kant's actions were too pretentious. Even the heavens couldn't stand it.

Just as Kant finished saying the last word, Kant suddenly realized that he seemed to have put on an invisible shackle at that moment. His power of the rules of war couldn't be used anymore.

Kant was immediately terrified. His power of the rules of war was still there. How could he suddenly be unable to use it?

"Power of the rules of war, fuse!" Kant tried the most basic use of the power of the rules of war. He directly fused it into his body, causing his body's quality to greatly improve.

He succeeded. His body rapidly strengthened. Kant's face was full of joy. "As expected, the feeling just now should be an illusion. The power of the rules of war is so powerful. How could I not be able to use it?"

However, after a short while, Kant's physical quality stopped improving. His physical quality had only increased by five times compared to usual. It was far from reaching the standard of fusing the power of the rules of war. Instead, it was the effect of the ordinary extraordinary power -- the Power of War.

Kant's expression changed. "Could it be that my Power of War is really unable to be used again? Then, isn't my previous idea of victory even the most basic condition -- that he has the strength of a World Baron?"

Chapter 617: Unusable Power

Kant was dumbfounded. His power of the rules of war was truly unusable. In this way, although he was a noble of the world, what difference was there between the power he could unleash and a Grand Knight at the peak?

For the application realm of extraordinary power, ordinary extraordinary power could only be used at the first realm, the universal realm. For higher realms like the materialization realm, they could only be used by the power of rules or the divine level power. Just from this point alone, Kant's combat strength had undoubtedly fallen from an extremely terrifying realm to the peak of a Grand Knight.

"Why is it like this?" Kant was so depressed that he wanted to go crazy. Just a moment ago, he wanted to rely on his super-powerful personal strength to become a superhero, so that he could single-handedly defeat the Jackalan Army of the Kingdom of Grey Mane and the Lizardmen Army of the Kingdom of Lizardmen.

Just as Kant was feeling depressed, the world will suddenly descend. It was formless and immaterial. It only sent Kant a message -- more than two-thirds of the world baron and more than two-thirds of the gods had voted to agree, the "World Noble and Divine Power Restriction Agreement" was reactivated. The time limit was the same as last time. It was also 10,000 years.

After that, the content of the "World Noble and Divine Power Restriction Agreement" was also transformed into information by the world will and surged into Kant's mind. After Kant read it carefully, he discovered that it was precisely because of the reactivation of this restriction agreement that his power of the rules of war could not be used in the main plane. If he wanted to use the power of the rules of war, he could only enter his own fiefdom demiplane.

In Kant's head, the word "well" appeared in anger. This was clearly the world barons and the gods targeting him! In the message sent to him by the world will, there was a hint that this restriction agreement had already lapsed 2,000 years ago. It had not been reactivated for 2,000 years, yet it had suddenly been activated when his personal combat strength could sweep across the world barons. It would be strange if it was not targeted at him.

At that moment, Kant suddenly felt that many gazes were focused on him. To be precise, they were focused on his real name.

"Isai. Lannister Tolia!" Kant muttered his real name in his heart after a moment of silence. Complicated patterns of rules appeared in his eyes, which was also his real name. At that moment, Kant's perspective changed from a normal perspective to a rule perspective.

In the rule perspective, the world disappeared, leaving only the different colored rule patterns extending out from the world will that was like a silver-gray ball of light in the center. And Kant was now stepping on a dark red rule pattern. Under his feet was his real name.

At this moment, in the rule perspective, nearly a hundred human figures floated and stepped on the different colored rule patterns. There were forty-nine world barons and fifty to sixty gods. The godheads of the gods ran through the patterns of the rules, and they stepped on their godheads.

Kant now knew that the world nobles and the gods that appeared in the world of the rules were also will projections, and they could talk and communicate with each other. In the world of the main plane, the world nobles and the gods that were very far away were so close to each other in the world of the rules.

"Are you looking for me?" Kant's real name floated in his eyes as he looked at the hundreds of world barons and gods. He realized that the smiles of the world barons and gods seemed very sincere as if they wanted to establish a friendly relationship with Kant. Kant's strength was undeniable. Since their plan to kill Kant had failed, and the conflict between them and Kant wasn't too big, they weren't foolish enough to continue to make enemies with Kant. As for whether their smiles were sincere or not, that was a matter of opinion.

There were only three "old acquaintances", Baron Tyr. Isai. Maud, Baron Clark. Isai. Prynne, and Baron Victor. Isai. Enoch, whose fiefdom was in the Dukedom of Leo's South County. Although they were smiling as well, it was more like a happy and complacent smile after achieving their goal. This smile was even filled with pleasure.

Kant fixed his gaze on the three world barons at a glance. Their smiles were incompatible with the smiles of all the world barons and gods.

At this moment, a God wearing a moon-white noble robe and a moon-white divine crown on his head spoke, he stood on his milky-white divine personality and said, "Dear Baron Kant, We are here to inform you that there are no other matters regarding the reactivation of the agreement between the world nobles and the gods."

"Just for this?" Kant frowned slightly. The world will Isai had already been notified. These world barons and gods actually appeared together and informed him once again.

"Yes, Baron Kant. Your strength is worth it for us to do this!" the god continued, "We need to explain it to you because, in a short time, a God and two world barons have already fallen in the main plane. To avoid unnecessary disputes that would lead to the death of any world barons or Gods, we have agreed to activate the 'agreement between the world nobles and the gods'."

Kant rubbed his nose. Didn't this god and the two world barons die in his hands?

"Okay, I understand!" Kant said calmly.

"In that case, we'll take our leave!" Except for the three world barons of the Dukedom of Leo, all the world barons and gods disappeared in an instant. Kant just found it funny that the reason why all the world barons and gods were here as they were probably afraid that Kant would hold a grudge against them if they didn't show up. As for the sincere smile on their faces, it was just a formalized smile. For a moment, Kant felt that although the world nobles and gods were high and mighty, they were no different from ordinary mortals except that they were stronger and lived longer.

"Why don't the three of you leave? Do you need me for anything else?" Kant asked the three world barons from the Dukedom of Leo's South County. He had an unceasing relationship with these three people. At this moment, Kant had cast them aside because of the sudden change in the Nahrin Desert. When the matter in the Nahrin Desert was over, he would definitely grind the bones of these three world barons into ashes.

Kant's beliefs were, if a person respected him, he would do the same. If a person punched him, he would return ten punches.

The five world barons of the Dukedom of Leo had repeatedly tried to take Kant's life. Kant had already killed two of them, so naturally, he would not let these three go.

At this time, the three world barons laughed together. Their laughter was extremely joyful. "Baron Kant, are you surprised that you are suddenly unable to use the power of the rules of war?"

Chapter 618: The Restriction Agreement is in Effect

Then, the three of them pointed their fingers at themselves. "We did it! Under our initiative, the 'World Noble and Divine Power Restriction Agreement' was reactivated."

After the three of them finished speaking, they looked at Kant with bright smiles on their faces, hoping to see Kant's angry look. They thought that they should leave a souvenir before they left the World of Isai's main plane.

However, Kant did not fulfill their wishes. Instead, he grinned at them and said, "Then I have to thank you!"

Afterward, Kant ignored the three people who wanted to find a sense of presence in him and directly withdrew from the perspective of the rules. He did not want to waste precious time fighting with them. He only needed to kill them when he had the opportunity in the future.

There were two sides to every matter.

Kant didn't say that on purpose to refute the three world noble families. In fact, Kant had gradually figured it out. The reactivation of the "World Noble and Divine Power Restriction Agreement" was a good thing for him instead.

He had already figured out that the system also had a limit. This limitation was related to the strength of the army. The system could only give him a 6-level troop class at most. However, the strength of the army that the system helped him to upgrade belonged to Kant.

Above level 6 was the level of the world nobles and the gods. At this level, he had to rely on the world.

Only by relying on the rules of the world could he have the power of the world nobles and the gods. Moreover, Kant still did not know whether this power belonged to him or not. Although this power was powerful, it was obviously restricted by the world.

For example, this time, it actually silently restricted his power of the rules of war. It could be seen that at least the power of the world noble was not completely his. Otherwise, even if it was the world's will, it still could not restrict the power that completely belonged to himself.

Kant was transported. Although he had grown up in this world, he did not have a warm and beautiful childhood. He was more like a bystander, silently enduring the suffering that this foreign world had inflicted on him since he was young. He was so sensitive that he did not even dare to directly expose his system.

In this foreign world, Kant was extremely insecure.

Therefore, after the world nobles betrayed him, he would rather pay several times the price to establish a Caradia Empire that completely belonged to him, from the Kingdom of Swadia, from the Kingdom of Nords, from Khergit Khanate, from the Kingdom of Vaegirs, and all the people who were completely loyal to Kant from the world of riding and chopping filled his Caradia Empire. He did not even allow any of the natives of this world to join his estate, because Kant could not determine their loyalty. If they were loyal today, they might betray him tomorrow for various reasons.

And the sudden appearance of the "World Noble and Divine Power Restriction Agreement" had obviously stimulated Kant's most sensitive nerve, which was the sense of security over his own power. If one's own power could be taken away by the world's will at any time, what was the use of such power?

Kant knew that the world's will in this world was divided into two parts, conscious and unconscious. And it was dominated by the part that had its own consciousness. It could be seen from the fact that this world was named after Isai. If one day, the world will Isai suddenly wanted to kill Kant, it only needed to suddenly restrict his use of the power of rules when he was fighting against a powerful enemy, right?

Such a situation suddenly entered Kant's mind when he saw the silver-gray sphere-shaped world will Isai from the perspective of rules. Therefore, Kant sincerely thanked the three world barons, even though it was useless because Kant's killing intent towards them did not weaken at all.

The morning sun slowly rose over the Nahrin Desert. Although it was still early in the morning, the temperature of the Nahrin Desert began to rise rapidly. The army that Kant had been waiting for began to gradually gather at the Stone Pass. Even Rolf from the South County had rushed over. At this time, only the troops from the East County that had invaded too deeply were still on their way. However, the speed of their galloping made them extremely fast. They would arrive in another one or two hours, these one or two hours were enough for the troops that had arrived earlier to take a short break and recover their energy and stamina.

"Report!" Suddenly, a fast horse came towards Kant. Kant turned his head and saw that it was a Swadian royal knight, Dunde. Kant had left him in the former residence of Baron Dylan to receive the news. If the mages received any important information, Dunde would rush to Kant and report to him.

Kant frowned. At this moment, Dunde was riding his fast horse. It seemed that the news was serious. At this critical moment, Kant did not want any bad news to delay him from supporting Drondheim.

In an instant, many speculations flooded Kant's mind. The three world noble families of South County suddenly sent troops to sweep the South County -- Kant had just made them suffer; the upper noble families suddenly reneged, unwilling to leave their homes again, and even started a rebellion -- Kant's large-scale deployment of troops could not be hidden at all, it was easy for the sensitive noble families to guess that Kant was in trouble; Countess Agatha of East County had suddenly reneged on her promise and no longer left, wanting to take back the Dukedom of Leo from Kant's hands -- Kant had accidentally found out, Countess Agatha was not an ordinary person at all, but a god's agent on the Earth. It was unknown whether her real body had any relationship with the Cameron family. It must be known that a god who could have a representative must have a divine kingdom. In other words, Countess Agatha's true form was higher than the fifty or so gods that Kant had seen from the perspective of the rules today.

All of these speculations were likely to happen and were directly ignored by Kant. This was because Drondheim was his foundation and his home in this world. He had to save it.

The Swadian royal knight, Dunde, sped up and rushed in front of Kant. Seeing that Kant's expression was calm, how could he know that Kant was imagining things.

Dunde dismounted his horse and bowed respectfully to Kant, he opened his mouth and said, "Lord, just twenty minutes ago, the teleportation passage leading to the demiplane of their fiefdom in the four noble castles in the South County suddenly closed and disappeared without a trace."

Kant let out a sigh of relief when he heard Dunde's words. The news that Dunde brought was not any of his guesses. Although this news was also important, it did not have much effect on the current situation.

Chapter 619: The Mission to Establish an Empire

"All the demiplane teleportation channels have been closed and disappeared without a trace? Is it only the four families? Is the demiplane teleportation channel in Lion Fort still intact?" Kant asked.

"Lord, Lion Fort didn't send any relevant news. They just reported some ordinary news on time," Dunde answered respectfully.

"If there is no news, then everything is fine! I got it, you can leave now! Go back to the Baron's mansion in Stone Pass and wait for the news."

"Yes, Lord!"

Dunde quickly mounted his warhorse and left.

This news did not waver Kant, because it had nothing to do with the current situation. Kant continued to stare at the depths of the Nahrin Desert, quietly waiting for the arrival of the remaining soldiers.

At this moment, a few lines of words suddenly popped up in his vision, and at the same time, he heard a ding.

"Ding... after an arduous battle, the main quest has been completed."

"Main quest: 'The beginning of the road of the emperor, the beginning of the conquest' has been completed."

"Reward: 1,000,000 Denar, 1,000,000 Reputation, 100 Honor Points."

"Comment: The strength of the Dukedom of Leo has exceeded the system's expectations, causing the host to experience difficulties. Special Reward: Exclusive Building, 'Absolute Estate'."

Kant was overjoyed. It was not because of the completion of the main quest. The reward of the main quest was no longer in his eyes. What made Kant happy was that the system had resumed its normal operation. This meant that he could use battle to grow stronger. The key was that the cycle was extremely short, and the type 3 and type 4 soldiers that were trained from the East County would be able to gain enough experience to level up.

At the same time, a golden card appeared in Kant's mind. On the card, there was only a circle, which was strange. It did not look like an estate at all.

"System, show me the properties of this building, 'Absolute Estate'."

"Absolute estate: an estate with a radius of 10 kilometers designated by the host. Circle it and turn it into an absolute estate that belongs solely to the host. In an absolute estate, the host can isolate the world will's detection. This absolute estate does not exist in the world will's eyes at all."

Kant looked at the attributes of this absolute estate and suddenly felt his hair stand on end. A chill ran through his heart. Could it be that he had always been under the surveillance of the world will?

After the system "digested" this time, what information did it receive that gave him such a reward? Didn't that mean that the system was already on guard against the world will just like him?

"Ding... Main Quest issued!"

"Main Quest: Establish an empire!"

"Reward: 1000,000 Denar, 100,000 Reputation, 100 Honor Points"

"Description: The host is requested to officially establish an empire, establish the country's name, at the same time establish the ruling system, and promulgate the empire's constitution. Also, confirm the country's flag, determine the territory's scope, and determine the troop class to gather the people's will."

When Kant finished reading the main quest of the system, the caption on his retina suddenly rolled, and the system actually issued another quest.

"Ding... temporary quest issued!"

"Temporary quest: Side Quest of Strength!"

"Reward: Glory. Sword of the King"

"Description: there has never been an omniscient and omnipotent existence in the world, and this system is no exception. Due to past mistakes, the system guided the host onto a path of power that no one could return to -- the path of the world's noble. In order to make up for past mistakes, the system specially gave the host a chance to choose a new path of power. The host is requested to choose whether to change to a new path of power -- the path of the commander. This mission is time-limited. The host only needs to decide 'Yes' or 'No' If the host does not choose, the default selection is 'Yes'."

"60"

"59"

...

Following the appearance of this temporary side quest, a number appeared on Kant's retina at the same time. Every second displayed a change. Obviously, this quest was limited to one minute.

Kant was really shocked this time. The system actually said that he had made a mistake and led him onto a path of power that no one could return to -- the path of the world's noble. In Kant's mind, the image of the silver-gray light ball of the world will Isai immediately appeared.

If the path of the world's noble was really a path that could not be returned, Kant could be sure that there must be the existence of the world will Isai at the end of this path. The power of the world's noble came from the rules, and the rules all came from the world will Isai. Kant did not know exactly how strong the world's will was, but he had only vaguely felt it once before. It could only be described as unfathomable. However, the strength of his world's Baron was nothing in front of the world's will. He was like an ant.

Kant had already developed a resistance towards the world's will, and he sincerely thanked the three South County's world nobles for helping him to understand the terrifying power of the world's will through the "World Noble and Divine Power Restriction Agreement". He was willing to endure the power of the world noble families that had been sealed.

And now, the system actually said that this path was wrong, and it was a path of no return. Then Kant's choice was unquestionable. He resolutely gave up on the path of the world noble families, even if the world noble families could live forever, the power of the world noble families far surpassed the power of a Grand Knight at the peak level.

Kant believed in the system because the system was originally one with him. If he lived, the system would exist. If he died, the system would also be finished.

The system's loyalty to him did not need to be constant. Based on this alone, the system would not want anything to happen to Kant.

This so-called temporary side quest could be said to be the system giving Kant a chance to change the path of power and break free from the path of the world's noble. However, from another perspective, wasn't the system saving itself? In this world, the thing that didn't want anything to happen to Kant the most was probably the system.

To this end, the system even specially created a so-called time-limited quest. As long as Kant didn't choose, it would mean that he had decided to change the path of power.

"Yes!" Kant made his choice without hesitation.

The moment Kant made his choice, a heart-wrenching pain spread from Kant's body. This pain came from every part of the body -- because all parts of the body didn't lack the circulation of blood. That's right, this pain came from the deepest part of Kant's bloodline, and Kant's real name came from the real name of the rules of the world. It was integrated into the deepest part of Kant's bloodline.

"Ah!" Kant could not help but roar angrily, but he could not faint because the pain had already exceeded the limit and was continuous.

"No need to worry!" Kant assured while he was experiencing intense pain when he saw the surrounding Swadian royal knights frantically pulling out their swords while he was painfully roaring.

Chapter 620: Submission of the Goshawks

For half an hour, the pain that came from the depths of his bloodline assaulted him like an endless tide.

In the end, Kant's eyes spat out a large number of pitch-black data chains. These data chains were mixed with an extremely complicated crimson pattern. Kant understood that it was his real name -- Isai. Lannister Tolia, which was a part of the rules of war. To be able to absorb the power of the rules of war from these chains, this was the source of the power of the world's noble families.

"Kacha!"

Suddenly, a large number of pitch-black data chains that had already been spat out from Kant's eyes broke apart. Following that, the dark red real name was enveloped and exploded. Kant was shocked to see an incomparably terrifying data stream. They continued to wash away the dark red real name, knowing that the dark red real name had directly disintegrated into nothingness.

This was the first time Kant had seen the data chain that the system sent out self-destruct, using a form of partial self-destruction to destroy another existence.

At the moment when the real name was completely destroyed by the system's data stream, Kant felt an indescribable sense of ease, as if he had broken free from an invisible chain.

"Ding... temporary side quest completed."

"Ding... the system has entered a state of self-repair. Please wait patiently for the system to complete its repair."

"48:00:00"

"47:59:59"

Kant was speechless. He had thought that the system would finally come in handy after digesting the information, but he did not expect it to be "injured" now. It even set a countdown to repair, a total of 48 hours.

Kant was really curious. After the system digested the guy in the Crown of Darkness, what information did it get that caused it to react so intensely. It was the "Absolute estate" and it did not hesitate to self-destruct a part of itself. Kant understood that the form of the system's existence was the data chain.

Chirp chirp chirp chirp.

Suddenly, in the sky, six goshawks cried out in dissatisfaction. They circled around Kant.

Kant could still communicate with their minds. He understood that the six goshawks were shouting, "Give me strength! Give me strength!"

These six goshawks were cute.

Unfortunately, Kant was no longer a noble of the world. His real name was directly extracted from the depths of his bloodline by the system. Without his real name, he would be unable to continuously absorb the power of the rules of war from the rules of war. He would also be unable to continuously provide strength to the six goshawks. The six goshawks had submitted to him because of power. At this moment, he could not give them power. Perhaps they would betray him.

However, Kant could not bear to retaliate against the upcoming betrayal of the six goshawks.

Because they were simple and direct. These six goshawks did not owe Kant anything. At the moment of submission, they had obtained the power they wanted, and they had conscientiously fulfilled any request Kant had given them. At this moment, Kant could no longer satisfy their thirst for power. If they really wanted to argue, Kant had let them down.

"You can go. I have lost my real name, and I can no longer provide you with the power of the rules of war. I can no longer allow you to maintain the power of a peak Grand Knight," Kant said softly to the six goshawks in his mind.

Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp.

The six goshawks kept circling around. When they heard the words in Kant's mind, their cries became anxious. The six goshawks seemed to be quarreling at this moment.

Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp.

After about three minutes of each other's cries, the six goshawks were divided into two teams, one team with three goshawks.

One of the teams flew directly to the south. They came from the South County territory, which was their home. Obviously, they were going home. Kant's connection with their minds was also rapidly fading, which meant that they had quickly broken away from their status of submitting to Kant -- one could imagine how neat and decisive they were.

After flying south for a while, the three goshawks suddenly flew north and back to Kant. They circled over Kant's head for a while, chirping for a while, then flew south again, this time for real.

The other three goshawks, however, were circling over Kant's head. Kant was connected to their minds, which meant that after Kant lost his position as the world's noble, they chose to continue to submit to Kant, even if Kant could no longer provide them with power at this time.

They did not cry out to show their love, nor did they tell Kant through their minds how unjust the departure of the other three was, thus complementing how rare and difficult it was for them to stay together. They just silently hovered above Kant, just like in the past.

These three goshawks were, after all, just three big birds. They were simple, direct, and childish.

"Those three goshawks just now, what did they call out before they left?" Kant asked the three goshawks who chose to stay behind and continue to serve him in his mind. The three other goshawks had already severed their mental connection with Kant, so Kant did not know what they had said when they returned.

Birds spoke bird language. Kant did not understand, but their own kind did.

"They said, 'we're leaving, remember to come and play with us when you go to the south.'"

"Oh," Kant replied with a smile.

Of the three goshawks that stayed behind, the first goshawk that submitted to Kant was still among them. Kant understood that these three goshawks did not submit to him for power and he did not know why. However, he had a strange feeling that these three goshawks would never leave after submitting to him.

"From now on, the two of you are called Greeny and Blacky."

Kant said to the two goshawks that did not have names. The two goshawks immediately began to chirp happily.

"My name is Greeny! My name is Greeny!"

"My name is Blacky! My name is Blacky!"

Blitz was also unwilling to be lonely and chirped along.

"My name is Blitz! My name is Blitz!"

The wings of the goshawks were greenish-black, so Kant named the two goshawks based on those colors.

Although the goshawks were very simple, they were happy to have their own names. This was because they also understood that the existence of a name meant that they were unique and different. This was something that all living beings who could think yearned for.

Kant felt the four extraordinary powers lurking deep within his body, he muttered to himself in surprise, "I thought that after my real name was stripped away, my Power of War would disappear and it would still exist. But now, I'm really a Grand Knight and not an Extraordinary Knight. I don't know if the new path of power given by the system, the path of the commander, will be able to become an Extraordinary Knight. If it's possible, I hope that the power will belong to me."

Chapter 621: The Expedition Continued

"Lord, all the troops have arrived at the Stone Pass!" a soldier reported to Kant.

Kant raised his head and looked at the sky. The sky was clear and the sun was shining. It was already ten in the morning. If they wanted to reach Drondheim before tomorrow, time would be very tight. After all, marching in the desert was much slower than marching on the well-paved roads in the Dukedom of Leo.

In the desert, it was hard to build a road. Even if it was built, after a sandstorm, the road might be buried under the sand or blown away.

Kant nodded at the soldier, "Return to your team!"

"Yes, Lord," the soldier replied respectfully, before turning around and returning to his team.

Kant led his guards and returned to the Stone Pass. He organized his troops and prepared to set off.

There were many troops, and they came from all over the place. Aaron, Veluca, Jerkela, Sargoth, and the City of Lion's Heart. In addition, most of the Swadian royal knights and Sarleon Lion Knight who were trained as administrators scattered in Kant's estate were also transferred. There were also many troops that Kant would not use unless it was a critical moment. After all, his strength was too strong, and he did not need to put all his troops on the table. At this moment, they gathered at the Stone Pass, waiting for Kant's follow-up orders.

Four generals were summoned by Kant -- Rolf, Baheshtur, Firentis, and James.

At this moment, there were many troops gathered at the Stone Pass.

There were 1,500 Swadian royal knights, 1,500 Sarleon Lion Knights, a total of 3,000 6-level troop classes. These were equivalent to the troop class of the world's peak Grand Knights and were personally led by Kant.

Next was the heavy cavalry. There were 3,000 Sarrandian Mamluk, 5,000 Swadian Knights, and 7,000 Sarleon Lion Knights. Each of them was a 5-level troop class. Just the 5-level troop class heavy cavalries alone had a total of 15,000 soldiers.

There was 10,000 Sarrandian Horseman from the 4-level troop class and 20,000 of them from the Swadian Heavy Calvary. There were 30,000 men in the 4-level troop class.

Finally, there was the light cavalry. There were 6,000 desert bandits in the 3-level troop class. There were 4,000 elite desert bandits in the 3-level to 4-level troop class. There were a total of 10,000 light cavalries.

For these 55,000 cavalries, Kant appointed Rolf as their commander-in-chief.

After appointing the commander-in-chief of the cavalry, it was followed by the commander-in-chief of the infantry. Kant appointed Firentis as the commander-in-chief of the infantry.

The number of infantrymen was much more than that of the cavalries.

Kant had two types of 5-level troop class infantrymen, the Swadian Sergeants, and Rhodok sergeants. Among them, there were 20,000 Swadian sergeants and only 10,000 Rhodok sergeants. However, Rhodok sergeants' combat strength was much stronger than the Swadian Sergeants. In terms of cavalry, the strongest 6-level troop class in the continent of Caradia, the Nord Royal Guards, one of the Nord Royal Guards could deal with four Swadian sergeants, but two of Rhodok sergeants would definitely win against one of the Nord Royal Guards.

There were also two 4-level troop class infantrymen, the Swadian Infantry and Rhodok veteran spearman. Among them, there were 20,000 Swadian infantry and 10,000 Rhodok veteran spearman.

There were 30,000 Swadian Footman and 10,000 Rhodok Trained Spearman at the 3-level troop class.

A total of 100,000 infantry were gathered at the Stone Pass.

After the infantry were the archers. Kant had three types of archers.

The Vaegir Marksman, the Ravenstern Rangers, and the Rhodok sniper each had 3,000 level-5 archers.

There were 5,000 level-4 archers in each of the three categories, Virgil archers, Ravenstern wardens, and Rhodok veteran crossbowmen.

There were 5,000 level-3 archers in each of the three categories, Virgil Skirmisher, Ravenstern Archer, and Rhodok Trained Crossbowman.

There were a total of 39,000 long-range archers, and their long-range firepower was extremely terrifying. These long-range forces were assigned to Baheshtur by Kant, making him the commander of the crossbow unit.

Finally, it was Kant's mage unit. There were 2,000 Enfath Empire Mages and 5,000 Enfath Empire Apprentice Mages. There were a total of 7,000 spell casters. Their power on the battlefield was absolutely terrifying.

These 7,000 spell casters were assigned by Kant to James, making him the commander of the spell caster army.

Kant looked at the orderly soldiers in the Stone Pass, and a sense of pride emerged in his heart. He had built these armies from scratch, slowly accumulating them bit by bit. It was not until more than a year ago when he settled down to develop his estate, and his wealth rapidly increased, that his troops exploded in numbers. The number and quality of the army showed a spurt of growth. It could be said that all of Kant's resources had been invested into the cause of the violent soldiers. That was almost all of Kant's current military strength.

Of course, the various large cities needed to leave a portion of their troops behind to defend themselves. As for the other troops that weren't suitable for desert battles, Kant didn't let them gather here. For example, the water bandits of Sargoth weren't sent here.

After organizing the troops, Kant stood on the high platform and activated his extraordinary power. He said to all the generals and soldiers in a clear voice, "Generals! Commanders! Soldiers! I am Kant, your Lord! Hello!"

All the generals, commanders, and soldiers were immediately energized when they heard Kant's voice. They revealed a respectful expression and replied loudly, "Hello, my Lord!"

Their voices shook the sky, and even the swaying white clouds were scattered.

Kant smiled, and his voice became gentle and it spread throughout the entire place. "I know that everyone received my urgent order yesterday. The starry night and the bumpy journey must have tire everyone. The soldiers who arrived at the Stone Pass earlier only rested for a few hours and have not fully recovered."

Then, Kant's voice became excited. "But our homeland, Drondheim, is about to be invaded by Jackalans and Lizardmen. They are a large and powerful force. Can we sit back and watch our homeland being invaded, our people being killed, and witness Drondheim being destroyed?"

"No!"

"No!"

"No!"

All the generals, commanders, and soldiers shouted at the same time.

"Then should we support Drondheim as soon as possible, protect our homeland, and kill those detestable invaders?"

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

The emotions of the generals and soldiers were stirred up by Kant. Kant struck while the iron was hot and ordered loudly, "All soldiers, listen up. Set off now and head to Drondheim to support our fellow soldiers!"

The mighty army set off. From the Stone Pass, they entered the Nahrin Desert and headed straight for Drondheim's large-scale fortress.

All the soldiers were riding horses, and there were mages constantly casting group acceleration, so their speed was very fast.

Chapter 622: The Direction of the Death Desert

In the depths of the Nahrin Desert, 200 kilometers north of the Drondheim large fortress, the Jackalans from the Kingdom of Grey Mane and the Lizardmen from the Kingdom of Lizardmen were used as coolies to dig the sand.

Only a few thousand death knights were patrolling around them. It was unknown why the millions of Jackalans and Lizardmen would allow these thousands of death knights to do whatever they wanted.

However, every time the death knights patrolled a place, the Jackalans and Lizardmen would look at the death knights with fear and humility in their eyes.

The Kingdom of Grey Mane and the Kingdom of Lizardmen were sworn enemies. The two kingdoms had been fighting for thousands of years on the land of the Mannheim Coast. The relationship between the two kingdoms was very bad. In both kingdoms, there was a tradition of exchanging the heads of the people of the other kingdom for merits.

However, in the depths of the Nahrin Desert, there was not much friction between the Jackalans and the Lizardmen who were digging the sand next to each other. Their eyes were filled with numbness, and there was not a hint of hope.

At this moment, even the Kingdom of Grey Mane and the Kingdom of Lizardmen were gone. They had turned into a huge and terrifying Sky Veil of Death. All the Jackalans and Lizardmen who did not express their submission to the death knights immediately died. The reason why these Jackalans and Lizardmen were still alive was that they had chosen to become the slaves of the death knights.

They were not ordinary slaves, but slaves who were directly controlled by the death knights. Every death knight who patrolled here had contracted hundreds to thousands of Jackalans and Lizardman slaves. Once a death knight was killed, the Jackalan and Lizardmen slaves that he had contracted would also die instantly.

Therefore, just thousands of death knights had full control over these millions of Jackalans and Lizardmen slaves. None of them dared to resist any death knight.

Millions of Jackalan and Lizardmen dug the sand together. They worked very quickly, and soon, an ancient city was unearthed. However, only a corner of this ancient city was dugout. Although there were millions of people, it was nothing compared to the size of a city.

Several death knights gathered together. When they saw a corner of the city that was dug out, they were very excited.

"The Lost City reappeared in the world. This is the most dazzling city in the entire continent tens of thousands of years ago, a city created by Father God! The legends in the clan were right! The Lost City truly exists and it's right here! It's exactly the same!"

"Yes, yes! This is great! According to the legends in the clan, the Lost City had many amazing hidden treasures. Among them, some treasures can allow us to recover from the undead and become normal living beings with flesh and blood."

"That's right. However, to open the Lost City, we need to use the complete sun disc as the key!"

Several death knights looked towards the south together. In the distant south, they could vaguely see a huge fortress city standing in the desert.

In the sky above the fortress city, a huge golden disc was like a small sun, constantly absorbing a huge amount of sunlight, blocking out the scorching and violent sunlight. At the same time, it released a gentle golden radiance and illuminated the entire fortress and the territories around it. Even in the terrifying depths of the Nahrin Desert, it would not be too exposed to the sun. The constant temperature would not exceed 25 degrees, which was extremely suitable for human survival.

"The sun disc!" Several death knights looked at the golden disc, their voices filled with endless joy.

"When the main force of our clan arrives, we will bring the current sun disc and fuse it with the sun disc in that city. At that time, we will be able to recover the complete sun disk!" a death knight said excitedly.

He didn't care about that city at all. Because to obtain the sun disc of that city, they had to occupy that city first.

To the death knights, a small city was nothing. After all, they had already destroyed two kingdoms. The Kingdom of Grey Mane and the Kingdom of Lizardmen were considered powerful. Ordinary Jackalans and Lizardmen had strong bodies. The physical attributes of ordinary Jackalan and Lizardmen could be compared to an official 2-level troop class. With a little training, they could be compared to an official 3-level troop class.

However, the powerful Kingdom of Grey Mane and the Kingdom of Lizardmen were easily destroyed by the terrifying Sky Veil of Death. As soon as the Sky Veil of Death appeared, the endless power of death corroded all the living beings, causing their flesh to peel off and turn into white bones. Finally, they turned undead and became the power in their hands.

There were three kingdoms on the Mannheim Coast. The Kingdom of Grey Mane, the Kingdom of Lizardmen, and the Elf Republic. If not for the fact that several powerful trees of life in the Elf Republic resisted the Sky Veil of Death, all the kingdoms on the Mannheim Coast would have been directly destroyed by them with the Sky Veil of Death.

Therefore, the death knights simply turned a blind eye to that city in the south. This was the opinion of all the death knights.

In fact, they came here for the Lost City. Coincidentally, they were heading towards Drondheim, which led Kant to misunderstand. However, this misunderstanding was not a misunderstanding because the death knights would attack Drondheim in the end. However, their goal was not to revenge Kant, but for the sun disc.

"Continue digging. Dig out the entire Lost City and clear the yellow sand inside at the same time! All of you supervise your slaves!"

A death knight gathered all the death knights and issued an order. Obviously, this death knight's identity was higher than the other death knights.

...

On the road leading from the Stone Pass to Drondheim, Kant led an army of more than two hundred thousand and steadily advanced. Because they were marching in the desert, even with the mages constantly casting group acceleration, their speed was not particularly fast.

Kant did not use any means to forcefully raise the morale of the soldiers. Therefore, many of the soldiers who were exhausted fell asleep on their horses and continued to move forward with their horses.

In Drondheim, Bunduk had occasionally sent out scouts to understand the enemy's form in detail. Whenever there was a major movement from the enemy, it would fall into Bunduk's eyes, then he would send people to pass this information to Kant.

"What? The enemy has stopped in the depths of the Nahrin Desert? They are digging in the depths of the desert?" When Kant received this information, he was delighted.

"Pass the order, slow down the speed of the entire army and advance slowly." Kant did this to make the soldiers who immediately dozed off or even fell into a shallow sleep more comfortable.

Since the enemy troops had stopped, they had more time and could be more relaxed.

Chapter 623: The Convergence of the Sky Veil of Death

After spending more than two days, Kant led all the soldiers to Drondheim.

Drondheim was already a large city. It was designed to accommodate tens of thousands of civilians and also accommodate 210,000 troops if they had to squeeze and that would be quite crowded.

In the Council Hall of Drondheim, a high-level meeting was being held.

Kant sat on the main seat. The five generals were divided into left and right. Bunduk was the first to sit on Kant's right. This was Drondheim, and Bunduk was the person-in-charge of Drondheim appointed by Kant.

"Bunduk, have all the civilians of Drondheim been evacuated?" This was Kant's first question. Every civilian was a reserve troop class with unlimited potential that Kant cherished.

Bunduk replied, "Lord, according to your instructions, all of them have been evacuated. I arranged for them to go to Aaron. Thirty thousand civilians were not a heavy burden for Aaron. Moreover, I have already settled this matter with James and he has also sent his adjutant to receive them."

Kant nodded slightly. The path from the Stone Pass to Drondheim and the path from Drondheim to Aaron were both in the Nahrin Desert, but they were two different paths. It was not surprising that Kant did not meet any civilians of Drondheim who might have set off early.

As the saying goes, before the army moves, the provisions go first.

This time, to support Drondheim, Kant gave the most urgent military order. The army only brought dry rations for the road, and they did not bring more with them.

As for rations, they were the lifeline of the army. Without sufficient rations, it was impossible to fight a long battle. This time, the enemy had a huge number, and it was very likely that they would need to fight a long battle.

"Bunduk, how long can Drondheim's grain supply the 210,000 troops for?" Kant's expression was very serious.

"Lord, the grain reserves in Drondheim are based on the two-year rations for 100,000 people, so it can supply the 210,000 troops for almost a year." Drondheim was a city, and the grain reserves were the most important, Bunduk was obviously very familiar with this. As soon as Kant asked, he answered without thinking.

"Great!" Kant was pleasantly surprised. Ever since the territory had been greatly expanded, Kant only cared about controlling the general direction. He no longer had to worry about his own territory, so he didn't know how much grain Drondheim had in reserve, before asking, Kant had even given the order to gather grain if there was too little. Drondheim had only garrisoned 5,000 soldiers before.

The army was sufficient, and the grain reserves were also sufficient. With the elite level of the system soldiers, it was not an exaggeration for Kant to say that Drondheim was as strong as a rock. So what if there were a million enemy soldiers? Facing Drondheim, who was high in the city and had sufficient troops to defend, what did they have to fear?

"It's just a pity that there are towns and fields outside of the city!" Kant thought regretfully.

In the past year, Drondheim could not help but be promoted to a large city. Outside of Drondheim, there were still many towns. After several topographic changes, the oasis lookout had been expanded many times by Kant, there were many fertile fields outside the city. These fields were planted with wheat, achnatherum, date palm tree, and other crops, as well as many breeding farms.

When the siege war was about to happen, Kant would definitely want to clear the wilderness. He would rather destroy these things than let them benefit the enemy. However, the Jackalans and Lizardmen armies seemed to have become desert miners as they had been digging in the desert. The spies belonging to Kant's forces had already discovered that they had dug out an ancient city.

This made Kant somewhat surprised. He even thought that the target of the Jackalans and Lizardmen armies was not his Drondheim, but the ancient city buried under the Nahrin Desert.

However, whether it was his Drondheim, the target of the Jackalans and Lizardmen armies, or the ancient city that they had dug out, the number of Jackalans and Lizardmen armies appeared at Kant's door, he could only send an army that was sufficient to defend against the enemy's attack to defend Drondheim.

After Kant asked Bunduk a few key questions, the high-level meeting was considered over.

Then, Kant gave the order to disband the meeting. "Alright, this meeting is over. Bunduk, continue to monitor the movements of the Jackalans and the Lizardmen. The rest of you, go and rest well!"

Rolf, Firentis, Baheshtur, and James all mobilized and led their troops to the Stone Pass as soon as they received their orders. Then, they set off from the Stone Pass without stopping and arrived at Drondheim, during this period, they did not have a good rest at all.

However, Kant was the most tired one.

After a series of battles, he did not have a moment to rest. He ran through the night and set off from the Lion Fort at night. He arrived at the Stone Pass before sunrise at ten in the morning. After that, the other soldiers all went to rest, but Kant did not rest at all. Drondheim's situation at that time was extremely dangerous that he could not even sleep.

At this time, he had been traveling in the desert for two days and one night. Kant was no longer a noble of the world, so his body was no longer able to ignore fatigue like a world noble.

On the Mannheim Coast, there were a total of three kingdoms. The Kingdom of Grey Mane, the Kingdom of Lizardmen, and the Elf Republic.

The three kingdoms were adjacent to the Nahrin Desert in the south, and the stormy sea of Mannheim in the north. They were lined up on the belt of land. From the west to the east, there were the Kingdom of Lizardmen, the Kingdom of Grey Mane, and the Elf Republic. At this moment, the Kingdom of Lizardmen and the Kingdom of Grey Mane were already enveloped by the Sky Veil of Death. There was not a single living person in the entire kingdom.

The Sky Veil of Death was created by the undead that was the descendants of the Sun God. It had extremely strong infectivity. Compared to the Sky Veil of Death that Kant had dealt with previously, this Sky Veil of Death was not only much bigger, but the death energy was also much denser, the infectivity was even stronger. The Jackalans and Lizardmen who were digging the sand in the Nahrin Desert saw that the situation was not right and surrendered to the undead before the Sky Veil of Death enveloped them. They became their slaves and survived. The rest of the population of the two countries had all turned into tall skeleton soldiers.

At this moment, the Sky Veil of Death that enveloped the Kingdom of Grey Mane and the Kingdom of Lizardmen had almost all gathered in the Kingdom of Grey Mane. At the same time, it was making an all-out invasion to the east.

In the far east was the Elf Republic. The Elf Republic had already lost a small part of its territory. The Sky Veil of Death had invaded the depths of the kingdom, turning thousands of elves into slender skeleton soldiers, that had become accomplices to the invasion of their former home.

However, the trend of the Sky Veil of Death extending into the depths of the Elf Republic had been suppressed by the Elf Republic.

Chapter 624: The worries of the Elf Kingdom

In the sky above their kingdom, brilliant green light with a rich aura of life was like a tidal wave. Wave after wave of green light crashed into the death sky, causing the death sky to be unable to advance any further. It was blocked in mid-air.

Below the intersection of the death sky and the green sea of light, countless elves were engaged in a bloody battle. Their opponents were the huge number of skeletons, skeleton archers, skeleton mages, and the death knights who were the rulers. Every death knight was a legitimate descendant of the Sun God. They had returned from the endless darkness more than a year ago, waking up on this familiar yet strange land.

The once prosperous empire had collapsed and had turned into the Nahrin Desert. What they could not bear was that the land that had not turned into a desert near the ocean of storms was actually occupied by despicable foreign tribes. Foreign tribes whose status was even lower than their former servants. They carried great anger and turned the anger of being betrayed by the Pope of the Sun God cult into a butcher's knife. They unceremoniously landed on the three countries on the Mannheim Coast.

However, it was clear that the first two opponents were as weak as they had expected, and were destroyed by them easily. Most of the time, they were waiting for the awakening of their own race. Every time one of them woke up, the Sky Veil of Death would become thicker. At this time, all of the Sun God's descendants had woken up and the Sky Veil of Death had reached its strongest state.

However, they were still blocked by the Elf Republic. This made the proud Sun God's descendants very angry. Under the Sky Veil of Death, the skeleton army was like a tidal wave that attacked the elven line of defense. Some of these skeletons were humans that they had once ruled over. Most of them were tall Jackalan skeletons and Lizardmen skeletons. Under the control of the death knights, they attacked the elves crazily.

The elves of the Elf Republic were an immortal race. Under normal circumstances, an elf could live for tens of thousands of years. However, in this world, there were two sides to everything. As an immortal race, the elves' long lifespan corresponded to their terrifyingly low fertility rate. Usually, a couple of elves would take thousands of years to give birth to a small elf. The population of the entire Elf Kingdom was extremely small, with a total population of just over 300,000.

The elves' archery was only average when it came to dealing with skeletons. Therefore, although the Elf Republic had more than ten trees of life that released the light of life to block the Sky Veil of Death released by the death knights, the elves themselves were unable to block the skeleton army from advancing.

The tree of life was very tall and majestic. Compared to ordinary trees, they were like elephants and ants. On each tree of life, an Elf City was built. The Elven Palace was built directly on the tallest tree of life.

At this moment, in the Elven Palace, the Elf Queen had gathered all the archons to discuss the countermeasures against the invading descendants of the Sun God. However, all the elves were extremely silent. It was obvious that the Elf Queen and the archons did not have any good solutions in the face of the onslaught of the skeleton soldiers.

"Your Majesty, I thought that the best way to deal with the skeletons is to use the cavalries to charge at them. If that isn't enough we can use the infantry to fight them head-on. The last resort, which is the most inferior method is to use archers to fight the enemy."

One of the elven archons took the lead to speak up and gave his opinion.

Another elf immediately said in a targeted manner, "Your Majesty, what Casper Brown Bear said is all nonsense. Our entire Elf Republic only has 500 cavalries, and they are archers. Furthermore, our elves' weak constitution is not suitable to become infantry. We are only good at archery and magic. I propose to gather all the elven mages and form an elven mage group to use magic to deal with the skeletons. This will be much more effective than archers shooting arrows."

The Elf Queen's eyes lit up when she heard the noble elf's words, then, her eyes dimmed. "Dear Arrod Brightmoon, your words are very reasonable, but we can not mobilize the mages to form an army to go to the front line. If not for all the mages working together to help the tree of life, the tree of life alone might not be able to deal with the enemy's Sky Veil of Death. If the enemy's Sky Veil of Death spreads over, the consequences will be unimaginable."

As soon as the Elf Queen spoke, the elven archon named Arrod Brightmoon said, "Your Majesty, you are the most thoughtful."

The elven archons knew that once the Sky Veil of Death attacked, the elves would not be able to resist the invasion of the Sky Veil of Death at all. They would be stripped of their flesh and turned into skeletons. Even though the skeleton army had the absolute advantage over the elven army, they could not advance any further because the light of life released by the tree of life was able to resist the Sky Veil of Death. If the skeletons dared to step into the range of the light of life, they would also feel as if they had suffered a terrible curse. They would become weak and could be easily killed by the elves.

After a short discussion, all the elves became silent again. The Elf Republic only had so much power. In fact, the Elf Empire was doing very well at the moment.

The three kingdoms had almost divided the Mannheim Coast equally. From this point, it could be seen that the strength of the three kingdoms was not much different. The Kingdom of Grey Mane and the Kingdom of Lizardmen had been easily destroyed by the death legion. The fact that the Elf Republic could hold on meant that the targeted measures taken by them were pretty good. The reason why they were at a disadvantage was entirely due to the difference in the strength of the soldiers.

At this moment, an archon said, "Your Majesty, I once crossed the Nahrin Desert hundreds of years ago. On the other side of the Nahrin Desert, there are many powerful human countries. I think we can ask the human countries for help. I think it is possible to persuade the human countries to send their troops to help us."

The Elf Queen heard the archon's words and could not help but be interested. "Oh? Chris, is what you said true? Humans are a greedy and despicable race. How could they cross the Nahrin Desert, which is very dangerous, to support us?"

The archon named Chris said, "The humans are indeed greedy and despicable, but the humans are also very smart. If they knew how terrifying the Sky Veil of Death was, and if they knew that the person in charge of this terrifying Sky Veil of Death was a descendant of the Sun God who had been betrayed by them, they would realize that if our Elf Republic was destroyed, they would be the next to suffer. Therefore, I am confident that I can convince the human countries to send reinforcements."

Chapter 625: Glory, Sword of the King

When Kant woke up from his sleep, the system notification sounded.

More than 48 hours had passed, and the system had finished repairing it.

"Ding... your temporary side quest has been completed."

"Temporary side quest: 'Power's Choice' completed."

"Reward acquired: Glory. Sword of the King."

"Comment: Your choice is very bold. Congratulations, you have not been deceived by the power on the surface. There was no difference in the path of strength. They all had a common end. However, the path of strength that was used as bait by people with evil intentions would cause people to sink into oblivion. In the end, they would only walk towards the end and destruction. All their efforts would vanish into thin air."

Kant looked at the dense text on his retina, especially the mission comment given by the system. Although the system did not give any names, Kant knew very well that the system was talking about the world will Isai of this world.

At this moment, countless pitch-black data chains extended out from his eyes and wound around the Sword of the King that Kant had placed aside. After a short moment, the Sword of the King suddenly exploded with an eternal and boundless aura, it was unsealed by the system's data chains. It was as if someone had wiped the dust off the originally sealed sword, and it once again blossomed with a dazzling and peerless edge.

The system's data flow retreated again and hid in the depths of Kant's eyes. Kant also quickly checked the attributes of this freshly-made "Glory. Sword of the King". As for the "Glory. Sword of the King" that the system rewarded, it was the Sword of the King that he already had, and it had long been within his expectations. After all, the name of the reward was right there.

Moreover, the Sword of the King was obviously not an ordinary sharp sword. Kant had once wielded the Sword of the King and directly cut the world baron's armor made entirely of abyssal magic iron into two halves. If it was an ordinary sharp sword, the blade would have been rolled up long ago, but there was no trace of damage on the Sword of the King at all.

At this moment, dense words appeared on Kant's retina again.

"Glory. Sword of the King."

"One of the 'glory' components of the extraordinary set that can pierce through eternity and fall into the void, weapon."

"This is a peerless sword made from the core of a star and the aura of a supreme king. It has the power to cut through everything. It has lived through time and is immortal. It has fallen into the void and is undamaged. However, a long time has caused it to lose a large portion of its power. Although its essence is still noble and eternal, it does not have much power left."

"Special effect -- 1. Sharpness: this sword has a peerless edge. As long as enough power is applied, it is enough to cut through everything. 2. King's Aura: this sword contains a powerful aura of looking. When activated, it can create an extremely strong deterrent to people. It can cause enemies to lose the will to resist in an instant and have the intention to submit. 3. Justice: this sword contains the power of justice. When joining the battle against the evil faction, direct troops will receive a 200% boost. 4. Troop class: this sword can advance to a 6-level troop class. For every 1,000 reputation points and 5,000 denar, it can bestow a 5-level troop class to a 6-level troop class. According to the different troop classes, the troop class that will be promoted will also be different. 5. Glory: voluntarily displays the eternal and noble King's glory, causing the bather to be eternally loyal until death. This special effect is the ultimate special effect of the extraordinary set 'Glory'. You must wear all the 'Glory' components before it can be activated."

"Remark: During the long period of time, Glory. Sword of the King has already lost almost all of its power. Through absorbing the extraordinary power, it can be upgraded and gradually recover its former power."

After comparison, the current "Glory. Sword of the King" did not lose the attributes it had when it was the Sword of the King, and it had been greatly enhanced. The original Sword of the King only had two special effects, justice and conferment. Now, there were five special effects. It added three special effects, sharpness, aura, and glory. Among them, the conferment was replaced by troop class, but the types of special effects were the same.

Most importantly, the powerful troop class special effect had greatly enhanced the previous special effect. The former Sword of the King could only confer a Swadian knight into a Swadian royal knight, but now this restriction had disappeared, it seemed that any troop class could be strengthened, from a 5-level troop class to a 6-level troop class.

Although every time the special effect troop class was used, it would cost 1,000 reputation points and 5,000 denar, but for a 6-level troop class, this amount of consumption was nothing.

At present, due to the war dividend, Kant had obtained an extremely huge amount of wealth. In addition to the increasing income of denar in his own estate, he could still have a surplus after he went out every week to pay the soldiers. At this moment, he had more than 10 million denar on him. When his current trade caravan captain, Manid, brought the golden eagles obtained from this war to the Pander continent to exchange for denar, at that time his balance would reach more than 50 million denar. With so many denar, Kant could confer 10,000 level-6 knights.

However, this special effect did not only require denar but reputation as well. The source of reputation was relatively limited. Other than obtaining it from the system quest, he could only rely on the contribution of the people in the estate. Currently, Kant's estate had more than 4 million people. Each day, they could contribute more than 4,000 reputation points. In other words, 1,000 people could give him a few reputation points every day.

Due to the limitation of reputation points, Kant could only convert a limited number of 6-level troop classes through Glory. Sword of the King.

At this moment, Kant had 200,000 reputation points, which was enough to upgrade 200 5-level troop classes to 6-level troop classes.

Kant naturally did not hesitate. Before he transmigrated, he was very obsessed with riding and hacking games. His favorite kingdom was the Kingdom of Swadia. The cavalry of the Kingdom of Swadia was extremely powerful and could sweep away all enemies. However, his infantry and archers were mediocre, which made Kant feel regretful. Now that the new special effect of the "Glory. Sword of the King" was so powerful, it gave him the passage to upgrade all the 5-level troop class to 6-level troop class, so he naturally had to give it a try.

After thinking for a while, Kant decided to upgrade to a Swadian Sergeant. Because there were three types of archers and Kant didn't develop the Swadian Archers anymore. Kant chose the infantrymen and cavalry as the promotion direction for all the Swadian soldiers.

200 Swadian Sergeants, carrying huge tower shields and wearing heavy plate armor, stood neatly in front of Kant.

Kant held the freshly made "Glory. Sword of the King" in his hand. His heart was filled with anticipation. He planned to test the special effect of this "Glory. Sword of the King" and also wanted to see if the Swadian Sergeants were promoted, what kind of troop class would it be.

Chapter 626: Excavating the Lost City

After all, in the riding and hacking game, the Swadian Sergeant was the highest troop class in the Kingdom of Swadia. In the entire Continent of Caradia, only the Kingdom of Nords had a 6-level troop class -- the Nord Royal Guards, everyone called this troop class the Emperor of Nords. One could see how impressive and domineering it was.

To be honest, the Emperor of Nords' troop class was not stronger than the Swadian Sergeant. Kant was full of anticipation for the Swadian Sergeant to advance to a 6-level troop class, and he was confident that they would not lose to Emperor of Nords.

"Special effect 'Strong Soldier', activate!" With a thought, Kant directly activated the special effect of "Glory. Sword of the King".

Streams of golden data chains shot out from "Glory. Sword of the King", instantly enveloping 200 Swadian Sergeants. Within the golden data chains, very quickly, the golden data chains retreated and the level up was completed.

Kant immediately knew the result. The 200 Swadian Sergeants were all promoted to a 6-level troop class, the Swadian Royal Guards. Kant was extremely satisfied with the name of this troop class that was similar to Emperor of Nords'.

The body of the Swadian Sergeant had expanded, becoming taller and stronger. At the same time, the plate armor on their bodies had also become thicker and heavier, and their defensive capabilities had greatly increased. The tower shields on their backs were wider and thicker than the level 5 Swadian Sergeant. The Swadian infantry swords hung on their waists, and the infantry spears in their hands were even more exquisite than the Swadian Sergeant's.

Compared to the Swadian Sergeant, the Swadian Royal Guards were all-rounded. At the same time, their 6-level troop class was slightly different from the cavalry world. In this world, a 6-level troop class was a powerful existence at the Grand Knight level. They all had extraordinary powers, and the Swadian Royal Guards were an exception, their extraordinary powers were the same as the Swadian royal knight -- the King's Power.

Reputation points had all been used up. Kant's subordinates had an additional 200 Swadian Royal Guards. This was not a qualitative change for a million-level enemy or Kant, who had over 200,000 troops, however, Kant was elated. He had already fantasized about turning his troop classes into all sorts of level-6 troop classes.

Of course, this was purely Kant's own idea. With the special effect of the "Glory. Sword of the King", its advancement to a 6-level troop class was not faster than the previous Sword of the King bestowing the title of Swadian royal knight. It was just that many more troop classes could be promoted.

A week passed in the blink of an eye.

In the castle of Drondheim, there were 200,000 soldiers gathered, ready for battle. However, the Jackalans and Lizardmen who were 200 kilometers away seemed to be fully devoted to excavating the city, they completely ignored Drondheim, who could be said to be right in front of them.

However, Kant was very annoyed. As long as the Jackalans and Lizardmen did not leave, he could only ensure that the city of Drondheim had enough soldiers to defend it.

Thus, Kant had the intention of taking the initiative to attack the Jackalans and the Lizardmen. However, while he was waiting for the Jackalans and the Lizardmen to attack, he was busy with the main quest, "Build an empire". Although Kant had tacitly agreed that his territory was called the Caradia Empire, he did not officially build an empire. And from the main quest, building an empire was not a simple matter. At least, many things needed to be done.

It was necessary to establish the name of the country, establish the ruling system, establish the flag of the country, calculate the scope of the territory, establish the imperial army, and promulgate the constitution of the empire.

The empire that Kant intended to establish, its name had already been decided. It was called the Caradia Empire. The ruling system adopted by the empire was established by Kant as a centralized feudal empire system, as for the flag of the country, he used the image of a red-bottomed golden lion printed with his family emblem as the flag of the country. The scope of the territory was generally easy to determine, but it required an accurate borderline. This was a meticulous job, Kant had already sent a team to carry out the survey and mapping.

In addition, the imperial army had already taken shape. They were the army gathered in Drondheim. Kant had clearly divided them into Knight Corps, Infantry Corps, Crossbow Corps, and Mage Corps.

Finally, it was time to promulgate the empire's constitution. Kant had mixed in the laws of some dynasties from his previous life. He had removed the superfluous elements and incorporated some of his more unique ideas. The main body of the constitution was basically out. Afterward, Kant gathered the legal talents in the estate and carefully studied the rough constitution. He added some constitutional provisions and amended some parts that were not rigorous. All in all, in about a month, the constitution that belonged to the Caradia Empire would be officially promulgated.

At that time, Kant would be able to fulfill all the prerequisites for establishing the empire, officially announce the establishment of the country, and complete the main quest.

Time flew by, and another week passed.

During this week, Kant collected more and more information about the ancient city that the Jackalans and Lizardmen had excavated. Gradually, Kant found that the city was more and more similar to the legendary Lost City. Kant had once received information about the Lost City from Scholar Hank, so he was quite clear about the structure of the Lost City. It was said that the Lost City was buried with the wealth of everyone, as well as many items with powerful functions.

This made Kant take the initiative to attack the Jackalans and Lizardmen. However, he planned for the Lost City to be dug out before making a move. If that was the case, he would not need to send people to continue digging after the victory.

At the same time, during this week, Kant sent out a large number of scouts to investigate the military strength of the Jackalans and Lizardmen legions in detail, to accumulate conditions for taking the initiative to attack the other side. Kant found that among the Jackalans and Lizardmen legions, the number of death knights was extremely few, but they were indeed the rulers of this army.

Kant knew that those death knights were the descendants of the Sun God. Their former capital city was the Lost City, and it could be said that the Lost City was their former home.

Kant could now basically confirm that the Jackalans and Lizardmen were indeed not coming for him, but the Lost City. Under the command of the death knights, they gradually dug out the former home of the death knights from under the desert.

This was because Kant did not know that the key to the Lost City was the complete sun disc. Otherwise, he would have understood that these death knights, Jackalans, and Lizardmen who seemed to be here for the Lost City would definitely target him.

Chapter 627: In the Blink of an Eye, a Week Had Passed

Time flew by like an arrow, and in the blink of an eye, another week had passed.

It was still the same in Drondheim City, operating in an orderly manner. And in the Nahrin Desert, 200 kilometers away, the Jackalans and Lizardmen's excavation of the Lost City had already reached its end.

Because Kant did not urge and pressure them excessively, the noble families of the South and East County of the Dukedom of Leo left the Leo Empire very calmly. In particular, they took away the civilians in their estate at Kant's request. To Kant, the civilians of this world were just a burden and needed to be driven away. However, to the lords of the South and East County, these civilians were undoubtedly the most precious wealth.

As long as there were civilians, even if a lord was weak, there would be a time for him to rise. In this era of low productivity, the number of people represented the strength of productivity, as well as the rise and fall of national power.

Thus, with Kant's request, the nobles of the South and East Counties were very happy to leave with the civilians. Even the civilians of the noble estate who had died and lost their inheritance were also divided up by these noble families. For example, the three upper-class nobles of the South County who had been destroyed by Grand Duke Cameron through the bloodline curse, the civilians in their estate were also divided up by the greedy upper-class noble families of the South County.

The entire southern half of the South County, as well as the entire East County, became much more desolate after the noble families left with the civilians. It was almost an empty area. In the abandoned castles, there were broken marks everywhere. These were the marks left by the nobles who had plenty of time to remove the expensive inlaid ornaments. Because they had already decided to abandon the castles, their actions were naturally barbaric and rude.

Kant did not stay idle either. Construction teams were sent to the South and East Counties to carry out construction. Most of the reputation points that he had accumulated were spent on accelerating the construction speed, which made the South and East Counties develop very quickly. Refugees from the Continent of Caradia were constantly transported over by the system and recruited by Kant as his subjects.

For this world, the population was the most important wealth and resource. But for Kant, as long as he had enough territory and built a sufficient number of residential buildings, the system would send refugees from the Continent of Caradia so that he could recruit them. It was precisely because of this that he was able to develop the North County of Lion City and half of the South County in a year.

Therefore, Kant only needed to follow the way he developed the North County and half of the South County a year ago. As time passed, he would naturally develop the two large estates that were already empty. After all, whether it was the South or the East Counties, just based on the degree of fertility of their land, they could completely surpass the North County by eighteen streets. If the North County was able to develop abnormally in Kant's hands, then the South and East Counties were even more so.

As time passed, the exploration and mapping teams that Kant had sent out continuously sent news to Drondheim, reporting the boundaries of Kant's current estate that they had explored and mapped. As for Kant's draft constitution, was constantly filled and supplemented by professionals, becoming more and more perfect. In about half a month, the constitution would be completed and successfully promulgated, and the border of Kant's estate, according to the current speed, would also be completed within a month.

This meant that, if nothing unexpected happened, Kant would complete the establishment of the country within a month.

Kant had yet to use the construction pack of the "Absolute Territory". He planned to use it in the capital after the construction of the country. In theory, he would build the capital in Drondheim. However, at this time, Drondheim was still in a war crisis. Kant would only use the construction pack of the "Absolute Territory" after the war crisis had subsided.

Kant valued this "Absolute Territory" very much. From the feedback from the system, this item was also very important.

In the Council Hall of Drondheim, Kant was having a meeting with the various generals and some high-ranking commanders who were gradually promoted, discussing war-related matters.

"Lord, according to your instructions, our army has already made preparations and can set off at any time to launch a war against the Jackalans and Lizardmen," a high-ranking commander reported the situation of the army to Kant loudly.

Kant nodded. He did not know what was going on with the Jackalans and the Lizardmen. They actually turned a blind eye to the scouts he sent out and allowed his scouts to investigate their progress clearly.

At this time, the Lost City was almost completely excavated. Kant had no interest in waiting any longer and planned to take the initiative to launch an attack. He would start moving now. When Kant reached the Lost City, the Jackalans and Lizardmen would have finished digging out the Lost City.

Just as Kant was about to announce the start of the army, a soldier came to report that a death knight had come to visit.

"Only one death knight?" Kant asked.

"Yes, my Lord!" the soldier replied respectfully. Then, he stood quietly on the spot, waiting for Kant's decision to expel, ignore, or summon.

"Everyone, feel free to discuss why the death knight suddenly came to Drondheim," Kant thought for a while and asked the senior commanders of the generals.

He didn't have any idea, but everyone might be able to come up with something. Maybe that general or commander could guess the purpose of the death knight's visit. And knowing the other party's intention, he would be able to deal with it calmly. Of course, this was not the key. Kant's actions had a deeper meaning.

Bunduk was the first to notice the long journey of the Jackalans and Lizardmen. Among Kant's six generals, Manid, who was focused on business and expanding Kant's wealth, and James did not have the experience of leading troops alone. This time, James had become a real general and he was leading a powerful mage army. Among the lords that Kant had summoned, only Bunduk was left.

Bunduk decided to perform well. Therefore, once Kant's question came out, Bunduk immediately spoke up.

"My Lord, I think this death knight must be related to the Lost City. Their Lost City was just about to be excavated, and this death knight came to visit. There might be a relationship between the two."

Kant nodded. "Perhaps, but what is the relationship between the death knight's visit and the Lost City?"

Chapter 628: The Messenger who Delivered the Decree

Bunduk thought for a moment and replied, "With the number of Jackalans and Lizardmen close to a million, it seems that their troop strength is far stronger than Drondheim, who only has a troop strength of over 200,000. The death knight is obviously the ruler of the Jackalans and Lizardmen. They spent so much effort to excavate the Lost City, so they must have a motive. I think they don't want to be intercepted when they are about to harvest. Therefore, I think that this death knight's purpose is to warn Drondheim not to act rashly."

Kant, the generals, and the high-ranking commanders listened to Bunduk's analysis and nodded in agreement. The Jackalans and Lizardmen had come from afar, and the excavation alone had lasted for three weeks and they had paid a huge amount of manpower and material resources. As their rulers, the death knights naturally did not wish for anything to happen at the last moment. There was only one city in the vicinity of Drondheim, and Drondheim had countless soldiers and armors. It was indeed a huge threat.

Moreover, Drondheim's soldiers and horses had already gathered. They were only waiting for Kant's order to attack the north and give the Jackalans and Lizardmen a vicious blow, snatching the Lost City that they had painstakingly dug out.

"Does anyone have any other opinions?" Although Bunduk's words were reasonable, this was still a guess. They couldn't really use this as a fact to deal with it. Otherwise, if they made a mistake, they would be in a very passive position.

At this time, Baheshtur spoke, "Lord, I thought that the Jackalans and Lizardmen troops had completed the excavation of the Lost City at this time. Perhaps they would cast their eyes on our Drondheim. This death knight might be here to spy on Drondheim's strength. As long as we let him in, although this death knight might not be able to spy on us much, we still need to take precautions. The best way is to go to the city gate and communicate with the death knight, to see what he wants to do in Drondheim."

Baheshtur paid great attention to the collection of information. Hence, his starting point was to analyze the purpose of the death knight from the aspect of information. His words were not without reason. The Jackalans and Lizardmen armies were directly exposed in the desert. They did not take any measures to prevent others from spying on them. Their information was completely probed by Kant.

However, the city of Drondheim was deep and vast, and most of the soldiers stayed within the fortress. From the outside, it was impossible to tell just how many soldiers there were within this huge fortress.

Kant listened to Baheshtur's orders, he smiled and said, "When we summon the death knight later, we will cover his eyes and prevent him from secretly spying on us in Drondheim. As for us going to the city gate, he's not that important for us to do that."

Hearing Kant's words, Baheshtur's face flashed with a trace of shame. He only analyzed it from a military point of view, but forgot that if Kant went to the city gate to meet the death knight, it would be the same as personally going out to meet him, with Kant's status as the king, it was obvious that the death knight's identity was not worthy for Kant to do that.

"Alright, Baheshtur, you don't have to worry about him. As a general, there's nothing wrong with thinking from your point of view." Kant saw Baheshtur's expression and comforted him.

"I wonder if the others have any opinions?" Kant looked around. Many generals and high-ranking commanders began to think hard, but they could not think of anything at the moment. However, they were very puzzled. It was just a death knight, did their lord need to be so cautious?

Kant smiled and shook his head slightly. He clapped his hands and said, "Alright, that's it. Mande, bring a few of Swadian Royal Guards to convey my summons and cover his eyes!"

Mande immediately followed the order and left. Kant looked around at his generals and commanders and sighed slightly in his heart. There were always two sides to everything, good and bad. The generals and high-ranking commanders who came from the system were 100% loyal to him and would never betray him. But because of this, Kant's position in their hearts was too high.

Just now, Kant could feel that the question he asked was something that many generals and high-ranking commanders did not think much of. Even Kant himself did not think much of it.

Kant was ready to send out his troops. These Jackalans and Lizardmen did not keep their military information confidential. Kant could be considered to know himself and his enemy. It was natural for him to analyze the strength of the enemy and his allies before sending out his troops. Kant and the generals and high-ranking commanders had discussed the strength of the entire Jackalan and Lizardman armies. In the end, they concluded that as long as the strategy was appropriate, it was completely possible to crush these Jackalan and Lizardman armies.

However, even so, when Kant solemnly proposed to the death knight who had come to visit him alone and used a cautious tone to ask the generals and high commanders to analyze and decide on different countermeasures, all the generals and high commanders actually thought hard and acted according to Kant's wishes. Not a single one of them stood out to refute Kant.

For example, they could actually say that Drondheim was not even afraid of all the Jackalan and Lizardmen armies. Why would they need to treat a death knight so carefully? No matter what he came for, they could just summon him or chase him away. Anyway, unless the other party directly offered the Lost City, no matter what the death knight said, they would not change their intention to attack the Jackalan and Lizardmen armies.

Unfortunately, a general and a senior commander did not raise such an opinion. They almost completely cooperated with Kant's "nonsense". However, this was not all a bad thing. At least it could firmly guarantee Kant's authority. In fact, he did not need to worry that he would influence the thoughts of the soldiers too much. As long as Kant did not pester them and insist on interfering in their decisions, these generals and senior commanders were very stable.

At this time, Mande led a few Swadian royal knights outside of Drondheim City.

A death knight was riding a skeleton horse wrapped in a vest alone, standing outside the gate of Drondheim fortress. Above his head, there was a small patch of dense black cloud, which directly blocked the scorching sun. It made him and the skeleton horse under him completely immersed in the dark clouds filled with yin energy, and they were not exposed to the scorching sun at all.

Mande directly threw the hood onto the death knight's body, and said with a slightly disgusted tone, "Put the hood on yourself. Next, I'll bring you to pay respects to Lord Kant."

The death knight flew into a rage, pulling out a bone sword and directly splitting the hood into pieces, using an insulted tone, he scolded, "Darn servant, how dare you neglect and insult me? Do you know my identity? I am a noble descendant of the Sun God. I am here to deliver an order to your lowly Lord to give me the sun disc to open the Lost City. This is the honor of your Lord! How dare your Lord disobey me. He did not come to meet me on his knees personally to give me the sun disc and even dared to send slaves like you to humiliate me. I will not let this go and I will make you pay the price!"

The death knight's tone was extremely furious and arrogant. In the end, he even directly threatened them.

A fierce glint flashed in the eyes of Mande and a few of the Swadian Royal Guards. All of them drew their longsword. Mande drew his knight's sword while the Swadian Royal Guards drew their infantry swords. Their eyes were filled with fury.

"You detestable skeleton. How dare you insult the Honorable Lord Kant. You are courting death! Everyone, let's kill this skeleton who dares to speak rudely!"

Chapter 629: The Arrival of the Death Knight

Just as both sides drew their weapons and were about to attack, the ancient and heavy city gates of Drondheim opened. A Swadian Royal Guard shuttled under the city gates, raising his arms while riding a horse, and shouted, "Lord Mande, wait! Lord Kant has given an order!" He rushed in front of Mande and a few Swadian Royal Guards.

Mande glared at the death knight in front of him. He pointed his sword and shouted, "If there's anything, let me kill this ungrateful skeleton first before listening!"

"That's the matter, my Lord. Lord Kant has given the order to summon the death knight. There's something important to discuss," the Swadian Royal Guard replied.

Mande glanced at the death knight disdainfully. "Hmph! You're lucky this time. I'll spare your life for now." He turned around and gave the order to the guards, "Men! Remove his weapon and tie him up!"

Two fists were no match for four hands. No matter how resentful the death knight was and how fiercely he resisted, he was still subdued by the crowd. Then, the guards took out a hood to cover his head, tied his hands behind his back, and escorted him to the hall.

"My Lord, the death knight has been brought here."

"Well, you may leave." Mande bowed and respectfully retreated to the side of the hall.

"The death knight has graced us with his presence. Sorry for not welcoming you from afar. Please forgive us for not taking good care of you. May I know the purpose of your visit?" Kant, who was sitting on a high seat, looked down at the "honored guest" standing in the middle of the hall, he leaned back in his chair and asked nonchalantly.

"Bah! You lowly ant, what right do you have to ask me! If you know what's good for you, hurry up and offer the sun disc to me. When I open the Lost City in the future, I might consider leaving you, a lowly commoner, and your darned servants alive!" Even though he was tied up and brought into the palace, the death knight still held his head high and spoke loudly.

"The death knight is indeed worthy of being a noble descendant of the Sun God. Your courage is indeed higher than an ordinary person. However, you mentioned that I am a lord of a region after all. It would not be good for me to be so obedient and give you whatever you want. I think that you are a straightforward person so I will not beat around the bush with you and tell you the truth. Drondheim's troops have long been assembled. Once I give the order, they will charge towards the north. The Lost City that you have worked so hard to obtain will also fall into my hands. At that time, it will not be something that can be solved with just a few words. However, as long as you cooperate well and wait for the dust to settle, what you wanted, I promise you as the Lord of Drondheim. What do you think of this condition?" Kant did not pay attention to the death knight's high-sounding words, instead, he slowly threw out his condition and patiently waited for the other party's reply.

The death knight seemed to have heard a great joke. He sneered and then angrily shouted at Kant, "You are simply dreaming! How dare you dream of obtaining the Lost City! You want me to bow down to you, it is simply ridiculous!"

"Since you want to be punished, then I will not force you. However," Kant finally put away his casual attitude and said seriously, "you may not be able to leave Drondheim today."

"What? You want to kill me to silence me?" The death knight heard Kant's words and raised his voice with a hint of contempt. "Ha, you are indeed a lowly person. A dignified leader that has no credibility to speak of. How dare you treat an external envoy so rudely!"

Kant seemed to turn a deaf ear to the death knight's verbal attack and dug his ears. "Eh, you are wrong. I spoke to you in a gentle voice, but you scolded me and even insulted me verbally. Where is my dignity in front of my subordinates? Please forgive me, I haven't seen such a stupid person for a long time." His tone changed as if he was finally too lazy to keep up with his acting, Kant said with a cold expression, "Men, take the death knight away, lock him up in the prison, and 'treat' the distinguished guest well."

"Darned inferior people, lowly ants! How dare you treat me, the descendant of the Sun God, so rudely? I promise you, you will pay the price for this! Dang it..."

No matter how the death knight struggled, his mournful words echoed in the magnificent palace, knocking on the thick palace walls one after another. There was actually a strange atmosphere.

Kant completely turned a deaf ear to this. Watching the death knight being escorted away, he narrowed his slender eyes and rubbed his left hand unconsciously, pacing back and forth in the same place. "What's wrong?"

Was the death knight's visit just to provoke him and show how stupid he was? No, that's not right. He must be trying to find out about Drondheim. Only by knowing yourself and the enemy can you win a hundred battles. But, what method did he use to spread the information?

Then, the young lord sat back on the throne and ordered coldly, "Gather all the commanders to the Council Hall for a discussion."

"Yes, my Lord."

Within a short time after the order was given, the commanders quickly walked into the Council Hall and waited for the Lord's order.

Kant sat on the main seat and the generals sat on his left and right respectively.

"Mande, prepare the resources needed for the battle. Prepare enough fresh food and water to ensure good operation at the back of the battlefield." The soldiers and horses did not move, but the rations went first. Whether it was the general soldiers or the warhorse carriages, they had to eat to survive and to fight. Reserve resources played a crucial role in a war, and it was also an important part that could not be wrong. Hence, Kant paid special attention to this.

"Yes, my Lord." Mande respectfully received the order.

"Bunduk, strengthen the training of the soldiers. Do not relax and prepare for the upcoming battle."

"Yes, my Lord." Bunduk nodded and gave his orders.

Kant immediately turned his head. "Baheshtur, how is the matter of sending the scout soldiers to scout the terrain and the enemy's military deployment?"

"My Lord, everything is ready. We have the general information. I will show it to you later," Baheshtur replied.

"Yes, good. By the way, inform the people in the city about the war. Strengthen the security of the city and maintain stability in case the backyard catches fire," Kant knocked on the table and emphasized. The headquarters was a key role in the war. The soldiers were killing the enemy on the front line, so the backyard must be stable.

"Yes, my Lord."

Kant nodded and then straightened his expression. His eyes became darker. It was as if a storm was coming, rolling in his eyes. He said in a deep voice, "Get ready. In three days, we will march into Lost City!" Kant knew that this decision, whether it was for himself or his main quest, was crucial. This was a grand war that must be won.

Chapter 630: Not a cheap condition

Kant returned to the city. The most important task now was to settle the residents.

Although there were large numbers of undead ambushers in the north, as long as they were handled properly, Kant believed that they could be repelled.

After returning to the main city of Drondheim, Commander Bunduk walked over. His expression was extremely flustered. It could even be said that he was livid.

"Leader Kant." Commander Bunduk bowed respectfully. Commander Bunduk had done a good job with the proper etiquette.

"What is it? Commander Bunduk, you were never this flustered."

Kant frowned. He didn't like his subordinates to act too rashly.

"Leader Kant, the elven colony's Vedia wants to see you. He seems to have come with ill intentions."

"Is that so?" Kant laughed out loud. "What does this messenger of the elven colony want with me?"

Bunduk shook his head. "You have to be careful. Should I add more troops?"

Kant raised a hand, indicating that there was no need for him to do so. The elven colony had always been in a neutral status with them, and this messenger of the elven colony had never done anything to harm him.

In the palace of the main city of Drondheim, the elven messenger's eyebrows were tightly knitted together, as if he was being trapped by something.

"Mr. Messenger, what brings you here today?" Kant still followed the proper etiquette. He also wanted to maintain a good diplomatic relationship with the elven colony.

"Hello, Lord Kant." The elven messenger nodded to Kant very politely, and Kant also nodded back politely.

"There's no need to visit us. I believe that Mr. Messenger must have something important to discuss with us in Drondheim today, right?"

Kant waved his hand and gestured for a few of his subordinates to bring over the Siaki wine, which had just arrived today. This was a good thing for entertaining distinguished guests.

"You guessed right." The messenger laughed out loud. "I followed the Lord's orders and came here to seek your help. As everyone knows, our elven colony has been invaded by the undead for a long time, and a large number of elves have already suffered unspeakably, so I hope that I can obtain your help, Mr. Kant."

"Your suffering is a matter of your country. Why did you come to us for help? Do you think that we have enough troops to fight against the next undead?"

Kant laughed and handed the wine to the messenger, then he continued, "If I remember correctly, your elven colony seems to want to smuggle some elves over to my place? What is this for? To monitor us?"

"Absolutely not!" The elven messenger quickly waved his hand. "Mr. Kant must have misunderstood us. The elves that have been smuggled over are just some civilian organizations. They are definitely not unrelated to the lord. I hope you can understand. We really hope to get your country's help, even if it's just sending out a small army of a thousand people?"

"A thousand people army?" Kant sneered. "Mr. Messenger, aren't you thinking too simply? How about this, you go back and tell your lord that I am willing to help, but not a single cent of the reward can be less."

"Reward?" The messenger looked very confused. He did not know what the reward was?

"You just need to tell your lord the truth. I believe he will definitely know what happens next."

The messenger was naturally troubled by Kant's actions. If he went back just like that, he might be severely punished by the elven commander.

So the messenger continued, "Lord Kant, I would like to take the liberty to ask, what exactly is this reward? If I don't ask clearly, my commander will not forgive me. Please tell me!"

Kant poured the glass of wine in his hand onto the ground. He stood up and looked down at the messenger.

"Mr. Messenger, your request is too much. Although the elven colony has always maintained a good relationship with our country, we will not compromise on the reward."

Kant knew that the elven messenger wanted to extract some information from him and then bargain with him. He wanted to exchange for the help of the Drondheim people at the lowest price. However, this was not a very wise thing to do.

Kant knew that with his current strength, he could fight a serious war with the undead, but the result of the war would cause people to be stranded in other places. Moreover, it was currently the stage where the country's strength was gradually increasing, if the situation worsened, perhaps all the efforts he had put in before would be in vain.

Kant only hoped that his country would have a place in the undead's struggle. It would be a way to protect the allied forces and allow his country to rise steadily in the war, the way to do this was to try to keep Drondheim at a distance from the undead.

But he also knew that once the undead broke through the elven colony, their next target would be Drondheim.

The undead were dead creatures without much intelligence. Once they conquered the elven colony, they would definitely show off their power. At that time, Kant had no idea what would happen to Drondheim.

However, the reward was still an essential part. Moreover, this reward would not be simple. The leader of the elven colony had no choice but to agree to Kant's request.

The elven messenger continued to speak in Kant's ear, "Leader Kant, please believe in the credibility of our elven colony. As long as you inform me of the reward, I will report it to the Lord."

Kant sighed and said, "Since Mr. Messenger cares so much about the remuneration, if I don't tell you, I'm sure you won't let it go. Alright, I will tell you."

When the messenger heard Kant's words, he seemed to have put down a huge stone in his heart. He let out a long breath.

"I'm willing to listen!" the elven messenger said.

"Give one-tenth of the elven colony to Drondheim!"

When Kant said this, he was very calm, as if he was drinking a glass of water. He was so calm that the elven messenger's whole body was trembling.

"Mr. Kant, isn't this request a bit too much?" The elven messenger couldn't accept Kant's excessive request. To him, the reward for dividing the territory was simply too terrifying.

This was not something that a messenger like him could agree to. He had to go back and report it to his lord. But before that, the only thing he could do was to ensure that Lord Kant sent troops smoothly and that the reward was minimal.

Just as the elven messenger was about to speak, Kant spoke first.

"Mr. Messenger, I know what you want to say next, but I advise you not to waste your eloquence. This will only anger me, and I will give up the idea of sending troops to the elven colony to help you. I hope that you can think clearly before you speak."

The elven messenger had nothing to say. He stood rooted to the ground, like a pine tree on a snowy mountain. Was there really no room for negotiations?

If he went back and reported this to their lord, the lord might be furious, and he might be implicated.

"Go back." Kant cut off the conversation.

The elven messenger was obviously disappointed by Kant's words.

But he did not have the right to directly negotiate with Kant, so he could only bid Kant farewell and walk towards the door.

After the elven messenger had completely disappeared, only then did Bunduk say to Kant, "My Lord, if we don't send troops to assist the elven colony, it might cause a fundamental break between the two of us. This would be a huge loss for us. Moreover, from what I see, the elven colony will definitely lose to the undead army this time. If we break through the elven colony, the undead army will march towards our city. If that's the case, our hard-earned national strength might go down the drain!"

Bunduk spoke to Kant with a face full of hope, but how could Kant not know these principles.

He waved his hand and said, "Commander Bunduk, you're still too young. Between the two countries, no matter how dangerous the situation is, it's always about interests. Only interests are eternal friends. If we were the ones in the elven colony today, would they send troops to help us without any reward? This is obviously a very stupid question."

Bunduk was deep in thought. The words that Lord Kant had said to him could obviously provoke him.

What Kant had to do now was to train the soldiers as much as possible.

Although his troop class was diverse, they were complex but not proficient. Kant had obviously seen this problem, so he quickly adjusted himself.

Swadian Sergeant was a troop class that was good with longswords. However, in Drondheim, due to the lack of ores, a large amount of impurities were used in the production of shields. This also resulted in shields that might fail at a critical moment.

Based on his understanding of the undead soldiers, this shield with a defense of at most 90 was obviously unable to withstand a small attack from the undead soldiers. Therefore, Kant now made a condition to the Jackalan city-state.

The Jackalan city-state was also being attacked by the undead at the moment, but compared to the elven colony, this city-state seemed to be more at ease.

Kant summoned a messenger bird and stuffed the maxim into it.

The messenger bird soon flew to the Jackalan city-state.

This group of Jackalans was savage by nature and loved delicious food. After the messenger bird completed its messenger mission, it inevitably became their food.

The king of the Jackalans was slightly dissatisfied when he saw the soldiers running towards the palace in a panic.

He thought that the undead was starting to invade them again. This was a subconscious projection of his. In the past few months, he had been constantly being attacked by the undead.

The city-state of the Jackalans was constantly attacked by the undead. Although it was just some minor attacks that didn't cause much pain, it was obvious that this defense couldn't last for long against this city-state that had been in disrepair for so long.

Chapter 631: Support from Drondheim

The Jackalan King opened Kant's letter to him.

Kant's letter was very concise. His condition was that the Jackalan city-state had to hand over 20 tons of crystal ores. If they handed over twenty tons of crystal ores, Kant had to help them deal with the harassment of the undead in the north.

20 tons of crystal ores. This was the number that the Jackalan city-state could reach in two years.

At this moment, the Jackalan King was extremely irascible. He was clearly not interested in Kant's conditions and was even angry.

At such a critical moment, he actually wanted to get some profit from them.

His deputy, Spock, suddenly entered the palace. He half-kneeled, he said respectfully to the Jackalan King, "Respected Jackalan King, last night, the city-state's west gate was attacked by undead soldiers. I have already sent out craftsmen to repair it. However, if the undead continues to harass us in the next few days, the west gate will be destroyed. King, what should we do?"

The Jackalan King was already having a headache, but Spock's report made it even more troublesome. The arrival of the undead soldiers was much faster than he had expected. What should he do?

He looked at the letter again. It was Kant's letter. His words had come true. What kind of person was this Drondheim's Lord? Why could he see that their city-state was in danger at a glance?

The Jackalan King was silent for a moment. Then, he said to Spock, "Go to Drondheim and lead 100 warriors to transport 20 tons of crystal ores. Leave immediately. Do not delay!"

Deputy Spock was very obedient. He did not even have any doubts and quietly left.

Two days later, outside the city gate of Drondheim, a team of 100 Jackalans transporting ores was parked.

Deputy Spock, shouted at the soldiers on the city gates, "The 20 tons of ores that your lord needs have all been transported. We Jackalans stay true to our words. I hope that you can abide by our word. Tomorrow, you will lead your troops to the Jackalan city-state. If you break your word, our King will definitely lead us to capture Drondheim!"

Baheshtur was standing at the city gate. The commander of the light cavalry nodded slightly, then, he shouted to the people below, "We understand. Drondheim is a country that believes in faith. Please go back and report to your king. We will definitely abide by our agreement. From tomorrow onwards, we will lead our soldiers to help you solve your problems."

Baheshtur did not have the right to agree to their words, but Kant had already given him this right last night, so he answered accordingly.

"I hope you will abide by it!" After saying this, the deputy led a hundred Jackalans back the way they came.

Kant was in the Weapons Manufacturing Camp.

He looked at the 20 tons of crystal ore in the large warehouse. He was already feeling relaxed and happy. He did not expect that the Jackalan King would agree to his request so generously.

The craftsmen of Drondheim were all elite craftsmen. They were a young group of craftsmen formed by a small number of mages.

As long as these 20 tons of crystal ores were all implanted into the shield of the Swadian Sergeant, the shield's defensive ability would reach a terrifying value.

This value was enough for him to use against the undead.

Early the next morning, Kant ordered Captain Swa to lead the Swadian Sergeants to the Jackalan city-state. After all, he still did not want to become enemies with the Jackalan city-state, so he had to abide by his promise.

Soon, Captain Swa led the Swadian Sergeants to the Jackalan city-state.

Although the Jackalan city-state had a superior terrain and was rich in ores all year round, the people were not rich. Compared to Drondheim which was led by Kant, this was like the difference between heaven and earth.

Deputy Spock was responsible for receiving Captain Swa.

They discussed tactics for a moment and soon set up the formation.

The 1,000 Swadian Sergeants were all elite soldiers. Each of them had the strength to fight ten people at once. However, the people they were dealing with were not ordinary soldiers, but undead soldiers with strong magic resistance and defense, this naturally attracted the attention of Captain Swa.

In the evening, the undead soldiers arrived from the north. One mile away from the west gate, Captain Swa led the Swadian Sergeants to take the initiative to attack.

For the undead soldiers, night vision was their advantage. However, it was a disadvantage for the Swadian Sergeants. Therefore, if the sky was slightly brighter, they should take the initiative to attack.

These undead soldiers obviously did not expect the Swadian Sergeants to actually ally with the Jackalan city-state.

Because Kant had just strengthened the power of the shield, the undead soldiers were obviously not their match.

The undead soldiers were not good at attacking, so the shield completely blocked their attack. 1,000 Swadian Sergeants formed a 3-4-5 formation, like a huge iron triangle.

The Jackalan soldiers were mainly at the center of the iron triangle. As long as there was a chance, they would jump out and take the lives of the undead.

The undead were mostly dead creatures without intelligence. They did not care about their dead companions but attacked one after another.

The undead could appear in an endless stream, but they had to leave at dawn. As long as they could survive the dawn and destroy the undead soldiers' base here, then, they would not come looking for trouble with the Jackalan city-state for a short period. This was also the ultimate goal of Captain Swa's trip.

After a night of intense battle, the undead soldiers were finally defeated. However, the corresponding Swadian Sergeants also paid a price. A night of battle caused the Swadian Sergeants to lose over a hundred men and the Jackalan soldiers lost 248 men.

But the price was clearly worth it. The war couldn't be without casualties. For the Swadian Sergeants, this battle was a great victory. They knew the weakness of the undead soldiers, as long as they brought the weakness of the undead soldiers back to Drondheim, then even if there were tens of millions of undead soldiers, Drondheim would have nothing to fear.

Captain Swa led the remaining 869 Swadian Sergeants and began to march north, because last night, the undead soldiers had come from the hills in the north. In other words, the nest of the undead soldiers was very likely in the hills in the north. As long as they explored carefully, even if they could not find the nest of the undead soldiers, it would be a great fortune.

There was a large patch of bamboos on the hills. These bamboos were covered in spots, some red and white, and some black spots even after mutating. The black spots were poisonous bamboos, and there was poison gas left behind by the undead soldiers.

Chapter 632: Elf with ill intentions

As long as he followed the black speckled bamboos, Swa believed that he would definitely be able to find the mystery behind it.

As expected, two hours later, Swa found a cave behind a bamboo forest that could only accommodate one Swadian Sergeant. Outside the cave, there were scattered black substances that looked a little terrifying.

Deputy Spock suggested, "Why don't we let the Jackalan soldiers go first?"

Swa immediately understood Spock's conspiracy. If they let their people go in first, then once they discovered any secrets, they would definitely not want them to reveal anything. They would not even let them go near the cave.

Or, they would sell the information inside to the lord of Drondheim, Kant, at a high price.

These were things that Swa could foresee.

Therefore, he decisively rejected Spock's request.

He said, "Last night, everyone lost some of their forces. Lord, you can see that the undead soldiers are not to be trifled with. Only when our two armies work together can we avoid being attacked by the undead soldiers in this dark cave."

What Swa said was exactly what Deputy Spock wanted.

Deputy Spock naturally knew that the undead soldiers were difficult to deal with. If it was not for the help of the Swadian Sergeants, their entire city might have been attacked by the undead soldiers.

The consequences were simply unimaginable.

With this thought in mind, Deputy Spock readily agreed to Captain Swa's suggestion.

Although the two teams seemed to be very harmonious, when they reached the cave, the two armies seemed to have deliberately spread out.

Each army searched for its own secrets.

After Captain Swa traveled a mile in the cave, he finally found some secrets.

Those undead soldiers were summoned from some unknown substance underground.

As long as the unknown substance was destroyed, the undead soldiers would not be produced.

Captain Swa used the monster shovel to take samples from the unknown substance, which was about ten grams.

Deputy Spock also arrived. After seeing the unknown substance, Deputy Spock asked, "Is this the substance that summoned the undead soldiers?"

"I think so," Captain Swa said softly as if he was afraid that if he spoke too loudly, he would awaken the undead soldiers again.

"I think we should get rid of these unknown substances now!"

"Alright!" Captain Swa replied.

The Jackalan soldiers used the melting potion to drip on the unknown substance. In just an instant, the huge unknown substance seemed to have evaporated in the air.

"I think that in this case, your Jackalan city-state should not be attacked by the undead soldiers for a short time!" Captain Swa said to him with a smile.

"Then my mission is also completed. I will report to the Jackalan King and then retreat to the main city of Drondheim."

"Then I'll have to trouble you." Deputy Spock was quite polite among the barbarians.

Kant quickly received the unknown substance brought back by Captain Swa. To be honest, he was full of curiosity about this substance.

But what he wanted to do more was to find a way to completely defeat the undead soldiers from this small unknown substance.

In this battle against the undead soldiers, as long as the first person to grasp the method to defeat the undead soldiers in one fell swoop, that person would also obtain the best opportunity in this battle, Kant hoped that he would be the one to obtain the first opportunity.

As long as he obtained this opportunity, then his desire to create an empire would be realized soon.

He had a long chat with the management mage head, Kekua.

Kekua had not discovered the secret of this unknown material, but he could accurately tell Kant, "As long as we find the Magic Mirror of Detection, then the research of this unknown material will have a huge breakthrough!"

"Magic Mirror of Detection?" Kant asked.

"The Magic Mirror of Detection requires many raw materials to be made. Although simple gray wolf fur, discovered grass, and Kaori ore are common raw materials, there are still some rare materials, such as snow mountain oil, and lava-colored frames. Magic dragon crystals are all very difficult to find, so it is not a major task that can be completed in a day."

Kekua explained to Kant patiently.

While Kekua and Kant were talking, Bunduk came in hastily.

Bunduk knelt on one knee and said respectfully to Kant, "My Lord, the Elf King requests an audience with you."

"This is getting more and more interesting!" Kant left the manufacturing workshop and came to his palace.

The Elf King seemed to be very angry. When he saw Kant, he found it even harder to control his anger.

"Mr. Kant, I always thought that you were an extremely respected lord, but this time you actually made such a request. This is making things difficult for us!"

The Elf King stood up. The movements of his hands were even richer than his words.

"Elf King, you can reject our request, but you have to know that an outstanding Swadian Sergeant is a priceless treasure. I only want one-tenth of your territory. This is not too much!"

The Elf King became even more furious, he said, "Mr. Kant, as far as I know, you sent troops to the Jackalan city-state to help them before this. Your condition at that time was only 20 tons of crystal ore. How could the reward increase so much when it came to our side? Are you more willing to ally with the barbarians?"

Kant smiled. The Elf King was really quick to get the news.

"Elf King, the two sides are completely different. Can't you see that? Although the Jackalan city-state was attacked by the undead soldiers, they still had the ability to fight back. However, your territory is completely different. You are already exhausted from the battle, and the main attack areas of the undead soldiers are also in your territory. You should know that if I sent out an excellent Swadian Sergeant, they will be in danger of being wiped out. If you don't cooperate with us, you will lose more than one-tenth of your territory. Do you still doubt that?"

The Elf King did not expect Kant to be so eloquent that he could not say a word. However, he was helpless. He was in such a difficult situation that no one could solve it.

The Elf King sighed and continued, "Mr. Kant, is there no room for negotiation at all?"

Kant shook his head. "This is the best offer I can give."

The Elf King gritted his teeth and said, "Fine! I'll give you one-tenth of the territory, but you must send an army of at least a thousand people to support us!"

Chapter 633: A harmonious negotiation

Kant had already organized his words before he met the Elf King, so it was expected that such a situation would occur.

He smiled at the Elf King and said, "Elf King, thank you for your understanding. I will definitely send out the best Swadian Sergeants in Drondheim! They have obtained excellent evolution in their equipment a few days ago. I believe that they will definitely be able to resist the attacks of the undead soldiers. You have no doubt about that!"

"Oh, no, no, no." The Elf King was obviously not very satisfied with Kant's words. He immediately stood up, then, he announced to Kant with a heavy tone, "Lord Kant, I hope that you can send out the Virgil knights. What we lack even more are the vanguard troops that can charge into the front lines!"

"Your Excellency!" Kant's expression became very serious. "Do you want my soldiers to take the lead? So that you can sit at the back and reap the benefits? Isn't that a little unkind?"

Kant looked ahead. The Virgil knights were the sharpest and most core force of the Drondheim city-state. If more than a thousand Virgil knights were sent out, it would cause the attack line of the Drondheim city-state to become very weak, this was not a good omen for Drondheim, which was surrounded by enemies.

He knew how to weigh the pros and cons. Although he was anxious to complete the mission of the system, it was obviously very foolish to sacrifice so many sharpest troops to complete the mission. No one would agree to such a deal!

"Lord Kant, that's not what I meant?" The Elf King might have seen Kant's face gradually turn gloomy, he explained to Kant in a panic, "If you are willing to send out these 1,000 Virgil Knights, our elven colony can even give up 15% of our territory. You must know that with an additional 5% of our territory, how many more Virgil knights can you train? I think you will be the biggest winner in such a deal!"

The Elf King was good at negotiating, and he was more convincing than the last elven messenger.

But what did Kant think?

He did not feel how wonderful the world was for such conditions, but began to wonder what the Elf King's purpose was?

No matter how small a piece of territory was, it was still a part of a country that could not be separated. However, the Elf King's tone was as if he could give up as much as he wanted at any time!

"Elf King, please allow me to think for four hours. You can visit the back garden of our royal palace. I will have a more in-depth meeting with my ministers!"

Kant waved his hand to signal the people around him to lead the Elf King away.

The Elf King stood up, he bowed respectfully to Kant. "Respected Lord Kant, you may carry on your profound discussion, but please try to give me a timely reply within four hours. After all, the elven colonies are still suffering from the flames of war!"

His respectful and sincere attitude almost made Kant forget that he was the leader of a city-state.

What was his intention? Kant really wanted to know, at least now he knew that he would not simply send troops to attack the undead soldiers.

Did the elven colony make other deals with other city-states?

Logically speaking, the Lizardmen city-state should be the first choice for the elven colony.

Kant had never felt such a headache, but he still could not understand the purpose of the elven colony.

In the center of the palace was a ten-meter-long conference table, which was enough to accommodate more than a hundred ministers.

Drondheim was a democratic city-state, and Kant was very willing to accept the speeches of the wise men, so in addition to the ministers appearing in front of the conference table, many wandering wise men were also absorbed by Kant.

After listening to Kant's story, those people fell into deep thought. What on earth was the Elf King willing to pay for such a huge price in exchange for a thousand cavalry?

Commander Spock nodded, indicating to Kant that he wanted to speak.

"Please answer my question, Commander Spock!" Kant smiled at him.

Commander Spock bowed politely and cleared his throat, then he continued, "Lord Kant, I think this may be the elven colony's plan to lure the tiger away from the mountain. They want to transfer the elite troops of Drondheim city-state. Perhaps they have joined forces with other city-states to attack Drondheim!"

Kant nodded at Spock. What Spock said was not without reason. He had also thought of this idea before, but he had rejected it!

"Commander Spock, this is indeed possible!"

Kant first praised Spock's idea, but he continued, "But the elven colonies have long been unable to fend for themselves. I think they have no reason to join forces with other city-states to attack us. They also want our thousand heavy cavalries to continue their lives. If that is really the case, we can withdraw the heavy cavalry. In that case, the elven colony will be destroyed by the undead soldiers in less than three days. Do you think I am right?"

Kant said patiently, and Commander Spock nodded. He downed the wine in front of him, and then said to Kant, "The leader is right, I was thinking too simply!"

Another old city-state man with a white beard to his waist said, "Lord Kant, I think the elven colony may want to merge with our Drondheim. To the territory of the country, to them, it is no longer that important. I believe that if we win this battle, the Elf King will definitely look for you to merge with the elven colony. After all, the elven colony is a colony, and it has not been liberated, so merging with Drondheim is the most effective way. As for the Elf King, I'm afraid he only wants a position!"

The old man's words made Kant think. He had not thought of such a possibility, but in a sense, it was possible.

So should he send troops or not? Kant wavered. He signaled for everyone to vote on it.

There were a total of 132 people who came to the meeting. 83 people agreed to send troops to the elven colony, which was the majority.

Kant believed in the decision of the ministers, which was also the decision in his heart.

Although the number of 1,000 Virgil knights was huge, it was not enough to put Drondheim into a passive situation in an instant. Even if there were any conflicts in the future, Drondheim would be able to hold on until the return of this powerful cavalry.

Kant had already made his decision. He met with the Elf King in the back garden.

The Elf King was looking at the goldfish in the pond. Those were not ordinary goldfish.

Chapter 634: The Elf Had no Way Out

"Those are the ice goldfish in the Snow Mountain Lake!"

Kant walked up from behind the Elf King. He held a handful of fish feed in his hand and poured all of it into the lake.

"Their lives are very tenacious. Even the extremely low temperature that ordinary people can not endure is nothing for the ice goldfish!"

Kant smiled at the Elf King.

The Elf King nodded slightly at Kant and said, "Thank you, Lord Kant, for your comfort. It has been a long time since the elven colony has seen such a fish swimming freely in the lake. I had led my people down."

Kant said, "Your Excellency, congratulations. You have successfully convinced me. I agree to cooperate with the elven colony!"

"That's great!" The Elf King revealed a silly smile and continued, "Thank you for your help."

"But there is a condition!"

Kant paused for a moment and then said, "That is, I can only send an army of 500 Virgil knights."

"What?" The Elf King clearly did not expect such a situation. "Lord Kant, isn't this too hasty? Although I believe in the strength of the Virgil knights, an army of only 500 people would definitely not be able to resist the undead soldiers!"

Kant had already made a plan in his heart and he continued to say, "Elf King, you should not be too depressed. Although I said that I would only send out 500 Virgil knights, I will also send out another one thousand Swadian Sergeants. I believe that after my modifications, the strength of the Swadian Sergeants has improved by leaps and bounds. Moreover, without the help of the Virgil knights, this one thousand-man army will be able to stop the undead soldiers!"

Kant confidently explained to the Elf King. Although the Elf King's expression now showed complete disbelief, it was the truth. His Swadian Sergeants definitely had the strength to fight to the death against the undead soldiers, this could be seen in the defensive battle of the Jackalan city-state.

After being modified, the Swadian Sergeants could even traverse the entire map without an army that could match them.

But there were still many territories that Kant had yet to discover on the map.

This world was even much larger than the world of the sirens.

The elf's eyes instantly lit up. He clearly did not expect that Lord Kant would actually give him such an additional surprise. This was simply beyond his imagination.

"Lord Kant, I really can not understand why you have made such a huge change?" the Elf King asked sincerely.

"I feel that you are a good lord who loves his people, which is why you made such a decision." Kant's answer was meticulous and did not allow any doubt.

"Thank you for your praise. Although I love my people, I am not a good king. There are many things that I have not done well. I also hope that I can get more guidance from Lord Kant in the future!"

As soon as he said this, Kant had already guessed most of it. The elven colony had indeed planned to merge with the Drondheim city-state. They even wanted to hand over the entire elven colony to Kant to manage, but was this really good?

According to Kant's knowledge, the elven colony had never accepted outsiders as their managers since ancient times. Even if it was just a small storekeeper, the elven colony's people would not let a foreigner be their manager.

If they wanted to merge, it seemed like they would be unanimously opposed by the people of the elven colony. Could it be that the Elf King had not expected such a situation?

No, he could definitely imagine it, but why did he continue to do so?

Such doubts formed in Kant's mind, but it was not convenient for him to ask. After all, such a question seemed stupid and impolite.

"Elf King, since I have promised you, you can go back and wait for the reinforcements to come. They will definitely bring you a special surprise!"

"I am looking forward to it!" the Elf King said expectantly.

Kant did intend to do so. Although the elven colony's terrain was very ordinary, it was still a territory that everyone was eyeing covetously.

The reason why the undead soldiers had set their sights on the elven colony as their primary target was clearly because of their own reasons.

The Head Knight of the Virgil Knights was Pam. He was a good commander who was very responsible.

Kant found Pam and he came to his palace the next day.

Pam bowed respectfully to Kant and offered the knight etiquette that only knights would use.

"Lord Kant, we will definitely complete the mission and return successfully. Please rest assured."

Pam finished the glass of Kafel red wine in front of him in one gulp to announce his determination.

Kant looked at Pam respectfully. In this battle, if he was not careful, Pam might be sacrificed on the battlefield. This was certainly not the outcome Kant wanted to see.

However, the undead soldiers were extremely fierce. On the northern border, no army could compare to the undead soldiers.

The undead soldiers in the Jackalan city-state were only a few. There would be ten times more undead soldiers in the elven colony.

With such a large number of undead soldiers, Kant was obviously not confident that he could help the elven colony win.

At noon that day, Pam led 500 Virgil cavalries and more than a thousand Swadian Sergeants.

The majority of the Swadian Sergeants were people who had fought off the undead soldiers in the Jackalan city-state, so they volunteered to go to the elven colony.

Their original plan was to arrive at the elven colony before nightfall, but they did not expect to encounter the undead soldiers in the north when they just entered Deyama City.

Swede was the captain of this team of Swadian Sergeant. He had already spotted the undead soldiers in front, so he immediately returned to the camp to report.

"Commander Pam, we've spotted the undead soldiers that are two miles ahead."

It was already dusk, and they would be able to reach the elven colony in an hour. However, they had not expected to encounter the undead soldiers in advance when they were halfway down the road, this was clearly not what Pam had expected.

However, everything was still under control.

Pam ordered, "All soldiers, follow me and advance!"

Pam's organizational ability was quite outstanding, and all the soldiers listened to him. Upon hearing such an order, all of them became spirited.

The undead soldiers were still approaching, and Pam was already ready to be the vanguard.

Chapter 635: The Undead that Arrived Ahead of Time

Swede led more than 100 people to the left of the undead soldiers. Right in front of them was Pam's organization attack.

Soon, the two armies began to battle.

Although the undead soldiers were powerful and had astonishing strength, time was their weakness. As long as they could hold on for one night, these undead soldiers would be like clay chickens and dogs.

Under Pam's order, more than 200 cavalries moved forward in a regular manner.

Their goal was not to exterminate the undead soldiers but to stall the undead soldiers as much as possible. Without the help of the elves, it would be difficult for them to defeat the undead soldiers.

This well-trained Knights Corps was charging forward fearlessly. Nothing in front of them seemed to be able to stop them.

An undead soldier was biting his huge lips and nibbling at Commander Pam's neck. Pam had already seen through his intentions. He raised the lance in his hand and held his breath tightly, only by holding his breath could he truly focus his consciousness. Pam's lance finally pierced into the undead soldier's throat.

Although the undead soldier was stubborn, the brain of any living creature was always the most crucial component. As an excellent commander of the Knights Corps, Pam naturally knew such a rule, so he raised his gun again, he then stabbed the throat of the next undead soldier.

The aura of this undead soldier was much weaker than that of the previous undead soldier.

Pam thought to himself that these undead soldiers also had some level relations. Could it be that one of these undead soldiers also had a commander who was in charge of commanding all of this?

This thought was obviously believable. Another undead soldier with a very large body once again approached Pam.

Pam's horse was frightened. Although Pam was well-trained and was quite adept at controlling horses, this horse was clearly not used to fighting against undead soldiers.

It raised its two hooves and looked extremely flustered.

Because the smell of the undead soldiers was rotten and terrifying, this horse was obviously afraid of the stench that it retreated!

Pam was shocked, but because of his powerful fighting qualities, he immediately regained his calm demeanor.

He said to himself in his heart, "You are the most powerful commander of the knights, you must not be defeated. As long as you are defeated, all your soldiers will be disappointed. They will give up this battle, and even Lord Kant will lose confidence in himself!"

This kind of psychological hint was very useful.

Pam was now full of confidence, and the marksmanship in his hands began to become easier.

Although the undead soldier had a huge body, the neck was still his fatal weakness.

The originally swift and fierce undead soldier seemed to have turned into a slow-motion replay in front of him.

It became slower and slower until finally, Pam found that even his breathing had started to slow down. Even time was starting to slow down, and only his will was still moving very quickly.

He dodged the attack of the huge undead soldier!

He jumped down from the horse, and the horse was quickly cut into two halves by the huge ax of the undead soldier.

All the knights looked in the direction of their respected Head Knight in shock.

If anything happened to the Head Knight, their ending would be disastrous.

But fortunately, they did not see the side that they imagined.

Although Pam was standing on the ground, he still held his gun.

He was now like an immovable giant, and something strange seemed to have happened to him.

The huge undead soldier saw that Pam was not injured by his attack and was already furious, then he raised the broadsword with both hands.

The broadsword was stained with a large amount of blood. One drop, two drops fell to the ground.

The air had been torn apart. The broadsword was only a fist's distance away from Pam's head. However, just when everyone thought that Head Knight Pam would die a glorious death, he moved.

His movements were fluid and smooth, without a hint of sloppiness. His movements were even more crisp and neat, even the knights who had trained with him for a long time did not know that Pam actually had such strength.

This was the strength of a Holy Knight!

It was the super strength that stood under the Sun's radiance!

The Holy Knight, Pam, held the lance in his hand. His movements were swift and fierce. If there was anyone in the world who could move as fast as Commander Pam, it should be Lord Kant.

The undead soldier also realized that he was in a disadvantageous situation. He wanted to retreat from behind but Pam was faster than him. His lance blocked the undead soldier's final retreat. The undead soldier was already in despair, it had become a real undead under Pam's attack.

Pam let out a long breath, like a peerless expert who had retreated into the forest. His eyes seemed to be filled with stars. When the knights saw that their commander had completely changed, they also became excited.

The battle continued.

However, Pam stopped to think. The undead soldiers just now clearly did not want to hide, but weren't they strange dead creatures that only knew how to move forward? Why would they want to escape?

Could it be that the giant undead had already gained the intelligence of a human?

Such a thought was very scary. Even Pam was scared to the point of breaking out in a cold sweat. If such a powerful undead soldier had intelligence, then it was obvious that they were at a disadvantage in this large-scale battle.

The sky gradually darkened, and the black crows in the forest scattered in all directions from their nests in shock.

"Commander Pam! The reinforcements from the elven colony have arrived!" Captain Swede reported respectfully to Commander Pam.

After the battle just now, Captain Swede had witnessed Commander Pam's strength with his own eyes. He was like an incomparably sharp knife, piercing straight into the opponent's heart. As long as Commander Pam was here, then they would definitely win this battle!

This was something that Captain Swede was very sure of.

Pam nodded. His current strength was already extremely close to Commander Bunduk's. Commander Bunduk was someone that he had wanted to catch up to all his life. This evolution was simply a pleasant surprise for Pam, such a pleasant surprise would only be encountered by someone as talented and intelligent as him.

The elven colony had sent a team of 100 people. They were all good at medical treatment, which was a good thing for Pam.

"I think you should know the current situation, right?"

Chapter 636: A Unified Plan of Attack

Commander Pam held a brief meeting and more than 100 people gathered.

Most of them were the elven colony's reinforcements.

In terms of strength alone, Pam was the only one who had the strength to say this.

"As long as Commander Pam says it, even if it's a mountain of daggers and seas of flame, our elven colony's soldiers will be extremely respectful!" an old elf wearing a green felt hat said.

He was the only five-star elf among the volunteer soldiers. He had very strong healing abilities and could even heal groups. The remaining ten were also medical soldiers, but most of them could only treat one to three people at a time.

Apart from these medical soldiers, some magic attack elves were responsible for the magic output of the rear defensive line.

Among them, the highest level was a four-star elf.

And most of these elves only knew how to use some fireball spells or the Tier-1 skills of ice sealing spells.

Although they were all low-level skills, they were always effective against undead soldiers with fireball spells and ice sealing spells.

The highest level four-star elves could even cast advanced fireball spells, which could cause large-scale casualties to the enemy.

As the rear defensive line, they were indeed the only reliable partner.

The organization was very fast, and the battle situation did not allow them to do anything sloppy.

Soon, the thousand-man army was organized.

The hundred-man knight corps led by Pam, and the Swadian Sergeants were on the right. They were all the elites among the elites, while the elves were placed at the rear defensive line, and the medical elves intersected between the knight corps and the Swadian Sergeants.

The simple coordination trained their tacit understanding. Soon, this temporarily formed army gained a close tacit understanding. They were fast and agile, and they could quickly open up the enemy's rear.

The number of undead soldiers did not decrease but increased because after midnight, it was time for the undead soldiers to move at high speed.

Everyone looked at Commander Pam with hopeful eyes. At this time, Commander Pam was already full of glory.

With his order, all the troops moved away. They spread out according to the rules of the formation. This was also to minimize the number of casualties.

They succeeded. Although a small number of undead soldiers already had the consciousness to escape, those were still very few in number. Most of them were like those dead creatures who didn't know life or death.

They were biting crazily, thinking that they would be able to take care of everything. They treated everyone like dirt, but they did not know that they were real dirt.

They were very tenacious, but at the same time, they were also very weak. They did not breathe, and they did not need air, so this space could not accommodate them.

One after another, the undead soldiers fell into the exquisite traps that Pam had set up and none of them could avoid it.

Even if some of the undead soldiers who had the intention to escape wanted to retreat, they were restricted by the elves' fireballs or ice-sealing spells.

They could only be killed by the cavalries.

This might be a little cruel, but this was war. War would not be merciful to anyone.

Perhaps to the undead soldiers, these cavalries were the real bad guys.

They were born to eat humans and invade. This was their nature. They maintained their nature, but they were brutally killed. This was something they could not understand.

The night passed quietly. No one would mention the war here in the future. Because of the invasion of the undead soldiers, this place had long been deserted.

The Sun in the east was slowly rising like a savior.

This Sun was no longer the savior of the Virgil knights but the saviors of the undead soldiers!

When the undead soldiers saw the Sun, they retreated one after another. Because of this, they were saved.

The outstanding leadership of Pam made the five-star old elf excited.

"Commander Pam, you are too outstanding as a Head Knight!"

"Thank you for your praise." Pam was not proud, because compared to the great leader Kant, his meager skills were like a child shouting and fighting with an adult.

"I believe that under your leadership, our elven colony will usher in the first victory. This will be a war of incomparable honor. For you, for all of Drondheim, it will be an extremely great honor!"

The fawner elf's praises were very pleasant to the ears. All the elves were very good at praising others. They were not stingy with their words of praise, or what they learned in their schools was how to praise others.

Soon, the army led by Pam advanced into the elven colony. In this colony, there were fireworks everywhere.

Was this still the elven paradise that was once beautiful?

Pam frowned slightly. The undead soldiers were the common enemy of everyone.

Look, the once beautiful city-state was now in ruins. Under the ruins, countless crying souls could be heard. They were not willing to die just like that.

Pam paid a visit to the Elf King and explained to him the main process of fighting against the undead soldiers that day.

Pam did not put too much emphasis on describing how great he was. He tried his best to explain how brave his soldiers were. If he did not have such soldiers, he might have died in the war immediately.

The five-star old Elf obviously liked Leader Pam very much. He praised Commander Pam with his pen and ink, and he praised the Elf King for how valiant Leader Pam was, he even said that Leader Pam had an even more outstanding leadership ability than Leader Bunduk.

Pam wasn't arrogant, because he knew very well at all times that proud soldiers would only meet with countless failures. That was why he would never be proud. Pride was what losers should do.

When night fell, Pam finally saw the horror of the undead soldiers. They bared their fangs and brandished their claws. They were bloodthirsty but they were not without any redeeming qualities.

Because they were still a little organized, and they worked closely together. Pam himself might have found it strange. Why would he praise such a ferocious enemy, and not his soldiers?

But the truth was these undead soldiers were disciplined. If his knights could be organized like this, they could roam this vast world, because there was no need to worry about who would run away in the face of battle.

They were not afraid of death, so they were more united.

The Elf King had sent over a thousand elves to participate in this war.

If they could not defend tonight, then in less than two days, the elven colony would be invaded by these inhumane undead soldiers.

Chapter 637: Knights Who Were Utterly Defeated

There were so many cute children and so many lonely old people here. If Pam lost, this group of old people and children would bleed to death in the war, it would be terrifying.

Although he was used to seeing blood and death, he could not bear the death of weak people. Weak people could always arouse people's sympathy.

"Knights, for the honor of our country, for the honor of Drondheim, we should be fearless of blood and we should charge forward!"

Even the Elf King was shocked by the powerful leadership of Pam. He heard Pam's oath. He seemed to know why the elven colony could only be a colony, but Drondheim could gradually become a powerful city-state, what their colonies lacked was people like Pam.

Only such a powerful and fearless leader could lead the elves to reclaim their own land.

Pam led more than a thousand soldiers to fight against the ferocious undead soldiers at the vanguard. He was not afraid of being attacked by the undead behind him. He trusted every single one of Drondheim's soldiers behind him, just like how they trusted him enough.

After all, trust was mutual!

Soon, they were intertwined with the undead soldiers. They were very powerful, but the undead soldiers were also very powerful. Because of the magnetic field, it seemed that the undead soldiers on this side were even more powerful than the undead soldiers they encountered the night before.

Pam soon realized this.

The situation was quite disadvantageous to him and this wasn't a joke. As long as he did not handle it properly, the entire team would be defeated!

Finally, a knight fell. His horse did not defend him against the fatal blow of the undead soldiers. That machete was extremely sharp, even though it looked like a blunt weapon.

The knight was cut in half from head to toe. It was like a cabbage being cut in half by the undead soldiers. This could not help but make people suck in a breath of cold air. Shock and terror intertwined in their hearts.

This was such a terrifying attack. Don't underestimate these undead soldiers.

Pam didn't have the mood to mourn for the cavalry that he was proud of. He could only say this to himself in his heart.

He constantly reminded himself to be strong and tenacious. Only when he was strong could the entire team be like a shield, and only then could they discover the weakness of the undead soldiers.

Then, the second cavalry had fallen as well. Blood was still flowing from his mouth, and his eyes were wide open. Even before he died, he was very unwilling.

The third, the fourth, then ten, twenty of them. He looked at the knights who persisted one after another but were still defeated. They were his trusted subordinates.

Pam could not mourn for them. He did not even know their names. Where did they live? Did anyone need to be taken care of at home?

The war was cruel. Pam only hoped that the elves in the elven colony wouldn't suffer such pain.

This was probably the biggest gain he had since joining this battle.

"Change the formation!"

Pam quickly came up with a strategy. The formation from the previous night was no longer enough to resist such a large and powerful undead soldier. This would only cause more knights to fall. In the end, he might really be the only one left.

He used an offensive triangular formation. The vanguard was set up with ten people. As soon as one of the ten people fell, the people behind would immediately replace them.

This was the same as the formation operated by the Jackalan city-state.

Sure enough, the new formation was a great success.

By reducing the number of attackers and increasing the number of defenders, they could effectively resist casualties.

There were also many talents in the elven colony. They were not only good at fireball spells, but also setting up traps.

Once the undead soldiers fell into a trap, they were like lambs waiting to be slaughtered.

After all, the undead soldiers' jumping ability was very weak.

This was one of the pieces of information that Pam had obtained so far.

However, the undead soldiers that followed broke Pam's understanding of them.

Those creatures with super-strong jumping abilities were charging towards them from afar.

Some of them could even jump onto a tree which was simply terrifying. Could it be that there were different types of undead soldiers?

Having this thought, Pam's heart trembled.

When they were discussing the countermeasures, they completely ignored this possibility. They thought that the undead soldiers' jumping ability was one of their fatal weaknesses. However, they did not expect that their only fatal weakness was now gone.

This was a huge blow to the knight corps, and it was also a huge error in Pam's judgment!

"Retreat! Retreat!" Pam immediately gave the order. If they did not retreat now, their entire knight corps would be wiped out.

These undead soldiers who could jump were obviously much stronger than the previous batch of ordinary undead soldiers who only knew how to grab machetes and rampage.

Pam could smell a few dangerous smells on their bodies.

This kind of smell could even kill them.

The undead soldiers with the ability to jump slowly approached. The elves at the back were trying to hold them off so that the knight corps could retreat smoothly.

However, they had obviously forgotten about the mobility of these undead soldiers. Although the fireball spell could restrict their direction of movement, these undead soldiers seemed to have suddenly gained a level up in intelligence. They had learned to dodge!

A terrible misconception arose in Pam's mind. He felt that he would lose miserably in this battle. That's right, these undead soldiers were ridiculously strong, not to mention their extremely strong jumping abilities.

Looking at the knights in front of him one after another collapsing like a mountain, Pam's heart was covered with a layer of huge black fog.

A mistake in judgment!

He blamed himself countless times in his heart. He should have noticed the abnormal behavior of these undead soldiers a long time ago, but he was still confident. Although he had always reminded himself not to be proud, he was actually already proud, so he lost his ability to observe. Although he had evolved into a Holy Knight, he still lost.

Another knight that he recognized fell in front of him. He had a mother who was close to 100 years old in the family. His mother had been a widow all her life. This child was picked up by her at the beach, so his name was Sea.

However, he was dead. He lay in front of Pam in a terrible state. However, Pam could do nothing about it because he found himself in deep danger. Hundreds of undead soldiers had blocked his way, although the lance in his hand could fight against hundreds of undead soldiers, he panicked in the face of such dangerous undead soldiers.

Although he kept reminding himself to be calm, the death of his companions was a huge blow to him.

Seeing that half of his army had been destroyed by the jumping undead soldiers yet he couldn't defend them at all. A Swadian Sergeant next to him took a stab for him and he died.

The fortress in Pam's heart also collapsed, and the faith in his heart was even shaken.

It seemed that this time, the elven colony could not be preserved. He had let down the countless people who had faith in him...

Chapter 638: The Tragic Situation on the Frontlines

Pam had made a mistake in his judgment and his heart sank into endless contradictions that condemned him.

He clearly felt that there was something wrong with the undead soldiers last night, but he still believed that these sharp cavalries would win every battle!

But now, he understood that he had lost. He had lost the ability to be alert at the very least. How terrifying was this? This caused the entire cavalry to fall into endless danger.

One of the undead soldiers suddenly jumped out of the trap.

His jumping ability was so powerful that he instantly flew up to five meters in the air.

A fireball from the sky was targeting his head. For the undead soldiers, the area above the neck should be their second fatal weakness.

Pam comforted himself in his heart.

The fireball hit the head of the undead soldier strongly.

All eyes seemed to be focused on him. The undead soldier was heavily pressed to the ground by the fireball.

There was even a crater the size of a meteorite on the ground.

Smoke filled the air. Pam looked forward hopefully. Reality gave him another critical hit.

The undead soldier actually stood up from the crater unscathed.

He roared as if the fireball had completely enraged him. He jumped up and instantly took the life of an elf beside him.

Pam sighed. Was it still not enough?

Was this batch of undead soldiers already so powerful? There was actually a flaw in his information?

Everyone sucked in a breath of cold air. The elf in front of them had fallen at their feet. Pam truly could not believe that the undead soldier had such formidable attack power.

With such attack power, if his cavalries were to fight one-on-one, they would definitely not be a match for the undead soldier.

The short and thin elf was grabbed by the undead soldier. The undead soldier's strength was extremely great. He used all his strength to tear the poor elf into two pieces by the undead soldier.

Just like a piece of toast, the elf was torn into two pieces without any resistance.

He did not struggle, because he could not struggle either. The power of the undead soldier was not something he could imagine. Even Pam did not know how powerful the undead soldier's attacks were.

The undead soldier's violence had clearly not stopped. He continued to move forward, jumping three feet high. In the blink of an eye, he was already in front of a cavalry.

The cavalry did not sense the danger approaching. He was still fighting with the undead soldier in front of him. His strength was not bad. When he was in the knight corps, Pam had already begun to praise him. However, Pam did not expect him not to notice that an undead soldier was standing behind him.

Pam was already too busy taking care of himself, but he still wanted to remind the knight who was fighting beside him.

Before he could say anything, the undead soldier's blade had already cut the cavalry off their horses.

That knight probably didn't even know that he had been ambushed from behind when he was dying. He naively thought that the undead soldiers were stupid since that they couldn't think, that they never knew anything about strategy and they would only rely on numbers to win.

This was what his most loyal captain, Pam, had told him. He had even made notes in the training ground, leaving his back completely to his companions. He had to trust them!

Those undead soldiers weren't smart...

He was wrong, and so was Captain Pam. He had realized this before he died, but the loss of blood accelerated the process of his death.

He tilted his neck and stared at the captain who was still fighting in front of him and slowly closed his eyes.

Pam's eyes were bloodshot. His beloved teammates had all fallen in front of him. But he was like a child, when faced with bad people, he had no power at all. He had once made a vow, he had said that he would lead this group of young men to fight everywhere and make them an indestructible army. However, he had broken his promise now. They couldn't even break through a small undead soldier, let alone a mysterious and unknown desert.

The undead soldier with the ability to jump suddenly fell from the sky and landed in front of Pam. He held his big knife with both hands. It was covered with the blood of his countless comrades. The blood dripped onto the ground bit by bit and it scattered in all directions like snowflakes.

Pam's eyes welled up with tears. This iron man who had been the leader for more than ten years had also been weakened.

He raised the lance in his hand and declared war on the undead soldier.

However, it seemed that the undead soldier only wanted to provoke him. He only waved the broadsword in his hand and then jumped to the side.

His movement speed was definitely not something that Pam could catch up to. Moreover, Pam's mount was also killed by the undead soldier, so it was even more impossible for him to catch up with the undead soldier. The number of undead soldiers in front of him did not decrease but increased and this made Pam panicky. He watched as the cavalries around him were getting fewer. In the end, he was left alone under the encirclement of the undead soldiers.

With the level of a Holy Knight, the low-level undead soldiers were obviously not Pam's match. Pam's lance could penetrate the throats of three or four undead soldiers at once. But so what? Those undead soldiers were like machines produced by a factory. They were endless and not afraid of death at all.

Pam was still retreating backward. One of the undead soldiers had cut his shoulder, but he turned a deaf ear to it. Now was not the time to turn back and give it a heavy blow.

Pam was still rational in his heart. He wanted to live and avenge his knights.

The night of war was described as bitter. There were cries everywhere. Many children had lost their fathers that night.

Pam sat on the steps of the Elven Palace. His face had not been washed with cold water. His hands were covered with mottled knife marks. There was still a lot of blood flowing on them. Some of it had dried up and become scars, however, there was still a lot of blood left.

Pam's face was even more terrifying. It was gloomy and helpless. A huge scar had been cut on his forehead by the undead soldiers. The wound was huge, but he turned a deaf ear to it. The blood was lying on his collar along his glabella.

His clothes were also tattered. His armor was torn into pieces. He looked like the scavengers outside.

He threw the gun in the distance, and his eyes were fixed on the gun.

In last night's battle, all his comrades had been sacrificed, and even Captain Spock had died at the hands of the undead soldiers.

Chapter 639: Pam, Who Had Fallen into Despair

Pam's heart was bleeding. He could not forgive himself for sending all his teammates to the guillotine.

He dragged his tired body back to Drondheim City alone. The horse he was riding was given to him by the Elf King.

It was to ensure that he could return to Drondheim City successfully.

Commander Bunduk was standing on the city wall at the moment, waiting for the victor to return triumphantly.

A soldier knelt in front of Bunduk. He sobbed and reported, "Commander Bunduk, according to the reports from the front line, we were all defeated in the battle last night!"

"What?" Commander Bunduk widened his eyes. He looked at the soldier in front of him and was obviously very angry.

"You scoundrel, if you lie about the military information, you will be beheaded."

"I definitely do not dare to do so! Commander Bunduk."

The soldier said to Bunduk with great respect. He even had a sobbing tone. His brother was one of the Virgil knights.

His brother had died heroically last night.

Bunduk only felt that his vision was very dark now. He could not accept such a thing. That was an extremely powerful knight corps. In addition, there were more than a thousand Swadian Sergeants. How could all of them be wiped out by the enemy?

"This is bad!" Bunduk ran to the main city of Drondheim in a panic.

Kant was reviewing the words of the ministers last night.

Recently, the city-state of Drondheim was gradually rising, and the people's voices towards him were also gradually rising. Moreover, everyone held great respect for the army and soldiers, which made Kant feel very gratified.

"Commander Bunduk, how many times have I told you, not to be so anxious and noisy during an audience?"

Kant stopped the scroll in his hand and raised his head to look at Commander Bunduk. His forehead was full of sweat, and his hands were also trembling.

Kant finally realized the seriousness of the matter.

"Commander Kant, I'm sorry, we've all lost!"

Bunduk said with a sobbing tone. He looked at Lord Kant with tragic eyes. Although he was not the one who lost the battle, he seemed to be blaming himself now.

He even felt that it was impossible, so he went to check on Z's messenger pigeon last night. The battle report was indeed like this.

At that moment, he felt that his eyes were covered in black fog.

Kant was stunned. It had been a long time since he had received such shocking news. He kept repeating, "Really?"

Bunduk did not answer. He just lowered his head. It would be foolish to answer Lord Kant's question now.

"Lord Kant, Commander Pam is back!" a soldier said to Kant.

"Let him in!" Kant's tone was not friendly, and it even sounded like he was condemning.

The soldier trembled and retreated.

Soon, Pam kneeled in front of Kant. He did not cry, but his face was calm. At this time, his wound had not been treated, just like the old man who was scavenging outside.

He seemed to have aged dozens of years.

"Commander Pam, I need your explanation."

Kant stood in front of Pam. He stared at him seriously, trying to figure out the origin of the matter from his body.

But Pam pursed his mouth tightly. He exhaled after a long time.

As if he had made a great decision, he said, "Lord Kant, I'm sorry. I'm here to collect my death. I beg Lord Kant to give me the criminal law in Drondheim's eyes. I'm willing to let eight horses dismember me!"

Kant frowned, and his tone was filled with anger, he said, "Commander Pam, tell me what happened. I need a reasonable explanation. Why are you the only one left among the 1,500 soldiers I sent you? What's going on?"

Kant was about to lose his patience.

Pam suddenly burst into tears. He said mournfully, "Those undead soldiers were too strong. Our troops are no match for them. The information is wrong!"

Kant's eyebrows knitted together. He asked, "What's going on?"

Pam continued, "Among these undead soldiers, there was a leader of the undead soldiers with astonishing combat strength. His jumping ability is extremely powerful, and his movement ability is much stronger than mine. I was no match for him at all, but he let me off. He was like a powerful enemy who likes to play tricks on his opponents."

Kant clenched his fists, he said fiercely, "You're saying that those undead soldiers have leaders, and their combat strength is much stronger than those ordinary undead soldiers? And you're saying that the leaders also have high intelligence?"

He couldn't believe what he had heard. According to all the intelligence reports, none of them mentioned that these undead soldiers had leaders and that these leaders actually had very strong combat strength?

Kant paused for a moment before continuing, "I don't want my subordinates to hide anything."

"Absolutely nothing!" Pam immediately replied.

"Very good!"

Kant laughed out loud. Perhaps he should not be laughing right now, but the desire to fight had ignited in his heart. The challenge that he had not felt for a long time had appeared, which made Kant a little excited, he did not think that the lives of the soldiers were very precious. In his eyes, they were just a pile of data, but to Pam, these data were the most precious thing to him.

"Commander Pam, since you want to be punished the most severely, I will satisfy you."

Kant sighed and beckoned for the people on both sides to come forward.

"Take Commander Pam away. Use five horses to dismember Commander Pam to death!"

Kant's words stunned the surrounding soldiers for a moment. Kant continued, "Do you want me to repeat it?"

The soldiers' hands trembled in fear. They quickly lifted Commander Pam on both sides and brought him out of the main door.

Bunduk was also shocked by Kant's action. He immediately went forward and knelt in front of Kant.

"Leader Kant, don't you need to think about it? Although Commander Pam made a mistake in his eyes, he didn't deserve to die, right?"

Bunduk was puzzled.

"Commander Bunduk, are you questioning my decision? Since Commander Pam wants to die, why don't I let him meet his beloved subordinates in the underground?"

Kant said resolutely. His purpose was to let everyone see that even if he had a high position as a commander, as long as he made a mistake, he would receive the harshest punishment like an ordinary person.

Bunduk retracted his head.

Kant continued, "No matter what mistake he made, Commander Pam was wrong. He underestimated the enemy. He has already admitted this. I gave him the death sentence to let you understand that you can not make such a mistake!"

Chapter 640: The Lord who Insists on Doing Things His Own Way

"But he has already advanced to the level of a Holy Knight. If we kill him, we will lose a very powerful fighting force."

Bunduk tried hard to plead for Pam.

However, Kant was even more determined to tell him, "Commander Bunduk, even if I have committed such a crime today, I will still commit suicide to atone for it, let alone Commander Pam."

Only then did Bunduk shut his mouth. It seemed that Kant had already made up his mind. He could not change the Lord's mind.

In the direction of the noon gate, Commander Pam's body was dismembered. His head hung at the city gate as a warning to everyone. This was the punishment of the loser. Drondheim did not need a defeated general.

Kant did not say this explicitly, but all the ministers knew the meaning behind it.

Unexpectedly, they did not mention anything about Commander Pam.

The Elf King of the elven colony came to the city of Drondheim again.

Kant personally received the Elf King.

"Elf King, I'm very sorry that I didn't help your country this time!" Kant said helplessly.

The Elf King handed the box in his hand to Kant and said, "I heard that Leader Kant punished Commander Pam?"

"He was dismembered," Kant said calmly. He took a sip of the red wine in front of him.

The Elf King clearly did not expect Lord Kant to kill Pam directly. This was beyond his imagination.

The Elf King paused and said, "Lord Kant, isn't this a lack of consideration?"

"What do you mean?"

Kant was happy to tell him the reason.

"In my opinion, although Commander Pam could not resist the undead soldiers, he still protected the elven colony for one night. His leadership ability is very strong, at least among my ministers, no one can compare to Commander Pam. Such a person, in my opinion, has no flaws at all, only that he lacks a bit of luck. The strength of the undead soldiers last night was beyond our expectations. They have an intelligent leader, and they organized a proper attack. In that attack, Commander Pam did not show any fear. He was a hero-like figure, always charging at the front and defeating all the undead soldiers one by one."

"But what's the use of that?"

Kant exhaled slowly. "He was a general who lost the battle after all."

"Your rules are really strict!"

The Elf King began to admire Kant a little. He killed as he wished without any hesitation. Because Commander Pam had lost the battle and he did not bring back any soldiers, Kant treated everyone equally. He gave Pam the death sentence.

The Elf King closed his mouth as if he was recalling Kant's words. After a long while, he said, "You must have other reasons for giving him the death sentence, right?"

Kant smiled and said, "Commander Pam no longer has the qualifications to be a commander. His confidence has been completely defeated. No matter how many troops I give him to take revenge, he will still be defeated in the end. Why don't I give him a quick death so that he won't be stuck in pain forever?"

Kant's words were very convincing, and even the Elf King was moved. He said, "It seems that we have all misunderstood you! You are not a tyrant! You saved Commander Pam. He must be much happier in the face of death than he is in the world."

Their idle talk quickly passed, but no one knew Kant's real intention except the Elf King. They all thought that the king in front of them had become a violent king, and this king only allowed them to win wars, and those who lost wars had to die!

But Kant did not care. The king was fickle in the hearts of the ministers. At present, he might be a tyrant in their hearts, but time would wash away everything. What he did was completely contrary to a tyrant.

Kant ordered people to take down the body of Commander Pam, who was hanging on the city gate and buried him with the highest level of etiquette.

He was indeed not a deserter, he was a hero, but Kant had to use him to win over the hearts of the people, to make the ministers fear him, to be able to go all out in the great war, and not have reservations everywhere.

The invasion of the undead soldiers was still ongoing.

The Elf King was also worried about this, he continued to say to Kant, "Lord Kant, you helped us. Even if it is to commemorate Commander Pam, I should hand over 15% of the territory to you, but now we are still under attack by the undead soldiers. If you are still willing to take over, please continue to send troops to support us."

Kant already knew what the Elf King was planning. He could use a bit of territory to exchange for more soldiers to extend the life of their elven colony. This way, they could continuously weaken the forces of Drondheim.

Kant smiled and said, "Elf King, the conditions have changed. If you want us to continue sending reinforcements to you, you have to sign at least 30% of the territory transfer treaty! Our soldiers can not be sacrificed in vain. They are the elites of Drondheim, and they are worth 30% of the territory."

The Elf King did not expect Drondheim to change his mind at the last minute, and he looked especially nervous. He said, "Isn't Lord Kant afraid that I will work with the Jackalans now?"

Kant gently put his hand on the treaty in front of him and said, "The Jackalans are greedier than us. They may need 50% of the territory to agree to cooperate with you. Don't you know that?"

He pushed the treaty toward the Elf King, he said, "You know how powerful the undead soldiers are, right? My army has already suffered a serious loss. We deserve this 30% of the territory. Moreover, the Jackalans are almost unable to take care of themselves. How would they have the time to manage the affairs of the elven colony?"

Kant patiently enticed them, waiting for the Elf King to agree.

The Elf King gritted his teeth and agreed as expected. He said, "Sure, as long as you can save the elven colony, we can even become your vassal kingdom!"

He seemed to have no way out. He actually said that he was willing to become Kant's vassal kingdom.

However, Kant did not continue. Vassal kingdoms were of no use to him. Drondheim had to pass through an empire to reach the elven colony. The two places were too far apart, so it was not suitable. On the other hand, Kant needed 30% of the elven colony's territory because there were fertile raw materials under the elven colony's soil. These raw materials could nourish many medicinal herbs where they bloomed, this was an advantage that Drondheim did not have.

Kant said politely, "Since the Elf King has already agreed to my request, then sign your name under this treaty!"

Chapter 641: A Fair Treaty

The Elf King looked at the treaty in his hand carefully, sometimes speculating, sometimes muttering, but in the end, he wrote it down.

He handed the treaty to Kant and said, "We welcome Drondheim's reinforcements at any time because you are all our friends!"

The Elf King was trying to be nice, and Kant had to do the same for him, so he said, "Please rest assured, Elf King. Since we have become good allies, we will certainly advance and retreat together with your country. Moreover, Drondheim's brave soldiers were killed by the undead soldiers. This is something I hate. I will definitely send an even more elite team to drive the undead soldiers out."

The Elf King's eyes were shining. Thanks to Kant's promise, he was finally able to put a huge rock in his heart safely on the ground. Although the elven colony was in a precarious position, as long as Drondheim was willing to lend a helping hand then there would definitely be a greater chance of victory.

"Thank you so much, Lord Kant. Please allow me to use the highest etiquette of the elven colony to thank you!"

The Elf King stood up. He knelt on one knee, one hand pressed on his chest, and the other raised above his head. He lowered his head and thanked, "Respected Lord Kant, on behalf of the entire elven colony, I thank you!"

Kant quickly helped him up, he smiled and said, "Your Highness is too polite. I am doing this to make my kingdom more prosperous. The spirits of the dead soldiers have not yet rested. I can only avenge them, and that is the greatest explanation to the people."

Kant summoned Commander Bunduk in the meeting hall. This commander was in charge of the Swadian and Rhodok sergeants. He currently held a power that was only slightly lower than Kant's.

It could be said that he was second only to one person, and above ten thousand people.

Kant said to him earnestly, "Commander Bunduk, I know that you are still holding a grudge against me because of Commander Pam's matter, but you must know that everything I do has a reason."

Bunduk immediately shook his head vigorously like a leaf fan, he said in fear, "Commander Kant misunderstood. I have absolutely no sympathy for Commander Pam and he deserves such punishment."

Kant laughed out loud and said, "It's pointless to discuss this. Commander Bunduk, I have no intention of blaming you. I just want to ask for your opinion. What do you think of the undead soldiers?"

Kant took the initiative to hand over the wine in his hand to Bunduk.

Bunduk did not dare to take it. After all, he was a subject. How could he let the king toast to him? He felt that this must be the king's test for him. If he took the wine, he might end up like Pam, because he held too much real power. This would threaten Kant's power.

"Lord Kant, this is Rhodok's token."

Bunduk took the initiative to hand over the Rhodok's token to Kant from his waist.

Kant smiled at him, and then took the token from his hand without saying a word. Bunduk was a very smart person.

Kant knew that he had a sharper sense of smell than Pam, and knew the danger. That's right if Bunduk didn't hand over the Rhodok's token, then he would meet the same fate as Pam.

Kant didn't have any intention of joking.

"In that case, Commander Bunduk, I will now hand over the mission to you!"

Kant patted Bunduk on the shoulder, he smiled and said, "Commander Bunduk, I don't want you to commit the same mistake as Commander Pam. I will give you the choice of two thousand infantrymen this time. You can choose any Swadian Sergeants or Rhodok sergeants that you want, but you must eliminate the undead soldiers in the elven colony.

Bunduk's hands trembled as he received the order. He knew that Kant was not joking at all. This king had unknowingly become so unpredictable that even he could not guess it. He understood Kant's intention of taking back the Rhodok token, he was afraid of Bunduk's authority.

Right now, Bunduk no longer had any real authority in his hands. If he did not win this time, then Bunduk would only die. However, if Bunduk did not accept the order, or offered other opinions, he would die an unnatural death.

After weighing the pros and cons, Bunduk naturally knew what his right choice was. Moreover, in order to survive, he had to do his best to defeat the undead soldiers.

He secretly admired Lord Kant's strategy. No matter what, Lord Kant only left him one way to defeat the undead soldiers, no matter the price.

Bunduk quickly went to the infantry battalion to check on the training results.

The infantrymen of Drondheim were mostly young men in their early twenties. They were strong, quick-witted, and had sharp minds. They could counterattack the enemy faster. This was one of Bunduk's cleverness. He didn't want to be as sentimental as Pam who always liked to provide for the veterans, but even though those veterans were brilliant when they were young, what about after the age of thirty or forty?

They had already begun to go downhill. Who knows, there might be a major mistake in any battle. For example, this time, Commander Pam had lost his life.

Bunduk was a person who loved life very much. He did not think that the lives of soldiers were as important as the lives of commanders. This was also one of the fundamental differences between him and Pam.

Commander Pam was too emotional. This was what he often criticized Pam. Although they were good friends, they were also competitors between commanders. Therefore, Bunduk even knew where his fatal weakness was.

Pam let his emotions rule him. He could be a good friend, but he would not be a good opponent. This was what Bunduk said to Kant.

The truth was that they were only friends, not opponents. Even if they died, Bunduk only thought that Pam was his friend, not his opponent.

This was extremely disrespectful to him because Pam had always treated Bunduk as his opponent. Even when they fought, he always thought that he would surpass Bunduk.

But Bunduk did not take him to heart at all. He was not worthy of being called his opponent.

Bunduk's arrival caused the originally settled training ground to suddenly become lively. All the young soldiers raised their heads and looked over. Other than Lord Kant, the most admirable person was none other than Commander Bunduk. He was young, promising, and humble. Moreover, he had his eyes on young talents. He would not look down on anyone just because they were too young.

Chapter 642: Wise and Rational Peers

On this point, the young soldiers were more willing to join Bunduk's camp than Pam's camp.

"Don't slack off on your training just because of my arrival!"

Bunduk placed his hands behind his back and shouted at them loudly.

Those young lads had good voices. They were all excited when they heard Bunduk's order.

They shouted loud and clear slogans as if they were not fighting virtual puppets, but real enemies.

Bunduk continued shouting, "Treat the puppets in front of you as the undead soldiers that you are about to face. Don't be afraid of them, they are just a bunch of loose sand under your command! They can't even withstand a single blow!"

Bunduk's slogan was loud and clear and seemed to have some special attributes, but his goal was achieved. Such slogans were deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and everyone felt that the undead soldiers were just a bunch of loose sand, when they had never even met a real undead soldier. They had only heard the old seniors bragging in the camp.

Of course, they felt that everything that Commander Bunduk said was true. Those undead soldiers were weak and could not withstand a single blow.

Bunduk's face darkened as he continued, "However, I must tell you that although they are weak, as long as you underestimate them, they will become ten times, a hundred times, or even a thousand times stronger than you. At that time, you will be unable to withstand a single blow!"

Bunduk warned them not to underestimate the enemy. Underestimating the enemy was the biggest mistake.

The knights of Pam had also made such a mistake. They were too proud. Although they looked modest, their inner tails were higher than anyone else's.

"Their weakness is only temporary. You must remain vigilant at all times and must not be afraid. The moment you start to fear, they will become ten thousand times stronger. When that time comes, you won't even be able to see the light of victory!"

Bunduk was warning them that fear was their second greatest enemy. "Even if you are in the most dangerous situation, you must not be afraid. You must believe that we can defeat those weak dregs!"

The power of these words was obviously very shocking. The enthusiasm of all the young infantrymen was highly aroused. They were no longer afraid or worried because their Commander Bunduk had already told them that the opponent was very weak! That's right, the opponent was very weak! But they could not underestimate the enemy, and they could not be afraid either. They had to believe in themselves, just like how Commander Bunduk believed in them!

Soon, it was time to send out the troops.

At the city gate, Commander Kant personally sent away the 2,000 infantrymen that Bunduk led. They were made up of 1,500 Swadian Sergeants and 500 Rhodok sergeants.

This group of young-looking soldiers had a resolute smile on their faces. In this city, there were people they wanted to protect, so they set off with honor.

Their smiles let Kant see the dawn of victory.

Kant personally offered a cup of wine, and he handed it to Bunduk.

Bunduk took the wine cup in his hand without fear and drank it in one gulp. This time, Kant sincerely wanted to give Commander Bunduk a toast, because the soldiers he brought out looked so tenacious. If they could return safely on this trip, they would surely be the strongest backer of Drondheim.

Drondheim's sharpest troops were no longer just the Virgil knights.

Because the outstanding infantry corps led by Bunduk could also be the strongest backer of Drondheim.

Commander Bunduk led these infantry troops and set off.

The elven colony was relatively far away. They did not use horses, and even Bunduk refused to use horses. He and the soldiers used their feet to walk together.

After two days and a night, they finally arrived at the elven colony.

However, at this moment, Bunduk felt a sense of desolation in his heart. The elven colony was already in dire straits.

The bony elves could be seen everywhere. Their eyes were sunken, and their clothes were dirty and messy. Where were their houses?

All the houses had been destroyed by the undead soldiers. Some of the houses were still sparking on the beams. These terrible conditions were indicative of the evil deeds of the undead soldiers.

Bunduk did not immediately reveal their identities. He led 2,000 infantrymen and walked on the ruined land.

The elves were very resistant to contact with foreign species, but it seemed that they no longer had the strength to drive Bunduk and the others away.

The young infantrymen could not stand it anymore. He was about to give some water and food to the old elf beside him but was quickly stopped by Bunduk's stern gaze.

This was a matter of their country, and they did not have any power to interfere. At least, Lord Kant did not give Bunduk such power.

A five-star old elf had already seen Bunduk and the others outside the palace.

He immediately ran forward and said, "Welcome, Commander Bunduk. His Excellency the Elf King has been waiting for a long time. If you had come a little later, perhaps the lives of the elves would have been ruined."

Bunduk did not bother about him. Instead, he directly led the two infantry captains behind him and walked past the old elf.

The remaining infantry stood in place and waited for orders.

The old elf clearly did not mind Bunduk's rudeness. This was the arrogance that a commander should have. He even had a little respect for such arrogance. Thus, he followed behind Bunduk with his head turned up, not daring to say a word.

Bunduk joined the Elf King in the royal palace.

The Elf King didn't dare to neglect this commander, just like he didn't dare to neglect Kant.

He prepared the best medicinal wine and wanted to treat Bunduk on the tiring journey, and Bunduk was much more polite.

He said to the Elf King, "If you have this medicinal wine, it might be more useful for the injured outside than for me. Although the journey was extremely tiring, fortunately, we didn't encounter any remaining undead soldiers, and the soldiers came to the elven colony in one piece."

There was a hint of anger in Bunduk's tone, but anyone would think that this was the temperament of a general. Therefore, the Elf King only smiled and said, "Commander Bunduk should also understand that there are too many wounded in the elven colony. Even if we send all the medical elves, they would not be able to save those wounded elves. The best way is for Commander Bunduk to lead us to defeat the undead soldiers. Isn't this the easiest way?"

Bunduk smiled and agreed with him. In such a chaotic era, being a king was a very difficult thing to do.

He suddenly understood the Elf King's intention to make the elven colony a subsidiary city of Drondheim.

"I wonder if the Commander has already come up with a battle plan?" the Elf King asked.

Bunduk nodded. "I have already discussed it with Lord Kant and came up with some safer plans. I just don't know if the Elf King will accept it!"

Chapter 643: The Weakness of the Elven Ministers

When the elves heard that Commander Bunduk already had a general direction of attack, they were extremely happy.

He bowed respectfully to Commander Bunduk and said, "The life and death of the elven colony depend on Commander Bunduk. I only hope that my people can safely survive this crisis."

Bunduk nodded, he continued, "I wonder if the Elf King has prepared a camp for our soldiers to rest in. They have been through a lot on their journey. If they do not have a timely rest plan, they might not be able to deal with the undead soldiers tonight."

"Of course!" The Elf King hurriedly waved his hand to signal the old elves next to him to lead the soldiers who were waiting at the palace gate to a place where they needed to rest.

This was a very important battle. The Elf King did not wish for any mistakes to occur. He did not have the qualifications to be the commander-in-chief of the elven colony, but his people had unconditionally given him hope, therefore, no matter what price he had to pay, he still needed to win this battle.

The Elf King said again, "Commander Bunduk, I wonder what battle plan did Lord Kant discuss with you?"

He looked so anxious as if the undead soldiers would attack at any moment.

Bunduk muttered, "Your Highness, this is the battle plan of Lord Kant and me."

He grabbed the stick next to him and said to the Elf King, "One stick is easy to break, but two sticks are not so easy to break!"

"I understand that." The Elf King looked at Commander Bunduk in confusion. He was more and more interested in knowing their battle plan.

Bunduk continued, "This is our battle plan!"

He smiled confidently and cheerfully. He believed in his young soldiers. These young soldiers were the future of the country.

The reason why Drondheim was able to develop so well was because of the protection of these strong soldiers.

However, the Elf King clearly did not understand the meaning behind Bunduk's words. He asked again, "Commander Bunduk, I don't quite understand what you're saying. Can you be more specific?"

Bunduk said solemnly, "Your Highness, this is a very simple principle. As long as we are united, we can defeat the undead soldiers. No, even if there are 100,000 undead soldiers, as long as there's unity, we will definitely be able to defeat them!"

"Unity?"

This term seemed so unfamiliar to the soldiers of the elven colony. The soldiers of the elven colony paid more attention to their individual abilities. They had been trained as offensive magic soldiers since they were young, they were either medical soldiers who were good at medicine or logistics soldiers who were good at supporting skills. However, unity was a rare word that he had rarely heard.

"That's right, Your Highness, please place enough confidence in me. My soldiers, they are all united soldiers. As long as there's unity among these soldiers, they will definitely be invincible!"

Bunduk spoke so seriously, without any hint of weakness or inattentiveness.

"But..." the Elf King paused for a moment and looked at Bunduk worriedly, then said, "the soldiers led by Commander Pam were also very united, but the final result was not very optimistic. Commander Bunduk, I still can not agree with your opinion. Comparing unity and individual ability, the latter is more important in the elven colony. As long as one has the individual ability, even if he is a person who leaves the team, he can still stand in a very high position. All of them are very arrogant and would not listen to the opinions of others. However, it was because of these elves who had outstanding individual abilities that they were able to resist the undead soldiers time and time again."

The Elf King even felt a little proud of his elf subjects.

Bunduk retorted, "But Your Excellency, you did not really defeat the undead soldiers, did you? Didn't you still seek help from Drondheim in the end?"

Bunduk's retort forced the Elf King into a speechless state. He admitted that he couldn't refute Bunduk's words, but he still found it hard to accept such a statement. After all, the elven colony was indeed a place where strength was respected, without strength, it was impossible to become a simple noble.

"If you still don't believe me, then let's use tonight's victory to make a big bet with you, shall we?"

Bunduk laughed. He also wanted to ease the current atmosphere.

They were not opponents, but allies. The argument just now clearly had sparks, and Bunduk stopped such a conversation in time.

Bunduk said again, "Elf King, we need your elves to help us tonight."

The Elf King replied resolutely, "Of course. Our elves will definitely be the strongest support."

"But..." Bunduk paused for a moment, then said, "all of your troops must listen to my orders. No one can leave the team!"

Bunduk also told the Elf King his request very seriously.

The Elf King nodded and said, "No problem. I want to see what Commander Bunduk means by unity. All of my soldiers can be temporarily commanded by Commander Bunduk."

On Madeline Square, the Elf King gathered all the ministers and soldiers with three-star elven power and above.

Most of the soldiers had dirty faces and looked lazy. They did not look like soldiers at all.

Bunduk silently remembered it.

He suddenly understood one of the important reasons for Commander Pam's failure. These elven soldiers who were about to go to the battlefield clearly did not take the cruel battle that was about to come seriously. They were lazy and perfunctory, even though their homes were about to be destroyed, they still did not care. The ministers also seemed to have a gap between each other. They looked at each other with great resentment.

Bunduk saw all of this.

The ministers of the Elven Dynasty said in a loud voice, "Ministers, today our elven colony welcomed an excellent commander. Under his leadership, everyone will definitely be able to win this war."

All the elves in the square appeared very calm. Some of the elves were even absent-minded when the king spoke, and no one knew what was going on in their minds.

"Therefore, everyone should unconditionally obey the words of Commander Bunduk. Do you understand?"

The Elf King did not have much authority, and the elves below him were all barely in agreement. Most of them held a small portion of real power, while the real power of the Elf King was greatly weakened.

Chapter 644: Inspiring Speech

Seeing that the Elf King did not seem to have anything else to say, Bunduk stood up and spoke loudly to the elves below the square.

He said, "Warriors, your homes are currently being destroyed. Those hateful undead soldiers have harmed your families and harmed the people of this territory. Do you not care at all?"

There was a strong catalyst in the words of Commander Bunduk, but it did not seem to be enough to arouse the conscience of these elven soldiers. Bunduk suddenly recalled what Lord Kant had once said, there were a large number of immigrants from the elven colonies who had snuck into Drondheim's territory. That's right, they were not spies but trusted aides of the elven colony's ministers. No wonder these ministers did not care, the reason was that the elven colonies had long lost their loved ones. They weren't willing to use their true power because they wanted to live, and not because they were determined to fight to the death.

This was also the real reason why the elven colonies were repeatedly defeated and invaded by the weak undead soldiers.

Bunduk was currently having a headache, but he could not show it. Pam must have also discovered the reason why the elven colonies were not united. However, Pam did not have too much energy on this at that time, which was why there was a time to retreat, the reason why the elves could not provide good cover was that those elven soldiers did not even want to protect their own comrades, so how could they protect Drondheim, who was not even a comrade?

Bunduk was extremely disappointed. What he needed was a united team and not a divided team. If the elven soldiers at the rear weren't united, it would be useless if his soldiers were so united. Their fate would definitely be the same as Pam's. He wouldn't allow such a thing to happen.

Bunduk continued, "Warriors, I know that you may have some misunderstandings now, but I hope that you can let go of your prejudice against each other. Your relatives are still in Drondheim. If you can't bring out your true strength, then Drondheim will not treat your relatives well. The elven colony is your home. Drondheim is full of hoodlums who bully foreigners."

Bunduk's words were clearly more exciting than the Elf King's.

The ministers' originally indifferent expressions gradually changed. Their faces became gloomy as if they were deep in thought.

It had to be said that Bunduk knew how to win over the hearts of the people better than Pam. Pam only blindly trusted his old teammates, but he would not manage those unrelated people.

However, the elven soldiers and the elven ministers were people who fought side by side with them. If they could not unite them, then this battle would definitely be defeated. Bunduk deeply understood this principle.

Bunduk visited his teammates in the rest camp. These young lads liked to snore loudly when they slept. Bunduk did not have any intention of blaming them, this might be the last time in their lives that they would sleep so soundly.

He also collapsed on a mattress.

The soldier next to him saw Bunduk and quickly said, "Commander Bunduk, why are you sleeping here? Didn't the Elf King give you a private room?"

This young soldier looked very angry. His eyes were filled with anger. He really could not stand the actions of these elves. In his opinion, the elven colonies had fallen to such a state because they had brought this upon themselves and couldn't blame anyone else.

Bunduk continued to lie down, he said to the young soldier, "The Elf King has given me a room to rest in. However, I feel that the floor is more suitable for me. I've been fighting outside all year round, and I always like to sleep on the floor with the soldiers. This is my freedom. You don't have to be too surprised."

As he spoke, Bunduk also began snoring loudly. He was a physically energetic person, but he could not resist the erosion of time.

The young soldier was clearly moved by Bunduk's words, and his heart softened.

Tears suddenly appeared in his eyes. This was something that should not appear on a soldier. He secretly wiped it off, and then fell asleep next to Commander Bunduk.

In Madeline Square, Bunduk and 1500 soldiers were ready to leave. Those soldiers received a great recovery after a day of rest. They all looked radiant and full of the vigor of young people, most importantly, there was a calm smile on the corners of these people's mouths.

This was a rare situation, but for Bunduk, attacking the heart was what he was best at. He was not a person who loved soldiers very much. At least, compared to Pam, he definitely would not reach the height of Pam who loved soldiers as much.

He was just using his methods to reasonably mobilize the atmosphere of the soldiers. Usually, as long as he put on a high and mighty appearance and got close to the soldiers during battle, he would be able to achieve an unexpected result.

That was why these soldiers looked like they were ready to die.

On the other hand, the cavalry led by Pam were all used to Pam being amiable to them. Therefore, many times, their unity was only on the surface, and when it came to actual combat, they were often vulnerable.

Bunduk maintained a calm mind at all times. He analyzed in his mind what he should do to mobilize the soldiers' momentum, and what he should do to make the elven ministers listen to him.

His goal was only to win the war to save his life. He did not think that Commander Kant's words were a joke. After all, Pam was a lesson learned from the past. Should there be another lesson like his?

Bunduk didn't dare to try, so he said, "Soldiers, don't let Lord Kant down! You are all the sharpest soldiers of Drondheim. Don't forget what Lord Kant said before we left!"

"Lord Kant is waiting for us to return in triumph!"

Bunduk's loud voice resounded throughout Madeline Square. The elven ministers were frightened by such a loud voice.

Bunduk continued to speak to the elven ministers, "You are the most reliable rear defense force. I believe in you!"

These words caused the elven ministers' faces to suddenly turn red. This was the first time most of the ministers had heard someone say such words to them. This caused their hearts to become filled with faint anticipation. It was as if they did not want to avoid the war, instead, they wanted to try to face the war and go all out instead of hiding behind it.

Chapter 645: Simple and Straightforward Defense

At night, the undead soldiers had gradually gathered on the mountain top. They seemed to have become even stronger than before. From their auras, Bunduk could sense it.

These undead soldiers looked extremely ugly. Their faces were not complete, but skeletons. There were even some bugs crawling on them. Greenlight shot out from their empty eyes, making them seem rather dazzling in the night.

Bunduk waved the flag in his hand. The commanding tool was his wife.

He shouted, "Kill!"

All the Swadian Sergeants seemed to be excited. They moved in unison towards the undead soldiers. Behind them, the elves were casting a spell. This spell could give the soldiers more powerful offensive abilities, it could make them cheer up.

Bunduk was not idling either. He immediately mounted a horse and followed closely behind the Swadian Sergeants.

Unlike Pam, Bunduk did not use a triangular attack formation. Instead, he used a square formation. All of the Swadian Sergeants held shields that had been modified by the crystal ores and moved in unison towards the undead soldiers, the undead soldiers seemed to be intimidated by their powerful aura.

They even slowed down their pace, and the aura of the Swadian Sergeants became even more vigorous.

In their minds, they recalled what Commander Bunduk had said. As long as they were fearless, these undead soldiers would be puppets that could not withstand a single blow. However, as long as they relaxed, these undead soldiers would become a hundred or a thousand times stronger than before.

These simple soldiers thought that what Bunduk had said was the truth. They were not afraid because if they were afraid, they would only be left with a dead end. Therefore, they shouted and tore at their throats, they were not afraid of any undead soldiers.

A tall and sturdy undead soldier carrying a sharp broadsword descended from the sky. He jumped down from a tree, trying to jump into this impregnable square formation. However, before he could even steady himself, he was pierced through the throat by a long lance from the nearby Swadian Sergeant. What flowed out of his throat was not bright red blood, but green, bubbling liquid. It flowed from his neck to the tip of his toes, and he fell to the ground. Countless Swadian Sergeants stepped over his corpse. It was trampling on the dignity of the enemy, but the undead soldiers seemed to have gained consciousness at some point, they were actually a little afraid of these young Swadian Sergeants.

The elven ministers were casting spells behind them. Most of them were attackers with offensive magic. Some cast super fireball spells and ice sealing spells, restricting all the undead soldiers. Some even cast spatial magic, they had moved the undead soldiers away from their positions and broke their formation. All of this was thanks to Bunduk. These elven ministers had never fought a battle so seriously. Most of the time, they acted as deserters. When they faced the enemy, they subconsciously pushed their soldiers to the front line. As long as the situation was slightly unfavorable, these ministers would ask the King for a withdrawal order. The Elf King was also a coward that he would accept any withdrawal order. Moreover, in this country, absolute strength was advocated. As long as one was strong enough, then the king could even exchange a thousand ordinary people for a powerful minister.

This was the law of this country, which gradually reduced this country to a colony. Moreover, in this undead soldiers' surprise attack, they were always in a weak position from beginning to end.

Bunduk had already completely understood the reason for this country's backwardness, but he did not mention it to the Elf King. Presumably, the Elf King had also realized his own mistake in administration, which was why he had always intended to extend an olive branch to Lord Kant.

More than a hundred undead soldiers suddenly attacked from the right side of the phalanx. Those undead soldiers' footsteps were very orderly, and even Bunduk had the illusion that these undead soldiers were regular soldiers.

However, the Swadian Sergeants were not a vegetarian army. They raised the shields in their hands to welcome the malicious undead soldiers. Countless large knives hacked on the hard shields, making a clanging sound. This sound was very disturbing to the ears, however, the Swadian Sergeants were already used to it. Their hands began to tremble because of the intense frequency, and the more they trembled, the more their hands followed closely. No one had the urge to let go, they were a whole unit. As long as there was a loophole, then the entire Swadian Sergeants would be facing defeat. No one wanted to be the sinner.

However, there would always be someone who would be the sinner. He was the young man who spoke to Commander Bunduk at noon and was shocked that Commander Bunduk would actually sleep with them.

At this moment, he had made a mistake. He had grabbed onto the shield tightly, but most of the undead soldiers were charging at his shield. Both of his hands had begun to bleed because of the grip on the handle, and the blood dyed the ground red, however, he did not want to give up. He did not want to see the commander show a disappointed expression when he saw him, so he gritted his teeth and persevered. However, more undead soldiers charged at his shield, and countless machetes attacked the shield, even a shield forged from crystal ore was as fragile as glass. It finally reached a critical point, and the shield shattered.

Seeing that a hole had appeared in the phalanx, the undead soldiers focused all their attention on this hole.

He panicked. Looking at the undead soldiers in front of him, the first thing he thought of was to raise the dagger at his waist and fight with the undead soldiers with his life. However, the undead soldiers' machetes were more agile than his reactions, he felt an unbearable pain on his shoulder. He could feel a fountain of blood surging from his wound. His chin and neck were all stained with beautiful colors. He trembled, his hand could no longer touch the dagger at his waist. By the time he touched the dagger at his waist, it would probably have been cut into two by the undead soldier.

He did not hesitate at all. Instead, he stepped forward and used his weak body to cover the undead soldier's machete. The blade penetrated his body, and fresh blood rolled on the tip of the blade. The blood was very hot and thick.

It was the pride of a young soldier. It kept rolling and refused to fall from the blade to the ground. However, a little hot blood would always be cold at some point.

Chapter 646: Unknown Soldier

He was finally dead, but his eyes seemed unwilling to close for a long time.

He blocked the undead soldiers outside the phalanx. His small body was actually stronger than his broken crystal shield.

The huge mistake he made was mended by his comrades.

His position was strengthened in defense. He used his life to tell his comrades where the weakest point was. His sacrifice was worth it.

Bunduk no longer recognized the dead young man. The goal of the conversation he had with him in the afternoon was to use the young soldier to perk up the Swadian Sergeants, but in the young man's heart, Commander Bunduk would always be the good commander who looked dignified but was the most approachable. With this thought in mind, he would die without regrets.

Bunduk did not even look at his corpse on the ground. He mercilessly stepped over it and took the life of one of the undead soldiers in front of him.

The bell at midnight had already rung.

Bunduk calmed down. The biggest reason why Commander Pam failed was because of the huge change that happened after midnight. The Elf King had once mentioned to him that it was a group of undead soldiers with extremely powerful jumping abilities, with just a little bit of force, they would be able to jump from where they were to a height of more than five meters above the ground.

This was a height that even the most powerful warhorse in the world would not be able to jump to. If the height was adjusted according to the body ratio of a flea, then the undead soldiers would be equivalent to fleas the size of humans. How would they overcome the powerful gravitational field?

Bunduk pondered in his mind.

What exactly was the reason that allowed an undead soldier to jump to such a height.

While he was thinking, the undead soldiers had already approached him. Jumping three feet high was indeed powerful. At this moment, the undead soldiers were all standing on tall trees. Their hands were holding large knives and their limbs were very long, especially their hands, they were even longer than their bodies, which gave them more attack range.

Bunduk ordered loudly, "Everyone, change your formation!"

At this moment, the square formation changed under Bunduk's order. In addition, shields were also added to protect the top of their heads, protecting the entire square formation.

The undead soldiers looked at the soldiers with mocking expressions. Bunduk looked at their expressions and felt mixed emotions. Commander Pam must have noticed that these undead soldiers actually started to have expressions, moreover, the way they managed their expressions was almost the same as humans, especially when their mocking expressions were similar to humans. Bunduk instantly recalled the time when he was a young soldier, that captain also had the same mocking expression on his face. The expression of this undead soldier was so similar to his.

"Everyone, be on guard. Don't let the undead soldiers have any opportunities to take advantage of us."

The young Swadian Sergeants answered Bunduk's orders in unison.

They were all very confident. Even though many of their comrades were defeated, they still believed that as long as they were confident and showed their fearless spirit, these undead soldiers would be like fragile puppets.

Those undead soldiers who had the powerful jumping ability on the trees suddenly jumped down from the trees in an orderly manner. They raised the large knives in their hands high up and fiercely hit the hard shields.

The clanging sounds made everyone abnormally excited.

No one retreated. If one person could not hold on anymore, then two people would hold a shield together.

The elven ministers were also trying their best to cast magic. Their fireball spell could already restrict the ordinary undead soldiers, but it couldn't attack those powerful undead soldiers. The weakness of magic was that it was relatively slow to cast, usually, after they finished casting, the undead soldiers would have already jumped to God knows where.

On the other hand, the medical elves were most useful. They were inserted into the Swadian Sergeants' formation. They waved the needles in their hands. In just a few breaths' time, a sergeant would be able to recover a large amount of stamina.

This was also something that the Swadian Sergeants lacked. They did not have advanced medical technology, but the elves in the elven colony did. This was one of Bunduk's battle plans. The medical elves and logistics elves would take turns to fight, they would no longer be like Pam's formation, where they would put the medical elves at the rear and wait until their teammates were injured before slowly returning to the rear to heal.

This would waste a lot of time.

The elves' attack power that was good at jumping was not weaker than that of ordinary undead elves. Their knives were even more ruthless and crafty. Even four or five Swadian Sergeants might not be able to defeat a single undead soldier, their main task was to survive the night. As long as they heard the sound of a rooster crowing, the undead soldiers would retreat. They would then have time to find the nest of these undead soldiers and destroy it in one fell swoop.

Time passed by minute by minute. However, to the Swadian Sergeants, this short night was like a long year. Many soldiers fell, and then more soldiers came in later, these fallen soldiers either died or recovered after receiving treatment from the elves, and then continued to participate in the battle.

The 1500 infantrymen were obviously weak. Although 500 Rhodok sergeants were relatively strong, 500 of them could not change the battle situation. The most important thing was to rely on the defense of the 1000 Swadian Sergeants.

Rhodok sergeants' main responsibility was to pierce through the throat of the surrounding undead soldiers with a single shot.

Although the time was long, their beliefs were unwavering, and they were even stronger.

However, no matter how strong their spirits were, they would still be weakened. The injured Swadian Sergeants began to complain. They did not expect the undead soldiers to be so strong. They were not as weak as Commander Bunduk had said.

Bunduk obviously noticed this as well. He calmly said to the soldiers, "Everyone, hold on for a little longer. In another hour, the sun will rise. The rooster is going to crow. These undead soldiers will not last until the sun rises."

There was not only one hour left. It was only past midnight. There were still a few hours before the rooster crowed.

However, Bunduk said so. When the soldiers heard that there was only an hour left, they all became excited. No one bothered about how long it would take for the sky to brighten. They all wanted to fight for a while more, just a little longer, the sky would brighten soon.

With this belief, the sound of the rooster crowing seemed to be heard an hour later.

It was the sound of salvation.

Chapter 647: The Undead who Were Unwilling to Give up

When the Swadian Sergeants heard this voice that sounded like the heavens had forgiven them, they began to shout.

The clanging sounds became weaker and weaker.

When they withdrew their shields, they could only see countless undead soldiers retreating to the back.

The Swadian Sergeants cried out for victory.

Under the leadership of the great Commander Bunduk, they had obtained victory against the undead soldiers.

This kind of honor could allow their Swadian Sergeant's status to instantly soar in Drondheim. This was the honor of a team, and it was the most deserving of praise from all the soldiers.

Bunduk returned with a full load, and he met the Elf King in the palace.

"Respected Commander Bunduk, Congratulations on your victory against the undead soldiers. This battle will definitely be recorded in the annals of history and will be remembered eternally!"

The Elf King personally poured a cup of medicinal wine for Bunduk. He raised his cup first.

Bunduk's heart was filled with the heroic spirit of victory at this moment. He raised his cup and drank happily with the Elf King.

Only then did he suggest, "Your Highness, now is not the time for the entire country to celebrate. As everyone knows, those undead soldiers have only temporarily retreated. It won't be long before they continue to invade the elven colony. At this moment, we have not won. We are just lucky to have dragged them down. Please give me another 100 elven soldiers. I will lead them to topple the nest of the undead soldiers. Only then will the elven colony be able to obtain a longer period of peace."

Hearing Bunduk's suggestion, the Elf King's eyes naturally lit up. He was very impressed by Bunduk's ability to maintain his composure.

Bunduk led more than 100 Swadian Sergeants and 100 elven soldiers onto the battlefield from last night. There were many corpses of Swadian Sergeants and Virgil knights here, they were gradually rotting and sinking into the soil, becoming rich nutrients that nurtured this land.

Bunduk smiled, smiling very easily. Those undead would be able to rest in peace because of last night's victory.

He suddenly stepped on a corpse. It was the corpse of the sergeant who had made a mistake last night. Because of his mistake, the entire square formation almost fell into chaos. In the end, it was unknown who had stepped forward to make up for the mistake, Bunduk did not see the figure of the person who had made up for the mistake. If he had seen it, he would definitely have asked Lord Kant to increase his rank and treat his family well.

However, the young corpse in front of him belonged to the Swadian Sergeant who made a mistake.

Bunduk looked at the corpse with some disgust. However, he thought about it and heaved a sigh of relief. He walked around the corpse.

For some reason, even though it was a darn soldier who had made a mistake, Bunduk suddenly felt that stepping on his corpse would be an insult to him.

Bunduk and no one else would never know how much this young soldier respected him at noon yesterday.

In front of them was a Wild Boar Swamp. The reason for its name was because not only were there large numbers of wild boars roaming around the swamp, but the swamp would also release a large amount of poisonous gas. Those wild boars had gone through elimination and mutation, in the end, they had evolved into a species that was not afraid of the poisonous gas in the swamp.

Their long tusks on both sides showed that they were not to be trifled with. Anyone who offended their estate would probably die.

Bunduk waved his hand to signal for the large group to stop moving forward and he shouted, "Stand by and wait for the swamp to dissipate at noon. We will set off when it is at its weakest."

It was only at noon that Bunduk gave the order, "Regroup and set off!"

The group stood in unison, marching forward at the same pace. The mutated wild boars scattered on both sides did not dare to approach. They could already smell the terrifying aura emanating from these people, this kind of aura was something their group could not resist. Instead of doing so, they might as well give way to them.

Soon, Bunduk's team passed through this poisonous swamp. The fresh air was perfect. Bunduk looked at the Cypress Forest in front of him and sighed. In the war era, there was actually such a peaceful Cypress Forest.

However, there were countless undead soldiers inside. Bunduk did not know where these undead soldiers were produced from in the Cypress Forest, but he knew that as long as this Cypress Forest was burned, then those undead soldiers would suffer a great blow and wouldn't come to harass the elven colony for some time.

However, burning down such a beautiful Cypress Forest that had given him a good impression just a while ago, and yet he was going to destroy it in the next second?

Bunduk silently muttered in his heart.

However, being conflicted was never his style.

He ordered, "Fire elves, cast the fireball spell. Aim at the Cypress Forest."

The elves hesitated for a moment, obviously unwilling to burn down such a large area of the Cypress Forest.

Bunduk said seriously, "In this Cypress Forest, who knows how many nests of the undead soldiers there are. Rather than searching here painstakingly, it's more convenient to burn down this Cypress Forest."

Thus, a group of elves stood in front of the Cypress Forest.

In front of the fireball spell, even the lowest level fireball spell was a fatal blow to the Cypress Forest, not to mention that so many fireballs fell from the sky. They crashed into the Cypress Forest swiftly, and a cypress tree was set on fire, under the chain reaction, countless cypress trees were set on fire.

The flames soared into the sky, and there were a large number of mutated creatures inside. They wailed miserably in the fire.

The tongue of fire burned the entire Cypress Forest into ashes, swallowing all of them.

A cloud of turbid gas tried to escape in the fire, but it was quickly pulled back by the fire. Sometimes it turned into the image of an undead soldier, and sometimes it returned to a cloud of gas.

Just like that, under the tearing of the fire, it dissipated.

The world seemed to have become quiet all of a sudden.

Bunduk suddenly felt disappointed. He was disappointed that he had lost a good partner, a good colleague, like Pam. Because of these undead soldiers, he had even lost so many elite soldiers. Although those soldiers were not worth mentioning to him, however, everyone was the pillar of the family. If one fell, the entire family would collapse.

He was a family man, so he naturally understood this principle. The lives of soldiers were also very precious. If he had no other choice, Bunduk would definitely adopt a more reasonable battle strategy, and not be like Pam, his hesitation was mixed with too many emotions in the war. In the end, he and countless knights lost their lives in that war.

No one was born strong. Only by constantly learning from the failures of their predecessors could they become stronger!

Bunduk clenched his fists.

They won this battle!

Chapter 648: Unusual Rapid Construction

In the elven colony, the news of Commander Bunduk's complete victory quickly spread to the main city of Drondheim.

Kant was currently having his usual afternoon tea. When he received the news of Bunduk's victory, he immediately smiled in victory.

The significance of this battle was extraordinary and incomparable. Commander Bunduk did not make the same mistake as Commander Pam. This was the most meaningful thing for Kant, he was prepared to celebrate the return of Commander Bunduk throughout the country.

Therefore, he quickly issued orders to the merchants in the city-state. These merchants had a large number of funds in the city-state, but they still needed the protection of the city-state. Therefore, when they heard the news of Commander Bunduk's victory, they were naturally overjoyed. The merchants all united and prepared to hold a grand welcome.

In the evening, when the Sun in the sky was about to set at the foot of the mountain, a group of people appeared in the main city of Drondheim.

Commander Bunduk looked so high-spirited. At this moment, his young soldiers were all wearing proud smiles. These young soldiers did not disappoint Kant, which was also something that made Kant feel extremely gratified.

On this day, all the drinks in the main city of Drondheim were free. Everyone was celebrating in the entire country. They shouted, in order to celebrate the victory of Commander Bunduk, they seemed to have forgotten the sacrifice of Commander Pam and his 1,000 cavalry soldiers a few days ago. The lights were on throughout the night, and the drinks were scattered in the air. Everyone seemed to have forgotten the existence of the day.

In the city-state, there were countless performances. The young soldiers were praised by the residents. In an instant, they became the heroes of Drondheim overnight.

Commander Bunduk and Lord Kant were at the tea party at the moment.

Kant took a sip of the wine in his hand and said to Commander Bunduk, "All the credit for achieving such a victory should go to Commander Bunduk!"

Upon hearing Kant's praise, Bunduk immediately sat up straight, he said, "Thank you, Lord Kant, for your praise, but this time, the credit is not mine alone. I rely more on the confident soldiers and the leadership of the great Lord Kant. Otherwise, we would not be able to see the dawn of victory."

In terms of flattery, no one could compare to Bunduk. He could push all the credit for one thing onto others as if he had no credit at all.

Kant smiled and said, "Commander Bunduk, aren't you being too polite? If I say it's your credit, it's your credit. Tell me, what reward do you want, beauty, money, or more..."

Kant looked at Bunduk with a faint smile.

Bunduk admitted that his forehead was covered in sweat. He had to be careful when talking to this troublesome lord. Otherwise, one day he might lose his head. This was definitely not the result he wanted.

Bunduk shook his head like a leaf fan and replied to Lord Kant, "My Lord, I don't need any rewards. To be able to obtain honor for Drondheim, to be able to obtain victory for Lord Kant, and to keep the peace in Drondheim is the greatest reward for me. If I really have to be rewarded, then I hope that Lord Kant can continue to lead Drondheim on the road of prosperity and strength!"

Bunduk said a lot of things at once, and Kant was at a loss for words.

It was indeed as Bunduk had said. Right now, Drondheim was not strong enough, and this victory was just a fluke. It was the same for Drondheim and the elven colony, they should not have put up lanterns and banners for such a thing. This would instead cause more people and soldiers to be caught off guard. Drondheim's fields were also very limited, except for some who grew millet and rice, there were only about 100 acres left to grow other vegetation, and the food had to be provided to all the residents.

Although the city of Drondheim was close to the lake, the lake water had been showing signs of drying up recently, which was very unfavorable. It seemed that Drondheim would not be a good place to live soon.

That was why Kant would pay any price to ask the king of the elven colony to use 15% of the land in exchange. Although the elven colony was small, the freshwater resources around it were much more than Drondheim's, in addition to the special physique of the elves, they rarely needed to drink freshwater, which resulted in the waste of freshwater. In addition, many fields in the elven colony could not be improved, and those fields were not cultivated in a timely manner, they would soon lose their value for use.

These were all factors Kant considered. Kant also wanted to take over the Lyme Empire, so that Drondheim could connect to the elven colony and not be afraid of someone interfering.

Kant's idea was very ideal, but he did not know if it would have any value if it was implemented. This was not something he could accurately predict at the moment, however, taking back 15% of the elven colony's territory was indeed an urgent matter.

After a night of indulgence, Kant personally led more than a thousand soldiers to the elven colony. He was going to complete the task of handing over the territory.

When he arrived at the elven colony, Kant saw that the people here were in deep trouble.

The elven colony had always been known as a rich place. They used to be a utopia in this desert, but now, there were shabby houses, the cries of the old and young elves could be heard everywhere on this land, it was like a living hell.

Kant slowly stepped on this land. He did not have the ability to change the current situation of this land. The reason why these elves had fallen to such a state was largely due to the wrong leadership of the Elf King. Although the Elf King was a kind-hearted elf, he still did not have the ability to govern this piece of land. Although he had a high-level rank, he was too weak that he couldn't even kill the undead soldiers.

Kant met the Elf King in the royal palace.

He politely stepped forward and shook hands, saying, "Your Highness, you have been glowing recently. As expected, after winning the war, your spirit has changed."

The Elf King laughed and said, "This is all thanks to the leadership of Commander Bunduk. Without him, I believe that the elven colony would have fallen into the hands of the undead soldiers by now."

Bunduk looked outside and said, "Elf King, I wonder if there are still undead soldiers coming to attack?"

Chapter 649: The Supreme and Glorious Kant

The Elf King shook his head, he said, "Most of the undead soldiers have been chased out of the elven colony by Commander Bunduk. Lord Kant, when you return, you must give my regards to Commander Bunduk. If it weren't for his proper command, I might not be able to stand here and talk to you."

The Elf King's expression showed his respect for Commander Bunduk and Kant saw all of this.

Kant nodded and continued, "I will sincerely express the Elf King's gratitude to Commander Bunduk."

"Then I'll have to trouble you!" the Elf King said.

"Elf King, I'm sure you know the purpose of my visit."

Kant said directly, beckoning his attendant to take the note.

He handed the treaty to the Elf King and said solemnly, "Elf King, now is the time to honor your promise."

The Elf King laughed loudly, he said, "Lord Kant, don't you believe in me? "I will immediately arrange for you to cede your territory. After all, you have once again saved the elven colony. This 15% of the territory was originally vacant. Since you want this piece of land, then of course there is no problem."

In the afternoon, the Elf King completed these procedures.

And that 15% of the land was also handed over to Kant.

Kant led 1,000 soldiers to live in this land.

This land was still in an undeveloped status in the elven colony. Most of the soil here was still in its original state, and there was not much fertility. Kant was going to fertilize this land, he suggested that the Elf King transport all the excrement of the city-state over, while Kant would inject the excrement into the soil. There was still a large amount of fresh water on this land, so Kant and the others' drinking water was not a problem.

Kant also set up some craftsmen to design a device that could desalinate seawater into freshwater, and then transport the seawater to this territory through pipes.

The elven colony was located closer to the sea, so this project could be completed easily.

As for the construction of the houses, Kant did not have any intention of slacking off. With the craftsman elves' help from the elven colony, overall, this territory had begun to prosper under Kant's setup.

The Elf King was indescribably surprised to see Kant's outstanding achievements. In his opinion, humans were a stupid race. They only knew how to create offensive items. However, what he did not expect was that the construction of the human houses and various facilities were also perfect.

He suddenly felt that the elves were not the noblest and most intelligent race in the world. Most of the elves were lazy. They were not as diligent as humans.

They often spent three days fishing and two days racing the net, and could not do anything at all. However, Bunduk and Pam had only made the Elf King understand one thing, and that was to truly succeed or to be invincible, the first thing that was needed was unity. Just as Bunduk had said, if the entire group was like a pile of loose sand, then this team would not last long.

The Elf King also hoped that his people could unite and fight against the outside world, but his leadership ability did not allow him to do so. He was just a small manager, and those ministers also held power.

In fact, the Elf King also knew that some ministers were secretly sending their families to a safe place. As for the other ordinary people in this country, their lives and deaths were nothing to those elven ministers, this was also one of the saddest parts of this country.

It was also one of the things that gave the Elf King a huge headache.

Seeing that Kant's territory was beginning to be constructed decently, the Elf King's heart was filled with endless emotions. If he could have such an ability one day, then the elven colony would definitely not be in its current state, but was it possible?

The Elf King silently thought that this possibility was very small. It could be said that his ministers did not take him seriously as a king. Many times, he hoped that he could get some help from his ministers, but the ministers only valued their own lives more than anything else. This was also why the elven colony would continue to fall rather than soaring to the skies.

As for the displaced citizens, the Elf King naturally wanted to help them, but he did not have the ability or the financial resources. If possible, he also hoped that every citizen of the elven colonies could have a hot meal instead of enduring the cold and hunger every day. This was not his original intention as the Elf King.

Kant's estate was still under construction, and Kant was quite satisfied with the results. However, there were still many wooden houses that were not decent enough. If they were affected by a strong wind, they would still be destroyed, Kant found a craftsman and asked him to go to the northern domain to find a plant called the thousand-faced flower. As long as this plant was mixed into the wood, the toughness of the wood would be greatly strengthened.

Most of the wood was directly taken from the trees, but it had not been processed. The wood that had been basked in the sun was still wet and dry. Only by modern equipment could it be completely turned into air-dried wood, however, in such a place, Kant really did not have the ability to make tools to completely dry the wood.

That was why he asked the craftsmen to gather some of these materials and mix them into the wood. The wood would evaporate water faster, and it won't even take two days and nights. This would also greatly increase the construction speed.

Anyway, under Kant's wise leadership, these workers worked twice as hard and quickly built more than twenty wooden houses.

These wooden houses could provide more than 1,000 residents of Drondheim to move in. According to Kant's estimation, more than 3,000 residents of Drondheim could move in. After all, the territory of the elven colony was still very large.

This 15% territory had 64 square kilometers of land, which was enough for more than 10,000 residents of Drondheim to live in. However, Kant did not want so many residents to move in. The main purpose of this place was to develop agriculture, to produce agricultural products, or to raise some livestock, these were all things Kant considered.

Chapter 650: Smooth Construction

The construction had been smooth all along.

Bunduk's territory was officially named Cumberland. It was included in the map of Drondheim.

When the news spread to the country, many letters from Drondheim said that they wanted to find a job here so that they could live in Cumberland.

Kant discussed with Bunduk and told his men to reply to the owners of these letters. He also published the "Cumberland Application Form" in the General Union of Drondheim. It said that within two months, the first batch of citizens would be selected from the people who filled in the form. It was said that up to now, nearly ten thousand copies of this form had been sent out.

The days in Cumberland were still very hard and boring because it was like a construction site that was to be developed. There were few people, and the infrastructure was not complete.

Kant usually spent most of his time on the construction site, talking to the craftsmen and discussing what to do next. During dinner, he had dinner with the workers and the soldiers who came back from the sentry post.

At the dining table, listening to the soldiers at the next table complaining about the trouble caused by the refugee elves, Kant found that there was indeed a security problem at the border between Cumberland and the Elf Kingdom, which he had missed.

He had also heard from the logistics person in charge of picking up goods that the refugee elves hiding in the mountains would steal their goods from time to time.

Even though he had brought his soldiers with him, he could not persuade them to leave.

While Kant was still thinking about how to solve this problem, the Foreign Affairs Minister of the Elf Kingdom came to his door.

"I have long heard of Commander Bunduk's name. This is the first time we have met. He is indeed a man of great spirit, a general of great talent," the Foreign Affairs Minister praised.

"You flatter me. Your visit has graced this humble place of mine," Bunduk replied politely. Then, he changed the topic and asked, "But, what is the reason for your travel to and from this place?"

"Haha, I just heard that there are frequent robberies at the border of your estate, so I came to give you some suggestions," the Foreign Affairs Minister replied with a smile.

"Well, I have been feeling depressed about this matter for the past few days. I wonder what your suggestion is?"

"The refugee on the border is indeed a big disaster, but they are only affected by the situation in the Elf Kingdom, and that's why they wander in the mountains and forests like bandits. My personal idea is to use these refugees as the manpower base to create a large-scale free trade market at the intersection of the two countries," the Foreign Affairs Minister suggested.

"This is a good suggestion. However, the system of this trade area...?" Bunduk understood the Foreign Affairs Minister's thoughts and hesitated.

"I think you can be the representative to formulate the appropriate regulations," the Foreign Affairs Minister said frankly.

After a while, Bunduk first nodded and said, "Thank you for your suggestion. However, I want to wait until more residents move into this estate before I consider how to implement this plan."

"Alright, I hope that your construction can be completed as soon as possible. If there's any inconvenience, feel free to contact me."

After bidding farewell to Bunduk, the Foreign Affairs Minister left in a carriage. Bunduk sent an army to escort them to the border.

Kant had been standing by the side and listening quietly.

When Bunduk asked for his opinion, Kant replied, "I think we can give it a try. This plan is also very suitable for the current situation in Cumberland."

Bunduk recommended Kant to become the supervisor of the trade market and be responsible for the communication with the Foreign Affairs Minister of the Elf Kingdom.

Kant took his men to the border to look for a suitable place to build a market.

They found a wide flat land with a relatively stable transportation route. Because it was backed by the North Canyon, they named the market the North Market.

After Kant passed on his information to the Foreign Affairs Minister, a few days later, the Elf King's messenger sent the news that the Elf King wanted to meet Kant.

After Kant rested for a night, he sat in the carriage with the messenger and arrived at the Elf Kingdom's imperial capital.

He was led to the imperial palace by an attendant. When the Elf King, who was sitting in the middle, saw him, he stood up from his seat happily.

"Welcome, welcome. I didn't expect to see you again so soon," said the Elf King.

Kant walked forward and bowed. He smiled and said, "Your Highness, I wonder if today's meeting is about the trade market that the Foreign Affairs Minister mentioned?"

"Yes, I heard that you plan to help me subdue the refugees in the mountains. I'm very touched. Naturally, I want to treat you to a feast," said the Elf King.

As soon as he finished speaking, a row of attendants brought many dishes and snacks from outside the hall and placed them on the table.

"This idea was proposed by the Foreign Affairs Minister. The dishes on this table should also be shared with him. In the end, I will be the one to finish everything by myself."

The Elf King laughed and said, "It's okay. I have already rewarded him and the Foreign Affairs Minister said 'General, you will be the main force of this market plan. I believe that with your talent, you will definitely make the border between the two countries peaceful and rich. In this regard, the elven royal family will definitely not hesitate to support you.'"

"Your Highness is too kind, but if we want to completely manage the order of the market, we really need a lot of your help and permission," Kant said.

"No problem. The basic reason for establishing this market is that the people of the two countries can get along peacefully."

Kant was in the royal palace chatting with the Elf King about the current situation between the two countries.

After drinking a cup of wine, he had no choice but to leave.

The next morning, Kant received the news that Bunduk was going to lead the soldiers back to the country.

He went to Bunduk's residence and asked about the specific situation and details.

"I've already asked Drondheim to send an army to Cumberland for daily deployment. You guys stay here and don't worry about the safety of the guards. When the army arrives, the soldiers and I who are stationed here will return to the country," Bunduk explained carefully.

"Then about the residents' population?" Kant asked again.

"The residents' population is up to you to decide. I think you should have a corresponding plan in your mind," Bunduk replied. "I have to go back to deal with the affairs of the capital as soon as possible. After you finish the construction here, you have to go back to Drondheim as well," Bunduk instructed.

Kant nodded in response.

Three days later, the newly stationed army arrived. Bunduk took all the soldiers and set off for Drondheim.

The new army general was called Kagaya. He was a man with a fierce personality and high combat strength. He had more than ten years of military experience, and his troops listened to him very well.

Kant often asked him about the situation at the border. It seemed that the border was much calmer than before.

Chapter 651: The dwarfs who came

It was probably due to both the garrison and the Elf Kingdom.

The construction of the wooden houses was coming to an end, and Kant was very satisfied with the results.

The first batch of people to move to Cumberland from Drondheim was set at about 1,300. Kant and the others picked the ones with experience in agriculture and farming as the focus and they selected suitable people from all kinds of jobs to live in Cumberland.

Of course, age was also a very important selection point. The age standard for people living in Cumberland was set at the juvenile to the middle-aged stage. However, for those who applied for the entire family to move, a special level of care would be given, depending on the specific circumstances.

After all, the main purpose of the request to cede land was to develop this place into an independent product export location. The first batch of residents, Drondheim, also represented the local labor force needed at the moment.

Kant's goal was to get Cumberland on the right track quickly and to maintain the output.

After the list of residents was released, everyone on the list received letters from Cumberland. Kant wrote at the end of the letter that he would give everyone who received the invitation a week to prepare. After a week, Drondheim's army would escort them to Cumberland.

During this week, Kant and the craftsmen would go to the seaside from time to time to explore, hoping to find a suitable place to build a harbor.

According to the map, the journey from Cumberland to Drondheim was smooth sailing. Compared to the three or four days of road traffic, the ships at sea were the best way to transport goods.

After a few days of investigation, Kant finally found a suitable place to build a harbor. However, the construction of the harbor still required the guidance of a professional designer and the help of an experienced technical team.

Kant went to neighboring countries every day for this, but he heard that no construction team in the Elf Kingdom targeted the harbor.

After asking the Foreign Affairs Minister for help, he received a reply, the only seaport in the Elf Kingdom was built by the craftsmen of the Dwarf Kingdom.

Kant had never dealt with the people of the Dwarf Kingdom before, and when he was considering whether to go back to the Elf Kingdom to ask for help.

After going to the Elf Kingdom's Port of Corias, he made up his mind to invite the craftsmen of the Dwarf Kingdom.

The craftsmanship of the Dwarf Kingdom was very natural. Every inch of the Port of Corias was as beautiful and natural as if it was intact.

The Foreign Affairs Minister gave Kant the way to contact the Dwarf Kingdom, he said to Kant, "The craftsmen of the Dwarf Kingdom have some stubborn and strange temperaments. After all, they are arrogant. If you really want to invite them, you have to cooperate with their ideas."

Kant did not care about this. He had seen many people with such temperaments. They just needed you to carefully communicate with them. Of course, in a specialized field, there was very little room for discussion.

A week had passed, and Kant had sent an invitation letter to the Dwarf Kingdom. But there was still no reply.

The people who had migrated from Drondheim were about to arrive. Kant asked the back-office staff to move the basic supplies into the small wooden houses. He also picked a medicine called tufted grass in the mountains and made it into incense. He put a few in each wooden house to keep out insects and moisture.

When all the people arrived, the wooden houses were ready to be occupied.

When more than 100 families came to Cumberland by carriage, Kant did not go out to greet them. Because he was not used to being stared at by too many people. After leaving all the procedures of the reception to his subordinates. Kant went to the main city of Elf City alone. The Foreign Affairs Minister asked Kant to have a drink today.

Kant also took the opportunity to get away from the complicated affairs for a while.

When he arrived at the restaurant in the downtown area of the city, the Foreign Affairs Minister had been sitting there waiting for him for a long time.

Kant could still feel that the Foreign Affairs Minister admired him, but he did not know where this admiration came from.

The Foreign Affairs Minister asked unintentionally during the banquet, and said with a melancholic expression, "Actually, I'm quite envious of you. You're talented, and you're valued by your commanders."

"The Foreign Affairs Minister must also be highly valued by the Elf King. Back then, we discussed the market project. The Elf King also said that he would give his full support behind the scenes. Wasn't that suggestion originally put forward by you?" Kant replied.

"No, our Elf King has never shown his strength to the people. He's always hiding behind the curtain, unable to make any decisions. He's just happy that someone took the initiative to help him solve some of his problems." the Foreign Affairs Minister was already drunk, he answered vaguely.

As soon as he finished speaking, he fell to the side.

Kant walked out of the restaurant and asked the attendants of the Foreign Affairs Minister to escort him back to his residence.

Then he took a carriage back to Cumberland's residence. The small wooden houses that used to be dark and silent were lit up tonight.

Kant could hear the voices of the people in the houses when he passed by.

For some reason, his heart also felt much warmer.

Some people said that there were two kinds of people in the world who were the loneliest. One was the kind who would feel unhappy when he saw others happy. The other was the kind who would feel warmer when he saw the shadow of happiness in others even when he was outside.

Kant felt that he belonged to the latter kind at this moment.

He dragged his tired body to bed and closed his eyes to sleep. Tomorrow was another new day.

After a week, the new people had already familiarized themselves with their work content, although there was no real output. But if this momentum continued, Cumberland should soon become a well-organized agricultural production area.

The people of the Dwarf Kingdom sent a reply, promising to take on this project, but the treatment they requested was also very shocking.

Kant, after asking Bunduk, gave a positive answer to the Dwarf Kingdom.

On the fourth day after the reply was sent, the craftsmen of the Dwarf Kingdom arrived at the Port of Corias on a ship they had built.

Kant went to receive them personally according to the contract.

For the first time, he got to know the craftsmen from the Dwarf Kingdom.

There were about twenty people who came. They were not very tall, only about 1.3 meters.

All of them had fiery red hair on their heads, and they looked a little restless.

They had been whispering since they got off the ship. They spoke very fast, and it sounded like the language of their own race.

"Can you speak the human language?" Kant asked.

Communication was a big problem.

"Yes..." the girl at the front of the line replied.

Kant's eyes lit up. He had noticed this quiet little girl from the beginning. She seemed to be the leader of this group of dwarves.

Chapter 652: Small Developments in Cumberland

After the little girl spoke, the dwarf craftsmen were quiet for a while.

Then, they began to clamor again until they got into the carriage, which also made the whole carriage very noisy.

Kant glanced at the girl sitting in the front row and continued to talk to her. "What's your name? Are you their leader?"

"Yes, my name is Vivian," the girl said timidly.

"Don't always talk to little Vivian," the dwarf sitting in the back interrupted.

"Why?" the dwarf sitting next to him asked.

"Because she will be angry."

"I think she will only be angry with you."

"Wrong, you are wrong. She is a stubborn and strange fellow."

"That's because you've provoked her temper..."

The two dwarfs began to argue. The red hair on their heads seemed to have turned redder. It was like the maple leaves of autumn.

Kant shook his head and looked at Vivian. He found that her face was very red. He did not know if it was because she was nervous or something else.

Thinking that this leader was quite special, he did not take the initiative to say anything more.

When they arrived in Cumberland, the dwarf craftsmen crowded out of the carriage, startling the peasants who were resting in the field.

It was also the first time they had seen a race other than Drondheim on such an occasion.

Kant took the group to the arranged residence and wanted them to rest for a night. They would start work tomorrow.

But after hearing his plan, all the dwarf craftsmen, on behalf of the leader, raised their objections.

"We want to start work immediately," said Vivian, who stood at the front of the team.

"Why? You have just arrived here. You should leave some time to familiarize yourself with the water and soil here," Kant said his considerations.

"Our country is going to move soon. We need to go back quickly," Vivian explained.

"Move? Are you going to move the entire Dwarf Kingdom?" Kant asked in surprise.

"Yes, we move every half a century."

"Why? Is there a reason?" Kant was puzzled.

"No, we just don't want to stay in the same place for too long."

Kant recalled that he had heard of dwarfs having such a habit. He was shocked when he found out. After thinking for a while, Kant asked, "So you still need to hurry back to help?"

Vivian and the dwarf craftsmen behind her nodded in unison.

"Alright, I'll go and get the blueprints. You guys go to the construction site first," Kant said to everyone. He turned around and left.

His subordinates led everyone to the site of the initial survey.

When Kant reached the shore, he heard the sound of steel colliding from afar.

Then he saw a group of dwarf craftsmen using various tools to cut the basic materials piled under the rain cloth into a whole line.

"You're starting work now?" Kant asked loudly.

"These are the basic preparatory work. All of our projects started from here." All the dwarf craftsmen were working hard. Only Vivian, who was standing idly by the side, answered Kant's question.

Kant walked forward, handed the blueprint to her, and asked, "Miss Vivian, are you the commander in charge?"

"I don't participate because my hands have been injured. The hands of the dwarfs are a gift from God. Without these hands, it would be impossible to complete the perfect work. How could I destroy everyone's hard work?" Vivian explained with a smile.

"I see," Kant replied apologetically. "I believe that Vivian will be excellent as a commander. I'll have to trouble you with this project."

"Thank you. Leave it to us and don't worry," Vivian took the blueprint.

Kant hesitated for a moment, then said goodbye and left.

He had heard the Foreign Affairs Minister's advice that when the dwarfs were building a project, they must not interfere on the way.

Now it seemed that they did have such a habit.

He did not have to worry about it anymore.

He hoped that he could finally see the finished product in good condition.

Two months had passed, and the agriculture and livestock industry that Cumberland advocated had begun to bear fruit. After being processed into a variety of finished products, the first batch of Cumberland's exports had been cataloged and stored.

The construction speed of the North Shore Port had also reached its peak, and it was estimated that it would be officially completed by August.

These days, although the dwarf craftsmen always start work early and end work late on the construction site, they were also much more familiar with the people who took care of their daily life and food.

After understanding them, Kant knew that the dwarfs were not only good at construction but also good at singing and dancing. In particular, their self-made dance was simply interesting and beautiful. It surprised Kant and the others.

But Kant had only seen it once because he had been traveling between the Elf Kingdom and Cumberland recently because of the business at North Market. He spent more time in the carriage than lying in bed.

But under such hard work, the market did not make any progress.

Because the refugees in the mountains did not listen to the official persuasion, it seemed that the elves' lazy nature was deeply rooted in their bones.

Not only that, the key was that the Elf King had said at the beginning that he would fully support the project, but now when Kant proposed to use real power to make the refugee bow down to him. The attitude of the royal palace had always been unclear.

Vague but not giving a final explanation, this really put Kant's mind to work.

On the third trip to the main city of the Elf Kingdom, Kant finally met the Elf King.

"Long time no see, General Kant," the Elf King greeted him.

"I've always wanted to see you about the matter, but I just haven't seen you yet," Kant said.

"I heard from the attendant that you came here for the refugees in the mountains?" the Elf King avoided Kant's eyes and asked.

"Yes, I want to request Your Highness to help me. Let the refugees in the mountains agree to the plan of this market," Kant said straightforwardly.

"Of course I will do what I said. But General Kant, don't tell me you can't think of any other way?" the Elf King said hesitantly.

"Your Highness, you must know more about the character of the elves than I do. For me, a person of other races, I really can't think of any other way," Kant said word by word.

The frustration of not being able to make any progress had been bottled up in his heart, and now his tone was even more straightforward.

"It's just that, since I came to power, I have never made any decision that affected the lives of the people. I wonder how the effect will be this time... ?"

"If Your Highness doesn't try, of course, the result will be unexpected. I'm just worried that Your Highness will let down the Foreign Affairs Minister's hot-bloodedness and good intentions," Kant explained from another angle.

Chapter 653: The Elf Kingdom's Trade

"This..." the Elf King fell into deep thought.

"I will take my leave. I hope that Your Highness can make the right decision in your heart." Kant bowed and took his leave.

When Kant's feet once again stepped on the land of Cumberland, he took a deep breath.

"I can finally stop this pointless rush."

After another two or three days, the Elf Kingdom's Foreign Affairs Minister received the news.

When the Elf King issued a new policy to end the idleness of the refugees living in the mountains, the refugees came to his door and requested to participate in the market planning.

Kant was naturally happy about this.

It was the first time that the Elf King had made such a painful decision to face his own people. It was indeed not easy.

However, it could be seen that the Elf King still cared about his own people. It was just that he did not have enough courage to do something.

After this, perhaps something could be changed.

The rules of the free trade market were all based on Kant's opinion, and they were made in consultation with the members of the Elf Kingdom.

Since it involved the interests of the citizens of both countries, it had a very strict regulation based on fairness. Moreover, a market inspection office was set up in North Market. A trial was held for disputes in the ordinary market.

The trade market was officially launched under the propaganda of the Foreign Affairs Minister.

The daily flow of people exceeded expectations, and the citizens of the Elf Kingdom would also come here to buy goods. However, due to the terrain, the main consumers of the North Market were still the people of Cumberland.

Kant found that the people who were in charge of farm work and animal husbandry always liked to go to the North Market when they were resting. Especially for families with small children, the happiest thing in the world was to go to the lively market together.

But this was probably because people were now filled with a sense of freshness towards the Elf Kingdom's goods.

When the next batch of specially cultivated and processed goods from Cumberland came on the market, it was estimated that more elven citizens would come to pick up the goods.

At least until Cumberland fully matured, there would be no problems with the daily shopping.

Before they knew it, it was already summer, and the fruits in the fields could be harvested. Each family sorted and piled up the fruits in each family's warehouse.

They waited for the official inspection and received salaries according to each family's output.

Kant also followed the person in charge of the inspection to check. The results showed that the fruits in each family were all very good, and the quality was top-notch.

It seemed that everyone did not slack off in exerting their ability and experience and came up with a good result.

After reminding the payers to give out more rewards to everyone, Kant went to the harbor.

In the past few months, he would come to visit once in a while.

Every time he saw it, he would be pleasantly surprised. It was his first time seeing the ingenuity of the dwarf craftsmen's construction, and he was truly impressed by the craftsmanship.

The blueprint was drawn by Kant himself before, and his drawing was not considered good. But the dwarf craftsmen accurately grasped the center of gravity of his design.

Looking at the construction of the harbor day by day, it was as if he saw the projection of a dream in reality.

Now that the harbor was finally completed, Vivian led Kant around to inspect the results.

"Amazing! Such a thing seems to have appeared in my dream! You guys only spent half the time to build such a perfect architecture," Kant could not help but praise excitedly.

"Thank you for your praise. Every architecture made by the dwarfs will be amazing. But the key is to maintain the appearance that it has just been built."

"Of course, we will do our best to protect it from being damaged," Kant promised.

"Well, the Deep Sea Observatory that you asked us to build has also been completed," Vivian introduced and then led Kant down the long escalator. They arrived at the observation platform 30 meters above the sea.

Kant walked to the front of the observation platform and saw a group of fish swimming past him through a layer of glass, he could not help but look surprised. "You are indeed architectural geniuses. This is just a small idea of mine. You actually built it so easily. I think everyone will like it here."

Kant walked around the observation deck three or four times before he was willing to leave.

Back to the shore.

"You have worked hard these days," Kant said to all the dwarf craftsmen. "I hope we will meet again."

The dwarf craftsmen were still chattering, just like when they came.

After slightly waving goodbye to the people, they boarded the ship that came to pick them up.

Vivian walked at the end of the line. She bowed to Kant and said, "Goodbye."

This was the first ship to sail out of the new harbor.

Kant named the harbor, Serron Harbor. He had heard it from other friends. In the west, it meant to wish you peace. Perhaps it was a good idea to use it on the harbor.

Everything in Cumberland was on the right track. After sending off the people from the Dwarf Kingdom, Kant was finally free.

He would drink in the tavern with the Foreign Affairs Minister now and then, but this leisure was quickly broken.

From the letter sent by Drondheim, Commander Bunduk requested him to return to the main city of Drondheim within three days.

Although Kant did not know why he was so anxious, he immediately began to make preparations for the return journey.

After communicating with his subordinates one by one, Kant also bade farewell to the residents of Cumberland. Some of them even went to the market and drank with him.

After spending a long time together, they gradually developed a feeling of dependence on each other.

Kant thought that he might not be suitable to be the manager of this place. As a manager, he should keep a distance from the people under management so that he could make a fair judgment at the critical moment.

However, when Kant thought that he was facing a group of civilians responsible for the production and business and not warriors who had to fight on the battlefield, he could not help but relax and get along with them.

Kant also wrote a letter to the Foreign Affairs Minister and the Elf King, hoping that they could take care of the situation in the North Market while he was away.

After arranging everything, Kant set off on the return journey to Drondheim.

The carriage traveled day and night on the road had finally arrived at the main city of Drondheim.

Outside the city, there were light cavalries who were in charge of welcoming and interacting with each other. Kant looked at the city that had been repaired after the war and was filled with emotion.

After all, this was the main city of the Nahrin Desert, the beginning of everything. After passing through the initial difficult moments, it had finally become the mainstay and the strong backing of the entire faction.

Chapter 654: The Murder Case of the Alkali Soil

After Kant returned to Drondheim, he asked Bunduk to come and see him without any delay.

Until that evening, the two finally met.

Bunduk walked into the hall and greeted Kant, "Lord Kant, welcome back to Drondheim."

"I saw the letter you sent me and immediately returned. What happened? Did something happen recently?" Kant nodded and asked after he gestured for Bunduk to sit down.

Bunduk immediately frowned when he heard Kant's question, and a bitter expression appeared on his rough face.

"The workers we sent to the alkali soil were attacked. Seven or eight workers have died since the first incident," Bunduk said in a heavy tone.

Panic was already rampant in Drondheim after such a large-scale attack happened in the country.

He was also very busy because of this matter.

"Hmm?" Kant's heart was struck. As a new force that was constantly expanding, Drondheim was actually detonated in the country. "Have you found out anything from your investigation? Is it a personal force, or..."

Bunduk replied, "According to the cause of death of the workers discovered, this should be the work of the undead that lurked in the desert at the border."

When Kant heard this, his expression became even more solemn than before.

"Are you sure?"

In Kant's impression, although the undead had high attack power, they did not have much self-awareness.

Now, they suddenly chose to attack Drondheim.

This indeed made people suspicious.

"Yes, based on my experience in fighting against the undead, the injuries on the workers' bodies were indeed caused by the undead's attack pattern. The medical soldiers' test results are also the same as what I thought," Bunduk replied.

In fact, he was already certain that this attack was planned by the undead.

"When was the last attack?" Kant thought for a moment and asked.

"Early this morning," Bunduk said.

"Yes. Then tonight, bring a team of soldiers to the dune near the alkali soil and set up an ambush. We'll see who's behind this," Kant ordered.

"Yes, Sir," Bunduk replied. He had wanted to do this before. However, Kant had yet to return to the main city, so he needed the lord's permission to move the army.

"Go and pick someone from the elite troops. You've seen undead soldiers on the battlefield before, so this operation is quite dangerous," Kant instructed.

Bunduk nodded, then bade farewell and left.

The sky outside the house was slightly gloomy. Dark clouds covered the sun completely.

A thirty-man army, neatly dressed, set out from the main city and walked to the outskirts of the alkali soil.

Bunduk had come here many times before with his men, so the route was already well-established.

When they were almost at their destination, Bunduk ordered the entire army to immediately find cover and lay in ambush.

When the armored soldiers were hiding in the dune, he led a few soldiers dressed as workers and continued to walk forward.

It was summer now, and the bark of the wood and alkali soil trees in the alkali soil had a layer of white salt frost.

Bunduk put on the equipment of the salt pickers and took out a knife to scrape off the layers of salt from the trees and store them in a small bucket.

The others imitated Bunduk's actions, busying themselves in the alkali soil.

Occasionally, they whispered to each other.

Until the moon rose high into the night sky, there was no sign of anything unusual around them.

One of his subordinates walked to Bunduk's side and said, "Commander, have those guys already left? They haven't appeared for so long."

"It's still early. Don't slack off. Hurry up and get to work," Bunduk looked around and said in a low voice.

The soldier walked to another tree without saying a word and continued to pick salt.

"I don't know how long we'll have to squat here in the wilderness. I was called out from the army without having dinner today," a soldier complained to the person beside him.

"You must be used to being lazy. You've never left the main city before. It's much more tiring to fight outside," the soldier who heard this retorted.

"Anyway, I haven't seen the shadow of the undead yet. Collecting salt will use up all my strength."

The two of them seemed to be quite close. They chatted one after another.

"Stop talking nonsense. If you're hungry, go pick a few dates from the jujube tree over there and eat them. I heard that many workers usually eat these. They can temporarily fill their stomachs."

The soldier who spoke first was overjoyed when he heard that. "Thank you, Lord!"

"You should thank me instead," another soldier said helplessly.

However, the other party did not finish listening to him and went to the jujube trees on the west side to pick dates.

After a while, the soldier who was working on the spot turned around and looked at the trees on the west side. He wondered in his heart, "How much does this kid want to pick? Why isn't he back yet?"

With this thought in mind, he often glanced in that direction.

After a while, he saw a familiar figure running out of the jujube forest.

"Oh my God!" a scream startled everyone.

Bunduk ran quickly towards the source of the sound.

"What's wrong?" Bunduk asked.

The soldier pointed to the west and said with a pale face, "That's the undead, right?"

Bunduk also looked in that direction.

He saw groups of undead chasing after a soldier disguised as a worker in the desert.

"Target has appeared! Prepare for battle!" Bunduk commanded.

His voice was heard outside the alkali soil, and the Swadian soldiers hiding behind the dune began to reorganize their equipment.

Their muscles tensed up as they entered the battle status.

Once the undead entered their field of vision, they would immediately attack and kill them.

Bunduk raised his broadsword and mounted his horse.

He rode his horse to the front of the group of undead and attracted their attention.

There was not much undead, and they were about the same size as an ordinary undead warrior. They did not seem to be equipped with any weapons. However, the current time was the most active time of the day for them.

Just the astonishing jumping and biting abilities were enough to cause the human troop class to fall into disarray.

There were still three hours before daybreak. During these three hours, the most important thing was to maintain their physical strength and not let these undead escape easily.

"Get on the horse!" Bunduk stretched out his hand to help and said to the soldier who was running for his life.

The soldier looked at him with fear and trepidation. He grabbed Bunduk's right hand tightly and jumped onto the horse's back.

"Hold on tight!"

The undead behind them was still chasing after them.

Bunduk increased his speed and escaped towards the desert.

The soldiers who had been lying in ambush in the alkali soil had already taken off their workers' clothes, revealing their shining armor. They carried the newly modified shield and silently walked out of the alkali soil, reuniting with their comrades who were hidden behind the dune.

Chapter 655: The Battle under the Moonlight

When they arrived at the ambush location, Bunduk took the soldier behind him off his horse with one hand.

He said to him, "Take your weapons and get ready for battle."

Then, he turned around and chased after the undead in front of him.

Just as the seven or eight undead warriors were about to pounce on them, the hidden army formation came out and surrounded them.

There were also a few Rhodok sergeants who immediately stood behind the high wall of shields. They were holding a few long lances in their hands.

"Second level formation!" Bunduk ordered loudly.

The soldiers who were originally in a square formation had now shrunk the distance between them and the undead warriors.

The two layers of shields surrounded the group of undead warriors tightly.

The narrow space seemed to make the spirits of the undead even more excited. They roared and used their bodies to hit the shields of the Swadian soldiers.

The Swadian soldiers gradually became more and more exhausted as they endured the violent impact.

On the other hand, the spirits of the undead became more and more excited, and the strength of the impact also increased.

"We can't relax! This is our only chance to win," Bunduk encouraged.

Based on his previous experience of defeating the undead warriors in the Elf Kingdom, this method was currently the only feasible one.

All the soldiers were shocked when they heard this, and they braced themselves. They mobilized all the strength in their bodies to block wave after wave of attacks.

When the undead warriors were a little weak, Bunduk commanded the Rhodok sergeants to throw and attack.

The lances brushed past the undead warriors and pierced the ground.

When Bunduk saw that the first wave of attacks had failed, his face couldn't help but darken. Compared to half a year ago, this group of undead warriors was much more cunning and agile.

Including all of Rhodok sergeants, they also felt the difference and couldn't help but become nervous.

They focused their minds in one place, hoping to shoot down one of the enemies.

After a while, when they saw all the undead warriors gathered in one place. Bunduk ordered loudly, "Attack!"

Rhodok sergeants threw out the long lances in their hands in unison. The undead warriors in the formation could not dodge in time and used their muscular hands to protect their heads.

However, they still underestimated the power of Rhodok sergeants. The long lances pierced through their arms and their skulls.

The injured undead let out a pained cry and then fell to the ground.

"Hah!" The Swadian soldiers in charge of defense cheered happily.

Seeing the light of victory, everyone could not help but feel refreshed.

Bunduk also praised happily, "Well done!"

After this wave of attacks, only four undead warriors were left. Looking at the corpses of their companions, they stopped moving and gathered together.

Bunduk saw their movements and cursed in his heart.

The four undead warriors were leaning against each other's backs. They were moving slowly on the battlefield.

"Attack!" Bunduk ordered, a trace of unease appearing in his heart.

Rhodok sergeants obediently threw out the long lances in their hands.

However, this sharp weapon that tore through the air with a whistling sound was just as Bunduk had expected, all of them were caught by the undead warriors.

Seeing that the horizon had already turned white, a faint sense of despair surfaced in Bunduk's heart.

"Maintain your distance, square formation!" Bunduk shouted.

All of the Swadian soldiers immediately spread out and returned to their original square formation.

The undead warriors hugged tightly together and charged towards the southwest corner. Even though their shields were still solid and reliable, however, with the strength of just a few people, they were completely unable to defend themselves.

Everyone could only watch helplessly as the undead warriors broke through the encirclement and fled into the distance.

"Commander, we..." the Swadian Sergeant who was hit by the undead warriors immediately apologized to Bunduk.

"Stop talking. It's normal that you can't stop them. This group of undead warriors is no longer the same as before," Bunduk waved his hand and interrupted them.

The dawn shone on Bunduk's face, but his eyes were still gloomy.

The reinforcements from the main city had arrived at this time. It was said that Kant had sent them.

Bunduk commanded a large group to search near the border to confirm that the undead warriors had indeed escaped from Drondheim.

Some soldiers dug out a few missing workers' bodies in the jujube forest.

Most of them were already incomplete.

Judging from the overall situation, this group of undead soldiers should have wandered from the battlefield to this place. They discovered that the workers who worked here liked to go to the jujube forest to pick fruits to quench their thirst. It was a good place for an ambush, so they had been lying in ambush here, living on human flesh.

Bunduk reported the results of this discussion and the process of the battle to Kant.

The two sat opposite each other in the hall.

They both felt a chill in their hearts.

The silent atmosphere lasted for a while.

Until Kant said, "I didn't expect the undead's consciousness to awaken to such an extent. It's really creepy."

At the moment, the military power Drondheim had could only confront the Undead Kingdom on a direct battlefield.

According to the right time and place, it was not certain who would win.

However, the undead now seemed to have evolved. Before, they only knew how to use knives and axes to slash and so on.

Although it was still in the initial stage of activating thinking, it was enough to make Drondheim raise his guard.

"I wonder how far the undead will expand in the Nahrin Desert," Bunduk said worriedly.

"We can't let them continue to grow," Kant said calmly, but his eyes were incomparably sharp and determined.

"Lord, what do you mean?" Bunduk's heart trembled, and he subconsciously asked.

Kant flicked his sleeves and stood up, looking down at him. "Drondheim can begin to prepare for the final battle with the Undead Kingdom."

A few days passed.

The training ground had become what everyone called an Asura Field.

The case of the alkali soil workers had been concluded, which made the residents of the main city of Drondheim feel at ease. But recently, the news that Drondheim was going to conquer the Undead Kingdom came out from the army.

This news made the hearts of the people rise again, and they were divided into two factions because of different opinions.

One faction thought that they had helped the Elf Kingdom and defeated the Undead Kingdom. This time, they would easily win the battle.

The other side thought that they were trying to obtain freshwater resources in the Elf Kingdom. This time, they were sending troops to the land of the Undead Kingdom. For Drondheim, who was in the process of developing, the constant war would do more harm than good.

The argument reached Kant's ears, but Kant remained indifferent.

In his opinion, this war was inevitable for Drondheim, who wanted to take root in the Nahrin desert.

Rather than waiting for the fully developed Undead Kingdom to come to him, it would be better to take the initiative to attack when they were weak.

Chapter 656: Pep Talk for the Training Ground

Because of the orders from above, the soldiers in the training camp were also suffering.

The daily mission quota had increased by two to three times compared to before.

However, even Kant went to the training ground to patrol every day, accompanying them in the sun and wind.

Everyone didn't dare to complain too much. After all, the Lord was accompanying them, so they couldn't say anything.

One day at noon, Kant arrived at the training ground earlier than usual. Bunduk, who was in charge of training the soldiers, handed over the task of being to the soldier in the lead. He walked forward and saluted, "Lord Kant."

Kant nodded, indicating for him to stand up.

The two of them walked around the training ground.

Kant walked up to the general's platform and asked Bunduk beside him, "How is it? How are the soldiers?"

Bunduk leaned over to his ear and said, "I estimate that at that time of setting off, only two-thirds of the soldiers here will be able to use their strength on the battlefield."

Kant calmly nodded and said, "Are you sure two-thirds is enough?"

"We will definitely take down the enemy and return!!" Bunduk puffed out his chest and said confidently.

"The battlefield this time is dangerous. You must not underestimate the enemy. You must take into account the safety of our soldiers," Kant instructed.

"Yes, sir."

"How long until the training ends?" Kant asked.

"After more than a month of training, the time for the soldiers to complete the mission has gradually shortened. The training mission this morning has almost been completed." Bunduk replied.

"Mm." Kant nodded and pondered for a moment. He then said to Bunduk, "After the soldiers' training ends, I want to say a few words to them. Help me organize and gather them."

Bunduk nodded and replied, "Then I will go and inform the captains of the teams now."

After Bunduk left, Kant stood alone on the main general stage.

When the sun in the sky rose a few inches higher, the selected soldiers who were about to go into battle also lined up neatly in front of him.

"Hello, everyone. I am the Lord of Drondheim, Kant." Kant's voice echoed in the empty field.

"Thank you for your recent training. But I still want to tell you that I hope you know what you are doing for. Our country, Drondheim, is definitely not a lazy country that doesn't want to make progress, slacking off and waiting for others to bully us. The life of an adult is not easy. In order to protect our family and hometown, we must take the burden and pressure on our shoulders. As the Lord of Drondheim, I always feel that if we don't think about doing something right now, we won't be able to reach any part of the world. In a few days, you will set off, and I hope you will fight bravely on the battlefield and then return in triumph! Drondheim will always be behind you!!"

"Drondheim! Drondheim!!" the soldiers shouted in unison. Everyone's blood was boiling.

Thousands of people's voices surged toward Kant like a tide.

Kant nodded and continued, "Alright, I've said what I wanted to say. You guys go and make preparations before the expedition. From now on, every minute and second must be in your hands. Only then can you bring out your best status in the battles."

"Yes!" the soldiers below bowed and left the training ground under the lead of the leader of their respective teams.

Kant walked down the main general stage, and Bunduk followed closely behind.

After the two of them stepped out of the training ground's door, Kant said to Bunduk, "I'll be going to another place soon. The affairs of Drondheim can only be left to you."

"Lord, are you going?" Bunduk asked in surprise.

After all, Kant would not be absent every time he sent troops.

"You have to prepare for the expedition, and I have to make plans for you during this time," Kant said, "But don't worry, I will try my best to rush back before you go on the expedition."

Bunduk nodded and agreed to Kant's request.

The matters were not important. After all, he had been in Cumberland for half a year, and he was already used to handling some government affairs.

But before the great war, where was Kant going?

Watching Kant's back disappear from his sight, Bunduk could not help but wonder in his heart.

A few days passed.

Kant left Drondheim on the second day of the oath ceremony.

Bunduk, on the other hand, was extremely busy. It was still too difficult for him to take care of both the army and the people's livelihood.

It was only on the day of the expedition that his troops bid farewell to the civilians who had come to send them off and rode their camels out of the castle gates. Bunduk finally heaved a sigh of relief in his heart.

There were about three thousand soldiers on the march. They moved forward in the hot desert and formed a long line.

This time, it would take about half a month to reach the undead's territory. The army had prepared sufficient supplies before they left.

The army walked out of the castle gate using the compass for about half an hour.

Bunduk noticed a group of people rushing towards him from the west.

"It's Lord Kant!" his subordinate reported to him after he saw who it was.

"Tell all the troops to stop." Bunduk ordered.

The soldiers who received the order stopped to rest and reorganize. Bunduk stood at the front of the troops and waited for Kant's troops to arrive in front of them.

There were more than twenty elves behind Kant, and four of them were carrying some boxes.

Bunduk walked in front of Kant's camel and saluted first. Then, he pointed at the soldiers behind Kant and asked, "Lord, what are these?"

"These are the medical soldiers sent by the Elf Kingdom to assist us. You should have seen them before on that battlefield." Kant jumped off the camel's back.

He walked up to a few of the elves and asked them to put down the chests.

Bunduk recalled that on the previous battlefield, the elven medical soldiers had indeed played a great role.

"The Elven King has sent over one-third of the country's medical soldiers." Kant opened the chest in front of him as he spoke. "Come here, I want you to take a look at this."

"Lord, you went to the Elf Kingdom this time?" Bunduk asked with his mouth agape.

This matter had truly exceeded his expectations.

Bunduk obediently walked to Kant's side and watched him take out a weapon that looked like a crossbow from the chest.

"This is?"

"This is a rainbow crossbow. I asked the craftsmen of the Dwarf Kingdom to help me make it. It was originally left for the soldiers of Cumberland to use as weapons. The crystals inside are sealed with the spiritual power of different elves, and each of them is extremely powerful."

Bunduk took the rainbow crossbow and shot an elemental arrow into the distance as if he was using an ordinary crossbow.

The arrow that was shot out blew the sand on the ground and pierced through the trees in the distance, leaving a large scorched hole.

Chapter 657: Reinforcements From the Elves

"Wow!!" A burst of exclamations erupted from the troop.

Bunduk also stood on the spot in slight shock. He did not expect that the magic spells of the Elf Kingdom and the craftsmanship of the Dwarf Kingdom would have such an impressive impact.

"Lord, how did you know there would be such powerful weapon?" staring at the rainbow-piercing crossbow in his hand, Bunduk asked.

"This is introduced by an employee of the Dwarf Kingdom. It was their weapon to defend against the enemies. It has been modified using a different model." Kant introduced.

The dwarfs were short in size, and they were solitary in nature. They did not have any practical interactions with other races. Therefore, creating weapons with extraordinary power became their main military defense method.

However, in the past, most of the magic weapons produced by the dwarfs were sealed with the power of nature. This time, the power of the elves was sealed in the rainbow-piercing crossbow, which was a new development.

"This rainbow-piercing crossbow is indeed extraordinary." Bunduk sighed again.

"Well, you can choose a team from Rhdoks barracks to train them to use this weapon. This way, they will be ten times or even a hundred times more deadly on the battlefield." Kant praised.

"Indeed." Bunduk placed the rainbow-piercing crossbow back into the chest and said excitedly to Kant, "Lord Kant has been working hard these past few days to find such powerful backup for us. We are truly grateful."

"After all, there are only a few wars like this. Naturally, we have to be extra careful. However, what I can do is only a small amount of my strength. The main contribution is still the warriors who sacrifice themselves and fight. I hope that you can reduce the casualties as much as possible and return victorious." Kant said seriously.

Bunduk raised his right hand to his chest and nodded solemnly.

After Kant handed over the Elf Kingdom's reinforcements to Bunduk's troop, he and the accompanying guards rode on camels and set off towards Drondheim's castle gate.

Meanwhile, the army heading towards the Undead Kingdom and continued their long journey.

Compared to the battles on the battlefield, the long journey of half a month seemed to be more torturous. However, thanks to the special training from before, there was still no sign of soldiers falling behind until now.

It was currently summer, the temperature difference in the desert between day and night had become even more extreme.

Bunduk and his subordinates began to search for a place to set up camp in the evening every day.

This was because the temperature was relatively mildest during the day.

When the sky turned dark, the hot roasted sand had cooled down, and sometimes there was even a thin layer of frost. In order to adapt to such a temperature difference, everyone would wrap a cotton coat and light a bonfire.

The warriors of Drondheim preferred to talk. They were usually restrained in the military camp, but when it came to the time for battle, the atmosphere was very lively.

Under such circumstances, other than stipulating that they needed to rest on time, Bunduk did not say much else as a commander.

Therefore, during these days, the warriors would organize some small activities to deepen their relationship and communicate with each other.

The people of the Elf Kingdom were relatively quiet. After receiving their portion of supplies, they hadn't seen them in the crowd.

Bunduk had known these people in the previous battles. Although he didn't really know them, he was still familiar with their habits.

It seemed that in the Elf Kingdom's army, the level of the medics was lower than that of the ordinary soldiers. Therefore, this group of medics belonged to the silent category in their own country. However, their work style was still quite reliable.

This was enough for the current Drondheim army.

According to the reply from the leading team, their current location was in the northwest direction of Undead City. It would take them about a week to reach the perimeter of the watchtower.

One morning, Bunduk picked a dozen warriors that he thought highly of from Rhodok soldiers.

Then, he began to study the effects of the rainbow-piercing crossbow.

The body of the rainbow-piercing crossbow was lighter than a normal crossbow. However, it was still not easy for Rhodok soldiers to ride a horse while controlling this weapon.

Bunduk could only supervise and help them complete their shooting training every day.

Under Bunduk's strict requirements, the soldiers' training became more effective.

At least on the night before they arrived at the Undead City, Bunduk had fully raised his confidence and courage to win.

"Commander Bunduk, we have arrived near the detection area of Undead City." a subordinate who had been assisting Bunduk in handling military affairs all year round reported.

"Alright, then let's rest here for the night. We will prepare to attack the Undead City tomorrow." Bunduk ordered.

On the eve of the war, the camp was no longer as noisy as before.

Some of the soldiers' tents were still lit up until late at night.

Early the next morning, Bunduk led his team and set off.

The soldiers responsible for scouting at the frontlines had already seized the watchtower in a corner of the Undead City, ensuring that Bunduk's team of several thousand people would not be discovered by the undead before they reached the city gates.

Drondheim's troops were arranged in a formation below the main city gates of Undead City.

The undead soldiers guarding the city walls began to panic. After all, they were still very unfamiliar with Drondheim's soldiers.

The undead soldiers hurriedly ran down the city walls, wanting to send a message.

However, they were pierced through the skull by Bunduk's arrow and fell to the ground miserably.

The Swadian soldiers began to attack the city gates with wooden logs.

The archers were behind him to protect him, preventing the soldiers on the tower from poking their heads out.

Bunduk couldn't help but narrow his eyes. He felt that something wasn't right.

They chose to attack Undead City in the morning, and so on. Ordinary undead soldiers were no threat to them. However, this was only a sweet appetizer before the high-level undead soldiers arrived.

What followed was the true bitter battle.

A burly undead who was taller than ordinary undead soldiers jumped down from the city wall.

His movements were extremely smooth, as if his limbs were tightly stuck together.

The arrows from the bow and arrow brushed past him.

When his feet touched the ground, his right hand raised a sharp greataxe.

His hand raised the blade and slashed down, immediately shattering the wooden logs that were attacking the city.

Standing near him, the Swadian Sergeant could not help but be shocked. He immediately took out his shield to protect himself.

Bunduk was stunned. He had never seen such an undead warrior before.

Within the warrior's originally pitch-black eye sockets, there was a hint of blood-red light.

"This is?"

Chapter 658: The Battle Outside the City Gate

Bunduk rode on his horse and looked at the undead warrior who was running amok at the front of the team.

He could not help but think of a witchcraft that he had seen when he was traveling back in the day. It was said that it could push the human body's skills to the extreme within a certain period. It was almost invincible. However, this kind of witchcraft was extremely harmful to the human body. After being immersed in it for a long time, the human organs would also rapidly decline in a short period of time. Therefore, only people with strong physiques could withstand the stimulation brought by this witchcraft in its early stages.

Its characteristics were not much different from what this undead warrior was currently displaying.

Bunduk could not help but wonder, "When did this undead clan start using this kind of witchcraft?".

As what they planned, a group of cavalries rushed out from Bunduk's right wing. They formed a straight line and rushed towards the undead warriors who had jumped down from the city gate.

They gathered together with the Swadian soldiers on the ground and surrounded the enemy tightly.

Following that, one after another, giant undead warriors jumped down from the city walls.

Every time they landed, there would be Swadian soldiers swarming over.

"Continue to attack the city gates!!" Bunduk commanded.

He finally saw clearly that these undead warriors were cannon fodder who had come to lead the charge.

Even though their combat strength was outstanding, they were still no match for the dozen or so Swadian soldiers.

Once the effects of the medicine on their bodies wore off, there was nothing to be afraid of.

Instead of wasting energy on them right now, it would be better to directly break through the city gates and investigate the situation.

"Rumble!" a group of soldiers brought out a war chariot loaded with wooden stakes from the rear of the camp and headed straight for the city gates.

Seeing this scene, the large undead warriors who were surrounded by the soldiers began to howl even more impatiently.

"Bang!" With all their might, they rammed into the shield formation of the Swadian Sergeants, knocking two to three of the soldiers who were relatively lighter over two meters away. The cavalries who were hiding behind them found an opportunity to rush forward and used their spears to pierce through the skull of the large undead warriors.

The giant undead warrior's body froze, and his whole body seemed to have become stiff. He waved his arms, which were full of veins, wanting to chop the cavalries off their horses.

Seeing that the giant undead warrior was still standing, the surrounding soldiers followed suit and stabbed the sharp blades into his body before sprinting forward.

Finally, the giant undead warrior fell into a pool of blood. He closed his eyes unwillingly.

The moment he closed his eyes, he recalled how he was brought out of the dungeon with handcuffs on. He was forced to drink a tube of medicinal liquid.

He recalled how a noble undead in luxurious clothes said to him with a smile this morning, "If you don't want to die, go and clean up the people outside the city gate."

"Damn it..."

"Clang!!" the city gate of the Undead City was finally cracked, and the wooden gate fell to the ground.

"Charge!!" Bunduk waved his horsewhip and gave the order.

"Charge!!" The thousands of warriors behind him responded in unison, raising their weapons and following the leading team into the city gate.

Bunduk rode his horse into the city gate of the Undead City. However, he found that the entire city was lifeless. There was no panic, or the escaping residents. There were no undead warriors who had come out to face the enemy.

The buildings on the streets were not much different from those in human cities, but there was no trace of the smoke and fire of a bustling city in the human world.

The air seemed to be covered by a layer of temperature difference.

In this gloomy atmosphere, Bunduk got off his horse and led the soldiers forward slowly.

After walking through the entire street, there was no sign of any undead.

"Commander Bunduk, there seems to be something strange here." a subordinate beside him said suspiciously.

"Take a team and search the city. Where did the undead hide? All of them suddenly disappeared. It's impossible for not a single trace to be left behind." Bunduk instructed.

"Yes! Follow me!" After the subordinate agreed, he picked a row of warriors from the team and followed him.

The group walked towards another street.

Bunduk walked forward for a while, and suddenly thought of something. He looked shocked. "Wait..."

"Huala!" A colorful firework bloomed under the gloomy sky.

It was a means of communication between the Drondheim warriors. The multi-colored firework represented safety, the yellow represented alarm, and the silver represented danger which warned them for retreat.

From the location, it seemed to have come from the center of the city.

Bunduk watched in doubt as the fireworks disappeared into the sky.

He suddenly thought of something: since the start of the battle, he had not received any reply from the scouts on the front line.

This was really strange. Normally, the scouts should have returned to the troops and fought alongside their companions.

Bunduk recalled the faces of the scouts he sent out, but he did not recall anything.

"Florent." Bunduk called out the name of a subordinate. This person was often responsible for the management and distribution of military supplies.

Florent obeyed and saluted, "Yes, Commander."

"Do you remember the names of the scouts sent out this time? I can't remember who they are." Bunduk asked.

Florent thought for a while and replied, "There are nine scouts sent out this time. Aldrich is the captain, and Angelo is the vice-captain."

"Aldrich... Angelo..." Bunduk muttered the names of these two people.

He gradually remembered the identities of these two people. Aldrich was a soldier who joined the army five years ago, while Angelo was a platoon leader in the cavalry battalion four years ago.

Thinking back to their previous battles, these two people's performance had always been very outstanding.

Therefore, after the routine health check a year ago, they were transferred to the scout troop.

In Bunduk's impression, Aldrich was a very calm person. He didn't speak much, but his age was about the same as his. Bunduk pondered for a moment, and then asked, "What about the other few? Who are they?"

Florent looked troubled and said hesitantly, "The others are freshmen who have joined the army in the past one to two years. I don't really remember them. I'm sorry, Commander Bunduk."

"Freshmen?" Bunduk's expression darkened.

In that case, it was possible for the freshmen to lead the way and not obey the army's discipline. However, this made Bunduk a little dissatisfied. These young people really didn't know what was important.

"In the future, try not to let the freshman who are on the battlefield for the first time go to the front line to do reconnaissance." Bunduk warned.

"Ah, okay, yes." Florent wiped the sweat from his forehead and replied carefully.

In fact, these freshmen were quite familiar with him. They were usually quite lively in the army. When they heard that they were going to fight this time, they begged to go to the battlefield no matter what. However, they were obviously not familiar with military operations.

Florent had no choice but to give them a few spots on the training ground. He told them that they had to complete training missions every day and not drag their feet before they could go to the battlefield.

He did not expect these devilish kids to actually survive.

Florent had to put them in the less risky scout camp.

Chapter 659: A Sudden Predicament

Bunduk led the team towards the location where the signal was sent from.

Finally, they stopped in front of the main city's imperial palace.

Bunduk was able to recognize that this was the imperial palace of Undead City, but that was only because it was located in the center of the city. The area it occupied was indeed wide enough, and there were towering guardrails surrounding the estate.

If Bunduk was to comment on the appearance of this imperial palace, he would probably describe it by one word -- strange.

The entire palace of the Undead Kingdom was made of stone, giving off a heavy and sturdy feeling. Furthermore, its appearance was very strange. It seemed to only have one entrance, and one could not see where it led to.

"Aldrich and the others sent the signal here?" Bunduk asked.

The soldier who was accompanying him replied, "Based on the estimated distance, they are indeed here."

Bunduk frowned. "Then where are they? In the palace?"

The soldier who had just answered the question stood at the side. His lips were tight, and he was so nervous that he could not speak. He cursed in his heart, 'The scouts this time are really troublesome.'

The doubts in Bunduk's heart grew deeper and deeper. After he calmed down and thought about it, Bunduk was more and more certain that the scouts were not just fresh and playful, but that there were other reasons why they had not appeared.

There were probably people lying in ambush in this palace.

But why didn't they fight against Bunduk's team outside the city gates in the first place. Instead, they chose to stay quietly in this strange-looking palace. Could it be that this palace really had some advantages that allowed them to make such a decision?

Bunduk felt a faint sense of unease in his heart.

After he thought about it for a while, he said to the soldier beside him, "Go and find another team of soldiers who are searching in the city. Tell them to come to this palace to meet us."

The soldier who received the order heaved a sigh of relief in his heart and quickly walked towards the fork in the road. He disappeared from Bunduk's sight.

"Everyone don't act rashly. Rest here." Bunduk ordered.

It was close to noon now, and the sun had risen to its highest point. The soldiers of Drondheim sat down on the ground one after another. All of their expressions were tense as they waited for Commander Bunduk's next order.

After a moment, a scream came from the intersection where the soldiers who had just received the order to search for the person left. "Ahhh!!!"

All the soldiers of Drondheim immediately stood up, took out their weapons or mounted their horses.

"Lizard... lizard people!!" At the intersection, the soldier dragged a warrior covered in blood on his shoulder as he ran towards the large group.

Another soldier beside him seemed to have lost consciousness and allowed him to drag him.

Bunduk immediately ran to the front of the group and stared at it carefully for a while. Only then did he realize that the one who was injured was his subordinate officer.

"Krytor!!" Bunduk called his subordinate's name and wanted to help support his body. However, he was stopped by the soldier beside him.

Behind the subordinate officers and soldier, there was a large group of lizardmen.

They moved in a large and tense group, as if it was about to fill the entire street.

The bodies of those lizardmen were like flowing water, in front of them, the two soldiers were like sand that could be washed away at any time.

All the soldiers of Drondheim were so shocked that they stood rooted to the ground, and they couldn't come back to their senses. The two soldiers had already been swallowed by the tide of the lizardmen.

"Why, why are there lizardmen here?" The soldiers beside them were completely flustered. They had never had the experience of fighting the lizardmen. In this hot weather, it was torture for them, but for the lizardmen, it was like a fish meeting water. All of them were full of energy and could come and go as they pleased.

What else could there be? The lizardmen were obviously the reinforcements that the undead had invited.

They were indeed a race that was transformed from cold-blooded animals.

A while ago, they were allies that fought against the invasion of the undead, but now, they had agreed to help the undead to frame them.

With so many lizardmen deployed, they really didn't know how much the undead had given to those lizardmen.

"Everyone, get ready for battle." Bunduk said calmly.

The warriors of Drondheim had all returned to their senses at this moment, but their expressions were more or less scared.

Fighting with the lizardmen in such a narrow alley was practically smashing their heads against the wall.

The Swadian warriors who stood at the forefront of the team had already set up their formation. They held their blades in their left hand and raised their shields in front of their chests with their right hands.

Every single soldier was staring intently at the enemy in front of them.

The lizardmen who were facing them, on the other hand, had a relaxed look on their faces. The smile on their lips carried a hint of mockery.

Just as the battle between the two sides was about to erupt, a tall man walked out from the lizardmen. When Bunduk saw that face, he felt as though he had seen him somewhere before.

He could not remember exactly where he met the man.

That man walked straight to Bunduk and grinned. "You still want to attack the city. Can't you see that it's an obvious trap for you guys? With a commander like you, Drondheim is probably finished in the Nahrin Desert."

"Despicable scoundrel." Bunduk snorted.

"You guys feel pretty happy after defeating a few big guys at the city gate?" the man mocked. "They were condemned criminals who couldn't even eat three meals. In the end, they were actually beaten to death by you guys. However, as the lowest existence of the undead race, it's reasonable for them to take a few soldiers of Drondheim to be buried along with them."

Bunduk stared into the man's eyes and gritted his teeth, but he didn't say anything.

The man from the lizard race seemed to be satisfied when he saw Bunduk's resentful expression. After pausing for a while, he said again, "Forget it, today is not our lizard race's home ground. I won't say anything more. The host here is in this imperial palace. You guys might want to go in and take a look."

Bunduk pushed the man away and walked to the entrance of the palace of the undead race.

He tried his best to calm down the anger in his heart. After taking a deep breath, he walked into the palace.

The man from the lizard race watched as Bunduk walked in. The corners of his mouth curled up and he laughed softly.

Then, he looked up and saw the warriors of Drondheim who surrounded him with unfriendly eyes. He said arrogantly, "Your lives are now in the hand of your boss. Why? Are you in such a hurry to die?"

After saying that, he pushed a warrior away and walked out on his own.

Under the scorching sun, the two sides sat opposite each other.

The man of the lizard race walked back and forth, thinking about something.

He still hoped that the commander of Drondheim not be too stubborn and admit defeat to the leader of the undead clan.

In this way, they could easily complete the mission and return home to get their share of the reward.

Chapter 660: Breaking Through the Siege of Lost City

Bunduk entered the palace of the undead alone.

The warriors of Drondheim looked at each other in dismay when they saw this scene.

Not long after Bunduk entered the palace, the Swadian warriors also started to move.

After all, letting Bunduk enter alone was practically sending a sheep to the tiger's mouth. Even though Bunduk's combat strength was astonishing. But from the way he fought this time, it was unknown what kind of strange checkpoints the undead had arranged ahead.

Almost a few hundred soldiers followed Bunduk closely.

The lizardmen at the side noticed their movements and wanted to stop them. But they were stopped by the man who came out to negotiate.

"Let them go in. In any case, there's only death ahead." the man said lightly.

The moment they entered the palace of the undead, they felt the temperature of the air around them drop by several degrees.

Although the entire building was sealed with stones, there were wind blowing through the hall from time to time.

The visibility in the room was low, which was more than enough for the undead. However, for the warriors of Drondheim, it was a little difficult for them to move in such dim environment.

They leaned against the wall and carefully walked with the light in their hands. But the road seemed to be longer than anyone could imagine. It was not until the soldiers could not help but start to whisper to each other that they finally saw a room with an open door in front of them.

The military officer at the forefront looked inside. Although they did not know what it was, the view in the room was much clearer.

Commander Bunduk was one step ahead of them and was already standing on the wide-open space in the room.

The military officer took the lead and walked in, stopping beside Bunduk.

There was a burst of exclamations behind him, and the military officer looked back without knowing why. He found that everyone was looking up at the roof of the room. The military officer also looked up. After seeing the scene on the roof, he could not help but gasp.

What was reflected in his eyes wasn't a pitch-black ceiling or gorgeous decorations. Instead, it was a sea of stars in front of him. Compared to what he usually saw with his naked eyes in the wild, it was more than ten or a hundred times clearer.

"Commander, what is this?" the subordinate officer couldn't help but ask.

Bunduk didn't answer. Instead, he stared at the altar in the middle of the room with a solemn expression.

After a while, the figure of a man walked out from behind the altar.

"Is the way of the surrender of Drondheim always been so special? I thought it was only commander Bunduk."the man said.

The soldiers behind Bunduk suddenly quieted down, their eyes locked on the enemy who had suddenly appeared.

"As you can see, we will not surrender." Bunduk said slowly.

The man seemed a little surprised, but his expression only stayed on his face for a moment.

"Then I won't say any more nonsense. If you step into this palace today, you will die." the man said viciously.

"Clang!!"

The mechanism hidden on the stone wall revealed its original form. The secret door was opened, and thousands of undead warriors walked out.

The warriors of Drondheim could clearly see that the undead warriors here were completely different from the undead warriors they had met on the battlefield.

Their skin was covered in a layer of fluorescent light. That layer of fluorescent light seemed to have become their strongest defense. It stuck close to their bodies.

The Swadian warriors immediately walked to the front from the back of the team. They either squatted or stood up straight. They picked up the shields in their hands and lined up in formation.

Bunduk's brows were tightly knitted. From the moment he entered the room, he could sense that his physical strength was inexplicably draining away. After seeing the star formation on the roof, he felt that things were even worse.

However, it was already too late to back down now. Drondheim's army could not accept the curses after surrendering, and Bunduk himself could not accept returning in defeat just like that.

Now that things had come to this predicament, he could only force his way out. They had to crush the undead one by one.

Bunduk watched as the man stepped onto the stone stairs and walked to the top of the altar.

This lit up a glimmer of hope in his heart.

"Warriors, don't give up. Drondheim is waiting for us behind, let us rush out of here together!!" Bunduk raised his arms and shouted.

The warriors behind Bunduk responded in unison, holding their weapons tightly in their hands.

"Kill!" the man on the altar gave the order.

The undead warriors standing on the ground heard this and rushed to the front of the Swadian Sergeant's formation.

They used the swords and axes in their hands to hack at the newly modified shield.

"Bang!!" If there were ordinary people with weaker physiques present, they would probably have their ears ringing from the collision of the swords and shields.

And under the pressure of this wave of impact, the Swadian Sergeant was tired.

The situation seemed to have become troublesome.

As the Swadian Sergeant made a defensive formation, he used the weapons in his hands to attack the weakness of the undead warriors while coordinating with the cavalries.

But this time, it did not seem to pose any threat to the undead warriors.

One of the Swadian warriors' shield was smashed and torn apart. Immediately after, the undead warrior grabbed his neck, wanting to kill him.

However, he was stopped by Bunduk. Bunduk took a spear from the cavalry and stabbed it deeply into the undead warrior's knee, causing him to fall to the ground.

After an undead warrior lost his attacking power for a short while, the Drondheim warriors immediately surrounded him and attacked him together.

The battle continued for a while. Bunduk wiped the sweat off his forehead.

His gaze calmly swept across every place where the soldiers were fighting. No matter what, the number of casualties of the soldiers of Drondheim was far greater than that of the undead. They were in a disadvantageous situation.

Bunduk locked his gaze on the man standing on the high platform again.

That man had been standing there since the beginning of the battle.

A wave of doubt rose in Bunduk's heart. He realized that the highest point of the altar was also where the starlight gathered.

After thinking for a while in his mind, he had a clue about the way to break out of the predicament.

Bunduk once again threw himself into the battle and silently moved closer to the altar.

Behind him were a few officers and subordinates who were close to him, providing cover for him. When the few of them sneaked near the stone stairs leading to the altar. The people around them almost did not notice their approach.

Bunduk led the few soldiers to step onto the altar.

The man who was high up had already noticed their movement.

At this moment, he waved his right hand on the astrolabe in front of him.

Four undead knights covered in flames appeared in front of Bunduk and the others. They blocked their path.

Bunduk gripped the weapon in his hand tightly. He steeled his heart and shouted loudly, "Charge!!"

Chapter 661: The Transition Stage of the Battlefield

A few undead knights charged towards Bunduk and the others.

The halberd in their hands brushed past them.

Fortunately, they were agile, avoiding this wave of attacks.

Bunduk and the others had their backs leaned against each other, keeping a close eye on the undead knights.

"Commander, we'll handle this. You should hurry up," one of the subordinate officers said.

Bunduk carefully observed the position of the undead knights and replied, "Alright."

As soon as he finished speaking, Bunduk sprinted up the stairs. The soldiers beside him firmly locked onto the movements of the undead knights.

They risked their lives to buy time and space for Bunduk to break out of the encirclement.

Before Bunduk ascended the altar, he turned his head to take a look. He discovered that the strengths of both sides were vastly different. The soldiers of Drondheim were barely able to resist the attacks of the undead knights. Wherever the undead warriors swung their long halberds, blood and flesh would fly everywhere if they were not careful.

"Darn it!" Bunduk could only go forward with all his might.

After climbing onto the altar, Bunduk finally had a chance to face the man from before.

He immediately noticed the disc in front of the man.

Combining what he had just observed, Bunduk nodded to himself.

He confirmed his own judgment in his heart, if the undead warriors in the field had become so strong, it must be related to this man.

As long as he got rid of this man, the connection between the power of the astrolabe and the undead warriors in the field would be cut off.

Then, the danger faced by the Drondheim warriors would be greatly reduced.

"As expected, you have been controlling the energy in the bodies of the undead warriors in the field, right?" Bunduk questioned.

The man's figure was originally thin, and it was even more so when compared to Bunduk who was standing in front of him.

"How do you know?" the man asked.

"A formation like yours, which requires divine power, is something that ordinary undead warriors wouldn't be able to withstand. I believe that you possess a special constitution that allows you to withstand the power of the formation and reflect it onto your own kind," Bunduk said what he was thinking in his heart.

The man nodded, acknowledging that Bunduk's words were correct.

"Is there nothing else?" Bunduk slowly raised his right hand that was holding the weapon.

"No, but even if you kill me, you won't be able to change this astrolabe. The effect of this formation will continue, and all of you will die here," the man said with a pale face.

"I don't need you to worry about that," Bunduk said disdainfully.

With a wave of his long saber, the undead man was beheaded. Bunduk didn't look at him anymore and walked to the astrolabe.

In an instant, Bunduk's body seemed to be weighed down by a thousand pounds, and he couldn't stand up straight.

Bunduk's expression was tense, and sweat was dripping from his forehead. He held the astrolabe tightly with both hands to prevent himself from falling down.

He remembered that the undead man had to go through constant training to adapt to being under such pressure. His abnormally thin figure was also explained.

The light that was originally projected on the undead man's body slowly gathered towards Bunduk, and the arrangement of the stars on the astrolabe also changed.

Looking at the Drondheim warriors who were fighting on the battlefield, Bunduk continuously injected confidence into his heart.

In about a moment, the Drondheim warriors on the battlefield were already in despair. The warriors who were traveling with them fell one after another, widening the panic in their hearts.

"Drondheim!" On the battlefield that was filled with smoke, a warrior roared angrily.

The others couldn't help but feel refreshed. They raised the weapons in their hands again and were ready to slash at the enemies in all directions.

Suddenly, the black sky quickly disappeared, and the Sun's light enveloped Drondheim and the others.

The undead warriors let out a series of screams.

The power in their bodies was being withdrawn like flowing water.

The warriors of Drondheim, on the other hand, received a vast amount of energy.

The weapons in their hands carried the sound of a tiger's roar. They tore through the air and hacked at the undead warriors.

The sudden change caught everyone off guard.

The omen of victory spread through the ranks of Drondheim's soldiers.

Although the previous battle had caused the disparity in numbers between Drondheim's soldiers and the undead warriors.

But now their combat strength was no longer the same as before.

When morale was high, the commanders of Drondheim's soldiers led their own soldiers to charge into the battle. The undead warriors could only die one by one under their hands.

This battle finally ended with Drondheim's battle.

Bunduk weakly walked down the altar and refused the support of his subordinate officers. With his last bit of willpower, he supported himself not to fall.

"We won."

Even though they had only started with a few hundred people, there were now less than a hundred people left.

But to be able to wipe out the Undead Army, such an outcome could be considered to have paid off.

The subordinate elven medical soldier was treating the injured soldiers. It had to be said that the elven healing spells were indeed very effective. Even if they were injured, they could recover in a short period of time under their treatment.

After experiencing this intense battle, all the soldiers of Drondheim sat on the ground and rested. No one said anything.

Bunduk remembered that a Lizardmen Army was waiting for them outside the door. He couldn't help but hold his forehead.

An elven medical soldier walked up to him and asked, "Commander, do you need me to treat you?"

Bunduk raised his head and looked at him. He shook his head and said, "I'm fine. Go and check the other soldiers. I just need some rest."

The elven medical soldier nodded, but he still stuffed a small stone into Bunduk's hand.

"What's this?" Bunduk asked.

"This is a healing stone. It can relieve mental pain and pressure."

Bunduk looked at the glowing green medicinal stone in his hand and sighed with emotion at the elves' mastery of magic.

"Commander!" a subordinate officer shouted and quickly walked in front of Bunduk.

"What's wrong?" Bunduk asked.

"We found the scouts in the team," the officer reported.

"Where are they? Take me to see them," Bunduk stood up and said.

The subordinate officer led Bunduk to the front of the stone stairs. A few haggard-looking people were sitting there. Bunduk immediately recognized Aldrich among them.

Aldrich, who was almost thirty years old, looked more like he was in his forties. It seemed that he had suffered a lot after being captured by the undead.

"What happened to you?" Bunduk asked sternly while looking at Aldrich and the other young men around him.

The young soldiers were so scared that they didn't dare to make a sound.

Vice-captain Angelo sighed and reported everything that happened to the investigation team in the past two days.

Chapter 662: Unexpected Medical Soldier

It turned out that when the scouts infiltrated the Watchtower on the first day, Drondheim's invasion of the undead had already been discovered.

The undead had been heavily injured by the armies of other countries on the previous battlefield.

A considerable portion of the warriors was unable to participate in the battle.

Therefore, when Drondheim's army attacked the city gates, the undead warriors did not show up. They were waiting for the lizardmen's rescue.

As for what conditions the undead offered the lizardmen to come to Nahrin Desert willingly to help the undead besiege Drondheim, the scouts who were captured weren't clear.

"Where are the injured undead warriors? Where are they?" Bunduk asked after listening to Angelo's statement.

"We're not sure either. They might be in the palace, or they might have been taken away by the lizardmen's ships," Angelo said helplessly.

They had been imprisoned in the dark cell by the undead soldiers on the first evening of their infiltration. They had no idea where the undead was.

"Did you give them the signal flares?" Bunduk asked.

"After they found the signal flares on us, they plotted to lure you to the vicinity of the palace," Angelo lowered his head and apologized to Bunduk, "we..."

"Forget it." Bunduk glanced at the other scouts and waved his hand. "You can explain this to your superior when we return to Drondheim."

After saying this, Bunduk warned the other soldiers who were resting in the same place, "Everyone, there may be other undead soldiers in the palace. We are still at a disadvantage. We can not let down our guard."

After a small victory, everyone's physical strength had reached its limit.

Originally, they should have started searching the palace, but in order to maintain the last fighting strength of the soldiers, Bunduk still ordered them to rest in the same place.

Bunduk and a few familiar subordinates sat cross-legged on the ground and began to discuss how to defeat the lizardmen.

"How many people do we have now?" Bunduk asked.

One of the subordinate officers raised his right hand and replied, "Including the ones in front of the palace, there are still 1,500 people."

"The lizardmen's team is about the same as ours, but they are indeed good at close combat. Moreover, based on the terrain outside the palace, they have the advantage," another officer continued.

"Should we lure them into the palace?" the officer suggested after thinking for a while.

Bunduk raised his head and looked at him, asking, "What can we do?"

"Well, I think we can pretend that we have surrendered. Let one of the undead soldiers lure the lizardmen in," the officer said cautiously.

"Undead soldiers? How can we have undead soldiers? Even if some of the undead soldiers are still alive. With their consciousness, they won't understand what we are talking about. They won't help us," the officer next to him questioned.

After he finished speaking, everyone else quieted down.

The soldier who gave the suggestion seemed a little embarrassed, but he really didn't know what to do.

Bunduk felt that the current situation was giving him a headache. He rubbed his temples. The glow from the healing stone in his hand became brighter and brighter. Bunduk immediately felt a warm current flowing into his brain.

A thought also appeared in his mind.

"Fritz, help me find an elven medical soldier. I have something to ask him," Bunduk said.

The subordinate officer known as Fritz didn't know what his commander was thinking. He stood up and called for an elven medical soldier and brought him to Bunduk.

Bunduk looked at the elf. After confirming that he was the one from before, he asked, "What's your name?"

"Comori," the elf said carefully.

Bunduk took out the small stone from before and continued to ask, "You gave me this medicinal stone, right? How did you guys make such a medicinal stone?"

Comori carefully explained, "In the Elf Kingdom, there are stone mines that produce stones with good conductivity. We will use magic to refine such a one-time medicinal stone."

Bunduk nodded and continued, "I have seen many warriors of your country and their magic is indeed amazing. However, they each have their own strengths. Your medical soldiers have always been acting as backup. What magic are you good at?"

"Our standard for the selection of medical soldiers is to only allow spirit-type elves to participate in the registration. Everyone's daily operation is also some spirit-type spells," Comori replied.

At this moment, Bunduk's heart was already filled with joy.

He turned around and said to the other subordinate officers, "I've found the 'undead warriors' who understand our words."

When they heard this, some of them looked puzzled, but most of them had already figured out the strategy that Bunduk was planning in his heart.

One of the officers hesitated and said, "Commander, do you want the elves to pretend to be undead warriors?"

Bunduk nodded when he heard this and didn't say anything else.

In his heart, there was something that he needed to confirm urgently.

Bunduk looked at Comori and said, "Then can you show me? What level is your mind spell at?" He was looking forward to it in his heart, according to his past experience, those who could learn a mind-type spell would have a consciousness that was several times stronger than others. The result of this was that most of them could naturally control the consciousness and senses of others.

Although other spellcasters could also learn a little bit of this kind of blindfolded illusion, and thus design some scams.

However, for those who had really tempered their minds since young, it was really nothing.

"Level?" Comori was confused. From the beginning, he didn't understand much. "It's just that we can do some recovery treatment and so on."

"Haven't you guys learned spells like controlling consciousness?" Bunduk asked.

Comori nodded. "We did, but we only use them to help patients relieve pain and promote nerve recovery."

"Then you try it. Cover my consciousness with your consciousness. Let me see what you want me to see," Bunduk said seriously.

"Huh?" Comori was a little surprised. He saw that Bunduk had already closed his eyes. He silently treated Bunduk as an ordinary patient.

When Bunduk opened his eyes and looked at him, the pitch-black palace had already become a sea of colorful flowers.

Everything he heard was the same as the scene.

Knowing that this was an illusion, Bunduk couldn't help but nod his head in approval.

"That's enough."

Chapter 663: The Arrogance of the Lizardmen

It was almost evening now. The Drondheim soldiers who were waiting outside the palace gate anxiously kept looking at the palace gate.

Although only darkness answered them.

"Ga..." The palace gate opened. Under everyone's astonished gaze, an elven medical soldier stepped out of the porch. Behind him was a group of injured Drondheim soldiers.

Seeing this, the soldiers standing in front of the palace gate hurriedly went forward to support the injured soldiers.

Meanwhile, Comori walked through the crowd and arrived in front of the lizardman.

From the moment he walked out of the palace, he had become a fierce-looking undead warrior in the eyes of the lizardman.

"The people of Drondheim have surrendered to us. Please withdraw your troops," Comori gritted his teeth and said.

This was what Bunduk had told him before he set off. The first choice was to let the lizardmen retreat, and the second choice was to lead them into the palace.

"Huh?" The man raised his eyebrows strangely, and then said with a flattering smile, "Soldier, we haven't received the reward your Lord promised us."

"Oh, right." Comori pretended to suddenly remember and said, "The Lord asked me to invite you in."

The lizardman looked at him in puzzlement but didn't say anything. After thinking for a while. He just felt that this undead was really arrogant, and treated them so lightly.

After all, the reward offered by the Undead Kingdom was generous enough. Today, they were able to receive such a generous reward without doing anything. The joy they felt from this gradually reduced their dissatisfaction with the other party.

The lizardman still had a smile on his face as he said, "Then I'll have to trouble you to lead the way."

Comori did not dare to say anything else. He nodded and turned around to walk towards the main gate of the palace. Behind him was a large group of lizardmen.

When he passed by Drondheim's group, the lizardman said mockingly, "With your combat strength, you still want to invade the Kingdom of Lizardmen? You really don't know your place. Pray that your Lord will use Drondheim's colony in exchange for your lives!"

Hearing this, the eyes of the Drondheim's soldiers were burning with anger. They wanted to rush forward and tear the lizardman into pieces on the spot. However, they could only watch as they passed by.

"Did the commander really surrender? What's wrong with the elven medical soldier?"

The officer asked while supporting one of the injured soldiers.

The injured soldier stared at the lizardmen soldiers and watched as they all disappeared at the entrance of the palace. He then picked up the weapons at his waist, "How is that possible? Everyone, follow me and charge in. All the undead soldiers have been annihilated. Lead them inside and wait to join us."

On the other side, the lizardman led his troops and followed Comori into the pitch-black corridor.

"The palace is too dark."

"I don't know how you managed to subdue those Drondheim soldiers, but it looks like you guys fought with them. That so-called commander was indeed a stubborn guy. If it were me, under such circumstances, I would never think of going head-to-head with others."

"How much longer until we arrive?"

Along the way, the lizardman kept talking to Comori, wanting to know more about the situation of this battle. He did not want to return to the kingdom and tell others that he had only stood in front of the palace for an entire afternoon. At the very least, he had to add some special background.

However, Comori did not respond to him much. After all, as a medical soldier who had never been on the battlefield, it was too difficult for him to control his mind and communicate with the enemy leader at the same time. Therefore, he could only nod his head in response and quicken his pace.

From the entrance of the palace to the room where Bunduk and the others were, it was probably the most difficult path that Comori had ever taken.

The lizardman felt that the other party did not seem to be willing to talk to him, and in addition, the team behind him was always noisy. His mood also became restless.

He turned to the lizardmen soldiers and shouted, "What are you arguing about! There's nothing here and you're still chatting so enthusiastically."

The lizardmen soldier behind him carefully said, "Boss, they're just saying, 'I didn't expect that the undead not only cleared us out this time but also invited people from the Elf Kingdom. It seems that the Elf Kingdom was still unwilling to let Drondheim take over a colony.'"

"The Elf Kingdom? Aren't they the backup that Drondheim moved here? I haven't heard that they are with us," the lizardman frowned and asked.

Hearing this, Comori's body stiffened, and then he walked like the wind. He ran toward the gate that was a few meters away.

"What?!" The lizardman soldier widened his eyes in surprise and raised his hand to point at Comori's back. "But we have been following him all the way here."

The lizardman could not react in time. "What did you say? He is obviously an undead..."

At this moment, the group had already arrived in front of the battlefield.

Looking at the corpses of the undead soldiers on the ground, the lizardman could not help but swallow a mouthful of saliva. He could not finish the second half of his sentence.

"Save me!"

Comori ran toward the center of the house. When the lizardman soldier said the first sentence, his heart almost jumped to his throat.

Bunduk led the team and jumped down from the edge of the wall, each holding an open flame.

"You defeated the undead?" the lizardman asked after he reacted.

Bunduk did not comment. He looked past the lizardmen soldiers and looked at the path they had taken when they came.

The lizardman followed his gaze and suddenly thought of something. His expression immediately darkened.

As expected, the sound of marching troops could be heard behind him. All the Drondheim soldiers who had stopped outside the imperial palace rushed in.

"Scoundrel!" the lizardman gritted his teeth and shouted angrily, "Do you think that you can defeat us by using such a small trick to lure us here?"

"Actually, that's not necessarily the case," Bunduk replied. "If you guys leave this place, I'm referring to the Undead Kingdom. We're willing to let you go."

"Hehe," the lizardman said disdainfully, "as people who march and fight, we don't want to be ridiculed for the rest of our lives because of this. Moreover, it's more than enough for us to deal with you guys."

Bunduk's expression became serious. Although what the lizardman said was within his expectations, the current situation was indeed not optimistic.

"Since you have already said so, then I have nothing more to say," Bunduk replied seriously, "I hope you won't regret your choice."

"Today, all the people of Drondheim will die!" The lizardman revealed a fierce expression. Their four limbs were prostrating on the ground, and their lizard tails were raised high. Their appearances were extremely ferocious.

Chapter 664: The Battle That Brought Dawn

The lizardman quickly jumped in front of Bunduk and used his tail to throw a heavy blow.

"Clang!" This fatal blow was blocked by Bunduk's shield. The shield was distorted, but Bunduk did not seem to be affected by it.

Before the Swadian soldiers around Bunduk got close, the lizardman cursed in his heart. He jumped back to his original position.

With the lizardman's attack as the leader, the lizardmen soldiers also launched their own attacks.

The strength of the lizardmen soldiers' grip and their ability to bite were indeed amazing. Not only that, their figures on the battlefield were something that Drondheim's soldiers, who were wearing heavy armor and holding shields, could not compare to.

However, for the soldiers of Drondheim, who had just experienced a bloody battle, they were already familiar with such an unfavorable environment. Even though the injuries they had suffered previously had a burden on their bodies, their minds were incomparably clear at this moment.

The battle style of the lizardmen and the undead had both similarities and differences. The similarity was that they were not good at group warfare. The difference was the reason for this phenomenon. The reason why the undead was not good at group warfare was that the intelligence of ordinary undead soldiers was too low. They did not have the concept of cooperation in their minds. The reason why the lizardmen were not good at group warfare was that their offensive field was to fight alone. Even if the front line failed, they could still rely on their innate physical talent to retreat quickly.

Compared to physically hoping to catch up to them, using the right tactics against their unique combat methods was the key to victory.

Now, the strength of Drondheim's warriors had been twisted into a rope. Because only by defeating the lizardmen could they walk out of here and return to their hometown with full honor.

The formation of Drondheim's warriors had been broken by the swift and fierce attacks of the lizardmen. However, the lizardmen were still unable to charge out from the encirclement of a group of people.

The elven medical soldier stood at the back of the Swadian warriors. When someone was seriously injured, he would rush forward to treat him.

A few military officers acted as leaders in different groups. From time to time, they would roar to change the formation of the formation.

The soldiers who had used the rainbow crossbow for the first time also moved nimbly among the various groups, allowing the explosive weapon in their hands to display its astonishing power.

Without the need for Bunduk to ride on horseback and serve as the commander of the entire team, the warriors of Drondheim had already unleashed their greatest fighting strength at the moment.

Smoke rose and when everything was settled, the warriors of Drondheim held on until the end.

The lizardmen troops were almost annihilated.

The lizardman who had been aggressive earlier also spat out green blood and fell to the ground dejectedly.

"We won!"

The shouts of the Drondheim's warriors broke through the roof of the room.

Bunduk could finally relax and he sat on the ground to rest.

After the war ended, Drondheim's army set up tents in the main city of the undead. After a whole night of rest, they would set off for home.

The soldiers with serious injuries received magic treatment in the medical soldiers' tents.

Those with more mobility were in charge of cleaning up the battlefield in the palace.

They would find the corpses of their comrades from the messy battlefield and bury them properly.

Meanwhile, the corpses of the undead and lizardmen were piled on top of each other and burned.

Because there were too many people, the burning flames were only completely extinguished at night.

"The ones who are in charge of cleaning up the battlefield. Can you put the corpses further away before you start a fire? The smell of corpses has filled up the entire place," a soldier in charge of cooking could not help but complain to the soldiers who had returned from the palace.

The soldier who was being complaint said helplessly, "There are thousands of them. We need to have the strength to transport them to other places."

In Bunduk's camp, Bunduk was writing a letter to send back to Drondheim.

It was very important to let Lord Kant know the outcome of the war as soon as possible.

"Commander Bunduk, Congratulations! You've won another battle for Drondheim," a man under him said joyfully.

Bunduk finally stopped writing and replied, "It was indeed a beautiful battle. However, in the end, it felt like I had nothing to do with it. It can only be said that the warriors the Lord has trained have begun to become stronger and stronger."

"If the Lord knows about it, he will be very happy."

Bunduk stamped his own seal at the end of the letter. He smiled at the words of the man and did not say anything else.

This man was Kant's personal messenger. His name was Gunner. He was also quite familiar with Bunduk.

Bunduk stood up and walked to Gunner, handing the letter to him. He said, "I'll have to trouble you to make this trip."

Gunner smiled and said, "It's only natural. I'll set off tonight. I hope that Commander Bunduk and the warriors can return to Drondheim safely as soon as possible."

After saying that, Gunner bowed and bade farewell to Bunduk, who was one rank higher than him. He walked out of the tent and disappeared into the night.

Bunduk watched his back as he left, calculating in his heart how long it would take for Gunner to return to the main city.

Bunduk returned to his seat, recalling everything that had happened that day.

As he was immersed in his own thoughts, a subordinate officer walked into the tent, squatted down, and saluted, "Commander Bunduk!"

Bunduk returned to his senses, looked at the officer, and asked, "Have you found the Undead Kingdom's treasury?"

"Yes, the spoils of war that we found have all been counted," the officer reported.

"Well, thank you for your hard work." Bunduk put on his furry coat and stood up. "Bring me to see the results of your search."

The officer led Bunduk to the empty space outside the military camp.

There were more than twenty carriages lined up side by side. The warriors of Drondheim sorted the treasures they found into different boxes.

Bunduk walked in front of the carriage and skimmed through them one by one.

"Yeah. It's pretty good," Bunduk praised.

After looking through all the spoils of war, Bunduk turned around and asked the officer, "Did you find anything else in the palace?"

The officer thought for a while and replied, "We found the dungeon where the prisoners are kept in the palace. There are also some injured undead warriors in the rooms that look like infirmary rooms in the palace."

"Yes, we don't need to worry about that. Once the Lord knows about this, he will naturally make arrangements," Bunduk nodded and replied.

It was already late at night, and the soldiers in the barracks finally had a proper dinner.

After the exhausting battle, everyone returned to their tents early in the day to rest.

Chapter 665: The Return Journey After the War

Early the next morning, Bunduk got up.

When they walked outside the tent, the soldiers in the troop were preparing to receive their own breakfast. The aroma of the food was very rich.

When they saw Bunduk, they all bowed and greeted him.

After eating this breakfast, they were about to walk out of the Undead City and trek back through the desert.

Bunduk walked around the military camp and took a look. He met a subordinate officer who was supervising his subordinates as they refilled the camels with water and fed them food.

After greeting his subordinates, the officer jogged over to Bunduk and bowed, "Commander Bunduk, good morning."

Bunduk nodded and looked at him, "What's the matter?"

"The list of the troops stationed in the Undead City has been calculated in detail," the officer replied.

"Yes. Remember to leave more supplies for the soldiers who are staying back. The repair team from the main city will arrive in a few days," Bunduk instructed.

"Alright." After hearing Bunduk's instructions, the officer immediately left the place. He began to arrange for the distribution of supplies.

The Sun gradually rose into the blue sky, and the temperature of the surface began to heat up.

The soldiers of Drondheim had packed their backpacks and were standing in familiar positions.

After the soldiers at the front of the line sounded their orders, the remaining 900 soldiers of the war began their journey home.

On the way back, they should be more relaxed and active than when they came, but the soldiers of Drondheim were very quiet.

After all, the comrades who had stood beside them when they came had already been buried under the yellow soil.

Even though they had won the war, the process that had taken place was indeed a pity.

On the way back, Bunduk and his men encountered the follow-up troops that were rushing to the Undead City, as well as the reinforcements from the Elf Kingdom.

Two weeks later, Bunduk and his men finally stood in front of the city gates of the main city.

When they were within sight of the main city, the news of their triumphant return was spread by the soldiers on top of the city walls.

When Bunduk rode his horse into the city gates that were opened for them, the commoners standing on both sides of the street burst into cheers.

Among these commoners, some of them were relatives of the soldiers in the procession. Seeing their husbands and sons return safely, they were all overjoyed and wept.

After traveling for a while, Bunduk saw the guards of the palace who had rushed over from the other side.

The captain of the guards stopped in front of Bunduk's horse and saluted, "Commander Bunduk, Congratulations on your victory. The Lord sent us a message saying that he wants to meet you."

After Bunduk stopped his horse, he replied, "Alright, after I return to the barracks with the troops, I will go to the palace to meet the Lord."

"Thank you, Commander." The guard stood up and left with the soldiers behind him.

When he reached the front of the palace, Bunduk dismounted and passed the horse to the soldier at the side and stepped into the palace.

Under the lead of Kant's attendant, they walked to the Senate Hall.

"Commander Bunduk, I will take my leave first. The Lord has been waiting for you inside for a long time." After the attendant brought Bunduk to the front of the door, he walked down another small path and left.

In the hall, Kant was sitting on the chair in the main seat, reading the text sent by the ministers. When he saw Bunduk arrive, he stood up to welcome him. "Thank you for your hard work."

After saluting Kant, Bunduk stood up and shook his head at Kant's words. "I only did what I had to do. Moreover, the progress of the warriors is indeed astonishing."

Kant smiled noncommittally and invited Bunduk to sit down.

"Now, the only force in the Nahrin Desert that can threaten Drondheim has been eliminated. Lord, you can rest assured." Bunduk described the situation of this battle in detail once again, and explained the details omitted in the letter one by one, finally, he concluded with joy.

"Haha." Kant clapped happily and replied, "The warriors are indeed brave. After this battle, all of you take a vacation and have a good rest for a few days. The reward distributed by the imperial court will also be sent directly to the families of the warriors within this period."

"Thank you, Lord." Bunduk expressed his gratitude.

"During this battle, if you discover any outstanding subordinates, you can also treat them as important training targets. After all, within the army, you are the only one who has the ability to lead. "With such a large number of people, it is inevitable that there will be times when we can not take care of them." Kant seemed to have thought of something, and he suggested it to Bunduk.

"Yes, Sir." Bunduk agreed to Kant's request.

The two of them didn't talk for long. Kant was concerned about Bunduk's health, so after the conversation ended, he asked the palace attendants to bring him back to his residence in a carriage.

Kant himself stayed in the palace to continue handling the government affairs.

All the warriors who participated in the battle of the Undead Kingdom were given three days off. This was already very rare for them. When they returned home and saw the bountiful rewards that were delivered to their doors, they were even more delighted.

The officers in the army were having a harder time. With a sense of responsibility, they followed the soldiers who had not participated in the battle to the homes of the soldiers who had sacrificed themselves. While apologizing, they handed over the medals and rewards that the imperial court had given to the soldiers who had sacrificed themselves.

Bunduk also followed the officers of various squads to go there a few times.

He spent the rest of his time resting in his own residence.

On the morning of the first day after the end of the holiday, he went to report to the army.

The subordinates of the army prepared a welcoming ceremony for him.

At the last moment, they invited him to speak. Bunduk walked up to the stage and said, "I hope that everyone can properly complete their daily tasks. Imagine yourself being needed to go to the battlefield at any time. Only then can you turn defeat into victory in a time of crisis."

"Alright!" the soldiers below replied in hot blood.

Bunduk continued with some lighter topics. At the end of announcing the end of the welcoming meeting, he scanned the team, he called out, "Bill, Portlem, and Derrick, come to my place after your morning training ends."

With that said, he walked down from the main general stage.

The few officers who were called out didn't know what Bunduk wanted them to do. They looked at each other, but they still didn't understand.

After the morning training ended, the three of them gathered with Bunduk in the military hall beside the training ground.

"How do you feel about this expedition?" Bunduk asked as he sat across from the three of them.

Portlem was the first to answer that he hadn't made sufficient preparations for the battle strategy.

Bill spoke of his observation of the soldiers, while Derrick commented in praise on the soldiers' ability to break through the encirclement.

Bunduk looked at the three of them and nodded in his heart.

Then, he asked softly, "Among you, does anyone have the confidence to stand on a higher level and lead the entire team?"

Chapter 666: Selection of the New Commander

"I..." After reviewing the reactions of the other two people, Portlem slowly raised his hand.

Bunduk turned his gaze to the young man, who was only twenty-three years old.

He thought to himself, this kid's reaction is quite fast. The Lord would probably rather have such a person as a commander.

Looking at his square face, Bunduk suddenly recalled that in the battle with the undead, this young man seemed to be one of the warriors who had helped him break out of the encirclement of the undead knights.

"What about the other two?" Bunduk asked again.

Derrick and Bill frowned. After a while, Derrick replied, "I think I'm more suited with what I'm doing for now."

"Don't you want to be promoted?" Bunduk asked.

Derrick shook his head and introduced himself as someone responsible for managing the supply and demand of logistics and cleaning up the battlefield. His experience on the battlefield couldn't be compared to the other officers.

"What about Bill?" Bunduk seemed to understand as he nodded. Then, he asked the officer sitting in the middle.

Beads of sweat appeared on Bill's forehead. Finally, he exhaled and said, "I don't think I'm suitable either. Officer Portlem has done a lot in this area. I think he's much more suitable for the position you mentioned."

"Alright." After hearing everyone's reply, Bunduk replied thoughtfully, "This time, I want to choose a candidate from among you to be a new commander. However, this matter should be decided by the Lord in the end. Remember to make more preparations. You may name any one of you to take the position of commander at any time."

"Yes!" the three officers replied in unison.

...

After Kant finished reading the letter from the Undead Kingdom, he carefully wrote a reply to the letter.

The garrison of the Undead City reported to him the number of the remaining undead and wrote a proposal for exile.

However, Kant still ordered in the reply, "Euthanize all the undead soldiers."

He did not want the second Undead Kingdom to appear out of nowhere one day.

The purpose of this expedition was to protect Drondheim's absolute autonomy in the Nahrin Desert. He did not need to worry about the undead invading him from time to time.

Kant would not think of showing mercy to these powerful undead warriors.

As dusk approached, Kant recalled that he had sent someone to summon Bunduk to enter the palace at this time. After instructing his attendants to welcome him, Kant began to drink afternoon tea in the dining hall.

Right now, Drondheim's development was rather smooth, despite having gone through all sorts of ups and downs. But now, it had already begun to take the shape of a strong and prosperous empire.

As a Lord, Kant also relaxed his state of mind, making plans for Drondheim's future.

"Lord, Commander Bunduk has arrived," an attendant entered the door and sent a message.

"Alright." Kant came back to his senses in his imagination. He took off his napkin, wiped his hands with a wet towel, and walked back to the Senate Hall.

"Lord." Bunduk walked in front of him and bowed.

Kant helped him up and asked cheerfully, "During these few days of vacation, I heard that you followed other soldiers to visit the families of the soldiers who died on the battlefield?"

"Yes, although killing and injury are inevitable on the battlefield, as a commander, it is inevitable for me to let the soldiers sacrifice themselves," Bunduk replied.

"If you have such thoughts, your soldiers will definitely follow you without any scruples," Kant commented.

Bunduk shook his head silently.

"Speaking of which, have you found any soldiers for the commander selection?" Kant sat back in his seat, looked at Bunduk, and asked, "I heard that you called out the names of several people when you returned to the military camp today."

Bunduk smiled and said, "The three people that I called out all had outstanding performances in this expedition. However, to become a Commander, you still need some time to train and observe."

Kant nodded. "It's good that you have a clear idea of this matter. After selecting the candidates, report to me. Then, I can give the order to bestow them with official positions."

"In order to become a competent commander candidate in the Lord's mind, we still need to carefully consider it," Bunduk replied.

"We can't drag this out for too long." Kant shook his head, raised three fingers, and said, "We can only have three weeks at most to consider."

"Three weeks?!" Kant's reply slightly surprised Bunduk, and he immediately asked, "Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Cumberland sent a message saying that the lizardmen and jackalans have been harassing their borders recently," Kant explained. "The Elf King is discussing with me when to send troops to attack the lizardmen and jackalans. At that time, we will definitely need to eliminate a large number of troops. In addition to you, we will also need a new commander as the commander."

After hearing Kant's words, Bunduk's brows were tightly furrowed, and he immediately replied, "I didn't expect that Cumberland would be abused so badly right after it was newly established."

"The Elf Kingdom has already completed the battle plan according to the terrain," Kant continued, "The Elf Kingdom's reaction this time was so fast, it really surprised me."

"What about the time? When are we going to the Elf Kingdom?" Bunduk asked anxiously.

"It's about a month away from now. So the military must make arrangements as soon as possible," Kant said earnestly.

Bunduk nodded solemnly. Then, he bade Kant farewell and walked out of the palace.

There were only three weeks left to select a new commander for him.

During these days, Bunduk ran more frequently to the barracks.

The soldiers in the army were all surprised that the commander seemed to be the first person to arrive at the training ground every day.

In order to not appear lazy in front of the commander, the entire army gathered a lot earlier than usual in the morning.

When the soldiers were training, Bunduk sat on the main general stage to supervise the training while observing the three-man team that had been called out previously.

After days of observation, Bunduk silently commented on each of the three men.

Derrick like he usually did, was very careful with his soldiers. However, such a person was still insufficient as a commander.

Bill was a standard competent officer, and he always thought that he had to do everything well. Overall, he was somewhat similar to Pam when he was young, and his leadership ability was also strong.

For Portlem, who was the most proactive in becoming a commander, his thinking was very active. This could be seen from his daily requirements for the soldiers. He was also very confident, exuding a unique leadership temperament in the crowd.

After checking the previous qualifications of these three people, Bunduk finally reported Portlem's name to Kant. He also carefully wrote down his considerations in the document he submitted. After all, this was the new commander.

Chapter 667: Preparations Before the Expedition

The next day, Kant's documents were sent to Bunduk's home.

After seeing the results, Bunduk rushed to the barracks in doubt. Today, he not only had to announce the new commander, but he also had to pass on the upcoming expedition to every soldier.

During the routine gathering, Bunduk stood on the main general stage and said to the soldiers below, "Today will be the first day of the new commander's inauguration -- the new commander, Derrick! He will lead the troops to battle the lizardmen and jackalans with me!"

Derrick stood beside the main general stage, even though he had already been informed that he was the new commander chosen by the Lord. But at that moment, his mind was still blank.

When he was invited by Bunduk to give a speech in front of the main general stage, his eyes nearly turned red. "I believe that I will lead everyone well. I hope that everyone will respond to me immediately."

Cheers and praise came from the soldiers below the stage. After the soldiers under the command of Derrick had gathered, they even rushed up to the stage to congratulate Derrick.

Bunduk nodded, but he didn't immediately go over to say anything. Instead, he instructed the officer beside him to count the number of people in the army who had combat strength.

After the people around Derrick dispersed, Bunduk walked forward and extended his hand to him. "Congratulations. From now on, we will be on the same level."

Derrick lowered his head and humbly held his hand, his eyes glistening with tears. He seemed to be so excited that he couldn't speak.

Bunduk carefully asked if he knew the responsibilities of a commander. He immediately handed over some of the responsibilities to Derrick in front of the soldiers in the army.

"The Commander has appointed you as the commander among the three of them. I hope you can fulfill his expectations," Bunduk said in the end.

"I will definitely work hard to obtain recognition," Derrick promised. He was only twenty-one years old, but he had shouldered a responsibility that was more than ten times heavier than his peers.

Bunduk nodded and turned to leave.

After leaving the military camp, Bunduk took the name list given to him by his officers and made a trip to the palace.

After a round of greetings, Bunduk handed the name list to Kant. Every month, the army would calculate the number of soldiers in the army that could be sent to war before handing it in.

However, they had to go out to war this month, so the date of the name list submission was brought forward.

"Mm." Kant took the name list and began to flip through it.

Meanwhile, Bunduk remained seated at the side, quietly looking at him.

"What is it? Is there anything else?" Kant stopped checking and raised his head to look at Bunduk.

Hearing Lord Kant's sudden question, Bunduk said hesitantly, "Lord, the candidate for the new commander this time..."

"Oh, right." Only then did Kant remember the matter that had been approved yesterday. He said to Bunduk, "I'm sorry, I didn't use the person you recommended."

"No, no, no. This isn't a problem," Bunduk hurriedly denied.

Bunduk was only curious about what sort of brilliance Derrick had in Kant's heart since he could become the new commander.

After all, under Bunduk's observation, Derrick was only modest and gentle.

After hearing Bunduk's thoughts, Kant asked, "What kind of country do you think Drondheim is now?"

"Oh?" Bunduk didn't expect to be asked. After thinking for a moment, he answered, "Growth period?"

"That's right," Kant said affirmatively. "Drondheim's current situation is a country in the middle of development that has already stepped into a new level. With such a background, people with a gentle personality like Derrick would be the best at calming down the dissatisfaction and resentment in the hearts of everyone. It was the same in the army. In this period, due to people's greed and desires, they would become very sensitive to the things around them. As for a commander like Derrick, they would always know how to be content."

After hearing this, Bunduk said hesitantly, "However, when I asked him back then, he didn't seem to have the confidence to take the position of a commander."

Kant nodded first, then he said, "I've read the information you gave me. He has only been in the army for two years. But he has been promoted to the position of a high-ranking officer. This proves that his ability to learn is indeed very strong. Lack of confidence is already a part of his personality. He may not be confident in himself in the future. He will often doubt himself or something, but I think such a person is suitable to be a leader. Only by doubting himself will he listen to the opinions of others when making decisions. He will not force his team into a dead end."

Bunduk was finally convinced by Kant's words. Before he could praise Kant's thoughtfulness.

He heard Kant joked, "Actually, I can also guess that you would choose Portlem. He's too similar to the past you. His temperament, strengths, and so on are simply carved from the same mold. Bill is the same, and he's also very similar to Pam. I don't want to see your growth history again. Speaking of which, choosing Derrick is also considered a last resort."

Bunduk froze on the spot. He wanted to say something, but he was powerless to refute it.

After confirming the choice of a new commander, the entire army officially entered the pre-war preparations.

Previously, a portion of the soldiers had returned from the Elf Kingdom's battlefield. Many new soldiers came to them to inquire about the Elf Kingdom's details and so on.

Bunduk joined the training team in the previous battle. He had suffered quite a number of injuries to his tendons and bones. It was going to be another great battle soon. Before that, he had to be fully prepared.

Although Bunduk had already left the regular training of the army for a long time, he was still able to obtain first place in the training missions.

This caused the other soldiers to be endlessly surprised.

"If you guys continue to go easy on me like this, I won't be happy," Bunduk said in a joking manner.

Seeing the fierce glint in Bunduk's eyes, all of the young soldiers couldn't help but break out in cold sweat. This wasn't a joke, it was a warning to them to increase their training speed.

All of the soldiers started to train hard.

"Compared to the real battlefield, what you are experiencing right now is still far from enough," Bunduk shouted from the main general stage.

Finally, on the day of the expedition, Kant led the imperial guards to send them out of the city gates.

"Lord, since the expedition is so frequent, you don't have to personally send us off every time, right?" Bunduk suggested.

"No, the more times the troops are going out to battle, the more I should rush over," Kant replied with a smile.

Bunduk also smiled, squatting down and saluting before stepping onto the camel's back.

Chapter 668: The Journey to Draw the Curtain

"Lord, then we shall set off." As Derrick rode past Kant on his camel, he bowed his head and saluted him.

"Alright, I hope that you can defeat the enemy and return to Drondheim safely," Kant nodded as he said this and waved at the soldiers.

There were about ten thousand soldiers in this expedition. They walked out of the city gates of Drondheim's main city in an imposing manner.

Kant stopped there as he watched the departing soldiers walk further and further away from the city gates.

It was the familiar desert again when the sky turned dark.

The marching warriors had no choice but to stop and set up camp. Derrick rejected the soldiers' request to hold a bonfire to celebrate for him.

After dinner, he immediately walked to the tent in the center of the military camp.

This was the information reporting center during the march. Derrick walked in and when he saw Bunduk sitting in his seat, he immediately bowed and said, "Commander Bunduk..."

Bunduk smiled and waved his hand. "You're also a commander now. Forget about the bow. If the soldiers see that, it won't be good."

"Thank you, Commander Bunduk," Derrick said cautiously.

Then, he sat on the newly added commander's seat beside Bunduk.

Bunduk took out two letters from a stack of documents, he handed them to Derrick and said, "This is a letter the Elf King wrote to Drondheim in the past week. One was given to me by Lord Kant, and the other was sent directly to me by a messenger."

Derrick nodded, took the envelope with both hands, opened it, and began reading.

Bunduk got up and took a carpet-like map from another table. It was laid on the table in front of him and Derrick.

"According to the contents of the letter, the Elf Kingdom's preparations this time are indeed very thorough. When we arrive with our troops and coordinate with their strategy, it seems like we can completely defeat our opponent," he commented after he read the letter.

"Yeah, I think so too," Bunduk replied affirmatively. Then, he asked Derrick to look at the marked map.

Derrick pointed to a green forest and said, "According to the Elf King, the lizardmen and jackalans encamped at the border should be here. They are indeed very close to Cumberland."

"There's a canyon near the location of this patch of green forest, which is suitable for an ambush. The battlefield this time is probably in that area," Bunduk continued.

"Yes, it would be better if the war this time won't affect Cumberland's territory," said Derrick as he stared at Cumberland's location on the map.

"The Elf King said that it's been raining continuously in the Elf Kingdom for the past few days. I wonder if we'll encounter it when the time comes." Bunduk carefully rolled up the map, put it aside, and sat back in his original position.

"Our warriors shouldn't be worried. Everyone has already simulated the situation countless times during their usual training," Derrick answered. "However, we are indeed not familiar with the terrain there. This might become a disadvantage."

"What the lizardmen and jackalans are doing at the border of Cumberland is probably just a small matter in their eyes. However, the attitude of the Elf Kingdom this time will probably surprise them," Bunduk recounted. "Our army will not stay in the Elf Kingdom. We will probably go to Cumberland after meeting the Elf Queen."

"Okay," Derrick nodded as he said thoughtfully.

The two continued to discuss their strategy before the battle, and it was already late into the night.

The footsteps of the soldiers outside the tent gradually died down. After bidding farewell to Bunduk, Derrick returned to his tent to rest.

After marching in the desert for a few more days, the only thing he felt fortunate about was that they had wiped out the Undead Kingdom. Therefore, the marching troops could pass through the territory of the Undead Kingdom, greatly reducing the time spent on the road.

When Bunduk and Derrick led their troops into the gates of the Undead Kingdom, a wave of proud cheers came from behind them. All the soldiers of Drondheim were proud of their troops.

Bunduk sat on the back of a camel, and his gaze circled the surroundings. He was also filled with emotions.

The Undead City was mostly deserted. After all, the number of garrisons sent from the main city of Drondheim was still relatively few compared to this vast city.

The soldiers in charge of the renovation were all working very hard to make the Undead City a place that was suitable for living, or rather, a city that was suitable for development.

Bunduk jumped off his camel and chatted with the leader of the army who walked out of the city gate to welcome him.

After learning that the cemetery of the soldiers of Drondheim who had died on the battlefield had been completed, he immediately rushed over with his other comrades who wanted to pay their respects.

A group of people walked into the newly built cemetery. Everyone's faces revealed a sorrowful expression.

Everyone walked in silence in front of the graves of the soldiers they knew.

Bunduk stood outside the gate of the cemetery. He did not go in to visit. When he saw some of the soldiers begin to wail in front of their comrades' graves, he could not help but feel a little sad in his heart.

As a commander, he couldn't empathize with the newly enlisted soldiers.

He walked through the battlefield, where blood splattered everywhere, and watched countless comrades he was familiar with fall.

Gradually, his heart became firm. He became the leading flag on the battlefield, supporting all the warriors of Drondheim to advance bravely. In his eyes, having such resolute willpower was what every commander needed to shoulder.

"Commander Bunduk, aren't you going in?" Commander Derrick walked over and asked in a soft voice.

His gaze also turned towards the garden with Bunduk.

"There's no need for me," Bunduk said, feigning nonchalance.

Derrick nodded in response. He could roughly understand what Bunduk was thinking. He didn't say anything else.

"What about you?" Bunduk asked, "Aren't you going to see your comrades?"

"Yes, I've already seen them. On the day the war ended," Derrick said softly. His tone was filled with sorrow.

Bunduk turned to look at Derrick and sighed in his heart.

The two of them quietly waited for the soldiers to walk out of the cemetery. From time to time, they patted a warrior on the shoulder as a form of consolation.

That night, the soldiers of Drondheim, who had marched to the Elf Kingdom, stayed overnight in the Undead City.

They were warmly received by the local army.

The logistics staff of the army prepared many delicacies that had been treasured for a long time.

"If we finished up all the food here, the Lord should reimburse you," Bunduk drank some of the wine prepared for the banquet and joked.

The leader of the Army who sat beside him shook his head with a smile and made a toast to Bunduk.

It was not until late at night that everyone dispersed. They returned to their respective camps to rest and reorganize.

To prepare for tomorrow's departure.

Chapter 669: A Kingdom to Visit Again

The 10,000-strong Drondheim army finally arrived in the Elf Kingdom after half a month.

The Elf King sent soldiers from the main city of the Elf Kingdom to welcome them.

After arranging a place for the soldiers to rest, Bunduk and Derrick visited the royal palace of the Elf Kingdom.

The Elf King had been waiting for them in the main hall of the royal palace for a long time. As he had met Bunduk a few times before, they could be considered familiar with each other. When the Elf King saw the two figures, he walked forward and greeted Bunduke, "Commander Bunduk, long time no see."

Bunduk and Derrick bowed to the Elf King and greeted, "Your Highness."

"This is?" The Elf King looked at Derrick in puzzlement and asked Bunduk.

"This is Commander Derrick. He has just been appointed. He is in charge of commanding the military forces of Drondheim with me," Bunduk explained in detail.

"I see." The Elf King nodded in understanding and extended his hand to greet Derrick. "Hello, Commander Derrick."

"Nice to meet you." Derrick held the hand of the Elf King respectfully.

The Elf King smiled and said, "It seems that Drondheim's soldiers are indeed filled with talents. In such a short time, they were able to select a soldier who is suitable to be a commander."

"No, no." Bunduk politely shook his head and denied it.

The Elf King suddenly thought of something and happily said, "During the battle in the Undead Kingdom, I heard from the Elf Kingdom's medical soldiers that Drondheim won a great victory. Congratulations to all of you."

"Yes. After the Lord returned to the country, he targeted the danger brought by the undead. After some discussion, he ordered us to attack and conquer the Undead Kingdom. The undead's firepower was truly fierce. We were unable to hold our ground against half of their combat strength. We could only say that in the end, we won by luck with the combined efforts of the warriors," Bunduk replied. "Among them, your country's reinforcements also made a huge contribution to resolving the danger for us. I'm truly grateful."

"The reputation of the soldiers of Drondheim being brave and good at fighting has spread throughout the countries on the coast. I believe that when the lizardmen and jackalans see you appear in front of the front lines, they will also be afraid," the Elf King continued.

"Since your kingdom's plan this time is to launch a surprise attack, we will definitely conceal ourselves before the battle. We will try to catch them off guard and use the least casualties in exchange for victory in the war," said Derrick from the side.

The Elf King nodded in approval.

The specifics of the strategy would be handed over from the Elf Kingdom's army to the two commanders of Drondheim.

Bunduk and Derrick didn't stay in the palace for long. After an introduction to the military forces they had prepared, they politely rejected the Elf King's request for a banquet and returned to their prepared accommodations.

The next day, they would head to Cumberland from the Elf Kingdom's official road.

The warriors put their weapons and armor into the cargo boxes.

They put on the clothes sent by the elves and prepared to travel in plain clothes.

At ten in the morning, the first batch of people set off. Due to the existence of the free trade market, the daily flow of people between the main elven city and Cumberland was also very large.

Therefore, even the pedestrians on the road didn't notice that this was a group of soldiers from Drondheim.

Bunduk was the leader of the first batch of soldiers to set off, while Derrick led the last batch of soldiers to hold the line. Finally, they arrived in Cumberland three days later.

The residents of Cumberland didn't seem to know of their arrival.

However, someone came forward to ask them the purpose of their trip. When they learned that it was the reinforcements sent by Drondheim, they surrounded them and cheered.

They had also suffered a lot recently because of the harassment of the lizardmen and jackalans.

Now, when they saw the army sent by their motherland, most of them were so moved that they couldn't speak.

The soldiers were arranged to enter the campsite of the Cumberland garrison, and when the leader of the elven army arrived, they would be sent to the campsite. Bunduk, Derrick, and the elven leader, Gable, began to discuss around the round table.

Gable told the two of them that the elven forces had roughly pinpointed the exact location of the lizardmen and jackalans in the mountains. They also sent spies to track them and update their positions every day.

Before Gable rushed to Cumberland, he had received the latest letter regarding the enemy's precise location.

After conveying the details, Gable took out the coordinates flag and pointed out the location of the lizardmen and jackalans' encampment on the map.

Derrick looked at the location that Gable pointed out and thought for a moment. Then, he said, "If this information is accurate, then according to the strategic plan that we originally formulated, we can smoothly start the war."

Gable nodded, he pointed to a high ground not far from the coordinate flag and said, "When the time comes, Drondheim's army can first ambush the western mountain. After we launch an attack, we will rush down the mountain slope and meet up, sealing off the lizardmen's retreat path."

Bunduk said, "The elves have cooperated with Drondheim's army before. I hope that there will be a good result this time."

Gable replied, "This is a battle meticulously planned by the elves' forces. In addition, the combat strength of Drondheim's soldiers is extraordinary. I'm confident that I can finish off the lizardmen and jackalans at the border."

Hearing Gable's promise, Bunduk and Derrick nodded with certainty.

Although they didn't participate in the strategic deployment, from Bunduk's point of view, the elven forces' plan this time was indeed much better than before. At least, it was satisfactory so far.

On the day of the expedition, before the sky had even brightened, the Drondheim soldiers set off for the ambush location.

In order to avoid being discovered by the lizardmen and jackalan spies, everyone chose a more remote path and walked to the mountain in the west, they hid in a place where they could roughly see the camp of the lizardmen and jackalan soldiers.

Bunduk crouched on the grass and used his brown binoculars to observe the movements of the lizardmen and jackalans.

All the soldiers hid according to the order of the formation.

The Swadian warriors were about halfway up the mountain. When the cannon fire of the war sounded, they would lead the cavalries behind them down the slope.

The Sun gradually rose, and the warriors followed the shadows of the trees to move their positions.

"They're here," Bunduk called out in a low voice.

In his field of vision, the elven army was continuously approaching the lizardmen and jackalans' tents.

The soldiers who were patrolling around the camp didn't sense the elven soldiers approaching. They were still chatting in groups.

Everyone on the hillside tensed up, ready to start sprinting.

Chapter 670: The Decisive Battle

Bunduk raised his hand, signaling for everyone to keep quiet.

The elven army arrived in front of the lizardmen and jackalans' tents.

Gable stood at the front of the army, commanding the fire elves to throw fireballs into the camp. All the tents were set on fire.

"This is bad!" Bunduk heard a call from Derrick.

He saw that the soldiers who had been wandering around the tents had all disappeared. And the figures in the woods beside the military camp were stirring.

Gable couldn't help but be stunned when he saw this situation.

Could it be that he had fallen into the trap of the lizardmen and jackalans?

He looked at the lizardmen and jackalan soldiers who were constantly sprinting out of the woods. While Gable was filled with regret, he looked up at the mountain where the Drondheim soldiers were hiding.

The Drondheim soldiers must have seen the situation on their side and did not rush down the hill as they had predicted.

This was the first time Gable had met the Drondheim soldiers. He had only heard that they had won many battles. Now that the elven team was trapped, he did not know if they would give up on support.

The lizardmen and jackalans surrounded the elven warriors, forming a dark mass.

The elven warriors just stood there, waiting for Gable to give the order.

With his heart wavering, Gable finally made up his mind. Since it had come to this, he could only trust the leadership of the Drondheim soldiers. Perhaps now was the best time for the elves and the Drondheim troops to cooperate.

A burly jackalan walked out of the troop and said to Gable who was riding on a horse, "You didn't expect that we would see through your sneak attack, did you?"

"Humph, today our elven soldiers are not afraid of a face-to-face battle with you jackalans and the lizardmen," Gable said coldly, then, he raised his arm and shouted, "all elven soldiers, even if we spill our blood here today, we will drive this group out of the border!"

"Hahahaha!" The jackalan leader laughed, "Are you kidding me?! We jackalans and the lizardmen are united, but we can still be defeated by your army of thousands of mages?! What a fantasy!"

"Defeated by us?" Gable looked at the mountain in the distance and grinned. "We aren't the only ones here."

In his field of vision, he saw the Swadian sergeants, who were charging at the front, gradually approaching.

Derrick, who was carefully observing the movements on the mountain, noticed Gable's hand gesture to launch an attack. After passing this information to Bunduk, he said, "Let's go." Bunduk immediately ordered the army to attack.

The jackalan leader was stunned by Gable's words. He didn't know when the soldiers of Drondheim had arrived in the Elf Kingdom.

When he heard the shaking of the ground behind him, the Swadian warriors had already rushed in front of them from the mountain path. They raised their shields and made a hole in the encirclement of the jackalans and lizardmen.

Many of the lizardmen and jackalans were knocked to the ground, and after the soldiers stabbed their chests. They were completely lifeless.

"Retreat, retreat!" the leader of the jackalans ordered his soldiers loudly.

However, the forest that was good at hiding their escape had already been burned into a sea of fire by Gable's fire elves when the Swadian soldiers rushed down the hill.

Races like the jackalans and the lizardmen, which had evolved from nocturnal animals, were completely unable to withstand the visual impact and high temperature brought by the flames.

The jackalans and lizardman soldiers panicked. Once the Drondheim soldiers arrived, they fell from a stable advantage to an overwhelming disadvantage. They could only think about how to escape.

With the elven spells behind them, the Swadian soldiers continued to flood in.

The leader of the jackalan led the soldiers to escape to the empty space behind the military camp, but he was forced back to his original position by the Rhodok soldiers led by Bunduk and Derrick.

The eyes of the jackalan soldiers flashed with a green light. Since they couldn't escape, they could only fight to the death.

The jackalans pounced in front of the Rhodok soldiers and flashed their sharp fangs.

However, they were kicked to the ground by the Rhodok soldiers, who had amazing physical strength.

Finally, their necks were cut off by a horizontal knife.

After the elves arrived at Drondheim's army, they continued to launch magic attacks behind the formation of the Swadian soldiers.

The lizardmen and jackalans were like ants on a hot pan, restless in the encirclement. Even if they knocked down a warrior from Drondheim or a mage from the elven race. They would immediately be heavily injured by the continuous attacks.

In less than two hours, all the lizardmen and jackalans had lost their ability to fight, either dead or injured.

Gable sent people to capture the surviving enemies and tied them up with ropes back to the Elf Kingdom.

"Thank you for lending a helping hand in times of trouble," Gable said gratefully to Bunduk and Derrick.

Bunduk shook his head with a smile and said, "Helping you was one of the goals of our trip. We should be most grateful that Derrick understood the signal you sent, allowing us to cooperate with you in launching a counterattack."

Upon hearing Bunduk's words, Derrick answered in embarrassment, "I only noticed this habit of Gable's when he was training his troops before the battle. I was thinking that he might be hinting for us to send our troops."

Derrick's explanation made Bunduk and Gable look at him in surprise.

Bunduk had originally thought that the reason why Derrick was able to discover Gable's secret signal was that the two of them had discussed it before the battle. He didn't expect that he would be the one to make a subjective inference after observing. This level of care and determination was indeed beyond Bunduk's expectations.

The degree of surprise in Gable's heart was about the same as that of Bunduk. However, he didn't show anything. He just shook hands with Derrick to express his gratitude.

After dealing with the battlefield, the soldiers of Drondheim returned to Cumberland with the Elf Kingdom's forces.

The news of victory had spread throughout the colony. People from all families ran to the city gate to welcome the soldiers who had returned victorious. They also held a celebration banquet and prepared many sumptuous dishes. The elven warriors were also invited to join them.

"I'm really not used to eating human food," an elven soldier said to the soldier beside him during the banquet.

"I think it's quite delicious." the elf soldier beside him said nonchalantly while picking up a lot of food with his chopsticks and put it in his bowl.

"Huh?" The elf soldier who had just started the banquet had drunk quite a lot of wine. At this moment, his face was slightly tipsy. He frowned and said, "What did you say? Let me see how your tongue grows. Has It become a human tongue?"

"Go away! Go away! Don't go crazy with me. Why drink so much if you don't like to eat?" The elf soldier who was annoyed by the "harassment" retorted.

At the end of the banquet, many of the soldiers had already collapsed on the open-air dining table and fell asleep.

Chapter 671: Decision-Making After the Battle

After spending a night in Cumberland, the Elf Kingdom's troops would set off for the Elf Kingdom's main city.

Bunduk and Derrick were also in the formation. As the commanders of the main reinforcements, they also needed to report the results of the battle to the Elf King.

Furthermore, they also needed to know how to deal with the lizardmen and jackalans.

Three days later, the elven army arrived at the main city of the Elf Kingdom.

Before Gable could return to the camp, he was summoned by the Elf King. He brought Bunduk and Derrick into the palace.

"It's been hard on all of you," the Elf King consoled after receiving the greetings of the three.

"The plan to exterminate the enemy went smoothly. I didn't feel tired," Derrick replied peacefully.

Upon hearing this, the Elf King smiled and said, "This great victory is a first-class good thing for the Elf Kingdom and Drondheim. I have already sent a message to Lord Kant regarding the outcome of this battle."

"The Elf Kingdom and Drondheim are very far apart. I wonder when we will receive a reply from the Lord?" Bunduk asked.

The Elf King thought for a moment, he replied, "We will receive a reply from Drondheim in about three days. I mentioned in my letter about the expedition to the lizardmen and jackalans' territory. I wonder what Lord Kant will reply. Until then, I can only trouble you two to stay in the Elf Kingdom for the time being."

Bunduk thought for a moment and replied, "Yes, then we will wait for the Lord's reply in the main city. I hope that Your Highness can summon us when you receive the reply."

"Of course."

Bunduk and the other two stepped out of the royal palace's door.

"Commander Bunduk and Commander Derrick, what are your plans next?" Gable asked.

Bunduk replied, "We should find an inn nearby to stay. In short, there will be a letter from Drondheim in three days."

Derrick nodded in agreement with Bunduk's idea.

Gable said apologetically, "Since the two commanders have your own plans, I don't need to worry about you. Besides, my manor near the military camp is really shabby. I'm afraid it's not good enough to entertain the two of you."

"Thank you for your kindness. Staying near the royal palace will allow us to know the news ahead of time. This is what we hope for the most at the moment," Derrick said.

"Okay." Gable fell into deep thought before continuing, "I wonder what kind of orders Lord Kant will send. In that case, I'll take my leave first. See you in three days."

"See you in three days."

Bunduk and Derrick booked a guest room at the inn closest to the palace.

They went out for a walk every day, and in the evening, they would rest early after chatting. It could be said that they were very free.

On the morning of the third day, Derrick sat at the dining table in the guest room and made tea. Today, neither of them planned to go out. They sat in their rooms wholeheartedly, waiting for news from the palace.

Bunduk drank a whole cup of tea and told Derrick, "I didn't expect that I wouldn't be able to adapt without the army's mission."

"Commander Bunduk, you haven't had much rest in the past year, have you? You've been fighting wars or handling government affairs for the Lord in the main city," Derrick said with a smile.

"But it looks like you never really thought of going out to play. There's a lot of pressure of becoming a new commander, right?" Bunduk also joked back.

"I'm different from Commander Bunduk. When I was an officer, I would take a break from my busy schedule." Derrick gave Bunduk a sly look, then he took a sip of his tea with a sense of ease.

Bunduk chuckled and didn't say anything else.

Over the past three days, the two of them had chatted quite a bit about their experiences. They gradually became more familiar with each other, no longer as distant and isolated as before.

Not long after the two of them quieted down, the sound of an inquiry came from outside the door. "Excuse me, is this the room of Commander Bunduk and Commander Derrick?"

Bunduk hurriedly stood up and walk to the door, and he saw an elf dressed in a guard's uniform standing outside the door.

After the elf guard bowed, he said to the two of them, "His Highness the Elf King asked me to summon the two of you into the palace. He said that Drondheim has sent a reply."

Derrick and Bunduk nodded together and said, "Then, I'll have to trouble you to lead the way."

When they reached the main hall of the palace, Bunduk and the others met Gable, who was dressed in military uniform, at the door. It turned out that the Elf King had summoned the three of them to enter the palace together.

After greeting each other, they entered the main hall one after another.

"Your Highness, I heard that you received a reply from the Lord," Bunduk went forward and asked the Elf King.

"Yes." The Elf King took out a letter from his pocket and said, "Take a look with Commander Derrick. There are some instructions for you to read."

After quickly reading it, Bunduk handed the letter to Derrick and turned around to ask, "Then, are we leaving for Cumberland immediately?"

The letter said that Drondheim's troops would head to the lizardmen and jackalan's territory together with the Elf Kingdom's troops.

"Yes, but I want Gable to lead the march with you," said the Elf King.

"The march has been prepared according to Your Highness's instructions," reported Gable.

"Then it means that the preparations have been made. I wonder how the lizardmen and jackalan troops that were left behind to defend the city will react. However, the main purpose of this trip is to search for the results of the battle. I hope that you can return safely," instructed the Elf King.

The three replied calmly, "Yes!"

After leaving the palace, Bunduk and Derrick boarded the carriage prepared for them and headed to Cumberland with the assembled elven soldiers.

After receiving the message from the main city, the Cumberland soldiers also began to prepare seriously.

Training was necessary.

The citizens of Cumberland provided them with a wide field as a training ground. The leading officer would lead his team to meet the daily training targets.

Kant said in the letter, "the supply this time was provided by Cumberland. To be able to provide 10,000 soldiers with rations on the way to the lizardmen and jackalan's territory in a short period of time according to the requirements, it could be seen that Cumberland's development in just half a year was astonishing enough."

Kant also learned about this fact from the financial account books that were uploaded every month.

By the time Bunduk and the others arrived in Cumberland, all the soldiers were ready.

On the morning of the fourth day, nearly 20,000 soldiers set off from Cumberland, heading for the lizardmen and jackalan's territory.

The lizardmen and jackalan's territory was not far from the Elf Kingdom's boundary.

The three countries were close to a coast and could be reached by walking straight along the coast.

However, the journey will take about four or five days.

The soldiers march during the day and encamp at night.

They marched at full speed towards their destination.

Chapter 672: The Discovery of the Lizardmen's Main City

The 20,000-strong army formed by Drondheim and the Elf Kingdom finally arrived at the lizardmen's territory on the fourth morning after they departed from Cumberland. The continuous trekking for several days didn't diminish the enthusiasm of the soldiers.

Bunduk and Derrick led the army behind them and stood at the city gates of the lizardmen's main city.

On the city walls stood a line of lizardmen soldiers. When they saw that the troops were at the city gates, they immediately raised their white flags.

The two squads that the lizardmen had excluded had fallen at the hands of Drondheim. At this point, the soldiers left behind to defend the main city weren't enough to fight the troops outside the city gates. There was even a high possibility that the troops would be defeated.

Bunduk and the others did not expect the lizardmen to surrender so easily. At this moment, the main city gates had already been opened by the lizardmen's soldiers. Gradually, several rows of lizardmen soldiers walked out. The lizardmen standing at the front seemed to be the captain of the team. The captain of the guards held the white flag in his right hand and acted as if he was begging for mercy and surrendering.

Bunduk dismounted his horse suspiciously and asked the leader of the lizardmen, who was the representative of surrendering, "Are you here to surrender on behalf of the lizardmen?"

"Yes, all the remaining warriors of the lizardmen are here," the lizardman replied.

When Bunduk heard this, he raised his head and roughly counted the number of lizardmen present. There were only about seven to eight hundred of them.

With such combat strength, if he were to fight head-on with his own troops, it would be like throwing an egg at a rock.

At this moment, Gable walked to Bunduk's side and asked the leader of the lizardmen, "Where is your Lord?"

"The Lord has already abandoned the city and escaped," the lizardman pleaded pitifully. "You can have anything you want, but can you spare our lives?"

Bunduk's expression did not change. He had seen this situation countless times. Since he had chosen to become a warrior and fight on the battlefield, how could his hands not be stained with blood? At this moment, the lizardman was acting like a defeated person. He could understand, but he would not sympathize.

Gable was frowning at the side. He called for his troops to tie up the lizardmen soldiers with ropes and temporarily take them as captives.

The lizardman leader was held hostage by a few soldiers and entered the city with them.

After entering the main city of the lizardmen, Gable said to the lizardman leader, "Did your Lord run away by himself? Or did he bring his treasures with him?"

"The Lord ran away with a few of his personal guards. As time is tight, they didn't seem to bring much," the lizardman leader replied in a panic. "I know where the Lord's treasure vault is. If I bring you there, will you let us go?"

"Hmph, let's find it first," Gable snorted softly.

The leader of the lizardmen then brought them to the palace of the main city of the lizardmen.

Although it was called a palace, its appearance wasn't as shocking as the palaces that Bunduk had seen before. It was unknown if it was due to a lack of budget or something else. The appearance of the palace was very simple. It felt like an ordinary residence that took up a slightly larger area.

The group walked to the entrance of the palace. Gable ordered his elven soldiers to carefully search the main city for resources that could be used.

As for Bunduk and Derrick, they didn't do anything. They were only here to gather actual results. Natural resources weren't particularly useful to Drondheim, which was far away.

Therefore, they didn't need to think about getting a share of the spoils.

The space in the palace was still relatively small, so only Bunduk, the other two, and a few other warriors entered to take a look.

"Your Lord is certainly living a simple life," Gable finally commented as he surveyed the furnishings in the palace. The kitchen in charge of food in the palace was probably only the size of a toilet in the royal palace of the Elf Kingdom.

The lizardman soldier shook his head and said with a wry smile, "You'll know when you follow me down."

Under everyone's astonished gazes, the lizardman opened a secret door. There was a corridor inside.

Bunduk and Derrick followed the lizardman into the secret door. The space inside the door was pitch-black.

"Eh? Why is there ventilation here?" Derrick felt a chill blow across his face as he asked in surprise.

"This section was originally illuminated, but because the cost of lighting is too high, and the items inside aren't suitable for an open fire environment, they were abandoned."

The group followed closely behind the lizardman as they headed to the other end of the corridor.

"There seems to be quite a lot of space in here," Gable said. As his words fell, they could faintly hear an echo.

It didn't take long for them to arrive at an empty plot of land.

The walls of the empty plot of land were inlaid with high-priced fluorescent stones, allowing everyone to see clearly.

"Wow!" Derrick couldn't help but exclaim when he saw the boxes filled with expensive treasures stacked together.

"The Lord didn't take his treasures away. He was probably worried that he would attract the attention of others," the lizardman said from the side.

"He hid so many treasures. If the people around him knew about it, they would probably feel jealous." Bunduk then asked the lizardman, "How did you know where your Lord hid the treasures?"

"I just accidentally barged in." the lizardman lowered his head and said.

"Then why didn't you bring your soldiers and bring these treasures away? This is enough for all of you to enjoy for a few lifetimes."

"Some of the soldiers' families are still in the city. It is impossible to migrate the entire city," the lizardman replied, "instead of that, I might as well give up these treasures to you. Perhaps I can exchange them for a chance of survival."

"Yes." Bunduk nodded and didn't comment.

The soldiers waiting outside the palace were called into the secret chamber. They were in charge of sorting out the treasures.

The soldiers that had been sent out to search previously had sent someone back to deliver a message. They had discovered a Freshwater Lake and an iron mine on the outskirts of the lizardmen's main city.

Gable was overjoyed as he said to Bunduk in a relaxed manner, "The reason why we were able to wipe out the lizardmen this time is mainly due to the army of Drondheim."

"It should be the victory of our cooperation," answered Derrick modestly.

"No, no, no. Without your assistance this time, the elven army wouldn't have been able to achieve such fruitful results," Gable couldn't help but continue praising, "I'm truly grateful to every Drondheim reinforcements."

After Derrick smiled and declined, he finally accepted Gable's sincere gratitude.

The number of financial reports stored in the secret room was indeed astonishing. More than a hundred soldiers had to work in the secret room for a long time before they could finally complete the task of sorting out everything and recording it down.

Chapter 673: The Final Result of the Battle

"Commander Bunduk, may I ask you to transfer a group of people from the troops of the Drondheim soldiers to guard the spoils of war with the remaining troops of the Elf Kingdom in the main city of the lizardmen?" Gable walked to Bunduk's side and asked.

Bunduk faced Gable and nodded, saying, "Of course."

"That's good. In a while, I'll have the guards gather in front of the palace gates. Commander Bunduk, bring the soldiers of Drondheim with you," Gable suggested.

"Okay, I'll send someone to give you the names of the soldiers," Bunduk replied calmly.

"Based on my experience working with you this time, Commander Bunduk is indeed very reliable," Gable praised.

"I just did what I was supposed to do," Bunduk said politely, and continued, "this time, we captured the lizardmen's territory. How does the Elf Kingdom plan to deal with the remaining lizardmen?"

"According to the usual practice after a war, they should be exiled. Anyway, they can't be allowed to return to this city," Gable replied after pondering for a while.

"Yes." Bunduk nodded and didn't say anything else.

In the current situation, it wasn't suitable for him to say too much. Moreover, the Elf Kingdom's way of handling matters could be considered very slow. In the past, many countries fought in all directions. Every place they went to, they would ferociously choose to massacre the entire city. In their eyes, perhaps this was the only way to completely win a war. And even now, many countries would completely destroy the armies of the defeated countries after they won the war to ensure that they would be unable to recover.

Bunduk had never done something like slaughtering a city before. After all, when he saw those ordinary people who had nothing to do with war or politics, he would pity them.

After the distribution of personnel and supplies was settled, other than the soldiers who were in charge of keeping watch, the rest of the people once again embarked on the journey to the Jackalan Kingdom.

The two countries were not far from each other. After two days and a night, all the soldiers arrived at the gate of the jackalans' territory.

Before they got close, the gate of the Jackalan City opened wide. Many armored jackalan soldiers rushed out from inside. After lining up in a row, they stood in front of everyone.

This was the most common offensive formation used by the jackalans.

However, facing more than 10,000 soldiers, this formation did not bring much offensive momentum.

The Lord of the jackalans was at the center of the formation. He belonged to a race that focused on strength and explosive power. As the leader, he was very eye-catching among the jackalans.

"Charge!" the Lord of the jackalans roared angrily. The sound he made was more like the roar of a wild beast.

The jackalan warriors crashed directly into the shield of the Swadian soldiers at the front. They wanted to destroy their formation.

However, after one of the Swadian soldiers fell, new soldiers came forward.

Under the absolute suppression of the number of people, the energy that the jackalans exploded at the end of their lives could not save them.

The cavalries and elven warriors at the back row continuously used long-range attacks to put pressure on the jackalans.

Many of the jackalans fell to the ground with wounds all over their bodies before they could charge forward.

The eyes of the jackalan lord flashed with green light of hatred when he saw this scene. He flew forward and used the astonishing strength of his right arm to cut down a cavalry under his horse.

Behind him, many jackalans also leaped forward, trying to bypass the defense of the Swadian soldiers in the front row and cut straight to the mages and cavalries on horses in the back row.

With their astonishing jumping ability, a portion of the jackalans finally achieved their goal. They successfully disrupted the formation at the back row.

When the Lord of the jackalans first jumped into the rear formation, Bunduk and the others launched a joint attack and beheaded him.

Seeing that the front line was gradually collapsing, they ordered loudly, "Second defensive formation!"

Upon hearing the order, the Swadian Sergeants leaped onto the backs of their comrades and stacked their shields on top of each other.

Under the tough defense, the jackalans couldn't break out of the encirclement again.

They could only watch as the other party gradually shrank away from them.

In the end, they were completely surrounded.

After the smoke of the battle, there were only dozens of elven medical soldiers left on the battlefield.

Bunduk took off his helmet and jumped off his horse. He said to Derrick, "I never expected the jackalans to last until the end and fight us head-on."

"The lord of the jackalans is so different from the lord of the lizardmen," Derrick replied.

After the war ended, Gable led a group of people into the city.

As for Bunduk and Derrick, they stayed outside the city gates and didn't follow him in.

They organized their soldiers to set up a tent and it was done when evening arrived.

Gable also walked out of the city gates with his soldiers carrying suitcases.

Outside the city gates of the jackalan race, smoke rose from the chimneys. Bunduk and the others had their first meal of the day.

After dinner, Bunduk, Derrick, and Gable gathered in the tent.

"Commander Bunduk, Commander Derrick, the results of the two searches have been recorded in the book." Gable took out two books from his pocket and handed them to Bunduk and Derrick, reminding them to keep an eye out for them.

"Thank you." After taking the books, Bunduk said, "Actually, we can't tell much. We'll have to leave this matter to the military officer in charge."

"Yes. The expedition this time is almost coming to an end. It's really my luck to be able to carry out the mission with the two of you," Gable said.

"General Gable, you've said this many times," Bunduk replied. "There's no need to be so polite with us. The Elf Kingdom has been in close contact with Drondheim for the past year, and the border of Cumberland has always been under your care. If we want to thank you, we'll probably have to say it for a few days and nights. In the future, we might meet on the battlefield. Since we've made friends, there's no need to thank us in this way."

Derrick stood to the side and nodded in agreement with what Bunduk said.

Gable was embarrassed to continue. He extended his hand and said, "Alright then. I hope to see you on the battlefield again in the future and become comrades-in-arms with you."

The next morning, Bunduk and Derrick worked out a route back to Cumberland before leading the army on their journey.

The treasures they found were divided into 40-60 percent and loaded onto the carriage.

Kant's letter said that this was the result of his discussion with the elves. Furthermore, in order to reduce the burden of the march, the treasures didn't need to be brought back to the main city by the army.

Upon arrival in Cumberland, it would be brought back to Drondheim by men appointed by Cumberland.

Chapter 674: Preparation for the New Empire

Bunduk's army stayed in Cumberland for less than half a day before leaving.

The Elf King even personally came to the city gate to send them off.

After half a month, the army led by Bunduk returned to Drondheim.

Kant led the guards of the palace to welcome them and announced that a party would be held in the city tonight.

This was the news Kant had immediately informed the citizens of the city upon receiving the news of victory.

He was preparing a surprise for the victorious soldiers when they returned to Drondheim.

It was also to make everyone feel proud of the soldiers of their country.

"Lord."

"Lord."

Upon arriving at the palace's Senate Hall, Bunduk and Derrick bowed to Kant once again.

"Thank you for your hard work," Kant consoled them. "Derrick, how do you feel after winning two battles in a row on your first expedition as a new commander?"

"I'm happy that our country's military is strong. I also feel very pressured by my current position," Derrick replied.

"It's normal to feel pressured. It's good enough to gain confidence from the soldiers under you," Kant said. "There shouldn't be any more battles in the near future. You have to familiarize yourself with it in the military camp as soon as possible."

"Yes, thank you for your wisdom, Lord," replied Derrick.

Kant nodded and continued to ask them about the details of the march. Then, he let the two of them go back to rest.

Drondheim was filled with lanterns and streamers tonight. The bustle was almost the same as during the New Year.

On the way back, the two met many soldiers who were able to stroll around because of the evening party.

Under the constant invitations of these soldiers, Bunduk and Derrick were also crowded into the restaurant.

"Drink to your heart's content tonight. It's my treat," said Bunduk after sitting in the lead seat and toasting everyone.

"Yoo-hoo!" The soldiers happily banged the table and jeered.

"This, do I have to treat you together with me?" asked Derrick as he leaned into Bunduk's ear and said carefully.

Bunduk was feeling a little embarrassed by the soldiers' heckling. When he heard Derrick's words, he was stunned for a moment. Then, he said apologetically to Derrick, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I was just saying. No one cares anyway." After taking a sip of his wine, Derrick said to Bunduk with a smile in his eyes, "Just treat it as you treating me once."

With that said, Derrick poured the wine glass over and shook it up and down, indicating that Bunduk had finished his drink.

Bunduk smiled and didn't say anything else.

After Bunduk and Derrick left, Kant sat alone in the hall, correcting the documents until late at night.

After sorting out all the administrative matters for today, Kant took out the topographic map that he had sent to survey the borders.

The founding of the Caradia Empire should indeed be put on the agenda.

Now, in the Nahrin Desert, Drondheim stood alone. The troops wandering in the desert posed no threat to it at all.

The relevant details were ready.

All this was carried out in silence by Kant and several ministers.

Now, it could be announced that it had been confirmed and brought to the surface.

Kant wanted to wait until the army had calmed down from the continuous battles over the past six months before gathering everyone to tell them about the founding of the kingdom.

The original city of the Undead Kingdom had also been completely renovated.

Kant was prepared to set off to see it in a few days. In his impression, the undead had no concept of the public facilities of the city. It was estimated that there were many undeveloped or half-developed resource areas in the main city of the Undead kingdom.

These were also important for the establishment of the Caradia Empire.

Kant imagined the future of the Caradia Empire in his mind.

He felt both excited and uneasy.

It felt like everything was starting to make sense, but he couldn't figure it out completely.

Kant just let his imagination run wild until he fell asleep.

In the next few days.

Kant would often take time out of the day to go to the military camp to take a look.

These two battles were led by Bunduk. Although it wasn't obvious, he was pleasantly surprised to be able to obtain such a result.

The spoils of war brought back from Cumberland were indeed astonishing, but what made Kant even happier was that according to Bunduk's description, Drondheim's army had gradually mastered the ability to adapt to tactics, and their combat ability was constantly improving.

In order to increase the distance between them and the soldiers, Kant chose to visit the military camp frequently.

"Lord, you're here again." Bunduk stepped forward and bowed.

"Your tone makes me feel as if I've been here many times," Kant said with a smile.

Bunduk covered his mouth in panic, then shook his head and said, "I didn't mean that."

Kant smiled and asked, "How's the training in the army recently?"

"I feel that everyone's physical fitness has improved, and the progress of completing the mission is much faster than before. Now, a few of us are considering whether to increase the difficulty of the training," Bunduk said in detail.

"That sounds good. What about you? What have you been doing recently? Why is it that the person who came to my place to summarize for me is Derrick?" Kant continued asking.

"I'm training with the soldiers. I feel that this mission suits me quite well. Different things should be handed over to the right person," Bundk replied.

"Oh?" Kant raised his eyebrows in puzzlement. "If you say that... I don't know what to say. It's just that I can clearly sense your lack of confidence in your words."

"Lack of confidence? I don't think so," Bunduk denied.

"Don't be in a hurry to deny it. Some words are easy to say but difficult to understand. Even if you say it yourself, you may not be able to understand its meaning in your mind," Kant warned Bunduk with a deep meaning.

Kant had two lifetimes of experience in dealing with people. Standing in front of Bunduk, he could see through his thoughts in an instant.

However, he wanted him to solve it himself and not rely on others.

"I'm going to the Undead Kingdom the day after tomorrow. At that time, if you need to submit any documents, just hand them over to my appointed minister," Kant changed the topic.

This was another thing that he had come to inform him about recently.

"The Undead Kingdom? Lord, why are you going there?" Bunduk asked in surprise when he heard this news.

"The place is almost repaired. I'm going to take a look at the results," Kant replied casually.

"Oh, Lord, will you be staying there for a long time?"

"No, I'll probably be back in less than a month," Kant replied. "I'll leave the army to you."

"Yes, my Lord," Bunduk bowed.

Kant helped him up and bid him farewell.

Chapter 675: Investigation of the Undead City

Kant rode on a camel and walked out of the city gate under the cover of a guard dressed in plain clothes.

However, no one recognized him as the lord of Drondheim despite the noise of people outside the city gate.

Kant and his group, disguised as a trade caravan, traveled in the desert for seven days and arrived at the Undead City.

The sign of the territory of the undead at the city gate had been replaced with the sign of Drondheim's territory.

Kant's guards called the city guards above the city gate to open the gate. Under the welcome of the city guards, Kant walked down from the camel's back and asked the captain of the soldiers, "Where is General Adonis?"

"Reporting to the Lord, the general is leading a team to patrol the city. He should be on his way here now," the captain of the soldiers bowed his head and replied respectfully.

"Mm, take me to your barracks. I'll wait for him there," Kant nodded and said.

"Yes," the soldier replied. After instructing a soldier beside him to send a message to General Adonis, he got on his horse and let Kant follow behind him.

Kant rode on his camel and moved forward slowly. On the way, he also browsed through the city planning and design of the undead race. It was slightly different from a normal human city.

After a short observation, Kant found that it was as he had expected. The undead race's cities were all made of stone houses. The distance between them was uneven, and the width of the land was also very different. The streets were also distorted by the construction of these houses.

However, the houses on both sides of the street had been completely dismantled by the repair workers sent by Drondheim. Kant was only observing the exposed foundation and the stone laid on the street, in his heart, he could roughly imagine the original appearance of the Undead City.

Along with the sightseeing, Kant also had a rough idea of the repair project in his heart.

Walking into the military camp, Kant sat down at the main general's seat and waited quietly.

"Lord Kant!" Following a shout, a tall soldier wearing a war uniform walked into Kant's tent.

"General Adonis, long time no see." Kant stood up and greeted with a smile.

Adonis walked to Kant and bowed, panting, he said, "I heard from the soldiers guarding the city that you have arrived here, so I rushed over immediately. I thought that you would only arrive tomorrow, after all, there have been frequent strong winds in the desert recently. The bad weather is not suitable for traveling."

Kant smiled and replied, "I haven't been here for long before you came. Why are you in such a hurry? Take a breath and rest first."

After saying that, Kant ordered the guards to bring a glass of water to Adonis. After Adonis thanked them and took it, he immediately drank it.

"Pardon my rudeness," Adonis wiped his mouth and said apologetically.

Kant knew that this was his nature. He did not say anything and shook his head with a smile.

"Is the Lord here for the renovation project?" Adonis asked.

"Probably. I don't plan to stay here for long. I'm just here to see how the progress is." Kant suddenly thought of something and quickly turned his head and asked, "This place... hasn't been named yet, right?"

"Yes." Adonis scratched his head and said, "Someone in the team reported the proposal of the city's name to you, but didn't receive a response. We also don't know what to call this place specifically."

"Oh, oh. Maybe I missed something." Kant seemed to recall something and nodded.

In fact, the documents from the ministers or other territories would be classified into various grades because of the large number of documents. Kant was only responsible for dealing with the upper three grades. The rest were handed over to the high-ranking ministers who usually discussed national policies together.

Such a simple and complicated matter like naming was probably passed to the minister in charge and then ignored.

However, Kant did not say that he did not see it. The ministers and officers who submitted the documents only knew that they had to mark the important grades of the documents according to the priority of the matter. However, they did not know that a portion of the document would not be sent to the Lord.

Now that he thought about it, Kant felt that this process was indeed not very strict, and mistakes could appear at any time. After the empire was built, the newly issued constitution had to be amended so that the empire's machinery could operate without any mistakes.

Adonis did not think too much about it, he only replied, "I heard that Lord, you will be in the Senate Hall every day to revise the document until late at night. Recently, Drondheim had to go out to war often. Lord, forgetting such a small matter is unavoidable, right?"

"Have the rumors about me spread to such a faraway place?" Kant said in a joking tone, "Why don't you discuss the name of this city and decide for yourself. After all, you guys are the ones who have been guarding this place."

"Really?" Adonis was a little surprised. They should be the first batch of soldiers who gets to decide the name of the country's territory.

"Yes." Kant nodded. "But before you name it, you have to check the background of the name. Don't name it's just because it's pleasant to hear."

"Okay, thank you, Lord," Adonis answered excitedly.

"Tomorrow, I will go with the troops in charge of the repairs to the scene to supervise the work. Go and inform the troops in advance. Tell them to do whatever they need to do. Don't mind me," Kant said to Adonis in detail.

"Yes," Adonis bowed and agreed.

Kant's short-term residence in the main city of the Undead Kingdom was not in the military camp. Instead, it was at the newly built civilian residence next to the original palace.

Kant's room was arranged on the third floor, while the other guards were resting on the second floor.

After Kant walked into the residence, he looked around, then climbed up the stairs and walked into his own room.

This room was very spacious, and all kinds of facilities were fully prepared.

"Unfortunately, there's nothing outside the window," Kant stood by the window and commented as he looked at the ruins of the old palace that had been demolished.

The atmosphere here was completely different from that of Cumberland. Judging from the current trend, this place would be built into a typical industrial city in the future. It would be responsible for providing raw materials and processing.

However, this place and Cumberland had indeed made up for Drondheim's shortcomings.

"Knock, knock!" The guard knocked on the door of the room.

Kant shouted for him to come in. The guard opened the door and placed a few stacks of blueprints on the table in the living room, he said respectfully to Kant, "My Lord, this was sent by Adonis from the repair staff. Please have a look."

Kant nodded, indicating that he understood.

The soldier took the candlestick closer to the blueprints and took his leave.

Kant sat down and began to pick up the design and look at it carefully.

Chapter 676: The Establishment of Durandal

Kant woke up early the next morning. After washing up, he asked someone to lead the way to the construction site.

A large group of uniformed army workers were gathered in the workshop. They were probably preparing to assemble.

Kant and the attendants walked to the end of the line and stood still. Many workers around them noticed the luxurious clothes they were wearing and looked at them.

But no one knew that Kant was the Lord of Drondheim. The workers only talked to each other and guessed the identity of the two men. They did not go forward to talk.

The daily gathering would be held after breakfast. The leader of the repair team, Kloritz, would speak at this time. The garrison led by Adonis would also be present.

When Kant and the others entered the field, Adonis locked his gaze on the two men.

However, he remembered what Kant had said before, that he did not want the workers to notice his identity as the Lord. So, he did not go forward to greet them.

When the gathering was over and the workers received their tasks and went to look for the team on their own, they dispersed.

Adonis summoned Kloritz and walked to Kant. He bowed his head and said, "Hello, Lord."

"Mm." Kant glanced at the two of them and nodded. Then, he said to Kloritz, "I'll have to trouble you this time."

"It's our honor for the Lord to come here to survey. We won't feel troubled," Kloritz shook his head and hurriedly said.

"Hehe." Kant smiled. Thinking that today was the first time he met Kloritz, he didn't say anything else.

"What about General Adonis? Is there anything you want to report?" Kant turned his head and asked Adonis.

"Yes, Lord. Yesterday you have asked us to discuss the name of this city internally. The soldiers and I have come up with one. We want the Lord to hear it," Adonis said in embarrassment.

"So soon?" Kant raised his eyebrows. "Then let me hear it from you. What name do you want?"

"Durandal," Adonis said, and then he cast a cautious look at Kant.

Kant nodded. He had heard of this name, Durandal. It had an unchanging meaning. The former Holy Knight, Roland's sword, was also called this name.

"As expected, it's a name that was thought of by people who came from the military," Kant said affirmatively. "It's quite good, and it also matches this city. If I didn't think of it, I would use this."

"Thank you, Lord," Adonis said with gratitude.

"Take this as an urgent report to Drondheim. The craftsmen in the main city will make a suitable plaque for Durandal," Kant instructed.

"Got it," Adonis agreed, and then he left.

"Durandal is such a good name," Kloritz said, "This city will also become a sharp sword that Drondheim expects."

"I hope so," Kant said thoughtfully. "I didn't expect Captain Kloritz to read such a long history of heroic poetry."

"No, I just saw that some soldiers liked it very much, so I was influenced and learned a little about it," Kloritz heard Kant's ridicule and hurriedly declined.

"Well, I also read 'The Song of Roland' a long time ago. The words in the poem could easily stir up the blood in everyone's hearts. Captain Kloritz learned something very good," Kant continued.

"Thank you, Lord, for your praise," Kloritz replied with embarrassment.

"Where should we go today?" Kant asked as they got back to business.

"I want to bring the Lord to take a look at the coal mines in the outskirts of the city. That place hasn't been developed by the undead before," Kloritz replied.

"Yes." Kant nodded and agreed.

Not long after, Kloritz's men brought a carriage and horses.

"Don't we need to ride camels?" Kant asked curiously. Speaking of the suburbs, the distance should be quite far. He roughly recalled the distance between the center of the city and the boundary marked with the coal mine on the paper he saw last night.

"The workers in the army have already built a shortcut in the city. If we take that road, the distance will shrink quite a bit, and the road is very flat," Kloritz explained in detail.

After Kant heard this, he boarded the carriage in peace.

Accompanying him were his personal guards and soldiers.

The space in the carriage was relatively wide, and the cushions were covered with silky and soft brocade. This cushioned the bumpy road to the greatest extent.

The area of the Undead City was relatively wide, to begin with. Kloritz rode his horse in front to lead the way to the mining area in the western suburbs.

After an hour or so, while sitting in the carriage, Kant looked through the window railings, he saw that the buildings had become sparser and sparser. The surrounding scenery had become a desert filled with yellow soil, and the temperature in the carriage was constantly rising.

After a while, the carriage stopped.

"Have we arrived?" Kant asked in his heart.

The coachman who was in charge of driving the horse raised the curtain of the carriage and said to Kant, "My Lord, we have arrived at our destination. Please get off the carriage."

Kant nodded and tidied his clothes. He stepped on the stairs and got off the carriage.

When he saw him, Kloritz said to him, "Lord, the construction site of the coal mine is in front of us."

Kant's line of sight passed Kloritz and looked at the newly built workers' dormitory in the distance.

"Yes." Kant continued to look around and replied, "Then let's go to the site to take a look now."

The group set off towards the coal mining site.

"This time, we discovered an open-pit coal mine, so it didn't take much time to prepare for construction. Up until now, the amount of coal stored in the factory has reached dozens of tons," Kloritz introduced to Kant as he walked.

"Are we still using manual coal mining?" Kant asked.

"That was before, but after applying for assistance from the main city of Drondheim, the workers have already begun to learn how to use portable machines to mine coal," Kloritz replied.

Kant glanced at the staff dormitory in the desert and continued, "This kind of working environment is still too harsh. Did any employees report to you any suggestions from the workers?"

"Not for the time being." Kloritz thought about it and shook his head.

"Then I'll arrange a task for you. Go to the workers and do a detailed investigation in the next week. See if they have any requests. After you have checked, summarize the document and report it to me," Kant arranged.

"Got it." Kloritz nodded and reminded his subordinates to quickly record it in words.

Kant panted as he looked up at the sun hanging in the middle of the sky. He could not help but sigh in his heart. He had been sitting in the palace for the past half a year and did not do any exercise at all. His physical fitness had indeed decreased a little.

Chapter 677: Visiting the Coal Mine on the First Day

A group of people walked past the staff quarters and the warehouse where the coal was stored. Finally, they arrived at the coal production site.

Kant stood on the high ground and looked down at the entire mine.

All the workers were busy moving in and out. Some were responsible for mining with machines, some were responsible for measuring, and some were responsible for carrying.

"Based on the results so far, what is the annual output of this coal mine?" Kant asked Kloritz.

"About 1,200 tons. This is an estimate based on the premise of mitigating the geological damage caused by coal mining," Kloritz replied.

"Yes, for our current technical level, this output is indeed astonishing." Kant could not help but nod his head and comment, "Then the quality of the coal produced, what is the result of your inspection?"

"We brought samples from the coal bunker." Kloritz handed Kant a pair of worker's gloves, and then the subordinate behind him pushed out a small basket of mine coal.

After Kant put on the gloves, Kloritz moved the coal basket forward, and while introducing it to Kant's warrior, he said, "This is the mined coal that has been filtered by the factory and stored in the warehouse."

Kant weighed a piece of coal and carefully observed it. From the appearance, the quality of the coal was indeed not bad. It was bright black, and under the natural light, it was wrapped in a layer of luster. The degree of coal melting was relatively deep. Kant broke a small piece of it and rubbed it on a piece of wood, crushing it into powder. When he saw that the scratches on the wood were also dark gray, he let out a sigh of relief.

He stood up and said to Kloritz, "Conquering the Undead Kingdom has brought many unexpected benefits. If you have more detailed reports, you don't have to let me read them. If you need people to take charge, I will ask Drondheim to send people to assist you."

"Thank you, Lord," Kloritz bowed and replied.

Then, the group walked down the highland.

Kloritz walked in front of the group and led Kant and the others to browse through the operation sequence of the entire assembly line in the coal mining factory.

It was not until late in the evening that the group of people walked out of the factory.

They boarded the carriage and returned to Durandal.

"Today's work will be over," Kant said to Kloritz as he stood in front of the residential building where he was resting.

"Lord, please go back and rest well. I'll take my leave first." Feeling the weariness in Kant's words, Kloritz took the initiative to say goodbye.

"Yes, you too. You've worked hard," Kant replied.

The two of them said goodbye to each other. Kloritz watched Kant walk into the building and then turned to leave.

Kant returned to his room and saw a large pile of documents on the round table in the living room.

It seemed that the messenger had brought them from Drondheim.

Kant walked to the chair beside the table and sat down.

When he came to Durandal, his schedule for the whole day was even more packed.

Kant picked up the document that was placed at the top and began to read it.

"Knock, knock." There was a knock on the door.

"Please come in," Kant said without raising his head.

Until he heard footsteps approaching in front of him, Kant raised his head and looked at the other party.

The official messenger stood in front of him and greeted, "Lord, you're back."

"Yes. Did you send these today?" Kant glanced at the document on the table and asked.

"Yes. This is the document that arrived in the Senate Hall within a week from the day you left for Durandal, Lord," the messenger explained softly.

"Yes, there are indeed quite a few." Kant said with a headache, "Then when are you going back?"

"I originally wanted to go back tonight, but the road conditions in the desert have been worsening recently. I could only stay and ask the soldiers by the city wall. They told me that the weather will improve tomorrow, so I plan to go back tomorrow night," the messenger replied carefully.

"Well, then I'll give you the corrected copy before you leave tomorrow night," Kant pinched the bridge of his nose and said thoughtfully.

When the messenger heard Kant's words, he looked at the small mountain of documents on the table. He couldn't help but reveal a look of shock. However, he had been by Kant's side for a long time, so he understood Kant's temper. After a moment of silence, he hesitated and said, "Lord, isn't it too rushed?"

"It's fine. The ministers who submitted the report are probably also a little anxious from waiting for a reply. In order to resolve it as soon as possible, we still have to quickly correct it and bring it back to them," Kant shook his head and said.

"Alright then." The messenger's eyes were slightly worried as he agreed, "Then I'll go and make a pot of tea for you, Lord."

After saying that, he bowed and left Kant's room.

Kant took out ink and began to carefully review the documents he had read.

He did not even notice the messenger knocking on the door. Sensing Kant's concentration, the messenger carefully put down the teapot and left with the door closed.

"Lord Messenger, has the Lord not rested yet?" When the messenger walked to the first floor, one of the attendants sitting in the hall, who was chatting idly, took the initiative to talk to him.

"The Lord probably won't sleep tonight. Are you in charge of keeping watch?" the messenger replied.

"Yes, it's our turn to stand guard today. It's quite boring," the attendant who had spoken earlier replied after being questioned.

"Is the Lord busy dealing with the government affairs sent from Drondheim? It's really hard work." The attendant sitting on the other side said with a sigh.

"The Lord has been on the road for a whole day and is now in his room to approve the documents. You two stay in the hall on the first floor quietly and don't disturb the Lord," ordered the messenger.

"Yes!" replied the two soldiers.

The messenger nodded and walked back to his room on the second floor to rest.

At noon the next day, after feeding the camels with food and water, the messenger walked into the residential building.

The weather was great today. According to the soldiers of the city tower, the storm in the desert had finally calmed down, and the visibility was several times better than last night.

The messenger walked to the stairs on the third floor and was about to report to Kant that his departure time was about to be advanced.

But he happened to meet Kant, who was going out with a pile of documents.

"Well, you are here?" Kant asked. He was about to hand over the documents that had been approved.

The messenger saw the slightly haggard lord and replied, "I'm here to report the departure time to you, Lord."

"Are you going to set off? Coincidentally, I can pass these directly to you. Be careful on the way," Kant said as he handed the documents in his arms to the messenger across from him.

"Ah, thank you for your hard work, Lord," the messenger thanked him.

Kant smiled and shook his head. He turned his head to look out of the window by the corridor and said, "The weather today is really good."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned around and went back to his room.

Perhaps he was so sleepy that he couldn't take it anymore. The messenger thought as he stood on the spot with his arms full of documents.

Chapter 678: Leisure on a Normal Day

After Kant returned to his room, he collapsed on the bed.

He slept until the next morning.

Because he did not make an appointment with Kloritz in advance, he did not have any plans for the day.

After Kant had a good night's rest, he went out alone with a full spirit.

Not far from the residential building was the old palace of the Undead Kingdom.

Although it had been demolished into ruins, Kant still wanted to take a look inside.

When he stepped into the entrance of the palace, there were many workers busy with their work, so they did not notice Kant who was shuttling between them.

Kant raised his head and looked around. The stone roof of the palace had been removed by the workers of the renovation team. Because the entire inner wall of the palace was connected, when the roof was destroyed, some of the walls collapsed.

Kant walked into the long corridor that the original expedition team had walked through and arrived at the battlefield of chaos.

The altar in the center of the room had also been torn down, but the open fire platform had been preserved. It seemed that the workers would also come here at night to work.

The ground made of stone bricks with the emblem of the Undead Kingdom was smashed, revealing the soil underground.

Some of the soil was darker as if fresh blood had seeped into the ground.

Kant sighed in his heart, silently praying for the soldiers who had died in battle. He then left the room.

Kant stopped at the door leading to the long corridor, hesitating whether he should go to the dungeon and infirmary that Bunduk had mentioned before.

He gave up after some careful consideration.

He immediately walked out of the palace.

Kant continued to stroll casually on the streets, while he browsed both sides of the street.

On the streets, there were workers in charge of transporting goods. It could be considered quite lively.

Kant followed the flow of people and strolled through the streets, spending the most relaxed time he had in recent times.

He only returned to the residence before dinner time.

He met Kloritz who had come to look for him.

"Hello, Lord," Klortiz greeted him.

"Yes." Kant nodded and sat down on a chair in the hall to rest. "When did you come?"

Before he left, he received news from the guards that Kloritz had come to look for him while he was resting. He then asked someone to send a message to Kloritz, saying that they would meet at the residence at dusk.

Kloritz didn't expect him to arrive so early.

"I haven't been here for long, and you've arrived, Lord," Kloritz said.

"Then stay and have dinner together. If there's anything, we can talk about it after dinner," Kant suggested.

Kloritz nodded in slight surprise. "Thank you, Lord, for the invitation."

When it was close to dinner time, the number of people coming and going in the hall and the kitchen increased.

Some of the assistants who worked for the chef had to help deliver food to the workers who were working in shifts at the construction site.

Kant led Kloritz to the private room on the second floor of the side hall and sat down. Then, soldiers continuously brought the prepared food from the back kitchen.

This meal was very reserved. Kant had the habit of eating without saying anything, so after he picked up the bowl, he did not speak again.

Kloritz usually ate with the noisy workers in the military camp, but he was not used to this slightly cold atmosphere.

After a few mouthfuls, he put down his bowl and chopsticks. He said to Kant, who was sitting across from him, "I'm done. Lord, enjoy."

Kant heard the voice and raised his head. After chewing a mouthful of food, he asked, "You ate so quickly? I saw that you didn't even take any dishes."

"Well, maybe it's because I've been staying outdoors all day. The weather is too hot, so my appetite isn't very good," Kloritz explained with an embarrassed nod.

"Hehe, I guess you're not used to eating with me," Kant teased with a smile.

Kloritz shook his head with a smile.

"If I had known earlier, I would have eaten with the soldiers in the lobby on the first floor. That way, it wouldn't be so awkward," Kant said as he scooped the soup into his bowl.

"No, no, it's better to follow the Lord's habits," Kloritz hurriedly denied.

Kant smiled and slowly drank the soup in the bowl.

When the soup bowl reached the bottom, he took a napkin and wiped his mouth. He said to Kloritz, "I'm done too. Let's go to the study and talk."

The two walked from the second floor to the study of the third-floor suite.

Kant didn't usually use this room, and the bookshelf was empty.

The fence outside the window contained some flowers and plants with a faint fragrance.

Kant walked to a chair and sat down, motioning for Kloritz to take a seat.

Looking at the gradually darkening sky outside the window, Kant said, "What are your plans for tomorrow?"

"I've read the Lord's notes on the attachment to the manuscript. Perhaps tomorrow we can go to Half Moon Lake to take a look. That's the only freshwater resource in Durandal," Kloritz said after thinking for a moment.

"Freshwater resources. Hmm, the problems there are also related to the development of this city," Kant said.

"Although the underground water resources of Half Moon Lake are indeed abundant, if we want to build an iron smelter in Durandal, it is still a bit tight," Kloritz said.

"If we want to build an iron smelter in Durandal, the current conditions may not be enough," Kant commented.

"But if the coal mining industry here wants to develop, it must form an industrial chain," Kloritz continued Kant's words.

"This is indeed a bit difficult," Kant said.

If they wanted to transfer water from the coast thousands of kilometers away from here, it would take a lot of work.

After all, there were a series of uncertain factors such as the terrain, the rock layers along the way, and the processing of the seawater.

Kloritz also roughly guessed Kant's thoughts.

He had previously thought of transferring water resources from other places, but after a deeper understanding, he realized that the process was not that simple.

Thinking of this, Kloritz also revealed a distressed expression.

"There's no need to rush the matter of ironmaking. After more information is obtained, we can make a decent conclusion," Kant finally said.

"Mm." Kloritz also had no clue and nodded in response.

"Do you think it's a good time to let the people of Drondheim move over?" Kant asked.

Kloritz thought carefully. "Right now, the population that Durandal can support is indeed up to a standard. However, the city's infrastructure is still in the construction stage. I guess there will be a shortage in supplies to provide the people if they move in at this time."

"Recently, the number of people who came to me to petition to move to Durandal has increased. Most of them are the relatives of the soldiers who sacrificed themselves. I really don't know how to answer them." After a moment of silence, Kant sighed softly.

Chapter 679: The Journey to the Freshwater Lake

The next morning, after Kant had breakfast.

A familiar carriage stopped in front of the residential building. Kant walked out of the door and saw Adonis, who was dressed in plain clothes, sitting in the seat of the original coachman.

When Adonis saw Kant, he immediately got off the carriage and bowed. "Good morning, Lord."

"Why were you alone in the carriage? Where is Kloritz?" Kant asked.

"Captain Kloritz's leg was accidentally injured. The Freshwater Lake is closer to the coal mine that we went to the day before yesterday. I will lead the way for you, Lord," Adonis replied.

"Then I am the only one who can sit in your carriage." Kant smiled and waved his hand. He dismissed the guards who were following him. "But this is also quite good. It is easy to travel light."

Adonis nodded and helped Kant into the carriage.

Along the way, Adonis would occasionally talk to Kant, who was sitting in the carriage, and ask him about the recent situation of Bunduk and the others, as well as the details of the battle at the border of the Elf Kingdom. He had not returned to Drondheim for three months, and a lot of the news was scattered. He was not very clear about the situation in Drondheim.

"Do you want to go back?" Kant asked.

"Yes, I do. I wanted to go back after staying here for less than a month. But now that I have stayed here for four months, I don't think about it anymore," Adonis replied.

"Because of the war, the main city did not have enough people, so I did not gather the troops to replace you. In fact, I should have let you go back to rest a long time ago," Kant said. "Do you still have family in Drondheim?"

"Yes, I have a wife and child. My wife would send me letters every half a month. My child is still young. I guess he still doesn't know why I left," Adonis said. "Actually, it's not hard here. Rather than going back, I want my family to come here and take a look."

"Drondheim has a ban on leaving the city. This matter will fall through," Kant said.

The wind and sand were getting stronger and stronger. Even if they were less than a meter apart, they still had to shout to hear each other's words.

"That's a pity," Adonis said.

If it was possible, he would rather bring his family to stay here. However, his wife and children probably wouldn't be willing. After all, the bustling life of Drondheim always seemed to be attractive.

The two of them spent a lot of time chatting as they walked. When they reached the side of Half Moon Lake, the strong wind gradually weakened.

So Kant stood by the lake and carefully looked at the appearance of Half Moon Lake.

The surface of the lake was dark blue, between two dunes. As his vision extended, Kant estimated that this Freshwater Lake was about ten square kilometers.

It was indeed quite rare.

The undead that lived here before probably did not pay much attention to the water source like the elves did.

It allowed it to develop to its present scale naturally.

The more Kant thought about it, the more he felt that this original Undead City was a treasure.

Kant squatted down and probed the lake water by the shore. The lake water was cool and refreshing. When it was near the surface of the water, there seemed to be a breeze blowing by.

"Lord," Adonis called out to Kant.

Kant stood up, but his figure was a little absent-minded.

"Be careful!" Adonis quickly went forward to support Kant.

"I'm sorry, my body seems to have become a little weak recently." Kant stabilized himself and said to Adonis with a smile.

"Lord, you have to take care of your body," Adonis said worriedly.

Kant nodded and accepted his kindness. Someone turned to look at the surface of the lake. "This lake is really beautiful. It's even more valuable than an oasis in the desert. Durandal is truly lucky to have such resources by its side."

"In a few months, the period of rainfall in the Nahrin Desert will come again," Adonis said.

"Before the period of rainfall comes, we must build a reservoir to store water," Kant came to this conclusion after observing the place on the spot.

"If that's the case, it's true. I forgot about this on the planning paper. I'm really sorry, Lord," Adonis apologized to Kant after thinking about this.

"No rush. You can't handle this with the manpower in the city," Kant replied. "After staying here for two days, I feel that it's much more complicated than I imagined to build Durandal into a typical industrial city."

At least, several problems needed to be solved with a lot of manpower.

"I really want to solve all these problems before the founding of the country." Kant thought silently in his heart.

On the way back, Adonis' speed in driving the carriage was much slower than before.

Firstly, the fierce wind in the desert had stopped, and secondly, considering Kant's physical condition, he didn't want to cause any discomfort to Kant while traveling.

Kant sat in the carriage for a while and felt that it was a little stuffy inside.

He walked out and sat beside the carriage driver's seat.

He looked at the scenery of the desert.

In the end, he found a group of wandering jackalans on the horizon in the distance.

Kant could not help but frown. He thought to himself and asked Adonis, "Did the soldiers guarding the city not find anything?"

"It's quite common for other races to be wandering outside like this. However, they don't seem to dare to get close to Durandal. I don't know if they are afraid of the undead or the soldiers under Bunduk's command," Adonis replied.

The soldiers led by Adonis were responsible for patrolling the city and the border.

So far, they had not been attacked by these wandering races.

Kant heard what Adonis said and nodded. "However, you still have to be careful. The security guard tower hasn't been completed yet. The only ones guarding this city are the soldiers stationed here."

"Yes!" Adonis replied loudly.

When Kant looked in the direction he had just been, the group of jackalans had disappeared.

In the evening, Adonis' carriage arrived at the gate of the residential building.

After saying goodbye to Kant, Adonis continued to drive the carriage to the military camp. He still had a lot of military affairs to settle.

Kant went back to his room after dinner.

He began to write down what he had seen and felt in the last few days.

He drew a circle of resources on the paper, trying to figure out what to do with the resources he had at hand when he returned to Drondheim.

After all, the investment required for each project is connected.

He had to distinguish the steps in order to properly distribute the resources.

Until late at night, Kant was still sitting at the table, making plans for the future Durandal. A pile of discarded paper was piled up beside his elbow.

Chapter 680: An Arduous Return Journey

For the next month, Kant followed Adonis or Kloritz around to investigate. Occasionally, he would go to the site of the repair unit to help supervise the work.

The messenger would bring new information about the main city from Drondheim every other week and travel between the two cities.

As the scheduled time for the return journey approached, Kant's mission to Durandal was also about to be completed.

After avoiding the storm period in the desert, Kant officially set off on his return journey one afternoon with a pile of information he had personally collected.

"Lord, be careful on your journey," Kloritz said.

"Alright, I'll leave the matter of Durandal to you," Kant mounted his camel and said to Klortiz and Adonis, who were walking out of the city gates to see them off.

"We will definitely complete the project of Durandal as you requested, Lord," Adonis said.

"Yes, goodbye," Kant nodded in satisfaction and replied.

As soon as he finished speaking, the attendant leading the team at the front began to ride the camel forward.

Under the gaze of Adonis and Kloritz, Kant's team left the city gate and disappeared into the barren desert.

It would take about a week to get from Durandal to the main city of Drondheim.

Under the scorching sun, Kant felt that his sweat was about to soak through the innermost layer of his clothes. He could not help but think that perhaps there should be a shortcut between the two cities. Such a journey was too tiring for the migrant workers who had to travel between the two places.

"How long will it take to get to Drondheim?" Kant asked the waiter who brought the dishes during dinner time.

"According to the discussion of the guards, we should be able to get there before dark the day after tomorrow," the attendant replied carefully.

"Okay, I got it." Kant nodded and signaled him to leave.

After dinner, Kant walked out of the tent and strolled outside. After hearing the news that someone fainted after dinner that night. He immediately walked to the captain of the guards and asked, "I heard that a soldier fainted today. Is it because of heatstroke?"

"Reporting to the Lord, the soldiers indeed fainted because of heat stroke," the captain of the guards reported.

"Other than the one who suffered from heatstroke, do the other soldiers feel unwell?" Kant asked.

"There is only one person who fainted. When we were collecting dinner today, two soldiers called in sick. It seems that they are also not feeling well because of the hot weather," said the captain of the guards.

"What about the medical team that came alone this time?" Kant thought of something and asked.

"After receiving the news, the medical soldiers have already gone to take care of these three people," the captain of the guards answered.

Kant listened to the captain of the guards and was temporarily relieved.

"Take me to have a look," Kant ordered.

The captain of the guards listened to the order and took Kant to the tent where the soldiers who suffered from heatstroke were placed.

Kant saw that the three soldiers were all lying on recliners. Each of them had two medical soldiers to examine and treat them.

When the person in charge of the medical soldiers saw Kant coming, he quickly got up from the chair at the side and walked to Kant. He bowed and greeted, "Lord."

"Yes." Kant continued to look around the room and asked, "How are the soldiers' statuses?"

"The other two are fine. After taking a dose of medicine, their body temperature gradually returned to normal," the captain of the medical soldiers said. "The fainted soldier's status is a little troublesome. His consciousness is still not clear. The medicine did not have any obvious effect."

"Is the side effect of heatstroke so serious?" Kant asked doubtfully. "You must do your best to treat him and keep an eye on his status at all times. Hmm... just in case, the other two soldiers who have already eliminated the danger are arranged to rest in other tents."

It should be impossible for heat stroke to cause such a serious follow-up reaction. Kant had already decided in his heart, although he did not know why the soldier in front of him clearly had other symptoms that caused him to become like this.

If it was an old illness in the body, then the situation could change at any time.

He had to pay attention to it.

After Kant gave careful instructions, he returned to his own camp.

It was already quite late, and it was almost time to rest.

Kant put out the candlestick in front of the bed and slept with his clothes.

"Lord! Lord!" in the early morning, someone shouted outside the tent.

Kant was woken up with sleepy eyes, and his mind was in a mess.

When the person outside opened the door and walked in, Kant put on his coat neatly.

He was woken up so early in the morning, and Kant still held a little anger in his heart.

However, when he saw that the person was the captain of the medical soldiers, Kant began to feel uneasy.

"What's wrong?" Kant calmed down and asked.

"There's a strange phenomenon on the unconscious soldier's body," the captain of the medical soldiers replied while panting heavily.

When Kant heard this, a chill rose from the bottom of his feet.

The thing that he was most worried about had happened.

After stepping on his boots, Kant immediately rushed to the tent he had been to last night.

Two medical soldiers stood outside the tent. When they saw Kant, they immediately stopped him and said, "Lord, the soldiers may have been infected by the plague. You can't go in now."

"No, I want to go in and take a look," Kant replied with a firm look.

"Yes." The two soldiers looked at each other as if they were in a difficult position. Then, one of the medical soldiers took off the closed medical uniform he was wearing and handed it to Kant. "Then I'll have to trouble you to wear this."

Kant quickly took it from the medical soldier's hands and quickly put it on. He opened the door curtain and walked in.

There were several medical soldiers busy working in the tent.

Everyone put up an isolation curtain near the sickbed for the soldier who was infected with the plague.

Even so, all the people in the tent were still wearing the same work clothes as Kant.

Not long after Kant entered the tent, the captain of the medical corps also hurried over in his work clothes. He followed Kant.

"When did you find out that the soldier was infected with the plague?" Kant asked.

"Before dawn today," the captain of the medical corps replied.

After Kant learned the specific time, he nodded and walked toward the soldier.

"Lord." The captain of the medical corps slightly stopped him.

"It's okay." Kant waved his hand.

Kant lifted the curtain around the hospital bed and walked in. He saw the soldier who was still unconscious on the hospital bed. The soldier's exposed skin was full of rashes as if it was some terrible skin disease. Even though Kant was wrapped in his overalls, he could still smell the stench at the tip of his nose.

Chapter 681: The Effects of the Plague

Kant shook his head at the end, lifted the curtain and walked out.

He walked out of the tent.

Kant took off his work clothes and asked the captain of the medical team, "Has it been confirmed that this soldier was infected with the plague?"

"Yes. It's confirmed." the captain of the medical team replied solemnly.

"Then, did any of the medical soldiers who took care of this soldier last night also get infected with this disease?" Kant asked hesitantly.

The medical team captain took a deep breath and replied, "Although we haven't found the initial signs of this disease outside the body, in order to ensure that the virus is not leaked, the three soldiers who took care of this soldier last night have been taken to other tents and isolated. We will confirm their physical condition at any time."

The incident that happened on the way back was a heavy blow to the person in charge of the medical soldier.

He could only pray that the situation was still under control.

Kant nodded and asked worriedly, "Based on the current situation, will the illness of the soldier in the camp pose a threat to his life?"

"The patient's body temperature has far exceeded the standard of a normal person. The functions of the various systems in his body are gradually weakening. He may not last more than two days." the captain of the medical unit replied.

Kant frowned tightly. The severity of this plague that appeared out of nowhere was far beyond his expectations.

"The plague is still within the range of a few people. We must not let it continue to spread." Kant warned sternly.

"Yes." the medical captain replied.

After returning to his tent, Kant immediately sent a message to the captain of the guards, asking him to come immediately.

Kant sat in front of the desk, holding his forehead with his hand, immersed in worry.

"Lord." After a while, the captain of the guards arrived in front of the tent.

"Come in." Kant said.

The captain of the guard team walked to Kant's desk and squatted down to salute.

"You know what happened in the army, right?" Kant asked after he signaled him to stand up.

"Yes, I heard the news from the medics." the tone of the captain of the guard team was a bit heavy.

"Did your soldiers also know it?" Kant raised his head and asked.

"No, in order to prevent a panic, the news did not spread." the captain of the guards replied.

"Yes." Kant nodded, "I asked you to come here this time to ask you to help me search for information about the soldiers being infected with the plague. "You will personally go to the companion of the infected soldier and ask: This soldier began to feel uncomfortable a few days ago, where is his main activity area during these few days?"

"Roger, does Lord have any other arrangements?" the captain of the guards asked.

"Yes, issue an order to all soldiers, do not casually approach the tent where the infected soldiers are. Those who violate the law will be dealt with by military law." Kant ordered sternly.

"Understood."

After receiving the mission, the captain of the guards immediately retreated and left the camp.

In Kant's heart, he knew the extent to which the plague's harm could spread. Even in the glorious city of the ancient civilization, an outbreak of the plague had almost destroyed everything.

Today, they were still trekking in the desert, and the medical equipment they brought with them was relatively simple. In the face of such an infectious disease, it was of no use at all.

The lives of the soldiers who were infected with the plague could not be saved. They could only hope that they would not mistakenly bring the people who carried the virus into the main city.

In the afternoon, the captain of the guards returned to Kant's tent with the information he had gathered.

"How is it?" Kant asked.

"Two soldiers who were close to the infected soldiers said that about three days ago, this soldier's physical strength seemed to have become weaker. He often coughed and told the others that his chest hurt. However, they thought that it was a common disease caused by the difference in temperature in the desert, so everyone just suggested that the soldier go to the medical team to get a set of cough medicine. They didn't care anymore. It wasn't until later that the soldier didn't eat or drink for a whole day. When the soldier with him noticed the abnormality and brought him back to the tent to rest, the soldier fainted due to heat stroke."

"Well, then did the soldier drink the cough medicine that the medical team gave him?" Kant thought for a moment and asked.

"No. We found the original bottle of medicine in the soldier's storage cabinet. The medicine inside was not touched." the captain of the guards replied and added, "I heard from others that the soldier didn't seem to like drinking medicine."

"Okay, go on," Kant replied.

"Then I asked them about the range of activities of this soldier in the past few days. They said that they didn't know much about it. "Because the soldier usually strolls around the military camp after eating lunch and dinner. They haven't followed him to see where he went." the captain of the guards continued.

"Then the cause of the plague is a mystery." Kant said silently.

"The soldiers traveling with me don't seem to know that someone in the army is infected with the plague. When I told them not to go near the tent where the medics are stationed, they asked me how this soldier is doing." the captain continued.

"Okay, quickly inform the captain of the medical team about the information you know. This is important information for them." Kant said.

"Yes." the captain of the guards replied.

Kant followed the captain out of the tent and watched him leave.

He looked at the sky outside. It was almost dusk.

Because of such a sudden incident, the progress of the day was delayed.

He did not know how the medical soldiers were handling the situation.

Kant was strolling in the barracks when he saw the medics wearing protective clothing. They came out of a tent with a bunch of soldiers' clothes, equipment, and so on. They walked to the outside of the barracks and threw everything into the bonfire.

Kant took a few steps in that direction and heard a guard following closely behind the leading medics shouting, "Why did you burn all these things?!"

The medic did not say a word but continued to throw the things in his hands at the fire silently.

Thick smoke rose from the top of the fire. The medic soldiers near the fire hurriedly took two steps back. The guard who kept shouting questions was also dragged away by a few medic soldiers.

Kant witnessed the whole process and sighed in his heart.

In the end, even the body of the infected soldier would be buried in a bonfire in the wilderness.

Chapter 682: Difficult Decision

Late that night, all the soldiers were woken up and ordered to gather in the open space in front of the military camp.

The light and shadow of the bonfire danced in front of everyone's faces. Everyone could sense that the situation was not good from the captain's expression.

When the entire place was shrouded in a low pressure.

Kant walked out of the tent slowly, his face tense as he walked to the captain of the guards and said a few words.

After saying that, he left the group and walked back to the camp.

After listening to Kant's instructions with a solemn expression, the captain of the guards stood up and watched him leave.

After Kant lifted the curtain of the tent and walked in.

The captain of the guards turned around and examined the faces of every soldier.

"Among you, who entered Clyde's tent and then escaped?" the captain of the guards said through gritted teeth.

In his eyes, there was resentment, heartache, and anger at being provoked by his subordinates.

At night, the medic in charge of patrolling came to him in a panic and said, "That was someone sneaked into the tent of the infected soldiers.".

His heart almost jumped out of his chest.

He simply could not imagine that if the virus spread, more soldiers would be infected. How would he apologize to Kant?

The captain of the guards waved his right hand when he saw that not a single soldier made a sound.

He took a lunchbox filled with food from a medic and raised it in front of everyone. He continued, "The medic who was in charge of patrolling today saw a soldier in uniform leave Clyde's tent in a hurry. He also found the lunchbox that was distributed by the army on the table in the tent. Who violated the rule? Come out now. Don't force me to interrogate you all one by one."

The soldiers of the guards listened to the captain's words. They whispered to each other and looked around. They were guessing who would do such a thing.

After a while, a soldier standing at the back of the line walked out of the line step by step and stood in front of the captain of the guards.

The medic standing next to the captain of the guards saw the face of this soldier and could not help but frown. This soldier was the one who had been following them this afternoon and stirring up trouble at the side.

"Bart." the captain of the guards called out his name when he noticed the soldier who had stepped out of the line.

"It's me." Bart raised his trembling hand and said.

"How dare you disobey my orders." the captain of the guards reprimanded him sternly.

"I'm just afraid that no one will take care of him. A few days ago, there were clearly many medics helping in Clyde's tent. But until yesterday, no one had gone there anymore. Even today, the medics came to take all of Clyde's things and burn them all." Bart squatted down and cried. "I'm afraid that one day when Clyde dies, his body will be burned like this without any foreknowledge. Then he died too miserably."

The captain of the guards was a little moved in his heart, but he still said seriously, "You still can't disobey the order and charge into Clyde's tent. Do you know how much damage it would cause if you were infected with the plague and indirectly brought it to others? The whole Drondheim might suffer because of this."

"I'm sorry, I was wrong." Bart buried his head between his knees and sobbed. "I just wanted to send him one last meal. I didn't expect that things would be so... serious..."

"No matter what, what you've done cannot be undone." the captain of the guards sighed softly. "Now you have to undergo the same quarantine inspection as Clyde. Moreover, since you've violated the discipline of the army, even if you're not infected with the virus, you can't continue to be a soldier."

This was what Kant had told him before. Strict measures must be taken against soldiers who violated the military regulations.

After hearing the punishment given to him, Bart knelt on the spot and wailed loudly.

In the end, he was carried away by the soldiers of the medical team.

The rest of the soldiers were still standing there, silent.

They had learned the whole story and the fact that some of the soldiers were infected with the plague.

The captain of the guard looked at the group, "I didn't tell you because I was afraid it would cause unnecessary panic. But now, you should understand what happened. Tomorrow, we will try our best to travel as fast as possible and return to Drondheim as soon as possible. After returning to the main city a doctor who can be trusted will examine you. You don't have to worry too much, understand?"

"Understood!" the soldiers replied in unison.

"Go back and rest. We still have to get up early tomorrow. Dismissed!!"

The next day, Kant and his group advanced in the desert with all their might.

The mood of the soldiers was much gloomier than before. They were all focused on the yellow dirt road under their feet and did not chat with each other anymore.

When it was getting dark, the soldiers at the forefront finally broke out into cheers when they saw the main gate of Drondheim. "We're here!!"

Kant also looked up. The fatigue in the corner of his eyes disappeared when he saw the sign of Drondheim.

The soldiers on the city wall noticed Kant's group and immediately opened the city gate to pass through.

Kant's group returned to Drondheim a day earlier than expected, so there was no welcoming group behind the city gate.

The group rushed to the location of the barracks.

Kant also followed the soldiers to undergo a physical examination.

While waiting for the results, he asked the captain of the medical unit beside him, "Where is the infected soldier now?"

"When we went to check this morning, the soldier's vital signs were already gone." the captain of the medical unit replied.

After Kant heard this, he was silent for a moment. Then, he asked, "Where is his ashes? Did you bring them back?"

"Yes, we have already handed the urn to the captain of the guards." said the captain of the medical corps.

"I hope that the compensation brought by the imperial court can make up for the broken hearts of the families of the soldiers." Kant said with emotion.

After the examination results showed that Kant was not infected with the virus, Kant boarded the carriage and returned to the palace.

Before he left, Kant told the medical captain to report the results of the test to him.

If something unexpected happened, he had to respond in time.

When he arrived at the palace, Kant finally felt relieved.

When he returned to Drondheim, it meant that there were more generals and civil servants around him who could discuss with him and help him make decisions.

It was too difficult to fix all kinds of sudden changes by himself.

Kant prayed in his heart that the troubles in recent days would be an interlude that could be calmed after the rectification.

Chapter 683: Daily Routine Had Been Restored

The second day after Kant returned to the palace.

Early in the morning, an attendant came up to the palace and reported that Commander Bunduk and Commander Derrick like had entered the palace to seek an audience.

Kant asked the attendant to bring them in.

"Lord." the two commanders walked up to Kant and bowed.

"Long time no see." Kant smiled and nodded, motioning for them to get up. "How's the army?"

"The soldiers have roughly familiarized themselves with the new training plan. Their current mental status and so on are all very good." Bunduk replied.

"New training plan? Oh right, when I was in Durandal, I received your plan." Kant thought for a moment and said, "It's pretty good. It seems that I have to go and take a look personally one day."

"Yes, the soldiers in the army are ready to be personally examined by the lord at any time." Bunduk replied.

"Lord." After exchanging a glance with Bunduk, Derrick said to Kant, "I heard that when you came back, someone was infected with the plague on the way back. is the current situation alright?"

"There was indeed someone infected with the plague. Furthermore, the soldier died from the virus and was cremated," Kant replied. "Fortunately, from the results reported this morning, none of the people accompanying us were infected, which means that the plague has been controlled by us."

"That's great." Bunduk said. "I didn't expect to be infected with a special infectious virus in the desert."

"At present, the source of the virus has not been investigated, but this incident has reminded me. Regular health checks must be carried out in all parts of Drondheim, including Cumberland and Durandal," Kant said calmly.

"But if this is provided by public funds, the expenses shouldn't be small," said Derrick in doubt.

"Take it from the people and use it in name." Kant didn't explain further. "The specific matters should be arranged clearly after our country's constitution is promulgated. I went to Durandal this time and realized that there are still too many things that need to be prepared."

"The reply from Adonis said, 'Lord, your body appears to be a little weak because of all the effort you put in all day.' I hope that you don't carry everything on your back, Lord. Just order us wherever we can help you," Bunduk said.

Adonis and he could be considered close friends. They would not exchange letters or anything like that.

"Hehe," Kant said with a smile, "You don't have to worry about that. I will take good care of my body. Besides, haven't I given you my tons of works in the past six months? It's necessary to put in the effort before the empire is built. I'll just do as I see fit."

"Alright then." Bunduk still couldn't let go of the worry in his heart.

Kant didn't continue to broach the topic. He turned his gaze away and said to Derrick, "Derrick, how's the training of your soldiers?"

"Yes. They usually train together and perform quite well," answered Derrick.

"I know that you know quite a number of soldiers who do logistics under you. Contact them to prepare together. Soon, you will be going to Drondheim," Kant explained.

"To Drondheim?" Derrick appeared a little nervous.

This was the first time he had been sent out of Drondheim by himself after becoming a new commander. The last time was when he went to the Elf Kingdom with Bunduk.

"Yes. When more projects were invested in Drondheim, the manpower in Adonis might not be enough. I'm prepared to provide every team of soldiers with the opportunity to request a vacation to return to Drondheim. Therefore, we have to join other forces." Kant explained.

"But..." Derrick said worriedly.

He could only be considered acquaintances with Adonis. He had previously heard of his style of doing things. It was said that he was a rather bold and direct person. For a new commander like him to take over the city he had been stationed in for three to four months, Adonis might not be obedient to his commands.

Bunduk had also thought of this. His eyes revealed a hint of worry.

Adonis had a lot of prestige in front of his soldiers. If a commander like Derrick, who had yet to become famous in the army, it might not be easy for him to gain the trust of the army.

Kant knew what they were thinking, but he still asked, "If you want everyone to trust you, you have to take action. Otherwise, it's impossible for you to succeed as a commander."

"Yes, Lord." Derrick finally agreed.

Kant told him to make preparations in fifteen days and set off in half a month.

After the two received the order, they bid farewell and left.

In Kant's mind, the path that Bunduk and Derrick took was different. This could be seen from his previous observations of the two.

The two's personalities could complement each other. Be it Bunduk's broad mind or Derrick's meticulous mind, they were both very important to a marching army.

However, if Derrick's strategy couldn't keep up with Bunduk's military strength, then such a combination would not be effective.

Therefore, in terms of personnel matters, Derrick's training was indispensable.

Kant had given Derrick such a high position, but he didn't want to see him fail.

Kant sat alone in the hall. After sorting out his thoughts, he began to grind ink and had the guards beside him summon the imperial messenger.

"Lord." the messenger arrived.

"Please wait for a moment." Kant was still writing rapidly.

"Yes." the messenger replied and stood quietly at the side.

After a while, Kant finished writing the letter. After carefully covering the seal with paint, he got up and handed it to the messenger.

"This is a letter to Durandal. Please pass it to General Adonis." Kant ordered.

"Yes, Lord," the messenger replied as he carefully put the letter in his pocket.

"You must be careful when you travel in the desert. I hope that you can return to Drondheim as soon as possible." Kant instructed.

"Thank you for your concern, Lord. I will definitely deliver the letter as soon as possible." After bowing, the messenger walked out of the hall.

Kant had written two things in the letter. One was the introduction of Derrick. Second, he had Adonis and Kloritz organize a health checkup for all Durandal's members.

The source of the virus could be somewhere in the desert. If anyone in Durandal encountered a similar situation, they had to be treated as soon as possible.

Kant sat back in his seat and began to read the documents sent to the front of the hall today.

Although there was still a mountain of work behind him, such days were the most peaceful and normal for Kant.

Chapter 684: Derrick's Farewell

After Kant returned to Drondheim, many high-level meetings were held to resolve the engineering problem in Drondheim.

According to Kant's findings, Drondheim had abundant geographical resources and had enough potential to develop into a well-connected heavy industrial city. However, Drondheim was still in a period of steady growth, it was still a little difficult to invest a lot of manpower and financial resources into it.

"Drondheim is self-sufficient at the moment, and with the freshwater resources transferred from Cumberland in the south, there is no need to add more burdens on it." a minister said in a strong tone.

"But the population in the main city has almost reached a critical point. If we don't expand the territory in the next two years, the living space of the citizens of Drondheim will become precarious." another minister retorted.

"Although Durandal has enough coal resources, we can use it as a reserve of raw materials, we want to build Durandal into a complete industrial city. But with our current abilities, we can't do it." another minister stood out.

"Industry is the backup force that supports a country. In the early days of the founding of the country, we should try our best to nurture it regardless of the cost. If we miss this opportunity, then Drondheim's future will be unpredictable." a minister argued.

Kant sat silently in the chief seat as he listened to their debate.

Bunduk and Derrick also sat in their seats, seriously considering the conditions that the various ministers had proposed.

However, the meeting still didn't reach a definitive conclusion.

When the civil servants, who were divided into two factions, left the senate hall with a puzzled look on their faces.

Derrick walked up to Kant and bowed. "Lord."

"Yes." Kant nodded. The past few days of meetings had left him in an awful state.

"I'm here to bid you farewell." Derrick said respectfully.

Kant rubbed his temples and asked, "Are you ready to set off?"

"Yes. I'll set off for Durandal tomorrow morning." Derrick replied.

"Be careful on your way. I've been busy these past few days, so I won't be able to send you off tomorrow." Kant said as he looked at Derrick.

"Lord Kant, you've worked hard. This is the first time I've attended such a meeting. I've also been shocked by the momentum of the various ministers' heated debates." Derrick described to Kant.

"It's the same as before. They were doing at their best at their positions." Kant replied.

In fact, the intensity of the ministers' opinions this time had surprised him.

The meeting continued for a few days, but the heat of the debate had yet to subside.

It seemed like Durandal's investment had quite a deep impact.

"It's still you, Lord, who made the final decision on this matter. I wonder what you think after listening to the opinions of the ministers, Lord?" Derrick asked probingly.

"The construction in Durandal is indeed troublesome, but it's also unavoidable. What kind of city does Durandal need to be built into may be the key. For now, maintaining the local natural resources is the most important thing." Kant didn't answer directly, instead, he made a summary of what the ministers had said.

"Yes, I believe that Lord Kant will make a suitable decision in the end." Derrick said to Kant after listening to the summary.

"How many people are you planning to bring to Durandal this time?" Kant changed the topic and asked.

"About eight hundred people. This is the number of people I selected from my own subordinates after I learned about the recent situation in Durandal from Commander Bunduk." Derrick answered carefully.

"I see. You've thought it quite thoroughly." Kant nodded in agreement. "It will probably be late autumn by the time you return from your trip to Durandal. You must pack your necessary luggage and take care of your health. Convey my condolences to the soldiers accompanying you." Kant instructed.

"Yes, Lord." After receiving the order, Derrick took his leave.

By the time he returned to the barracks, the evening training was about to begin.

Derrick supervised the soldiers' drills and training tasks as usual.

When the command from the main general's platform sounded, all the soldiers needed to gather below the stage.

After disbanding the other soldiers, Derrick left behind the 800 soldiers who were to follow Derrick to Durandal the next day.

"We will be leaving tomorrow. Please prepare yourselves before we leave tonight." Derrick commanded.

"Yes!"

"Lord sends his regards to all of you on his behalf. He hopes that no accidents will happen during the few months that you will be stationed outside the city. You will be able to complete all your missions in Durandal. Do you hear me?" said Durandal.

"Roger!" the soldiers replied loudly, "Thank you, Lord!"

"Alright, dismissed!" Derrick saluted the soldiers below the stage and said, "Everyone, return to your dormitories and rest early."

After the meeting was adjourned, Derrick walked out of the training ground by himself.

He discovered that Bunduk was standing there waiting for him.

"Commander Bunduk." Derrick greeted Bunduk as he walked in front to him.

"Commander Derrick, you're going to Durandal tomorrow, right?" Bunduk asked.

"Yes."

The two of them walked side by side to the resting area of the military camp.

"I heard that in most area in Durandal City are construction areas." Bunduk said worriedly.

"Construction sites are much better than sleeping in the wilderness during war." Derrick said with a chuckle. "I heard from the Lord that General Adonis still wants to stay there."

"Actually, it's better to leave such a task to me. You are still not completely familiar with the military management of the main city. You should have more time to manage the military camp in the center." Bunduk voiced his doubts.

"Lord must have noticed my current weakness and wants me to train more outside of comfort zone. There will always be you taking care of me in the main city. Nobody would even notice if I slacked off." Derrick reflected.

"How can that be? I feel that I didn't help you in any way, and you've been working hard all this time." Bunduk shook his head and said, "I feel that you will definitely become a better commander than men in the future."

Derrick denied, "I'm already very satisfied to be able to stand on the same level as you, Commander Bunduk. As for surpassing you, that is something I can't imagine."

Bunduk continued shaking his head and didn't say anything else.

When they reached the entrance of the rest area, the two bade each other farewell and returned to their respective residences to rest.

The next morning, Derrick led his troops and set off from the military camp. Derrick said, "Let's go."

Chapter 685: Final Result

After Derrick's troops reached the city gates, Bunduk rushed over with more than a dozen soldiers to send them off.

While Bunduk was encouraging the soldiers who were about to head to Durandal, the city gates opened.

A number of commoners swarmed into the streets.

Derrick sent people to inquire about the reason for these commoners' arrival.

After asking, they realized that these people were the family members of the soldiers who had died in battle.

They had long heard that Lord Kant was sending people to Durandal. This morning, when they saw a line of soldiers set off for the city gate, they hurriedly followed.

The family members of the soldiers held some offerings in their hands.

They were unable to cross the desert to visit the graves of the soldiers, so they could only ask the soldiers under Derricks to bring these to the graves of their relatives.

Seeing this scene, Derrick felt mixed emotions.

The soldiers under stared at Derrick. According to the army's rules, if he didn't agree, they couldn't accept such a request.

Derrick thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Put them in the reserve carriage."

All the soldiers who received the request solemnly put the offerings they had received into the carriage at the back of the army.

After being delayed at the city gate for a while, Derrick bade farewell to Bunduk and the others before leading the army into the desert. They disappeared into the vast sea of sand.

A few days after Derrick and the others arrived in Drondheim, a messenger from Derrick sent a message, saying that the reservoir project in Drondheim had officially begun.

This was the result obtained by Kant after the ministers of the two factions had fought for it.

The other projects in Durandal would be discussed again after the reservoir was completed.

Derrick and the others also took part in the reservoir construction project with the army.

It was expected that the first results would be seen in two months.

Kant sat in the palace's senate hall and watched the progress of Drondheim's development every day.

A few days ago, Kant had received a sample of the national emblem chosen from the people. This time, the designs of the national flag and national emblem was collected from the people. There were a lot of proposals that were well designed.

Kant chose a proposal that was the most in line with his original vision.

He would let the officer of the palace make the corresponding finished product.

He planned to wait until the founding of Caradia Empire was announced, and then officially start to use it.

The commoners who designed the final national flag and national emblem were naturally also richly rewarded.

The port route of Cumberland was officially opened, but so far, this port had only reached an agreement with the Elf Kingdom, connecting them to each other. But it still greatly reduced the distance between the main city of the Elf Kingdom and Cumberland. In the past, it would take a carriage to travel three days. But now, it would only take a day to arrive by ships.

In a few days, it would be Kant's birthday.

To Kant, such a day was no longer important.

However, the ceremonial officer in the palace was extremely attentive to this.

On the day before Kant's birthday, the palace was decorated with lanterns and decorations.

"Lord." the ceremonial officer came to the front of the senate hall once again.

It was lunchtime now. After Kant finished his dessert, he rinsed his mouth with tea. He sighed at the ceremonial officer, "You've been a frequent visitor recently."

"I'm sorry to disturb you during Lord's mealtime." the ceremonial officer bowed respectfully.

"It's fine. You came at a good time. I've already eaten lunch." Kant replied, "What's the matter this time?"

"The list of ministers invited to tomorrow's birthday banquet has been prepared. I'll pass it to you to review." the ceremonial officer replied.

"Well, it's pretty good." Kant nodded after roughly looking at the list.

After saying that, he handed the list back to the ceremonial officer.

"In addition, we made a new set of formal clothes for Lord's birthday. I hope you can personally appraise it, Lord." the ceremonial officer lowered his head and said.

"Actually, you don't have to go through so much trouble." Kant frowned.

"Lord's birthday is a day that equally important to the new year. We naturally have to prepare for it." the ceremonial officer insisted.

Kant couldn't help but stroke his forehead. In the past few days, the ceremonial officers in the palace had been busy coming in and out. The entire imperial court and the people all knew that Lord's birthday was coming up.

Even Derrick from far away in Durandal had sent a congratulatory letter.

Kant wasn't used to such an atmosphere.

"Then show it to me first." Kant compromised.

The ceremonial officer nodded, "Yes."

Then, he retreated to the side and clapped, "Present the new gown."

The two ceremonial officers carried a wooden stake with the gown and walked into the hall. They placed it neatly in the hall and then pushed it aside.

Kant looked up, and his eyes revealed a hint of praise.

"This ceremonial robe is made from the national emblem that Lord chose a few days ago. With the cinnabar color as the base, the patterns on the brocade robe were made overnight by several skilled female workers, and the lines were smooth. Overall, it's simple and elegant, and it's very compatible with your temperament, Lord," the ceremonial officer introduced from the side.

"Well done," Kant praised, "But the cost of such a gown is very high. It's better not to focus on it in the future."

Kant naturally had his own worries in his heart. Drondheim seemed to have a good future. That was because of his own ability and the sacrifice of many soldiers. It was because the people of Drondheim had a beautiful vision for the future.

But as a lord, he could not forget the cruel reality behind this prosperity, and now was only a good beginning. Kant would not be satisfied with current status and would not stop here to enjoy it.

He wanted to convey to everyone, not only his ambition, but also his determination.

If anyone noticed his extravagance, then Drondheim's hard-won forces would gradually become loose.

For Kant, the material requirements were as follows: he could sleep in a comfortable bed every day, and his meals consisted of delicious red wine and delicious food. That was enough.

If he wanted more in this area, he had to match the capabilities of his own country.

That way, both the people and the officials would be convinced.

Kant asked the guards to come forward and move the dress to the side hall.

When the ceremonial officer saw Kant take the dress, he took his leave and left with his subordinates.

Kant sat in the senate hall and thought, "According to the schedule, there will be a big meeting tomorrow."

At the meeting, Kant will address the people in the city and the high officials of the court.

It was rare to have such an assembly during the year. Most of the time, it was on new year.

Chapter 686: The Founding of the Empire

Kant thought about it carefully: in order to celebrate the victory of the expedition team, they held a celebration in the main city. His birthday was this year's second national assembly.

Kant picked up a seal on the side, with his fingers rubbed on its surface, engraved with the national emblem of the same gold lion.

After thinking for a while, Kant decided to announce the completion of the Caradia Empire at the celebration tomorrow.

With this in mind, Kant dug out the constitutional document presented by the Ministry of Justice a few days ago.

He looked it over carefully.

This constitution was made by Kant in consultation with all the ministers that served in the imperial court.

It stipulated the centralized political system of the Caradia Empire.

It also listed in detail the organizational principles and powers of the state institutions, the basic rights and tasks of the citizens of the empire.

The ranks of officials and the division of departments in the imperial court were all readjusted.

The transfer of personnel still took some time to get used to, but now the court was probably on the right track to apply the provisions of the constitution.

After Kant carefully read the constitution, he was more certain in his heart that he would open up the idea to the people tomorrow.

Drondheim was now a peaceful place in a desert oasis, and this would be the first time Kant had presented his vision to the people.

A centralized country relied heavily on leadership at the top, Kant wanted to use Drondheim as the center to convey to the people who lived on the land of the Caradia Empire the belief that under a centralized system, the people also needed to participate.

This was Kant's balancing choice at the top of the centralized power. He believed in his ability to lead such a system.

Until late at night, Kant was still busy in front of the case, preparing for tomorrow's publication.

On his birthday, early in the morning, the ceremony officers came with their men to bathe and change Kant.

Under the service of the ceremonial officers, Kant put on the dress he had been given yesterday and walked out of the palace.

Outside the palace stood a high platform that had been built overnight. At the same time that the palace door opened, a band stood on both sides of the door and began to play music.

The sound of cannon salutes followed: pink petals covered the entire open space.

Kant walked to the high platform under the eyes and cheers of the people and officials.

After the usual etiquette ended, Kant cleared his throat and signaled for everyone to be quiet for the time being.

The officials below the platform had already received the news and were mentally prepared.

Meanwhile, the people who did not know the inside story had curious looks on their faces as they looked forward to Kant's follow-up speech.

"I, the Lord of Drondheim, Kant, announce that Drondheim is no longer an ordinary colonial estate. Instead, it is the capital of the Caradia Empire that you and I built together! Each and every one of you are citizens under the protection of the Caradia Empire!" Kant said solemnly word by word.

"Eh?!" Among the crowd below the stage, after Kant finished his first sentence, there was a series of surprised exclamations. In the end, when Kant finished his words, everyone's faces revealed a pleasantly surprised expression. Then, they hugged each other and cheered.

Seeing that the reaction of the people was much more positive than expected, Kant was relieved.

After Kant's speech ended, the elected representative from the high officials stood on stage. He introduced the nature of the Caradia Empire to everyone and read out the newly formulated constitution.

"Today is not only Lord's birthday, but also the birth of the Caradia Empire. I hope everyone can spend it happily." the minister concluded.

Kant's birthday celebration ended here.

From now on, on this day every year, everyone in the country would take a day off.

When the Caradia Empire grew stronger and took in more people, this day would become an even more precious day.

After Kant returned to the palace, he leisurely sat down in the side hall of the senate hall.

It still required a lot of energy to make a speech in front of thousands of people.

Kant, who had been dealing with political affairs in the palace all day, was also extremely tired.

After sitting for a while, a ceremonial officer brought his men in one after another. Each of them held a tray in their hands.

"This is?" Kant asked.

"This is the folk snack made by various merchants at today's gathering," the ceremonial officer replied.

"Alright, put them down." Kant nodded and said.

"Yes." the ceremonial officer replied. Then, he instructed everyone to place the dishes in their hands on the dining table.

Kant was not used to having so many people watching while he was eating. He said to the ceremonial officer, "It's alright, you can leave now."

The ceremonial officer glanced at the dishes on the table and nodded hesitantly. Then he left with his people.

According to the procedure, the ceremonial officer should have made an introduction of the various dishes. But when he saw Lord Kant's tired face, he thought that Lord Kant would not be in the mood to listen to him. So he did not make another suggestion.

Kant sat down at the dining table and began to taste all kinds of snacks by himself.

Each dish had a soft texture and a good taste.

Unconsciously, Kant also began to taste carefully and wholeheartedly into this dish.

In the end, the stomach in the body could not take more burden, and the mouth could no longer swallow it. Only then did Kant put down the cutlery in his hand.

He took a sip of tea and rinsed his mouth.

Kant sat at the table, and his eyes unconsciously looked toward the door of the senate hall.

It was noon now, and the outside of the palace was very lively. During this rare holiday, there should not be any officials coming to him to report on government affairs.

Usually at this time, there would be civil servants or generals coming to him to discuss government affairs.

Kant sat quietly for a long time. After making sure that no one would come, he returned to the side hall to rest.

In this world, almost no one had the habit of taking a nap. Kant used to have this habit, but after managing Drondheim, this habit gradually disappeared.

Now, he could not think of any other place to sit in front of the bed. Although the bustle outside the palace was caused by him, it was not suitable for him to participate. Although his birthday wasn't a special day, it would be too sad if he had to deal with his own affairs on this day. Kant was a politician and a military strategist, not a workaholic. Moreover, today was a national holiday, so no text was sent into the palace.

After closing the thin quilt and lying down, Kant began to try to get himself back into the habit of taking a nap.

His brain still seemed excited, and scenes from the past kept appearing in his mind: his father and mother, the stalemate he faced when he first came to Drondheim, the anger and nervousness of being defeated in the battle to reinforce the Elf Kingdom.

Kant's thoughts were fading, and he fell into a deep sleep.

Chapter 687: Dinner With the Ministers

Kant had a dream. He was standing in a tunnel, and it seemed that there was a strong wind blowing through the tunnel, but his body did not feel anything. No one around him seemed to see him. Kant's heart gradually rose with fear and panic. He tried to run out of the tunnel. But no matter how hard he tried, he could not escape.

When his heart began to despair, a pair of hands pushed him out of the tunnel, causing the light of the sun to shine on Kant's body again. Kant wanted to turn around and see who the owner of those hands was, but he could only see a blurry figure.

"Lord." Kant heard someone call out.

After opening his eyes, Kant saw the ceremonial officer anxiously walking beside the bed.

After seeing Kant open his eyes, the ceremonial officer said happily, "Lord, you are finally awake."

Kant looked out of the window. The sky had completely darkened. He asked, "What time is it now?"

"The evening banquet is about to begin. Lord, you have to start preparing quickly." the ceremonial officer explained the current situation.

Kant nodded and got up from the bed.

The ceremonial officer immediately went forward to change his clothes. The attendant beside him brought a basin of water and asked Kant to wash his hands.

After everything was prepared, Kant led a group of people to the banquet hall.

The banquet hall's guest seats were already filled with ministers who had been invited into the palace. After Kant arrived, the scene began to play music.

"Congratulations on Lord's birthday!" after Kant sat down, the ministers stood up and greeted him in unison.

"Well, thank you very much. Hurry up and sit down." Kant greeted them.

"Serve the dishes!" the ceremonial officer standing outside the banquet hall announced.

A row of orderly ceremonial officers walked to the front of the hall with dishes in their hands. They placed the fine wine and dishes on the tables of the various guests before respectfully leaving.

"Well." after seeing that the dishes were all served, Kant nodded and said, "As the leader, let me first toast the ministers with a cup of wine. Thank you for coming to participate in this banquet."

As Kant said that, he raised the wine glass in his hand and drank it all in one gulp.

When the ministers saw how straightforward Lord Kant was, they also raised the wine glass on their table and drank the entire glass.

"On behalf of the army, I'll toast to you, Lord." Bunduk sat close to Kant. At this time, he had already filled the second cup and raised his cup to Kant.

Kant smiled and nodded.

Following that, more civil servants and generals would propose a toast to Kant.

After Kant drank a few glasses, he felt that he was unable to hold his liquor. Hence, he called off the toast and invited everyone to eat together.

During the meal, many ministers took out their gifts.

Some of the items were really rare, especially a bow. The shape and the strength of the bow was top grade. It was unknown where the minister had found such a weapon.

Kant was not interested in these, while Bunduk watched from the side.

People who had been on the battlefield for a long-time loved weapons more than ordinary people. In Bunduk's eyes, this bow could be treated as a treasure collection.

The process of displaying the gifts had opened the eyes of all the ministers.

There were some who were proud and some who were envious.

It added a lot of fun to the banquet.

In order not to disturb the happy atmosphere, Kant accepted all the gifts from the ministers.

However, when the banquet was over, the gifts would be returned to the officials who gave them.

After the meal, everyone put down their bowls. They started to listen to Kant talk about his ambition to build a country.

In Kant's eyes, the territory of Caradia will never be restrained at the Nahrin Desert.

But a journey of ten thousand miles begins with a single step.

The Nahrin Desert is the starting point of the Caradia Empire.

To make it an oasis of multiple meanings is the primary goal at present.

The development of the capital, Drondheim, is now in full swing. Both military and business were developing greatly.

Kant believed that they had enough strength to achieve their first goal.

Only after they had jumped to a new level would they have a chance to continue to carry out the blueprint of the Caradia Empire.

Everyone couldn't help clapping.

Although they were all high-ranking officials, most of them were in their twenties or thirties.

At this age, when they chose to enter politics, the hot blood in their hearts was indispensable.

Kant's words were exactly what they had expected.

None of the ambitious younglings would expect their boss to be a man who followed the rules and was willing to be ordinary.

The minister let go of the burden and began to speak one by one of their own minds about their own position.

Kant sat in his seat and sipped wine as he listened.

They talked until late into the night, until most of them passed out at the table.

Kant then arranged for the crowd to disperse and watched the guards carry the officials out of the banquet hall.

Perhaps it was because he had eaten too much today compared to the past, Kant did not immediately return to the palace where he was resting. Instead, he strolled around the palace accompanied by the guards.

He did not go back to rest until it was late at night.

The next morning, Kant got up early and went to the senate hall to begin his new day.

However, there was only a mountain of paperwork on this day.

Kant sat down at the table.

On the table, he saw a letter.

It was from Durandal.

Kant asked the attendant beside him, "When did this letter arrive?"

"It was sent to the palace by the messenger four hours ago." the attendant replied.

Kant nodded, silently opened the envelope, and carefully read it.

After he finished reading and put down the letter, a trace of joy appeared on his face.

Durandal's reservoir had been built before the rainy season, and Durandal's staff had sent a survey report: this year would be the year with the highest rainfall in the past decade.

For Caradia Empire, which had just taken over this area, this was indeed a happy thing.

After Kant sat there and thought for a moment, he immediately wrote a reply.

In the letter, he instructed Derrick to arrange for the troops under Adonis to be sent back to their hometowns for the holidays.

He also asked Derrick to always remember to report on the operation of the reservoir and the water quality investigation report for the freshwater lake.

The information reported by Durandal would be evaluated by the relevant departments in the imperial court before it was finally summarized to Kant.

At the end of the letter, Kant instructed, "Don't forget to reward the soldiers who travel with you."

Kant was truly surprised that this project could be completed ahead of the expected deadline.

After Kant sorted out the letter, he handed it to the messenger. He ordered the messenger to pick out a few guards and take the boxes of supplies to Durandal.

Chapter 688: The Day After the Founding of the Empire

The news of the founding of the Caradia Empire naturally spread throughout the Nahrin Desert and the coast where the Elf Kingdom was located.

The Elf King had sent over a dozen boxes of congratulatory gifts and a greeting letter.

Cumberland and Durandal also sent congratulatory letters.

Meanwhile, Kant was busy mobilizing personnel from the main city to the local areas.

The current capacity of Cumberland had increased by dozens of times, and it was almost time to select the second batch of expatriates.

Kant asked the minister in charge of household registration, Kylak, to discuss with him.

Before Kylak was announced into the hall, Kant handed over the report sent by Cumberland to him for reading.

After reading it, Kylak said to Kant, "Cumberland's development is really fast with each passing day. It seems that the local officials have come up with a lot of good ideas on local policies."

"Yes, but the first batch of relocated population is only for the experimental stage. According to the current situation, we should be able to start the second batch of recruitment." Kant argued with Kylak.

"Yes, we can start, but based on the environment in the city, who knows how many people are willing to move to Cumberland?" Kylak said worriedly.

"Let's test the results first. Even if the number of people is up, we have to find suitable candidates according to different age," Kant instructed.

"Yes, Lord." Kylak replied.

The next day, the news of the second recruitment spread in Drondheim.

In short, there were still many people who came to the household registration office with their families to register. But the merchants in the city reacted more coldly.

Although the free-trade market had a bright future, if they squeezed in as the second batch of merchants, they would not get any good food.

Drondheim was the main city of the political center, and it was not easy to get a foothold here, so why go there again.

Most of the people who signed up were from agriculture and industry, as well as some logistics practitioners. These people usually shuttled between agricultural land and the market, and they had familiar connections in the merchants of Drondheim. So for them, this relocation edict might be a rare opportunity.

Kylak was in charge of the final intelligence report, after reading the letters sent one by one. He reported the names of the people involved to Kant.

"Out of more than 6,000 people, 1,580 people were chosen. Those who were chosen should feel very lucky." Kant said as he looked at the data list at the end of the list.

"It seems that I did worry too much before. I'm really ashamed." Kylak said embarrassedly.

"Perhaps for Cumberland, this is the upper limit of the number of people that can be carried within the territory." Kant said to Kylak as he flipped the pages. "You've chosen well."

"Thank you for your praise, Lord." Kylak bowed and saluted.

"Let's arrange according to this report. It's just that with so many people's household registration changes, I'll have to trouble you and your subordinates again." Kant handed the report back to Kylak and instructed.

"It's our duty." Kylak took the report humbly and continued, "This matter requires the cooperation of the officials of Cumberland. We will definitely hand over the new report to Lord as soon as possible."

"Yes." Kant nodded in response.

Under the arrangement of Kylak, the selected residents received the official reply and began to prepare for the migration according to the previous procedure.

The departure of one or two thousand people was not a big change for Drondheim.

After sending off the group of people with the firecrackers and fireworks, Drondheim returned to the usual situation.

It was just that everyone was looking for new people to replace the former position of the people who had left.

For the imperial court, there were three or four officials who came to Kant to apply for transfer to Cumberland.

As long as they had performed well since taking office, Kant respected their personal development aspirations and did not force them to stay.

After the next batch of documents were given to the officials, they passed the matter on.

Half a month passed. The soldiers who had been stationed in Durandal for half a year finally welcomed their first vacation.

When they returned to Drondheim, Kant did not greet them. Instead, he asked Bunduk to help greet them.

After the soldiers returned to the barracks and put down all the supplies belonging to the army, they returned to their respective homes.

The vacation this time was about fifteen days. After fifteen days, they would return to the barracks. As for whether they would train in the army or be sent to Durandal for a second shift, it would have to be decided based on the circumstances of the time.

The leader of this team was Adonis. He had also returned to Drondheim.

Because he knew that everyone was homesick, Adonis did not arrange any gathering. He ordered the troops to disband at the military camp.

After the troops were disbanded, Adonis brought the news sent by Durandal to the palace.

"Lord." Adonis greeted.

"Why are you here?" Kant raised his head from the document and asked.

"I'm here to hand in the report." Adonis bowed and handed the report to Kant.

"You can ask the messenger to do these things." Kant said after he finished the document.

"Lord messenger is running back and forth in the desert. It's really too tiring. Taking advantage of our return trip, I took over his mission and settled him in Drondheim so that he can have a good rest. I hope Lord won't blame me." Adonis carefully explained.

"The weather in the desert has been unpredictable recently." Kant nodded slightly. "You haven't returned to Drondheim for half a year, right. "Now that you're back in the city, you still have to come to the palace. I've really troubled you. I'll take this report. You should hurry home to see your family and children."

"Thank you, Lord," Adonis said gratefully.

After saying goodbye, he left the senate hall.

Kant sat back down and picked up the documents of Durandal to read.

Before he knew it, the sky outside the window had completely darkened.

"Lord, it's time for your dinner." the guard at the side couldn't help but remind him.

"Well, you all go and eat. I'll finish reading this part of the document and then have my dinner." Kant ordered with a frown, his eyes still focused on the document.

Hearing Kant's words, the guard at the side consciously didn't say anything else. Instead, he stood quietly at the side and waited.

An hour later, Kant finally stood up from the table and handed the revised document to the attendant.

He slowly walked to the dining table in the side hall and sat down.

A team of attendants came in with dishes and placed them on the table.

The kitchen had already distributed the dishes that they had prepared earlier, and they had made new dishes for Kant not long ago.

Kant shook his head when he knew about it. It seemed that he would have to find someone to discuss with the kitchen in the future and not prepare dinner for himself too early.

Chapter 689: Inspection at the Military Camp

Drondheim's coal resources were constantly transported to Drondheim. They were processed by the state-run factory on the outskirts of Drondheim.

Of course, this was under the conditions of maintaining the amount of coal stored in the Drondheim coal factory.

After being processed by the factory, the refined coal was sent to the military camp and other places, displaying its outstanding quality.

In Durandal's letter, Derrick mentioned the cooperation intentions of the Elf Kingdom's organization to the Durandal coal factory.

This really surprised Kant a little. He didn't expect Elf Kingdom to propose such cooperation first.

However, he still needed to carefully consider it before deciding to cooperate.

After all, this might affect the international relations between the two countries.

Kant was quite troubled by this matter.

One evening, after dealing with today's documents.

Kant decided to go to the military camp during this free time.

Adonis' army had finished their vacation and returned to the ranks. He didn't know what the status of the training was.

With this thought, Kant took his guards and went to the training ground of the military camp without informing anyone beforehand.

The afterglow of the setting sun sprinkled on the flagstone road of the palace. Kant, who was sitting in the carriage, could not help but open the curtains and look at the afterglow of the setting sun.

"Could they be resting?" Kant asked the guard who acted as the drayman.

"It shouldn't be. It's still quite early to the end of the training at this time." the guard replied.

These guards were all elites who had come out of the army. They had a very clear understanding of the life of the army.

Kant nodded when he heard this.

After arriving at the military camp, Kant got off the carriage and walked to the training ground.

No one was allowed to ride a horse instead of walking in the military camp. Therefore, Kant followed the rules of the army in a low-key manner even if it was not necessary.

He just walked to the front of the training ground. Kant heard the shouts of the people in the training ground.

"Lord." When Kant led a group of guards into the training ground, Adonis had already noticed them. He walked across half of the training ground and came forward to greet them.

"Hmm. How is the training of your soldiers? I heard that this training mode was only introduced in the army after you went to Durandal." Kant asked Adonis.

"Yes. The soldiers had just started training in this mode. Everyone felt that it was quite novel. However, the plan that Commander Bunduk and the other officers discussed is indeed very good. Most of the soldiers are already familiar with it," Adonis replied.

"Yes, it looks really good." Kant said as he glanced at the soldiers in formation in the distance.

"Lord." Without knowing when, Bunduk had already walked to Kant's side. At this moment, he spoke and bowed.

"Commander Bunduk, I asked you to compile a list of the soldiers who went to Durandal the day before yesterday. You haven't given it to me yet." Kant reminded him after he noticed Bunduk.

"I'm sorry, Lord. I'll definitely give you the list by tomorrow." Bunduk said with some difficulty.

"It's hard to gather the opinions of the soldiers, right?" Kant continued.

"The soldiers did indeed say some of their own opinions. But the situations of their families are different. It took some time to understand them all." Bunduk replied hesitantly.

"Mm. Then you can hand them over to me after you've sorted them out. There's no need to worry about time." Kant replied after thinking for a while.

"Thank you, Lord." Bunduk heaved a sigh of relief in his heart.

Under the leadership of Bunduk and Adonis, Kant inspected every soldier in every formation. After the inspection ended, it was unknowingly time for the afternoon training to be dismissed.

Before Bunduk went on stage, he asked Kant if he wanted to say a few words to the soldiers in the army. Kant shook his head and rejected the suggestion.

"Lord, it's already dinner time. Are you going back to the palace?" After the soldiers dispersed, Bunduk walked off the stage and asked Kant.

"Yes, it's time for dinner." Kant said, "Then the three of us can eat together."

After saying that, he pointed at Adonis beside him.

"This should be the first time I'm eating with you, right?" Kant asked Adonis.

Adonis was a little surprised by Kant's suggestion. He could only nod at Kant's question.

"So, are we going to...?" Bunduk hesitated and asked with a difficult expression.

"Eat with the soldiers, just like you usually do." Kant replied.

Kant dismissed the guards around him and asked them to find their comrades in the army to reminisce.

On the empty training ground, only Kant, Bunduk, and Adonis were left.

"Where is the military camp's dining hall?" Kant asked. His gaze turned to Bunduk.

After meeting Kant's eyes, Bunduk walked in front of Kant in fear and trepidation and said, "Lord, let me lead the way."

"Alright."

The decoration of the dining hall in the military camp was still not bad. Kant walked in and nodded in satisfaction.

The soldiers lined up in front of the windows of the various dishes. There were also quite a number of people who had rushed to the front who had already sat in their seats and started eating.

The room was filled with the sounds of soldiers talking and the collision of knives, forks, and dishes.

Bunduk led the other two to an empty seat in the corner and sat down.

"Lord, please wait a moment." said Bunduk. After saying that, he gave Adonis a look and then walked to the kitchen.

Kant nodded as a response and quietly waited in his own seat.

Adonis was asked by Bunduk to stay by Kant's side, and he was a little uneasy at this strange situation.

Kant looked around the entire dining hall, pointed to a long line in a corner on the right, and asked, "What are those soldiers queuing up for?"

Adonis followed Kant's hand and looked up. After seeing the situation clearly, he replied, "That's where the beer is held. It's quite popular among the soldiers, right?"

"Beer?" Kant asked.

"Yes. Beer brewed from fresh wheat shipped from Cumberland. It was only provided in the barracks a few months ago." Adonis explained.

"It sounds pretty good. Can you help me get a cup?" Kant asked.

"Of course." Adonis listened to Kant's words and immediately stood up to follow the long line.

Kant's body seemed to be shrouded in a powerful aura. Even during his free time during meals, it still persisted.

Adonis walked behind the line of soldiers and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Chapter 690: A Delightful Dinner

Actually, when it came to Kant's drinking habit, he usually only drank red wine and was not very interested in beer.

It was just that the atmosphere just now was a little awkward. In order to let Adonis relax a little, Kant decided to ask him for a small favor to break the awkwardness. At the same time, he left some buffer time.

At this time, Bunduk had already walked out from the kitchen. Behind him was a helper pushing a dining cart filled with plates.

After walking in, Bunduk saw that there was only Kant on the dining table. He said with some dissatisfaction, "How can this Adonis leave you alone, Lord?"

"I asked him to help me get a beer, and now he is still working hard to line up. It won't be a problem for me to sit here alone." Kant explained, then called the helper to start serving the dishes.

"I see." Hearing Kant's words, Bunduk relaxed. He pulled out the dining chair and sat down.

"When he comes, let's eat together." Kant said.

"Yes." Bunduk replied, and then he looked back at the line in front of the beer machine. He thought of something and said, "Lord, in my impression, you don't really drink beer."

"Yes, because I really don't feel like drinking." Kant said with a smile. "But just now, I felt that General Adonis was sitting beside me and didn't seem very comfortable. So I thought of asking him to help me."

"As expected. Lord, you are really too meticulous." Bunduk seemed like he had expected this situation. Then, he explained for Adonis, "Although his personality is rather casual, he is also a little reserved. Lord, don't mind him."

"I went with him to Durandal's field survey before. He is indeed a very easygoing person. I don't know why, but after returning to the main city, he seems a lot more reserved in front of me." Kant waved his hand, he indicated that he did not mind.

"Perhaps the atmosphere around here has changed," Bunduk mentioned.

"Yes." Kant nodded and said, "You and General Adonis are old friends, right?"

"Yes. Initially, he joined the army about half a year later than me. After that, he has been helping me. Our personalities can be considered to be on good terms, so we have been good friends for many years." Bunduk answered with a smile.

"That's good. After all, if you are not familiar with him, it doesn't make sense for the two of us to discuss behind his back." Kant joked. "Why didn't General Adonis go with you when we went to the Undead City?"

Bunduk was about to say something, but Adonis's voice interrupted him. "I'm back."

Bunduk smiled apologetically at Kant. He turned around and looked at Adonis, who was carrying a plate with three cups of beer and walked over.

Adonis placed the plate on the table and placed the beer in front of the three sides.

He asked Kant and Bunduk in puzzlement, "Why aren't you talking? I saw you chatting happily when I was in line just now."

"Just now, Lord Kant asked about you, and you just happened to come back. So, it's not convenient for me to answer on your behalf." Bunduk explained with a smile.

"Huh? Lord, what are you asking?" Adonis sat down in his seat with a puzzled look.

"I'm asking General Bunduk why he didn't take you to war when you were under him." Kant replied after taking a sip of beer and savoring it carefully.

This beer tasted pretty good.

"Ah, that time in the Undead City?" After understanding the topic, a hint of awkwardness appeared on Adonis's face.

"Yes." Bunduk chimed in.

"That time, I accidentally got injured, so I wasn't included in the list of candidates." Adonis said hesitantly.

"Injured? Is it because of training?" Kant asked. From Bunduk's snickering, he already understood the reason for Adonis's awkwardness.

"No, it's because I sprained my leg during a competition with my soldiers." Adonis said with difficulty.

"Oh." Kant replied thoughtfully and continued, "Actually, you still want to follow along to the battlefield, right?"

"Yes. After I received the command to go to the military camp, I immediately registered with Commander Bunduk." Adonis said unwillingly. "In the end, because of a moment of impulse, I could only be transferred to be the logistics."

Hearing this, Bunduk could not help but laugh. After Adonis glared at him, he covered his mouth with his hand.

"Hmm, have you recovered from your injury?" After listening to the whole story, Kant asked with a faint smile on his lips as he opened the cover of the plate on the table.

"I have completely recovered," Adonis replied, "When Bunduk went there, I often wrote to him."

Kant had already picked up his knife and fork, indicating that everyone could start eating.

"Why?" Kant asked after cutting off a piece of smoked chicken.

"Because I want to know what the situation at the front line is like..." Adonis earnestly narrated the content of his letter.

Kant would occasionally make a few remarks, but during the meal, it was mostly Bunduk and Adonis who were talking, and Kant quietly sat at the side and listened.

To be able to see the subordinates he valued to act freely and naturally in front of him, to be able to show their true side, this was already enough for Kant.

After dinner, Bunduk and Adonis brought Kant out of the dining hall.

Kant's personal guards had already stood in line and waited outside the door.

"How do you feel about eating with me this time? It's not too awkward, right?" Kant said to Bunduk.

Bunduk lowered his head in embarrassment and said seriously, "I'm very happy to be able to have dinner with Lord."

"Mm, the dishes you prepared are also very delicious," Kant said jokingly, "Then I'll return to the palace. I didn't let you drink too much just now. After all, there are still soldiers training at night. After today's mission is completed, rest early."

"Okay, thank you, Lord." Bunduk and Adonis replied in unison.

Kant nodded and led the guards out of the main gate of the military camp.

Outside the gate of the military camp, the carriage that Kant had come in was still parked.

After boarding the carriage, the guards drove the horse to the palace.

After returning to the palace, Kant didn't immediately take a bath and rest. Instead, he practiced calligraphy on the table in the senate hall.

The saying that practicing calligraphy could cultivate one's temperament still held some truth in Kant's mind.

At this time, as the tip of the brush crossed over the paper, Kant's heart gradually became enriched and calmed down.

Chapter 691: The Visit of the Elven King

Kant had a better understanding of the loneliness of being a monarch in these days.

Perhaps this was also due to his requirements on himself. In front of a talented politician, it also required a certain level of sacrifice in order to obtain what he wanted.

In contrast, the Elven King next door seemed to be much better off.

Just as Kant was thinking about the differences between himself and the Elven King, the Elven King unexpectedly came to visit.

The news reached the palace a few days before the Elven King and his people arrived at the city gate of the Caradia Empire.

"Why is it so sudden?" Kant thought to himself after listening to the messenger.

The Elf Kingdom and the Caradia Empire could be said to be on par with each other.

Moreover, the two countries often had military and commercial exchanges. It could be said that their relationship was solid.

Even if the other party announced their sudden visit, the Elven King was the ruler of a country and had traveled thousands of miles to come here. Kant had to go to the city gate to welcome them.

After instructing his subordinates to make relevant preparations.

Kant rode his horse on the day of the Elven King's visit and led the entire guard team to the city gate to welcome them.

The Elven King probably did not expect Kant to come personally. When he saw Kant in person, he could not help but be pleasantly surprised.

The two of them rode on horseback and reminisced about the past. On horseback, they talked about the development of the Elf Kingdom and Cumberland.

After arriving at the palace, Kant invited the Elven King to the senate hall to take a seat. He also asked the attendants to prepare tea to relieve the heat.

The two of them sat opposite each other and rested for a while.

Kant finally opened his mouth and asked, "Is there something very important that your highness has personally come here?"

"I've come this time mainly for two things. The first is to express my belated congratulations to the Caradia Empire. The second is to explain to you, Lord Kant, for this belated congratulations." the Elven King did not delay any further, he directly replied.

"It has been more than three months since the founding of the Caradia Kingdom. Your Highness wanted to visit personally, but you couldn't be able to arrive in time. It must be because you have some matters to attend to. May I know what kind of predicament the Elf Kingdome has encountered?" Kant asked.

In his heart, he had a vague feeling that the troubles the Elf Kingdom had encountered were also related to the Caradia Empire.

"This predicament has something to do with Cumberland." the Elven King glanced at Kant with appreciation, he continued, "The Elf Kingdom's seaport has been built for more than a hundred years. During this period, every sixty years, we will follow the instructions of the Dwarf Kingdom's craftsmen and invite them to come and carry out maintenance inspections. This is a custom that must be followed by the countries that employ dwarf craftsmen. However, we haven't been able to contact the people of the Dwarf Kingdom this year."

Kant was slightly surprised when he heard the words 'Dwarf Kingdom' and waited until he had heard everything the Elven King had to say. Kant couldn't help but mention, "I heard that the people of the Dwarf Kingdom have moved away from their original place. Perhaps..."

The Elven King listened to Kant's words, he shook his head and said, "They moved away because the Beastman tribe has occupied their estate. I know that too. The dwarfs sent us a letter informing us of their new address, but when we went to look for them according to their address, we couldn't find them."

"I didn't expect that they moved to avoid a war." Kant asked in surprise, "Then where did they go?"

"We don't know that either. The investigation has been going on for several months, but we still haven't gotten any results. So, I want to borrow the power of the Caradia Empire to help find their traces," the Elven King pleaded.

Kant frowned as he thought. He recalled the time when he stayed in Cumberland. The days he spent with Vivian and the dwarven craftsmen. He recalled the meaningful gazes in the eyes of the other dwarven craftsmen whenever they looked at Vivian.

Now, everything made sense when combined with the facts of the time.

Vivian's hand must have been injured during the battle. Although the dwarves were harsh in their words, they were actually kind-hearted. They did not like fighting and were rather timid. For them, it was better to cherish their hands, give up the land, and build a new home somewhere else.

Vivian should be one of the few dwarfs who resolutely resisted and participated in the actual fight. In the eyes of the other dwarfs who gave up resisting, even if she was treated as an alien, she should be loved, and respected.

Therefore, when Vivian became the leader, no dwarfs would want to disobey her orders.

Kant pieced together all the previous memories.

The dwarven craftsmen had indeed inadvertently brought many twists and turns to Cumberland.

Kant did not know how deep the bond between the Dwarf Kingdom and the Elf Kingdom was. It was able to make the Elven King travel in the desert for nearly half a month to come to Caradia to ask for help.

However, with Kant's temperament, since he knew that such a thing had happened to the people who had helped him, he would not sit idly by.

After thinking for a while, Kant said solemnly to the Elven King, "I have worked with the dwarven craftsmen for a period of time. Since they might be in danger, Caradia will definitely help to investigate the matters. Your Highness, you don't have to worry."

"Thank you, Lord Kant." the Elven King finally relaxed his nervous expression. "Thank you," he said to Kant.

There should be a banquet prepared for his highness in the palace at night.

At that time, the ministers of both countries would be invited.

Thinking of this, Kant did not ask the Elven King about the current information the Elf Kingdom had. Instead, he instructed him to return to his residence and rest.

After all, it was not too early.

The Elven King understood Kant's meaning. After bidding farewell to each other, he let the guards lead the way out of the palace.

The palace was brightly lit at night.

Kant was once again shocked by the decoration department's ability.

After putting on his luxurious clothes, he walked to the banquet hall, wondering if he should dismiss this group of people from the decoration department.

When they stepped through the door of the banquet hall, the ministers of the two countries who were originally sitting stood up and saluted Kant.

Kant waved his hand and motioned for them to sit down.

Then, he walked up the stairs and sat on the main seat. Next to his table was the seat of the Elven King.

"Your Highness."

Hearing the greetings from the crowd, Kant raised his head and looked at the door.

The Elven King walked in wearing a yellow brocade robe.

Kant gestured for his attendant to come down and receive the Elven King.

The Elven King did not seem to know where his seat was. He waited until the guard walked up to him and respectfully invited him to take a seat before walking towards Kant with a smile on his face.

Chapter 692: Welcoming the Elves to the Banquet

"Sorry, I'm a little late." the Elf King said to Kant with a smile.

"It's okay. The banquet was prepared for you, Your Highness," Kant stood up and replied.

The Elf King shook his head and sat down in his seat.

Kant glanced at the attendant beside him and sat down with the Elf King.

"Ministers, the banquet has begun." After receiving Kant's reminder, the guard announced to the ministers of the two countries.

The ministers who were sitting at the guest table were also silent.

"Today is a banquet to welcome the guests from the Elf Kingdom. I hope that everyone will not be reserved. Communicate with each other more. We should improve the mutual understanding between the two countries. Here, I would like to give a toast to His Highness the Elf King and the other ministers of the Elf Kingdom as a host." Kant picked up the wine glass and gestured to the Elf King, he drank the wine in one gulp.

"Hehe." the Elf King laughed happily. "Thank you, Lord Kant. Then, on behalf of the Elf Kingdom, I would like to propose a toast to you. I hope that the future of the Caradia Empire will be bright and that the cooperation between the two countries will be more harmonious."

After seeing the Elf King gave a toast, the officials under him also raised their glasses and drank the wine.

Under the direction, the band began to play the court music.

During the banquet, the officials sitting in the lead seats began to chat with each other. Whether it was the elven race or the human race, they were all in high spirits.

Before Kant tested the dishes, he raised his glass to the Elf King again and asked, "I wonder if Your Highness is willing to stay in Caradia for a few more days?"

The Elf King's cheeks were already red from drinking. At this moment, he waved his hand and said, "Thank you, Lord Kant, for your kind invitation. However, our group will probably set off tomorrow afternoon."

"Tomorrow afternoon?" The weather in the desert was bad. If they set off in the afternoon, they would soon have to find a place to set up camp to avoid the wind and sand. "Why don't you stay in Drondheim for a few more days and set off in the morning after adjusting your status?" Kant raised his glass to his lips and took a sip. Then he said to the Elf King.

"There are still many things to be arranged my kingdom. I have already shared my affairs with the ministers in the imperial court when I go abroad this time, but I still don't feel at ease." the Elf King explained.

"Alright then. Your Highness has such a heavy official task at hand and yet Your Highness still able to find the time to come to Caradia personally. I'm very honour" Kant nodded and did not say anything to persuade him to stay.

"I am really sorry to be able to make Lord Kant say such a thing." the Elf King replied with a smile.

At the second half of the banquet, some of the ministers had already fallen into a deep sleep because they had drunk too much wine. Some of them even began to dance in high spirits.

Kant could not help but frown when he saw this mess. It seemed that he would have to reduce their drinking capacity in the future. Some of the ministers looked really rude after drinking.

At the thought of this, Kant smiled embarrassingly at the Elf King beside him.

The Elf King understood what he meant and waved his hand, indicating that he did not care much.

At the end of the banquet, Kant asked the guards to call the servants of the ministers of Caradia to carry their master back.

The ministers of the Elf Kingdom also collapsed, but most of them were sound asleep. With the help of their companions and palace servants, they returned to their resting place.

Kant personally sent the Elf King to the carriage. After watching the carriage go far away, he returned to his resting palace.

Because he had toasted too much, Kant's body swayed as he walked.

When the servants outside the palace saw that Kant had returned, they immediately sent someone to the kitchen to order a hangover soup.

When the hangover soup was served to Kant, Kant was sitting at the round table in the main hall, holding his forehead and falling asleep.

"Your Highness, go take a bath after drinking the hangover soup" the guard reminded him carefully.

Kant opened his eyes hazily, and his gaze fell on the still steaming hangover soup. After sitting quietly for a while, he slowly scooped up the soup and drank it.

"Isn't It hot?" the attendant beside him muttered with a conflicted expression.

It was not until Kant finished the hangover soup that he hurriedly went forward and removed the soup bowl. He called for someone to help Kant take a bath and change his clothes.

Kant lay in bed in his nightgown.

He remembered what the Elf King had told him about the plight of the Dwarf Kingdom today, and his brows were still furrowed even as he fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, Kant woke up early in accordance with his usual biological clock.

Although he had drunk a lot of wine yesterday, he did not have much of an effect after waking up this morning because he had someone to take care of him.

After breakfast, Kant walked to the front of the senate hall.

The table was already filled with the information sent by the Elf Kingdom.

Kant picked up one of the stacks and looked at it for the entire morning.

In this morning's time, Kant was basically filling in the history of the Dwarf Kingdom.

The Elf Kingdom also sent the information they sent people to search for the new address of the Dwarf Kingdom and gave a preliminary judgment.

After Kant read all the information, he almost had an idea in his mind.

The new home of the Dwarf Kingdom was a cave near a volcano. The Dwarf Kingdom's craftsmen built a community there that was suitable for them to live in. However, those buildings were now only left with broken walls. Everyone in the Gnome Kingdom was also missing.

After the Elf Kingdom sent people to investigate the scene, they did not find any traces of battle on the scene, but they found the weapons commonly used by the gnomes.

Now, it seemed that the gnomes were very likely the culprit behind the disappearance of the dwarfs.

However, where did the gnomes take the dwarfs. However, the progress of the Elf Kingdom's investigation was hindered.

Kant sent over the captain who was in charge of training the squads, ready to discuss with him what actions Caradia should take next.

"Hello, Lord." the captain walked into the palace and greeted Kant.

"Yes." Kant nodded and recounted the situation that he had concluded.

"Cameron Volcano?" The captain said hesitantly, with a troubled expression on his face. "The training at such a harsh terrain has yet to be carried out for our soldiers."

"It doesn't matter if you're not familiar with it. The main task given to you is to find soldiers with outstanding trait and potential." Kant shook his head and replied, "The Elf Kingdom's dispatched troops will join you and share their previous experience. The ability to cooperate is also a very important selection criterion."

"Yes, I understand. Then I'll go to the army and select the candidates." After hearing Kant's request, the captain replied.

Chapter 693: The Return Journey of the Elf King

"However, I would like to ask, how long is it before we send out a reconnaissance team?" the captain asked hesitantly.

"Right now, the whereabouts of all the dwarfs are unknown. We need to gather information as soon as possible. There are only three days left. You must set off to the Elf Kingdom and meet up with their troops there. The seaport in the Elf Kingdom can go directly to the location of the Cameron Volcano." Kant thought for a moment and then replied.

"Roger that." the captain in charge of training the attendants replied.

Then, he left the senate hall. He looked in the direction where the captain left. He should have gone to the military camp immediately.

Kant rubbed the corner of his eyes and called over a guard at the side. He asked, "When will our elven guests set off this afternoon?"

"Probably after 1 o'clock." the guard replied.

"When they are ready to set off, prepare a guard team. We'll go and send them off." Kant ordered.

"Yes." the guard replied.

"Your Highness, it's almost lunchtime. The dishes in the kitchen are ready." a servant bowed and walked into the palace to pass on the message.

"Yes, put the dishes in the side hall. I still have some work to do after I finish my meal." Kant nodded and replied.

"Yes, Your Highness." the servant called out the team with the dishes and placed them on the dining table in the side hall. Then, he bowed and left.

It was lunchtime. The captain of the training ground, who had been appointed by Kant, came to the training ground in the military camp.

Bunduk and the others sat under the awning in the corner to rest. They noticed him entering the field from a distance.

Adonis waved his hands to greet the training captain and asked him to gather under the awning.

"Captain Aubrey, why are you here in the military camp?" Adonis asked.

"Well..." Aubrey took a sip of the herbal tea on the table and asked, "Have the soldiers gone for lunch break? It seems that I came at the wrong time."

"Yes, the training ended half an hour ago. The soldiers should have finished their lunch and returned to their dorms to rest." said Bunduk.

"Sigh." Aubrey wiped the sweat from his forehead and said to Adonis, "I came directly from the palace. His Highness asked me to organize a team in charge of reconnaissance within three days."

"Reconnaissance team? Isn't there a special team in the military camp already? Why do we need to reorganize one?" Sitting at the side, Bunduk could not help but ask.

"The situation this time is a bit special. It is to go to the caves around the volcano to investigate, and we need to cooperate with the front line of the Elf Kingdom." Aubrey explained.

"Around the volcano? That place is more dangerous than the desert." Adonis shook his head. "It is not easy to choose the right team members."

"Captain Aubrey, you can only wait until the afternoon and come to the training ground." Bunduk first nodded at what Adonis said, then explained to Aubrey.

"That's the only way. I'm have to go back to organize a guard team to send the elven team off. When the training ends in the afternoon, I'll have to trouble you to help me organize the team. Don't dismiss too early. I'll come back and choose among the soldiers then." Aubrey sighed and spoke.

"Okay." Adonis nodded and said, "You should be able to run into us when you come here at sunset."

"Thank you." Aubrey cupped his hands to the two people and said.

"It's okay. Do you need information about the soldiers in the army? We can use this as a reference and provide it to you." Bunduk waved his hand and continued to suggest.

"There's no need. Most of the people with strong combat strength have participated in the selection of the squire squad. I know what their level is." Aubrey shook his head, then, he asked, "But regarding the selection, I'll have to trouble the two of you to come with me in case there are any special omissions."

"Of course." Adonis and Bunduk agreed to Aubrey's request.

After the official business was finished, Aubrey explained that he had to quickly go back and arrange the guard team. He then bade farewell to Bunduk and Adonis.

Although it was already autumn, the sun was still dazzling in the sky of the desert oasis.

After the hottest hour had passed, the elven team was ready to set off for the city gate.

At the same time that the group of people riding camels stepped out of the estate of the resting place.

The gate of the palace opened from the inside to the outside. Kant rode his horse and led the guards to the side of the elven team.

"Your Highness." Kant rode on the horse and greeted the Elf King.

"Lord Kant, why are you here?" the Elf King asked in surprise.

"I can't keep you here to entertain you, so I have to send you off," Kant replied with a smile.

"Thank you for your trouble." the Elf King nodded and said apologetically.

"You're my guests, it's only right to do so." Kant shook his head.

The two of them walked at the front of the team and slowly walked towards the city gate.

"Your Highness, I've already arranged for my men to start the mission of searching for traces of the dwarves with you. I hope you won't be distracted by this. Three days later, the well-organized team will set off from Drondheim." Kant informed the Elf King during their chat.

"The ability of the Caradia Empire is indeed very strong. The personnel sent by the Elf Kingdom will certainly be responsible to the end and cooperate with the soldiers of the Caradia Empire." the Elf King replied.

"I hope that this operation will allow us to discover any traces or evidence left behind by the enemy." Kant said.

"The last exploration only reached the vicinity of the cave. This time, with sufficient preparations, there will definitely be new discoveries." the Elf King said.

Currently, there was still too little information about the disappearance of the Dwarf Kingdom.

Therefore, after Kant and the Elf King's discussion, they decided to send out a second exploration team, which was made up of the soldiers of the two kingdoms.

When they reached the city gate, it was time to say goodbye.

"Let me visit the Elf Kingdom in the future. Your Highness can't withstand another trip to the desert." Kant got off his horse and sent the Elf Kingdom off. He glanced at the scenery in the desert and said to the Elf King.

"Indeed. Traveling in the desert for ten days to half a month is too much for my body." the Elf King narrowed his eyes and looked at the desert in the distance. "Perhaps the next person who comes to visit you, Lord Kant, will be my descendants."

"Hehe, when the time comes, a simple visit won't do. They have to stay in Drondheim for a few days so they can truly enjoy their trip here." Kant also smiled and replied.

"Indeed." The Elf King nodded with a smile.

After saying their final goodbyes, the elven army left the city gate and headed west.

Chapter 694: Preparation of Caradia

The sun was setting, and the golden rays of the sun shone on the faces of every soldier in the training ground.

The afternoon's training had just ended. At this moment, they were standing side by side, waiting for the military officer on the main general stage to finish his speech before disbanding as usual. After that, it was time for dinner for an hour and a half.

Because the schedule of the military service team had ended earlier today, Aubrey had rushed here during military training.

Bunduk led him to tour between the various teams.

After walking a full circle, Aubrey was amazed. Compared to before, the military training method had done a lot of balancing adjustments. He had found many good soldiers in the ranks.

Bunduk treated his praise as a formality and did not pay much attention to it.

After the training ended, Bunduk called for his subordinate officers to hand over today's evaluation form to Aubrey.

While an officer was still speaking on stage, Aubrey had been reading the evaluation form below the stage.

"Captain Aubrey, the speech is about to end." Adonis reminded from the side.

Aubrey looked up and realized that the speech was almost at the end. He quickly handed the report in his hand to the previous officer and quickly walked onto the stage.

He stood at the position of the officer who gave the speech and took over the conversation from him. "Soldiers, I am the trainer of the guard team -- Captain Aubrey."

The guard team held a transfer selection in the army almost every year, so most of the soldiers below the stage knew Aubrey. Even those who didn't know him burst into cheers after listening to his introduction of his identity.

Aubrey nodded, signaling for the soldiers to quiet down. Then he said, "I'm sorry to take up everyone's rest time, but since it's a mission personally handed out by His Highness Lord Kant, I hope everyone can cooperate seriously."

After saying this, Aubrey paused, then continued, "Please stay where you are when I read your names. Those who are not call out can go and eat."

The captain of the guard training team had come to the military camp for a rare occasion. He must have something important to announce. When the soldiers heard the words 'Lord Kant personally gave out the mission', all of them shouted excitedly. Although the contents of the mission had not been officially published, they all silently hoped that their names would be read out.

"Austin, Boris, Karman..." Aubrey clearly read out the names of every soldier who was chosen as a candidate.

Bunduk and Adonis also stood below the stage and listened quietly.

Because it was only a list of candidates, Aubrey did not give them a look for reference.

However, after hearing the names of several elite soldiers being read out, Bunduk and Adonis looked at each other, their eyes filled with surprise. The captain of the training team had the best taste in selecting talents.

The candidates that Bunduk and Adonis had previously wanted to recommend to Aubrey were almost all included in this list.

"...Claremont, Clifford. Above that, these 103 people stay, the rest are dismissed!" Aubrey ordered.

The soldiers quickly and left. Obviously, there were some controversies of the selection of candidates among the soldiers. Everyone discussed this issue as seasoning during dinner.

"I have carefully selected all of you for this mission in the entire military camp. There are still two days left for me for the observation of your performance. When that time comes, the group will be reduced to about twenty people. All of you must perform well during these two days of special training! Do you hear me?" Aubrey changed his previous friendliness, his face seemed to be covered in frost as he sternly ordered the remaining soldiers.

"Roger!" the soldiers replied in unison.

Aubrey's expression softened as he carefully introduced the contents of this mission to the selected soldiers. He also announced that he would personally train them tomorrow and implement special lessons.

After everything was done, Aubrey gave the order to dismiss them.

Walking down from the rostrum, Aubrey smiled and asked Bunduk and Adonis, "What about this batch of soldiers?"

Adonis sighed as he clasped his hands together and bowed. "Captain Aubrey's choice of people is indeed sharp. The elites in our military camp are all highly regarded by you. It seems that there is no need for me and Commander Bunduk to participate in this activity."

"That's not true." Aubrey chuckled at Adonis's banter. "There are many good soldiers in your army. I just looked at the soldiers who are suitable to join the reconnaissance team. When making the final decision, the two of you must be by my side."

In the canteen of the military camp.

"I didn't expect that only twenty people would be able to participate in the mission. The selection is really competitive."

Some soldiers sat around a round table and planned to have dinner together.

"The cave next to the volcano should be very dangerous, right?" A soldier came back with a plate after finishing the dishes and said to the others.

"Are you afraid? If you're afraid, you don't have to go. Just tell General Aubrey tomorrow. He definitely won't force you to join." a soldier sitting opposite him replied.

"I'm not afraid!" the soldier put down the plate, and there was a hint of annoyance in his tone.

"Don't talked while eating. You'll choke yourself." a soldier stood up and tried to smooth things over.

A soldier sitting in the corner said with an expectant expression, "We're going to place outside of Nahrin Desert. I heard that we're going to take a boat. I've never taken a boat before."

"Me neither. I've never even seen the sea before." the soldier sitting next to him replied.

"We should be the first batch of Caradia soldiers to take a boat to the sea."

"I wonder if those people from the Elf Kingdom are easy to get along with..."

"Can you guys also talk about something more practical?"

They finished their dinner noisily. During the meal, there were soldiers who did not know each other very well who stood out to introduce themselves.

Aubrey rode his horse back to the palace.

When he found out that Kant was having dinner, he asked the attendant outside the hall to hand over the list of candidates for the reconnaissance team.

He had originally planned to give a detailed introduction, but Aubrey thought that Kant was busy with administrative matters every day, so he should not have time to listen to his decisions. He stopped outside the palace gate and returned to the military camp. This time, on his way to the military camp, Aubrey brought two of his trusted subordinates with him.

Every year, when the military service team accepted the military recruitment, these two people often accompanied him to do the verification.

They have until tonight to discuss with the corps what they want to do and what they want to do.

Chapter 695: Three Days of Training

Aubrey and the others worked with the officers in the camp until midnight. Finally, they came up with a concrete plan.

They spent the night in the tents in the camp.

At dawn, the soldiers' morning training was about to begin.

The soldiers who had been called out the day before formed a formation alone and kept some distance from the other soldiers.

When Aubrey arrived at the training ground with a group of people, the soldiers had just finished their morning exercises.

Aubrey walked in front of the candidate soldiers and blew his whistle. He ordered all the soldiers to line up neatly according to their height.

"Today is the first day of training. In our training course, there is not only physical training, but also knowledge training. The location you are heading to this time is very special. If you cannot grasp the basic knowledge, it will be very difficult to keep up with the pace of the team. Due to the tight schedule, the soldiers of the sixth line, followed officer Duke to carry out the cultural knowledge training. The soldiers of the first five lines follow me to carry out the scheduled physical training." After Aubrey greeted them, he issued a mission to all the soldiers.

"Yes!" the reserve team replied in unison.

The leader of the sixth row raised his right hand and let the soldiers behind him follow him. They jogged behind officer Duke.

Aubrey watched as Duke led the team behind him into the room.

He turned around and said to the soldier in front of him, "Then let's begin."

The sun gradually rose to the highest point in the sky. This was the hottest time of the day.

The other soldiers had already disbanded, but the selected soldiers were still undergoing tough training.

The small area where everyone was standing was all wet with their own sweat.

Kant, accompanied by his attendants, walked in from the door of the training ground.

Adonis, who was resting under the awning, saw Kant and immediately rushed out to greet him.

"Good day, Lord Kant." Adonis bowed.

"Yes, good." Kant nodded, but his gaze was fixed on the army training at the southwest corner. "The soldiers have worked hard."

"They should be working hard. Every soldier has served their country with honor." Adonis replied righteously.

"That's why you are respected." Kant retracted his gaze, he smiled at Adonis and said, "Captain Aubrey reported to me that there are more than a hundred people, and there seem to be only about fifty soldiers in this training ground. What about the others?"

"The other soldiers are undergoing knowledge training under officer Duke." Adonis replied.

"Duke?" Kant read the name and recalled it in his mind. "By the way, he was there when we went to Cumberland. He should be back in the ranks of the guards now."

"Your Highness, did you come here to visit the soldiers who are undergoing training?" Adonis asked.

"Yes, I received Captain Aubrey's report last night, so I wanted to come and see for myself." Kant nodded. "Now it seems to be quite reassuring."

"Yes. In these two days, it's rare for us to see Captain Aubrey's talent in training." Adonis praised, "Your Highness, since you're already here, aren't you going to greet the soldiers?"

"No. It's lunch break now. I don't want to give them too much pressure." Kant waved his hand and said, "Moreover, there are still many matters in the palace that haven't been resolved. I still have to go back as soon as possible."

"Your Highness, you are busy with government affairs every day. You still have to take care of your health." Adonis advised.

"Yes. Indeed." Kant replied, "Perhaps when this matter is over, I can give myself a holiday."

After saying this, Kant ordered his attendant to arrange a carriage and prepare to return.

"Your Highness, take care." Adonis sent Kant and the others out of the door and said goodbye.

Kant sat on the carriage, turned his head, and nodded. He did not reply.

Three days passed very quickly. During this period, Kant did not go to the military camp anymore.

When the final team members were decided, Aubrey sent a message to the palace, inviting Kant to go to the military camp to take a look.

It was already close to late autumn, and the sky was getting darker and darker faster.

Kant set out from the palace in the evening and watched the sunset on the way.

When he got off the carriage at the entrance of the military camp, the last bit of light in the sky had disappeared.

"Lord, you are here." Aubrey greeted him at the entrance of the military camp in high spirits.

"Yes." Kant nodded and looked at Aubrey.

Aubrey had been accompanying the candidate troops for various outdoor training over the past few days. His skin had also been tanned to a whole new level.

"You've worked hard these past few days." Kant comforted him.

"It's alright. I should be considered lucky to receive such a mission while staying in the guards." Aubrey walked at the front of the team and led the way. Hearing Kant's words, he turned his body and replied.

"Are you leaving tomorrow morning? Soldiers." Kant changed the topic and asked.

"Yes." Aubrey nodded and replied.

"The leader has been chosen, right?" Kant said.

"Yes. The soldier in charge of the leader is called Devitt. His overall qualities are quite strong." Aubrey introduced.

"So, is tonight the assembly of the oath?" Kant continued to ask.

"Yes, so I would like to invite you, Lord, to speak a few words," Aubrey said hesitantly.

"Every time I come to speak at the assembly of oaths, the soldiers must be tired of listening to it." Kant said with a smile.

"How can that be?" Aubrey denied.

"I won't say anything this time. When the soldiers go out to carry out missions, their lives are in the hands of their captain, not mine. Compared to listening to what I said, I would like to hear what Captain Devitt will say." Kant rejected Aubrey's request, he suggested.

"But Devitt probably doesn't know that he will be called up to the stage to speak." Aubrey said worriedly.

"If he doesn't even have this little on-the-spot reaction, it will be hard for him to command a team, right?" Kant listened to Aubrey's words and shook his head helplessly.

The two of them chatted as they arrived at the training ground.

The training ground would light up at night, illuminating the entire ground.

The soldiers' training had already ended. At this moment, there were only 23 soldiers standing in front of the main general stage.

"Greeting, Lord Kant!"

The soldiers greeted Kant in unison after seeing him walk onto the stage.

"Hello, soldiers. You will be setting off tomorrow, right. I believe that you are very nervous to shoulder such an important task. Today, I will only be the final concluding remarks. Among them, we should first listen to your words, Captain Devitt." Kant said as he walked onto the stage.

Chapter 696: The Beginning of the Mission

Devitt, who was standing below the stage, did not expect to be called out suddenly. His face was full of surprise.

Aubrey walked forward and patted his shoulder. "His Highness has called your name. Please go up and say a few words."

"Yes..." a trace of embarrassment appeared on Devitt's face. He nodded to Aubrey in a panic. He quickly walked to the stairs beside the main general stage and raised his eyes to look at Kant, who was standing in the middle of the main general stage. When he saw that Kant was also looking at him, he hurriedly lowered his head and quickened his pace to walk to Kant's side.

"Greeting, Lord." Devitt saluted Kant.

"Mm." Kant nodded and walked to the side of the main general stage, leaving his seat empty.

Devitt nervously raised his head to look at the soldiers below the stage. After noticing the encouragement in their eyes, Devitt took a deep breath and tried his best to relax his stiff body.

"All comrades, I am your captain, Devitt. We will be setting off tomorrow. I hope that everyone can be prepared before our journey. The place we are going to this time is the place that we, the soldiers of Caradia, have never reached before. It is also very far away from Drondheim. I wonder how many hardships we will encounter on the way and when we carry out the mission. I hope we can get through each difficult obstacle together. Finish the mission that His Highness gave us, and everyone will return to Caradia safely!" Devitt said calmly.

"Good!" the soldier standing below the stage shouted as he applauded.

Devitt bowed deeply, then turned to look at Kant.

Kant followed the applause of the soldiers below the stage and walked to the center of the main general stage.

"Mm. Captain Devitt is right. He has said most of what I wanted to say." Kant smiled as he concluded, "This mission will be handed over to you. "I hope that you won't cower in the face of any difficulties. The Caradia Empire will be your strongest support."

The assembly went through the usual process. Kant stayed at the side of the main general's stage and watched silently.

It was not until Captain Aubrey came on stage and announced the end of the assembly that the soldiers dispersed in groups of three or five.

Tonight's evening training was not needed for the teams that would set out the next day.

This time, it would take at least three months for the team to complete the mission and return to Caradia.

"These twenty or so soldiers should not be able to go home for the New Year this year, right?" Aubrey sighed with emotion as he sent Kant out of the training ground.

"Yes. Ask the soldiers to leave a letter for their families before the expedition." Kant instructed. His voice was like the cool autumn wind, carrying a sad chill.

"Yes, Your Highness." Aubrey replied.

"It's been hard on you these few days." Kant comforted him again. "I'll give you a break for the next two days. Don't worry about the work of the guards for now."

"It's okay, Your Highness." Aubrey shook his head and said, "I still want to pass on the will of the soldiers to the guards. They are usually too lazy, I should teach them some lesson a long time ago."

"Okay, then I'll take it as I owe you two days of vacation. Whenever you want to take a break, just let me know." Kant said with a smile.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Aubrey bowed to Kant.

Kant waved his hand and walked to the carriage. The coachman immediately drove the carriage to the palace.

The next day, a reconnaissance team of more than twenty soldiers left from Drondheim under the leadership of Devitt. Aubrey rode to the city gate early to send them off. He also brought the greetings of His Highness Lord Kant.

"Devitt, you must be careful on the journey. If you are targeted by some wandering forces in the desert, you must act according to your ability. Do not force yourself." Aubrey was not at ease and instructed, "As the captain of the reconnaissance team, you must shoulder the responsibility of leading the team."

"Yes, Captain Aubrey." Devitt replied.

"Claremont, as the vice-captain, you should also think more about the team. Do you understand?" Aubrey told a young soldier standing beside Devitt seriously.

"I understand, Captain Aubrey. I will definitely help Captain Devitt." Claremont replied.

"Alright, I have nothing more to say. You can set off." Aubrey led his horse and sent everyone out of the city gates, saying goodbye.

"Captain Aubrey, Goodbye!" the warriors saluted in unison.

"Yes. Goodbye." Aubrey nodded and replied.

Everyone rode their respective camels and headed towards the Elf Kingdom in an orderly manner.

Aubrey rushed back to the palace. From today onwards, he was going to take back the work of the guards from the hands of others.

Walking into the palace gates, Aubrey heard the news that Kant was calling for him.

He quickly walked to the front of the senate hall.

"Lord." Aubrey bowed.

"Have you just returned from the city gates?" Kant raised his head from a pile of texts and looked at Aubrey.

"Yes. It seems that the soldiers' mental status is quite good." Aubrey replied.

"I'm relieved to hear that." Kant nodded and said, "You're going to return to the guards today, right?"

"Yes. For the past few days, the guards' work has been taken care of by their subordinates. They should have wanted me to go back and take over for a long time." Aubrey said with a smile.

"Well, I have nothing else to ask you. I just want to ask you about the status of the soldiers you sent out." Kant replied with a smile.

"Well, Your Highness," Aubrey said hesitantly, "I have a request. I wonder if you can agree to it?"

"What is it?" Kant raised his eyes and asked.

"Although, I know that my mission is only to train the soldiers that Your Highness needs. The following matters have nothing to do with me." Aubrey's expression seemed to be somewhat conflicted, "But I still want to try and ask. Can I hear the news about the soldiers on the front line from you?"

"Hmm?" Kant raised his eyebrows, and then said, "Of course. If you want."

"Thank you, Lord!" Aubrey bowed to the ground in joy.

"It's okay. But I didn't expect that Captain Aubrey would be so concerned about the soldiers he handled." Kant shook his head and said.

"Although they only stayed under me for three days, I'm still a little worried about what kind of difficulties they will encounter at the front line." Aubrey explained.

"Yes." Kant nodded and said nothing more.

After hearing Kant's permission, Aubrey bade Kant farewell happily and left the senate hall.

Kant continued to immerse himself in the document. Before the scouts reached the Elf Kingdom, the matter of the Dwarf Kingdom could only be temporarily put aside.

Chapter 697: Soldiers Arrived At the Starting Point

It would take about half a month to go to the Elf Kingdom.

In order to ensure that they could travel light, Kant did not allow the soldiers to bring much luggage.

Instead, he allowed them to resupply when they passed Durandal.

More than twenty soldiers rode on camels and walked through the city gates of Durandal.

The basic public facilities in the city had been completed. In order to meet the conditions of the migrant workers and soldiers, there were still many residences that could be provided for the soldiers who came to stay temporarily.

After Devitt told the news to his soldiers, the soldiers cheered because they did not have to camp outdoors tonight.

"Everyone's residences are arranged together. You must return to your residences at 10 pm. I will come to check on you." Devitt instructed.

"Yes!" the soldiers replied.

Led by the local soldiers of Durandal, the scouts walked into the residential houses near the city center.

"Four people to one room. The rooms on the third floor are all vacant for all of you." the leading soldier explained.

"Thank you." Devitt thanked him.

"It's okay. There will be a banquet in the military camp to entertain you tonight. Please be there before six o'clock." the leading soldier said in the end.

"Okay, thank you." Devitt bowed and said.

The soldier shook his head and left.

Devitt allocated the rooms until everyone settled down in their own rooms.

Claremont greeted everyone in front of the doors, "Everyone, change your clothes and get ready to go to the military camp. Durandal's garrison has sent a carriage to pick us up."

"Carriage?!" some soldiers rushed to the corridor outside the door excitedly and exclaimed.

"I don't think I've ever sat in a carriage before." a soldier said.

"Alright, alright, you're going to sit in one soon. Hurry back to your room, change your dusty clothes and wash your faces." Claremont ordered as he blocked the few soldiers back to the door.

As they were all soldiers, they didn't pay much attention to their external attire.

Under Claremont's orders, they only tidied up a little before they followed their captain downstairs.

"Hello." Sitting by the carriage was Derrick, who had been sent to Durandal a few months ago. At this moment, he was clearly greeting the soldiers who had walked out of the door.

"Commander Derrick?!" The two soldiers at the front cried out in surprise, then quickly bowed.

They didn't expect that commander Derrick would personally come to pick them up.

"Commander Derrick!" Devitt shouted loudly. Then, he led the soldiers behind him and lined up in front of Derrick, standing in an orderly formation.

Derrick glanced at everyone, then chuckled and said, "Get in the carriage. The brothers in the barracks are still waiting for you."

Devitt turned around and instructed his soldiers to get into the carriage.

"Long time no see." Claremont said as he walked into the carriage where Derrick was in. His eyes were red as he held out his hand.

The two of them were originally in the same team. After Derrick was promoted to commander. Claremont had also expressed that he wanted to continue being Derrick's subordinate.

Derrick took a glance at Claremont's outstretched hand, but he didn't hold it back. Instead, he moved forward and hugged his comrade whom he hadn't seen for a long time.

"I heard that you're the vice-captain of your team?" Derrick patted Claremont on the back to stop him from sobbing. After letting go, he asked Claremont with a smile.

"Yes." Claremont was still immersed in his emotions. He answered Derrick with certainty.

"Well done," Derrick encouraged him with a smile.

The coachman began to drive the carriage forward.

It was the first time for the soldiers to experience something new in a carriage. They began a lively discussion.

"It's quite comfortable to sit in this carriage." a soldier said with a sigh.

"No wonder Captain Claremont asked us to change our clothes. If the satin is dirtied, we can't afford to pay for it." a soldier touched the comfortable cushion and sighed.

"Come on, don't act like a country bumpkin entering the city." a soldier said disdainfully.

"What's wrong with you, Austin?" a soldier asked the soldier beside him.

The soldier called Austin's face was slightly pale. He was holding onto the carriage's window rail. After hearing the question, he turned around and said in discomfort, "Why do I feel like riding this carriage is dizzier than riding a horse?"

"Huh? Why would I feel dizzy?" the soldier asked curiously.

"I can't, I feel like I'm going to throw up." Austin let go of his hand and rested his upper body on his knees.

"Eh?! Wait, are you alright? Don't throw up. We were just about to have dinner." the soldier said anxiously. "Hey! Someone's going to throw up here!"

The carriage arrived at the entrance of the military camp, and the soldiers alighted from the carriage one after another.

Claremont and Derrick's carriage was the one in charge.

Therefore, the two of them got off the carriage earlier than anyone else.

"Wow! Durandal's military camp is really impressive." Claremont lamented when he saw the shape of the military camp.

"It's just newly built. It looks relatively new," said Derrick with a smile.

"Help! Someone isn't feeling well!"

Claremont heard the call from the soldiers behind him and hurriedly turned around. Then, he apologized to Derrick, "I'm sorry, but there seems to be a situation with one of our soldiers."

After he said that, he rushed to the source of the voice.

When he walked to the side of the soldier who was shouting strenuously, he realized that Devitt had also rushed over.

"What's wrong?!" Devitt asked anxiously.

The soldier pointed at Austin, who had collapsed beside the carriage, and said, "He has been saying 'very dizzy' ever since he boarded the carriage. He even vomited a moment ago. It seems like he can't walk now."

"Who?" Devitt asked in confusion. For the time being, he hadn't been able to match the names of all the soldiers to their faces.

"Austin, from the fourth squad." Before the soldier could reply, Claremont took over and explained.

"Alright." Devitt commanded, "Help this fainted soldier to the carriage to rest first. Prepare some water for him."

"The carriage might not be ventilated. Let's bring him to the resting area of our military camp." Derrick suggested as he walked out from the crowd.

"Is it really convenient?" Devitt asked hesitantly, still a little nervous in the face of Derrick.

"It's alright. Furthermore, I took the initiative to arrange for the carriage to pick you up. I didn't take into account everyone's habits. I really didn't think it through." said Derrick apologetically.

"This is nothing. Thank you, commander Derrick." Devitt dispelled Derrick's worries and said gratefully.

Chapter 698: Conditions for Becoming a Leader

Austin was supported by Claremont and another scout soldier to the resting place that Derrick mentioned.

"Hey, if you can't sit in the carriage, you should have told us earlier. Everyone would be in a mess because of you." the soldier complained to Austin after he settled Austin into a chair in the resting room.

"It's my first time riding a carriage. I didn't expect it to turn out like this." Austin replied with his head lowered. His tone carried a hint of guilt.

"You can rest here. Commander Derrick said that the kitchen will prepare some light meals for you. We'll be leaving first." Claremont instructed.

After seeing Austin nod, Claremont led the soldier beside him out.

When the two of them went to the banquet, the banquet had already begun.

The scouts and the local soldiers of Durandal were getting along well. They were joking with each other.

"Why did you start eating so quickly?" The soldier behind Claremont walked to the table of his familiar comrades and said discontentedly.

"Come, come, come. Let's eat together." the soldier who was sitting greeted them without a care.

The moment Claremont entered the hall, he noticed that Derrick and Devitt were waving at him from their seats.

Seeing the empty seat beside Derrick, Claremont walked over silently.

"Thank you for your hard work." Devitt said, consoling him.

"It's fine." Claremont replied.

"I've been chatting with Captain Devitt for quite a while. You've only just arrived. I've already told you to leave the unconscious soldiers to my soldiers." said Derrick.

"How was your chat? Have you drunk?" Claremont sat down in his seat and changed the topic.

"I'm not drinking today. I'm worried that I'll delay your journey." explained Derrick.

"I'm currently consulting with Commander Derrick on how to do my job as a captain." said Devitt with a smile.

"By the way, we were just talking about this when you came." Derrick nodded at Devitt, then turned to Claremont and said with a smile, "Claremont, can you tell me about your opinion on the qualities that a leader should have?"

"I..." Claremont raised his teacup, and his eyes couldn't help but sway as he said, "I'm still learning so I'm not very clear."

"Okay." Derrick didn't continue asking him, but instead turned to ask Devitt the same question. "What about Captain Devitt?"

"I feel that as a leader, you should do everything well. You can always make the right decision at the critical moment," answered Devitt. "You must be a perfect person."

"Hehe." Derrick said with a smile, "That can't be a good leader."

"Why?" Devitt asked curiously.

Claremont also looked at Derrick, hoping to get an answer from him.

"You have to know that our lives are always filled with contradictions. The power of contradictions allows us to live. Therefore, if you blindly pursue perfection, you won't be able to overcome the problems brought by the contradictions of this world. The team behind you will also be destroyed." Derrick took a sip of tea, he continued, "Whether it's your advantage or a shortcoming that can't be exposed, a leader is the existence to perfect the entire team. Only when you connect yourself to the team, others will notice your team when you shine. This way, you can become a powerful force that could be recognized by this world through time."

When Devitt and Claremont heard what Derrick said, they fell silent for a moment.

"I never thought that Commander Derrick's beliefs is such a calm insight." said Devitt with a sigh.

"There are many people in this world who have become a commander. There are many types of geniuses among them. In their hearts, they also have a different definition of the position of a leader. I only said what I felt when I sat in this position. For all of you now, the most important thing is to have confidence. Don't fantasize about the ending at the beginning. The rest of you will be staying outside the borders of Caradia for about half a year. Don't let this group fall apart at the very beginning." Derrick was a little embarrassed by Devitt's praise, he then said to the two of them. The last sentence was specifically said to Devitt by Derrick. His eyes were filled with incomparable determination.

"Yes, Commander Derrick." answered Devitt seriously.

"Does every leader need to have the vision like yours, Commander Derrick?" Claremont asked curiously.

"Actually, I don't think I'm suitable to be regarded as a leader." Derrick smiled. "A leader's vision is looking into the future. And I don't have that kind of talent. So, I can only look into the past. I want to explore the origins of things and come up with some principles that can sustain life."

"I've learned my lesson." Devitt noticed that Derrick's mood seemed to be a little low, so he immediately raised his teacup to Derrick.

"I hope that you will have a safe journey after your departure tomorrow." replied Derrick.

The three of them raised their cups and drank their tea.

"You can't drink too much tea either, or you won't be able to sleep tonight." Derrick joked.

The next day, early in the morning.

The military camp had sent over supplies. When the scouts were still washing up, they kindly helped them load the supplies onto the camels.

After the soldiers finished their breakfast, they went out and saw the camel caravan that was parked in front of the door with a full load of supplies.

They all thanked the Durandal garrison.

"No need to thank us. This is what we should do." the soldier representative replied. "To go to the Elf Kingdom, we need to go out through the west gate. After travelling for four to five days, we can see the Elf Kingdom's official road. Let me lead the way for everyone."

After saying that, the soldier representative dismissed the rest of the soldiers and let them return to the barracks.

Devitt led all the soldiers behind the soldier representative and set off towards the city gate.

After they reached the city gate. Devitt happily thanked the soldier representative once again, "Thank you for your hard work."

"I wish you all a safe journey. When you return, I hope that I can see you all return safely along this road four months later." the soldier representative said goodbye.

More than twenty soldiers mounted their camels and lined up neatly according to the order of the squad.

They set off towards the desert.

"We'll reach the Elf Kingdom in five days, right?" Devitt said.

"Yes," Claremont replied. "We're about to meet up with the elven soldiers."

Chapter 699: Meeting With the Elves

"We're here!"

Just as the soldier representative had said, after trekking in the desert for four days, the scout team arrived at a flat stone brick road.

There was a sign at the entrance of the road.

Looking at the words on it, it was indeed written by the elves.

"If we follow this road, we should be able to reach the main city of the Elf Kingdom," Claremont said.

"Yes." Devitt nodded and answered affirmatively.

Then, he commanded the team to continue moving forward.

After walking for about half an hour, the twenty-odd people finally found the tracks of the elves on the road.

"It seems that this road is indeed correct." Claremont said happily.

"Karlman, go and ask for directions." Devitt ordered the soldier beside him.

"Yes." the soldier called Karlman immediately dismounted from his camel. He walked to the side of an elf on the road and asked, "Hello, we are soldiers from the Caradia Empire. May I ask how to get to the main city of the Elf Kingdom?"

The elf seemed to be a traveling merchant. After sizing up Karlman from head to toe, he spoke. "Blah, blah, blah.".

"What did you say?" Karlman widened his eyes, not knowing what he had said wrong.

After bowing apologetically to the elf, he ran back to Devitt's horse and reported, "Captain, I don't understand what that elf said."

"Huh? Isn't he speaking world language?" Devitt asked.

"I don't know what he's saying, but it's not world language. I think it should be the elf race's own language." Karlman thought for a moment and replied.

"Okay. We must have met an elf who doesn't speak world language. Hurry up and get on the camel. Let's continue walking forward." Devitt instructed.

The team continued to move forward, and the sounds of discussion among the soldiers gradually spread.

"How many elves don't speak world? It can't be that we won't be able to communicate when we go on missions together in the future, right?" a soldier said worriedly.

"It should be quite rare. It's just that we just happened to meet one." However, I heard from the officer who returned from Cumberland that the elves were all extremely lazy and very arrogant. They might be xenophobia or something." a soldier replied.

"No way. No matter how strong the Elf Kingdom is, don't they often ask for reinforcements from our nation? They wouldn't be unconcerned about that, would they?" a soldier shook his head.

"Who knows." the topic didn't continue.

The group continued to move forward, but after a while. On the way, they met the elven army that had come to welcome them.

"Welcome, soldiers of the Caradia Empire, to the Elf Kingdom." the leader of the elven army said warmly.

Devitt called for everyone to get off their camels and walked with Claremont to the front of the elven army's leader. With a smile on his face, he introduced himself, "Hello, my name is Devitt, I am the captain of the scout team sent by Caradia this time."

"I'm Claremont. I'm in charge of assisting Captain Devitt this time."

The leader of the elven soldiers also smiled and said, "Captain Devitt, vice-captain Claremont. Hello, my name is Abel. Captain of the scout team sent by the elven race. I was also one of the participants in the previous exploration to the volcano."

"Nice to meet you. It's our pleasure to work with you." Devitt reached out his right hand in a friendly manner.

Claremont took a step back consciously, leaving space for the leaders on both sides to greet each other.

"It's our pleasure too." Abel calmly held Devitt's right hand.

"Does this road lead to the main city of your country? Most of the people in our team are new to the Elf Kingdom." Devitt asked.

Abel led him forward, while Claremont followed behind them. He was responsible for leading the other soldiers.

The two groups of people gathered together and walked on the official road.

"Not far ahead is the main city gate of the Elf Kingdom." Abel introduced.

The two of them chatted as they walked forward, finally talking about the topic of this mission.

"I wonder when we will set off from the Elf Kingdom's harbor?" Devitt asked.

"Tomorrow morning."

"This mission really needs to be rushed." Devitt said affirmatively.

"The harbor is located in the west of the main city. Your soldiers will also stay in their residences near the harbor." Abel explained in detail.

"General Abel, how long did it take you to go to the new residence of the dwarves last time?" Devitt asked.

"About two months." Abel thought for a while and replied, "It took almost a month to go by ship."

"You need to stay at sea for a month?" Devitt asked in surprise.

After all, this was the first time they had taken a ship. He didn't expect it to take so many days.

"Yes." Abel's expression was also a bit bitter. "The soldiers of Caradia need to be mentally prepared."

Then, they arrived at the harbor of Elf Kingdom.

Abel spoke to Devitt on behalf of the Elf King. "It's too late now. In order not to disturb the soldiers' rest, there's no need to go through so much trouble to enter the palace to greet the Elf King. Tomorrow, when the ship sets sail, the Elf King will personally come to meet them.

It was the first time the soldiers of Caradia saw the sea.

Everyone lined up and sat on the beach, taking off their shoes to play with the water.

The elven soldiers who lived with them did not fully understand their joy.

They all returned to their rooms to rest.

"Why aren't the elven soldiers looking at the sea together?" a soldier sitting on the shore asked.

"They have lived by the sea since they were kid. I guess looking at the sea is like looking at the sand. They must be tired of looking at it." a soldier beside him replied and analyzed.

"I see." the soldier who asked the question turned his head to face the sea and said, "Anyway, I feel that I won't get tired of looking at the sea for the rest of my life."

"It's time for dinner!" an elven soldier shouted at the Caradia soldiers who were playing on the shore.

The first floor of the accommodation was a commercial restaurant. The chef of the restaurant was in charge of the dinner today.

The soldiers of Caradia quickly put on their coats, shoes, and boots. They rushed to the restaurant on the first floor.

"Today, I asked the chef of this restaurant to make some dishes that suit the taste of the soldiers of Caradia. Please enjoy your meal tonight." Abel greeted them.

"Thank you for your hospitality!" the soldiers of Caradia were all in high spirits.

"Happy cooperation!" Abel toasted everyone.

"Cheers!!"

Devitt and Claremont were holed up in a corner. At this moment, they were toasting each other with smiles on their faces.

After the banquet ended, the soldiers returned to their rooms to rest.

Chapter 700: The Scouts Set Off In the Morning

The next morning, everyone gathered in front of the hostel and prepared to set off for the harbor.

"Captain Devitt, are all your people here?" Abel stood at one end of the line and shouted at Devitt who was standing at the other end.

"They're all here." Devitt shouted in response.

"Then let's set off." Abel stretched out his right hand and made a forward gesture in the air.

Fifty soldiers set off from the entrance of the tavern, with the elven soldiers leading the way. Claremont led the Caradia soldiers behind him.

"This is going to be troublesome." a soldier who was walking in the crowd complained.

"What's wrong?" the soldier who was walking beside him replied, "Nothing has happened yet."

"My stomach doesn't feel so good when I think that we're going to sail on the sea for nearly a month." the soldier explained. The expression on his face was also very gloomy.

"It's not that serious. If you're like this, then what should a soldier like Austin do? He even threw up from riding a carriage." the soldier who responded said with a frown.

"He's definitely vomit and pass out on the ship too." the soldier said as he glanced at the line behind him.

"Austin, are you alright?" Devitt, who was walking at the end of the line, walked to Austin's side and asked with concern.

"Captain Devitt." Austin was slightly surprised. "It shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"If you feel uncomfortable, you must tell me or tell Claremont." Devitt instructed.

"Yes, thank you, captain." Austin replied.

At this moment, a soldier trotted to Devitt's side and said to him, "Captain Devitt, we are about to reach the entrance of the harbor. Captain Abel asked me to inform you and tell you that he wants to discuss something with you."

"Okay, got it." Devitt nodded, then turned to Austin and said, "Austin, I'll go to the front to take a look. I'll leave the task of pressing the team to you."

"Yes... yes... Captain Devitt." Austin replied.

"Is the entrance to the harbor ahead? Captain Abel." Devitt followed the soldiers to the front of the team and met Abel.

"Yes. It's still a few minutes away." Abel replied briefly. "General Devitt, I asked you to come because Elf King told me to remind you to send a letter to His Highness Lord Kant."

"Oh, right. I really should have reported the situation to His Highness earlier." Devitt said in realization.

"Yes. The letter you left behind will be delivered by a messenger sent by the Elf King." Abel explained further.

"Thank You, His Highness the Elf King, and General Abel." Devitt said gratefully.

After Abel's reminder, Devitt had been thinking how he should write this report letter.

The traveling soldiers arrived at the harbor built by the dwarfs. Everyone stood in front of this exquisite harbor, which had a completely different style from the other buildings around it. They couldn't help but admired the harbor.

However, the sails were about to set sail, so there was no extra time for everyone to visit.

The Elf King was dressed in a brocade robe. He stood on the shore with a group of attendants, waiting for the arrival of the soldiers. He wanted to send them off.

"Your Highness." standing at the front of the group, the three captains who were in charge of leading the group bowed one after another.

Although the soldiers behind him were slower by a beat, they all bowed to the ground.

"Okay. Good." the Elf King helped the three leaders up.

"Your ship is about to leave. Hurry up. I'll stand by the shore and send you off." The Elf King said softly.

"Your Highness, we will definitely complete the mission and return safely." Devitt said sincerely.

"Yes." the Elf King nodded. "I believe in you."

Without further words, the Elf King watched as the fifty-man team boarded the ship.

The sea breeze blew the brocade robe until it was bloated, but the Elf King still did not move.

"Your Highness, the humidity by the sea is too high. Let's go back to the palace." a guard at the side advised.

"Let me wait until their ship sails out of the bay." the Elf King replied.

"Everyone's cabin has life jackets and medical boxes..."

As soon as they boarded the ship, the soldiers heard the workers on the ship shouting through the loudspeakers.

Claremont stood at the boarding gate and counted the number of people.

After the last person also waited to board the ship, the ship began to move slowly.

Claremont organized the soldiers to stand in a row on the deck.

Devitt ran over from the other end of the deck and shared with Claremont, "General Abel gave me medicine to prevent the soldiers from getting seasick."

"The elf clan can actually make such a thing?" Claremont said in surprise.

"I heard that during the last expedition, they were tortured too badly on the ship. They learned a lesson from it." Devitt explained.

"But this is a medicine for the elves, right? Can we human soldiers use it?" Claremont asked hesitantly.

"Yes, the anti-sickness medicine that General Abel gave me is specially made for the human body this time." Devitt introduced. "However, this medicine can only temporarily relieve the discomfort."

"Mm. It should be enough for people with weaker constitutions, right?" Claremont nodded and asked.

Without hesitation, Claremont introduced the anti-sickness medicine to the soldiers under him. He let those who needed it to receive it from Devitt.

"I wonder if the Lord Kant knows that we have already set sail from the Elf Kingdom." After finishing everything, Claremont sat down on a chair in the activity room and poured a glass of water for himself and Devitt.

"We should be the ones reporting." Devitt took the glass and said, "I almost forgot about this today. Fortunately, General Abel reminded me."

"Captain Devitt, you have been writing letters before you boarded the ship, right? No wonder I couldn't find you." Claremont thought for a moment and said.

"Yes, the time is too tight." Devitt said embarrassedly, "I'm really sorry to leave all the work to you."

"It's okay. Writing a reply to Lord Kant is much more important than settling the soldiers." Claremont said indifferently.

Devitt pursed his lips and didn't say anything else.

The two of them were silent for a while. Devitt looked at the ripples in the water cup on the table and said, "Has the boat sailed?"

"It should be." Claremont ran to the small window and looked at the moving scenery outside the window.

"It's my first time on a boat. I'm really a little uneasy." Devitt said as he drank water.

"Me too."

Chapter 701: Days on the Ship

"Your Highness, there is a letter from the Elf Kingdom," the soldier reported when Kant walked into the Senate Hall early in the morning.

"It arrived this morning?" Kant asked indifferently as he walked to his desk and sat down.

The letter, which was embossed with Elf Kingdom's national emblem, was right on top of the pile of documents.

"Yes," the soldier replied.

"It takes approximately half a month to travel from here to the Elf Kingdom. Devitt and the others should have been on the sea for at least half a month now," Kant murmured in a low voice after reading the letter.

"This ship doesn't dock!" A soldier rushed to the railing on the deck and retched into the sea.

"Those ships that can dock won't be required to go out for missions." Another soldier walked up beside him at the railing, grimacing as he endured the painful churning of his stomach.

"But there's still half a month to go. You have to hang in there." A third soldier put his hands on the shoulders of the two men and said.

"Austin?!"

"It's strange. For someone who suffers from motion sickness even from a carriage ride, why doesn't a choppy sea affect you?" A soldier shook his head in puzzlement.

"I don't know either. Maybe it's because my attributes are compatible with the sea," Austin said smugly.

"Stop talking nonsense. Can you help me back to the lounge? My legs are like jelly now from all the vomiting," the soldier who had been leaning over the railing retching interrupted weakly.

"I think you should go to the Infirmary instead," Austin suggested, raising his eyebrows in concern.

Straight after, he lifted the soldier over his shoulder and walked in the opposite direction towards the Infirmary.

"Life at sea is so boring," exclaimed Devitt, who was observing from the side.

"Isn't life in the army boring too?" Claremont asked with a smile.

"You are right. It's the same everywhere. It's just that my mood is different." Devitt pondered and replied smilingly, "Claremont, you must be really happy. You seem much more relaxed since boarding the ship."

"Not really. I just want to cherish the moment in time of danger." Claremont shook his head in a relaxed manner. "It's probably a way to relieve stress."

"It's pretty good."

The sea in the late autumn was rough even on sunny days.

With no end in sight, strong rolling huge waves rose and collapsed. People on the ship could hear the loud crashing sound the waves made.

To think that a large ship that could easily accommodate thousands of people was so helpless in the middle of an endless sea. Whether it sank or sail, it could only be determined by God.

"By the time the next letter arrives at Caradia, it should be a month later already," Kant said with a sigh.

He had never been so concerned about a team out on a mission.

But then, these soldiers were sent to carry out missions beyond the boundary of the Nahrin Desert and they had no information at all about the place.

"Send Aubrey to the Senate Hall," Kant ordered a soldier.

"Yes, Your Highness." The soldier bowed and left.

"Captain Aubrey, His Highness Kant has summoned you to the Palace," interrupted the soldier. Aubrey was practicing boxing at the Palace's training ground.

"Did the scout send news?" Aubrey stopped boxing and asked.

"Yes." The soldier replied.

"Ok. I will change my clothes and go to see His Highness right away." Aubrey unclenched his fist and told the soldier.

Aubrey hurriedly arrived at the door of the Senate Hall.

"Your Highness Kant." Aubrey bowed.

"Captain Aubrey, I have not seen you for a while." Kant said, "The Elf Kingdom's messenger sent a handwritten letter from Devitt this morning."

Kant retrieved the letter from the pile of documents and handed it to Aubrey.

"They should still be at sea." Aubrey took the letter but didn't open it immediately.

"Yeah. It seems to be going smoothly so far," Kant replied.

"That's good." Aubrey nodded.

"The island they are going to hasn't been officially claimed as the territory of any country yet. But there are many races of nomads on it. After the elves sent people there for the first time, they also set up a site thereafter. Kant added, "In due course, the people at the site will be able to send reports back to Nahrin Desert on the news of the soldiers."

"This is made possible entirely because of the elves' contact," Aubrey commented.

"The elves are more cautious in the way they do things now. It should be related to the changes after the war with the Undead," Kant said. "I am still assured of their performance."

"Yes," Aubrey replied. "Thank you, Your Highness, for updating me on what's happening at the frontline."

"It's fine." Kant shook his head. "After all, I promised I would."

"... Then I'll return this letter to Your Highness." Aubrey handed the letter back with both hands. "I just wanted to make sure that they're safe. I shouldn't be privy to the details of the mission."

Kant looked up and took the envelope back without a word.

"Your Highness, if there's nothing else, I shall take my leave," Aubrey said.

"Alright," Kant replied.

"We're finally reaching!"

A soldier sitting in the captain's cabin could not help but shout excitedly when he saw the shoreline in the distance.

"Land!!"

The soldiers who were gathered on the deck also shouted joyously as they closed the distance between the ship and the harbor.

"Soldiers, you have arrived at Crow Island. Please pack your belongings and prepare to disembark." The ship crew announced through a loudspeaker.

Upon hearing this, the soldiers rushed back to their cabins to retrieve the bags that they had packed last night.

"All Caradia soldiers, please gather on the deck. Line up and disembark." Claremont took the loudspeaker from the crew and commanded loudly.

The Caradia soldiers and the Elven soldiers lined up in two square formations.

The first row of soldiers in the two square formations proceeded to get off the ship via the gangway.

"The next row of soldiers to follow," Devitt ordered.

After all the soldiers got off the ship, Devitt and the others disembarked too, followed by the crew members.

"We've finally reached land." A Caradia soldier sighed with relief.

"When I was on the ship, I felt like I'm treading on cotton," another soldier said while stamping his feet.

"I have the same feeling. When stepping on wooden planks on the ship, you can feel them swaying. Nothing beats standing on solid ground."

"Where are the site people from the Elf Kingdom?" Devitt asked as he looked around.

"Could it be them?" Claremont asked hesitantly, pointing straight ahead.

Chapter 702: The War Between the Nomads on the Island

"Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!"

Looking in the direction where Claremont was pointing, Devitt saw a few elves in tattered clothes holding banners, jumping, and shouting enthusiastically.

Devitt hesitantly summoned Captain Abel and asked, "Captain Abel, are the elves there sent by the site to pick us up?"

"Hmm?" Abel's gaze seemed to waver a little when he saw their attire.

The three of them frowned as they walked towards the welcome party.

"Raphael?" Abel finally recognized someone familiar as they walked closer.

Raphael turned and met Abel's gaze. He grinned in surprise and said, "Abel! Are you leading the elf team this time?!"

After confirming his identity, Abel's face was so filled with doubt when he saw Raphael's surprised expression that he did not know what to say.

Devitt and Claremont were also silent.

Although the elves were lazy in general, they were still very conscious about their appearances. At least, Devitt and Claremont had never seen such shabby-looking and dirty-faced elves in the main Elf City.

"What's wrong with you?" Abel finally could not resist asking.

"We'll talk about this when we return to the site's living quarters," Raphael replied.

Abel nodded in understanding.

"Hello, my name is Raphael. I'm the Lead Representative of the station responsible for receiving you this time," Raphael formally introduced himself to Devitt and Claremont.

"Hello, I am Captain Devitt, I am leading the Caradia soldiers this time."

"Hello, I am Claremont, Devitt's assistant."

"It's a pleasure to meet you. Prepare to lead the soldiers up the mountain with me. It's getting late," Raphael said.

"Alright." Devitt agreed and gathered his team of soldiers in front of Raphael.

The group left the harbor and set off towards the nearest mountain.

The soldiers marched on behind the elves leading the way and climbed the mountain for approximately an hour.

Abel grabbed a branch as he climbed up. "Doesn't this mountain have a walking trail? Is climbing our only option?"

"There is a trail," Raphael replied. He seemed to be familiar with this route and was not breathless like the others.

"Then why don't we use it?" asked Devitt as he finally found a place to lean on and catch his breath.

"The trail is in the front mountain, which is the Ent's territory. We can't use it," Raphael explained.

"I've never heard such a thing before, a mountain walking trail can also belong to a territory?" Claremont said, panting.

"That's the way things are on this island. Be it a walking trail, a drop of water, or a fruit, they are all clearly labeled as to which family they belong to." Raphael sighed.

"How terrible," Devitt could not help but say.

"Not only that, but the forces on the island will also fight against each other vying for each other's resources." Raphael continued, "The outpost we built at the foot of the mountain is also occupied by the Beastman Corps now."

"I didn't expect the situation on the island to be so bad," Claremont said.

"Is there any hope of getting back the outpost?" Abel asked.

"Impossible. There are hundreds of beastmen entrenched on the island. We can't defeat them." Raphael shook his head, as he continued to move forward. "Fortunately, our living quarters built on the high mountains have not been discovered yet. We also don't have to worry about food etc for now. The current situation is still not too bad. Once you have completed your mission, they won't be of any concern to us anymore."

Abel heaved a sigh and did not say anything else. Instead, he followed closely behind Raphael.

An hour later, the group finally arrived at their living quarters on the mountainside.

"I didn't expect this place to be so big." Devitt looked at the wooden building in front of him and sighed.

"It was designed as such to anticipate and accommodate the number of people on missions. The craftsmen in the country gained a lot of inspiration from the dwarf smiths and this building was built expeditiously." A site elf walked up to Devitt and explained.

"Please make do here for tonight," Raphael said contritely.

All the soldiers followed him into the building.

The hall was sparsely furnished and hence looked very empty in contrast to its vast area.

The soldiers helped the site elves carry out a refectory table from the storeroom.

"We'll have dinner in the hall today," the site soldier said.

"Everyone, you may go upstairs and take a look at the rooms. We will allocate them after dinner," Devitt ordered.

The soldiers carried their bags and went upstairs.

The rooms were in quite a clean and tidy condition. Only the windowsills were wet from the rain, and the wooden planks were moldy.

A soldier sat on the bed, stretched, and said, "I think this place is not bad. Compared to camping in the wilderness, it is so much better. I don't know why Lord Raphael felt apologetic."

"The other forces on the island could have come down hard on them. The outpost was also taken away. Perhaps he was filled with guilt," the soldier sitting opposite him mused and replied.

"Of course. Those who can be appointed as Site Leaders must be high-ranking officers in the army in charge of hundreds of people. To come to this small island with no prior knowledge of it..." a soldier leaning against the wall said.

It was time for dinner.

The site staff prepared a table full of sumptuous dishes.

The soldiers sitting at the table were all staring intently at the food with joy.

The site staff was also in an exuberant mood. Before the reconnaissance team's arrival, they had to eat field rations for every meal.

The reason was that they needed water to cook, and there was insufficient fresh water on the mountain.

Although the elves required ten times lesser water than humans, they still could not afford to waste the water.

Just the preparation of this meal had used up a fifth of their water reserve.

It would not be long before they had to worry about water again.

However, all their worries faded into oblivion as they had not had such delicious food for a long time.

"To the reconnaissance team," Raphael toasted.

"Cheers!!"

The soldiers drank up the aged wine in high spirits.

"Generals, this toast is to you. I hope to receive good news from where you are carrying out the mission," Raphael walked to the table of Abel, Devitt, and Claremont, and raised his glass.

"Thank you, Raphael," Abel responded first.

"We will definitely accomplish the mission and leave this island together with you," Devitt said firmly.

Chapter 703: The Arduous Journey

Devitt, Claremont, and Abel did not drink too much wine during dinner.

After taking just enough food to satiate their hunger, they went up to the second floor with Raphael and entered a room at the corner.

There was no bed in the room, just a round table in the center and a bookcase on the left by the wall.

Raphael walked to the bookcase, opened the drawer, and retrieved a rolled-up map.

"This is the official map of Crow Island. You can buy it at the foot of the mountain for a few silver coins," Raphael said by way of introduction while spreading the map on the round table.

"This map has been used many times, right?" Claremont looked at the rough edges of the map and speculated.

"That's right." Raphael used an extinguished candlestick to hold down a corner of the map and continued saying, "The territory of the forces on Crow Island is always changing. The route that the elf team ascertained previously did not have any forces occupying it. But now, the situation has changed a lot. The route has to be replanned."

Four pairs of eyes focused on the map full of markings.

"This yellow line represents the route you will be taking," Raphael explained. "As much as we try to avoid taking routes filled with clustered communities, there is still a possibility that you will encounter these four races of nomads - the Ent from the front mountain, the Trolls from the valley, the Dragons near the volcano, and the Snake-women from the cave."

"We'll have to go past their territory borders, right?" Abel asked.

"Yes, so you might be lucky enough to avoid clashing with any of them." Raphael nodded as he continued, "The first to bear the brunt of this is naturally the Ent at the front mountain. The entmen are temperamental, sometimes they are pure and innocent, sometimes ferocious. They usually work in groups. If you walk into their formation, it's likely that you will not be able to escape from it. Eventually, you will slowly be eroded."

"Then, is there any way to break the formation?" Claremont asked.

"Most entmen are afraid of an open flame. Maybe it is your only chance to escape." Raphael closed his eyes and thought hard, then he prompted, "Their formation will confuse a person's sense of direction. This is also something that you should constantly be on guard against when facing them off."

"How did you get this information?" Devitt asked.

"Before we were familiarized with this mountain, many of our comrades were ambushed by the Ent. This information was summarized by those who narrowly escaped death," Raphael said. "As for the other three races, they are too far away so we have not seen them before. I hope that you can obtain some information about them before you officially face them. The power of the site elves can only go so far."

"I've been wanting to say this right at the start. Captain Raphael, you all accomplished your mission very well," Devitt said sincerely. "It's up to us now."

The next day, the fifty warriors set off in full combat gear.

As soon as they left the site estate, Raphael immediately sent a messenger down the mountain to dispatch a letter out of the island.

There were two letters. One to the main Elf City and the other was sent to Caradia.

"Your Highness Kant." A soldier hurried to the door of the Senate Hall and bowed.

"Yes. What is it?" Kant raised his head and asked.

"General Derrick has returned to the city," the soldier reported.

"Alright, prepare the horses, I will be going to the city gate," Kant briefly ordered.

When Derrick walked through the city gate of Drondheim, a suppressed wave of homesickness hit him and made him tear up.

"Commander Derrick, welcome back!" Kant shouted exuberantly as he guided his horse towards Derrick.

Upon seeing Kant, Derrick dismounted from his horse immediately and bowed, "Your Highness Kant."

"It is tough roughing it out in tenacious living conditions, you must be extremely tired. You may dispense with the formality, please get up." Kant dismounted from his horse and helped Derrick up.

"Adonis left for Durandal about a month ago but you just arrived here. Is the project there alright?" Kant asked Derrick as they mounted their horses and rode together.

"The project is going well. The coal production of the coal factory is also steadily increasing," Derrick reported.

"That's good." Kant nodded in relief. "Durandal's construction is about to enter its second phase."

The two chatted about the recent developments in Durandal as they rode towards the Palace.

"A simple banquet has been prepared in the Palace to welcome you. Let's have lunch together," Kant said to Derrick.

"Thank You, Your Highness," said Derrick as he bowed.

The two of them took their seats in the side hall where Kant usually ate.

The attendants brought out the dishes prepared by the Imperial Chef and placed them on the table.

"Leave us," Kant instructed.

The Captain immediately led the other soldiers out of the hall.

"The troops sent to assist the Elf Kingdom passed through Durandal on their way there, right?" Kant started the conversation.

"Yes, it has been nearly two months since they set off," Derrick replied.

"It was only half a month ago that I received a letter from Devitt which he sent from the Elf Kingdom," Kant said.

"Did they encounter any trouble on the way?" Derrick asked curiously.

"Not really. It was just a routine report," Kant replied. "I heard that the leader sent by the Elf Kingdom is also a rookie."

"Three rookie leaders?" Derrick said amusedly. "They might be quite suitable."

"I also heard that you invited that same troop of soldiers to a banquet in the military barrack." Kant laughed as well. "What do you think of the talents chosen by Captain Aubrey?"

"It goes without saying that the soldiers chosen by Captain Aubrey are very capable and full of combat power. It's just that they are unfamiliar with one another, it would improve after the breaking-in period," Derrick commented seriously.

"What about the two captains?" Kant continued asking after chewing a mouthful of food.

"One of them was my former comrade. I know him quite well. As for the other one, I only had a brief conversation with him during the banquet," Derrick replied.

"Do you think they can take on the roles of the captain?" Kant said.

Let's see. Perhaps because of them, there could be a more suitable and relevant standard in selecting a leader among the masses in the future," Derrick implied.

After Kant heard this, he nodded in approval. "You're right."

Deep in the mountains, a troop of soldiers was creeping through the jungle, some soldiers even used tree branches to camouflage their bodies.

"We're about to reach the estate of the Ent. Inform the soldiers behind us to be careful," Devitt ordered the soldiers around him in a low voice.

"Yes." A Caradia soldier replied.

Chapter 704: First Face-Off - Stalemate

"Captain Devitt, how much longer before we reach the foot of the mountain?" Exhausted, Abel carefully bent down and walked to Devitt, asking him as they walked together.

When Devitt heard this, he raised his head, looked at the sky, and estimated, "Captain Abel, it should be about two hours before we can walk out of the Ent's territory border."

"There are still two hours?" Abel sighed. "I didn't expect that it would take so long to avoid the Ent."

Ever since the reconnaissance team entered the Ent's estate, they had been in a creeping position. It had been three hours, and they had only descended about two-thirds of the journey down the mountain.

To be creeping for such a long time in the high humidity jungle, it was tough even for the Caradia soldiers who had strenuous daily training. Not to mention the long-range elven mages who usually did not pay much attention to their physical fitness.

"If we can successfully avoid the entmen, it will be worth it," Claremont said.

The group of people moved forward in silence for nearly half an hour.

Devitt, who was at the forefront of the group, suddenly frowned and stopped advancing.

"How strange," Devitt said.

Claremont's expression became tense. He asked, "What's wrong, Captain Devitt?"

"I think we have been walking around in circles," Devitt answered heavily.

"What do you mean?" Abel came over and asked, "Did we go the wrong way?"

"Look at the sky." Devitt pointed at the sky and explained, "Although the surrounding scenery doesn't have any overlapping impressions, the shadows cast by the sun won't lie. We should have walked into the Ent's maze."

Abel looked up. He did find some discordance in the forest where the sun shone, bringing with it a sense of spatial distortion.

The soldiers heard the conversation between the three of them and began to discuss it among themselves.

Everyone became cautious. They shrank and closed up the gaps between them and huddled tightly.

"We've been discovered. Should we run?" A young and hoarse voice echoed above the forest.

The soldiers' discussion stopped abruptly.

Suddenly, another unfamiliar voice rang out of the silence, "Why are you running? It's so embarrassing."

"Who is it? Come out!" Devitt hollered.

However, he was met with silence.

After a while, a breeze wafted through the forest, rustling the red autumn leaves.

"It's too presumptuous of you to ask for my name when you are on my territory." A man in his thirties walked out from behind the forest. He was very muscular and the brown blood vessels in his neck popped out in response as he spoke.

"So this is the Ent. He looks just like an ordinary human," a soldier standing at the end of the line whispered.

"No, he doesn't. The humanity of ordinary humans will cause their bodies to produce a special smell. And the smell on this Ent is something I've never smelled before," an elven soldier beside him replied quietly.

"Where is your other companion?" Devitt stepped forward and asked.

"That kid is too timid. He has gone back already," the Ent replied calmly.

Claremont pursed his lips and walked over to Devitt and whispered, "He should have gone back and called more of the Ent over."

"I can hear everything," the Ent said in a relaxed manner. "What you said could be possible, but I hope that before my people arrive, all of you will have been defeated by me and turned into the nutrients in the soil."

"What a joke! You want to take on all of us just by yourself?" Abel clenched his fists and rushed forward angrily.

"More or less," the Ent nodded and said with certainty, "Although you will not become good quality nutrients, we can make do and use it on the flowers and plants by the fence around our estate."

All the soldiers were infuriated by his words.

Claremont said to Devitt in a low voice, "It'll be even more troublesome when the other entmen arrive. Captain, let's hurry up and end this swiftly."

"Alright." Devitt stared at the Ent who was looking at them with a mocking expression. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Warriors, get ready for battle."

The Caradia warriors threw their bags onto the grass at the side and withdrew their weapons from their scabbards.

They then surrounded the Ent.

"You guys have forgotten where you are and who I am," the Ent spread his arms wide.

His nails became sharp and gradually extended into the shape of a tree branch.

"Attack!" Devitt commanded.

"Attack!!" The soldiers yelled and charged forward.

The Ent surveyed his surroundings, then raised his right hand to cut a wound on his neck.

The moment the soldiers crowded in front of him, his entire body turned into soil which subsequently scattered loosely onto the leaves-covered ground.

"What?" The terrified soldiers exclaimed.

"Retreat!!" Claremont shouted.

At the same time, numerous wooden arm-like branches sprouted from the ground and caught hold of the ankles of the soldiers huddled together, pulling them into the ground.

Their pull was too strong, soldiers who struggled to break free felt as if their thigh bones were about to be torn apart.

Devitt and the others rushed forward and used their swords to chop off the branches entangling the soldiers.

"Land is the source of my strength. I dominate everything it carries," the Ent's voice rang in everyone's ears.

"Damn it." Devitt's face was filled with rage. He said to Abel, "We can only use fire to attack."

Abel nodded. He walked to the elven soldiers and summoned the fire elf warriors.

"Because of what you did to our soldiers, we will hold this grudge against you. We will not show you any mercy." Abel issued a challenge to the Ent.

"Try me," the Ent appeared in front of everyone again. His build was several times larger than before. His skin became so transparent that they could even see his green blood flowing rapidly through his blood vessels.

The elven mages stepped forward with determination and summoned their spells.

Their entire bodies were emblazed in dark red flames. Waves of heat emanated from their center and surged in all directions.

"Just this?" the Ent shook his head in disdain.

"Not good enough for you?" The elven mage standing in the center of the five-man formation narrowed his eyes and said, "Perhaps you prefer this?"

The atmosphere changed abruptly. The flames on the body of the mage who had spoken turned from dark red to pure creamy white at a lightning speed.

Chapter 705: The Power of the Elven Mages

The Ent's expression froze. He jumped and took a few steps back.

After seeing the fire elf setting himself ablaze, Devitt immediately commanded the Caradia soldiers to retreat.

Truth be told, he had never seen flames of this color before. Even from afar, they could feel the extremely high temperature of the flames.

"You are something," the Ent lowered his head and said.

"Let us go, otherwise we will raze the entire forest to the ground!" A fire elf bellowed.

"Alright. I'll let you go," the Ent gave a slight nod. "But before that, let me test the power of your flames!"

He then conjured up a wooden stake that weighed over a hundred pounds. It hovered in the air, then charged straight at the forehead of the leading mage.

"Be careful!" Someone cried in warning.

Just when everyone thought the fire elf could not avoid the heavy blow, he gently placed his hand on the tree rings of the wooden stake and uttered, "Ha!" The wooden stake was burnt to cinders instantly.

"Take this!" Five fire elves charged forward and hurled the fireballs gathered in their hands at the Ent who was rooted on the spot.

The Ent made a grasping gesture with his right hand. Right away, the leaves on the ground twirled and bunched up into a giant floating ball in front of him. The leaves blocked the combined attack of mages but were turned into ashes as a result.

"Alright. You can go," he said nonchalantly as he dusted the ashes off his body.

Abel signaled for the fire elves to leave, then he walked up to the Ent and said, "We're just passing by your territory border. Since you have agreed to let us leave, then please keep your promise and not make things difficult for us anymore."

"Okay," the Ent smiled. Ignoring everyone, he walked into the depths of the forest.

Claremont stared at the Ent's retreating back as he left. Warily, he walked to Abel and suggested, "Let's set off immediately. It will be disastrous if the entmen come for us."

"Let's go!" Abel gave orders to the soldiers behind him.

Instead of creeping stealthily like before, they decided to sprint down the mountain as fast as they could.

An hour later, they finally walked out of the Ent's estate. They collapsed in exhaustion at the foot of the mountain to rest.

"Let's continue with the journey after ten minutes of rest. We want to reach the Dwarf Clan's boundary before nightfall," Claremont announced to the soldiers.

The Dwarf Clan was one of the few races on the island that was willing to leave adequate leeway for communication with nomads and the other races. Before Devitt's group arrived on the island, Raphael had personally gone to the Dwarf Clan to work things out with them, requesting that they not make things difficult for the reconnaissance team that would be passing by.

The Dwarf Clan's nomads dealt with almost every race on the island. In their town, one could easily buy any information about the island. The more covert the information was, the more expensive it would be.

When Raphael sent them off in the early morning, he suggested to Devitt, "If you want to know about the characteristics of the Snake-women and the other races, you can check with the Dwarf Clan's intelligence."

"Is there any difference between the Dwarf Clan and the Midget Clan?" One of the soldiers asked his companions in a low voice as they hurried along on the plains.

"I heard that the dwarves' personalities and life characteristics are similar to humans. Same like the human world, there are both good and bad people within the race," another soldier replied.

"Whereas the midgets tend to withdraw from the society. I also heard that the hands of the midgets were given to them by God. They are quite different from humans," a third soldier added.

They chatted as they walked halfway across the plain. The fifty-man reconnaissance team finally arrived at the city of the Dwarf Clan just as the sun set.

There were dwarf soldiers standing sentry at the city gate. After checking their identities, the dwarf soldiers let the reconnaissance team pass through the gate without a word.

"It feels so easy to enter the city," said a soldier.

When they walked to the commercial street leading to the main city, what they saw was beyond their imagination. They were expecting to see dwarves that were less than half the height of a human, instead, the crowd milling on the street was filled with people from all different races.

"The main city of the Dwarf Clan should be the trading center of the island," Claremont surmised as nomads from different races brushed past him.

"According to Raphael, because the Dwarf Clan has developed a really good service industry in the main city, almost no one dares to cause trouble here," Abel said. After walking in the wilderness for a whole day, he was in high spirits when he arrived at the prosperous and bustling commercial street.

"It's better not to stare at the pedestrians on the street." Devitt shook their shoulders. "Everyone here is a good person. Just be careful not to get into trouble when you walk out of the city gate."

"Okay," Claremont averted his gaze and said to Devitt, "Let's quickly find a hotel to stay in. There are quite a lot of people here. We might not be able to find rooms to stay for the night."

"Claremont is right," echoed Abel.

"I think we should find a hotel on this street. After all, it's close to the city center, it will be more convenient to ask the Chamber of Commerce for information after dinner," Devitt reasoned after mulling it over.

Claremont and Abel nodded in agreement.

The three of them then led the soldiers from hotel to hotel in search of vacant rooms for their accommodation. Finally, they found an inn, The Art Pavilion, which had eight empty rooms that could accommodate fifty people.

Devitt leaned on the counter and heaved a huge sigh of relief, "We finally found rooms."

"Eight standard empty rooms for eighty silver coins," a dwarf perched on a high stool said to Claremont after doing some calculations on his abacus.

"Ten silver coins per night for one empty room?! Are you serious?" Claremont exclaimed incredulously.

The dwarf who was in charge of accounting curled his lips and didn't say anything else. He just glanced at the door meaningfully.

Claremont was angered by his silent mockery. He pulled Devitt's arm and said, "Captain Devitt, he is just out to cheat us. Let's find rooms elsewhere."

Ten silver coins in Drondheim were equivalent to a month's reward for a high-ranking officer. It was too extravagant to spend it on a night's stay.

"Forget it." Devitt shook his head and said, "It's almost dark now. I don't think we can find any empty rooms elsewhere. It's most important to let the warriors rest well."

Hearing that, Claremont could only take out handfuls of silver coins and counted out the correct amount to the dwarf at the counter.

"Go to the second floor," the dwarf said after receiving the money and thrusted a bunch of keys into Claremont's hand.

Chapter 706: Dwarf Who Sells Information

Although His Highness Kant had made full preparations for the scout's trip even gold and silver coins were also well prepared.

But when he walked up the stairs, Claremont was still heartbroken over the dozens of silver coins he had spent.

"The dwarfs are really evil," Claremont muttered softly.

After settling their luggage, it was time for everyone to gather for dinner.

Fortunately, the hotel's food and drinks were included in the accommodation, so everyone was free to choose their food.

The fifty-person team almost filled up the hotel's restaurant. Seeing this, the owner of the hotel immediately brought the scouts to another side hall and let them take a room. The roasted food was served by the waiter of the restaurant.

After ordering the menu, everyone began to discuss the duel between the ent and the fire elf mage around the round table this morning.

"I didn't expect the fire elven soldiers to be so strong. When I saw their explosive strength, I was completely shocked," a soldier sighed and said.

"I feel that with the strength of these people, our team won't need to hide when we reach the dwarfs' place," another soldier echoed.

"Yeah. Besides, that ent was quite lousy. He was scared away by the fire elves in two moves," another soldier added.

"You guys encountered an ent?" a young voice sounded.

Austin, who followed everyone to mock the ent, was the first to notice this question. He stopped laughing and looked around. Then, he found a dwarf waiter holding a tray next to him.

"Sorry to trouble you," Austin took the dish from the waiter and said politely.

The dwarf waiter was actually shorter than the table. Everyone only noticed him after they saw the roast meat on the table.

"Yes, today when we went down the mountain, we met two ents. One of them ran away in fear after we found out about their tricks. The other one stayed behind and said that he wanted to teach us a lesson, but he was beaten up by our elven soldiers and retreated," one of the soldiers replied.

"Two?"

The dwarf attendant's expression became complicated.

"It seems that he isn't tired of playing this trick."

"What trick?" one of the soldiers asked in confusion.

"There is only one ent on this island," the dwarf waiter explained.

"What?!"

Everyone was stunned.

Devitt and the others, who had noticed the commotion, also gathered around the round table where the waiter was.

"But we clearly heard two different voices today," a soldier said, puzzled.

"Lord Ent likes to play games like this. Everything you perceive in the jungle is controlled by him. Not to mention voices, it can even create several different human forms."

The waiter wiped his hands with a napkin on his shoulder and continued, "You'll know after staying on the island for a long time. That Lord is terrifyingly powerful. Otherwise, why do you think he could occupy an entire mountain forest on this island where dragons and tigers are fighting for hegemony by himself?"

"Since he's not afraid of our threat, why would he let us go?" a soldier asked.

"This... I'm not sure."

The dwarf waiter scratched his head, he said, "Ever since that Lord arrived on the island thirty years ago, he has always sealed himself in the deep mountains. I heard that his cultivation hasn't been able to break through the bottleneck, and he wants to find a pure self. In the end, he seems to have schizophrenia. I'm afraid that you've met another strange personality that he assumed."

"I see." Devitt nodded at the side.

"It sounds so mysterious," Claremont shrugged and said.

"In that case, our luck is really not bad," Abel drank a mouthful of red wine and commented.

"Are all the dwarves in this town as well-informed as you?" Devitt smiled and said to the dwarf waiter.

The dwarf waiter raised his head and looked at Devitt, he replied, "I'm not that bad. I got to know about this information from passing guests. The dwarf hunters in the union who sell information are really powerful. They can dig out some information about the election of every territory from their mouths."

"That's incredible!" Abel raised his glass and praised loudly.

This was his third glass of red wine, and he was already slightly drunk.

Claremont helplessly helped him to the sofa in the corner and sat down to rest.

"Thank you for sharing." Devitt nodded at the dwarf waiter. He took out a silver coin from his pocket and placed it on the tray that the dwarf waiter carried.

"Thank you for the tip."

The dwarf waiter smiled in satisfaction when he saw the copper coin, and then left.

During the conversation, all the dishes were almost served.

Everyone began to feast.

After Devitt ate a whole piece of delicious steak, he wiped his mouth with a napkin. He looked around and found that Claremont and Abel were not on the table.

After getting up and looking around, Devitt walked to the sofa in the corner and saw Claremont chewing a soda biscuit. Beside him, Abel was sleeping soundly.

"What happened to him?" Devitt asked.

"He drank three glasses of red wine on an empty stomach and got drunk," Claremont replied.

Unable to find anyone to help take care of this elven general, Claremont could only take on this tiring task himself.

He hadn't been able to eat even now.

"Hurry up and eat. I'll help you to take care of him," Devitt suggested.

"Thank you, Captain," Claremont thanked Devitt.

Then he clapped his hands and brushed off the biscuit crumbs stuck to his fingers.

"Come back quickly."

Devitt sat down on the sofa where Claremont had been sitting. He stuffed a pillow into his arms and said helplessly, "General Abel is already drunk. Only the two of us will go out tonight to ask for information."

"Got it." After saying that, Claremont immediately ran to the dining table.

The moonlight was hazy. After the banquet was over. Devitt and Claremont walked out of the hotel's door.

They set off towards the Hunter's Union in the city center under the cover of the night.

Even in the middle of the night, the commercial streets of the dwarf town were still bustling.

However, in the night, pairs of yellow and green pupils always showed a dangerous aura.

Devitt and Claremont didn't talk much. In this unfamiliar place, they had to take into account that the walls had ears. It was best to get good news earlier and return to the residence.

"We're here," Devitt said, pointing to a brightly lit area on the street.

"Yeah." Claremont's line of sight was also fixed on that area.

There were still a lot of people coming in and out of the union entrance. The two quickened their pace and approached the building.

Chapter 707: Visiting the Guild for the First Time

"Welcome!" The dwarf standing at the door greeted Devitt and Claremont.

The two of them nodded and ignored him. They immediately walked towards the Guild Hall.

In front of the information desk in the Guild Hall, there was a huge stone pillar that supported the center of gravity of the entire house. The surface of the stone pillar was a map of the entire island. Moreover, it marked the direction of the river in every detail.

"Amazing." Claremont used his hand to touch a certain spot on the map and exclaimed in admiration.

"It would be more convenient if there was a sample of the picture, right?" Devitt commented.

"There is."

A dwarf dressed in uniform walked up to them and said, "Our Guild's special carpet map is available at the counter at the entrance. It only requires one silver coin."

"Everything here is priced in silver coins," Claremont said in his heart.

"Thank you. But compared to this, there's something else that I would like to ask you. Where is the front desk for selling information?" Devitt asked the dwarf with a smile.

"Our Union provides customers with direct face-to-face communication with hunters. What kind of information do you want to ask?" The dwarf attendant prompted.

"What kind? This..."

It was the first time Devitt came to such a trading place, so he was not very sensitive to categorizing. After thinking for a while, he cautiously said, "We are newcomers who have just arrived on the island. We mainly want to ask about the history of the races on the island."

"Oh, I understand."

The dwarf attendant probably understood what Devitt wanted to say, and replied, "Please go to the reception desk over there to register. Specifically, you have to queue for the No. 6 Hunter, and then pay the deposit."

"Okay, thank you."

Perhaps it was because he saw that Devitt wanted to tip the attendant again, Claremont thanked him and dragged Devitt away.

"Captain Devitt, it's better not to reveal your wealth," Claremont suggested as he walked on the road.

"Yes, your reminder is right," Devitt replied after he reacted.

The dwarfs loved money. This was what they had heard from Raphael. Devitt's idea was, if he could exchange money for the cooperation of others, it would not be a bad thing for an independent scout.

However, in a place like a guild's trading center, it would be easy to get into unnecessary trouble if he randomly spent money.

Claremont walked to the window of the registration counter and successfully queued up.

The service of the guild could be considered thorough. After Claremont received the room key that he had made an appointment with. Immediately, an attendant came over and led the way for the two of them.

Devitt and Claremont followed the attendant to the second floor.

The stairs leading to the second floor were considered for the differences between different races. The size of the adjacent stairs would have a huge difference.

When they reached the room number marked on the key, Devitt and Claremont stopped in their tracks.

"Can we go in first?" Devitt asked the waiter politely.

"Of course," the dwarf attendant said with a smile.

Then, he took the key from Claremont and opened the door.

The key was inserted into the lock of the door and the attendant left.

Devitt and Claremont walked into the room. There was only a square table and three soft leather chairs in the room.

Devitt and Claremont sat down at one side of the square table, waiting for the arrival of the news hunter.

"Dong dong!"

Footsteps came from behind, and the two looked back.

A dwarf dressed in black leather boots and cowboy attire walked in from the door of the room. An attendant followed behind him, carrying a tray filled with three cups of warm water with lemon slices.

After the attendant placed the coasters, he placed the drinks in front of the three of them. He closed the door with the empty tray and respectfully left.

"Hello," the dwarf hunter spoke first.

"My name is Cofito. Can you tell me what you would like to know?"

"Hello, my name is Claremont. This is my leader, Devitt," Claremont introduced.

"Actually, it doesn't matter if you don't tell me your name. The information about the guests will be forgotten by the hunters of our profession when we walk out of this room," Cofito said, "of course, the content of your inquiry will also be kept secret."

"I see." Claremont nodded.

Hearing this, Devitt didn't waste any more time and went straight to the point. "We want to know some information about the snake lady, the Dragon Clan, and the trolls from you."

"What kind of information?"

Speaking of serious matters, Cofito's eyes became sharp.

"For example, their strengths and weaknesses, the scope of their territory, and so on. We need to go to a certain place, and on the way, we must pass by their territory, and we don't want to cause too much trouble..." Claremont explained.

"I see." Cofito wrote down the notes on the manuscript paper he brought over and replied.

"We would like to know what kind of information we can get from you," Devitt said.

"The information you want, I have it all here. And it's sorted out one by one," Cofito introduced and his eyes were filled with confidence.

"Well, a book of information costs 20 silver coins, since the information you want are three different races, it will be a total of 30. Can you see if this price is affordable?"

"As long as it's worth it," Devitt replied.

"Alright." Cofito smiled and nodded.

"Then I'll have to trouble you to register your address to the front desk. After my assistant finds the information, he will deliver it to you personally."

After hearing Cofito's words, Devitt pondered and said, "But we're leaving the Dwarf Town tomorrow. I don't know if you could send it on time."

"Don't worry. It will be delivered on time tomorrow morning," Cofito promised readily.

"Happy cooperation."

There were too many people wandering in the hall. Devitt and Claremont worked hard for a while before they finally managed to register the address of the restaurant at the front desk. They were able to get out of the dense crowd and return to the street covered by the moonlight.

"I didn't expect the lemonade to cost money. I thought it was free," Claremont grumbled as he counted the deposit.

"The dwarves are really trying their best to make money," Devitt said.

"I didn't expect there to be a guild that sells information in this world."

"I don't really hope that there will be such a guild in the territory of Caradia," Claremont thought for a while and replied. "It's too scary to have my privacy invaded."

"This island has really allowed me to see many things that I haven't seen in the military camp. Other than the days on the ship, time seems to fly by."

Devitt seemed to be in a good mood tonight.

Chapter 708: The Hardships of Crossing the Plains

The next morning, the soldiers of the scouts' team got up early. After washing up and tidying, they gathered together in the hall of the hotel.

"Captain Devitt," Claremont commanded everyone to get their breakfast. He walked up to the second floor and knocked on the door of Devitt's room.

"Click." Devitt opened the door.

"Captain Devitt, did the Dwarf Union send the information?" Claremont asked curiously while walking into the room and looked at the paper manuscripts scattered all over the round table in the room.

"Yes. It was sent to me at dawn this morning. After the attendant downstairs received it, he sent it directly to my room," Devitt rubbed his eyes and said.

Devitt should have been the first scout soldier to get up this morning. After being woken up by the attendant's knock on the door, he had been focusing on reading the information until now.

"Captain, you've read all this information, right?" Claremont picked up a stack of information and roughly flipped through a few pages.

"Yes. I'm almost done. Take these documents with you. If you have time, you can also take a look," Devitt wrung the towel dry and suggested to Claremont. "The information provided by the dwarf hunter is really detailed. Unfortunately, we only have information on trolls, snake ladies, and the Dragons."

"Okay." Claremont nodded and he stacked the papers on the table neatly and put them in his arms.

"If it can be of help to our mission, it should be enough."

"Yes," Devitt said with peace of mind, "the information provided by the dwarf should be of this magnitude."

"The warriors should have gathered in the dining hall now. Let's hurry over and meet up with them," Claremont nodded and said.

"Yes," Devitt replied.

After tidying up, the two of them walked out of the room and went to the dining hall to have breakfast with the other soldiers.

"We're leaving the Dwarf Town today," a soldier tore off a piece of soft bread and said gloomily to the soldier sitting at the same table.

"We're here on a mission, not to play. How long do you want to stay here?" A soldier beside him picked up a piece of smoked meat with a fork and put it in his mouth, lecturing the soldier just now.

"Captain Abel, where will we go after we leave the city?" a soldier sitting next to Abel at another dining table asked.

"The plain where the Dwarf Town is located is very large. We'll probably need three or four days to reach there," Abel replied.

"Then will we meet a tough character like the ent next?" another soldier asked anxiously.

"I don't think so in the short term. After all, most of the forces on this plain have a cooperative relationship with the dwarfs. Even though we look a little unfamiliar, being able to freely enter and leave Dwarf Town can be considered as being recognized by the forces on the plain. The other races shouldn't take the initiative to find trouble with us. We just need to avoid their territory and move forward," Abel thought for a moment and explained in detail.

Breakfast was over in half an hour. Everyone packed their luggage and began to move towards the city gate.

Abel was in charge of leading the fifty-man team, while Devitt and Claremont were at the end of the team. They were in charge of holding the line. With dozens of people moving in unison, it was quite eye-catching to walk on the street.

However, most of the passers-by would not pay attention to them. Living in such a complicated town, such ordinary movements would not attract the attention of the crowd.

The dwarf soldiers at the gate of the city were also very lax in their inspection. After carefully comparing the faces of the people with a few tattered portraits of wanted criminals on the city wall, they waved their hands and let them go.

After gradually leaving the bustling town, the scenery in front of the scouts' team turned into a plain full of weeds.

It seemed to have rained the night before. The knee-high weeds were drenched, and the ground under their boots became soft.

Under Abel's lead, the soldiers slowly moved forward while pushing away the weeds.

At noon, the sun shone down on the land from above.

The water droplets between the bushes absorbed the sunlight, the humid hot air made the soldiers' vision blurry, and it was a little uncomfortable.

However, this effect was only limited to the human soldiers.

Because of their elemental constitution, the elven soldiers were completely unaffected by this natural force. Compared to the Caradia soldiers, their footsteps were much lighter.

General Abel, who was walking according to the map and the position of the Sun, did not notice the situation of the soldiers behind him until Devitt came forward and suggested to rest for ten minutes, Abel looked at the ugly expressions of the Caradia soldiers and suddenly remembered.

When they set off again, Abel suggested that the elven soldiers exchange positions with the Caradia soldiers. He asked the elven soldiers to follow him in the front, while the Caradia soldiers followed behind the elven soldiers.

Everyone looked puzzled, but they followed the formation according to Abel's instructions.

When they set off again, the Caradia soldiers immediately noticed the path where the elven soldiers had taken, the moisture had completely disappeared. The air had also become dry.

A wave of discussion broke out among the Caradia soldiers.

Claremont walked forward and asked, "What is everyone talking about?"

"It's so strange, following behind the elven soldiers, I feel that all the moisture that was attached to my body has disappeared. I feel much more refreshing," one of the soldiers replied.

Devitt and Claremont had always been at the end of the line. They had never experienced the situation of the Caradia soldiers. Now, after one of the soldiers had mentioned, they realized that the soldiers' physical strength had indeed been used up very quickly.

"Is it because they are casting some kind of spell?"

One of the soldiers was still curious about this situation.

"No, I think it should be a physical problem," another soldier replied.

"Isn't the connection between the elves and nature the closest? With them around, the surrounding natural elements will be balanced."

After listening to this conversation, Devitt walked to Abel's side in the front row and asked, "General Abel, what was the reason for the formation change just now?"

"The physical strength of the Caradia soldiers is very strong, but I don't think they are used to this kind of environment. In order not to waste extra physical strength, I thought that with the strengths of the elves, they might be able to help a little," Abel replied sincerely after he heard Devitt's question, then he turned his head and glanced at the Caradia soldiers' formation.

Chapter 709: The Appearance of the Black Elves

"I didn't expect the elven soldiers to have such power," Devitt praised from the bottom of his heart. "General Abel was able to notice the physical status of the soldiers. You are a meticulous person."

Abel shook his head humbly, he added, "It's just an innate characteristic of the elves. It can barely play a neutral role on such an occasion. When we reach the vicinity of the volcano, in such an extreme environment, we won't be able to see any obvious effects from such a trait."

"You're too modest," Devitt said.

At night, the scouts' team began to find a place to camp on the plains.

With the elven soldiers' spell, the weeds on the grass ten meters wide were instantly burned into ashes.

The work of building the tent went smoothly. Half an hour later, a satisfactory simple military camp was built on the empty and barren plain.

This time, the scouts' team had logistics personnel. The group responsible for food was made up of Caradia soldiers and a few elven soldiers who were good at cooking.

Smoke rose from the campsite. The soldiers could finally have their first meal of the day.

"How is it?" Devitt walked to Claremont, who was reading the information while eating.

"Yes. The Dwarf's information is indeed very detailed."

Claremont swallowed a mouthful of food and nodded in response.

"Oh, right. I haven't told Captain Abel about the Guild," Devitt suddenly remembered something and said.

"I've told General Abel about it on the way."

Claremont held his shoulder and stopped him from getting up.

"I've already given the information I've read to Captain Abel."

"That's good," Devitt calmed down and said.

After that, Devitt didn't say anything else to avoid disturbing Claremont's reading progress.

The two of them ate their dinner quietly.

After dinner, Claremont took the documents back to his tent.

A soldier sat down in Claremont's tent and walked into the tent with a report. He handed a piece of paper filled with notes to Claremont.

"Captain Claremont, this is the name list for tonight's shift change," the soldier reported.

"Okay." Claremont took the list, carefully checked it, and said, "Thank you."

After the soldier left, Claremont put away the information on the table, took the list, and walked out of the tent to find Devitt.

The daily reports of the team were usually checked by Claremont. In the end, Claremont personally handed it to Devitt for safekeeping or decision-making.

Claremont walked to the front of Devitt's tent, only to discover that the lights in the tent had been turned off.

"Where did he go?" Claremont said in puzzlement.

After walking around the vicinity of the camp and asking around. Claremont asked the soldier standing at the entrance of the camp, "Did you see where General Devitt went?"

"We didn't see Captain Devitt," one of the soldiers replied without turning his head.

The other soldier also stood in place, not making a sound.

Claremont felt that the atmosphere between the two was a bit strange, and he frowned. He was about to walk up and ask something.

"Captain Claremont! I found Captain Devitt," a soldier rushed to Claremont's side and said.

"Where is he?" Claremont took a deep look at the two soldiers standing guard, then turned to ask the soldier beside him.

"Captain Devitt seems to have eaten something bad. When you were looking for him, he was using the toilet. Now he's resting in the camp," the soldier said in detail.

"What?" Claremont said in surprise.

The soldier nodded with a complicated expression.

Claremont shook his head helplessly.

"Then I'd better not disturb him."

Just as he was about to leave, Claremont said hesitantly to the soldier, "Are these two soldiers under your command?"

"Yes. The first half of tonight is the duty of our third group." The soldier nodded and admitted, "What happened to them, Captain Claremont?"

"Nothing. I just feel that they don't know who I am. It's a bit strange," Claremont said.

"Hey, you two," the soldier immediately turned to the two soldiers standing at the door and asked loudly, "What's going on..."

Claremont, who had his back to the two, heard the soldier's questioning and stopped abruptly. He turned his head and looked back curiously.

He found that the two soldiers who had just answered his question had collapsed to the ground. They seemed to have lost consciousness.

The soldier quickly went forward and squatted down to check. "Hey! Wake up, what's wrong with you two?"

His fingers touched the unconscious soldier's skin. The bone-eroding coldness took over the soldier's senses.

"Ah!"

"What's wrong?" Claremont was shocked by the scream. He bent down and asked.

A cold and eerie feeling was instantly transmitted from the unconscious soldier's shoulder.

Claremont quickly withdrew his hand.

"General Claremont! Our soldiers have been attacked by foreign enemies!" the soldier shouted in panic.

This commotion attracted many soldiers who were wandering around to gather around and watch.

The alert message quickly spread throughout the entire military camp.

Even Devitt, who was resting in the tent, was woken up by someone.

The Swadian soldiers held torches and stood neatly at the entrance of the military camp. They waited for the leader's instructions.

The elven soldiers arrived a step late.

Abel walked through the crowd and arrived in front of Claremont and the fainted soldiers.

After checking the condition of the fainted soldiers, his expression became solemn. "It's a black elf spell. These two soldiers will probably take a week or so before they return to their normal condition."

"Black Elves?" Claremont asked, "Are they vagabonds of the Elves?"

"Not really. Although the Black Elves and the Elves have some similarities in some aspects, whether it is in terms of temperament or the type of spell, they can be completely separated," Abel strongly denied it. "The two races have no relationship."

"Are the Black Elves' spells very powerful?" Claremont looked down worriedly at the fainted soldier and asked with concern.

"They are indeed very powerful because the spells they practice are very different from the spells we practice," Abel said and sighed. "That's why we are often helpless against the wounds they bring."

"But I've never heard of their names." Claremont was a little surprised by Abel's reaction.

"The history of the Black Elves' rampage ended a few hundred years ago."

Abel looked at the night sky and sighed.

Chapter 710: A Peaceful Journey

"The spells that the Black Elves trained in were too powerful. Under the support of such power, they continuously invaded other people's territory. In the end, they were encircled and attacked by several racial forces in a situation that provoked public anger. They were expelled from the entire continent," Abel explained.

"Were the elven soldiers involved?" Claremont asked curiously.

"Yes. After the Black Elves lost the war, they signed a non-aggression treaty with us elves," Abel replied.

"Is this treaty still in effect?" Claremont asked hesitantly.

"Although it's called a treaty, the agreement is actually a curse that His Highness the Elf King of that generation placed on the entire black elves."

Abel pondered for a moment, he said, "I have never seen what would happen to the Black Elves if they truly violated the treaty. However, the reputation of Lord Tassell, the Elf King at that time was enough to make the entire Black Elves tremble in fear. Therefore, I don't think anyone would want to challenge the curse that he placed on them."

"Tassell the Elf King," Claremont silently chanted this name as he carefully recalled it.

A bolt of lightning flashed in his heart. Tassell, the rare scholar of the Elves. He was born by chance. It was said that he was born with a rare constitution that cultivated light magic. He was such a prestigious person that when the elves sent out his business card to the outside world, anyone would be afraid of him.

"Then why did the Black Elves attack us?" Claremont asked curiously.

"It is said that the real black elf magic disappeared after the Great War that year. On this island, which could accommodate all kinds of wanderers, the status of the Black Elves was not high. They could not occupy their territory. The wilderness of this plain was the only place where they were allowed to move. Therefore, many wanderers who went out of the city suffered losses at their hands and were stripped of all their money," Abel relayed the news he had heard. "I didn't expect that they would have designs on us this time."

"Hurry up and carry them back to the barracks. It's useless to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation."

Devitt rushed to the fainted soldiers from the outside and ordered the people around him.

A few soldiers who were in the same group as the fainted soldiers immediately walked over when they heard this. They supported two soldiers as they walked into a tent.

"If we face the Black Elves head-on, do we have the confidence to win?" Claremont threw out the last question.

"Although I don't know how strong the remaining Black Elves are, I feel that no matter what, we won't lose to opponents who use underhanded attacks, right?" Abel responded with his usual bloody nature.

After Claremont understood what he meant, he also nodded.

Seeing Devitt, who was standing at the side, looking puzzled, Claremont repeated what Abel had told him earlier.

After hearing the whole story, Devitt said, "I wonder when the Black Elves will appear again."

"Arrange the elven warriors to stand guard together with the Caradia warriors in shifts. Many of the warriors might not know how to face the Black Elves. The elven warriors might be able to give them some pointers," Claremont suggested.

"Yeah, that's a pretty good idea," Abel confirmed.

"Then that's it." Devitt decided on a plan. The night shift would be changed from two to three shifts. The elven warriors and the Caradia warriors would be mixed to carry out the sentry duty.

Devitt called this plan an "emergency plan". Until the Scout Army left the plains, they would maintain this alert status.

Because the third group's personnel were almost useless, the fourth group would replace the soldiers on guard tonight, and the elven soldiers assigned to the fourth group would immediately start carrying out their tasks.

Everyone returned to their tents. However, everyone was filled with anxiety.

During this night, Devitt and the other two would get up from time to time to patrol around the camp. Although this might affect tomorrow's status, the three were still worried.

Perhaps they noticed that the scouts' team had increased their defenses, but the Black Elves did not appear again.

The next morning, everyone packed their luggage. When they lined up for the roll call, other than the two people who had been attacked last night, everyone else was present.

The two people who were attacked were still as Abel had said, they had not regained their consciousness.

The three leaders discussed for a while and decided to continue the journey with the two of them.

The journey on the plains was relatively smooth. After the soldiers familiarized themselves with the environment of the plains, their pace became much faster.

"I reckon that we will be able to walk out of the plains by tomorrow afternoon," Devitt said as he looked at the map.

"After walking out of the plains, we will be facing a valley with trolls." Claremont nodded and said.

"Trolls are really hard to deal with." Devitt shook his head and sighed.

In history, the trolls had clashed with humans and elves. They were considered to be mortal enemies.

Devitt and his group were about to face the forest trolls.

Although their temperaments weren't as violent and aggressive as the sand trolls, the blood of the cannibals remained in their bodies. It was unknown whether Devitt and his group would be threatened by them when they passed by their territory.

"Don't worry. The reason why trolls became mortal enemies of the humans and elves was that the two sides restrained each other and fought each other? As long as we control the distance between us and the trolls, we don't have to worry about being hurt by them," Abel comforted.

"I hope so," Devitt said.

The trolls were not only hostile to the elves and humans. They were also hostile toward the dwarfs.

This should be related to the differences in the way the two races lived.

About half of the information sent to Devitt was related to the trolls -- a detailed introduction of their strengths and weaknesses.

According to this information, there were about a thousand trolls gathered in the valley.

After learning about their strong life recovery ability and other advantages, Devitt could not imagine the scene of a fifty-man scouts' army confronting a group of trolls.

The sun slowly set at the end of the horizon. After leaving Dwarf Town, the next day's journey ended.

After the brigade camp was set up, the personnel in charge of logistics began to prepare dinner.

"This should be the last hot dinner before we leave the valley," Devitt said.

Indeed, trolls were very sensitive to smells and so on. To avoid being discovered by trolls in the territory, Devitt prepared everyone to eat dry food for the next few days.

Chapter 711: An Unpleasant Confrontation

The Black Elves didn't appear again, but this situation didn't make everyone feel at ease.

After dinner, Abel and the others led three teams to patrol around the camp, trying to find any clues about the Black Elves hiding here.

However, none of them found anything.

"What should we do?" Claremont asked anxiously when the three of them met up again with their soldiers

"Did the Black Elves who came to attack us already escaped?" Devitt guessed.

"It is indeed possible. Perhaps the previous attack was a test for us," Abel analyzed. "And the result of the test was not satisfactory."

"Although this situation will make us a lot more relaxed, I still want to get a way to dispel the dark magic on the soldiers from them," Claremont said with a sigh.

"Yes." Devitt nodded. "Although there is a possibility that the Black Elves will escape, we still can not let down our guard."

It was already late at night, and the tent was brightly lit. After the attack the night before, everyone couldn't sleep early at ease.

"Ah!"

A scream sounded in the camp.

"What's wrong?" Devitt hurriedly walked out of his tent and asked.

The soldiers who were resting in the tents also quickly put on their armor and walked to the open space of the camp.

"Hello." At the entrance of the camp, there were a few slim Black Elves standing side by side. One of the Black Elves was holding a Caradia soldier.

This was the first time Devitt and the others saw the original appearance of the Dark Elves -- they had a well-proportioned body like a woman, and their waists were slender. The color of their skin was like the blue sky and the moon, with a simple radiance.

"Quickly put down our people!" Claremont rushed to the scene and shouted angrily.

"Fine, as long as you give up your camp, we will let all of you live," a Black Elf said mockingly.

"What a joke!" The Caradia soldiers and the elves scolded.

Devitt raised his right hand to signal for everyone to stop the noise and continued to say to the few black elves, "We can not agree to your conditions. Moreover, the five of you want to rob our entire army. Aren't you a little too confident?"

"We'll know if we try," one of the Black Elves said. "In order to survive in this plain, we've never been afraid of anyone."

"I didn't expect that the once glorious black elves would be reduced to such a state," Abel said to the leading Black Elf through the crowd.

"They can withstand the glory, but they can also walk through the low points." One of the Black Elves stared at Abel and spoke in a mocking tone, "Wasn't it the Elf Lords who taught us to be flexible?"

He was probably referring to the time when the elves led other races to besiege the black elves.

"The logic goes on and on." Claremont walked forward and said angrily, "The attack last night was done by you guys, right?"

"Yes, but it was interrupted by your appearance," a Black Elf said indifferently.

Claremont was furious at the other party's casual attitude. Thinking about the miserable state of the two soldiers who were attacked, he couldn't help but say, "Tonight, if you can't give our wounded comrades an explanation, we won't let you go."

"Dong!" A few Caradia soldiers walked behind the black elves and closed the gate of the camp.

"Alright." the leading Black Elf said. "Since you're so hot-blooded, I'll give you more strength."

After saying that, he walked to the bound soldier and placed his palm on the soldier's head.

He chanted an ancient incantation.

The humans and elves present felt that the atmosphere was not good.

"What do you want to do?" Devitt rushed forward and lifted the soldier who was kneeling on the ground, leading him away from the black elves.

The soldier trembled in his arms.

Devitt looked at the leader of the black elves with a slightly ominous look.

He saw the other party smile at him like a ghost. At the same time, the temperature of the soldier in his arms suddenly dropped.

"Be careful!"

Devitt's eyes widened.

He saw the soldier struggle out of his arms stiffly. When he gently put his hand on his shoulder. There was actually a bone-biting coldness attacking him.

"Swish!"

Before anyone could react, the soldier's hand knife pierced through Devitt's abdomen.

"Bang!"

When Abel saw the soldier's bloody hands leave Devitt's body, he rushed forward at high speed and kicked him into a space a few meters away.

"Devitt!" Abel held onto Devitt's body that was about to fall and shouted worriedly.

Logically speaking, after receiving such a fierce blow from Abel. Even if it was a specially trained soldier, three or four of his ribs should have been broken. However, the soldier who was sent flying was like a zombie. He fell to the ground for less than five seconds and quickly stood up. He charged into the ranks of the Caradia soldiers and fought with his physical body.

The Caradia soldiers were greatly frightened by this sudden change. When the soldiers rushed toward them, they were also hesitating about how to fight. In the end, under the iron-like defense of the Caradia soldiers, the soldiers who were under the spell's control could not hurt any of them. They fell under the siege of the shields.

"Quick! Take General Devitt to stop the bleeding!" Abel commanded the few elven warriors behind him.

Everyone hurriedly carried Devitt, who was still bleeding profusely from his wounds, and left the battlefield.

"How is it? Do you want to kill us more?" a Black Elf said after watching the whole process.

"You scum. Don't even think about leaving today!" Claremont roared and ordered, "All the Caradia warriors, follow me!"

Abel's expression was solemn and he did not say a word. He ordered the elven warriors to prepare for the attack. He also walked into the ranks of the Caradia warriors. Although he was an elf, he was not only good at magic, but he was also not weaker than the young warriors who were active in Caradia.

"Kill!" Claremont took out his weapon and charged at the forefront.

A hint of wariness appeared in the eyes of the Black Elf. The leading Black Elf stood closest to the charging soldiers and chanted an entire paragraph of ancient mantra.

"Hell Slave!" The Black Elf who had finished chanting suddenly had a flash in his dark green eyes. Dark spiritual energy surged out of his body and stuck to his body.

Chapter 712: Battle With the Black Elves

The spiritual energy that was originally circulating the Black Elf's body instantly gathered in his hands.

It turned into drops of liquid that fell to the ground.

When the black "water" on the ground formed into a pool, ten chains stretched out from the pool and tied themselves to the Black Elf's fingers.

The Black Elf suddenly waved its arms.

Unknown objects emitting black smoke crawled up from the pool one after another.

The ground around the Black Elf also shook.

The warriors quickly stood up to prevent themselves from falling to the ground.

"What is this?" a soldier exclaimed.

"This is my 'pet'-- a black slave. If you get too close, they will bite you."

The Black Elf replied with a smile and squatted down to stroke the head of one of the creatures.

Claremont took a few steps forward with a cold expression, wanting to see what these creatures were.

In the end, he discovered that the creatures shrouded in the black gas were actually humans, or perhaps a different form of humans.

Claremont frowned, immediately feeling that the current situation had become somewhat troublesome.

"Herne!" a soldier shouted loudly, his tone filled with fear.

"Oh my God." The soldier standing next to the soldier covered his mouth and nose as he exclaimed.

Herne? When he heard this name, Claremont felt that it sounded familiar, but he could not remember where he had heard it before.

He subconsciously raised his head and coincidentally met the gaze of a "human".

Claremont's breathing stopped. Herne was one of the soldiers who were attacked at the entrance of the military camp yesterday.

Claremont clearly remembered his face, but he did not expect to find this familiar face among the creatures with chains around their necks.

"Isn't Herne being taken care of in the tent?" Claremont asked softly.

Abel walked to his side and said, "I think we found the reason why Herne and the others are unconscious."

Claremont pondered for a moment in his mind and said, "So it was the Black Elves who took away their spirits."

Abel raised his finger and pointed at another black slave who was kneeling on the ground.

Claremont looked in the direction he was pointing at. As expected, he found the appearance of the other soldier who fainted yesterday.

"If we want to talk about what can be used to defeat humans, it's the humans themselves." The Black Elf shook the chain in his hand as if he was playing with a pet. Then, he said to the people of Caradia.

"You really have everything in mind."

Blue veins were faintly popping out on Claremont's forehead.

At this moment, a soldier quickly ran to Claremont's side and reported in his ear, "Captain Claremont, Captain Devitt has escaped from danger."

"Okay," Claremont said in a deep voice. Then, he turned to the soldiers behind him and said, "Soldiers, the enemy has tortured our comrades to this state. In order to protect our comrades and supplies, follow me and charge!"

"Kill!"

All the Caradia soldiers waved the weapons in their hands.

Claremont did not say anything else. He gripped the large knife in his hand tightly and charged forward.

The Black Elf in the lead smiled sinisterly. He broke free from the chains in his hand and turned around to walk out of the military camp. All the "humans" that were kneeling on the ground charged towards the Caradia soldiers like jackalans and wolves.

The Caradia soldiers slashed their knives and swords at these menacing ghosts. In the end, their weapons passed through their bodies. Other than the sound of friction with the air, they did not have much effect.

"Empty?" The Caradia soldiers asked in surprise.

Before they could recover, all the slaves pounced on them.

Of course, this attack did not leave any actual wounds on the Caradia soldiers. However, the soldiers who were attacked fell to the ground one after another, squatting on the ground and crying with their heads in their hands.

"Why are you crying?" Claremont shouted in confusion as he dodged the attacks of the slaves.

Soldiers were stronger than ordinary people in terms of willpower.

Claremont had experienced four or five actual battles, but he had never seen such a painful and silent warrior on the battlefield.

The moment he was distracted, the black slave found an opportunity to attack.

The moment the black slave pounced forward and penetrated Claremont's body.

Claremont's pupils suddenly enlarged. A cold aura invaded his bones, and the logic in his mind became chaotic.

Claremont felt as if he had already left the battlefield. The cries of his childhood abuse by his father kept ringing in his ears.

The images in the depths of his memory were pulled ashore.

Claremont could not hear the sounds around him. He could only keep recalling the scene where he was beaten half to death.

"Father, I was wrong," Claremont sobbed.

Seeing that Claremont was about to burst out with the soldiers around him, Claremont's tears also exploded.

A pair of warm palms rested on his shoulders, allowing him to see the light again.

Claremont raised his head and looked at the person who had come to redeem him.

"Abel?"

"Stand up. You fell just now."

On the chaotic battlefield, Abel reached out his hand and said to Claremont.

"Let's go!" A Black Elf noticed the situation on Claremont's side and shouted at his companion, "That Elf knows light magic."

The leader of the Black Elves also noticed that Abel's entire body was exuding a holy light. His face revealed a shocked expression.

Seeing that this group of Caradia soldiers were about to fall into his hands. The fat meat that was sent to his mouth was about to fly away. It was such a pity.

The leader of the Black Elves gritted his teeth. In the end, he still cast a spell to recall the slaves on the battlefield, intending to escape with the others.

"Trying to leave? It won't be that easy." Claremont, who had just been rescued by Abel, rushed to the front of the Black Elves with red eyes. He placed his weapon on the other party's neck.

The elves' rescue was carried out on every single Caradia soldier who was in trouble.

The soldiers regained their combat strength. At this time, they followed Claremont and captured the escaping black elves, holding them under their blades.

"You're just a little lucky." The Black Elf leader narrowed his eyes dangerously. "If you really want to force us with our lives, do you really think that we won't be able to defeat you?"

"Cut the crap. How about you stabbing our captain and the spirits of our two soldiers. Immediately lift the restrictions on them." Claremont pressed the blade against the back of the Black Elf's neck. Gritting his teeth, he said.

"That blade was stabbed by one of your soldiers. What does that have to do with me?" The Black Elf Leader raised his head indifferently and said, "I'll give you the spirits of the two soldiers that you want."

As soon as he finished speaking, two of the chains on his left hand snapped.

The two slaves also disappeared into thin air.

Chapter 713: The Heartache of the First Taste of Bitterness

Claremont glanced at Abel, who was standing at the side. After seeing Abel nod at him, he pushed the Black Elf Leader away and said, "I hope that you have more self-awareness this time. Don't come and provoke us again in the future."

"Hehe." The Black Elf Leader stood up, rubbed his shoulders, and laughed softly.

The other soldiers watched as Claremont released him. Although they didn't quite understand, they let go of the hands that had bound the black elves.

"Scram!" Abel said.

"One day, I'll come and try it out. The feeling of being cursed by the legendary King of Light," the Black Elf Leader said as he gave Abel an evil look.

After saying this, he turned around and beckoned the other black elves to leave.

"Hiss!" A silver light pierced through the air and entered the back of the Black Elf Leader.

"Ah!" the Black Elf Leader cried out in surprise.

It was only a ball of light the size of a fingernail, but it burned a big hole in the Black Elf Leader's back.

The black spiritual power in the black elf's body kept surging out.

The Black Elf Leader stopped the other black elves from going forward to fight and he shot Abel a hateful look.

Abel looked at him and said in a relaxed manner, "From the looks of it, you shouldn't even think about trying. Be careful not to fall into pieces. Take this strike as my return to you on Captain Devitt's behalf."

"Let's go!"

The Black Elf Leader walked out of the military camp with the support of his two companions and disappeared from everyone's sight.

The warriors put down their weapons and celebrated the victory of this war with the elven mages. Meanwhile, Claremont silently helped the trembling Abel back to his tent.

"Even the slightest bit of strength from the King of Light is not something our bodies can withstand."

Abel sat down on his seat and wiped the sweat off his forehead with a handkerchief.

The move he used on the Black Elf Leader just now had exhausted all the strength in his body.

Even now, his calves were cramping.

Claremont brought a basin of water and said to Abel, "Thanks to your presence, we were able to resolve this predicament. The Caradia soldiers owe the elves another favor."

"We're all in the same team. Naturally, we'll attack when we can. There's nothing to owe," Abel shook his head and said. He used a wet towel to massage his calf.

When they were on the battlefield, Abel had told Claremont that he could not use light magic. He could only borrow a little bit of energy from the runes that sealed the power of the King of Light, he used it to pretend to be a light elf.

The other elves were the same. However, the power in their bodies was dispersed by Abel, so they did not feel any pain during the process of receiving it.

The two of them worked together to force the black elves out of their own territory and gave them a warning when they left.

"In this way, I reckon that the black elves won't dare to come and find trouble with us in the future," Abel said.

Claremont also nodded.

At this time, a soldier rushed into the tent and said to Claremont in surprise, "Captain Claremont, Herne, and the others are awake!"

"Awake?!" Claremont stood up and said in surprise.

Then, he said to Abel, "Captain Abel, I'll go to the two soldiers to take a look first. You should rest well for now."

"Okay," Abel replied.

Claremont followed the reporting soldier to the tent where the two fainted soldiers were.

He walked to the bed of the soldiers who were still recuperating and said, "You two are finally awake."

When Herne saw Claremont's figure, he was so moved that he almost cried. He had just woken up not long ago and did not actually feel the fact that he had returned to the real world. After seeing Claremont rushing over, he finally realized his current situation.

"I also thought that we would never wake up again," Herne said with a smile as he looked at his comrade who had just opened his eyes.

"Tell me what happened that night," Claremont said.

Herne thought for a moment and explained in detail. That night, he and Wilkes stood guard at the entrance of the camp. They met Devitt, who had eaten something bad, left the camp to find a place to go to the toilet. Not long after Devitt walked out of the door, he noticed the rustling of leaves in the grass. He thought that it was Devitt who was walking over. However, he found that it was a dark-skinned foreign elf standing in front of them. Then, the two of them were attacked and fell unconscious.

"I see." Claremont nodded and said, "It seems that the black elves are ready to attack."

"After I fainted, I felt my soul leave my body. I was thinking that I might have been killed by the black elves, but I ended up in the hands of a black elf," Herne continued.

"So, you all remember what happened on the battlefield?" Claremont asked in surprise.

"Battlefield? What battlefield?" Herne asked curiously. "After my soul fell into the hands of the black elves, I lost consciousness. I don't know what happened next."

"Okay." Claremont ended his visit and told the two wounded, "Rest well."

Walking out of the tent where the wounded were, Claremont immediately headed toward Devitt's tent.

Although he had heard from the soldier that Devitt's life was no longer in danger. However, recalling the scene of Devitt being assassinated, Claremont could not help but feel his heart clench.

Thinking of this, Claremont hurriedly quickened his pace.

When he walked into Devitt's tent, the smell of blood and alcohol assailed him.

Claremont frowned.

It seemed that the soldiers in charge of medical treatment had not cleaned up the scene.

When he walked to the bed where Devitt usually rested, Claremont found that Abel was also there.

The pale-faced Devitt lay on the bed. His breathing was so shallow that it was almost imperceptible. His shirt had already been taken off. A thick bandage was tied around his abdomen.

"Still not awake?" Claremont asked softly.

"He lost too much blood. All the organs in his body are still recovering," an elven soldier replied.

The elven soldier's healing skills, coupled with the Caradia soldier's on-the-spot medical skills, finally stabilized Devitt's vital signs after a long period of work.

"If that's the case, we shouldn't be able to continue on our journey," Abel sighed softly.

"Let's see how our recovery will be tomorrow," Claremont said after a moment of silence.

"I wonder if our group will be able to successfully reach the destination of the mission." Abel looked up at the sky and said, "It seems that it is indeed difficult for us to move forward."

Chapter 714: A Day of Rest

When the sun rose the next day, Devitt was still unable to wake up from his injury.

The scouts decided to stay overnight and wait for Devitt's recovery.

Claremont led his soldiers to carry out regular military physical training in the wilderness of the plains.

Camping outside was not as complete as the training equipment and facilities in the military camp.

However, everyone completed their daily training seriously.

The attack of the black elves yesterday made everyone return to their high standards.

If they wanted to continue on the road to the volcano, they would have to increase their strength.

The elves also had the same idea and gathered together to practice their spells.

During the free time of training, many soldiers came to Claremont's side and asked, "What kind of race are the valley trolls outside the Plains?"

Claremont answered the soldiers' questions one by one and told them all about the habits of the trolls.

"The trolls' attack power is relatively small. But you can't underestimate them," Claremont introduced.

"What weapons do they use to attack others?" a soldier raised his hand and asked.

"They usually use their homemade cudgel-type weapons, or their sharp fangs," Claremont replied.

"So they are suitable for opponents like us who are good at close combat," a Caradia soldier commented.

"Yes, but you can not be exhausted by them in close combat. Trolls, no matter what kind of trolls they are, have astonishing stamina. Moreover, their life force recovery ability is extremely strong. In my knowledge, there shouldn't be any race that can be compared to them in terms of resisting pressure. Therefore, when fighting against them, you must be extremely careful and keep a distance so that you don't get killed," Claremont carefully exhorted.

"They are indeed very powerful!"

A Caradia soldier nodded and said, "The previous two battles were settled by the elves as if we didn't have any effect. This time, we must show our strengths to the elven mages."

"War is the last resort. It's better to avoid it. Don't forget what our mission is," Claremont instructed seriously.

The training ground was still a little far from where everyone was camping.

Thus, no one wanted to go back. After the training ended, the scouts returned to the barracks before the sunset.

When Claremont stepped into the barracks, an elven soldier came forward and reported, "Captain Claremont, Captain Devitt is awake."

The soldiers behind Claremont were restless.

"Captain Claremont, we also want to visit Captain Devitt," a soldier standing beside Claremont said.

The other soldiers also nodded and echoed his request.

"Captain Devitt has just woken up. If so many of you go, you might disturb his rest. Let Captain Devitt come to see you in person when he recovers a little better," Claremont thought for a moment, then shook his head and denied.

Hearing Claremont's words, the soldiers lowered their heads one after another, and their mood also dropped.

"Don't worry, do what you have to do. Today's gathering is disbanded," Claremont instructed.

With that, he followed the elven soldiers to the tent where Devitt was.

As expected, Abel, who was originally in the military camp, arrived before Devitt one step ahead of him.

After greeting Abel, Claremont leaned over to check on Devitt's condition.

Devitt had just woken up from his coma, and his eyes were a little hazy.

"Cough, cough." After seeing the two people standing in front of his bed, Devitt opened his mouth to say something, but the words on his lips turned into a cough.

A trace of blood flowed out from the corner of his mouth.

Claremont's originally calm gaze instantly turned into fear.

Abel also said worriedly, "Your injuries are too serious. Don't even think about talking when you just woke up."

The soldier in charge of medical treatment turned pale with fright. He walked over to Devitt's pillow and used a healing spell to calm the discomfort in Devitt's body.

After his breathing gradually calmed down, Devitt opened his eyes again and looked at the two people with a worried expression.

"The Black Elves have been chased away by us. You don't have to worry," Claremont reported first.

Devitt didn't seem surprised and nodded at Claremont.

"The army will temporarily set up camp on the plains and settle down. When your wounds are almost healed, we will set off again," Abel said.

Hearing Abel's plan, Devitt frowned. It seemed that he didn't want to drag down the progress of the entire army because of his own injuries.

"This is also for the sake of the entire team. Don't be stubborn." Claremont shook his head, he said to Devitt, "You are the leader of this team. If you don't maintain a healthy and strong appearance, how can we make the soldiers follow you move forward with trust?"

After listening to Claremont's explanation, Devitt thought for a while and finally nodded in compromise.

Seeing that Devitt had agreed, Claremont did not say anything more. He asked the elven soldier beside him, "How is Captain Devitt's current physical condition?"

"His recovery is very strong. I reckon that with someone watching over him, he will recover very quickly," answered the elven soldier.

"Mm." Claremont nodded and turned to speak to Devitt, "You heard it, right? It won't take long. Now, the most important thing is to take care of your own body."

Devitt nodded his head as if he had made a promise.

After asking Devitt some questions about how he felt about his own body, Claremont and Abel also took their leave.

The soldiers outside the camp had already begun to eat their dinner.

After instructing the soldiers in charge of the kitchen to bring some light liquid food to Devitt, Claremont also joined the ranks of the soldiers.

Abel walked to his side, and the two of them chatted as they ate porridge.

"The black elves are so hateful," Claremont sighed.

"They've always lived in the dark side of this world. They probably don't care about the severity of their attacks anymore," Abel replied.

"Is that so? Now that I think about it, I realize that there's a saying that makes a lot of sense," Claremont said, his eyes wandering.

"What?"

"Among the weapons used to defeat humans, the ones with the best effect are the humans themselves," Claremont said softly.

Abel sensed Claremont's melancholy and stopped his actions of picking up vegetables. He asked Claremont, "Did the attack that day remind you of anything?"

That day on the battlefield was the first time Abel saw Claremont in such pain.

Chapter 715: A Dark Corner of the Past

"I remembered some of the things that happened when I was young." Claremont felt that his throat had become somewhat dry. He raised his cup and drank a mouthful of water before answering.

Abel recalled the words that Claremont kept repeating in his mouth that day. He asked hesitantly, "Was it related to your father?"

Perhaps it was best to say it out loud. In Claremont's eyes, Abel was a good listener.

Under the quiet moonlight, Claremont told Abel about his childhood experience of being abused by his father.

When the last sentence of the story was finished, Abel quietly stared at Claremont's side profile.

Even though it was dark around him, Abel could still see the sadness on Claremont's face.

"Then, where is your father now?" Abel asked hesitantly.

"Dead." Claremont sneered and said, "I didn't kill him. When I was twelve years old, he was killed by his enemy who was chasing after his debt."

Abel sat there silently, not knowing what to say.

"I originally planned to forget about this matter, but because of the Black Elf's spell, I remembered the past." Claremont shook his head, he said casually, "It seems that the impression that man left on me is quite deep."

After listening to Claremont's words, Abel recalled the impression he had gotten from spending the past few days with Claremont. Most of the time, he was very quiet, and his actions were strong. He maintained a clear boundary with his superiors and took care of others.

He did not see a single trace of negativity in Claremont.

When he thought about how Claremont had escaped from his dark childhood without the help of others to become a decent military officer, he felt even more pained when he faced the inferiority complex radiating from him.

"Claremont, although I haven't known you for long, you are indeed one of the most outstanding colleagues I have ever met." Abel paused for a moment before continuing, "Don't hate yourself because of your father."

After listening to Abel's words, Claremont was silent for a moment. He stood up and said to Abel, "Thank you, Abel."

After saying that, he picked up his bowl and chopsticks and left.

Abel stayed where he was and continued to chew on the cold food.

Tears did not represent weakness in every situation.

Devitt's injury recovered very quickly. The scouts rested for a day and a half on the spot. Then they began the next part of the journey.

It was noon when the soldiers set out. The sun shone on everyone's shoulders.

"Captain Devitt, is there really no problem with your body?" A Caradia soldier walked to Devitt's side and asked curiously.

"No problem." Devitt smiled and nodded. "It's not feasible to continue to slack off under my cover."

"Hehe, how can that be? We've been training well in the military camp these past few days." The soldier laughed in a relaxed manner. "However, Captain Devitt is really amazing. He suffered such a serious injury and recovered within two days."

"Didn't you see the medical soldiers guarding by my side all day and night? For their sake, I have to recover as soon as possible," Devitt replied.

"Are you sure you're okay?" After the soldiers left, Claremont walked forward and asked suspiciously.

"To be honest, I'm straining a little." Devitt patted Claremont's shoulder and stopped him from getting angry. "But it's still okay to use it on the road."

"If you feel any discomfort, remember to tell me immediately. Don't endure it yourself," Claremont pursed his lips and said seriously.

"Alright, I promise you," Devitt said clearly.

As they moved forward for the whole day, the plants by the roadside gradually changed.

"We're approaching the valley soon," Abel said to the soldiers.

"Are we going to set up camp in the valley tonight?" Claremont and Abel discussed.

"It should be. But we have to find a very hidden place."

Abel nodded and say, "It's best to find a place a little further away from the mountain road."

Claremont carefully considered the conditions that Abel had mentioned, and thought about how to find a suitable place to set up camp.

When the scouts heard Abel's words, they also began to discuss animatedly.

Until the moon rose into the sky, the scouts still had not entered the plains. This distance was much farther than they had imagined.

"How much longer will it take?" Devitt asked Abel, who was leading the way in front.

"Probably... about an hour," Abel replied.

The soldiers continued to trudge forward.

Seeing that the sky was about to turn dark, Claremont suggested to Abel, a little worried. "Why don't we set up camp near here tonight? If we continue, it will be a waste of energy and time for us to adjust."

"Okay." Abel thought for a while and nodded in agreement.

"Everyone stop! Set up camp nearby!" Claremont ordered the soldiers.

The soldiers immediately stopped when they heard the order.

Everyone began to set up camp together.

Meanwhile, Devitt was forced by Abel to wait at the side.

Under the circumstances where he was bored to death, Devitt walked around the place where the soldiers set up camp.

"Hualala."

Devitt seemed to have heard something. He stopped and listened carefully. He realized that it was the sound of water flowing.

Devitt immediately called a few soldiers and went with him to inspect the source of the sound.

In the end, he found a small stream hidden in the mountains.

The soldiers who were traveling with him were overjoyed. However, Devitt frowned.

He stopped everyone from fishing for fresh water and brought the soldiers back to the military camp.

He summoned Claremont and Abel to discuss, "I think we've found the wrong place to camp."

"Why?" Abel asked.

"When I was patrolling the area just now, I found a stream of fresh water," Devitt said.

When they heard this news, both of their faces darkened.

The status of the water source on this island was practically on par with gold. According to Raphael, no river was not occupied by various races. When advancing in the wild, one must avoid places where there were rivers. Where there were freshwater resources, there would definitely be powerful forces entrenched. This should be beyond reproach.

Abel turned around and glanced at the soldiers who were still setting up their tents. He asked Devitt, "How far is that stream from here?"

"It's not considered very far. It's about fifteen minutes away," Devitt replied.

"That's quite dangerous," Claremont said after taking a deep breath.

"But finding another place to camp now is a little too much for me," Abel analyzed.

Chapter 716: A Sudden Interlude

"Indeed." Claremont looked at the dark sky and agreed.

The three people's expressions became a little complicated.

"Why don't I bring some people over to take a look?" Abel suggested after a moment of silence.

"Yes." Devitt nodded and agreed.

After making his decision, Abel called a few people to follow him to the location of the creek.

Devitt and Claremont stayed in the military camp and waited for the news they brought back.

Half an hour later, Abel and the others returned to the military camp.

"How was it?" Claremont quickly walked forward and asked.

"We carefully looked at the movements around the creek. Other than the footprints left by Devitt and his men, we didn't find anyone who came," Abel reported.

"I see." Hearing this, Devitt's originally worried heart temporarily calmed down.

"In that case, let's stay here for a night. We'll set off early tomorrow." Claremont thought for a moment, then looked at Devitt and Abel and suggested.

Devitt and Abel nodded in agreement.

"However, we still need to strengthen our defenses tonight," Devitt instructed.

By the time Abel brought his men to scout the area, the camping tents had already been set up.

However, today, Devitt gave an order to the soldiers, "Do not use fire to cook dinner."

Therefore, when it was time for dinner, everyone sat around in the open space of the camp and began to eat their dry rations.

"Sigh, I miss having dinner at the military restaurant." Austin took a bite of wheat bread and sighed.

"Me too," a soldier echoed.

Everyone discussed the food in the military restaurant. When they talked about their favorite dishes, they couldn't help but swallow their saliva.

Devitt, who was sitting a little further away from the soldiers, said with a laugh, "Everyone is still chatting with each other."

"Yes, our soldiers have learned to find comfort from their memories," Abel continued.

"There are still many days ahead. I hope they are mentally prepared," Claremont replied.

The weather on the autumn plains was relatively cool.

However, this was only for healthy people. After eating dinner, Devitt was driven back to his tent by Claremont and the others to rest.

"The weather is getting colder and colder now." After sending Devitt back to the camp, Claremont and Abel went for a walk outside the camp to digest their food. A gust of mountain wind blew the grass and shook it. Claremont also felt a chill and turned to say to Abel.

"It's already November. The sky is turning dark very quickly." Abel nodded and looked at the sky.

"It's November. Ever since I boarded the ship, I haven't counted the days." Claremont sighed. "I didn't expect it to be the end of the year."

"It seems that we will be spending the new year on this island this year," Claremont said.

"I brought enough winter cotton clothes," Claremont said with a smile. He lifted his feet and walked toward the entrance of the military camp. "We should go back."

"Yeah, but elves don't have a clear feeling about the temperature," Abel said, following Claremont's footsteps.

"Huh? I'm so envious," Claremont said in surprise. "What about fire elves? Don't they feel different in the winter?"

"I'm not sure about that, but I don't think I'm very sensitive to the temperature," Abel thought for a while and shook his head.

"I didn't ask you before. General Abel, what kind of physique do you belong to as an elven mage?" Claremont thought of something and asked, "I haven't heard you mention it ever since we fought against the Black Elves."

"Actually, my spells aren't that powerful. Many elven soldiers in our team are more powerful than me. I was just chosen to be the captain because I was more focused on my physical strength." Abel said in embarrassment, "If you want to say what kind of spell I belong to, it should be water-type."

"A water element mage? It's amazing that you can train your physical abilities at the same time," Claremont praised.

The first time he met Abel, it could be said that he had overturned Claremont's impression of the elves.

Due to their talent and other reasons, the elves gave other races the impression of an exquisite and lazy group of mages.

And a rough general like Abel was also a member of the elves, which really broke a prejudice.

The two continued to chat while walking back to the barracks.

When they reached the entrance of the barracks, Claremont and Abel saw Devitt walking out of the barracks in a panic and meeting them head-on.

"What's wrong, Captain Devitt?" Abel asked anxiously.

"Two soldiers fainted," Devitt answered. His shirt was full of wrinkles. It was obvious that he had just received news from the soldiers. He didn't pay attention to his clothes and ran out.

"Where?" Claremont asked nervously.

"By the stream. I heard that they went there to drink freshwater, and found that the stream water was poisonous," a soldier walked up and reported carefully.

"What?!" Claremont and Abel were surprised.

"Were they carried back?" Abel asked the soldier who rushed back to report.

"They should be on the way back." Devitt strode in the direction of the stream.

"The two of us should go and take a look. Devitt, you're wearing so little. Don't go so far," Claremont suggested as he sized up Devitt's thin autumn clothes.

"It's okay. My body isn't that weak."

Just as the two of them were arguing, they stood at the entrance of the barracks and looked over. Two fainted soldiers, supported by four soldiers, slowly walked toward the barracks.

"They're back!" the soldier exclaimed.

Devitt and the other two also noticed the commotion and quickly walked toward the group of soldiers who had returned to the camp.

"Captain Devitt, Captain Claremont, Captain Abel. I'm sorry, I'm sorry." One of the hunchback soldiers had obviously just cried. His eyes were red as he knelt on the ground and apologized.

"Wait, don't panic." Devitt commanded, "Quickly call the medical team over!"

Abel walked forward and placed his palms near the hearts of the two fainted soldiers. A wave of spiritual energy seeped into his palms.

Immediately after, Abel's face darkened. He stood up and said to Devitt, "No need. They have no signs of life."

"Ah..." Devitt opened his mouth but could not say anything. Tears fell directly from his eyes.

Judging from Abel's expression, what he said was indeed true.

Chapter 717: They Were Lucky Enough to Pass By the Trolls

The scene fell into a deathly silence.

The soldiers on the ground trembled and cried out in pain.

Claremont looked in disbelief at the corpses of the two soldiers who had fallen to the ground. After they had set off from the Elf Kingdom, they had been troubled by the ent, and they had also been attacked by the black elf vagabonds. However, there had never been any cases of casualties. Devitt had been severely injured before, and he had been saved from the grasp of the Grim Reaper.

And without anyone noticing, the two soldiers had died in an ordinary accident.

In front of the withering of life, Claremont took a deep breath, feeling as if his heart had been chilled to the bottom of his heart.

In the camp, the Caradia soldiers and the elven soldiers had also gathered at the entrance of the camp. After understanding the current situation, their faces were all solemn.

"Soldiers can not leave the camp without permission. This is the first day of the formation of the team, I told you, right?" Devitt wiped away his tears and gnashed his teeth at the soldiers who had made mistakes.

"We were wrong, Captain Devitt." The soldiers knelt on the ground and confessed to Devitt.

"I won't punish you this time. Bury your comrades properly. Remember to bring their ashes and luggage with you tomorrow. No matter what, you must bring the things they left back to Drondheim. Leave your apologies until then," Devitt said coldly.

Abel walked in front of all the soldiers, he said, "Please take a good look at your current position. This world has always been cruel. Next time if there are soldiers who made such mistakes, I hope you can take off your armor and leave this team."

Claremont's eyes turned cold. He glanced at the soldiers who had admitted their mistakes and left.

After the three leaders left, the soldiers swarmed to the soldiers who had returned from the stream.

That night, the soldiers lit a fire near the military camp and cremated the two soldiers who had passed away.

Devitt and the others did not arrive. The funeral ceremony only ended late at night.

Many soldiers shed tears of heartache.

Early the next morning, the forty-eight scouts set off early in a sorrowful atmosphere.

The soldiers who were with the sacrificed soldiers had white scarves tied around their arms.

They looked at each other and silently advanced for an hour. The group finally reached the end of the transition zone.

They could roughly see the scenery of the valley.

A rapid river flowed through the valley. Today, the scouts would follow the direction of the river and pass through the valley.

The valley was green. Even in autumn, the plants by the roadside still grew and flourished.

The group stopped and waited for the leader to take the next step.

"General Abel, what's the next step?" The soldier behind Abel stepped forward and asked.

Abel often held a map in his hand. After checking the surrounding terrain, he looked at the map and said, "Although we are walking by the stream, we should still move forward under the cover of the forest. It will be more concealed."

After saying this, Abel commanded everyone to move towards the area covered by the forest.

"Will the trolls suddenly appear?" a soldier asked worriedly.

"Usually, they won't. The places they choose to live in are mostly a few hundred meters higher than where we are now. It's just that we don't know how far their range of activity will expand during the day. Generally speaking, it's better to be more vigilant," Abel explained to the soldier as he observed the wind and grass around him.

"Alright then," the soldier nervously swallowed a mouthful of saliva and replied.

All the soldiers behind Abel slowed down their footsteps and carefully advanced through the mountain ridges.

The air in the forest was still rather good. The Caradia soldiers stooped down and sneaked into the forest until noon, but no one breathed heavily or anything. The elves were even more at ease when they arrived at this place, following Abel in a carefree manner.

Walking at the end of the line, Claremont noticed that Devitt's expression was not good.

He asked worriedly, "Captain Devitt, are you not feeling well?"

"I'm fine. I just didn't sleep well last night," Devitt shook his head and replied. His face was still a little pale.

"Is it because of the two soldiers?" Claremont lowered his eyes and asked.

"... Yes." Devitt forced a smile and continued, "I was thinking that if I handled things more carefully and be more curious in wanting to know the reason why no one was interested in that stream, maybe the two soldiers wouldn't die."

"But, that situation might also change and you would have died in their place." Claremont said calmly, "I don't think there's any difference?"

"Is that so..." Devitt closed his eyes slightly and sighed.

"Life and death are not decided by us. I only understood this yesterday." Claremont sighed and said, "Captain Devitt, I hope you can reduce your burden."

Devitt bit his lower lip and didn't respond.

"It seems that we really don't have to meet the trolls today," a soldier said happily.

It was already afternoon. Everyone was already looking at the end of the mountain road.

"After walking the first part of the road, we will be able to walk out of the jungle trolls' territory," Abel also said happily.

"That's great!" the soldiers cheered in a low voice.

Everyone secretly encouraged themselves and sped up. They wanted to walk out of this place as soon as possible.

At this moment, two 200-pound jungle trolls were standing halfway up the mountain and looking at them.

The skin of the jungle trolls was purple, and there were tiny hairs on the surface of their skin.

These two had decent figures. Their waists were thin and their shoulders were wide. The bulging muscles between their arms emitted a dazzling luster.

"Lord Woking, are we really going to let them go?" a troll asked the other troll in front of him.

"Mm. Could it be that you're interested in them?" Woking raised his eyes and asked.

"No, no. I've been waiting on this island for a long time. I've long lost the habit of cannibalism," the troll replied. "It's just that we've never..."

"I heard that this group of people is here to investigate the reason why the Dwarfs who used to live near the volcano disappeared." Woking retracted his gaze from the scouts and interrupted the other troll, he said, "They're just passing by. On my account, let them walk over."

"Yes," the troll replied respectfully. "This group of people should be glad that they met the Lord when you were on the island to investigate."

"Dollond, the matters on this island have always been left to you to handle. It's been hard on you." Woking did not continue to discuss the matter of the scouts. He patted the troll's shoulder and consoled him.

Chapter 718: A Wolf Pack That Was Easily Dealt With

"It's not hard at all." The troll named Dollond shook his head and said with a smile, "Compared to Lord Woking, who is responsible for the entire Dark Spear Clan, this little task of mine is nothing."

"You've done quite well," Woking said flatly and praised.

"Lord Woking's inspection of the island this year is a little early. How long are you planning to stay on the island?" Dollond changed the topic and asked.

"I should be leaving tomorrow." Woking lifted his feet and walked up the mountain.

"Why don't you stay on the island for a few more days?" Dollond followed closely behind and said anxiously, "The representatives of the outstanding subordinates haven't met you yet."

"Then call them over when we send them off tomorrow," Woking said casually.

"This is really..."

After walking out of the territory belonging to the trolls in the valley, the scouts were finally able to straighten their backs and see the sun again.

From where they were standing, the Sun had already set on the back of the mountain range. The sky was filled with the golden afterglow.

"Get ready to find a place to camp," Abel ordered.

"Yes!" the soldiers let out an orderly and loud voice.

The Autumn Sun was always falling at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The soldiers' tents were half-built, so they could not see anything clearly. They could only pick up wood and build a few open fire platforms before they went to set up camp.

"Although we are not in the troll's territory right now, the jackalans and wild beasts in this valley can be considered quite dangerous, right?" After a soldier nailed down a wooden stake, he spoke to the soldier who was working beside him.

"Indeed. Now that you mention it, I think I really heard a wolf cry," the soldier replied.

"No way, don't scare me," the soldier who spoke hurriedly picked up the hammer in his hand.

"Haha, it must be to scare you! Even if there really is a wolf, you don't have to be so scared, right?" The soldier stood at the spot and cupped his belly.

"I say, why are you..." the frightened soldier was about to curse something.

"Wolf! Wolf!" a soldier's shout came from afar.

At this time, setting up the military camp was almost completed. Devitt and the others stayed in the tent to collect their clothes. After hearing the shout, they quickly walked out of the camp.

Abel walked in front of the soldier who was shouting and asked, "Where did you see the wolves?"

"At the entrance of the camp, there seemed to be seven or eight wolves," the soldier reported while panting.

"Got it," Abel replied. Then, he walked out of the camp on his own. Just as the soldier had said, seven wild wolves were lying in the forest at the entrance of the camp. Under the illumination of the fire, their pupils refracted a green light.

When the pack of wolves saw Abel appear alone in front of them, they let out a grunting sound from their throats.

Abel did not care. He walked back to the group of soldiers.

"Captain Abel, what do we do now?" a soldier walked forward and asked.

"See if we can lure these wolves away. If not, we can only kill them," Abel replied.

After receiving the answer, the soldier nodded and said to the soldiers behind him, "You, you, you, you, you, follow me."

After watching the soldier lead the six-man team out of the camp, Abel dismissed the soldiers gathered around him.

Claremont and Devitt were a step too late. They passed through the scattered crowd and walked to Abel. "What's wrong?"

"A soldier found a pack of wolves at the entrance of the camp. He has already sent people to deal with it," Abel replied.

"Was the soldier bitten by the wolf?" Devitt asked with concern.

"No, he was just scared," Abel replied. When he asked the soldier, he had also carefully observed him.

"That's good." Devitt heaved a sigh of relief and said.

After half an hour or so.

The soldier who went out to deal with the wolf pack came back with the body of the wolf.

The leading soldier reported to Claremont, "Captain Claremont, we have destroyed all the wolves."

"Well done." Claremont nodded.

"These wolves should be enough for dinner today. I heard that eating wolf meat can keep out the cold and nourish the stomach," a soldier suggested.

"This... you have to ask the soldiers in the logistics department whether they are willing to cook for you," Claremont said hesitantly.

"Go, go, ask them," a soldier in the team said happily.

"Then we will take our leave first, Captain Claremont." The leading soldier bowed to Claremont and said.

"Okay."

Seeing the group of people walking toward the back of the camp, Claremont silently decided in his heart that he would make do with wheat bread for dinner today.

"What are you guys talking about?" The soldier in the kitchen, who was cutting vegetables, couldn't help but ask when he saw a group of soldiers dragging something towards him.

"Today's extra meal," a soldier said happily.

"Look at how fat the meat is," a soldier said as he placed the wild wolf in his hand on the chopping board.

"Okay, okay. You brought so much. Where can we find people to cook for you?" The soldier who was cooking put down his kitchen knife and waved his hand. "One is more like it."

"Sorry to trouble you." the soldiers heard the other party agree and thanked him happily.

Leaving the one on the chopping board, the soldiers dragged the other wild wolves and prepared to throw them outside the camp.

"Throw them further away, don't throw them into the river." The soldier who was cutting vegetables thought of something and hurriedly chased after them. He shouted at the back of the group of people who had left.

"Got it!"

After the group of people had asked Devitt for instructions, they walked out of the military camp and threw the body of the wild wolf in the jungle which was about ten minutes away from the military camp.

Dollond's two subordinates watched the soldiers throw away the body of the wild wolf. They turned around and left.

They walked out of the jungle.

A troll walked closer to the jungle where the bodies of the wolves were piled up and looked at it carefully. He turned around and said to his companion, "Looks like these soldiers are quite powerful."

"What's the big deal? They just defeated a few stray wolves," another troll said disdainfully.

"I'm a little interested in them. Why don't we go and find a few soldiers to practice with," the troll said as he walked closer.

"Lord Dollond's orders are only to keep an eye on them. He specifically told us not to let anyone attack. Do you want to disobey his orders?" the troll said sternly.

"I don't dare. Just take it as a joke." The troll who was reprimanded retracted his relaxed and casual look and lowered his head towards another troll.

"Lord Woking is about to leave this island. You don't want to find an opportunity to show off in front of Lord Woking. Instead, you're looking for people to fight one-on-one. What can you do?" the troll sighed and said, as he admonished the troll beside him, he walked back.

Chapter 719: The Latest Challenge to Begin

"Why is there so little meat?" The soldiers who went hunting for the wolf pack, who were waiting excitedly for the kitchen to serve the dishes, could not help but complain when they saw the meat soup in their bowls.

"Don't say anymore. The wild wolves that you guys fought over only have this little meat." The soldier who was cooking sighed. "They live in this valley, so they should be having a hard time too."

"Don't snatch it. This piece of meat is mine."

The soldiers had already started to snatch the remaining wolf meat in the bowl.

No one was listening to what the soldier in the kitchen was saying.

The soldier in the kitchen sighed and walked towards Devitt's tent with a plate of food.

"Captain Devitt," the soldier called out softly after walking into the tent.

Devitt, who was lying on the table, raised his body. After seeing the bowl in the soldier's hand, he waved at him and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't notice that it was already dinner time. Sorry to trouble you."

"No problem." The soldier shook his head and walked forward to put the food on another table.

After seeing the soldier put the food on the table, Devitt was about to look away, but he found that the soldier had no intention of retreating. Instead, he stood there hesitantly. So he raised his head and asked, "What's wrong? What's the matter?"

"Well..." the soldier hesitated and said, "Captain Devitt, we're almost out of rations."

"Huh?" Devitt said in surprise, "But we have only set off from Dwarf Town for a few days. How could we run out of the amount we prepared and the supplies we purchased so quickly?"

"When we were purchasing, we were tricked by the dwarf merchants. After we set off, we found out that what they sold us were all scraps that could not be used for cooking." The soldier explained nervously, "In the past few days, we have been using up the food we brought with us. Now, we are almost at the bottom."

"Then, how long can we last with the food we have now?" Devitt rubbed his temples and asked.

"I am not very clear about the situation on the elves' side. On our side, we can only last for... three days." the soldier replied carefully.

"Three days?!"

This number really shocked Devitt.

Three days. He probably wouldn't even be able to walk out of the valley.

"... I understand," Devitt sighed and replied. Then, he asked the soldier to leave.

Devitt walked to the table where the dishes were placed and started to drink the soup one mouthful at a time.

Over the past few days, all sorts of unexpected situations gradually made him haggard.

As he ate, he thought about how to resolve this crisis.

After dinner, Devitt summoned Claremont and Abel. The three of them sat opposite each other in Devitt's tent. Devitt relayed to them the facts that the soldiers had reported to him today.

"Can the two of you think of any good strategies?" Devitt surrendered his hopeful gaze to the two of them.

"Why don't we give some of our rations to the Caradia soldiers as a contingency?" Abel suggested.

The elves only ate one-fifth of what humans ate every day, and they drank even less water.

Under such circumstances, the troops that supported Caradia soldiers should still have some spare food.

"How much food do the elven soldiers have left?" Claremont asked worriedly.

"This... I'm not too sure. We'll know once we get someone to ask." Abel immediately stood up and walked out of the tent to get someone to find the elven logistics soldiers.

Not long after, an elven soldier walked in.

When Devitt saw Abel's questioning, the soldier's nervous expression, the hope in his eyes extinguished by half.

The elves had encountered the same predicament as the Caradia soldiers. The rations could only last for ten days.

"These soldiers who knew about the situation but didn't report should be taught a good lesson," Claremont said angrily.

"The grain of our two teams can only be used for about six days," Abel concluded. His expression was not as clear as before.

"So, should we advance? Or retreat?" Claremont read these words and set his gaze on Devitt.

Devitt lowered his eyes and sat quietly in thought for a while.

He got up and took the map that the dwarf guild had given him from the table and spread it on the ground.

"If we retreat, the food storage will still be enough to support us to return to Dwarf Town," Claremont said as he pointed at the plains on the map.

"If we continue forward, we can only walk to the wilderness outside the valley," Abel added in a deep voice.

"No, we can't go back. It was purely a fluke that we were able to successfully pass through the Troll Valley this time. I don't think they will let off the foreign tribes who have been wandering around the borders of their own territory. Moreover, this trip will take at least half a month. We have to hurry and complete our mission." Devitt carefully examined the map, "We need to change the original route and find a new way out."

"But we don't know anything about the races other than the races around the route," Claremont reminded.

"A map is enough," Devitt insisted.

In the end, the two of them were convinced by Devitt's train of thought.

The three of them took out the piled-up maps and looked through them carefully. Only by taking the route and going there would they be able to provide supplies for their team.

"I found it," Devitt said after twenty minutes.

"Where?" Claremont and Abel came to his side and asked.

"We can cross the river to go to the centaurs' territory." Devitt raised the sheepskin map in his hand and said, "This map indicates that they have a market open to the public."

Abel took the map and looked at it carefully.

"But to go there, not only will we have to cross the river, but it's also very far. It'll take at least eight days to go there." Claremont gestured on the map and said worriedly.

"The food from the hunt should also be used as a part of the resources. Right now, this is the only way we can go," Devitt said.

"Then let's inform the soldiers and let them understand the situation the team is facing now." Claremont and Abel agreed to the plan and then suggested it to Devitt.

"Okay."

When the news reached the group of soldiers, none of them were as dejected as they had imagined. Instead, they started to joke with each other. They pushed each other and said, "It must be because you ate too much or something.".

In Claremont's eyes, this could be considered as his strengths complementing his weaknesses.

The combination of an optimistic attitude and carelessness was a problem that the three new leaders were still trying to figure out how to balance the two. But now that the team had reached this point, Claremont finally put down the requirements for his performance to be perfect. He also gradually understood the words that Derrick had said to Devitt at the banquet before the expedition.

After this night, they would begin a new challenge.

Chapter 720: Information Obtained From Hunting

Early in the morning, Devitt and the others led the team and set off.

The current season was the time when the river was rushing, so it was not easy to cross the river.

Everyone tied the ropes around each other's waists and put their shoulders on each other as they walked slowly in the river.

The river was about 50 meters wide. In order to maintain their balance, the soldiers walked and stopped in the river. It took them nearly an hour to reach the shore. They had used up a lot of energy during this time.

Abel didn't have time to change, so he ordered everyone to continue walking.

In order to reach the centaurs' area within the estimated time, they had to seize every second.

Devitt and Abel walked at the front side by side. In order to accurately plan out a new route, they each had a map.

"According to this speed of progress, it will take three to four days to walk out of the valley," Abel stared at the map and said.

"Crossing the river today took a lot of effort, and the progress of the soldiers is slow. In the next few days, we will have to speed up," Devitt analyzed.

"Yes," Abel nodded and replied.

In the evening, when the day's journey was about to end, the scouts had already climbed up another mountain ridge. The rapid river was left far behind, not a trace of it could be seen.

"Set up camp and rest," Abel ordered.

The soldiers also heaved a sigh of relief. Their clothes, which had been drenched by the river water, had been dried by the sun during the journey. After trekking without rest for an entire day, it was the greatest happiness to be able to sit down and rest.

"You, you, you, follow me out." Claremont walked in front of a few soldiers who were squatting on the ground and commanded.

"Captain Claremont?" The soldiers immediately stood up and lined up. One of the soldiers looked at Claremont, who was walking towards the entrance of the military camp and asked hesitantly.

"Bring your weapons. We will go hunting now," Claremont said.

"Yes." The three soldiers put their weapons back on their waists and followed Claremont out.

"Claremont brought people out?" Devitt, who was building a tent with the soldiers, said when he saw Claremont and the others leaving.

"Yes. The investigation team will send people out to hunt every day," Abel replied.

"Why did they only bring three people..." Devitt seemed to be a little worried.

"This area is the Behemoth's territory. I reckon that Captain Claremont doesn't want to cause too much trouble and be discovered," Abel speculated. "The wild beasts in the mountains can't possibly hurt them."

"Mm." Devitt nodded.

Without waiting for Claremont and the others to bring back the results of the battle, Abel called the Caradia logistics soldiers to prepare the fire. He looked like he was very confident in Claremont and the others.

After a short while, Claremont and the other three returned with a full load at the entrance of the military camp.

A few soldiers who were patrolling in the camp quickly went forward to receive the prey that the four of them had brought.

"Wow, there are actually deer in the mountains! We can eat deer meat tonight!" a soldier shouted excitedly.

"How was it?" After the soldiers dispersed, Abel walked forward and asked Claremont.

"It was alright."

A hint of fatigue appeared in Claremont's eyes. "We didn't go far."

"Hurry up and change your clothes. Have a good rest."

Abel originally wanted to ask more about the terrain in the mountains, but seeing that Claremont was too tired, he instructed him, "Aren't we still on night duty tonight?"

"During dinner, a bowl of porridge is enough for me. Can you help me inform the kitchen?" Claremont said as he exhaled.

"Okay," Abel replied.

Claremont nodded, then turned around and walked into his tent.

After returning to his tent, he immediately walked to the front of the bed, took off his coat, and wiped his face with a towel dipped in water. He laid down on the bed.

Perhaps it was because he had exhausted all his strength after a whole day of hard work. He didn't even have the energy left to dream.

Claremont then fell into a deep sleep until late at night.

When he woke up, there was a bowl of porridge on the table in front of the bed that was no longer very hot.

After having this simple dinner, Claremont put on his clothes and walked out of the tent to hand over the shift with Abel.

"I see that you are much better." Abel handed the token in his hand to Claremont and said.

"That's how my constitution is. I'll feel stronger after a good night's sleep," Claremont said with a smile.

"I see."Abel nodded. "Did anything special happen today?"

"No." Claremont thought for a while and replied, "The places we passed by were very quiet. It didn't seem like there were any nomads from other races passing by."

"Didn't the map say that there was a Behemoth nearby?" Abel asked suspiciously.

"Even if there is a Behemoth, we aren't his target." Claremont thought of a Behemoth's appearance recorded in the history books and shook his head as he spoke to Abel.

"Have you seen a Behemoth before?" Abel knew almost nothing about Behemoths other than the name and portrait on the map. After listening to Claremont's comment, he couldn't help but ask.

"No, I've only heard of their legends," Claremont introduced. "I heard that Behemoths are huge and can eat thousands of mountains in a single meal. Time will also become chaotic because of their actions. When God created the world, he only created one Behemoth."

"Such a magical creature actually lives on this small island." Abel was dumbstruck.

"Actually, to be honest, I don't really believe it either." Claremont pondered.

"The territory of these mountains isn't occupied by any races. It seems that everyone is afraid of the existence of the Behemoth," Abel said.

"Mm."

Abel and Claremont did not chat for long before they went back to rest.

Claremont led the soldiers to patrol inside and outside the camp. It was not until four o'clock in the morning that he handed over the task in his hand to someone else. He returned to the camp and sat down to rest.

In another two hours, the soldiers were going to get up.

Claremont did not have any thoughts of sleeping at the moment. Perhaps the rest from yesterday had made up for his entire day's sleep.

Lying in front of the desk, he looked at the map in his hand.

He calculated the time of departure from the Elf Kingdom, or rather, from Drondheim.

At five o'clock in the morning, the rain in the valley hit the top of the tent, making "pitter-patter" sounds.

Like a hypnotic clock, Claremont felt a wave of tiredness welling up in his body.

In another hour, their army would set out from the autumn rain curtain in the valley, beginning a brand new day's journey.

Chapter 721: The Rain in the Autumn Valley

"Pitter -- Pitter --"

The rain was getting heavier.

The soldiers who poked their heads out of the tents couldn't help but frown.

This was the first time they were prepared to travel on the road when it was raining. However, for the autumn valley, this kind of situation was quite normal.

"It really is 'the house leaks rain every night'. It seems that the heavens want us to stay in this valley for a while longer," Abel said to the rain.

"But there's nothing to see in this valley. What are we going to do here?" Claremont reached out to catch the rain and said.

"This bit of rain isn't enough to make us stop," Devitt said as he looked at the distant valley.

Abel crossed his arms and said, "I didn't feel much when I walked into the valley. After a shower of rain, the temperature has indeed dropped quite a bit."

"Even the elves feel cold," Claremont said, shaking his head.

"Let's set off after breakfast." Devitt looked at the sky and left the small circle of the three people with his hands behind his back.

Because the rain didn't seem to have stopped, the soldiers could only pack up their food and eat their breakfast in their tents.

"The rain is getting smaller," Abel said, pointing to the sky.

"Indeed," Claremont said, glancing at the dark clouds that were gradually dispersing.

After breakfast, everyone carried the luggage they had packed the night before and gathered in the open space of the camp.

"Since everyone has rested well, put on your energy and hurry on your way. It is common for rain to fall in this valley. Don't think that you can slack off just because it is raining. If you can't reach the designated place today, don't think about stopping to rest," Devitt reprimanded.

"Yes!"

On the way, everyone stuck their trouser legs into their boots to prevent rain from dripping in.

As they advanced on the muddy mountain road, the soldiers' speed was not affected at all.

"Everyone, you've worked hard. Rest for ten minutes."

Because the soldiers' enthusiasm was much stronger than they had imagined. When Devitt passed by a cave that could take shelter from the rain, he ordered everyone to stop and rest.

There was a lot of dust at the entrance of the cave, and there were even spider webs.

"Take shelter from the rain inside this cave." Devitt looked at the pitch-black cave and ordered the other soldiers.

Everyone stood under the rock wall and used towels to wipe the parts of their necks that were wet from the rain.

Ten minutes passed quickly. Devitt continued to lead the march. After leaving the vicinity of the cave, they heard the roar of a bear coming from behind them.

"Don't worry about it. Let's keep moving," Devitt replied calmly when the soldiers cast inquisitive glances at him.

Until noon, raindrops were still falling from the sky.

As the sun was now high in the sky, the fog in the forest became heavier.

Devitt retreated from the lead position and walked with Claremont at the back of the group.

Abel was in charge of taking his place.

The Caradia soldiers rarely saw such a scene in the desert. Their expressions became a little twisted.

"You don't like this?" Abel looked back in amusement.

"Haha, it's my first time seeing it. I'm a little at a loss," a soldier replied.

"I do like this kind of environment." Abel looked at the fog that was attached to his body and said, "But if you find it inconvenient, just let them disappear."

After saying this, Abel raised his right hand, which was clenched into a fist, and his five fingers suddenly opened.

The fog that was floating in the forest suddenly turned into water droplets and fell to the ground.

"Crackle, crackle..." it was even clearer than the sound of the rain in the early morning.

In the eyes of the Caradia soldiers, their field of vision suddenly became clear.

"Wow!" the soldiers exclaimed.

"It's quite powerful." Claremont and Devitt looked at each other and smiled as they said.

"For the water elves, this kind of terrain should be unique," Devitt also commented.

After casting the spell, Abel took a deep breath. He looked at his palm, spiritual power was constantly flowing out of it.

Without the obstruction of their vision, the group walked out of the forest after half an hour.

"Watch your step. Poisonous snakes will appear here," Abel reminded them.

Hearing this, the soldiers became even more cautious.

Although there was no snake venom that elven healing spells could not cure, no one wanted to slow down the entire group's journey because of themselves.

Seeing that the sun was already setting, Claremont frowned and said to Devitt, "The sun is setting faster and faster. I don't know if we can still cover a few miles in a day in winter."

"Hmm." Devitt also fell into hard work.

"Why don't we count the time at night?" Claremont said hesitantly.

"On this small island, the situation after the sky turns dark is too dangerous for us," Devitt voiced his concerns. "Moreover, if we advance openly, it will easily attract the attention of other races."

"That makes sense..." Claremont thought for a while in his mind, but he still couldn't find a suitable method.

"We're here."

Before the sunset, Abel led the soldiers to the location marked on the map.

After praising the soldiers' performance. Abel led a few soldiers out to hunt for prey.

"It just rained. I don't think any animals will come out to wander around," Claremont said.

"It depends on luck. We can't be lucky all the time," Devitt said. "If the hunt doesn't produce any results, we can only use the last of our remaining food."

An hour later, the construction of the camp was completed. Everyone was anxiously waiting for the return of the hunting team.

At this time, Abel led the soldiers back to the camp gate with a dejected expression.

He was holding a bulging bag in his hand.

"How was it?" Claremont mustered up his courage and walked forward to ask.

"I didn't find any. I only found some fruits in the forest over there," Abel said regretfully.

After opening the bag in his hand, he saw a pile of yellow fruits.

"It's not bad to have fruits. It's too extravagant to eat meat every day," Devitt also walked up and comforted him.

Abel handed the whole bag of fruits to the soldiers in the kitchen. He said dejectedly, "The soldiers have been walking for a whole day. They should eat something hot."

"Don't we still have some rice? It's not bad to cook porridge with these fruits," Claremont said.

"Yes, it would be good to cook wheat bread with this porridge," Devitt said with a smile.

"Yes," Abel sighed and replied.

After the soldiers saw the results of the hunt, although they were a little disappointed, they were not too depressed. They all walked to the side of the soldier in the kitchen and watched him cook.

Chapter 722: The Next Stage of the Stage

"With everyone crowded here, I can't cook dinner for you right away," the soldier behind the kitchen said in distress.

"Uh... we're just here to see if there's anything we can help with," a soldier in the crowd explained in embarrassment.

"Then help me taste whether this fruit is poisonous," the soldier behind the kitchen said as he picked up a fruit from the chopping board.

The soldiers behind him all took a step back.

"Help me keep an eye on the fire." The soldier shook his head helplessly. He picked up the fruit himself and went to look for Captain Abel. He asked, "Captain Abel, this fruit is fine, right?"

Abel turned his head to look at him and nodded. "Yes, we've all tried. But we still have to peel off the skin and the core of the fruit."

"Okay. Thank you." The soldier in the kitchen was relieved.

Under everyone's expectations, the homemade fruit porridge was finally ready. Everyone picked up their lunch boxes and lined up at the porridge-making place.

The soldiers in the kitchen who had finished their dinner earlier served each soldier a bowl of porridge and then handed them a piece of wheat cake.

The air after the rain was so fresh that it made one's heart and lungs feel refreshed. The soldiers all chose to have dinner together in the open space of the camp and started chatting.

"Sure enough, the happiest moment of the day is now," Austin said with a smile after drinking a mouthful of hot porridge.

"The last few days' dinners have been porridge and the like. I thought it would be hard to get used to it. I got used to it unconsciously," a soldier said as he dipped the wheat cake into the porridge.

"I think so too. I don't even feel that tired when I'm marching in the mountains," another soldier said.

"Really?" Austin was surprised. "I also want to get used to the rhythm of the march as soon as possible."

"How did you do it?" a soldier asked the soldier just now.

"I'm not sure. Anyway, I don't think about anything during the march. If I stare at General Abel's back and follow him, I won't feel tired easily," the soldier who was asked replied.

"General Abel is really amazing. Not only is he so strong, but he can also make people follow him without worry," the soldier who asked sighed.

"When General Abel used that spell today, I was completely stunned," a soldier exclaimed.

Abel's spell had indeed left a deep impression on everyone.

"Me too. The world of magic is really wonderful. Let me reincarnate as a mage in my next life," a soldier pleaded.

"Even if you reincarnate as a mage, you won't become as strong as General Abel," Austin couldn't help but complain.

The dinner ended noisily under everyone's frolicking.

The tent was built on the wet ground, and there was always a damp temperature in the room.

Therefore, that night, the logistics provided lighting for the tents. All the kerosene lamps were replaced with candles.

"Can candles remove moisture? How did you know?" Devitt asked the soldier who had brought the candles.

"My own family used to sell rice, and the rice warehouse was usually filled with candles. I learned this trick from my father," the soldier replied.

"It came in handy." Devitt nodded and praised.

"But the gas from the candles may not smell good. Captain Devitt, you must remember to keep the camp well ventilated," the soldier reminded him before he left.

"Okay, got it." Devitt nodded.

After a night of peace, the next morning, the soldiers got up early as usual.

The breakfast table was served with juice made from the fruits they obtained last night.

Devitt looked at the green juice in the cup and said with a smile, "The soldiers in the kitchen are really hard-working. Looking at this, I thought we were in the canteen of the military camp in Drondheim."

After drinking a mouthful of sweet and sour juice, the soldiers became energetic.

However, each of them could only get one cup. If they drank it up, it would be gone.

"At this rate, if we are attacked on the road, we must protect the soldiers who do this well," Claremont also joked.

After eating the carefully prepared breakfast, the soldiers of the scouts' team started a new day's journey with vigor.

"We have to leave the valley today, right?" Devitt said as he walked quickly.

"It should be fine." Abel made a mark on the map and estimated. "After crossing the grassland in front, we can walk out of the border of this valley."

"The soldiers are in a good condition now," Devitt said as he looked at the soldiers behind him.

"The mountains we need to cross next won't be as easy as before," said Abel, looking at the map. "Besides, it's not easy to find a place to rest in the forest."

"Let's take it one step at a time," said Devitt.

While the scouts were advancing smoothly, a letter sent from the island station to Drondheim was delivered to Kant.

"The situation at the island station seems a little tense." Kant read the contents of the letter and muttered to himself, "I wonder what the Elf Kingdom will do."

In the letter, Raphael described the situation of Devitt and the others set off from the top of the mountain, as well as the predicament the elven soldiers at the station were in.

Bunduk just happened to walk into the hall.

Kant said to Bunduk, "It seems that the soldiers sent by the elves to the station are being oppressed by the local forces."

"How can this be? How can someone dare to offend the elves so openly?" Bunduk was slightly surprised after reading the entire letter.

"The situation on the island is not quite the same as on the ordinary mainland. The people who live on the island are originally a group of vicious wanderers who have been ostracized by their own race," Kant explained.

"According to the letter, these elven soldiers are hidden deep in the mountains, and there is a risk of being discovered at all times. What should we do?" Bunduk said worriedly.

"The elven soldiers at the station seem to be thinking of waiting for the scouts' team to complete their mission and take a boat back to the Elf Kingdom with them," Kant stated.

"That would have to wait until the beginning of next year. Can they hide for that long?" Bunduk asked.

"Let's see what the Elf Kingdom is planning to do. If they plan to send troops, we have to make a move," Kant said calmly.

"Yes." Bunduk nodded.

"What are you here for today?" Kant looked up and asked.

"The summary report for this month's military camp." Bunduk bowed and walked forward, he handed the document in his hand to the desk. "In addition, Derrick and the others left for Durandal today. They couldn't bid you farewell, so they asked me to report to Your Highness on his behalf."

"Is the holiday over so soon?" Kant turned his head and asked.

"They said that Durandal's canal project is about to begin," Bunduk replied. "So..."

Chapter 723: Meeting With the Centaurs

"He is indeed very concerned about the matter of Durandal," Kant said. "It's just that this doesn't seem like what a commander should be like."

Upon hearing Kant's comment, Bunduk's entire body tensed up. He nervously explained, "Derrick is the type of person who will take full responsibility for the mission given to him. This is pretty good, right?"

Kant smiled and asked, "When he returned from his vacation in Drondheim, did the two of you talk in private? How did he get along with Adonis?"

"We did." Bunduk nodded and answered, "I didn't hear much about Adonis. He only said that his work in Drondheim was quite smooth."

Returning from Durandal from his vacation, Bunduk took two days off to accompany him to visit Drondheim, eat, and chat in the tavern.

"I guessed it. Derrick is rather reticent in front of others," Kant said.

"Well, not really. He's more of an easygoing type," Bunduk said after some thought.

He tried his best to protect Derrick's image in Kant's mind.

"Among the scouts sent to the island this time, the soldiers responsible for helping Devitt manage the soldiers are Derrick's old subordinates. "I heard that when they passed by Durandal, Derrick chatted with them quite a bit," Kant said.

"C-C-Clare-mont? I can remember his name. He does have a good relationship with Derrick," Bunduk replied. "This person has a personality similar to Derrick's, but he's younger. When he was in the military camp, he was often taken care of by others, making him appear more childish. I wonder how this trip will turn out."

"Both Derrick and you have a good comment on him." Kant nodded and said, "When the Scout Army returns, let me see how this soldier is doing."

Bunduk sensed the ominous atmosphere and said hesitantly, "Your Highness Kant, are you thinking of..."

"If there are really good talents left behind in the army, we should promote them and give them confidence," Kant said of his plan.

Bunduk widened his eyes and hurriedly excused himself, retreating from the hall.

Kant looked at his departing figure and sighed. He admitted that Derrick was indeed a smart person. He maintained a harmonious relationship with the people around him, and he would be satisfied with anything given to him, however, one day, this tepid attitude would become a barrier in front of him. He would have to think of a way to shatter it.

Derrick was a person who could achieve great results even if he worked alone. What Kant cared about was whether Derrick could break through the thick walls in his heart and lead everyone forward from his position as the leader. If he couldn't, it also proved that he wasn't suitable for his current position. Kant should remove Derrick in time and replace him with a new character.

And Bunduk was the button that Kant had set in his heart to change the structure of Derrick's life.

When Bunduk returned to the military camp, he immediately wrote a letter to Durandal about everything he had heard today, as well as his thoughts.

I mustn't let Lord Kant replace Derrick, Bunduk muttered in his heart.

"Eh? Was it snowing last night?"

Early in the morning, a scout soldier walked to the fence of the camp and asked as he looked at the frost on the wooden stake.

"How is that possible? It's only the end of November now." A soldier yawned and said from the side, "But it's really quite cold. I have to add a thicker piece of clothing to my tent."

It had been three days since the scouts' team had climbed up the forest where their target was.

This mountain was harder to climb than they had imagined, and it covered a huge area.

The soldiers had gradually become familiar with the taste of camping in the forest.

However, as the elevation of the mountain road increased, the temperature also dropped a lot.

"Do centaurs live at such a high place?"A soldier hid in the grass and drank the leftover meat soup from yesterday, looking up at the mountain.

"Fortunately, we're almost there. The first food of the day is the leftovers from the night before. This is too sad," a soldier wailed.

"Gather!"

Abel's voice called the two people squatting in the grass back to the center of the camp.

"Everyone, we're almost at the location of the centaur market. In order to arrive as soon as possible, please follow me and set off now," Abel said with joy.

After running around for days, this moment had finally arrived.

The ground was a little slippery due to the frost. Everyone was climbing carefully on the mountain road.

"Look! Here!"

A soldier pointed at the ground and shouted at the people around him.

The soldiers looked in the direction he pointed. There was a dent in the soil where the horse's hooves had stepped on.

"There really are centaurs here," the soldiers exclaimed.

After climbing for a few hours on the narrow mountain path, the sight of the soldiers in the front row suddenly widened.

"It seems that the area of this mountain is indeed extraordinary. It actually has such a vast flat land," Claremont said in surprise.

After carefully comparing the vegetation on the flat land with the trees at the foot of the mountain, Devitt concluded, "This should be the place we've been looking for."

"But there's nothing here but grass," Claremont said as he surveyed his surroundings.

Abel looked towards the other end of the plain. After not finding any buildings, he felt a strange feeling in his heart.

"Keep moving forward," Abel ordered.

The soldiers moved forward slowly on the flat ground.

"Da da da da da!"

The sound of horse hooves stepping on grass could be heard.

Devitt looked around and found several armored centaur warriors hiding behind the forest.

"Stop!" Devitt ordered.

Everyone was shocked. After looking around, some sharp-eyed people noticed the centaur warriors and told each other about it.

Devitt walked out of the formation of the soldiers and took off his armor and weapons, placing them on the grass. He said loudly to the centaur soldiers hiding in the dark, "We only heard about the existence of Claude Market and came here to purchase goods. We have no intention of invading the Centaur's territory."

After Devitt's words, the scene fell silent for a while.

A Centaur soldier stepped through the grass and walked towards Devitt.

This was the first time Devitt had seen a centaur. The centaur's muscles were as strong as described in the epic portrait. The lower half of the body had four limbs that looked like they could crush the ground.

Chapter 724: A Forest With a Different World

"Who introduced you?" The tall Centaur soldier asked in a magnetic voice.

"We found it ourselves," Devitt said hesitantly.

After hearing this answer, the Centaur closed his eyes and said, "The market is closed. You shouldn't be here now." His tone was very arrogant, with a hint of threat.

Devitt's mouth was half-open, not knowing what to do. A voice came from behind.

"Dwarf, it was the dwarf who introduced us. This map was also sold to us by the dwarfs." Claremont walked to Devitt's side and urged the Centaur warrior to stay.

The Centaur warrior who was about to turn around and leave stopped. He used the handle of his sword to pick up the map in Claremont's hand. He held it and looked at it for a while before asking, "What is the name of the person who introduced you?"

"Madoran," Claremont replied with a face full of certainty.

Actually, this was just the name of a person in charge that he saw on the notice board in the Guild Hall.

However, if he did not answer the centaur warrior's question earnestly at this moment...

The Caradia soldiers behind him would have no way out.

When the centaur warrior heard this name, a trace of shock appeared in his eyes.

The other centaur soldiers who were standing in the hidden areas also let out a surprised exclamation.

"So it's a guest arranged by Lord Madoran. Follow me." The Centaur soldier didn't continue to ask. Instead, he called for the scouts to follow behind him.

Devitt gave a signal to all the soldiers, telling them to quickly follow.

The leading Centaur soldier was running very fast on the grassland. All the scouts had to sprint to catch up with him.

"Is this really okay?" Abel looked at the other Centaur soldiers behind them and asked Claremont.

"Since we have chosen this path, we can only give it our all," Claremont replied.

The elves' stamina could not keep up with the galloping troops, so they could only cast spells to allow themselves to fly in the sky.

"Hoho." the centaurs at the back of the formation cheered.

It was rare for elves to appear on this island.

After about ten minutes, the centaur soldiers leading the team slowed down. Finally, they stopped in front of a small slope.

The Caradia soldiers and the elven soldiers also stood in front of the slope.

"What is this place?" Devitt asked.

"The entrance to the market." The centaur soldier answered, "But you have to put your weapons here before you can go in."

Hearing this, the Caradia soldiers looked at each other. In the end, they all looked at the three leaders.

"Alright." Devitt and Claremont nodded in agreement and removed their weapons from their waists.

Abel stared into the eyes of the Centaur soldiers. The magic spells that the elves were good at could not be removed.

After seeing the actions of the two captains, the soldiers also threw their weapons on the ground.

"That's enough." The Centaur soldiers nodded at the scouts.

Then, he walked to the slope and raised his right front hoof.

"Rumble!" The rock wall shook violently and a secret door appeared in front of everyone.

"Is this a spell?" a Caradia soldier asked in surprise.

"Please come in." After the dust settled, the Centaur soldier gestured for the scouts to come in.

Devitt displayed his imposing manner and walked forward to open the door of the secret door.

Different from the dark tunnel that was illuminated by bright flames, colorful rays of light flowed out from the tunnel. It made the entire road look very dreamy.

"It's so wide." Devitt walked into the door and looked at the surrounding space.

"If you guys want to go in too, hurry up and move," the Centaur warrior said.

At this moment, Devitt walked out of the door and said to the scout soldiers who were waiting for him, "There's no problem inside. Let's go."

At this point, the scout soldiers finally relaxed and carefully stepped into the secret door.

"Ah!" When the troop of soldiers had almost walked into the secret door, a scream came from the end of the line.

"What's wrong?" The Caradia soldiers and the elven soldiers all looked back in panic.

The body of a Caradia soldier whose upper body was separated from his lower body fell at the door. Claremont, who was in charge of holding the line, stood there with his pupils dilated. Warm blood splashed on his face.

The Centaur soldier guarding the secret passage walked over with a cold expression. He used the hilt of his knife to lift the coat of the fallen soldier.

"Clang --" a dagger fell out.

"If you don't follow the rules, you will be punished like this," the Centaur warned. As he spoke, he raised his hoofs high and prepared to stomp on the corpse.

"Bang." Before the Centaur soldier's foot landed on the ground, the Caradia soldier's corpse was teleported into the hands of the elven soldier.

Abel stepped forward and said, "The punishment is almost over, right?"

There was a deadly threat hidden in his eyes.

"That's fine too," the Centaur soldier said with a fake smile.

"Bang..." the secret door was closed by the Centaur soldier.

A voice came from outside the door. "After your transaction is over, someone will send you out."

"Fullock is..." a soldier said in the silence.

"Dead," Abel said.

"We can only leave him here. Let's continue forward," Devitt said.

To be honest, Fullock's actions were not rated high in everyone's heart.

What could he do with a dagger? If he really encountered a dangerous situation, he might not even be able to defend himself.

If they came to someone else's estate, they had to follow the rules of others, and Fullock almost killed everyone.

It was really a foolish and selfish performance.

However, because he was a comrade who had been traveling with them for many days, Devitt and the others did not reveal their inner emotions on the surface.

After receiving Devitt's order, the Caradia soldiers placed Fullock's body against the wall.

After mourning for him for thirty seconds, everyone continued to move towards the depths of the secret passage.

"Where did these distinguished guests come from? Bringing me a business deal." A short old man blocked in front of everyone.

Claremont became alert, raised his fist, and asked, "Who are you?"

"I'm an ordinary businessman. My name isn't important." The old man narrowed his eyes and smiled. "This time, the guest is human. Oh! and an elf! Rare guest, rare guest."

"We don't have any business with you!" Claremont said sternly. In his opinion, this old man was definitely a shady person.

Chapter 725: The Old Man in Charge of Guarding the Door

"How can that be? When you entered the secret passage, I was watching you the whole time." The smile on the old man's lips widened. "Look, isn't that comrade of yours being abandoned on the spot by you?"

"When we come out of the market, we will definitely come and take him away. What does this have to do with you?" Devitt said with a dissatisfied look.

It was really displeasing to hear someone mention a soldier who had just lost his life so frivolously.

"I'm worried that before you guys come back, your comrades' corpses will be gone. After all, Rainbow likes to eat such fresh flesh and blood the most." The old man raised his hand and pointed at the wall.

"Ahhhh!" a few soldiers cried out in alarm.

The protruding parts of the wall were emitting multicolored light. Devitt and the others originally thought that they were colorful stones that were installed on the wall for illumination. However, after the soldiers came closer and looked carefully, they actually found scales densely covered on them and shallow transparent blood vessels.

There was actually a giant snake hidden in the four walls of this secret passage.

Claremont felt a cold sweat break out on his back.

"Don't be nervous. I'm just here to remind you." The old man maintained the smile on his face and continued, "I've watched the door here for many years. I have to find a way to make a living."

Devitt glanced at the corpse of Fullock not far behind him. He asked the old man, "How much is this business of yours?"

"10 gold coins." The old man smiled and gestured with his index finger.

"10 gold coins!" a cry of surprise came from the group of warriors.

"10 gold coins, we can give it to you. However, not only do you have to help us keep the corpse of this soldier, but you also have to tell us the situation of the road ahead," Devitt said word by word.

He was already aware of the strangeness of this market controlled by the Centaurs. In order to safely escape from it, he had to seize the opportunity to ask for information at the beginning.

"Sure." The old man said with interest, "However, the people who stay in this market are all good people who follow the rules. What would you like to know?"

"Who is the organizer of this market?" Devitt asked.

"Of course, it is organized by the top forces of all the races on the island." The old man smiled, "You will know when you go in and take a look. The forces of one race can not support the business transportation of this market."

"What can we get from this market?" Claremont threw out another question.

The old man paused for a moment and said, "As long as there's something you want to buy, it will be sold in this market."

"Are there any special rules in this market?" Devitt thought for a moment and asked the last question.

The old man smiled lightly and said, "This market is a kaleidoscope. There are different rules for different people. If you want me to tell you in detail, then forget it."

After receiving the old man's reply, Devitt stood still for a while. Finally, he took out ten shiny gold coins from his bosom. He sprinkled them in the old man's hand.

"Hehe." The old man shook the gold coins in his hand twice. After giving Devitt a deep look, he disappeared in front of everyone.

"Let's continue forward," Devitt ordered.

This secret passage was not as long as they had imagined. After a while, Devitt and the others stood in front of another door at the end of the secret passage.

"Click..." Devitt turned the lock of the door solemnly.

All kinds of noises surged toward the people standing at the door like a tide.

The flowing light on the colorful snake in the secret passage also disappeared at this moment.

"What is this place?" a soldier couldn't help but ask as he looked back and forth.

The secret passage was pitch-black, and what was displayed in front of them was the air that was as large as a workshop, illuminated by the dark blue light.

The room seemed to be filled with hazy smoke.

Although he felt that people were walking in front of him, he couldn't see anyone's face clearly.

"How strange," Abel said.

When he tried to cast a spell to remove the smoke in front of him, he found that he could not see anything around him.

The white smoke was like the bricks and soil under his feet. It was an existence that was fixed in this room.

"I can't see the way clearly at all," Claremont said with a frown.

"Let's go," Devitt said.

Everyone could only follow the figure of the person in front of them as they groped their way forward, blending into the crowd.

PA!

An ear-piercing sound of whipping came from the right side of the group.

The soldiers looked over and saw a tiger-skinned girl with a collar around her neck kneeling on the ground. In front of her was a middle-aged man in uniform who was holding a whip.

The man was beating the girl who was lying on the ground as he yelled at the outside.

"Disgusting..." Claremont saw the scene and turned his head away.

As the team moved forward, the scouts noticed more naked boys and girls who were locked in the nutrition cabin. Many of them were injured.

Devitt sighed and said with patience, "Let's go out as soon as we find a place to supply food."

"Actually, I really want to know if there's a shop that provides food," Claremont said with a complicated expression as he rubbed his temples.

The two of them walked silently for a while. They saw a shop on the street in their field of vision. There was a butcher shop that had cut meat all over the chopping board at the entrance.

"Is that a butcher shop?" Claremont asked in surprise.

"It should be." Devitt looked at the shop, hope burning in his eyes.

Claremont didn't say anything. He walked directly to the door of the shop. He asked, "Hello, is this a butcher shop?"

"Yes." A middle-aged man covered in grease put on the straps of his work clothes and walked over to answer.

Even though there was only a chopping board less than a meter wide in front of the two of them, Claremont still couldn't see the face of the butcher shop owner clearly.

Putting down his doubts, Claremont smiled and continued to ask, "We want to buy some meat. May I ask what kind of animals do you sell here?"

"Animals? We don't usually catch those. The meat in front of you is fresh elven thigh meat," the butcher replied. "If you want to buy low-grade meat like animals, you have to go a little further."

When Claremont heard the butcher's first words, his brain hadn't reacted yet. His body reacted first, and his stomach churned.

"Got it. Thank you." Claremont covered his mouth and nodded, then left the door.

When he was about to leave this time, Claremont realized that there were all kinds of names marked on the meat board.

After seeing the human nameplate, Claremont took even bigger steps.

Chapter 726: Inexplicable Encounter

"How was it?" Asked Devitt as he looked at Claremont, who had retreated from the shop.

"..." In order to prevent himself from vomiting because of the scene he had just seen, Claremont had been covering his mouth the whole time. When Devitt asked him a question, he shook his head violently.

After seeing Claremont in this state, Devitt had a rough idea of what was going on. He didn't say anything and continued to lead the group forward.

"We don't need anyone we met at the beginning." After recovering, Claremont relayed the conversation between the butcher and himself to Devitt.

"Let's continue forward. We should be able to find them," Devitt replied.

The scouts had never walked for so long in an enclosed space. After half an hour, they finally found a normal shop selling firewood, rice, oil, and salt by the street.

There were not many people in the shop. After browsing through the goods on the goods column, Abel walked to the checkout counter and asked, "Boss, where did you get the goods from?"

"We shipped them directly from overseas. The quality is really good," replied the twenty-year-old young man sitting on the wooden stool.

"Okay, then we'll buy more goods from you. Please give us a discount," Abel discussed.

"Okay." The young man glanced outside the shop, then walked to the room behind him and brought out a scale.

Abel called the Caradia soldiers and elves in charge to the kitchen in the shop to pick up the goods.

"You all look unfamiliar. Is this your first time here?" The young man said as he moved the goods.

"Yes. I was passing by," Abel answered simply.

"Then thank you for taking care of my business." The young man smiled and bowed.

"No problem." Abel looked at the young man's friendly attitude and said to him, "We also searched for a long time before we found this place."

"Do you want to continue shopping later?" The young man asked.

"No, no, we just want to walk back quickly," Abel shook his head and denied.

"I see." The young man calculated the price and answered, "That's enough. The vegetables and grains you bought are a total of thirty Great Silver."

"Boss, you've given us quite a discount." Abel was slightly surprised.

The young man smiled and didn't comment.

Abel took out thirty Great Silver from his pocket, greeted the young man, and then took the supplies away with the other soldiers.

"Everyone, share some."Abel placed the bag of grain on the ground and ordered the soldiers of the reconnaissance team.

Everyone consciously went forward, carried a bag of grain on their backs, and stacked it on their luggage.

"Are we going back now?" Abel panted as he asked de Weite.

"Yes." Devitt nodded.

"Are we going back the way we came? Didn't the centaur soldiers say that someone would lead the way for us?" Claremont said.

"We didn't see anyone who came to lead the way." Devitt looked around and made a decision. "Let's go back the way we came."

"Okay." Abel and Claremont nodded and replied.

When the soldiers were almost ready, Devitt was still standing in the lead position. He led everyone back the way they came.

"Wait, why doesn't it feel the same?" After walking for a while, Claremont noticed the surrounding scenery and asked suspiciously.

Devitt slowed down his footsteps and cast his gaze to the two sides of the street. The messy shops that he had passed by previously had all disappeared.

Even the smoke in the air had a tendency to recede.

Groups of people came and went on the cobblestone road. They seemed to be full of vitality.

"Are we going in the wrong direction?" Abel raised his eyebrows.

"Impossible. I still have this bit of memory," Devitt said with a serious expression.

The reconnaissance team didn't choose to stop, but continued to walk forward.

They finally reached the end of the road and saw the familiar door.

"Look, the mark on this door is exactly the same as when we first came out," Devitt said, pointing at the mark on the wooden door from a distance.

"But the neighborhood has really changed." Claremont frowned and turned around.

The flesh-colored shop that had sold the young men and women of various races had also disappeared. In the original place, there was a magical beast pet shop that was decorated very elegantly.

Devitt walked to the door, glanced behind him, and gently pushed the door open.

"Swoosh --"

The whole street suddenly turned dark.

"My God, this place is too strange!" A soldier exclaimed.

Everyone quickly followed Devitt to the door. The secret passage inside the door was still the same as before. Although the situation still wasn't too good, everyone still breathed a sigh of relief.

Devitt looked around, but he didn't see the old man he met before.

"Go!" Devitt ordered.

Everyone rushed to the other end of the secret passage. Devitt walked at the front.

"Creak --" the door leading to the outside world was opened.

Natural light shone on everyone's faces.

The color of the sky at the horizon indicated that it was almost evening.

"Hurry down the mountain!" The centaur soldiers guarding the door watched them rush out and coldly threw the dead body of Fullock into the arms of the Caradia soldiers standing in the front row.

The Caradia soldiers carried Fullock's body behind them. To their surprise, not only was the blood on Fullock's body wiped clean, even his upper and lower body, which had been separated by the mechanism, had been restored to its original state.

Devitt raised his head to look at the centaur soldiers, then looked away and led the other soldiers to the other side of the flat ground. According to the route in his memory, that was the way down the mountain.

"Go this way." A centaur soldier stopped them and pointed to the other side of the flat ground.

Devitt surprisingly didn't ask anything. He just followed the direction the soldier pointed to.

When they reached the border of the flat ground, the scouts saw a mountain path that had been smoothed out.

"Let's go," Devitt said.

The path they had taken this time had shrunk quite a bit compared to before.

Not long after, the group descended halfway up the mountain.

"Are we going to set up camp on this mountain tonight?" Abel asked.

"I don't think so. Let's hurry up and walk to the foot of the mountain before we find a place to rest," Devitt replied.

"Actually, I'm quite surprised. Captain Devitt, why do you believe the words of the centaurs so much?" Claremont said.

"Not really. I just feel that this mountain is indeed a bit strange. Compared to following my own memories, it's better to trust the centaurs who are more familiar with this mountain," Abel replied.

"I also feel that there must be something strange about this mountain. There's actually such a large market hidden within the mountain." Claremont nodded, "And the ones we encountered were simply baffling."

Chapter 727: The Time for Dinner

"The secrets contained within this mountain forest are probably unimaginable to us." Devitt recalled the encounter in the market and was even more certain that they had walked into some sort of formation. It caused the exchange of time and space and so on.

"However, to be able to make up for all the resources as originally planned, it's quite something to be happy about." After walking down this mountain ridge, Claremont felt much more relaxed.

"Mm." Devitt's brows relaxed as Claremont spoke.

"We're at the foot of the mountain!" Cheers came from the front of the group.

"Quickly find a suitable place to set up camp," Abel commanded.

"Is this the place we passed on our way up the mountain?" Devitt confirmed with Abel.

"Mm," Abel confirmed. On the day they set up camp at the foot of the mountain, it was his turn to bring people out to hunt. He was very familiar with the scenery here.

"I'm right. This mountain is changing at all times. The distance of each mountain path and the destination are changing," Devitt said to the other two.

"I noticed it the moment I walked into the market. Although I didn't sense any specific movement, there is a force restricting our ability," Abel nodded.

"Don't think about it. We won't come here again." Claremont interrupted their conversation. As long as he recalled everything that happened in the market, he would feel a chill.

"Mm."Abel felt the same way.

Devitt was silent. He cast his gaze towards the mountains. Will they come again?

"Let's go. We should go help." Claremont brought the two of them to the scene where the soldiers were building their barracks.

After receiving the new supplies, everyone was in high spirits. When they started working, they were full of vigor, and their progress was fast.

"In the future, we won't have to go out hunting. That's really great." Claremont sighed.

"The results from hunting are different every day. It's really not that stable. Now, we can finally have peaceful meals." Abel, who was experienced, added.

"I didn't realize it until now. Eating is such a blissful thing," Claremont said.

"In terms of the speed at which you realize this, you can't compare to the soldiers under you," Abel joked with a smile.

During dinner time, the kitchen served many delicious dishes with the new food.

When the dishes were served, everyone looked very happy.

Looking at the large pieces of fat meat in the soup bowl, they couldn't help but swallow their saliva.

"Such days are too good," a soldier shouted.

The few days before had been too hard. Now, the bitterness had come to an end. Everyone was a little touched.

"I can't bear to eat anymore," a soldier said with a sad face.

"Eat more on the days when you can eat. You can last longer when you are hungry," a soldier beside him understood his mood and joked casually.

"Mm." The soldier pursed his lips and uttered a word from his throat.

"What a sumptuous dinner today." Claremont and Abel would always gather together during dinner. They would chat for a long time. At this moment, Claremont walked over with a bowl of vegetables to Abel who was sitting.

"Sit." Abel pulled over a simple chair and gestured for Claremont to sit down.

Claremont glanced at Abel's bowl and said, "Actually, I was very curious in the past. Do the elves like to eat things like carrots that much? Every time, you always have a full bowl."

Abel scratched his head and asked, "As for carrots... I'm not too sure. I really like to eat things like tomatoes.".

"Are these carrots boiled in plain water?" Claremont continued to ask.

"Yes." Abel nodded and said, "Have a taste?"

"Sure." Claremont had never eaten food cooked by the elves before. As he spoke, he raised his chopsticks and took a piece from Abel's bowl into his own.

"Hmm... what a strange taste." After tasting it for a while, Claremont pursed his lips and said, "You actually eat this every day."

"It's not strange." Abel shook his head, picked up a carrot skewer, and naturally began to eat it.

"Seeing you eat so well, I thought it was delicious," Claremont complained.

The two of them started to joke with each other.

After dinner, the two people who had just put down their bowls were called to Devitt's tent.

The three of them gathered around the table and began to plan the route they would take the next day.

"It seems that we are closer to the next target than before," Devitt said.

"However, this area on the map doesn't show the specific route. We can only try to figure it out on our own," Abel said as he circled an area on the map with his index finger.

"This should be an area that no one is in charge of, right? I wonder what kind of monsters will appear here," Claremont commented.

"Indeed, it's quite troublesome." Abel nodded.

"However, isn't Captain Abel the best at leading the way?" Devitt leaned on the table and said with a smile.

"I just have some understanding of the natural world." Abel said helplessly, "My luck has never been that good."

"I have faith in you." Claremont followed Abel's words and joked.

The three of them chatted idly until late at night.

At eleven o'clock in the evening, Devitt invited the two of them out of the tent. He explained, "I have to go to the night shift.".

"Are you alright now?"Abel asked with concern.

"I have already recovered. I had time to rest for a few days. My body is in the best condition now," Devitt replied.

"I hope you can always be as healthy as this." Claremont smiled and said, "We'll go back and rest."

"Okay." Devitt smiled and sent the two away.

He walked back to the tent, put on his armor for duty, and brought his own weapons.

The night patrol team waited for Devitt at the entrance of the tent. This was the first time the captain picked up duty after being injured. There were still many soldiers who came to show concern.

"What are you doing in such a large formation?" Devitt walked out of the tent. When he saw the faces of the soldiers, he was slightly surprised.

"Captain Devitt, we are in charge of duty with you today,"a soldier replied.

"Hurry up and go do your own tasks. I can do it alone." Devitt waved his hand and said.

"Captain, your body..." a soldier said hesitantly.

"My body has been well-rested for the past few days. Do any of you want to try it?" Devitt said.

"No, no." The soldiers quickly denied.

Usually, not many of them could beat Devitt, let alone in this situation.

Chapter 728: A Trip That Can Not Be Delayed

The next day, the team continued to move forward under Abel's lead.

"The quality of the dwarf's map is really good." Abel sighed as he walked. "To be able to draw every road on this island so clearly, I've never seen it before."

"That's true." Claremont nodded. Today, it was his turn to walk to the front and lead the way with Abel. "I feel that we don't need to worry too much about the route we're taking."

"How did they do it? They spend a lot of manpower and money on it every year," Abel said.

"The dwarf guild is so popular. This is also their way of making a living," Claremont commented.

"Mm." Abel nodded.

It was almost December. Staying in the mountains, it felt like it was already winter.

"Is it because the place is different? It feels like this is the coldest winter I've ever experienced," a soldier said as he looked up at the sky.

"According to the time, it's not winter yet," a soldier replied. "I reckon that by the end of December, the entire valley will be frozen."

"Fortunately, we should be near the volcano by then. It shouldn't be colder than staying here," the soldier said as he sniffed.

Abel noticed that the moisture in the air had become scarce. He also heard the coughing sounds of the soldiers behind him. He said worriedly, "If the soldiers catch a cold at this time, it will be troublesome."

Hearing this, Claremont looked behind him and said, "The bodies of the soldiers shouldn't be so weak." At least he felt that although the autumn wind in the valley was bone-piercing, it still didn't affect his body's status.

"The air on the island in this season is cold and humid. It's different from the situation in the Nahrin Desert," Abel explained. "We walk in the mountains and forests, and we can't see the sun behind the clouds all day long. After a few days of living like this, the cotton-padded jackets worn by the warriors might be soaked."

"Do the elves have any ideas?" Hearing this, Claremont was distressed for a while, and then he thought of the spell that Abel and the other elven soldiers had cast a few days ago.

Abel pursed his lips and shook his head. "Our bodies are already oversaturated. In this environment of the entire island, that spell can't do anything."

"It doesn't matter. Humans have their ways. Among the various races that live in this world, the ones who have fought against nature the most are the humans. Just remind the warriors to be careful," Claremont said optimistically.

"Yes," Abel replied.

After noon, the sky became darker and darker.

After advancing for a few hours, the two people leading the way began to plan for everyone to stop and rest before finding a place to set up camp.

Claremont slowed down his pace. He watched as the scouts passed by him and counted the number of people.

"Forty-five, forty-six, forty-seven. All present," Claremont said quietly.

"Claremont." Devitt walked to Claremont's side and called out, "Are you ready to let the troops rest?"

"Yes. After all, the weather now..." Claremont pointed at the dark sky.

"But it's only four o'clock in the afternoon." Devitt widened his eyes and said.

"So early?" Claremont glanced at Abel's back. He didn't pay much attention to the time. He just looked at the drowsy sky while listening to Abel's conversation. He had the illusion that it was already evening.

"Although the time for marching will be shortened in the future, we still have to make good use of time to move forward on such days," Devitt said with a slightly serious expression. "I'll go explain to Captain Abel."

Devitt handed the task of tailing the troops to Claremont and walked to the front row himself.

"Captain Abel." Devitt walked to Abel's side and called out.

"Eh? Captain Devitt, why are you walking in front?" Abel turned around and glanced at Claremont who was following behind the troops.

"I think that even in this season, we have to maintain more than eleven hours of marching time every day," Devitt said directly.

"Yes." Abel understood what Devitt was referring to, and then voiced his doubts. "But I'm worried about the environment in the valley after dark."

"Don't worry about that. I brought something back from the centaurs," Devitt said.

"What?" Abel was a bit curious. He didn't expect Devitt to buy other items after entering the market.

"This." Devitt took out an item that looked like a lantern.

Abel pointed at this magical artifact in surprise and asked, "What is this?"

"This magical artifact is called the Light of Caucasia. After opening it, any species outside of the light will find a way to avoid it," Devitt introduced. Then, he handed the magical artifact to Abel, he hoped that he could inject a trace of magic into it.

Abel circulated his power suspiciously as usual, and his spiritual power surged to his fingertips. The 'lantern' immediately absorbed the spiritual power between his fingers.

After a moment of silence, "Bang!" Something seemed to explode in the lantern.

Then, the magical artifact emitted a dazzling light, which made Abel gasp in surprise. The other soldiers noticed this movement and also cried out in alarm.

The areas surrounding the scouts shone as bright as day. This light followed Abel's will and attached itself onto every soldier.

Whether it was the humans or the elves, when that light attached itself to their bodies... Their vision became bright.

Abel himself also noticed this change and exclaimed in admiration, "This magic artifact is really powerful. However, under such great power, won't the user be able to react to any side effects?"

"No." According to the owner of the shop, this magic artifact has a long history. In the beginning, the effect it displayed was far more than that. However, after it fell into the hands of all kinds of people, it can only have this effect now. It's already considered a waste," Devitt explained.

"For us, it's enough to achieve the legendary effect of driving out other races." Abel used his finger to caress the gap on the magic artifact and guessed, "Even so, the price that the shop owner offered is still high, right?"

"Five gold coins. For us who need to hurry, it's worth it," Devitt replied.

"I'm really curious about the price level in the centaur market. From the looks of it, there is indeed a considerable gap between different shops," Abel pondered.

Chapter 729: The Agreement of the Three Leaders

"They probably all use gold coins as currency." The image of the centaur market in Devitt's mind was always shrouded in a layer of fog.

"Is that so?" Abel thought of the young boss of the rice shop and felt a little strange.

Abel kept the glowing magical artifact in his arms. The previous plan was canceled, and the scouts moved forward for another three hours or so.

"We still haven't made it to the flat land as we had planned." Finally, it was time to rest. Abel sat on his suitcase and panted.

Devitt smiled. "We'll set off a little earlier tomorrow. We should be able to reach there before noon."

It was not easy to find a suitable place for dozens of people to sleep in the woods. Everyone spread out in small groups and searched for about twenty minutes before they found a suitable open space.

Claremont laboriously cut off the green plants around the tent with his weapons.

From time to time, he would find one or two snakes darting past. Claremont paid attention to this aspect. When he returned to the tent, he instructed the logistics staff to sprinkle a circle of lime outside the camp.

Dinner time. The preparation for dinner today was also quite good.

It was estimated that the logistics soldiers in the military camp had suffered quite a bit a while ago. Now, they were looking for an opportunity to make up for the missing days.

"After completing this mission, what are your plans?" Claremont asked Devitt and Abel beside him.

"Return to the military camp and continue to serve a soldier," Devitt said without hesitation.

"Me too." Abel nodded.

"Of course I know. I mean when you're on vacation." Claremont looked at the two of them helplessly and explained.

The importance of this mission was well known to everyone involved. Although they didn't send many people, as long as they could successfully complete the mission, the soldiers participating in the mission would definitely receive rewards personally given by the Lords of the various countries. Vacations were naturally not a problem.

Ever since they came down from the mountain, the reconnaissance team had been going smoothly. This made Claremont unable to resist fantasizing about the future in his leisure time.

However, Devitt's interest was still lacking. "I haven't really thought about it. I think I will stay at home and rest."

"What about you Abel?" Claremont asked Abel.

"I haven't had much of a vacation. If I have enough time, I would like to go to your country and take a look," Abel replied after thinking for a while.

"Really?" Claremont was overjoyed.

Devitt was also a little surprised. "You're welcome to come to Drondheim anytime."

"Yes." Abel nodded with a smile.

After a moment of joy, Claremont thought of something and said with a sad face, "But it will take a month from Drondheim to reach the capital of the Elf Kingdom. There wouldn't be any vacation that can last that long."

"That's true." Devitt and Abel both nodded after they came back to their senses.

"Abel, why do you want to come to Caradia?" Claremont asked.

"After coming into contact with you for the past few months, the idea of the human race in my mind has been subverted. Therefore, after the mission is over, I hope to see you and see your country again," Abel replied seriously.

Claremont and Devitt looked at each other. They were so touched that they didn't know what to say. Finally, Devitt broke the silence and said, "After we return to the familiar land, let's find some time to meet in Cumberland. Although I don't know how long you can stay away from your team, Abel, we still often have the opportunity to go there on business."

"Oh? Good! In the future, as long as you come to Cumberland, I will come and pick you up," Abel said happily.

"It's a deal," Claremont said with a smile.

Beside the bonfire outside the tent, a few Caradia soldiers were roasting their cotton clothes above the fire.

"I feel that the clothes are getting heavier and heavier," Austin said helplessly. He then used his finger to gently press on the cotton clothes, but the furrow caused by the pressing did not recover after a long time. It had really absorbed too much water.

Austin sighed.

"Will this roasting really work?" A soldier sitting next to him asked suspiciously.

"I feel that the damp smell is getting stronger," a soldier leaned closer to the cotton-padded clothes and sniffed before continuing.

"Hey, stay away from the fire. Be careful that sparks don't rise and burn a hole in the clothes you're wearing," Austin shouted. "Isn't this the only way now?"

"I don't think roasting it for a while will be of much use. I'll leave now." One of the soldiers couldn't wait any longer. He picked up his clothes and was about to turn around and leave.

At this time, an elf soldier passed by and asked curiously, "What are you doing?"

"The moisture has gone into the clothes. The moisture is too heavy. We're trying to dry it,"Austin replied.

The Elven soldier looked at the drifting flames, shook his head, and sighed. "What you guys are doing now, when the sun comes up, your clothes probably won't be dry at all."

"Why?" A soldier followed up with a question.

"At least in my opinion, the fire has no effect on the clothes," the elven soldier replied.

A surge of spiritual energy gathered in his eyes, allowing him to see through the elemental movement around the fire.

"Then... can you help us?" Austin could already tell that this elven soldier was a fire mage. He asked hesitantly.

"It's impossible. You want me to use magic to roast your cotton-padded clothes for you?"As expected, the elven soldier immediately rejected it.

He had already been tired after a long day on the road, and now he had to use magic to do such a meaningless thing. It was really not what he had expected. At this time, the elven soldier only wanted to return to his tent to rest.

When he was about to leave, Austin urged him to stay. "As long as you help me with this, I will agree to whatever you want in the future."

The elven soldier stopped walking and turned around. "Really?"

"Really." Austin nodded earnestly. He had already sneezed a few times on the road today.

"So, you're the only one who needs my help?" The elven soldier said with a smile.

"Me, Me, me!"The surrounding soldiers raised their hands enthusiastically.

"There are so many people." The elven soldier put on a thoughtful look. After a while, he nodded and said, "Sure, but your conditions have to be the same as his." The elven soldier raised his hand and pointed at Austin.

"Sure!" Everyone immediately agreed.

In the end, the fire mage invited a water elf as 'external aid'. The two of them were in the camp, surrounded by a group of Caradia soldiers. They worked until late at night, drying everyone's cotton clothes properly.

Chapter 730: Goblins Picked up by the roadside

The next morning, Abel told all the soldiers that they could leave the mountain forest by today.

The Elven soldiers did not feel anything special, while the Caradia soldiers were overjoyed.

After breakfast, everyone set off in groups.

As expected, before noon, the mountains were forgotten behind them. In front of everyone was a wide plain.

Perhaps because of the geographical environment, compared to the plain at the entrance of the dwarf town, at this time, the grass that everyone stepped on was yellow and withered. When the soldiers passed by, there was a crisp sound of "swish swish".

"Now that I look at it, it really looks like autumn," Abel said.

"The plants in the desert are always evergreen all year round. This is the first time I've seen such a wide autumn plain. I can really feel the changes in the seasons," Devitt sighed.

It seemed that there would always be only summer and winter in the desert.

In order to balance such a climate, even in an oasis, there would not be any trees that would wither with the seasons.

"It's a pity that we won't be able to see the sun in the sky today," Claremont said as he glanced at the sky that was covered by clouds and fog.

Everyone continued to move forward on the plains. The withered grass on the plains had already covered the soldiers' calves.

Seeing this situation, Devitt suggested that everyone move forward slowly and pay attention to the movements of the grass at all times.

The Elven soldiers naturally flew in midair with their feet off the ground to avoid threats. However, in order to maintain their stamina, they only flew about 50 centimeters above the ground.

The Caradia soldiers used their scabbards to pull the grass as they moved forward.

Austin stood in the middle of the group. When he was pulling the grass with everyone, he felt that his backpack was being pulled by someone. When he thought of who was behind him, he turned his head impatiently and said in a low voice, "Macleay, stop playing."

Macleay, who was standing behind him and crouching on the grass to check the situation, looked up with a confused expression. He raised his eyebrows. Wasn't he checking the situation on the road? When did this person see that he was playing.

However, due to the quiet atmosphere around him, Macleay did not make a sound. Instead, he continued to rummage through the grass.

After a while, Austin felt the backpack on his back suddenly drop down. Instantly, anger surged in his heart. I'm so busy here that I'm getting dizzy. What are you playing here for?

"Bang!" Austin threw the backpack on the ground and shouted at Macleay behind him, "You don't understand human language, do you?"

The soldiers around them were shocked to the point that they stopped moving.

"Are you crazy? !" Macleay stood up and raised his head.

"You..."Austin was about to grab the other party's collar and question him properly.

However, out of the corner of his eye, he saw that his backpack had actually 'run' away.

"Wait!" Austin panicked and rushed toward his 'moving' backpack. As a result, when his backpack was firmly held in his arms, he heard the wail of a living creature.

Not only him, but the surrounding onlookers also heard this voice.

"Austin, come back quickly!" Macleay shouted.

Although he didn't know what kind of creature it was, it was still very dangerous for the unarmed Austin to keep such a close distance from a strange creature.

Devitt and the other two also walked over. They gestured for Austin to step back.

Austin did feel that there was not only a backpack in his arms, but also a living creature with a beating heart.

Austin slowly let go of his arms, but the creature under the backpack did not move. Then he carefully moved the backpack away.

"So ugly," Austin could not help but say.

He had yellowish-brown skin, pointy ears, and fur all over his body. The first time they met eyes made Austin feel a chill.

After seeing that Austin was safe and sound, Claremont walked forward to observe. "Gnomes?"

After hearing Claremont's words, Devitt and Abel also hurried forward.

After observing carefully for a while, Abel asked in puzzlement, "This is a gnome?"

Claremont squatted down in front of the fainted gnome and rolled his eyes. After seeing the dark red pupils, he confirmed, "Yes."

"How did the gnomes appear here? Didn't they live in groups near the volcano?" Devitt asked.

The three of them looked very serious. After all, they had come to investigate the disappearance of the gnomes. In the initial evidence, the suspicion of the disappearance of the gnomes was all focused on the Gnome Tribe.

They had never thought that they would meet them halfway.

"Did they run out alone, or have we already walked into another gnome stronghold?" Abel voiced out the possibility that he had guessed.

"We won't know for the time being." Claremont looked around and said, "The gnomes are cunning and greedy by nature. Even if they see their companions injured, they won't come to rescue them."

"Okay." Devitt thought for a while, then squatted down in front of the gnome with Claremont and touched the pulse on the gnome's neck, "It's still alive. Take it with you. Maybe we can get information about the gnomes from its mouth."

Abel and Claremont nodded. It was best for them to have more realistic information.

The three of them looked at Austin, who was lying on the ground.

Austin noticed the gaze and smiled awkwardly. "May I ask what you need me to do?"

"Your name is Austin, right? I remember you," Claremont said with a smile, he still had a deep impression of Austin. After all, when he was in Durandal, he had even sent him to the restroom when he was carsick. "I'll leave this gnome in your care. You have to take good care of it."

"Me? ! How can I..."Austin was about to deny it, but after thinking for a while, he agreed. "Then I'll take care of it."

"Sorry to trouble you."

After explaining this matter, Devitt and the other two returned to their positions and commanded the team to move forward.

Austin pulled out the fainted goblin from the bushes and carried it on his back.

"It's so heavy," Austin shouted.

Just as he was agonizing over how to carry such a thing and move forward with the team...

Claremont's voice came from the end of the team. "Austin, come, come with me."

"Okay." Austin bowed respectfully and nodded. He hurriedly walked over.

Over the past few months, the leadership positions of Devitt, Claremont, and Abel had been deeply ingrained in the hearts of every scout team soldier. Thus, everyone could not help but treat these three people respectfully. They had completely forgotten the time when they had participated in training as colleagues in the same team.

Chapter 731: The Hardships of Being a Father

In the evening, the group found a place to set up camp on the plains. Everyone stopped to rest and reorganize.

Austin placed his backpack on the ground and sat on it to rest.

"If you fainted, do you stop breathing?" Austin muttered to the goblin on his back.

Along the way, he could only rely on the weak pulse on the goblin's wrist to determine whether he had crushed it to death..

Austin glanced at the soldiers who were setting up their tents and felt a strong urge to help them out. However, he remembered Claremont's order: He must never be more than an inch away from the goblin.

Resentment regarding the mission couldn't help but surge into Austin's heart, causing him to frown.

In order to protect the Goblin and prevent it from falling, his arm had been stretched until it was stiff. Even so, Austin was still unwilling to change his position -- to face the Goblin's directly. With his back facing it, he could still imagine that he was carrying an ordinary child or something. If he held the goblin in his arms and stared at it, Austin wouldn't be able to stand the horror.

"My hand hurts," Austin could not help but say.

In the end, he set the goblin down from his back and put it on his leg.

"My God, it's really ugly," Austin said with his eyes closed.

"Austin, what are you doing? Come here quickly!" A soldier in the camp shouted at Austin from afar.

It was the captain of the squad.

"What's wrong?" Austin put on his backpack and walked over quickly.

"Captain Devitt asked you to take this goblin to take a bath, and then let the medic be in charge of the inspection. We just found some rotting corpses of animals on the plains. Captain Devitt was worried that the goblin might be infected,"the soldier explained in detail.

"Okay." Austin reacted and asked, "Captain, where is the water source around here?"

"There's no water source," the soldier said. "The kitchen has boiled a basin of water for this guy. Use that to wash it."

"Roger that." After Austin asked, he walked to the kitchen.

When the soldiers in the kitchen saw him, they immediately carried out the wooden basin filled with boiling water.

How unfortunate, this wooden basin meant for washing vegetables has now it had become a bath basin.

Austin walked up and thanked him. He took the goblin in his arms and compared its size with the bath basin. It was just right.

"After the bath, pour the waste water outside the camp," the soldier in the kitchen instructed. After seeing Austin nod, he hurriedly ran to continue cooking.

Austin used his palm to test the temperature of the water, but it was so hot that he retracted his hand.

For a moment, Austin felt like he was taking care of a newborn.

But he was only twenty years old.

Austin took out a towel from his backpack, dipped it in water, and used it to wipe the goblin's body.

With just one swipe, the white towel turned black.

Austin looked awkwardly at the soldiers who were busy in the kitchen. This basin of water might not be enough.

Taking a deep breath, Austin patiently wiped every part of the goblin's body with a freshly washed towel.

Until the entire basin of hot water became cold and muddy.

When Austin took out the dirty water and walked back, the kitchen soldier who had been looking at the chopping board came to him with a pot of hot water, saying, "This was reheated in the kitchen. Captain Dewitt ordered that it be washed clean."

"Thank you." Austin poured the boiling water into the basin. He kept stirring it with his hands to cool it down.

The soldier in the kitchen held the empty kettle and stood where he was, looking at Austin's face with a strange expression.

After a while, Austin noticed that there was someone standing in front of him. He raised his head and asked, "What's the matter?"

"What... are you doing?" The kitchen soldier asked curiously.

"The water in the basin is too hot," Austin replied.

"Do you really think you're taking care of the child?" The kitchen soldier frowned and ridiculed.

"Umm..." Austin was stunned and didn't know what to reply.

"It seems that this mission suits you quite well," the kitchen soldier commented. After saying that, he turned around and left.

Austin turned his head and glanced at the unconscious goblin. After a moment of silence, he said --

"So ugly."

The construction of the camp was officially completed.

After experiencing the incident this afternoon, Dewitt ordered the soldiers, "Strengthen the night guards to avoid being ambushed by the goblins who might be concentrated here."

The night shift returned to the three-shift system during the tense period.

While some people were setting up tents, the soldiers in the kitchen were busy preparing dinner. When they were ready to let the soldiers complete the task of setting up tents, they would immediately be able to eat a steaming hot dinner.

During dinner time, five or six Caradia soldiers gathered around a table. When the people around the other tables were chopping large pieces of meat, they didn't even pick up their chopsticks.

"Why isn't that elf brother here yet?" A soldier sighed.

"He should be here soon. I hope he comes as soon as possible,"another soldier said.

During the rest of the march, the two elven soldiers who helped them yesterday made their first request: they wanted to taste the human's dinner. Although everyone was very reluctant to share the food in their bowls when they thought about it, they had to keep the promise they made the night before. And so they agreed to it.

In the end, eleven minutes after the dishes were served and the soldiers at the other tables walked past them while picking their teeth, the two elven soldiers still didn't show up.

"No, I can't help it." One of the soldiers picked up his chopsticks and was ready to start at the dishes.

"Pa!" The chopsticks in his hand fell on the table. The voice of the elven soldier came from behind, "Are you people from Caradia so untrustworthy?"

The soldier looked back and saw the elven soldier staring at them angrily.

"No, no, no, we all know the rules. Only he did it!" The soldiers sitting at the table denied one after another, distancing themselves from the soldier who was caught.

"You guys..." the soldier was speechless.

"Forget it." The two elven soldiers waved their hands. "Give us a seat. How can we eat standing here?"

"Okay, okay, okay." The soldier who made a mistake immediately moved his chair to make space.

The elven soldier took two chairs and sat down. Under everyone's gaze, he ate the first bite of the dish.

"Mmm, it's quite delicious. You guys eat it too." After one of the elven soldiers tasted it, he gestured to the others on the table.

Everyone picked up their chopsticks and started eating.

After the meal ended, the soup on the table was also demolished.

Chapter 732: Guarding the Goblin in the Bed

When everyone was full, they collapsed on their chairs with their round stomachs. The elven soldiers looked around and asked curiously, "Where's the soldier from yesterday? Doesn't he eat?"

"Who? Austin? He should still be taking care of the 'child'," a soldier answered while picking his teeth.

The elven soldiers looked at the messy dining table and silently lowered their impression of these soldiers.

"I'm finally done bathing."Austin scooped the goblin out of the bathtub and placed it on the white towel that was spread out. "This way, it won't look so ugly."

After the goblin finished bathing, the fur-like things on its body were also washed away. On the yellowish-brown skin, an ancient totem that looked like an oil painting was exposed in the air.

"What is this?" Austin looked at the strange pattern curiously. He had an idea and wanted to bring the goblin to Captain Dewitt and the others. However, in the blink of an eye, he remembered that he had to bring the goblin for a health check.

"I have to hurry," Austin muttered. He carried the goblin on his back. He walked toward the tent where the medical soldiers were.

When he passed by the kitchen counter, Austin suddenly remembered that he hadn't eaten dinner yet. His body suddenly froze. It was impossible for those guys in the same team to keep his share.

The more he thought about it, the more impatient he became. Austin shook his head fiercely. He hurried to the medical soldier.

"Doctor." The moment he walked into the tent, Austin called out softly.

"Yes. Coming." The medical soldier put down the bowl in his hand, wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, and walked over to welcome him.

"Sorry to disturb your meal." Austin looked at the dishes in the medical soldier's bowl and silently clenched his fists.

"It's okay. Come earlier. It'll save me a lot of trouble." The soldier washed his hands with water and took the goblin from Austin's arms. "It's much smaller than I thought."

"Hehe, then I'll sit here and wait for you." Austin found a low stool and sat at the door.

"You should come in too," the soldier said.

The medical tent was divided into two parts. At this time, the medic had already carried the goblins into the other side of the tent and called out.

"... Okay." Austin nodded. He walked in.

The medic had already put on his coat and sanitary gloves. He took out a tube of medicine from a sealed box and poured it into the syringe.

"Is this for an injection?" Austin asked.

"Yes, to test for body disease," the medic replied. As he spoke, he placed the needle into the vein on the goblin's neck. The transparent medicine was pushed in. "Fortunately, it's unconscious. If this was injected into a conscious person, it would hurt like hell."

"Ah?" Austin's expression became unbearable. He looked at the medicine in the syringe that was like jelly, squeezed into the needle. "Can this really be absorbed by the body?"

"Yes, don't worry about that." The doctor finally took out the needle and gently pressed it on the injection site with a medical cotton pad. He wiped the medicine that was piled up there bit by bit. "Okay, put him here."

"Huh? Don't you need me to take care of him?" Austin asked.

"The results will be out in two hours. We'll talk about it then." The medic took off his coat.

"Okay." Austin retreated to the other side of the room in a fluster.

"Haven't you eaten yet? Hurry up and eat. The kitchen will prepare it for you," the medic said, gesturing for him to leave.

Austin bent down to thank him and walked out.

After sending Austin away, the medic walked back to the unconscious goblin's bed.

Looking at the other party's calm appearance, he narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Bi Kelun."At this time, de Weite, Kelei Mengte, and Ai Buer walked into the tent and called out the medical soldier's name.

Bikren moved his feet and quickly walked to the front to welcome them. "Captain Dewitt, Captain Claremont, Captain AI Buer. You guys are here."

"Yes." Devitt stood at the front and replied, "Austin came just now, right?"

"Yes. He just left my place not long ago," Bikren replied.

"Where are the goblins?"

"They are still in a coma status. They are lying inside to rest," Bikren said.

"Let's go take a look," Al Buer said.

"Yes." Claremont nodded.

Bikren led the three of them inside.

After seeing the goblins lying quietly on the guard bed, Dewitt asked, "You have already injected him with the medicine, right?"

"Yes." Bikren nodded, his eyes filled with doubt. "This is also the first time I've seen a patient who can remain motionless after being injected with such a dose of vaccine."

"What's the situation?"Al Buer asked the two.

"The drug being tested this time is the most accurate one so far, but it also has a drawback: the moment it is injected into the body, the body's functions will rapidly decline. The heart will also suddenly shrink. Therefore, at that moment, the pain anyone feels is indescribable, and it will cause the body to twitch involuntarily. "You previously told me the goblin was knocked out by someone. But it has been several hours since then. When I saw Austin carrying it in, I was very puzzled. How could he have fainted for so long?" Bikren explained in detail, he pointed to one possibility.

"You mean... this goblin has been pretending to faint?" Claremont asked.

"Yes." Bikren nodded.

"What should we do? Since the potion you mentioned can't wake him up, how should we expose it?"AlBuer said.

"This is just a guess I have made. After all, there are always twists and turns behind strange things." Bikren shook his head and said.

"I agree with Bikren's words. Right now, it's all our guesses." Dewitt pondered for a while, he replied, "Moreover, even if this goblin really disguised himself and sneaked into our team, we don't need to be in a hurry to expose him. No matter what method we use, getting information about the volcano from his mouth is the ultimate goal."

"Right." Claremont nodded.

At this moment, Al Buer noticed the skin totem on the goblin's neck. He silently walked to the edge of the goblin's bed and lifted the quilt. The patterns on the goblin's body were exposed in everyone's sight.

"I've seen some illustrations in the ancient books that talk about the goblins. The goblin's portrait also has such a totem." Claremont walked forward and took a closer look. "But the one on its body doesn't look the same."

"It might be different according to the region or age." Devitt didn't pay much attention to it.

Chapter 733: The Diagnosis

"How many years have you been reading the ancient books?"Al Buer asked.

When Claremont was in his teens, he used to read all kinds of books by himself. Anyone who was close to him knew about this period of history.

"It was a long time ago. It's just that..." Claremont thought about it carefully in his mind, but he wasn't very clear about that period of memory.

In his vague memory, the totem on the goblin seemed to have some special use.

He really couldn't remember, so Claremont didn't continue talking about this matter. Instead, he planned in his heart: I'll go back and search for this kind of information.

This vague feeling of not being able to make sense of anything was really too uncomfortable.

Devitt told Bikren to remember to report the results of the examination to him in time, and then left.

Al Buer tucked the goblin in and left with Claremont, following Devitt.

Bikren walked to the hall, tired, and sat on a chair to rest.

He waited for the drug to take effect on the goblins.

Austin listened to Bikren's words and went to the kitchen. Sure enough, he got his dinner.

He squatted outside the tent and ate alone.

On the way, a teammate passed by and greeted him, "Ah, Austin."

"Mm." Austin raised his head and replied.

When he thought about how these guys didn't care about him and just ate at the dinner table, Austin was filled with anger.

"It's good to eat alone. You don't have to worry about the food in your bowl being taken away." A soldier stared at Austin's dinner, feeling hungry again.

"Come on, do you dare say that you didn't eat as much as I did tonight?" Austin said angrily.

"I really didn't. You know, didn't the elf soldiers come to share the meal with us today? They ate more than half of the food on the table," a soldier squatted beside Austin and explained to him.

Hearing this reminder, Austin thought of the agreement he had with the Elven soldiers and wondered if he should treat these two people to a meal alone. But on the surface, he still said to his teammates with disdain, "Do you think I'll believe you? It would be a miracle if the elven soldiers could steal food from you."

Austin hurriedly cleaned the food in his bowl. He stood up and said goodbye to everyone without turning his head, "I'm leaving."

"This kid..."

Austin walked to the kitchen and washed his lunch box with water.

After putting the lunch box back into his luggage, Austin rushed to the medical soldier's tent early.

"Why are you here so early?" Bikren asked in surprise when he saw him arrive.

"My mission is to look after this guy anyway, so I came to take a look,"Austin said.

Hearing his words, Bikren said in a slightly awkward manner, "According to the rules, the results of the inspection can not be disclosed to you immediately..."

"Ah... is that so..." Austin responded a little awkwardly. He did not think of this before he came. After Bikren reminded him, he suddenly came to a realization.

However, walking out now didn't seem like such a good idea.

"Forget it." Bikren waved his hand helplessly. "But you have to keep your mouth shut with me."

"Okay, okay," Austin hurriedly agreed.

Bikren glanced at the small pendulum clock on the table, looked at the curtain behind him, and said, "Now it's time to take the blood sample. You can help too."

"Blood...blood sample?" Austin said in surprise.

"Yes, this is the procedure of the examination." Bikren nodded and pulled the curtain open.

Austin followed Bikren into the room.

When he saw the goblin lying on the bed, he asked Bikren, "When will he wake up?"

"That depends on himself. He will wake up when he wants to," Bikren said, clearly implying something.

Austin was stunned. He didn't understand what Bikren meant. He just felt that this doctor was a little cold.

"Is this how doctors are like..." Austin muttered in a low voice.

"Austin, come here," Bikren had already put on his gloves and ordered Austin.

"Okay." Austin walked over in due diligence.

Bikren handed the medical cotton swab to Austin and said, "I'll have to trouble you to take care of it later."

"Okay... okay..." Austin replied as he nervously held the cotton swab in his hand.

"Okay." Bikren nodded. His preparations for the blood sample were smooth and neat. Even when the needle was inserted into the goblin's wrist, Austin, who was squatting at the side, was not prepared.

100 milliliters of blood was drawn into the needle.

The goblin's blood was blue, and the blood in the needle was almost transparent.

Austin was stunned.

"It's quite clean." Bikren took out the needle and put the needle under the sunlight. He looked at the transparent blue color and commented.

Austin, who was sitting by the bedside, saw blue blood coming out of the needle hole after Bikren drew the needle. He quickly used the cotton stick in his hand to block it.

The goblin still didn't move. Austin glanced at him and immediately looked away.

After about twenty minutes, Bikren stood up from the operating table and said, "I'll pass the report to Captain Devitt and the others. I'll have to trouble you here."

After saying this, Bikren lifted his foot and walked out.

"Wait, wait, doctor." Austin's eyes widened and quickly stopped him. "What's the result of the examination?"

"Yes. There's nothing wrong with its body." Bikren looked at him and nodded.

"Good, good, good," Austin replied happily and then stepped aside. He made a path for Bikren.

Bikren glanced at the goblin lying on the bed and found that it had already opened its eyes and was leaning against the wall.

"You're awake?" Bikren greeted.

Austin raised his head in surprise. After a while, he looked behind him.

The goblin's expression was confused, as if he had no focus.

"It's good that you're awake. You can ask questions now. Austin, keep an eye on him. If you can't keep an eye on him, find someone to help," Bikren instructed. Then, he walked to the door of the tent. He headed toward Devitt's location.

"You're awake? !" Austin said in surprise.

The goblin's face remained expressionless. He crossed his arms and hugged its slippery body, not saying a word.

"I just gave you a bath. That's how you became so clean," Austin said to himself. In his eyes, the goblin who had been with him all day was like a puppy he picked up by the roadside. It was not threatening at all.

Chapter 734: The Hastily Concluded Conversation

Under Austin's constant chatter, the goblin raised its head timidly.

When Austin made eye contact, it seemed to see the dawn of hope for communication.

What he neglected was that the goblin's hands buried in the sheets were clenched into fists.

The choice to snatch the Scout's backpack was a random one, and it was also a pure accident for Austin.

It had been wandering alone for many days, and it was so hungry that it lost its mind.

The coma after lying down was also an act of helplessness. It only hoped that this group of people would be soft-hearted enough to bring it along, so that it could find an opportunity to act again.

In the end, it was brought back, and the person in front even gave it a comfortable hot bath.

For the goblins who had been rolling around in the fields for many days, it was a heaven-like time when it was carefully cleansed. With this level of comfort, it fell asleep in Austin's arms.

In a daze, it imagined the dining table in front of them with all kinds of food.

Them the needle in Bikren's hand stabbed into his neck.

This time, he really fainted from the pain. He had been unconscious until now.

When he opened his eyes and saw Bikren calmly greeting him, the goblin's fury surged in his heart.

Just as he was about to exert force with his arm, he could not feel the slightest bit of strength.

Looking at Austin in front of him, the goblin was still filled with wariness.

"Oh right, I forgot to ask you. What's your name?" Austin asked with a smile.

The goblin gently turned its head away, looking as if it was unwilling to communicate.

"There's no way you don't understand the common language, right? That would be troublesome." Austin raised his eyebrows in puzzlement. Thinking that Bikren would bring captain Devitt over to ask questions later, Austin fell into distress.

"Gilbert," the gnome said softly.

Austin raised his head in delight and said, "You can understand what I'm saying."

Gilbert nodded as if it was a obvious matter. He seemed to be very disdainful of Austin's question.

"That would be much more convenient," Austin explained. "Later, our team's captain will come and ask you a few questions. You just have to answer honestly. Don't be so quiet."

"I don't know anything," Gilbert said.

"Huh?" Austin frowned and said, "Of course we won't force you to do something you don't know. But if you're lying, we can tell. And the consequences of doing so are extremely serious for you."

Gilbert looked at Austin's suddenly tense face and couldn't help but cower. "Got it."

"They haven't come yet. Let's talk about something relaxing."Austin softened his tone and smiled at Gilbert. "How old are you?"

Gilbert realized that the Austin was really asking his age, so he calculated the age of his birth according to the age of a human. He replied, "Eight years old."

"Eight years old?" Austin said in surprise, "Then are you an adult now in the goblin race?"

"Soon." Gilbert only felt that the Austin's question had been very boring, so he answered absent-mindedly.

"Then your height...you won't grow any taller?" Austin had previously asked Claremont why Gilbert's figure was much smaller than what was recorded in the book. Claremont could only guess: it was probably because this goblin was still young.

Hearing Austin mention his height, Guibert's face fell. He laid down and covered his whole body with the quilt, not answering.

"Hey, hey, don't be angry," Austin said with a laugh. "I think you still have a chance to grow taller."

Gilbert was so angry that he kept kicking the blanket.

When Devitt and the others saw this scene, Bikren reacted quickly and called out, "Austin."

"Oh... Oh, Captain Devitt, Captain Clare not, Captain AI Buer." Austin hurriedly stood up and greeted him politely.

"Yes." Devitt nodded and stood in place.

Austin immediately pulled Gilbert out and said to him, "These three are the captain of our team. Listen carefully to how they ask you."Then, he retreated to the side.

Devitt led the other two people behind him and walked forward. He asked Gilbert, "What's you name?"

Gilbert retracted his gaze from Austin and looked at Devitt. "Gilbert."

"Why are you here? What's your identity?" Claremont continued to ask

"I'm an exiled goblin. I walked here on my own," Gilbert replied.

"You came this far?"Al Buer was puzzled.

"After being expelled by the goblins, I came here while searching for food," Gilbert explained with his head lowered.

"That means you don't belong to the goblins now, right?" Devitt confirmed.

"Yes, I don't want to go back either," Gilbert said indifferently.

Claremont raised his eyebrows because of his answer. But he didn't say anything.

"Then do you know about the disappearance of the goblins three months ago near the volcano where your goblins live?" Devitt threw out the topic and asked in a low voice.

"I don't know. The people in the clan were ordered not to talk about it in public." Gilbert lowered his eyes and said, "At that time, the vagrants living on the volcano were all in danger."

Devitt stared straight into Gilbert's dark red eyes, as if he believed that Gilbert was telling the truth. He turned around and asked the two people behind him, "Do you have anything you want to ask?"

Claremont took a step forward, pointed at the tattoo on Gilbert's shoulder and said, "This series of letters is the language of the goblins, right? Can you tell me what it means?"

Gilbert paused and replied coldly, "It means 'abandoned'."

Hearing Guibert's words, Austin, who was standing in the corner, became worried.

"I'm done asking." Claremont waved his hand.

"I don't have any questions," Al Buer continued.

"Okay." Devitt nodded and said to Austin, "Let it go tonight. It doesn't seem to have anything to do with our mission."

Austin received the instructions and nodded slowly. "Yes."

Before leaving, Claremont carefully looked at Gilbert. The three of them then left the tent.

"The effects of the medicine on it haven't dissipated yet. Sending it to the wilderness at this time is equivalent to sending a sheep into the tiger's mouth. Let it stay here for the night. We'll find time to release him tomorrow," Bikren suggested.

Chapter 735: A Night of Companionship

"Okay." Austin calmed down and nodded.

After testing Gilbert's temperature and pulse, Bikren was ready to leave.

"Aren't you leaving?"Bikren asked Austin, who was still guarding the bed.

"I'll...stay and watch him," Austin said hesitantly.

"Okay." Bikren did not stop him. Instead, he nodded and said, "There is only one bed in this tent. If you want to sleep here at night, remember to cover yourself with a blanket or something."

"Thank you. Take Care."Austin bowed slightly and said goodbye.

"Also, remember to turn off the lights at night." Bikren reminded him one last time before walking out of the tent.

Outside, Bikren made a 'Yes' gesture to Devitt and the other two who were standing under the shadow of the tree.

Devitt nodded in response.

As he watched Bikren walk away, Al Buer could not help but say, "I was wondering why Captain Devitt ended up asking so many questions. Because you knew that your opponent was lying."

"This goblin's identity is not so simple," Devitt said.

"Among the goblins, he should be at least a noble of the rank," Claremont added.

"Did you find out from the conversation?" Al Buer smiled. "Actually, I also noticed that this goblin named Gilbert showed disdain and contempt for his own race in his speech. It's not something that a commoner who was arbitrarily exiled would have."

"After all, he's just a child. The excuses he came up with are also full of flaws." Devitt recalled Gilbert's answer to his question of 'why did he come here?' He couldn't help but blurt out.

"Wouldn't it be bad to keep our soldiers in the dark?"Al Buer asked worriedly.

"There's nothing we can do about it. In order to make Gilbert let down his guard, we can only pretend that everything is going as planned. Austin's role is even more important," Claremont said helplessly, after saying that, he couldn't help but frown. Even Claremont despised this plan of deceiving his subordinates and making use of their true feelings.

Devitt also sighed and said, "Tomorrow morning, Austin would probably propose to let Gilbert join the army."

Looking at the bright moon that was covered by clouds, Devitt's mood was like the moonlight, half gloomy and half hopeful.

Hopefully, he could find an opportunity to make up for it in the future.

After Bikren left, Austin squatted down in front of Gilbert.

Before he could say anything, Gilbert said unexpectedly, "I'm so hungry."

"Huh?"Austin looked up in surprise and blinked. He asked, "How long has it been since you last ate?"

"About three days," Gilbert replied and kept his hands on his stomach.

"Three days? !" Austin's eyes widened. Without saying another word, he got up and walked to his luggage. He rummaged through it and said anxiously, "I think I only have wheat bread left."

Guibert stared at his back with a hint of absent-mindedness.

"Here, have some to ease your stomach." Austin handed two pieces of wheat bread to Gilbert and said apologetically, "I've eaten a little too much recently, so I only have this much of dry food left."

"Thank you," Gilbert said gently.

"Of course."Austin took a kettle filled with water from the other side of the room. He poured the water into his usual lunchbox. When he saw Gilbert choke on his food, he handed the lunchbox to him. "Eat slowly, there's water here."

Under such careful care, Gilbert became embarrassed.

"It's the first time we met..." Gilbert murmured as he gulped down the water.

"What?" Austin turned around and asked.

"It's the first time we met. Why are you taking such good care of me?" Gilbert swallowed the water in his mouth and asked.

"Huh?" Austin recalled what happened that day. Indeed, he seemed to be very concerned about this foreign vagabond who appeared out of nowhere. After pondering for a while in his mind, Austin giggled and replied, "Maybe you're too ugly. I was quite ugly when I was young. When I saw someone who was in the same situation as me, I'd always recall the bitter history of the past. I wanted to take good care of you."

To think about it, the reason was still a kind one. However, this method was not worthy of praise.

Gilbert pursed his lips and continued to eat the wheat bread in his hand.

Austin took out a blanket and laid it on the ground.

"When you're done eating, put the lunch box there. I'll clean it up and you should rest," Austin reminded Gilbert as he made the bed.

"Okay. I'm done eating." Gilbert ate the last mouthful of wheat bread. Then he turned over and lay down on the bed. He tucked in the corners for himself.

When everything was ready, Austin stood up. Staying in a half-squatting position for a long time would still make people dizzy when they stood up.

After stabilizing his body with great difficulty, Austin turned his head to look at Gilbert. He found that Gilbert had already fallen into a deep sleep. Perhaps it was because he had replenished his body's needs for food, but his breathing was also much stronger than what he had seen this morning.

"He fell asleep so quickly..." Austin muttered silently. After stretching by the side of the candlestick, Austin also felt a wave of tiredness.

"Phew --"Austin extinguished the candle, and the room became pitch-black. He could only grope his way back to his bed.

However, Austin was already used to such occasions. In the soldiers' tents, the lights would be turned off at around 10 o'clock every night. Every time he went back after the night shift, he could only grope his way forward in the darkness. Or he would use the snoring of a person who was sound asleep to determine his position.

Austin lay on the paved floor, closed his eyes, and fell asleep in a short while.

The next morning, Guibert woke up with the smell of porridge coming from outside the door. When he got out of bed in a daze, he kicked Austin's thigh.

"Ah!" With a scream, Austin had to wake up from his dream.

In the dream he had last night, Austin dreamed that Gilbert had changed from his original appearance into a cute and adorable child. He would be welcomed by everyone wherever he went, and Austin always followed him, looking at him proudly and walking with him.

Dreams were beautiful, but reality was always harsh. This was the reality that Austin felt when he woke up early in the morning to Gilbert's face.

Chapter 736: Austin's Request

"Be careful!" Austin hugged his thigh and shouted.

It was then when Gilbert opened his eyes in a daze. He did not react when he saw Austin lying on the ground with a twisted face and the unfamiliar environment around him.

His eyes rolled back and forth a few times, and his throat became drier and drier.

"Hello? What's wrong with you?" Austin supported himself with his body and waved his right hand in front of Gilbert. "Did you sleep too much and not thinking straight now?"

Gilbert came back to his senses and recalled how he met Austin yesterday. He slowly raised his hand and pointed outside the door. "It smells so good."

"So you are not fully awake yet." Austin lowered his head helplessly and said, "I'll take you to have breakfast later."

"Okay." Gilbert nodded and then sat back down on the edge of the bed. He quietly waited for Austin to make his next move.

Austin stood up and put on his clothes neatly. He rolled up the quilt on the ground and put it back into his luggage bag.

Just as he was about to go out to find water to wash his face, Austin thought of something and stopped to say to Gilbert, "You have to wash up with me too."

Gilbert did not say anything. He obediently got off the bed. He slowly walked to Austin's side.

Looking at his naked body, Austin suddenly felt that it was not good to take him out like this. With a thought, Austin took out a jacket from the luggage on his back and put it on Gilbert without saying a word.

Austin's jacket was on Gilbert, and the hem covered Gilbert's thigh.

"Well, not too bad," Austin said with satisfaction.

Gilbert carefully rubbed the cloth on his body with his hand.

"Well, go wash your face and brush your teeth." Austin smiled and held Gilbert's hand.

The two walked out of the tent and went to the sink in the kitchen to wash their faces.

"After washing your face, you still need to brush your teeth," Austin said. He raised his toothbrush.

Gilbert looked at the toothbrush, frowned, and raised his foot to escape.

However, Austin blocked his way. "If you don't brush your teeth, don't think about eating."

Gilbert stood stiffly on the spot. At the moment, nothing was more important than eating. Gilbert could tell that if he wanted to get food, he had to listen to the person in front of him.

"Open your mouth," Austin said to Gilbert after brushing his teeth.

"Um..." Gilbert reluctantly turned his head and whimpered. His eyes turned red.

"This is good for your health. You won't get sick if you brush your teeth often," Austin comforted him. "It'll be over in two minutes."

Gilbert slowly raised his head and looked at Austin with tears in his eyes.

"Well, be obedient," Austin encouraged him.

Gilbert opened his mouth in doubt, revealing the bright fangs in his mouth.

"Your teeth are so sharp." Austin carefully brushed Gilbert's teeth and said, "And they are cleaner than mine. What do you usually use to grind your teeth?"

Gilbert was still not used to the feeling of the toothbrush in his mouth. He stared at Austin with a grumbled face.

After more than ten minutes, the two of them finished washing up. Austin led Gilbert to the breakfast stand in the kitchen and received his share of food.

"I just made an extra one. Give it to this little guy." The soldier in the kitchen took out a lunchbox and said, "He looks much better than yesterday."

"What a coincidence. You're quite lucky." Austin handed the steaming breakfast to Gilbert and said with a smile.

"But you have to hurry up when you eat. Don't you still have to send this little Gnome out of here? I heard from Captain Devitt that there are still about twenty minutes before you have to assemble for departure," the soldier reminded them.

"Thank you." Austin nodded.

They found an empty seat in the center of the camp and sat down.

As soon as Gilbert sat down, he held his bowl and ate.

Austin, on the other hand, did not have much appetite. He ate a few mouthfuls of bread with a lack of interest. Then he closed the lunchbox and put it back into his bag. He sat there and stared at Gilbert's eating style in a daze.

"I'm done." In less than five minutes, Gilbert raised the empty rice bowl in his hand and said with high spirits.

"Well, are you full?" Austin came back to his senses and asked him.

"Quite full," Gilbert replied.

Every portion of food in the army corresponded to the number of calories an adult soldier needed to consume every day. Based on the portion, it should be enough for a skinny, underaged goblin.

"Then let's go. I'll send you off," said Austin with a sigh.

Gilbert stood up obediently and handed the lunchbox back to Austin.

"Actually, you don't have to send me off. I can walk out of here by myself," Gilbert said clearly.

"Do you have a place to stay on this plain?" Austin pursed his lips and asked with a struggle in his heart, "Can you find food on your own?"

"No. There's no prey on this plain," Gilbert said with his eyes lowered as he recalled the tragic situation a few days ago.

"... Do you want to come with us? We'll go to the volcano where your companions are. Maybe they can help you." Austin asked, recalling the expression on Gilbert's face when he said that he didn't want to go back last night.

"I don't have any companions there anymore," Gilbert said with a lonely expression.

"How can that be? There will be your friends waiting for you to go back," Austin said hurriedly. "If you continue to wander, you can only resign yourself to fate."

Gilbert was silent for a long time. Finally, he raised his head and said, "Can I join you guys?"

"You and I will go to see Captain Devitt and the others." Seeing that Gilbert had accepted his suggestion, Austin blurted out his thoughts, "I'll help you persuade them."

"Okay." Gilbert nodded heavily.

Austin looked at the increasing number of armored soldiers in the open space of the camp. He thought that it was almost time to assemble.

He hurriedly took Gilbert's hand and ran toward the tent where Captain Devitt was.

"Captain Devitt!" Austin rushed into Devitt's tent and shouted into it.

Devitt, Claremont, and Abel, who were standing in front of the table, stopped their conversation and looked back at him in surprise.

There were also soldiers moving tables and chairs around.

"Gilbert said that he wants to go to the volcano with us. Can you let him to join us?" Austin took a deep breath and said.

Chapter 737: Unknowingly Taking Care of Him

Hearing Austin's words, Devitt's expression became awkward.

"I'll take care of it," Austin hurriedly added.

"Your mission is to protect yourself and your comrades. Where would you find the time to take care of a nomad from another race?" Claremont stood at the side and said seriously.

"I.. ." Austin was at a loss for words. He could not think of what to say.

"Didn't you say that you don't want to go back? Why have you changed your mind now?" Abel took a step forward and asked Gilbert.

"... Actually, I've always wanted to go back." Gilbert was silent for a while and continued, "I want to get back what I deserve."

Abel and Claremont looked at each other and nodded secretly.

Devitt focused his gaze on Gilbert and hinted, "If you want to use us to return to the Gnome Tribe's territory, you have to be mentally prepared to pay the price."

"Got it." Gilbert looked at the ground and nodded. "I'll tell you all the information I know."

"Including the information about the Gnome Tribe?" Claremont confirmed.

"... Yes." After a while, Gilbert nodded.

"Then, Austin, from now on, Guibert will be taken care of by you," Devitt promised Gilbert. "Don't worry, we won't force you to tell us unnecessary information."

"Great!" Austin shouted. He put his hand on Gilbert's shoulder happily.

"Austin, take Gilbert to the military logistics to get a pair of smaller shoes. Hurry up and don't delay the journey," Claremont instructed.

"Yes!" Austin replied. He bent over, held Gilbert's shoulder and took him out.

"I didn't expect Captain Devitt to agree! I didn't even have the time to say anything," Austin said in high spirits. When he turned around, he saw that Gilbert had his head lowered and was silent, he immediately asked with concern, "What's wrong with you? Are you okay?"

"Nothing." Gilbert stood up straight and shook his head.

"Captain Devitt and the rest are very considerate people. Honestly, they are just kind. They wouldn't have the heart to do anything to hurt you," Austin comforted him. "I'm also very happy to be able to go with you."

Gilbert looked up and saw the dazzling smile on Austin's face. The corners of his mouth also curled up. "Okay."

"Everyone gather!" Abel stood outside the separated camp and shouted in a loud voice.

The scouts, including Gilbert, quickly lined up neatly in front of him.

"Today, we must strive to get out of this flat land. No one can relax," Abel said.

"Yes!" The soldiers replied.

The group officially set off. When Abel led the group, he would usually walk at the front, looking at the map to find a route, not caring much about the soldiers and their discipline behind him. Indeed, under such circumstances, the Elf Soldiers were still traveling quietly. They would not talk to each other. Perhaps it was because of their innate laziness.

However, the Caradia soldiers were not so well-behaved. When they were in a good mood, they would talk to each other. At this time, Austin brought a new guy into the army. Many of the Caradia soldiers could not help but gather around curiously.

"This is the guy that you squashed the other day, right?" One of the soldiers said.

"I heard from Captain Devitt and the others that this little guy is a Gnome," another soldier added.

The topic of Gilbert became very popular among the soldiers.

"How did you think of bringing him along?" One of Austin's teammates asked.

"Isn't his home near our destination?" Austin casually replied, "This little guy will probably not survive in the wilderness for a few more days. Why can't we send him home on the way?"

"I see." Austin's teammate nodded and then gave Gilbert a friendly smile.

In fact, Austin didn't know why he had to bring this little guy along.

He had thought about it for a long time before coming up with this reason.

With this thought in mind, his gaze naturally shifted to Gilbert.

Even though the people around him were noisy, this little guy still had an indifferent look as if there was nothing to do with him.

However, as the journey got longer, his lips tightened.

"Are you tired?" Austin leaned over and asked.

"Yes." Gilbert squeezed out such a syllable from his throat.

Austin put his hand on Gilbert's arm and suggested, "I'll carry you."

Gilbert did not try to be brave anymore. With the strength of Austin's arm, he climbed onto his back and sat down steadily.

Austin looked up at the sky and thought to himself, "after all, he's just a skinny kid. He must be tired after walking for the whole morning."

With a place to rest, Gilbert fell asleep on Austin's back.

"From the back, the two of you look like father and son," a soldier passing by commented to Austin.

"Don't talk nonsense." Austin glared at him. "Have you ever seen such a young man carrying such a big son?"

"Hehe." The soldier smiled and did not say anything else.

Austin lifted his feet and walked forward. He silently thought to himself, "I must find a beautiful wife in the future and give birth to a cute child. Others can envy me."

"Rest for fifteen minutes," Abel ordered.

The soldiers found a lawn and laid down casually.

Austin was worried that his actions would wake Gilbert up, so he stood near the soldiers lying down and chatted with them.

Devitt walked over and said, "Why are you taking care of him so much?"

"Ah," Austin sighed and said, "I don't know. I just feel that he is like a wilful child who has no family and no companions. It's too hard."

"In that case, all the more you shouldn't take care of him in every detail." Devitt shook his head and said, "Falling from complete pain to complete doting will make people more vulnerable to the hardships."

"Is that so?" Austin looked back at Gilbert who was sleeping soundly on his shoulder, he said softly, "Captain Devitt, you are really amazing. I suddenly realized that I only gave him a different extreme environment."

"It's nothing," Devitt continued, "If you choose to be a kind person, it proves that the person who makes the choice is very smart. It's just that this world is so big, and the meaning of kindness is different in different places."

Devitt only hoped that Austin would not spend too much time with Gilbert during this period.

Chapter 738: A Sudden Increase in Pace

Nearing evening, the group of Scouts walked out of the plains and stepped into the territory of the Snake-women.

Abel looked at the yellow soil and became worried.

The altitude here was much higher than the mountain where the Centaurs had been.

Everyone had felt the winter on the island earlier since they arrived.

Claremont kicked the cracked ground under his feet and said, "Is this where the Snake-women lives?"

"It's similar to what the information states. We have to be careful from now on," Devitt said from the side.

"According to the information, Snake-women would plant plague bombs near her territory. There's no way to solve it," Claremont added.

"Perhaps in the eyes of the Dwarf Clan, this defense is nothing," Devitt speculated.

"But for us, it is a difficulty we cannot overcome." Claremont sighed.

"Now we can only leave this problem to Abel, and let him judge the location of the Snake-women based on the terrain. As long as we go around them, the chances of us being infected by the poison gas would not be that high," Devitt said nervously.

"Okay." Claremont nodded.

"Everyone! Cover your mouth and nose and follow me slowly," Abel turned around and ordered the soldiers.

The scouts all took out a piece of cloth from their bags with solemn expressions and covered the lower half of their faces.

"What happened to them?" In such a serious atmosphere, Gilbert pulled on Austin's clothes and raised his head to ask.

His voice made the few soldiers standing in front of him look back.

Austin quickly gestured to Gilbert to keep quiet. He waited for the team captain to turn his head.

Austin bent over and whispered into Gilbert's ear and said, "We've already entered the Snake-women territory. We have to be careful of hidden mines. Quickly cover your nose and mouth with a handkerchief." Austin handed Gilbert his handkerchief.

Gilbert pushed away Austin's hand that was in front of him and walked towards Abel's position.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Austin stopped him with a voice that was forced out of his throat.

Gilbert pointed at Abel's back and continued to walk forward.

Austin followed him anxiously. When he noticed Gilbert walking all the way to the front row, the captains in the front row had unpleasant expressions on their faces.

"I want to see this captain," Gilbert said to the soldier who stopped him, pointing at Abel's figure.

Abel turned to look at Gilbert after hearing the childish voice. He stopped and raised his eyebrows in confusion. "Why did you come to me and not stay by Austin's side?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Austin rushed to the front and made an apologetic gesture to Abel. "I'll take him away immediately."

"I can lead the way for you." Gilbert was naturally held by Austin's wrist, but he had no intention of moving, sounding very firm in front of Abel.

Devitt and Claremont, who noticed that the team had stopped, also rushed over from the back of the team and heard what Gilbert said.

"Huh?" Abel was surprised. "You're willing to help us?"

"Only to help him." Guibert raised his arm, which was held by Austin, and explained, "But you have to agree to one condition of mine."

"What?" Abel asked.

"After you reach the volcano, you can't step into the Gnome's territory," Gilbert said word by word.

Devitt and Claremont, who were standing silently at the side, looked at each other when they heard that. This goblin child was still guarding against them.

After hearing that, Abel looked at Guilbert from head to toe. Gilbert had taken the initiative to suggest letting him lead the way, which reminded Abel that the goblins did indeed have such abilities.

Abel thought for a moment and replied, "Okay. I promise you."

"You too." Gilbert turned to look at Devitt and Claremont.

"Mm." Devitt nodded as a representation of agreement.

This statement made Gilbert feel a little more at ease. Although he did not know what the intentions of this group of people were, but in order for the Gnomes to not be involved, he had to use his abilities in exchange.

Whether it was for prosperity or decline, he was still the crown prince of the goblins.

The sense of responsibility for the safety of the tribe had always flowed in the blood of the royal family.

With this thought, Gilbert lowered his head and looked at the prisoner bird tattoo on his left chest.

"You go ahead," Abel gave up his position and said to Gilbert.

Austin was stunned when Gilbert raised his hand. He watched Gilbert walk forward and followed him closely. However, he was stopped by Claremont. "Ask the captain of your team to keep an eye on him."

Austin and Claremont looked at each other and nodded. After asking the captain of the team to keep an eye on him, Austin walked back to his original position.

Gilbert looked back towards Austin's back and then looked forward. He said to Abel, who was standing on his left hand, "My instructions might be a little fast. You would have to catch up."

"Okay," Abel replied.

Everyone quieted down and waited for Gilbert's next move.

Gilbert squatted down and picked up a pile of yellow soil with his hand. He held it in front of his eyes, blew it away with his breath, and rushed out before the yellow sand landed on the ground.

Abel also immediately moved to follow behind him.

Although the soldiers were somewhat baffled by this sudden start. However, their daily training was not in vain. It did not take long for the Caradia soldier to organize the team and follow the two leaders by running.

The Elves stood at the end of the team, moving forward confidently.

Gilbert walked quickly on the plateau, with the wind blowing past his ears. He was currently using his spiritual power to survey the surrounding underground environment. While using his spiritual power, his pupils also became redder.

Under such special circumstances, the soldiers of the reconnaissance team ended the last part of their march today.

After sunset, Abel quickly called out to Gilbert, who was still running forward.

The soldiers also stopped after the long run.

"I didn't expect this little guy to run so fast." One of the soldiers panted.

"Are you kidding me? He's a gnome. I think he can run faster than this." Another soldier patted the soldier's back to help him catch his breath. With a relaxed smile, he said, "I think today's situation is quite interesting. It's usually too slow."

Chapter 739: The Snake Woman's Ambush

"Where are we now?" Devitt looked at the surrounding and panted as he asked Claremont.

"Gilbert took us around the shortcut. I guess we're halfway there." Claremont replied as he looked at the map.

"So fast!" Devitt was a little surprised.

Claremont said helplessly, "In order to keep up with his speed, we've also increased our speed."

"Fortunately, under his guide, we have already covered more than half of the distance today. Otherwise, if we continue to be led by him like this, the strength of the soldiers will be wearing out." Devitt took a deep breath and said.

"Yes." Claremont nodded. "But after the order to rest just now, I haven't seen Gilbert. where is he?"

"He probably went back to Austin and stayed by his side." Devitt speculated.

Sure enough, after a while, Austin brought Claremont over.

Austin was helping everyone set up their tents, while Gilbert quietly followed by his side.

"Go sit under the shade and rest." Austin said to Gilbert.

Gilbert shook his head without any emotion in his eyes.

This was the third time Austin had tried to persuade him to go back and rest, but he had failed.

"Yo!" a tall and strong soldier walked toward the two of them and greeted them with a bright expression. "Gilbert."

Gilbert looked up at him and looked away without saying anything.

"My name is Brian. I'm the captain of the fifth squad in this army." The soldier didn't give up and introduced himself. "You ran very fast today." then he reached out his right hand to touch Gilbert's head.

Gilbert took a step back and avoided his hand gesture. He looked at him coldly.

Brian took back his hand resentfully and smiled awkwardly. "Sorry, I offended you."

Seeing this, Austin quickly shielded Gilbert behind him. He smiled and tried to smooth things over. "Captain Brian, I'm sorry. This little guy is a bit shy. Don't mind him."

"Of course not." Brian raised his head and said, "I just want to try to get to know him. After all, his performance today was really amazing."

"Haha." Austin laughed and said, "In the future, he will follow us until we return to our hometown. We'll be friends in the end."

"You are right. I'll keep visiting this little guy." Brian nodded. After waving to Gilbert with a smile, he returned to his team.

"I don't want to know him." A low voice came from behind Austin.

Austin sighed, he turned around and squatted down to carefully exhort Gilbert, "In the human world, whether you like it or not, it is important to be polite. In the future, when others come to talk to you, you can't be as rude as you are today."

"Okay." Gilbert stared at Austin's eyes for a while and nodded in agreement.

"You're so sensible." Austin smiled again. "If you smile at others, they will smile at you and won't make things difficult for you. Isn't that good?"

Gilbert pursed his lips and didn't say anything.

The tent was built very quickly. Because Gilbert was so energetic when he led the way today, it was already very late when everyone was organized and settled down. In order to prepare dinner, the cookers stayed in front of the stove at the back of the camp and did not show up.

There was little smoke in the kitchen. The soldiers had their dinner at ten o'clock in the evening.

"It's great that we didn't meet the snake-women after crossing this plateau," Claremont said to Abel as he drank a mouthful of soup from his bowl.

"Why? Are you afraid of them?" Abel asked with a smile.

"I'm not that afraid. However, when I think of their heads and tails, I get goosebumps on my arms." Claremont held onto his arm and said with a twisted expression, "Don't you think so?"

"Hmm? I don't think so." Abel shrugged and answered.

"Eh?" Claremont looked at Abel with a puzzled expression.

Under the care of Austin, Gilbert sat on the small bed in the tent and ate the porridge in his bowl.

"I'm not eating anymore." Gilbert looked up and said to Austin.

Austin's eyes widened. "Why are you eating so little? Have a few more sips."

"I'm full." Gilbert said, pointing at his bulging stomach.

"I don't remember your usual appetite being this small." Austin was puzzled. "Is this vegetable porridge not to your liking? I'll go to the kitchen to see if there's anything else to eat."

Saying that, Austin stood up, placed the porridge bowl on the table, and turned to walk to the kitchen.

After watching him leave, Gilbert got off the bed and put on the shoes that Austin had given him. He slowly walked out of the tent. After avoiding the place where the soldiers were gathered, he climbed over the fence of the camp.

"Come out." Gilbert stood on the loess-covered plain and shouted at the dark night.

"Sizzle --" something passed through the grass and approached him.

"You killed half of our tribe, and you still dare to come here." A cold voice reached Gilbert's ears.

"I killed them because they wanted to kill me," Gilbert said with a calm expression. "The human and elven soldiers in this camp are not to be trifled with. If I tell them that the snake-woman tribe has been weakened, you might not even be able to defend your own home. How dare you lay an ambush here and prepare for a night attack. Where did your courage come from!"

After saying the last sentence, the spiritual power in Gilbert's body gathered in his palm, and his fingers suddenly became sharp.

"Stop scaring us." A snake-woman said sharply, "The news that this army is going to the volcano has long spread across the entire island. Do you think we don't know what they are capable of?"

"Oh?" upon hearing this, Gilbert chuckled, "Then you mean, you want to give it a try?"

"Humph! As expected, he is a b*stard gnome born with a rebellious nature in his body." A snake girl mocked, "Even his words are so arrogant."

Upon hearing the word 'b*stard', the corners of Gilbert's mouth stiffened for a moment, after taking a deep breath, he said to the snake-women, "Anyway, if you want to besiege this place today, you'll have to go through me first. I advise you to think it thoroughly before you come back."

Seeing the surging spiritual power in Gilbert's body, the snake-women showed a hint of fear.

However, as long as the leader did not say anything, they could not retreat.

The snake-woman leader narrowed her eyes and said, "You may be the first gnome who protect humans like this."

Chapter 740: Scaring Off the Snake-women

"This has nothing to do with you." Gilbert could see that the snake-woman in front of him was the key to forcing the group to retreat. He locked his gaze on the other party.

Their gazes met in the air, and the atmosphere became tense.

"Alright." Finally, the snake-woman leader waved her hand and said, "There is nothing on these soldiers that is worth risking our lives for. Besides, we're still waiting for you to go back and continue watching the gnomes' show. I heard that it's a mess there now."

"Humph." Gilbert snorted. "It's good that you know what's good for you. Besides, the gnomes are only in a temporary civil war. No matter how chaotic it is, you outsiders won't have a chance to interfere."

Hearing that, the snake-woman leader narrowed her eyes angrily.

Gilbert didn't care. He turned around and left.

Returning to the camp, Gilbert saw Austin, who was looking for him everywhere.

Austin was currently asking the passing soldiers if they had seen Gilbert. Halfway through his words, he noticed Gilbert standing in front of him.

"Where did you go?" Austin asked with concern.

Looking at the sweat on Austin's forehead, Gilbert made an uncomfortable expression and whispered to him, "My stomach doesn't feel well."

"Stomach doesn't feel well? Is it because of the porridge you just had?" Austin asked in surprise.

"I'm not sure." Gilbert shook his head and continued, "It's much better now."

"Then..." Austin looked down at the steak in his lunchbox and hesitated.

"You can have it." Gilbert said with a bright smile.

"No, I'll leave it for you to eat when you're hungry at night." Austin shook his head, closed the lunchbox, and looked at Gilbert.

Gilbert saw that he couldn't persuade Austin, so he didn't say anything more. He let Austin take him back to the tent to rest.

After Gilbert laid down on the bed, Austin put a blanket on him.

"Are you going to sleep here today?" In the dark room, Gilbert's eyes were indeed sparkling as he looked at Austin.

"Um..." Austin hesitantly pursed his lips, he recalled the words that Devitt said to him that afternoon, so he said, "This is not a place prepared for me to rest. Of course, I have to go back to my bed to sleep."

"Okay." Gilbert replied and then closed his eyes.

Austin stood by the bed and watched him fall asleep. When he heard Gilbert's breathing become even, he extinguished the candlestick in the corner of the wall. He walked out of the tent quietly.

A comrade of his team saw him walk out and walked up to him, saying, "Austin, it's our turn to work the night shift today."

"Okay, I'll go make some preparations." Austin nodded immediately.

"Can you do it? You look tired," his teammate asked.

"Do I look tired?" Austin looked up curiously and asked.

"Yeah, I feel a little tired," his teammate teased. "It must be hard for you to take care of your 'son'."

"Son?" Austin raised his eyebrows.

"It's that newly recruited kid," the soldier explained with a smile. "Now everyone treats that kid as your son."

"Is that so?" Austin lowered his head wearily and waved his hand. "You can think whatever you want."

If this could make Gilbert happier in this group.

"I say, when you're taking care of others, you should take care of yourself also." the soldier shook his head. "We won't be able to walk with that little guy for long. At this rate, we'll probably break up after more than ten days."

After saying this, the soldier was called away. Austin was left standing alone, wondering why everyone would say this to him. He clearly hadn't thought of anything.

This question piled up on Austin's chest, and he felt suffocated.

He did not intend to continue thinking. Austin put on his armor.

Then, he hastened his pace and walked to his own row, accepting the duty of patrolling with everyone.

In Claremont's tent, Claremont was rummaging through the pile of documents in his luggage bag.

Sitting on the other side of the table was Abel. At this moment, he was leisurely eating the snacks on his plate.

"So, this is what you have in your luggage bag? No wonder it's twice as big as the others," Abel said as he dipped his hand in the remaining sugar on his plate.

"I can't bear to throw these things away. There's no one to clean them up for me in the military camp, so I can only bring them with me." Claremont replied.

"You must have read every book here dozens of times." Abel finished his snack and went over to squat on the ground. He was surprised by the number of books.

"Not really. Some books are bought by myself, so I didn't bear to wear them out by reading them too much. Some books were given to me by the owner of a bookstore, but I've read them dozens of times." Claremont explained.

Abel raised his head and gave him a look of disdain. "You are the elites selected from the Claremont soldiers. Why do you save so much money for yourself?"

"I've saved all the rewards," Claremont said with a smile. "The money for these books was collected from the rewards given to us by the generals."

Abel rolled his eyes at him and sat back down on his stool. After sitting for a while, he really couldn't sit still. He asked Claremont, "Why did you ask me to accompany you to this military camp to find a book?"

"I have an illustrated handbook. I think I lost it." Claremont said anxiously. His hands rummaged through the pile of books faster and faster.

"Is it a very valuable illustrated handbook?" Abel came over and asked with concern.

"Sort of. But now I remember that the illustrated handbook has a record of the history of the elf clan." Claremont nodded and said, "Perhaps it can prove Gilbert's identity."

"Didn't you and Commander Devitt both determine that Gilbert is the prince of the elf clan? Why do you still need to find something to confirm it?" Abel recalled the conversation outside the tent that night and asked.

"No, I think the tattoo on Gilbert's body has another meaning. It's not just the crown prince." Claremont vaguely voiced his guess as the image of the caged bird appeared in his mind.

"I see." After understanding the current situation, Abel also followed Claremont to search through the pile of books.

"What's the name of that book?"

"The Encyclopedia of Nature."

"What? Why would a book about other races on the continent have such a name?" Abel's expression froze for a moment.

"Stop talking nonsense and help me find it."

Chapter 741: Wonderful Breakfast

The two of them rummaged through Claremont's bag, but they still couldn't find the legendary illustrated handbook.

"What should we do if we can't find it?" Abel asked Claremont as he shook off the dust on his body with his hands.

"There's no other way." Claremont sat on the ground dejectedly and said in distress, "How did I lose that book..."

"Did you get rid of it?" Abel frowned and turned to ask.

"No way." Claremont supported his chin and thought for a while. "I did clean up the books once when I still at Elf Kingdom, but this book is so rare, how could I throw it away?"

"It must have been stuck somewhere by you and thrown away together." Abel curled his lips and said, "Look at your pile of books, they don't seem to be arranged orderly."

"Yeah..." Claremont lowered his head in self-reproach.

"Don't worry. How high can the status of this gnome be? Even if it's related to our mission, haven't we always arranged for someone to take care of him?" Abel comforted him.

"I don't know why, but I still feel uneasy." Claremont covered his chest and said.

"You're overthinking." Abel shook his head. He stood up and dusted off the dust on his pants. "Then I'll go back first. Remember to rest early."

"Okay. I won't send you off." Claremont nodded.

Abel then walked out of the tent.

After watching Abel leave, Claremont sat at his desk and took out a pen, ink, paper, and inkstone. He recalled the tattoo on Gilbert's chest that he had seen a few days ago and drew it on the paper.

"This might be useful." Claremont said quietly.

After doing this, it was already late at night. Claremont closed his eyes tiredly and sat on his bed, closing his clothes and lying down.

In the military camp, other than the footsteps of the soldiers patrolling around, everyone became quiet.

The next morning, Austin woke Gilbert up. After washing up, they went to eat breakfast together.

The remaining steak from last night was brought to the kitchen by Austin and asked to be heated. He wanted to treat it as Gilbert's breakfast.

"You're going to run with everyone again today, right? You have to eat more. After all, your body is so weak." Austin told Gilbert while waiting for the cooked steak to be brought out from the kitchen.

"Yes." Gilbert nodded. After smelling the fragrance of the meat coming out from the pot, he couldn't help but swallow his saliva.

"Okay, here you go." the kitchen soldier took out the steaks that were emitting hot steam from the plate. "Fortunately, the weather is freezing now. If your steaks had been kept overnight earlier, there would have been bugs crawling inside."

"I know." Austin said with a smile, "Thank you. I'll make it up to you some other day."

"Don't make it another day. Let's do it today." the kitchen staff shook his head, looking down at Gilbert from the half-meter-high stove, he said, "Kid, you should lead the way today, right? You should at least run slower. We are chasing after you with a big iron pot on our backs, we really can't take it."

"Wow!" Gilbert exclaimed in surprise when he saw the steak in Austin's hand. Then, he smiled and nodded to the soldier in the kitchen. "Okay!"

"Good boy." the soldier in the kitchen showed a gratified smile, then he turned around and went back to the kitchen to eat breakfast.

"You must keep your promise to others. Come, let's sit over there and eat." Austin held the hot plate for himself, and let Gilbert take his vegetable cake and corn porridge.

The two of them walked to a corner of the campsite and sat down. As soon as they put down the plate, Gilbert rushed to get the steak.

"Don't worry, this is to be eaten cut." Austin quickly held his hand and pointed to the water bottle beside him. "Drink some water first."

When Gilbert leaned over to drink the water, Austin cut the steak on the plate into pieces.

"Okay, you can start eating." Austin handed the knife and fork to Gilbert with satisfaction.

"Thank you." Gilbert said softly, and then began to enjoy his breakfast happily.

Austin sat at the side, eating the vegetable cake while watching Gilbert eat. He thought to himself, 'Gilbert is becoming more and more human.'.

When breakfast time was almost over, Devitt led Claremont, Abel, and the others to the dining table of Gilbert and Austin. He said to Gilbert, "Yesterday, your speed was too fast. Many soldiers couldn't handle it. Can you walk slower today?"

"Yes." Gilbert was drinking water. After hearing Devitt's question, he squeezed out a word in response.

"Will we have a chance to walk out of the snake-women's plains today?" Claremont continued to ask.

Gilbert nodded in affirmation.

"I'll follow you today. Remember to find a clear position when you stand in line later." Abel reminded him.

Gilbert looked up at him and said, "Okay."

The three of them left the table and walked to the center of the camp. They gathered the soldiers who had finished their breakfast and cleaned up the equipment used to build the camp.

"I have to go there as well." Austin said to himself as he stared at the backs of the three of them. He took the last bite of the vegetable cake.

"Okay." Gilbert nodded and handed the finished dish to Austin.

Austin glanced at the greasy plate in his hand and looked up at Gilbert. "I'll wash it for you this time. You have to remember to wash it yourself in the future."

"I don't know how to do it." Gilbert said innocently.

Austin rubbed his forehead and said in defeat, "Then you have to tell me: Please help me wash the dishes, something like that. Got It?"

"Got it." Gilbert nodded. "Please wash the dishes."

"Uh..." Austin said helplessly, "Okay, okay. I'll help you wash the dishes in the future. You don't have to say these words."

There was not much time left before they set off. Austin rushed to the sink and washed the dishes. Before he could dry them, he put them into the package.

Gilbert followed him the whole time.

When he finally reached the front of the army, he consciously found Abel and walked to his side.

"You're here?" Abel said.

"Yes." Gilbert did not have a good impression of any human except Austin. Abel greeted him and replied expressionlessly.

Abel was a warm person, but due to the atmosphere in the army, he did not continue to speak to Gilbert.

The two of them stood at the front of the line, side by side.

Chapter 742: A Sudden Invitation

Under the honing of their daily training, the Caradia soldiers quickly stood in line.

Gilbert turned around and glanced at the soldiers. He found that everyone's eyes were also focused on him.

"You promised us to run slower," Abel patted him on the shoulder and said.

"Okay." Gilbert finally understood why everyone was staring at him. He said to everyone, "Get ready to set off."

As soon as he finished speaking, Gilbert took a step forward and lowered his upper body. As he moved forward, he confirmed the situation on the ground. One by one, he bypassed all the snake-woman tribe members who had planted the plague bomb.

His speed was much slower than yesterday. The soldiers trotted behind him.

"Today is much easier than yesterday," a soldier said happily as he ran.

"It's all because of your poor physical strength that you almost couldn't keep up. That's why Gilbert slowed down for you." a soldier complained.

"We're keeping our strength. Isn't the work of building a camp tiring?" the soldier retorted, "Do you think everyone is like you, you're a stupid pillar born with a lot of strength that can't be used up."

"It's too boring like this now." the taller soldier said dejectedly.

When the soldier at the side saw him like this, he moved closer to his ear and said, "I have an idea. When we rest tonight, you can go find that gnome and have a competition to see who is better. Isn't this much more interesting than you running behind him? You don't have to drag everyone down."

When the soldier heard his words, his eyes lit up and he said, "Okay. But I'm not very familiar with that little guy. Can you help me contact him?"

"Why do you have so many people?" the soldier who gave the suggestion said with disdain, "Okay. I'll help you arrange it. But in the future, when we march, don't let me wander around like today."

"It's settled." the soldier said happily.

"Oh right, What's your name again? We need to have a name if we want ti invite that gnome" the slightly smaller soldier asked.

"Jeb, I'm a recruit who joined the army a year ago." the tall and strong soldier replied.

"Oh, then I'm your senior. I've been in Drondheim's military camp for three years." the soldier was slightly surprised. "My name is Levin. I heard from your brother beside you that you were born with this size?"

"Yes, when I was born, I was heavier than ordinary people, and my bones were quite big." Jeb said.

"Why did you think of joining the army?" Since they were marching, he had nothing to do. Levin took the initiative to talk to Jeb and began to chat.

"My father originally planned to let me take over the family field and help with the work." Jeb thought for a while and explained, "But after I broke a few hoes, my father suggested that I join the army, and I was recruited."

"... I see." Levin stared at him with wide eyes and answered slowly.

The two of them continued to chat about the situation in their respective homes, and the dull and boring march became much more lively.

At noon, Abel glanced at the sun hanging high in the sky. Sun shone on them quite a lot of time on the plateau. After running alongside Gilbert for a few hours, his forehead was already covered in sweat.

Glancing at the compass in his hand, Abel called out to Gilbert, "Gilbert, stop."

"Okay." Gilbert stopped running and turned to look at Abel.

"It's already noon. Let's Find a place for the soldiers to rest for a while," Abel explained.

"Okay." After looking around, Gilbert took another step towards a shady area.

"Everyone, stop and rest." Seeing that Gilbert finally stopped, Abel ordered all the soldiers.

"There are no poison bombs in this area." Gilbert's words drifted into Abel's ears. Abel watched as Gilbert rubbed his arm and walked over.

"Got it." Abel replied to Gilbert.

Gilbert looked for Austin among the armored soldiers. After he saw Austin, a smile appeared on Gilbert's face.

"I want to drink water."

Austin watched as a short figure jumped in front of him.

He paused when he raised the water bottle to his lips.

After seeing Gilbert's face clearly, he bent down and handed the water bottle to Gilbert.

Gilbert raised the water bottle and gulped it down.

"Are you thirsty?" Austin looked at him and asked.

Gilbert shook his head. He thought to himself, 'Ever since I spent more and more time with the humans, my eating habits have become like them.'.

When Abel told him to stop, he felt his body calling out: water, water!

He didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Here you are." Gilbert handed the mostly empty water bottle back to Austin.

"Drinking more water is a good thing. It won't cause constipation." Austin said as he smiled and stroked Gilbert's head.

Gilbert glanced at him but didn't reply.

The moment Gilbert returned to Austin's side, their actions were noticed by Levin and Jeb.

"Hi!" After walking in, Levin greeted Austin.

Austin hurriedly swallowed the water in his mouth and replied, "Hello, Captain Levin."

When Levin was training in Drondheim's military camp, he had once trained Austin, who had just joined the army. Although they didn't have much contact after that, the two of them could be considered to be familiar with each other.

Because Levin was a senior who had taken care of him before, even after he had been promoted, Austin still maintained respect for Levin. He also called him 'captain'.

"This comrade of yours is looking for your 'son' for something. Can you give him a chance to communicate with him?" Recently, there had been a lot of news about Gilbert in the army. Even if Levin didn't join in the discussion, he had heard quite a bit. In his eyes, if he wanted to talk to Gilbert about something, he had to use Austin as a breakthrough point. Otherwise, this little fellow wouldn't care about what you said.

Therefore, he had come with the intention of making Austin loosen his tongue.

"This..." Austin put on a troubled expression.

To Levin's surprise, Austin actually hesitated. In his impression, Austin would almost immediately agree to the requests of his seniors or superiors.

Seeing Austin hesitate to speak, Levin quickly added, "Jeb has always liked Gilbert. It's really not a big deal to look for him."

"This..." Austin looked up at the burly soldier standing beside Levin, who hurriedly nodded. After exchanging a glance with Gilbert, he said, "Alright."

Chapter 743: Racing Match

When Levin heard this, he immediately pushed Jeb in front of him.

When Jeb really walked in front of Gilbert, he immediately felt the aura of this child in his eyes.

His movements unconsciously became timid. He opened his mouth, but he couldn't squeeze out a word.

It wasn't until Levin pinched his lower back that he asked in a panic, "I see that you run quite fast, and I can run quite well too. Do you want to compete with me?"

After saying his request, he added urgently, "I'm just asking. I'm not forcing you or something."

"Okay." Gilbert nodded and agreed.

"Really?" Jeb widened his eyes and said happily, "Thank you."

After listening to his thanks, Gilbert shook his head and said, "But if you lose, you have to give me your dinner."

He had long been unwilling to share a meal with Austin.

"Ah?" Jeb was slightly surprised. "Tonight's dinner, or every day?"

"Every day." Gilbert said simply.

"Gilbert." Austin stopped him. Did this kid really want to steal someone else's dinner?

"Forget it if you don't agree." Gilbert said as he looked away.

Abel was already gathering a team and ordering everyone to prepare to set off. Gilbert had to return to his original position.

"Alright, I promise you." Jeb shook his head at Austin and replied.

"Alright. Let's compete before the meal." Gilbert didn't wait for a reply before he turned around and walked forward.

"He's not very sensible yet..." Austin hurriedly explained, but Jeb interrupted him halfway. "Since we made a promise, we have to be able to afford to lose. Moreover, I might not necessarily lose." Jeb said with a smile. After saying this, he followed Levin back to the back row of the team.

Austin stayed in place alone. He was stunned for a long time. Finally, he held his forehead and sighed.

The news of the match between Gilbert and Jeb quickly spread among the marching troops.

Even Devitt and Claremont, who were holding the line, heard the news from the soldiers' small talk.

"I didn't expect Gilbert to agree to such a request." Devitt said.

"It's good to have such activities from time to time, to liven up the atmosphere in the army. I think it will be quite interesting." Claremont said with a smile.

"You just want to watch the show." Devitt said with a smile.

"I still have a serious purpose. I want to see how strong this gnome is." Claremont added.

"How can we tell who is stronger through this match. Whoever faster will win." Devitt shook his head and said.

"Not necessarily. Although the goblins are naturally faster than humans. But we are soldiers who have joined the army for a year, so our strength is much higher than ordinary people. If the gnome can barely win, then I will accept it. With his tiny body, if he can outpace his opponent by a long distance, then I don't think an ordinary gnome will have such ability." Claremont analyzed in detail.

"Mm, what you said does make sense." Devitt nodded and said, "So far, other than being able to observe the terrain, Gilbert doesn't seem to have shown anything in front of us."

"Do you think this match is interesting now?" Claymore smiled at Devitt.

"Yes, we should go and take a look." Devitt said.

Under everyone's expectations, the marching schedule finally came to an end. Except for the people who were arranged to set up tents, all the other soldiers gathered near the venue that Gilbert and Jeb had chosen for the match.

They were prepared to watch the match.

The venue was a flat piece of yellow soil. Jeb and Gilbert were about 500 meters away from the finish line at the jungle.

"Let's not talk too much. So many people have come to watch our match. Let's not waste any more time." Jeb said as he stood on his own track.

Levin stood in the middle of the two.

"After I count down to one, the match start." Levin said as he raised the flag.

Jeb and Gilbert turned to him and nodded. Before Jeb made his preparations, he glanced at Gilbert on his right and found that his expression was calmer than usual.

"I can't let you underestimate me." Jeb thought to himself.

"Three!" Levin waved the flag in the air.

"Two!"

"One!"

When Jeb and Gilbert rushed out, the distance between their shoulders was only a few millimeters apart.

However, in the blink of an eye, Gilbert had shaken off Jeb by a large margin.

Even though Jeb was desperately chasing after him, he still did not shrink back in the slightest.

In the end, this match ended with a crushing victory for Gilbert. When he crossed the finish line, Gilbert directly pounced on Austin, who was waiting for him.

"Ouch." Austin called out.

"I won." Gilbert's face was still red. After all, this was a high plateau, and he couldn't catch his breath while running.

"Congratulations." Austin said with a smile.

"You can eat more tonight." Gilbert said to Austin proudly, still hiding a part of his childish nature.

"So that's why you're doing this." Austin suddenly realized.

After Jeb crossed the finish line, he silently walked to Gilbert's side and sighed. "I'll give you all my dinner from now on."

"Forget it. Our army isn't so poor that we can't even afford a dinner for one more person." a sentence came from afar. Jeb raised his head in fear and saw Devitt and the others walking over with a smile on their faces.

"I'm sorry, Gilbert. I forgot to arrange it for you over the past few days," Claremont said. "Let's choose a smaller bet in the future. If he doesn't say anything and starves to death like this, our losses will be huge."

Gilbert glanced at the three of them and nodded.

"Disperse, disperse. Hurry up and help. Do you still want to eat early?" Abel said to the surrounding soldiers.

The soldiers who wanted to come over hurriedly left. Levin also hurriedly came over and pulled the exhausted Jeb away.

"I didn't expect you to actually win against Jeb. He can be considered to have quite a strong footwork in our army." Devitt praised.

"It's nothing. There are many of my people who are faster than me." Gilbert said with a calm expression.

"It seems that our understanding of the gnome race is still too little. The advantage of race is indeed not to be underestimated." Abel sighed.

"If you want to understand the gnome race, you just need to understand me." Gilbert said with a cold smile.

Devitt looked at him.

Chapter 744: Return to the Reality

Seeing that the air pressure in the field was getting lower and lower, Austin quickly walked forward and hid Gilbert behind him. He put on a smile on his face and said to Devitt, "Captain Devitt, I'm sorry. We have to hurry up and help set up the tent. Please excuse us."

As soon as he finished speaking, without waiting for Devitt to reply, Austin held Gilbert's hand and left the place.

Devitt looked at the receding figures of the two people and asked Claremont and Abel, "Do you think that Gilbert has found out the reason why we sent Austin to his side?"

"Well," Claremont pursed his dry lips and replied, "I'm not very sure."

"I think that Gilbert hasn't found it out yet. Otherwise, it would be hard to imagine that at his age, he would be so calm and aggressive toward us in that kind of situation." Abel analyzed calmly.

"What Abel said makes sense." Devitt nodded. "But his vigilance towards us is indeed high."

"Since the plan to keep him in the army was established, don't we have to play the bad cop in front of him?" Claremont didn't care much about Gilbert's attitude just now.

Devitt silently lowered his eyes, looked at the blue sky and white clouds on the plateau, and sighed.

"My life is really hard!"

At the dinner table, Jeb held his lunch box that had been cleaned out by Gilbert and wailed.

Levin laughed and stomped his feet. "You silly big guy, who told you to challenge him? You asked for it."

Jeb said with red eyes, "That little guy is even faster than the badger in my hometown. I can't catch up with him no matter how hard I try."

"I can see it, I can see it." a soldier holding a rice bowl said with disdain, "Well, in order to make up for you letting us watch an amateur versus professional game, you can choose any dish in this bowl."

"Really?!" Jeb widened his eyes and said happily. His cheeks were also flushed.

"Yes." the soldier nodded.

"Thank you, thank you." Jeb said hurriedly.

"How can you fill your stomach with just that? Come, come, come. I'll share this rice with you." a soldier sitting across from him stood up and said.

"Thank you, all of you." Jeb raised his face from the rice bowl, and said emotionally.

"I thought you looked unfamiliar before. So you're a new recruit who just joined the army a year ago. As a new recruit, you must be very impressive to be selected here, right?" the soldier who shared the rice with Jeb said.

"I'm not very impressive. Levin already knew it when he first met me today. I am just born with some brute force." Jeb was a little embarrassed from being praised, and his words became humble. "Isn't that right, Captain Levin?"

"Uh..." Levin sat in his chair and looked at the eager and curious looks of the soldiers around him. He sighed in his heart. If he had known this would happen, why would he have hidden Jeb's portion of dinner.

He originally wanted Jeb to suffer the pain of not having dinner for an entire night. He could use this opportunity to educate Jeb that he should never compare himself to others in the future.

However, he didn't expect Jeb's personality and behavior would be respected by the soldiers.

Levin mostly dealt with higher-ranking officers in the barracks.

As a result, he spent too much time like this, and he couldn't help but ignore the enthusiasm of the other soldiers.

At the moment when the table was filled with soldiers celebrating Jeb's 'victory', Levin truly felt his military life.

"Actually, I knew that you came to our military camp a long time ago, because you are much bigger than us. I could see you at a glance in the assembled troops. However, looking at your face, I felt that you were quite difficult to get in touch with. I didn't come to greet you, but now I know that you have such a good personality." a soldier praised.

The group of people chatted more and more happily. From time to time, new people from other tables would join them. As a result, this table was the last to be cleaned up that night.

Unlike the noisy atmosphere in the open space of the camp, Devitt and the other two quickly gathered together after dinner.

They sat around the table and carefully planned on the open map.

"Gilbert did lead us out of the snake-woman's territory. We're only left with the dragon's territory for the rest of the journey." Abel first broke the quiet atmosphere.

"I heard that the dragon clan is currently in hibernation, but we still have to be careful." Devitt warned.

"We're finally close to the volcano. The past two months have really tormented me." Claremont said.

"Although this part of the journey hasn't been smooth, we been quite lucky along the way. We didn't make too many unnecessary sacrifices. I hope that the situation will be much easier when we're carrying out the mission afterward." Abel recalled the past two months and said.

"Carrying out the mission is not so simple." Claremont's eyes seemed to be shrouded in a layer of mist. At this moment, he was crouching on the table as he spoke in a low voice.

The other two did not immediately reply. They also knew that the volcano was located in the center of the entire island. The forces that could take root there were probably more powerful than any of the forces they had seen before. If they wanted to get information about the dwarf clan, they would have to participate in the struggle between these forces. The situation would be even more cruel than it was now.

"If you want to control the future in your hands, you have to grasp the clues leading to it. The moment we step into the volcanic area, everything we encounter will determine our direction of progress. Prepare to set up your own defensive line." Devitt concluded.

Claremont straightened his body and nodded.

Abel did the same.

The three of them concluded their night meeting. Claremont and Abel walked out of the tent. As they enjoyed the night breeze, Claremont asked Abel, "Abel, have you fought in any wars before?"

"Yes, but at that time, I was not the commander-in-chief," Abel replied. "What about you? Before this, have you ever followed your country's army anywhere?"

"No, I have always been a small fry in the military camp," Claremont replied. "It's just that I was suddenly called out and followed everyone until now."

"Are you nervous about the future?" Abel turned to look at Claremont asked.

"I'm a little nervous, my emotions have also become a little sensitive." Claremont took a deep breath and said, "But not only for me, but also for everyone."

"It's also my first time being appointed as the leader. When I was sitting just now, I thought about it and realized that my resolution is far from enough." Abel nodded slightly and said while looking at the dark night sky.

Chapter 745: Resolution as a Leader

"The stronger the light shines on us, the deeper our shadows will become." Claremont took a deep breath and said, "I can only get used to it sooner."

The two did not stay outside for long. After chatting for a while, they returned to their own tent to rest.

"You're very strong today. I see that you're a lot ahead of that soldier." Austin brought a basin of hot water to the bedside and said to Gilbert, who was sitting on the edge of the bed.

Gilbert looked at the hot water under his feet and frowned. He was not in the mood to listen to Austin's words at all.

"I heard from the other soldiers that we can walk smoothly for the next few days because the route Captain Abel took us to an open space that no one is in charge of." Austin was still talking to himself.

"What's so good about an open space that no one is in charge of? It's abandoned by others." Gilbert checked the temperature of the water and quickly retracted his feet. At this moment, he wrinkled his nose and said to Austin.

"How can you say that? Every piece of land has its own benefits. It can only be said that these open spaces are not very suitable for the residents of this island." Austin retorted casually. Then, he placed a low stool in front of Gilbert and sat down.

"This is so hot." Gilbert used his chin to point at the hot water beside the bed and said in disdain.

"Only hot water can kill bacteria." Austin did not care about Gilbert's protest and continued to persuade him, "I didn't check your body these few days. But your toenails are so black, and you still haven't washed them. You might get sick."

On such a disagreement, Austin would always put on a very reasonable and confident look and win an overwhelming victory in the end.

"Okay." Gilbert glanced at Austin, curled his lips and said.

Then, he slowly immersed his feet into the basin. From time to time, he would make irritating calls.

Austin sat on the low stool and pressed on Gilbert's lower leg.

After a while, when Gilbert got used to the temperature of the hot water, he could submerge his feet in the basin without Austin watching.

"Does it feel different now?" Austin asked with a smile.

"It does feel different." Gilbert replied while moving his feet.

"Soak in the water for about ten minutes. The water will be cold by then. I'll help you wipe your feet." Austin reminded him.

Then, Austin put a towel on the railing beside the bed and walked out with the bowl that had not been washed.

Gilbert looked at the water in a daze. He did not notice the passage of time at all.

"What are you thinking about?" At some point, Austin came back with the bowl that had been washed.

At this time, he was wiping the water droplets on his hands with a towel.

"I'm wondering if I'm too much like a human." Gilbert answered.

"Huh? Why did you think of this?" Austin walked over and asked.

"The water is cold." Gilbert saw Austin walking over, and his eyes seemed to focus back. He raised his feet and said.

Austin could only forget about his own problem. He placed Gilbert's feet on his thighs, which were covered with a towel, and helped him wipe off the water stains.

"Whether you're like a gnome or a human, I still hope that in your heart, the person you're comparing yourself to now will be your past self. Whether it's something you like or hate, at least you can make your own choice. Isn't that enough?" After a moment of silence, Austin said earnestly.

Gilbert raised his head and looked at him, his eyes seemed to be shining.

"Austin..." Gilbert whispered.

"Hehe." Austin laughed softly. "Actually, at the age of a human, I'm barely an adult. It's quite embarrassing to always say these big words in front of you."

"I understand." Gilbert nodded slightly and replied.

Austin placed Gilbert's legs back on the mattress. He raised the foot washing water, which was already black, and said in a clear voice, "You rest first. I'll come in later and help you turn off the lights."

"Okay." Gilbert pulled the quilt over and covered himself. He closed his eyes.

The moment Austin walked out of the tent, tears fell from his eyes. When Gilbert asked that question, he looked at Gilbert's expression. He already had the thought that the Gilbert would disappear at any time.

Although they had only been together for about a week, when Austin thought that Gilbert would leave him, his heart sank into sadness.

He poured the used water into the water tank in the camp.

Austin walked back to the tent that was still lit. When he saw that Gilbert had already fallen into a dream, he put out the candlestick and left.

Early the next morning, Gilbert stood in front of Austin's tent and waited.

The soldiers who passed by were all surprised by this scene. They rushed back to the tent and woke up Austin who was still sleeping soundly.

"Austin! Your son is waiting for you outside!!"

"Son... What!" Austin rubbed his eyes and reflected for a while. After he figured out the content of the words, he quickly got up from the bed. He rushed to the door with his upper body naked. When he saw Gilbert, he shouted, "Ah!".

"Good morning." Gilbert said.

"Why are you here? Who put this on you?" Austin squatted down and looked at Gilbert carefully.

"I'm standing here waiting for you. Why aren't you wearing any clothes?" Gilbert answered seriously, "I wore this clothes myself. I've learned it since you helped me wear it so many times."

Austin still had a look of disbelief on his face.

"Austin! Why are you standing there without your armor?" the captain of the third team walked over and berated him.

"Yes! Yes! Captain, I'll come out when I'm ready." Austin replied in a panic. After glancing at Gilbert who was standing in the same place, he lifted the curtain of the door and walked back into the tent.

"This shouldn't be a dream..." Austin said to himself as he put on his clothes. "But how did he suddenly become like this?"

With doubt, Austin quickly put on his shirt and brought his weapon. He walked out.

Today, Gilbert didn't have to stand at the front to lead the way, so he returned to the seat beside Austin as usual.

"Today, everyone can relax a little. There's no need to hurry like two days ago." Abel stood in front of the line and spoke. "However, you still have to remember to keep up with the main group. Don't let down your guard completely."

This was the decision that Abel, Devitt, and Claremont came up with after discussing it with each other yesterday. After all, they had run for two days in a row. They still had to relax and rest.

Chapter 746: Soldiers Who Miss Their Hometown

Austin glanced at Gilbert beside him, still confused.

On the way, Austin could not help but bend down and ask Gilbert, "What's wrong with you today?"

"I just feel that my question yesterday made you sad, and I want to make it up to you today." Gilbert said with a mischievous smile.

Austin's face was a little red because his mood was seen through by Gilbert. Gilbert's smile after that really made him shiver. He tried to explain, "No need, I'm..."

"It's okay, it's just today." Gilbert said with a smile.

It seemed that today was not a good day. Austin thought silently in his heart.

At noon, when everyone was hiding under the shade of the trees to rest. Claremont and Abel walked over and asked Gilbert, "During your exile, do you have any impression of the dragon?"

"Are you going to take the road where the dragon clan's estate is located?" Gilbert frowned and asked.

"Yes. After all, we want to reach the volcano as soon as possible. Based on our current position, it will be a shortcut." Abel explained. "Why? is the dragon clan very difficult to deal with?"

"This season is the dormant period of the dragon clan. When the dragon clan is dormant, they will ask the 'pseudo dragon' to guard the area around the estate. Although the ability of the 'pseudo dragon' is far from the ability of the dragon clan. However, they were extremely sensitive to their surroundings. As long as you step within a radius of ten miles from where they are, they could hear your footsteps clearly," Gilbert continued, "Moreover, the dragon clan is separated from the forces of all the races on the island. Not taking a single step into the dragon clan's estate is one of the iron rules of this island."

Austin's eyes widened when he heard this. "They're so powerful!"

Claremont and the other also became anxious. They had finally reached this step, but they didn't expect that the last obstacle in front of them would be so difficult to deal with.

No wonder the dragon clan had the least informative among the four pieces of information that the dwarf clan sent to them.

"Even if you can defeat the 'pseudo dragon', once the dragon clan's forces are awakened, you will become the object of expulsion of the entire island." Gilbert said with a heavy tone.

"Why? Isn't the dragon clan does not interact with you?" Austin asked in shock.

Although Austin hadn't seen the true appearance of the dragon clan, he already had some faint ideas of the terrifying commanding power of the dragon clan.

"This is an agreement signed between the various clans on the island. As for why such an agreement exists, I'm not too sure either." Gilbert first answered Austin's question. Then, he said to Claremont, "Therefore, I suggest that you take a detour. Even if you delay it for a while, you don't have to force yourself into a dead end."

After hearing Gilbert's words, Claremont exchanged a glance with Abel. Then, he said, "Thank you for telling us this. If it weren't for you, perhaps we wouldn't have known about this before we entered the dragon clan's estate. However, we still have to discuss the specific military plan for a while before we can make a decision."

"Of course, I'm only suggesting." Gilbert shook his head and said.

Claremont and Abel nodded and left.

After a while, Abel asked everyone to gather and get ready to set off.

During the afternoon journey, the soldiers were still as lively as this morning, discussing some popular topics.

Austin looked around and said in a low voice, "It seems that the news about the dragon clan hasn't spread yet."

"Of course. How could anyone know that there's a dead end ahead and still be willing to follow those three people? I guess the information they got from me has already been sealed among themselves." Gilbert stared at Abel's back, he said hatefully.

"Don't say that." Austin looked at Gilbert's confident expression, he sighed, "You don't understand the atmosphere in the army. Everyone wants to complete the mission, and these three captains are good people who are worthy of trust. Even if they choose to take that path in the end, I, who know the inside story, will believe that they have already thought of a good strategy, let alone the other soldiers."

"Humph," Gilbert said, "What can we do in this situation? If they want to die, I will take you with me and escape."

"Hehe," Austin chuckled, "I am a living person, how can I be dragged away by you? Don't think about this nonsense. The day of the decision is still far away."

Gilbert looked up at Austin and looked at his smile. He sighed. Were the Caradia soldiers have such an optimistic attitude when they joined the army? Why was everyone in this military camp like this.

"It's the first time I've seen a winter sunset." a soldier said to the sunset.

"Me too." another soldier replied.

"It's almost the end of the year. Drondheim should be preparing for the new year festival soon, right?" Jeb recalled.

"Unfortunately, I won't be able to celebrate the new year in Drondheim this year." Levin's voice was muffled.

"Stop it. I'm reminded of the bacon that my hometown makes every year." Jeb sniffed and said.

"Why do you only think of food?" Levin glanced at Jeb in disdain.

"Uh..."

Just as the soldiers had said, the Drondheim City was bustling with activities.

Even though it was snowing heavily, there were still many people happily shopping for new year's goods on the streets.

Kant also wore casual clothes, which was rare for him, and walked on the streets. He only had Aubrey by his side as a guard.

"Seeing how bustling the Drondheim City is, your highness, you can rest assured." Aubrey said with a smile.

"It's good to be lively," Kant nodded and said, "The new year goods sent to Drondheim have probably arrived."

"Yes, the escort team that left a week ago is probably on the way back now." Aubrey replied.

"After they come back, Drondheim will close the city gates in a few days. Sure enough, you can't feel the autumn weather in the desert. In just a blink of an eye, it's almost the end of the year," Kant sighed.

"Your Highness." Aubrey said hesitantly, "The news from the island..."

"We haven't received any news from the elves recently. We only learned a few days ago that Devitt and the others seemed to have changed their route on the way. Therefore, the elves didn't receive any news from them." Kant said.

"Then, did something unexpected happen to them?" Aubrey asked worriedly.

"It is inevitable for accidents to happen in unfamiliar places." Kant explained. "However, according to the contents of the letter, it seems that there is only a slight mistake in the food aspect."

Chapter 747: A Sudden Conflict

After hearing Kant's words, Aubrey heaved a sigh of relief and said, "That's good. There's no big problem."

Kant nodded and said, "I originally asked Bunduk to look for me today. Why are you here?"

"Commander Bunduk set off with the escort team to Durandal. They couldn't find anyone else in the military camp. Your Highness's guards came to me." Aubrey answered in embarrassment.

"Bunduk went to Durandal? Why didn't I know?" Kant asked, slightly puzzled.

"Your Highness, you didn't know?" Aubrey widened his eyes. He had a premonition that he might have gotten himself into a big trouble, he stammered, "I heard that Commander Bunduk went there because he heard that Commander Derrick won't be returning to Drondheim at the end of this year. After all, the two of them used to be comrades-in-arms."

"I see. Then, who is in charge of the matters in the military camp now?" Kant asked.

"... Adonis." Aubrey replied.

"Okay." Kant said indifferently without any displeasure on his face.

Aubrey followed Kant for the rest of the journey with trepidation and escorted him back to the palace.

After walking out of the senate, Aubrey thought to himself, should I send a message to Bunduk or something.

However, thinking that Bunduk should be on his way back with the escort team, he gave up the idea.

"What should I do?" Aubrey looked at the sky and sighed.

It was two days ago, when Bunduk had just arrived in Durandal.

Bunduk walked down from the camel and took off his woolen hat. He said to the surprised derrick, "Long time no see."

"Why did you come?" Derrick walked to Bunduk's side and asked happily.

"Since you won't return to Drondheim, I have no choice but to come here to see you, is that alright?" said Bunduk.

Derrick waved his hand and said, "Why do you say that? I'm just staying here to celebrate the new year. How many days are you planning to stay here?" As he said that, he took Bunduk's luggage.

"We have to set off tomorrow. His Highness doesn't know that I'm out yet. I have to hurry back." said Bunduk as he patted Derrick on the shoulder.

"Ha, you sure have guts." Derrick loosened his grip, and his luggage fell to the ground.

"It's fine. His Highness won't find out. Adonis will cover for me." said Bunduk. "Ah, this bag is my cotton-padded jacket. You'll be responsible for it if it gets wet. Quickly pick it up."

Derrick was stunned for a moment. Then, he picked up the luggage bag that had fallen in the snow and followed Bunduk's footsteps. The two of them walked side by side.

"When you go back, you'll see how His Highness will deal with you." said Derrick.

"I came just to see you." Bunduk shook his head nonchalantly and said, "You have to be honest. You're not going back this time because you want to stay here. But is it also because of the letter I wrote to you?"

Hearing this, Derrick took a deep breath, the corners of his mouth curled up into a smile as he said, "Yes. When I first heard that His Highness was planning to relieve my position, I was angry. But after thinking about it, perhaps there's nothing wrong with this. Claremont is more suited to try it than I am. My wish is to stay in Durandal and complete the project here."

"This is completely different from the purpose for which I wrote you the letter." Bunduk said.

"Then, what were you thinking when you wrote the letter?" There was still a long way to go, so Derrick didn't mind the topic continuing.

"Of course, I wanted you to return to Drondheim and make some achievements. This way, His Highness wouldn't remove you from your position as commander. This way, we can continue being colleagues and wait for the next time we charge into the battlefield together." Bunduk voiced out all the thoughts in his mind.

"Thank you, Bunduk." Derrick's eyes were red as he said, "However, I'm also very happy to support you from the position of a subordinate."

"No..." after Bunduk reacted, he said, "How did you..."

"I didn't have the determination to compete with others. Do you still remember? The first celebration banquet we held when we returned from the Elf Kingdom," said Derrick, "At that time, my desire to win was at its peak. I was able to make a name for myself as a leader in a battle I had just won. At that time, I had enough confidence to become an even more outstanding commander than you. That's why I wanted to express myself in front of you."

"Wait, a celebration banquet? How long ago was that?" Bunduk said with a frown. "Derrick, you are really excellent as a leader. However, sometimes, your meticulous thoughts can actually trouble you."

"I know," answered Derrick. "Anyway, I no longer have the confidence to stand in the position of a leader."

Bunduk looked at the side of Derrick's face and realized that the usually calm and composed Derrick actually had such a stubborn and fragile side to him. Derrick, Derrick, Derrick... He couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

After returning to Durandal's military base, Derrick was in a hurry to bring Durandal's men to help unload the goods. He didn't have the time to welcome Bunduk. Bunduk stayed in his guest room until evening.

"Commander Bunduk! It's almost dinner time!" a soldier knocked on Bunduk's door and said.

"Got it." Bunduk replied. After drinking the last mouthful of tea in the porcelain cup, he walked out.

The building they were staying in tonight was newly built near the military camp. When they walked to the door of the lobby on the first floor, they could see that the soldiers in the military camp were gathered together noisily.

"Commander Bunduk, please follow me," a Durandal soldier said.

Bunduk followed behind him and walked to the banquet table. Derrick was sitting there as well.

"You're here," greeted Derrick with a smile.

"Yes." Bunduk squeezed out a smile. To him, Derrick had become a complete stranger.

Less than two hours had passed since the dispute in the afternoon. Bunduk really couldn't imagine what Derrick's smiling face meant.

The banquet began. As representatives of both parties, Derrick and Bunduk each made a few remarks.

When Bunduk spoke, he had no idea what he was saying. After saying, "I wish everyone a good meal", he sat in his seat and drank a glass of sake.

The empty glass was filled to the brim.

Bunduk looked up and saw Derrick. Derrick still had a smile on his face. "Don't drink so quickly. Let's eat first." Derrick said

"I don't... feel like I can eat." Bunduk said with a wry smile.

"Then, I'll drink with you." Derrick replied with a sigh. Derrick said.

With that said, he took his glass and sat down in front of Bunduk.

"Come." said Derrick to Bunduk as he filled his glass with wine and raised it in front of him.

Chapter 748: An Inconclusive Cold War

After three rounds of drinking, the two of them were already completely drunk. They couldn't sit properly in their seat.

At this moment, Bunduk no longer had his usual restraint. He began to talk to Derrick about how he admired Derrick.

As for Derrick, he leaned back in his chair and quietly listened to Bunduk's words.

In the end, when Bunduk's mouth was dry from talking, Derrick called for someone to bring him a pot of tea. He said, "Drink some tea first."

"No need. It's fine as long as there's wine." Bunduk shook his head.

"You haven't had enough?" Derrick removed the wine from Bunduk's glass and filled it with tea. "People who set off early in the morning tomorrow can't afford to have a hangover."

"Who cares? If you drink with me, I have to drink to my heart's content." Bunduk waved his hand and said, "If you want to stay here forever, won't there be fewer opportunities for us to drink together in the future?"

"Sigh." Derrick sighed alone and said to Bunduk with a smile, "How about this? Whenever you want me to go back to Drondheim to drink with you, I'll go back immediately."

"You..." At this moment, Bunduk's eyes had turned red. "I didn't know you would be so stubborn. Why didn't you listen to me after I told you so many times? Now that I think about it, I can see that His Highness revealed the decision he was about to make to me so that I could test your resolve. The outcome now will probably surprise even him."

After drinking too much wine, Bunduk's tongue went numb, and his words became irrational. However, Derrick could still hear the meaning in his words. He pursed his lips, raised his hand, and handed the teacup to Bunduk.

"Do you think it will be easy to walk down from this position? The things you are used to will be lost one after another. Why do you have to let yourself suffer those losses?" Bunduk took the teacup, as his lips moved, he thought of something. He placed the wine cup on the table and continued speaking to Derrick.

"I've thought about all of this..." Derrick whispered.

"I wonder how disappointed your subordinates will be if they know that you will make such a decision." Bunduk quickly drank a cup of tea and prepared to leave. However, when he stood up, he wasn't able to stand properly. He could barely walk properly.

Derrick quickly went forward to support him and instructed the soldier beside him, "Send General Bunduk back."

"Yes." the soldier rushed over and placed Bunduk's hand on his shoulder, holding half of his body.

"Remember to send the hangover soup prepared by the kitchen to General Bunduk." Looking at Bunduk's dragging figure, Derrick continued to instruct the soldier beside him.

"Yes!"

The next morning, Bunduk was woken up by the guards. Because he had not only taken a bath before going to bed last night, but he had also drunk the hangover soup and so on, the headache were not as intense as he had imagined.

"Commander Bunduk, we are about to set off." After seeing that Bunduk had woken up, the soldier retreated to the door and reported to him.

"Alright." Bunduk rubbed his temples and nodded.

As he had been out on expeditions all year round, the process of washing up in the morning was already something that Bunduk was used to. He appeared in the hall earlier than anyone else.

He met Derrick, who was about to head upstairs. Derrick looked at Bunduk in surprise and asked, "You're so early?"

"I was woken up by someone. I was faster than them, so I waited here." Bunduk answered as he chewed on his breakfast.

"I see." Derrick didn't go up the stairs. Instead, he turned around and went to the kitchen to bring out two cups of warm milk. He sat down opposite Bunduk and said, "Drink something hot."

Bunduk took a cup of milk and drank it. "Not bad. It's comparable to the fresh milk in the military camp."

"I got someone to order it from Cumberland." said Derrick as he took a sip.

"That's a good idea." praised Bunduk.

"Why don't I pack some for you to take away?" suggested Derrick.

"No." Bunduk shook his head with a smile. "If His Highness finds out about this, he'll kill me."

"Hehe." Derrick also treated this as a joke and ignored it.

The two of them chatted casually, and the number of soldiers sitting around eating breakfast increased.

"You don't have to supervise the construction site today?" Bunduk wiped the table in front of him and asked Derrick.

"I sent my men to watch it for me." answered Derrick. "I'll rush over after sending you out of the city gates."

"Okay." Bunduk nodded, stood up, and called for the soldiers to quickly gather.

"Let them eat slowly." said Derrick with a smile.

"If I eat more, I'll be too full to walk." Bunduk shook his head with a smile. "Besides, I really feel bad for keeping you here."

"Hehe," Derrick chuckled.

After a while, the soldiers of the escort team lined up in front of the lobby.

"The few of you, go and bring the camels from the backyard." Bunduk instructed the soldiers in the front row.

After everyone packed their luggage, they headed for the city gate.

When they reached the city gate, Bunduk bade farewell to Derrick. "We'll see you after the new year."

"Alright." Derrick waved at him.

Without saying anything else, Bunduk led his soldiers and set off towards the snow land outside the city.

"Your Highness!" a soldier rushed into the senate hall and shouted.

"What's wrong?" Kant put down the document in his hand and looked up.

"Commander Bunduk has returned to Drondheim with his guards. He's at the city gate now." reported the soldier.

"Oh. I understand. You may leave." Kant nodded and continued to read the text in his hand.

The soldier saw that Kant was so calm and thought that he was really angry with Commander Bunduk. He hesitated and said, "Do we need to... call Commander Bunduk over?"

"No need." Kant said. "He will come on his own."

The soldier was stunned for a moment before he replied, "Understood."

Once again, Kant was the only one left in the senate hall. When Kant heard the sound of footsteps getting further and further away, he glanced at the incense sticks at the corner of the table. He calculated the time in his heart.

After a while, Kant sat in the hall and heard Bunduk's laughter from afar.

When Bunduk entered the hall and bowed, Kant put the document in his hand aside and said, "You dare to laugh when you left the city without telling me?"

"Uh." Bunduk squatted down and said awkwardly, "It's my fault for not reporting to you, Your Highness."

Chapter 749: Three-day Punishment

"How is it? Have you seen Derrick?" Kant didn't seem to mind. He stood up to help Bunduk up from his bow and asked.

"Yes, we even drank together." When Bunduk mentioned the meeting with Derrick, his mood boosted again.

"What did he tell you? Is he planning to stay in Durandal for the rest of his life?" Kant raised the corners of his mouth and asked.

"Your Highness, if you have any orders, of course he will immediately return to Drondheim." Bunduk quickly denied. "However, doesn't he have to personally take care of the matters over at Durandal?"

"I understand." Kant said as he shook his head gently.

Bunduk saw Kant's expression and knew that Kant had guessed the meaning behind his words.

After letting out a heavy sigh in his heart, he raised his smiling face and bade Kant farewell. "Then, Your Highness, since you have already forgiven me, then I will return to the military camp to take over."

Kant frowned and said, "Who said I have forgiven you? If it were any other soldier who ran out of the city without permission, they would have long been dishonorably discharged."

Bunduk was so frightened by Kant's words that he broke out in cold sweat. He then asked, "Then my punishment is..."

"Hmph." Kant snorted and ordered, "Seeing that you didn't cause any trouble this time and that you have done meritorious deeds in escorting the goods. I won't demote you, but you will be punished to stand in front of the palace gate for three days and three nights."

"Three days? !" Bunduk widened his eyes and said, "... Your Highness, isn't that a little too harsh? Moreover, standing in front of the palace gate, the people will definitely point fingers at me."

"Yes, only then will you remember the lesson." Kant nodded and said, "Don't bargain with me. The punishment will start from tomorrow. You can go back and rest today."

"... Yes." Bunduk agreed with a sullen face. Then, he bowed and left the palace.

In the next three days, the news that the commander of the Caradia soldiers was punished to stand in front of the palace gates was spread all over the city.

Everyone was guessing the reason behind this. There were also many parents who brought their children to watch.

Bunduk stood motionlessly in front of the palace gate. After standing there for three days and three nights, the exhaustion of his physical strength was not a big deal. However, he was so tired that he could not stand it anymore. With his eyes half-open, he was close to falling asleep.

"General, you can retreat now." A subordinate soldier stuck his head out from behind the palace gate and said.

"Eh?" Bunduk opened his eyes in a daze. When he saw that the sky had turned dark, he heaved a sigh of relief. He frowned and said to the soldier, "Why are you standing there? My legs are frozen. Quickly come and help me up."

"Yes, yes." the soldier quickly jumped out of the door and approached Bunduk, supporting half of his body.

Bunduk realized that his legs were almost numb from the cold. He used a lot of strength to move away from the spot.

The soldier looked at the sweat on Bunduk's forehead and said worriedly, "It's such a cold day and you've been outdoors for so long. His Highness is not worried that your legs will get rheumatism?"

"My body is fine. Just don't jinx it." Bunduk replied and stomped on the ground a few times.

The soldier looked at him and shook his head, reporting, "Captain Adonis said that he will bring a carriage to bring us back to the barracks. He asked me to stay here and take care of you for a while."

"Adonis is coming too?" Bunduk frowned and said, "There's no need to go through so much trouble. I can walk back myself."

The soldier could not win against Bunduk, so he accepted his fate and carried him to the barrack.

However, not long after the two of them walked, they met the carriage that came to welcome them. The cloth of the military camp carriage was particularly eye-catching in the dark night.

The soldier shouted joyfully, "Captain Adonis!"

"Why are you stopping on this road? Didn't I tell you to wait at the entrance of the palace?" Adonis jumped off the carriage and said with slight anger.

"I was the one who wanted to walk back on my own, so this kid followed me here to accompany me." said Bunduk.

Adonis glanced at the frost on Bunduk's cotton-padded jacket and didn't blame him anymore. He said to Bunduk, "Hurry up and get on the carriage. There's a stove in the carriage."

Bunduk agreed, "Okay."

After getting on the carriage, the three of them sat down around the small stove.

"Why did you come in as well?" Adonis asked the soldier who was sitting down curiously.

The soldier rubbed his head in embarrassment and said, "I'll get so warmth for a short while. I'll go out and drive the carriage later."

Adonis glanced at him speechlessly, then walked out of the carriage and sat on the seat of the coachman. He turned his head and shouted, "You can go out after warming up."

With that, Adonis waved the horsewhip and drove the carriage back.

The soldier in the carriage wanted to stop Adonis, but he couldn't. He could only sit on the spot with an awkward expression and rub his hands in front of the stove.

"What's your name?" Bunduk watched the whole process and asked the soldier with interest.

"Florence." the soldier nervously looked up at Bunduk and answered hesitantly.

"Why does it sound like a girl's name? And it sounds a little familiar." Bunduk frowned, he looked out of the window and carefully recalled in his mind, "This name seems to be the name of the very famous singer in the West City Restaurant. I've even heard her songs before."

After saying this, Bunduk looked meaningfully at the soldier.

"That's my sister." After the soldier saw that his lie had been exposed, he immediately explained apologetically, "General, my name is Shelbert."

"That's more like it. When your sister hears that you use her name so well, she will definitely be very happy." Bunduk did not blame him but teased him in a relaxed manner.

"I'm sorry..." Shelbert apologized.

"It's nothing." Bunduk shook his head and said, "When did you enter the military camp?"

"Two years ago," Shelbert replied.

"Two years... which camp? Why haven't I seen you much?" Bunduk pondered.

"The cavalry unit. I was injured in daily training a year ago, so I temporarily became a logistics soldier." Shelbert was very happy with Bunduk's attitude, and he explained in detail at this time.

"I see. How's your work in the logistics team?" Bunduk continued asking.

"It's not bad. I'm very occupied when I'm busy, and I'm also very relaxed when I'm free. I quite like staying here." Shelbert said as he breathed hot air into his hand.

"That's good too." Bunduk looked at Shelbert in front of him and thought of Derrick, whom he had met a few days ago.

Indeed, everyone's pursuit wasn't the same.

"Is your hand frostbitten?" Bunduk asked as he drew closer to Shelbert and pointed at the wound on Shelbert's hand.

"Yes, it's been too cold recently. I didn't care it much, and it became like this." Shelbert replied.

Chapter 750: Late Night Medical Check-up

After saying this, Shelbert put his hand to his mouth and exhaled.

"It's nothing. I usually can't feel it at all. It just looks a little ugly." Shelbert said indifferently.

"Why don't you go to the military camp's medical center to get some medicine?" Bunduk asked.

"Hehe." Shelbert covered up his smile and said, "I don't have much money."

"The salary of the logistics soldiers in the army is quite a lot. Also, I heard from you that your sister is a famous singer in the city. Why would she be worried about such a small amount of money?" Bunduk said with a frown.

"My sister was sent to the restaurant by my father. The money that my sister and I earn now is only to pay off the debt of the family. In order to let my sister get away from there as soon as possible, I have to be more frugal. She will be twenty-one next year. A girl has to get married as soon as possible." Shelbert looked at the fire in the furnace, his eyes were calm.

"I see." After hearing this surprising fact, Bunduk could not bear to look at Shelbert and said, "Come to me tomorrow and take some medicine to apply it. I will stay in the military conference hall at noon."

At this moment, Shelbert was bending over to pat the dust off his pants. After hearing Bunduk's suggestion, he smiled and replied, "I will go. Thank you, General."

As he spoke, he walked out of the carriage and took the reins of the horse from Adonis' hands.

Adonis shook off the fine snow on his shoulders outside the carriage door. He walked into the carriage that was illuminated by the flames and said to Bunduk, "I heard you making a racket outside the door. What did you and the soldier talk about?"

"Nothing much." Bunduk intended to keep this secret for Shelbert.

"Forget it if you don't want to talk about it." Adonis also asked casually, but he didn't have the intention to probe any further. "When we return to the military camp, you have to obediently go to the clinic to have your body examined to see if your body has been injured."

"Got it," Bunduk agreed.

"On the day you returned to the city, I happened to be away from the military camp. I couldn't pick you up," Adonis explained. "By the way, I didn't have the time to ask you. How was your discussion with Commander Derrick?"

Bunduk shook his head and said, "Derrick wanted to stay there all the time. He didn't have any intention of fighting for the position of commander."

"I see." Adonis, who had known Derrick for a short time, was unable to say anything. He could only silently support his decision. "Then, the position of commander will be left to Claremont?"

"Not necessarily. We can't figure out His Highness's thoughts. Perhaps Claremont is only one of the preparatory members." Bunduk analyzed.

"No matter who the new commander is, I will support him." Adonis suddenly said.

"Hehe." Bunduk laughed in a relaxed manner and did not say anything.

The carriage slowly drove back to the military camp and stopped in front of the clinic near the training ground.

"Hand the carriage back and go back to rest." Adonis instructed Shelbert.

"Okay." Shelbert nodded, then turned to Bunduk and encouraged him, "Commander Bunduk, I wish you good health."

"Yes." Bunduk answered with a smile. He waved at Shelbert.

Shelbert got on his horse and left with the carriage.

"It feels like you've known each other for a long time." Adonis complained as he walked towards the door of the clinic.

"It's interesting to have such a person in the army." Bunduk said.

Adonis did not bother to reply. He lifted the curtain and shouted into the room, "Mr. Corradi!"

"Here." an old man in his sixties walked out of the small house.

This doctor had been in the military camp for a long time. It was said that his disciples had almost contracted all the private clinics in Drondheim.

In short, he was a very powerful person. The old man was very respectable, he insisted to come to the medical clinic in the military camp even at his age. In case there were any problems that the younger generation could not solve.

Tonight, it was Adonis who invited him to wait until this time to do a physical examination for Bunduk.

"You haven't gone back to rest yet?" Bunduk walked into the medical clinic and took a sip of hot tea. He asked Corradi.

"Well, I haven't been able to sleep recently. I feel more at ease staying in this clinic." While taking out a pulse belt, Corradi said to Bunduk, who was sitting down.

"I see. You don't sleep well. Have you thought of a way to treat it?" Bunduk asked with concern.

"It can't be treated. You'll know when you're my age, your body will become like this. However, if you take care of yourself daily, you'll drag out the time." Corradi shook his head.

"You're still young." Adonis interrupted from the side. "I heard that there's a medicine from other places called melatonin. It can treat insomnia. Should I ask someone to send some over?"

"No need." Corradi waved his hand and said, "I'm really worried about the medicine made by others. I can only take the medicine that I made myself."

"How about this..." Adonis scratched his head and responded.

Corradi tied the pulse belt on Bunduk's arm and began to measure his pulse.

The physical examination did not end until late at night. Adonis, who was waiting by the side, was also extremely sleepy.

While waiting for the result, Bunduk could not bear to say to Adonis, who was drooling on the sofa, "You should go back earlier. I can wait here alone."

"What? It's over?" Adonis heard the sound of others talking. He wiped his face and stood up.

In the end, he saw Bunduk staring at him with a complicated expression.

"Hey, I thought the physical examination was over?" Adonis shook his head and sat down again. "How did you feel when you had the examination?"

"It was alright," Bunduk replied. "And, actually, you can go back."

"No, I have to send you back to the barracks," Adonis refused.

"That's fine too, but don't fall asleep again. This old man's sofa has been dirtied by your saliva," Bunduk said helplessly.

"Alright." Adonis wiped his mouth with a handkerchief and said confidently.

Not long after, the old man came out with a piece of paper, he said to Bunduk, "There isn't much problem with your body. However, you still have to pay attention to protect your knees from the cold. I feel that there is a wound on your leg bone. It should be an old wound. You have to pay attention to protect that area."

After listening to the old man's advice, Bunduk took the piece of paper and thanked him, "Thank you, old man. You have worked hard. Please rest early."

"It's fine," Corradi replied with a smile. "I still have to wash up, so I won't send you off."

"Okay." Bunduk and Adonis bent over their luggage and replied.

Corradi glanced at them, then turned around and walked into the room.

Chapter 751: The Choice of Whether to Leave Or Not

"Let me take a look." Adonis took the manuscript from Bunduk's hands.

After carefully browsing through it, Adonis heaved a sigh of relief and said, "Your body is quite tough."

"Mm." Bunduk also took a few glances and nodded.

The two of them walked out of the clinic and headed to the military dormitory on the other side.

"How was the army when I was gone?" Bunduk asked Adonis.

"Everything was as usual." Adonis replied.

"That's good." Bunduk nodded with relief.

"His Highness also came to inspect once, but that was when you were being punished." Adonis continued.

"Hmm?" Bunduk suddenly became nervous. "Did His Highness say anything?"

"Nothing." A sly smile appeared on Adonis's face as he said, "His Highness just said, 'it seems that without Bunduk, the army is well-trained.'"

"I knew it." Bunduk sighed and said.

"His Highness's actions should be considered a warning in front of the other soldiers. What you did this time was inappropriate." Adonis said.

The two of them talked about this topic as they walked to the soldiers' dormitory.

Adonis woke up the soldier who was dozing off on the night watch. The soldier was so scared that his heart almost jumped to his throat. He immediately saluted and opened the door for the two of them.

After saying goodbye to Adonis, Bunduk returned to his single dormitory to rest.

"The moon is so round today..." Bunduk looked at the night sky and sighed softly.

The same bright moon was also shining above the island.

Devitt and the others had already arrived at the border area of the dragon clan's estate. Tomorrow, they would have the chance to face the legendary pseudo dragon army head-on.

"What does the 'pseudo dragon' look like? Is it very similar to a dragon?" After dinner, Austin sat by the fire to warm himself. It was extremely cold inside in this weather.

Gilbert took the roasted corn cobs from Austin and ate them with his teeth as he replied, "It doesn't look like one at all. Compared to dragons, they are more like the small things that can crawl in a pond."

"Are they that small? Then why should we be afraid of them?" Austin also roughly imagined the appearance of the 'pseudo dragon' and asked Gilbert in surprise.

"Yes, more or less. They have a very strong reproductive ability. If you provoke one of them, you will be surrounded by thousands of their own kind in the next moment. Moreover, their skin is as tough as that of the dragon race. No matter if you use fire or cold weapons, there's nothing you can do." Gilbert liked the taste of corn very much, he chewed on it with relish.

"Has anyone or any other race defeated the 'pseudo dragon' before?" Austin asked while covering his chest.

"Although the problem of the 'pseudo dragon' is very troublesome, they would not be a problem when they were suppressed by powerful beings." Gilbert raised his head and said, "But you people are definitely not within that range. The three of them brought you here because they are determined to send you to your deaths."

After saying that, Gilbert gave Abel, who was patrolling in the distance, a middle finger.

"Put down your hand!" Austin quickly patted Gilbert's hand and said to him.

"But it's okay. I'll take you and run away tonight anyway." Gilbert said happily as he ate the last mouthful of cooked corn.

"First of all, I absolutely won't go with you," Austin said seriously, "Second, if you run away from here, you'll starve to death in the wilderness."

"Oh." Gilbert threw the leftover corn cobs into the fire. He stood up, dusted himself off, and left.

Austin was left sitting on the spot.

In the afternoon, Devitt told all the soldiers that tomorrow would be a tough battle. If there were any cowardly soldiers, they could go to the kitchen to get their own rations and leave the army.

In the end, none of the soldiers cowered.

However, the soldiers who were prepared for the battle didn't feel at ease either. Even if they laid down on the bed early in order to conserve their energy, they were still so agitated that they didn't fall asleep.

"Ah! Austin! You scared me to death." When Levin woke up in the middle of the night due to urination, he raised his head and saw Austin leaning against the corner of the wall with his eyes open. He shouted loudly.

He looked around and made sure that no one was woken up. Levin walked towards Austin. He asked in a low voice, "Everyone is asleep, what are you still doing?"

"Gilbert said that he would come and take me away tonight..." Austin said in a tired voice.

"D*mn, so he wants to escape..." Levin said angrily.

Austin interrupted his speculation, waved his hand and continued, "I don't want to be taken away by him, so I have to stay awake."

"I see." Levin finally understood and replied.

"Did you wake up to pee? Hurry up and go." Austin looked up at him and said.

"No, I want to stay here with you. With your skills, you will definitely be taken away easily by him." Levin sat down on the quilt that Austin leaned against the wall, he said, "If a well-trained veteran like me is here, there is still some hope of keeping you here."

Austin looked at Levin in front of him and could only hold back a few words of ridicule in his heart.

Recently, Levin had often come to chat with him. The two of them had gradually become more familiar with each other than before.

Therefore, Austin was now getting along with Levin like a friend.

"You really want to accompany me?" Austin couldn't help but ask when he saw Levin sitting in front of him for about 15 minutes.

"Of course." Levin answered confidently. However, after a while, his facial expression became distorted. "But I really can't hold my pee anymore. I'll be right back."

After saying this, Levin got off the bed and ran out of the door.

'How can there be such an unreliable senior...' Austin muttered to himself.

Then, he looked around and thought to himself, 'It's almost dawn. Is Gilbert not coming? Or has he already run away?'?

When he thought of the latter possibility, a hint of sadness welled up in Austin's heart.

He immediately put on his shoes, wrapped himself in a piece of clothing, and walked out.

The winter night wind was still bone-chilling. In the strong wind, Austin staggered toward Gilbert's tent.

"Gilbert?" Lifting the curtain of the tent, Austin called out to him in a low voice.

But no one answered.

"He really left?" Austin walked toward the bed in the back room, puzzled.

He found Gilbert was lying on the bed, sleeping soundly.

Chapter 752: The Day of Departure

Austin squatted down beside Gilbert's bed and carefully looked at his sleeping face.

Only when there was a glimmer of light in the sky outside did he walk out on his numb legs. He returned to his own tent.

The soldiers in the tent were still lying on the bed, snoring.

Austin walked back to his seat quietly, only to find that Levin had already covered himself with the blanket and was sleeping on his own bed.

"Sigh." Austin shook his head and once again complained in his heart about how unreliable Levin was.

However, seeing that Gilbert didn't leave, he was in a good mood.

He smiled and lay down beside Levin. His nervousness before the battle had also calmed down a lot.

There was still an hour before daybreak. He could still take a nap.

"Austin, wake up." At seven o'clock in the morning, after washing up, Levin returned to the tent to tidy up the bedding. When he found Austin still lying on the bed, he quickly walked over and shook him awake.

"Huh?" Austin tightened the quilt on his body, opened his eyes unwillingly, and asked.

"We're going to set off. Hurry up and get up and tidy up." Levin said.

"Okay." Austin slowly supported his upper body and put the cotton-padded jacket on his body.

Levin looked at his sleepy face and thought of the time he woke up this morning. This kid's face was right in front of him, and he had a mesmerizing smile on his face. Levin couldn't help but shiver.

"In any case, hurry up and don't make everyone wait for you." Levin left a reminder, then he picked up his luggage and left.

"Got it." Austin shouted at Levin's back.

When he was the only one left in the room, Austin pulled himself together and quickly put on his clothes. He picked up his towel and toothbrush and rushed out. He rushed all the way to the sink in the kitchen.

But when he brushed his teeth, Austin always felt that he had forgotten something. He frowned and thought, what is missing?

"Ah." Austin choked on his mouthwash. "Gilbert!"

Why wasn't he waiting for him outside the tent today?

Austin quickly held the water in his hands and washed his face. He hurriedly picked up his things and ran back.

When he reached the entrance of the camp, he still didn't see Gilbert.

The surrounding soldiers had already begun to dismantle the tent's supports. Austin hurriedly stopped them. "Wait, my things are still inside! Please wait!"

"Why are you so slow!" Levin walked over and kicked Austin. "Hurry up and take out your things."

Austin saw that the soldiers had stopped in their tracks in order to wait for him. He immediately put his towel and mouthwash cup in Levin's arms and ran into the tent.

In less than five minutes, Austin rushed out of the tent with his luggage on his back. He thanked the soldiers. "Thank you, thank you."

Then, he walked to Levin's side, panting.

"Gilbert is missing. I have to go find him." Austin said.

"Are you still dreaming. Your 'son' is currently staying with Captain Devitt to discuss tactics. There's no need for you to worry." Levin handed the towel and mouthwash cup back to Austin and explained.

"Really?" Austin was pleasantly surprised.

"They have already left the camp for half an hour. They haven't returned yet." Levin glanced at the mountains in the distance and said, "It seems that the problem this time is really troublesome."

"Why did Gilbert get up so early? " Austin carried his luggage to the kitchen to get breakfast. When he came back, he asked Levin.

"I don't know. I heard that he found Captain Devitt's tent at dawn." Levin took a piece of smoked meat and chewed it.

"Oh." Austin was stunned for a moment before he replied.

"Everyone! Gather!"

Abel had already returned to the military camp.

The camp quickly quieted down, and the soldiers lined up neatly.

"I hope that all of us can safely walk this path today." Abel said to everyone after giving a few simple instructions as usual.

The soldiers were not afraid because of the difficulty of the road ahead. They replied in unison, "Yes!"

"Good! Let's go!" Abel stood at the front of the group and commanded.

The elven soldiers were also fully focused today. They lined up and followed Abel in a neat formation.

The moment they stepped into the dragon clan's estate, Abel told all the elven soldiers to stop flying and put on water-filled sponge insoles together with Caradia soldiers.

According to Gilbert, when the insoles rubbed against the ground, they could imitate the sound of a certain creature crawling in the territory.

After advancing two hundred meters, Abel found that there were no strange creatures around, so he believed in the function of the insoles. He reported to Devitt, "We're safe for now."

Devitt looked back at the soldiers walking in the grass and said worriedly, "It's just that we'll move very slow with this on."

"You'll get used to it. This is the only way at the moment." Gilbert interrupted from the side. "Unless you have a more reliable method."

Devitt looked at the sky and pondered for a while, then asked, "Why don't we let the elven soldiers fly with the Caradia soldiers? I mean, fly at a high altitude."

Hearing this suggestion, Abel frowned, he replied, "Each Caradia soldier, together with the weight of their luggage, weighs nearly 300 pounds. If the elven soldiers under them want to carry this weight, it will be a little difficult for them to fly at a high altitude."

"Also," after Abel finished speaking, Gilbert added, "The dragon clan's estate has a high-altitude barrier. It is impossible for the elves to fly out of the audio-visual range of the 'pseudo dragons'."

After listening to these two people, Devitt fell into deep thought.

The soldiers could only carefully move forward in the grass until the sun set.

They found a place that could shelter them from the wind and rain, and then they settled down.

Claremont held the binoculars and looked at the road they came from. He shook his head and said, "Today, we've only traveled less than one-fifth of the way."

"There's no other way. It's safest to proceed according to Gilbert's method. Today has proven that what he said is right." Devitt replied.

"Is there really no other way? If we continue like this, it will be almost the same as choosing a detour." Claremont said anxiously.

Just as the two of them were distracted, a soldier ran over with a face full of joy and reported, "Captain Devitt, Captain Claremont, we have found the hot spring!"

Chapter 753: The Discovery of Spring

"Spring?" Claremont was slightly surprised.

"Yes. Jeb and the others found it when they were packing." the soldier looked very happy.

"Take us there." Devitt ordered.

While walking on the road, Claremont thought of something and said, "This place is already close to the volcano. It's not strange to have a spring water."

"Yes." Devitt nodded. From afar, he could already see the soldiers gathered together.

"Captain Devitt, Captain Claremont! You're here." Austin, who had accidentally caught a glimpse of Devitt's group, called out happily.

Now, they were all gathered by the hot spring pool. While they were worried about the effect of the hot spring, they also wanted to go down and try it out.

Now that they saw Devitt and the others rushing over, they naturally became excited.

Devitt and Claremont nodded to the soldiers who greeted them. They passed through the crowd and walked to the side of the hot spring pool.

Looking at the water surface that was filled with fog, they asked the soldier beside them, "Are the elven soldiers here too?"

"Someone has already gone to look for them. They should be here soon." the soldier replied.

"Okay." Devitt nodded and said, "Let Bicklen come over first to check if this hot spring is safe to let people in."

The medic, Bicklen, who was standing in the back row, was instantly pushed to the front by the soldiers. He stopped in front of Devitt.

Bicklen had no choice but to take out a tube of medicine from his bag, as well as a sponge to absorb water. He explained to Devitt, "As long as this medicine doesn't change color after adding hot spring water, then this hot spring is safe for us."

As soon as he finished speaking, before Devitt could say anything, the soldiers behind him cheered.

Claremont looked back in amusement. As a result, the soldiers instantly became quiet.

"You go ahead." Devitt said to Bicklen.

Bicklen nodded and carefully walked to the lowest depression between the bluestone floor and the pool surface. He squatted down to collect the hot spring water.

After injecting the water from the sponge into the syringe, he nervously stared at its reaction.

"The hot spring is safe." Bicklen gestured 'Yes' to the soldiers standing by the pool.

All the soldiers were very happy when they heard the news.

However, they still didn't do anything. They just stared at Devitt and Claremont, waiting for the two of them to give the order.

"Don't send too many people in at once. It'll be troublesome if you make a big noise. According to the order, the first team will go first then the second team. If you want to go later, switch seats with the people at the back." Claremont said.

"Yes." the soldiers were very happy when they heard the news.

Even the soldiers at the back were happy to go back and unpack their luggage.

Tonight, no matter if it was the Caradia soldiers or the elven soldiers, they could only rest in portable tents. Moreover, they could not make a fire to cook, and could only eat the dry rations in their luggage.

The appearance of the hot spring really comforted a large group of people.

After seeing the soldiers return to their posts, Devitt and Claremont waited for Abel and his elven soldiers to arrive.

"I heard that you discovered a hot spring." Devitt raised his head and saw Abel walking towards him with a smile on his face. Behind him was a team of elven soldiers.

Tonight, the elven soldiers lived separately from the Caradia soldiers. Thus, Abel took some time to arrive here with his men.

"Yes, we found it by accident." Devitt replied.

"How is it? Is there any problem?" Abel walked to the side of the hot spring and looked at the steam below.

"Our man checked it and found no problem." Claremont replied. "We just want to let the elven mages see if this place will have any effect on the elven soldiers."

Abel nodded and raised his right hand. A small stream of hot spring water swam from the pool to his palm.

Abel stared at the small whirlpool in his hand for a while and said with relief, "No problem."

"Our luck is really good. We actually found a hot spring pool when we stopped in the territory of the dragon clan." Claremont sighed.

"I don't think this is a coincidence. After all, it was Gilbert who led us all the way here," Abel replied, "He really did his best to work out the best route for the entire team."

"The best route Gilbert thinks is to go around this estate and take the road at west side of the mountain instead." Devitt said.

Abel and Claremont nodded, but they didn't say anything,

During dinner time, the soldiers in the kitchen couldn't bear to see everyone gnawing on wheat bread too hard. They took out the eggs and milk they had stored and heated them with hot water from the hot spring. He distributed them to everyone.

Austin held a dinner for two and searched around the camp for Gilbert.

Finally, he found Gilbert in the tent that the other soldiers had built for Gilbert.

"Gilbert, why are you here?"

The space in the tent was not spacious, and this tent was specially made for Gilbert. For Austin's relatively tall figure, it was still a bit of a stretch.

"The shoes are broken." Gilbert sat by the bed and kicked off the broken cloth shoes.

This pair of shoes was found in Austin's luggage and given to him. The size was not suitable to begin with. Moreover, he had been walking on the mountain road for the past few days, so it was normal for the shoes to be broken.

"It's broken?" Austin squatted down and held the broken shoes in his hand. He looked at them carefully and determined that they could not be mended. Then he looked up and said to Gilbert, "I'll find another pair for you."

Then he handed over the dinner in his hand and said, "You eat first."

Gilbert took the food from Austin's hand and said, "Then come back quickly."

"Okay." Austin nodded. Then he bent over and walked out of the tent.

Gilbert bit the egg while staring at the rotten shoes on the side. Ever since the army settled down here, he ran out of the military camp. He climbed up the hill and observed the situation around the military camp. In the end, he didn't even find a single pseudo dragon.

"What's going on..." Gilbert muttered in his heart.

It was clearly the season when pseudo dragons were active in the dragon clan's estate...

"I'm back." Just as Gilbert was deep in thought, Austin walked in with a pair of new fluffy cotton shoes.

"Mm." Gilbert looked at Austin and replied.

"How is it?" Austin squatted down and raised the cotton shoes in front of Gilbert as he asked.

"It looks very warm." Gilbert took the last bite of the egg and commented.

"Try it on," Austin said as he put on Gilbert's purple feet.

Chapter 754: The Unfortunate Pseudo Dragons

"Much better." Gilbert said happily to Austin after walking two rounds in the tent in his new shoes.

"Yes, I got this from Levin." Austin sat by the side and drank a mouthful of milk, he said, "His son is about the same age as you. Levin brought a few of his son's things with him. I didn't expect it to come in handy now."

Gilbert stomped his feet on the ground again and asked Austin, "I want to take it out for a walk."

"Okay, but remember not to step on the pool." Austin nodded and reminded him, "Also, remember to come back early. We are going to the hot spring at nine o'clock, Gilbert."

Without waiting for Austin to finish speaking, Gilbert had already walked out of the tent.

Gilbert ran in the opposite direction of the hill that he had previously scouted. The gnome's special technique of crouching on the ground made his movement very stealth, as if he had not weight at all. The sponge insoles on his feet did not cause him any trouble.

On the way forward on the spiraling mountain road, Gilbert found a strangely shaped body that had been burnt black by the roadside.

"What is this?" Gilbert raised his vigilance and slowly walked towards the grass. He found that the body was the real body of the 'pseudo dragon' clan that he was looking for.

Gilbert's heart shook. He lifted his leg heavily and walked towards the cliff. As expected, piles of 'pseudo dragon' corpses were piled up there.

Gilbert could not help but suck in a breath of cold air. He looked towards the mountain peak in the distance. On that mountain peak, there was a dragon that was hibernating.

"Who dares to torment the dragon clan's guards to such an extent..." Gilbert closed his eyes and counted the forces on this island in his mind.

There were a few soldiers who could fight against a dragon, but even if they were attacked together, they did not have the strength to create such a huge commotion.

When Gilbert thought of this, he suppressed his disgust and squatted down. He observed the charred skin of the 'pseudo dragon'.

'I've never seen such a level of flame before.' Gilbert pinched his nose and made a judgment in his heart. 'From the looks of it, it's been three to four days since this group of 'pseudo dragons' were attacked to death.'

Gilbert could only make a basic judgment based on the knowledge he had learned in the past.

He could not think of anything to frown about as he stayed where he was. Gilbert was prepared to bring this news to Devitt and the others so that they could help analyze it.

Before he left, Gilbert hesitated whether he should take the body of a dragon with him. After some hesitation, he gave up.

After entering the military camp, Gilbert asked about Devitt's current location.

In the end, he met Austin, who was wearing a bathrobe.

"Where did you go?" Austin walked up to Gilbert and asked, "Look at the mud on these shoes."

"I went to the hill over there." Gilbert pointed to the place he had just been to and said, "Don't worry about it. Have you seen Captain Devitt or Captain Claremont?"

"Captain Devitt? What are you looking for them for?" Austin was puzzled. "They just left the camp. It seems that they went to the hill over there to observe the road condition."

Saying that, Austin raised his hand toward the mountain road on the left side of the camp.

"Then I'll go look for them." Gilbert nodded and planned to leave.

"Soldiers are not allowed to leave the camp casually. Don't run around. Hurry up and take a bath with me." Austin hurriedly blocked in front of him and said.

"I'm not a soldier." Gilbert raised the corner of his mouth and smiled. "Also, I have important news to tell them. We can't delay."

After saying this, Gilbert went around Austin and ran to the gate of the camp.

"Important news?" Austin stayed where he was and asked in puzzlement.

Gilbert saw the footprints of Devitt and Claremont on the muddy mountain road and followed them.

"Devitt!" After seeing the two people squatting on the roadside, Gilbert breathed a sigh of relief and called out loudly.

However, when Devitt and Claremont turned around to look at him, they didn't look too good.

Gilbert had an ominous premonition in his heart.

He quickly walked to Devitt's side and looked at the cliff. He saw the same scene as what he saw on the other mountain.

The corpses of thousands of pseudo dragons were piled up together, and they were burnt as well.

The three people standing by the roadside fell into silence.

"I saw the same thing on the mountain in the west... These," Gilbert broke the silence and said.

"It's devastating." Claremont said to the pile of bodies. Although the races were different, seeing their tragic deaths, he couldn't help but feel a sense of pity.

"What should we do now?" Devitt raised his head and asked the two people beside him.

"This should be a premeditated attack. I've racked my brain, but I still can't figure out who the person behind this is." Gilbert said.

"Since it's a long-planned war between the races, it's really too unlucky for us to pass by at this time." Claremont said while holding his head.

"Hurry up and leave this place." Gilbert suggested. "Although I don't know why the dragon race hasn't made any movements up until now, the news of the 'pseudo dragon' being killed has probably spread on this island. We still have to get away from this incident as soon as possible."

"Yes." Devitt nodded and removed the sponge under his feet.

He lifted his leg and began to walk back, while Gilbert and Claremont followed behind him.

After the three of them returned to the military camp, Devitt quickly gathered everyone together and told them that they had to leave this place as soon as possible. Tomorrow, they would speed up their journey and try to leave the dragon clan's estate by tomorrow.

"By tomorrow?!" Austin, who had just returned from the hot spring, was shocked when he heard the news.

Today, they had only traveled one-fifth of the way. They wanted to finish the rest of the journey in one day. It was still a little difficult.

"Yes, Captain Devitt issued an emergency order. You were soaking in the hot spring just now." Levine said as he wiped his feet. "Anyway, even if we walk until dark tomorrow, we have to walk out of here. And we won't rest on the way."

After listening to Levine's words, Austin thought of the 'important news' that Gilbert had mentioned earlier.

"Could it be related to Gilbert?" Thinking of this, Austin immediately walked out.

"Where are you going? You haven't changed your clothes yet?" Levin shouted at Austin.

"I'm going to look for Gilbert." Austin replied without turning his head.

After walking around the camp, Austin found Gilbert in the hot spring pool.

"Why are you here? I've been looking for you everywhere." Austin greeted Gilbert.

Gilbert heard Austin's voice and immediately opened his eyes.

Chapter 755: The Journey Forward

"I'm too tired from running." Gilbert replied.

"Who told you to run around all day?" Austin said, "Did you hear the urgent notice issued by Captain Devitt just now?"

"I did." Gilbert nodded indifferently.

"This kind of notice is quite strange. I wonder if it has something to do with you." Austin said.

"It has nothing to do with me." Gilbert shook his head and said, "When I found Captain Devitt and the others, I found out that they already knew the news. We found out that we can't stay in this place anymore."

"Oh." Hearing Gilbert say that the decision this time had nothing to do with him, Austin was relieved and didn't continue to ask.

"Do you want to know why?" Gilbert raised his head and asked.

"No, I just want to sleep well tonight. After all, I have to travel all day tomorrow," Austin said angrily. "Do you know? Last night, I stayed up all night because I was worried that you would come and take me away."

Gilbert curled his lips in disdain at Austin's negative answer. But in the blink of an eye, he laughed at Austin's complaint. "Hehe."

"What are you laughing at?" Austin waved his fist and said, "Speaking of which, why did you change your mind?"

"I was planning to leave, but when I went to ask for food from the soldier in the kitchen, he refused to give it to me. I could only come back." Gilbert said casually. "After all, just like you said, without food, we would still starve to death."

Hearing Gilbert's explanation, Austin burst out laughing. Then he teased, "Of course I can't give it to you. You're not an ordinary soldier."

"Sigh." Gilbert pretended to sigh.

"It's getting late. Come out as soon as you've soaked enough. I'll get you a clean set of clothes." Austin warned. "Don't go into the bushes again. Look at your dirty clothes."

"Got it." Gilbert nodded and replied.

"You're so obedient." Austin praised with a smile.

That night, many soldiers had gone to bed early. They were preparing for the journey tomorrow.

Early the next morning.

The soldiers in the kitchen greeted the soldiers to collect their breakfast from him.

Austin yawned as he walked out of the tent and saw the elven soldiers gathered in the open space. He couldn't help but feel a little surprised.

After finding a few familiar faces in the crowd, he quickly leaned over and asked, "When did you get here?"

"We set off around 6:30. We just got here," answered an elven soldier who knew Austin. He spoke in a lazy tone. It was unknown whether it was because he was not in good spirits or because he was used to it.

Austin nodded and looked at the lunch box in the elven soldier's hand. He asked curiously, "Why are you all vegetarian?"

"I learned from the boss that it's good for your health," an elven soldier said as he picked up a piece of carrot.

Austin imagined that the elven army's storage was filled with carrots or broccoli. He felt that something was wrong.

"Then you guys take your time to eat. I'll leave first," Austin said humbly.

"Okay." the Elven soldier did not try to stop him.

Austin brought Gilbert, who seemed to be still asleep, to the table where breakfast was distributed.

"Captain Devitt ordered us to gather after receiving breakfast." the kitchen soldier emphasized to every soldier who came to receive breakfast.

"Okay, got it." Austin replied.

Then, he put their breakfast in his luggage.

He held Gilbert's hand and rushed to join the gathering.

After standing in his position, Austin looked around. He found that many soldiers were taking advantage of their free time to eat their breakfast.

Austin also took out Gilbert's breakfast and handed it to him. He said, "Hurry up and eat. You might start to run later."

"Okay." Gilbert picked up the toast and chewed on it bit by bit. After drinking a mouthful of hot milk, he said to Austin, "Hurry up and eat too. It'll be too late later."

"Okay." Austin also took out his own bread.

"Gilbert, you should go to the front." Claremont walked over and said.

"Okay." Gilbert hurriedly swallowed the last mouthful of eggs. He clapped his hands and was ready to walk to the front.

Austin stopped him and asked with his eyes wide open, "Are you leading the way today?"

"Yes, that's right." Gilbert nodded.

"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Austin said anxiously.

"I thought you knew." Gilbert said curiously.

"Forget it." Austin lowered his head and said, "Hurry up and go."

"Okay, see you tonight." Gilbert nodded and said hello. Then he trotted to the front.

Austin stopped where he was and looked at the half-eaten bread in his hand. He silently put it in his bag.

It was better to eat it at night than to eat it now and spit it out later.

The reconnaissance team soon set off, just like Gilbert's usual style.

Devitt, Claremont, and Abel had been concentrating on observing their surroundings. They would only talk to each other once in a while.

"The death of the 'pseudo dragon' cause such a huge commotion. Why didn't the dragon clan discover it?" Abel was puzzled. "Could it be that even the dragon clan..."

"I heard from Gilbert that the mountain at the center of the estate was guarded by the dragon clan with their spiritual power. The mountain is still safe. From the looks of it, the members of the dragon clan are also still safe." Claremont explained, "Moreover, the corpses of the 'pseudo dragon' are all piled up at the edge of the estate. It should be someone purposely lure them here and killed them. It seems that this group of people has been preparing for a long time so as not to wake up the dragon clan."

"I see." Abel nodded and continued to ask, "Then, what is the purpose of this group of people?"

"I don't have much information in my hands. I can't deduce this point." Claremont said with a heavy expression, "However, the most important thing for us now is to leave this place as soon as possible. Once the dragons sense the invasion of the other races, they will be furious. We will only suffer horrible consequences."

"Now I have one more thing to worry about." Devitt interrupted at this time, "We just happened to pass by here at this time. Isn't it too much of a coincidence?"

"What do you mean?" Claremont raised his eyebrows and asked.

"If the situation outside is not what we think it is -- the news of the annihilation of the 'pseudo dragons' is spreading everywhere. "Then what will the residents of the island regard us as the first batch of people to bring out the news?" Devitt's eyes gradually turned cold.

Chapter 756: Advancing Without Delay

"You mean to say that we might have fallen into someone else's trap?" Claremont asked in slight surprise.

They had not thought of this before Devitt made his deduction. Now that they thought about it, this possibility was extremely real.

From the looks of it, this group of people behind the scenes should not have launched an attack on the dragons.

"Then once we walk out of here, won't we become the target of everyone on the island?" Abel said.

"This is just a possibility that I've deduced. The exact situation is still unknown." Devitt shook his head and said.

"We're really in a dilemma now." Claremont sighed and said.

"Before our entire army move out, how about we send some people out to investigate the situation?" Abel suggested.

Devitt had already thought of this method, so when Abel said it, he replied, "The news that we are going to the volcano has already spread across the entire island. Neither elven soldiers nor human soldiers can be sent out to investigate."

"Then..." Claremont suddenly thought of a candidate, "What about Gilbert? He's a gnome. It's purely a coincidence that he joined us halfway. It's normal for gnomes to appear near the volcano. Let him go out and ask for information on our behalf. How about it?"

"That's right." Devitt's eyes widened and he nodded affirmatively.

"But what if he doesn't help us or lies to us?" Abel said worriedly.

Claremont shook his head and said, "From the observations of the past few days, I don't think Gilbert would do such a thing."

"Since we've already decided, let's go ask him what he thinks." Devitt suggested.

"Okay." Claremont and Abel nodded in unison.

The three of them caught up with Gilbert, who was running at the front, and repeated their guesses in front of him.

Gilbert was also a little shocked by this possibility. He asked, "Then what are your plans?"

"For the sake of safety, our reconnaissance team will not appear in front of the residents near the volcano for the time being," Claremont explained, "The three of us want you to help us get information about the outside world and bring it back."

"Okay." Gilbert glanced at the soldiers following closely behind and said, "This is the only way now."

"If you can agree to our request, we can agree to any of your requests." Devitt added.

"Hmph..." Gilbert raised his eyebrows and smiled. "Okay, I'll agree to your request. But the request will be raised after you climb up the volcano."

"Thank you." the three of them said.

Gilbert shook his head and turned his gaze to the front. He focused on running on the road.

"I'll take you all out by tonight." Gilbert said.

"Everyone, follow me!" Abel looked at Gilbert's back and shouted to the soldiers behind him.

"Gilbert, why aren't you tired after running for so long?" Jeb, who was standing in the front row, wailed.

It was clearly a cold winter weather, but bean-sized beads of sweat appeared on everyone's foreheads.

"Stop talking. I can't even see his figure." Levin was dressed roughly. "Where is he running to?"

"I don't know." Jeb wiped the sweat off his eyelashes and said, "I feel that we can't keep up."

"What are you two chatting about? Run faster!" the captain of the second team commanded them.

"Yes!" the two could only shut their mouths and continue to run with the formation.

It had been six hours since they set off early in the morning. Abel looked back at the soldiers under him and found that most of them looked terrible. The elven soldiers who were flying in the air using magic had also landed on the ground due to the consumption of spiritual power and were running with the Caradia soldiers. However, it was obvious that they could not adapt to this way of traveling. Every elven soldier looked as if their souls had left their bodies.

Abel said to Claremont worriedly, "We have to stop. The soldiers can't hold on much longer."

Claremont was reminded by Abel's words and also noticed the terrible situation of the soldiers. He frowned and said, "But Gilbert is far ahead of us. What if he can't find us and cannot join us?"

"Let the soldiers slow down temporarily and walk forward. It won't take long. Let them replenish some water first." Abel suggested.

Devitt and Claremont both agreed with his suggestion.

Abel immediately ordered the entire army, "All soldiers, march forward on foot!"

"Great!" Jeb was the first to cheer.

Just now, he almost thought that he was going to faint on the ground.

"Everyone remembers to replenish your water in time. We will slow down for only twenty minutes. In the afternoon, we will still advance on foot," Claremont explained to everyone.

"Yes!" the soldiers answered in unison.

Abel walked to the elven soldiers' formation and asked about everyone's physical condition.

"How are you guys?" Abel asked with concern.

"I feel like I've lost half my life." an officer who was more familiar with Abel answered while panting.

"Running is too tiring." one of the elven soldiers replied.

Abel roughly checked each soldier's physical condition and found that everyone was fine, he urged them, "Use these twenty minutes to rest. In the afternoon, it's fine to use spirit energy or physical strength. We still have about four hours to go."

"Yes, boss!" the elven soldiers nodded.

"Austin, hurry up and drink some water. The water in the luggage was prepared for now." Levine said to Austin, who had walked to the front row.

"Yes, I'll drink it later. I go and ask Captain Devitt something first." Austin replied.

"Why is he looking for Captain Devitt?" Jeb asked Levine, who was beside him, as he watched Austin get close to Devitt.

"He's probably asking about his 'son'." Levin shook his head and replied, "Austin is extremely worried that he won't be able to see his 'son' for a moment. Let's not talk about this anymore. Help me massage my shoulders."

When Jeb heard Levin's request, he obediently carried Levin's luggage on his back and massaged his shoulders.

While enjoying himself, Levin said to Jeb, "Since you are so grateful, you can ask me to reimburse you for tonight's dinner."

"Really?" Jeb said in surprise, and he increased the strength in his hands.

"Of course." Levin immediately nodded.

Chapter 757: News From the Front Line

"Captain Devitt." Austin walked to Devitt's side and called out softly.

Devitt, who was reading the map, immediately raised his head and looked at Austin. He asked, "Austin, what's the matter?"

"Well," Austin said a bit embarrassedly, "Gilbert... where is he going?"

"He accepted my mission with Claremont and Devitt. He is now on his way to the surrounding towns in the dragon clan's estate." Devitt straightened his body and explained in detail.

"I see." Austin nodded and said, "Will he come back to meet us today?"

"Actually, we should be the ones asking you this question," Devitt said with a smile, "According to the plan, he should come back with the news when we leave the border. If he can come back, it's most likely because of you."

Austin shook his head in panic and said, "He will definitely come back, and it's mainly because he has something he fond of here. He is already very familiar with Levin and the soldiers in the kitchen. He won't leave us behind."

Devitt was slightly surprised by Austin's answer, but he didn't say anything. He just replied, "Alright."

Austen bowed and left.

Returning to his seat, Austen immediately took out a kettle and drank a lot.

His physical strength was not as strong as the elite soldiers at the first row. However, in order to not let the people around him think that Gilbert had put pressure on them, Austen had always acted like he could keep up. He didn't even say that he was tired.

Now that he was drinking water, he knew how dehydrated his body had become.

It seemed that if he had a few more buckets of water, he would be able to absorb them into his body like a sponge.

"I didn't expect you to be so strong, Austin. We all need to run to catch our breath. But you look very relaxed." a soldier said to Austin as he wiped the sweat off his body with a towel.

"Ha ha, we're all the same." Austin replied with a smile.

"It seems that our usual training isn't enough." the soldier also smiled and said, "Hurry up and wipe the sweat off your body. It won't be good if you catch a cold after being blown by the cold wind in winter."

"Okay, thank you." Austin agreed and took out a towel from his luggage.

Twenty minutes of rest soon passed.

As the leader, Abel led the way. After a short rest, he was full of energy. His running speed was almost the same as Gilbert's.

The soldiers had gradually gotten used to this way of marching. They just stared straight ahead. They followed behind Abel wholeheartedly.

"The running speed is much faster than in the morning." Devitt said in surprise.

"Everyone's adaptability is still very strong." Claremont concluded. "It's still quite unexpected."

The winter sun soon set. When the night covered the land, everyone was still running like wild lions in the wilderness.

"We're almost there." Abel said.

After saying this, he glanced at the elven soldiers who were flying in the air and providing light for the advancing troops.

"I think I see Gilbert." Claremont shouted happily.

Abel gradually slowed down and approached Gilbert.

Gilbert saw their group in the distance and waved to them cheerfully.

"It's really him!" After all, the sky was dark, and he could only vaguely see a lone figure. After shrinking the distance, Claremont saw Gilbert's face clearly and immediately cheered.

As Abel advanced, the soldiers changed from running fast to walking at a constant speed.

"Gilbert!" Devitt shouted at Gilbert.

Gilbert rushed in front of them and said, "You're finally here."

"How long have you been waiting here?" Claremont asked.

"Half an hour." Gilbert waved his hand and said, "Let's just straight to the point."

"How is it?" The three people around Gilbert were worried.

"The group of people who attacked the 'pseudo dragons' did set a trap, but they weren't targeting us," Gilbert replied, "Now, the news of the destruction of the 'pseudo dragon' has been sealed in the area near the volcano. The dwarf's trade caravan that left here a day before us has become a suspect."

"Dwarf?" Claremont couldn't imagine how the dwarf would confront the fierce 'pseudo dragon'.

"Yes, because someone witnessed a dwarf bringing out the body of the "pseudo dragon" from here." Gilbert said.

"The more I think about it, the more headache I have." Abel rubbed the bridge of his nose and said, "Then what are the actions of the races living on the volcano?"

"They are all waiting for the news of the dragon race. I reckon that in a few days, they will personally send people to try to awaken the dragon race." Gilbert repeated the news that he got from others.

"The forces of the races on the island are so complicated. I wonder if the truth we are investigating is related to these two races." Devitt pondered.

"In short, you can leave this estate safely now." Gilbert said simply.

"This is really good news!" Claremont did not think as deeply as Devitt did. Ever since Gilbert said that the scouts were not the target of framing, a joyful smile hung high on his face.

"It's already dark. We need to find a place to settle down." Abel said.

"I think it's better to move forward a bit more, to avoid those people who are curious about the border." Gilbert thought for a while and suggested.

"Yes, you're right." Claremont agreed with Gilbert's idea.

"Then I'll inform the soldiers." Abel left after saying this.

Gilbert looked at the remaining two and said, "I've accomplished the mission. Don't forget what you promised me."

"Of course." Claremont said confidently.

"We'll definitely fulfill our promise to you." Devitt nodded.

"Then I'll go back first." Gilbert pointed at the Caradia soldiers' formation.

"Okay." Devitt replied.

Gilbert nodded and immediately turned to walk towards Austin.

He found him in the crowd of people who were sitting around and shouted, "Austin! I'm back."

"Yes." Austin heard Gilbert's voice and immediately raised his head. He looked Gilbert up and down and replied with a smile.

Chapter 758: A Hard-earned Meal

"I bring you bad news." Gilbert said with a complicated expression as he sat down next to Austin in the group of soldiers.

"What?" the soldiers all put their heads in front of Gilbert and asked.

"You have to start moving again." Gilbert said with a relaxed smile.

As soon as he finished speaking, the captain of each team walked over and called for everyone to gather.

"Sigh." the soldiers sighed and stood up one after another. They walked to their respective teams.

"Are you tired today?" Gilbert looked up and asked Austin, who was holding his hand.

"I'm alright." Austin smiled and said, "How far did you run?"

"Not too far." Gilbert tried to recall for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I can't remember clearly."

"It seems that your status is not bad." Austin replied.

"Hehe." Gilbert laughed softly. He did not say anything.

The exhausted elven soldiers landed on the ground. The surrounding Caradia soldiers immediately surrounded them and supported them.

"We can walk for the rest of the journey. Remember to pay attention to the movements of the grass around you." Abel instructed.

"Yes!" the soldiers answered in unison.

"Today's journey is almost over. Please hold on a little longer." Abel encouraged them.

He also noticed that a few of the soldiers were close to collapse. They needed the support of the people around them to barely move forward. However, since they had persevered to this point, they could not leave any loopholes for others to exploit.

Claremont walked to Abel's side and suggested, "Let's walk a little slower."

Abel pursed his lips and nodded.

Claremont relaxed and returned to the back of the formation, standing side by side with Devitt.

"It's been hard on Abel." Devitt sighed as he looked at the slowly advancing army.

"Mm." Claremont could not help but agree.

In terms of daily marching, Abel had indeed done more for the reconnaissance team than the two of them.

"The further we go down this road, the more uneasy I feel." Devitt said.

"Yes." Claremont also had the same feeling. "However, being afraid is also a good thing. At least it proves that we are very clear about our current situation."

"Sigh." Devitt sighed and said, "I hope we can successfully complete our mission and return to Drondheim safely."

"Of course we will go back." Claremont said with confidence. "Once we have the information about the disappearance of the dwarven craftsmen, we will take the elven soldiers who stayed at the edge of the island and wait for us to return together."

There were still many areas around the volcano that were suitable for camping. After walking to the ideal safe zone. Abel immediately stopped and commanded the soldiers to start building the camp.

Most of the soldiers still had a lot of energy left in their bodies. After settling down the weak soldiers, they immediately started building the tents.

Although Gilbert would not do this kind of work, he walked over to the soldiers who had fallen to the side and started a bonfire for them.

"Thank you." the soldiers felt a wave of heat in front of them. They opened their eyes and thanked Gilbert.

"It's nothing. You guys have a good rest." Gilbert shook his head and said, "Wait here for a while. The tent will be ready."

"Okay." the soldiers moved their bodies and sat down beside the fire. They nodded.

Gilbert squatted down and warmed the fire with them.

A piece of sparkling ice crystal floated to his palm, but it quickly melted.

"It's snowing?" Gilbert looked up at the night sky.

He found large snowflakes falling from the sky.

"Gilbert! Your tent has been set up." At this time, Austin Strode to Gilbert's side and said, "Eh? It's snowing?"

"Yes." Gilbert stood up and looked up. He said to Austin, "This is the first time I've seen snow on this island."

"Really?" Austin asked, "I thought only Drondheim would rarely have snow."

"Really." Gilbert said. "Have you set up the tent?"

"Yes." Austin nodded. "Go in and rest. I'll call you when dinner is ready."

After saying this, Austin looked at the soldiers sitting around the fire.

Gilbert noticed his actions and suggested, "Let me help you carry these soldiers into the tent."

"Huh?" hearing Gilbert's words, Austin raised his head in surprise and agreed, "Sure."

Without saying anything else, the two of them helped the weak soldiers into the tent.

The tent that took care of these people had long been set on fire, and the temperature in the room became very warm.

The other soldiers who had finished their work also came to help.

After everyone had finished their work, the dinner in the kitchen had also been prepared.

"We can finally eat hot food." Austin said happily while rubbing his sore shoulders.

Because of the snow, a simple canvas shed had been set up in the open space of the camp. Everyone put the tables together. They waited noisily for the food to be served.

The soldiers in the kitchen were always the first to eat, because after they had served the soldiers' food, they had to wash the kitchen utensils with clean water without stopping. This was especially true in winter, because the stickers on the plates were easy to freeze.

The first to be served was a plate of turkey, and the soldiers burst into cheers.

At the end of the new year in Drondheim, every family would have such a dish on their dinner table.

"I didn't expect to be able to eat this dish in the wild." a soldier shouted.

"The soldiers in the kitchen are really thoughtful." Austin sighed.

Gilbert, who had just started to come into contact with human food, had never tasted this dish. He tugged at Austin's sleeve and asked, "Is this delicious?"

"It's delicious." Austin nodded. "You'll know after you try it."

Gilbert felt relieved and nodded.

Some of the soldiers on the seats couldn't help but reach their knives and forks towards the turkey on the plate. At this moment, a soldier in the crowd asked, "Where's Captain Devitt and the others?"

"That's right. Let captain and the others come and eat with us." Jeb suggested.

The soldiers with quick eyes immediately ran to Devitt's tent and brought over Devitt and Claremont who were chatting.

"Just start eating. Why are you calling us?" Claremont said with a smile as he walked to the long table that was put together.

"Captain Devitt, Captain Claremont, Happy New Year!" the soldiers said to the two of them in unison as they had discussed beforehand.

Chapter 759: After the 'New Year' Banquet

"Happy New Year!" Devitt said knowingly.

With smiles on their faces, the two of them sat down on the chairs that the soldiers had added.

"It can't really be the new year today, right?" Claremont said as he looked at the table full of dishes.

"That's not right..." Devitt recalled in his mind, "Today should be in the middle of December."

"Yes. But the soldiers in the kitchen prepared these for us," Levin explained.

"Then let's treat today as the new year." Devitt said with a relaxed smile.

"Do you want to drink?" Claremont glanced at the soldiers and asked with a smile.

"Sure!" Jeb immediately echoed.

"Jeb, quickly sit down. Why are you so noisy all day?" Claremont looked at Jeb who was about to jump out of his seat and said with a laugh, "Then let a few people go to the kitchen and get those bottles of wine. Tell them that it's a special permission from the captain."

"Yes!" the impatient soldiers immediately responded. They got up from the chairs and ran out.

Everyone was waiting for the red wine to be brought to the table while chatting.

In the noisy atmosphere, a few bottles of red wine were carried out from the kitchen by the soldiers.

The soldiers in the kitchen took off their aprons and followed behind them happily.

"Haven't you already eaten? Why are you still take our things?" A soldier teased the soldiers in the kitchen.

"Alright, alright. Can't we just have a drink?" the soldiers in the back kitchen didn't mind at all.

"Come and sit down." Levin stood up and called out.

As the number of people increased, the space on the table became narrower.

Devitt stood up and took a bottle of red wine. He directly knocked the cap open at the corner of the table. He raised the bottle and said to everyone, "We can't spend the New Year at Drondheim's house this year. I know that everyone feels a little sad. So tonight, everyone is free to eat, drink, and play. I wish that we can successfully complete the mission, and everyone can return to Drondheim safely."

"Okay!" the soldiers' glasses were filled with wine, and they raised their glasses in response.

Devitt suddenly took a mouthful of wine, wiped his mouth, and said to the soldiers, "Everyone, start eating."

After the soldiers drank a mouthful of red wine, their faces were filled with a trace of aftertaste. However, there were also people who heard Devitt's words and immediately raised their knives and forks to the dishes on the plate.

"I'll serve you some turkey." Austin picked up Gilbert's plate and said to him.

Among the dishes on the table, the competition for the turkey was especially fierce. When Austin cut off a piece and wanted to get his own portion, there were only bones left. He could only awkwardly extend his knife and fork to other dishes.

"It's really delicious." Gilbert was already familiar with the taste of humans. At this time, he tore off a piece of turkey meat from the plate and chewed as he commented.

"Mm. In Drondheim, it's my hometown. Eating this in the new year has a good meaning." Austin said with a smile.

"Then why don't you have it? I'll give you these." Gilbert handed the turkey on the plate to Austin.

"No, no, no." Austin shook his head and said, "I eat it every year. I'm sick of it."

"It's a habit I have every year. It's not good to break it this year." Gilbert waved his hand and said, "How about this, you help me eat half of it."

Seeing that Gilbert had been persistent, Austin gave up the idea of convincing him.

"Okay." Austin agreed.

Then he took a spoon and moved half of the chicken on Gilbert's plate to his own plate.

Gilbert nodded with satisfaction.

At the end of the banquet, the soldiers had completely gone crazy. They started to play around in the middle of the camp.

Claremont collapsed on his chair and asked Devitt, "Is it really okay to let them play like this?"

"It's okay." After drinking three glasses of red wine, Devitt's face also turned red. He said, "Everyone has been tired all day. After relaxing and playing, they will go and have a good rest."

"Hehe." Claremont laughed and continued, "It's good to think like this."

"Oh right, we should call the elven soldiers over. We should celebrate the new year together." Devitt suddenly realized.

"They should be asleep by now." Claremont closed his eyes in a daze. After running all day, his body was really tired.

"Sigh, it's a pity." Devitt sighed.

But after a while, Claremont's voice was still not heard.

"Hey, why are you sleeping? Don't sleep here, you'll catch a cold." Devitt patted Claremont's face and called out in a low voice.

However, the other party did not make any movements.

"Sigh." Devitt sighed. Resigned to fate, he carried Claremont on his back. He walked towards the tent Claremont.

Austin looked at the scene of the soldiers around him going crazy and brought Gilbert back to rest early.

The next morning, Austin didn't drink too much last night. He got up earlier than anyone else.

"It's really messy." Austin looked at the messy scene in the camp and couldn't help but be surprised.

Only the soldiers in charge of patrolling remained sober. When they saw Austin, they greeted him, "Hey, come and help."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Austin quickly replied. He put his towel on his pants and walked over to help everyone pack up.

Seven or eight people packed up until noon. It was only then that the soldiers came out of the tent one after another.

The elven soldiers led by Abel had already arrived at the gathering place early. When they saw Austin and a few others, they asked in surprise, "Where are the people from Caradia?"

"They caused a ruckus last night. Some of them are still sleeping." a soldier who was cleaning replied.

"Caused a ruckus last night? Where are Devitt and the others?" Abel asked in even more surprise.

"Captain and the others drank too much wine. I guess they haven't woken up yet." Austin said hesitantly.

It seemed that Devitt and Claremont didn't inform Abel and the others in advance.

"Last night, everyone had a new year's banquet. Captain told us to relax and have fun. In the end, no one woke up early today." a soldier explained.

After hearing this reason, Abel could understand.

However, he immediately said, "Tell your soldiers to prepare to assemble. Today, we have to continue on our way."

"Yes!" Austin replied.

"I'll go wake your captains up." Abel continued to instruct.

"Okay."

After arranging everything, Abel walked towards Devitt's tent. However, he was informed that Devitt did not return to the tent last night.

"I have to ask Claremont." Abel thought to himself.

Chapter 760: The Rumors Spread

"Hey! Claremont, what's going on with your soldiers? If you want to delay the morning gathering time, you have to tell me first." Abel barged into Claremont's tent and questioned loudly.

Claremont and Devitt, who had collapsed on the bed, had yet to wake up from their hangovers.

After hearing Abel's voice, Claremont opened his eyes in a daze. As he looked towards the door, he noticed that Devitt was sleeping soundly beside him.

"Oh my God!" Claremont shouted.

"Get up quickly!" Abel strode over to Claremont's bed and shouted, "You two..."

Claremont rubbed his temples. He had drunk a lot last night. He couldn't remember what happened after that.

"I was looking for Devitt everywhere. So, you two are together." After the shock, a malicious smile appeared on Abel's face.

"I drank too much last night..." Claremont tried to explain.

"No need to explain. I understand." Abel waved his hand and said, "Quickly wake up Devitt. We are about to leave."

After saying this, Abel immediately retreated.

"No." Claremont shouted at Abel's back. "If you want to wake him up, come and do it yourself. Don't go!"

However, Abel still acted as if he did not hear his shout and walked out by himself.

Claremont lowered his head and looked at Devitt's naked upper body. His eyebrows were knitted together.

When everyone was ready, they stood in formation in the center of the camp, ready to gather. It was almost noon.

"It's a rare sunny day." Abel looked up at the winter sun and sighed.

"I feel that the temperature has dropped a few degrees." Devitt hugged his arms tightly and shivered.

"It snowed heavily last night, and now the snow has melted. How can it not be cold?" Abel choked.

"You!" Devitt said sulkily. "Aren't you bullying me because I don't have knowledge about the snowy weather..."

Abel smiled smugly. After agreeing to keep the secret of last night's stay for Devitt and Claremont this morning, for the time being, the two of them had to listen to his words obediently.

"Anyway, I don't care," Abel said with a smile, "You have to owe me one. I'll bring my men to make a ruckus all night long one day. You have to wait for me too."

"Okay, okay, okay." Claremont quickly agreed.

"Of course." Abel couldn't help but tease him. "There won't be a scene like yours."

Hearing this, Devitt and Claremont looked at each other.

In their hearts, they silently said, "I must get Abel drunk that day, so that he can experience the feeling of being blackmailed."

"Don't you feel that the weather has become colder?" Austin asked Gilbert.

"Yes." Gilbert nodded.

"Put this on." Austin took out a cotton-padded jacket from his luggage and handed it to Gilbert.

"It's so big." Gilbert put the cotton-padded jacket on himself. He shook his shoulders and said.

Austin looked up and down. His coat was almost covering his knees when he put it on Gilbert. A large part of his shoulder was left.

"Indeed." Austin nodded and said, "When we get to the market near the volcano, I'll buy you a suit that fits you."

When they first received supplies, every soldier would receive not only dry food but also some money.

"Alright." Gilbert nodded and turned his body forward.

Although the departure time had been delayed until noon, the Caradia soldiers were quite energetic. They followed behind Abel and moved forward excitedly. They would chat with each other from time to time.

However, in such a formation, the soldiers in the last row remained silent.

The reason for such a scene was that Devitt and Claremont were in charge of holding the line.

"Why aren't you talking?" a soldier whispered into the ears of the soldier beside him.

"I don't know." the soldier shook his head and said, "Since the others didn't speak, I didn't dare to speak."

"Stop arguing, the two of you. Can't you see that Captain Devitt and Claremont didn't speak?" Another soldier said.

The few of them looked at each other, nodded, and decisively shut their mouths.

Looking at the awkward backs of the soldiers, Devitt couldn't help but speak to Claremont first. "Yesterday..."

"Shhh..." Claremont quickly gestured at him to keep quiet.

"But..." Devitt's expression became conflicted as he said, "Anyway, nothing really happened yesterday."

Claremont glanced at the soldiers walking in front, and after making sure that no one was paying attention to him. He shrank the distance between him and Devitt, and said in a low voice, "Then why did you sleep with me?"

"I should have been drunk," Devitt tried hard to recall, "And I remember that after I helped you to the bed, you sat on the chair by the bed. In the end, it was probably because it was too cold at night, so I unconsciously lay down on the bed. Anyway, I was really tired at that time. As soon as I sat on the chair, I fell asleep."

"Okay." Claremont nodded. Actually, in his heart, he didn't think that Devitt would do anything to him who was drunk. It was just that the scene when he woke up this morning was really too embarrassing.

After he was three years old, Claremont hadn't slept in the same bed with anyone, let alone talked about staying the night.

"So, we... are okay?" Devitt stretched out his left hand to Claremont and asked.

"Yes." Claremont held his hand back and agreed.

However, the soldiers had tried hard to eavesdrop their conversation. The voices of the two of them were too low, so they could only hear a few words sometimes.

However, just the words 'drunk' and 'bed' were enough to conjure up a big drama that would make one's blood boil.

"Are Captain Claremont and Captain Devitt talking about something that is forbidden?" A soldier asked with a complicated expression.

"Can't you guys hear it?" A soldier covered his mouth and said, "Captain Devitt seems to have snatched Captain Claremont's girlfriend!"

Because the news that he had said was too explosive, the soldier who made the deduction couldn't help but faint.

"It can't be. I didn't hear about this when I was in the military camp." a soldier shook his head and said, "If it's true, how come the two of them can still get along peacefully for so many days."

"Yeah..." the gossipy soldiers immediately fell silent after hearing the soldier's words.

"According to what I heard..." another soldier emerged from the crowd and said.

Chapter 761: The Impending Farewell

"You guys, what are you chattering about? Quickly follow the formation!" Claremont stopped the discussion in time.

After seeing that the last row of soldiers immediately became well-behaved, Claremont sighed in his heart. Please don't look at me while gossiping, okay? It was really too embarrassing.

Based on the few words that reached his ears, he deduced the entire process of the plot. It also allowed Claremont to have a brand-new understanding of his soldiers.

When the sky turned completely dark, the reconnaissance team stopped.

"The temperature outside tonight is too low, so we won't extend the journey time. Everyone hurries up and build a fire." Abel ordered the soldiers in the cold wind.

"Yes!"

When everyone dispersed to prepare for the camp. Austin stayed where he was and looked around at the desolate area. He asked Gilbert curiously, "Where did you go yesterday? Why didn't I see people on the way?"

"I took a shortcut. You won't be able to walk that way. People come here from time to time to pick agricultural products. It's just that the snow just stopped, so there are fewer people." Gilbert explained.

"I see." Austin finally understood and led Gilbert to the place where everyone gathered. After receiving his share of the tools, Austin continued to ask Gilbert, "Then when can we reach the town?"

"Tomorrow. The town near the volcano is not far from here." Gilbert said with a pile of firewood in his arms.

"Yes." Austin replied. "I hope to arrive early so that I can buy you some suitable clothes."

"Tomorrow, we will arrive at the small town of Cerrodi." Abel said, pointing at a stronghold on the map.

"Have you been there before?" Devitt raised his head and asked.

"Yes. This town is under the care of the nomadic races near the volcano. When we went there, we also replenished some supplies there." Abel recalled.

"Compared to the dwarf town, is there anything special?" Claremont continued to ask.

"It's much bigger than the dwarf town, and the marketing areas of the various races are also divided," Abel replied, "Maybe it's easier to manage this way."

"Sounds good." Devitt nodded. "We won't encounter any trouble on the way up the mountain, right?"

"Probably not." Abel replied. "Everyone knows how difficult it is to advance from the edge of the island to this area. So, as long as you successfully reach the edge of the volcano, no one will come and make things difficult for you. This is also a rule of this small island. I only learned about it because I came here once."

"I can finally feel at ease." Devitt exhaled.

"Recently, due to the incident with the pseudo dragon, the status of the dwarf tribe has changed among the people around the volcano. We have to be careful about this." Abel thought of what happened a few days ago and said solemnly.

"Yes." Claremont also reacted and said, "When we set off tomorrow, we should inform the soldiers first: we must not reveal that we have passed through the dragon clan's estate."

"Yes." Devitt nodded heavily.

At this time, a soldier first reported, then walked into the tent and informed the three people, "Captain Devitt, Captain Claremont, Captain Abel. It's already dinner time. You can go and eat."

"Okay." Devitt nodded, then signaled for the soldiers to leave.

The three of them tidied up and walked out of the tent. The soldiers were having a noisy meal together.

Devitt caught a glimpse of Austin, who was helping Gilbert with the food. With a complicated expression, he said, "Gilbert will be going home soon."

"Yes." Claremont looked where Devitt was looking and replied, "Austin must be very sad."

"In the past, Gilbert's identity should have been that of the gnome's prince. This time, he's probably going back to fight for his throne." Abel said.

"Although Gilbert's ability is indeed very strong, and he's much more mature than people his age, if he were to really get involved in the bloody storm of power struggles, he would be a little too thin," Devitt sighed and said.

"Maybe there are people who support him, that's why he wants to go back." Abel replied. "I hope those people can share some of the pressure and responsibilities for him."

"It is better not to tell Austin about our conjectures." Claremont warned. "After all, up until now, Gilbert seems to have never told Austin about his origin."

"Mm. Let's keep it this way." Abel affirmed.

After dinner time, snow began to fall in the sky again.

"The snow from last night hasn't melted yet. It's starting to snow again tonight." Austin said, wiping his mouth.

"Yeah. Tomorrow will probably be as cold as today." Gilbert said softly as he sat in his chair, looking at the volcano in the distance.

"Of course, you don't have to worry about it tomorrow." Austin smiled happily, he said, "When the time comes, we will definitely enjoy the warmth of the fireplace in the hotel room. I haven't slept on a soft mattress for a long time."

"Hehe." Gilbert heard what he said and laughed softly.

Austin looked at the place Gilbert had been looking at and exclaimed, "So you can see the volcano from here. I was so busy eating just now that I didn't notice it. Eh? There seems to be snow on the top of the volcano."

"Yes, the volcano is in hibernation in winter. The altitude is so high. I guess the snow on it has frozen." Gilbert replied.

"Your home is on top of this volcano, right?" Austin asked curiously, "Can you show me?"

"You can't see it here. The gnomes live underground, and we live on the south side of the mountain." Gilbert said with a smile and shook his head.

"How long does it take to walk from the foot of the mountain to your home?" Austin became sad when he thought of the upcoming farewell. At this moment, his expression was a little gloomy.

"One day." Gilbert replied. He also had a reluctant look on his face.

"It's quite close." After hearing the answer, Austin nodded and said, "When we return from our mission, Can I come and see you?"

Hearing this, tears welled up in Gilbert's eyes.

"Yes. If you can't come to the Gnome Kingdom, I'll wait for you in the small town at the foot of the mountain."

Chapter 762: Strangeness of the City

Actually, Gilbert himself didn't know if he could fulfill his answer.

He didn't even know if he could walk out of the gnome's estate alive.

The last time he was able to successfully walk out of that hell, it was mainly because he had the help of the men behind by his father. That was how he was able to bear a false accusation and be exiled out of the city.

And this time, he took the initiative to go back. He didn't know which of the forces in the city were willing to lend a helping hand.

"Really?!" Austin looked very happy.

"Yes." Gilbert nodded and agreed.

When he saw Austin's smile, Gilbert would also accompany him to be happy.

After these few days, Gilbert had saw Austin as a reliable elder brother.

Even though they hadn't been together for long, their feelings were exceptionally deep.

A cool breeze blew past, and Gilbert exhaled a breath of hot air into the air. He realized that the hot air he exhaled had already turned into white fog.

"Let's go back to the tent and rest. It's too cold outside." Austin suggested.

"Okay." Gilbert held Austin's outstretched hand and agreed.

The next morning, the soldiers gathered together early.

Seeing that the goal of this mission was right in front of them, everyone could not help but want to reach the legendary estate as soon as possible.

"Today, we will rest at the foot of the volcano." Abel reminded everyone while he was lecturing, "I hope that everyone will not tell anyone that we entered the dragon clan's estate before, so as to avoid causing unnecessary trouble."

"Yes!" the soldiers answered in unison.

Everyone continued to move forward in the heavy snow. Each of them had put on thicker clothes than they had yesterday.

Austin even put on a wide-brimmed hat for Gilbert.

As evening approached, the wind became weaker.

The soldiers at the front saw the town gate that appeared at the end of their line of sight.

"Zelodian?" a soldier read out the words on the city gate plaque.

"It feels so grand." a soldier looked at the wide city gate and sighed.

"Everyone stops in front of the city gate." Abel ordered his soldiers.

After a group of people stopped completely, the town gate was opened, and a group of giant soldiers ran out in unison. Walking up to Abel, they asked him, "Which race are you from?"

"The elf race. These soldiers are humans from the Caradia Empire. We're going up the mountain to visit the dwarven craftsmen." Abel replied calmly. He took out the Elf Empire's soldier medallion from his bosom.

"Mm, alright. You can go in now." the giant soldiers only gave a cursory glance before letting them in.

Abel led his soldiers into the city gate and walked towards the street near the market.

"Why is it so easy to pass the city gate on this island?" a soldier asked the person beside him, puzzled.

"I don't know." the soldier beside him shook his head and said, "It seems like it was the same when we entered the dwarf town last time."

The discussion rose and fell. Austin looked at Gilbert, who had been silent since he entered the city gate, and said, "What's wrong? It's rare to see you so quiet."

"It's very strange." Gilbert lowered the brim of his hat and answered, "The people in charge of patrolling this town shouldn't be the giants."

"I heard before that this town is under the supervision of various races. The giants are not in charge of the supervision now?" Austin asked in puzzlement.

"Yes." Gilbert replied. "At least they weren't in charge before I left the city."

"Then, which race was in charge before?" Austin asked.

"The gnomes." Gilbert said after a moment of silence.

"Did something happen to the gnomes after you were exiled from the city?" Austin asked worriedly.

"I don't know." Gilbert answered as he looked at the pedestrians on the street.

"Will it be dangerous for you to return to the Gnome Kingdom now?" Austin was most worried about the safety of Gilbert.

"Since I've come this far, I have no choice but to go back." Gilbert replied. "Besides, no one wants to invade the gnomes' territory."

"Why?" Austin asked.

"It's a secret." Gilbert shook his head and said.

"Okay." Austin didn't continue to ask. It was enough for him to know that the place where Gilbert had returned was safe.

While leading the way, Abel was also paying attention to the surrounding movements. He found that there were fewer ordinary vagrants on the street, but more troops patrolling the streets.

Following the route they had taken a few months ago, they arrived at the hotel they had stayed in previously.

Abel turned around and said to the soldiers, "Everyone can stay here tonight."

"Yes!"

The reconnaissance team had walked until now, and there was a total of forty-eight people left.

After counting the number of people, Claremont took the silver money in his bag and exchanged it with the hotel manager for the keys to twelve rooms.

"How do we arrange this?" Abel took the five keys and asked Claremont.

"Me, you, and Devitt will stay in one room. The rest of the soldiers will share the rest of the rooms equally." Claremont answered simply.

"There is still one left." Abel thought for a while and said.

"Abel and Austin can sleep together. Isn't that alright?" Claremont curled his lips and said.

"I see." Abel replied.

"Oh right, don't drink too much during dinner tonight. If you get drunk like last time, no one will take care of you." Claremont warned.

"Oh right, last time you went to the guild to get the information when I was drunk, right?" Abel recalled the days when he stayed in the dwarf town.

"That's right. I originally wanted to bring you along. But you drank too much, and I couldn't wake you up." Claremont complained.

"Ahem, I'm really sorry about that night." Abel apologized. "What are your plans for tonight?"

"Tonight... I don't know what Captain Devitt wants to do. If we want to go out and ask for information, I'll ask you for help, okay?" Claremont rested his chin on his hand and thought for a while before answering.

"Sure." Abel nodded and agreed. "We will ask Devitt later."

Only when they stayed in the hotel would the elven soldiers and the Caradia soldiers eat together at the same table.

After all, the appetites of the two races were not the same. The tents that they usually built were also separated from each other.

However, since they were together, they were naturally amiable. They could easily joke with each other at the dinner table.

Chapter 763: News About the Town

They watched as dishes were served one after another by the hotel's waiters on the dining table. Claremont and Abel stood at the entrance of the dining room the entire time, looking around. They did not see Devitt.

After the two of them received their keys, they sat in the room and chatted.

From the evening until now, two to three hours had passed, but they only saw Devitt's luggage.

At the end of the conversation, they could not help but feel a little strange. They began to ask others about Devitt's movements. Then, they heard from the innkeeper that Devitt did not even return to his room. After getting the waiter to carry his luggage upstairs, he went out on his own.

Abel leaned against the door post of the restaurant and sighed. "The two of us were still thinking about how to ask Devitt about the operation, but he made the first move himself."

"Devitt was probably worried that he didn't have enough time, so he didn't call us and left on his own." Claremont replied as he looked out the door.

"Devitt is still the most dedicated to the mission." Abel said. "We should have followed him."

"There's nothing we can do. It's very difficult for us to follow him at all times." Claremont shook his head. After seeing Devitt's figure, he shouted, "Devitt! You're back?!"

Devitt walked into the restaurant and handed the coat he was wearing to the waiter who was guarding the door. He said to Claremont, "Why haven't you gone for dinner yet?"

"We were waiting for you." Claremont replied, "We can't be the heartless comrades that enjoy our dinner in a place with a fireplace while you were out in the snow, gathering information for the sake of carrying out a mission."

Devitt looked at Claremont in amusement and did not say anything else.

"You stayed outside for so long. Did you find anything?" Abel asked.

"I did find something, but the pedestrians on the street are very tight-lipped." Devitt said with a frown. "I only know how to get up the mountain and the reason for the strange atmosphere in the city."

"I also feel that this town is different from before," Abel said. "What is the information you have heard about?"

Devitt said in a low voice, "The gnomes have already broken out in a civil war, and the forces in the Gnome Kingdom have been divided into two factions. Moreover, the situation is tense, and there is no extra manpower to manage this trading town."

"What?" Claremont was a little surprised. Although he had predicted that the situation in the Gnome Kingdom would be more serious, he had not expected that it would be so bad, and the other races had taken the advantage to control the trading city.

"Yes." Devitt nodded. "Regarding this, this is all the information I know."

"Gilbert's way home is even more difficult." Claremont's mind flashed with the image of Gilbert's weak figure.

"Then, what is the method you mentioned to get up the mountain?" Abel continued to ask.

"It is said that under the proposal of the various races, a teleportation array has been built in the town. It can use magic power to teleport people to the top of the mountain. If we can use this method, it will greatly shorten the time we need to reach the top of the mountain." Devitt explained.

"Teleportation array?" Claremont was curious about such a new thing.

Abel, who had learned spells since he was young, frowned and said, "Although there are many merchants on this island, it is not enough to put them into the teleportation array."

"Is the consumption of the teleportation array that big?" Claremont asked.

"It is very big. Not only do they need the support of mages, but they also need all kinds of gemstones for daily maintenance." Abel explained. "The financial resources of this town alone should not be enough to support it."

"That means that there are external forces helping them behind the scenes." Devitt analyzed. "The more complicated the situation on this island is, the more likely it is that we will be dragged into this situation if we stay here."

"Sigh. It's really difficult." Claremont said.

While the three of them were distressed, a soldier walked out from the side hall and said to them, "Captain Devitt, Captain Claremont, Captain Abel. The soldiers are waiting for you."

"Huh?" When Devitt heard this, he looked at Claremont and Abel strangely.

Claremont said awkwardly, "I forgot..."

Abel's face also blushed.

Devitt looked at the two of them with a slightly reproachful look and led them to the dining hall where the soldiers were.

"Sorry for the long wait, everyone." Devitt waved at the soldiers.

"It's okay, Captain Devitt. We were planning to eat with you." Jeb replied loudly.

"Captain, I heard you went out on a mission. Why didn't you call us?" a soldier said excitedly.

"I went to ask for information. How brought you?" Devitt said with a laugh, "Well, everyone sits down and start eating."

"Ding Ding Ding Dang --" the sound of dishes being picked up could be heard on the dining table. It seemed that everyone was really hungry.

While drinking red wine, Devitt talked to the soldiers around him about the plan to use the teleportation array tomorrow.

"Teleportation array! It sounds amazing! I've never heard of it before." a soldier shouted happily.

"Will the mages teleport us to the top of the mountain? How is that possible?!" a soldier looked incredulous.

"It'll be great if we can get on the teleportation array." most people were looking forward to the new experience tomorrow.

Austin sat in his seat and looked around. He finally saw Gilbert walking in from the outside.

"Why did you take so long to go to the toilet?" Austin asked worriedly. "Did you eat something bad?"

"I got lost outside. It took me a long time to find the toilet." Gilbert replied as he climbed up his chair.

"I should have brought you there." Austin nodded and said, "Captain Devitt told us that tomorrow we will go to sit in something called a teleportation array. Do you know what it is?"

"I don't know. I've never seen it before." Gilbert picked up the cup and said indifferently.

"I heard that it would bring us to the mountain in an instant." Austin said excitedly, "It sounds incredible, right?"

"Ya." Gilbert nodded.

Austin observed Gilbert's cold reaction. Although he felt a little strange, he did ask. Instead, he chatted with Gilbert from time to time during the banquet.

The time for the banquet quickly passed. Abel organized the soldiers to return to their rooms to rest.

Gilbert followed Austin back to the hotel room.

After washing up, he laid on the bed in his dry pajamas.

Once it was past twelve o'clock, the lights in the hotel would be turned off. Only the firewood in the fireplace was burning.

Chapter 764: Leave Without Saying Goodbye

After hearing the sound of Austin sleeping soundly, Gilbert opened his eyes. He slowly got off the bed, turned around to look at the sleeping Austin, and resolutely left the room.

Walking to the corridor of the guest room, Gilbert walked to the room where Devitt and the others were.

After hearing the voices inside, he raised his hand and gently knocked on the door.

When Devitt and the others heard the knocking, they immediately stopped talking. Abel picked up the weapon beside the bed and carefully approached the door.

Devitt and Claremont also got off the bed and followed behind Abel, waiting for him.

"Who is it?" Abel asked in a low voice.

"Gilbert." a slender voice came through the door.

Devitt frowned strangely, as if he could not understand why Gilbert would come looking for them at this time.

The three of them looked at each other, and Abel slowly opened the door. Gilbert immediately rushed in from outside the door. He was not even half as tall as Abel. At this time, he looked even more agile and light-footed.

"I'm about to leave. I'm here to say goodbye to you." Gilbert said calmly as he sat down on a chair in the room.

"Now?" Devitt looked at the dark sky outside the window and asked in puzzlement.

"Yes." Gilbert nodded and said, "Thank you for taking care of me during this period of time."

Claremont said hesitantly, "During these few days, Austin was the one who take care of you the most. Did you say goodbye to him?"

"No." Gilbert shook his head dejectedly and said, "I'm worried that I won't be able to bear to leave."

Seeing that Abel was hesitant to speak, Devitt gestured for him to keep quiet.

"The reason I came to look for you this time is also for Austin." Gilbert took a sip of tea and continued, "I hope that you can take good care of him. You promised me before, so you won't go back on your word, right?"

"Of course." Devitt nodded. "Besides, Austin is one of our soldiers. It's our responsibility to take care of him."

"Well, that's good." Gilbert stood up and said, "Goodbye."

In the end, Claremont couldn't help but ask, "Why did you leave in such a hurry? Don't you have time to say goodbye?"

"No." Gilbert raised the corner of his mouth and said with a pale smile, "Now the remaining time can only be used on the road to live or die."

When the three adults heard this, their faces showed a trace of reluctance.

"I hope you can succeed." Abel said.

"Thank you." Gilbert bent down slightly and said, "If I die, please don't tell Austin."

After saying this, Gilbert turned around and left without any hesitation.

He turned over the railing of the corridor and jumped to the lobby on the first floor. The whole process was silent.

Devitt and the other two stood in the corridor and watched Gilbert's back as he broke out of the door.

Claremont sighed and said, "He's just a child, but he acts like he's a young man. I really don't know who is taking care of whom between him and Austin."

"They take care of each other." Devitt replied softly. "Their feelings go both ways."

The next morning, the people who stayed in the hotel were woken up by the hotel owner's screams.

"My door! Who broke my door?!" the hotel owner's face turned green.

Abel, who had not woken up, directly got out of bed and walked to the corridor on the second floor. he shouted downstairs, "Boss, I'm sorry. My brother was too drunk, so he knocked down your precious door. When we pay the bill later, I'll compensate you."

The hotel owner looked at Abel's firm muscles, and he frowned at Abel, but he did not shout anymore.

Just when Abel thought that he could finally have some peace and quiet, and go back to sleep for a while more...

Austin ran from the room to his front and shouted, "Captain Abel, Gilbert, he..."

Abel sighed in his heart. He had forgotten about this.

"He went home." Abel waved his hand and said.

"What?" Austin said in disbelief, "Why do you all know, but I..."

"Our destination is different from his. Of course, we have to part here," Abel said. "I guess his family was in a hurry to call him back, so he left early in the morning."

"I see..." Austin suddenly lost his spirit.

He originally wanted to take Gilbert to the teleportation array, but when he woke up this morning, Gilbert was nowhere to be seen.

Abel looked at Austin's gloomy expression and could not help but comfort him. "Go back and sleep for a while more. Cheer up. We are going to begin our mission today."

"Yes," Austin replied.

Abel patted his shoulder and returned to his room. Looking at Devitt and Claremont who had fallen asleep again, Abel sighed and lay on his bed to rest.

Austin returned to his room and laid on his bed according to Abel's instructions.

When the soldiers who had been noisy earlier saw the expression on Abel's face, they choked on their words and didn't intend to speak again.

"Wu, Wu..." after a while, Austin wrapped himself in the quilt and whimpered.

The others also became sad. They looked at each other and walked out of the bed. They took their clothes, gently closed the door, and left.

After everyone washed up, it was time for breakfast.

After hearing what Abel said about what happened this morning, Devitt looked at the table where Austin and the others were sitting, but he did not see Austin. He already understood what happened.

Because he was worried about Austin's health, Devitt picked up a breakfast and walked to the guest room on the second floor.

"Guest, food and drinks cannot be brought to the guest room." a waiter stopped Devitt and said.

"I'm sorry, one of my comrades is not feeling well. I'll go and see him." Devitt explained to the waiter with a smile.

The waiter nodded hesitantly and let him pass.

"Thank you." Devitt said.

He knocked on the door of the room where Austin was, and Devitt called out softly, "Austin, are you there?"

"Yes," Austin's voice came from inside.

"Can I come in?" Devitt asked politely again.

"... Yes." Austin hesitated for a moment and replied.

Devitt took the tray and walked in. When he saw Austin with red eyes, he handed the food to him. He said gently, "Eat something first."

Chapter 765: The Process of Teleporting Up the Mountain

"Before Gilbert left, he asked us to take good care of you." Devitt sat down on the edge of the bed, he said, "Why do you think he's so worried? You're a member of our reconnaissance team, of course we will take care of you."

Hearing Devitt's words, tears quickly gathered in Austin's eyes.

He raised his hand to pick up the hamburger on the plate and chewed it bit by bit.

"If you can eat, then I don't have to worry too much." Devitt stood up and said, "After breakfast, quickly come and gather with the soldiers. We'll wait for you."

"Thank you, Captain Devitt." Austin said in a choked voice.

"It's nothing. Didn't I tell you? It's a matter of course." Devitt said with a relaxed smile.

After saying this, Devitt unlocked the door, turned around, and left.

Austin chewed the hamburger in his mouth, holding back his tears.

What made him hold back his tears was the promise he made with Gilbert when they were resting outside the camp.

"I must pull myself together."

At eight o'clock in the morning, all the soldiers gathered outside the hotel.

After paying the bill, Claremont also walked out of the door and gathered with the main group.

"This boss is really stingy. Gilbert broke his broken door, and he wants to charge us ten silver coins. That door can't be more than three silver coins." Claremont said angrily.

"Forget it. Anyway, our journey is coming to an end." Devitt said.

"Speaking of which, my purse is getting lighter and lighter. What if we don't have enough money on the way back?" Claremont curled his lips and asked.

"Let's go borrow Abel's money." Devitt said with a smile.

"What?" Abel, who had been standing on the side and smiling happily, immediately distanced himself from the two people in front of him after hearing this.

"Don't worry. I'll do the math for you..." after being reminded by Devitt, a trace of sunshine immediately appeared on Claremont's gloomy face. He put his arm around Abel's shoulder and talked with him about the twists and turns along the journey.

In the end, Abel reluctantly agreed to share the money that Devitt and Claremont requested.

The group of people chatted and laughed as they walked to the end of the main street. In front of them was the location of the teleportation array.

"Amazing!" a soldier looked at the barrier around the teleportation array and took a deep breath.

"There are magic runes carved on the walls here." an elven soldier said to his colleague as he looked around.

"But I can't understand these runes." an elven soldier said, puzzled.

"Of course, we're all learning intermediate spells. How can we understand high-level runes?" another elven soldier immediately replied.

"I see."

Whenever there was a situation where there was magic involved, it was usually Abel who would come forward to discuss it.

Devitt and Claremont just needed to follow behind him and put on an imposing manner.

Abel and the person in charge of the front desk used professional terms that Devitt and Claremont did not understand for a long time. Finally, they settled on the matter of the scouts riding on the teleportation array.

"Ten gold coins." said the person in charge as he counted.

Anyone could understand this sentence. Claremont's reaction in this area was as outstanding as ever. "What?!"

The person in charge leaned on his desk and lowered his head. He did not pay attention to Claremont's reaction.

Claremont's expression became bitter. He suggested to the two people beside him, "Why don't we walk up the mountain? If we bid ten gold coins here, we would really have nothing."

"It doesn't matter." Abel shook his head and said helplessly, "Aren't we travel together? The money will still be enough for us to return the edge of the island."

Claremont looked at Devitt and Abel and compromised, "Alright. I'll follow your decision."

Recently, there seemed to be a lot of people using the teleportation array. The scouts lined up until three o'clock in the afternoon before their turn came.

The soldiers spent their nap time in the hall.

"Each of you, please stand at the designated point marked in the array." a middle-aged man wearing a mage robe commanded.

After seeing that everyone was ready, the middle-aged man poured his spiritual power into the pillar in front of the formation.

"Clang!"

An orange light covered the sight of every soldier.

In the next moment, the reconnaissance team arrived at the top of the mountain. The only thing that surrounded them was the grass that was covered in snow.

"How did we get up here?" a soldier asked in disbelief. As he spoke, he touched his hands to make sure that he was still intact.

"This is such an impressive spell." even the elven soldiers exclaimed.

"Everyone, follow me forward." Abel commanded the people behind him.

At ten o'clock at night, a teleportation array would appear at the place where they appeared to bring them back.

"There are less than seven hours left. Can we find the clues to the disappearance of the dwarfs?" Devitt asked worriedly.

"No matter how fast we speed up, it will still take us two hours to get from here to the dwarves' estate." Abel replied.

Right now, everyone was only thinking about one thing, and that was to move forward!

Under Abel's leadership, the soldiers circled around the mountain road. Finally, they arrived at an inconspicuous cave entrance.

Abel stopped in his tracks and pushed aside the grass near the cave entrance.

He discovered a passageway that only allowed one person to pass through.

"Are we going in from here?" Claremont asked.

"Yes. The new home of the dwarven craftsman is inside." Abel said.

Devitt sized up the Caradia soldiers and said, "Can we only leave the soldiers' luggage and armor here?"

"Yes. Otherwise, we won't be able to pass through this cave." Abel nodded and instructed the elven soldiers to put down the luggage on their shoulders. "Just cover these luggage with the grass at the entrance of the cave so that they won't get wet by the snow."

"Yes." After hesitating for a while, Devitt also asked the soldiers to take off their armor and put down their weapons.

He was originally worried that if they could not return the way they came from, they would not able to take back these things.

However, seeing that Abel was confident, Devitt dispelled the doubts in his heart.

Everyone followed Abel and slowly squeezed into the tunnel built by the dwarves.

"Are the dwarven craftsmen so worried that others will come and disturb them?" a soldier said. "They built such a hidden place as a new residence."

"I heard that the personality of the dwarf race is quite reclusive." a soldier replied.

"But this is too difficult to get in and out. We are the ones who came to save them." a soldier said, "Why is the dust in this tunnel so thick? How long has it been since someone came?"

Chapter 766: Buildings With Another Purpose

They crawled forward slowly for about 200 meters. Just when everyone was about to be exhausted beyond belief, a fresh air current welcomed them.

"We're here." Abel said in surprise.

Abel jumped out of the tunnel and stepped on the ground again.

The soldiers followed him out of the tunnel one by one.

Claremont looked at the house built by the dwarves around him, and a strange feeling rose in his heart.

"It seems that since we came here last time, no one has come here again. Nothing has changed here." Abel said.

"I feel that there is something strange here." Claremont said hesitantly.

"What?" Devitt and Abel looked at him and asked.

"I have a feeling... these buildings aren't built for people to live in." Claremont said, pointing at the buildings in the volcano.

"I don't understand." Abel shook his head in confusion and said, "If they aren't built for people to live in, are they still built for people to see?"

"Yes!" After hearing Abel's words, Claremont slapped his head and shouted, "They are built for people to see."

Looking at the two people in front of him who still had an incomprehensible expression on their faces, Claremont slowly opened his mouth to explain, "These buildings, whether it's from the circulation of air or the layout of the rooms, are all very illogical. It can be said that they're even worse than the drawings that a beginner in architecture can draw."

"In other words, no one would live in such a house. Moreover, these houses were deliberately built to confuse the people who entered here." Devitt concluded.

"From the craftsmanship of the decoration, although there are many hasty traces, we can still see that it was built by the dwarf craftsmen." Claremont walked closer to a house and observed it carefully.

"If this is the work of the dwarf craftsmen, then who are they guarding against?" Abel asked.

"We have no way of knowing this, but we can be sure that we have found the wrong place." Claremont said. "Where is the evidence left by the gnomes that you mentioned before?"

Abel was reminded by Claremont and quickly led the group to the place where they found the gnomes' weapons.

However, there was nothing there.

"How?" Abel was puzzled.

"It seems that they have been taken away." Claremont said. "Let's not worry about this for now. We need to find the true residence of the dwarf craftsmen in these few hours. There isn't much time left."

"How do we search?" Devitt asked.

"Since the dwarf craftsmen built such a defensive line, they must be observing nearby. Otherwise, how could they have noticed an outsider's invasion at the first moment?" Claremont thought for a moment and stated.

"Alright. Then we'll search this area in the form of a small team. Don't miss a single inch." Devitt commanded.

"Yes!" the soldiers immediately followed the order, and the ten teams moved in different directions.

"I didn't expect the space inside the volcano to be so spacious. Fortunately, we brought enough people." Claremont rejoiced.

"Yes." Abel nodded and said, "Thanks to you this time, we didn't spend too much time in the maze set up by the dwarven craftsmen. I didn't expect you know a lot of architecture knowldedge."

"Of course." Claremont smiled. "How many times have I told you that the books I read are very useful?"

"Claremont's speculation has basically been proven to be correct." Devitt frowned and said, "But don't you think that the style of setting up such a maze is a little contrary to the personality of the dwarven craftsmen?"

"In that case... it is indeed a little strange." Abel nodded. When the dwarf race built the harbor for Cumberland, Abel had been there a few times. He had also met the dwarven craftsmen a few times.

What he felt from every dwarven craftsman he saw was passion for architecture, pride in their own talent, and the innocence of children.

They couldn't imagine that they would be able to design such a trap.

"Don't think about it. Let's hurry up and help look for them." Claremont said as he looked at the two of them who were unhappy.

The group of people had been busy in the volcano for half an hour, but they hadn't found any clues about the midgets.

Just as everyone was feeling dejected, a clear child's voice rang in their ears.

"Who are you?"

The voice echoed in the empty space.

"We are soldiers sent by the humans and elves. We only heard that the dwarfs had disappeared. We are here to find them." Abel replied loudly.

There were only chaotic shouts in response.

"Wait." After a while, the same voice sounded again.

Abel let the soldiers lean against each other, waiting for the owner of the voice to appear.

After a while, footsteps came from behind them. A little dwarf girl appeared out of nowhere and ran happily to the front of the reconnaissance team.

"Did you bring food?" the little girl asked with a smile.

"Food?" Devitt was stunned by the sudden question. He pointed in the direction of the tunnel and answered, "Our food is outside."

"You didn't bring it to us?" The little girl's smiling face fell. "Then why are you here?"

"We heard that the dwarfs are missing..." Abel walked up and answered.

"Missing? We've been here all this time. We're fine!" the little girl was puzzled. "Klidoff said he would bring us food. Why hasn't he come after three days?"

"Who's Klidoff?" Claremont asked.

"The person in charge of this island." the little girl answered, "Since you don't have any food, please go out. Don't disturb the rest of the dwarves."

"The dwarf craftsman was in charge of the port projects of the Caradia Empire and the Elf Kingdom." Devitt said, "The Elf Kingdom sent a letter to the Dwarf Kingdom before. Did you receive it?"

"A letter? Klidoff will bring all the letters sent to the island to us. None of them came from the Elf Kingdom." the little girl thought for a moment and said, "You must have remembered it wrong."

"How is that possible..." Abel was about to explain, but Claremont interrupted him. Claremont noticed the crux of the matter. "Why is Klidoff who does all the work for you guys, won't you guys walk out of here?"

"No." the little girl replied. "It's the time for the dwarves to rest. Other than receiving requests from other countries, we won't walk out of our own estate. Speaking of which, it's been a while since we received a request..."

Devitt and Claremont looked at each other, and they already knew what exactly happened.

Chapter 767: The Expected Betrayal

"I want to visit the chief of the dwarfs, can I?" Devitt said solemnly to the little girl.

"Grandpa?" the little girl stared at him and asked, "Why are you looking for the clan chief?"

"I think the dwarfs must have fallen into the trap of the conspirators on this island." Devitt replied.

The little girl looked at his sincere face and seemed to have sensed the seriousness of the matter. She nodded and said, "Then come with me."

Then, the little girl led them to the secret passage that she had taken when she came.

Seeing the door of the secret passage open, the soldiers cried out in surprise.

"I didn't see it at all." a soldier said in surprise. The door was hidden on the rock wall of the volcano, and its surface was almost the same as the surrounding rocks. It was impossible to recognize it based on the first impression.

The little girl led the soldiers through the secret passage and arrived at another scenic spot in the volcano.

Exquisite buildings were lined up side by side. It was more lively the place just now.

The moment Abel stepped into this place, he felt that the flow of the elements in his body became smoother. It was extremely inconceivable.

"Most of us are currently in a state of slumber. Please do not make too much noise while you are here." the little girl instructed in a low voice. "I will go wake up the chief."

After saying this, the little girl disappeared into the buildings.

Devitt organized everyone to keep quiet. Claremont and Abel stood in their original positions without saying a word. From time to time, they would raise their wrists to look at the direction of the hour hand.

After about ten minutes, the little girl appeared in front of everyone again.

"The clan chief is waiting for you up there. Follow me." the little girl said.

Devitt hesitated for a moment before commanding the soldiers to stay in their original positions and rest. He, Claremont, and Abel followed the little girl's footsteps. They went around the houses and headed towards the building in the center of the residential area.

The little girl didn't say a word along the way.

After bringing the three of them to a room on the second floor, she left quietly.

Devitt cast his gaze towards the old dwarf who was sitting on the seat of honor and waiting for them.

"Hello, chief of the dwarf race." Devitt, as the representative of the human race, stepped forward and greeted them.

Abel followed behind him and bowed to the chief of the dwarf race.

"Hello." the chief's hair had already turned white, and there were some age spots on his face. However, his voice didn't sound like it came from someone his age. "My little niece has already introduced your identities to me. There's no need to be formal since we know your origins, it's fine. Please take a seat."

"Thank you." Devitt replied and found a chair to sit down.

The other two also sat down.

"I heard that the dwarfs' recent supply and demand are all handled by the leader of the island?" Devitt asked first.

"Yes." the clan chief replied. "After all, the dwarfs have entered a dormant period. Basically, there won't be any personnel moving around."

"But at the same time, the news of the disappearance of all your clansmen has spread overseas, even to the Elf Kingdom." Devitt continued.

"Eh?" the chief's eyes widened in surprise.

Although Klidoff had previously told him that he would spread some misleading rumors to the edge of the island. But just the fact that it had spread overseas was already very unusual.

"We are here to look for clues about your kingdom's disappearance. After all, both Caradia Empire and Elf Kingdom owe a debt of gratitude to the dwarven craftsmen." Devitt's introduction continued, "I wonder if that fake town outside of this place was the idea of that Klidoff?"

"Yes." the clan chief nodded.

"No one knew that the dwarf race had not gone missing but had instead gone into hiding. The first batch of soldiers we sent found gnomes' tools in that place. Don't you think that all of this is too much of a coincidence?"

"What do you mean?" the clan chief's expression had already become somewhat gloomy.

"On the surface, now that the dwarf race has been framed for murdering the dragon race guards, the dwarf race has disappeared, and the gnome race is in chaos. Moreover, the gnomes have been accused of 'killing the dwarf race'. The three races are in grave danger." Devitt concluded.

"Klidoff, that b*stard is simply too detestable!" the dwarf clan chief roared.

"Actually, we still have chance. As long as you represent the dwarfs and clarify everything in front of the world, the scheme of Klidoff and the other helpers behind the scenes will fall apart." Claremont said.

"Hmph." the chief snorted angrily. "Alright, I'll follow you out. I want to see Klidoff's sorry face."

"Chief, let's leave as soon as possible." Abel saw the situation and suggested, "The situation outside is unpredictable. The earlier we leave, the earlier we can resolve all of this."

"Alright!" the dwarf clan chief agreed.

The few of them walked out of the room, but suddenly heard the alarm outside. The floor of the corridor shook as well.

"What happened?" Devitt looked out of the window and asked.

"Someone activated the vibration device in the town." the chief answered, "Let's go to the basement to take a look."

"Chief! We have to escape from here now!" Claremont advised.

"No, this vibration device is used to destroy the entire village. And only the dwarves can use it. I want to see which traitor did this." the chief was so angry that he trembled.

"We have to escape first. We can't let you take this risk." Devitt also said, "Our soldiers have already begun to wake up the dwarf residents in the house. We have to quickly meet up with them."

Just when the two sides were in a dispute, a familiar voice made them stop talking.

"Grandpa, don't look for me. I'm here."

The little girl who led the way just now stood in the middle of the hall on the first floor and said to the four people standing on the stairs with a smile.

"You!" the clan chief took a deep breath and shouted.

Devitt and the others were also frozen on the spot. The expression on the little girl's face made them almost unable to recognize her.

"You can't get out. All the exits have been sealed by me." the little girl continued to answer quietly.

"Why did you do all this!!" the chief said bitterly.

"To live in this world with dignity! To not be chased away like rats in the gutter." the little girl roared angrily.

This sentence made Devitt recall the intelligence he had obtained in the Elf Kingdom: the reason why the dwarves moved to the island was mainly because the original land had been invaded by the beastman force.

Chapter 768: The Group Escaped From The Cave

And the little girl in front of her, if they're not mistaken, was Vivian who led a part of the dwarfs to revolt.

It was said that Vivian's hands were injured in the war.

She was severely punished by the dwarfs and could not forge for the rest of her life.

But at that time, Cumberland happened to send an invitation. The dwarfs who were busy moving could not find anyone to deal with it.

Out of helplessness, they sent Vivian to bring some new recruits to the job.

Vivian did not personally build the port, but instead took up the role of the chief commander of the entire construction project.

"I heard that His Highness Lord Kant is also acquainted with this little girl." Claremont said to Devitt in a low voice.

"Yes, I know that too." Devitt nodded and said, "However, the Vivian standing in front of us now seems to be totally different from the one who stayed in Cumberland."

"During that time, I have been to Cumberland a few times." Abel frowned and said, "I didn't expect that in such a short time, that would be a drastic change to a person."

The floor shook even more. Devitt glanced at the old chief who was standing silently on the side. He felt that it was not a good idea to continue this confrontation. He immediately walked to the side of the old chief and said, "Chief, let's quickly retreat."

"You guys go. I'll stay here with this little fellow." the chief shook his head and said, "If she has any grievances, just vent them on me."

Claremont frowned and said, "Your niece did such a thing on impulse. Please don't be stupid. If a person's life is lost, then everything will be meaningless."

After saying this, Claremont and Abel looked at each other. They made up their minds -- even if they had to knock the old chief out, they had to take him out.

"Clang!" The light at the corner of the stairs fell at their feet.

Devitt and the other two saw that the situation was getting worse. Without waiting for the old chief to reply, they lifted half of the old chief's body. They jumped down the stairs.

"You can't escape!" Vivian shouted as she watched the figures of these people escape to the door.

"Abel! Bring Vivian with you!" Claremont shouted at Abel.

The moment Abel passed by Vivian, he held her in his arms. No matter how much she resisted, she clenched her teeth and did not let go.

"Let go of me!" Vivian bit Abel's arm.

"Why are you so insensible!" Abel endured the pain of being bitten and frowned at Vivian.

The group ran out of the building and passed through the crumbling buildings.

"Boom -- boom --" the sound came from the edge of the town. Devitt looked in the direction of the source of the sound. He found the scout team and a group of dwarfs in pajamas.

The elven soldiers were using their spells to continuously attack the iron gate that blocked the secret door.

"Chief!"

"Captain Devitt!"

The arrival of Devitt and the others attracted the attention of the scout team and the dwarven craftsmen.

"Chief, what's going on?" A dwarf wearing a nightcap rushed to the side of the chief and asked.

"... sigh." the old chief sighed and said, "Klidoff betrayed us. These soldiers were sent by the humans and elves outside the island to help us out."

"Eh?" the dwarfs who heard the news were all surprised.

"Captain Abel! Captain Devitt, Captain Claremont! You're finally here." an elven soldier walked up to the three people and called out.

"How's the situation now?" Abel asked anxiously. His right hand was still holding the little girl in his arms, preventing her from escaping from him.

"Currently, the elven soldiers and the Caradia soldiers are working together to find a breakthrough point." the soldier reported.

"Any progress?" Claremont continued to ask.

"The entrance to the place was sealed by the iron gate. The material of the iron gate is harder than we imagined." the soldier's face revealed a troubled expression.

"It's too late." Devitt looked back at the shaking house behind him and said to the gnome chief, "Chief, do you have any ideas?"

"This iron gate is the last line of defense we have set up for this residence." the chief shook his head and said, "I don't know when this little girl took the key to the basement from me, and then she had the chance to use this device."

Abel squatted down and looked straight into Vivian's eyes. He asked, "What about you? How are you going to escape?"

"Hmph." Vivian turned her face away and did not say anything.

Abel frowned, stood up and said to the others, "It seems that this little girl is ready to die here with us."

After the dwarves heard the conversation between the two, they looked at Vivian in disbelief. However, Vivian ignored their gazes and kept her head down.

"We have to think of a way to escape from here." Claremont said in a solemn voice.

"There are about thirty minutes left before the cave collapses." Devitt took out his pocket watch and said after taking a look.

Abel walked to the iron gate where everyone was besieging and attached his right hand to it.

He used the spiritual energy in his body to feel the density of this piece of steel.

It was too strenuous for Abel to do such a test. When the water element in his body squeezed into this piece of metal with great difficulty... Bean-sized beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"Stop fighting." Abel wiped his sweat and said to the soldiers who were trying to break through, "You can't break this piece of steel."

When the scout soldiers heard this, they all stopped.

"Captain Abel, maybe we can find the ventilation shaft here and break through from there." a wind elf soldier suggested.

"Right." Abel suddenly realized. "You lead the way!"

"Okay." the soldier nodded and immediately used the spiritual power in his body to fly into the air. According to the airflow he felt, he searched for the air lock of this small town.

"Found it!" five minutes later, the elven soldier stopped in front of a mountain wall. He shouted excitedly at the soldiers standing on the ground.

"Good!" Abel immediately followed. After observing for a while, he said to the other soldiers, "We can break through from here!"

Each elven soldier brought a Caradia soldier and flew high into the sky, arriving at the location where Abel and the wind elf were. The two forces combined and smashed a big hole in the rock wall.

"Wow!" the dwarves cheered happily. They hadn't thought of this method before.. Now that they could break through the crisis easily, they were really happy.

Chapter 769: The Unveiling Of The Conspiracy

After the elven soldiers brought the Caradia soldiers out, they returned to the volcano and escaped from the cave with the dwarven craftsmen. Because the elven soldiers were more than twice the size of the dwarfs, each elven soldier carried a dwarf in each hand in order to save time.

"I'll take the chief and Vivian away." Abel told Devitt and Claremont.

"Okay, then I'll leave them to you." Devitt replied. Then, he held the hand of the elven soldiers who were floating in the air.

The buildings in the volcano had been destroyed by the shockwave. Abel looked around and found that most of the people had left safely. He raised his right hand and called for all the elven soldiers in the volcano to gather. Then, he led the last group of people and rushed out.

They landed safely on the green grass on the surface of the volcano.

Devitt walked to the dwarf clan chief, who was still in a state of shock, and said, "Chief, if you need any help from us, please feel free to ask."

The clan chief stood where he was and thought for a while. Then, he said, "There's no need to trouble you. Thank you, humans and elves, for saving our tribe."

"You're welcome." Devitt shook his head and said, "Then, may I ask what your plan is?"

"Of course, we'll find Klidoff for a clear explanation." the chief said angrily, "He failed to keep the agreement with the dwarfs. We'll have to find him to clarify the reason behind it."

"Mm." Devitt nodded. Their mission had come to an end here.

"If there's nothing we can do, we'll take our leave." Abel said politely. "I hope you all can have a smooth journey."

"Thank you." the dwarf clan chief nodded.

"Chief! Vivian is gone!" A dwarf ran to the clan chief and shouted.

"What happened?" clan chief immediately became nervous and asked anxiously.

"Just now, she said she wanted to drink water, so I took her to the freshwater pool nearby. After that, when I was fetching water by the pool, she disappeared. I searched around the freshwater pool for a long time, but I couldn't find her." the dwarf soldier reported.

"How careless!" the dwarf clan chief stomped his feet and said angrily.

"Since she just gone, she shouldn't have gone too far with her little feet. Quickly send people to search in batches. Our people might be able to help." Devitt suggested.

"Thank you very much." the chief nodded and said.

Hundreds of dwarfs and soldiers of the reconnaissance team surrounded the freshwater pool on the volcano and began to search.

It was almost dark now, so they couldn't search for long. When they gathered again, they had not found Vivian.

Seeing the worry on the faces of the dwarfs, Devitt pursed his lips, but there was still no clue in his mind.

"Why don't we go down the mountain and rest first? We can go up the mountain and search again tomorrow at dawn." a dwarf craftsman suggested to the old chief.

"... That's the only way." the old chief compromised.

Although he really wanted to find his niece, he still couldn't drag all the dwarfs who were only wearing thin pajamas to spend the night on this winter mountain.

"Our teleportation array is almost here." Claremont said, "Everyone, follow us down the mountain. I reckon that once you reach the foot of the mountain, the rumors will fall apart."

"Mm, thank you." The chief agreed to Claremont's suggestion. The group of people went down the mountain.

Just as Claremont said, when the mages who were operating the magic array saw the dwarves appear in front of them, their faces instantly turned pale.

On the way out of the teleportation array, there were many wanderers who approached the dwarfs to talk to them and ask them the truth about the disappearance.

After hearing the story of the dwarfs being deceived by Klidoff, everyone put on an incredulous expression.

However, most of them still chose to believe the truth that the dwarfs had told them.

After all, they knew the dwarfs would not lie.

The reconnaissance team chose to stay in a hotel near the center of the city.

When dawn came the next day, the dispute between Klidoff and the dwarfs spread throughout the town and even spread to other parts of the volcano.

Some people said that Klidoff, who sat at the desk of his law enforcement officer every day at eight o'clock, did not show up at the law enforcement building today.

After the dwarfs gathered the citizens and explained the truth. They applied for military support from the volcano administration to help them go up the mountain to search for Vivian.

In this way, Devitt and the others were completely idle.

Devitt's plan was to leave immediately, but Claremont and Abel both requested that they stay for one more day to see how the current situation developed.

After the soldiers were on vacation, they all walked out of the inn and strolled on the streets.

Devitt and the other two didn't have the mood to relax. They found a nearby teahouse and sat in a private room to drink tea.

"Tell me, what can we see if we stay here for one more day?" Devitt sighed and asked.

"Actually, we just want to stay here for one more day." Claremont shook his head and said, "To adjust the soldiers' status. What can we see? It depends on how quickly the situation on this island changes."

"Hehe." Abel laughed when he heard Claremont. After Claremont glared at him, he immediately restrained his expression.

"I heard that the dragon clan sent representatives to participate in this morning's gathering to support the dwarf clan." Claremont told him the news that the hotel attendant had revealed.

"The dragon clan? They woke up?" Devitt was somewhat surprised.

"Yes." Claremont nodded. "They are calmer than expected."

"This island has at least a few hundred years of history. There have been many people who wanted to stir up trouble. How could the dragon clan be so frightened by this matter?" Abel took a sip of tea and said.

"That's true." Claremont nodded, he said, "But this time, the people behind the scenes will be in big trouble. The dragon clan's military power, the gnome's strategy, the dwarf's artillery, the goblin's network. These superimposed powers are unimaginable."

"So... shouldn't we leave earlier?" Devitt frowned.

Claremont coughed. "That's all you thought of?!"

"What else can I think of? If the various races on this island suddenly start fighting, where would we find a place to stay?" Devitt said with a laugh.

"No, we can still bring some fresh information back with us." Claremont insisted, "If these races really want to use force, we have to wait for everyone to arrive.. We haven't even figured out who's behind this yet."

Chapter 770: The Long-awaited Reunite

"That's right." Abel nodded. "Moreover, the righteous side on the surface might not be able to unite as we expected."

"Oh right, Claremont, you've gathered quite a lot of information." Devitt asked, "How's the situation in the Gnome Kingdom? Any progress?"

Claremont shot a glance at Devitt, he said, "Didn't Austin leave early this morning to meet with Gilbert? I only glanced at him from the side. Gilbert looks good, and the 'prisoner' tattoo on his left chest has disappeared. I guess he's making good progress."

"This is really good news." Devitt said with a smile.

"When I sent Gilbert away that day, I thought I would never see him again." Claremont said while covering his chest.

"Hehe." Abel laughed. "Then what else did you hear?"

"Nothing. I told you all the news I received." Claremont pursed his lips and said, "I was so bored that I came out to have tea with you two."

"You brat..." Devitt scolded with a smile.

Austin's footsteps were light as he walked along the street with Gilbert.

"I was really happy to see the door of the hotel early this morning." Austin was always in high spirits. He turned to Gilbert and asked, "How did you know that we are in this hotel?"

"The news of you bringing the dwarfs down the mountain has already spread. How could I not know where you are staying?" Gilbert replied with a smile.

"Is there such a high level of attention?" Austin asked in surprise.

"Very high. After all, the dwarfs have disappeared from the public's mouth for a long time." Gilbert nodded. "Moreover, you have also brought such an important piece of news about Klidoff"

"Actually, we ordinary soldiers are not very clear about these things. It is mainly captain Devitt, Captain Claremont, and Captain Abel who are leading us." Austin lowered his head and said.

"Isn't that good?" Gilbert raised the corner of his mouth and said, "Your cooperation has made such a good result."

"Yes." Austin nodded and asked, "What about you? Have you been accepted by the Gnome Kingdom?"

"Sort of." Gilbert thought for a while and replied.

After his return, the situation in the country had basically calmed down. Gilbert really didn't expect that there were so many people waiting for him. Unknowingly, he was already the last bloodline left by the gnome royal family in this civil war.

After finding out who was behind this and giving an explanation to all the people in the kingdom, he had to give his parents a grand funeral.

"Are you happy?" Austin continued to ask.

"When I see others happy, I'm also be happy. However, I am the only one left in my family. Sometimes, I cannot help but feel sad." Gilbert said softly.

In a few days, he would inherit the throne. At that time, there would be more troublesome things.

Austin heard Gilbert's answer and turned to look at his face worriedly. Austin had heard from Gilbert that his parents had passed away before he was exiled out of the city.

"The people who framed your parents are extremely evil." Austin said. "They will definitely be punished."

"Punishment will never bring back the lives of my parents." Gilbert's eyes dimmed. "So I don't really care what kind of fate those people will end up in."

Austin put his hand on Gilbert's shoulder, he said, "You're right. But finding these evil people and saving those families that will be harmed can offset the self-blame in your heart. I think your parents will encourage you to do it."

"Yes." Gilbert nodded and said, "Don't worry, I'll pull myself together. And I believe that you will always stand behind me and help me."

"Of course, I will always stand on your side. If you have any troubles, you can write to me. We will solve them together." Austin promised.

Gilbert nodded with tears in his eyes and smiled.

Then, the conversation between the two became much more relaxed. They chatted and laughed on the busy street for the whole morning. In the end, they couldn't walk anymore, so they found a restaurant and sat down for lunch.

To Gilbert's surprise, this restaurant was actually run by a gnome.

The gnome boss immediately trembled in fear when he saw Gilbert. He nervously walked up to Gilbert and prepared to bow.

Gilbert quickly held him up and gave him a look.

The boss had lived in this small town for so many years and even had his own restaurant. He was naturally a smart person. Under the hint of Gilbert's gaze, he immediately stopped moving. He said apologetically to Gilbert and Austin, "I'm sorry, I didn't look at the road just now. Thanks to... this... person's help. Do you guys want a room or eat?"

The restaurant owner really couldn't think of how to address Gilbert in this kind of situation.

"Eat. Take us to the private room in the restaurant upstairs." Gilbert said.

"Okay." the gnome boss agreed. He lowered his head and led the way.

Although Austin felt strange, he didn't say anything. After all, he didn't know the identity of Gilbert's new gnome king.

Although Devitt gave the soldiers of the investigation team a holiday, he still told them to return to the hotel before dark.

Gilbert heard about this rule from Austin. After lunch, he sent Austin back to the hotel.

When they parted at the entrance of the hotel, they met Devitt and the other two who were walking back from the teahouse.

"Gilbert!" Devitt greeted him first.

Abel went up and hugged the little gnome.

"You seem to be in good shape." Claremont smiled. "Do you want to come in?"

"No. I still have to rush back to the mountain today. It's almost time." Gilbert declined politely.

"What a pity." Claremont said. "We still want to hear about the recent situation of the gnomes."

"Right, what are the gnomes going to do next? Are they going to meet up with the dwarfs?" Abel asked.

"Dwarfs?" Gilbert narrowed his eyes, "The gnomes haven't interacted with the dwarfs for a long time. They won't make an exception this time, right? The dwarfs have the support of the dragon race, which is enough. I don't think they have any intention of cooperating with us."

"I see..." Devitt said regretfully, "Then I wish the gnomes good luck."

"Thank you." Gilbert replied. He bent down slightly and left after packing his luggage.

Austin stood at the side, confused.. He cast a puzzled look at Devitt and the others.

Chapter 771: The Decision To Choose The Sea Route

"Oh no. I forgot that Austin is still here." Abel noticed Austin's gaze and whispered in Claremont's ear.

"It's fine." Claremont replied. The three of them communicated with each other and passed Austin's line of sight. They walked straight into the shop. Austin was left standing alone in the cold wind.

The next morning, Devitt got up early. After washing up, he stood in front of Abel and Claremont's bed and woke them up.

"You two, get up quickly. No matter what, we have to set off today." Devitt said.

"Got it." Claremont got up with sleepy eyes and sat by the bed.

Under Devitt's urging, Abel also woke up from his sleep. He picked up his towel and went out to wash up.

As he was about to go back, Devitt seemed to be happier than anyone else. He went to every guest room where the Caradia soldiers were and woke them up.

At seven o'clock in the morning, all the soldiers of the reconnaissance team gathered in the breakfast restaurant. Many of them ate bread with their eyes closed.

Claremont stirred the corn porridge in his bowl a few times and realized that he really had no appetite.

He asked Devitt, who was sitting at the same table as him, "How do I go back? Lord captain, have you figured it out? If you still need to study it for a while, I have to go back and catch up on my sleep."

Devitt glanced at him and pointed at the map that he had placed at the side. "I'm looking at it right now. It's fine if you don't help, but how dare you still want to sleep?"

"Let me see." Devitt took one of the maps. He looked at it carefully.

Abel quietly joined them, and the table became quiet again.

Until the soldiers packed their luggage and stood in front of them. The captains finally figured out the way back.

When they paid the bill, the boss told them that they could go west after they left the city gate. After they reached the posthouse in the western suburbs, they could take a carriage to the shore. There was a cruise ship passing by every day. They could pay to board the ship when the cruise ship docked. The ship would arrive near the harbor of the island.

Devitt and the others were dumbfounded when they heard that.

"Is it an illegal ship?" Claremont swallowed his saliva and said.

The boss immediately coughed twice and said, "How can you say it's an illegal ship? If the people of our town want to leave the island, they will take this sea route."

"Really?" Abel frowned and said.

"Of course. It's really not easy for your group to travel through the mountains and rivers. That's why I told you. I won't tell anyone else." The owner shouted, "You, you, you think I can get any benefits from it?"

"... Okay. Thank you." Claremont thanked him.

After walking out of the hotel, the reconnaissance team gathered in an empty space and began to discuss.

"What should we do now? Which way should we go?" Claremont said with his chin in his hand.

"What do you think?" Devitt looked at the surrounding soldiers and asked.

Jeb's voice was the only one that responded to him. "The sea route!!"

"Why?" Devitt quickly asked.

"If what the hotel owner said is true, we don't have to be afraid of those people on the illegal ship!" Jeb said confidently. Some of the soldiers also nodded in agreement.

"Okay, then we'll take the sea route." Devitt said after seeing the reactions of the others.

After receiving the order, the group immediately walked out of the city gate.

After walking out of the city gate, they walked to the west for a long time, but they didn't see the posthouse the hotel owner mentioned.

Claremont couldn't help but wonder, "Is the owner making up a lie?"

"No." Devitt shook his head and said, "But I think the posthouse he mentioned is not quite the same as what we imagine."

"How do you know..." Abel was halfway through his questioning when he saw a few goblins with horses parked on both sides of the main road.

"Which boss introduced you?" Before Devitt and the others came forward to ask, one of the goblins had already walked up to them and asked.

"Oak Street." Abel recalled the name of the hotel, but he couldn't recall it, so he could only answer the name of the street.

Claremont looked at the goblin carefully. The skin on the goblin's hand had been cracked by the cold wind. The horse he was leading was also very thin and weak.

"If you people want to go to the beach, it'll costs fifty silver coins." the goblin said.

"Where's the carriage?" Claremont asked.

"It was blown away by the strong wind." the goblin glanced elsewhere.

Claremont and Abel, who were standing at the front, already felt a little strange and took a step back.

Abel said to the goblin, "Can you tell us where to take the boat? We've will walk there."

"Ha!" the goblin spat on the ground. "It's a bit complicated. How about I recommend a route that's closer to you than taking the boat?"

"Huh?" Claremont's eyes were full of vigilance. He put his right hand on his waist.

"Dead end." the goblin's expression became even more ferocious. He pulled out the scimitar on his waist.

More than a hundred goblins rushed out from the forest on both sides of the road. They surrounded the reconnaissance team with weapons in their hands.

"It seems that you are not some coachmen." Devitt looked around and said to the goblin in front of him, "Why are you ambushing here?"

"To take your lives." the goblin laughed. "You people should have died on the way. How can you participate in the struggle on this island?"

"We have cleared the dwarf race of their grievances on this trip." Claremont said, "Do you have any misunderstanding about this?"

"No misunderstanding." the goblin shook his head and said, "It's just that we're not in a good term with the dwarfs you saved."

Devitt and the others felt a chill in their hearts when they heard this. The turn of events was far beyond their imagination.

After all, they were just a group of soldiers who fought on the battlefield before this. Although they had heard some stories about disputes of power, they would still be shocked by the intricacies of the forces involved.

"So, there are forces among the goblin race that are also involved in controlling this incident." Devitt said.

"Yes." the goblin lowered his head and looked at the machete in his hand, "There are thousands of people on this island who participated in this operation. They planned it for three months, but you outsiders ruined it. Tell me, do you deserve to die?"

"Hmph." Abel snorted. "I can only say that your methods are too dirty. I really can't think of anything that would make you so obsessed that you would betray your elders."

"When you reach hell, someone will tell you all about this.." the goblin's eyes flashed with a cold light.

Chapter 772: The Stable Operated By Angel

"Charge!" Abel ordered the soldiers of the reconnaissance team as he watched the goblins getting closer and closer.

The elven soldiers were hidden behind the Caradia soldiers. They kept attacking with their magic.

However, this group of goblins were swift and agile. They dodged all the spells of elven soldiers.

Devitt observed the situation of the battle and immediately ordered, "Caradia soldiers! form a small team of three and break through the encirclement."

"We have to go out now." Levin said happily after hearing the order.

Jeb nodded and said, "It was the elven soldiers who took the lead previously. It's our turn this time."

The two smiled at each other and pulled over a soldier from the same team. In the middle of the goblin crowd, they stood back-to-back and fought their way out of the encirclement.

Not only them, but all of the Caradia soldiers showed their courage on the battlefield. The longsword in their hands slashed across the throats of every goblin who stood in front of them.

The goblin leader who was leading the charge realized that things were not good to them. Before he came, he received news that the main force of this group of reconnaissance team was the elven soldiers. As long as they concentrated elven soldiers' firepower, it would be enough to deal with them. The remaining human soldiers were not a threat at all.

Now, it seemed that the elven soldiers had stopped and stood to the side to watch. Instead, the human soldiers seemed to be in a high morale and kept sprinting toward the goblin's encirclement.

More and more goblins fell, even though some of the Caradia soldiers were also knocked down. However, the morale of the two sides had completely changed.

"Retreat! Retreat!" the goblin leader shook his head and said to the remaining goblin assassins.

The goblins who received the order instantly disappeared into the forest.

Only the reconnaissance team and the goblin leader were left in the field.

"Hehe." Abel sneered. "You called all your men away. Do you want to fight with us alone?"

"Of course not." the goblin leader waved his hand and said, "I just want to leave a message for you. 'If a person walks under the sun, his skin will inevitably turn dark, even if he doesn't intend to'. Just wait, we will meet again."

After saying this, the goblin leader threw out a smoke bomb from his hand. The area was instantly surrounded by smoke.

Everyone hurriedly covered their noses and mouths. By the time the smoke dispersed, the goblin leader had already disappeared.

Abel looked towards the forest on both sides of the road, but there was still no sign of him.

"He ran really fast." Claremont said as he coughed.

"From the words left behind by the goblin, we have indeed been counted as a faction here." Devitt lowered his head and said, "We have to return to the Caradia Empire as soon as possible. We need to report the information we obtained here to His Highness Lord Kant."

"Then, should we continue to walk down this road?" Abel looked at the distant intersection and asked.

"Let's go," Claremont suggested. "Let's go to the beach and take a look. If there really are ships operating, we can save more than half of our time."

"Yes," Devitt said affirmatively.

"Captain Devitt, Captain Claremont!" a Caradia soldier came over and reported, "Two people from our camp died and eight were injured."

"Bury the dead soldiers here. Take the relics with you." Devitt ordered, "Leave the wounded soldiers to the elven soldiers for treatment. We will set off in thirty minutes!"

"Yes!" the soldier saluted.

There were many corpses of goblin assassins lying in the middle of the road. But no one came to collect their corpses.

Devitt broke the weapons that the soldiers carried when they were alive. He placed the broken weapons in front of the soldiers' graves.

"I hope that you can have a happy and peaceful life in your next life." Devitt prayed in a low voice and said silently.

Claremont followed behind Devitt and bowed in front of the graves of the two soldiers. He turned around and left with a mournful expression.

The soldiers stopped and reorganized themselves. The injured soldiers had basically recovered under the care of the elven soldiers.

The group continued down the road, preparing to walk to the beach according to the route on the map.

It was already noon. They encountered a real posthouse on the way.

The posthouse was built on an open space by the roadside. At a glance, one could see the stable of horses neatly arranged together. There was no end to it. The types of horses were also varied. Even for people like Devitt who had some knowledge of horses, there were still some horses that he could not name.

Although it was called a posthouse, the word 'teahouse' was written on the signboard.

Abel led everyone to stop in front of the teahouse.

"It seems that the words of the hotel owner are indeed true." Claremont said as he looked at the Teahouse's door.

"Yes." Devitt nodded. "To be able to collect so many high-quality horses, this is indeed a good place."

"Let's go in and take a look." Abel always put action first. After listening to the words of the two, he strode in.

"Is anyone there?" Abel stepped over the door and called out.

"Yes." a man dressed in a white robe opened the curtain by the counter and walked out. He answered.

Abel looked him up and down and asked, "You're the only one in your shop? Where's the coachmen?"

"We only rent horses here, we don't hire workers." the man said calmly.

Abel was a little confused, but he still made an introduction. "We have more than forty people here, and we need to go to the seaside to take a boat. How can we go there without you leading the way?"

"The horses will take you there, of course." the man said seriously.

"Don't tease me. Do you mean that the horses you raised know the way?" Abel waved his hand and questioned.

The man nodded.

Abel frowned and said with doubt, "Is this how you do business?"

"The door of every stable is open. Whichever horse is available, you can lead it yourself. Everywhere you go, it will cost a silver coin." the white-robed man turned his back and said, "When you reach the destination, just place the payment on the saddle."

After leaving these words, the man disappeared behind the curtain again.

Abel stood where he was and pondered for a moment, then walked out of the shop. He told Devitt and Claremont the rules that he had heard.

"I've seen businessmen with this style before." Claremont nodded and said, "They probably do this because they have their own confidence."

"Well, in that case, let the soldiers choose the horses.." Devitt made a decision and said, "The canopy provided here can only fit four people in one carriage."

Chapter 773: The Night On The Shore

"Let the soldiers of the same squad ride in one carriage. At least they can look after each other." Abel suggested.

"Okay." Devitt nodded and agreed.

The soldiers spread out and stopped in front of the stable that they liked to watch.

Every horse in the stable had beautiful, soft hair and strong tendons.

The fresh grass in the trough seemed to have been picked this morning, giving off a fresh smell of soil.

Claremont followed behind Devitt and walked through every stable. Looking at Devitt's focused expression, Claremont couldn't help but say, "Captain Devitt, do we need to pick for so long? We're just letting them pull us to the beach."

"All of the horses are different breeds, and they're all the best of the best," Devitt replied, "It's such a pity to be raised here to pull a carriage."

Claremont said with a laugh, "How do you know? What if they just want to stay here?"

"Sigh, I don't know what they're thinking. They just feel that they're overqualified for pulling the carriage only." Devitt shook his head and said.

With that, he walked into a stable and pulled out a white-furred horse with smooth muscle lines.

"Beautiful!" Claremont praised.

"Let's go, I have chosen mine." Devitt said, "The soldiers are still waiting for us."

"Don't you want to try riding this horse?" Claremont asked.

Devitt was stunned for a moment, then he turned his head to look at the horse he was holding. Then he replied, "Forget it. There isn't even a whip in this stable. I guess the owner doesn't want others to ride on his horse."

"Just give it try." Claremont walked to Devitt's side and said, "Didn't the shopkeeper say that these horses know the way? Let him take us back."

Devitt hesitated for a moment, then nodded. Stepping on the stirrup, he sat on the horse's back. The moment Devitt stepped on the stirrup, the white-furred horse shook its hooves. However, it didn't do anything else after that.

"You can come up too." Devitt stretched out his hand to Claremont and said.

Claremont grabbed Devitt's hand, jumped up, and sat behind Devitt.

After the two of them sat down, the white-furred horse immediately set off. Like a bolt of lightning, it rushed straight to the destination in front of the teahouse.

"Wow!" Claremont felt the cold wind blowing past his ear, and shouted excitedly, "It seems that this horse can really understand human language!"

"And it doesn't seem to have carried people before. Sitting on it, I'm about to vomit." Devitt said with a pale face.

He sat at the front and needed to endure more cold wind.

"Didn't you say that you like horses? Be careful that the horse will listen to you and throw you off." Claremont said with a smile.

The two of them walked for twenty minutes, but the horse only took three minutes.

When the handsome white horse appeared in front of the reconnaissance team with Devitt and Claremont, the soldiers burst into exclamations.

Abel, who was waiting for the two in front of the teahouse, also walked down from the horse with a surprised expression. He said to the dizzy two, "How did the two of you get on the horse? Several soldiers in the team tried to ride it, but they all fell down."

"The two of us are also quite miserable." Devitt staggered down from the horse and stroked his forehead, he said, "It seems that although this horse is kept in captivity, it still retains its natural wildness. We are not very suitable to ride it."

Claremont also nodded. Although he was indeed very happy at the beginning, after about a minute, his body also became uncomfortable.

"Are you okay?" Abel asked with concern.

"We're fine." Claremont shook his head and said, "Are the soldiers ready?"

"We're ready. We're just waiting for you." Abel sighed and said, "I'll put on the hood of the carriage and set off in a while. You guys can stand here and rest for a while."

"... Thank you." Devitt said while holding his stomach.

After Abel left, Claremont looked at Devitt and said with a sick face, "I feel a little nauseous. How about you?"

"Me too."

After Claremont and Devitt made some preparations, the soldiers got into the carriage and set off.

The horses that refused to carry people were unusually docile when they pulled the carriage.

It even made Devitt wonder if they could reach the beach today.

However, in fact, two hours after they sat in the carriage, the reconnaissance team heard the sound of the sea waves.

"We're almost at the beach." a soldier opened the curtains in the carriage and looked outside.

"Austin, how do you feel?" another soldier in the carriage asked Austin, who was sitting quietly in the corner, with concern.

"It's strange... I don't feel dizzy at all." Austin said with a smile.

"This horse is walking so slowly. How could Austin feel dizzy?" a soldier interrupted.

"How is it impossible?" the soldier who cared about Austin retorted, "I remember that he fainted when he touched the carriage or something."

"Maybe this carriage is different," Austin replied, "I didn't feel any tightness in my chest."

"Indeed," the surrounding soldiers said. "This is the most valuable carriage I've ever sat in."

The carriage stopped amid the soldiers' discussions.

"We're here." Devitt got out of the carriage and said to Abel and Claremont who were sitting in the carriage.

Abel also jumped out of the carriage. He cast his gaze toward the sea that was very close to him and said, "It's much closer than I imagined."

"I'll call the soldiers out of the carriage." Claremont said. Then, he shuttled back and forth in the carriage, telling the soldiers to get out of the carriage and gather.

"It's time to put the payment on the saddle." Abel reminded him.

"Okay." Devitt took out a few silver coins from his chest pocket and nodded.

The soldiers gathered in the open space beside the carriage. After Devitt put a silver coin on the saddle of each horse, all the horses that were leading the carriage turned around and left.

The soldiers watched as they left. When they saw the carriage being carried by the horses and suspended in the air, everyone burst into exclamations.

Cold sweat broke out on Austin's back. No wonder he didn't feel any dizziness while sitting in the carriage. It turned out that the carriage was floating in the air.

"I finally know why it's so fast." Claremont said, shaking his head in amazement.

Abel said to everyone after they recovered from their shock, "Tonight, we'll camp here for the night. Everyone, after receiving your tasks, quickly start working."

"Yes!" the soldiers replied.

The setting sun was slowly sinking into the sea.. There was still an hour before the sky turned dark.

Table of Contents

1: Journey in the Desert
2: The Jackalan's Ambush
3: Swadian Recruit
4: Psychological Warfare
5: The Gamble Was About to Begin
6: The Color of Blood Under the Evening Sun
7: Founding of Drondheim
8: Troubles in the Morning
9: Food Shortage
10: Value of the Date Palm Trees
11: Desert Bandit Lair
12: Coarse Salt in the Urn
13: Sarrandan Wisdom
14: Scrumptious Dinner
15: The Thick Stench of Blood
16: Irreconcilable Differences
17: Troop Class Upgrade After the Battle
18: Choice of Buildings
19: Burial Below the Dunes
20: The Huge Tribe in the Desert
21: Water in the Tent
22: Enemy in the Dark of Night
23: Death Sentence by Exposure to the Sun
24: Returning to the Oasis Lookout
25: Refugees of Swadia
26: New System Functions
27: Special Reward from the System
28: A New Week
29: Trade Caravan from Reyvadin
30: Dates Traded for Wheat
31: Scholar Hank's Expedition
32: Cultivating Lands of the Oasis
33: The Sound of the Horn
34: Hobson's Awkward Situation
35: An Ambiguous Introduction
36: Misunderstanding
37: Persistence in Adversity

38: A Red Banner Emblazoned with a Golden Lion

39: The Terrifying First Wave
40: Mystical, Supernatural Power
41: Forging a Path to Victory
42: Surplus Experience
43: Part-time Slave Trader
44: Explosive Growth in Quality of Forces
45: A Jungle That Came With Its Own Soil
46: Firentis the Wandering Knight
47: Current Data
48: A New Main Quest
49: Firentis' Strategy
50: Preparing for a Great Battle
51: New Incident
52: Inspection Before Departure
53: Assault Before Dawn
54: A Massacre in Fire and Blood

55: A Battlefield enveloped in a Rain of Arrows

56: Spoils of Victory
57: Swadian Man-at-Arms
58: The Well in the Ruins
59: Discovery of a Golden Disk
60: Getting Ready to Leave the Salt Mine
61: Strange Jackalan
62: Asage's Grievance
63: The Kingdom of the Jackalan
64: Kant’s new threat
65: The Returning Troops
66: The Joy of the Construction Team Leader
67: The Prize for Ten Consecutive Lucky Draws
68: The Arrival of Manid
69: New Lucky Draw Results

70: Construction and Topographical Reconstruction

71: Thoughts on the Salt Trade
72: The Sealed Golden Light
73: Migrating Sand Gazelles
74: Needlegrass Meadows Acquirerd
75: Requirements to Level Up
76: Preparation Before Leaving
77: Memories of the Lion Kingdom
78: Another Journey in the Desert
79: Letter from Veruga
80: Arriving at the Stone Pass
81: Elated Asage
82: The Cold Baron Dylan
83: Filthy Slum
84: Provocation in the Hall of Lords
85: A Gift from Kant
86: Confirmed Trade Cooperation
87: The Country Bumpkins of the North County
88: The Power Structure of Knights
89: Two Different Conspiracies

90: Fortuitous Encounter After Leaving the Desert

91: Poor Acting Skills
92: A Sudden Ambush
93: The Post-war Clean-up of Forces
94: The storm at the Stone Pass
95: Food in the posthouse
96: Firentis' Principle
97: Love From a Father

98: The fortress of Oasis Lookout (first order in ten thousand words)

99: Kant’s coercion
100: Secrets of the Kingdom of Gray Mane
101: The True Value Needed
102: The Return of the Trade Caravan
103: Wei Jiya’s Quest
104: A Rare Item of High Value
105: The Elemental Giant killed
106: Drop of defective gemstones
107: The Rider of Sarrand
108: Daily Construction Work
109: The Beginning of the Sugar Workshop
110: Boiled Sugar Cubes
111: The Unstopped Crises
112: The Invincible Charge
113: Orders to Destroy the Well
114: The Tragic Fate After Defeat
115: Rich Battle Returns
116: Thoughts About Slave Hunters
117: Completion of the Special Quest
118: Kant’s Five-Draw
119: The New Situation Before the Banquet
120: Soldiers in High Spirits
121: The Wind on the Mannheim Coast
122: Trade Caravan Heading for the Pass
123: The River of Time Was Flowing
124: Brought Back the Bountiful Resources
125: Saturday’s Busy Morning
126: The Idea of Forming A Camel Caravan
127: The Difference of Level 5 Troop Class
128: The Mighty Mamluke
129: Distribution of Troop Class
130: The Crisis Hidden In the Undercurrent
131: Pirates of the JACKALAN
132: Refugees Who Arrived Before the War
133: Medal from the Mission
134: Enemies on the Horizon
135: The Heavily Guarded Fortress
136: Kant Was Stunned
137: Self-destructing Formation
138: A Brutal Internecine
139: Unexpected Surrender
140: An Epic Victory
141: Elite Troops After the Battle
142: Cruel Interrogation
143: An Army With Only Footmen
144: Five More Lucky Draws
145: The Eye of The Magic Ball
146: The Real Expedition Army
147: The Lucrative Slave Trade
148: The Return of the Scout Cavalries
149: Tupak 100-man team
150: The Long Prepared Fortress
151: The Beginning of the All-out Attack
152: Effective Use of Corpses
153: Get Caught Up in a Mad Offensive
154: A Renewed Offensive
155: The Power of the Elemental Giants
156: The Eruption of Intimidation
157: The Final Curtain
158: A Huge Sum of Money
159: Tragic Casualties
160: The Newly Obtained Council Hall
161: The Construction of the Fortress
162: Rules of the Special Gift Pack
163: The Latest Data Interface

164: The End of the Month Arrived In the Blink of an Eye

165: Return of the Natural Salt Mine
166: The Salt Camel Caravan at Dawn
167: The Demands Of the Posthouse Militiamen
168: The Shock of the Vassal Knights
169: The Celebratory Tournament
170: The Raging Dark Tide
171: The Beginning Of the Tournament
172: Mother’s Secret
173: Boring Tournament
174: Complete Silence On the Scene
175: The Knight Who Suddenly Arrived
176: Expected Defeat
177: Knight’s Body Of Kant
178: The Development of Baron Dylan
179: The Route To the Village

180: The First Ecounter with Demonized Creature

181: The Black Gemstone In Its Body
182: The Lost Ruins on the Mountain Peak
183: An Extremely Fierce Battle
184: The New Sun Disc
185: All Forces of the System
186: Aaron Village of Rhodok
187: Kant, Who Was at Ease
188: The evil aura of the cave
189: Release of the Main Quest
190: Detecting Something Wrong
191: Developing Aaron Village
192: A Week’s Change
193: Archery Master’s Performance
194: Probing Deep Into the Cave
195: The End Of the Evil Cave

196: The Ruins Of the Sacred City Behind the Door

197: The Coffins Under the Statue
198: A Beautiful Girl
199: A Descendant of the Ancient Race
200: The Demon That Broke the Seal
201: Ruins that Suddenly Collapsed
202: A Village that Profited from a Disaster
203: Aaron’s Prosperity

204: Trade Caravans Appearing One After Another

205: The Changes of Drondheim
206: Beginning Of the Castle Level Up
207: The Data Interface Of the Castle
208: Miracle-like Construction
209: The Utility Of Civilian Buildings
210: The Appearance of Professional Craftsman
211: Kant’s Noble Flag
212: The Mage Apprentice’s Dormitory
213: The Ambition of a High-End Force
214: Qikan's Trading Caravans
215: A Castle Full of Talented People
216: Spies That Captured Suddenly
217: Borg From the Eastern County
218: Probing In the Dark

219: Strategies For Conquering the East County

220: The Tense Atmosphere Between the Two Sides

221: Saving That Reached Its Bottom Again
222: Loan From the Trade Caravan
223: Research Of Mage Apprentices
224: The Magic Experiment That Went Wrong
225: The Sandstorm That Swept Across the Land

226: The Desert Bandits Who Came On an Adventure

227: Self-Recommended Apprentices
228: The Impact of the Sandstorm
229: The Army of Aaron Village
230: The Grim Situation of the Ruins
231: The Power of the Entire School of Bowmen
232: A Mission in the Ancient Passage
233: Changing the Expedition's Troop Class

234: Complete Victory of the Charging Heavy Cavalry

235: The Underground Fortress at the End
236: The Shadow in the Dust
237: Trapped Demons of Hell
238: The Plan to the Fight the Demon
239: Dispute between the Mage Apprentices
240: An Army of Abyss Demons
241: Numbers at a Disadvantage

242: The Charge That Would Determine the Battle Outcome

243: The End of the Eradication
244: Leveling Up of Mage Apprentices
245: Lord of the Abyss Demons
246: Temptation of Aamon Qieke
247: Entanglement of Golems
248: The Terror of Summoning Lightning
249: Ranger’s First Aid Methods
250: Hint of System Quest
251: A Demon That Was Completely Annihilated
252: Questions From Kant
253: The Old Man In the Temple
254: Resurrected Divine Lich
255: The Pope’s Appointment
256: A Large Amount of Gold
257: The Arrangement of the War Trophies
258: The Importance of Healing Spells
259: The Sword of the King
260: Energy Neutralization Therapy
261: The Awaked Bunduk
262: The Construction of "Aaron" Village
263: Leveled-up Town
264: The Ever-changing Mountains
265: Trouble At the Posthouse
266: The Panic of the Merchants
267: Lord Kant's Pressure
268: The Frightened Quails
269: Cards Currently In Possession

270: Careful Planning for the Future (2nd update)

271: A Reminder From the Desert Bandits
272: The Title of Royal Knight
273: The Infighting Intruders
274: The Jaw-dropping Shock
275: The Mighty Golden Aura Flame
276: The mage’s leeway
277: Return to Oasis Lookout
278: Fangorn Forest of the Lord of the Rings
279: Future Arrangements
280: The Returning Caravan

281: The pressure he was about to bear (first update)

282: Baron Dylan’s Anger (Chapter 2)
283: The Exchange Value of the Golden Eagle
284: Trade Caravan At the Posthouse
285: Upcoming Negotiations
286: Advantages Brought By Monopoly
287: Merchants’ Desperate Pleas
288: Tactics of the Desert Bandits
289: Defeated In An Instant
290: Trade Caravan That Returned In Shock
291: An Inflated Confidence
292: Information From the Captives
293: The Garrison of the Lion Knights
294: The Formation of the Cavalry System
295: Mage Apprentice’s Senses

296: Arrangements for the Salt Mine Posthouse (second update)

297: Anomaly At the End of the Horizon (third update)

298: The Appearance of the Undead Skeletons
299: The Slowly Rising Fog
300: The Expanding Sky Veil of Death
301: The Evil Under the Sand Layer
302: Kant’s Choice to Retreat
303: A New Strategy
304: The Spring of Nature of Ent
305: Baron Dylan's Attack
306: The Prelude to the March of the Troops
307: Baron Dylan’s Cold Smile
308: Malevolent Intent from the Eyes
309: Assassination of Vassal Knight
310: Betrayal
311: Defeated Mercenary Group
312: Baron Who Had Become A Puppet
313: Kant’s War Trophies
314: Finishing the Matters in the Posthouse
315: Lush Aaron
316: The Demonic Body
317: Ruins of the Underground Temple
318: The Path of Golden Light
319: Kant’s Extraordinary Power
320: The Most Important Arrangement
321: The New Sun Disc
322: The final best plan
323: Subsequent Arrangements
324: Level up of Aaron City
325: Black Fog
326: Apostle of the Underworld
327: The Conflict of Pendor Continent
328: The Spirit That Still Existed
329: Threats to the Old Pope
330: Affected Thoughts
331: Ban Dake’s advancement
332: The Pot of Greed
333: The Lingering Will of the Dead
334: Proper City Planning
335: The Feud Between Noble Families
336: Mistakes at the Central Posthouse
337: Studying the System of Divine Spells
338: Spies Encountered At Night
339: The Princess’ Old Subordinates
340: Subdued the Water Bandits Easily
341: The Cautious Drondheim
342: Losing the Salt Mine Posthouse
343: Finally, A Good News
344: The Evolution of the Sun Disc
345: When the Sun Rose Again
346: The Divine Authority Bloomed
347: The Approaching Death Knights
348: Kant’s Inquiry
349: The Royal Knights' Narration
350: Negotiations
351: The Crisis that Came Back Around
352: The Heavily Guarded Fortresses
353: The Special Gift Pack
354: The Castle Built on the Mountain
355: Enemies of the Dead
356: Golden Flames
357: The total attack of the undead
358: An Astonishing Number of Skeletons
359: Kant’s ultimate goal
360: the Powerful Infantrymen
361: The End of Kant's Patience
362: Sweeping Up the Dead
363: The Blooming of the Sun Disc
364: Special Death Knight
365: The Ancient Secret
366: Final Statistics of the Battle
367: Jocelyn Returns
368: Kant’s Decision-Making Process
369: The Central Posthouse's Hospitality
370: The Situation Was Good
371: A Brand New Pass
372: The Hearts of the People at Stone Pass
373: Baron Dylan's Resentment
374: Kant’s Empty Promises
375: Strategies in the Hall of the Mansion
376: The Compromise In the Crystal Ball
377: Generous Tax R`elief
378: The Ambush in the Depths of the Mansion
379: The End of a Perfect Banquet
380: The Return Signal
381: The Changes in the Dukedom of Leo
382: Nibbling Away at the Effects of Tactics
383: Ji Bolun of the Eastern County
384: Rugged and Shabby Dirt Road
385: The Temporary Camp Near to the Village
386: Anxious Militiamen
387: A Misunderstanding
388: In the Middle of the Night
389: Strange Red Mist
390: The Monster in the Blood Mist
391: The So-called Secret of Divine Artifacts

392: The Treatment of the Villagers After the War

393: Bertram’s Realization

394: Information About the Crimson Cult

395: The Complicated Situation In South County

396: Arriving at the Capital of East County
397: The Art of Compromise
398: The Busy Port
399: Borg Chamber of Commerce
400: An Arrogant Attitude
401: The Silent Hall
402: Borg’s Despair
403: The Opportunity Given by Kant
404: Borg’s Thoughts
405: Assassination in the Night
406: The Obstacles at the City Gate
407: The Entrance to the Ancient Passage
408: The Ancient Passageway
409: The Changes in the "Aaron" City
410: A Reminder to James
411: Planned River Mouth Village
412: A Sudden War
413: The Strength of the Reinforcements
414: Declaration of the End of the Battle
415: The Defeated Soldiers Chose to Surrender
416: Obtained Kingdom of Nords

417: The Construction of the Water Bandit Lair

418: Temporary Military Center
419: Kant’s Journey to Destruction
420: Fear in the East County
421: The Forces of the Crimson Sect
422: The Archers Who Were Slaughtered
423: Intense Battlefield
424: The Changes of Enemy Troops
425: Half-demonized Believers
426: Mages’ Fireball Spell
427: The Tragic Battlefield Situation
428: The Demon Lord Appeared
429: Flensas’s Anger
430: The Gruesome Battle with the Demon
431: The Body of a Demon that Exploded
432: The Battle Was About to End
433: The Shivering East County
434: The Revelry of the Noble System
435: After the War
436: Noble's Thoughts
437: Kant Could Play with the Rules
438: An Ambush of Unknown Troop
439: The Attack of the Rabble
440: The Grudges of the Water Bandits
441: Kant’s Absolute Strength
442: Baheshtur’s Gift
443: The Knight Commander’s Hesitation
444: The Priests Among the Water Bandits
445: Forces with Ulterior Motives
446: The Final Charge
447: The Powerful Summoning Golem
448: Strength Rapidly Expanding
449: East County’s Submission
450: Kant’s Choice
451: The Crisis of Stone Pass
452: The Final News
453: The Mountain Pass That Was Ready
454: Viscount Wayne's Ambition
455: Sneak Attacks In the Night
456: The Collapse of the Mercenary Groups
457: The Internal Strife of Mecenaries
458: The Laughable Battlefield
459: Intercepted the Alliance Army
460: Nobles with Different Opinions
461: Viscount Wayne's Shout
462: After the End of the Internal Strife
463: The Thoughts of the Nobles
464: Conjectures Brought about by Strength
465: Negotiation with the Wayne Family
466: Deep Thoughts in the Tent
467: Rolf’s Thoughts
468: The Worry of Viscount Kevin
469: The Beginning of the General Attack

470: The Castle was Finally been Broken Through

471: Surrender in the Raging Flames

472: The Decisive Battle that Deciding the Future

473: The Secretly Prepared Serfs

474: The Light Cavalries that Plundered in the Dark

475: The Turmoil in the Dukedom of Leo

476: The Connection between the Rebellion Forces

477: The Gap Between the Two Sides
478: There Was No Other Choice
479: Ambush In the Middle of the Night
480: Slow Reaction
481: Desperate Escape
482: The End of the Battle of the Canyon
483: Knights Fleeing In Panic
484: The Farm that had been Ravaged
485: The Upcoming Decisive Battle
486: The Future Planning
487: New Main Quest
488: The New Alliance with Rebellion Army
489: Kant’s Return
490: Temporary New Castle

491: The Determination of the noble alliance army

492: The Dirty Deeds
493: The Intensified Forntline
494: The Coming Confrontation
495: Brilliant Strategic Planning
496: Hiding Outside of Lionheart City
497: Omission in Strategic Planning
498: Investigation from the Other Kingdoms
499: The Battle of the Ancient Time
500: Preparation Before the Final Battle
501: The Charge of the Cavalries
502: The Bloody Battlefield
503: Hell in the Millstone
504: Information Exchange
505: The Desire in the Hearts of the Spies
506: The Hopeless Situation of South County
507: Panic Nobles
508: The Discussion In the Meeting Room
509: A Vacillating Decision
510: The War Between Gods and Demons
511: Rumors From the Nobles
512: An Even Worse Situation
513: The Blueprint of the Future Strategy
514: The Fleets Outside of Lionheart City
515: The Surprise Attack After Dusk
516: The Relaxed Navy Camp
517: Skilled Special Combat Infiltration
518: The Approaching Army
519: Massacre After Encirclement
520: Mages Cleaning the Camps
521: The Legendary Victory

522: The Surprise Attack Came to A Perfect End

523: The Lucky Draw
524: Urgency in Facing the Situation
525: The Extraordinary Equipment Set

526: Inspection of the North and South Main Roads

527: The Hostility of the Human Countries
528: Strange Situation During the Siege
529: Adrian’s Choice
530: The Anxious Situation in the City
531: Knights Advancing In the City
532: The Sleeping Manor
533: Noble that Trapped in Mind Imprisonment
534: The Strangeness of Lionheart City
535: The Black Armored Knight Who Arrived
536: The Army of the God of War
537: New System Quest
538: The Sky Gradually Darkened
539: Research on Buff Spells
540: The Charge that Began In An Instant
541: Blood-red River In the Rain
542: The Furious Viscount Kemil
543: The Brutal Slaughter In the Room
544: The Choice of Seria Castle
545: Fighting In the Square
546: Regretful Rebellion Army
547: Clean Up
548: Obtained Fertile Land
549: Priest's Divine Spell of War
550: Break Through the War Temple
551: The Ancient Ballad
552: Encounters In the Divine Kingdom
553: More And More Enemies
554: The God In the Village
555: War Against God
556: The Falling of the God of War
557: The Book of Prophecy
558: A Year of Steady Development
559: Guests of the Castle
560: Disgusting Conversation
561: The Scheme of the Nobles
562: Kant's Absolute Intimidation
563: The Discovery of Ancient Ruins
564: The Treasures of the Ancient Ruins
565: The Conspiracy of the World Noble
566: Effects of Extraordinary items
567: Level Up of Extraordinary Item
568: The Necklace Eventually Leveled Up
569: Speculations About the Holy Spirit
570: Understanding of Nature
571: A Familiar Face
572: The Information Seen by the Goshawk
573: The incoming sword of fire
574: Application of Extraordinary Power
575: The Purity of Animals
576: The Activation of Nature's Favor
577: The Troops That Continued Their Crusade
578: Pressure On the Nobles
579: The Confidence of the World Nobles
580: Confidence In the Domain
581: The Heavy Cavalries of Lion Fort
582: An Ominous Premonition
583: The Curse Stone
584: Viscount Carl Was Delighted
585: Kant' Sensed the Abnormality
586: The expiration of the curse
587: Common sense that gradually faded
588: The activation of war spirits
589: The summon that covered the sky
590: The cohesion of the power of rules
591: Changes in the battlefield situation
592: Kant's confidence in killing
593: The bait's final regret
594: The possibility of war
595: The castle that was about to fall
596: The News that was Quickly Transmitted
597: The Bloody Battle at the City Gate
598: The Manifestation of the War Spirit

599: The Bloody Battle at the Gate of the Castle

600: Perfect Battlefield Slaughter
601: The Hidden Demiplane
602: The so-called Father
603: Obstacles to Progress
604: The Impact of the Golem Puppets
605: A wavelike Breakthrough
606: The Hidden Crown of Darkness
607: The Technique of Blood Replication
608: A Modified and Terrifying Curse
609: Fatigue in the Depths of One's Body
610: The Possibility of Turning the Tables
611: The Necklace of Eternity
612: Illusion of Glorious Achievement
613: The Promotion of the Power of Rules
614: Kant's Projection of Will
615: The Crown of Bloodline Compatibility
616: The System that Was a Little Stuffed
617: Unusable Power
618: The Restriction Agreement is in Effect
619: The Mission to Establish an Empire
620: Submission of the Goshawks
621: The Expedition Continued
622: The Direction of the Death Desert
623: The Convergence of the Sky Veil of Death
624: The worries of the Elf Kingdom
625: Glory, Sword of the King
626: Excavating the Lost City

627: In the Blink of an Eye, a Week Had Passed

628: The Messenger who Delivered the Decree
629: The Arrival of the Death Knight
630: Not a cheap condition
631: Support from Drondheim
632: Elf with ill intentions
633: A harmonious negotiation
634: The Elf Had no Way Out
635: The Undead that Arrived Ahead of Time
636: A Unified Plan of Attack
637: Knights Who Were Utterly Defeated
638: The Tragic Situation on the Frontlines
639: Pam, Who Had Fallen into Despair

640: The Lord who Insists on Doing Things His Own Way

641: A Fair Treaty
642: Wise and Rational Peers
643: The Weakness of the Elven Ministers
644: Inspiring Speech
645: Simple and Straightforward Defense
646: Unknown Soldier
647: The Undead who Were Unwilling to Give up
648: Unusual Rapid Construction
649: The Supreme and Glorious Kant
650: Smooth Construction
651: The dwarfs who came
652: Small Developments in Cumberland
653: The Elf Kingdom's Trade
654: The Murder Case of the Alkali Soil
655: The Battle under the Moonlight
656: Pep Talk for the Training Ground
657: Reinforcements From the Elves
658: The Battle Outside the City Gate
659: A Sudden Predicament
660: Breaking Through the Siege of Lost City
661: The Transition Stage of the Battlefield
662: Unexpected Medical Soldier
663: The Arrogance of the Lizardmen
664: The Battle That Brought Dawn
665: The Return Journey After the War
666: Selection of the New Commander
667: Preparations Before the Expedition
668: The Journey to Draw the Curtain
669: A Kingdom to Visit Again
670: The Decisive Battle
671: Decision-Making After the Battle

672: The Discovery of the Lizardmen's Main City

673: The Final Result of the Battle
674: Preparation for the New Empire
675: Investigation of the Undead City
676: The Establishment of Durandal
677: Visiting the Coal Mine on the First Day
678: Leisure on a Normal Day
679: The Journey to the Freshwater Lake
680: An Arduous Return Journey
681: The Effects of the Plague
682: Difficult Decision
683: Daily Routine Had Been Restored
684: Derrick's Farewell
685: Final Result
686: The Founding of the Empire
687: Dinner With the Ministers
688: The Day After the Founding of the Empire
689: Inspection at the Military Camp
690: A Delightful Dinner
691: The Visit of the Elven King
692: Welcoming the Elves to the Banquet
693: The Return Journey of the Elf King
694: Preparation of Caradia
695: Three Days of Training
696: The Beginning of the Mission
697: Soldiers Arrived At the Starting Point
698: Conditions for Becoming a Leader
699: Meeting With the Elves
700: The Scouts Set Off In the Morning
701: Days on the Ship
702: The War Between the Nomads on the Island
703: The Arduous Journey
704: First Face-Off - Stalemate
705: The Power of the Elven Mages
706: Dwarf Who Sells Information
707: Visiting the Guild for the First Time
708: The Hardships of Crossing the Plains
709: The Appearance of the Black Elves
710: A Peaceful Journey
711: An Unpleasant Confrontation
712: Battle With the Black Elves

713: The Heartache of the First Taste of Bitterness

714: A Day of Rest
715: A Dark Corner of the Past
716: A Sudden Interlude

717: They Were Lucky Enough to Pass By the Trolls

718: A Wolf Pack That Was Easily Dealt With
719: The Latest Challenge to Begin
720: Information Obtained From Hunting
721: The Rain in the Autumn Valley
722: The Next Stage of the Stage
723: Meeting With the Centaurs
724: A Forest With a Different World

725: The Old Man in Charge of Guarding the Door

726: Inexplicable Encounter
727: The Time for Dinner
728: A Trip That Can Not Be Delayed
729: The Agreement of the Three Leaders
730: Goblins Picked up by the roadside
731: The Hardships of Being a Father
732: Guarding the Goblin in the Bed
733: The Diagnosis
734: The Hastily Concluded Conversation
735: A Night of Companionship
736: Austin's Request
737: Unknowingly Taking Care of Him
738: A Sudden Increase in Pace
739: The Snake Woman's Ambush
740: Scaring Off the Snake-women
741: Wonderful Breakfast
742: A Sudden Invitation
743: Racing Match
744: Return to the Reality
745: Resolution as a Leader
746: Soldiers Who Miss Their Hometown
747: A Sudden Conflict
748: An Inconclusive Cold War
749: Three-day Punishment
750: Late Night Medical Check-up
751: The Choice of Whether to Leave Or Not
752: The Day of Departure
753: The Discovery of Spring
754: The Unfortunate Pseudo Dragons
755: The Journey Forward
756: Advancing Without Delay
757: News From the Front Line
758: A Hard-earned Meal
759: After the 'New Year' Banquet
760: The Rumors Spread
761: The Impending Farewell
762: Strangeness of the City
763: News About the Town
764: Leave Without Saying Goodbye

765: The Process of Teleporting Up the Mountain

766: Buildings With Another Purpose
767: The Expected Betrayal
768: The Group Escaped From The Cave
769: The Unveiling Of The Conspiracy
770: The Long-awaited Reunite
771: The Decision To Choose The Sea Route
772: The Stable Operated By Angel
773: The Night On The Shore